Could Your Sedentary Lifestyle Be Harming Your Health?

If walking around the grocery store is the most exercise you get in a week, you may be putting your health at risk. Inactivity is a factor in many health conditions, ranging from cancer to high blood pressure to osteoporosis. Fortunately, it's never too late to improve your health by becoming more active.

Are You a Couch Potato? You May Be More Likely To Experience These Health Issues

Only 25% of Americans are active enough to satisfy current exercise recommendations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adults should participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, according to the recommendations.

Lack of exercise can increase your risk of:

• Cardiovascular Problems. You're more likely to develop heart disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol if you don't move enough. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle doubles your risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to the World Health Organization. Regular aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and improves blood flow to the brain, heart, lungs, and other organs. Aerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate, such as swimming, walking, riding a bike, or playing tennis.
• Obesity. Exercise helps you burn calories and improves your metabolism, the rate at which you burn those calories. If you've been struggling to lose weight, exercising more, in addition to following a healthy diet, could help you shed a few extra pounds.
• Type 2 Diabetes. Inactivity may also increase your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects more than 34 million Americans, according to the CDC. If you're sedentary, you may develop insulin resistance, a condition that affects your body's ability to use glucose (blood sugar) to provide energy to your cells. Glucose builds up in your blood if you're insulin resistant, making it more likely that you'll develop pre-diabetes or diabetes. Researchers in Korea discovered being inactive for 10 hours or more daily increased insulin resistance values in people who didn't have diabetes.
• Weak Bones. Weight-bearing activities, like walking, strength training, dancing, or running, keep your bones strong. These activities increase bone density and improve the range of motion in your joints. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly important as you get older. Exercise can help you lower your risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones and increases your risk of fractures.
• Cancer. Skipping exercise can also raise your cancer risk. Inactivity raises the risk of uterine, colon, and breast cancers, according to Medline Plus.
• Mental Health Issues. Staying active may also help you avoid depression and anxiety or reduce the symptoms of these conditions. Exercise improves nerve cell growth in the part of the brain that controls moods and triggers the release of endorphins, natural chemicals that improve your mood, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
• Joint and Muscle Pain. Without regular exercise, your joints and muscles may become stiff and painful. Does your job involve plenty of sitting? When you sit too much, the core muscles that support your back begin to weaken. When the muscles are weak, you're more likely to experience strained muscles, muscle spasms, and knots in your muscles. Muscle imbalances due to lack of exercise can pull your spine out of alignment, causing chronic back pain and reduced range of motion.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help You Stay Healthy

Your chiropractor can recommend exercises that will strengthen and support your body and help you stay healthy. If pain is keeping you from exercising, your chiropractor offers a variety of treatments designed to improve spinal alignment and decrease pressure and tension on your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. Thanks to your visits to the chiropractor, you'll be able to make exercising a priority.

Has it been a while since you've seen the chiropractor? Give us a call and we'll help you schedule your next appointment.

Sources:

America's Health Rankings: Physical Inactivity

Harvard Health Publishing: Exercise Is An All-Natural Way to Fight Depression, 2/2/21

World Health Organization: Physical Inactivity a Leading Cause of Disease and Disability, Warns Who, 4/4/02

Medline Plus: Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

Korean Journal of Family Medicine: Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks, 11/19/20

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lack of Physical Activity, 9/25/19

When you think of chiropractic care, back pain is probably the first thing that leaps to mind. Back troubles are incredibly common, and you might already know a few friends or relatives who regularly visit a chiropractor for treatment of their back pain.

Popular conceptions aside, chiropractic care can actually treat far more conditions than just back pain. At the core of its philosophy, chiropractic care revolves around the nervous system which acts as the messenger system of the body. Any time communication within the nervous system suffers blockage or interference in any way, pain, discomfort, and lack of proper function can occur anywhere in the body.

When we address that interference within the nervous system, a number of conditions will improve. Chiropractic care can be used to treat a wide variety of ailments including, but not limited to:

• Migraine headaches
• Tension headaches
• Sciatica
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Sacroiliac pain
• Knee pain
• … and much more

In fact, because every body system is impacted by nervous system dysfunction, removing interference will help all other systems to function better. You might be surprised to find that conditions like anxiety can be relieved by chiropractic care, because chiropractic adjustments can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Or, your immune system function could be restored due to improved nervous system
messaging.

And to offer another example: Each vertebra in the spine is associated with nerves that send messages to the rest of the body. So for example, one vertebra near the top of the spine contains nerves that communicate with your sinuses. Manipulation of this vertebra can help your sinus passages to drain if you’re suffering from allergies or a cold.

As you can see, chiropractic care encompasses much more than treatment of back pain! If you’re suffering with any ailment that has not responded to other efforts of treatment, find a Chiropractor near you to schedule a consultation. They can assess your health issue and decide whether chiropractic care might be the solution you seek.

Pregnancy is a marvelous time in a woman’s life. A pregnant woman grows a precious tiny human inside of her. However, it can also be extremely uncomfortable, and quite frankly, painful. A woman’s body goes through many changes as her body prepares for childbirth. Some people may be surprised to learn that chiropractic care is safe and effective for pregnant women. There are many benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy including relief from joint and back pain, reduced time in labor and delivery, and decreases the chance of cesarean delivery. Let’s talk about that!

1. Relief from Joint and Back Pain
   It’s no secret that pregnant women suffer from back pain. This is caused by the increased stress placed on the lumbar spine which is the part of the spine that is just above the pelvis. Changes to her center of gravity and also the changes in her gate, or the way she walks, will cause added stress to her spine. All this stress can cause not only her spine to pop out of alignment but also muscle spasms. Chiropractors are specifically trained to treat pregnant women and their spines. Getting a chiropractic adjustment often during pregnancy can help alleviate the pain caused by the changes in her body. A chiropractor may also recommend exercises to strengthen the mother’s core to prevent her spine from coming out of alignment.
2. Reduced Time in Labor and Delivery
   First-time mothers who receive chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy have 25 percent shorter labors than first-time moms who don’t visit a chiropractor. Mothers who have had more than one child who receives chiropractic care decrease their labor time by 31 percent. Back pain, pregnancy, and “back labor” are all connected. The best way to keep a pregnant woman’s spine and pelvis in alignment are by receiving regular adjustments. It will also make it that much easier for the baby to exit the birth canal. If a woman suffers from back pain while she is pregnant, she is three times more likely to have “back labor” when she is ready to deliver her baby. Women who receive regular chiropractic adjustments while pregnant can greatly reduce their chance of “back labor”.
3. Decreases the Chance of Cesarean Delivery
   As much as 4.6 percent of the babies born in the world are breech. Many of these births require a cesarean delivery or a c-section. The Webster Technique is a particular chiropractic adjustment that has been known to flip babies in the correct position 92 percent of the time. This technique brings balance to the mother’s pelvis and corresponding muscles and relieves tension on her uterus; thus giving her baby enough room in the womb to assume the correct position.

These are three important benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Women who visit their chiropractor on a regular basis while pregnant can experience happy healthy pregnancies and shorter labors. Since a pregnant woman’s body is going through so many changes, it is easy for her body to become out of alignment. Receiving chiropractic care can keep her body in balance and prevent unnecessary pain throughout her pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Before seeing a chiropractor, check with your health care professional to make sure chiropractic care is right for you!

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act

Legislation championed by ACA to increase Medicare coverage of chiropractic services has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act (S. 799/H.R. 1610) would allow Medicare beneficiaries access to the chiropractic profession’s broad-based, non-drug approach to pain management, which includes manual manipulation of the spine and extremities, evaluation and management services, diagnostic imaging and utilization of other non-drug approaches that have become an important strategy in national efforts to stem the epidemic of prescription opioid overuse and abuse.

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act (S. 799/H.R. 1610):

• Is bipartisan legislation that provides patient access to all Medicare-covered benefits allowable under a chiropractor’s state licensure.
• Requires that DCs complete a documentation webinar.
• Appropriately defines a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) as a “physician” in the Medicare program.

What does this legislation mean for me and my Medicare patients?

Simply put, the bill, and ACA’s entire Medicare initiative, is to ensure patient access to all Medicare-covered services that DCs are licensed to provide. Again, it is important to note that our initiative adds no new services. It only allows access to those current Medicare benefits that chiropractors are licensed to provide. The current statute that governs patient access to Medicare has been in place since 1972. It’s antiquated and does not reflect the acceptance of chiropractic into mainstream health care. In addition, it limits patient choice, which is a highlight of our educational efforts with legislators.

What happens next?

The bill needs your support! Members of Congress want to hear from YOU, the constituent, more than anyone else. We are asking that every DC contact their Members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1610. It is critical that Members of Congress hear a pro-chiropractic message directly from constituents, the people they represent!

Resources, toolkits and templates are available for you to use in your communication with policymakers and the general public. We are here to support you and the Government Relations team is available to help or answer any questions you may have.

Help your legislators understand the importance of increased patient access to chiropractic.

Which codes are covered by the proposed bill?

If and when bills become laws, the federal rulemaking process determines implementation. Details related to codes, reimbursement and billing will not take place until then.  Be advised, that under H.R. 1610, DCs would be paid under the Medicare physician fee schedule for all services listed thereon which are authorized under their state scope of practice in the same manner MDs are paid. Also, be aware that the Medicare physician fee schedule is based on the relative value of the various services and not on the type of physician providing the service.  At a minimum, if passed in its current form, the legislation would include evaluation and management (E&M) codes, therapy codes including but not limited to CMT codes, and certain diagnostic and x-ray codes.

A question I keep getting from members of congress and their staff is: “So, what does it cost?”

The bill does not add new services to Medicare, it simply allows for patient choice when selecting a provider. H.R. 3654 allows patients to choose a chiropractor for Medicare-covered services allowed by their state.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) may provide a ‘score’ for the bill, which is an estimate of the expected costs should the bill become law. The CBO has not yet scored H.R. 1610. Recent studies show that access to chiropractic care can save money for the healthcare system, particularly when compared to prescriptions and surgery.  Click here for more information about recent studies on the cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care.

Is the option to opt out of Medicare included in the new bill?

This bill is intended to give patients greater access to chiropractic services in Medicare.  The first step is to put chiropractors on par with all other physicians within the Medicare system. This lays the foundation for patients to receive covered services from their chiropractors that are allowed under their state licensure, and makes it possible to work toward other improvements.  Opt-out options will require further legislation after full access is achieved.

The bill mentions completing an ‘educational documentation webinar.’ What does that mean?

This bill means that chiropractors will be able to bill Medicare for the full scope of their services allowed by their state, provided they have completed documentation training in the form of a one-time webinar or similar process, as determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

What happened to H.R. 3654?

H.R. 3654 was introduced in the 116^th Congress and created strong momentum for the modernization of chiropractic coverage in Medicare. Through the hard work of ACA members and DCs nationwide, the bill attracted more than 90 cosponsors. (Read more about the process here.)

At the start of the 117^th Congress in 2021, ACA worked to get the bill reintroduced. The new and current bill is H.R. 1610. The text of the bill is the same and was introduced with 16 cosponsors – an excellent start and testament to the momentum generated over the past two years.

The first Chiropractic adjustment was in 1895 by a man named DD Palmer. There was a janitor in his building who was deaf, and Palmer noted that he had a misalignment in his spine, and proceeded to adjust it back into place, and amazingly his hearing returned. This was the beginning of Chiropractic. It was never intended to be a back pain modality.

Chiropractors have, since that first adjustment, treated sickness and infirmity without the use of drugs and with the goal of avoiding surgical removal or repair of any of the body's organs or structures. Chiropractic's message is that the proactive care of one's body and wise lifestyle choices are necessary to achieve health. Chiropractors have held and maintained this view, even before it became fashionable and long before evidence made it clear that the drug and surgery model of "health care" is really nothing more than "disease care", waiting for disease to occur and then treating the effects. Chiropractic takes a preventive approach to health care: eliminate the cause of disease.

Chiropractors have always maintained that interfering with the transmission of the electro-chemical signals that connect your brain, the master control system for the human organism, to every organ and cell in your body has a detrimental effect on health.

These systems are so delicate and of such vital importance that the body has designed the most elaborate set of protection, armor if you will, to protect it. The skull is a protective vault that houses and protects the most sensitive of systems: the eyes, the mouth, the ears and most importantly, the brain. The next critical organ in your body, the spinal cord, is guarded by your spine. This masterpiece of engineering is 24 vertebrae, each one a unique bone, that serves not only as the axis of your musculoskeletal system, giving you the unique ability to walk upright, but also has a unique set of nerves that run through it to every other system of the body through individual holes called foramen.

What travels through the spine and the foramen that protect them is the very essence of your being. From your brain, your spinal cord and the millions of nerves that branch out from it are the core from which your body functions. Before you came into the world, you formed a brain and a spinal cord and developed a body around it. And so it is today that the brain regulates the rest of your body through this delicate system of nerves protected by your spine.

Chiropractors use gentle precise adjustments (manipulation) to maintain the proper position of these delicate joints and the precious cargo which they protect, your nerve system.

Pressure on the root nerves that leave the spine through the foramen to control and regulate all of the other organ systems of the body can affect millions of nerve fibers. Pressure on the brain stem, where it leaves the skull and enters the spine can also affect millions of nerve fibers. Interfering with these nerve fibers can have disastrous effects on your health.

Chiropractors detect and correct the cause of this interference, allowing your body to self regulate, adapt and heal. The care and maintenance of the spine and nervous system is a necessary component of any natural approach to health and wellness.

Chiropractors have been outspoken opponents of the over-use of prescription drugs, food additives, and have always maintained that it is better to find and correct the cause of disease, rather than merely treat or cover up symptoms.

Today, chiropractors embrace and support the growing body of evidence that health is a result of - a fully functioning nerve system, consuming natural, nutrient rich food, clean pure water, proper exercise, natural sleep and emotional/spiritual well being. A healthy spine allows your body to adapt, regulate and fully realize the benefits of all of these other natural methods of avoiding disease and achieving health. See a chiropractor today to have your spine checked and begin to remove yourself from the disease care system of treating symptoms.