Chipley Chiropractic - To Your Health

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Hi Friend,

Dr. Chipley here...

Do you know someone who could use a free Chiropractic
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Dr. Chipley

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Chipley Chiropractic, PLLC
409 N Kanawha St
204 N Eisenhower Dr, 1555 Harper Rd
Beckley, WV,25801
drc@whiplashpro.com
304-252-0255

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You and Your Posture

       Mirror, mirror on the wall…who has the best posture of them all?  Through an old fairy tale that I loved as a child, I’ve tried to bring together what we may not notice in the mirror and a better health experience.  Every day when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we look at our posture.  Our posture, whether good or bad, is the window to our health.  As part of my daily life, I enjoy looking at people’s posture.  Depending on his/her posture, I am enlightened to the health of the patient. 

       Historically, poor posture has been associated with a variety of health-related conditions.  Research shows the relation to posture and general health (1). 

       Another researched study also suggested that poor posture was associated with many pathological processes and that good posture could prevent disease processes (2).

 
   Pre-Scan          After Treatment

       As part of the current technology, our offices use a visual posture analysis where the doctor looks at the height of a patients hips and shoulders and this is combined with an important Surface Electro-Myography Scan (called Static S-EMG), which uses a computer to read the voltage of your spinal muscles to help us get a “snapshot” of your posture.  Major spinal deviations in your posture are then identified, and the proper corrective exercise program is given to the patient to correct his/her imbalances.  Better posture means better health, less fatigue, and builds resistance to infection (3).

       The research shows that proper posture decreases the susceptible athlete to injury (4-8), while improving performance.  The ability to maintain proper muscle tone requires a nervous system free of interference.  Restoration of tone is dependent upon correction of underlying spinal joint dysfunction and overlying muscle function.  When the muscle and joint function properly, the underlying nerves can then function optimumly.  The beauty of this machine is that it incorporates modern technology with two basic principles:

1.      The body is self healing and self-regulating;

2.      The nervous system is the master controller of the body.

       Incomplete as this summary may be, it strongly suggests that aberrant posture may adversely affect health-related quality of life (9).

       Better posture is for everyone.  It will allow you to live your life to the fullest, and open the window to your health.

 Yours in Good Health.

Dr. Julian Chipley

Chipley Chiropractic, PLLC

 

References

1.        Jenness ME: “The role of thermography and postural movement in structural diagnosis.” In: Goldstein M (ed): “The Research Status of Spinal Manipulative Therapy.” DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 76-998. 1975.

2.        Kuhns JG: “Diseases of posture.” Clin Orthop 1962;25:64.

3.        Garner JR: “Posture and fatigue.” International Journal of Medicine and Surgery 1932 (Jan);45:27.

4.        Watson AWS: “Sports injuries related to flexibility, posture, acceleration, clinical defects, and previous injury, in high-level players of body contact sports.” Int J Sports Med 2001;22:222.

5.        Shambaugh JP, Lein A, Herbert JH: “Structural measures as predictors of sports injury in basketball players.” Med Sci Sports Exercise 1991;23:522.

6.        Powers CM, Maffucci R, Hampton S: “Rearfoot posture in subjects with patello-femoral pain.” J Orth Phys Ther 1995;22:155.

7.        Watson AWS: “Sports injuries in footballers related to defects in posture and body mechanics.” J Sports Phys Med Fitness 1995;35:289.  

8.        Cowan DN, Jones BH, Frykman PN: “Lower limb morphology and risk overuse of injury among male infantry trainees.” Am J Sports Med 1996;24:945.

9.        Chiropractic Journal. June 2001.

10.     Gray’s Anatomy. P.54.

Action Against Humana in Kentucky Sets Precedent for Other States Efforts by ACA and Kentucky Association of Chiropractors Bring Humana’s Violations to the Forefront

(Arlington, Va.) -- The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today announced that following an investigation of the activities of Humana Health Plan, Inc. (Humana), the Kentucky Office of Insurance identified numerous deficiencies and violations in the insurer’s business practices. As a result, Humana was fined $100,000 and is required by the order to take corrective action. According to ACA officials, this action will set a precedent for other state departments of insurance that may be hearing similar complaints, and it also sends a strong message to health insurers everywhere about the chiropractic profession’s willingness to confront unfair practices. Many of Humana’s deficiencies and violations reflect complaints raised by ACA and the Kentucky Association of Chiropractors (KAC), which were based on information provided by doctors of chiropractic in Kentucky. These include: subjecting providers’ claims to utilization management review based on discriminatory geographic location incorrectly coding chiropractic claims and misrepresenting network and negotiated reimbursement rates forcing providers to participate in all plans as a condition of participation with one plan doing business with unlicensed third-party administrators (TPAs) and failing to notify enrollees of the identity of and their relationship with these TPAs improperly denying claims that were sent to Humana instead of to the TPA (providers were inappropriately instructed by customer service reps) issuing explanation of benefits statements that were misleading and did not provide a reasonable explanation related to claim resolution failing to notify the Kentucky Office of Insurance regarding utilization management review policy and procedure changes. “What’s significant here is the ground gained by the chiropractic profession after standing firm and unrelenting in this initiative for the past five years,” said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. “This is a wonderful example of what we can achieve when we work together for a common cause.” ACA’s Local Liaison Program, a collaborative network of chiropractic physicians with specialized knowledge of insurance and managed care, played an important role in helping ACA and KAC to collect and prepare information that was presented to the Kentucky Office of Insurance. In states where reports of similar concerns with Humana have been reported, ACA is contacting other departments of insurance to share this precedent-setting order. Providers with concerns regarding Humana or its use of TPAs should contact Insinfo@acatoday.org. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of patient care and ethics, and supports research that contributes to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit www.acatoday.org.

Shame on You... Raleigh County Boar of Education!

Sometimes the problems we face are our own fault!  Everyone complains about health care costs, yet the Raleigh County Board of Education doesn’t mind running up the bills, allowing their human resources office to play doctor and ultimately affect an injured teacher’s ability to recover.

 

Case in Point:  A couple days ago I had a Raleigh County teacher schedule an appointment to have her wrist and hand evaluated.  She had a recent fall off of a school bus on a field trip.  It has been a week and she has continued with tremendous wrist and hand pain.

 

About an hour ago this teacher called to cancel her appointment.  She told us that the Raleigh County Board of Education office instructed her not to go to us.  They told her she needed to go to the Emergency Room to have it evaluated so that they could refer her to an Orthopedic Surgeon.

 

Does anyone see the problem with this?????

 

First, we don’t know how severe the injury is.

 

Second, after an evaluation, if indicated, I would order x-rays and fit the patient with a brace.  If findings indicated it we would immediately order additional testing or make an appropriate medical referral.  

 

Third, the fee that I would receive for this would be only about 20% to 40% of the associated cost of the Emergency Room.

 

Fourth, the fee of most chiropractors like myself would be half of that of a specialist like an orthopedic surgeon.

 

Fifth, most orthopedic surgeons in our area don’t “take worker’s compensation cases” because they get very annoyed at having to evaluate a non-surgical case.  These cases should be evaluated by those trained in physical medicine and if non-surgical they should be rehabilitated.

 

If the injury is stable but significant involving a hand sprain/ strain or contusion I usually recommend a light brace and if necessary I refer the patient for 2 to 4 weeks of out patient physical therapy.

 

If it appears un-stable because of exam or findings on x-ray, I would order the pertinent testing such as a wrist MRI to look at the tendons or CT of the wrist bones if I suspect a fracture.

 

If the studies revealed something significant I would then refer to the right specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon.

 

Why am I writing this?  Because this is a prime example of someone with to much power and not enough sense at the Raleigh County Board of Education discriminating against a chiropractor while wasting your tax payer money. 

 

The average cost for chiropractic evaluation and case management is slightly less than traditional medical management by a primary care doctor.  It IS Significantly Less Than management by Emergency care and Medical Specialists. 

 

That means a case that may have been managed for $1000 of associated costs will likely now cost 3 to 5 times as much… that’s $3000 to $5000 of your tax dollars.

 

The icing on the cake is that I would have seen the patient within 48 hours of her calling for an appointment.  The average non-emergency patient that presents to the Raleigh County Emergency room will experience a 5 hour ordeal that will leave them with a follow-up referral to an orthopedist anywhere from 1 week to 6 weeks out.

 

So in reality, the patient is receiving substandard health care that is costing the board of education more because of a desire to discriminate against chiropractic rehabilitation and send non-emergency cases to the emergency room.  Boy, that makes me happy to know we have such great people working in the human resources department at the Raleigh County Board of Education.

 

For those of you who wonder why I am writing this, it is because so many people who complain about what their insurance will or won’t cover still unknowingly cause our healthcare costs to balloon.  If you don’t need to go to an emergency room or a surgeon, then don’t…. The system could actually work.

 

So, in summary, Shame On You Raleigh County Board of Education!

 

Julian Chipley, DC

How To "Save Your Neck!"

As many of you probably know, my specialty over the years has been in treating those injured in car crashes.  In other words, my partners and I treat a lot of Whiplash Injuries.

I got to thinking about one of the best ways to help those of you who have not experienced such an injury would be to tell you how to prevent / reduce your risk of injury. 

The greatest number of injuries occur when your vehicle is rear-ended.  This is because about 50% of the time you don’t see the car coming at you and your reflexes don’t have time to react and you end up with significant injuries.

So the first step of prevention is to keep an eye on those cars behind you especially if you have to brake hard.  Just being aware of the injury statistically reduces your chance of injury and the severity of your injury. 

If you do happen to see a car that is likely going to hit you, the best position to be in is looking straight ahead to slightly upwards.

Also, push your head back against the headrest.  This will minimize the movement of your head and neck and reduce your chance of injury.  It will also reduce your severity of injury.

So, what can you do to reduce your chance of injury if you don’t see the vehicle coming at you?

Well, the most important thing you can do is to adjust the headrest so that the top of it is about the same height as the top of your head.  It is better to have it too high then too low.

The next most important thing is to adjust the seat so that you are sitting up with your head within an inch of the headrest (as little space as possible).  The closer your head is to the headrest at the time of the crash, the less of an injury you will experience.

That means it is not healthy to drive around with the seat reclined back and your head leaning forward. 

This simple act of adjusting the headrest height and the angle of the seat so that the headrest is close to the back of the head will significantly reduce your chance of injury.  Research even shows that a failure to adjust your headrest to the proper height can actually make you injure yourself worse because your head gets stretched over the headrest instead of the headrest restraining the excessive motion of the head and neck.

Take a few minutes TODAY and adjust the headrest in your car.  Then make sure if you have kids who drive that they have their seat and headrest in the proper position to reduce their chances of being injured. 

If this advice helps just one person, then it is all worth it.  Thanks for your time and remember my partners and I are always here for you with our three offices of Chipley Chiropractic to help you should you need us. 

 

Yours in Good Health, 

Dr. Julian Chipley

                                       

Chiropractic Relieved Pain In 60% of Patients Surveyed!

I was reading through the journals and I stumbled into a really great article about the fantastic results people experience with Chiropractic treatment.  To top it off, it is a study commissioned by our government!

 

It may be a “new” study, but it just confirms what the Chiropractic profession has known for over 100 years!!

 

Jabbing, throbbing, burning or stinging – any way you describe your pain, you want it to stop!

 

Bottom Line: Don’t ignore your pain! That ache you feel today can come back with a vengeance in a month, a year or even 10 years down the road!

 

We help prevent that from happening – without drugs or surgery!

 

Get Lasting Relief!

 

Pain is usually the last symptom to show up and the first to disappear, even with the underlying problem still present. 

 

A series of Chiropracatic adjustments helps to restore normal biomechanics, as well as stimulate reflexes that reduce painful irritation and soft tissue inflammation.

 

Still not totally convinced?  Take a look at a recent government report!

 

The long-awaited final report on the “Medicare Chiropractic Demonstration Project” has just been released!

 

The evaluation was based on 2,459 surveys from users of Chiropractic services under the Medicare system.  The following is a breakdown of symptoms reported: 78% back pain; 50% neck pain; 38% hip pain, 32% shoulder pain.

 

Chiropractic gets a “Perfect 10”!

 

Chiropractic patients rated satisfaction levels on a scale of 1 to 10.  The Medicare summary concluded, “Satisfaction with care was high, with 87% reporting levels of 8 or higher, and 56% indicate a perfect score of 10.”

 

Here’s the most powerful statement in the entire report:

“60% of the respondents indicated that they have received ‘moderate’ to ‘complete’ relief from Chiropractic treatments compared to only 11% indicating the same levels of relief from other health professionals.”

 

Treatments from “other health professionals” included pain pills, pain injections, both pills and injections, and surgery.

 

If you or someone you know suffers from back, neck, hip or shoulder pain – since Chiropractic was shown to reduce pain for 60% of those surveyed with the same conditions – why not try this proven, natural, non-invasive approach, first!!

 

We are the doctors of Chipley Chiropractic.  With 3 doctors and 3 offices in Beckley WV, we are here to help you live a better life.  Dr. McMillen is director of our Harper Rd office and Dr. Wardlow is director of our Eisenhower Dr. office.  I’m (Dr. Chipley) the director of the N. Kanawha St. office in uptown Beckley.

BackPacks...Your Child's Spine At Risk!

       Today 40 million teenagers carry a backpack to school.  More and more doctors are seeing children for back pain and injuries and now that children are back in school, thousands of elementary, secondary and high school students are heading to their classes with overstuffed backpacks slung over their shoulders. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 3,300 children age 5-14 were treated last year in the ER for book bag injuries.  “It typically puts them off balance and gives them a posture that promotes low back pain,” said Dr. Wayne Yankus of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on School Health.

      While carrying a backpack to school every morning may seem harmless enough, it can cause painful back and neck problems and injuries for students who don’t pack or carry their backpacks properly.  It can also lead to long-term medical problems and injuries to the spine that may last a lifetime.

      Recently scientists have discovered that carrying heavy backpacks may pose a serious threat to your child’s future spine development.  The scientists state the average backpack represented 17% of the child’s body weight.  This would explain why 67.2% of the children suffered muscle soreness, 50.8% suffered back pain, 24.5% suffered numbness, and 14.7% suffered shoulder pain.  Medical professionals advise that individuals carry no more than 15% of their body weight on their backs. 

A child weighing:

·        50 lbs. should only carry 2.5 – 5 lbs.

·        80 lbs. should only carry 4 – 8 lbs.

·        100 lbs. should only carry 5 – 10 lbs.

·        130 lbs. should only carry 6.5 – 12 lbs.

·        150 lbs. should only carry 7.5 – 15 lbs.

(Source: American Chiropractic Association)

       If your child does use backpacks to carry books there are things that you can do to reduce the physical stress associated with carrying backpacks.

1.      Make sure that the weight of the book bag does not exceed more than 10% of the child’s total body weight.  This is especially important for children in grades 1-4.

2.      Avoid using backpacks or athletic bags that have one strap.

3.      Ensure that children wear both straps on their shoulders to distribute weight evenly.

4.      Have your child examined regularly by a chiropractor so that any potential spinal or postural problems can be addressed and corrected.

5.      Use a book bag on wheels or an air cushion book bag (www.airpacks.com) if possible.

      If children are having headaches, neck pain, bad posture, achy and strained muscles, low back       pain, muscle spasms, tingling hands, and increases scoliosis complications, they are carrying too much weight improperly.

With school starting back, this is a reprint of an article I put together for a news story a couple of years back.  Back packs can cause back problems so make sure to check out the weight of your child's back pack.

Thanks so much for all your support from all of the partners of Chipley Chiropractic of Beckley WV.

You: A Whole Being

It is easy to forget that we are whole beings, especially when we are so used to compartmentalizing everything today.  Even our lives are thought of in separate portions of time, childhood, adolescence, adulthood.  Unfortunately with adulthood comes responsibility, and on its back hitchhiking is stress.  The responsibilities of the lives that we lead today have set us on a busy path.  It is easy to forget to keep some time for yourself to maintain all aspects of health. 

We are whole beings.

Many times we may fail to remember that we are not just the sum of the parts we see in the mirror.  Our bodies are not the only parts of us that require maintenance.  Each of us has a rational brain, an emotional heart and a bright spirit.  They are all connected and with this connection, all influence each other creating a whole being.

Stress is one of the most common causes of muscle tension and resultant joint dysfunction.  In turn this muscle and joint tightness may cause many health problems because they cause nerve irritation that cuts off the vital information coming from the brain to the rest of the body.  The causes of stress can be from our physical body or traumas there to.  Also our emotions and mental stress can manifest themselves into physical form.  The mind body connection can be the most important, and is also the most ignored. 

Total Body Health

So, below are some suggestions on how to remind your self of the most important part of life, total body health.  While you are thinking about your lack of time, ponder this, we do not have the time to ignore the needs of ourselves as whole beings.  The consequence is much greater than a loss or decline in your health. 

Physical

 

·        Exercise Routinely - Walk!

·        Fresh Air - Get Outside!

·        Sufficient sleep

·        Healthy sunshine

·        Wholesome Organic foods - Fresh Fruits & Veggies

·        Human touch

·        Chiropractic Adjustments

Emotional

 

·        Laugh & Smile Often

·        Be Grateful & Humble

·        Love Yourself & Others

·        Heal Past Wounds

·        Let go of Anger

·        Uncover Your Fears

Mental

 

·        Think Positively

·        Do What You Say You Will

·        Visualize Your Goals

·         Develop & Listen to Your Intuition

·        Let go of Judgment

·        Learn from Your Mistakes

·        Don’t Assume

Spiritual

 

·        Daily Quiet Time

·        Deep Breathing

·        Scheduled Meditation  & Prayer

·        Connect with Nature

·        Follow your Heart

·        Love, Be Kind & Forgive

Yes, These are just a few basic things to remind yourself of in order to help reduce your stress.  Have a great week and enjoy the wind down of summer with fall football just around the corner.  My Partners and all of us at Chipley Chiropractic are always here for you to help keep you functioning better and restoring proper function to your spine and muscles.  With 3 locations in Beckley (Harper Road, N. Kanawha St, N. Eisenhower Dr), we have a location convenient to you should you ever need us.

Want To Be Average?

The Average American…

 

·        Watches 4 hours of TV per day (that’s 36.5 full-time work weeks) and sees 30,000 television commercials per year!

·        Body contains residues of at least 13 different pesticides and weed killers.

·        Gains 7-10 pounds over the holidays!

·        Consumes 2000 Calories per day including 20 teaspoons of sugars!

• Eats in a year…
• 30 pounds of cheese
• 15 pounds of full fat ice cream
• 7 pounds of low fat ice cream
• 135 pounds of white & whole wheat breads, cereals, pancakes, cakes & cookies
• 19 pounds of rice
• 11 pounds of pasta
• 28 pounds of corn flower, starch & grits
• 78 pounds of added fats & oils due to food processing!
• 35 pounds of cooking oils
• 35 pounds of butter & margarine
• 152 pounds of ADDED SUGAR!
• 111 pounds of red meat
• 83 pounds of poultry & seafood
• 276 pounds of fruits & vegetables - up only 10% over 1970!
• 16 gallons of whole & 2% milk - down from 28 gallons in 1970
• 55 gallons of soda! (That’s 587 cans)!!!
• 27 gallons of coffee
• 28 gallons of beer
• 9 gallons of fruit juice
• 60 hot dogs
• 16 pounds of chocolate
• Dies of heart disease, cancer, or the medical system (#1, 2, & 3 killers)!
• Is overweight or obese (60% of the population)!
• Takes 4 medications per day by the time they reach 65!
• Male dies at 72.5 years old, females at 78.9. (Compared to 75.2 and 81.2 in Canada, and 77.6 and 88.4 in Japan) – hint they take fewer drugs than we do!

 

The point of this compilation of facts is to teach you that if you want to live a life like everyone else, and die like everyone else, just do what they do.  Medical research and the Bible both agree that we should live to have 80-120 healthy years!  The Average American plan is a recipe for an early demise.  Look at your life compared to the average.  Maybe it is time to make a few changes.  Eat better than average, stop watching TV so much, try exercising more, and if you've got spinal stiffness/ tightness/ or back or neck pain... consider an evaluation at our offices.  Think about how God gave the body an ability to heal itself (if we don’t destroy it first) before reaching for a drug.  My Partners and I thank you for allowing us into your life. 

Julian Chipley, DC

Managing Partner

Chipley Chiropractic

WhiplashPro.com

PS: Let's Go Mountaineers!

Stay Healthy

Today I just want to remind everyone to exercise and eat healthy. 

 

Recent research shows that diet is more important in staying in shape than even exercise.  That said, if you eat properly and exercise you have the best chance of living a long and healthy life. 

 

The best way to live pain free is to eat healthy and exercise.  When it comes to the back and neck… and all of your other joints… just remember that walking is one of the easiest and best exercises you can perform. 

 

Other great exercises include biking, using an elliptical machine, and swimming.  A home treadmill or a home elliptical machine can work wonders if you actually use it.  The best local source is Sears.  They actually have a lot of exercise equipment set up that you can try.

 

Running can be great for you but it can aggravate your hips and knees if you have any underlying issues, so be careful.

 

My advice is to try to perform some kind of continuous exercise like walking for about 20 minutes and then if you’re up for it you can add in another 20 minutes of strength training.  This could be as simple as push-ups and crunches and pull-ups.  Or, you could lift some weights by using a weight machine.  Good pieces of home equipment include the bowflew and the total-trainer. 

 

I use a total-trainer type machine made by Bayou Fitness and they have some very nice machines at reasonable prices.  You can see their line up of products at http://www.bayoufitness.com/totaltrainers.htm.

 

I wish you all a great week.

 

Julian Chipley DC