Anxiety & Depression

It is appropriate to first discuss research that suggests the spine may be an anatomical extension of the limbic system. The limbic system is the site where feelings are mediated. These feelings are expressed through the reward cascade model as first proposed by Blum and Kozlowski (1990). We now know many naturally occurring brain and spinal cord substances play a role in both emotions and pain reduction, leading to an increased sense of wellbeing. In this regard, Pert and Diensfrey (1988) and Lewis and colleagues (1981) suggested the limbic system should include not only the amygdala and hypothalamus, but also the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. In fact they point out that a number of neuropeptide receptors having psychophysiological effects can be found in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Burstein and Potrebic (1993) of the Department of Neuro-Biology at the Harvard Medical School provide evidence for direct projection of the spinal cord neurons to the amygdala and orbital cortex. Further, these authors suggest that these pathways play a role in neuronal circuits that enable somatosensory information, including pain, to effect autonomic, endocrine, and behavioral functions. Giesler, Katter & Dado (1994) found specific spinal pathways which project to the limbic system for nociceptive information, and these pathways seem to include the hypothalamus bilaterally. In unpublished work conducted prior to the previously mentioned network study, Holder and Blum decided to test the hypothesis that chiropractic care goes beyond its known role in musculoskeletal disorders. This is based on the speculation that via adjustment of the spine, a subluxation free spine would facilitate an enhanced sense of well-being via limbic activation of dopamine release at the nucleus accumbens. We therefore carried out preliminary studies at the Exodus Treatment Center in Miami, Florida, where we incorporated chiropractic procedures (Torque Release Technique) to see if we could significantly affect psychological states, drug withdrawal, and patient retention rates in inpatient SUD residents.

The investigation was a randomized clinical trial, blinded and with a placebo control to mimic the subluxation-based chiropractic treatment. The study included 98 human subjects and consisted of three groups: a standard residential treatment group, a standard residential treatment group plus chiropractic adjustments, and a standard residential treatment plus placebo chiropractic adjustments. The results analyzed reveal that chiropractic adjustments are producing a significantly improved retention rate within a 30 day residential model compared to both the placebo and the standard groups, with a statistically significant improvement in anxiety and depression scores (based on a battery of seven psychological inventories) when compared to sham controls, as well as a significant reduction in nursing station visits compared to controls. While these results are intriguing and open to a number of possible interpretations, the study needs to be replicated by an independent laboratory before any conclusions can be drawn.

This study relates association between chiropractic care and state of well-being. Dr. Holder chose addicts for the study population since addicts best represent those persons suffering from Reward Deficiency Syndrome (a lack of state of well-being) and its relationship to the Brain Reward Cascade. Therefore, the study was conducted at Exodus Addiction Treatment Center, a 350-bed Addiction hospital located in Miami, Florida. During the 18-month study, the patient population was divided into three test groups. Group One received standard addiction treatment including group therapy, psychotherapy and medical care. Group two received the same addiction treatment but was also provided subluxation-based chiropractic adjustments using the Torque Release Technique delivered via the use of the Integrator adjusting instrument. Group Three was the placebo group which received the same addiction treatment performed in Group One and two, but was also provided placebo chiropractic adjustments by modifying the Integrator to fire without any force or frequency characteristics.

Just 56 per cent of Group One finished their treatment program, compared with 75 per cent of Group Three (placebo group), but this was not statistically significant thereby failing to support that chiropractic had a placebo effect. However, 100 per cent of the patients in Group two receiving true chiropractic adjustments finished their treatment program. This 100 per cent Retention Rate has never been accomplished by any other modality including pharmaceutical, psychological or medical treatment. Retention Rate is the “gold standard” in the field of addiction treatment. It is the primary yardstick for funding treatment programs that government funding agencies and drug courts use to fund and/or refer patients to. There are now over 400 drug courts requiring treatment instead of incarceration throughout the United States. The Miami Drug Court was the first. In addition, Group two also made far fewer visits to the nurse’s station and showed statistically significant decreases in anxiety, a leading cause of relapse to addicts. Only nine per cent of those receiving adjustments by Torque Release Technique made one or more visits to the nurse’s station while in the program, compared to 56 per cent of the placebo group and 48 per cent of the usual care group, This suggests that the chiropractic adjustments not only lacked a placebo effect, but that the placebo group did the worst. This was quite important since our detractors like to blame chiropractic’s success on some sort of placebo effect; they certainly can’t in this case.

The Beck’s Depression Inventory revealed that chiropractic care got depression levels below a score of 5 in 4 weeks, something which usually took one year of medication and psychotherapy to achieve the same result. The Spielberger State Anxiety Test revealed that chiropractic care got anxiety levels below a score of 35 in 3 weeks. Normally it took six months of medication and psychotherapy to achieve the same result. The study clearly showed a strong association between chiropractic care and significant improvement in state of well-being and increased retention of patients in an addiction treatment program. Currently, retention is a major hurdle in treating addictions.

There are five addictions: chemical, work, eating disorders, sex and gambling. This includes but is not limited to the compulsive disorders such as ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, depression and anxiety disorders, Anecdotal Torque Release Technique research has revealed restoration of abnormal EEG brain wave activity in ADHD following subluxation correction. By error of omission, the leading cause of death in North America is drug-related and is the leading cause of crime at 84 per cent. Interestingly, there are three causes of subluxation: mental, chemical, physical. Addicts who finish a 30-day program have a much better chance of overcoming their addiction and staying clean. However, nationally, only 72 per cent of all participants manage to complete such a program. That’s why the 100 per cent retention rate offered by subluxation correction in this study is so important. Too many people who could be helped by these programs are dropping out too soon. If we can get them to stay in the program, we can begin to see real progress in our battle against addictions. Success can be attributed to a “major change in the anxiety levels, which went down much more dramatically in the chiropractic group. “In these kinds of treatment facilities, if you make an effort that’s successful to reduce anxiety, you can keep people around longer,” my colleague Dr. Robert Duncan added. The Torque Release Technique and the Integrator were created out of this study by accident. In designing the study Dr. Holder had to find a way to ensure consistency and reproducibility in the application of delivering the chiropractic adjustment and to measure its outcome. To accomplish this it was necessary to adjust by instrument rather than by hand. However, chiropractic had not yet developed an instrument that reproduced what the chiropractor’s hands were intended to do; and the most classical thrust maneuver by hand was Toggle Recoil.

CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR The Magazine for Canada’s Chiropractic Profession OCTOBER 2001, VOLUME 6 NUMBER 5 26

Asthma

Approximately 14 Americans die each day from asthma. Asthma is one of only three diseases that has shown an increasing death rate in recent years, up 58% since 1979. According to current estimates, 17 million Americans suffer from the disease, making it the most common and costly illness in the United States. Asthma causes more hospitalizations than any other child hood disease, costing families over $13 billion annually. Although many forms of Asthma can be mild, they should not be taken lightly. Asthma is a warning sign that something is wrong in the body. Chiropractic studies have linked vertebral subluxation and nerve interference with the underlying causes of Asthma.

In one study, 81 children underwent a 60-day principled chiropractic treatment for the removal of vertebral subluxation. At the end of the 60 days, 90.1% of the children showed significant improvement in their symptoms as well as a decreased frequency of asthmatic attacks. This study concluded that vertebral subluxation treatment is a safe non-pharmacological healthcare approach to decreasing asthma-related impairment (more commonly known as asthma attacks). The findings suggest a need for further investigation on the effects of chiropractic care as a management regimen for pediatric asthmatics.

Another study compared 47 people who were medically diagnosed with asthma that underwent a research study through 3 months of regular chiropractic care and all 47 of them showed great improvement. These are just a few of many studies to show very significant results with chiropractic and asthmatic symptoms.

The spinal nerves that come out of the neck and upper thoracic area have major control over the lungs. It is critical that there are no levels of vertebral subluxation in these areas, as sublaxation can interfere with the signals being sent from the brain through the spinal nerves controlling the lungs, which may lead to asthmatic-like conditions.

Back Pain

Over 31 million Americans experience back pain at any given time, and low back pain is the number-one cause of disability worldwide. The United States alone spends over $50 million a year for back-pain-related issues. In fact, low back pain is the second leading cause of doctor’s visits, behind only upper respiratory problems.

Due to the frequency of low back pain, there have been hundreds of research studies that prove the benefits of chiropractic. For example, one study examined 101 patients with acute low back pain and divided them into three groups. Group 1 receive chiropractic adjustments, Group 2 received pharmaceuticals, and Group 3 was a control group that received no treatment. Almost all of the participants in the control group dropped out of the study because they could not deal with the pain. Both Groups 1 and 2 showed improvement, though Group 1 (the chiropractic group) showed

A new research study actually reveals that back surgery fails in 74% of cases. Researchers reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation, or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses. After two years, just 26% of those who had surgery had actually returned to work, compared to 67% of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling finding, researchers determined that there was a 41% increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery.

Any type of back pain is a warning sign of internal body issues that need to be corrected. Subluxation-based chiropractors focus on getting to the root of the problem so your body can recover, heal, and work the way it was designed to.

Digestive Problems

According to a new survey, 74% of Americans live with chronic digestive symptoms including diarrhea, gas, bloating, and abdominal pain. What many people may not know is that these symptoms could indicate a more serious condition related to the nerves.

The central nervous system controls all the organs in the body, including the stomach, intestines, gallbladder, and other abdominal functions. If an abdominal organ is in trouble, it may send excessive signals back to the brain. This can cause a sensation of discomfort in either the area near the organ or in one of the pain referral areas associated with that organ. A well-known organ that refers pain is gallbladder, and the gallbladder can refer pain to the back and shoulder area when it becomes symptomatic.

According to a recent study by Dr. [name?] Takeda, there is a possible link between misalignments in the spine causing nerve interference (vertebral subluxations) and Crohn’s disease. This research, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, emerged from a previous study involving more than 3,000 patients diagnosed with allergies and over 1,000 non-allergic patients. It focused on the relationship between immune function, spinal displacements called vertebral subluxations, and how reducing those displacements resulted in improvement – and in some cases complete remission – of symptoms of Crohn’s disease. This is just one of many research studies demonstrating the power of specific chiropractic adjustments and the digestive system.

Also worth noting is that one of the areas chiropractic helps with the most is stress. Many people notice that when they are in periods of stress, their appetites and digestive patterns change. In a sense, the gut – with its extensive neural network – has a mind of its own, though it is still dependent on the brain. Chiropractic adjustments reduce stress on a cellular (including neurological) level, which in turn alleviate digestive issues.

Headaches

Everyone has headaches at some point in life, and they manifest in four different types: tension, cluster, migraine and trigger point headaches. Each type can present in different ways. Some can be mild, while others are severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Because they have become so common, many people consider headaches a normal part of life, but at no point in life are headaches normal. A headache is a warning sign that something in your body has gone awry.

Research study after research study, new findings continue to demonstrate that chiropractic adjustments are among the most effective headache treatments. This is no surprise to chiropractors, as a majority of headaches originate in the neck region, which a majority of chiropractors specialize in. A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that “spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than commonly prescribed medications.” These findings support an earlier study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that found spinal manipulative therapy to be effective for treating tension headaches. This study also found that those who stopped chiropractic treatment after four weeks continued to experience a sustained benefit in contrast to those patients who received pain medication.

The following suggestions can significantly reduce or even prevent headaches:

  • If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, at a sewing machine, typing, or even reading, take a break and stretch every 30 to 60 minutes. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
  • Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.
  • Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers, except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches.
  • Drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.
  • Schedule regular chiropractic adjustments to keep the stress off you neck.

America’s Health is Inside Out

In America, most approach health from the outside in. We make up only 3-5% of the world population and consume 60% of all prescription drugs.

In fact, a new study just released by the Mayo Clinic stated that 2/3 of all Americans are taking prescription drugs on a daily basis. Ten years ago a study showed that the U.S. was ranked 24th in overall health, let’s fast-forward ten years, we are now ranked 49th. 49TH! Our infant survival rate past one day old is 69th in the world. 69TH! Cuba and Panama are ahead of us. These are developing world countries we are talking about that are beating us in healthcare. Last year, we spent near $10 trillion on healthcare and that number is only rising.

If we consume more drugs than anyone else in the world, spend more money on our health than anyone else in the world, shouldn’t we be healthier than anyone else in the world?

If health came from large sums of money and prescriptions drugs, we would be. Now don’t let the word non-prescription fool you either. Around 50,000 Americans die each year from Aspirin due to stomach bleeding. According to the Mayo Clinic thousands of individuals die each year due to liver failure caused by consuming too much Tylenol and Advil. At {BUSINESS NAME} we focus on educating the greater {LOCAL COMMUNITIES} on how to obtain a truly healthy lifestyle. Explore our website to find how chiropractic may be the solution to your health problems.

Don’t You Love To Get Sick!

America is sicker than ever and a majority of us choose to live in denial. We were not born into this world with a destiny leading to sickness. What kind of messed up world would this be if that was the truth? The reality is most people believe all of this sickness is normal so we unfortunately do live in a pretty messed up world right now. Seriously, who doesn’t like to get sick these days? We have such great drugs…why bother trying to stay healthy in the first place?

Most Common Excuses

  • I don’t have time
  • I don’t have the money
  • I would just rather live with it
  • I take a baby aspirin already

It is time to put these excuses behind you. If you don’t give time for your health now it surely will not give you time in the future. I know there are a lot of gamblers out there so if you choose to gamble with your health more power to you. Did you know the most common person that seeks chiropractic care is a middle aged person with a high IQ? Hmmmm…I wonder why? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the way most Americans approach their health is not working.

Some of the most common sicknesses people deal with on a daily basis.

  • Asthma
  • Allergies
  • Pain
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Headaches

Most Common Treatments and Side effects

  • Asthma: Inhalers—tremors, nervousness, headaches, diarrhea, to name a few…
  • Allergies: Claritin—seizures, passing out, jaundice, irregular heart rate and more!
  • Pain: Aspirin, Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen (I won’t bother getting into the prescription drugs)—hives, rash, heart burn, stomach problems, kill over 100,000 adults and children a year!
  • Anxiety and Depression: Psychotropic drugs—breathing problems, weight changes, memory loss, nervousness, unusual bleeding.
  • Headaches: See “Pain” and side effects.

Sign me up! I can’t believe I am missing out on all the health and fun! All of this information was taken from WebMD and are real facts and statistics. These are only a few of the side effects for the medications listed. I would have put them all but unfortunately ran out of room.

I am just so thankful for the Principled Chiropractor that sat me down and educated me where true health comes from. Thanks to him I have been leading a healthy life and have been able to lead my family, friends and community in the same direction. Chiropractic boosts the Immune System naturally which leads to less sickness. At Apex Chiropractic we deliver this same message once a week, not only to empower you, but your friends and family members as well. It is free to the members of our community in {COMMUNITIES} area. Please call us at {PHONE} for more information.

Drugs Are the Answer

What is your most valuable asset in life? This is a no brainer but I just wanted to make you think about it more than you probably have in the past. It is you and your family’s health of course! In today’s society it is extremely important to find someone you can trust your family’s health with in a natural non-invasive way. We have a major health crisis going on in the United States and people are sicker than ever, yet 97% of Americans are still going about their health the same old way. I like to refer to this as the “American Pill Cycle” and it goes something like this.

  • Headache?—Take This (now that upset my stomach)
  • Upset Stomach—Take This (now I can’t focus)
  • Now you can’t focus—Take This (this Adderall still has me wired)
  • Finally home and can’t sleep—Take This (I love my Ambien I sleep great)
  • Wake up the next morning with a headache—REPEAT!

There are many different variations of this cycle and I am sure you and I both know someone who is following this routine always trying to cover up the symptoms instead of asking themselves why this keeps happening. My father once told me the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I never related this to health before, but if we keep doing the same things we are doing now we are never going to get healthier. We will just keep on heading the wrong direction until there is no hope left. It is time for a change! Drugs are the answer for the flawed concept of health so many people have! They do have a time and a place and can save lives but too many of us rely on them for everything.

  • My blood pressure is under control because of the pill I will have to take every day for the rest of my life
  • I am at major risk for a heart attack but my doctor said to take an aspirin every day and I will be fine
  • I don’t want to have babies right now so I take a pill to turn off my reproductive system and just hope that it works normal again when I am ready to have them
  • I cry and get upset when people die (which is normal!) but my doctor gave me a pill so I don’t get depressed over it
  • Blah, blah, blah, blah…keep on living this way if you want!

Relatively speaking, Medicine/Pharmaceuticals are very new in the health care field and we need to be extremely careful with them. We have countries like Cuba and Panama (third world countries) with better health care systems and longer survival rates than we do. Looking to the spine for the root of all disease has been around since Hippocrates was alive and we need to stray back to our roots of natural health.

Let me ask you a question. Who do you think controls what we here on the radio and television every day that is broadcasted to billions of people? Pharmaceutical companies! No one has the money to compete with them and they are brainwashing people on a daily basis which has lead us into this health crisis and lead them to be the largest business in the world.

Chiropractic is not the same as it used to be as long as you go to a new aged Principled Chiropractor. This profession has advanced tremendously over the years and should be a first resort as well as a routine part of every man, women and child’s life! Specific Scientific Chiropractic is giving people their life back every day in a natural and drug free way. How do you want to live the rest of your life?

Tired of dealing with Anxiety and Depression?

Anxiety is an increasingly common condition. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it’s the most prevalent mental disorder, affecting 40 million U.S. adults. When left untreated, anxiety, depression and addictions can control your life.

Dr. Shane Kurth, a Torque Release Technique Chiropractor in Louisville, CO, has had firsthand experience of the toll anxiety can take on your life. Anxiety had controlled his life for as long as he can remember. After going to the hospital after his first panic attack he tried just about every way possible to beat it. Guess what? Chiropractic and specifically the Torque Release Technique, the newest most advanced and scientific technique chiropractic has to offer, have saved his life! He is one of the thousands of people who have sought out this anxiety treatment and have had life changing results.

Our Chiropractic office in {LOCATION} has people coming in to experience the natural treatment plans we offer to get people’s lives back on track! The treatment is extremely effective and the results are coming way quicker than any medication has to offer. We are helping people overcome: Anxiety, depression, addiction, ocd, insomnia, adhd and more!

We are helping families fro{LOCAL COMMUNITIES} achieve a better quality of life through specific scientific chiropractic!