The Basler Blog

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

Nov 08
0

Chiropractic Care for Children and Babies is Safe

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

Have you thought about taking your child or baby to see a chiropractor?

You should feel confident that your child will be in safe hands. Research studies have found that chiropractic care for children and infants is very safe and rarely associated with adverse events1-3

The safety of chiropractic care

A question chiropractors are often asked is whether chiropractic care is safe for children and babies? A recent public inquiry asked this question and this is what 22,000 parents had to say.

Chiropractic care is safe for children and babies

The research evidence is clear that when a thorough history and exam is taken an appropriate techniques are chosen, chiropractic care is very safe for children and babies.1 3

What does the research show?

The Victorian Government in Australia in 2019 held an inquiry into chiropractic care for babies and children and they asked parents in Australia to let them know about their experiences when they took their children to a chiropractor. This is what the inquiry found.⁵ Almost 22,000 parents responded to the inquiry and told the Australian government that they had taken their child to see a chiropractor and 99.7% of these parents reported a positive experience with the chiropractic care of their children. These parents had accessed chiropractic care for their child for a wide range of conditions and complaints, including maintaining general health and wellbeing. The most common conditions included posture concerns, colic, neck pain, difficulty with breastfeeding, back pain, and headaches. And the overwhelming majority of parents reported that chiropractic care helped their child, with 98% of these parents indicating that their child improved after seeing the chiropractor. But what about the safety of chiropractic care for kids and babies? This inquiry in Victoria had a very big focus on safety and what they found was that through their “extensive search they identified very little evidence of patient harm occurring in Australia. In particular, there were no patient complaints or practitioner notifications that arose from significant harm to a child following spinal manipulation.”

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. chiroshub.com

1. Todd AJ, Carroll MT, Robinson A, et al. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014 doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.09.008 2. Doyle MF. Clinical Chiropractic 2011;14(3):97-105. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clch.2011.06.004 3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. Explore (NY) 2009;5(5):290-5. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2009.06.002

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

© Haavik Research 2021

Oct 25
0

Understanding The Pain

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

Blog brought to you by Dr. Heidi Haavik, Did you know that pain is created by your brain?4-9

The interesting thing is that you don’t actually have to have any actual tissue damage to feel pain.10 If your brain is not aware of tissue damage, you may not feel any pain at all, even if you’ve injured yourself.4,6

Experiencing pain is normal

Everyone experiences pain now and then.1 Pain is supposed to be protective to make you stop doing things that may be dangerous.2 Chronic pain that has persisted for more than 3 months is no longer protective, nor informative.3 So, what is chronic pain and what can you do about it if you suffer from it?

What does the research show?

More than one-third of people with chronic pain become disabled by their pain to some degree.12 13. The pain can be from headaches, joint pain, neck pain, back pain or pain from an injury. Other kinds of chronic pain include tendinitis, sinus pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and pain affecting specific parts of your body. The common thing with all these types of pain is that the actual feeling of pain is always, 100% of the time, created in your brain.5 8 14 15

This does not mean it’s not real – but understanding that the pain itself is created in your brain is really important for how you can get rid of it. And because pain depends so much on what you think and feel about the pain,2 it’s very important you understand pain properly. Your pain experience depends on why your brain has decided you need to be protected – why it’s creating the feeling of pain for you in the first place.5 We know that the brain can be retrained,16 so you need to use all the tools available to you to retrain your brain to be out of pain.16 Some of the keys to retraining your brain are staying active,17-19 staying positive,20 eating well,21 22 and sleeping well.23

One important way that you can help yourself if you are in chronic pain is to stay active.17-19 Your posture and how you move plays an important role in how you feel and how you experience pain.18 19 If there are movements you cannot do because of your pain you can still help by imagining these movements.24 We know from neuroscience research that imagining a movement influences the brain in a very similar way to actually doing the movement.24 25 This can help retrain your brain to understand that the movement is not dangerous – because imagining doing the movement will not hurt.

You can basically trick your brain into giving you back pain-free movement.24 The movement of your spine is also very important.26 Yoga or simple spinal exercises can be great for this and chiropractic care may be really important to help you move too.27-29 The main focus of chiropractic care is to improve the movement and function of your spine.30-32 This is so important because proper movement of your spine helps your brain know more accurately what is going on, not only just in your spine, but also elsewhere in your body.33 34

Research tells us that chiropractic care can help people who suffer from back pain,38 39 and headaches.40 This is most likely because chiropractic care helps your brain know more accurately what is going on in your spine and body33 41 and may help your brain to switch off feelings of pain, when they are no longer needed. So if you suffer from chronic pain do your best to stay positive,20 move often,18 19 eat well,21 22 sleep well,23 and go see your family chiropractor to help retrain your brain to be out of pain.38 39

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. chiroshub.com © Haavik Research 2021 1. Katz WA.1998;105(1, Supplement 2.:2S-7S. 2. Seymour B.2019;101(6):1029-41. 3. Holt K, Russell D, Cooperstein R, et al. Aust 2018;46(1):101-17. 4. Fenton BW, Shih E, Zolton J. 2015;5(4):297-317. 5. Koyama T, McHaffie JG, Laurienti PJ, et al. 2005;102(36):12950-55. 6. Mitsi V, Zachariou V. 2016;338:81-92. 7. Ploghaus A. 1999;284(5422):1979-81. 8. Wager TD. 2004;303(5661):1162-67. 9. Wiech K. 2016;354(6312):584-87. 10. Costigan M, Scholz J, Woolf CJ. 2009;32(1):1-32. 11. St Sauver JL, Warner DO, Yawn BP, et al. 2013;88(1):56-67. 12. Webb R, Brammah T, Lunt M, et al. 2003;28(11):1195-202. 13. Mallen C, Peat G, Thomas E, et al. 2005;6(1):42. 14. Apkarian AV, Hashmi JA, Baliki MN. 2011;152(3 Suppl):S49. 15. Atlas LY, Bolger N, Lindquist MA, et al. 2010;30(39):12964-77. 16. deCharms RC, Maeda F, Glover GH, et al. 2005;102(51):18626-31. 17. Geneen LJ, Moore RA, Clarke C, et al. 2017;4:Cd011279. 18. Booth J, Moseley GL, Schiltenwolf M, et al. 2017;15(4):413-21. 19. O’Connor SR, Tully MA, Ryan B, et al. 2015;96(4):724-34.e3. 20. Schutze R, Rees C, Slater H, et al. 2017;22(3):463-80. 21. Masino SA, Ruskin DN. 2013;28(8):993-1001. 22. Silva AR, Bernardo A, Costa J, et al. 2019:1-29. 23. Burgess HJ, Burns JW, Buvanendran A, et al. 2019. 24. Bowering KJ, O’Connell NE, Tabor A, et al. 2013;14(1):3-13. 25. Mulder T. 2007;114(10):1265-78. 26. Laird RA, Keating JL, Ussing K, et al. 2019;20(1):28. 27. Eliks M, Zgorzalewicz-Stachowiak M, Zenczak-Praga K. 2019;95(1119):41-45. 28. Li Y, Li S, Jiang J, et al. 2019;98(8):e14649. 29. Galindez-Ibarbengoetxea X, Setuain I, Andersen LL, et al. 2017;23(9):667-75. 30. Brown RA. 2016;23(1):22-28. 31. Hart J. 2016;23(1):46-52. 32. The Rubicon Group. 2017:4. 33. Haavik H, Murphy B. 2011;34(2):88-97. 34. Korakakis V, Giakas G, Sideris V, et al. 2017;31:9-20. 35. Gross A, Langevin P, Burnie SJ, et al. Syst Rev 2015(9):Cd004249. 36. Gross A, Miller J, D’Sylva J, et al. 2010;15(4):315-33. 37. Bryans R, Decina P, Descarreaux M, et al. 2014;37(1):42-63. 38. Goertz CM, Pohlman KA, V

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

May 02
0

How Long Should I Go?

By | Asthma, Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, gut problems, High Blood Pressure | No Comments

Have you ever realized that in order for you to obtain what you want, time may be available yet the choices become the biggest obstacle? Think hard, we all may have the same amount of time. We just make different choices. If you capitalize on your choices then time is on your side.

We all have that friend who is waiting for something new, thinking that the grass is always greener on the on the other side. They are always on the latest diet, the newest wonder food that shrinks fat away instantly, or the newest book on how to manage stress. While this might sound appealing, it often leads to life on a roller coaster.

How long should I go for Chiropractic care? We get asked this quite often. And the answer really comes down to what you want out of it. If you are looking for a holistic approach to health care that does not require you to take lotions, potions, and pills, then sticking it out for the long haul might be your call. If you want the “one and done,” sure we can help, yet think about what is actually happening. A good chunk of people only eat good food only when they are sick.

If you can conceptualize that daily your body is under constant repair to maintain a functioning system, and this processing of information is coordinated via your central nerve system; you might think about sticking it out. Understand that your body is intelligent and thrives on function over feeling. When the spinal column is aligned you are designed to “form”. Form determines your function, and with a spine in proper alignment you move better, last longer, and transmit better nerve flow than with a spine that is subluxated.

We ask that you make the choices to give us the time. Without the time, much can be lost. Your body is the biggest investment that you will ever make in your life, don’t abuse it.

Oct 01
0

Collect What You Sow

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

Now is the time for the harvest. Think of all your hard work that began in early spring while getting the soil ready for your garden to bloom. The harvest brings with it many satisfying emotions as well as even MORE work to process, can, clean, prep, for the next season. Farming is truly a complex system with no easy shortcuts. The same can be said of your health, it’s a daily quest to maintain what you have!

When all your hard-work comes to fruition, you can appreciate the harvest even more. Chiropractic care is very much like sowing seeds and reaping your harvest. You cannot immediately plant a seed and expect fruit to bear. Just as Chiropractic care is not an instant fix, one is not immediately “cured”. Seeds need care and maintenance while they grow, just like our bodies as we go through life.

The similarities between farming and chiropractic can provide us with a striking way to understand what the end goal should or could be. Farmers must be very aware of the temperature, moisture, and nutrients necessary for the soil to continually produce a good crop. Your body must be continually changing and adapting to the external influences that you place upon it. All the routine adjustments to keep your central nerve system free of dysfunction allows your body to maintain and promote health and well-being so you are continually yielding a healthy “crop” over and over again.

Taken one step further, we emphasis the importance of having your kids checked to build a healthy foundational life. It’s better to grow healthy kids than to fix injured adults. Imagine starting from the beginning and having your central nerve system in proper coordination at a young age instead of “fixing” something as it breaks down later in life. Theodore Roosevelt said it best: “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.” When living a healthy lifestyle you have no choice but to wear out appropriately on your time!

Mar 02
0

Your Natural Response: Inflammation

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

The topic of inflammation is interesting at best. Often times we are bombarded with the newest and latest ways to reduce chronic inflammation within the body, or we succumb to over the counter medicine that is “designed” to reduce inflammation. While exercise and diet are congruent with a healthy lifestyle, external influences will often side-step the true root cause of why the inflammation is present in the first place. Look well to your spine first and foremost.

Basically we know that inflammation is the body’s innate response to counter a response or heal tissue. Your body does this to aid recovery naturally. When the inflammation ensues for an extended period of time, the brain defends itself with alarm messages to create an awareness for action steps that the body needs to take. Think of it this way: your brain decides you should experience an alarm if it believes there is tissue damage or the potential for tissue damage.

Your brain relays these alarm messages through the spinal column, collectively the brain and spinal column, or central nerve system (CNS). This is important because if the brain perceives there is a problem, a healthy highway of information is needed so the spinal nerves transferring all the data back and fourth can constantly feed the brain information.

The tissue cell is where your inflammation occurs. The tissue cell is the smallest organ in the body and maintains the welfare of the whole body. The tissue cells make your organs, and the organs are to serve the “organism,”which is you. When the CNS perceives to generate an immune response to the tissue cell, inflammation is the catalyst/spearhead to generate a response for the tissue. Remember this is a NATURAL occurrence, the CNS is protecting you to keep the function of the body.

Too often we take for granted the CNS and the constant changes it undergoes innately to keep us healthy naturally. Keeping your brain-body communication as accurate as possible is the key to eliminating inflammation at its root. Start with Chiropractic care, for it is proven to be the most natural form of health care out there. “Give me the power to create a fever, and I will cure any disease.” – Hippocrates.

Dec 24
0

If You Don’t Know About It Does It Matter?

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Ignorance, neglect, or just a general idea of not actually knowing. Just a few reasons a person might be unhealthy. But where  does your health “come from?” It’s like a motor vehicle that runs and does not give you any cues to check your engine, rotate your tires, change your oil, etc. If you didn’t perform these actions regularly your vehicle would stop running.  What about your health? Do we just ignore the innate wisdom of the body to keep us going on a day to day basis without any routine check-ups?

Contrary to current models, health does not come in the form of a pill, a shot, or any other external influence. Your belief system will secure your future and make you separate and distinct from others.  Your course is set based on your beliefs.  These beliefs should stand the test of time and will be challenged with the “latest and greatest.”

Take, for instance, our first president. George Washington, in his terminal state, was bled on a routine basis, which was a leading factor to his demise. This “bad blood” theory gained some initial momentum much like lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and other instant fixes.

The founder of Osteopathy (Osteopaths) A.T. Still said it best in 1899 “The brain of man was God’s drugstore and had in it all liquid, drugs, lubricating oils, opiates, acids, and anti-acids, and every quality of drugs that the wisdom of God thought necessary for human happiness and health.”

The innate wisdom of your body is the top concern to keep your body lively and well.  The chain of communication in doing this depends solely on your central nerve system.  The CNS collects, interprets, and coordinates all internal systems to keep your body  in its ideal state.  “Illness hovers constantly above us, their seeds blown by the wind, but they do not set in the terrain unless the terrain is ready to receive them.” – Claude Bernard.

Oct 19
0

Trust The Doctor Too Much?

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Trust. Such an interesting word that we have a tendency to throw around without any merit or justification behind it. There are fundamental “Trusts” that we accept at a very young age, such as trusting our parents to look after us when we are young and developing. However, it seems the older we become, the less often we actually truly trust people. Now throw in the phrase, “Trust Me I’m A Doctor..” and hopefully your eyebrows will begin to rise up.

When our office meets a new patient, we often hear, “I dont trust doctors.” It’s a true statement that has validity. Just because someone has a title or letters after their name does not justify that trust should automatically be implied. Just as if someone holding office wants to be trusted, it does not mean that trust is automatically implied. 

Trust is defiantly earned through relationships. Here at Basler Family Chiropractic we get to EARN your trust. We believe in the patient centered model, which purpose is to educate and inform so that you are the “informed consumer”.

What are we informing you of? Health care. We believe and know that health is given to all and exists primarily through the central nerve system (CNS). As Gonstead Chiropractors we assume the responsibility of allowing your CNS to function free of interference allowing your brain and body to be at its ideal environment to adapt to the stressors that you place upon it.

We earn your trust by providing you and your family with healthy results that last a lifetime. Free of drugs, surgery, or any other invasive entity that is external and foreign to the body. If you are looking for purity in the human body trust  in your body’s innate wisdom by keeping your CNS free of any interference.  

Oct 05
0

Your Body, Your Health. Choose Wisely

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments
Your body your choice…right? Of course the answer is YES. The year 2020 has us looking at health differently. Some interesting changes have occurred, mostly related to the pandemic. While our current “model” of  health is now changing, there remains one constant: a preventative lifestyle. Chiropractic’s course of action is just that!!

Many people assume that if they don’t have a disease, they are healthy. However, this may not always be the case. Preventive measures fit well into a healthy lifestyle. 

As opposed to the popular belief, just because you are not sick does not mean that you are healthy. Yes, you actually have to work hard at being healthy. No different than you have to work hard to be unhealthy. I am often reminded of the documentary Super Size Me when the film-maker “learns” an unhealthy diet impacts his overall health and well-being.

Your health can be robbed from you when you’re  not looking and paying attention. We become distracted with unnecessary problems that we cannot control. What we can control is our health. Starting with the most important system that regulates your health, the central nerve system.

Any interference known as a subluxation within the spinal column will create dis-organized chaos in your health and well-being. A subluxation will directly impact your systems. Even your immune system. When you have an infection, injury, trauma, or stress response that challenges your immune system your NICU’s (neuro-immune cell unit) release cytokines to help with the trauma. Every moment you spend being in a subluxated state you are silently creating abnormal physiological function to exist.

These NICU’s are always sensing information and processing it back to the brain to gather intelligence of pathogens or immune challenges that counter your health. Remember your body is designed to be healthy, in order to keep it that way you have to become exposed to certain stressors that create a healthy immune response. Chiropractic releases your body’s innate healing ability. Your body does the healing.
Sep 08
0

Beat The Burnout Of Health “Fads”

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Here we go again! Burnout happens for numerous reasons, often being associated with boredom and even insanity. And when it comes to our health, there is an entire INDUSTRY designed to make us believe it has our best interests in mind. Yet by now most of us realize their real belief is profit.

Too often third parties will influence government to make some of these healthier “fads” a nation wide priority (I will not talk about drugs and pharmaceuticals right now). Consider the “Low Fat Diet.” This message started in the 1960’s. Gaining steam and momentum by the 1980’s, it was heavily endorsed by physicians, the Federal Government, the food industry, and media.

Skip the burnout effect of trying the newest and latest. Do what works. Do what science has validated through trials, cohort studies, controlled trials, etc….EVIDENCE. Specifically, evidence that was presented years ago and can be challenged today. Some still hold merit and validity while others don’t. Here are two examples:

  • From the 1930s to the 1950s one of the most powerful phrases one could hear is “doctor recommend” when it came to SMOKING. Obviously any research today completely disengages any study that was performed.  This equates to no validity by today’s standards.
  • In 1993 Ontario Ministry of Health In Canada commissioned a study that looked at the effectiveness and cost efficiency of Chiropractic care for low back pain (Manga, et al. 1993). It concluded that Chiropractic service is the most cost effective option and that Chiropractic services should be fully insured under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. This still holds merit in today’s society, which equates to still having validity!

Chiropractic care is the study of health and what causes people to BE and continue to BE healthy. Prevention. Think how cool this is. Every single time you receive an adjustment to a subluxation within the spinal column your brain becomes enhanced, thusly performing better. Take for instance the cerebellum, which is a central integrator for all SENSORY information which is vital for fine tuned coordinated movements, speech, breathing…get the point?

You don’t need to go to the Chiropractor to find out that exercise and diet are important. When a physical problem arises, a physical solution is needed. This is why Chiropractic emphasizes the action of preventative steps to keep and sustain your health long-term.