Posted on

Increase Your Vitality And Add Years To Your Life!

 

 

Posture can be related to chronic pain, chronic disease, make you look, and feel old.

The Journal of American Geriatric Society published a study that found, “Older men and woman with a hyperkyphotic posture have higher mortality rates.” So what does this mean? Having bad posture increases your risk of death by almost 1.5 times. This research found that the increased death rate was due to atherosclerosis.

Bad-Posture-and-Death

Poor posture leads to extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments, tension headaches, breathing issues, chronic low back, shoulder, neck, and/or wrist pain.

So what leads to poor posture? Well, you use 640 muscles to balance! If you have a weakness or imbalance it may affect your posture. If you have ever injured yourself and did not properly rehab this could lead to an altered gait pattern. Essentially that old injury could be affecting your posture today!

Do you have “text neck?” or “tech neck?” This type of posture affects many many individuals. We are such a technology-driven society that it is creating poor posture habits.

BlogBody_ART_2

This picture is a great visual to show how heavy your head becomes when you increase the angle. Do you see why you might have neck pain now?

BlogBody_ART_1

For every inch forward your head moves it increases the weight of your head by 10 pounds! It is important to be mindful of how our posture is when using our phones, tablets, and even computers. This can help prevent future problems/pain!

What happens to our muscles if we do not take breaks to stretch/strengthen our posture?

upper cross

This picture shows which muscles become weak and which muscles tighten. This imbalance creates joint dysfunction at the base of the skull, down the neck, into the upper back, and shoulders. “Tech Neck” causes imbalances that affect your entire musculoskeletal system.

According to the CDC low back pain was the most common pain complaint reported by patients in 2010. In the US 6 million people are dealing with chronic back pain. Opioids have been shown to only be effective for 2 weeks when treating low back pain. 89% of Primary Care Physicians consider biomechanical risk factors like posture to be the single most important short-term trigger for sudden onset of low back pain, AKA your posture!

Sitting for more than 12 hours a day puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, life-threatening falls, respiratory problems, and cardiopulmonary problems.

Here are three exercises you can implement to start strengthening your posture.

  1. Stork- 1 minute a day can help with strength and postural balance
  2. Ball circles- this is great to strengthen your core! You want to make sure your upper body and knees remain still. Only move your pelvis in small circles
  3. Bruegger’s- this one can be performed sitting, standing, with or without a theraband. Hold for 3 seconds, come back to starting and repeat for 2 minutes.

It is important to move/stretch every hour! Studies have shown that sitting motionless reduces blood flow to the legs, increases the risk for atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaques in the arteries). Standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour during the workday could lift your mood, combat lethargy without reducing focus and attention. Frequent brief walking breaks are more effective than a single long walk before work. Sitting for more than eight hours places you at a greater risk factor for diabetes, depress, and obesity.

Your goal should be to get up and move every 30 minutes for at least 5 minutes. Set a timer to remind you throughout your day. You can stretch, strengthen, walk, or complete a 4-minute nitric oxide dump! The nitric oxide dump was created by Dr. Zach Bush. Nitric oxide dilates the blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, improves immune function, decreases the viscosity of blood (stickiness and platelet aggregation), increases lean muscle mass and it only takes 4 minutes. You try to complete it 2-3 times a day. Click Here to learn how to perform the Nitric Oxide Dump!

Getting adjusted is an important factor in strengthening your posture. Adjustments help reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, enhance pulmonary function, decrease mental and oxidative stress, relieves muscle tension, and can naturally increase energy levels. We can also evaluate your posture and give specific rehab exercises tailored to you.

Losing 1 inch in height makes you 1.45 times more at risk of dying. Regular chiropractic visits and strengthening your posture, especially the core and the muscles along the spine can help prevent a loss in height.

I like to think about posture like a savings account. Most people would agree that having a savings account is a great investment in your future. If we all had the money we would deposit into that account daily. Your posture is a savings account. You can deposit a little bit into it each day and live a vibrant life, healthy life! Invest in your posture each day and maybe when you are 98 you will be skiing like this man!

 

Posted on

Fasting! Is it dangerous? Will you lose muscle? Will you go into starvation?

Continuing with the previous post on fasting we are going to dive a little deeper. I also completed a Facebook live video covering this information so if you missed it be sure to check it out https://www.facebook.com/DrSandraBuffkin/videos/1882594955373607/ 

Two weeks ago my sister and I completed a 3-day water fast. The longest fast I’ve completed is 7-days and that was back in December. I knew fasting had many health benefits and was very scriptural. Jesus and Moses fasted for 40 days. After my fast when I was researching more about the health benefits I came across Dr. Jason Fung and his book The Complete Guide To Fasting. I wanted this book. While I was sharing the information with the other doctors at work one actually had his book! So that has been my reading this week and his book is awesome! I highly highly recommend everyone should read it!

Dr. Fung is a nephrologist who has treated many diabetic patients. In all his years of formal medical training, he reports only having 4 hours of lectures on nutrition. So when he started learning about nutrition he was starting from ground zero. The Atkins diet was popular then and he thought, like most physicians, that everyone on Atkins would clog up their arteries and eventually pay the price. However, when research started coming out in prestigious medical journals that Randomized control trials were all showing the same results; the low-carb diet was significantly better for weight loss than the low-fat diet. It also showed that important risk factors for cardiovascular disease- including cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure were also improving. This is where Dr. Fung started looking into diet and now has a clinic that focuses on nutrition and fasting with obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

A constant increase in insulin can cause insulin resistance. It is just like alcohol, the more you drink the more you increase your tolerance and need more. Excessive insulin causes weight gain leading to obesity. How can we address this problem naturally? Through diet and fasting! A diet lower in carbohydrates, specifically refined carbohydrates, helps reduce insulin levels.

Jimmy Moore is featured in this book. Jimmy weighed 410lbs and has lost 180lbs. He has come off his prescription medication for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and respiratory problems by addressing his diet and fasting. He is hilarious in this book as he describes his success and failures with fasting. He eventually completed a 17-day fast and his total cholesterol dropped 100 points! His risk factor to developing cardiovascular disease went from being extremely high to normal.

Jimmy later completed a one month fast. This time he had a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry or DXA scan completed before so he could monitor if he lost any muscle mass during this fast. At the end of the fast, he had another DXA scan that showed he lost 10 lbs of body fat and 10 lbs of lean tissue. Dr. Fung believes the lean tissue lost was not muscle but rather fat around the organs, so a really good thing! He actually gained muscles in his arms and legs.

So what happens when we eat? The short version is that the increase in energy (food) triggers insulin, so we get an increase in insulin levels. Insulin has two functions

  1. Allows the body to immediately start using food as energy
  2. Helps store excess energy
    1. Excess energy is first stored in the liver as glycogen
    2. Once glycogen stores are full then it will store as fat

When we fast insulin decreases. This signals the body to burn stored energy. Glycogen stored in the liver will be broke down first. This will give energy for approximately 24 hours. Then the body starts breaking down stored body fat for energy.

During days 2-3 of a fast, you are in ketosis. This means instead of using glucose (sugar) as a fuel source you are now using fat for energy-producing ketones.

A 4-day fast actually increases resting energy expenditure by 12%, meaning it increases your metabolism.

During day 5 growth hormone increases. Growth hormone helps maintain muscle mass and lean tissue.

Research shows that while fasting electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, all remain stable.

Why is an increase in Growth Hormone a big deal?

Growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland. It helps in the normal development of children and adolescence. Growth hormone starts to decline after puberty. A decrease in growth hormone leads to an increase in body fat, a decrease in muscle mass, and a decrease in bone density (osteopenia). Growth hormone also has major anti-aging benefits!

So why can you not just take growth hormone instead of fasting? Exogenous growth hormone (meaning your body doesn’t make it) has actually shown to increase blood sugar levels, increase blood pressure, and possibly lead to an increase in heart problems. So fasting to reap the benefits is a much safer way to increase growth hormone levels naturally.

When we continuously eat, growth hormone gets suppressed. So eating three meals a day means you produce almost no growth hormone. Overeating suppresses growth hormone production by 80%.

By fasting for 5-days growth hormone more than doubles! Researchers found that a 40-day fast had a 1,250% increase in growth hormone. This is great for everyone but particularly beneficial for athletes. This increase in growth hormone will help them maintain lean muscle mass and improve recovery time from intense workouts.

Dr. Seyfried recommends completing a 7-10 day water fast annually as a tool to prevent cancer.

There are no side effects to fasting but so many benefits including; decreased glucose levels, decreased blood pressure, decreased the risk of cancer, anti-aging benefits, decrease in inflammation. Fasting does not make you tired it actually has the opposite effect and gives a boost of energy. Fasting does not burn muscle but it does burn fat!

It is important to maintain a balanced nutritionally rich diet after fasting. Fasting is awesome and I think everyone should incorporate it into their health regimen but you have to continue after the fast with a healthy diet. What does that mean?

  • Avoid processed foods (isle of the grocery store)
  • Avoid sugar (isle of the grocery store)
  • Avoid refined grains  (isle of the grocery store— are you starting to see a pattern?)
  • Add natural fats
  • Balance feeding with fasting.

I’ve been intermittent fasting for over a year now. I try to stop eating around 7pm each night. In the mornings I have my bulletproof coffee and don’t eat until lunch sometime between 1-3pm. This gives my digestive tract a break from constantly digesting food and the benefits of intermittent fasting. The last fast I completed I had lemon water all day, 1 cup of green tea, and bone broth when I felt hungry. I generally add a kombucha in there however, I went without it this time. There is no wrong way to fast. I challenge you to complete a fast. If you have tried a fast before let me know how it went for you!

Posted on

Chicken Pot Pie- Grain Free

Boy oh boy do I have ya’ll a comfort food recipe! I tried this recipe out this weekend and I have to say it is probably my favorite one that I’ve tried in a while! You get amazing vegetables which you can change up with all the comfort food taste! What is even better is it makes a great meal prepping option and taste even better the next day!

Here’s what you’ll need;

  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil or
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
  • 16 asparagus spears, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup kale
  • 2 cups bone broth
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (can)
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 Tbsp parsley

For the Topping;

  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (can)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, yellow squash, kale, and asparagus. Sauté until tender. Add 2 cups chicken broth and coconut milk.
  2. In a small bowl, add arrowroot powder, a tablespoon of cold water and mix. Add to vegetable skillet, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. If your mixture becomes too thick, add a bit more bone broth, stirring until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in cooked chicken and parsley. Pour pot pie filling into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  4. In a large bowl, add coconut flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, add eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of water, then whisk until frothy. Pour liquid ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients, and stir to combine.
  5. Spoon topping batter over pot pie filling in equal portions. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until topping is golden and a little crusty.

You’re done! Enjoy! I want to know what you think when you try it!

Posted on

What is Chiropractic?

So many have heard Chiropractors are great at “cracking your back” but chiropractic is about so much more. Yes, adjustments can help with back and neck pain but it can also help with so much more. Chiropractic Physicians spend three plus years learning anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biochemistry and more. So in addition to helping with chronic pain, we can also address nutritional concerns, supplementation, and help with many chronic diseases.

When you have a vertebral subluxation (misalignment in your spine) this causes interference with your central nervous system. The nervous system is our bodies control system. It helps us adapt to physical, chemical, and emotional stressors. A vertebral subluxation can compromise the nervous system interfering with its ability to regulate, coordinate, and heal. This can lead to physical pain, emotional instability, digestive problems, decreased immune system, or interfere with overall well being. Only 10% of the nerves in the body actually sense pain. This leaves 90% that do not. So instead of chasing symptoms we focus on the relationship between the spine and nervous system, restore normal function and allow you to live well and heal.

Chiropractic can help improve breathing, digestion, headaches, sciatica, disc issues, scoliosis, organ function, and so much more! This chart demonstrates how much influence your nerves have on the entire body!j

Chiropractic is very safe. Chiropractors have gone through extensive training and examinations to ensure safety. Chiropractic Physicians are required to pass four national board examinations in addition to state licensing exams. According to The National Institute of Health, “A 2007 study of treatment outcomes for 19,722 chiropractic patients in the United Kingdom concluded that minor side effects (such as temporary soreness similar to that which can be experienced after a workout) after cervical spine manipulation were relatively common, but that the risk of a serious adverse event was ‘low to very low’ immediately or up to 7 days after treatment.” Another study found that, “There was no evidence that visiting a Chiropractor put people at greater risk than visiting a primary care physician” (1).

Chiropractic care is one of the best ways to prevent problems in the future so be sure to see your Chiropractor regularly! If you are in need of a Chiropractor please give me a call 321-444-6750. How has Chiropractic helped you and your family???

DSC_0170 copy copy

Posted on

Water Fasting And The Many Benefits

So this weekend my sister and I completed a three-day water fast. I know, we party hard on the weekends. In December I completed a seven-day water fast so I knew what was up ahead. My sister was so funny trying to complete the three days.

Fasting is mentioned in the bible over 70 times! Jesus and Moses fasted for 40 days and we were struggling with three. Tiffany is convinced it was not a true 40 days because she was starving from day one.

There are many types of fasting. Some include food restrictions, intermittent fasting, and water only fast, etc.

There are so many benefits to fasting. Fasting can clear toxins, relieve anxiety, help reduce sugar cravings, increases energy, reduces inflammation, and helps promote digestion. When your fasting your body induces a cellular repair process and removes waste from the body. Because you enter a fat burning process your insulin levels are reduced (1).

Your body is made up of 60-70% water. Your cells, organs, and lymphatic system need water to function properly. By completing a water fast your lymphatic system can remove toxins from the body.

Some research has shown that intermittent fasting, when completed by cancer patients, reduced the side effects of chemotherapy (2).

When you start fasting your body switches over from burning sugar as its source of energy to burning fat. Here’s what Dr. Fung has to say about how many days you can fast:

What’s interesting is that if you take a pound of fat, that’s roughly 3,500 calories. If you eat somewhere around 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day, it takes two full days of fasting to burn a single pound of fat, which is very surprising to people. If you’re trying to lose 100 pounds, you could theoretically go 200 days of fasting just to burn all that fat … People worry about fasting for 24 hours. I’m like, ‘You could go 200 days.’ Then it’s like, ‘OK. Maybe it’s OK to go 24 hours without eating.'”

Other common obstacles people face when deciding to fast is what about starvation mode? Here is a question that gets asked a lot, “If I fast and enter starvation mode won’t my body start holding onto fat instead of burning it off?” Here is Dr. Fung’s answer,

“What they’re talking about is where the body’s metabolism starts to slow down so significantly that instead of burning 2,000 calories a day, your body might burn 1,000 calories a day. In that case, even if you’re eating only 1,500 calories a day, for example, you’re going to gain your weight back. That’s actually what happens when you reduce your calories. We know that … as you cut your calorie intake, your calorie expenditure goes down as well.

Starvation mode actually is guaranteed if you just try and cut your calories. But what’s interesting is that fasting doesn’t do that. What happens during fasting is that … after four days of fasting, the basal metabolic rate is actually 10 percent higher than when you started. The body has not shut down at all. In fact, what it’s done is it switched fuel sources. It switched from burning food to burning [body] fat. Once it’s burning [body] fat, it’s like, ‘Hey, there’s plenty of this stuff. Let’s burn our 2,000 calories’…”

Hence the increase in energy when fasting. If you start to detox then you can feel kinda drained for a few days. After that, you should feel a drastic increase in energy levels.

While fasting can benefit almost everyone, there are some people who should not do extended fasts:

  • Underweight, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 or less.
  • Malnourished (in which case you need to eat healthier, more nutritious food).
  • Children should not fast for longer than 24 hours, as they need nutrients for continued growth. If your child needs to lose weight, a far safer and more appropriate approach is to cut out refined sugars and grains. Fasting is risky for children as it cuts out ALL nutrients, including those they need a steady supply of.
  • Pregnant and/or breastfeeding women. The mother needs a steady supply of nutrients in order to assure the baby’s healthy growth and development, so fasting during pregnancy or while breastfeeding is simply too risky for the child (3).

Dr. Fung has a book The Complete Guide to Fasting which is great if you would like to learn more. This is also a great and true quote from Dr. Fung,

“The most important message, I suppose, is that health is really yours to take back, to take back from all the drug pushers and the people who just want you to take medications and who tell you that you can’t do it and you’ll always have type 2 diabetes,” Fung says.

“The solutions are all there. It’s all within your grasp. It just requires the right knowledge … As physicians, the 19th to 20th century is all about drugs because we had a lot of infections. That was a great model. You take those antibiotics, you get better.

But now as we go onto the 21st century, it’s all metabolic diseases. They’re all dietary diseases. The problem is we’re trying to use drugs for dietary diseases. Then we wonder why our drugs are no good. It’s because the premise is entirely wrong. It’s like bringing a snorkel to a bicycle race. It’s just the wrong thing. We’ve got to move on.”

Everyone has their reasons for completing a fast. For me, I’ve been struggling with Eczema for two years. I had it under control and it has recently flared up. I am going to start an herbal supplement regimen that kills fungus. So I started with a three-day water fast. I added lemons and lemon essential oils to my water as lemon is great to help detox. The first day or two is the worse and you really do feel hungry. After that, it is amazing how you do not really feel hungry anymore. As I start the herbal supplements I will keep ya’ll posted on how it goes.

Since completing our water fast we are now doing vegetables only this week. Last night we had an amazing salad with Tessemae’s Organic Avocado Ranch Dressing and butternut squash zoodles with peppers, onions, and zucchini on top. This tasted like heaven in the mouth! Fasting makes you appreciate healthy food so much more! Everything will taste delicious!

If you have not tried Tessemae’s dressings you so should! It is dairy-free, gluten-free, cage-free eggs, and sugar-free dressing.

As fun as water fasts are, I’m going to enjoy my vegetables this week! I want to know have you tried a fast before? What kind of fast? How did it go and how did you feel afterwards?

“This is the fast that I have chosen … to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke. Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth.” – Isaiah 58:6

Posted on

Summer Wellness- UnMazed Magazine

It is always wonderful to be a contributor for amazing causes. This UnMazed Magazine is a wonderful resource for teens and their parents. There is information available from study tips, academic planning, high school programs, extracurrulars, and academics to supports your students success. There is some amazing content so be sure to take a look!

My article is featured on page 36

 

Posted on

Depression and Curcumin

May is Mental Health Awareness. The CDC reports 1 in 10 Americans experience symptoms of depression. Research has been looking for a long-term natural remedy to treat depression symptoms. Current medication, when taken long term, can cause sedation, weight gain, or physical sensations of pain or numbness.

St. Johns Wort has shown to be beneficial with mild to moderate depression. However, there was not any evidence to suggest that it helped with major depressive disorders.

Research is showing promising results for curcumin blended with turmeric essential oils. Curcumin reverses stress and decreases inflammatory markers in the bloodstream. It helps support healthy levels of serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine. It may also promote neuron growth.

This research looked at Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and was published in the Journal of Phytotherapy Research. They looked at individuals on anti-depressant medication and those who took the curcumin blended turmeric essential oils. What they found was the curcumin turmeric essential oil had the same outcome as those on the medication. However, those on the curcumin/turmeric blend had no side effects of suicidal ideation or psychotic disorders.

This curcumin/turmeric essential oil blend may be the key to a more holistic risk-free intervention. If you or someone you know are experiencing symptoms of depression please seek help. Our office is always available to help 321-444-6750.

 

 

 

Sanmukhani J, Satodia V, Trivedi J, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Phytother Res. 2014;28(4):579-8.

Posted on

Sciatic Pain and Chiropractic

Many of you know the amazing benefits that come from regular chiropractic care! However, there are still many who do not and I am on a mission to change that!

Prevention magazine posted an article this week on treatments for sciatic nerve pain and guess what treatment was listed first?!?!?! That is correct, chiropractic care! They listed a research article that showed, “60% of people with sciatica who didn’t get relief from other therapies and then tried spinal manipulation experienced the same degree of pain relief as patients who eventually had surgery.”

Symptoms can clear up in 6 weeks or take years to resolve. However, with chiropractic care symptoms can resolve much faster and have lasting results! in this study, patients saw a chiropractor for 4 weeks and then began tapering off. The patients who responded to chiropractic care reported benefits that lasted up to one year!

Here is what researcher Dr. Gordon McCmorland, DC had to say, “Spinal manipulation may create a response in the nervous system that relieves pain and restores normal mobility to the injured area. It also reduces inflammation, creating an environment that promotes the body’s natural healing mechanisms.”

So do not suffer through the pain! Call your chiropractor today!

https://www.prevention.com/health/a20428216/best-treatments-for-sciatic-nerve-pain/

Posted on

Turmeric Latte Love

When my eczema was really bad I was bathing in turmeric in addition to drinking it. I was a walking human orange. Turmeric has significant anti-inflammatory effects in the body. Curcumin which is found in turmeric is a powerful antioxidant and has amazing health benefits. Curcumin is great for reducing inflammation, helping regulate blood sugar levels, and reducing pain.

In China turmeric is used to treat abdominal pain. Research has found that turmeric increases mucin secretion and may act as a protective layer in the stomach against irritants. Because of the anti-inflammatory properties patients who received turmeric/curcumin showed significant improvement in their symptoms (1).

In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study with patients who had ulcerative colitis. The patients who received a turmeric/curcumin supplements had a relapse rate much lower than those who took the placebo (2).

Turmeric/curcumin supplementation in clinical studies has also shown improvment in lipid profiles.

There are currently many studies investigating the possible beneficial effects of turmeric/curcumin in a wide variety of illnesses. Turmeric has been used in Asia for many remedies and it may prove to be a great preventative tool for illnesses including cancer, obesity, type-2 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, bacterial infections, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal disease (2–3).

So why not make a turmeric latte part of your routine? It is simple to make and you can drink it during any part of your day. You do not have to be a walking human orange like I was to reap the benefits of turmeric. Below is one of my favorite recipes for a turmeric latte

  • 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Add ingredients, heat over the stove until melted and warm. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and enjoy!

📷 credit: Dr. Axe

Posted on

Chiropractic and Chronic Pain

Every day more than 115 people in the United States die from overdosing on opioids. Deaths involving opioids have quadrupled since 1999. The CDC estimates an economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in the US alone is $78.5 billion per year.

According to the CDC 1 in 5 patients who receive prescription opioids long-term struggle with addiction. However, the pain reported by Americans has not changed.

In 2014 2 million people abused or were dependent on opioids. Opioids numb the patient’s pain and may convince patients that their condition is less severe of has healed which is not the case.

What has been proven in scientific research is that chiropractic care is effective in treating low back and neck pain.

One study found that individuals with low back pain who utilized chiropractic care were 55% less likely to fill prescriptions for opioids when compared to those who did not. They are currently completing a second study on a much larger scale.

In 2017 the American College of Physicians updated their guidelines for treatment of acute and chronic low back pain to recommend first using non-invasive, non-drug treatment before resorting to drug therapies.

The ACP based their recommendation on randomized controlled trials that stated heat therapy, massage, acupuncture and spinal manipulation as possible options for non-invasive, non-drug therapies for low back pain.

Two weeks ago the governor of West Virginia signed a bill into effect that medical doctors must refer their pain patients to either a chiropractor or physical therapist before they can prescribe opioids. This is the first law like this in the country and hopefully other states will join in.

I believe chiropractic can be a force in the fight against the opioid crisis.

Palmer’s Gallup results showed that 80% of people were willing to try an alternative to pain medication. Chiropractic is a great alternative.

Before you decide to take drugs consider chiropractic first and experience the wonderful benefits chiropractic gives. If you have had a good experience with your chiropractor let me know!  Help share the benefits of chiropractic and the difference it can make in your life! Chiropractic is the reason I did not take pain medication my whole life to combat the pain I was experiencing.

If you do not have a chiropractor ask your friends who they see or go to http://www.palmer.edu/alumni/find-a-chiropractor/ to locate a Palmer graduate.

Live well y’all!