Giving Thanks, Cooking and Healing

As 2009 comes to a close I don't think there are too many people that are going to miss everything that went on. It seems like every time I turned around this year something else was going wrong. despite all of that I still have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the opportunity to have studied Chiropractic and to have opened my office Hahn Family Chiropractic (www.hahnfamilychiropractic.com) and for my wonderful loving wife supporting me through it all. I'm thankful for the many patients that I've treated and for their willingness to follow my advice and share their experiences with their friends. And I'm thankful for my family whom I am going to be seeing this week for the first time since last Christmas. I'm very exited. But first I want to talk about a chiropractic principle involved with healing, That principle is Time. All processes take time, and healing is no exception. Here's an example that you will be able to relate to this Thursday. if I were to hand you a turkey, potatoes, breadcrumbs, rosemary, salt, pepper, yams, green beans, onions, and all the other assorted foods that you associate with your thanksgiving festivities, you would have them all sitting in your possession, but you wouldn't have a feast at your feet. There are a few things missing. One is knowledge on how to make the feast, Second is a cooking source but we won't go into that here, The last thing is Time. Cooking food takes time. it's a process. A turkey stuffed and basted sitting cold on your stovetop is not edible. it takes time in the oven to taste good, and even if you gave it one hour in the oven it still wouldn't taste good. it takes time. and that's the important principle from chiropractic I want to share today. Your bodies healing process takes time too. it doesn't happen after one adjustment and overnight. it takes time for your body to properly heal the tendons and ligaments and everything else that needs to be repaired in order to have perfect health. So don't lose hope for wellness and health. Give your body the care it needs and then give it the time it needs to heal.. We are all in a hurry, but the best things in life are worth the wait.

Chiropracticly yours

Dr. Eric

Call the office today to make an appointment
919-872-8070

Life is a continual process

From the day we come into this world till the day we leave we have responsibilities for taking care of ourselves. For example, every day I personally take a shower, brush my teeth, shave, drink water, and eat. I do this every single day. And if I neglect a portion of it there are consequences. They may not be dire, maybe smelling bad one day or having bad breath, but if I neglect them long enough things get worse and sometimes the consequences are not what I intend, like cavities, or gum disease, or smelling so bad my friends won’t even talk to me. You never really plan what the consequences are, they just happen. Every one of us is likely guilty of neglecting some part of the required maintenance of our bodies. For me my major neglect is exercise. I know that I should exercise my body every day or at least 5 days out of 7, but I don’t do that regularly, so there are consequences that I suffer like being overweight or not feeling up to doing things that are active that I would enjoy doing. So what does this have to do with Chiropractic? Well it’s easy. People come into the office all the time because something hurts. Headaches, backaches, carpel tunnel, you name it and it hurts. So they begin a course of treatment with the intension that once it gets fixed they’ll be all better, but there’s more to it than that. Your body heals itself. Let me say that again. Your body heals itself. But the problem is that in order for it to continue to do so you have to perform the required maintenance. This will include eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and continuing with your chiropractic checkups. Just like going to the dentist every six months. You’re not addicted to going to the dentist. You’re going because you know that doing so prevents things like cavities and gum disease (gingivitis) It’s the same with your spine. Getting the primary subluxations discovered and corrected is the initial or emergency phase of your care, but to truly live a long and healthy life you need to do the maintenance care that will prevent these troubles from piling up again and putting you back into pain. I know that for me, I do get adjusted regularly. It’s one of the things I discovered 9 years ago, and have been pretty good at remembering to do regularly. It’s the working out every day I have more troubles with, but I know if I did that too and added that to my regular maintenance schedule I would have more energy and vitality for enjoying the rest of my life. Do you ever wake up and say to yourself. You know I should brush my teeth, but I did that when I was 8, so I pretty much have that taken care of. No? Then why would you think that way about the health of your spine? Just because you got it taken care of through the emergency stages of your early neglect doesn’t mean you’re good for the rest of your life. Subluxation, just like plaque on your teeth, happens in increments all the time. And getting checked regularly is your early warning detection for helping your body function better and maintain your health. Your health is important. There is nothing else in this world that can replace the vitality of your body to allow yourself to enjoy life. Chiropractic helps increase that vitality and allows your body to function better. Call the office today after you get done showering, drinking water, eating breakfast, and brushing your teeth, and make an appointment to see how your spine is doing. You will be glad you did, because of how much more vitality and energy you will have throughout your day by getting your spine checked and adjusted. And as for me, I’m going to start working out every work day for at least 45 minutes, because I know it’s important to take care of my body, it’s just hard sometimes, because there are so many other demands on my time, but that’s what life is all about. So call today and tell all your friends about Chiropractic and Hahn Family Chiropractic.

Chiropracticly yours

Dr. Eric

Chiropractic History

October has been a very busy and exciting month here at Hahn Family Chiropractic. I took a class and learned a ton about the value of Omega 3’s and the importance of reducing the amount of Omega 6’s in the diet. I built a beautiful flier to introduce Hahn Family Chiropractic to others, and I started treating some children with developmental disabilities. It has been an exciting period of growth. All the way up to the end. Yesterday I was able to acquire a couple of truly antique chiropractic tables. And this is what I want to talk a little bit about today. Chiropractic has been practiced in it’s current form since 1895. Did you know that? When you think about chiropractic does it seem new and scary to you? It might, but it shouldn’t. There is literally over a hundred years of chiropractic experience that shows that it is safe and effective. And every day there are additional studies presented that show how well chiropractic works. These two tables were built back in the 1920’s one of them by a company called A.A. Griffin and the other by a company called Rice. I was told they were owned by the first chiropractor in Raleigh named Dr. Williamson. Upon doing some research with the Board of Chiropractic Examiners I found a Dr. H L Williamson practiced in Raleigh and renewed his license bck in 1934 for $2.00. how nice would that be? Additionally I found some information about where his office was on Daniel’s street. I like history, because it helps you understand how you got where you are today. So stop on in the next couple weeks and ask to see the tables. Even if just for a chance to see some beautiful history. I’m looking at some options to restore them or send them to a museum, but will know more later. I’d like to keep the A.A. Griffin table, because it is a beautiful hardwood table, and I would love to be able to show my children a chiropractic table that’s over a hundred years old some day. Wouldn’t that be amazing? So come and take a look at it. Palmer College of Chiropractic has the largest public collection of tables in the world, and doesn’t have one of these Rice tables. So it is arguably quite rare. So we’ll see what happens. I would love to have a chance to meet one of the great grandchildren of Dr. Williamson and be able to show them the tables or maybe find a picture of him to display with the tables. So if you know any local Williamsons make sure you ask if their forefathers might have been chiropractors.

All the best

Dr. Eric

Flu Pandemic? Reason to Panic? (short answer no)

It's difficult to turn on a radio or television today without seeing something about the H1N1 virus and the global scare. There are critics standing on one fencepost after another telling people what they should do to prevent this flu from taking over the world. So here is my take on what's going on.

The H1N1 virus is going around. It started last spring and took on the very intimidating name "the Swine Flu" that's because it is an adapted virus that began in pigs and now finds itself virulent (or able to live and cause harm) in humans. With the cooler weather coming back and children congregating in schools it is riling up again. Fortunately it is a fairly weak virus and MOST people who contract this virus will easily fight it off.
My wife is a middle school teacher and picked up the flu on her third day back in classes. she felt a little sick on Thursday night, was miserable Friday, and Saturday felt mostly fine with a little left-over cough. The following Wednesday she went to her medical doctor for the cough which had worsened and was given a flu test, where she was told that if it was positive then she had the H1N1 flu and if it were negative then there was a 50% chance she had the H1N1 flu, and because that's the only flu that has really started up around here yet it's likely she had it anyway.
So why do I write about this? Because people are scared, and think this is the end of civilized society as we know it. It's not. How did my wife get over the flu so quickly? I feel it's because when she started getting sick I adjusted her Thursday night, Friday morning, Friday afternoon, Friday before bed, and Saturday afternoon. Getting adjusted helps your body to function at its optimal peak and allows the immune system to do its job. No matter what you hear about a miracle medication or vaccine it is only your immune system that will defeat the virus. This is not the first Epidemic of flu that we’ve seen here in this country. An interesting bit of historical information crossed my desk yesterday that I thought I might share with you. It’s from a book by Walter C Rhodes, DC and it quoted below.
1918 Influenza Epidemic Records from Walter C. Rhodes, DC
"The Official History of Chiropractic in Texas," by Walter C. Rhodes, DC, states chiropractic care came into its own during the 1918 influenza epidemic. The following statistics from his chiropractic records leave no doubt chiropractic care offers value for influenza and pandemic preparedness. Pandemic Preparedness from Chiropractic Records of 1918 Influenza Epidemic: IOWA During the 1918 influenza epidemic, Davenport, Iowa, medical doctors treated 4,953 influenza cases with 274 deaths. At the same time, 150 chiropractors, students and faculty of Palmer School of Chiropractic treated 1,635 cases during the influenza epidemic with only one death. The state of Iowa reports medical doctors treated 93,590 influenza patients with 6,116 deaths or one out of 15. The rest of the state, except for Davenport, reported 4,735 patients treated by chiropractor care with a loss of 6 which is 1 out of 789 during the influenza epidemic.”
So what does this show? (personally I love the “leave no doubt claim” because of course there is some doubt, but It’s been my experience that being under chiropractic care helps my body’s immune system function better and overcome many of the biological challenges that It’s faced since I began getting adjusted. But think back to my wife’s experience. Why did she go to the Dr? because her body wasn’t able to overcome the bacterial infection that had taken this opportunity to set up house in her lungs and she needed some extra help. I think that’s important to note. Chiropractic is great, and I’ve seen it do amazing things for myself and patients in my office, but it’s part of a total healthy lifestyle solution. Not the end all be all of healthcare.
So call Hahn Family Chiropractic today and let me help your body function at it’s best to help you though the cold and flu season, and if you’re already a happy chiropractic patient, take a moment to call or write your house representative or senator and make sure you have access to chiropractic care with whatever decisions are made for national health care. You’ll be glad you did.

Chiropracticly yours
Dr. Eric

Chiropractic Reduces Health Care Costs!!!

I'd like to shout this from the roof tops and especially at everyone in the healthcare field. This is the second of such studies that I've heard of (the first being done in California) that shows that patients that utilize Chiropractic care have a decreased usage of additional medical services and have a decreased need for surgery in their lifetimes. but somehow people want to keep cutting us out of the equation.

Dynamic Chiropractic July 31, 2009
Pilot Study Suggests Chiropractic Reduces Health Care Costs, Need for Surgery
After only one year, a pilot program designed to measure patient quality of care shows significant clinical outcomes and health care cost reductions. The Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield 2008 pilot was a quality improvement program for Iowa and South Dakota physical medicine providers. A total of 238 chiropractors, physical therapists, and occupational therapists participated in the pilot, submitting information on the care provided to 5,500 Wellmark members with musculoskeletal disorders.

Data from participating clinicians show that 89 percent of the Wellmark members treated in the pilot reported a greater than 30 percent improvement in 30 days. In addition, Wellmark claims data for members who received care from chiropractors or physical therapists was compared with data for a member population with similar demographics (including health) who did not receive such services. The comparison showed that those who received chiropractic or physical therapy care were less likely to have surgery and experienced lower total health care costs.

Commenting on the value of the program's data collection and reporting, Dr. Shayan Sheybani, clinics operations administrator at Palmer College of Chiropractic, said the following:

"The faculty, staff, and interns of the Palmer Clinics were able to objectively and consistently gather valuable information for services provided for our Wellmark patients that support the College's commitment to providing quality patient care. Overall, we have a positive impression of this program, and we are planning to continue our participation during the 2009 fiscal year. Continued participation in Wellmark's pilot satisfies our desire to contribute to new knowledge, continual improvements, and the development of quality-focused patient care."

So call the office today and get your family in for an adjustment. it will change their lives.

The Basis of Health

Every time you turn around you hear more and more about “National Healthcare” but what does health really mean to you? Is taking a pill for high blood pressure health to you? How about a pill for cholesterol, indigestion, constipation or headaches? Before too long you will be taking fifty pills a day for what ails you, but will that be healthy? If you’re like me you’re probably thinking no. Your body doesn’t feel symptoms because it is short of medication. You don’t have a headache, because your body doesn’t have enough painkillers in it. It is feeling symptoms because there is likely something not right with how you’re treating your body. When we get all wrapped up with the daily rigors and stresses in life we forget to take care of our bodies. So my article this month is about the basics of health. Write them down in big letters and post them on your fridge.

1) Drink plenty of water (64 Oz a day for an adult)
2) Eat Whole Foods (Concentrate on shopping on the outsides of the grocery store. The stuff that grows in the ground)
3) Exercise every day. (Even a small walk around the block is better than nothing)
4) Get your body checked for Subluxation

These three basics will put you on the right track to enjoying health. When you get right down to it, having insurance and “National Healthcare” will do significantly less for you on a daily basis than taking care of your own body and your own health. You can make the changes you need from wherever you are one day at a time. So start improving your health today.

On The Topic of X-rays

Every day I find interesting information across my desk and today found something that I thought I would share. it is the text of an article from the British Medical Journal. it's an article from 2001, but is still very relivent today. Many practitioners feel taking an x-ray is almost mandatory, but quite the contrary is true. I only take x-rays when I feel there are clinical symptoms that point to a possible tumor or fracture that I would like to diagnose. read the text below it's not that long.


Do You Have Low Back Pain? Forget the X-rays

Getting an x-ray to uncover the source of lower back pain does not reduce suffering. In fact, in a new study, patients who had an x-ray, or radiography, reported more pain 3 months later than those who did not have an x-ray.

There is no evidence that having radiography helps doctors to care for people with simple back pain.

There is even evidence that the very act of having an x-ray can, perhaps by appearing to increase the perception of severity, delay recovery.

Low back pain is a common medical problem, and doctors often x-ray the lower spine to diagnose the cause of the pain. In most cases, however, x-ray results do little to change the treatment of back pain.

Most of the time, x-rays are performed to reassure patients or doctors.

Interestingly, even though x-rays did not appear to help relieve back pain, more than 80% of patients in both groups said they would choose to have an x-ray if they could.

By 9 months, most of the differences between the groups diminished, although having an x-ray still did not appear to provide any benefits, the report indicates. Patients in the x-ray group tended to be more satisfied with their care, however.

The findings highlight the need to let people know that x-rays are of little use to most people with low back pain.

Since so many people believe that radiography is an essential feature of the management of back pain, there is a need for a campaign to inform the public.

When doctors order an x-ray to investigate low back pain, patients may interpret the move as a sign that they really are unwell, so they may be more likely to report pain and to think that the pain interferes with their activities.

British Medical Journal February 17, 2001; 322: 400-405