Commercial Drive – East Vancouver Chriopractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC; “Once Your Pain is Gone, Do You Need to Keep Seeing a Chiropractor??…..”

In short, I would say ‘Yes’ it’s absolutely a good idea!’ But to those who ask this question, please think about this, “How often do you see your dentist every year? and do you only go to see your dentist if you have pain?”

“If I feel better and no longer have pain, why should I continue with Chiropractic care?”. This is an age old question that many patients have about Chiropractic care. I know of patients who’s previous Chiropractors have recommended ‘maintenance care’. Often involving treatments 2-3 times/week for months and gradually tapering off from there. Many see the rationale behind this approach and still many others believe this is far too much treatment.

Here’s my honest opinion about this topic. I believe Dentists have it right. Sure some people will only see a dentist if there’s pain but many others follow the recommendation of a visit every 6 months. But why? Well because of PREVENTION! A regular check up will help to identify problems with your teeth before things get really bad. Isn’t it better to spot a cavity early and have a minor filling done instead of extracting the entire tooth?

But here’s where Dentists really excel. Everybody knows to brush their teeth daily! Often times twice a day! This message is so ingrained in society that no one even questions it. People just do it out of habit because, wait for it……….THEY KNOW IT’S GOOD FOR THEM! Even though, you only really use your teeth for minutes a day while you’re eating, you still brush religiously.

However consider this, on any given day, when are you NOT using your body, muscles, spine and joints for movement? You’re even using your muscles when you’re sitting using your laptop! So what are you doing on a daily basis to keep your body, bones, muscles and joints healthy? Chances are not that much.

I see many patients who are new to Chiropractic and in my clinic I do my best to educate them about health. More importantly, the idea that HEALTH is much more than a lack of pain! I work with my patients to devise a sensible treatment plan with re-evaluations scheduled at regular intervals. This is important because we need to track progress and offer the best, most complete care possible. In addition, we need to evaluate how successfully Chiropractic care is working for them. Is it still the best option three weeks from now? Would Physiotherapy or Massage Therapy be better? You can only answers these questions with confidence if you have been keeping track of a patient’s progress.

In addition, I believe in promoting healthy habits like stretching and exercise from the first day of treatment if indicated. Just like a Dentist emphasizing the importance of brushing to keep your teeth healthy, a person should be active to keep their entire body healthy! I think as a Chiropractor, it is my duty to show my patients that they can do a lot to stay healthy and pain free on their own. Once my patients get better about making stretching and exercises a regular habit, I encourage them to decrease the frequency of Chiropractic treatments! Everyone benefits.

I have patients who see me for follow up care once a month, once every other month, even twice a year! I help my patients decide what frequency is right for them if they are already practicing healthy habits on their own.

Moral of the story is, “Yes, regular Chiropractic care is helpful even if you don’t have pain but the ultimate choice lies with you!”. No one said getting healthy and staying healthy was easy, if it was, everybody walking around would be healthy. If your Chiropractor recommends a treatment plan that you feel is excessive, make sure you know why. Ask questions! Any Chiropractor should welcome patient involvement in their treatment and if you feel like your concerns aren’t being addressed, maybe that’s a concern in itself.

Any questions about this post? In the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver? Contact Dr. Chan here,COMMERCIAL DRIVE – EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC

Commercial Drive – East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC – “Ouch! Osteoporosis Drug Linked to Rare Leg Fractures!”

This news story definitely falls into the “Ouch!” category and is yet again a cautionary message to those who take prescription medication. Especially for conditions that can respond well to good old fashion sensible dieting, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

This story revolves around a popular class of drugs called Bisphosphonates, often prescribed to fight the effects of Osteoporosis and fractures! The common names of these prescribed medications are Boniva and Fosamax.

Osteoporosis is a progressive ‘thinning’ of the bones and depletion of bone density due to loss of calcium and bone proteins. Osteoporosis is generally thought of as an elderly problem that more likely targets women. In both instances, this may not always be the case. Especially with society’s demographic leaning more towards an ‘older’ population, Osteoporosis will obviously become a bigger problem as time goes on.

The details of this report involve an unusual and rare form of fracture of the femur (the long leg bone in your thigh). The problem called, “Atypical Femur Fracture” seems to be unreasonably high in patients who are taking Bisphosphonate drugs, especially for longer than five years.

“FDA is warning again about the possible risk of an uncommon form of fracture in patients who take bisphosphonates to treat or prevent osteoporosis,” Rear Admiral Sandra Kweder, M.D., deputy director of CDC’s Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during an afternoon press conference Wednesday.

“Patients taking bisphosphonates who have experienced an atypical fracture are younger than patients experiencing typical osteoporotic fractures,” she said. “In some cases people have fractures of both femurs.”

Such fractures occur in the bone just below the hip joint or in the long part of the thigh bone. Over half of the patients who have had these fractures said they had dull aching thigh or groin pain that started weeks or months before there was a complete fracture, Kweder said.

The optimal length of time to take bisphosphonates isn’t known, but FDA officials think these fractures may be related to using these drugs for more than five years, Kweder said.

So as I have stated many time in these blog posts, please, please, please! be informed and educated about the potential side effects of the medications that you are taking! Unfortunately, your prescribing doctor may not be informed about all the potential side effects, especially with new research/news coming out daily.

As mentioned earlier in this post, Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones that can lead to serious health issues. However, as countless studies have proven now, proper exercise, diet and a healthy lifestyle can make a significant difference in maintaining bone density. If you are concerned about Osteoporosis because of what you see on TV or from friends, ask your doctor about lifestyle changes first before resorting to medications like Boniva or Fosamax.

Better yet, if you’d like more information and are in the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver, come by to see me or visit my website here; COMMERCIAL DRIVE – EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC

Commercial Drive – East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC – “Knee Alignment Linked to Osteoarthritis”

This study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was released online before being published in an upcoming print issue of the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The study suggested that people who’s knees (Knee caps) point outwards may be at an increased risk of developing Osteoarthritis in the knees later on.

This knee position where the knees point outwards creates a relatively large space between the knees while the ankles are closer together. It resembles a condition commonly referred to as “bow-leggedness” but it’s not as extreme. In anatomical terms, this position of the knees is referred to as the varus alignment.

The study looked at 2713 volunteers between the ages of 50-79 who had arthritis or who were at an increased risk of developing arthritis due to prior trauma or being overweight. As an aside; Osteoathritis is a painful, sometimes disabling condition where the cartilage at the ends of bones, meant to cushion joints, wears down over time. Often associated with ‘wear and tear’, Osteoarthritis will commonly affect major weight bearing joints like the ankles, knees and hips.

Volunteers with the outward facing knees were nearly 1.5 times more likely to develop osteoarthritis than those with a straight-legged stance. There was no increased risk for people with inner-facing knees (valgus alignment), the investigators found.

According to Dr. Leena Sharma of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, about 70 percent of the force transmitted to a healthy knee while walking is focused on the inside of the knee. Therefore, when the knee faces outward, as in the varus alignment, there is even greater stress on the inside of the knee, which may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

I hope this study helps people realize that undue stress of improper alignment in the joints can be harmful to your overall health in the short term and long term.
Now it would not be hard to translate the findings of this study that focused on the knees to other joints in the body like your pelvis or spine. Imagine if the pain and discomfort you are feeling was simply due to unnecessary pressure/strain on your joints due to a slight misalignment? These issues is what Chiropractor specialize in. Finding and treating these joint issues in order to relieve strain and pain. Allowing our patients to return to a healthier, active lifestyle.

Looking for a Chiropractor in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver? Visit the site of YOUR COMMERCIAL DRIVE – EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC HERE!!!