Top Chiropractor in San Leandro, CA

San Leandro Chiropractor

Prescription Medication Overuse

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PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION OVERUSEPrescription Medication Overuse.

Americans spend about $300 billion a year on legal drugs. Not millions but billions a year. Pharmaceutical companies probably love these numbers. I am wondering how much people are spending on illegal drugs in this country. Most likely it would easily support the economy of a small country or California State budget deficit which is now over $25 billion.

What is surprising that majority of the revenue does not come from  research or scientific data but from advertising campaigns. Many patients come to see Medical Doctor and already know what kind of drug they want for their particular health problem. Why do we need Doctors then? Watch TV advertising of the particular drug and take it till you drop dead or may be fixing the health problem. Well pharmaceutical companies need Medical Doctors for one simple reason so they can prescribe medications to the masses. Only small percentage of general practitioners actually treats the body as a whole.

One of the studies from New England Journal of Medicine provides facts that doctors and hospitals spend a lot of money to treat patients who have Medicare. There is no correlation on how much or little they spend on a particular patient. The study has found that in areas with higher per-capita medical spending, patients were more likely to receive “riskier” (and presumably higher-priced) drugs.

Another study from the same journal found that low Medicare reimbursement for certain drugs change the doctor’s mind about prescribing those drugs. What is interesting when reimbursement rates were higher, doctors were more likely to prescribe – and they were doing inappropriately or unnecessary.

It is a known fact that pharmaceutical companies make billions every year on selling drugs to a public. As population of the world is increasing so is the revenues of these companies will increase in the coming years. These companies spend more on advertising than on research for finding more effective drugs. Health care costs and medication side effects skyrocket as we become a nation of pill-poppers. Certainly not how Thomas Edison envisioned it – “The doctor of the future will give no medicine….” Do not be shy to ask your Primary Care Physician intelligent questions about your treatment options and the kind medications he or she will prescribe to you.

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Medical Care Cost and its Relationship to Medical Education

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San Leandro ChiropracticMany never think about Medical Care Cost and its Relationship to Medical Education. Recently I have come across a very interesting article about the cost of Health Care in the USA. Every American citizen thinks that US Health care system is best in the world. The reality is very different. The cost of the health care system in this country is the most expensive in the world. Many countries have as  advanced medical care system as the USA with much less cost per citizen.

Many want to know when is the change going to happen?  People are sick and tired of drowning in medical bills. It is never ending cycle. The cause could be, in my own opinion, is the high cost of education in this country and privatization of medical care. It takes about 11 years to become a medical doctor, and that is just being a general practitioner. If one wants to specialize in something, additional 4 years are required. The amount of loans these doctors take sum up to over $250,000 plus or minus. Most of it depends which school you go to and if you live on campus or not. It took me about 8 years before I saw the license of Doctor of Chiropractic on the wall in my office.

About 4 years of undergraduate studies, and almost 4 years of chiropractic school education. The verdict was over $100,000 in cost and that does not include undergraduate studies. These numbers were not this high before the birth of student loans.

Recently spoke to a 67 year old gentleman who is a retiring Chiropractor. He told me that back in days Student Loans did not exist. You pay out of your pocket for tuition and that was the end of the story. The cost was about $500 a quarter. Ten years ago I was paying over $5500 a quarter. Don’t really want to know what it is now.

One must understand that in order for a Chiropractor, Medical Doctor, Dentist or any other medical care provider to recoup the cost of Education process, one must be charging insurance companies for the services. This is a never ending process that can not be stopped unless the cost of education will significantly go down and health care will be free. That is communism and something I escaped 20 years ago and despised it all my life. Free does not necessarily means good. It is a human nature for an individual to excel at certain fields. People will always look for a better medical service around the block. Medical Care is just like everything else has become a business and each Hospital and private clinic treats it as one. The fuel for a medical facility is the amount of patients an institution is seeing and the type of Coverage an individual has. This is just my personal opinion and something that I have been observing for the past ten years working in a medical field.

What do you think the medical care should be like in the United States?  Feel free to add any information in a comment area.

Manipulation Under Anesthesia in San Francisco Bay Area

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Manipulation Under Anesthesia in San Francisco Bay AreaThere are thousands of people in the United States and Abroad who suffer from a chronic pain daily. They are tired of taking pain medications and yet they are not surgical candidates, or still have pain after the surgery that have already had. The good news for all those patients who suffer from pain and lack of mobility is that there is a non surgical solution to this problem. It is a simple and painless procedure that is offering a pain relief and restores range of motion. Manipulation Under Anesthesia also known as MUA is the solution to the problems to many neck, low back and shoulder chronic pain sufferers.

MUA is the procedure where manipulation of the spine or shoulder is performed in a surgical center under sedation. This procedure is one of the most effective methods of altering chronic pain conditions where chiropractors work together with medical doctors in order to achieve the best results possible. The techniques used in manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) have been described as low-velocity/high-amplitude in contrast to the usual chiropractic adjustment which is most commonly described as a high-velocity/low-amplitude thrust or “impulse.” The purpose of high-velocity technique is to overcome the conscious patient’s protective reflex mechanism which would prevent the separation and movement of the joints. In a joint manipulation, the articulation is moved through its entire passive range of motion and past the elastic barrier and into the paraphysiological space where joint cavitation occurs. Cavitation of the joint is an audible “report” signifying that the articulation has been distracted sufficiently to affect the physiology and function of that synovial joint.

Manipulation Under Anesthesia has been recognized and used in the manual therapy arena for over sixty years. It is a great procedure for those who do not respond to a traditional care or invasive surgical procedure.The MUA procedure continues to gain widespread support and recognition in the medical community and is helping to bring much-needed relief to a grater patient base than ever before.

A Doctor of Chiropractic with post graduate degree – Manipulation Under Anesthesia Certified with Hospital privileges would be a chiropractor who would perform this procedure. It is a rule that two chiropractors perform MUA procedure. First one is a primary doctor and the second one is an assistant. The reason why you need an assistant is because patient is unconscious and the assistant is supporting the body on one side while the other chiropractor is performing a manipulation and stretches. Then they switch sides. Manipulation Under Anesthesia is not only safe, but also highly successful in treating acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions.

Who Is The Best Candidate for MUA?

Patients who have received conservative care for 6-8 weeks for their neck, mid-back, lower back and shoulder with very limited improvement in symptoms or findings. Also patients who still have pain after the surgery would also be the candidates for this procedure. Common indications for Manipulation Under Anesthesia include neck, middle and lower back pain, chronic muscle pain and inflammation, acute and chronic muscle pain and inflammation, acute and chronic muscle spasm, chronic fibrositis, nerve entrapment, disk pathology including herniated disks, torticollis and failed back surgery.

What is Manipulation Under Anesthesia Procedure Like?

MUA procedure is an ongoing process for three consecutive days. During these three days the patient is being treated in a surgery center under supervision on Board Certified Anesthesiologist and two Board Certified Chiropractors where spinal manipulative therapy and stretches are performed. After the procedure, treatment continues as strengthening and stabilization programs are initiated over the next few weeks in a chiropractic office. Post-Procedure care is a vital part of the MUA procedure. Follow-up visits with a Chiropractic Physicians are important at this time as the stretches accomplished during the MUA procedure are built upon, helping the patient to regain strength and prevent future pain and discomfort.

What Are The Effects of Manipulation Under Anesthesia Procedure?

The proposed effects of therapy include the following:

  1. Breaking up scar tissue (adhesions) both in and around the spinal joints, commonly caused by multiple injuries or failed back surgery.
  2. A decreasing chronic muscle spasm
  3. Overcoming super-sensitivity of injured areas, making the patient unable to cooperate for effective treatment
  4. Stretching persistent shortened muscles, ligaments and tendons
  5. Relief from pain and radiating symptoms caused by damaged invertebral discs.
  6. Most importantly however, Manipulation Under Anesthesia affords patients immediate relief and noticeable difference in their daily lives post-procedure. These positive results only continue to improve with time and post-MUA therapy.

Am I a Candidate for MUA?

Medical screening is an absolute necessity for each patient who is planning to get an MUA. Medical history and physical examination and where indicated, CBC blood studies, chest X-Rays, EKG’s and other diagnostic tests such as MRI or CT’s. Feel free to CONTACT us at our primary San Leandro Chiropractic Clinic at (510) 481-BACK (2225) and we will be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Sincerely, Dr. Eduard Burt, D.C., MUAC  a.k.a Doctor of Chiropractic, Manipulation Under Anesthesia Certified.

Fibromyalgia and Chiropractic Care

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FIBROMYALGIAFibromyalgia is a disabling and epidemic myofascial condition. The patient afflicted with this normally complains about feeling pain all over his/her body, feels tired all the time, depressed and sleeps poorly.  People suffering from this condition often find it difficult to achiev a lasting cure from medical doctors and have tried different kinds of therapy with a few success stories.

Researches have shown that Fibromyalgia affects the central nervous system causing abnormalities in the chemical compounds of people that are needed to transmit nerve impulses. FM wasn’t recognized by the American Medical Association until they started to diagnose it officially in 1987, although healers have been reporting it and treating its symptoms as early as 16th century. Today, because there are not specific treatment procedures and tests to determine if an individual has contracted fibromyalgia, conventional medical doctors are still denying its existence and are merely attributing its symptoms as a result of psychological and emotional causes.

However, Chiropractic care has been proven the past few years to have played a significant role in treating people with this condition. Fibromyalgia patients respond better to chiropractic therapy via spinal adjustments and nutritional support. Fibromyalgia and chiropractic care has gone hand in hand in the treatment of individuals for more than a decade now.

Chiropractic, since its main purpose is to prove the theory of how the central nervous system balances and controls the over-all health of an individual serves as an ideal treatment method for those suffering from this debilitating condition.

Fibromyalgia often goes unnoticed and undiagnosed by medical doctors and sometimes it takes as long as five years before an individual suffering from it becomes aware of the fact of the existence of this condition. A good chiropractic will diagnose this condition through good communication with the patient. The holistic approach of a chiropractic helps greatly in easing the way for the diagnosis this painful disease.

After diagnosis, the chiropractor will then make the necessary adjustments to the entire spine. Spinal manipulations are also done using the hands, which consists of sharp, short thrusts that always produces a popping sound, which is caused by nitrogen gas release from a vertebral joint capsule. The aim for these adjustments to the spine is to correct a subluxation that has occurred in the spine. Once the patient’s spine is properly aligned, the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia will be greatly reduced together with the other difficulties such as fatigue, weakness and difficulty in sleeping.

Herbal and homeopathic treatments are also encouraged by the chiropractors to their patients, coupled with a change in lifestyle, sleep habits and engaging in a healthy diet. Individuals afflicted with fibromyalgia will feel better in no time.

In reality, there is still no definite cure for those suffering from this painful condition, but with the help of chiropractics, patients suffering from it have reported a sharp decrease in symptoms and have improved their quality of life. Chiropractic is definitely helping people with fibromyalgia enjoy life to the fullest by almost eradicating its numerous symptoms.

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