by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Spine Care, Wellness
Modern chiropractic started in the late 1800s when Daniel David Palmer, a self-educated teacher and healer, performed the very first spinal manipulation on a patient. Chiropractic is the third largest area of medicine today. The word chiropractic comes from Greek words meaning “treatment by hand”, which is exactly what chiropractors do�they use their hands to manipulate the body and promote healing and wellness.
The chiropractic philosophy is dependant on the following belief statements:
- All bodily functions are connected as well as the healing process requires the entire body.
- A healthy nervous system, especially the spine, is the important thing to your healthier body. The spinal cord carries advice throughout the body and is accountable for many bodily functions including voluntary movements (such as walking) and involuntary functions (like respiration). When the systems of the body have been in equilibrium, it is called homeostasis. Disorders of the bones, muscles, and nerves increase the risk of disorder along with other health problems and can disrupt homeostasis.
- When body systems are in harmony, the human anatomy gets the extraordinary ability to keep well-being and treat itself.
Chiropractors
They use traditional diagnostic testing strategies (like x-rays, MRI, and laboratory work) along with specific chiropractic techniques that involve hands-on manipulation of the articulations (joints) of the body. Nutrition and healthful lifestyle counseling is also offered by chiropractors. Chiropractors elect to not prescribe drugs, plus they do not perform operation; however, many chiropractors work with medical doctors and certainly will refer a patient when needed.
Chiropractors believe among the chief reasons for pain and disease is the misalignment of the vertebrae in the spinal column (this is known as a chiropractic subluxation). Through the usage of manual detection (or palpation), carefully applied pressure, massage, and manual manipulation of the vertebrae and joints (called adjustments), chiropractors are able to alleviate pressure and irritation on the nerves, restore joint mobility, and help return the body’s homeostasis.
Some chiropractors dedicate their practices exclusively to finding and removing subluxations. But in addition to using manual adaptations, most chiropractors offer other treatment modalities such as the following:
- Physiotherapy
- Herbal therapy
- Heat/cold therapy
- Ultrasound
- Electric muscle stimulation
- Acupuncture
- Manipulation under anesthesia
- Traction
- Massage
- Exercise programs and teaching
- Lifestyle and nutrition counselling
- Physical rehabilitation
Additionally, many chiropractors have considerable postgraduate training and become board certified in some specific regions of interest such as for instance:
- Neurology
- Orthopaedics
- Sports medicine
- Physical rehabilitation
- Nourishment
- Diagnostic radiology
In Overview
Chiropractic has come a long way since its beginnings. Due to its success in treating back and neck problems and as a consequence of changing approaches and recent research, chiropractic has become more accepted and is currently considered by many to be a piece of mainstream Western medicine. Actually, many hospitals finally have chiropractors on staff. Chiropractors will also be recognized by the court system as expert witnesses inside their field.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Spine Care, Wellness
The understanding the spine is somehow involved in health and wellness, in addition to the practice of utilizing manual manipulation as a way to obtain healing, dates back to the time of the ancient Greek philosophers. In fact, Hippocrates once said, “Get understanding of the back, for this is the requisite for several ailments.”
The First�Chiropractic Adjustment
Modern chiropractic, however, indicates its beginnings in the late 1800s, �when a Canadian living in the US, Daniel David Palmer, a self educated teacher and healer, performed the very first spinal manipulation on a patient.
That patient was Harvey Lillard, a janitor who worked in Palmer’s building. Lillard was almost totally deaf and mentioned to Palmer that he lost his hearing many years before when he was bending over and felt a “pop” in his upper back.
Palmer, who had been a practitioner of magnet therapy (a common therapy of the time) was fairly learned in physiology and incredibly interested in how a spine interacts with all the remainder of the entire body’s systems.
He found a difficulty with one of his vertebra and examined Lillard’s back. Palmer manipulated Lillard’s vertebra and an amazing event occurred�Lillard’s hearing was restored. Today, this process is referred to as a chiropractic adjustment.
Palmer soon found that alterations could alleviate patients’ pain as well as other symptoms. These problems with vertebrae are called chiropractic subluxations.
He started to use these “hand treatments” to treat many different ailments, including sciatica, migraine headaches, stomach complaints, epilepsy, and heart trouble. In 1898, he started the Palmer School & Infirmary in Davenport, Iowa, and began teaching his chiropractic techniques.
Initial Resistance In The Medical Community
The medical community failed to immediately embrace techniques and Palmer’s chiropractic theories. The called him a “quack” and refused to recognize his achievements. At one point, Palmer spent time in jail because of his violation and was indicted for practicing medicine with no license.
Research has shown that Palmer was not the fish monger that was unlearned that some in the health care profession claim. An investigation of this library, which he quoted in his letters, showed that he was up to date in his knowledge at the turn of the 20th century. Obviously, his theories, in the light of 21st century knowledge, seem uneducated.
Chiropractic Today
Today, chiropractors are licensed in most European countries, Canadian provinces, all the US states, Australia and New Zealand. There tend to be more than 50,000 practicing chiropractors in the US alone . Despite its North American roots, there are more chiropractic educational programs beyond North America.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Fitness, Health, Wellness
This article originally appeared on Time.com.�
People who run marathons go through intense training before enduring the physically grueling 26.2-mile event�so it�s little wonder their health can sometimes suffer. But on marathon days, the event can also create unexpected problems for non-runners who need urgent medical care.
In a new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that road closures and traffic disruptions on marathon days can lead to delays in emergency care that can cost people their lives.
Dr. Anupam Jena, from the department of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and his colleagues analyzed data from Medicare claims for hospitalizations for heart attack in 11 cities that hosted marathons from 2002 to 2012. They compared the death rates of these people on marathon days to those a few weeks before and after the marathon. People who had heart attacks on marathon days had a 13% higher rate of death than people on other days. Ambulances also took 4.4 minutes longer on days marathons were run.
�We were expecting to see there would potentially be delays in care,� says Jena, �but not necessarily increases in mortality. It�s difficult to influence mortality; you would have to have substantive delays in care.�
RELATED:�Is Running Good or Bad for Your Knees?
Road closures, detours and other changes in traffic patterns were dramatic enough to cause delays that could affect a person�s chance of surviving a heart attack, the team found. Over a year, marathons could contribute to an additional four deaths, based on the 30-day mortality rate calculations. The effect remained strong even after they adjusted for the possibility that more people visit a city hosting a marathon, and therefore statistically there may simply be more heart events. The researchers also made sure that hospitals and emergency services were not short-staffed or overburdened with the added volume of requests. All of these factors were similar on marathon and non-marathon days.
The disruption in traffic during a marathon is the primary reason for delays in care, Jena says. That�s good news because it�s a fixable problem; marathon planners can ensure that access to hospitals is not congested and affected by the race route.
The other lesson from the study is useful for people in need of medical attention. A quarter of the people in the study chose not to call an ambulance and instead drove themselves to the hospital�perhaps because they thought that emergency services were tied up with the marathon�and these people seemed to account for most of the higher mortality on marathon days, says Jena. That may be because they were forced to take more circuitous routes to reach the hospital, he says. �They don�t experience the four-minute delays of ambulance transport; they�re experiencing much larger delays because they are trying to drive themselves.�
Even with the delays, ambulances were the best form of transportation to the emergency room. �Anybody thinking of driving to the hospital themselves on the day of a major public event should pick up the phone and call 911,� Jena says.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Wellness
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Fitness, Health, Wellness
Yoga can be an effective way to prevent and ease aches and pains—but it can also cause them if you’re not careful. The key is proper alignment. Go from “ow” to “om” in seconds by making simple alignment tweaks to common poses. In this video, Yoga With Kirby founder Kirby Koo shows you quick fixes to take pressure off your knees, wrists, and neck. These basic principles can be applied throughout your practice to help prevent pain before it starts.
Warrior II
Once you’re set up in Warrior II, pay attention to the position of your front knee. Is it sticking out beyond your ankle? Is it collapsing inward? Pull your knee back into place, so it’s stacked directly above your ankle, and tracking in the same direction as the toes of your front foot. This protects the ligaments in your knee and prevents knee pain.
Related Content: Try This 15-Minute Yoga Flow for Stress Relief
Plank
Plank is a great core stabilizing exercise if you have proper alignment. But if your belly and hips sag in this pose, then your wrists are probably taking on the brunt of your body weight. In plank, engage your core muscles by imagining a zipper running up from your pubic bone to your belly button. This should help raise your hips so your body forms a continuous line from the top of your head to your heels, a more stable position that will help distribute your body weight more evenly and ease the pressure in the wrists.
Cow Pose
Cow pose can feel super satisfying, but it’s easy to go overboard and strain your neck while you’re enjoying the gentle backbend. When you’re in cow pose, it’s important to remember not to tip your head too far back, shortening the back of the neck. You’ll get a lot more out of the pose (and avoid neck strain) if you imagine your neck as an extension of the gentle curve of the spine. Lift your gaze only as far as you can without compromising the curve in your spine and the length in the back of your neck. The same concept can apply for Upward-Facing Dog, too!
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Exercise, Fitness, Health, Wellness
Maybe this will be the news that finally jolts you off the couch and into an exercise program. A new study suggests that being physically active increases the chances of survival after a heart attack.
Researchers compared exercise levels among 1,664 heart attack patients in Denmark, including 425 who died immediately. Those who had been physically active were less likely to die, and the risk of death decreased as exercise levels rose. Patients who had light or moderate/high physical activity levels were 32 percent and 47 percent less likely to die from their heart attack, respectively, than the sedentary patients.
The study was published April 12 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
“We know that exercise protects people against having a heart attack,” said study co-author Eva Prescott, a professor of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Copenhagen. “Animal studies suggest that myocardial infarctions [heart attacks] are smaller and less likely to be fatal in animals that exercise. We wanted to see if exercise was linked with less serious myocardial infarctions in people,” she added in a journal news release. “One possible explanation is that people who exercise may develop collateral blood vessels in the heart which ensure the heart continues to get enough blood after a blockage. Exercise may also increase levels of chemical substances that improve blood flow and reduce injury to the heart from a heart attack,” Prescott said.
She added this caveat: “This was an observational study so we cannot conclude that the associations are causal [cause and effect]. The results need to be confirmed before we can make strong recommendations.
“But,” Prescott added, “I think it’s safe to say that we already knew exercise was good for health and this might indicate that continuing to exercise even after developing atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries] may reduce the seriousness of a heart attack if it does occur.”
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health, Wellness
The mixture of pollutants in many U.S. streams are more complicated and potentially more dangerous than previously thought, a new study suggests.
Researchers checked for 719 organic chemicals in water samples from 38 streams across the United States and found more than half of those chemicals in the different samples.
Every stream — even those in wild and uninhabited areas — had at least one of the chemicals and some had as many as 162, the study found. It was led by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The detected chemicals included: insecticides and herbicides, along with byproducts from their degradation; antibacterials such as triclosan; and medications such as antihistamines and the diabetes drug metformin.
Some of the chemicals were often detected together in streams. Further research is needed to determine the potential for complex interactions between these chemicals, to assess if they pose a threat to aquatic life, the food chain and human health, the researchers said.
The study was published April 12 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
