Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - " Is Chiropractic the Fountain of Youth?...."

The answer could very well be yes! A study conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Lund found that long term Chiropractic care had a positive effect on the physiological processes around oxidative stress and aging. As a brief background, oxidative stress is the damaging effects of molecules known as 'free radicals' on our body's cells and DNA. (Everyone's heard of 'anti-oxidants' in everything from food, vitamins and even beauty products. Well 'anti-oxidants' help to combat the damaging effects of free radicals.) This type of stress and damage, particularly on  DNA, is believed to play a major role in human aging.

This study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, reveals some insight on how and why Chiropractic treatments can have a beneficial impact, on a cellular level. The researchers in the study measured levels of serum thiol in the participants. Serum thiols are primary anti-oxidants in the body and are used as a measure of human health status. The test provides a surrogate estimate of DNA repair enzyme activity, which has been shown to correlate with lifespan and aging. 


Participants were divided into two separate groups. One group of 21 patients were under short term Chiropractic care and 25 patients were under long term care. These two groups were compared to 30 people who underwent no Chiropractic care. Long-term chiropractic care of two or more years was shown to re-establish a normal physiological state independent of age, sex, or nutritional supplements. Symptom-free or primary wellness subjects under chiropractic care demonstrated higher mean serum thiol levels than patients with active disease, and produced some values that were higher than normal wellness values. 

"Oxidative stress, metabolically generating free radicals, is now a broadly accepted theory of how we age and develop disease," Dr. Christopher Kent explained. "Oxidative stress results in DNA damage, and inhibits DNA repair. DNA repair is the mechanism which fixes the damage caused by environmental impact." 

Now although this study was conducted on a relatively small sample size, the findings are very intriguing indeed. It should spark interest into repeating the study on more people to see if the results could be re-created.  


As many of my patients have come to realize, Chiropractic isn't just an option to address pain and discomfort but it really is one of the most beneficial natural therapies available for overall health. That's why many patients come in to see me on a regular basis, whether it be once a month or a few times a year. They realize it's always easier to stay healthy than to fix something once it's 'broken'.


Like this article? leave a comment. In the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver? Visit my office or my website; COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - " What You Didn't Know About Vitamin D"

Many people have heard of Vitamin D. Many also know that the sun is a good source of Vitamin D naturally. However, for the vast majority of people, their knowledge of vitamin D ends right about there. Today I'd like to shed some light on Vitamin D and also explain why doctors and scientists are realizing Vitamin D may be more important than once thought. 

Vitamin D is actually not a true vitamin. What it actually is is a precursor of a steroid hormone. This vitamin has long been known to be associated with proper bone growth, mineral metabolism and calcium absorption. However, in recent years, the deficiency of Vitamin D has been linked to a growing number of other health issues. Some new evidence is now linking Vitamin D to other problems such as; diabetes, muscle pain and even cancer!

Diabetes:  Some evidence suggests that Vitamin D can help lower the chance of developing Type I diabetes. A study out of Finland followed 12,000 babies and their Vitamin D levels. The study found that the babies who received the recommended dosage of Vitamin D by supplementation were 80% less likely to develop Type I diabetes than those who didn't. Also of note is that Finland receives relatively little sunlight compared to southern latitudes. In the north of Finland, sunshine can be as little as 2 hours/day during the month of December.

Muscle Pain: A study out of the University of Minnesota medical school looked at 150 participants who complained of mysterious bone and muscle pains. When the participants were further examined, it was found that a staggering 94% were deficient in Vitamin D. Of these people, 55% were determined to be severely deficient. The findings lead to researchers suggesting that patients who complain of mysterious bone and muscle pain, should be screened first for Vitamin D deficiency.

Cancer:   A study conducted by the US Department of Veterans Affairs medical center showed a relationship between the consumption of Vitamin D containing foods and a reduced risk of developing colon polyps. In fact the study found that the risk was 40% lower for those who ate foods high in Vitamin D compared to those who ate a small amount of Vitamin D rich foods or none at all. Polyps in the colon can potentially become cancerous over time so the indication that Vitamin D can act as protection is very important to overall health.

Now, how do you get Vitamin D? As mentioned above, your body can produce Vitamin D with exposure to sunlight, but you can also get some Vitamin D from your diet. Some foods that have Vitamin D include; Seafood (fish such as salmon, trout, halibut etc.), Soy, Nuts, Dairy and some vegetables.

Like this article? Leave a comment. In the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver? visit the office or check out the website here,COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR: DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!!

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - " Are Neck Adjustments Safe? A Discussion"

Today's post is a discussion of an article written by E. Ernst and published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. In the article, Ernst performed a systematic review of cases where Chiropractic manipulations preceded death of a patient. Ernst searched multiple databases for any mention of a patient fatality following treatment by a Chiropractor, with no time limit on how far back the reports originated.

For a brief background, some deaths have been attributed to Chiropractic treatment, especially when the neck has been treated. The underlying mechanism is damage or 'dissection' of the vertebral artery in the upper neck due to a combination of twisting and extension. This motion, induced beyond the physiological limits in some patients, can lead to problems such as a stroke or even worse, death.

What Ernst found in his research was, twenty-six fatalities were published since 1934 in 23 articles. Now considering the time frame, approximately 77 years of published journal articles, to come up with 23 mentions of death attributable to Chiropractic treatment is extremely good and helps to confirm the overall safety of Chiropractic adjustments, especially for the neck. Now when I say, 'good' I say that in a relative term when you consider that thousands of deaths occur every year from the use/misuse of even over the counter medications like, Tylenol.


Now here is where I think readers will benefit from my honest point of view as a Chiropractor. Do I think there is a problem with Ernst's article. Yes. I will be the first to admit that in all probability, the number of strokes and/or deaths attributable to Chiropractic treatment is likely under-reported. By how much? Well I'm not sure. Especially when you are dealing with something as serious as death, y ou should be absolutely sure that a Chiropractic adjustment was the cause of a fatality. Here is where even Ernst commented on this in his article. He mentioned that, "the time between treatment and death ranged from 1 h to 58 days; in 10 cases, it was 1 day or less". What I'd like to point out is that 58 days is a long time to pass. After more than 8 weeks pass, can you say for certain that a Chiropractic treatment was indeed the cause of a death?


Overall, I'd like to discuss some tips for patients before they seek Chiropractic care, especially for the neck;


- Ask for a referral from family or friends. Knowing that someone you love and trust has received good care and success is important. That goes for just about anything. 
- Ask the Chiropractor some poignant questions. If you're not sure, ask! Especially the Chiropractor's style of treatment. What can you expect? How much experience does he/she have? Will it be a manual adjustment or will an instrument be used?
- Will the Chiropractor do a thorough exam/history first? This is an absolute must!!! Some patients, under no circumstance should receive a Chiropractic adjustment to their neck. Any good doctor should be able to identify these patients based on a history and exam alone.
- How long will it take? Results can vary but the important thing is, the patient should see results. Have the Chiropractor explain a treatment plan to you. Look for regular follow-up or re-examinations so both you and your Chiropractor can monitor your progress.


Have any questions? In the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver? Come by the office or visit the website,COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC


Note: 

Deaths after Chiropractic: A Review of Published Cases E. Ernst Posted: 08/30/2010; Int J Clin Pract. 2010;64(10):1162-1165.

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - " Another Success Story - 'Dancer's Dilemma'"

I thought I'd write today's post about a patient I saw just last week. To offer a background, Roy was a dancer/performing artist who was auditioning for a major production opening shortly in Vancouver. As he stated, it was a 'very big deal' and he desperately wanted a spot. 

The dilemma? Well, he had injured his back the day before during  dance practice while attempting to lift his partner. To make matters worse, his audition was later that day. When I say later, I mean just 2.5 hours away.

Roy was in obvious pain and couldn't even walk without a noticeable limp. He explained he was desperate and came across my website www.drchanchiro.com.  He decided to come in even though he had never seen a Chiropractor before. I examined him, explained what happened, offered him treatment and left him with advice on how to recover at home. This is a message I received from Roy last night, literally 5 days after his one and only visit.

• Thank You‏

7:17 PM

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To

Dominic,
 
Roy here. Tall black guy who injured his lower back and came in to see you 

on Friday 'cuz I had a dance audition that evening. Well, I just wanted to

thank you because my audition was successful and I've been following your

advice with stretches and everything else and today my back is almost back

to normal. I am dancing again which is a plus. I will indeed start focusing

on strengthening my back...
 
Again, thank you much for your help! 
 
Keep up the good work!

If you ever find  yourself in a situation similar to Roy, there is relief out there! In the Commercial

Drive area of East Vancouver? Drop by or visit my website here 
COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!!