| Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic, Another month flown by! I am pretty happy that April is beginning tomorrow, the grass is getting greener and soon the little buds will be sprouting on the tree branches. What a great time of year. All this new growth all around us has inspired us to begin something new at Roscoe Chiropractic as well. It's always good to keep shifting and moving toward a higher goal so in light of that idea we are introducing our Health Commitment Program. We encourage you to inquire about it and talk to Dr. Chris to see if it would be a good fit for you and your family. We will have brochures available upon request to explain the pricing and details for you! What are you committed to? Think about it and give us a call. Ok...I know how much you love it when I talk about exercise and nutrition so I'm going to write about it again! I promise, I write about it as much for myself as for any of you. These are all things I need to put into practice as well! It's important not to let our bodies control us, but for us to take control of our bodies! I'll list three steps to attaining this goal of controlling our bodies, yes, just three but they're all very important. Step One: Diet and Nutrition. Diet is not just about creating a caloric deficit (burning more calories than you eat) but also about increasing your intake of quality protein, good carbohydrates (veggies anyone?), fiber and healthy essential fats and water. The biggie in this one is eating less carbohydrates (NO! I do love potato soup and bread...), but it is recommended to have less than 150 grams daily and then eating more protein. This is recommended especially if you want a body that functions at a high level and looks lean. You'll also need a good multi-vitamin or mineral supplement as well (Standard Process' Catalyn is wonderful, ask Doc!). One way to help control what you eat is to keep a food diary. If you are diligent with keeping it you'll become far more aware of what goes into your mouth, including liquids! Many of us forget to take into consideration the types of things we drink when it's these liquids that often ruin our diets! Step Two: Resistance Training Key word here is Resting Metabolic Rate which is largely a function of how much muscle you have on your body and how hard it works. Simply bumping up cardio for a while to lose weight isn't going to accomplish much because you must add activities that burn calories, promote/maintain muscle mass and elevate your metabolism. This means working every muscle group. So this isn't just taking a jog and walking around on your lunch break it's about weight training. Muscle is an active tissue that requires calories to maintain and burns calories when it's working (this is a good thing!). Studies show that people who weight train lose more fat than those who diet and perform long bouts of (boring) aerobics only. Step Three: High Intensity Interval Training Something better than steady state running for three or four miles at a time is running short 15 second high speed sprints. For example run full out for 15 seconds, walk for 30 seconds and sprint again for 15 seconds, repeating ten times. The idea is not to overdo it or make yourself feel sick, but to push yourself to a level where you can complete this exercise and then bump up the time from 15 seconds to 20 and so on. The purpose in this kind of exercise is to burn more calories and increase what is called "Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption" (EPOC). This means that regardless of how long you have exercised that you'll continue to burn calories hours after you've completed your workout - up to 38 hours, research suggests! So that means if you've trained from 9am to 10am on Monday morning, you're still burning calories (without further training) at midnight on Tuesday! That's what I like to hear. We want to help all of you attain this kind of fitness here at RCC. We are here to promote total health, not just spinal health, so have a chat with Dr. Chris about how we can help guide you into a commitment to your total health! Have a great week! Karla H. Roscoe Chiropractic Centre |
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
No Stress Zone - March 24, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
With this month Marching to it's end some out there might be feeling some of the stress associated with tax time. I'm going to outline some ways to combat those sometimes overwhelming feelings of stress.
1. Walk it off - Taking a walk has many physical and mental health benefits. It's a great opportunity to relax, enjoy the fresh air and either forget about your stress or process it with a clear mind. Often times stress isn't even caused by a particular situation but by a sense of being trapped by the situation. A walk is a chance for escape plus the endorphins that are released with the physical activity help relieve stress as well.
2. Talk about it - Stress becomes most damaging when we keep it to ourselves. Sometimes talking about why you feel stressed will help you gain perspective on the situation. Just being understood a little better can help alleviate some of the feelings.
3. Distract yourself - The power of stress comes from being consumed by thoughts about how stressed you are. Find a true distraction, something that forces you to be actively thinking about something else. Try a baseball game, a good comedy or book.
4. Deal with it - Don't let the mole hill turn into a mountain. If you deal with the issue that is stressing you out it will be eliminated as a source of stress. Here are a few simple rules for dealing with stress before it stresses you out. a) Recognize when you're stressed; don't ignore it or pretend you're "fine" b) Understand why you're stressed; identify the source. c) Find a way to reduce stress (or eliminate it) by finding ways to manage it.
5. Find the positives - Think of stress as an opportunity to make changes, explore creative solutions that will not only ease your stress but reduce the chance for it to return.
With these things in mind also remember that regular chiropractic adjustments can help eliminate stress, making you feel more relaxed. Being stressed out causes shoulders and neck to tighten and constrict causing headache and backache. Having regular adjustments will prevent your neck and back from getting locked up and causing you more stress due to pain and tension.
I hope everyone is doing great! Take care and stay healthy!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
With this month Marching to it's end some out there might be feeling some of the stress associated with tax time. I'm going to outline some ways to combat those sometimes overwhelming feelings of stress.
1. Walk it off - Taking a walk has many physical and mental health benefits. It's a great opportunity to relax, enjoy the fresh air and either forget about your stress or process it with a clear mind. Often times stress isn't even caused by a particular situation but by a sense of being trapped by the situation. A walk is a chance for escape plus the endorphins that are released with the physical activity help relieve stress as well.
2. Talk about it - Stress becomes most damaging when we keep it to ourselves. Sometimes talking about why you feel stressed will help you gain perspective on the situation. Just being understood a little better can help alleviate some of the feelings.
3. Distract yourself - The power of stress comes from being consumed by thoughts about how stressed you are. Find a true distraction, something that forces you to be actively thinking about something else. Try a baseball game, a good comedy or book.
4. Deal with it - Don't let the mole hill turn into a mountain. If you deal with the issue that is stressing you out it will be eliminated as a source of stress. Here are a few simple rules for dealing with stress before it stresses you out. a) Recognize when you're stressed; don't ignore it or pretend you're "fine" b) Understand why you're stressed; identify the source. c) Find a way to reduce stress (or eliminate it) by finding ways to manage it.
5. Find the positives - Think of stress as an opportunity to make changes, explore creative solutions that will not only ease your stress but reduce the chance for it to return.
With these things in mind also remember that regular chiropractic adjustments can help eliminate stress, making you feel more relaxed. Being stressed out causes shoulders and neck to tighten and constrict causing headache and backache. Having regular adjustments will prevent your neck and back from getting locked up and causing you more stress due to pain and tension.
I hope everyone is doing great! Take care and stay healthy!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
Friday, March 25, 2011
Benefits of Stretching - March 17, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
It's coming back into that time of year when even the people who don't usually exercise start getting more active. I couldn't be happier about the prospect of taking walks on my lunch breaks again. After several months of inactivity or at least less activity than normal I wanted to share some information about stretching. I know I've believed some common misconceptions regarding healthy stretching before activity.
For decades it's been standard to believe that stretching the body before physical activity was key to increasing flexibility, avoiding injury and improving athletic performance. This is actually based on a lot of assumptions and very little actual research on the topic. In an article that was published in The Physician and Sport Medicine two doctors reviewed over 60 studies related to issues involving stretching and showed there were contradictions. The conclusion that was reached was that stretching may provide substantial benefits if used under appropriate conditions.
What does that mean? Well there are different kinds of stretching and they should be used in the right conditions before or after certain activities. There are too many kinds of stretching to list but there are some techniques that fall under the following categories
1. Dynamic Stretching - This involves moving your whole body while engaging in stretching techniques. An example would be walking while swinging a leg up to your mid section, holding it for a second and then release and repeat with the other leg. Some studies suggest dynamic stretching is best conducted before engaging in physical activity.
2. Static Stretching - The goal with static stretching is to stretch the muscle to it's farthest point without causing pain. You generally hold a static stretch for 30 seconds. If the area is stiff you can increase that to 60 seconds. These types of stretches are best done after physical activity.
3. Ballistic Stretching - These are bouncing stretches. The research on this type of stretching has been mixed. Some believe it can put you at risk of pulling muscles. This type of stretching is not as familiar but there is an advanced system called proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation or PNF. This involves contracting specific muscle groups using resistance. It seems to activate muscles more quickly than other types of stretching. Due to it's advanced technique it's best done first with a health care professional who has expertise in the area.
So there you have it. Here is to good weather and better weather to come!
It's coming back into that time of year when even the people who don't usually exercise start getting more active. I couldn't be happier about the prospect of taking walks on my lunch breaks again. After several months of inactivity or at least less activity than normal I wanted to share some information about stretching. I know I've believed some common misconceptions regarding healthy stretching before activity.
For decades it's been standard to believe that stretching the body before physical activity was key to increasing flexibility, avoiding injury and improving athletic performance. This is actually based on a lot of assumptions and very little actual research on the topic. In an article that was published in The Physician and Sport Medicine two doctors reviewed over 60 studies related to issues involving stretching and showed there were contradictions. The conclusion that was reached was that stretching may provide substantial benefits if used under appropriate conditions.
What does that mean? Well there are different kinds of stretching and they should be used in the right conditions before or after certain activities. There are too many kinds of stretching to list but there are some techniques that fall under the following categories
1. Dynamic Stretching - This involves moving your whole body while engaging in stretching techniques. An example would be walking while swinging a leg up to your mid section, holding it for a second and then release and repeat with the other leg. Some studies suggest dynamic stretching is best conducted before engaging in physical activity.
2. Static Stretching - The goal with static stretching is to stretch the muscle to it's farthest point without causing pain. You generally hold a static stretch for 30 seconds. If the area is stiff you can increase that to 60 seconds. These types of stretches are best done after physical activity.
3. Ballistic Stretching - These are bouncing stretches. The research on this type of stretching has been mixed. Some believe it can put you at risk of pulling muscles. This type of stretching is not as familiar but there is an advanced system called proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation or PNF. This involves contracting specific muscle groups using resistance. It seems to activate muscles more quickly than other types of stretching. Due to it's advanced technique it's best done first with a health care professional who has expertise in the area.
So there you have it. Here is to good weather and better weather to come!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Try Tea instead of that Venti Mocha Latte the size of your head -- March 10, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
March it seems is the consistently the most inconsistent month of the year for weather. Here is to hoping you are all tolerating this back and forth month with a positive attitude. I think we're all ready for spring to be sprung. I just want to thank all of you who read these messages for taking an interest in your health and for trusting us with your care. Stay tuned for some exciting new things to come at RCC.
Because today is on the chilly side and a nice cup of hot tea is perfect for warming that cold in your bones feeling, I'm going to share some interesting information about some health benefits of tea. The main and most well known benefit of tea is it's high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are powerful molecules that can defend your body against attack from disease. Black and green tea have as much as TEN times the amount of antioxidants than fruits and vegetables!
More large scale study certainly needs to be done, but tea has been touted for it's health benefits from the time it was first cultivated hundreds of years ago. Some of the benefits include reducing cholesterol to helping prevent cancer. A study from Sweden followed the dietary habits of 60,000 women over 15 years revealed that those who drank two cups of tea daily cut their risk of ovarian cancer by 46%!
Some other research on green tea shows some promising evidence for treating breast cancer. Green tea contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG. In the study this antioxidant was shown to slow the progression of cancer cell growth and tumor size was trimmed by 68% and there is speculation that this green tea antioxidant may inhibit blood supply to the tumors and prevent the spread of cancerous cells.
In other areas such as brain health, this tea may also help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, not to mention the great benefits to the musculoskeletal system. It can help to soothe joint inflammation and reduce cartilage degeneration.
Though green tea has gotten most of the research other teas are also revealing their health potential. Black tea demonstrates hope for treating type 2 diabetes. A study found that specific polysaccharides, a type of carbohydrate might be effective at reducing blood sugar. Black tea might also help prevent stroke. These are all things that would need much more study!
One drawback that people find with tea is the caffeine content. The good news is that removing the caffeine to make decaffeinated tea does not affect the level of antioxidants! Some tips on brewing your tea and which to choose; black teas should be steeped at least 5 minutes because their antioxidant properties take longer to release, herbal teas which contain flowers, herbs and roots while beneficial in other ways are not actually tea and are not as high in antioxidants. Lastly, drink your tea clear, adding cream or milk may dampen it's health benefits.
I don't know if it's because I lived in the UK and they are notorious for their tea consumption, but I love tea! If you haven't, try tea instead of coffee filled with sugar and creamers and drink a cup of black or green tea.
Have a great week everyone!!
March it seems is the consistently the most inconsistent month of the year for weather. Here is to hoping you are all tolerating this back and forth month with a positive attitude. I think we're all ready for spring to be sprung. I just want to thank all of you who read these messages for taking an interest in your health and for trusting us with your care. Stay tuned for some exciting new things to come at RCC.
Because today is on the chilly side and a nice cup of hot tea is perfect for warming that cold in your bones feeling, I'm going to share some interesting information about some health benefits of tea. The main and most well known benefit of tea is it's high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are powerful molecules that can defend your body against attack from disease. Black and green tea have as much as TEN times the amount of antioxidants than fruits and vegetables!
More large scale study certainly needs to be done, but tea has been touted for it's health benefits from the time it was first cultivated hundreds of years ago. Some of the benefits include reducing cholesterol to helping prevent cancer. A study from Sweden followed the dietary habits of 60,000 women over 15 years revealed that those who drank two cups of tea daily cut their risk of ovarian cancer by 46%!
Some other research on green tea shows some promising evidence for treating breast cancer. Green tea contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG. In the study this antioxidant was shown to slow the progression of cancer cell growth and tumor size was trimmed by 68% and there is speculation that this green tea antioxidant may inhibit blood supply to the tumors and prevent the spread of cancerous cells.
In other areas such as brain health, this tea may also help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, not to mention the great benefits to the musculoskeletal system. It can help to soothe joint inflammation and reduce cartilage degeneration.
Though green tea has gotten most of the research other teas are also revealing their health potential. Black tea demonstrates hope for treating type 2 diabetes. A study found that specific polysaccharides, a type of carbohydrate might be effective at reducing blood sugar. Black tea might also help prevent stroke. These are all things that would need much more study!
One drawback that people find with tea is the caffeine content. The good news is that removing the caffeine to make decaffeinated tea does not affect the level of antioxidants! Some tips on brewing your tea and which to choose; black teas should be steeped at least 5 minutes because their antioxidant properties take longer to release, herbal teas which contain flowers, herbs and roots while beneficial in other ways are not actually tea and are not as high in antioxidants. Lastly, drink your tea clear, adding cream or milk may dampen it's health benefits.
I don't know if it's because I lived in the UK and they are notorious for their tea consumption, but I love tea! If you haven't, try tea instead of coffee filled with sugar and creamers and drink a cup of black or green tea.
Have a great week everyone!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Texting = stomach ache? - March 3, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Spring begins this month! This is something to celebrate. Thank you everyone for referring in your friends and family in February, we have a nice donation of oatmeal to take to the food pantry. Remember you are welcome to bring in any donations and we will happily take them to the food pantry if you can't get them there yourself. Keep your eyes on our website for any new specials and for information on our Featured Supplement from Standard Process. I also encourage you all to share your testimony about chiropractic. We will be putting them up on the website. Encourage others to seek help just by sharing how you have been helped.
Today I wanted to share some information on posture. The relationship between the brain, the spinal cord and organ function is very closely tied. The most common form of bad posture results in what is called forward head posture. This can be caused by several things including car accident, forceps delivery at birth, sporting accidents and also our societies habit of sitting slumped in front of a TV or a computer or constantly staring down at a phone while texting.
This forward head posture eliminates the backward curve in your neck and forces your upper back and shoulders to compensate for holding up the weight of your head. The human head weighs at least 8 pounds (Jerry Maguire quote anyone?) and with every inch it is held out in front of the body it adds ten pounds of added pressure on your back and shoulders. This in turn forces the vertebrae out of alignment and puts pressure on the nerves in your neck as they travel through the spinal cord. Those nerves control the function of a variety of organs in your body. Some possible complications include stomach issues, headache and problems breathing.
So what can be done, you ask? Simple, gentle chiropractic adjustments will correct this forward head posture and relive the stress on your shoulders, upper back and realign the vertebrae to hold the head in the correct position over your shoulders. I speak from experience on this issue because my neck did not have the proper curve in it when I started seeing Dr. Chris and this caused my headaches and probably a lot of my nausea issues, both of which I no longer struggle with.
If you have further questions please feel free to contact us via this email address or on our contact page at the website.
Stay healthy and happy this week!
Spring begins this month! This is something to celebrate. Thank you everyone for referring in your friends and family in February, we have a nice donation of oatmeal to take to the food pantry. Remember you are welcome to bring in any donations and we will happily take them to the food pantry if you can't get them there yourself. Keep your eyes on our website for any new specials and for information on our Featured Supplement from Standard Process. I also encourage you all to share your testimony about chiropractic. We will be putting them up on the website. Encourage others to seek help just by sharing how you have been helped.
Today I wanted to share some information on posture. The relationship between the brain, the spinal cord and organ function is very closely tied. The most common form of bad posture results in what is called forward head posture. This can be caused by several things including car accident, forceps delivery at birth, sporting accidents and also our societies habit of sitting slumped in front of a TV or a computer or constantly staring down at a phone while texting.
This forward head posture eliminates the backward curve in your neck and forces your upper back and shoulders to compensate for holding up the weight of your head. The human head weighs at least 8 pounds (Jerry Maguire quote anyone?) and with every inch it is held out in front of the body it adds ten pounds of added pressure on your back and shoulders. This in turn forces the vertebrae out of alignment and puts pressure on the nerves in your neck as they travel through the spinal cord. Those nerves control the function of a variety of organs in your body. Some possible complications include stomach issues, headache and problems breathing.
So what can be done, you ask? Simple, gentle chiropractic adjustments will correct this forward head posture and relive the stress on your shoulders, upper back and realign the vertebrae to hold the head in the correct position over your shoulders. I speak from experience on this issue because my neck did not have the proper curve in it when I started seeing Dr. Chris and this caused my headaches and probably a lot of my nausea issues, both of which I no longer struggle with.
If you have further questions please feel free to contact us via this email address or on our contact page at the website.
Stay healthy and happy this week!
Balanced Eating - February 24, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Another day closer to spring! I'm trying to stay positive on this gray February morning. As I sit here wondering why I thought a glass of orange juice was a good breakfast, I found an article on balanced eating. It has some great pictures of really yummy looking food, so I think I'm going to share from this article today and perhaps actually take some of my own "advice".
What does it mean to eat a balanced diet? Well first things first "our food needs to give us energy now, it needs to provide building blocks for repair, and allow us to store energy for later". The parts of the food that provide those things are carbohydrates for immediate energy, proteins for the repair, and fats for our stored energy. Eating balanced means you take in the right amount of nutrients for optimal functioning.
Unbalanced eating is when you have too much of some nutrients and not enough of the others. For example a bagel would be considered calorie dense and nutrient light. Most of the nutrients are from carbohydrates. It's important that we get the right amount of all the necessary nutrients from the calories we eat.
Here are five ways to help ensure you are eating balanced and healthy.
1. Pay attention to what you eat.
2. Make sure every grain you eat is a whole grain.
3. Eat a fruit and vegetable with every meal.
4. Look at labels - anything that is off the charts for any of the nutrients listed above, put it back.
5. Buy fresh and local as much as possible.
Well I think when I leave work today I'm going to the grocery store. Mostly cause I'm hungry (which might make it a bad idea) but I want to try out these tips. Check with me later to see how I succeeded. Everyone have a great week! Stay healthy and share with me how you implemented some of this into your diet! For more information read March 2011 To Your Health!
Another day closer to spring! I'm trying to stay positive on this gray February morning. As I sit here wondering why I thought a glass of orange juice was a good breakfast, I found an article on balanced eating. It has some great pictures of really yummy looking food, so I think I'm going to share from this article today and perhaps actually take some of my own "advice".
What does it mean to eat a balanced diet? Well first things first "our food needs to give us energy now, it needs to provide building blocks for repair, and allow us to store energy for later". The parts of the food that provide those things are carbohydrates for immediate energy, proteins for the repair, and fats for our stored energy. Eating balanced means you take in the right amount of nutrients for optimal functioning.
Unbalanced eating is when you have too much of some nutrients and not enough of the others. For example a bagel would be considered calorie dense and nutrient light. Most of the nutrients are from carbohydrates. It's important that we get the right amount of all the necessary nutrients from the calories we eat.
Here are five ways to help ensure you are eating balanced and healthy.
1. Pay attention to what you eat.
2. Make sure every grain you eat is a whole grain.
3. Eat a fruit and vegetable with every meal.
4. Look at labels - anything that is off the charts for any of the nutrients listed above, put it back.
5. Buy fresh and local as much as possible.
Well I think when I leave work today I'm going to the grocery store. Mostly cause I'm hungry (which might make it a bad idea) but I want to try out these tips. Check with me later to see how I succeeded. Everyone have a great week! Stay healthy and share with me how you implemented some of this into your diet! For more information read March 2011 To Your Health!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Displaced Public Outcry - February 17th 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Don't you love the Midwest? A blizzard and deep freeze one week and 50 degrees the next. Keeps us on our toes. Though I do have to say I prefer the 50 degrees and I'm not 100% sure but I don't think I'm alone in that preference. Ok so big news here, dun dada daaaaaaaah, Roscoe Chiropractic presents to you their brand new website www.roscoechiro.com! Everything is up and running, so I encourage all of you to just take a quick click tour through it and send me a little note back here with any feedback you have on it. We want this to be the best website possible for our wonderful patients.
We are still running our February special for Heart Health Month, so tell your friends and family not to wait until the last minute because February will be gone before we know it! $10 worth of Oatmeal and those exams and x-rays are free. Can't beat a deal like that! (discounts not applicable for Medicare, a/a or w/c -- I have to say it.)
OK so today I wanted to share with you some interesting albeit slightly disturbing statistics about the medical profession, MD's in particular. The purpose of this is not to scare anyone but to draw to light the lack of action on the public's part in relation to these numbers. This statistical information is pulled originally from the Nov 2010 USA Today. It deals with patients who die on an average day from medical "adverse events". First let us outline what is included in a medical "adverse event", things like: letting infections develop, giving the wrong medication to a patient or administering too much of the correct medicine.
This study was completed by the Health and Human Services Department and it states that 180,000 patients die every year from these "events" stated above. Break that down and it equals 493 deaths a day, 20 an hour or a fatality every 3 minutes.
To put the numbers in perspective they also state death tolls from the Iraqi war at 713 deaths a year or about 2 a day; death tolls from auto accidents at 33,808 a year or 92 deaths a day due to car accident fatality; fatalities from firearms at 34,428 a year or about 93 a day.
The purpose of looking at these numbers is now to consider the highly public protection measures that have been taken and are currently in place for the last three: Anti-war and outrage over military deaths, gun-control and huge debate over the legality of gun ownership, and of course MADD, SADD and DADD (All the anti-drunk driving campaigns). These are all completely valid organizations, protection measures and campaigns for awareness! It just seems that one has slipped through the cracks here...and it must be a crack the size of the San Andreas Fault because how else could 500 deaths a day go unnoticed by the activists who live to bring this stuff to public's attention? I mean this was written about in USA Today and yet we still don't see the same level of outrage as we would if say, a jumbo jet crashed every day killing all 500 people aboard. Airlines would get shut down if that happened and yet hospitals and other medical facilities seem to just float right by without mention.
I understand that mistakes happen and we're all human, but there has to be some level of accountability on this, some measure taken to address this massive number of deaths every day. It's almost as if, we see these statistics and we are numbed to the fact that this is human life being taken prematurely and in error. We are outraged by the death of a little girl from a stray bullet but we almost sit back in acceptance if she is accidentally killed with an incorrect dosage of medication while in the hospital. Motive is one thing and of course MD's and nurses are there to help us, but they still must be held accountable as a whole for such an outrageous amount of accidental deaths while in their care.
Let's end on a high note here in stating the fact that chiropractic doesn't even have statistics that list deaths per year, because there have been no instances that someone has died as a direct result of an adjustment. Interestingly though, there have been quite a lot of public anti-chiropractic campaigns. I know, hard to believe there would be an anti-chiropractic campaign! It seems the public's outcry is a little displaced at times so I just wanted to bring some of this to our attention to put things in perspective.
If you want to weigh in with your opinion on this please do! Doctor Chris was particularly interested in this topic so feel free to start a dialog! Have a great week everyone!
Don't you love the Midwest? A blizzard and deep freeze one week and 50 degrees the next. Keeps us on our toes. Though I do have to say I prefer the 50 degrees and I'm not 100% sure but I don't think I'm alone in that preference. Ok so big news here, dun dada daaaaaaaah, Roscoe Chiropractic presents to you their brand new website www.roscoechiro.com! Everything is up and running, so I encourage all of you to just take a quick click tour through it and send me a little note back here with any feedback you have on it. We want this to be the best website possible for our wonderful patients.
We are still running our February special for Heart Health Month, so tell your friends and family not to wait until the last minute because February will be gone before we know it! $10 worth of Oatmeal and those exams and x-rays are free. Can't beat a deal like that! (discounts not applicable for Medicare, a/a or w/c -- I have to say it.)
OK so today I wanted to share with you some interesting albeit slightly disturbing statistics about the medical profession, MD's in particular. The purpose of this is not to scare anyone but to draw to light the lack of action on the public's part in relation to these numbers. This statistical information is pulled originally from the Nov 2010 USA Today. It deals with patients who die on an average day from medical "adverse events". First let us outline what is included in a medical "adverse event", things like: letting infections develop, giving the wrong medication to a patient or administering too much of the correct medicine.
This study was completed by the Health and Human Services Department and it states that 180,000 patients die every year from these "events" stated above. Break that down and it equals 493 deaths a day, 20 an hour or a fatality every 3 minutes.
To put the numbers in perspective they also state death tolls from the Iraqi war at 713 deaths a year or about 2 a day; death tolls from auto accidents at 33,808 a year or 92 deaths a day due to car accident fatality; fatalities from firearms at 34,428 a year or about 93 a day.
The purpose of looking at these numbers is now to consider the highly public protection measures that have been taken and are currently in place for the last three: Anti-war and outrage over military deaths, gun-control and huge debate over the legality of gun ownership, and of course MADD, SADD and DADD (All the anti-drunk driving campaigns). These are all completely valid organizations, protection measures and campaigns for awareness! It just seems that one has slipped through the cracks here...and it must be a crack the size of the San Andreas Fault because how else could 500 deaths a day go unnoticed by the activists who live to bring this stuff to public's attention? I mean this was written about in USA Today and yet we still don't see the same level of outrage as we would if say, a jumbo jet crashed every day killing all 500 people aboard. Airlines would get shut down if that happened and yet hospitals and other medical facilities seem to just float right by without mention.
I understand that mistakes happen and we're all human, but there has to be some level of accountability on this, some measure taken to address this massive number of deaths every day. It's almost as if, we see these statistics and we are numbed to the fact that this is human life being taken prematurely and in error. We are outraged by the death of a little girl from a stray bullet but we almost sit back in acceptance if she is accidentally killed with an incorrect dosage of medication while in the hospital. Motive is one thing and of course MD's and nurses are there to help us, but they still must be held accountable as a whole for such an outrageous amount of accidental deaths while in their care.
Let's end on a high note here in stating the fact that chiropractic doesn't even have statistics that list deaths per year, because there have been no instances that someone has died as a direct result of an adjustment. Interestingly though, there have been quite a lot of public anti-chiropractic campaigns. I know, hard to believe there would be an anti-chiropractic campaign! It seems the public's outcry is a little displaced at times so I just wanted to bring some of this to our attention to put things in perspective.
If you want to weigh in with your opinion on this please do! Doctor Chris was particularly interested in this topic so feel free to start a dialog! Have a great week everyone!
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