October is National Chiropractic Health Month, but ACA Asks: Why Weight? Get Healthy!

October is National Chiropractic Health Month, but ACA Asks: Why Weight? Get Healthy!

2010 Observance to Promote the Chiropractic Approach to Overall Health and Weight Management
National Chiropractic Health Month, sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), is a nationwide observance held each October. This year’s theme—“Why Weight? Get Healthy!”—and activities will focus on how doctors of chiropractic can play an important role in preventing and treating obesity.
More than 60 percent of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese, according to CDC statistics, and obesity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and some types of cancer. However, many people don’t know that even modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of a person’s total body weight, could improve blood pressure as well as blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. That’s only 10 to 20 pounds for a person who weighs 200 pounds.
Yet losing weight can be a struggle, and many people wonder where to begin. The answer for some may be in the office of a doctor of chiropractic (DC). Consultation with a DC is particularly important when you consider that the effects of obesity on the musculoskeletal system—osteoarthritis, back pain, neck pain and joint pain—often cause overweight and obese people to avoid physical activity and exercise when they need it most. DCs also counsel their patients on good nutrition and offer dietary and lifestyle advice in addition to expert structural care.
“If you’re carrying more weight than the load-bearing structures of your body—spine, legs, etc.—can handle, there’s going to be pain, loss of movement and degeneration in the joints,” explains James Powell, DC, a member of ACA’s Wellness Committee. “Particularly if you’re carrying most of your weight in your abdomen, the low back and the spine will need to work harder to hold you upright. This adds extra stress and tension on your muscles, which in turn creates stiffness.”
Each year in October, ACA and its members raise public awareness of chiropractic care by observing National Chiropractic Month. Starting this year, the association will celebrate National Chiropractic Health Month in an effort to promote a broader understanding of chiropractic’s approach to patient care—as natural, whole-body, patient-centered health care.
“National Chiropractic Health Month is an important opportunity to educate the public on the general health benefits of chiropractic care, which include so much more than simply the expert hands-on care that DCs are so well known for,” said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. “Doctors of Chiropractic focus on changing patients’ habits—postural, physical activity, nutritional, etc.—to promote health and wellness, short-term and long-term. Patients are tired of quick fixes that don’t produce lasting weight loss and better health; and they are always delighted to discover how doctors of chiropractic promote total health and wellness over a lifetime.”

From the main link: http://www.acatoday.org/press_css.cfm?CID=4005

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I woke up with horrible neck pain. Is it torticollis? What should I do?

First things first…..Don’t Panic! Don’t go running off to the ER or urgent care or any of those kinds of places. There is a perfectly good explanation for what is happening and if you stay calm and be smart, there are some things you can do on your own that will help.
Torticollis, also known as wry neck syndrome, is another way of saying that your neck really hurts bad and is all twisted in the wrong direction and you can’t move it. The reason you can’t move your neck is because of the muscle spasms. If you Google “torticollis” or “wry neck syndrome”, you are going to get a wealth of information, most of it pretty confusing. The reason for the confusion is because there are some very serious versions of these disorders that are very rare and involve permanent shortening of the muscles. The only treatment is surgery and/or injections. If you have what is known as congenital torticollis or chronic acquired torticollis, then this article is probably not for you. What I am talking about is acute torticollis.
Acute torticollis can have a variety of causes, but usually the cause is unknown; you just wake up in the morning with your neck hurting and stuck in a bad position. It is very common to see this type of severe neck pain after an automobile accident, sports injury, or other type of injury. It is also common to see torticollis in the early spring and late fall when people begin sleeping with their windows open all night. The cool air tends to cause the neck muscles to spasm and get stuck.
So, what do you do? For the first few days, I would do nothing. That is right; I am a Chiropractor, telling you not to come to me right away. Look, what am I going to do? I can’t adjust your neck with it all stuck to one side, it is just going to hurt. So, stay home and use ice. For the first 72 hours you should use ice and rest. When you use ice, put the ice in a towel and put it on your neck for 20 minutes (NO LONGER!), then take it off for the remainder of the hour. Put it back on for 20 minutes. Do this every couple of hours.
Sometime toward the end of the 72 hours, it is going to be very important to see someone (EVEN IF YOU ARE FEELING GREAT). I am course going to recommend a Chiropractor, but there are other health care providers you can see. You are going to want to have your neck evaluated to rule out any complicated factors or underlying problems. You do not want this to become a chronic or long term problem. A Chiropractor will evaluate your neck and recommend the necessary treatments (if any) that are necessary to get you back to normal.
If you follow the icing recommendation for the first couple of days, your recovery time should be relatively short. You can simply use a zip lock bag of ice, or you can get one of those nice, flexible, re-usable ice packs. They are available from most pharmacies or visit your Chiropractor.