The Basler Blog

Jul 17
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Chiropractic and Mental Health

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, energy, fibromyalgia, gonstead chiropractic, gut problems, High Blood Pressure, immune system, inflammation | No Comments

Chiropractic and Mental Health

Research supports that vertebral subluxations may result in altered autonomic nervous system activity. How does this affect mental health and behavior? We will look specifically the vagus nerve “fight or flight” response and “rest and digest” response. The vagus nerve is a major component of the HPA-axis which coordinates neural, behavioral, endocrine, and immune/inflammatory responses. This is why we check heart rate variability in the office to gauge how well your vagus nerve is functioning, therefore how well your HPA-axis is functioning.

There is a theory called the Polyvagal Theory (PVT) that was proposed by Porges in which nervous system regulation affects our emotional expression, communication, and social behavior. Or in other words the neural pathways supporting behavior are involved in maintaining health.

In a study by Williams et al, “There was some evidence that spinal manipulation improved psychological outcomes compared with verbal interventions.” A different study by Holder et al, looked at patients who received instrument assisted adjustments, the test group who received adjustments showed a significant decrease in anxiety compared to the control group.

Chiropractic care a whole is concerned with totality of the human experience. By correcting subluxations, patients are more optimally able to adapt to the world around them and build resilience. When an adjustment is delivered, a patient’s nervous system immediately responds by altering the body’s ability to function at it’s fullest potential again.

Holder JM, Duncan Robert C, Gissen M, Miller M, Blum K (2001) Increasing retention rates among the

chemically dependent in residential treatment: auriculotherapy and (in a separate study)

subluxation-based chiropractic care. Journal of Molecular Psychiatry 6.

Williams NH, Hendry M, Lewis R, Russell I, Westmoreland A, et al. (2007) Psychological response in spinal

manipulation (PRISM): A systematic review or psychological outcomes in randomized controlled

trials. Complementary Therapis in Medicine 15:271-283.

Apr 20
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What is Maintenance Care?

By | ADHD, Allergies, Asthma, Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, migraines | No Comments

What is Maintenance Care?

People go to see a chiropractor for many different reasons.1 Some go because they’re in pain, some go because they want to perform better on the sporting field, and some want to sleep better.

But did you know that almost 50% of chiropractic patients go to their chiropractor because they simply want to maintain their health and well-being?

Maintenance care is when patients go to a chiropractor even when they are not in pain or discomfort. The idea with maintenance care is that regular adjustments will help maintain your spine and nervous system function at its optimal level and help you to be your best and to prevent new episodes of pain from developing.2

It makes sense to look after your health, so you don’t get sick, right? And that often you get sick because you have been pushing yourself too hard and you’ve become run down? The research tells us that your spine can get run down too, long before you feel pain. We know that if your brain doesn’t send appropriate protective messages to your core trunk muscles, you will have a higher risk of developing low back injuries.3 This makes sense because a lack of core stability means you’re creating mini whiplash injuries to your spine each time you move around or lift your arm or leg.

If you end up in pain after bending down to tie your shoelaces your pain hasn’t just come out of the blue, it’s usually been developing for some time without you knowing about it. It’s often the thousandth straw that breaks the camel’s back.

All of life’s stressors can build up and impact the way your brain is communicating with your trunk muscles and then all that is needed is one last minor thing to go wrong, and you end up with pain. The goal of maintenance care is to help take the straws off your camel’s back before they cause symptoms or have a big impact on your life. So, the research tells us that chiropractic maintenance care makes perfect sense.

A study published by researchers from Sweden in 20184 showed the benefits of maintenance care in a group of people who suffered from low back pain. In this study, the researchers followed 328 patients with low back pain who went to 40 different Swedish chiropractic clinics. If the patients responded well when they were first adjusted they joined the study and received chiropractic maintenance care over the next year or symptom-guided care. The maintenance care patients were seen every 1 to 3 months with the intention being that they were checked before substantial pain reoccurred. Patients in the control group were told to call if and when pain recurred. 

They were then adjusted until they got better,  and they were told to call again if the pain returned. What the researchers were most interested in was the number of days of bothersome back pain suffered by each group throughout the 1-year trial period.

What they found was that the maintenance care group experienced 13 fewer days of pain over the course of the study on average compared to the symptom-guided group. The amazing thing from this study was that the maintenance care group needed less than 2 extra visits to their chiropractor over the course of a year to have 13 fewer days of pain. This suggests that patients who have had low back pain, and who respond well to care, should see their chiropractor regularly, irrespective of whether their symptoms have returned or not. This study did have some limitations of course. One limitation was that chiropractors were told not to schedule their maintenance care patients more frequently than once a month. So some patients in this group may have benefited even more if the chiropractors had been able to schedule their visits more frequently if they thought that was a good idea.

This study shows that it’s important to keep your spine working well, even if you don’t have pain or symptoms.

So, if you want to function at your optimal potential consider chiropractic maintenance care because the research suggests your spine will love you for it!

References

  1. Adams J, et al. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2017;42(23):1810-16.
  2. Leboeuf-Yde C, Hestbæk L. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2008;16:3-3.
  3. Cholewicki J, et al. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2005;30(23):2614-20.
  4. Eklund, et al. PLoS One 2018;13(9):e0203029.

Acknowledgments

  • Dr. Heidi Haavik – BSc(Physiol) BSc(Chiro) PhD
  • Dr. Kelly Holt – BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD
  • Dr. Jenna Duehr – BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc
Nov 22
0

Chiropractic Care is a Great Investment in your Health

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Do you worry about the cost of your healthcare?

Research shows that chiropractic care is a great option to help you feel your best without breaking the bank. 1,2

The cost effectiveness of chiropractic care

Cost can be a big factor when we make decisions about our healthcare. Researchers have been looking at what the most cost-effective healthcare options are for people with back and neck pain. Keep reading to find out what research says.

Chiropractic care can save you money and help you get back to work faster

For patients with neck or back pain, chiropractic care is a very cost-effective option and costs less in the long term than medical care or physical therapy. 1,3

What does the research show?

Researchers reviewed 9 years of claims data from an insurance scheme in North Carolina that included about 660,000 people and over 6 million back and neck pain claims. 1 2

They took into account things like the patient’s age, gender, and health history, and then looked at how much each claim cost based on whether the care provider was a medical doctor, physical therapist, or a chiropractor. They also looked at the cost of the claim if all they did was offer the patients advice, hoping that they’d just get better by themselves and not need any healthcare.

What they found in these studies was that the claims for the patients who were seen by a chiropractor cost significantly less than the patients managed by another healthcare provider. In fact, by the final year of this 9-year study the cost of a claim was from 2 to 5 times more expensive when a chiropractor was not one of the care providers.

And the claims managed by a chiropractor cost even less than the claims for patients who were given advice alone, because it would appear that those people ended up taking more time off work than the people who saw a chiropractor.

Disclaimer and References

Disclaimer and References This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be professional advice of any kind. Haavik Research Ltd encourages you to make your own health care decisions based on your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

Neck Pain in North Carolina, 2000 to 2009: A Statewide Claims’ Data Analysis. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2016;39(4):240-51. doi: 10.1016/j. jmpt.2016.02.007 [published Online First: 2016/05/12] 2. Hurwitz EL, Li D, Guillen J, et al. Variations in Patterns of Utilization and Charges for the Care of Low Back Pain in North Carolina, 2000 to 2009: A Statewide Claims’ Data Analysis. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2016;39(4):252-62. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.006 [published Online First: 2016/05/12] 3. Jarvis KB, Phillips RB, Morris EK. Cost per case comparison of back injury claims of chiropractic versus medical management for conditions with identical diagnostic codes. Journal of occupational medicine : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association 1991;33(8):847-52. [published Online First: 1991/08/01] © Haavik Research Limited 2021

• Dr. Heidi Haavik BSc(Physiol) BSc(Chiro) PhD • Dr. Kelly Holt BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD • Dr. Jenna Duehr BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc chiroshub.com

Dec 08
0

The Power Of ‘Advice’

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, inflammation, kids chiropractic | No Comments

Age old advice can be misunderstood and often times falls upon deaf ears. Too often we must deal with our own obstacles to actually learn from a life event. Advice, while it is easy to give, often requires the one giving it not to have to lift a finger to accomplish it. When it comes to your health and well-being we have a reliable truth that your body is designed to be healthy. The steps you take to accomplish this daily task of regular health often times comes from ‘advice’.

So take a grain of salt and listen to some words of encouragement, backed up with laws of truth. No advice given here!

Your body is innately designed to keep you healthy on a daily basis. Ultimately running the ‘ship’ is the central nerve system (CNS). For without your CNS daily functions would not occur, thus rendering you useless. Regular check-ups to ensure optimal function of your CNS comes throughout visiting a Chiropractor to check your spinal column for subluxations (misalignment within your spine placing undo stress upon your body).

There is no such thing as “One and done”. If you have been given the advice that a Chiropractor check-up is an emergency situation and after an adjustment the body is automatically restored back to its orginal state then this is bad advice.

Whether the subluxation is an acute or chronic problem it will still require time to properly heal correctly. Just because you cannot see a wound healing within the spinal column does not mean it doesn’t exist. Take your skin for example. If you have ever sustained a deep cut, it can take weeks to months for the skin to heal. Most important here is that the part of your skin that you can see will not be the same as the surrounding skin tissue. Something changed and it did not take overnight!

Take the time to understand that age old adages are what they are! If you skip the healing steps you will miss the healing stages that your body is supposed to go through!

Sep 16
0

Is It Necessary

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths | No Comments

Consider the word “necessary.” Often, what is necessary for one is completely different for another. With regards to your health, what is necessary for you? The good news is Chiropractic puts the “care” in health care. Our office utilizes the Gonstead technique which is specific care necessary to your spinal health, and yours alone. No one gets the same adjustment because no one is the same. The care you receive is necessary to you.

If we were to tell you that ‘wellness’ type Chiropractic care is not necessary for you, we would have to also tell you that daily brushing and flossing is not necessary. Yet, the Dental world has done a fantastic job informing people of the necessity concerning regular oral hygiene to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Why do we get lost when it comes to maintaining the function of your spinal column? Typically we can blame the symptom path of our brain.

Most will seek necessary care only when a symptom arrives on their door-step, thus prompting a search for a solution. We don’t start brushing our teeth only when our teeth start falling out do we? Understand that the symptoms your brain tells your conscious is not a reflection of the drugs that you did NOT take. Yet, most will stand in line for the medications and surgery option instead of the lifestyle modifications option.

Your brain is the first computer ever invented, and the spinal cord is like a USB cable, supplying life to every organ, cell, tissue, and gland that you have. Get ‘plugged in’ with Chiropractic care! It is necessary to promote the lifestyle that you want without the use of external stimulants. “While other professions are concerned with changing the environment to suit the weakened body, Chiropractic is concerned with strengthening the body to suit the environment.” – B.J. Palmer. Make your health necessary by utilizing a vitalistic approach that has been tried and tested.

Jun 11
0

Preventing The Age “Disease”

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments
How many times does one associate something negative happening to their body with the saying, “Guess it’s just old AGE”? In the most honest way ever of conveying this message to you, regardless of what you have been told, age is NOT a disease.

Everyone ages, we’re  supposed to. The “effects” that either slow or accelerate the process is ultimately determined by you and your actions. When it comes to “anti- aging” consumer products, we often get too involved in the outside paint job and how we look. The paint job may look well and dandy, but remember you only get one engine to run with. That ‘engine’ being the central nerve system-the inside of the body that runs all other systems and coordinates all actions that you perform.

How do you take care of your central nerve system? By fine tuning the ‘engine’ with regular spinal check-ups to detect and correct vertebral subluxations (misalignments within the spinal column creating nerve interference). By maintaining the health of your central nerve system, you will be able to age at your appropriate ‘rate’.

Paraphrasing Ruth Jackson, MD, on the etiology of aging in the spine, “If any single aging process exists, it is not known at the present time, intrinsic and extrinsic factors are involved undoubtedly. Biomedical science has sought to define the fundamental basis of aging, but the origin of biological aging remains an enigma.”

How much “Chiropractic Care” does my body need to put up a preventative act? It should be such that the level of care is equal to that of your lifestyle. There are lots of different engines out there designed for different lifestyles, all still requiring certain levels of regular maintenance to prevent the inevitable aging process. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure ”- Benjamin Franklin.
Nov 02
0

What Is The Price Of Your Health?

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

The obvious answer is that your health is invaluable.  You must take care of your health because your life depends on it. Putting aside the pandemic, the United States is not a healthy place. It’s no secret that in the US we take our health for granted and have been influenced to rely on drugs/pills/medicine.  

According to an article published in Fortune magazine, the cost of healthcare in 2018 in the United States hit an astronomical 3.65 trillion.  This spending represents 11,212 per person. That’s every man, woman, and child in the united states.  In fact the U.S. spends more money per capita that any other country in the world yet we are ranked at number 29 in the world for health.  (Source: 2020, Gentempo)

Now enter a philosophy that deals with health and the study of what causes people to be healthy: Chiropractic.  Sure, there are many different forms of healing and preventative measures one can take to be healthy.  We believe that Chiropractic is the most cost effective form of “health care” that seeks to give practical solutions for all. One could ask, “Are we one of those Chiropractic offices that seek the cause of dis-ease?” The answer is “YES!” And we would go on to state that Chiropractic is not simply limited to back pain, neck spasm, “emergency clinic,” and the like.

Notice how the phrase “health care” applies to Chiropractic.  Chiropractic is safe, non-addictive, and is proven over and over again to prevent the body from being in a chronic state of disease.  
If you confuse medicine for “health care,” you are missing the picture.  We are in this predicament of taking care of more and more sick people because our society believes in the idea of taking a pill for any diagnosis, and this is proving not to work.  

The best way you can help the sick is not to be one of them.  How do you do this?  Prevention. Actually taking your health into your own hands and working on it!  Everyday, every week, every month.  One might say it requires hard work, and being healthy is a full time job. Truer words have never been written. And one of the major benefits of a healthy, preventative lifestyle: the more prosperity that you have in your overall health and well-being, the more you can give back and help others!

Jul 24
0

May We Have Your Consent?

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

We are fortunate to live in the era of the informed consumer. However, one of the biggest obstacles we face is accessing and considering the source of information. In a capitalist, free market society we always need to consider the source. The phrase, “Trust Me I Am A Doctor,” holds no merit to us. Our strategy begins with education.

Our informed consent to you from Basler Family Chiropractic (BFC) is based on principles that we understand to be known as truths. We encourage questions, thoughts, and open dialogue. We need to meet on the level of creating a shared partnership so that we can better our community and the outlook of what  “healthcare” actually is.

Our office model is based on the patient and the patient’s needs. Naming it the “Patient Centered Model,” we believe we are not here to make decisions for you, but rather to be in your ‘corner,’ supporting you with knowledge we have obtained in our schooling. This allows us to better educate you about chiropractic healthcare.

The ‘type’ of doctor that you choose to be involved in your health matters! At BFC we believe, understand, and know WHY and HOW the body is self regulating and self-healing. Every human experience one encounters is processed and coordinated via the central nerve system (CNS.) Restrictions known as subluxations (misalignments within the spinal column) limit the body’s potential to be at its full expression of health.

Any interference within the CNS will directly  impact ones potential to properly adapt naturally to the external stressors in life. While  chiropractic is not the only profession focused on prevention, health, and healing, we believe it is the most practical one to give you the solutions  you are looking for.  

Oct 31
0

Health Care Vs Health Insurance

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, kids chiropractic, pregnancy | No Comments

Health care vs health insurance. What’s the difference between the two? Just about everything. Health care is something that you perform on a day to day basis. It’s easy to be healthy and just on the opposite side it’s easy to be unhealthy. The choices you make are not from genetics. Health care comes with the choices that you make to better yourself and take time for self-love. Being healthy is not something you should take lightly, its hard-work and we typically attempt to gain our health when something bad has happened. In our society nowadays the phrase goes as such, “Young men in life avoids his health to acquire wealth, while later in life will spend his wealth to acquire his health.”

Health care become the actions that you perform on a routine basis. Take for instance, Chiropractic check-ups. You live your life through your central nerve system (CNS). Every human experience you have is controlled, coordinated, and processed through your CNS. Chiropractic care seeks to make sure your body is free of any interference to the CNS and you are functioning at an ideal state by adjusting the spinal column which protects the CNS. The beginning of the disease process begins with postural distortions – Hans Selye, M.D.

Health care is hard-work yet in the long-run is always worth it. Consuming the right foods, taking time for daily exercise, and making sure your thoughts are healthy… is hard-work. These are just a few to name some, yet it really gets down to the choices that you must make to make sure “Health Care” becomes part your daily routine.

Health insurance is really a misnomer. Typically, people use their health insurance when they have an accident, injury, or trauma. Which all these incidents sound really bad and just maybe your insurance will cover your costs (really should be called trauma insurance). Health insurance is not looking after your overall health and well-being. Preventative steps are not taken into account to make sure that your health insurance actually keeps you healthy. No one buys health insurance and then immediately becomes healthy. You have to perform active health care to stay healthy.

Sep 30
0

Why We Don’t Guess

By | ADHD, Allergies, Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths | No Comments

Why would you guess when you can be accurate? Guessing or jumping to conclusions will result in more consequences than positive actions. Take for instance a home inspector who found mold on some drywall in a house. When the inspector begins sampling the rest of the house for mold to find the cause, he does not put the sample strips directly on the area where the mold is exposed. Why? Just because it is the most obvious area doesn’t mean it is the source. So, the inspector begins to “inspect” other areas that are not EXPOSED.

In Gonstead Chiropractic one of the most important criteria is to eliminate guessing when it comes to your body by use of x-ray analysis. With x-ray analysis we are able to specifically locate subluxations (misalignment’s within the spine creating nerve dysfunction) and eliminate compensations. 

What’s a compensation? In Chiropractic we adopt universal laws that have sustained the test of time. Take for instance Newtons Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action. When a subluxation occurs it changes the normal condition of pressure, tension, shape, size and length of the surrounding structures. In other words the subluxation creates compensations elsewhere that are not the area of concern. Finding the right area to adjust becomes the name of the game. 

The body is designed to be intelligent and accurate for the sustainability of life. This is no different when you take care of your spine with Chiropractic care. You want accuracy. When you eliminate guessing, you allow the body to be intelligent and make accurate decisions when healing. If things aren’t moving the way they are supposed to move, other areas will begin to become affected as well. Remember the body is a unit altogether. It wants to be healthy. So, be accurate when making healthy choices and eliminate the guessing.