When I first became Matthew Waldron's patient, I thought he would try to fix me. But instead, he told me that the human body wants to heal, and his job is to facilitate the process by helping me stay in alignment. And that has been my experience in the last three years, as he has treated me through an SI joint injury, a ruptured Achilles tendon, and back and neck issues that have come up.

I'm a huge question asker. "What's going on with my back? Why is my SI joint the weak point in my body? What can I do to prevent reinjury? How long will it take until my back stops hurting?" Sometimes I whine. Dr. Matt uses a skeleton model or a chart to explain what's going on, or he'll draw on his whiteboard, or he'll tell me a story to make a point. Occasionally he'll tell me I should go to chiropractic school, and I'll have to remind him I'm retired! Then he'll teach me an exercise or two that will help what's going on. So Dr. Matt has been a teacher and a guide as my body has healed and strengthened.

Two years ago, vacationing in Sedona, I overexercised in a series of hikes. I was in enough pain that I was limping. I called Dr. Matt and he told me to find a chiropractor in Sedona and to have them call him. Dr. Matt provided the information the Sedona doctor needed so that I could be treated before I got home. I'd say that was going above and beyond.

I expect to live into my 80s as my mother did. I want my body to be my friend so that I can live fully for as many years as possible. That means a healthy diet and healthy exercise. From time to time I know I'm going to injure myself - seems to me it's just part of moving around in the world. I'll be checking in with Dr. Matt to find out how best to get better. I'm very glad he's there for me.

Here are some simple exercises to strenthen the back and stretch out the muscles! Aims to help reduce back pain, improve flexibility and make life more comfortable!

http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/BackPainExercise.pdf

Media Contacts:
Caitlin Lukacs: (703) 812-0218 | clukacs@acatoday.org
Melissa Lee: (703) 812-0259 | mlee@acatoday.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 04, 2010

U.S. House Introduces Resolution to Recognize National Chiropractic Health Month


The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Iowa Chiropractic Society (ICS) today announced that Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) has introduced House Resolution 1523 (H. Res. 1523)—“to observe the contributions of the chiropractic profession and recognize National Chiropractic Health Month”—in the United States House of Representatives.

National Chiropractic Health Month, sponsored by ACA, is a nationwide observance held each October. This year’s theme—“Why Weight? Get Healthy!”—and related activities will focus on how doctors of chiropractic play an important role in preventing and treating obesity.

More than 60 percent of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and obesity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and some types of cancer.

There are two factors that are instrumental in successfully addressing weight problems—diet and exercise. Often, people who suffer with weight problems avoid the exercise component due to painful conditions like back, neck and joint pain, and osteoarthritis. That lack of exercise, in turn, causes more weight problems, which adds more strain on the musculoskeletal system, which causes increased pain. It's a vicious cycle! DCs are experts at helping patients reduce such pain naturally, getting patients more active and functional again. DCs also counsel patients on good nutrition, diet and lifestyle advice, in addition to offering expert structural care.

“Chiropractic care provides patients with a path to overall wellness through natural approaches to health issues, including weight management,” said ACA President, Dr. Rick McMichael. “We have a growing list of congressional members who strongly support the good work that doctors of chiropractic do to help patients lead healthier lives, naturally. We very much appreciate their recognition and support.”

Rep. Boswell was joined by Representatives Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Tom Latham (R-Iowa), David Loebsack (D-Iowa), Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) in support of the resolution to recognize National Chiropractic Health Month.

“We are proud to have Iowa’s entire U.S. House of Representatives Delegation support this important resolution,” said Daniel Garrett, executive director, Iowa Chiropractic Society. “We hope other legislators will sign on and support this effort to improve overall health and wellness across the country.”

H. Res. 1523 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Read the full text of the resolution, and then contact your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor H. Res. 1523.

To learn more about National Chiropractic Health month, visit www.acatoday.org/NCHM.

The American Chiropractic Association, based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and patient care, contributing to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients.

The Iowa Chiropractic Society (ICS), based in Des Moines, IA, is the exclusive professional society in Iowa representing more than 800 doctors of chiropractic.

TAKING A STAND AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY
By Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher

According to a 2005 report published by the Institute of Medicine, "Over the past three decades, [the rate of childhood obesity] has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2 to 5 years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6 to 11 years.

At present, approximately nine million children over 6 years of age are considered obese."1 The reason for this alarming rise in childhood obesity is simple: Children are eating more calories than they burn. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Large portion sizes for food and beverages, eating meals away from home, frequent snacking on energy-dense foods and consuming beverages with added sugar are often hypothesized as contributing to excess energy intake of children and teens."2

The McDonald's "Happy Meal" has made the news recently, with the McDonald's corporation being put on notice of an impending lawsuit by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit organization. In a letter to McDonald's dated June 22, 2010, the CSPI stated:

Fast-food companies - with McDonald's by far in the lead - spent over $520 million in 2006 on advertising and toys to market children's meals. Toy premiums made up almost three-quarters of those expenses, totaling over $350 million. According to data from The NPD Group, in 2006, fast food restaurants sold more than 1.2 billion children's meals with toys to children ages 12 and under, accounting for 20% of all child traffic at those restaurants.
By advertising that Happy Meals include toys, McDonald's unfairly and deceptively markets directly to children. When McDonald's bombards children with advertisements or other marketing for Happy Meals with toys, many children will pester their parents to take them to McDonald's. Once there, they are more than likely to receive a meal that is too high in calories, saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium, and devoid of whole grains. Developing a lifelong habit of eating unhealthy meals is likely to promote obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening or debilitating diet-related diseases.
Consider the Happy Meal composed of a cheeseburger, French fries, and Sprite. That meal has 640 calories (half a day's worth for young children), 7 grams of saturated fat (half the 14-gram recommended limit), 940 milligrams of sodium (about three-fourths of the 1,200-milligram limit), and 35 grams of sugar (about two days' worth). Moreover, the bun is made with white, not whole wheat, flour. Although the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends diets centered on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein, McDonald's Happy Meals consist largely of white flour, fried meat, fried potatoes, salt, and refined sugars.
More specifically, and for purposes of our notice of intent to sue, McDonald's has engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices by advertising and including toys with purchases of Happy Meals. McDonald's practices violate state consumer protection laws, such as Massachusetts G.L. c. 93A, Texas Business & Professions Code S 17.41 et seq., District of Columbia Code S 28-3905 et seq., New Jersey Statutes Ann. 56:8-1 et seq., and California Business & Professions Code Section 17200.3-5
The letter from the CSPI comes just months after Santa Clara County, Calif., passed an ordinance banning the sale of toys and other promotions in conjunction with unhealthy meals.6 While the ordinance is reportedly the first in the country, it's likely not to be the last. The issue comes down to whether it is a fair and appropriate marketing practice for fast-food restaurants to use toys and other promotions to induce children to consume food that almost everyone agrees is not as healthy as they should be eating.

By the way, a subsequent letter from McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner to the CSPI criticized the lawsuit threat and stated, in part: "CSPI's twisted characterization of McDonald's as 'the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children' is an insult to every one of our franchisees and employees around the world. When CSPI refers to America's children as 'an unpaid drone army,' you similarly denigrate parents and families, because they are fully capable of making their own decisions. You should apologize."7

The obvious question is: If parents and families are capable of making their own decisions (but seem to be doing an increasingly poor job when it comes to health), and companies like McDonald's believe they have limited or no responsibility, then who's advocating for the health of our children?

Because we believe in this issue, we have established a Web page that you and your patients can visit, fill in your name and e-mail address,