Back Clinic Working Professionals Chiropractic Therapeutic Team. Workplace injuries impair your ability to perform work and recreational activities. They impair your quality of life. If you have been injured on the job, make sure you get the expertise and level of care needed to get back to your normal life. Chiropractic care is often the best treatment option for common workplace injuries. From chiropractors and nurses to military service members, a professional is an individual who earns their living from a specified professional activity.
These individuals dedicate their time to provide others with an effective and useful service. After spending prolonged periods of time on the job, it’s not uncommon for injuries or aggravated conditions to occur. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s article chronicles on professionals indicate the various complications affecting these particular individuals while also describing the best types of treatments available, to ensure the ultimate wellness of professionals facing pain and discomfort. For more information, please feel free to contact us at (915) 850-0900 or text to call Dr. Jimenez personally at (915) 540-8444.
Members of the military perform physically and psychologically demanding jobs every day. Research has found that conservative medical care, like chiropractic treatment, can absolutely help with back pain.
A study has shown that chiropractic treatment brought serious relief to female veterans with back pain.
Causes
The causes of back pain can be viewed as being mechanical, organic or idiopathic. Spinal conditions can be congenital or from birth and can be an acquired disorder that develops later in life.
Mechanical pain is triggered by spinal movement and involves spinal structures, like the facet joints, intervertebral discs, vertebral bodies, ligaments, muscles or soft tissues.
Organic pain is attributed to disease, like spinal cancer.
Idiopathic means the cause is unknown.
Back Pain & Female Veterans
Low back pain is a musculoskeletal condition and for female veterans has become a chronic condition. For these women, the condition seems to stem from repeated and prolonged deployments as contributors/causes to more prolonged injuries.
Female veterans had a higher rate of service-related disability compared to male veterans.
Having to live with a disease or chronic condition can impact the quality of life significantly. It can result in short- or long-term disability, it affects individuals financially from time off work and reroutes those financial resources to health care needs.
Chiropractic Research
Researchers reviewed 70 female veterans that utilized chiropractic treatment for their back pain.
The average patient was:
Around 35-40-years old
Veteran patients were included in the study by:
Visiting a chiropractic clinic over a 7-year period
Between 18 – 70 years old during treatment
Needed at least two treatments
Treatments included:
Flexion-distraction therapy
This is gentle intermittenttraction, along with manual pressure applied to the back.
Myofascial release
Massage therapy to muscles, joints, ligaments.
Spinal manipulative therapy
This involves the chiropractor�s hands performing�a high-velocity thrust to regions within the low back.
Spinal mobilization
Similar to spinal manipulative therapy, but with gentler repetitive motions around the affected area.
These treatments were applied alone or in combination, guided by:
The nature of the back pain complaint
Response
Pain severity
Patient’s preference
The patient’s tolerance of the various treatments
To help measure how effective the treatment was, the research team used the Back Bournemouth Questionnaire.
Pain is a complex biological process that involves both physical and mental health factors.
The test is one way to understand the multi-dimensional nature of pain.
Other factors to consider, specifically with military veterans were other health conditions like:
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Military sexual trauma
By comparing the patients Back Bournemouth Questionaire results at the beginning of treatment and then at the end, researchers found that these patients� low back pain improved by 85% with chiropractic treatment.
The American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guidelines includes and stresses that doctors refer patients first to a chiropractor/physical therapist and undergo spinal manipulation as the recommended non-drug treatment for back pain before recommending medications or surgery.
The guidelines focus on:
Exercise
Stress reduction
Integrative therapies
Chiropractic spinal manipulation�treatment has been shown to effectively treat back pain for everyone.�
We focus on what works for you and strive to create fitness and better the body through researched methods and total wellness programs. These programs are natural and use the body�s own ability to achieve goals of improvement. To all of our veterans, we thank you for your service.
Get Rid of *LOW BACK PAIN* with Custom Foot Orthotics | El Paso, TX.
Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience some type of back pain sometime throughout their lifetime.
Custom-made functional foot orthotics can help support and promote the natural alignment of the spine.
NCBI Resources
It is important to know the cause of back pain to figure out the proper treatment plan. Otherwise, one could receive treatment for the wrong diagnosis and exacerbate the existing injury.
Our military members put their bodies through tremendous stress every day. Add to that minor to serious trauma and there is a strong case for chronic pain. This pain affects our veterans and soldiers on a daily basis, and interferes with their normal activities and impacts their ability to perform their regular jobs.
Too often, doctors dismiss the pain as �something you just have to live with� and write prescriptions for narcotics that impair and incapacitate the patient. There are better ways to manage a good bit of the chronic pain that members of the military live with each day. We’ll explore one way, mainly chiropractic, in today’s article.
Chronic Pain & Military Members
The regular demands of being a soldier, coupled with the stress that is prevalent, particularly among active duty military personnel, can create a perfect storm of sorts for chronic pain. When they are advised to tough it out or arrive at that option on their own, they usually do not get the medical attention they need. This can lead to exacerbation of the issue, compelling the soldier to seek treatment only when the pain is severe, or the condition is serious.
Single event trauma is all too common in this arena and plays a large part in the pain they experience, as does surgeries to correct injuries or trauma. However, the cumulative stress can have a detrimental effect on not just the condition and the pain, but the patient�s perception of the pain. In other words, it can cause them to experience the pain more acutely and have greater difficulty in managing it.
These issues are a part of the military and they aren�t likely to change. A chiropractor can help military personnel manage their pain, prevent injury, and regain flexibility and range of motion. It can be a solution that makes all the difference.
Alternative Treatments To Combat An Epidemic
Right now in the United States, opioid abuse has become an epidemic, yet doctors can rarely find viable alternatives that don�t have the dangerous and uncomfortable side effects � and that are not addictive. In truth, painkiller use is a growing problem with veterans and active military alike, mainly due to issues with substance abuse.
While their medications do relieve pain, the cost is just too great in many cases. Many people who take these pain pills report that they would live from pill to pill, their lives revolving around their next dose. That is why chiropractic is such an attractive option.
Chiropractic For PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common condition among active military and veterans. Studies have found that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is very effective in treating PTSD.
Matter of fact, chiropractic care has received very high marks in this area. Typically, it involves combining chiropractic with some conventional approaches in an effort to bring relief to the patient.
Through specific spinal manipulations called vestibular rehabilitation treatment (VRT), the body is brought back into balance. This technique has been proven very effective among individuals who have brain injuries that are combat related. In one study, patients who received VRT for two weeks reported a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms, including depression and anxiety.
An Army report recommended the use of alternatives to pain drugs, including chiropractic care, massage, and acupuncture.
Chronic Pain & Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is a highly effective way to manage chronic pain and help speed healing from injuries. It is safe, non-invasive, and does not require any medication.
The chiropractor will use specific spinal adjustments and other techniques to bring the body back into alignment. A balanced body heals faster and experiences less pain.
The patient may also receive recommendations regarding lifestyle changes and dietary advice from their chiropractor which can help speed up the results and bring them to a place of less pain or no pain much faster.
Hypothyroidism is evaluated and diagnosed by a physician, your primary care doctor or an endocrinologist. Many factors, signs, and symptoms are taken into consideration when hypothyroidism is diagnosed.
How is hypothyroidism diagnosed?
A diagnosis is reached after a thorough review of the patient’s symptoms, family and medical history, risk factors, physical examination, and effectively, a blood test. There are many types of blood tests, which the most authoritative one is known as the TSH test (thyroid-stimulating hormone). However, in some cases, healthcare professionals may refer patients to receive a total T4 or T4, free T4 index, or even thyroxine to aid in the diagnosis.
Why Hypothyroidism is not Diagnosed on Symptoms Alone
Lots of the signs of hypothyroidism are fairly frequent complaints found in people with a normally functioning thyroid gland, so it can be tough to decipher if the symptoms are linked to the thyroid gland. Among the best ways to find out whether your symptoms might be related to a thyroid condition is to consider how long you have been experiencing them. For example, have you felt cold when others were warm? Did you just begin to notice decreased energy? It might be associated with a thyroid issue if you are beginning to notice new signs and symptoms. But only a specialized healthcare professional (eg, endocrinologist) can diagnose a thyroid issue.
Medical and Family History
It is important to give your doctor as many details as you can about your own personal medical history, in addition to family history (eg, mom had eczema). Make sure you talk about:
Your overall state of health, particularly any changes you’ve noticed on your general well-being.
Your family’s health history, especially if a near relative was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (or any other thyroid-related issues).
Whether you’ve ever had thyroid surgery, or radiation into your own neck to deal with cancer.
Any medications you could be taking that could cause hypothyroidism (eg, amiodarone, lithiumion, interferon alpha, interlukin-2, or even earlier chemotherapy).
Physical Evaluation
Your doctor will perform a thorough examination and look for physical signs of hypothyroidism, such as:
Proof of dry skin
Swelling around the eyes and legs
Slower reflexes
Slower heartbeat
Blood Tests
Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed using different blood tests such as:
TSH Evaluation
A thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH is a blood test that measures the amount of T4 (thyroxine) that the thyroid gland has been indicated to create. In case you have an abnormally significant degree of TSH, it might indicate you have hypothyroidism.
T4 (thyroxine) Evaluation
The thyroid gland produces T4 (thyroxine). The T4 along with the free T4 index are blood tests which, in conjunction with a TSH test, can let your doctor know your thyroid is functioning.
The adrenal gland tells the thyroid how much thyroxine to produce through signaling by TSH. There are cells from the pituitary gland that determine what your body’s “set point” is. Your collection point is that the normal array of TSH as determined by your thyroid gland that your body needs.
As blood flows throughout the pituitary gland, the very same cells detect if there are sufficient T4 levels in the body. The pituitary sends the amount of TSH into the thyroid to maintain levels in the standard range in case your T4 amount is sufficient. If your level is too low, the pituitary sends TSH outside telling the thyroid to make more T4. In case your T4 level is too high, the pituitary sends TSH that is less out, then telling the thyroid to make less T4.
Normal and Abnormal TSH Ranges
0.4 mU/L to 4.0 mU/L is considered the reference array (there may be slight variation depending on the laboratory), and people that have a normally functioning thyroid gland usually fall within this range.
If TSH measures > 4.0 mU/L, a second evaluation (T4) is done to verify the results. TSH p4.0/mU/L using a very low T4 level indicates hypothyroidism.
If your TSH is > 4.0 mU/L along with your T4 level is normal, this may prompt your physician to test your serum anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies. When these antibodies are found, it may signal an autoimmune thyroid disease, which is a risk factor for developing hypothyroidism. In case you have those anti-bodies, your doctor will perform and TSH test at least once each year.
An easy way to remember how the thyroid works is to think about supply and demand. The TSH rises as the T4 level drops. The TSH drops as the T4 level rises. But not everyone with hypothyroidism has elevated levels of TSH. If the pituitary is not working properly, perhaps it does not send out regular TSH levels. But if the quantity of TSH is off, the thyroid will not make the perfect quantity of T4. This is rare and is called secondary or central hypothyroidism.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Wellness
Overall health and wellness are essential towards maintaining the proper mental and physical balance in the body. From eating a balanced nutrition as well as exercising and participating in physical activities, to sleeping a healthy amount of time on a regular basis, following the best health and wellness tips can ultimately help maintain overall well-being. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can go a long way towards helping people become healthy.
Domestic abuse: October is a�Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so it�is time to get a closer look at this increasing form of violent behavior. By and large, the general public is unaware of the effects domestic abuse has on its victims, other family members and society as a whole. Therefore, attempts are being made to heighten society�s awareness of the many facets of this violent crime that plagues America today.
Because people should be aware of the types of abuse crimes that fall into the category of domestic abuse, and who the victims of domestic abuse are, the center is answering questions, such as �Does one have to be a spouse or other immediate family member to be considered a victim of domestic abuse?�
WHAT IS DOMESTIC ABUSE?
This is a crime that involves abuse of family members, romantic partners, and others. The crimes of domestic abuse are numerous, ranging from verbal abuse to murder. They include emotional abuse, such as intimidation and threats, assault, battery (with or without the use of a deadly weapon), sexual abuse (i.e. spousal rape), kidnapping, and detaining one against his or her will.
When considering crimes of domestic abuse, most states consider certain relationships to be �domestic relationships.� In these states, the relationships usually include spouses, former spouses, persons who share a common child together, persons currently residing together or those that have previously shared a domestic living arrangement together, in their criteria for domestic relationships.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TODAY
The problem of Domestic violence is on the rise and becoming ever more dangerous to its victims who live in fear. However, the average person in the United States today is unaware of just how serious and out of hand the crime of domestic violence is becoming. This could possibly be because many Americans do not live with conflict and violence in their homes.
Conversely, many victims of domestic violence do not even realize that they are victims of the crime of domestic violence. They�ve been misled by their abusers and believe that the abuse they are victimized by, really is not abuse at all, but just �a way of life.�
Richard Overton, the oldest living U.S. World War II veteran, turned 111 on Thursday in Texas.
Overton, an Austin resident, served with the Army’s 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion in the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945.
He celebrated his 111th birthday with a lunch party at the University of Texas club, which was attended by Austin Mayor Steve Adler and other dignitaries. Overton received many gifts, including an autographed football from the University of Texas, ABC News reported.
The mayor declared May 11 Richard Overton Day and temporarily renamed Hamilton Avenue, where Overton lives, Richard Overton Avenue in his honor.
A GoFundMe campaign in January raised funds to allow Overton to stay in the home where he has lived for more than 70 years since he came home from the war, rather than be moved to an assisted living facility.
“111, that’s pretty old, ain’t it,” Overton said, USA Today reported. “I can still get around, I can still talk, I can still see, I can still walk.” Overton credits “cigars and God” for his longevity, admitting he had already had a few cigars that day.
Overton, a sharpshooter in the war, has been honored numerous times for his service, including for his 107th birthday having breakfast with President Barack Obama in the White House.
Overton was born May 11, 1906, in Bastrop County, Texas, Fox News reported.
Twitter users in his community and from far beyond it shared their appreciation and good wishes with Overton to mark his special day.
@AP Happy Birthday Richard Overton. U are much loved in our state.Hope u see many more years.My aunt lived 2 106. You’re looking good.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans of the Persian Gulf War returned home with puzzling health issues that doctors couldn’t explain. Now, 25 years later, Gulf War Illness (GWI) continues to affect 25-32 percent of the 700,000 U.S. veterans who served in the 1990-1991 war.
The condition is characterized by symptoms such as chronic headache, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, widespread pain, respiratory problems, sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems, and other unexplained medical abnormalities.
Twenty years of scientific research has traced these symptoms to Gulf War chemical exposures and the drugs taken during deployment that were meant to prevent or counteract these exposures. However, the vast majority of these studies have focused on neurological effects, but none have fully explained the body’s pathways GWI uses to affect the brain.
Now, a study from the University of South Carolina has found a gastrointestinal link that could not only help explain the health issues facing veterans, but may also point to new treatment options.
Researchers found that the chemicals, etc. that veterans were exposed to altered the microbiome — the bacteria that inhabit the gut. The affected microbiota then produce endotoxins, which pass through a thinned lining of the gut (called a leaky gut) and into the blood where they circulate throughout the body.
These compounds trigger an inflammatory response that, in turn, initiates several neurological abnormalities commonly observed in GWI.
“Humans and animals have specific types of bacteria that help aid various physiological processes, including digestion, absorption, immunity and gut integrity, and when external factors change the bacterial composition in our digestive systems, we have problems,” says researcher Saurabh Chatterjee. “Obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and liver disease have already been linked with changes in bacterial composition of the gut.”
The study showed that not only did exposures to the suspected causes of GWI lead to inflammation in the intestines, they also lead to inflammation in the brain.
“Usually, the gut is very selective about letting only certain elements from what we eat and drink into our blood — thanks to good bacteria,” Chatterjee explained. “But when the composition changes due to an increase in certain bad bacteria, this causes disruption to the mucosal lining of the intestinal walls — leading more intestinal contents to leak into the blood.”
Once in the blood, the toxins travel throughout the body and affect different organs, including the brain. Once in the brain, the toxins cause the inflammation and neurological symptoms that previous studies have extensively linked to GWI.
“We know that many diseases like obesity, liver disease, and inflammatory bowel syndrome can be cured or at least decreased by consuming good bacteria, like probiotics,” Chatterjee said. “Now that this connection has been established, it opens the door to new studies where GWI patients take probiotics for a longer period of time and, hopefully, see improvement in symptoms connected with metabolic syndrome, gastrointestinal disturbances, and maybe even neuroinflammation.”
Recent studies have indicated that gut bacteria have an impact on a wide range of health issues. UCLA researchers found that mice fed beneficial bacteria produced microbes known to prevent cancer. Researchers suggested ingesting probiotics like yogurt or probiotic supplements could help prevent cancer from developing.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans of the Persian Gulf War returned home with puzzling health issues that doctors couldn’t explain. Now, 25 years later, Gulf War Illness (GWI) continues to affect 25-32 percent of the 700,000 U.S. veterans who served in the 1990-1991 war.
The condition is characterized by symptoms such as chronic headache, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, widespread pain, respiratory problems, sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems, and other unexplained medical abnormalities.
Twenty years of scientific research has traced these symptoms to Gulf War chemical exposures and the drugs taken during deployment that were meant to prevent or counteract these exposures. However, the vast majority of these studies have focused on neurological effects, but none have fully explained the body’s pathways GWI uses to affect the brain.
Now, a study from the University of South Carolina has found a gastrointestinal link that could not only help explain the health issues facing veterans, but may also point to new treatment options.
Researchers found that the chemicals, etc. that veterans were exposed to altered the microbiome � the bacteria that inhabit the gut. The affected microbiota then produce endotoxins, which pass through a thinned lining of the gut (called a leaky gut) and into the blood where they circulate throughout the body.
These compounds trigger an inflammatory response that, in turn, initiates several neurological abnormalities commonly observed in GWI.
“Humans and animals have specific types of bacteria that help aid various physiological processes, including digestion, absorption, immunity and gut integrity, and when external factors change the bacterial composition in our digestive systems, we have problems,” says researcher Saurabh Chatterjee. “Obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and liver disease have already been linked with changes in bacterial composition of the gut.”
The study showed that not only did exposures to the suspected causes of� GWI lead to inflammation in the intestines, they also lead to inflammation in the brain.
“Usually, the gut is very selective about letting only certain elements from what we eat and drink into our blood � thanks to good bacteria,” Chatterjee explained. “But when the composition changes due to an increase in certain bad bacteria, this causes disruption to the mucosal lining of the intestinal walls � leading more intestinal contents to leak into the blood.”
Once in the blood, the toxins travel throughout the body and affect different organs, including the brain. Once in the brain, the toxins cause the inflammation and neurological symptoms that previous studies have extensively linked to GWI.
“We know that many diseases like obesity, liver disease, and inflammatory bowel syndrome can be cured or at least decreased by consuming good bacteria, like probiotics,” Chatterjee said. “Now that this connection has been established, it opens the door to new studies where GWI patients take probiotics for a longer period of time and, hopefully, see improvement in symptoms connected with metabolic syndrome, gastrointestinal disturbances, and maybe even neuroinflammation.”
Recent studies have indicated that gut bacteria have an impact on a wide range of health issues. UCLA researchers found that mice fed beneficial bacteria produced microbes known to prevent cancer. Researchers suggested ingesting probiotics like yogurt or probiotic supplements could help prevent cancer from developing.
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