May 3, 2016
Story at-a-glance For the most part, we are blind to what happens after people leave our practice. Health practitioners are starting to see possibilities in the use of technology like the FitBit to fill this knowledge gap. The FitBit could have multiple possible research applications. The ability to gather and analyse health data may have potential to add insight to clinical practice. Ten years ago, the pedometer was the peak fitness device inspiring people to get moving. It had one function: to measure how many steps you took. This gave people a good, hard look at how much they were […]
May 3, 2016
Story at-a-glance Australian research establishes the neuroprotective factors in curcumin (a compound found in tumeric). This compound may inhibit a type of degenerative brain plaque (found in Alzheimer’s sufferers). It also appears to protect against oxidative stress, reduce inflammation and improve the function of neurotransmitter systems. From a chiropractic paradigm, life should be lived fully, throughout every part of our lives. A number of signs and symptoms of aging are associated with extended life. For those who live in the sickness-care paradigm, the focus remains on minimising the negative effects of aging. For those of us who live and breathe […]
April 28, 2016
Story at-a-glance Contrary to prior thinking, research now shows that there are immune cells present in the brain under normal circumstances. This presents a major shift in theory and reinforces the link between brain and body. It may lead to further research on neurological dysfunction and how it relates to the immune system and the body overall For a long time, the medical and scientific textbooks stated plainly that the brain was the only major organ that lacked direct connection to the lymphatic system. However, that’s not what Antoine Louveau saw when he looked through his microscope. After imaging and dissecting the […]
April 28, 2016
Story at-a-glance David Fletcher discusses the use of technology in chiropractic care, and its role in bringing certainty and objectivity to detection of vertebral subluxations Much of the currently available technology doesn’t just measure the spine itself – it also plays a role in demonstrating that the nervous system is involved further afield. Fletcher illustrates how we can use technology to communicate structure, function and the role of stress in the world we live in.. Following Parker Gold Coast, Spinal Research sat down with a number of our keynote speakers to discuss research, subluxations, and paradigms in practice. David Fletcher was […]
April 26, 2016
Story at-a-glance This Randomized Controlled Trial showed that chiropractic can help improve function in older people, with a possible impact on their overall health and quality of life. We should encourage older adults to get checked! There was a really big improvement in one of the measures as a result of more than 4 weeks of chiropractic care, but not less. Sometimes the improvements in function that we’re looking for just take time Practical Application: 12 weeks of chiropractic care has resulted in improvements in some factors that are important for falls risk (sensory and motor function), as well as […]
April 26, 2016
In chiropractic practices across the world are a special type of hero. They don’t offer adjustments or consultations or reports of findings, but what they do is priceless. They are none other than our CA’s. From being the first point of contact for the people under our care, to setting the tone in the reception room, they can be powerful communicators of chiropractic and assets to the practice. Yet up until four years ago, no professional association existed just for them. The Chiropractic Assistants Association of Australia (or C triple A) exists to fill that void, aiming to resource chiropractic […]
April 21, 2016
Concerns around the cost of chiropractic care may possibly contribute to many a person’s objection. For those who don’t quite understand its value, it can appear as a health care practice that eats into the budget, rather than a proactive investment into ongoing health. Recent research is starting to bust that myth, claiming that costs of care for the entire initial episode (of chronic lower back pain), and per episode day were lower for people who used chiropractic care. The study [1] emerges from America, where the cost of medical care is a concern for many citizens. This new research […]
April 21, 2016
Fermented foods seem to have taken the health-world by storm in recent years. Kombucha is no longer an obscure concept, but a health fixture in many households. While many prefer the bottled and purchased variety, others are dedicated in the home-fermentation process and laud the gut-healing effects that the fermented drink yields. But Kombucha is not the only fermented food, and gut health is no longer the only benefit. In truth, fermented foods have been around for centuries. Some of the earliest records show Chinese workers eating acid-fermented vegetables while building the Great Wall of China. Ancient Greek writings include […]
April 19, 2016
As health practitioners, we know stress can be bad for health. It can act as a barrier to adaptation and put undue pressure on the endocrine system. It can fire up the sympathetic nervous system designed only for fight or flight, and keep it fired up for an extended amount of time. But try telling a stressed, busy, or under-pressure person that they need to relax and you just might find yourself faced with a swag of objections. Winding down just isn’t that easy for all people. Here’s the thing: regardless of whether winding down is easy for a person, […]
April 19, 2016
With an encouraging bank of evidence slowly building around the chiropractic profession, and a world of work yet to be done, it’s important to mark each positive move in terms of research. One such study that may have flown under the radar focused on the link between chiropractic care and inflammatory markers, giving preliminary indications that chiropractic can make a statistically significant difference in terms of inflammation. The study took chronic pain sufferers, administered chiropractic adjustments focused on the lower back (which was also the locus of pain) and compared their inflammatory markers with a pain-free control group. Though preliminary, […]
April 14, 2016
How many of us in our clinics have seen individuals become pregnant under chiropractic care, where they were never able to become pregnant before? How many of us have seen individuals with depressed immune systems suddenly become well by being adjusted? How many children have we seen whose immune or behaviour issues dramatically improved while under chiropractic care? How could this be possible? As Chiropractors, we have proclaimed to have a direct influence on a patient’s nervous system through the chiropractic adjustment, and further claim that patients who remain subluxated will have some form of neurological dysfunction. However, if we asked most […]
April 14, 2016
In 1998, James Gilmore and Joe Pine of the Harvard Business Review wrote an article that tracked the development of consumerism over decades. It was called “Welcome to the Experience Economy” and it introduced a powerful phenomenon that has changed the face of how we shop, not just for goods but for services as well. Commodities alone aren’t good enough for consumers anymore. They are looking for more than a product now. They’re looking for an authentic experience. Joe Pine has since become a keynote speaker, covering the experience economy on stages across the world. He talks about how the […]
April 12, 2016
We are very excited to announce that another Spinal Research Foundation facilitated research has been published in a highly reputable journal [1]. The study, undertaken by Heidi Haavik, Kelly Holt, Bernadette Murphy and others is published in the journal Neural Plasticity. And the results are very exciting for chiropractic! The journal Neural Plasticity boasts an impact factor of 3.5 (as a comparison, The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has an impact factor of 1.5.) This from Heidi Haavik [2]: “We do know that spinal function does affect brain function. There’s now solid evidence that adjusting the spine changes brain function. This […]
April 12, 2016
Since its inception roughly 14 years ago, Crossfit has morphed from a health-fad into a bona fide health movement that has swept the world. It claims to reap faster results in terms of health, fitness and weight loss due to its combination of Olympic lifting progressions, gymnastic skills and high intensity cardio workouts [1]. But Crossfit has a PR problem – rumoured high levels of injury. Fans of Crossfit sing its praises. Critics of the sport are just as loud in their disapproval. In truth, good data on the injury rate of Crossfit has been a little slow to emerge. […]
April 7, 2016
A collaboration between chiropractic research leaders Dr. Heidi Haavik and Dr. Bernadette Murphy has reaped international recognition, as the World Federation of Chiropractic bestowed the Scott Haldeman Award on their work. The award winning study was facilitated by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation. The study titled ‘Neck pain participants show impaired ability to perform a mental rotation task in a four week longitudinal study as compared to healthy controls,’ was awarded the $12,000 prize at the recent WFC congress in Athens. To Dr. Heidi Haavik, this represents only a drop in an ocean of chiropractic research yet to be done. […]
April 7, 2016
The chiropractor’s role has changed greatly over the last forty years. As it evolves further into the future there comes a necessity to marry two powerful aspects of our cause: the philosophy of vitalism and the evidence base for what we do. Dr Gerry Clum sat down with Spinal Research following the Dynamic Growth Congress in February to have a chat about chiropractic in the future. He talked about the need to end the dichotomy between evidence-based and philosophy-based chiropractic. “If the world can begin to hear our message because we are expressing it in a language they can hear, […]
April 5, 2016
Neurogenesis, or the birth of new brain cells, has long been associated with the increasingly popular topic of neuroplasticity. As research on this relatively new topic advances, we are also starting to see that cognitive decline with aging need not be something we simply accept. Up until the 1990’s, the major school of thought surrounding brain cells was “you’ve already got all you’ll ever have.” Now we know that the brain can rewire itself. Dr. Sandrine Thuret, a neural stem cell researcher at Kings College in London, tells us that we can grow new brain cells, and there are some […]
April 5, 2016
Findings from a new study suggest that a misalignment of sleep timing is associated with metabolic risk factors that predispose to diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [1]. The study asked participants to sleep 12 hours out of time with their normal sleep-wake routine. It mimicked a phenomenon known as “Social Jet Lag” where work schedules or other environmental factors interrupt the person’s biological circadian rhythm. The results are a cautionary tale, not only for shift workers or those who class themselves as night owls rather than early risers, but for those who like to splurge on weekend sleep-ins only to […]