Study Finds That for Low Back Pain, Starting with Chiropractic Saves 40% on Care

Study Finds That for Low Back Pain, Starting with Chiropractic Saves 40% on Care
From the ACA's "Week in Review" of 11/12/10

A new study finds that care for low back pain initiated with a doctor of chiropractic (DC) saves 40 percent on health care costs when compared with care initiated through a medical doctor (MD), the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) announced today. The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractic care for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than they would if they removed such restrictions.

Low back pain is a significant public health problem. Up to 85 percent of Americans have back pain at some point in their lives. In addition to its negative effects on employee productivity, back pain treatment accounts for about $50 billion annually in health care costs—making it one of the top 10 most costly conditions treated in the United States.

Published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), the new study, "Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Initiated With Chiropractic Doctor vs. Medical Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathy as First Physician: Experience of One Tennessee-Based General Health Insurer," looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee's intermediate and large group fully insured population over a two-year span. The insured study population had open access to MDs and DCs through self-referral, and there were no limits applied to the number of MD/DC visits allowed and no differences in co-pays.

Results show that paid costs for episodes of care initiated by a DC were almost 40 percent less than care initiated through an MD. After risk-adjusting each patient's costs, researchers still found significant savings in the chiropractic group. They estimated that allowing DC-initiated episodes of care would have led to an annual cost savings of $2.3 million for BCBS of Tennessee.

"As doctors of chiropractic, we know firsthand that our care often helps patients avoid or reduce more costly interventions such as drugs and surgery. This study supports what we see in our practices every day," said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. "It also demonstrates the value of chiropractic care at a critical time, when our nation is attempting to reform its health care system and contain runaway costs."

Just for today....

• Just for today, I will allow my real personality to just be, and accept myself as I am.
• Just for today, I will listen to my intuition about what I really
  want in life, be OK with what I want, and not compare myself to others.
• Just for today, I will adjust myself for what it is. I will face
  reality. I will try to change what I can, and accept those things I cannot change.
• Just for today I will release judgments of others since I do not walk in their shoes.
• Just for today, I will try to live through this day only, and not
  set far-reaching goals to try to overcome all my problems at once. I
  know I can do something for 12 hours that would appall me if I felt that
  I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
• Just for today, I will try to be happy. Abraham Lincoln said, “Most
  folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” He was
  right. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. I will chase them
  out of my mind and replace them with happy thoughts.
• Just for today, I will try to improve my mind. I will not be a
  mental loafer. I will force myself to read something that requires
  effort, thoughts, and concentration.
• Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do a
  good deed for someone without letting them know it. (If they find out I
  did it, it won’t count). I will do at least two good things that I know I
  should do but have been putting off. I will not show anyone that my
  feelings are hurt. They may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
• Just for today, I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can,
  dress becomingly, talk softly, act courteously, and speak ill of none.
  Just for today I will try to improve no one except myself.
• Just for today I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly
  but I will have it, thereby saving myself from two pests: hurry and
  indecision.
• Just for today I will have a quiet half hour to relax alone. During
  this time I will reflect on my behavior and will try to get a better
  perspective on my life.
• Just for today I will be unafraid. I will gather the courage to do
  what is right and take the responsibility for my own actions. I will
  expect nothing from the world, but I will realize that as I give to the
  world, the world will give to me.

New Research about Chiropractic and Health!

Here are a few recent articles and research studies that show alot of promise.

PART 1 .........BLOOD PRESSURE



IN a recent BEST LIFE MAGAZINE ..ON THE TOPIC OF HYPERTENSION ...IT STATES "doctors at the university of Chicago found that chiropractic adjustment of the atlas/c-1, vertebrae relaxes the arteries at the base of the skull improving blood flow and RESULTING in an average 17 point drop in systolic blood pressure and an 8 point drop in diastolic blood pressure.



PART 2……..FROM A RECENT GOOD MEDICINE MAGAZINE "Chiro care may help fight oxidative stress in healthy people” Swedish researchers at the university of Lund found.

researchers compared people under regular CHIRO care for general wellness to pts w disease conditions such as diabetes cancer heart disease ...they found that blood levels of thiol, an antioxidant promoting DNA repair were three times higher in those pts undergoing CHIRO care for OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLNESS than in those pts with active diseases ..long term care was defined as reg CHIRO care.. longer than one year.



KEYS



1- RESEARCH DONE ON HEALTHY PEOPLE

2- PTS UNDER WELLNESS CARE

3- NON SYMPT CARE

4-CARE CAUSED A CORRELATION OF INCREASED THIOL WHICH HELPS REPAIR DNA...DNA IS THE FOUNDATION FOR LIFE

5- AND THE BEST RESULTS WERE NOT FOR 3 TO 6 VISITS AS APPROVED BY THE PTS HEALTH INS BUT FOR CARE OVER A YEAR OR MORE



PART 3…..IN A RECENT MENS HEALTH MAGAZINE "instead of a flu shot try CHIRO care” vaccine shortage? no problem Recent study at Florida Atlantic university near west palm beach found that pts who underwent CHIRO adjustments had a 15% lower rate of the flu than people who didn’t get adjusted" end quote Victor Who is the author?? AUTHOR IS GORDON MCGUIRE ASSISTANT CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PHARAMACY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAL SAN DIEGO SKAGGS SCHOOL OF PHARMACY



PART 4……FROM A RECENT INNOVATIONS IN WELLNESS MEDICINE MAG "for more than 65 million Americans or about 20% of the adult population they have hypertension and most take drugs like diuretics beta blockers ..calcium channel blockers but medicine should not be the front line defense esp. when safer equally effective therapies exist one of these is chiropractic in this study...presented at a recent annual meeting on the American society of hypertension ..50 pts were divided into 2 groups and treated w either an adjustment if the upper cervical or placebo therapy.. modality etc. improvement was seen in the treatment group in just 3 weeks ..after 8 weeks the systolic pressure average less than 130 while the placebo group remained unchanged .

Change your thoughts, Change your Life!

Friends,
Try this Today!



For ONLY ONE DAY:

Mark a "+" on your hand and for an entire 24 hour period, BE positive.

This means...

* No negative thoughts for an entire day. NOT ONE!
* No unkind comments
* No judgment
* No opinion stated internally or externally; even if someone asks for one.
* No worry, no self defeating, disempowering thoughts
* Stay away from "the news"; both on and offline.
* Excuse yourself from gossip or others' negative based chit chat


Instead...

* Look for people to compliment
* Be as uplifting as possible; to yourself and everyone around you.
* Smile more often
* Be agreeable
* Be grateful and appreciative


Just one day.

It WILL be very difficult; you watch.

But, if you can do this for just one day, you WILL have a better day.

You will notice how pervasive negativity is and how it's been impacting your practice and your life. Why wait 'til January 1st to make some positive changes?