Doctor of Chiropractic - Very Educated Profession

Chiropractors are Well Educated

Today's chiropractic education has an emphasis on science.

Fact is, educational requirements for today’s chiropractic physician are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions.

Several decades ago the education that chiropractors received was purposely narrow. Without the interest in prescribing medicines or performing surgery, chiropractic education focused on anatomy, the philosophy of natural healing, the wisdom of the body and adjusting techniques.

Today’s chiropractor receives a much broader education. In fact, it’s quite comparable to that received by medical practitioners.

Before acceptance to a five-year chiropractic college, prospective chiropractors must complete a minimum of three years of undergraduate work with a heavy emphasis on the basic sciences.

This focus on science continues during the first two years of study, emphasizing classroom and laboratory work in anatomy, physiology, public health, microbiology, pathology and biochemistry. Later, the focus is on specialized subjects, including chiropractic philosophy and practice, along with chiropractic diagnosis and adjusting methods. Since chiropractors don’t prescribe drugs, instead of studying pharmacology and surgery, they receive an even deeper training in anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, diagnosis, X-ray and a variety of adjusting techniques that aren’t taught in any other health care field.

Disparaging the educational achievements of today’s chiropractor is an outdated belief from another era.

In some recent surveys it was surprising to note that some people were unaware of the educational level of a Doctor of Chiropractic. The basic question was, "Is the education of a Doctor of Chiropractic at the same level as a Medical Doctor?" The correct answer is, of course, yes. Doctors of Chiropractic undergo a rigorous and demanding professional education equivalent to any other primary care provider. To obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, they must complete several years of prerequisite undergraduate education and spend nearly the same number of classroom hours at a fully-accredited chiropractic college as MDs do in medical schools. Student doctors are thoroughly trained in the appropriate use of sophisticated analytical equipment including X-rays, examination procedures, and state of the art chiropractic investigative technologies. Before they can practice, all Doctors of Chiropractic must pass a series of National Boards, as well as a licensing exam for the state in which they choose to practice. Even after all that, most states require the doctors to attend clinical continuing education programs for annual relicensure.

 What does it take to become a Chiropractor?

According to many sources Chiropractic is the second largest health care profession.  Some articles and authors have referred to chiropractic as “alternative”.  This label may not fit in the face of the growing numbers of people seeking chiropractic care.  In the 1998 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine is an article on chiropractic that makes a profound statement, 

“Even to call chiropractic alternative is problematic, in many ways it is distinctly mainstream.”

Even with all this growth and increased usage, many people are unaware of the rigors of a chiropractic education.

In order to become a “Doctor of Chiropractic” chiropractic students must go through college and a chiropractic program every bit as strenuous and in-depth as other health care practitioners.  To help demonstrate this better, the following charts are given.

Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools

Subject	Chiropractic Schools		Medical Schools
	Hours	% of Total	Hours	% of Total
Anatomy	570	40	368	31
Biochemistry	150	11	120	10
Microbiology	120	8	120	10
Public Health	70	5	289	24
Physiology	305	21	142	12
Pathology	205	14	162	14
Total Hours	1,420	100	1,200	100

Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools

	Chiropractic Schools		Medical Schools
	Mean	Percentage	Mean	Percentage
Basic science hours	1416	29%	1200	26%
Clinical science hours	3406	71%	3467	74%
Chiropractic science hours	1975	41%	0	0
Clerkship hours	1405	29%	3467	74%
Total Contact Hours	4822	100%	4667	100%

Source for both above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc., Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.

References

John McMillam Mennell, MD, Medicine, Monopolies and Malice, 1996, Avery Publishing, Garden City, NJ pp. 121, 154-155.

Chiropractic Education, http://www.chirotips.com/chiropractic_education.htm

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CHIROPRACTED, LLC
871 CORONADO CENTER DRIVE

SUITE 200
HENDERSON, NV 89052
(702)-277-1371

OMG, you're texting your way to back pain

ByJESSICA FIRGERCBS NEWS 

November 14, 2014, 5:29 PM

Humans were designed to stand upright. And yet in this modern world, too many of us spend our days with our heads slumped over for a simple reason: we're staring at the tiny screen of a smartphone.

People spend an average of 2 to 4 hours each day with their neck bent at this unnatural angle while shooting off emails or texts. That's 700 to 1,400 hours a year. The success of social media is has led to an epidemic of bad smartphone posture.

 DR. KENNETH HANSRAJ/SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL

The average adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds when it's in the upright or neutral position. However, because of that pesky thing called physics -- gravitational pull -- the cranium becomes heavier the more you bend your neck. Several times heavier, according to research from Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, which will be published in Surgical Technology International.

His study found that bending your head at a 60 degree angle to get a better look at your selfie is putting 60 pounds' worth of pressure on your cervical spine, the portion of the spine above the shoulders. That's more than the weight of the average 7 year old.

"The weight seen by the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees," write the authors in the study. "Loss of the natural curve of the cervical spine leads to incrementally increased stresses about the cervical spine. These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration and possibly surgeries."

But it's not just the big slump that could eventually cause you to look like Lurch. Tilting your head a mere 15 degrees puts 27 pounds of pressure on your spine; a 30 degree neck tilt could equal 40 pounds of pressure; a 45 degree tilt adds the force of 49 pounds.

It's no secret that correct posture is better for your back. According to the researchers, "good posture is defined as ears aligned with the shoulders and the 'angel wings,' or the shoulder blades, retracted."

"In proper alignment, spinal stress diminished," they write in their paper. "It is the most efficient position for the spine."

Standing tall doesn't just make you look better, it optimizes your health, too. Other studies have found good posture elevates testosterone and serotonin in the body, and also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Good posture has even been linked to personality traits such as tolerance for risk-taking.

Play VIDEO

Posture problems linked to cell phones

People who have poorer posture often have poorer physical and emotional health. The researchers define bad posture as "the head in a tilted forward position and the shoulders dropping forward in a rounded position."

Bad posture has been linked to a host of medical problems, including headaches and other neurological problems, depression, constipation, and heart disease. At a minimum, constant slouching is likely to cause a lot of chronic pain.

This is why Hansraj said it's important to be mindful of your smartphone posture.

"While it is nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues, individuals should make an effort to look at their phones with a neutral spine and to avoid spending hours each day hunched over," the authors write in their study.

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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CHIROPRACTED, LLC
871 CORONADO CENTER DRIVE

SUITE 200
HENDERSON, NV 89052
(702)-277-1371

OCTOBER- NATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH MONTH

A Better Way to Approach Health Care

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) encourages all consumers to think “Conservative Care First!” when it comes to their health care, particularly when pain is the issue.

For years, many patients would find relief through conservative forms of health care such as chiropractic services only after unsuccessfully trying a range of other, more complex and riskier treatments. Today, that approach has been reversed, with more medical research and guidelines supporting the idea that patients should exhaust conservative approaches to pain management and other conditions before moving on to other treatments.

For example, a recent study based on Washington state workers found that only 1.5 percent of those who visited a doctor of chiropractic first for work-related back pain later had surgery, compared to 42.7 percent of those who saw a surgeon first. Conservative care offers safe and effective (as well as cost-effective) ways to reduce pain and muscle spasms. A 2012 study found that spinal manipulation for neck and back pain was cost-effective used either alone or combined with other therapies.

You and your body will be together for the rest of your life. That’s reason enough to seek out conservative care first.

(FROM: http://www.chirohealthy.com)

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CHIROPRACTED, LLC
871 CORONADO CENTER DRIVE

SUITE 200
HENDERSON, NV 89052
(702)-277-1371

BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT? GET NATURAL PERSONAL INJURY RELIEF!

NATURAL PERSONAL INJURY RELIEF

If You Get in an Accident, Visit Us Immediately

It is critical for auto accident injury victims to have a full evaluation with us as soon as possible after the car injury occurs, and we make this easy with convenient hours of operation. Timing is very essential, even after a low-speed car accident because the forces exerted on the body during a collision can cause a multitude of soft-tissue injuries that may not manifest themselves until days or weeks after the car injury occurred.

Recover Your Body and Regain Your Health Naturally

Traditional method is painful, sometime tiresome and despairing. Traditional medicines may cause bad effects to your health system, and surgery may cause other complications. At The Neck and Back Clinic, our chiropractic approach helps the body recover by addressing the root causes of the pain naturally and very effectively. We provide excellent chiropractic care to treat injuries or conditions associated with auto accidents and other related injuries in Las Vegas and surrounding areas including:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Slip and fall
• Work related injuries and other injuries under the Nevada workers compensation system, also known as “On The Job Injuries”.

Dr. Ted is professional and experienced in helping people overcome car injury pain so they can get back to pain-free living. Our staff is trained to handle all of the insurance and legal paperwork, so we can streamline the process for our patients. We handle the paperwork to make the process easier on patients recovering from the neck pain, back pain, or extremity injuries often associated with car accidents. For anyone who has recently been in an accident, please do not hesitate to call our Las Vegas office or come in for a thorough evaluation that could prevent years of unnecessary of pain and suffering.

SCHEDULE TO SEE DR. TED FOR A FREE SPINAL CONSULTATION

CHIROPRACTED, LLC
871 CORONADO CENTER DRIVE

SUITE 200
HENDERSON, NV 89052
(702)-277-1371

SUPER COMBO: Vitamin D and Chiropractic

Exposure to sun and regular adjustments can increase your Vitamin D.

A SUPER COMBO:

Vitamin D and Chiropractic

Exposure to the sun's beam of light is a natural way for your body to absorb Vitamin D. While this can be both relaxing and nourishing to your body, did you know that receiving regular chiropractic adjustments may also improve your body’s ability to receive Vitamin D?

Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is just as important a vitamin as all those other lettered vitamins you hear about. It has been shown to help:

• Absorb calcium
• Build strong bones and teeth
• Improve immune function
• Promote cardiovascular health and weight loss, in more recent studies

This vitamin can be found in healthy foods such as salmon, tuna canned in water, egg yolks, and cheese. Eating these and other healthy foods not only can help fill your body with Vitamin D but also can help give your body other valuable vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health. As the sun hits your skin, your skin produces the Vitamin D that your body uses to keep you healthy.
So, if eating healthy and soaking up the sun help us receive Vitamin D, how can chiropractic help too?

The Power of a Healthy Nervous System

Chiropractic care doesn’t treat Vitamin D deficiencies, but a person often can better receive Vitamin D by having a healthy nervous system. The nervous system is the master system of your body. This system controls every organ, muscle, and tissue, including your skin—the largest organ of your body!
When the bones of your spine are out of place, this can put pressure on the nerves that communicate to your skin. As specific chiropractic adjustments are made to your spine, your spinal bones are moved back in place, taking pressure off the nerves traveling to your skin and other organs. Reducing this pressure or interference improves the health of your nervous system. With a healthy nervous system, your skin is better able to send sensory information to the brain to help the body know how to properly function. When your skin is able to do its job, your body is then able to properly access and use Vitamin D for your overall health.

Working Together

Vitamin D and chiropractic care make a super combo. Together, they can help you have a healthier immune system, a healthier working heart, and an overall higher quality of life. Visit with us today to discuss how you can receive the benefits of Vitamin D and chiropractic care!

SCHEDULE TO SEE DR. TED FOR A FREE SPINAL CONSULTATION

THE NECK AND BACK CLINIC 
825 S. 7th STREET
LAS VEGAS, NV 89101
(702)-256-8080

Natural Personal Injury Relief

Natural Personal Injury Relief

If You Get in an Accident, Visit Us Immediately

It is critical for auto accident injury victims to have a full evaluation with us as soon as possible after the car injury occurs, and we make this easy with convenient hours of operation. Timing is very essential, even after a low-speed car accident because the forces exerted on the body during a collision can cause a multitude of soft-tissue injuries that may not manifest themselves until days or weeks after the car injury occurred.

Recover Your Body and Regain Your Health Naturally

Traditional method is painful, sometime tiresome and despairing. Traditional medicines may cause bad effects to your health system, and surgery may cause other complications. At The Neck and Back Clinic, our chiropractic approach helps the body recover by addressing the root causes of the pain naturally and very effectively. We provide excellent chiropractic care to treat injuries or conditions associated with auto accidents and other related injuries in Las Vegas and surrounding areas including:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Slip and fall
• Work related injuries and other injuries under the Nevada workers compensation system, also known as “On The Job Injuries”.

Dr. Ted and his staff are professional and experienced in helping people overcome car injury pain so they can get back to pain-free living. Our staff is trained to handle all of the insurance and legal paperwork, so we can streamline the process for our patients. We handle the paperwork to make the process easier on patients recovering from the neck pain, back pain, or extremity injuries often associated with car accidents. For anyone who has recently been in an accident, please do not hesitate to call our downtown Las Vegas office or come in for a thorough evaluation that could prevent years of unnecessary of pain and suffering.

SCHEDULE TO SEE DR. TED FOR A FREE SPINAL CONSULTATION

THE NECK AND BACK CLINIC 
825 S. 7th STREET
LAS VEGAS, NV 89101
(702)-256-8080

Breaking Bad Posture with Chiropractic Care

 

Breaking Bad Posture with Chiropractic Care

Do you ever get home after a long day with neck pain, back pain, or a headache? The good news is that the great majority of back and neck pain is not due to serious disease, but instead is mechanical in nature. In other words, something in the spine is not physically functioning right and it is causing your pain. In chiropractic practice, patients often ask “why does it hurt?” or “why does that vertebra keep slipping out of alignment?” This is because gravity is constantly acting on you, and if your posture is not up to snuff, it will get the best of you. Let’s look at an average daily routine to see what you are up against.  

The alarm goes off at 6:30 and you roll out of bed with a stiff back. If you look back at your mattress and there is a you-shaped divot, this is the first place to look to improve your posture. Although it never seems like you get enough sleep, you spend enough time in that bed to do some damage to your neck and back if they aren’t getting the support you need while you catch your Z’s. 

After you get ready, it’s off to work. The national average for commute time is about 26 minutes. How does the average person spend that time? Sitting. You sit in your car, the bus, the train, perhaps even your bike for 26 minutes to and from work. Next time you are commuting, take note of how you are holding yourself.  Are your shoulders hiked up next to your ears? Are you slouching? Is your seat pushed too far back for you to sit up straight? Car seats very commonly exacerbate low back pain.

You finally arrive at work only to go and sit at your desk the rest of the day. Even if you don’t sit, you most likely will be standing all day. Either way your back and neck will not like it. You spend a tremendous amount of time at work and gravity is acting on you and your spine the entire time. Are you fighting back?

Five o’clock hits and you head home to eat dinner and curl up on your overstuffed sofa to watch your favorite shows. Couches are very deceiving because they are so big and fluffy and inviting. The problem is that most couches provide zero support for your back and neck. They practically swallow you whole, and your posture with you. 

Repeat this cycle 5 days a week and it becomes easier to see where the back pain, neck pain, and headaches come from. What you need is a good therapeutic intervention and some good self-care advice. Enter chiropractic. Your local chiropractor is highly skilled at identifying postural faults, vertebral misalignments, and muscular imbalances that are causing your pain. In addition, they can identify stressors in your life such as those mentioned above that are contributing to the problem and give you recommendations to improve your posture and ergonomics as well as stretches and exercises to strengthen your postural muscles. As you can see above, poor posture is a vicious cycle. Break the cycle with a trip to your chiropractor and start feeling better today.

About the Author

Beaverton, OR Chiropractor, Dr. Kip Thompson is pleased to bring you this article on “Breaking Bad Posture with Chiropractic Care”. If you are interested, feel free to check out Dr. Thompson’s website at http://www.catalystchiroandrehab.com/. 

AND IF YOU ARE IN THE LAS VEGAS AREA: 

SCHEDULE TO SEE DR. TED FOR A FREE SPINAL CONSULTATION

THE NECK AND BACK CLINIC 
825 S. 7th STREET
LAS VEGAS, NV 89101
(702)-256-8080