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Wellness
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Many studies have demonstrated the overall benefits chiropractic can have on health in general. Removing spinal subluxations and restoring an improved nerve supply to allow the brain to better communicate with the body simply accomplishes better health.
One of the world’s largest manual medicine journals, JMPT, published a study by Richard Sarnat, M.D., and James Winterstein, D.C., which compared chiropractors to osteopaths and medical doctors as primary gatekeepers. In 1996, a large HMO in Chicago that serves over 600,000 patients started utilizing chiropractors as first contact for patients with general health needs, and compared the results with the rest of the HMO and its D.O.s and M.D.s. The study found that chiropractors were not only able to properly diagnose and treat, but were far more cost-effective and had higher patient satisfaction levels than their medical counterparts. There were 43% fewer hospital admissions, 58% fewer hospital days, 43% fewer surgeries, and 52% fewer prescriptions; and all with higher patient satisfaction levels. The HMO went on to report that prevention oriented encounters with the chiropractors worked far better than drugs and surgery as first-line treatment.
The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research explored the link between chiropractic and basic physiological processes that influence DNA repair and oxidative stress. Serum thiols are a measurement of human health status by way of estimating DNA repair enzyme activity. The higher the serum thiols, the better rate of DNA repair. The research compared serum thiol levels of patients in 3 categories:
- Those with active disease
- Patients who had been under chiropractic care for less than 1 year
- Patients who had been under chiropractic care for 1 to 6 years
Results showed the mean serum levels were lowest among those with active disease and those under short time chiropractic care. The highest serum levels were those under chiropractic care for 1 to 6 years. One of the most popular health websites, www.Mercola.com featured this research with osteopath Dr. Joe Mercola adding, “I’m a strong believer in traditional chiropractic philosophy, which places a strong emphasis on the body’s innate healing wisdom and less on Band-Aids like drugs and surgery.
The Chiropractic Journal April 2002, noted several research projects involving chiropractic and wellness:
- One study involved 311 chiropractics patients aged 65 years and older who had received “maintenance care” for five or more years; when compared to U.S. citizens of the same age, spent only 31% of the national average for health services. There was also a 50% reduction in medical provider visits. 95.8% of these patients reported that chiropractic care was “extremely” valuable.
- A study was done analyzing an insurance database, comparing those insured who received chiropractic care with those who didn’t, and consisted of patients over 75 years of age. Those receiving chiropractic care spent fewer days in hospitals, used fewer prescription drugs, were more active, and reported a better overall level of health.
- Blanks, Shuster, and Dobson published results of a retrospective assessment of chiropractic care on self-related health, wellness, and quality of life. After surveying nearly 3000 patients, a strong connection was found between persons receiving chiropractic care and self-reported improvement in health, wellness and quality-of-life. 95% of respondents reported that their expectations had been met, and 99% wished to continue care.
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