Do you believe in Wellness?

I often hear people comment about how they either believe or don't believe in certain "alternative" or holistic heath care methods. There is no malice in their words, usually. However, the very choice of the word believe would imply that very real and very researched non-medical therapies require the same level of belief as one would give the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.

We place our absolute confidence in medications today that will be considered obsolete or even too harmful to prescribe in 5 years. Yet, time tested natural methods continue to require a belief system to be consider accepted. It just doesn't seem logical. So I thought I would offer a little bit of information to help you believe in wellness and maybe even Chiropractic.

I received a periodical the other day and found this awesome article by one of my favorite Chiropractors, Christopher Kent, DC, Esq. He wrote about wellness and specifically how Chiropractic fits in the wellness model. The references he leaves you with are compelling. Take a moment to go to the article or at least read on a little further. I have quoted the article and hope you find it interesting.

If we are worried about health care bankrupting our future. Check out these interesting results of a 7 year study. "Significant decreases in the utilization of medical services, and their attendant costs, were noted when Chiropractors or other “CAM-oriented” practitioners were used as primary care providers. In an Independent Physician Association (IPA) which permitted patients to select a doctor of chiropractic as their primary care physician, clinical and cost utilization based on 70,274 member months over a seven year period demonstrated decreases of 60.2 percent in hospital admissions, 59.0 percent hospital days, 62.0 percent outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85 percent pharmaceutical costs when compared with conventional medicine." Imagine what a reduction of 60.2% hospital admissions would mean for our national health care budget. (http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiropractic-news.php?id=7223&section=127)

Let us also think about the geriatric population. Many health care economists predict that the baby boomers will become a huge economic burden as they enter their declining years. We often discuss the long-term benefits of Chiropractic maintenance care with our patients. Dr. Kent referenced this next excerpt concerning wellness and maintenance care in his article in the January 20 edition of Chiropractic Economics. "A larger study surveyed 311 chiropractic patients, aged 65 years and older, who had received chiropractic maintenance care for five years or longer. Chiropractic patients, when compared with U.S. citizens of the same age, spent only 31 percent of the national average for health care services. The chiropractic patients also experienced 50 percent fewer medical provider visits then their comparable peers. The health habits of patients receiving maintenance care were better overall than the general population, including decreased use of cigarettes and decreased use of nonprescription drugs. " (http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiropractic-news.php?id=7223&section=127)

Take a brief moment to consider these very real references and what you believe in.

Chiropractic treatment is becoming mainstream medicine

There is a growing trend in healthcare today. Patients are increasingly more unsatisfied with the treatment they receive from the medical physician. In these situations, it is often because the persons problem is not one in which medicine is the best treatment choice.

The numbers of people seeking out alternatives to medical treatment is on a steady rise. You can see medical facilities offering alternatives and "wholistic" treatment in outpatient hospital related settings. These facilities are oftened staffed by providers that are not as skilled or experienced as those in private practice. Here'sa brief excerpt from an article I came across the other day.

"A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association way back in 1998 showed that visits to alterative practitioners increased from 34% in 1990 to 42% in 1997, in such disciplines as herbal medicine, massage, megavitamins, self-help groups, folk remedies, energy healing, and homeopathy. The probability of users visiting an alternative medicine practitioner increased from 36.3% to 46.3%, which totaled an estimated cost of over $21 billion, with at least $12 billion out-of-pocket, that is, paid by the patients themselves and not insurance companies. This increase was attributed to more people seeking complementary care, and not to more visits per patient.

More than one-third of hospitals now offer one or more complementary therapies, according to a survey by the American Hospital Association completed last September. The hospitals with these services tend to be located in urban areas, with the southern Atlantic states offered the most CAM services. The types of services offered vary from hospital to hospital, but include acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, nutrition, herbal medicine, and massage therapy. (Massage is one of the most requested services.) Over 80% of patients requested complementary services, even though they are not covered by insurance."

Of all the specialties that fall under CAM Chiropractic care is by far the one most utilized, most researched and most effective.

Pasted from <http://www.healthnews.com/blogs/melanie-grimes/natural-health/alternative-medicine/is-alternative-medicine-new-mainstream-2100.html>

For more info about the statistics concerning CAM usage go to this website, www.b2hc.com, and send us an email.