BlueHeronChiropractic & HealingArtsCenter is directed by Dr. Dana Sibilla & features the following body and mind-centered services:

Chiropractic Physician: Dana Sibilla, DC DABDA (280-9759) Full-body health care with orthopedic & rehab focus.

Licensed Massage Therapists, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, Individual, Couple and Family Therapy: Please contact the Center for referrals to specific practitioners.

WHAT’S NEWS ATBLUE HERON?

Dr. Sibilla has been accepted to the AmericanCollege of Chiropractic Orthopedists. As a chiropractic orthopedist, he is certified in Functional Capacity Evaluation and continues his membership in the American Chiropractic College of Rehabilitative Medicine, the ACA Council on Chiropractic Physiotherapy and board certification by the American Board of Disabilities Analysts. Our newsletters are now online at blueheronchiro.com. We now have havefour Certified Chiropractic Assistants who are also massage therapists working with Doctor Sibilla.

UP TO 4 VISITS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE AT NO COST? HOW? REFERRAL CREDIT PROGRAM!

Blue Heron Chiropractic is offering you a visit credit for each person you refer in to this clinic. Dr. Sibilla would be honored to treat your friends, relatives and co-workers; they can mention your name when they come in. You should then receive a notification card in the mail. The card must be used within 60 days. We have patients who basically never have to pay for their care, as a result of their word-of-mouth! Thank you for your referrals!

COPING STYLE AFFECTS WHIPLASH RECOVERY

How a patient emotionally copes with whiplash injury may significantly affect recovery time, according to an analysis of 242 individuals who filed whiplash claims. Twelve months following injury, 40% of the male and 50% of the female subjects continued to complain of neck pain. Findings showed that “the duration of the neck complaints was associated with gender, palliative reaction, and the ‘seeking social support’ coping style.” The researchers concluded that “paying attention to the coping style could contribute to the prevention of the development of late whiplash syndrome.” Type of care received, or whether care was received at all, was not a variable. Spine – May 1, 2003;28:896-901. http://www.spinejournal.com/

FAST FOOD & TV MAY TRIGGER OBESITY, DIABETES

It sounds like common sense, but many Americans continue to ignore two major instigators of obesity and diabetes: fast food consumption and television viewing. Mark Pereira, PhD, and colleagues followed 2,027 white and 1,726 black adults, ages 18 to 30 years, for 15 years. Whites who watched TV more than three hours a week and ate fast food more than twice a week were three times as likely to have abnormal glucose metabolism than those who watched less than an hour of TV per week or ate fast food less than once a week. Eating fast food more than twice a week boosted an individual’s odds of obesity by 50% and doubled the risk of abnormal blood sugar levels.

American Heart Association – March 10, 2003. http://www.americanheart.org/

WHAT DOES CHIRORACTIC DO? WHY GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR?

The chiropractor is licensed as a doctor, which means that our scope of practice and training permits us to perform differential diagnosis. Chiropractic manipulative therapy is effective for reduction of subluxation, improving range-of-motion in restricted or deranged joints, restoring function, decreasing muscle spasm, and improving tone and body balance. Manipulation may reduce compression of nerve pathways. The thrust manipulation is a unique form of very directed intervention. Research also suggests that use of reflex nerve signals in chiropractic can facilitate states of health or help achieve a balanced physiology. Chiropractors are highly trained and exposed to cutting-edge health information and are usually willing to talk freely about specific health issues.Even “healthy patients” can have improved function, and preventive care keeps smaller issues in the healthy patient from becoming larger problems if ignored. And remember, there is a lot more a chiropractor can do than just “adjust” bones – including soft-tissue muscle work and even rehab and nerve injury recovery procedures. Find out more – ASK!

The highest form of compliment is the referral of your friends and family. Thank You!

The Health Newsletter – Issue # 15 –Summer 2003 p. 2

MANUAL THERAPY BEATS EXERCISE THERAPY FOR LBP

Manual therapy is superior to exercise therapy alone for relief of low-back pain (LBP), according to a just-published article in the journal Spine.  Investigators tracked 49 patients with chronic LBP or radicular pain who were sick-listed from work for more than 8 weeks, but less than 6 months. Subjects were re-evaluated at 4 weeks, 6 months and 12 months following treatment. Although both groups improved, patients receiving manual therapy enjoyed significantly greater advancements than those undergoing exercise therapy for all outcome measures, including pain intensity, functional disability (Oswestry disability index) and general health (Dartmouth COOP function charts). A greater percentage of manual therapy patients returned to work than did their counterparts in the exercise cohort. Specifically, “immediately after the 2-month treatment period, 67% in the manual therapy and 27% in the exercise therapy group had returned to work, a relative difference that was maintained throughout the follow-up period.” Spine – March 15, 2003;28:525-31. http://www.spinejournal.com/ Editor’s Note: as you may know from working with me, a combination of manual therapy and exercise is always the best bet. ~ Dana Sibilla, DC

ORGANIC FOODS BETTER CANCER FIGHTERS

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have discovered that organically or sustainably grown foods may be more effective at warding off cancer, compared with commercially grown produce. Researchers compared the levels of natural flavonoid antioxidants called polyphenolics in sustainably-grown and organic corn, marionberries and strawberries with conventionally grown crops from neighboring plots. The earth-friendly corn and marionberries had 50% to 58% more polyphenolics than the commercially grown produce. Sustainably-grown and organic strawberries had 19% more of the disease-fighting chemicals, compared with crops treated with pesticides. 

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry – March 2003;51:1237-41. http://pubs.acs.org/journals/jafcau/

IS BACKPACK LOAD LINKED WITH BACK PAIN?

Two studies in the journalSpine arrive at contradictory conclusions regarding the association between backpack use and back pain in youths. In the first analysis, “The (relative) weight of schoolbags was not related to complaints of neck and/or shoulder and back. Psychosomatic factors showed the strongest association with the occurrence of neck and/or shoulder and back complaints…” Spine – May 1, 2003;28:916-21.A second study in the journal Spine finds that youngsters who schlep loaded-down backpacks have an elevated risk of back pain. As compared with no or low use of backpacks at school, heavy use was independently associated with back pain. Female gender and larger body mass index also were significantly associated with back pain. As compared with adolescents who had no back pain, adolescents with back pain carried significantly heavier backpacks that represented a significantly greater percentage of their body weights.”Spine – May 1, 2003;28:922-30. http://www.spinejournal.com/

OLD NEWS, GOOD NEWS: DID YOU MISS THESE? The WEB SITE has previous newsletters with:

ÞSTUDY COMPARES EFFECTS OF REAR AND FRONTAL IMPACT CAR ACCIDENTS ON THE SPINE

ÞOVER THE COUNTER PAINKILLER TYLENOL™ LEADING CAUSE OF LIVER FAILURE

ÞHEAT OR ICE? CHOOSE BASED ON THE PHASE OF HEALING. Within the first 48 hours of a new injury, due to an activity: ICE! When in doubt – remember you can ASK! See more at the web site.

ÞTHE BLOOD-TYPE DIET – EAT RIGHT. KNOW YOUR BLOOD TYPE, SPECIFIC FOODS ARE BEST. WE CAN TEST YOU AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.The cost for this complete service is $40. 

ÞIN COLD AND FLU SEASON – TREAT THE CAUSE OF THE SYMPTOMS. Sudafed or Nyquil do nothing against the agent or microbe that is causing the cold, flu or cough. Consider Olive Leaf Extract (Oleorupein) for both anti-viral and anti-bacterial action The clinic has a medicinary of natural medicines, homeopathics, botanicals and vitamins.

Dana Sibilla, DC

Blue Heron Chiropractic

& Healing Arts Center

(503) 280-9759