Dr. Frisch

Welcome to February.  My, how a couple of weeks makes a difference.  We went from + 20-30 degree weather in January to a -20-30 degrees so fast that it reminds us of how nice the past few winters have been.

Now that we are well into the new year, I wonder how many of you have kept your resolutions?  I'm just kidding!  I feel that resolutions are only needed when there wasn't a plan to start with.  If you have a plan for your goal and work at it a little each day, you will reach your goal without a New Year's promise.

This issue was enjoyable to write.  I discuss health care matters as usual, but I also give some insight into our current media options.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Few people realize that what we watch on television and listen to on the radio is controlled by only a few, large corporations.  Without our knowledge, we are being dictated to with what we watch and hear.  This issue seems fitting with the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake fiasco at the recent Super Bowl.

I will not get into the Big Brother complex because I don't believe that is what is happening.  We do, however, need to be aware of why we see what we see and have to listen to what we hear with our media.  I'm not going to be a prude, but there are some overt actions being taken by others that directly impact our lives.

I hope you enjoy this issue of ENews and, as always, call or write with any questions you may have.

              Dr. Frisch

       ACTIVATOR METHODS TECHNIQUE

I have received many question by patients lately on how they can describe the Activator Instrument and the Activator Technique to others.

It may be hard to describe it without using the words 'clicker thing', 'popper', 'little jackhammer', but I hope that I can help!

Here are some accurate terms you can use to tell others about the Activator instrument and technique:

The Activator Technique is:

• Research-based

• Reproducible

• Safe

• Medically proven effective: The technique and instrument have been published in over 100 medical journals.  That is incredible!  Medicine actually understands Activator Method's effectiveness 

The Activator Instrument is:

• Patented

• High speed. low force (5 ms adjustment, specific poundage)

• Accurate

• Double Check System:  Because of the analysis of the Activator Technique, we can double check your adjustment immediately after we make the correction.

• Objective:  The Activator Instrument corrects the OBJECTIVE problems that cause SYMPTOMS of pain.  The Activator Technique is not a symptom therapy, but rather, fixes problems that cause pain. 

Chiropractic has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past 25 years.  The problem with health care is that the doctors either fail to keep up with the advances or they didn't feel like changing how they treat.  I guess that either is alright if their patients didn't care, but what if the patient's didn't know there were different types of Chiropractic care?  That is not fair to them!

Chiropractic has grown to become the world's second largest healing profession in less than one hundred years.  This phenomenon happened because of people, not doctors!  The public's demand for chiropractic is what drove its inception and advances.

I hope that this simple information allows you to tell others what chiropractic is really about.

                                                       Where's MY News?

I wonder how many of you think about what you watch on television? 

This question isn't just about the morality of the programs you watch, but rather, who is in charge of determining what you and your family watches?

The 1990's was a time of deregulation in the entertainment and media industry.  Through mergers (which used to be illegal) media conglomerates have each expanded their empires to include studios, television, radio and newspaper ownership.  This is called vertical integration. 

The 6 primary corporations that now control all sources of public information through the media are as follows:

• Time Warner

• Disney

• Viacom

• Seagram

• Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation

• Sony

Comcast and other 2nd tier corporations are trying to leverage themselves, but these are the 6 primary corporations that do control what we see, hear, and read.

An example of vertical integration is Viacom.  They own:

• Paramount Pictures

• Simon and Schuster Book Publishers

• Spelling Entertainment

• MTV cable network

• VH1 cable network

• Nickelodeon  cable network

• TV Land cable network

• Showtime cable network

• 18 U.S. TV stations

• UPN network

• Blockbuster Video chain

• 5 theme parks

• retail stores

• foreign movie theater empire

In 1998 alone, this accounted for $14.5 billion in revenue.

More concerning to me than generating income, however, is the way that corporations like Viacom are establishing  themselves.  By controlling markets, they control public exposure of movie, television, radio and print.  This in turn, controls what we are exposed to or even allowed to read, hear or see.

If this isn't concerning to you, maybe it should be.  When large corporations control our news and entertainment, you will be provided with information that THEY want to give you and not what you might want or need to know.

When a few large corporations own all of the media, they will shape how you and your family think and ultimately act.  This is not an issue of something happening 'sometime down the road', it is happening now. 

We as consumers need to be alert and aware and realize that what we are being told may be someone else's agenda and not the truth!  We need to be concerned with how we get our information and what that information is saying.

In essence, when it comes to television, movies, radio and newsprint, we need to be sure that we are being responsible and honest to ourselves.  A herd mentality rarely brings happiness.

Early Treatment Improves Outcomes

Active and early care for whiplash injuries improves the completeness of recovery.

In a recent Swedish study, 97 subjects were studied following traumatic whiplash acceleration/deceleration (WAD) injuries.  The subjects came from emergency rooms, regional care centers and private practices.  Subjects were evaluated according to trauma and treatment versus trauma and no treatment.

The subjects were divided into 4 groups that evaluated active treatment from standard monitoring within 96 hours of the accident and within 14 days of the accident.

The subjects were also evaluated at 3 months, 6 months and at 3 years post-accident.  Testing included, but was not limited to, ranges of cervical motion (performance) and visual analogue pain scales (pain).

In both the active and standard intervention groups, pain intensity was reduced at 3 and 6 months after the injury, but the pain-related loss of work time (sick days) was considerably less for those people who received early, active intervention.

Those patients who had no initial pain after the crash, but received care for their physical injuries were still pain free after 3 years.  Those people who had no initial pain and received no care developed pain and it persisted through the 3rd year.

The conclusion of this study reveals several points:

• Early care for objective injuries corrects problems that patients may not realize even existed.

• Early intervention corrects problems long-term.

• Recovery of objective injuries is more complete due to improved circulation, cell nutrition, and the prevention of excess scar tissue.

Rosenfeld, Seferiadis, et al. Active intervention in patients with whiplash-associated disorders improves long-term prognosis. Spine 2003; (22):2491-2498.

Back Pain is Expensive!

Recent studies reported in JMPT and Spine have reported that back pain may cost Americans as much as $ 100 billion in 2004.  This sounds like a lot of money, and it is!  The problem with the cost of back pain is that the costs are often hidden.

So, where are the costs of Back Pain?

• 25% of the number quoted is directed at inpatient hospital care.  The majority of all back pain cases are still seen by medical doctors who are limited in their training to even treat back pain.  I'm sorry, but the truth hurts!

• 10% (+) is for prescription medication for pain relief.  Old statistics usually said that it was less than 1%, but they were wrong. It actually accounts for over $14 billion dollars per year.

• Increasing insurance premiums also accounts for a lot of the cost of back pain.  What people haven't figured out yet is that insurance companies are going to raise their fees whether or not they use their insurance.  That is the nature of insurance.  They feel that your money is theirs, and that you are merely holding their money for them.  The only way that this will change is when people scream to their legislators and fair guidelines are implemented as law.

• The Rand Corporation released a study a number of years ago that revealed the real cost of back pain.  They reported that if all doctors doubled their fees and actually got paid in full, it would effect the cost of health care by less than 1/2 of 1%.  Isn't that amazing?  It tells you that the cost of health care is actually in insurance company and state administration and not your doctor treating you!

Change is needed, but you need to be more active with phone calls and letters to your representatives.  They listen to voters, not doctors!

Eileen's Corner

This month I decided to go with a simple side dish that has no fancy name. Cauliflower was never Glenn's favorite, but he likes this dish a lot and we have it often.  I think you'll like it too.

Microwave Cauliflower

This dish is easily cut into thin, pie-shaped wedges to serve.  I've served this when entertaining and there are no leftovers!

                          Enjoy!

                         Eileen

Attorney General Update

Mike Hatch

I would like to briefly introduce you to Minnesota's Office of the Attorney General.  For most of you reading this, it will apply directly to you, but for those of you in other states, your Attorney General's Office will likely operate in a similar fashion