Back Pain Relief in a Bowl of Cherries

Back pain is the most common reason people seek out the aid of a chiropractor, and when they do, most are looking for a mechanical solution. While spinal adjustments and other direct forms of treatment can have a powerful affect on back pain, many of our client doctors also will consider the impact of nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight. A holistic approach to pain relief will include an evaluation of the role food plays in a patient’s health. The latest issue of Reader’s Digest lists some common foods that may help ease chronic back pain, and a few that...

Common Supplements No Better Than Placeb...

There have been a few recent studies debunking the effectiveness of the commonly recommended supplement glucosamine. In August, we wrote about a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found glucosamine provided no additional pain relief to patients with lower back pain (view article via one of our client site, Dr. Mark Surles, a chiropractor in Brewton, Alabama). Now a second study, published in the British Medical Journal, questions the use of both glucosamine and chondroitin for patients with joint pain. Researchers reviewed the results...

Write yourself out of back pain…or...

We have a new article today on a really intriguing study in the journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy that looked at how fear-avoidance–the fear of pain, rather than actual pain–can impact a patient’s recovery from a low-back injury.  The study found that a patient’s perception after an initial consultation with a chiropractor could largely predict how positive or negative their eventual outcome would be.  Check out the article through one of our client sites, Dr. Daniel Benko in Schererville, IN. The study was notable for investigating the way...

Do 3-D Movies Cause Headaches?

The Boston Globe ran an interesting article last week about the possible effects that 3-D technology might have on consumers. As movies featuring 3-D, like this summer’s Toy Story 3 and Piranha 3D, become more commonplace, some viewers have reported bouts of nausea and headaches after watching these films. The article reports that: At a recent screening of “Piranha 3D’’ in Boston, most of the 20 or so moviegoers reported feeling mild dizziness or headaches after watching the movie. The use of 3-D technology is only set to expand from theaters into our...

Scratching the Surface of the Science of...

There was an interesting piece in The New York Times‘ Well blog this week about the ways scientists continue to test whether the pain relief acupuncture patients receive can be chalked up entirely to the placebo effect. The latest volley in this ongoing argument comes from a study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research, which found that acupuncture delivered no greater relief than a sham treatment. But some critics of the study take issue with that sham treatment, which also employed needles and may have triggered some of the same physical reactions as...

Long Commutes Lead to Neck and Back Pain

More good news for those of us whose kitchen/living room/garage doubles as a home office. Our slipper-powered commuting habits might just be saving us from neck and back pain, as well as from an expensive monthly gas bill. A telephone survey conducted last month for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index asked 173,581 employed adults about their commuting habits and health conditions. The researchers found that among people who reported a commute of more than 45 minutes from home to the office, 29% also report experiencing recurring neck or back pain in the past year. That...

Do you suffer from “Text Neck?R...

Take a look at the people around you today–chances are good that a high percentage of them will be staring at their hands. But they’re not necessarily twiddling their thumbs; they’re probably texting. The proliferation of handheld electronic devices–cell phones, mp3 player, Blackberrys, and the like–mean that many of us (especially younger people) spend several hours a day looking directly down and forward, hunched over a handheld device. Over time, this repetitive position can strain the neck and back, leading to headaches, neck pain, even a...

Back to School; Back to Back Pain?

As kids and parents prepare for the final back-to-school push this week, many are investing in new backpacks and stacks of schoolbooks. But while heavy course loads may be great training for young minds, heavy backpacks can put a real crick in young backs (link courtesy of one of our client sites – Dr. Michael Hillenbrand in Philadelphia, PA). An article in the Toronto Sun highlights some of the ergonomics that take a toll on kids and their backs, noting that the poor designs of school desks, chairs, and many backpacks encourage slouching and poor posture. The...