The Negative Potential of Technology on Your Health.

It seems that people with a technology device in hand reading, texting, taking a selfie and all in the name of immediate social response.  Combine this with the overstuffed, improperly worn backpacks and we are setting ourselves up for a critical storm.  These poorly worn and over used devices are putting undue stress on our spine and nervous system affecting the structure, function and physiology of our bodies.  

The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae.  When positioned and functioning properly, the spine is designed to resist the heaviest of loads.  Take away the ideal position combined with repetitive static loads and the spine becomes weakened and subject to premature wearing, pain, and stiffness. The compromised tissues structure over time will increase our susceptibility to sudden injury and even sickness.

Research found that abnormal spinal health and posture leads to an imbalance in hormones. A study from 2014 cited that repetitive poor posture, particularly of the head and neck caused LOW T(testosterone), reduced serotonin, increased cortisol and more. In the 2014 study, published in the Surgical Technology International Journal, billions of people were found to be using cell phone devices daily. Stresses on the spine from constantly looking down at a cell phone is very damaging to short and long term health. This study evaluated forward head flexion stress on the human spine and corresponding body function. The findings were remarkable: 

*The study assessed the forces placed on the spine as the head is tilted forward into worsening posture.

*The study evaluated the stress using an average head weight of 13.2 pounds

*The weight added to the spine dramatically increases when flexing for varying degrees. 0° increased weight on the neck by 10 to 12 pounds. 15° increased weight on the neck by 27 pounds. 30° increased the weight on the neck by 40 pounds. 45° increased the weight on the neck by 49pounds. And 60° increased the weight on the neck by 60 pounds.  Can’t grasp the significance of 60 pounds? Imagine carrying an 8-year-old around your neck several hours per day.

*Loss of the natural curve of the cervical spine leads to incrementally increased stresses about the cervical spine. The stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries.

*Good posture is defined as ears aligned with the shoulders and shoulders retracted. With proper alignment, spinal stress is diminished.

*Good posture was associated with much more than just bad backs or bad necks. Good posture helped increase good hormones. Good posture was linked to higher testosterone, increases in serotonin, decreases in cortisol, and increased feelings of power. Poor posture is associated with reductions in testosterone levels, reduced serotonin, increased cortisol, and reduced feelings of power.

*Poor posture occurs with the head in a tilted forward position and the shoulders drooping forward in a rounded position.

*An average person spends 2 to 4 hours a day with their heads tilted forward for reading and texting on their smart phones, amassing 700 to 1400 hours of excess, abnormal cervical spine stress per year. It was also noted that a high school student may even spend an extra 5000 hours in poor posture per year.

Beyond spinal and muscle injuries, improper posture influences all aspect of human performance through the endocrine system. As evidenced through research, poor posture negatively influences levels of testosterone, serotonin, cortisol, and feelings of power.  Bad posture has been linked to a host of other medical problems, including headaches and other neurological problems, depression, constipation, and heart disease. At a minimum, constant slouching is likely to cause a lot of chronic pain.

As technology continues to govern more and more of societal functions, the need for practitioners who positively influence posture increases. Unfortunately, most of society still believes that poor posture is more of a cosmetic issue than a health issue. Because of this, awareness and education is the key to making change. 
 

Chiropractors are key leaders to improving quality and longevity of life in all men and women by improving the health and function through postural alignment.

Quick tips to minimize the costly damages of technology and backpacks.

1.                   Limit use of technology

2.                   Maintain proper posture while using technology & backpacks

3.                   Do regular spinal postural stretching and movement exercises

4.                   Drink the proper amount of daily water

5.                   Stand, stretch and move regularly 

If you feel problems are persisting find a chiropractor to do a postural analysis to assess the potential damages and discuss options for correcting the problem.

Yours in Better Health

Dr. Russell Heller

                                       

 Surgical Technology International Journal 2014 Nov;25: 277-9. Hansraj, KK.

Lancet Medical Journal Points to Chiropractic for Low Back Pain

The Lancet Defines Low Back Pain 

and Calls for Effective Care in Brand-New Three-Part Series

San Jose, Calif. – March 23, 2018 – This week, The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, published a three-part series on low back pain, which addresses the associated ailment, the disability caused by low back pain and provides call-to-actions to meet the challenges associated with the prevention and management of low back pain. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the value of chiropractic care, notes that Good Morning America – the most watched morning show for most of 2017– referred to The Lancet’s series as the Magnum Opus of low back pain, and referenced spinal manipulation as a recommended approach to manage low back pain.

“Ninety-four percent of spinal manipulations in the U.S. are performed by a doctor of chiropractic,” shares Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president, F4CP, who notes that chiropractic care is proven to yield improved clinical outcomes, reduced costs and high patient satisfaction. “With

approximately 80 percent of the population bound to experience back pain at some point in their lives, the Foundation commends The Lancet for publishing a series that accurately communicates the education and action items necessary to establish more effective, patient-centered care, which may include spinal manipulation, surrounding low back pain to a global audience.”

Key findings from each of the three papers published in The Lancet:

• What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention
• Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is common among individuals of all ages, demographics and socio-economic statuses. The burden of low back pain must be addressed through amplified research and global initiatives.
• Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions
• Potential solutions to effectively manage low back pain may include but are not limited to focused strategies that can implement best practice, the redesign of clinical pathways, integrated health and occupational interventions to reduce work disability, changes in compensation and disability claims policies, and public health and prevention strategies.
• Low back pain: a call for action
• One call to action encourages the promotion of living well with low back pain through enhanced, patient-centered care which focuses on self-management and healthy lifestyles as a means of restoring and maintaining function and high-quality of life.

Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) receive a minimum of seven years of higher education and are specifically trained to diagnose, evaluate and provide non-pharmaceutical care and rehabilitation to individuals suffering from acute and chronic back, low back and neck pain, headaches, neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and general health and wellness.

Dr. McAllister continues, “With the number of individuals effected worldwide by low back pain, The Lancet’s new published series should spark an interest among providers across all disciplines to collaborate and provide patients with the safest, most effective care for the management of low back pain.”

About Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) informs and educates the general public about the value of chiropractic care and its role in drug-free pain management. Visit www.f4cp.com; call 866-901-F4CP (3427). Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube.

What a Pain in the Neck!

Many people suffer from chronic neck pain. Some suffer from chronic lower back pain...and some, unfortunately, suffer from both! And...unfortunately, untreated neck pain can potentially cause far more damage than untreated back pain.

Neck pain can be experienced in two ways – as actual pain, like that caused by a disc problem, or as "pins and needles," numbness or weakness, making walking difficult, creating balance issues or neck stiffness. It may originate as a result of a whiplash injury due to an automobile accident, the aging process, stresses of everyday living, job-related repetitive movements, spinal tumor, compression of vertebrae, discs or nerves, or obesity.

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Beating Holiday Stress

It's a stressful time of year. In addition to performing the duties associated with all of your other responsibilities, you have added responsibilities that the holidays require. Where are we celebrating? Who will be there? What do I have to do/bring? Is my shopping done? Do I have enough money for gifts? Will the children be happy? This time of year can really pack on the stress!


How do you deal with that kind of stress? Well...you should put some of the focus on yourself and do something you really enjoy this time of year.

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Acetaminophen Now #1 Cause of Liver Failure

Acetaminophen is a readily available over the counter (OTC) drug that has been recommended regularly for pain relief and fever reduction. It is the most common drug ingredient in America.  It has been shown that it can be used fairly safely, when taken at the recommended dosage.  For adults and children 12 years of age and older, the recommended dose of acetaminophen is 650 to 1000 mg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed 4000 mg in 24 hours.  For children under 12 years of age, the recommended dose of acetaminophen is 10 to 15 mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed five doses (50-75 mg/kg) in 24 hours.  If you start to take more than one product for pain and/or fever, you may want to read the labels.


Acetaminophen is marketed under the brand names: Acephen, Actamin, Feverall, Q-Pap, Tactinal, Tempra, Tylenol, Uniserts, Vitapap, as well as being found in more than 600 different over-the-counter and prescription medicines.  You may also find it listed under other generic names such as APAP, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, Paracetamol.
 
Acetaminophen is found in so many pain relieving formulas.  Combining those products can lead to over dose which can lead to liver damage and liver failure. 

Be safe, be healthy and see you chiropractor for those aches and pains to avoid inadvertently injuring yourself with unnecessary medications.

For Your Health,
    Dr. Heller

Chiropractic's Safety: Let's Look At The Facts

The other week while visiting with a patient during one of her appointments, she presented me with an article that her husband found in a past edition of the Reader’s Digest.  It was a short snippet from an internist (MD) in Michigan stating that he advised his patients that if they wanted to see a chiropractor that was fine “but don’t let them touch your neck”.  He states that this was because he has had a “number of patients over the years that have had strokes after chiropractic neck manipulations.”

I really found this amazing that he himself has seen “a number” of such patients.  Can significant complications occur? It seems that they can, according to case reviews.  Are they that common that one medical practitioner should see “a number of them”?  Statistically, no! 

Chiropractic adjustments (manipulation), even of the neck, is an extremely safe procedure when performed by a highly trained practitioner such as a doctor of chiropractic.  If it were not, malpractice liability premiums for doctors of chiropractic would not be among the lowest of all diagnostic level health providers.  This margin of safety is maintained due to the history of past health and of the current complaint which is done with each patient.  This is then followed up with screening tests for possible complications and possibly confirmatory x-ray or other special studies.  If the doctor of chiropractic practices “due diligence”, chiropractic care is extremely safe.  It can be much safer in fact than the use of  many over the counter remedies and pain relievers. 

A research paper published in 2001 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found 23 reported strokes over a 10 year period.  This is only a one in 5.85-million risk that a chiropractic neck adjustment will be associated with a subsequent stroke.  Other studies have placed the risk at 1 in 500,000 to 1 in one million visits resulting in a serious event requiring medical attention.  In contrast, a statistical review in the March 2000 issue of the journal Pain, authors calculated that 1 in 1,200 patients taking NSAIDs (Aspirin, Ibuprophen, Celebrex, Motrin, Toradol, Relefen, Aleve, Lodene and others) for at least 2 months will die from stomach and intestinal complications.   I often ask those inquiring about this subject if they know anyone, personally, who has been hospitalized after receiving a “routine” medical procedure or taking a prescribed medication.  The answer is almost 100% of the time YES.  In contrast I will ask them if they, personally, know someone that has been hospitalized due to a chiropractic adjustment.  The answer to that is almost 100% of the time NO.

In the February 2008 journal, Spine, researchers noted that patients are no more likely to suffer a stroke following chiropractic treatment than they would after visiting their family doctor’s office.  The authors also noted that neck manipulation “is unlikely to be a major cause” of these rare stroke events.  It is doubtful whether a neck manipulation, as it is practiced by chiropractors, would have the force to damage healthy arteries. This seems to be supported by the significant number of patients who are treated without incident. 

This issue tends to creep into the media from time to time.  While it is an unfortunate complication that can happen, a handful of case and retrospective studies indicate that it is extremely rare and no more common that might be expected to happen with everyday life activities.  Routine daily activities that can create the situation which is proposed to cause strokes, such as sudden neck rotation and extension, these include over the shoulder checking while driving, sports, lifting, working overhead, falls, getting your hair washed at a salon, sneezing, and coughing.

To put the above mentioned risks into perspective let’s use the mid range number of 1 in 1,000,000 (that’s one million) figure.  We should consider that a review of risks which appeared in the September 1980 edition of JAMA found these “voluntary risks” in everyday activities:

Activity                                                   Risk of Death per Person per Year

Smoking: 20 cigarettes/day                               1 in 200

Drinking: 1 bottle of wine per day                       1 in 13,300

Football (Soccer)                                                1 in 25,500

Automobile driving (UK)                                      1 in 5,900

Motorcycling                                                        1 in 50  

Rock climbing                                                     1 in 7,150

Taking contraceptive pills                                    1 in 5,000

Power boating                                                     1 in 5,900

Skiing                                                                   1 in 430,000

Pregnancy (United Kingdom)                              1 in 4,350

 

Looking at the numbers above for many day to day activities performed without significant fear for one’s safety, we see that
chiropractic adjustment of the neck is considerably safer.  Considering the numerous benefits attributed to a balanced, properly functioning spine and nervous system, the minute risks posed to a properly evaluated and qualified patient in the chiropractic office should be considered more than acceptable.

Oh, returning to our Michigan, internist friend!  Extrapolating from the above study finding 23 cases in ten years, adjusting for a complication rate of 1 in 1,000,000, we could expect to see about 133 strokes per ten years.  This means that there would be about 13 cases of stroke per year, nation wide.  This internist evidently is either an ambulance chaser for such cases, practices in an area with some very sloppy chiropractors creating this “number of cases” in his area or he is simply exaggerating the truth.  But those are topics for other articles!

For your empowerment,

       Dr. Heller