Articles

March 24, 2010

Taking Lipitor?

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dangers of Medications, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog, Nutrition and Exercise — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:41 am

Lipitor is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for high cholesterol.  Here are some questions and concerns I came away with as I looked through the Lipitor website:

  • Are we to believe that problems within the body such as arterial plaque, high blood pressure and other such issues are directly caused by a LACK of Lipitor?  If not, then why go on a medication for life to mask this symptom?
  • Cholesterol is an important part of how our bodies function and is essentially neither good nor bad.  If this is the case why are we to believe that we must lower our cholesterol at all costs?  Here is a link to an article written by a cardiologist discussing some of the commonly accepted beliefs regarding cholesterol.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/05/28/cholesterol-heart.aspx
  • The side effects of Lipitor and cholesterol drugs are serious.  The website frequently mentions the dangers to the liver, potential kidney failure and sudden onset of serious muscle problems (I see this problem commonly in those taking it) among many others.  Since Lipitor is most often intended to be used indefinitely, how confident can a person possibly be that these side effects will not harm them and create far more dangerous problems?
  • The Lipitor website says that diet and exercise is not sufficient enough to help 2 out of 3 people improve their cholesterol levels.  How many of these people were actually put on the right type of exercise and nutrition program and monitored throughout?  Would the average doctor know what recommendations to make for an individual and/or have the time to do so?
  • Multiple medications interact with one another.  This is significant because those taking Lipitor are often taking more than one medicine.  How these drugs interact is unknown because it would be impossible and too costly for each drug company to test their medicine in conjunction with another company’s.  Therefore, as your list of medications grows you are essentially adding to an already list of harmful side effects and risks.  As we all learned in chemistry class, certain chemicals do not react well with one another.
  • How many people taking Lipitor do so only out of fear?  Is this a good reason to do anything?

Your body is an amazing machine and you have many options to consider before medication.  If you want natural, safe alternatives to Lipitor and other cholesterol medications give us a call at (203) 259-4731.

In Health,

Dr. Kenney

Southport Chiropractic Office

1995 Post Road

Fairfield, CT 06824

(203) 259-4731

March 16, 2010

Study Shows Chiropractic Helps Headaches

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog, Top Chiropractic Research Articles — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 7:51 am

A study published in the February 2010 issue of The Spine Journal, the official journal of the North American Spine Society, provided additional evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic for certain types of headaches known as “cervicogenic headaches”. A report on the results of this study was also published online on February 26, 2010, on the site “Modern Medicine”.

In this study, 80 patients with chronic cervicogenic headaches were divided into three groups. Two of the groups received various forms of chiropractic adjustments, which the study authors called Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT), and one group received just a light massage so as to be able to compare the results.  Results were calculated using standard pain scales. Data from the subjects was collected every 4 weeks for a 24 week period.

The researchers found that the groups that received chiropractic showed significantly greater improvement in pain scores as compared to the group that got just light massage. Those receiving the chiropractic care were more likely to have a 50-percent improvement in their pain. The two groups of patients who received chiropractic care were only given either 8 or 16 chiropractic sessions. The study did see a slightly better response for the group receiving more adjustments, but due to the study parameters, no data was available beyond 16 visits.

Dr. Mitch Haas and a team of researchers at Western States Chiropractic College, were quoted in their conclusion as saying, “Our pilot study adds to an emerging picture of spinal manipulative therapy dose for the treatment of headache. It showed that a plateau in intervention effect might be found in the range of eight to 16 treatment sessions, although a dose effect at these treatment levels cannot be ruled out. The study also adds to the support of spinal manipulative therapy in moderate doses as a viable option for the treatment of chronic cervicogenic headaches.”

Comments from Dr. Kenney:

People often wonder how it is that chiropractic is so effective at relieving headaches.  The reason is that everything in your body runs on nerves.  When the nerves are transmitting signals properly they are healthy.  When their energy becomes restricted the nerves become irritated causing pain and/or lack of output.

The article discusses “cervicogenic headaches” which are a fancy way of saying that they’re caused by misalignments to the vertebrae of the neck.  As vertebrae move out of their natural position(s) they place pressure on nerves that lie in close proximity thus resulting in the headaches or other problems.  To explain how chiropractic is so effective at curing headaches let’s first use an analogy.  If you have a pebble in your shoe it causes pain because it is applying pressure directly to a nerve.  Once you remove the pebble the pressure is eliminated and the pain subsides.  The chiropractic adjustment works the same way.  Misaligned vertebrae put pressure on nerves that cause headaches (pain).  The adjustment then realigns the vertebrae to their proper position which alleviates the nerve pressure allowing the headaches to subside.  This approach is a safe, effective way for curing headaches that people have been utilizing for decades.

March 4, 2010

A Less Talked About but More Effective Approach to Asthma

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog, Pediatrics and Pregnancy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:40 am

By Dr. Matthew Kenney

Asthma continues to rise in our country at an alarming rate.  Over $11 billion is spent annually on this disease alone and yet things are not improving.  In fact, by 2020 it is estimated that 1 out of 14 people will suffer from it.  The most common treatment usually involves medications such as inhalers, steroids, anti-spasmodics and bronchodilators however the statistics tell us that this approach is not working.  Furthermore, these medicines while sometimes helpful in reducing symptoms offer no permanent cure and cause side effects especially in children.   Let me share with you the experiences I’ve had in practice and how I’m able to help people with asthma.

To breathe properly your brain must send a signal down your spinal cord that will then exit via a nerve root (that runs between 2 vertebrae) and branch out to reach the lungs.  If the vertebrae are out of position they choke off and irritate the nerves because they lie in such close proximity to the spine.  This decreases the nerve energy to the lungs and alters their ability to function properly.  This makes sense right?  Children with asthma usually have structural misalignments to their upper and middle back areas.  When I examine the posture of a child with asthma I often see shoulders that slouch forward causing a slightly hump-back appearance and often see 1 shoulder resting higher up than the other.  This (along with x-rays when appropriate) tells me that the spine is not properly positioned.  Once the vertebrae are realigned through chiropractic adjustments the nerves can once again properly transmit their messages and normal function returns.   This alone often allows asthma to be eliminated or reduced in severity.

In practice I have seen many children with asthma and have witnessed first-hand the amazing results that can be attained through spinal adjustments.  I’ve seen pulmonary function (breathing) tests dramatically improve, medication able to be eliminated (or significantly reduced) and children be able to participate in and enjoy activities more.  Best of all there are no side effects to this method.  It may not be the first thing you’d think of for helping asthma but it is safe, effective and side-effect free.  Those concerned about asthma should strongly consider chiropractic to help themselves and their children.

February 2, 2010

Disc Herniation does not mean doom!

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 12:24 pm

What Can I Do for a Disc Herniation?

By Dr. Matthew Kenney

Often, people with neck or back pain are sent for an MRI only to learn they have a disc herniation, a term people have come to dread.  Upon hearing this term people usually imagine surgery and/or other unpleasant outcomes.  However, while surgery may sometimes be necessary there are countless people each year who discover that these disc problems can be corrected naturally.

Discs are basically the shock-absorbing circles that sit between spinal vertebrae.  Each disc is made up of 2 parts, a large outer ring of fibers called the annulus and a smaller circular jelly called the nucleus.  If a spine remains misaligned without being corrected these disc areas can become stressed and cause decay.  A herniation occurs when the outer fibers weaken (usually over a period of months and years) and the jelly-like nucleus material begins to leak outward and irritate spinal nerves much like pressing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would squirt jelly out sideways onto a plate.  The nerve irritation can cause pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and other unpleasant symptoms which are often severe.

Herniated discs most often occur in either the lumbar (lower back) or cervical (neck) areas; both of which can be corrected.  The methods we use to correct them are as follows:

First, because disc problems stem from spinal stress caused by misalignments (subluxations) the spine must be re-trained through a series of gentle, spinal adjustments to return to its natural position.  Next, traction is utilized to help heal and repair the discs.  Because discs are weakened by compression (downward pressure) on the spine they can be healed by doing the opposite.  Traction involves stretching the spine outward so that discs can realign to proper positions, herniated material can be sucked back toward the nucleus like a vacuum, blood flow to the area can improve and nerve tension can be reduced.  In our office we have specialized equipment that we utilize for traction including a Flexion-Distraction Table for the lumbar spine.  Natural nutritional supplements are often used to assist in minimizing inflammation and to give the discs the proper nutrients they need to heal.  Finally, once the underlying problem is corrected exercises and stretches are carefully selected and assigned to help strengthen the area.

So, how successful is this natural approach?  Statistically the results are nearly 90%, meaning 9 out of 10 people can avoid surgery or other unpleasant outcomes. In the rare event that someone is not healing from this approach (within a period of 2-4 weeks) than they will be referred for surgery or other intervention.  Even those who do not improve will still know that they have exhausted their simple, natural options before exploring more risky and complex ones.

We help many people with disc herniations each year and currently have 8 patients that are nearing full recovery from them under our care.   If you or anyone you know suspects a disc problem please do not wait for it to correct itself!  Contact my office immediately for an appointment or further information at (203) 259-4731.

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