Stress has become a fact of life, and for some, the daily norm. Although occasional stress can help improve our focus and performance, living with chronic stress can backfire by causing anxiety, depression, and serious health problems.

Understanding who we are, knowing our major struggles, putting them in perspective, and taking action can help us deal with stress. The following strategies can also improve stress tolerance and help lessen the effects of stress on our health.

Think Positively

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into positive,” said Hans Selye, author of the groundbreaking work around stress theory. When optimism is hard to muster, cognitive-behavioral therapy, which trains people to recognize negative thinking patterns and replace them with more constructive ones, can also help reduce the risk of chronic stress and depression.

Get Out and Enjoy Nature

While modern civilization has made our lives more convenient, it has deprived us of an essential source of stress relief—connection with nature. Studies show that interacting with nature can help lessen the effects of stress on the nervous system, reduce attention deficits, decrease aggression, and enhance spiritual well-being.

“Smell the Roses” for Better Mood

Aromatherapy, or smelling essential plant oils, recognized worldwide as a complementary therapy for managing chronic pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related disorders, can help you unwind. Orange and lavender scents, in particular, have been shown to enhance relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Relax with a Cup of Tea

During stressful times, coffee helps us keep going. To give yourself a break, however, consider drinking tea. Research shows that drinking tea for 6 weeks helps lower post-stress cortisol and increase relaxation. Habitual tea drinking may also reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting your heart health.

Laugh It Off

Humor relieves stress and anxiety and prevents depression, helping put our troubles in perspective. Laughter can help boost the immune system, increase pain tolerance, enhance mood and creativity, and lower blood pressure, potentially improving treatment outcomes for many health problems, including cancer and HIV. Humor may also be related to happiness, which has been linked to high self-esteem, extroversion, and feeling in control.

Build a Support System

Relationships are also key to health and happiness, especially for women. Women with low social support, for example, are more likely to increase blood pressure under stress. Loneliness may also contribute to stress in both men and women, also leading to poorer outcomes after a stroke or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, active and socially involved seniors are at lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Social support also helps cancer patients to boost the immune system and maintain a higher quality of life.

Employ the Relaxing Power of Music

Music, especially classical, can also serve as a powerful stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while preparing a public speech helps avoid anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure, which usually accompany public speaking.

Singing and listening to music can also relieve pain and reduce anxiety and depression caused by lowback pain. Group drumming also showed positive effects on stress relief and the immune system. Music therapy can also elevate mood and positively affect the immune system in cancer patients and reduce fatigue and improve self-acceptance in people with multiple sclerosis.

To help people deal with stressful medical procedures, music can help reduce anxiety before surgery. When played during surgery, it can decrease the patient’s post-operative pain. Aiding recovery, a dose of calming music may lower anxiety, pain, and the need for painkillers.

Calm Your Mind

In recent decades, many forms of meditation have gained popularity as relaxation and pain relief tools. Focusing on our breath, looking at a candle, or practicing a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and actions can help tune out distractions, reduce anxiety and depression, and accept our circumstances. In cancer patients, meditation-based stress reduction enhances quality of life, lowers stress symptoms, and potentially benefits the immune system.

Guided imagery, such as visualizing pictures prompted by an audiotape recording, also shows promise in stress relief and pain reduction. Based on the idea that the mind can affect the body, guided imagery can be a useful adjunct to cancer therapy, focusing patients on positive images to help heal their bodies.

Enjoy the Warmth of Human Touch

Just as the mind can affect the body, the body can influence the mind. Virginia Satir, a famous American psychotherapist, once said that people need 4 hugs a day to help prevent depression, 8 for psychological stability, and 12 for growth. While asking for hugs may not work for some, massage can help us relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Massage has also been shown to reduce aggression and hostility in violent adolescents, to improve mood and behavior in students with ADHD, and to lead to better sleep and behavior in children with autism.

Massage has other therapeutic properties, as well. Regular massage may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lead to less pain, depression, and anxiety and better sleep in patients with chronic low-back pain. Compared to relaxation, massage therapy also causes greater reduction in depression and anger, and more significant effects on the immune system in breast cancer patients.

Give Exercise a Shot

To get the best of both worlds, affecting the mind through the body while getting into good physical shape, try exercise. In one study, a group of lung cancer patients increased their hope due to exercise. Exercise can also reduce depression and improve wound healing in the elderly. Tai chi, which works for people of all ages, may enhance heart and lung function, improve balance and posture, and prevent falls, while reducing stress.

No matter what stress-relief methods you choose, make it a habit to use them—especially if you feel too stressed out to do it. As someone once said, the time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

Causes of herniated discs

Discs can herniate due to various factors that decrease their strength and resilience. This can include certain lifestyle choices such as smoking, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition. Discs are further stressed by daily wear and tear, poor posture, from injury or trauma, or incorrect lifting or twisting. A weakened disc can sometimes herniate from something as simple as a single everyday movement or strain, such as coughing, sneezing or bending.

Signs of a Herniation

You are more likely to suffer a herniated disc between the ages of 30 and 40, and you may not even know it when it happens as it may not cause any pain. The most common symptom, though, is pain in the herniated disc that may radiate out into the hips or buttocks, or pain or numbness radiating down the leg to the ankle or foot. A large herniation may cause weak extension of your big toe and trouble putting pressure on your toes or heels when walking. Severe cases may even prompt changes in bowel or bladder function, and/or sexual function.

Treatment of a Herniated Disc

Chiropractic care, stretching, and exercise therapy are often sufficient to treat mild to moderate disc herniations. More serious cases will often require chiropractic care be coupled with some form of spinal decompression, such as traction or mechanical decompression.

As a last resort, surgery may be needed when a herniation is severe and all other treatment options have failed to bring improvement, or if the spinal cord or nerves are too badly compressed.

Diagnosing fibromyalgia is not easy, and may take many years to properly identify. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) defines fibromyalgia as a history of pain lasting more than 3 months in all four quadrants of the body; that is, on both your right and left sides, and above and below the waist. The ACR further details 18 tender points around the body that are characteristic of fibromyalgia, and diagnosis requires a person to have 11 or more. As well as pain and fatigue, fibromyalgia may also produce:

• Disturbed sleep
• Morning stiffness
• Headaches
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Painful menstrual periods
• Numbness/tingling in the extremities
• Restless legs syndrome
• Sensitivity to temperature
• Cognitive and memory problems (“fibro fog”)

To make diagnosis even more difficult, fibromyalgia can easily be mistaken for “myofascial pain syndrome” or “myofascitis”, as both can cause pain all over the body. However, the two conditions are very different. Myofascitis is the result of inflammation caused by overuse or injury to the muscles, is usually related to a specific activity or injury, and manifests quite suddenly. Fibromyalgia is the result of stress-induced changes to the metabolism and healing process, and appears in a slow, creeping fashion, most often starting in early adulthood. Correctly differentiating between the two is crucial as the relative treatments are nothing like the same.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that may never go away your entire life, although on the plus side, it does not cause any damage to your joints, muscles, or internal organs.

The most up-to-date research suggests that fibromyalgia is a stress-induced condition related to Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (usually just referred to as ‘lupus’) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. All of these conditions target women far more than men, and are marked by similar symptoms such as chronic fatigue, disturbed sleep, and IBS. The main difference is with lupus, which is an autoimmune reaction that attacks the healthy tissues of the body. With fibromyalgia, metabolic abnormalities are the primary issue, causing decreased blood flow to the pituitary gland in the brain. This then lowers certain important hormones, such as those responsible for releasing growth hormone and stimulating the thyroid. Muscle healing is adversely affected, memory and cognition are damaged, and full-blown hypothyroidism may even result.

Specifically, fibromyalgia causes a buildup in the muscle of a protein called “ground substance”. This is found in muscle, bone and connective tissues everywhere in the body, and serves to make these structures stronger and less prone to injury. The excessive amount of ground substance in a fibromyalgia sufferer means that the injured area does not heal properly, leading to the muscle knots characteristic of the condition.

While lupus can be definitively diagnosed with laboratory tests, there are no such surefire tests for fibromyalgia. However, there are a number of tests that can help to rule out certain other disorders, and a physical examination will identify if a person has the characteristic tender areas on the back of the neck, shoulders, sternum, lower back, hips, shins, elbows, or knees. Unfortunately, this lack of 100% certainty can lead some doctors to dismiss a patient’s suffering as “all in the mind”, or – not very much better – to conclude that there is no effective remedy on offer.

This is not true. While fibromyalgia is certainly not easy to treat, a combination of chiropractic, trigger point therapy, massage, and lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) can prove effective in reducing the severity of the condition, and the duration of the associated pain and suffering. This obviously necessitates a team approach, therefore it is important that the sufferer locates professionals who understand the condition and are happy to work together.

Chiropractic treatment of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia causes muscles to tighten and lose their natural pliability, which triggers the spine to decrease its own flexibility, which leads the muscles to tighten even more. It is a vicious cycle that can get worse and worse, causing ever greater pain. Chiropractic care is therefore essential as it ensures that sufferers do not lose too much movement from their spine and muscles. The spine must be properly adjusted and kept moving to counter the insidious creep of fibromyalgia. Treatments should happen three to four times per month, and these sessions will be gentler than normal to take into account the muscles’ susceptibility to injury and their lack of healing ability. When seeking a chiropractor, you need to ascertain that he or she fully understands how the condition affects the muscles.

Trigger point therapy to treat fibromyalgia

Trigger points are tint knots in the muscle fibers, and they can easily be confused with “tender points”. They are not the same, though.

• A trigger point is painful under firm pressure, whereas it takes only very light pressure on a tender point to elicit pain
• Trigger points refer pain to other areas of the body, where tender points do not
• Trigger points can be painful without any pressure exerted on them, as they refer their pain elsewhere
• Trigger points are comprised of knotted muscle fibers that have gone into spasm, whereas tender points are knots filled with ground substance

Fibromyalgia sufferers will almost always have both trigger and tender points, and can benefit greatly from trigger point therapy, albeit a lighter form to ensure that the muscles are not injured.

Cold Laser Therapy for fibromyalgia

Laser therapy helps to stimulate tissues into healing and decreases pain sensations, and so is an important part of any fibromyalgia treatment plan. A study of 846 fibromyalgia sufferers carried out in 1997 and reported in the Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery revealed that two-thirds of the group enjoyed less pain and more mobility following cold laser therapy. Another study in Rheumatology International in 2002 reported significant improvement in pain, fatigue and morning stiffness after cold laser therapy.

Self-care for fibromyalgia

Sufferers should not forget that lifestyle choices play a key role in how fibromyalgia affects them. Those who take care of themselves show hugely better outcomes than those who don’t. They suffer far less pain and manage to stay much more active, both of which have a great impact on quality of life. If you have fibromyalgia, the following advice should help:

• Get sufficient sleep – Getting enough good quality sleep is very important in combating the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, although this may be difficult when several symptoms of the condition prevent restful sleep. Insomnia is very common among sufferers. Alcohol may seem like a quick fix in getting you off quickly, but it is known to badly disturb a healthy night’s sleep pattern. 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5-HTP) is very useful for some people, and others may benefit from the prescription anti-depressant amitriptyline. The latter is not an ideal choice, but it may come down to the lesser of two evils: prescription meds or lack of sleep.
• Exercise – Although it may cause some pain, fibromyalgia sufferers should exercise to improve their fitness. Aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms, and, generally, exercise guards against the gradual slowing down of physical activity the condition can impose. Low impact exercises such as walking and swimming are the best ways to start out, gently easing sore, tight muscles into action. Anything more than this could create problems. When seeking to push further, always be careful and listen to your body.
• Look at your working life – Fibromyalgia does not stop most people working, but changes may have to be made. Working hours may need to be reduced due to fatigue, a more flexible schedule may be needed, and less physically strenuous activities undertaken. Office ergonomics will also become important so that no undue stress is placed on the muscles, and an understanding employer will make all this very much easier to achieve.
• Eat well – Food is fuel for the body, thus it follows that the wrong foods can degrade your system and stop it working optimally. For a fibromyalgia sufferer, eating well is even more important to feed the healing process. Foods that stress the body include dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, products containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), and those containing nitrates or nitrites, which are common in processed foods. Fish should be avoided for the environmental toxins it may contain. The best choices are fresh, raw, organically-grown foods, which means plenty of whole foods such as brown rice, legumes, oats, spelt, rice milk, soy, hormone-free chicken or turkey, roots, nuts and berries.
• Supplement your nutritional intake – So far, nothing touted to remedy fibromyalgia has proven its credentials in the long term. However, there are certain supplements that some find beneficial, including magnesium malate, ginkgo biloba, and various other herbal concoctions. Always be sure to consult your doctor of chiropractic before taking any supplement to make sure it is safe and will not impede your other treatment.

It is thought that three-quarters of menstruating women experience some degree of PMS, and it is women in their late 20s to early 40s who are likely to suffer most. 10 to 20% of sufferers will experience symptoms they find severe or even disabling.

The cause of PMS is naturally assumed to be the hormonal changes that take place during the monthly menstrual cycle, which can then be exacerbated by stress, a lack of serotonin in the brain, and subluxations in the low back.

Chiropractic care cannot remedy the hormonal changes that precede menstruation, but certain studies have shown that it can help to reduce many of the symptoms of PMS, with the added benefit of your avoiding prescription drugs. This is because the tissues in the lower abdomen are regulated by the nerves that exit the lower spine, therefore chiropractic care to alleviate any unnecessary pressure or irritation on these can help make a positive difference.

Common symptoms of CTS include wrist pain, weak grip, numbness, tingling, and burning. The pain may also cause problems sleeping. Treatments vary, and can include drugs and invasive surgery, but one that is both conservative and very effective is chiropractic. Adjustments made to the affected area can help resolve the issue, as can work on certain areas of the back or neck, where the nerves are being impinged upon and referring pain to the wrist. Chiropractic treatments may also include physical therapy, and stretching and strengthening exercises. Many people with CTS have found that they experience great relief from their symptoms after visiting a doctor of chiropractic.

There are many reasons for headaches, including drug reactions, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), tight neck muscles, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, stress and fatigue, but most can fit into one of two categories: tension (cervicogenic) headaches and migraine headaches. A third less common category is called cluster headaches, and is similar to the migraine.

Tension Headaches

These are the most common type, affecting around 75% of sufferers. They usually appear as a constant dull ache that affects one or both sides of the head, and some people describe them as the feeling of a tight band around the head or behind the eyes. They tend to come on slowly in the middle or toward the end of the day and can last anything from minutes to days, or occasionally months. Although the pain can be severe, there are not usually any other symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting.

As the name suggests, tension headaches are caused by stress, which includes bad posture throwing stress into the spine and muscles in the upper back and neck. In fact, the main cause of tension headaches is subluxations in these areas, especially the upper neck, combined with active trigger points. When tension causes the top cervical vertebrae to lose their normal motion or position, a small muscle called the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPM) goes into spasm. This muscle has a tendon which channels between the upper neck and the base of the skull, attaching to the thin covering of the brain called the dura mater. While the brain itself has no feeling, the dura mater is very pain-sensitive and is pulled at when the RCPM goes into spasm, causing a headache.

Referred pain from trigger points in the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) or levator muscles are another major cause of tension headaches. These are located on the side of the neck and particularly affect those people who’ve suffered a whiplash injury.

Migraine Headaches

Around 25 million people a year in the U.S. experience migraine headaches, 75% of whom are women. Migraines are characterized by intense pain and throbbing, often coupled with nausea and sensitivity to light or noise. Their duration may be a few hours to several days, and there is sometimes a precursory visual symptom known as an “aura” that alerts the sufferer to the coming attack. This aura may be experienced as flashing lights or a dream-like appearance to the world.

Migraines tend to run in families and sufferers usually have their first attack before they reach 30 years old. Apart from this, the experience varies, with some people having several attacks every month, others perhaps once a year. They may also become more or less severe as the sufferer gets older.

The process of a migraine headache is that the blood vessels in the brain firstly constrict, and then dilate. The constriction decreases the blood flow, causing the visual symptoms many people experience. Even if an aura does not occur, most sufferers know when a migraine is nearing. When the blood vessels then dilate, the rapid increase in blood pressure is what leads to the pounding headache, which thumps in time to the heartbeat.

Why exactly the blood vessels constrict is not fully understood, although several common triggers have been identified. These include lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong smells, a change of weather, and certain foods – the chief culprit being the amino acid tyramine.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are normally felt on one side of the head behind the eyes, and this is the only headache that usually occurs at night. They don’t normally last long, but they are excruciating. Around 1 million people in the United States suffer this type of headache, and, unlike migraines, more men than women are affected. They are termed cluster headaches as they tend to hit up to four times a day over several days. The good news is that another bout may not occur again for months or years. Cluster headaches are similar to migraines in that they are likely caused by a dilation of the blood vessels in the brain.

Chiropractic treatment for headaches

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown in many research studies to be very effective at treating tension headaches, especially those that stem from the neck. A 2001 report by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that chiropractic manipulation provided almost immediate improvement, with far fewer side effects and more long-lasting relief than prescription medications. Another study found that just four weeks of chiropractic treatment was enough to provide a sustained benefit that far outweighed anything delivered by pain medication.

Each case is different and must be individually evaluated before any chiropractic care can be delivered. Having said that, the majority of cases are greatly improved by manipulation of the upper two cervical vertebrae and the vertebrae at the junction of the cervical and thoracic spine.

Trigger Points

The main muscles that hoard trigger points for headaches are the splenius muscles, the suboccipitals, the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), and the trapezius. The splenius muscles are made up of two individual muscles – the splenius capitis and the splenius cervicis. The splenius capitis runs to the base of the skull, and the splenius cervicis runs to the upper cervical vertebrae. Trigger points in these muscles often cause pain that is felt through the head to the back of the eye, and on the top of the head.

The suboccipitals consist of four small muscles that maintain proper movement and positioning between the first cervical vertebra and the base of the skull. Trigger points here cause feelings of pain inside the head from the back of the skull to the eye and forehead. The whole side of the head can hurt, much like the pain of a migraine.

The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle runs from the base of the skull, behind the ear, down around the side of the neck, and attach to the top of the sternum. SCM trigger points can cause widespread problems, including dizziness, nausea, poor balance and visual disturbances. Pain is referred to the eyes, over the eyes, and sometimes earache.

The trapezius muscle is the large, flat muscle in the mid and upper back. One particular trigger point in the very top of the muscle refers pain to the temple and back of the head, often causing headaches. It may also create satellite trigger points in the temple or jaw muscles, leading to jaw or tooth pain.

Avoiding Headache Triggers

We all know that emotional stress – depression, anxiety, frustration, disappointment – can be a trigger for headaches, but there are other causes, such as certain foods, odors, menstrual periods, and changes in the weather and air pressure. Even pleasant excitement can be a trigger for some people.

If headaches are a regular feature in your life, it is a good idea to keep a headache diary so you can determine which factors may be responsible.

Food triggers include those that contain nitrite compounds, which dilate blood vessels and can result in a dull, pounding headache and sometimes a flushed face. Nitrite is found in products like heart medicine, but is also used as a preservative in meat. Sodium nitrite in hot dogs and other processed meats should be avoided.

The amino acid tyramine should also be avoided, and can be found in foods such as ripe cheeses (cheddar, brie), soy sauce, chocolate, and any pickled or fermented food.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is another culprit, used again in soy sauce, as a meat tenderizer, and in many packaged foods as a flavor enhancer.

Some common household chemicals such as those contained in insecticides and cleaning products (carbon tetrachloride especially) are problematic. Lead as well can cause headaches, so avoid lead-based paints, lead batteries, and lead-glazed pottery.

Irritation in the upper cervical spinal joint can sometimes produce or worsen asthma, and it is not unusual for people who’ve suffered trauma to this area to develop asthma where none existed, or to experience a deterioration of a pre-existing condition.

A doctor of chiropractic can check whether your asthma is related to upper cervical spine problems, and suggest a course of treatment to help alleviate the symptoms.

Chiropractic and Asthma Research

There are many significant published studies that demonstrate the benefits of chiropractic care for asthma sufferers. The following are a small sample:

An Impairment Rating Analysis Of Asthmatic Children Under Chiropractic Care

A self-reported asthma-related impairment study was conducted on 81 children under chiropractic care.

The intent of this study was to quantify self-reported changes in impairment experienced by the pediatric asthmatic subjects, before and after a two month period under chiropractic care. Practitioners, representing a general range of six different approaches to vertebral subluxation correction, administered a specifically designed asthma impairment questionnaire at the appropriate intervals. Subjects were categorized into two groups; 1–10 years and 11–17 years.

Parents/guardians completed questionnaires for the younger group, while the older subjects self-reported their perceptions of impairment. Significantly lower impairment rating scores (improvement) were reported for 90.1% of subjects 60 days after chiropractic care when compared to the pre-chiropractic scores (p < 0.05) with an effect size of 0.96. As well, there were no significant differences across the age groups based on parent/guardian versus self rated scores. Girls reported higher (less improvement) before and after care compared to boys, although significant decreases in impairment ratings were reported for each gender. This suggested a greater clinical effect for boys which was supported by effect sizes ranging from 1.2 for boys compared to 0.75 for girls. Additionally, 25 of 81 subjects (30.9%) chose to voluntarily decrease their dosage of medication by an average of 66.5% while under chiropractic care. Moreover, information collected from patients revealed that among 24 patients reporting asthma “attacks” in the 30 day period prior to the study, the number of “attacks” decreased significantly by an average of 44.9% (p <.05). Based on the data obtained in this study, it was concluded that chiropractic care, for correction of vertebral subluxation, is a safe nonpharmacologic health care approach which may also be associated with significant decreases in asthma related impairment as well as a decreased incidence of asthmatic “attacks.” The findings suggest that chiropractic care should be further investigated relative to providing the most efficacious care management regimen for pediatric asthmatics.

Asthma Study Shows Chiropractic Benefits

From the November / December 2000 issue of Today’s Chiropractic, comes a study report on Asthma. The article notes that approximately 14 Americans die each day from asthma. Asthma is only one of three diseases that has shown an increasing death rate in recent years, up 58% since 1979. Presently estimates say that 17 million Americans suffer from the disease making it the most common and costly illness in the United States.

today, costing over $13 billion annually. Presently, asthma causes more hospitalizations of children than any other childhood disease.

In the study, 47 patients were observed for a two year period. These patients had all been medically diagnosed with persistent asthma ranging from mild persistent in 11 cases, moderate persistent in 28 cases, to severe persistent in 8 cases. The care rendered consisted of specific chiropractic adjustments. The range of visits was from 14 to 44, with the average being 26 during the study period. Most patients in the study began care at a rate of 3 visits per week with this frequency being reduced after 4 to 8 initial weeks.

The patient results were very good with all 47 of the study patients showing a marked improvement ranging from 87 to 100 percent. Patient observed improvement was measured by both improvement in their symptoms as well as a decrease in their usage of acute asthma attack medication. Even more impressive was that all of the patients in the study reported maintaining their improvement after a two-year follow up.

Asthma Study on Benefits of Chiropractic

Asthma has become a large health concern for children in recent years. Over the past 20 years the incidence of asthma has doubled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that in 1998, approximately 17,299,000 people in the United States, or 6.4% of the population, with cases among very young children up 160%. As reported in the June 16, 1999 issue of JAMA, the CDC also noted that between 1980 and 1994, the number of people self-reporting asthma grew 75%.

In a study conducted in 1996 by the Michigan Chiropractic Council (MCC), a panel of doctors performed an out-come assessment study to test the qualitative and quantitative effectiveness of chiropractic care on children with asthma. The high demand of parents seeking alternative care for pediatric asthma was shown by the overwhelming interest in the study. More than 500 parents called the MCC seeking to get their child involved in the chiropractic study.

The study, which took place during May and June of 1996, examined the chiropractic effectiveness in correcting the cause of asthma in patients from birth to age 17. The average age of the participant was 10 years. “After 30 days of chiropractic health care, patients averaged only one attack, whereas prior to the study they were experiencing more than four attacks,” said MCC Dr. Bob Graham, who directed the study. “Medications, which can be costly, were decreased by nearly 70 percent. Finally, patient satisfaction was rated 8.5 on a scale of 10.” More than 70 chiropractors from 62 cities in Michigan studied more than 80 children suffering from asthma.

Whiplash refers to a group of injuries that occur as a result of the sudden, violent whipping motion of the head in an accident. The whip can happen in any direction – back-forward, forward-back, side-side, or anything in between. Various injuries can result, including damage to the supporting muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues in the neck and upper back. A host of related symptoms can then kick off from these, many of which, to the untrained eye, can appear completely unconnected to the original trauma.

If you are not very careful, a whiplash injury may end up causing permanent damage when it is not noticed or its effect is underestimated. Around 50% of whiplash victims who have settled insurance claims are still suffering the effects of their whiplash years later. If you even suspect that you have suffered such an injury, a visit to your chiropractor is strongly advised so an assessment can be made and appropriate treatment and advice offered.

When a child suddenly starts bedwetting after weeks or months of staying dry through the night, it could be a sign that something is wrong. One of the reasons for this is the onset of stress. Perhaps some emotional upheaval, such as moving home, arguments or divorce, or the arrival of a new baby. It may also indicate physical or sexual abuse or some medical condition, therefore it should not be ignored and needs to be checked out by a doctor.

Your doctor of chiropractic may well be able to help with bedwetting problems by easing any physical irritation that may be interfering with the nerves that control bladder function. The nerves responsible for this exit the spine low down at the sacrum. In adults, this is a large, fused bone that is not easily injured, but in childhood it is still in five separate pieces, which may become misaligned following an injury such as a fall. If this happens, the nerves controlling the bladder may be disturbed.

Chiropractic can help rectify any such mechanical issues, and research shows that it can be effective in helping children regain bladder control and avoid bedwetting.

The Four Phases of the Whiplash Injury

Whiplash injuries are not confined to auto accidents and often occur during a slip, fall or while playing sport. However, we’ll look at what typically occurs in an auto accident, which is the most common and most severe cause of whiplash.

As a vehicle hits the rear of your car, your body goes through an extremely quick and violent acceleration and deceleration, and all four of the phases described below happen in less than half a second. Each phase involves a different force acting upon your body, which contributes to the overall injury, bringing vertebrae, nerves, discs, muscles, and ligaments into the fold.

• Phase 1: Your car is shunted at great speed from underneath you. Your mid-back is flattened against the back of the seat, creating an upward force in your neck, which compresses your discs and joints. As your momentum continues forward with the car, your head flies backward, and this whips violently at your neck. Only a well-adjusted head rest can help minimize the damage this causes, lessening the backward travel of your head. However, the majority of damage to the spine will already have occurred before your head hits the head rest, as studies show that head rests only reduce injury by 11% to 20%.
• Phase 2: Your torso reaches its peak forward acceleration at twice the speed of the impacting vehicle, while your head continues moving backwards. Your neck goes through an abnormal S-curve as your seat back springs your torso forward. This moment causes extreme compressive forces on the neck and significant damage to bone, joint, nerve, and discs.
• Phase 3: Your torso is now settling back down in your seat, and your head and neck are both accelerating forward at their peak speed. This happens as the car is slowing anyway, but this deceleration is aided by your foot planting itself firmly on the brake pedal after possibly lifting off at the moment of impact. This sudden braking severely increases the flexion injury of your neck. Assuming a seat belt is being worn, it now takes the strain of your forward movement.
• Phase 4: The most damaging part of the whiplash sequence now occurs. The seat belt stops your torso but your head continues forward. The neck bends violently forward, straining muscles and ligaments, tearing fibers in the spinal discs, and forcing vertebrae beyond their normal movement. Your spinal cord and nerve roots are stretched and damaged, and your brain hits your skull, potentially causing mild to moderate brain injury. Where a seat belt has not been used, your head is free to move forward and strike the steering wheel, dash or windshield, causing even more severe brain injuries.

Injuries from Whiplash Trauma

There are so many variables involved in how an accident occurs, as there are with the individual victim, so it is impossible to predict them all. Injuries are sometimes felt immediately or within an hour of the accident but more often due to the immediate shock, which causes the body to release endorphins and adrenaline, the true symptoms surface weeks or even months later. Generally, though, there is an array of conditions that are often seen following a whiplash:

• Neck Pain: the single most common complaint as reported by over 90% of people. Pain often radiates into the shoulders, between the shoulder blades, and into the head. All the tissues in the neck tend to be affected by whiplash, including the muscles, ligaments and nerves, and the facet joints and discs between the vertebrae.
• Headaches: following neck pain this is the second most common complaint, affecting over 80% of sufferers. Although headaches occasionally result from direct brain injury, most are triggered by injured muscles, ligaments and facet joints in the cervical spine, referring pain into the head. It is therefore vital to treat the supporting structures of your neck in order to combat headaches.
• TMJ: Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ) is a less common disorder that follows whiplash, but can be debilitating if it occurs. TMJ manifests as pain, clicking and popping noises in the jaw when moved. Untreated, TMJ can worsen and cause headaches, facial pain, ear pain and difficulty eating. This is a condition for which chiropractors are specially trained, or you may be referred to a TMJ specialist depending on the severity.
• Brain Injury: Mild to moderate brain injury is fairly common after whiplash, due to the movements as described in the four phases. The brain is very soft and suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, so that when the brain is jolted within the skull, it can be bruised or bleed. Whiplash victims may temporarily lose consciousness or have mild concussion, but more common is a feeling of mild confusion or disorientation following the crash. Long term effects include mild confusion, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, irritability, forgetfulness, loss of sex drive, emotional upset and depression. In certain cases, the nerves that feed your senses of smell, taste and even sight may be affected.
• Dizziness: following a whiplash this is usually temporary and can improve with chiropractic care. It is the result of injury to the facet joints of the cervical spine, but in some cases it may be due to damage to the brain or brain stem.
• Low back Pain: Despite the neck bearing the brunt of the damage, your low back can also be easily injured by whiplash, and this is reported by over 50% of those involved in rear impact collisions, and in nearly 75% of those in side impact accidents. Although the low back does not suffer the same extent of flexion-extension injury as the neck, it still experiences a great compression during the first two phases of the whiplash process.

Recovery from Whiplash

Mild whiplash injuries treated correctly usually heal within six to nine months. However, 20% of victims will still be suffering pain, weakness or restricted movement two years after their accident, and it is likely that some degree of disability or pain will afflict theses people for many years more, if not for life.

Whiplash injuries need to be treated by specially trained professionals who know and understand the condition. The most effective treatment combines chiropractic care with rehabilitation of the soft tissues, and a self-care routine.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care involves the manual manipulation of the spine to restore normal movement and position to the vertebrae. This is the most important and effective treatment to ensure that whiplash damage is minimized. Your chiropractor may also use trigger point therapy, massage therapy, exercise rehabilitation, and other soft tissue rehabilitation treatments.

Soft Tissue Rehabilitation

‘Soft tissue’ refers to anything in the body that’s not bone, so that includes muscles, ligaments, tendons, nervous system, spinal discs and internal organs. It is these soft tissues that are damaged most by whiplash, with the muscles, ligaments and discs taking the majority of the impact. Unless the correct therapies are used to stimulate healing, the result may be permanent impairment and disability. Treatments include trigger point therapy, massage therapy, electro-stimulation, stretching, and specific exercises to boost strength and range-of-motion.

Home Care

How you behave outside the chiropractor’s office will significantly enhance or detract from the treatment given inside it. Your daily home and work routines must be guided by your recovery plan, so that the treatment sessions have maximum benefit. You should: apply ice packs, carefully limit daily activities, stretch, exercise, supplement nutritionally, and get plenty of rest.

Medical Intervention

Severe whiplash may require the input of a physician to complement your overall treatment. This may mean anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, trigger point injections, or even epidural spinal injections. The point of these is short-term pain relief; they are not intended as curative or long-term options. No drug will restore normal joint movement or stimulate muscle repair. Surgery may be necessary for a badly herniated discs, when a disc is impinging on the spinal cord, and in some cases with spinal fractures.

Are You Suffering from a Whiplash Injury?

Whether you have recently been involved in an auto accident, or if you had one several months or years ago and whether or not the symptoms are now starting to show up or not, in any case the sooner that you have your spine fully evaluated and begin a course of treatment the better your chances are for a maximum recovery. Be sure to provide as much detail about your injuries as possible to help your Chiropractor fully understand your condition.