[originally published in KCN, September 2007]
It is estimated, that at any given time, 15% of the female population and 10% of the male population is suffering from chronic neck pain. It’s one thing to have had a short-lived kink in the neck, but having neck pain that goes on for months and months without any intention of going away, well, is truly a “pain in the neck.”
[originally published in KCN, June 2007]
Have you ever played the game Word Association? You know, the game where someone says a word, and then the next person responds with a word that has some sort of association with it. For example, if I said “dog,” you might say “cat.” If I said “chiropractic,” you might say “back pain” or “spine.” What you probably wouldn’t say is “blood pressure” — unless of course your name happens to be George Bakris, M.D.
[originally published in KCN, June 2013]
Recently a film producer compared the chiropractic profession to a “beaten wife.” To paraphrase, he said, “During the course of the making of my film, I was astounded by how large groups of chiropractors contacted me saying, ‘Please don’t make them mad, Jeff.’”
The film producer I’m talking about is Jeff Hays. His movie is entitled “Doctored.” And the “them” he was referring to is Political Medicine.
“It’s time for chiropractors to stand up and make their own voices heard,” he said in response to a question regarding why the successes of chiropractic have been suppressed and not gotten out to the public. (more…)
[originally published in KCN, June 2011]
On a flight home, chiropractor Kevin Donka settled into his seat. Behind him was a mother with her baby.
As the flight took off, the baby — as many will — began to cry. The mother did everything in her power to quiet the little one… but to no avail. The child simply would not calm down. And then something happened that every parent fears while flying — the child’s cry catapulted to a full-tilt shrill. Again, the mother tried and tried but the child could not be comforted.
At about minute ten of the full-blown wail, Dr. Donka began to think to himself, “Maybe I should offer to help. Maybe there is something I can do.”
[originally published in KCN, September 2006 / cartoon provided by TomLamarCartoon.com]
September 18th will mark the 111th anniversary of the first chiropractic adjustment delivered by our founding chiropractor, D.D.Palmer. So, the question for all of you trivia buffs is, “What was the first chiropractic patient adjusted for?” If you answered “lower back pain,” you’re wrong. You’re also wrong if you answered “headache,” “neck pain,” “shoulder blade pain,” or “sciatica.” The correct answer, just might surprise you, for the first chiropractic patient presented with a condition that chiropractors tend not to be associated with these days: hearing loss.
[originally published in KCN, March 2006]
Question. What do construction workers and nursing home workers have in common? Delivery drivers and police officers? Auto mechanics and farmers? It’s a real stumper, isn’t it? And while you search your brain for a common denominator for these seemingly dissimilar jobs, let me give you one that’s unlikely to roll off your tongue anytime soon: they all made the American Chiropractic Association’s list of the “Top Ten Back Breaking Jobs.” What’s more, these jobs, along with three others I didn’t mention, share something else in common: they weren’t awarded the number one spot.
[originally published in KCN, December 2005]
No one probably has to tell you that back pain is a drag. It can be incredibly painful. It can rob you of your ability to function normally. It can cause you to miss work. And, it can rack up a sizable bill! But did you know, according to a study last year in the Journal of Neuroscience, it can also shrink your brain?
[originally published in KCN, June 2005]
Pain, in its purest form, serves a very definite purpose: it acts as sign, or a signal, to alert us of a problem. It also serves to prevent us from doing things that would, perhaps, make our problem worse. So pain, in a weird kind of way, is a “good” thing. But what about pain “gone bad” — pain that doesn’t go away or comes and goes on an all too regular basis? Well, at the risk of sounding trite, then the pain really is a “pain.” And what escalates this “pain” even more is that its one of the biggest challenges practitioners across the health care spectrum face on a daily basis. We label it “chronic pain.” Plaguing approximately 35% of our country, chronic pain is responsible for categorizing 50 million Americans as partially or totally disabled. What’s more, we don’t really have an adequate way of explaining it or even identifying its true source, let alone finding effective ways to treat it — not a very comforting thought for those buried under a mountain of chronic pain. And while all this may seem dismal, a couple of researchers from “Down Under” have very good reason to offer hope of an effective treatment option that just might help make pain “gone bad”… gone.
(more…)
SpinalColumnBlog 