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Your Skin's Greatest Champion

Omegas are a great dietary or supplement choice for people who want to keep their skin youthful looking. But did you know that they are also may alleviate some chronic or associational skin conditions? Here's the skinny on omega fatty acids.

Why omegas are essential?

Just how essential to skin health are the so-called essential fatty acids? Nearly 100 years ago, researchers put rats on a no-fat diet. Among other health problems, the rats developed skin abnormalities and transpidermal water loss. Reintroducing saturated fats did not reserve the skin damage, but when the rats were fed polyunsaturated fatty acids - omega 3s and 6s - then skin issues completely cleared up. The essential fatty acids can't be made in the body, so we need to get them through food or supplement.

How Omega works

Omega-6 fatty acids, found in foods including meat, safflower oil, evening primrose oil, and borage oil, contribute to the skin's structural integrity and its barrier function. Omega 3-fatty acids, found in foods including fatty fish (salmon, tuna), walnuts, canola oil and flaxseed, contribute to immune function. Both omega 3 and 6 can control inflammatory skin responses.

You can get omegas through the food you eat, as dietary supplements, and as topical supplements that you apply directly to your skin. Both 3s and 6s are critical to keeping your skin healthy and looking its best.

These are the top 10 suggestions to keep in mind if you are trying to eat organic without breaking your budget:

1. Plan your meals every week
2. Extend the life of your food by knowing how to store it right - www.savethefood.com
3. Buy seasonal produce - freeze excess
4. Learn the Clean15 and the Dirty Dozen -  www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php
5. Buy generic organic in stead of brand names
6. Use coupons - check retailer websites and social media
7. Make snacks/bars/balls from scratch - www.tasteforlife.com
8. Buy exactly what you need by selecting from bulk bins at your store (if available)
9. Buy frozen organic produce
10. Reduce your meat portion and substitute for beans
     

In our Sheboygan office, we see a lot of people who are struggling with back pain, and some of these people have been told they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Endru has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of operation. The science agrees with the results we see in our office. One research study published in the academic journal Spine found that consulting with a chiropractor as your first step in overcoming with your back issues may actually keep you off of the operating table.

In this scientific study, medical researchers from Dartmouth reviewed statistics from 1,885 workers from Washington state who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractic doctor for their low back issues. They then used three years' worth of follow-up medical records to ascertain whether the patients ended up having back surgery in an effort to correct the problem.

What the researchers observed was that about 43% of the individuals who first consulted with a surgeon for their back pain ended up with surgery in that 3-year time span, whereas only 1.5% of those who first saw a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are remarkable results. Visiting a chiropractor considerably reduces your odds of having back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this scientific study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also keep in mind this important detail: this study was carried out by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and printed in the world's most distinguished medical publication on spinal injuries.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgery has risks, but a major problem related to spinal surgery is that there's a very high rate of failure. In an important review in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The experts in this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Endru is convinced that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without the need of high-risk surgery or drugs--and many research studies have documented the efficacy of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Sheboygan and you need care for your back pain, give our office a call today at (920) 208-7000 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

Unfortunately, many of our Sheboygan patients are familiar with the pain caused by a herniated disc all too well. Fortunately, Dr. Endru has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of medical studies have verified that chiropractic care can help people recover from this kind of condition.

Research on Chiropractic and Disc Herniations

In one report, a group of doctors from Switzerland selected 148 patients who were suffering with pain in their lower back and legs due to a disc herniation (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each individual then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the location of his or her disc herniation.

Results were gathered after the initial treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to ascertain what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic offers when it comes to resolving this particular problem. Among the data collected was the person's self-reported changes in both low back and leg pain.

Researchers found that, overall, the study participants reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the individuals claimed that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.

Even those patients who were defined as "chronic" still claimed an improvement in pain at a rate of 89 percent one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive effect that was found in the following case study.

Case Study Shows that Chiropractic Benefits Chronic Disc Herniation Symptoms

In this report, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the low back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had suffered with these problems for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his herniated disc was confirmed via MRI.

After receiving chiropractic care, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." In addition, the patient was still enjoying relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.

Studies like these show how useful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and relieving the symptoms they cause. So, if you are suffering from back ache caused by a herniated disc and want to find some relief, chiropractic may well be an effective solution.

Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Sheboygan office a call today at (920) 208-7000 for a consultation or appointment.

References

• Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3):155-163.
• Polkinghorn BS, Colloca CJ. Treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation using activator methods chiropractic technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1998;21(3):187-196.
  

We see a number of patients with back pain in our Sheboygan practice, and Dr. Endru has helped a lot of them get relief with chiropractic care. However, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great success.

Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well with Each Other

In a study published by the medical journal Spine experts¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder received chiropractic adjustments in addition to regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.

The authors determined that the patients who got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical care only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Therefore, incorporating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medicine can work together, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Pulls Ahead

Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research done at UCLA² that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health reports that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than people undergoing medical treatment.

According to the experts, the main aspects that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors frequently spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Is a Natural Approach to Wellness

Without a doubt, the methods associated with chiropractic are very different than those offered with medical care, but a large amount of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. In contrast to focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic means finding the primary cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Additionally, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from prescriptions and lasting results.

You don't have to struggle with back pain or other health issues. Give our Sheboygan clinic a call today at (920) 208-7000. We'll work to help you get and stay free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.

According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more people in the US suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. What's more, neck pain is the third most reported type of pain, beat out only by lower back pain and headaches.

Not surprisingly, a lot of patients come to our Sheboygan office seeking neck pain treatment, and Dr. Endru has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research shows that over 90 percent of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic.

Studies Confirm Chiropractic Works

A report published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy involved 64 people who were suffering with neck problems. Roughly half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were assigned to a comparison group. Both were given chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise plan, whereas the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.

Data was gathered before treatment began and one week post-treatment. The authors found that 94% of the experimental group reported "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the individuals who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, showing that evaluating the entire spinal column is an important part of restoring the body's normal function.

One more study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who were dealing with neck pain. Each person was randomly assigned to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the treatments.

Researchers found that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that provided such positive results in the first study) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the patients who received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of technique offers many benefits.

Help After Failed Medical Procedures

Another study also found the same sort of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a patient who had a failed neck surgical procedure. This particular case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still reported neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.

The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and reduced headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic adjustments. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still placed her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."

It is studies like these that substantiate the effectiveness of chiropractic care, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck pain and would like to find a remedy that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.

We're located in Sheboygan and Dr. Endru can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (920) 208-7000.

References

• AAPM facts and figures on pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine.
• Masaracchio M, Cleland JA, Hellman M, Hagins M. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-127.
• Cleland JA, Glynn P, Whitman JM, Eberhart SL, MacDonald C, Childs JD. Short-term effects of thrust versus nonthrust mobilization/manipulation directed at the thoracic spine in patients with neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Physical Therapy 2007;87(4):431-440.
• Salvatori R, Rowe RH, Osborne R, Beneciuk JM. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(6):440-449.
  

If you suffer from thoracic outlet syndrome after a car accident, don't worry. Dr. Endru sees this type of problem very often in our Sheboygan office. Why is thoracic outlet syndrome such a common symptom after a car accident? How can chiropractic care help you get better?

The thoracic outlet is a bundle of blood vessels and nerves that pass through your neck and shoulder to your arm. These vessels don't have a lot of space, so they pass under and through the strong bands of muscles that support your head.

In a collision, these muscle groups can be stretched and strained. If damaged, the muscles become inflamed and sore, and they can develop scar tissue which limits movement and puts pressure on the tissues of the thoracic outlet. Pressure on the nerves can cause tingling or pins and needles in the shoulder, elbow and even the hand. Pressure on the blood vessels can also cause problems in the arm.

Sheboygan Thoracic Outlet Treatment

Chiropractic can be an effective way to treat thoracic outlet syndrome, as Dr. Endru will help improve mobility in your spine and restore normal nerve function in your neck and shoulder.

You don't have to suffer from thoracic outlet syndrome. Dr. Endru is conveniently located in Sheboygan to help you recover, whether you've been in a car crash or not. Dr. Endru will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (920) 208-7000 to make an appointment.

We see a large number of people in our Sheboygan office, and Dr. Endru has helped many people overcome a wide array of health problems. However, one worry that seems to stop a lot of people from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 women and men. Each test subject reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors found that nobody documented any significant unfavorable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

The second article(2), also released in the prestigious publication, Spine, was performed in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The authors determined the risk of total side effects to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some volunteers did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this prompted the researchers to determine that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe for Your Children

The third research paper(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the authors analyzed data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the children, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse reactions. When parents were questioned, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Additionally, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Sheboygan clinic and schedule an appointment today at (920) 208-7000.

References

1. Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, Clarke BR, Bowden RS, Losco B, French SD. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine 2013;38(20):1723-9.
2. Thiel HW1, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. Safety of chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine: a prospective national survey. Spine 2007;32(21):2375-8.
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore NY 2009;5(5): 290-5.

Dr. Amy Endru has been helping people with work injuries since 2007. Chiropractic care may minimize the number of missed worked days for back and neck pain, according to recent research. In a new report, people who received chiropractic care tended to miss fewer work days in comparison to patients who hadn't seen a chiropractor.

In this 2013 paper, 650 laborers in Minnesota who had back or neck pain were surveyed. The researchers found that many of those surveyed stated that their back pain prompted them to miss work or resulted in them making errors on the job.

The most interesting finding, however, was that the workers who saw a chiropractic physician had 58% fewer disability days than those who didn't see a chiropractor!

Numerous studies report that chiropractic is the optimal way to manage and even prevent back pain, and that's what we have found here in our office in Sheboygan.

Call our office today at (920) 208-7000 for an appointment or for more information.

Reference: Cifuentes M, Willetts J, Wasiak R. Health maintenance care in work-related low back pain and its association with disability recurrence. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2011; 53(4): 396-404.

Let's face it: price is a necessary aspect when we're considering our health and fitness care options. We want high quality care that works without racking up needless medical bills. At Endru Family Chiropractic, we understand your concerns. We have many patients Sheboygan who are on a budget and visit our practice because they get results and save money on their healthcare expenditures.

A growing body of research shows that chiropractic is both effective and less costly than more invasive medical procedures.

In a recent report, researchers analyzed the healthcare spending of over 12,000 adults with spine conditions. They found that patients who used alternative therapies have reduced annual health-related costs when compared to patients receiving traditional medical treatments.

Chiropractic care contributed dramatically to reduced costs since chiropractic accounted for 75% of alternative therapy use.

Earlier reports have found that chiropractic prevented persistent disability in people with back pain which could help to reduce medical spending.

Studies have also found that chiropractic reduces costs for patients by helping them avoid risky procedures, exams, surgeries, and expensive drugs.

Alternatively, chiropractors work to take advantage of the body's inherent healing capabilities with a variety of non-invasive, successful modalities.

If you live in Sheboygan and you would like to improve your health and save money, give Dr. Amy Endru a call at (920) 208-7000 today for a consultation.

References

Martins B, et al. The association of complementary and alternative medicine use and health care expenditures for back and neck problems. Medical Care 2012; 50 (12): 1029-1036. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e318269e0b2.

Cifuentes M, Willetts J, Wasiak R. Health maintenance care in work-related low back pain and its association with disability recurrence. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2011; 53(4): 396-404.