Hippocrates and chiropractic care

Chiropractic may only be 114 years old, but spinal manipulation has been around for thousands of years. Massage and manipulation are two of the oldest remedies known to man. In fact, the first pictures depicting spinal manipulation were discovered in prehistoric caves in Point Le Merd in southwestern France. These drawings depicted crude, non-specific attempts to manipulate the spine that date back to 17,500 bc. The ancient Chinese were using manipulation in 2700 bc. and James Cyriax, in his Textbook of Orthopedic Medicine, included a picture of a Buddhist temple with a statue over 2,000 years old showing manipulation of the lumbar spine.

More recently, Hippocrates (460-377 bc), the father of Greek medicine said, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.” He wrote over seventy books on healing and was a proponent of spinal manipulation. This great physician was also the first to deal with the anatomy and the pathology of human spine. In his books, he provides a precise description of the segments and the normal curves of the spine, the structure of the vertebrae, the tendons attached to them, the blood supply to the spine, and even its anatomic relations to adjacent vessels. Hippocrates devised two apparatuses, known as the Hippocratic ladder and the Hippocratic board, to reduce displaced vertebrae.

Hippocrates believed only nature could heal and it was the duty of a physician to remove any interference preventing the body from healing. Hippocrates taught that the essence of life and the ability of the body to heal was the result of a vital spirit.

Marriage and weight gain, “Rooster” available, look for us at E-Rock, and this Week’s 1-Page Health News

After a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, we’re back in the office and ready to help you. This coming Sunday, Dr. Stripling and I will be out at the Elephant Rock Festival of Cycling giving ART treatments to athletes. Look for us under the Team Transplant tent. Lots of good stuff in this week’s 1-Page Health News

“Chiropractic is a wonderful means of natural healing.”
~ Bob Hope

Mental Attitude: Happily Married?
A recent study concludes that young and happily married newlyweds are more likely to gain weight than their young and unhappily married counterparts. For each unit increase in satisfaction, on average, males and females both gained one tenth of a BMI unit every 6 months – or about one pound a year. According to Dr. Andrea Meltzer, lead author of the study, “These findings challenge the idea that quality relationships always benefit health, suggesting instead that spouses in satisfying relationships relax their efforts to maintain their weight because they are no longer motivated to attract a mate. Interventions to prevent weight gain in early marriage may therefore benefit from encouraging spouses to think about their weight in terms of health rather than appearance.”
Health Psychology, April 2013

Health Alert: Less Salt, More Potassium.
Reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure, which ultimately reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. Results show that four or more weeks of modest salt reduction leads to notable decreases in blood pressure. Increased potassium intake was associated with a 24% reduced probability of stroke in adults and may also have an advantageous impact on blood pressure in kids.
British Medical Journal, April 2013

Diet: So How Much Salt and Potassium Should You Consume?
The World Health Organization recommends adults should reduce salt intake to 5g per day and consume at least 3510mg of potassium per day.
World Health Organization, January 2013

Exercise: More Reasons.
Exercise helps to retard bone loss as you age, thereby reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis. Exercise also helps improves pain tolerance and mood if you already suffer from osteoarthritis.
Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Satisfied Low Back Pain Patients.
Patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractors showed greater improvement and satisfaction after one month of care than patients treated by family physicians. Satisfaction scores were higher for chiropractic patients. A higher proportion of chiropractic patients (56% vs. 13%) reported that their low-back pain was better or much better, whereas nearly one-third of medical patients reported their low-back pain was worse or much worse.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2000

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep Well.
Increasing the number of hours adolescents sleep each night may reduce the prevalence of adolescent obesity. A recent study shows that fewer hours of sleep is associated with greater increases in adolescent body mass index (BMI) for participants between 14 and 18 years old. Increasing sleep from 8 to 10 hours per day at age 18 could result in a 4% reduction in the number of adolescents with a BMI above 25. This would translate to 500,000 fewer overweight adolescents.
Pediatrics, April 2013

Awesome Dog available for a great home:

My friend and canine behaviorist, Andrew Stone, has a dog that he is looking to place in a great home. Rooster is a STUNNING red and white border collie male, just over 2 yrs old, neutered, and now fully professionally trained (by Mr. Stone of course!). Know anyone interested? Re-homing fee applies. Mr. Stone has the fee set at $500 with lifetime training (a great deal!)……..or at $400 without the follow-up training. Rooster plays well with other dogs and is great with kids. Call Andrew Stone directly at 720-366-2238

How and why to avoid knee replacement surgery and this week’s !-Page Health News

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
~ Hippocrates

Health Alert: Hip/Knee Replacement?
Joint damage from osteoarthritis is responsible for 80% of hip replacements and 90% of knee surgeries. Only 50% of individuals with arthritis who had a hip or knee replacement reported a significant improvement in pain and mobility after surgery. 25% of patients who get a single joint replacement will have another within two years.
Arthritis & Rheumatism, April 2013

“Did you know that if your spine is not moving well or is not aligned (known as subluxation of the spine), you could easily get an injury in your hips, knees, calves or ankles? This is because spinal subluxations inhibit the nervous system, leading to poor motor control. Reference- Seaman et al, JMPT; 18;21(4): 267-280.

Getting your spine adjusted regularly is the best way to keep your body moving well and keep those muscles firing. Our athletes who get adjusted regularly hold up better than the ones who wait for the pain to set it. Call us – 303.300.0424 – or just reply to this email.

Diet: Unleaded Please!
Levels of lead in rice imported into the United States (US) ranged from 6-12 mg/kg. For adults, the daily exposure levels from eating imported rice are 20-40 times higher than the Food and Drug Administration’s accepted levels. For infants and children, the daily exposure levels are 30-60 times higher. Lead is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain, and in young children whose brains are still growing, it can seriously diminish their capacity to learn and develop. It can disrupt children’s behavior, such as make them more aggressive, impulsive, and hyperactive. Lead increases blood pressure and causes cardiovascular diseases in adults.
American Chemical Society, April 2013

Exercise: Walking vs. Running.
Brisk walking can reduce a person’s risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol just as much as running can. The risk for first-time hypertension was notably reduced 4.2% by running and 7.2% by walking. The risk for first-time high cholesterol was reduced 4.3% by running and 7% by walking. The risk for first-time diabetes was lowered 12.1% by running and 12.3% by walking. The risk for coronary heart disease was lowered 4.5% by running and 9.3% by walking.
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, April 2013

Chiropractic: Lowering Blood Pressure.
Chiropractic adjustments to the upper neck were shown to lower high blood pressure. Researchers found a 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure, and 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure following a cervical adjustment. This effect was greater than would result from two blood pressure medications given in combination, and it was adverse-event free.
Journal of Human Hypertension, March 2007

Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D.
A hormone produced in the skin with exposure to sunlight, Vitamin D is also found in fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks. Muscle function and recovery from fatigue has been shown to improve with Vitamin D supplementation, which is thought to enhance the activity of the mitochondria – the power plants of the cell.
Newcastle University, April 2013