Faith Can Heal Say Medical Researchers

This is a time of year that many of us are thinking about Faith. You should be pleased to know that your faith and your health work together! There are hundreds of studies that document a link between faith and health. Here are just a few of those findings:

Longevity
A nationwide study of 21,000 people found that those who regularly attend religious services (more than once a week) live on average 7 years longer than those who never attend.

Blood Pressure
Duke University found a significant protective effect against high blood pressure among Caucasian males who considered religion very important and who attended church regularly.

Recovery From Surgery
A Dartmouth Medical School study found that patients who are comforted by their faith were 3 times more likely to be alive 6 months after open heart surgery than those who found no comfort in religion.

Heart Health
A study in India found that those who prayed regularly were 70% less likely to have coronary heart disease.

Why the relationship between faith and health? That is obviously the subject of much debate. Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School explains that humans under psychological stress experience raised blood pressure, raised heart rates and lowered immunity. He finds that the opposite response can be elicited by combining two steps: repeating a prayer, a word, a sound, a phrase or movement, and disregarding all other thoughts. Meditation, prayer, tai chi and yoga all provoke this healthful state.

Generally the health benefits described above are not attributable to any one particular religion. These positive effects have been noted in observers of many faiths.


Source:
The above is based on the article titled "Heaven Can Wait", by Elena Serocki and published in Readers Digest, May 2001

Chiropractic Adjusments Helping Kids With ADHD

When school became difficult and concentration became strained, Sofie began taking medicine. But the medication had its side effects.

Watch this inspiring story originally reported on WBZ BOSTON to see how Sofie's mother turned to a chiropractor for a solution to her daughter's ADHD.

Click here to watch the video

Source:
wbzTV.com Special Reports

Choosing a Mattress

A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you’re not getting the full support you need.

Be aware that changes in your life can signal the need for a new mattress. For example, if you’ve lost or gained a lot of weight, if a medical condition has changed the way you sleep, or even if you have changed partners.

Every few months, turn your mattress clockwise so that body indentations are kept to a minimum. Generally, your mattress should be replaced every 5 to 8 years to ensure proper support and comfort. If you’re waking up uncomfortable, it may be time for a new mattress.

A 2003 study published in The Lancet found that people who slept on mattresses of medium firmness were twice as likely to report improvement in lowback pain symptoms than those who slept on firm mattresses.

When selecting a mattress, look for one that is:

• Designed to conform to the spine’s natural curves and to keep the spine in alignment when you lie down.
• Designed to distribute pressure evenly across the body to help circulation, decrease body movement and enhance sleep quality.
• Designed to minimize the transfer of movement from one sleeping partner to the other.

When mattress shopping, give each option a good trial run before you buy; lie down on a mattress for a minimum of five minutes to get a good feel of its firmness – sitting on it simply won’t do. Also, don’t hesitate to toss and turn.

Reprinted from the American Chiropractic Association

Wendy's Son Brandon - Player of The Week

Many of you know my assistant Wendy. She handles our insurance billing and is a friendly smiling face around the office. But there is a side of Wendy that you may not yet know: the wrestling-mom, who cheers herself hoarse in the bleachers for her son and wrestling champ, Brandon!

Due to Brandon's phenomenal performance in last weeks Falcon Frenzy tournament Brandon was chosen this week as the Edward Jones/Times-News Prep Player of the Week!

According to West coach Jeff Smith, "Brandon's best attribute is that he is absolutely relentless for six minutes on the mat. He only has one gear: wide open. Other guys have pauses and that's where he catches people".

Brandon gets a chiropractic adjustment before his matches to make sure that his nervous system is operating at its peak and his body is in optimum balance. Like many great athletes, Brandon has found that Chiropractic care can give an athlete an edge over the competition.

He has racked up quite a record of success and we are all very proud to see him achieve!


Related Articles

Read the Times-News Online Article

Read Brandon's July article in Spine~Mail

Read what celebrities and athletes say about Chiropractic

Make a Note of These Changes To Our Practice

2007 has been a great year. We have made a number of improvements to our practice.
Here are a few things that have changed or are changing:

New Hours:
We have expanded our hours a bit. We have added an additional hour for patients who wish to come during the lunch hour. We have had to cut a half hour from our early morning hours to do this.

Our new hours are
Mon -Thurs 9-1 and 3-6
Friday 9-1

New Digital Foot Scanner:
Due to the increasing popularity of custom made shoe orthotics we added some new technology to the practice earlier this year. In previous years we were making molds of patients feet and mailing the molds to our custom orthotics center (Foot Levelers). We are now able to make a digital foot scan instead. This scan is sent electronically and the creation of your custom orthotic begins within minutes. This has dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes for us to receive your custom orthotics in the mail. Additionally the scan is fascinating to see. If you haven't had your feet scanned and wish to, ask our front desk to schedule a scan at no charge!



New Website:
The new website has really taken off. It is now averaging about 685 hits per day. In the last month the site has had visitors from 17 countries!

New Email Newsletter:
Our email newsletter has been a huge success. You may be surprised to know that every time you see one of our email news updates, that same update is being read by subscribers on 4 continents! All of our newsletters are written for the benefit of our patients and the majority of our subscribers are right here in Western North Carolina. But many non-patients have subscribed through the website. We now have subscribers in places like Russia, China and Iran!

New Remodeling:
We are almost finished with our renovation of the back room. We have patched holes, painted walls, replaced blinds, tore out the old cabinets and put in a new floor. Soon we will have our new cabinets. This will give us more space for new patients as it will function as an extra exam room.

New Maintenance Plans:
This one is still in the works. We are currently developing several maintenance "packages" that will provide significant discounts to patients who wish to maintain their spinal health through periodic maintenance adjustments. These will become available in January. We will keep you posted!

Of course, amidst all these changes there are some things that we'll never change:
We will always put our patients first. We'll always give our patients all the attention and care they need and deserve! We love helping you and we hope to one day be able to do the same for all of your friends and family!

The Key to Better Aging is Mobility Says New Study

In a paper published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers closely examined the factors that affected Health-Related Quality-of-Life for a group of older Americans. The study revealed that mobility is a key factor impacting quality of life for older adults.

The researchers concluded that "Taken together with past research, which has demonstrated that loss of mobility predicts loss of independence, mortality, and nursing home admission, it is clear that interventions that can preserve or improve mobility in older adults could produce increases in both quantity and quality of life."

As a chiropractor I have always taught my patients that when it comes to their physical health, they must "use it or lose it". Mild stretching along with moderate exercise are a great start for most patients. Add to this a daily 30 minute walk during which you focus your mind in meditation, re-affirm your daily decisions and pray and you have a recipe for a long, happy, healthy life! Chiropractic adjustments are designed not only to improve nerve flow and relieve pain, but to restore your range of motion and balance.

The New Year is right around the corner. Maintain your mobility with stretching, exercise, regular adjustments and a hearty daily walk! Thus you will add "Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years!"

Reference:
Science Daily
American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Chiropractic Side Effects Evaluated by New Study

A new study published in October sought to evaluate the risks of serious adverse side effects following neck adjustments. The findings were surprising and may change the way physicians view chiropractic care.

The researchers collected data from over 50,000 cervical spine (neck) adjustments. Though they did find minor side effects (like light-headedness, headaches or numbness), they found no serious adverse side effects. That is right, not a single serious adverse side effect in over 50,000 neck adjustments!

Chiropractic remains one of the safest, cheapest and most effect treatments available and certainly a preferred treatment for spine related disorders like neck pain and headaches.

References:
Spine
Mercola