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Doctors of Chiropractic are Wellness Doctors

It's official, Doctors of Chiropractic who provide wellness care to patients and their families can reduce overall health care costs, improve health behavior, and enhance patient perceived quality of life. Until recently, little has been known about how chiropractic adjustments affect the chemistry of biological processes on a cellular level.

It's obvious that chiropractic adjustments help people to feel better; but until that last 10 years, we've only recently begun to understand what exactly is happening at the cellular level.

In 2005, a landmark study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation (JVSR) found evidence that chiropractic adjustments can reduce oxidative stress in the body.

What is Oxidative Stress?

Oxidative stress is the damage that occurs when free radicals outnumber the body’s antioxidants. Oxidative stress damages all body cell components: proteins, lipids and DNA.

Oxidative stress plays a role in a whole host of diseases and disorders: Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and many others.

Thiols are compounds in the body that act as antioxidants, reacting with free radicals to neutralize them. Basically, thiols put out the tiny fires in your body that can cause damage. Serum levels of thiols reflect DNA’s capacity to repair itself and can be used as a marker for anti-aging.

In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Anti Aging Medicine, scientists found low serum thiol levels in people with nine different categories of human disease and disorder.

Chiropractic Adjustments reduce oxidative stress through long term treatment

The study published in JVSR consisted of 76 participants: one group received short-term chiropractic care; a second group received long-term chiropractic care; and the third group received no chiropractic care.

After qualifying for age, sex and the use of nutritional supplements, the participants that received chiropractic adjustments for 2 or more years that were healthy had higher serum thiol levels than those with disease. Some of the chiropractic patients had serum thiol levels higher than what is associated with normal wellness.

One of the investigators explained: “Oxidative stress, metabolically generating free radicals, is now a broadly accepted theory of how we age and develop disease.”

Every day we experience physical, emotional and chemical stress that affects our body. Certainly, it could be hypothesized that such stressors affect oxidative stress and DNA repair on a cellular level.

This study demonstrated how Chiropractic care and the chiropractic adjustment could help the body adapt to such stress in our environment.

We're still last (whomp, whomp, whomp!)

The United States health care system is the most expensive in the world and consistently underperforms relative to other countries. Among the 11 nations studied in 2014 —Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last, as it did in the 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004.

Every country in the world prioritizes the pursuit of improved health care. One of the primary challenges that plague almost every healthcare system stems from the significant focus on only treating problems after sickness occurs. This is why you should not wait to get your adjustment until pain sets in. This process creates huge problems because most disease processes occur in the body with no signs or symptoms, many of which are fatal.

Deadly disease processes materialize in the body with no outward symptoms. High blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer are just a few of conditions that occur in the body with no signs or symptoms until the sickness has significantly developed. Countries with the poorest health and healthcare systems focus mostly on treating symptoms and less on evaluating causal changes that will prevent or proactively address diseases in their early stages before symptoms surface.

Abnormal spinal position and function is a common destructive condition to human health.

The spine directly influences all functions of the body through the brain and central nervous system. Millions of people and doctors neglect the health of the spine and fail to connect a powerful impact the nervous system has on the function of all organs and preventative health. Chiropractors focus on the detection and correction of stress in the spine and nervous system.

There are 5 common components to abnormal spine function and only 2 of them are obvious to most people:

1. Abnormal Motion of the Spine / Abnormal Posture
2. Abnormal Muscle Function or muscle imbalances
3. Abnormal Nerve Function (Hard to detect)
4. Abnormal Biochemistry (Hard to detect)
5. Abnormal Spine Function (Hard to detect)

Any of these components are evidence of spinal subluxation. A subluxation creates interference to the central nervous system through misaligned spinal vertebra. The interference created by a subluxation builds disease processes in the body, most of which occurs with no signs or symptoms.

Research from 2005 determined that a subluxation in the form of abnormal spinal curvature was severe enough to be labeled as a spinal disease. The abnormal spinal curvature produced tethering of the spinal cord, neuron axon stretching, and suffocation of blood flow.

Do you have subluxations? Highly Likely.

Evidence shows that the majority of toddlers, children, and young adults are susceptible to abnormal spinal curvature because of stresses dating back as far as their birth process. Abnormal spinal curves create abnormal cell function and trigger the first stage of disease processes. The most dangerous aspect of spinal disease that originates from subluxation resides within the reality that sickness begins to form without any outward signs or symptoms.

Chiropractors test for abnormal spinal curvature and spinal disease by thoroughly evaluating the spine and nervous system. Detection and correction of subluxation takes place through painless spinal adjustments. Millions of parents take their families to a Chiropractor on a regular basis to receive spinal check-ups and adjustments designed to improve the function of whole-body health and performance.

Most subluxations form in silence, but with proper analysis and regular maintenance (chiropractic care) you can keep the body operating at the highest level. Emerging science and research continues to validate the significance of spinal health in relationship to overall body function. Chiropractic care plays a pivotal role in the improvement of both the health of each individual and the health care of the entire world.

December is here! And with it, comes cold and flu season.

According to the Centers for Disease control, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications every year. Taking medications to treat or prevent cold and flu symptoms does just that: it only addresses the symptoms. Remember that the underlying cause of the illness is still present in your body.

I have always said that getting the “Flu” doesn't happen because of the cold or because all of a sudden bad bugs come out to play. Viruses and bacteria are always present and always ready to attack. In my opinion, what happens is that towards the end of the year we begin eating horrible foods (beginning with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year), exercising less and getting little to no sun. All that makes for a great opportunity for these viruses and bacteria to attack. Flu season starts because we put ourselves in a situation for viruses and bacteria to grow.

To stay healthy this season, keep sugar intake down, take extra vitamin D3 and keep moving (exercising).

20 million people died from the global flu pandemic of 1918

Half a million Americans perished within six months. Chiropractic had been emerging for 23 years and still in the early stages of research and development in Davenport, Iowa. The populace of the community suffered through the influenza scare like most every community across the country. 50 medical doctors treated 4,953 cases of the flu. 274 of those people succumbed to their illness. 150 Chiropractors and Chiropractic students in the same city treated 1,635 cases of the flu. Only one of those patients died. Statistics and records from 1918 document 925 deaths out of every 10,000 people treated medically for the flu but only 25 deaths out of every 10,000 people treated with spinal adjustments.

Historical data shows that people under Chiropractic care have a 98% better chance of surviving the tragic pandemic. Chiropractic helped to both prevent the flu and restore health to those already experiencing the illness. 1918 marked a pivotal era in Chiropractic awareness and literally put the new healing profession on the map by communicating the impact spinal care has on immunity.

The science of today validates exactly why Chiropractors of the past and present see incredible results with immunity through spinal adjustments. NEW research from 2014 proves that the health of the nervous system directly influences the strength of the immune system. The study examined a group of patients who had just been diagnosed with cancer tumors. Medical examiners of the past would typically only look at the size of a tumor to make a prognosis about the future health and recovery of the patient. If the tumor was small, the prognosis and recovery outlook were deemed positive. The 2014 study changed that process altogether. The most important prognostic factor in determining recovery of a cancer tumor exists within a specific branch of the nervous system called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve directly connects to the the body’s ability to prevent sickness and recover from an affliction. Pharmaceutical labs and medical professionals responded to this discovery by initiating development of new drugs and technology focused on improving the function of the vagus nerve.

Chiropractic research long ago proved that adjustments improve vagus nerve function along with dramatically improving the overall health and function of all organs connected to the nervous system. The connection between adjustments administered in 1918 and the health and recovery of patients exists within the proper function of the immune system. The positive impact of a healthy family radiates throughout the home. Immune system health improves substantially when regular chiropractic adjustments become part of every family health plan.

YOUR PERCEPTION OF HEALTH

Health perception (or perceived health status) is how you rate your level of health. Some people believe themselves to be healthy, despite suffering from one or more chronic diseases, while others perceive themselves as ill when no objective evidence of disease can be found.

Nearly all of us have heard news about a middle-aged man who dies of a heart attack event though he was considered “healthy” by all who knew him. In fact, many people are given a good bill of health from their primary care physicians and still end up dying from heart disease, stroke or cancer. I’m also pretty sure many of you have heard of someone in their thirties being diagnosed with stage-4 cancer without having any signs or symptoms of ill health months prior. While these events happen every day, most of still believe bad health involves pain or symptoms. Herein lies the problem.

HEALTH IS NOT ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL; BUT HOW YOU ARE FUNCTIONING

As a chiropractor, many people come to me only when they hurt. If they continue to do so; I have failed as their doctor because I have not taught them the truth of how our body works. This is why I try hard to help you understand that getting chiropractic adjustments when you hurt is like exercising only when you feel out of shape or unfit. Exercising every day is essential to a healthy body. The same is true for regular (weekly) chiropractic adjustments.

Science and research have now clarified exactly why the absence of symptoms are not very good indicators of health. A book titled “The Neurophysics of Human Behavior” written by Furman and Gallo in 2000 stated that “while the brain can process several trillion bits of information per second, it appears that we are perhaps only consciously aware of 50 bits of information per second at any given time.” This means that only 50 out of several trillion bits of information are felt or even known by a person every second. In other words, most of the things going on in your body right now will never be felt or known. This science is so profound for human beings and really teaches us why disease can go unfelt and undetected until its late stages. Determining health on the presence or absence of symptoms is very dangerous. Stop doing it!

HEALTH OCCURS WHEN THE BODY IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY

Chiropractors recognize that health is about optimal function, NOT just pain or symptoms. Function of the body is controlled and coordinated by the Central Nervous System (Brain and Spinal Cord). Chiropractic adjustments play a significant role because the spine has been proven to directly influence the function of the nervous system, most times without causing pain. Unfortunately, over 80% of medical and pharmaceutical solutions still only focus primarily on alleviating symptoms. On the contrary, Chiropractors focus on improving function from the INSIDE-OUT by honoring and working with the INNATE intelligence of the body via stimulation of the spinal column. Perpetuating the idea that the presence or absence of symptoms is a good indicator of health will continue to lead to the demise of millions. Chiropractors have always practiced with a different philosophy which includes helping kids and families, with or without symptoms, to reach their God given health potential.

1. Pain can show up last and is different from a Problem. People often have “problems” long before they experience “pain”. For instance, someone's back can be restricted or unstable for months or years before it presents with pain. Additionally, just because you don't have pain; doesn't mean you're healthy. Muscle, ligament and joint injuries often occur as a result of long-term biomechanical dysfunctions due to sitting, standing on hard floors and even old injuries. This is why it's a good idea to be proactive and get weekly chiropractic adjustments rather than being reactive!

2. Athletes use chiropractors to stay well and perform better, not just for the occasional injury. Athletes choose chiropractors because we are movement specialists. Chiropractors were spotted all over the Olympic coverage last year, and top athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady, Evander Holyfield, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have all been proud patients of chiropractors. These days it’s far more common than not for major athletes and sports teams to keep chiropractors nearby to help prevent injuries, speed injury recovery, improve posture & balance and coordination, and give them a greater competitive edge.

3. The body does not perform as a cluster of separate mechanisms, but rather a cascade of events that all starts with proper control by the nervous system. The nerves that travel through and control every function of your body originate at the spinal cord and their transmission may be disrupted if the joints of the surrounding spinal column are not moving properly. The disruption in biomechanical integrity combined with altered physiological function is what chiropractors call a subluxation. Below is a chart that illustrates the relationship of the spinal nerves exiting the vertebra branching off to the various organ systems. You can see why it is not uncommon for a chiropractor to treat a patient with mid-back pain who also suffers from irritable bowel system, a patient with a subluxated sacrum who has been unsuccessfully trying to become pregnant, or a patient with an upper back fixation and acid reflux.

4. Doctors don’t do the healing. Sorry to disappoint you, but a chiropractor will never fix your back. What we are able to do is restore proper motion in the joints, which relieves tension on the nerves and muscles and allows your body to do the healing (which is what its designed to do in the first place). Joints that do not move correctly create interference between communication of the nervous system and your body. As chiropractors, we believe that the body is a perfect organism in its natural state, and all disease comes from a disruption in the body’s proper transmission of signals by the nerves which affects its ability to heal and to defend against disease-causing agents. We never treat disease. We assess to find which spinal levels are causing the dysfunction, and we adjust it to restore proper nerve flow so the nervous system may work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

5. Chiropractic is for all ages. Many seniors aren’t aware of the benefits of chiropractic care which can help them not only with pain relief, but also increase range of motion, balance and coordination, and decrease joint degeneration. There’s also no patient too young for chiropractic either! We have become one of Austin's best Pediatric Chiropractors and I have personally checked dozens of babies after birth for misalignments of the upper vertebrae that may occur as a result of the birth process. In addition to supporting overall health and well-being, we care for children to promote the development of a healthy brain and nervous system, to assist with colic, asthma, allergies, bed-wetting and sleeping problems, and to assist with behavioral disorders.

6. We know about more about the body than your backbone! This surprises many people who had no idea that chiropractors give advice on nutrition, fitness, ergonomics and lifestyle, screen for conditions unrelated to the musculoskeletal system and refer out to other practitioners when necessary. Chiropractors are also able to complete specialties in other areas such as pediatrics, sports rehabilitation, neurology, clinical nutrition, and addictions and compulsive disorders.

Other than particular specialties and the differences in learning to adjust and learning to prescribe medication, our training hours are not dissimilar from that of medical doctor. The following are the classroom hours for basic science requirements compiled and averaged following a review of curricula of 18 chiropractic schools and 22 medical schools.

7. Successful chiropractic patients accept responsibility. When somebody says that they tried chiropractic and it didn’t help, I cringe and get the feeling that they really missed the boat. Of course, there are cases with complicating factors, but I have heard this from people with straightforward chiropractic problems when it is very clear what has happened. In most cases, one doesn’t acquire back pain over night, and it’s not going to go away over night either. If a weak core from years of sitting at your desk is to blame for the additional stress on your joints, I would expect an adjustment to provide relief, but once the condition is no longer exacerbated, I would most definitely expect for my patient to follow through with the necessary exercises to prevent future problems. I might also suggest we evaluate your nutrition if I suspect an inflammatory diet may be wiring you for pain.  Sure, I’m always happy to adjust someone, but if you’ve been given homework and you don’t do it, remember that this has to be a team effort!

8. Chiropractic may help you get sick less. Studies have indicated that adjustments consistently reduce the production of pro-inflammatory mediators associated with tissue damage and pain, and may also enhance the production of immunoregulatory complexes important for healthy immune system defense. As far back as the deadly flu pandemic of 1917-1918, chiropractors noticed that their patients seemed to have fewer fatalities than among the general population and were able to publish their work in an osteopathic journal since no scholarly journals were accepting chiropractic data. The estimated death rate among patients of conventional medical care in the U.S. was estimated at 5 to 6 percent while the fatality rate among influenza cases receiving spinal adjustments was estimated at 0.25%.

9. “I heard I’ll have to go forever” is a myth. You may want to go to your chiropractor forever once you’ve started because you didn’t realize how great getting adjusted is, but it's all a choice.

The truth is, as long as you are getting adjusted, you will get the benefits of chiropractic care. The same is true with any other form of health building activities including: regular exercise, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, eating healthy, etc. As long as you do these activities, you get the benefit. This is why many people choose to see their chiropractor weekly or monthly for wellness or maintenance care.

10. Adjustments don’t hurt. There is no bone snapping or warrior-style pulling heads off spinal columns! The neck adjustment some chiropractors use causes anticipation for many new patients, but is actually much more gentle than they imagined, and involves a quick, direct thrust to a specific spinal bone. The sound an adjustment makes is called a cavitation and is only space being created within the joint causing gasses to be released from the joint capsule, which creates the popping or cracking noise.

Also, chiropractic adjustments will not wear out your joints, as some imagine because they have been warned not to “crack their knuckles” for this reason in the past. Adjustments, unlike “knuckle cracking” or having your friend stomp on you while you lay on the carpet, are applied specifically to improve the motion of your joints and limit the small dysfunctions that over time can lead to arthritis. Most people after an adjustment describe the feeling as being “lighter”, having greater ease in moving the body, and being able to stand up taller.

The men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces make huge sacrifices in service to our country, including sacrifices to their health. This Veterans Day, Austin Chiropractor Dr. Daniel Gonzalez, would like to thank veterans for their service by providing free care during the month of November.

Members of the military serve in austere conditions and routinely wear gear weighing up to 80 pounds. A February 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report cites “diseases of Musculoskeletal System/Connective System,” such as back pain, as the No. 1 ailment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans accessing VA treatment. Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are experts in the treatment of musculoskeletal problems and their natural approach can not only improve disability and pain, but can eliminate or reduce the need for drugs and surgery in some cases.

Chiropractic’s non-drug approach is particularly important today in light of headlines about the rampant overuse and abuse of prescription opioid medications among troops. According to VA officials, more than 600,000 veterans use opioid painkillers, and experts say they often contribute to job loss, family strife, homelessness and suicide, as well as weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. Also a recent study, (Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation, Dec. 2014) showed that veterans under spinal manipulative therapy had significant improvement in disability in addition to a reduction in pain over a 12 week period. The U.S. military is now investigating chiropractic services and other conservative treatment strategies to mitigate the alarming rate of opioid abuse and addiction among troops. Early results of that research (Goertz, Spine 2013) show that combining chiropractic manipulative treatment with medical care provides significant improvement in lessening pain and enhancing soldier readiness.

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez is honored to serve all Veterans in the Austin area. To ensure that America’s veterans have access to chiropractic services, Dr. Gonzalez is offering all Veterans free care in his office during the month of November. For more information or to schedule your appointment please call Family Health Chiropractic at 512-347-8881.