Low Back Pain or Hip Arthritis: Which One is it? How the Active Release doctors at Denver Chiropractic Center can help you

Low back pain (LBP) can have many causes. Our job is to identify the main pain generator(s) and manage the patient accordingly. This requires a careful history, examination, and a short trial of treatment with conservative methods, like Active Release Techniques Soft Tissue Treatment.

When first presenting for care, the patient tells us about their complaint in the history portion of our evaluation. Here, we not only ask about the main reason for their appointment or, what’s bothering them now but also their past history. We also discuss old injuries such as slips and falls, sports injuries that date back to high school, motor vehicle induced injuries, as well as family history (we ask if family members have or have had low back trouble since it’s been reported that there is a genetic link identified for osteoarthritis).

We also inquire about the patient’s current activity level and how well those activates are tolerated, often using tools completed by the patient that can be scored and compared periodically during care to track the benefits of treatment. When we finally return to the primary complaint history, we ask about the location, mechanism of injury, notable changes in the course of the condition, the onset date, pain related activities that increase or decrease pain, the quality of pain, radiation patterns, severity levels (such as a 0-10 scale), and timing issues such as, worse in the mornings vs. evenings.

When patients say, “…I have low back pain,” they may point to anywhere between the lower rib cage and their hip area. In other words, everyone interprets where their low back is located differently. So, when differentiating between low back pain and hip pain, one would think that the patient would either point to their low back or their hip, right? Well, where does hip osteoarthritis usually hurt? That’s what makes it so hard! The pain location can vary and move around in the same patient anywhere in the pelvic region including the groin (which is common), to the side of the pelvis, to the buttocks, the sacrum and in the low back.

To make it even more challenging, degenerative or injured disks in the lower lumbar spine can refer pain directly into the hip area and also create localized low back pain. In fact, patients often have BOTH conditions simultaneously. Usually, during examination, we move the hip in the socket and feel for reduced motion and watch for pain patterns in certain positions. When comparing the two sides, we both can feel, “…a difference between the two.”

The osteoarthritic (OA) hip is comparably more tight and painful with rotation movements. For example, the patient is seated with their leg crossed, trying to touch their knee to their opposite shoulder. In the OA hip patient, they may only be able to get it half way there compared to the other side and often complain of groin pain. The “ultimate test” is the x-ray that reveals the loss of the joint space – the “cartilage interval” – which narrows on the OA hip side.

How often is hip OA found? In a recent article, after reviewing 2000 patient files and 1000 x-rays of patients 40 years or older, 19% (~1 out of 5) demonstrated x-ray findings of hip OA. THAT’S A LOT!  At Denver Chiropractic Center, management of hip OA includes mobilization, manipulation, stretching the muscles surrounding the hip joint with Active Release Techniques, exercise/stretch instruction, nutritional strategies and others. If/when the time comes, we will help set up a referral to the orthopedic surgeon for joint replacement, as any “quarterback” of your care should.

In our experience, using Active Release Techniques to manages the soft tissues (muscles, tendons) that are associated with the hip joint –and there are a lot of them – is the best option to both manage the pain and stiffness in the hip joint.

It all starts with the initial exam. To schedule yours (or schedule one for someone that you care about), call us at 303.300.0424.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome- try Active Release techniques at Denver Chiropractic Center before surgery

In many cases, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) results strictly from overuse activities though, as we have discussed previously. Other conditions such as, pregnancy, etc. can also be involved as a contributor and / or the sole cause. When these conditions are present, they must be properly treated to achieve a favorable result. However, the majority of cases are the result of a repetitive motion injury. So, the question remains: What is the role of the patient regarding activity modification during the treatment process of CTS? How important is it?

To answer this question, let’s look at a fairly common type of CTS case. The patient is female, 52 years old, moderately obese (Body Mass Index 35 where the normal is 19-25), and works for a local cookie packing company. Her job is to stand on a line where cookies are traveling down a conveyor belt after being baked and cooled. She reaches forwards with both arms and grasps the cookies, sometimes several at a time, and places them into plastic packaging which are then wrapped and finally removed from the belt and placed into boxes located at the end of the line. Each worker rotates positions every 30 minutes. A problem can occur when other workers fall behind or when there aren’t enough workers on the line, at which time the speed required to complete the job increases.

So now, let’s discuss the “pathology” behind CTS. The cause of CTS is the pinching of the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel or muscles of the forearm, located on the palm side of the wrist. The tunnel is made up of 2 rows of 4 carpal bones that form top of the tunnel while a ligament stretches across, making up the tunnel’s floor. There are 9 tendons that travel through the tunnel and “during rush hour” (or, when the worker is REALLY moving fast, trying to keep up with production), the friction created between the tendons, their sheaths (covering) and surrounding synovial lining (a lubricating membrane that covers the tendons sheaths), results in inflammation or swelling.

When this happens, there just isn’t enough room inside the tunnel for the additional swelling and everything gets compressed. The inflamed contents inside the tunnel push the median nerve (that also travels through the tunnel) against the ligament and pinched nerve symptoms occur (numbness, tingling, and loss of the grip strength). The worker notices significant problems at night when her hands interrupt her sleep and she has to shake and flick her fingers to try to get them to “wake up.” She notices that only the index to the 3rd and thumb half of the 4th finger are numb, primarily on the palm side.

At this stage, the worker often waits to see if this is just a temporary problem that will go away on its own and if not, she’ll make an appointment for a consultation, often at her family doctor (since many patients don’t realize Active Release Techniques Soft Tissue Treatments REALLY HELP this condition). In an “ideal world,” the primary care doctor first refers the patient to the ART provider for non-surgical management. Other treatment elements include the use of a night wrist splint and (one of the MOST IMPORTANT) “ergonomic management.” That means work station modifications, which may include slowing down the line, the addition 1 or 2 workers, and reducing the reach requirement by adding a “rake” that pushes the cookies towards the worker/s. Strict home instructions to allow for proper rest and managing home repetitive tasks are also very important. Between all these approaches, our office is quite successful in managing the CTS patient, but it may require a workstation analysis.

It all starts with the initial examination. Call our office at 303.300.0424 right now to schedule yours.

Our 14th Anniversary and This Week’s 1-Page Health News

Those of you who want these weekly 1-Page Health News emails sent directly to your email can go to denverback.com and fill out the little form on the upper left part of the page.

May marks another year for Denver Chiropractic Center. For those of you keeping score, that’s 14 years down, and now in our 15th year.

Last week was the busiest week we’ve ever had. Ever. And we’d like to thank you. Your trust, support and referrals are what make our existence and growth as a business possible. We look forward to being here to help you for a few more decades. Once again, thanks.

We’d also like to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mothers Day.

Here’s this week’s 1-Page Health News:

Mental Attitude: Berry Good News. Men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids (such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine) may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson’s disease. Flavonoids are naturally occurring, bioactive compounds present in many plant-based foods and drinks. Neurology, April 2012

Health Alert: Stressed? The risk for coronary heart disease and stroke increases by 30% in a person whose partner has cancer. The cause is probably the negative stress to which the cancer patient’s partner is exposed. Previous studies show that stress can affect the nervous system, blood pressure, and inflammation, increasing the risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke. Centre for Primary Healthcare Research in Malmö, April 2012

Diet: Pain Relief. The supplement Methylsulfonylmethane gave osteoarthritis patients relief from symptoms of pain and physical dysfunction. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2008 Exercise: Being Fit. Improving or maintaining physical fitness appears to help obese and overweight children reach a healthy weight. During a four-year study, obese and overweight girls and boys who achieved fitness were 2.5 to 5 times more likely to reach a healthy weight than those who stayed underfit. Obesity, April 2012

Active Release Techniques: Sciatica. Many people with sciatica are worried that it’s coming from a ruptured disc. While this is sometimes true, in most cases, muscles are pressuring the sciatic nerve and causing symptoms down the back of the leg. The piriformis is a likely suspect, as are the hamstrings. Using Active Release Techniques to relieve the tension in these muscles can take the pressure off of the nerve and fix the problem.

Wellness/Prevention: Obesity and Watching TV. In a study of obesity among European children, Dr. Yannis Manios, Assistant Professor at Harokopio University in Athens, writes, “We found that many countries are lacking clear guidelines on healthy eating and active play. However, there is good evidence linking sedentary behavior (like TV watching) with subsequent obesity. Obesity Reviews, March 2012 (Um, this is not brilliant work.)

Quote: “Simple diet is best; for many dishes bring many diseases; and rich sauces are worse than heaping several meats upon each other.” ~ Pliny

Is it sciatica or Low Back Pain? How can Denver Chiropractic Center help you with Active Release Techniques?

Low back pain (LBP) can be localized and contained to only the low back area or, it can radiate pain down the leg. This distinction is important as LBP is often less complicated and carries a more favorable prognosis for complete recovery. In fact, a large part of our history and examination is focused on this differentiation. This month’s Health Update is going to look at the different types of leg pain that can occur with different LBP conditions.

We’ve all heard of the word “sciatica” and it (usually) is loosely used to describe everything from LBP arising from the joints in the back, the sacroiliac joint, from the muscles of the low back as well as a pinched nerve from a ruptured disk. Strictly speaking, the term “sciatica” should ONLY be used when the sciatic nerve is pinched; causing pain that radiates down the leg.

The sciatic nerve is made up of five smaller nerves (L4, 5, S1, 2, 3) that arise from the spine and join together to form one large nerve (about the size of our pinky) called the sciatic nerve – like five small rivers merging into one BIG river. Sciatica occurs when any one of the small nerves (L4-S3) or, when the sciatic nerve itself, gets compressed or irritated.

This can be, and often is caused from a lumbar disk herniation (the “ruptured disk”).  A term called “pseudosciatica” (a non-disk cause) includes a pinch from the piriformis muscle where the nerve passes through the pelvis (in the “cheek” or, the buttocks), which has been commonly referred to as “wallet sciatica” as sitting on the wallet in the back pocket is often the cause.

When this occurs, the term “peripheral neuropathy” or “ peripheral nerve entrapment” is the most accurate term to use. Direct trauma like a bruise to the buttocks from falling or hitting the nerve during an injection into the buttocks can also trigger “sciatica.”

The symptoms of sciatica include low back pain, buttocks pain, back of the thigh, calf and/or foot pain and/or numbness-tingling. If the nerve is compressed hard enough, muscle weakness can occur making it hard to stand up on the tip toes creating a limp when walking. In the clinic, we will raise the straight leg and if pinched, sharp pain can occur with as little as 20-30° due to the nerve being stretched as the leg is raised.

If pain occurs anywhere between 30 and 70° of elevation of either the same side leg and/or the opposite leg, this constitutes a positive test for sciatica (better termed, “nerve root tension”). When a disk is herniated into the nerve, bending the spine backwards can move the disk away and off the nerve resulting in relief, which is very diagnostic of a herniated disk. Having a patient walk on their toes and then heels and watching for foot drop as well as testing the reflexes, the sensation with a sharp object, and testing the reflexes at the knee and Achilles tendon can give us clues if there is nerve damage.

At our clinic we’ve gone beyond simple traditional chiropractic adjustments to “align the spine.” We use more advanced techniques, like Active Release Techniques to address the pressure that the muscles can exert on the sciatic nerve. We will also use motion-restoring spinal adjustments to restore healthy mobility to the spine. By utilizing these advanced techniques, we are usually able to get excellent results for our patients with low back pain and sciatica in a relatively short period of time.

It all starts with the initial exam. Call us to schedule yours 303.300.0424. We’re here to help you!

Miss Keri’s Bike Crash and This Week’s 1-Page Health News

Our awesome office manager Keri (my kids call her Miss Keri) was run off of the Cherry Creek bike trail and into a concrete half wall this weekend. Another cyclist was going too fast in the other direction, was too far over to his left, and basically forced Keri to choose between colliding with him or scraping the wall.

She chose the wall and this morning is sporting a nasty wound on her right arm. Of course, this guy didn’t bother to stop (maybe he was on his way to do Rocket Surgery). The message- be careful out there. A whole lot of morons are legally loose on our streets.

Of course, Miss Keri is tough as nails and never misses work, so she’s here today- bandaged up & ready to help you.

Here’s this week’s 1-Page Health News.

Mental Attitude: Get Your Sleep! Older adults with poor sleep habits have an altered immune system response to stress that may increase their risk for mental and physical health problems. Stress leads to significantly larger increases in a marker of inflammation in poor sleepers compared to good sleepers; a marker associated with poor health outcomes and death. Poor sleepers report more depressive symptoms, more loneliness and more global perceived stress relative to good sleepers. As people age, a gradual decline in the immune system occurs, along with an increase in inflammation. Heightened inflammation increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other illnesses, as well as psychiatric problems. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, March 2012

Health Alert: Slow Down — You Move Too Fast? People who are considered ambitious, attend the best colleges and universities, have prestigious careers and earn high salaries don’t necessarily lead more successful lives. Ambition has its positive effects (in terms of career success, it certainly does) but ambitious people are only slightly happier than their less- ambitious counterparts and they actually live somewhat shorter lives. Journal of Applied Psychology, March 2012 Diet: Fish Oil. Six weeks of supplementation with fish oil significantly increased lean mass and decreased fat mass in test subjects. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, October 2010

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise helps you maintain proper muscle balance, reduces the rate and severity of medical complications associated with hypertension, helps alleviate menstrual symptoms and lowers your heart rate response to submaximal physical exertion. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Adjustment or Microdiskectomy for Sciatica? 60% of patients with sciatica (symptoms of unilateral lumbar radiculopathy secondary to lumbar disk herniation at L3-4, L4-5, or L5-S1) who had failed other medical management (patients must have failed at least 3 months of nonoperative management including treatment with analgesics, lifestyle modification, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and/or acupuncture) benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention. JMPT, October 2010

Wellness/Prevention: Dark Chocolate Good For The Heart. A flavonoid called epicatechin, found in dark chocolate, enhances mitochondria structure in people with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes. Mitochondria are cellular structures that provide the energy a cell requires in order to move, divide, and contract. Both heart failure and type 2 diabetes impair these cells, resulting in abnormalities in skeletal muscle. In individuals with diabetes and heart failure, these abnormalities in the heart and skeletal muscle cause decreased functional capacity, resulting in difficulty walking even short distances, shortness of breath, and a lack of energy. Clinical and Translational Science, March 2012

Quote: “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.” ~ Albert Einstein

Neck Pain: Manipulation vs. Mobilization – What’s Better?

Does mobilization (MOB) get less, the same, or better results when compared to spinal manipulative therapy (SMT)? To answer this question, let’s first discuss the difference between the two treatment approaches.

Mobilization (MOB) of the spine can be “technically” defined as a “low velocity, low amplitude” force applied to the tissues of the cervical spine (or any joint of the body, but we’ll focus on the cervical region). This means a slow, rhythmic movement is applied to a joint or muscle using various methods such as stretching.

Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) can be defined as a “high velocity, low amplitude” type of force applied to joint which is often accompanied by a audible release or “crack,” which is the release of gas (nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide).

Some joints “cavitate” or “crack” while others are less likely to release the gas. Studies that date back to the 1940s report an immediate improvement in a joint’s range of motion occurs when the joint cavitates. Many people instinctively stretch their own neck to the point of release, which typically, “…feels good.” This can become a habit and usually is not a big problem. However, in some cases, it can lead to joint hypermobility and ligament laxity.

As a rule, if only a gentle stretch is required to produce the cavitation/crack, it’s typically “safe” verses the person who uses higher levels of force by grabbing their own head and twisting it beyond the normal tissue stretch boundaries. The later is more likely to result in damage to the ligaments (tissue that strongly holds bone to bone) and therefore, should be avoided.

Since SMT is usually applied in a very specific location (where the joint is fixated or “stuck”, or, partially displaced), it’s obviously BEST to utilize chiropractic, as we chiropractors do this many times a day (for years or even decades) and we know where to apply it and can judge the amount of force to utilize, especially the neck where there are many delicate structures.

Back to the question: Which is better, MOB or SMT? Or, are they equals in the quest of rid of neck pain? A recent study of over 100 patients with “mechanical neck pain” (strain/sprain)  showed that those who received SMT had a significantly better response than the MOB group as measured by a pain scale, a disability scale and 2 tests that measure function!

In our clinic (Denver Chiropractic Center) we’ve found that the best approach uses BOTH. Mobilization in the form of Active Release Technique combined with safe and gentle (never forced) adjustments get better results in a shorter time frame. It all starts with the initial exam, so call us to schedule yours – 303.300.0424.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome treatment at Denver Chiropractic Center – How can our Active Release Techniques (ART) treatment help you?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a very common problem. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) reported that in 2007, there were 330,000 carpal tunnel release surgeries performed. (WHOA!) The main reason to have the surgery is to “open up” the tunnel. That is, the transverse carpal ligament or “floor” of the tunnel is released so the contents inside the tunnel are able to move more freely, reducing the pressure inside the tunnel.

Essentially, this is the goal of any treatment (surgical or not): improving the depth of the tunnel, thus reducing the pressure from inside the tunnel allowing the tendons to slide better as the muscles on the palm-side forearm contract to move the nine tendons that pass through the tunnel and attach to the fingers and thumb.

However, there are non-surgical methods for reducing the pressure within the tunnel that should be first attempted as surgery is always reported to be the “…last resort” for good reason. There can be surgical complications, the effects may be only partial, and there is an average of 30% grip strength loss following the transverse ligament surgical release. So, the question is, how can chiropractic approaches reduce the pressure inside the carpal tunnel without somehow changing the length of the transverse carpal ligament?

By going beyond traditional chiropractic care and using Active Release Techniques (ART), we can often release the transverse carpal ligament by hand, taking pressure off of the nerve and relieving symptoms. We can also address possible muscular entrapment sites for the median nerve, like the pronator teres muscle. These muscular entrapments mimic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but can be easily released with ART treatment. In the last 15 years, we’ve helped literally hundreds of patients avoid carpal tunnel surgery by using Active Release Techniques. We don’t claim to have a 100% success rate, as some cases do require surgery. But we believe it’s best to try us first and see what we can do.

The use of a night splint to keep the wrist in a straight or slightly “cocked-up” position is also highly beneficial as the pressure inside the tunnel goes up as much as 6-8x when CTS is present when the wrist bends.

If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, we would be happy to help. Just call 303.300.0424 to set up your first appointment.

Maintenance Care for Chronic Low Back Pain

When people think of chiropractic, they immediately think of low back pain and are often surprised to find out that chiropractic can benefit many conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears, as well as hip, knee, and ankle conditions.  There is also research support for manipulation (a key component of chiropractic) and its role in managing “somatovisceral” related conditions such as pneumonia, dizziness, stage 1 hypertension, PMS, asthma, colic, and bed wetting.

Research clearly shows that chiropractic manipulation out performs other forms of treatment for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain. But, the question remains, can “maintenance chiropractic” PREVENT problems down the road? Ironically, two medical doctors in August of 2011 published an article in a leading medical journal (SPINE) entitled, “Does maintained spinal manipulation therapy for chronic nonspecific low back pain result in better long-term outcome?” The study’s objective was to determine if treating chronic low back pain patients (pain >6 months) after a course of 12 treatments in the first month would do better, the same or worse if treatments were continued at 2-week intervals for an additional 9 months. They compared 3 groups of patients: 1.) 12 treatments of “sham” (placebo) manipulation over a 1-month period. 2.) 12 treatment of “real” spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for 1 month but no treatments for the subsequent 9 months. 3.) The same as #2 but with treatments every 2 weeks over the next 9 months. To determine the differences between these 3 groups, the authors measured pain and disability scores (using questionnaires), generic health status (questionnaire), and back-specific patient satisfaction (questionnaire) at 1, 4, 7 and 10-month intervals.

The results showed that groups 2 (SMT for 1 month only) and 3 (SMT for 1 month + every 2 weeks for 9 months) had significantly lower pain and disability scores than the 1st group (sham/placebo group) at the end of the 1st month or, 12 visits. However, only group 3 (treatments were continued for 9 months at 2 week intervals) showed more improvement in pain and disability scores at 10 months. Equally important, the scores for the non-maintained group 2 patients returned to near their pre-treatment levels by month 10!

The authors concluded that not only is spinal manipulative therapy effective for chronic low back pain, but more importantly, REGULAR ADJUSTMENTS EVERY 2 WEEKS after the initial course of concentrated care (3x/week for 4 weeks) was needed, “…to obtain long-term benefit,” suggesting that, “…maintenance SM after the initial intensive manipulative therapy,” is appropriate care to obtain long-term results.

This study FINALLY supports the recommendations made by chiropractors for many years –regular adjustments are beneficial to obtain a higher quality of life, less pain and less disability! While this study didn’t include Active Release Technique, we have observed that combining ART with adjustments is much more effective than adjustments alone. If you’re dealing with back pain, call us. We can help 303.300.0424.

The Whiplash Syndrome: Posture and Exercise

Whiplash can result from a number of causes, not just from motor vehicle accidents.  A fall on the ice or a slippery floor, from a sports related injury, or even at the county fair on one of those rides that throws you around can result in the same type of injury. Whiplash occurs when the head is literally “whipped” either forwards and backwards or from side to side. It can include hitting the head but often does not.

Symptoms vary considerably and therefore the term, “whiplash associated disorders” or WAD has been adopted, based on the clinical presentation of the patient and on the specific tissues injured. Common symptoms include neck pain, loss of motion, headache and sometimes arm pain or numbness resulting in difficulty driving, working, sleeping and concentrating.

Active Release Techniques and adjustments of the neck can be highly effective in the treatment of whiplash associated disorder, and hence, Chiropractic is often the recommended first order of treatment for patients suffering from this condition. We have previously discussed the steps involved when presenting to a chiropractic clinic, from taking a detailed history and performing a thorough physical examination, and well as the many types of treatment options that exist.

Exercise is one of the most important forms of treatment as they can and should be performed multiple times a day as directed by us, so that a return to normal function with no pain can occur as quickly as possible. Presented here are a few VERY EFFECTIVE exercises that we frequently give to patients suffering from WAD:

1 Posture Correction A. Arch the back.

B. Retract the shoulders and tuck in the chin. Hold for 10-30 sec. & repeat.
2 Chin Retractions A. Sit properly.

B. Place your finger next to the chin.

C. Retract head & hold 10 sec. & repeat.
3 Neck Strength

Exercises

 A. Rotate RT using 10% Max.

B. Repeat to LT hold 5 sec.

 Repeat this moving the head Forwards, backwards, & sideways in a similar way!*
  • For #3, ALWAYS apply a push or resistance with your hand through the FULL range of comfortable motion in that plane. That means, in one direction let the head “win” (like in arm wrestling) and when moving in the opposite direction, let the hand “win,” (but don’t let up pushing with the head).  In other words, you are ALWAYS resisting against the movement in both directions moving as far as you can in both directions.

We work with patients who’ve been in car accidents and work accidents, and accept all auto insurance, including Med Pay. We also take most major health insurance plans. Are treatment plans are focused on solving the problem, not extending the case. If you’re suffering from accident injuries, call us today at 303.300.0424. We can help.

Weekly 1-Page Newsletter for the week of 1/30/2012

Mental Attitude: Do Video Games Enhance Cognitive Abilities? In a recent study, it was demonstrated that there is little solid evidence that games enhance cognition at all. On the other hand, it may be the people who have these enhanced abilities are more likely to play video games. Frontiers in Psychology, Dec 2011

Health Alert: Diabetes Worldwide! There are 366 million diabetics worldwide and 4.6 million die each year from the disease. In the US, 8.3% or 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes, with 79 million having prediabetes. Diabetes Atlas, Nov 2011 & American Diabetes Association, 2011

Diet: Remember Cholesterol. High cholesterol levels may be associated with a greater incidence of brain plaques, a marker for Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology, Sept 2011

Exercise: Wide Waists Trim Lifespan. Since the mid-1970s, when Harvard published “The Nurses Study,” we’ve been told women with waists over 40 inches raised their risk of early death by 40% vs. women who maintained waists in the 26-27 inch measure. Pounds add up. Studies show that obesity is starting earlier than ever. 18% of children ages 12-18 are reported as being obese and 66% of baby boomers (81 million born between 1946-1964) are either obese or overweight. New England Journal of Medicine, Sept 2011

Chiropractic: Chiropractic and the NFL. All 32 teams in the National Football League offer their players and personnel chiropractic physician services for both managing and preventing injuries. Most have Active Release Techniques providers. Professional Football Chiropractic Society

Wellness/Prevention: Too Much Booze, You Lose. Men are more likely to binge drink than women. Research shows that drinking even a small amount of alcohol increases cancer risks, though moderate amounts of alcohol can show cardiovascular benefits that outweigh such risks. Men can play it safe by having no more than two alcoholic drinks per day. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Nov 2011

Quote: “A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character, we cannot alter its inevitability.” ~ President John F. Kennedy