DR. TED'S BLOG- HEALTH + WELLNESS + FITNESS: 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)