It is also well known that a way to decrease cost for medical care is to actually spend a little money on prevention and wellness to avoid costly medications and surgeries. It is refreshing to hear folks from all over the spectrum talk like this. The following article is about this very issue.  The stats are very eye opening and Mr. Keeley is on the right track.  The only place I disagree or might add a caution is he thinks more primary care doctors are needed to provide the wellness and preventive care the public needs.  It seems to the average PCP is very pharmiceutically minded (symptom supression and disease care) because that is how they are trained.  It will not do much good for the health of patients toincreased the number of medical doctors in thefield unless they get trained differentl.  Legislators and policy makers should look more closely at physicians who by design focus more on prevention and healthcare, not just disease care and end-stage pathology.  For example, chiropractors, naturopaths, and some forward thinkers that specialize within western medicine.  So enough of my commentary, here’s the article.

Primary Care and Wellness Programs Are Must Haves For Healthy Future

BY BRIAN E. KEELEY    baptisthealth.net

The most important mission of hospitals and healthcare providers in today’s world must be to promote wellness, primary care and preventive medicine, not simply take care of the sick after the fact. This seeming oxymoron is at the core of cutting-edge thinking in healthcare: Invest in primary care programs, primary care physicians (or PCPs), wellness initiatives and healthy lifestyles.  Today’s medical practices have led to medical inflation in the United States at twice the average for the rest of the developed world. We have the highest per capita healthcare costs and highest portion of any country’s Gross Domestic Product devoted to healthcare, and 30 percent of our local population is now uninsured. Primary care, with its emphasis on prevention and early intervention, can save millions of dollars by avoiding costly (and unnecessary) emergency room visits and hospital admissions. It also is the very best approach to treating the uninsured and less fortunate.

We need more primary care physicians and free clinics in underserved areas. Few primary care physicians sign up for Medicaid due to low reimbursement; therefore, we also need to recruit nurse practitioners to fill this void.  Healthcare in America today is fragmented, uncoordinated and costly, due to a number of structural reasons. One key factor is the national shortage of primary care doctors. For a variety of reasons — financial, quality of life, prestige — more doctors in training seek to become specialists while the number of primary care physicians continues to dwindle. Many people in South Florida do not have a personal physician; rather, they have four or five specialists they visit with little time for coordination among them. Recognizing this, Baptist Health South Florida established an academic affiliation between our new West Kendall Baptist Hospital and Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. This new teaching hospital is a training ground for primary care physicians, with the goal of educating — and keeping — more state-of-the-art skilled PCPs in South Florida.While this affiliation is new, Baptist Health’s commitment to prevention and wellness has a long and productive history.

As South Florida’s largest private employer, we recognized long ago our duty to lead the way. In 2001 we created our Wellness Advantage program for employees as part of our goal to have the healthiest workforce in America. This has grown over the years into a major community health initiative, with hundreds of free educational programs on healthy lifestyles, health screenings and health advisers. The wellness initiative was designed to empower people to take charge of their lifestyle for the prevention and early detection of disease. Providing primary care alternatives and outpatient diagnostic centers that are accessible to the population helps keep down emergency room visits and other healthcare costs.  As part of our not-for-profit and faith-based mission, Baptist Health provides more than $200 million annually for charity care and community benefit, including millions to support seven free clinics devoted to primary care, millions more in free diagnostic services and millions in screenings, educational programs and wellness initiatives. These clinics allow patients to be treated in the most cost-effective and appropriate fashion and provide relief to all local hospitals, private and public, by caring for these patients before their conditions become acute, thus avoiding expensive hospitalizations.

As the demographic tsunami approaches and more baby boomers turn 65, we should all embrace wellness and primary care initiatives and the need for primary care physicians to care for all of us, especially those who are approaching their senior years.With ever more sophisticated diagnostic, treatment and surgical techniques and medical specializations, we seem to have lost sight of the basics: eating well, exercising, not smoking and maintaining our weight.  Wellness and primary care programs focus on these essentials and help prevent such chronic diseases as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

One of the key tenets of the healthcare reform movement is to change our dysfunctional system by establishing “medical homes” staffed by primary care physicians. Augmented by a support staff of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nutritionists, as well as electronic medical records, these primary care centers of the future will be the citadels of collaboration and, more importantly, coordination. Studies show that 20 to 30 percent of acute hospital admissions can be avoided by such an approach. The key element is primary care physicians who are trained in the most advanced methods of prevention, wellness and early intervention, with a holistic or patient-centered view of care. Increasingly and appropriately, our health and our future will be in their hands.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/31/2567323/primary-care-wellness-programs.html#storylink=cp

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Mechanicsville, Virginia — Ah, the Golden Years:  time to enjoy life, with a healthy body and plenty of leisure time.  Sounds wonderful, yes?  Unfortunately, fewer and fewer of us live such care-free lives. Each of our life goals takes planning, knowledge, focus, and perhaps good fortune;  but what can you do to make “successful ageing” more likely — whether you’re a child, working age, winding down, or already retired?  Here are some facts and tips, courtesy of Stover Chiropractic, P.C.

A healthy body helps ensure both ability to work and play.  Did you know that in the U.S. and Europe, the top 2 reasons we miss work are either the common cold, or musculoskeletal injuries?(1)  Did you know that among athletes, the injury rate (“injury” is defined as a disorder that disallows training, playing, or competition for 1 or more days) rises towards 100% as we move from recreational to competitive to professional sport?  Whether you’re seeking to build your nest egg and provide for your family, or to play with the grandkids or participate in sport, staying healthy is critical.  There are many ways you can protect yourself from the common cold, from hand washing, to a healthy night’s sleep, to a diet rich in raw vitamin-rich food, to chiropractic care [yes, chiropractic care may have beneficial effects on the immune system](2).  Ask your doctor of chiropractic to learn more.

When it comes to musculoskeletal injuries—or NEUROmusculoskeletal disorders (injuries and illnesses involving not just lifeless body parts, but instead directed by the nervous system and its control of those parts)—chiropractic care is a safe, proven, and cost-effective option.(3,4)  But it’s not just the wonderful things that chiropractors do with their hands that can and do boost patient health—it’s also the information they provide, and the example they set, that benefit our health.  “Modeling” positive health behaviors affects a doctor’s patients;  and when you engage in it, research shows you’ll also affect those around you, as well as inspire positive health behaviors of your family including your children.(5,6,7,8)  Remember, your taking steps to improve your well-being, health, and safety has benefits for everyone in your life;  so don’t consider any time or resources your pour into your health “selfish.”

The Golden Years can quickly become soured by a fall.  1 in 3 seniors will fall every year.(9)  With your doctor of chiropractic’s guidance, you can limit or avoid these mis-steps and consequences.  Joints in the neck and the base of the spine are especially important in helping you balance;  and your doctor of chiropractic is trained to help them move properly, especially when they’re a bit stiff from the ravages of time.  A chiropractor’s care may also help you stand straighter, helping you not just feel younger, but look younger and more vibrant too!  Evidence-based fall prevention programs can decrease your risk(10), and exercise programs—which are essential to fall prevention—can improve your odds of avoiding a fall even if bone density scans suggest it’s not making a difference.(11)  Don’t believe the hype of the drug industry that touts the benefits of bone-density increasing drugs, and a host of other illusory “wonder drugs,” as your only hope.  If there is a true wonder-drug, it’s the healing power inside of YOU.

Your doctor of chiropractic can help you with your family’s necks, backs, headaches, sports injuries, and more—but don’t’ forget that “doctor” means “teacher.”  Doctors of chiropractic are extensively trained in the human frame and nervous system, and are uniquely qualified to help you feel and FUNCTION at your best—regardless of your age. For more information on ways to help your family live better, please call us at 804-559-1100 for guidance;  or visit http://virginiachiropractic.org to find a highly-qualified chiropractor near you.

Let’s enjoy our aging,

Dr. Tripp Stover, D.C.

References:

1  http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/7807300

2  Brennan et al.  Enhanced neutrophil respiratory burst as a biological marker for manipulation forces: duration of the effect and association with substance P and tumor necrosis factor.   J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1992 Feb;15(2):83-9. 

3 Liliedahl et al. Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Initiated With Chiropractic Doctor vs Medical Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathy as First Physician: Experience of One Tennessee-Based General Health Insurer. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. November – December 2010;33(9):640-643.

4 New Zealand Report, Report of the Commission of Inquiry. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand, 1979. 2000;30(12):755-766

5 Patients consider their physicians to be more credible and better equipped to help motivate them to become physically active if the physicians appeared to be practicing healthy life behaviors themselves.  (Hash et al.  Does physician weight affect perception of health advice? Preventative Medicine, 2003, 36, 41-44.

6 Baranowski et al.  How individuals, environments and health behaviors interact.  In K. Glanz, F.M. Lewis, and B.K. Rimmer (eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research and practice (2nd ed., pp 153-178), 1997. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

7 Freedson, P.S. & Evenson, S. [1991].  Familial aggregation in physical activity.  Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 63, 384-389.

8 Moore et al. [1991].  Influence of parents’ physical activity on activity levels of young children.  Journal of Pediatrics, 118, 215-219.

9 Hausdorff et al. Gait variability and fall risk in community-living older adults: a 1-year prospective study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:1050-1056.

10 CDC. Trends in hospital utilization: United States, 1988–92. Vital Health Stat 1996;13(124):62-64)

11 M, Itoi E, Wahner H, Wollan P, Gelzcer R, Mullan B, Collins D, Hodgson S. Stronger Back Muscles Reduce the Incidence of Vertebral Fractures: A Prospective 10 Year Follow-up of Postmenopausal Women. Bone. June 2002; 30(6), 836-841

Celebrate Wellness! is provided as a public service by the Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association, PO Box 15, Afton, VA 22920, phone 540-932-3100, e-mail vcacentral@hughes.net.  Production and content courtesy of Trusted Voice.  All rights reserved.

http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/11929/52/chiropractic%20contributes%20to%20success%20of%20st-%20louis%20cardinals-%20san%20francisco%20giants/

Along those lines there has been a great study that demonstrated people who got regular chiropractic adjustments had higher levels of serum thiol in their blood.  This is wonderful because serum thiol is an enzyme that repairs DNA damage.   How is that beneficial?  It means those people (all things being equal) will have less cancer.  Or less chance at getting it.  That is exciting, and that helps to keep our DNA from becoming our destiny!  So get preventative chiropractic care, it looks like it you and the next generation will benefit!

Mechanicsville, VA — If you have been to my Patient Orientation Class you may remember that I go over the World Health Organization’s definition of “health.”  It is clear that health is not just a physical issue, but includes mental and social well being.  Not too controversial right?  Well, it is hard for me (and outside my scope of practice) to council too much on emotional and social problems my patients may have.  So it is an issue that largely goes unaddressed, and that is a shame.

The following comes from a blog post by John Piper.  He is an amazing author and a pastor in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He describes going to see Clyde Kilby, an English Literature professor at Wheaton College, who he had as a professor while he was a student.  Dr. Kilby gave some great pointers for mental health.  I think if we could really pull these off, and own them, we’d avoid 90% of our mental anguish in life.  Maybe more.  Enjoy them, and whatever you do, don’t let them become another burden or stress.

1. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.

2. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death when he said: “There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendor, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.”

3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence, but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

4. I shall not turn my life into a thin, straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

5. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

6. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their “divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic” existence.

7. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the “child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder.”

8. I shall follow Darwin’s advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9. I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, “fulfill the moment as the moment.” I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

10. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

Stover Chiropractic, P.C. – We help you heal.

Here is the link directly to John Piper’s blog: 10 Resolutions for Mental Health – Desiring God.

http://www..com/020912_flu_vaccine_shots.html

The Real Truth About the Top 12 Health Myths.

1: Cardio is One of the Best Types of Exercise

Temporary relief of back pain in Mechanicsville might be gained by applying either hot or cold to the pained area of the back.  It is always best to start with cold if the flare up or injury is within 72 hours old.  Apply for 20 minutes.  Then remove for 20 minutes.  Then apply for 20 minutes.  If you find this helps, do it as needed.  This is a common treatment and may bring relief.

VA residents experiencing back pain may experience relief by applying cold to the pained area for short periods of time during the earlier phases of their back pain. Or residents of Mechanicsville, VA may feel a feeling of relief by applying heat to their pained pained back for short periods of time during the later phases of their back pain.

The right treatment at the right time can make a real difference. Treating back pain is one of the most common reasons why Mechanicsville residents visit a chiropractor.

Though you may experience relief from your back pain by using hot and cold, achieving back pain relief may also be a possibility by visiting your Stover Chiropractic, P.C. It may be an important step to make before you back pain becomes unbearable or even debilitating.  If you are have radiating pain or numbness into arms or legs (like sciatica) it is important to get professional help.  Also seek the help of a doctor if pain is not relieved by rest or position.  These may be signs of serious problems.

Give Stover Chiropractic, P.C. a call at 804-559-1100 to find out what we can do to improve your health and wellness in the VA area.

Like anything related to health and wellness, it takes maintenance or we lose it.  This isn’t too controversial.  We can’t just brush our teeth once.  Or eat one well balenced meal.  Or go to the gym once and expect a lifetime of results.  So if someone has a damaged or injured spine (causing headaches, sciatica, low back pain, neck pain, disc bulges, migraines, or numbness for example), it takes work to restore function and help symptoms.  Next, it takes some attention to maintain the ground chiropractic restores.

The medical option is to maintain a course of pills and drugs.  If you have high blood pressure, you take medication for life.  If you have high cholesterol, you take a pill for the rest of your life.  If you have osteoporosis, you take another pill the rest or your life.  If you have arthritis pain, you take another pill for the rest of your life.  Sometimes surgery is needed to put out a “fire.”  But I don’t know any surgeon that would claim surgery restores function back to 100% the way one would be prior to surgery.  Just the presence of scar tissue means one can’t be 100% ever again.    In fact, some surgeries are so notoriously problematic, due to the secondary issues it brings about, they have their own diagnosis.  For example, “failed back surgery syndrome” is an actual diagnosis.  All of this to say, for the person who needs treatment, wether chiropractic or medical, the reality is there is a lifetime of maintenance needed after treatment.  [The necessity of maintenance care has been discussed before on this blog.]

So the question is, is wellness care (regular adjustments after pain has resolved and function restored) beneficial?  There is a recent study that supports that:

Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long Term Outcome? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Jan 17.

Dr. Stephanie Maj summaries it nicely:  I’ve quoted her blog below -

“1. One third of them received 12 treatments of sham SMT over a one-month period.

2. One third of them received 12 treatments of SMT during a one-month period, with no follow-up care during the next nine months, and

3. One third of them received 12 SMT visits during the first month, followed by “maintenance” SMT every two weeks, for the next nine months.

To determine any difference among these 3 care groups, researchers measured pain and disability scores, generic health status, and back-specific patient satisfaction at baseline, and at 1-month, 4-months, 7-months, and at 10-months

RESULTS: Patients in manipulative groups (groups 2 & 3) experienced significantly lower pain and disability scores than the sham group at the end of the first 1-month period.

At the 10-month follow-up, only the maintenance group maintained improvements in pain and disability, while the group that only received 1-months care had reverted to their pretreatment pain and disability levels.

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first medically managed trial that clearly demonstrates that maintenance care provides significant benefits to those who suffer from chronic low back pain.”

Let me know what you think!