Terry A. Rondberg's blog

It's official "I'll proclaim anything" day

It seems lately that states and cities are declaring a "day" or even a "month" for everything. There are the old-timers like the official Arbor Day, Earth Day and Peace Day. But the new crop of official days and months proclaimed by governors and mayors include such designations as Connecticut's "National Hunting and Fishing Day," California's "Drowsy Driver Awareness Day," North Carolina's "Wine and Grape Appreciation Month," and Georgia's "Litter Clean Up Month."

So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that one state -- Texas -- officially recognized this Sept. 8 as "Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day."

In a weird and satisfying example of one-upmanship, chiropractic scored a victory by getting the entire MONTH of October dedicated as "Chiropractic Month" in Oregon. Texas is 2.7 times larger in area than Oregon, but it's only got one day, so chiropractic wins!

Although some of the nonsense surrounding these official proclamations have made the whole idea of "official days" something of a joke, having a governor declare a chiropractic month can be a great idea, if it ends up being something more than a way to score points with an organization's membership.

To be effective, chiropractors have to really plan and execute a massive public education program around such proclamations as the one in Oregon, making sure local news outlets publicize them, and individual practitioners build events around the news.

Otherwise, it just ends up being an empty gesture that distracts from our real goals. Just another meaningless proclamation like National Mustard Day.

Dream big … and think positive

According to the concepts in energy healing and the new biology, our thoughts and intentions are the guiding forces in our lives. What we think about, comes about. That's why it's important for us to think positive and DREAM BIG.

That's exactly what Lynn Dowswell, DC, of Orillia, Ontario, did when she dreamed of completing the Lake Placid (NY) Ironman event. In an article on Simcoe.com -- which provides news and information about the Ontario communities of Simcoe County and Grey-Bruce -- Dr. Dowswell posted a time of 14 hours, 41 minutes and 52 seconds for the grueling course.

The Ironman (maybe it's time to change the name to Ironperson?) is one of the most challenging fitness events you can imagine. First, you swim for 2.4 miles, then cycle for 112 miles, and then top it off with a 26.2-mile marathon run.

A more impressive fact is that she did it to celebrate her 40th birthday. So much for the myth about 40 being "over the hill!"

She trained hard for the event and believed she could achieve it. But the belief had to come first. If she didn't think it possible, she wouldn't have attempted it or would have ended up meeting her own internal expectations of failure.

How many of us fail to fulfill our dreams because our subconscious is programmed for failure? Somewhere along the way, we came to believe that we either couldn't -- or shouldn't -- succeed in our efforts. Maybe we put mental limitations on how much money we can make, or we believed the myths about being too young, too old or too whatever to try a new venture. Unless we can change that programming, we're going to continue along the way we're going.

We need to all take a lesson from Dr. Dowswell -- dream BIG, believe you can do it, and work hard to make it happen.

St. Louis story a wolf in sheep's clothing

At first glance, the article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch looks like positive publicity for chiropractic. After all, author Cynthia Gregorian states that "Medical doctors now refer patients to chiropractors. A growing number of insurance companies covers chiropractic treatments. And the Higher Learning Commission recognizes Logan College the same way as Washington University, St. Louis University and the University of Missouri."

But it doesn't take long for the underlying message of the article to bubble to the surface.

"The chiropractic discipline has had its black spots. Chiropractors once believed that a vertebral subluxation or out-of-whack spinal joint could interfere with the body's function and cause all sorts of systemic diseases," Gregorian states.

Once believed? Sadly, this writer hasn't kept abreast of the newest developments in energy medicine, or even in the chiropractic profession, which is once again embracing the original vitalistic concepts of neurologically based chiropractic.

The author managed to include the apparently obligatory anti-chiropractic statements from medical doctors such as Daniel Scodary, a neurosurgeon at North County Neurosurgery in Bridgeton who states: "I think chiropractors now understand pathology and microbiology much better. They recognize that if you have a strep infection of the throat, it needs antibiotics."

Later in the article, Scodary allows that he "refers patients who aren't good surgical candidates to chiropractors after they've exhausted all other options, including pain management and physical therapy."

Where is the "acceptance" mentioned in the headline? Is it acceptance only on a "last resort" basis, after the MDs have tried drugs, surgery, and everything else they can think of?

The article follows the same tired pattern we've seen in hundreds of articles for many years -- chiropractors are being "accepted" by the medical profession, but only if they stick to very limited areas of pain management or musculoskeletal "treatment." If they attempt to do what chiropractic is supposed to do -- that is, address neurological function by correcting subluxations -- they are still labeled quacks by the medical profession and those writers who refuse to open their eyes and minds to new ideas.

I hope everyone will stop by the Post Dispatch website and leave a comment about how YOU feel about chiropractic's role in health care. Since reporters don't ask us our opinions, we have to take the initiative to provide them wherever we can!

Inspiring students

I came across this article the other day and thought it showcased everything that was generous and noble about our profession.

Chiropractic students practice their craft in Vietnam

Brandon Dellechiaie and Amanda Russo were among 15 students from Palmer Chiropractic College's Port Orange, Fla. campus to go to Vietnam on a health care "mission." They each saw some 120 patients while working at eight rural clinics.

The team also distributed five tons of rice, 300 gallons of milk and several wheelchairs. People came for miles around to receive chiropractic adjustments, even some who had to be carried by family members. Altogether, this intrepid band of students cared for about 5,000 people. "One day we had 936 patients, our record," said John Schaeffer, the chiropractic faculty advisor who led the students. It was his fifth trip to Vietnam.

The great humanitarian work these individuals performed in Vietnam was enough to make this trip a resounding success. But as an added bonus, the chiropractic profession is enjoying very positive publicity thanks to the Daytona-Beach News-Journal story -- which (hopefully) will spread throughout the Internet.

If you see similar stories about chiropractors or chiropractic students doing noteworthy things, let me know. I think such efforts are worth passing along!

Skateboarder saved from surgery

In a recent article in the WCA Health Watch newsletter, I reported on research showing that the failure rate for most ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction surgeries is as high as 23.4%.

That's probably why the Real Street Interview with Nick Trapasso posted on ESPN.com caught my attention. Nick's an extreme skateboarder who does unbelievable things on his board -- like gliding down the roof of a building or a staircase banister.

The part of the interview that pulled me in was this:

Remember when you needed knee surgery and somehow it just magically went away. What's up with that?

"They told me I needed to have it, then I went to a chiropractor and they stretched it out. The chiropractor said I'll have arthritis but that I didn't really need [surgery]. But I just skated on it and it feels good. I don't know what happened."

Of course, stretching a knee isn't a chiropractic adjustment, but the fact is, a DC saved this young man from unnecessary surgery that could have put a halt to his career as a skateboarder (and don't laugh … he makes a lot of money doing commercials for his big-time sponsors).

The Real Street Interview has been read by thousands of people on the Internet and picked up by hundreds of other sites (as this is written, just a day after the article on ESPN was posted, Google found 171 hits for the words "Nick Trapasso" and "chiropractor").

Millions of people might ultimately hear how Nick's managed to skate clear of the surgeon's knife -- and that bit of info is stored away for future reference.

That's good news for chiropractic -- and for who knows how many people who might decide to try chiropractic first if they ever injure a knee!

Early retirement? Not for this DC!

Last week, I came across an article online that brought a smile to my face. While many young people are trying to figure out how to retire at 35, some DCs have put off retirement so they can continue serving their patients as long as possible.

It's clear from the article about Dr. Alan Hall of LaGrande, Oregon, published in the La Grande Observer, that chiropractors aren't stamped with a "sell by" date.

Dr. Hall started in practice in 1949, before I was born. He's 87 now and finally decided it was time to pack in the old adjusting table. He admits toying with the idea of retiring for the past couple of decades but explains, "I … liked what I was I doing so I continued.''

I wonder how many of us love what we're doing so much that we'd be willing to keep doing it until we're 87 years old. If we don't -- and wouldn't -- we owe it to ourselves and our patients to change what we're doing. We don't necessarily need to give up our career, but we should do whatever it takes to rekindle the passion.

What's doubly interesting about Dr. Hall is that although he devoted his life to chiropractic, he didn't limit his life to chiropractic. According to the article, he also found time to devote countless hours to community service. He's been a member of the La Grande Lions Club, the Eagles Lodge, the Elks Lodge, and the American Legion for more than 50 years. Dr. Hall also used to be a Boy Scout leader, and he served as president of the Oregon Chiropractic Association.

He's a true role model for all of us.

Teens Overusing Technology...How it Leads to Chiropractic Problems

Here is an interesting article about how teens overuse of technology is causing problems such as poor posture, sleep deprivation, and obesity.

In January, a study revealed that children ages 8 to 18 average seven hours and 38 minutes per day of media exposure. “In those seven and a half hours, what kind of posture are they in?” said chiropractor Steven Kramer. “Many of them don’t use a desk – they’re sitting on their beds or on the floor.”

More children are having problems with fatigue, neck pain, back pain, and tension. Their spines are becoming misaligned resulting in stiffness and aching. Chiropractor Deb Genrick suggests the yoga "plank” pose, playing video games or surfing the Internet on an exercise ball, stretching, and 30-60 minutes of exercise each day in order to strengthen the core muscles needed for good posture.

Interested in more information on this subject? You can see the original article by clicking the link above.

Help for Headaches through Chiropractic Care

An article in The Citizen, a New York publication, writes that an estimated 25 percent of the population suffer from headaches. A recent study focused on people who suffer from frequent headaches, throws chiropractic care in the ring against pain medication.

And the winner is...chiropractic patients.

Headaches were 37 percent less frequent and 32 percent less intense for the headache sufferers who receive chiropractic care. The group that was given medication had only a 6 percent decrease in frequency and intensity of headaches.

Unnecessary Back Surgeries Costing Tax Payers Billions

This is a well-researched article about unnecessary backsurgeries and how the cost negatively affects the U.S. government's pocket book and our health care system.

Kickbacks aren't just for drug pushers - surgeons get in on the action

Those of you who read my last blog on back surgery might be interested in an article posted today on Yahoo that asserts back surgery is becoming riskier due to kickbacks made to doctors.

A study of Medicare patients shows a rise in costly, complex spinal fusion surgeries related to lower back pain caused by aging and arthritis. The research is based on 32,000 Medicare patients who had one of three different types of back surgery.

"This is exactly what the health care debate has been dancing around," said Dr. Eugene Carragee of Stanford University Medical Center.

Dr. Carragee goes on to say that spine surgeons have a financial incentive to perform riskier, costlier operations, regardless of whether that surgical option is best for the patient. When you also take into account recent settlements by drug companies for offering kickbacks to doctors in exchange for pushing their products, we see a medical system in dire need of reform.

Stay tuned.