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Monday, July 21, 2008

Chiropractic Helps Tony Schumacher After 320 MPH Crash - Watch Amazing Video

World champion drag racer, Tony Schumacher was at the peak of his career when his car disintegrated at 320 mph. His wife Cara watched from the stands in horror.

Tony's 8000 horse power engine propelled him from 0 to over 300 mph in 4 seconds until he reached about 1000 feet down the track. Then tragedy struck. The rear wing, which prevents the car from becoming airborne, broke off. The car disintegrated.

When Tony's unconscious body was cut from the roll cage he was unresponsive and he was not breathing. Cara yelled out that she loved him as he was rushed to a waiting helicopter.

Watch the Discovery Health video below:
(Note: The chiropractic portion occurs about 5:30 into the video.)



Tony had suffered numerous injuries and received excellent medical care. Though his injuries were healing well, he was suffering debilitating headaches and dizziness that could end his career and no one knew why. At the recommendation of a friend, Cara took Tony to a chiropractor.

Tony described the result of his chiropractic care this way: "It was amazing, I sat up, every thing was gone, no pain, the color came back to my face and I thought to myself, that is like magic."Soon Tony was back at it and feeling better than ever.

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Migraines, Sleep Habits and Melatonin

Another new study has linked Migraine headaches and sleep disturbances.

When hyperactive nerve cells send impulses to blood vessels, Migraines can be the result. This is accompanied by the release of brain chemicals and inflammatory substances that cause the pulsations to be painful.

Research recently published in the journal Headache demonstrated a link between migraines and sleep disturbance. Researchers conducted a detailed sleep interview with 147 women with migraines. When asked whether they were refreshed or tired upon waking, none reported feeling refreshed, and more than 80% said they were tired when they woke.

In a second study on sleep habits and migraines, also published in Headache, researchers provided stronger evidence that good sleep habits reduce both the number and intensity of migraine headaches. In these findings, 43 women with transformed migraines received behavioral sleep instructions or placebo instructions in addition to usual medical care. The women recorded their migraine headaches in diaries. At the end of the study, the women who received behavioral sleep instructions reported a significant reduction in migraine headache frequency and intensity.

Taking melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime can help curb migraine headaches, according to a small study by Brazilian scientists.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain's pineal gland; it helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Imbalances in the level of melatonin in the body may be related to headaches like migraines and cluster headaches.

The findings, which come from a team of researchers led by Mario F.P. Peres, MD, PhD, of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paolo, Brazil, show that melatonin may be used as a preventive therapy for frequent migraine sufferers.

During the study's last three months, participants took 3 milligrams of melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime.

Sources:
Peres, M. Neurology, August 2004; vol 63: p 757
American Headache Society: "Headache Hygiene Tips." The International Headache Society: "Epidemiology of Headache." WebMD Medical Reference: "Women and Headache: Migraine." The Women's Guide to Ending Pain by Howard S. Smith, MD, and Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD. Calhoun AH. Ford S. Finkel AG. Kahn KA. Mann JD. Neurology. 2006; vol 46: p 1039. Calhoun AH. Ford S. Headache, 2007; vol 47: pp 1178-83. Vincent Fortanasce, MD, neurologist, psychiatrist; author, Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription. Ronald Fieve, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center; author, Bipolar II. The Fibromyalgia Handbook, Harris H. McIlwain, MD, and Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD. Medicinenet, "Migraine Headache."

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Friday, October 19, 2007

Choosing a Handbag: Oprah Asks a Chiropractor for Advice


Find out if you suffer from "Big Bag Syndrome". Neck pain, headaches and back pain may be the result!

Oprah Winfrey asked chiropractor Isis M. Medina to weigh in on hundreds of handbags and assess the potential damages for the October 2007 issue of "O - The Oprah Magazine".

Dr. Isis M. Medina's rule is that you should tote no more than 10 percent of your body weight—so a bag that's more than five pounds when empty is a bad start. If your load is excessive, your head and neck jut forward rather than staying over your shoulders, which can lead to headaches, neck tension, and back pain.

Additionally she stresses the importance of posture, strength and straps, and adds lots of valuable tips for women trying to choose the right purse.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Additional Reading: My Bag Is Killing Me

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Saturday, June 9, 2007

Chiropractic Helps Migraines, Clinical Trial Says


72% of migraine sufferers experienced either 'substantial' or 'noticeable' improvement after chiropractic treatment, according to clinical trials performed at a university in Australia. This study defies the historical bias against chiropractic that some medical practitioners have maintained.

The 123 participants in the study had suffered migraines for an average of 18 years. Approximately 22 per cent of patients had a 60% reduction or better and an addition 50% noted "quite noticeable improvement"- The results are very significant because many of the migraine medications are very strong drugs which have lots of side effects. Some of the migraine medications also have the problem of giving instant relief to the migraine, but creating another 'rebound migraine' the next day.

"Chiropractic is not the be all and end all, but for a good percentage of migraine sufferers the neck is a significant contributing factor, and for them chiropractic treatment is really effective. I'm not saying that everybody's going to be cured, but there's very little to lose" says Dr. Peter Tuchin, the studies author. "I think the vast majority of medical practitioners are now open to chiropractic, but there's a very small percentage who don't realise what developments we've had, what inroads we've made," Tuchin says.






Dr. Richards' Comments:
It is refreshing to see this kind of research finally being done. It troubles me however, that such research has to come from another continent. American medical schools are still dangerously addicted to pharmaceutical research dollars and as such must avoid conducting research that would point patients away from the drug store or risk losing their other research grants. As a Chiropractor, I love to help patients with migraines. The results of chiropractic care are often dramatic and life changing. Please click the link to the headache testimonials page to read the real stories of real patients.

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Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Headaches Related to Risk for Vision Problems


Middle aged migraine sufferers are more likely to suffer retinal damage and blindness than non-sufferers.

"Middle-aged people with a history of migraine and other headaches are more likely to have retinopathy," said the study's lead author Kathryn M. Rose, PhD, with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This association persisted after controlling for diabetes, glucose levels, cigarette smoking, blood pressure, and use of blood pressure medications."

The researchers believe that these findings point to the
circulatory system as an underlying factor. A previous study linked the occurrence of migraines with both retinopathy and strokes.

Ref: EurekAlert

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