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Chiropractic Thots #2: What Can Chiropractic Help With?

Hey, Dr. Michael Schuneman here, chiropractor at Life Symmetry Chiropractic. Today’s chiropractic thot deals with a question that I hear a lot, “what can chiropractic help with?”

Most people have an idea that chiropractic can help with back pain, neck pain, headaches and things like that. Which is true. However, if you saw the first chiropractic thot video you learned that the first chiropractic patient was helped with his hearing and not pain! I want you to think about a couple of questions “what effect does reducing stress have on health?” and “what effect does strengthening the immune system have on health?”

As you’re thinking about those questions, we are going to get into a little more chiropractic history. That history deals with 1917-1918 Flu Epidemic which is one thing that helped lead to chiropractic being licensed in many states.

During 1917-1918 Flu Epidemnic it is estimated the flu was responsible for 500,000 deaths in the US alone. To put that in perspective currently that is a little less than deaths from heart disease or cancer in the US each year. Those are currently the #1 and #2 causes of death in the US.

During flu epidemic people started noticing that chiropractic patients had much better outcomes than medical patients. Here are a few stats, in Davenport, Ia where chiropractic had its start, medical doctors treated 4,953 cases with 274 deaths. That is not bad, it’s a 94.47% survival rate. However, chiropractors in Davenport saw 1,635 cases with only one death. That is a survival rate of 99.94%! Now if you are like me when you hear a statistic like that you may think, “Okay but they probably weren’t getting the bad cases of flu.” Not necessarily. In Oklahoma there were 233 flu cases that had been treated by medical doctors and given up as hopeless, that were then treated by chiropractors and all survived except 25. That is an 89.27% survival rate for a group that were given up as dead! That is amazing!

How can this be? Well, the nervous system coordinates and controls all functions in the body, including the immune system. Besides this historical evidence there have been a few studies that have shown that after a chiropractic adjustment the immune system is strengthened.

When the spine is misaligned or not moving properly, what we call a ‘spinal subluxation’ in chiropractic terms, it affects how well the nervous system functions. Spinal subluxations cause interference with the information sent through the nervous system and the body cannot function at its best because of blocked or garbled signals. Think of trying to give someone directions over a bad cell phone connection and you’ll get the idea.

So to answer what can chiropractic help with? It can help the body overall to function better and therefore I sincerely believe it can help with any health problems! Now I want to be clear, that does not mean that chiropractic is a ‘treatment’ for every disease or will solve every health problem. Chiropractic does not treat a disease or illness like medicine, but it does help the body to function better and that allows the body to heal itself.

I hope you enjoyed this video! Please hit the like button below and leave a comment of what you thought or any questions that you may have. Thanks! We’ll see you on the next thot.

If You Are Skeptical Of Vaccines You Must Be Crazy, Right?

Filling syringe with vaccine

Well the title of today’s blog is a little tongue and cheek. Unfortunately it is what you probably have heard over and over again presented in news reports. Even if the exact words are not used, it is clearly implied. There is being put forth the assertion that vaccines are completely safe and effective and if you question it you are anti-science and are just crazy. It really is interesting how fanatical this mantra can be and how angry people can get if you even hint at questioning that overall vaccines may not be as good as we are led to believe.

Well I will admit I am one of those ‘crazies’ that has questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. I truly believe there are many legitimate questions about vaccines that have not been adequately answered. I think there is a good possibility that in the long-term there are unintended negative effects of vaccination that ultimately may not outweigh the benefit.

The thing that I find funny is that those scientists and doctors that ask questions about vaccines actually make a lot more sense than those that accept that vaccines are completely safe and effective. All people questioning vaccines are not what they are often portrayed as: moms doing research on Google from websites that have no basis in fact. There are very intelligent people with strong scientific backgrounds that question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. And most of those people are not saying the idea of vaccination is bad or that no one should be vaccinated but that there are legitimate questions that have not been answered and there may be a better way to improve immunity than vaccinations.

I was recently reminded of this when reading the transcript of an interview with Dr. Suzanne Humphries. I will touch on a few points made in this interview but I recommend you read it for yourself and see if the things mentioned there make sense. Also look into the points mentioned and see if they are true. The interview can be found here: Paul Offit’s vaccine lies deconstructed: A mind-blowing interview with Dr. Suzanne Humphries.

A little about Dr. Humphries’ background story I think is important. She did not originally question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines because she was a conventionally trained doctor. Her specialty is in nephrology which deals with kidney function. She noticed that some patients would have worsening kidney function after vaccinations. Also she was concerned about the giving of vaccines to very sick patients as a protocol with no real consideration to their health status. When she brought her concerns to hospital administrators she was basically ignored. This is what started her interest in researching vaccines.

I find the things that she talks about very fascinating. We are told that vaccines were responsible for eradicating small pox and wild polio in the US. Looking into the research and background, it is very possible that vaccines did not play a large part in the decrease in these diseases. In another presentation of hers, she talks about the history of polio in the US and some other possibilities besides the vaccine that contributed to the elimination of wild polio in the US. If you are interested you can watch that presentation here: Suzanne Humphries, MD, speaking on Polio at the Association of Natural Health Conference

So in this current interview some of the things discussed are:

  • The measles outbreak at Disneyland
  • People vaccinated with live viruses can shed viruses after vaccination
  • A response about Dr. Paul Offit’s article “What Would Jesus Do About Measles?”
    • Dr. Offit is a big vaccine supporter and actually co-created a vaccine and likely made millions from it
  • There were predictions that due to vaccinations there would outbreaks of diseases in the future
    • This is because the diseases are not eradicated but it changes what populations are most susceptible
  • That vaccine manufacturers are not liable for damages caused by vaccines
    • There is actually a ‘vaccine court’ that is set up to compensate those injured by vaccines
  • There is a current court case against Merck, a big vaccine manufacturer, that they falsified studies on the mumps part of the MMR vaccine to be able to keep licensure of the vaccine
  • ‘Herd immunity’ does not happen with vaccinations and there are several examples of this throughout the world, most notably in China
  • There are other studies besides the one by Dr. Wakefield that looks at a link between vaccines and autism
    • In fact Dr. Wakefield’s study was very small and the conclusion was that there was more research needed to look at the possible connection
  • The importance of nutrition in preventing and managing illness

These are just some of the main things mentioned. I think they do bring up important questions about vaccines. While I do think vaccines have an effect on the progression of the diseases they are intended to prevent, do we know if that is the best thing? Could many of the chronic diseases we see today be in part related to vaccines? We really don’t know and I think these are important questions to consider. I honestly don’t think that these questions are that crazy. One thing I do know is that vaccines make their manufacturers a lot of money and there is a financial incentive for everyone to be vaccinated and the science behind them is not as ‘unquestionable’ as we are told.

If you have thoughts on the matter I would be interested to hear them, but keep it nice. There is no need for name calling, etc.

Several Advantages Of Seeking Chiropractic Care

Chirorpactic Adjustment by hand

Even though chiropractors have been a part of the health care scene for a long time, many people are still not altogether certain of what types of ailments a skilled chiropractor can help them with. Almost everyone knows that chiropractors can help with back problems, but there are other reasons to see one as well. For instance, someone suffering from tingling in their extremities might decide to seek the services of a chiropractor in Colorado Springs. These symptoms can indicate pressure on the nerves that may be alleviated by the services of a qualified chiropractor. In some cases, the right kind of chiropractic therapy can eliminate the need for more drastic measures such as surgery.

Headaches are another common condition that can often be alleviated by a chiropractor. In fact, many primary physicians refer patients to chiropractors if they complain of excessive headaches because headaches are often a sign that something is wrong with the central nervous system. We have found that even those who suffer from severe migraines can often benefit from several sessions with a qualified chiropractor. Neck pain is another popular reason why people seek out chiropractors, and it’s particularly useful in helping alleviate the symptoms of the specific type of neck pain suffered by those who remain stationary throughout the majority of their work day.

We also believe that chiropractic care can increase the overall health of any given patient. For instance, circulation may improve in those under the care of a skilled chiropractor, and this can have a positive impact on many health conditions. Some women even report having an easier time in labor and delivery as a result of regular visits to a chiropractors’ office, while others claim that it relieves menstrual cramps significantly.

Many people have their first experience with a chiropractor as a result of a sports injury, and a significant number of professional athletes see a chiropractor on a regular basis in order to keep their bodies functioning at the highest levels possible. Sports injuries often heal a great deal more quickly if they are treated by a chiropractor along with a traditional sports medicine practitioner.

We know that chiropractic treatment can help with a wide range of ailments, but we always encourage our patients to ask questions and decide for themselves before deciding on a program of chiropractic care.

Absence Of Disease Or Optimal Function?

Man exercising & stretching (small)

I recently have been reviewing and researching some topics in relation to nutrition that has brought to mind again the differences between the medical and chiropractic approaches. Now I am not going to tell you one is better because I honestly think each has its place, however I believe there is some confusion as to what each approach is. We commonly say we have a health-care system in our country, which is really, by far, the medical approach. Unfortunately calling what we have a health-care system is incorrect because what we really have is a sick-care or disease-care system. Now again, there is not really anything wrong with that if you understand what it is. I truly believe the problem comes when people think they have health-care when it is really sick-care.

Many people out there may think, well what’s the difference? While it may seem a subtle difference to some or even just a matter of semantics, I think the difference ends up making a huge difference when it comes to health. But before we go any further, I think we need to define what health is. Contrary to what many people may believe, health is not merely the absence of disease or symptoms. If it was, then a sick-care system might be able to be called health-care. So what is health then? Health is optimal physical, mental, and social well-being. This may still be a little difficult for some to understand the difference so let’s do a little example.

Let’s say John is a 35 year old father of 2 kids, who works long hours to support his family. He sits at his desk a lot of the day at work, is stressed out, and doesn’t eat the best because he grabs something quick at the drive-thru. But at his last yearly check-up nothing showed up ‘wrong’ – his blood pressure was okay, blood tests came back within normal limits, etc. He is a little overweight but that is about it. So what do you think his doctor would say about that physical? That he was healthy? Do you think John is healthy living that lifestyle, even if nothing is ‘wrong’ yet?

You see in a sick-care system you need a ‘sickness’ or ‘disease’ to treat. If John’s cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar was high then the doctor would have something to ‘treat’. And what would the treatment likely be? Honestly, it would probably be drugs to bring whatever lab values back into ‘normal’ range. Maybe the doctor would give some lip service to lifestyle changes with better diet and exercise, but to tell the truth that just isn’t the focus in the medical approach. Unfortunately, most medical doctors don’t have ‘time’ to talk about diet and exercise.

But again if absence of symptoms or disease was health, then using drugs to bring his lab values into ‘normal’ ranges could mean a return to health. Do you think that is health or perhaps is that just not being as sick as before? Perhaps the doctor would not even say he is healthy but his disease is being ‘well-managed’.

That in my mind is what a sick-care system does – it manages or cares for sickness or disease. Again at times that is what we need, but if you think that is going to give you health you would be mistaken.

So what would health-care look like? It is things that would allow you to actually be healthy. It would be a system that supports and helps people to eat better, reduce stress, exercise, etc. Things that can help your body to function at its best. This is what I believe is truly at the heart of chiropractic – helping the body to function at its best.

So going back to our example about John, while in a sick-care approach there would be little to offer him because there is no recognizable disease or sickness to treat, in a health-care approach there is a lot that could be done to help him. For example, learning some stress management techniques. Addressing his lack of exercise and poor eating habits so that he could then get the nutrients he needs to allow his body to function optimally. Regular exercise or movement is essential to a healthy body. We are designed to move and when we don’t bad things happen to our bodies. From a chiropractic perspective this especially applies to the bones of the spine. When the bones of the spine are not moving properly it affects the functioning of the nerve system, which in turn can affect the entire body. Chiropractic care helps to restore proper motion to the spine and allows your nerve system to function better and as a result you body can function more optimally.

I guess the point I want to make is this – that even if you don’t have anything ‘wrong’ with you, you can benefit from chiropractic care! Do you want to have absence of disease or optimal function?

What Is Happening To Our Food?

Recently in London, the world’s first lab-grown hamburger was eaten.  The process for producing the hamburger involves taking stem cells from cows and growing them in a solution of nutrients and growth promoting chemicals.  Over several weeks this creates little pieces of muscle tissue that are then combined into a patty that can be cooked like a regular hamburger patty.  More information can be found here.

I personally find this disturbing.  Why would anyone even think about creating a burger in a lab?  Perhaps it is to say you can or maybe someone likes playing god?  I don’t know exactly, but some of the reasons given by one of the researchers include a growing demand for meat worldwide and a more ‘sustainable’ process of producing meat.  Apparently I am not in the know, but I was not aware of any meat shortages and a diet heavy on meat is not best either.  The best way to produce meat is not on a huge farm or in the lab where you need to add so many unnatural things (antibiotics, hormones, growth factors, etc.).  The best way is the natural way, with the animals eating what they naturally would eat.

You cannot imitate what nature does in the lab!  While you may get something that feels similar and looks similar (after adding other colorings), it is not the same.  We still do not understand all the many details in how animals and cells function.  Don’t get me wrong, we understand many things but how often has the prevailing thought changed, especially on a micro level?

What effects would this synthetic meat have years down the road?  What chemicals are needed to even allow this process to happen?  I think we too often allow unnatural foods (GMO, processing, etc.) into our food supply without knowing the long-term effects.  This seems to me that we are headed in the wrong direction when it comes to our food supply.

To be healthy the best thing to eat is mostly fresh organic fruits and vegetables, meats that are produced on a natural diet (grass fed beef, free range chickens), and limit highly processed foods as much as possible.  A lab-grown burger seems pretty highly processed to me.  If you would like help with eating a more natural diet, contact me and I can help point you in the right direction.

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