Knowledge is power. Learn more about the benefits of the chiropractic practice from recommended articles
Chiropractic Patients Recover Faster, Spend Less Money
Back pain is an expensive health problem for both patients and businesses. A 2012 study reported that we spend about $635 billion on pain every year, with a significant amount of that spent on back pain. Over the years, quite a few studies have shown that chiropractic care is more effective for back pain than medical care, plus chiropractic patients spend less money on their care than medical patients do.
Because back pain is such a common problem, a group of Canadian researchers recently investigated the role that the type of primary caregiver has on financial compensation.
Chiropractic Effective for Tension Headache
With headaches being one of the most common nervous system disorders worldwide, affecting almost 50 percent of the population at least once annually, finding a way to relieve them is important to when it comes to improving quality of life for a large number of people. Certainly there are several different types of headaches–migraines, cluster headaches, and medication-overuse headaches, for instance–and each one requires a unique approach for treatment.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, tension headaches, also commonly referred to as stress headaches, are headaches which affect anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of sufferers and are signified by their mild-to-moderate in pain that spreads across the entire head in a sort of band. This makes them very different than migraines which are usually felt on one side or the other.
Spinal Hygiene Shown to Improve Quality of Life
The Chiropractic profession has long stressed the importance of a healthy spine for overall health and wellness. Now a study published in the August 16, 2004 issue of the scientific periodical, The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, (JVSR) has shown that spinal hygiene actually does improve the measurement of quality of life.
According to the published study, "Spinal hygiene is defined as patient-active principles and/or practices conducive to producing a healthy spinal column and nervous system and preventing vertebral subluxations. This includes: improving posture, promoting proper exercise, making healthy nutritional choices, guidance in stress reduction, ergonomics, emphasis upon the patient's self-responsibility and appropriate professional spinal evaluation and care."
Chiropractic Care Helps Body Physiology and DNA Repair
The March 7, 2005 Medical News Today reported on a study that shows that chiropractic helps body physiology and DNA repair. The study, published in the February 18, 2005 scientific periodical, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, (JVSR), was a collaboration between chiropractors and researchers at the University of Lund in Sweden. In this study researchers found that chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes affecting oxidative stress and DNA repair.
The article noted that serum thiols are primary antioxidants. Higher antioxidant levels can serve as a way of measuring human health status and DNA repair enzyme activity, which has been shown to correlate with lifespan and aging. In this study researchers measured serum thiol levels in 21 patients, some of these with a variety of health issues or pain, who had undergone short-term chiropractic care. Researchers also evaluated a group of 25 asymptomatic patients who had undergone long-term chiropractic care. These results were then compared to a control group of 30 people who had not received any chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Education VS Medical Education
Chiropractors go through an immense amount of schooling to receive a "Doctor of Chiropractic" degree (also known as a D.C.). Their collegiate agenda is as follows:
- Graduate from a four year college.
- Completing at least two years undergraduate study, with a focus on the sciences.
- Four years of Chiropractic Education.
- Take mandatory internships.
- At least 900 hours of work in a Chiropractic Clinic.
- After graduating, pass written and oral board exams, at national and state levels.
A Chiropractor may opt to choose to advance their degree in an area of specialty.
These areas include: Chiropractic neurology, radiology, sports medicine, as well as many other fields.
Chiropractors Offer Backpack Safety Checklist
The August 04, 2005 Business Wire ran story about backpack safety and chiropractic.
Dr. Kassie Donoghue, president of the California Chiropractic Association (CCA) states, "As the mother of an elementary school aged child, I know the pressure that comes from kids who want a certain cartoon character or color. As a doctor, I want to do what's most important for my child's long term health." She continued, "Before going out to buy a backpack, it's helpful to talk to your kids about the type of backpack you want to buy. By following a few simple guidelines, you can help your child choose a backpack they like and avoid serious back problems."
Wellness Programs Help Companies Save on Health Costs
The above title came from the March 11, 2002 issue of the American Medical News. This story reports on several studies and programs where corporate wellness programs are having a positive effect on reducing health care costs on their employees. "There's a growing body of data indicating that corporate wellness programs lower medical costs for employees", said Ron Z. Goetzel, PhD, vice president of consulting and applied research for the Medstat Group, a health care research firm in Ann Arbor, Mich.
A survey done by Medstat, published in the January 2002 issue of the Journal of Occupational Medicine, concluded that medical claims costs for Johnson & Johnson Inc. employees dropped an average of $225 per year after the company started its wellness program in 1995. Additionally, Goetzel reported that a literature review of corporate wellness studies published in the May/June 2001 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion concluded that medical costs dropped for employees in the wellness program for 28 out of 32 of the corporate wellness programs reviewed.
The report claims that about 90% of Johnson & Johnson employees participate in the corporate wellness program. Their program consists of free health risk assessments and physicals. Additionally employees can then join free weight management, smoking cessation or nutrition classes and can use on-site fitness centers. John McKeegan, a Johnson & Johnson spokesman stated that the savings in reduced medical claims total about $5 million a year. When you factor in administrative savings from combining various health services into one program, McKeegan estimates the savings come to about $8.5 million a year.
The Wellness Councils of America, a coalition representing 3,000 corporate wellness programs, estimated that presently 80% to 90% of large U.S. corporations offer some sort of wellness program.