Your Health, Your Body, Your Life

I had the pleasure of attending this event yesterday. I was hoping to hear some ground breaking discussions on new and unique treatments. Being a chiropractor I am always looking at how integrative medicine will grow in the future. After a great discussion by the renowned oncologist, Dr. Barry Boyd, the rest of the day kind of limped along, almost with a certain amount of politically correct behavior. I thought Yale would really wrap their mighty arms around this topic and look for answers, or better yet, look for new avenues of thought. But no,  that was not the case. There was a smattering of mind body talk, some eastern medicine and nutrition, but nobody, except for Dr. David Katz, really addressed the topic. To make matters worse, Dr. Steven Novella, the self proclaimed defender of science based medicine, (and what is that exactly?) sat on a panel discussion to defend his miopic stance on the science and plausibility medicine. On counterpoint was Dr. David Katz, who had to remind Dr. Novella that as a physician, we treat patients who happen to have some symptoms, not symptoms that happen to appear on some patients. Also Dr. Boyd asked the question of whether or not there was any value to “healing touch” being administered to patients in a hospital, Dr. Novella stated that there is no science to it, therefore it should not be allowed, Dr. Katz was for it, and so was Dr. Boyd. I think Dr. Novella’s expertise is best used in lab, removed from humans and the conditions they suffer from.

Last Sunday February 28th, we attended the wake of Tony V. He was father/father in law of friends of ours. We had known him for the last 19 years. He was nearly 86 and was a surrogate grand pa to our kids. Always, warm, kind and inviting, he always made you feel like family. I was so touched as I walked past his photos at the funeral home. Each one had him smiling with family and friends. His wake was well attended, everybody smiling as they talked about Tony or as he was known “papatone”. Here is the memory of man that made a difference in this world by being present for his family and friends, not by blogging and bashing others, or acting as a shameless narcissist on facebook. The world is a better place because Tony was here, and hopefully others will learn from him. Thank you Tony, you will be missed.

I have had this blog running for a few months now, trying to share quality information, (and yes not all of it is what I have written),  and even have some spirited intellectual debate. Unfortunately we have stumbled upon a chiro basher, chiro hunter etc. He chooses to argue with emotion and general claims akin to what one would find in a tabloid, going tit for tat and never revealing who he is. Myself and Dr. Kane are public health care professionals while our heckler from cyber space chooses to hide behind his keyboard. I have decided to not have anymore of his comments posted until he decides to share with us who he is and more of his “traditional medical background”. It is my blog, just like a columnist, I get to post my views, if you come to the table properly, maybe I’ll share yours too.

Hey folks, once again I didn’t write this, but I think this discussion needs to happen. Too many patients of mine want an MRI at the first sign of pain.

The actual link to this article is http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/10496#

MRI Availability Linked to Possibly Unnecessary Back Surgery
October 20, 2009
by Brendon Nafziger, Writer
Ready availability of MRI scanners is linked with MRI use and controversial surgeries to ease lower back pain.

In a report published online in Health Affairs last week, researchers at Stanford Medical Center found, after poring over 666,000 Medicare claims drawn from a seven-year period, that areas with a high per capita concentration of MRI machines had a slight uptick in the number of patients undergoing MRI scans and back surgeries for nonspecific lower back pain.

The problem, the researchers say, is that the emerging scientific consensus suggests that MRI scans and surgery are unnecessary for lower back pain that has no obvious cause.

“Most low back pain, at least new onset, that is not really severe will get better by itself,” Laurence Baker, co-author of the study and a professor of health research and policy at Stanford, tells DOTmed News. “Surgery has lots of complications, and it doesn’t always work.”

And MRI scans are discouraged, too, because of their tendency to register false positives.

“One of the most interesting pieces of information on low back pain,” Dr. Baker says, “is if you scan a bunch of people with a healthy back, one in five… will have something on their MRI that looks like a problem to their doctor.”

Numbers are small but worrying

In their report, the researchers suggest that, according to their data, each additional MRI scanner in an area results in 40 additional lower-back scans, and living in a high-MRI density area would increase your chances for undergoing an unneeded scan by around two percentage points.

While that might not sound like a lot, if the results are extrapolated to the whole Medicare population, it translates to around 6,400 more scans in the period studied than there would have been if all areas had low-MRI density, the researchers say. And because MRI scans for this condition are so closely linked to back surgeries, the researchers argue that almost 3,500 of the seemingly superfluous surgeries would have been prevented if everyone lived in MRI barren regions.

Why does the link exist?

Dr. Baker believes the MRI-surgery connection for lower back pain comes from what he calls the “treatment cascade.”

In this scenario, the patient goes to his doctor with lower back pain. If the doctor is in an area with easy access to MRIs, he might be more likely to order a scan of the patient’s lower back. During the scan, he discovers something abnormal.

“You don’t know if [the abnormality] is causing [the pain], but you have the scan,” Dr. Baker says. “You have a thing to do. And having a thing to do becomes a fairly powerful motivator.”

“The MRI creates the information,” he adds, “and certainly creates the foundation for surgery.”

Being a chiropractor, I travel through the complementary and alternative care population and this is a question that comes up to me often. I have never had a colonic, some of my friends have. So I decided to google the question. The posting below is by Dr. Ronen Arai. She is a Senior Fellow in Gastroenterology at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

The entire article can be found at http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/risks-colonics.html

There is no scientific evidence that colonics, also known as “high-colonics,” benefit digestive health. But it’s hard to argue with those people who insist that colonics make them feel healthier or “cleaner.”

Whatever the benefits of colonics may be, there’s no question that they pose certain risks. First, if the rectal tube is inserted improperly, it can tear the rectal lining — an injury that may require surgery. Second, although many colonics are performed using water or salt water (saline), people sometimes use other fluids, such as coffee, or even other liquids that may be potentially toxic to the colon. This can inflame the colon or cause it to bleed. Third, even water — if administered in large amounts — can pose problems. If a person absorbs too much water through the colon it can lead to water intoxication, a potentially fatal condition in which excess water upsets the body’s balance of crucial salts and minerals. Finally, there’s the issue of the pressure used to force the liquid into the colon. If the pressure is too high, the colon can be perforated, requiring emergency surgery.

Although these complications are rare, anyone considering colonics should discuss them with his or her doctor before undergoing the procedure.

As I mentioned in my last post, while working in the survivorship community I continue to meet very dedicated and enthusiastic people, all with their own story to tell.

Today I would like you to meet Alicia “Sable” Sable-Hunt, RN, MBA, the founder of Sable’s Foods. I met her at the Whittingham Cancer Center Walk in June this past summer. She was giving out samples of her nutritional bars. Touting them as “nutritional empowerment” for chemotherapy patients. Being a nibbler I’ll taste anything. To my surprise it was delicious. So we started to talk. I am not a nutritional guru so I won’t comment on what’s inside, but I sent it off to the local university based hospital and they were impressed.

Not only for cancer patients. Because of its delicious taste and protein rich mixture, it is now getting the attention of endurance athletes as well.

I’m not here to sell the products, that’s her job, I’m just spreading the word. I’ll let her website tell the story. http://www.sablesfoods.com/ The products will be available at Row for the Cure on October 31st at Vets Park in Norwalk. See you there.

As I continue to work within the breast cancer survivor community I keep meeting motivated and interesting women and yes, some men who have risen to the challenge of fighting breast cancer.

In this blog I would like to introduce you to Mary Ann Wasil Nilan a breast cancer survivor of 5 years now. Her story of survival is captivating and motivational. Instead of saying “why me???” she has turned it around and is now fighting back, by teaching young girls starting in 5th grade about their bodies and how to “Get In Touch” with them. Her Get In Touch Foundation produces a “daisy wheel” that helps girls and young women learn about their bodies. She has a beautiful website that I encourage you to explore and yes, donate. Like Mary Ann, I too am raising two daughters. Their daisy wheels are on order….I hope yours are too.

Go to www.getintouchfoundation.org

With today’s health care debate raging on, I found this information of real value, especially while our President and others are saying we must use what works. Once again, I didn’t write this, but sometimes its not about what I say, but what everybody is saying. The more we all stay informed with facts, the better decisions we can all make. You can click on this link or read the text below.

http://www.riskandinsurance.com/story.jsp?storyId=253537541

Pilot study finds chiropractic care, physical therapy may reduce costs
Individuals with musculoskeletal disorders who received chiropractic care or physical therapy had lower health care costs and were less likely to have surgery than employees who did not receive those services, according to a recent report.

The findings come from a one-year pilot program designed by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to measure patient quality of care. Researchers concluded that significant clinical outcomes and health care cost reductions were attributable to the use of chiropractic and other physical medicine services. Overall, 89 percent of all individuals receiving physical medicine services reported improvement of at least 30 percent within 30 days.
The 2008 pilot — an ongoing quality improvement program for Iowa and South Dakota physical medicine providers — analyzed data on care provided by 238 chiropractors, physical therapists and occupational therapists to 5,500 Wellmark members with MSDs. Wellmark utilized Triad Healthcare to help administer the program and collaborated with the company to collect data and measure outcomes. Triad also analyzed the chiropractic and physical therapy utilization data for the pilot and has continued to administer the program in 2009.
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Supporters of chiropractic treatment praised the findings, saying that the cost-effectiveness of the method has been documented in several studies.
Glenn Manceaux, president of the American Chiropractic Association, pointed to a study published in a 2005 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that found chiropractic and medical care have comparable costs for treating chronic low-back pain, with chiropractic care producing significantly better outcomes. In addition, a study published in a 2003 edition of Spine medical journal found that manual manipulation provides better short-term relief of chronic spinal pain than a variety of medications, he said.
“Especially during the health care reform debate, it’s important that chiropractic and other conservative care methods are taken into serious consideration as a cost-effective alternative to the utilization of expensive surgery and hospital-based care,” he said