December 2011 Newsletter

Rebuilding Sidney Crosby's Brain

A little-known treatment by Dr. Carrick, aCanadian-born Chiropractor, is the key to Sidney Crosby's comeback

Dr. Carrick started is a Chiropractor, and has developed an encyclopedic understanding of the brain. Dr Carrick is a self-made man: Carrick invented his discipline, and then founded an educational institution, the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies. He lectures and practises around the world. Today, 2,700 individuals in the world are board-certified to practise Chiropractic neurology or functional neurology. Dr Carrick is often referred to as the "father of Chiropractic neurology."

The method used by Carrick and his colleagues is notably different from the current "rest and wait" approach endorsed by an international consensus group, which recommends patients refrain from any physical or mental activities until all symptoms have disappeared.

The treatment and recovery of Sidney highlights an important idea in health care - if the traditional approach doesn't work, it's time to try something else. During the first eight month's of Sidney's treatment, the medical community followed the "gold standard" of rest and limit physical activity. Dr. Carrick. Then once he saw Dr. Carrick, he began a more aggressive, proactive form of treatment.

After Dr Carrick determine Crosby was ready to return, he sent him home to his team, to his fans, to the same rink where less than a year ago. He’s traded his white helmet for a black one, signaling he can take contact again. He’s goading his teammates into hitting him so he can prove his toughness - as much to himself as to them or to the world, which is analyzing his every move. In this way, nothing has changed: he is still the one hockey player everyone watches. Sidney Crosby is home, indeed.

The Power of Cervical Adjustments

Recent research is showing the benefits of cervical adjustments and the amazing healing power of the body.

Research out of Sydney, Australia showed that cervical adjustments help with cervicogenic dizziness (1).

Then in a study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, lung function of 100 volunteers was measured before and after a cervical adjustment. The spirometry test showedsignificant improvement in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume at the first second and peak expiratory flow.(2)

Then in a third study, it was shown that cervical adjustments restore proper muscle function in the neck, thus reducing neck pain. (3)

What do these three, very different studies have in common? They all show that having a properly functioning nerve system, starting at the top of your spine, allows your body to do what it is meant to do, heal itself and perform optimally.

(1) Chiropractic & Manual Therapies - September 18, 2011;19:21.
(2) JMPT - September 26, 2011
(3) JMPT - October, 2011;34:514-24.

Exercise and diet can prevent one-third of cancers

About one third of the most common cancers could be prevented through healthy diets, physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight.

This was the main message from a host of global organizations on World Cancer Day which this year focused on cancer prevention.

Dr Susan Higginbotham, director of research at the American Institute for Cancer, said making even small changes in the right direction could help lower the risk of cancer.

The institute has distilled the learning from thousands of studies on the subject of diet, weight, physical activity and cancer into the following recommendations: be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day; eat more of a variety of fruit and vegetables as well as whole grains and beans; avoid sugary drinks; limit the consumption of salty and processed foods and red meat; limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women each day; be as lean as possible without becoming underweight; mothers should breast feed exclusively for up to six months, and, after treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.

"When it comes to cancer, there are no guarantees," Dr Higginbotham said, adding that the recommendations represent "the best advice available anywhere".

The World Health Organization also focused on the benefits of exercise in preventing certain cancers. It said if over-18s undertake 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity it can reduce their risk of breast and colon cancers.

John McCormack, of the Irish Cancer Society, said World Cancer Day was an opportunity to examine what we are doing to reduce our cancer risk. Each year about 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million die from the disease.

Report

Chiropractic Ends Migraines In Woman Suffering for Forty Years

Chiropractic care may relieve migraines, even in patients who have suffered from the disorder for decades, suggests a new report.

The article followed the case of a 52-year-old woman who had suffered from migraines for 40 years.

Specifically, "the average frequency of episodes before treatment was 1 per month, and her migraines often included an aura. The pain was moderate, was located on the right side, was pulsating, and lasted for approximately 15 hours. The numeric pain scale for an average episode was 8 out of a possible 10. The aura involved nausea, photophobia, and visual disturbances including black dots in the visual field lasting for approximately 10 minutes."

The patient received chiropractic adjustments. Her migraines completely ceased.

"At 6-month follow-up, the patient had not had a single migraine episode in this period. The patient was certain that there had been no other lifestyle changes that could have contributed to her improvement."

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine - September 2011;10:189-193.