Spinal Manipulation for Back and Neck Pain: Does It Work?

I have shared with you in previous BLOGS the incredible benefits of spinal adjustments:

1. https://charlesseminars.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/americas-opioid-addiction/
2. https://charlesseminars.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/how-does-a-chiropractic-adjustment-work-and-why-is-it-so-important-to-overall-health/

A landmark paper that came out today in Medscape Orthopedics had this to say:

"Spinal Manipulation: A Valid Technique?

In her office at McMaster University in Toronto, Anita Gross, MSc, has logged paper after paper showing that spinal manipulation can help control neck pain. "The evidence keeps growing and growing," she says.

Gross, a physiotherapist and associate professor of rehabilitation science, helped write a 2015 Cochrane review of the literature and is already at work on updating that paper.^[1]

Mounting evidence also supports spinal manipulation for low back pain, says Roger Chou, MD, professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, who led a similar review for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality last year.^[2]

Contemporary theories on the mechanism of spinal manipulation include the disruption of articular or periarticular adhesions; release of entrapped synovial folds; unbuckling of motion segments that have undergone disproportionate displacements; relaxation of hypertonic muscle; alteration of mechanoreceptors in the spinal apophyseal joints; and release of endorphins.^[6]

However spinal manipulation works, it's at least better than nothing when it comes to chronic low back pain, says Dr Chou. "Our general finding was that manipulation appears to be more effective than treatments that are thought to be basically control treatments—such things as pretend ultrasound or giving somebody an educational booklet," he explains."

*If you would like the full article sent to you please respond here and I will have it forwarded to you.

Dr. Charles’ training manual, Precision Adjusting For The Master Chiropractor, is available to doctors who want to provide the highest level of spinal manipulative therapy for their patients. The DVD and manual are available here: http://www.charlesseminars.com/prec_adj.html

Photo: Dr. Charles restoring normal motion to a patient’s low back 

Here are the references from the Medscape Article if you would like to investigate further:

References

1. Manipulation and mobilisation for neck disorders. Cochrane. September 23, 2015. http://www.cochrane.org/CD004249/BACK_manipulation-and-mobilisation-neck-disorders Accessed January 26, 2016.
2. Noninvasive treatments for low back pain. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. February 29, 2016. http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?productid=2192&pageaction=displayproduct Accessed January 26, 2016.
3. Homola S. Bonesetting, chiropractic, and cultism. Chirobase. 1963. https://www.chirobase.org/05RB/BCC/01.htmlAccessed January 26, 2016.
4. Wieting MJ. Massage, traction, and manipulation. Medscape. November 2, 2015. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/324694-overview#a4 Accessed January 26, 2016.
5. Keating JC Jr. D.D. Palmer's religion of chiropractic. Chiro.org. March 1995. http://www.chiro.org/Plus/History/Persons/PalmerDD/PalmerDD's_Religion-of-Chiro.pdf Accessed January 26, 2016.
6. Cugalj AP, McManus K. Manual treatments. PM&R Knowledge Now. September 20, 2013. http://me.aapmr.org/kn/article.html?id=56 Accessed January 26, 2016.
7. Neck pain tool-kit: step 1. Physiopedia. http://www.physio-pedia.com/Neck_Pain_Tool-kit:_Step_1 Accessed January 26, 2016.
8. Low back pain strategy. Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. September 16, 2016. http://health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/ecfa/action/primary/lower_back.aspx Accessed January 26, 2016.

America's Opioid Addiction

Last week HBO presented sickening statistics and facts about the staggering damage that opioid drugs are inflicting upon America.    Opioid Addiction The first fact is that, "As of 2015, 2.6 million Americans were addicted to prescription opioids (oxycontin, vicodin, percocet) and heroin. As a consequence these same drugs are involved in nearly 30,000 deaths a year."

Also, "75% of heroin addicts used prescription opioids before turning to heroin..."

Therefore, people got hooked on these highly addicted drugs through their doctors and then as one person said, "I switched to heroin because it is cheaper."

One woman who was featured in the original oxycontin commercial, seen playing with her grandchildren, said in the interview that she became so addicted to oxycontin that she lost everything: her house, her car, her job and the only reason she is now alive is that her medical insurance ran out and wouldn't pay for her monthly prescription.

In fact, two of the seven people featured on the original oxycontin commercial died as active opioid abusers.

To their credit, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued guidelines suggesting doctors use nonopioid therapies when possible and limit the dosage and duration of these highly addictive drugs.

I believe one of the most powerful nonopioid therapies is a Precise Chiropractic Adjustment. 

You might be asking why is this?

The answer is because chiropractic adjustments are like getting a natural dose of healthy opioids from the inside - out.

Now you might be asking how is this?

According to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Chiropractic Adjustments increase beta endorphins in the blood. Endorphins are your body's natural opioid. Actually, when Candace Pert discovered "endorphins" she gave her discovery this name because she considered them to be "endogenous morphine." Meaning morphine made from within the body.

Therefore, when a person receives a precise chiropractic adjustment the body will release its own natural supply of opioids in a safe, deliberate dosage. This is will lead to a decrease in pain and an elevated mood. (with no side-effects)

Perhaps the best way to stop dependency on external drug use is to get the body to make its own "drugs" by the utilization of nonopioid therapies such as: precise chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, exercise, meditation, laughter, goal setting and proper diet all to naturally access the greatest pharmacy in the world - the human body!

How does a Chiropractic Adjustment work and why is it so important to overall Health?

This past month:

 Tiger Woods had to pull out of a major PGA Tournament because of back pain

 

 

Pope Francis fell while delivering a mass, some say due to his chronic sciatic pain. 

 

 

In all likelihood, both incidences could have been avoided had the world’s formerly greatest golfer and the 79-year-old Pontiff received specific chiropractic adjustments to their low backs to help them with their chronic painful conditions.

 

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How does a Chiropractic Adjustment work and why is it so important to overall Health?

 

Empirical evidence suggests that chiropractic patients tend to be healthier than those who depend on drugs and surgeries to address their health problems. You may ask, “How and why is this?"

 

First and foremost - Gravity never takes a day off and my job is to improve your “relationship with gravity” by making sure your 206 bones are in alignment. You know that if one of the 4 tires of your car is out of alignment what happens…. imagine any one of the bones of your feet, spine, limbs or skull being misaligned. Like the misaligned tires it will make you move unsteadily and if you don't quickly remedy the misalignment you will have to replace the tire (shoulder, hip or spinal bone).

 

Currently, there are approximately 285,000 hip replacements and 600,000 knee replacements in the US yearly. The best ways to prevent these are:

 

1. Keep your joints in alignment through monthly chiropractic adjustments

2. Keep your weight down

3. Put your joints through their full movements. - The 6 Power Kinetics® Movements are great for this. Ask me about these if you don’t know them.

 

It is not just the biomechanical benefit mentioned above of having your bones in proper alignment that creates your improved health; there are also neurological reasons:

 

All joints have nerve endings called mechanoreceptors, which tell the brain where the body is in space. When a spinal vertebra for instance is stuck within its normal range of motion the mechanoreceptors lose the impulse and the integrity of the nervous system is compromised - this can lead to pain, loss of sensation, muscle spasms (as the body tries to make the bone move) and has autonomic consequences to the related organs in the area. (via the intermediolateral cell column of the spinal cord, which allows communication between the muscle and the related organ)

 

Therefore, a chiropractic adjustment does not just “un-pinch a nerve” it stimulates the mechanoreceptors in that joint and affects the entire nervous system and thereby the entire body. In other words, a spinal adjustment actually “un-pinches the entire nervous system.” 

 

This is how it helps people with other health issues besides back pain and sciatica such as allergies, digestive problems, headaches, chronic fatigue, ADHD, skin issues (the largest organ of the body)  visual disturbances… and basically anything connected with the nervous system, which is everything since the nervous system controls every muscle, gland and organ in the body.

If you look at people who regularly receive specific chiropractic treatments they are not only straighter and in less pain… they have more vitality! This is how you will be if you maintain your good health by including the necessary and often overlooked aspect of keeping your joints in proper alignment and your nervous system free of avoidable tension.

 

To your great health,

 

Eugene Charles, D.C. DIBAK

Diplomate, International Board of Applied Kinesiology

www.appliedkinesiologycenterofnewyork.com

 

 

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Incidentally, Dr. Charles’ training manual, Precision Adjusting For The Master Chiropractor, is in every Chiropractic College in the United States. 

Photo: Dr. Charles restoring normal motion to a patient’s low back 

(From Precision Adjusting For The Master Chiropractor by Eugene Charles, D.C.)

7 Ground Rules for Healthy Living

7 Ground Rules for Healthy Living

Below is the newest study supporting what I discuss with patients every visit…preventing illness (in this case cancer) by staying Strong & Healthy.

To augment the general advice given in this article - here are The 7 Ground Rules on Healthy Living I have devised after 40 years of studying Health & Fitness:

1. Eat plenty of real food, limit alcohol and desserts to 2 days a week and exercise daily… without getting hurt! For example, a brisk walk 30 minutes daily is HEALTHIER than running a marathon. Remember, Philippides - the first man to run from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message of history-DIED!

2. Drink 2 liters of filtered water, breathe through your nose, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, sleep soundly by clearing your mind before bed and have a bowel movement DAILY. 

3. Take high quality supplements manufactured to cGMP standards. (Certified Good Manufacturing Practice) 

4. AVOID Fads! Trendy diets, exercise programs and nutritional advice usually do more harm than good. Time always tells and I don’t want you to become a statistic. Stick to the basics listed here.

5. Maintain an optimistic attitude, laugh often and stay busy in a labor of love. In other words, do what you love and love what you do. Then "recreate yourself" with wholesome recreation time.

6. Live One Day at a Time (thank you Dalai Lama)

7. Make sure your Spine, Ribs, and all your Joints, Skull Bones, Organs and Muscles are in alignment through chiropractic / applied kinesiology treatments - once a month is optimal or every season at the very least. (If you wait until you are hurting... you went too long!)

I believe these 7 Healthy Ground Rules derived from the hundreds of books (yes books… those things before the internet that sparked the Age of Enlightenment. Hopefully, the internet takes us to a greater Age) and tens of thousands of hours I have spent over the past 4 decades studying health and fitness principles will serve you well in your quest to live as richly as possible!

Enjoy,

Dr. Eugene Charles

www.appliedkinesiologycenterofnewyork.com

(800) 351-5450

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Healthy Living Could Mean a Lot Fewer Cancers
By Kelly Young
Edited by 
- Andre Sofair, MD, MPH, and
- William E. Chavey, MD, MS

Adopting a healthy lifestyle could avert at least a quarter of cancers and half of cancer-related deaths, suggests a JAMA Oncology study. 

Researchers studied 28,000 healthcare professionals who met four healthy lifestyle criteria: never or past smoking, moderate or no alcohol consumption, BMI of 18.5-27.4, and regular physical activity. These participants were compared with over 100,000 participants who didn't meet all four criteria.

The researchers calculated that 25% of cancers in women and 33% in men might not have occurred if everyone adopted the healthy lifestyle. Similarly, 48% of cancer deaths in women and 44% in men might have been averted. When comparing the healthy group to the U.S. white population in general, the reductions were even greater. Lung and esophageal cancers saw the greatest reductions.

Editorialists write: "As a society, we need to avoid procrastination induced by thoughts that chance drives all cancer risk or that new medical discoveries are needed to make major gains against cancer, and instead we must embrace the opportunity to reduce our collective cancer toll by implementing effective prevention strategies and changing the way we live."

Link(s):
JAMA Oncology article (Free) http://response.jwatch.org/t?ctl=9DCD:F928A81DA2FB48096063FECE5EE0BDE6&
JAMA Oncology editorial (Free) http://response.jwatch.org/t?ctl=9DCE:F928A81DA2FB48096063FECE5EE0BDE6&

The #1 Cause of Disability in the World - Low Back Pain

When you were younger you probably felt invincible. It was like you were made of rubber and could withstand anything (bumps, bruises, or sitting like a pretzel for hours on end) and would snap back up again unscathed, ready for the next challenge. But how about now? Are you still invincible, or has your lower back been giving you painful reminders that you are not? According to statistics, the answer is probably YES! Sadly, you are not alone. You are actually part of an alarming global trend of people with low back pain issues. My hope with this BLOG is to teach you how to avoid becoming a statistic.

A recent Medical Journal Reported, “Low back pain (LBP) causes more disability globally than any other condition; according to two studies published online January 30 and March 24, 2014 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. As the world population continues to age, an urgent need exists for research to find out why and how LBP might be prevented or better managed…” (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/822492)

Let’s read that again,

“Low back pain causes more disability globally than any other condition… an urgent need exists for research to find out why and how LBP might be prevented or better managed...”

So the question is, "why does this happen and what can you do to prevent and/or recover from low back pain?" If I may be so bold... I am positive that I have the answers to both how LBP might be prevented and better managed!

Follow these steps:

#1. Take responsibility. If you are reading this you are obviously someone who takes responsibility, and who realizes that you cannot afford to keep doing what got you in this mess in the first place. You have to treat yourself differently. You have to treat yourself and your spine better. If you are overweight you have to drop the excess poundage...NOW! Proceed to step two.

#2 Movement is Medicine. We have all heard the quote, “use it or lose it.” Simply put, you absolutely MUST move around more. Get out of your chair for 10 minutes every hour. The US Army did a study and found that resting 10 minutes out of every hour made marching soldiers more effective. I believe that getting up 10 minutes out of every hour will help soldiers in the civilian world (you) be more energetic—and healthier. So get up and walk around! Better yet, shake the dust off your spine by performing the 6 spinal movements and the “10 Things To Do at Work” on the Power Kinetics® Exercise DVD.

#3 Get your spine aligned. How anyone in this day and age does not realize that all 26 bones of their spine need to be adjusted and realigned at least once a month is mind-boggling! I believe most LBP comes from the spinal bones getting stuck or misaligned. In other words, for optimal joint and spine health you absolutely MUST see a doctor of chiropractic on a REGULAR basis.

*Just like you regularly see a dentist to take care of the bones in your mouth... you must see a chiropractor to take care of the bones in your spine, and the rest of your body for matter.

#4 Receive applied kinesiology treatments. Applied kinesiology (AK) is a system that uses muscle testing to uncover which muscle(s) is not moving right when someone has pain or cannot do something. You are well aware of the fact that muscles move bones and I feel that chiropractors who utilize applied kinesiology techniques to augment their great adjustments can accomplish more in one visit than any other doctor who specializes in spinal health. I feel you need to have your muscles tested and then treated for optimal spinal health and I know of no better way of keeping your low back healthy than having specific kinesiological work done on your muscles followed by a precise chiropractic adjustment.

So we are clear, I am partial to AK because the founder of AK, Dr. George Goodheart, properly diagnosed and corrected the cause of my severe shoulder pain when no other doctor was able to... over 30 years ago. This motivated me to become the youngest teaching Diplomate of Applied Kinesiology in the world. (or so I was told)

*If you are interested, I have a list of doctors I've trained in applied kinesiology and also have seminar DVDs available to any doctor who wants to learn and use these powerful healing tools. 

#5 Eat foods and herbs that decrease inflammation. Foods such as olive oil, nuts & seeds, fish (especially wild salmon, sardines & anchovies), grass fed beef, vegetables; and herbs such as turmeric, boswellia, ginger root, quercetin and ubiquinol work naturally with your body to decrease pain and swelling.

#6 Strengthen your stomach muscles (the abdominals). Strong abdominal muscles stabilize and support your low back. However, MOST stomach exercises are wrong. That’s right, most stomach exercises involve the hip flexors, which are antagonistic to the abdominal muscle. So you are creating tension in your low back; the very same low back you are exercising to help.

Several years ago, I developed an abdominal exercise for a man with a herniated disc who had horrific pain shooting down his legs. He needed to strengthen his stomach muscles to help his condition, yet every stomach exercise he tried was incredibly painful. Instead of having him contract his hip flexor muscles (psoas, rectus femoris), I had him contract his hip extensor muscles (gluteus maximus, hamstrings).

I developed this exercise for him and he was able to do it with no pain. So if a guy with a herniated disc was able to do this and not hurt himself, I am confident that this exercise will not injure your low back and you will benefit greatly by it. I’m a little embarrassed that it took me 30 years—plus a patient in horrible pain—to come up with this abdominal exercise. One of my students named it “The Charles Crunch.” I simply call it, "The PK Sit-up."

*You can see this low back saving exercise in the Dec 17 2014 BLOG.

There you have it. Six things you can do to avoid the greatest cause of disability on the planet. When your low back hurts, everything hurts and everyday can be a living nightmare. Be very diligent with these 6 steps and you will have a greater probability of a healthy, pain-free low back and a greater opportunity of enjoying life to the fullest.

Don’t wait until you have low back pain to implement these six actions, do them as preventative measures NOW. As Benjamin Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

I will leave you with a different version of this adage that I teach all of my patients, “Be kind to your spine. Treat your back like it is hurting…and it never will.”

To your Great Health and Success,

Eugene Charles, D.C., DIBAK Diplomate, International Board of Applied Kinesiology www.charlesseminars.com

Follow Dr. Charles on Twitter, and subscribe to his YouTube channel. Share this blog with a friend!

Contact us and let us know you signed up for the BLOG and you will receive a FREE PDF to the book Antidotes For Indiscretions: What to do when you do what you shouldn’t have.

For a list of doctors trained in Applied Kinesiology http://www.charlesseminars.com/AKdoctors.html

For doctors interested in adding Applied Kinesiology to their practice http://www.charlesseminars.com/producs.html

To order The Power Kinetics® Exercise DVD http://www.charlesseminars.com/PowerKineticsVitamins.html

Ward Off the Flu from You and Your Family

No one wants the flu. So, how do we prevent it during the winter months when everyone is in cooped up quarters and the people around us seem to be rapidly succumbing to this awful virus? Well, take a deep breath and read on to arm yourself with knowledge and tips.

The key to preventing and limiting the effects of the flu is to understand that IT IS NOT THE VIRUS ALONE THAT CAUSES THE FLU. If this were the case, everyone would be getting it all the time. It is the body that must be able to keep the effects of the virus at bay.

The following are tips to protect against the flu. The first three tips address the body itself and the last two deals with limiting exposure to the virus

TAKE SUPPLEMENTS TO IMMUNIZE YOURSELF.

Build your immune system now and your body will thank you later. Andrographis, astragalus as well as calcium lactate all help keep your immune system strong against viruses like the flu. Also, at least 50% of the immune system is in the gut. Therefore, 64 oz (2 Liters) of water per day, probiotics such as acidophilus found in natural yogurt (though supplement pills are recommended), and daily bowel movements help regulate the approximately 28-feet of intestines inside your body.

SLEEP.

A run-down body is more susceptible to getting sick. S-L-E-E-P. I can’t emphasis it enough. Get at least 8-hours of rest at night and take a 15-minute power nap in the afternoon if you are feeling a little tired. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If you’re feeling inescapably tired at work – use part of your lunch break to shut your eyes and recharge. When dogs get tired, they don’t drink coffee and keep going. They lie down and rest. Not only do you heal your body physically when you rest, but mentally as well. Lastly, check your mattress. If you are waking up sore or fatigued, it may be time to get a new one. I recommend Duxiana, Tempurepedic, Posturepedic and Beauty Rest.

CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS.

A quiet piece of American history is that the flu epidemic of 1918 is the single event most responsible for chiropractic growing to become the largest American-born health profession. People were dying from this terrible epidemic with a notable exception of people being treated with the new healing procedure known as chiropractic adjustments. Why? Because proper movement of the spine influences the nervous system, which in turn, controls the immune system. Chiropractic adjustments are another way to strengthen your immunity. So, get a precise chiropractic adjustment regularly and keep your neurology functioning optimally.

WASH, SWEAT, EXERCISE AND BATHE IN SALT.

Skin is the biggest organ of our bodies and it is greatly responsible for our interaction with the environment. Can anyone even count how many objects, people, surfaces, doorknobs, handles and light switches they have touched in a given day? You need to keep your hands clean and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes at all costs unless your hands are thoroughly clean. It’s also important to remember to wash with natural soaps as much as you can – not the antibacterial type – and avoid touching high microbe areas such as door knobs and public toilets. Use your sleeve or a piece of paper-towel. Don’t be afraid of looking strange to others. You should never be ashamed of protecting your health. Also, the skin is a way of keeping viruses from accumulating in the body. Sweating and salt-water baths are excellent means of cleansing your internal environment. Exercise or visit the sauna 3-4 times per week and take weekly warm water salt-water baths for 20-minutes at a time. Masada Dead Sea salts are exceptional. While in the bath, treat yourself with a medicinal drink of green tea with a tablespoon of raw honey and apple cider vinegar – both are excellent immune builders. Remember to brush your teeth right afterwards, though, because apple cider vinegar is very acidic and can damage tooth enamel.

CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE!

Breathe the way nature intended – through your nose. One of the first things I watch with new patients is how they breathe. Mouth breathers seem to get more infections, lung problems and sore throats. Your two nostrils have small hairs that filter, humidify and ionize the air that enters your lungs and then your blood stream. So be sure to breathe through your nose.

Stay healthy and stay positive,

Dr. Charles