Today we’re going to talk about the costs of preventable disease and then we’ll talk about whole body vibration for function and bone mineral density in postmenopausal, osteoporotic women.  

But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

OK, we are back and you have found the Chiropractic Forward Podcast where we are making evidence-based chiropractic fun, profitable, and accessible while we make you and your patients better all the way around. 

We’re the fun kind of research. Not the stuffy, high-brow kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers.

I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast.  

If you haven’t yet I have a few things you should do. 

Do it do it do it. 

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #149

Now if you missed last week’s episode , we talked about manipulation for concussion, sleep and cognitive decline, and we talked aobut demential predictors and prevention. Super interesting stuff. Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class. 

While we’re on the topic of being smart, did you know that you can use our website as a resource? Quick and easy, you can go to chiropracticforward.com, click on Episodes, and use the search function

We were busier last week. If you’ve listened for very long, I’ve tried to be open and honest about my numbers each week so that listeners will know where they stand. They’re either doing better or they’re doing about the same. Some will be doing worse. Either way, maybe I can be a measuring stick of some sort. 

The best I have done since COVID reared it’s stupid face is 145 visits in one week. That’s down from an average of 182 per week in 2019. So, that’s quite a difference. I keep immacualte stats so I know that in 2020, I have averaged 117 per week but that includes when we were closed and then when we were emergency only. 

Since we finally got up and running full steam back in May, I have averaged 136 per week. That puts me at about 75% of my pre-COVID point. So, I just need to average about 46 more visits per week to get back to 100%. No big deal right? Lol. That’s a solid jump but I’m a do-er and I have positive energy and a healthy amount of confidence. 

And, we got a good start last week. Last week for the first time, I beat the 145 mark that I had been limited to and saw 158. Just in time for the Rona to start surging back and freaking people out again. Lol. Such is my luck. We shall keep trudging, keep being smart, and keep doing what we can to stay healthy. 

If it all works out, we should be back to 100% by the end of the year. That’s my goal at least. As I type this out, we have 48 on the books today which is about 10-12 more than we’ve been seeing on Mondays. So things are looking up. 

Be safe folks, we’re not out of the crap yet. In fact, as of the time I’m typing this, it’s worse than it has been for a while. Just keep being safe, keep working, and do what you can to take care or yourself and those around you. 

The first one we’re going to talk about today is called, “The cost of preventable disease in the USA” by Galea, et. al(Galea S 2020). published in The Lancet on October 1, 2020. Aye chiuaua. es too mucho caliente. 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30204-8/fulltext?fbclid=IwAR3VMx1p1cZZTdT9o3_b6GkgSzfbImiOPPKLJFElqMKaHN5Vi-3OpkqwDTg

This is more article and discussion so as usual when we cover stuff like this, we’ll just hit the high points and summarize it for you. 

They start by stating that a substantial proportion of poor health in populations is preventable and cite the Global Burden of Diseases, INjuries, and Risk FActors Study that suggests nearly half of all health burdern in the US is attributable to a list of 84 modifiable risk factors. 

They say that globally, up to half of all deaths fall into the category of preventable deaths. They estimate that more than 1/4 of health-care spending was due to these preventable illnesses. Not only that but the US heatlhcare spending is notoriously expensive spending 16.9% of its GDP on healthcare which is TWICE as much as the average of other similar countries. 

In fact, our spending is mroe than the 2019 GDP of 171 coutnries in the world. All but the 19 wealthiest. 

They ask a wonderful question, “Why do we continue to accept such a high burden of preventable disease, even when the cost of it is known?” Great question. Especially when you’re looking at it from a chiropractor’s point of view. Fusion surgeries run around $50,000 each, are basically useless, and put the patient at signficant risk of additional, expensive surgery. Epidural injections are useless as well. We have plenty of studies showing how we save money and cost much less than traditional medical care for back pain. We have surveys and research showing that our patient outcomes and satisfaction are superior to PT and general practitoners. We have the American College of Physicians, The Joint Commission, and The Lancet recommending spinal manipulation and exercise as first-line treatments. Yet, we are not inundated with referrals for chronic and acute low back pain. 

We should be absolutely flooded with referrals. We should be emptying out lobbies of furniture so we have more room in the corner to put a new referral. But nope. Hell no. My opinion is because we have vitalist chiropractors trying to convince patients they have to see them every week for the rest of ever…..as long as ye shall live….forever and ever amen. Taking x-rays and convincing them they’re going to die if they don’t fix that decreased curvature. Telling patients they’re going to pop their back and fix their gall bladder issue. 

THAT’S why we can’t have nice things. You have these evidence-based, patient-centered chiropractors over here going, “What they hell? We can help these people so much!” But we’ll never get the chance because vitalists don’t know how to stay in their lane. To be fair, they were taught their lane was much larger than research suggests it is. We do what we’re taught. The difference is, some of us are better at smelling BS than others. 

Too many chiropractors have a stopped up nose and can’t seem to smell very well. Which is unfortunate. 

Back to the article, they say, “The high burden and cost of preventable disease should push us to think differently about health at a foundational level.” And to that I say, “Indeed, Sir.”

They also say that we should embrace the notion that no amoutn of preventable death or illness is acceptable and that about $730 billion could be repurposed. Like to pay our debt…..just a suggestion. 

They conclude by saying, “high body-mass index, high systolic blood pressure, high fasting plasma glucose, dietary risks, and tobacco smoke exposure account for most of the spending on preventable illness.  Preventing these risk factors would require an engagement with subsidising the availability of nutritious foods, disincentivising the commercial production of harmful products, investing in early childhood education that leads to healthy exercise and dietary habits, and creating cities that encourage healthy behaviours.”

For example, why does healthy food cost more than garbage food? That’s exactly reverse of what it should be. If we really care about lower socioeconomic folks and you want to fight for universal healthcare and things of that sort, wouldn’t it make sense to protest stuff like that?

Why aren’t we seeing picket lines outside of Tyson food factories or in front of grocery stores. They could be carrying signs that say, “Stop keeping our poor fat” or “make healthy affordable” or stuff like that. I’ll keep watching the TV. I’m not holding my breath though. Making healthy food affordable isn’t quite as sexy as all of the other reasons people are finding to stay outraged these days. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of peaceful and respectful protest. That’s what Amercia is built on. I’m less understanding of the destruction, riots, and death that have come with so many of the more recent activities. 

Anyway, it’s a great article and I’ve linked it in the show notes at chiropracticforward.com if you’d like to go a little further in depth in the thing. Chiropractors can help this issue though. The research is there. They just have to start giving it a try. I think they’d be surprised with the results. Unless they referred to a vitalist. Then, when the patient reported back to the MD, the MD would probably never make another referral to a chiropractor as long as they lived once they realize that their referral made them look like an idiot. Just a guess. 

CHIROUP ADVERTISEMENT

This one is called “Effect of Whole-Body Vibration Exercise on Power Profile and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by ElDeeb, et. al(ElDeeb A 2020). published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics in May of 2020…..eh….it’s not fresh from the fire but it’s still steaming out of the microwave. 

https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(20)30044-0/fulltext

To investigate the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) on muscle work and bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar vertebrae and femur in postmenopausal women.

The conclusion states, “Whole-body vibration training improved the leg muscle work and lumbar and femoral bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density.”

Pretty interesting stuff, folks. Is this definitive proof? No. The sample size is small but it is randomized which is good. Would I advertise that I’m going to increase osteoporotic BMC? Nope. If my mom had osteoporosis, would I have her on the WBV? You bet your sweet bippy I would. 

Alright, that’s it. Y’all be safe. Keep changing our profession from your little corner of the world. Keep taking care of yourselves and everyone around you. Tough times are upon us but, the sun will shine again. Trust it, believe it, count on it.

Let’s get to the message. Same as it is every week. 

Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com. 

 

I want you to know with absolute certainty that when Chiropractic is at its best, you can’t beat the risk vs reward ratio because spinal pain is primarily a movement-related pain and typically responds better to movement-related treatment rather than chemical treatments like pills and shots.

When compared to the traditional medical model, research and clinical experience show us patients can get good to excellent results for headaches, neck pain, back pain, and joint pain to name just a few.

It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient.

And, if the patient treats preventativly after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints….

That’s Chiropractic!

Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes. 

Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms. 

We know how this works by now. If you value something, you have to share it, interact with it, review it, talk about it from time to time, and actively hit a few buttons to support it here and there when asked. It really does make a big difference. 

We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

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Dr. Jeff Williams – Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine – Chiropractor in Amarillo, TX, Chiropractic Advocate, Author, Entrepreneur, Educator, Businessman, Marketer, and Healthcare Blogger & Vlogger