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new chiropractic patient
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Every New Chiropractic Patient Needs to Know This

One thing I have noticed from years of being a chiropractor is that it is nearly impossible to cover everything that I think a new patient should know about chiropractic in just one visit. The initial visit typically focuses on the patient’s medical history, main areas of pain or concern, exam and/or imaging results, prognosis, a treatment plan, insurance coverage, etc. We cover a lot in the time we have on day one, but it never seems to be long enough. So, I thought I would dedicate this month’s blog to tell you the important things I think a new chiropractic patient should know.

#1: Be Patient as a Patient

To manage the expectations of new patients, it is very rare that a single session is enough to reduce or eliminate pain. Patients do often begin to see some relief in the first few visits, but one or two sessions is not enough to create lasting change. The body needs time to start to create a new pattern within the underlying structural issues or faulty biomechanics that are contributing to the overall problem. Typically, it takes about 12 visits for a significant change to take effect. During the treatment period, I’m helping your body to heal and to work more efficiently. This is a process that takes time. I like to do a re-exam around the 12th visit to see how far you have come and make any changes to your treatment plan at this point. It’s at this time when I often tell a patient that they can come less often, require fewer types of therapies or can start returning to certain activities that previously were challenging.

#2: This Might Hurt a Little

Some patients get a little sore after their first visit, as if they worked out at the gym. This is normal and should not be outside of new patient expectations. In a way, what I’m helping your body with is very much like starting a new exercise regimen. You end up with some “awareness” of your muscles after a session as I help your body to function better. Any discomfort or soreness typically subsides after the first few visits as your body gets used to the changes we are making. To help, I recommend patients take a supplement called Zymain that helps reduce inflammation. Also, using ice for 15 minutes on and off will help with any soreness or pain. By the end of the treatment, you will find that you feel and move better!

#3: It’s a Two-Way Conversation

In our sessions, I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of explaining. Our conversations, though, are two-way streets. Feel free to be open and honest! If the recommended treatment plan is not possible for you, let’s talk about it and come up with an alternative. Maybe you cannot afford your copay twice a week? Or, maybe the three therapies I recommend cause your appointment time to be too long and you have to be available to pick up your kids? It’s okay. We just need to be able to discuss the issues. My foremost priority is to get you well in a way that you feel great about.

#4: Beyond Chiropractic, We Can Help Your Well-being

Many people don’t realize that we offer many other services in addition to chiropractic and physical therapy. Yes, most patient engagements involve these two services, but at Life Care, we’re interested in your overall well-being. This means we really care about you reducing your physical, chemical and mental stress. With that in mind, we offer complementing services such as massage therapy, body purification programs, vitamin therapies and nervous system and brain health testing to help with the inner workings of your systems. And, we have products available – supportive pillows, back supports and custom made foot orthotics – to help with your day-to-day physical comfort.

[Related: 5 Reasons Custom Orthotics Will Change Your Life for the Better]

Let’s talk about your overall health goals and see where we can help. As a new chiropractic patient, know that we are here to serve you and your well-being. If you ever have questions, concerns or suggestions, we are always happy to hear from you. Or, if you have a friend or family referral, we’re happy to hear from them, too!

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How to Easily Know Your Omega Fatty Acid Levels

If you have been my patient, you have probably heard me talk over the years about the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and how your brain relies on them to function normally. I may have also cautioned you against getting too many omega-6 fatty acids. Aside from musculoskeletal pain, an elevated omega-6 level can lead to plaquing of the arteries, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. So how do you know if you have too many or too few? It’s been complex, in the past, to know your omega fatty acid levels – but not anymore.

 

[Related: What Do I Need to Know About Going Gluten-Free?]

 

The Guessing Game

Essentially, omega-3s turn down your inflammatory pathways and omega-6s turn up your inflammatory pathways. Our bodies need both, but most people acquire way too many omega-6s from processed foods and high grain diets. Typically, I talk to patients about their diet and try to guess at what they need to balance omega-3 and omega-6 levels in their systems. I know that an optimum omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 1:1 and anything over 4:1 really makes the body pro-inflammatory. However, I am just guessing at the patient’s status based on what they are telling me about their diet. Until now, I really had no way to measure this.

 

No More Guesswork

Recently, I was introduced to a simple testing procedure called BrainSpan. It is a comprehensive neurohealth assessment that assesses both structural and functional brain and cell health. So, what does that have to do with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids? There are two components to the test, the first of which measures fatty acid levels:

  1. Blood Test

This first component begins with a simple finger prick. When the lab receives your blood sample, they break down the membranes of the red blood cells to analyze their composition. This is where omega-3s, omega-6s, transfats and palmitic acid can be measured. Because your red blood cells replace themselves every 120 days, this is a very accurate measurement of the fatty acid levels in your cells as there is no influence from what you recently ate in the days or even week prior to the test.omega fatty acid levels

The blood test component has several measurements and significance:

  • Omega-3 Index – Here, the test measures the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your cell membranes. Omega-3s are essential to reducing inflammation, repairing cells, and regulating vital neurotransmitters.
  • Inflammation Index – This is the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Although y0u need both 6 and 3, when omega-6 far exceeds omega-3, your body’s ability to manage inflammation is disrupted.
  • Trans Fat Index – Trans fats can cause cellular destruction, deregulate hormone production, adversely affect memory, and increase inflammation of the brain and body. Research has associated people with higher levels of trans fats in their blood with smaller brain volume due to accelerated aging.
  • Palmitic Acid Index – This is the percentage of palmitic acid (a fatty acid) in your blood cells. There is a link between higher levels of palmitic acid in the blood and a greater risk for diabetes and a rise in cholesterol levels.
  1. Cognitive Test

In addition to measuring the components of blood cell membranes, a cognitive test measures how well your neural connections are functioning. The cognitive aspect of the test measures sustained attention, memory, cognitive flexibility and processing speed.

omega fatty acid levels

The test takes approximately 15 minutes and you can complete it at your leisure at home.

This May Be What You Need

Once the blood and the cognitive tests are complete, we can look at things like resilience to concussion, risk of future dementia, risk of stroke, mood regulation, cell inflammation and many other things. We can then determine what type of intervention would improve the score. The good news is that we can make changes, improve your situation and retest afterwards!

If you would like to know more about the Brainspan test or take the test, please contact our office. I highly recommend knowing your omega fatty acid levels so that we can get the correct ratio.