Q and A
www.espritwellness.com
www.treatscoliosisnow.com
Q: Why should I seek treatment for my scoliosis from a chiropractor certified by CLEAR Institute? What do they know that my regular D.C. doesn’t?
A: Typical chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be ineffective or even harmful to the scoliotic patient, due to the mobilization of fixated vertebrae by the adjustment. While this may cause pain relief in the short term, the long term result is increased progression of the Cobb angle. CLEAR practitioners are not focused on relieving pain, although this is certainly the end result. Chiropractors trained by CLEAR Institute are committed to achieving structural changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate and correct itself, and use specific, reproducible precision x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to measure and quantify the change.
We focus on involving the patient in the treatment process. Rather than trying to “force” the spine into position with rods or braces, we work with the body to address the internal cause behind why the scoliosis developed. This involves active involvement on the part of the patient, as we re-train patterns of walking, re-balance the strength of muscles on each side of the body, and re-model posture. Advanced chiropractic adjustments achieve the correction, but your participation ensures its permanence.
Q: What are the effects of scoliosis?
A: Scoliosis is not always associated with pain, although it commonly may be. Even in people without pain, however, the function of the heart & lungs is compromised. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis is associated with reduced life expectancy. On the average, people with scoliosis suffer a 14-year reduction in their life expectancy due to the strain upon the heart & the reduced amount of oxygen supplied to the body. Scoliosis is also associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease, and hip, knee, & leg pain.
Q: Will my scoliosis get worse as I age?
A: For a long time, doctors told patients that their scoliosis would not progress after the age of 18; unfortunately, research has proven otherwise. Whether scoliosis develops earlier in life (Type A) or in adulthood (Type B), it will most likely progress; the only question is how fast. Additional studies have shown that as the Cobb angle increases, the amount of chronic pain goes up, and the ranges of motion & the quality of life goes down.
Q: My scoliosis is termed “idiopathic,” meaning the cause is unknown. Is it true that I inherited this condition from my mother?
A: You may have heard that researchers at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children recently discovered a gene associated with scoliosis. However, there are several flaws with the “gene theory” of disease. For instance, it has been universally recognized in recent years that attempting to attribute a genetic basis to any disease is an exercise in futility. While there may be such a thing as a genetic predisposition, the presence of a genetic marker for a specific disease is in no way a guarantee that the carrier will ever express that particular gene. An article featured in the July 2005 issue of Scientific American, entitled, "Identical Twins Exhibit Differences in Gene Expression," is an appropriate confirmation of this concept. Even amongst identical twins, gene expression differs over one-third of the time! For more information on this concept, research the science of epigenetics, or click here.
CLEAR Institute teaches that scoliosis is the body’s natural and innate response to the loss of mechanical function provided by the normal curves of the spine. When these curves disappear, the body re-inserts them in another dimension. If scoliosis has a “cause,” then it can only be described as the laws of physics!
It is easy to understand this concept of mechanical advantage for yourself. Find a heavy weight, about 10 to 20 pounds, and hold it in your hand for a while. If you have to support this weight for a long time, there is a natural position that the body will assume: your elbow will come close to your body, and your palm will be up, with your fingers facing towards you. This is very similar to how your spine supports the weight of your head with the curve in your neck. When you bend your hand forward & remove that curve from your wrist, your elbow will swing out to the side to replace the lost stability. This is very similar to what happens in your spine when the curve in your neck is lost; the body develops scoliosis because a straight spine is extremely unstable. Essentially, scoliosis is a biomechanical reaction to forward head posture & the loss of the curve in the neck, and develops due to pressure & interference on the nerves responsible for maintaining posture & symmetry during growth, which are concentrated in the neck.
In conclusion, perhaps some people are more likely to develop scoliosis than others, but there is a still a reason why one person will and another will not. With scoliosis, just like with everything else, your environment determines which genes will become expressed and which will remain dormant. With the stability provided by the natural curves of the spine, there is no need for the body to develop & maintain a scoliosis.
www.treatscoliosisnow.com
Q: Why should I seek treatment for my scoliosis from a chiropractor certified by CLEAR Institute? What do they know that my regular D.C. doesn’t?
A: Typical chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be ineffective or even harmful to the scoliotic patient, due to the mobilization of fixated vertebrae by the adjustment. While this may cause pain relief in the short term, the long term result is increased progression of the Cobb angle. CLEAR practitioners are not focused on relieving pain, although this is certainly the end result. Chiropractors trained by CLEAR Institute are committed to achieving structural changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate and correct itself, and use specific, reproducible precision x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to measure and quantify the change.
We focus on involving the patient in the treatment process. Rather than trying to “force” the spine into position with rods or braces, we work with the body to address the internal cause behind why the scoliosis developed. This involves active involvement on the part of the patient, as we re-train patterns of walking, re-balance the strength of muscles on each side of the body, and re-model posture. Advanced chiropractic adjustments achieve the correction, but your participation ensures its permanence.
Q: What are the effects of scoliosis?
A: Scoliosis is not always associated with pain, although it commonly may be. Even in people without pain, however, the function of the heart & lungs is compromised. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis is associated with reduced life expectancy. On the average, people with scoliosis suffer a 14-year reduction in their life expectancy due to the strain upon the heart & the reduced amount of oxygen supplied to the body. Scoliosis is also associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease, and hip, knee, & leg pain.
Q: Will my scoliosis get worse as I age?
A: For a long time, doctors told patients that their scoliosis would not progress after the age of 18; unfortunately, research has proven otherwise. Whether scoliosis develops earlier in life (Type A) or in adulthood (Type B), it will most likely progress; the only question is how fast. Additional studies have shown that as the Cobb angle increases, the amount of chronic pain goes up, and the ranges of motion & the quality of life goes down.
Q: My scoliosis is termed “idiopathic,” meaning the cause is unknown. Is it true that I inherited this condition from my mother?
A: You may have heard that researchers at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children recently discovered a gene associated with scoliosis. However, there are several flaws with the “gene theory” of disease. For instance, it has been universally recognized in recent years that attempting to attribute a genetic basis to any disease is an exercise in futility. While there may be such a thing as a genetic predisposition, the presence of a genetic marker for a specific disease is in no way a guarantee that the carrier will ever express that particular gene. An article featured in the July 2005 issue of Scientific American, entitled, "Identical Twins Exhibit Differences in Gene Expression," is an appropriate confirmation of this concept. Even amongst identical twins, gene expression differs over one-third of the time! For more information on this concept, research the science of epigenetics, or click here.
CLEAR Institute teaches that scoliosis is the body’s natural and innate response to the loss of mechanical function provided by the normal curves of the spine. When these curves disappear, the body re-inserts them in another dimension. If scoliosis has a “cause,” then it can only be described as the laws of physics!
It is easy to understand this concept of mechanical advantage for yourself. Find a heavy weight, about 10 to 20 pounds, and hold it in your hand for a while. If you have to support this weight for a long time, there is a natural position that the body will assume: your elbow will come close to your body, and your palm will be up, with your fingers facing towards you. This is very similar to how your spine supports the weight of your head with the curve in your neck. When you bend your hand forward & remove that curve from your wrist, your elbow will swing out to the side to replace the lost stability. This is very similar to what happens in your spine when the curve in your neck is lost; the body develops scoliosis because a straight spine is extremely unstable. Essentially, scoliosis is a biomechanical reaction to forward head posture & the loss of the curve in the neck, and develops due to pressure & interference on the nerves responsible for maintaining posture & symmetry during growth, which are concentrated in the neck.
In conclusion, perhaps some people are more likely to develop scoliosis than others, but there is a still a reason why one person will and another will not. With scoliosis, just like with everything else, your environment determines which genes will become expressed and which will remain dormant. With the stability provided by the natural curves of the spine, there is no need for the body to develop & maintain a scoliosis.
posted by Esprit Wellness - Dr. Aatif Siddiqui (Dr. Sid) at
9/09/2008 10:22:00 PM
0 Comments
