Healthy News November 2022

“To Pop or Not to Pop” is understandably a twist on an age-old Shakespearean quote for an age-old chiropractic spinal manipulation question. Today’s answer is that it’s not a required indicator of back pain relief from spinal manipulation treatment (SMT), but back pain and neck pain patients undergoing SMT want and need to know all they can. Present-day guidelines for managing low back pain highlight patient education and exercise as important topics of discussion. Healthcare practitioners are pretty good (72% overall) at sharing information. By profession, though, chiropractors lead in sharing patient education for 76% of patients with physical therapists at 74% and general practitioners at only 44%. The more emotional distress a patient showed or pain described as below the knee, information was shared with 78% of patients. (1) An important topic for West Des Moines back pain and neck pain patients undergoing spinal manipulation treatment (SMT) is this sometimes-audible pop. A systematic review of published studies revealed that regardless of the spinal area or follow-up time after the SMT, there was no research evidence of improved pain outcomes or success of the treatment related to an audible pop. (2) This is good to know since some patients experience it, and some don’t. Patients whose practitioners explained the audible pop to them - and those who were not spinal manipulation patients - reported curious theories of what caused that sound and had overemphasized ideas of its importance. (3) Rather than the question “To pop or not to pop?” the better question for you and your West Des Moines chiropractor may well be “Is there pain relief or not?” With our gentle chiropractic care, there is pain relief for many West Des Moines back pain and neck pain sufferers. Let’s talk about all of this at your next chiropractic visit at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kurt Olding on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the gentle spinal manipulation treatment of spinal stenosis with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Vitamin D is popular and abundantly researched beyond its longer term reputation in supporting phospho-calcium metabolism and skeletal bone disorders.  Today, research has well-established vitamin D as a hormone and described vitamin D as influential in a variety of diseases from cancer, inflammation, and autoimmunity (Hashimoto’s, Graves’, diabetes) to adrenal gland health and disease (Cushing’s, Addison’s). (4) The adrenal gland has two main parts: (A) The adrenal cortex makes cortisol which controls the sleep/wake cycle, body’s utilization of fats/proteins/carbs, inflammation, blood pressure as well as increases blood sugar and decreases bone formation. (B) The adrenal medulla manufactures “stress hormones” epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) in charge of the fight or flight response. (5) Adrenal gland issues keep people awake at night…literally! Although not yet definitive, 800-2000IU a day was suggested in a new study to support adrenal health. (6) Executive Chiropractic of Iowa is ready to talk about vitamin D and any adrenal gland issues you may be experiencing.  

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Set your next West Des Moines chiropractic visit with Executive Chiropractic of Iowa soon! We have a lot to talk about!