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Greetings!
March 15, 2011
Thank you for your continued support of my newsletter. The first day of Spring comes on March 20th this year. As we finally come out of our winter dwellings and become more active, it is a good reminder to spend a little extra effort with your daily stretching exercises. The funny thing about preventive maintenance is that when it is done correctly, we never really see what we prevented. This can easily lead to less effort, or even no effort, in helping our bodies maintain their highest level of flexibility. If you ever have a question about daily stretching, please remind me next time you're in the office. I would be happy to review times and technique, just to make sure you're on the path of overall wellness. That gives me an idea for this months' newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it for you. |
| Chiropractic Care and Overall Wellness | | It's funny how we view certain things in life as bad, but they lead us to something good. I have often looked back at certain situations in my life, and have become quite grateful for situations that appeared "bad" at the time but ended up being the perfect thing for me. It has made me realize that most things in life actually happen FOR us and not TO us.
When I was in college, I had a workout injury to my shoulder. The pain was horrible and kept me from participating in the activities that I love. I searched for answers to help my shoulder heal, but after many trips to medical doctors and cortisone shots I was left with the same pain and unable to proceed with my workouts. I remember feeling sorry for myself and thinking it would never get better. A friend of mine recommended that I see his chiropractor, and I followed his advice. In just about a month after I started treatment with this chiropractor, I was back at the gym and pain-free. If it wasn't for that shoulder injury, who knows if I would have had exposure to chiropractic care, and if I would be writing this today.
As a chiropractic patient myself, I have been getting adjustments regularly since chiropractic school, and I believe it enables my body to perform better, stay out of pain and function better. There are so many benefits to regular chiropractic care that I would like to share some of these benefits and perhaps dispel some myths as well.
The chiropractic adjustment releases endorphins, which are anti-anxiety, stress relieving, and pain reducing chemicals in the brain. Most people report a lighter and an overwhelmingly calm feeling after the adjustment, because of the endorphins that are released. The connection between the mind and body is clearly demonstrated with chiropractic care. When the body has less tension, pain, and stress the mind is also eased. The chiropractic adjustment strengthens the immune system.
Pero, a researcher at NYU, found that chiropractic patients had a 200 percent increased immune response. Life University also conducted a study in which they found that HIV positive patients had an increase in their immune cells, while undergoing chiropractic care. A patient called the office the other day and asked John, if it was okay to come in to her appointment because she had a bad cold. I insisted because I knew the adjustment would help her cold get better faster.
In a recent study out of the University of Chicago, chiropractic care to the upper cervical vertebrae was conclusively proven to lower blood pressure significantly. The effects were seen for up to eight weeks after a single adjustment. The adjustment causes vasodilation of the blood vessels and this is one reason why blood pressure is reduced. What a fantastic benefit without drugs that may have side effects!
In another recent study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee, Chiropractic care was found to be the most effective treatment for low back pain. This study also took into account the cost benefit, and was noted to be the overall most affordable therapy producing long term benefits.
Chiropractic care for children is something that not too many people are informed about. Chiropractic care has been very successful in treating infant and children's ear infections, add, and adhd. I do not treat children in the same manner that I treat adults. A child's treatment involves gentle touching of points and vertebrae. The child's immune system is greatly enhanced by the treatments, and mothers report a significant decrease in colds and flu's.
The biggest myth that I would like to dispel is that there is any issue with the safety of chiropractic care. My malpractice insurance is the LOWEST out of any health care provider. I pay $2,044 per YEAR. A medical doctor's malpractice insurance can be anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000, and more per YEAR.
There is a reason why a chiropractor's malpractice insurance is SO LOW, because the risk of harm is SO LOW. Insurance companies are the first to analyze the risk of any modality! The wonderful thing about practicing for over ten years is that you figure out what works for all different body types. An experienced practitioner is the best kind for this reason.
Another myth I have heard is "once you go to the chiropractor they make you go back." My goals of treatment are to get people out of pain and to achieve a proper functioning body. In most situations a patient will be seen for 4 to 8 weeks to fully get to a point that there problem has been corrected and to ensure that it doesn't return. Many people need less care. It is very dependent on the particular problem.
I encourage some people to get a maintenance adjustment once per month if I feel that they will benefit. A maintenance adjustment is similar to a dental cleaning. As a dental cleaning hopefully prevents cavities, the maintenance adjustment will hopefully prevent degeneration of the spine.
It is important to keep the spine mobile and some people achieve this from yoga and wonderful self-care while others do not. There is a direct correlation between stress levels, how well a person takes care of themselves outside of the office, and the frequency they need to see me or any other body worker.
Healthfully yours,
Dr. Louis Granirer
Holistic Chiropractic Center
  
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