How to Save Money on Health Care Costs

Health care costs have been rising for several years. Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980. Controling this growth has become a major policy priority, as the government, employers, and consumers increasingly struggle to keep up with health care costs.  In 2008, U.S. health care spending was about $7,681 per resident and accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); this is among the highest of all industrialized countries.  Clearly, something needs to change.

One viable option to decrease health care costs is chiropractic.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield conducted a study from 1999 to 2005 that analyzed clinical and cost utilization data between primary health care physicians.  They studied 70,274 over a seven year period.  Those that exclusively used doctors of chiropractic as their primary health care physician demonstrated decreases of 60.2% in-hospital admissions, 59.0% hospital days, 62.0% outpatient surgeries and procedures and 85% pharmaceutical costs when compared with conventional medicine health care providers for the same health product in the same geography and time frame.

For more information on how chiropractic can minimize the need for medications and surgeries, visit our website at www.valleychiroassoc.com.

Chiropractic and the Immune System

Are you interested in decreasing you asthma and allergy symptoms?  Do you want to boost your immune system and decrease your odds of getting sick this year.  The following study may be of interest to you.

In 2004, a research article* was published that observed the relationship between allergic diseases and thoracic spinal misalignments.  Researchers studies 3,013 allergic disease patients who suffered with dermatitis, asthma, pollinosis, hay fever, allergic coryza, etc.  They discovered that 2,733 of these patients had chronic vertebral misalignments in their thoracic spine.  These patients were treated with spinal manipulations that focused on correcting these spinal misalignments.  As a result of the treatment, 70% of the patients reported an improvement in their allergy symptoms.  These results suggest the possibility that nerve compression secondary to vertebral misalignment in the thoracic spine had a negative effect on human immune function leading to symptoms of allergies.  It also suggests that removing nerve compression by restoring proper vertebral misalignment has a positive effect on the immune system, leading to decreased allergy symptoms and increased health.

For more information about chiropractic, please visit our website at www.valleychiroassoc.com.

*Yasuhiko Takeda, Shouji Arai: Relationship Between Vertebral Deformities And Allergic Diseases. The Internet Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. 2004. Volume 2 Number 1.

How to Build a Better Salad

Consuming fruits and vegetables on a daily basis is a must for a healthy diet.  For years, researchers have noted a link between eating fruits and vegetables and lower risks of many diseases, particularly cancer. Any easy way increase your fruit and vegetable consumption is to eat a salad on a regular basis.  The following are tips for fun and tasty salad combinations.

1. Go Green.  Toss together a salad of spinach, kale, romaine and red leaf lettuce. They contain many different vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and K, magnesium, calcium and folate.  They also add volume to your salad without a lot of calories.  Whenever you make a salad, choose greens with the darkest coloring (like kale or spinach), because they contain the most nutrients.

2. Taste the Rainbow. Add as many different colored vegetables as possible.  Different colors contain different vitamins and minerals.  Include any of the following veggies: tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, snap peas, bell peppers, asparagus, onions or string beans.  Raw vegetables are the best and contain digestive enzymes to aid your body in the digestive process.

3. Pack with Protein. If you are still hungry after eating salads, make sure you are including enough protein.  Common sources include beef, chicken, turkey, fish, black/garbanzo/kidney beans, eggs, tofu or edamame (green soybeans).  Avoid processed, deep fried meats as they contain unhealthy, inflammatory fats as well as preservatives.

4. Dress for Success. Consider homemade dressings as they take little time to make and taste delicious.  If you are using a bottled dressing, check the label to make sure it uses either canola or olive oil.  Canola oil contains monounsaturated fats, and has more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than other cooking oils. Olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fat, and also contributes helpful phytochemicals.  Check the label to make sure it does not contain high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, artificial colors and other unnecessary preservatives.

5. Add Healthy Fats. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, are a good source of polyunsaturated fats.  Choose nuts that are not salted or roasted whenever possible.  Avocados are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats and have many health benefits.

6. Add a Little Sweetness. Include diced pears or apples, berries, melons, grapes, raisins or nectarines for those who have a sweet tooth. 

For other health and wellness tips visit our website at www.valleychiroassoc.com.