Being a Colorado sports chiropractor is the best. It’s a year-round affair.

Colorado is perpetually regarded as one of the healthiest states in the union. One of the biggest reasons, I believe, is due to the high participatory level of outdoor activities and sports. (Which is why I chose to make Colorado my home)

A few years ago I was given the honor of being Colorado’s Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the Colorado Chiropractic Association and CEPA’s (The chiropractic association for the Care of Elite and Professional Athlete’s) National Chiropractor of the Year. (blush, blush)

Because it’s just what I do, I understand it.

But you may not even be aware that a sports chiropractor can play an important role in the management and treatment of not only your injuries but your ability to perform and excel in your sport- whether it’s on a team or for you individually.

Here are some of the top athletes in the world explaining why they include chiropractic care in their sports medicine routine.

In the video below, you’ll see my good friend and mentor Nick Athens taking care of the San Francisco 49ers. (This is where I worked before moving my sports injury clinic to Colorado.)

Above is Joe Montana after his treatment here in Denver at Mile High Stadium.

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DO NOT LEAVE ICE ON TOO LONG after an injury!

Listen to this story…

Researchers at the Dept. of Accident and Emergency Medicine at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and Accident and Emergency Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, Scotland, made news of a case of a P.E. teacher who used a bag of frozen potatoes to get rid of pain in her foot. She let the bag sit on her foot for at least 40 minutes and the pain actually went away… temporarily! The report says the foot became discolored and the pain returned- with a vengeance. The woman lost feeling in a few of her toes. She was diagnosed with frostbite, then underwent surgery to treat the permanent nerve damage in two of her toes.

Maybe you’ve heard that after an acute injury, it’s best to ice the area for at least 20 minutes at a time. Maybe you did it for the same reasons as her.  It’s possible you’ve also heard that icing reduces inflammation.

It can.

But do you know why?

Don’t take my word for it, let’s  investigate the “20 minutes concept.” I want you to do a little experiment.

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Chiropractic Research Review

Video Reviews 3 major medical studies that talk about research on chiropractic

by Dr. Ron Spallone, DC. Chiropractor in Littleton, CO.

I’ve lived in Littleton, Colorado for about 13 years now.

After finishing my professional studies I looked on the map for a place that I thought I could live for the rest of my life, literally.

There were a fair amount of chiropractors in Littleton, but I liked that the community supported natural health and wellness. I packed my Toyota 4-runner with some clothes and fishing gear and drove across the west in what is now a very memorable journey.

I chose Colorado to set up my chiropractic and natural health clinic because of the quality of the lifestyle. I grew up camping, fishing and playing sports all year round. I have an affinity for the open country, especially the west.

I grew up in the Sierra Nevada mountains in a small one stoplight town on a dirt road. I like that Denver and Littleton have a small town feel with big city amenities.

I’ve been here ever since and proudly embrace Colorado as my home. I’m proud to be a chiropractor in Littleton.

Chiropractic and ear infections? Here’s a small collection of interesting research on ear infections (Otitis media).

From a Postgraduate Medicine, Oct. ’87, review article by Moshe Frenkel, M.D., Acute Otitis Media; Does Therapy Alter its Course?:

Eichenwald (1985): no bacterial cause can be identified in 1/3 of cases; spontaneous resolution in 60% within ten days of onset

Fry (1958): 85% of those not receiving antibiotics had complete resolution; no differences in recurrence or hearing loss.

Townsend (1980): study showed that a placebo-treated group had no greater incidence of recurrence, or of middle-ear effusion than an antibiotic-treated group.

Van Buchem (1981):  children with symptomatic treatment alone did as well as those treated with antibiotics and/or myringotomy (ear tubes); no differences were noted in effectiveness of pain reduction, hearing levels, or incidence of complications.

Van Buchem (1985):  in a large-scale study of 4,860 children, 90% recovered with “minimal” treatment (nose drops and analgesics)

OTHER SOURCES:

Dr. E. Cantekin did a study of amoxicillin treatment of otitis media and fund that it was not effective for secretory otitis media (fluid behind the eardrum.)  He also found that the antibiotics Pediazole and ceflaclor were not effective.  (JAMA, Dec.  1991)

A number of recent studies have shown that for earaches, 2, 4, 5, and 7-day courses of treatment with antibiotics were just as effective as the usual 10-day course, when effective at all. (Schmidt, Beyond Antibiotics, 1993, p. 29)

A 1974 study showed that children with acute otitis media receiving antibiotics within the first few days of the illness had up to 2.9 times more recurrence that those in whom antibiotic use was delayed or avoided.  (Diamant, Arch Otolayrngol, 1974)

A 1991 article in the AMA Journal stated that children with chronic earaches who received antibiotics experienced two to six times more recurrent middle ear fluid that those receiving placebo.  (Cantekin et al, JAMA, 1991, 266(23)

A two-year study of myringotomy (surgical incision of the tympanum) and tymapanostomy (ear tubes) found that they did not alter the long-term course of otitis media; eardrum scars and tympanum thickening were 3X more frequent in the group receiving tubes. (J Laryngol. Otol. 86:881-888, 1972)

Many chiropractors and natural health doctors experts feel that recurrent upper respiratory infections, including otitis media, may be the result of allergies, including food allergies and intolerance.  Cow’s milk is the most frequently-mentioned allergen.  An ENT specialist in Florida who exclusively does tympanostomies (ear tubes) first puts all patients referred to him on a diet free of dairy products.  As a result, he claims three-fourths of them never need the tubes.  (cited in Schmidt, Beyond Antibiotics,  1993, p. 76)

Below are some great books to help you understand more about your options in helping childhood ear infections.

As a natural doctor and chiropractor, an important theory I adhere to holds that the nervous system is the ultimate controller of the human immune system, as it is of all body systems.

How does that apply to holistic chiropractic treatment?

The disruption of the nervous system by subluxation complex (involving joints, muscles and nerves which surround nervous system tissue) diminishes the body’s ability to react at peak efficiency to the presence of microbes or other physiological, emotional and/or chemical stresses, which can then weaken the body’s resistance, making it more susceptible to infection.

This is referred to as the neurodystrophic (loss of ‘fine tuning’ of the nervous system) hypothesis.

The conventional wisdom of most deems this “alternative health.” To me it should be called “common sense.”

Germs are not dumb, they go where there are ‘easy pickings’ to survive.

A weakened ‘host’ is the perfect place to set up camp.

As a wellness chiropractor and an alternative health doctor I’m aware that many other things influence human resistance, including nutrition, emotional stress, genetic factors, activity levels, even personal hygiene.

These things shouldn’t just be illogically dismissed by the chiropractor, alternative doctors, the physician or any other health professionals.

To pretend they aren’t important is folly. Inquiring about these factors and partnering with the patient to help ‘cover all bases’ is truly holistic care.

If I hypothetically asked you to list the 3 most important things in your life, what would they be?

Wait, this shouldn’t be hypothetical, let’s play for real. What are they?

Write them down before you read on…

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Oxygen therapy for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Yep.

As a chiropractor in Denver I understand what it means to live ‘a mile high.’

Your brain uses about 20% of all the oxygen that enters your blood from the lungs. But the brain only makes up about 2% of your total body mass.

It’s an oxygen hog.

Your brain consumes and requires more oxygen than any other organ in the body. So, inherently, it’s extremely susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation.

That being said, here’s my FREE Healthy Tip of the Day: Breathe deeply to keep your brain joyfully swimming in cells that are bathed in oxygen.

I see a lot of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM). One of the most important modalities that I employ is oxygen therapy.

It can be very effective.

In fact, oxygen therapy for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one of the “keys” I use in managing those conditions naturally. Fibromyalgia has so many neurological components to it. The nervous system needs oxygen to function. Ignore that fact and you get sub-par results.

To make a complex concept simple, your brain and nervous system need two things to survive:

FUEL and ACTIVATION.

The most important forms of fuel come in the form of oxygen and glucose.  You get glucose from the foods that you eat, but as we age our ability to utilize oxygen decreases.  It’s called oxidative phosphorizalation (scientific talk for ‘your body doesn’t utilize oxygen as effectively as it should anymore.’)

Now add to the mix that most people are shallow breathers and that we live at 5,280 feet and you can start to see why you may not be getting enough fuel for your brain and nervous system. I’d feel tired, beat up and worn down too if I were a brain.

Oxygen is to the body what gas is to your car.  Without gas in the car you’re not driving anywhere.

Without sufficient amounts of oxygen available for your brain and nervous system, not only can you age prematurely but many of the various treatments you attempt may not get you much better.

Breathe…..

I’m a big fan of milking the magic out of everyday life- not really following the ’someday when things are just right’ philosophy.

It’s a beautiful winter day here in Colorado. In reality, it’s the only winter day.

I’ve had a number of my young adult patients inquire about being a chiropractor.

Of all the rewarding aspects of my job, when this happens I feel like I’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

Even if it’s just temporary and something important was etched in his mind. Over the years I’ve had a handful of patients who’ve had a great experience in the office then one thing leads to another and…

Aha! A moment of inspiration occurs. “I want to be a chiropractor!” “I was helped and I want to live a life helping others.”

The same thing happened to me. And many others in my profession for that matter. In fact, it seems ubiquitous.

It’s truly humbling and heartwarming when ‘the moment of truth’ happens. When you become inspired to do something that feels like a calling rather than a job. To see a boy become a man, a girl become a woman… of character and purpose.

Chiropractic is a tough profession in a lot of ways. You’re always the underdog because it’s not mainstream medicine. You’re usually perceived as not being a real doctor.

When a parent of a child says to me, “Hey, you got my kid feeling better, naturally, when no one else could, that’s real enough for me.”

How cool is that?

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DRX9000 Review:

DRX9000 Lumbar Disc Treatment Provides 76% Satisfaction Rate In Japanese Study

Here’s a quick recap…

In a study of 50 patients, Dr. Noriaki Yamamoto and others reported that 76% of patients were satisfied because of the treatment that they received by means of the DRX9000.

A study titled, “The treatment of lumbar disc disease using DRX9000” is published and documented in the December issue of the Nigata University Journal of Health and Welfare. Following the treatment of fifty patients with the DRX- 9000, Dr. Noriaki Yamamoto and others reported that 76% of patients felt satisfied with treatment.

Why is this important?  I think patient satisfaction is pretty important. Especially if a patient is given high hopes that an invasive procedure such as certain types of back surgery is the answer. In defense of the surgeons, sometimes there is no one answer with back pain- it can be complicated.

According to Calodney, (1) the diagnosis and treatment of persistent pain in the low back patient who has been previously operated on is an increasingly common and complex problem. Each year approximately 916,000 spinal surgeries are performed in the United States.(2)

Not all are successful, in fact there’s an official diagnosis for when back surgeries go bad- “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.”

I’m not really hip with the term failed back surgery ’syndrome. It’s not a disease that the patient has acquired, it’s more of a misnomer used to describe the outcome of patients who continue to experience back pain after back surgery or have complications from the back surgery procedure itself.

Of note, there is no equivalent term similar a post-surgical syndrome for any other type of surgery (e.g. there is no “failed heart surgery syndrome”). It’s sort of like, “Sorry, it didn’t work. Here’s your new label- Failed Back Surgery. And as a bonus it comes with a whole new set of problems.”

When conventional treatments for low back pain such as chiropractic, massage, acupuncture and physical therapy fail to provide relief to the chronic low back patient, spinal decompression therapy as a non-surgical treatment for disc related low back pain, disc related arm and hand pain, leg pain or sciatica can be an effective alternative to surgery.

Many patients choose it simply as a ‘last resort’ therapy since one of the most appealing aspects of the DRX9000 therapy is it’s relatively high success rate coupled with the low risk factor. Even in the cases when it’s not successful, the patient doesn’t have to deal with the repercussions of the invasive nature of surgery.

(1) Calodony: A Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

(2) National Hospital Discharge survey: 2003.Vital and Health Statistics Series 13, No. 160, U.S.Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center of Health Statistics, Hyatsville, Maryland