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Watson Chiropractic, P.C.
September 2006 Newsletter
503-697-7463
  • Back-to-School Backpacks
  • Fall Exercise Momentum
  • Diathermy
  • Spinal Nerve Irritation
  • HMO/PPO Update
  • Slippery Road Ahead!
  • Fall Equinox
 
 
Back-to-School Backpacks
School is starting up again, and lots of kids will be carrying around backpacks full of books and school supplies.  The first few days are generally the most demanding.  Be careful not to overload your child with all their new supplies and books.  Take some time to evaluate their backpack with the following guide points.
 
  • Wide and padded shoulder straps will help distribute the load more evenly. 
  • The higher up onto the shoulders, and the closer to the back a loaded pack can be, the less leverage the backpack can have on the spine.
  • Look for backpacks with lashing straps that help tighten up the pack and make the contents more compact.
  • Better backpacks are generally found at stores like REI, GI Joes, and ski shops.  Although they are cheaper at Wal-Mart or Target, the packs are generally not the greatest.
  • Stay away from cheap packs with light material as the load tends to sag and hang from the shoulders.
  • Look for backpacks that have chest straps, and abdominal straps, to further distribute the load.
  • Unless your child will spend the majority of the time rolling their backpack behind them, stay away from backpacks with wheels and telescoping handles, as the added weight will add more stress when carried upon the back.
  • Spend some time to show your child how to load the pack, lash it down, and strap it on the back.  Remember, the closer to the back, and the higher up the load is on the back - the better.
  • Many kids like to carry their pack on one side, or the other, and not on both shoulders at the same time.  It's best to have the backpack on both shoulders, although some kids are just not going to do this.  In this case, ask you child to wear it evenly on each side.  Maybe they can remember to carry it on one side, on the way to-school, and on the other side, on the way from-school.
 
 
Fall Exercise Momentum
Fall is a good time to start a new exercise program.   Many summer activities can get in the way of having a regular schedule which can interfere with momentum.  Momentum is a very important aspect of a regular exercise program.  Most people will agree that the hard part of exercising is getting started with exercise.  After a couple weeks of a regular exercise program, most would agree, it's much easier to keep-exercising than it was to get-started.  You will need about two weeks of uninterrupted time to get the momentum up, so don't start right before your last summer vacation or right before you get the kids back in school.  Timing is important here.  But don't keep putting it off either.  Get out there and do it!
 
 
Diathermy
The heat unit that we use in the office is called diathermy.  It is a FM radio wave that transmits FM radio waves at 27.12 megahertz.  These tiny unseen waves cause ions in the cells to vibrate, which causes friction, and heat is created a result.
 
The benefits of diathermy are:
  • Muscle relaxation.  I often use diathermy as a preparation to a spinal adjustment so the patient can receive the adjustment with greater ease.
  • Loosening of scar tissue.  Often times scar tissue from old shoulder injuries and/or shoulder surgeries can be loosened up and relieved with diathermy.
  • Increased blood flow without increasing inflammation.  Increased blood flow to the tissue means more nutrition and increased healing time.
  • Increased cellular metabolism.  Increasing the cellular metabolism allows waste to exit the cell more rapidly, and nutrition to enter the cell more rapidly.
I often use diathermy for sore and spasmed muscles, arthritis, lung congestion, tendonitis, and adhesion and contraction from scar tissue.
 
As a side note, I do not recommend heat for acute injuries with inflammation to be used at home.  Diathermy is a special kind of heat that does not increase inflammation, unlike home heating pads.
 
 
Spinal Nerve Irritation
Spinal nerves are the conduit for communication between the brain and the body.  Vertebral misalignment (subluxation) can cause the spinal nerves to malfunction due to irritation caused from the misalignment.  When spinal nerves are irritated they transmit information too rapidly, too slowly, or not at all.  Spinal adjustments realign the misaligned vertebra.  When a spinal nerve is not irritated, it can function normally, thus restoring health to your body.  It's that simple!
 
 
HMO/PPO Update
I am doing all I can to stay on track with everyone's health insurance by joining all the PPO's and HMO's that I feel I can participate with.   It's a tough decision to not join a plan, since I do loose patients because of it.  I look at new plans fairly often and have joined many of them.  However, there are a few that I will not join for the following reason.
 
I will not participate with plans whose underlying mission, is to control patient care by encumbering a doctor, the patient, and the doctor's staff, with unnecessary paperwork for widely accepted treatment plans.
 
 
Slippery Road Ahead!
Every year, around this time, we start seeing many patients who have been in auto accidents because of the new rain on the oily roads.  I've seen thousands of patients over the past 12 years and it's just a matter of time before some of them get into auto accidents.  Whiplash is the most common injury, and the treatment of choice is chiropractic care.  If you do get into a wreck, come in as soon as possible.  Waiting until it gets better rarely works, and generally just furthers the problem with increased inflammation and pain.  Waiting can also lead to other problems later, like degeneration of the discs and arthritic spurring of the vertebra.  In nearly every case of whiplash, the cervical curve becomes reduced.  If you have been in a auto injury, I will generally take an x-ray to access the cervical curve.  Then, I will begin with treatment aimed at reducing acute pain and inflammation.  Once the acute pain is reduced, I can go to work on the damage.  Those with a moderate to severe whiplash injuries need a lot  of time to get back to normal.  Some of the longest cases I've had have been auto accident cases.
 
Be careful out there, give yourself plenty of time to stop in the rain, and make sure your headrest is adjusted properly.
 
 
Fall Equinox
Twice each year everyone on earth will experience a 12 hour day, on the spring and fall equinox.   On this day, the sun will rise exatly east and set exatly west.  This year's fall equinox is, September 23rd, and it is this day that marks the first day of Autumn.  My favorite season!
 
 
Thanks for your readership!
Dr. Watson
 
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