Langford Chiropractic Clinic Newsletter: February 2004

Insurance Benefit Reminders

Barb La Motte

Since this is the first Langford Chiropractic Newsletter of 2004, I wanted to remind everyone of what is expected of them regarding their insurance benefits.

You must contact your insurance company in order to find out what is covered and not covered. In the past we have provided your benefits to you. However, with the ever increasing number of different insurance benefit plans, we will no longer be able to continue this service.

If you have a copay policy (this information would be found on the front of most insurance cards) , the copay is due at every visit. We have had to institute a $10.00 surcharge for all copays that are not made on the same day services are rendered. This becomes effective February 1, 2004.

If you have a deductible or coinsurance policy, we will continue to bill you after your insurance company determines what your responsibility is.

All statements that you receive are due by the 15 th of the month unless prior arrangements with me have been made. We are willing to work with anyone who needs to set up payment plan. We submit any delinquent accounts to our collection agency after four months if there is no contact from the patient.

If you have a chiropractic appointment that you can not keep, please contact our office immediately. If you have a massage appointment, we require a 24 hour cancellation notice. Patients that fail to contact us may be charged a $15.00 fee. This fee will be assessed on a case by case basis.

If you have a new injury for example automobile or work related, please let us know before making an appointment. We need to schedule the correct amount of time for your specific appointment.

As always, your insurance coverage is a contract between you and your insurance company. You are ultimately responsible for your bills. We will continue to bill the insurance company for you, make sure that services are paid, and assist you with problems that may occur. If at any time you have questions please don't hesitate to call.

Spinal Problems in infants

Dr. Anne Langford

Although back and neck pain is not considered to be a common childhood disorder, it can sometimes herald a serious problem and should be thoroughly investigated. Spinal problems in children can be due to many causes and can be categorized by age group.

Symptoms of back and neck pain in children can sometimes be difficult to interpret due to our inability to communicate effectively with the very young, and because such symptoms do not always specifically relate to spinal problems. For example, an infant with an infection in the spine may present simply with fever, irritability and poor feeding, symptoms which are common to many childhood conditions.

Spinal problems in infants may present simply with irritability and poor feeding. Subluxation of spinal vertebrae is a frequently encountered condition in newborn infants.

The trauma of the normal birth process with its rotation, lateral flexion and traction of the cervical spine is sufficient to induce misalignment and fixation of the upper cervical spinal segments. Such misalignments can be associated with poor feeding, regurgitation, fussiness and/or sleeping difficulties in the newborn. It is not uncommon to find an atlas (C1) subluxation in a newborn infant who is difficult to feed, spits-up consistently during and after each feeding, and who sleeps for only short periods of time. Just as an adult with cervical spinal problems may have restriction and some pain with positional movements of the neck, likewise, an infant with such problems may have the same difficulty.

Chiropractic is best for chronic spinal pain

Dr. Heather Karls

A randomized, controlled clinical trial just published in the prestigious medical journal Spine reveals that chiropractic treatment is superior to both drugs and acupuncture in the treatment of chronic spinal pain (people with pain lasting more than 13 weeks).

Patients were randomly assigned to three treatment groups including acupuncture, spinal manipulation, or medication (Celebrex or Vioxx).

The group receiving manipulation experienced 3 to 4.5 times the number of fully recovered patients, when compared to the acupuncture or medication groups. This was significant, considering the nature of chronic spine pain.

One of the study's most remarkable findings was that patients in the manipulation group reported a 47 percent improvement in a standardized group reported a 47 percent improvement in a standardized pain questionnaire, compared to only 15 percent for the acupuncture group and 18 percent for the medication group.

In addition to these results, the authors included the following comments in the report:

“...it is notable that manipulation...achieved asymptomatic status for every fourth patient (27%). This result is superior to the percentages for acupuncture (9.4%) and medication (5%) for short term outcomes…

“Medication apparently did not achieve a marked improvement in chronic spinal pain and caused adverse reactions in 6.1% of the patients. The adverse symptoms disappeared once medication was stopped.

“In summary,..it appears that spinal manipulation provided the best overall short term results…”

Reference
1. Giles LGF, Muller R. Chronic spinal pain – a randomized clinical trial comparing medication, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation. Spine 2003;28:1490-1503.

Clinic News

The entire clinic just returned from a weekend seminar in Las Vegas. We were there learning new procedures to better serve you.

Dr. Dronen was married December 5 in the Bahamas. She was surrounded by family and friends when she wed her husband. Her husband, Dr. Jason Smith, is also a chiropractor and is practicing in Maplewood. She continues to use her maiden name to keep things simple! Congratulations Dr. Dronen!

Intern News

Welcome back Angie Denkinger! Many of you may remember Angie when she was here at our clinic last summer. We are thrilled to have her finish her last internship with us. Angie will graduate in April from Northwestern Chiropractic.

Nikole Carlson is a T9 student at Northwestern. Nikole is originally from the metro area and plans to stay in the twin cities after graduation in July. She enjoys snow-shoeing with her 12 year old Springer Spaniel, Chelsea.
Karrie Schommer is a T10 student at Northwestern and will graduate in April. Karrie plans to open a practice in the twin cities after graduation. Karrie loves to downhill ski, run, and roller blade.

Fascinating Food Facts

Dr. Laura Dronen

Enjoy sauerkraut, unless you're on a low-sodium diet. Cabbage, like other cruciferous vegetables, is nutritious. A Finnish study has found that when cabbage is fermented to make sauerkraut, potential cancer-fighting compounds are produced. Some nutrients are lost in the fermentation process, but half a cup of sauerkraut still supplies some vitamin C and 2 grams of fiber, plus 470 milligrams of added sodium. Americans eat 1.5 pounds of sauerkraut a year, on average, mostly atop hot dogs.

Add onions and garlic to your tomato sauce. Such allium vegetables, which also include leeks and scallions, may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men who eat them frequently. This finding comes from a study in Shanghai, where men eat lots of these vegetables and also have the lowest rate of prostate cancer in the world. Scallions seem to be the most protective. The researchers hastened to say that the study was no conclusive – merely encouraging. Their basic advice: eat more vegetables. Tomatoes and tomato products are rich in lycopene, which may also help protect against prostate cancer.

When your mouth is on fire from too much hot pepper, you won't be able to quench it with water. The burning component, capsaicin, binds to your taste buds and other receptors in your mouth and doesn't dissolve in water. Instead, try milk or yogurt – or even better, ice cream. Casein, the principal protein in milk, helps remove the capsaicin from your mouth.
Ipecac remedy no longer used

Despite a long history of use, syrup of ipecac is not the best way to rid the body of poison. A recent review of the research concluded that vomiting alone does not reliably remove poisons from the stomach. And ipecac's potential side effects, such as lethargy, can be confused with the poison's effects. Another effect, continued vomiting, can undermine better treatments given or recommended by a doctor or poison-control center. The American Academy of Pediatrics now advises against using ipecac, and a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee has recommended taking ipecac off the market. If anyone swallows a potential poison, call 1-800-222-1222 to reach a local poison-control center, or 911 if severe.