Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic

Hunger hormones linked to weight regain, study says

2011-10-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK – Any dieter knows that it's hard to keep off weight you've lost. Now a study finds that even a year after dieters shed a good chunk of weight quickly, their hormones were still insisting, "Eat! Eat! Eat!"

Read More: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-10-26/Hunger-hormones-linked-to-weight-regain-study-says/50941242/1

New Study Reveals That Back Surgery Fails 74% of the time

2011-09-15T18:08:00.001-04:00

Researchers reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses.

After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery had actually returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery.

Read More:
http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/ABSTRACTS/New_Study_Reveals.shtml

Private Yoga classes

2010-08-04T11:51:00.002-04:00

We recommend you try a private, therapeutic at home lesson with Certified Yoga Instructor, Danielle Piccirillo. Danielle, a former dancer and avid runner has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and is certified by Sacred Strength Earthrise Yoga Registered Yoga School. She has evolved into a highly sought after instructor because of her serious attention to alignment and safety. Danielle's teaching style is playful, inspirational and incorporates unique poses. Beginners feel at home and comfortable with her because of Danielle's precise and clear instruction and nurturing touch.

You can request a vigorous vinyasa practice to enhance athletic performance, a beginner's class to learn the fundamentals, a pre-natal class for expectant moms, or a more restorative class for gentle relaxation to rejuvenate your body and mind. Danielle will consult with Dr. Szymanski to get the most of your personalized program and any contraindications to your routine.

Danielle can be reached to schedule a private session at Danielle.piccirillo@gmail or 917-991-7290.

Tiger Addresses Neck Injury

2010-05-14T12:03:00.000-04:00

Elite Health teams up with Motion Golf

2010-05-13T17:55:00.000-04:00

Elite Health & Sports Chiropractic has been treating sports injuries since 2003. Recently they teamed up New York Golf Center and Motion Golf to specialize in the biomechanics of the golf swing to improve performance by analyzing your swing through the different phases like swing planes, balance, posture, body lines, speed planes and clubhead path. Restrictions in performance are not only due to poor swing mechanics but also decreased function of muscles and joints. This could potentially lead to not only poor performance but an injury as well. As every athlete knows injuries can be devestating to your sport not only from loss of participation but limiting the proper mechanics for you to perform optimally.

Chiropractic for the Treatment and Prevention of Sports Injuries

2010-04-20T20:16:00.002-04:00

Chiropractors have a longstanding history of treating musculoskeletal sports injuries. There have been few research studies that document the value of chiropractic treatment for sports injuries and nearly no research that has looked at providing evidence that chiropractic care can play a role in preventing those injuries. The void and need for research supporting the role of chiropractic in sports injury prevention makes a randomized clinical trial (RCT) published last week (8 April, 2010) an important contribution to the literature. [1]

Hoskins and Pollard used two groups of male semi elite Australian Rules football athletes, matched them in several ways and randomly placed them in one of two arms of the study. All received the usual and customary management and medical care. Half also received chiropractic care which consisted of both soft tissue and high velocity spinal manipulation. There research evaluated several outcomes. When chiropractic care was added to conventional management, there was a significant reduction in lower limb strain injuries, time missed as a result of knee injuries, lower low back pain, and there was improvement in health status. “In addition, although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards prevention of hamstring and primary non-contact knee injuries and there were no reported adverse outcomes from the intervention.” The authors do acknowledge the several limitations to their work including the small sample size. The work is nonetheless an important piece and one of the few where the focus is prevention.

New Canadian Studies Suggest Seasonal Fu Shot Increased H1N1 Risk

2010-04-13T11:42:00.002-04:00

Despite a rapidly launched range of studies, investigators in Canada are still unable to say—or to rule out—whether receiving a seasonal flu vaccination in the 2008-09 season made it more likely that Canadians would become ill from 2009 pandemic H1N1 flu.

In a lengthy article published today in Public Library of Science Medicine (PLoSMed), researchers detail the results of four supplementary studies that were launched after an April 2009 school outbreak provided the first signal of an association between seasonal flu shots and pandemic flu illness. The studies, which took in about 2,700 people, found overall that the likelihood of needing medical attention for pandemic flu was 1.4 to 2.5 times greater among people who were vaccinated the previous fall.

But the authors warn that, since all four studies were observational, even careful design cannot rule out the possibility that some undetected methodologic bias affected the results. That caution is echoed in a companion editorial, written by US researchers unconnected to the Canadian study, who cite the contradictory results of six other studies conducted in Mexico, Australia, and the United States at the same time as the Canadian ones. Four of those studies found no association between seasonal flu vaccination and pandemic flu illness, while the two done in Mexico paradoxically found that seasonal flu shots may have had a protective effect.

The Canadian researchers add, however, that their results may signal a heretofore-undetected biological mechanism of interaction, one that could occur again in the rare instance of a pandemic strain arising after a flu season has already begun. The 2009 pandemic strain surfaced in the last weeks of the 2008-09 flu season, months after vaccines for that season had been administered.

“Our results may seem counterintuitive, but they cannot be dismissed on the basis that no biological mechanism can plausibly explain them,” the Canadian researchers write. “If these observations do reflect a real biological effect . . . they raise important questions that warrant further scientific observation.”

The publication of the researchers’ data marks the end of a more than 6-month-old mystery that first surfaced at the start of the H1N1 pandemic’s second, autumn wave and threatened to disrupt vaccination across Canada. Word of the manuscript’s unexpected observations rippled across North America, but with the article in press, its authors were not free to speak.

International media, however, covered the rumored findings, leading officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to weigh in from the unusual position of commenting on data they had not yet seen.

“We have looked at our data at the CDC nationally,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said on Sept. 25, 2009. “I have looked carefully at the data from New York City where we had a very large outbreak and lots of information about what vaccine was received. The Australians have looked at it and published their information. And in none of those data is there any suggestion that the seasonal flu vaccine has any impact on your likelihood of getting H1N1. If data is published in the scientific literature, by all means, we would love to see it. If there’s preliminary data, we would love to see it. But nothing that we’ve seen suggests that that is likely to be a problem.”

The long-awaited paper today describes the genesis of the concern: an indication from Canada’s nationwide, nearly real-time monitoring system for flu-vaccine effectiveness that students at a school in rural British Columbia were more likely to have novel influenza-like illness if they had already received the trivalent injectable vaccine for the 2008-09 season.

To test that counter-intuitive finding, researchers from public health agencies in British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba and several Canadian universities launched four studies. Three were case-control studies—one drawn from the same national monitoring system and two using lab-confirmed patient data from Ontario and Quebec—and one was a prospective household transmission study from Quebec.

All four studies, the authors say, show that the seasonal flu vaccine was effective in that season, reducing cases of flu needing medical attention. But all four also show an increased risk of illness from pandemic flu among the vaccinated. The risks shown in the studies ranged from 1.19 to 3.20 times greater for those who received the seasonal vaccine than for those who did not.

If that finding is not the result of chance or bias that occurred despite careful study design, the researchers say, then several hypotheses might explain the increased risk. Immunization might block the cross-protective immunity created by an earlier infection. “Original antigenic sin,” or immunologic memory dating back to someone’s first flu infection, might create antibody responses that are cross-reactive to other flu strains, but not strong enough to be cross-protective, and thus do not neutralize the virus. Or a related phenomenon called “antibody-dependent enhancement” might lead antibodies to inadvertently enhance virus uptake and production.

None of those mechanisms, the Canadian researchers note, could be elucidated by the epidemiologic studies that revealed the apparent vaccination-illness link.

In their commentary, researchers Cecile Viboud of the National Institutes of Health and Lone Simonsen of George Washington University acknowledge the care with which the Canadian teams designed their studies to eliminate as much design and analytical bias as possible. But pointing to the six simultaneous US, Mexican, and Australian studies that found very different effects—along with a seventh study in the US military with findings that echo the Canadian ones—they say that only a prospective randomized trial could produce results trustworthy enough to guide policy.

Organizing a randomized trial amidst the rapid viral spread and political tension of a pandemic would have been challenging, they acknowledge.

“This illustrates the difficulty of making policy decisions in the midst of a public health crisis, when officials must rely on limited and possibly biased evidence from observational data, even in the best possible scenario of a well-established sentinel monitoring system already in place,” they write. “This perplexing experience should teach us how to best react to disparate and conflicting studies and prepare us for the next public health crisis, so that we can better manage future alerts for unexpected risk factors.”

More Good News For Chocolate Lovers

2010-04-06T13:29:00.003-04:00

The evidence supporting the antihypertensive effects of cocoa has been building over the last few years, and a January 2010 systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials, comprising 297 individuals confirms the BP-lowering capacity of flavanol-rich cocoa products. The high level of flavanols found in the cocoa plant is believed to be responsible for the lowering of blood pressure.

Another study, published this month (March 2010) compared a lower (6g/day) with higher dose (25g/day) of dark chocolate, and the results suggest that, although chocolate may lower blood pressure, there was no added benefit to taking higher doses. The 25g per day group experienced slight increases in body weight with no additional improvements in BP.

Flavanols in cocoa have a bitter taste, so many commercial food products have these health promoting antioxidant components leached out, to make the chocolate more appealing to the public. Because of variations in the soil where the cocoa plants are grown, and because of varying processing by different manufacturers, all dark chocolate is not equal.

I would be remiss by not mentioning that chiropractic care also has a long history of reducing blood pressure, while having no impact on your waistline.

US Health Care Bill

2010-03-25T12:39:00.002-04:00

WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT

* Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.
* Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
* Young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.
* Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
* A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.
* Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the “doughnut hole” coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.
* A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.
* A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2011

* Medicare provides 10 percent bonus payments to primary care physicians and general surgeons.
* Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get a free annual wellness visit and personalized prevention plan service. New health plans will be required to cover preventive services with little or no cost to patients.
* A new program under the Medicaid plan for the poor goes into effect in October that allows states to offer home and community based care for the disabled that might otherwise require institutional care.
* Payments to insurers offering Medicare Advantage services are frozen at 2010 levels. These payments are to be gradually reduced to bring them more in line with traditional Medicare.
* Employers are required to disclose the value of health benefits on employees’ W-2 tax forms.
* An annual fee is imposed on pharmaceutical companies according to market share. The fee does not apply to companies with sales of $5 million or less.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2012

* Physician payment reforms are implemented in Medicare to enhance primary care services and encourage doctors to form “accountable care organizations” to improve quality and efficiency of care.
* An incentive program is established in Medicare for acute care hospitals to improve quality outcomes.
* The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the government programs, begin tracking hospital readmission rates and puts in place financial incentives to reduce preventable readmissions. WHAT HAPPENS IN 2013
* A national pilot program is established for Medicare on payment bundling to encourage doctors, hospitals and other care providers to better coordinate patient care.
* The threshold for claiming medical expenses on itemized tax returns is raised to 10 percent from 7.5 percent of income. The threshold remains at 7.5 percent for the elderly through 2016.
* The Medicare payroll tax is raised to 2.35 percent from 1.45 percent for individuals earning more than $200,000 and married couples with incomes over $250,000. The tax is imposed on some investment income for that income group.
* A 2.9 percent excise tax in imposed on the sale of medical devices. Anything generally purchased at the retail level by the public is excluded from the tax.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2014

* State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals open.
* Most people will be required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a fine if they don’t. Healthcare tax credits become available to help people with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty purchase coverage on the exchange.
* Health plans no longer can exclude people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
* Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage face a fine of $2,000 for each employee if any worker receives subsidized insurance on the exchange. The first 30 employees aren’t counted for the fine.
* Health insurance companies begin paying a fee based on their market share.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2015

* Medicare creates a physician payment program aimed at rewarding quality of care rather than volume of services.

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2018

* An excise tax on high cost employer-provided plans is imposed. The first $27,500 of a family plan and $10,200 for individual coverage is exempt from the tax. Higher levels are set for plans covering retirees and people in high risk professions.

Spring Promotion

2010-03-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

We are running a promotion for the month of April. Custom foot orthotics discounted $100.

Management of Chronic Low Back Pain in Active Individuals

2010-03-13T14:06:00.001-05:00

FROM: Curr Sports Med Rep 2010 (Jan); 9 (1): 60–66

Mayer JM, Haldeman S, Tricco AC, Dagenais S.

College of Medicine and School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. jmayer2@health.usf.edu

Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a common and potentially disabling condition in all adults, including those who are physically active. It currently is challenging for clinicians and patients to choose among the numerous treatment options. This review summarizes recommendations from recent clinical practice guidelines and systematic reviews about common primary care and secondary care approaches to the management of chronic LBP. The best available evidence currently suggests that in the absence of serious spinal pathology, nonspinal causes, or progressive or severe neurologic deficits, the management of chronic LBP should focus on patient education, self-care, common analgesics, and back exercises. Short-term pain relief may be obtained from spinal manipulative therapy or acupuncture. For patients with psychological comorbidities, adjunctive analgesics, behavioral therapy, or multidisciplinary rehabilitation also may be appropriate. Given the importance of active participation in recovery, patient preference should be sought to help select from among the recommended treatment options.

Resting thickness of transversus abdominis is decreased in athletes with longstanding adduction-related groin pain

2010-01-15T12:08:00.000-05:00

Transversus abdominis (TA) resting thickness is smaller in athletes with longstanding adduction–related groin pain (LAGP) and may thus be a risk factor for (recurrent) groin injury. This may have implications for therapy and prevention of LAGP.

Manual Therapy , 01/15/10

Haiti Earthquake Response

2010-01-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

Please help with the Haiti Earthquake Response by donating to https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971.

Today, MSF provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.

Source: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic Welcomes a new Massage Therapist!

2010-01-06T13:12:00.004-05:00

Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic is pleased to welcome a new Massage Therapist to the team!

Yesenia Solorzano, LMT is a medical and sports massage therapist licensed to practice in New York State. As her commitment to her profession, she takes advanced continuing courses in order to provide quality treatments to her clients. She is a graduate of Finger Lakes School of Massage Therapy in Ithaca, NY, a Certified personal trainer (American Academy of Personal Training), a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and has 10 years of experience in both physical therapy and chiropractic rehabilitation. Yesenia specializes in many types of massage including Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy Massage, Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, Active Isolated Stretching, Medical-Orthopedic Massage, Trigger Point Therapy, Myofacial Release, Pregnancy Massage and Reflexology.

We're Thrilled to have her as part of our office. Please Call today to schedule your Complimentary Consultation with Yesenia. 212.319.0485

CLICK HERE for more information about Yesenia

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

Wishing everyone a happy healthy New Year!

From,
The Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic Team

-Dr. Andrew, Dr. Frank, Tatiana, Nicole and Casey

New Member to the Team!

2009-11-12T10:49:00.002-05:00

Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic would like to welcome a new Acupuncturist to our team. Nicole DeLorey is a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist and Acupuncturist. A graduate of the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy and Tri-State College of Acupuncture, she is currently a faculty intern at TSCA where she assists Dr. Mark Seem and his team teach second year students.

At TSCA she studied three styles of Acupuncture, APM, KM and TCM. Nicole will often combine these styles for maximum therapeutic effect. Additional therapies include; Electrical Stimulation, Gua Sha, Cupping, Moxibustion, Tui Na and Shiatsu.

Please call our office at 212.319.0485 before December 15, 2009 to schedule a complimentary consultaion with Nicole to see if Acupunture can help you.

Welcome to the office, Nicole! We're so excited to have you as part of our team!

Welcome to Elite Health and Sports Chirporactic

2009-09-08T12:31:00.002-04:00

At Elite Health we welcome the opportunity to help you with your Chiropractic concerns. We are dedicated to New York City in the areas of neck and back pain, sports injuries, nutrition, exercise and rehabilitation. With Chiropractors and Acupuncturists we treat a wide variety and injuries and conditions. Our office is conveniently located in midtown Manhattan just a few blocks from Grand Central station.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to return you to a pain free, healthy and active lifestyle.
We focus on providing safe and effective care to people of all ages and background.
We strive to not only to diagnose and correct the patients health problems but education so that they do not encounter similar problems in the future.
As doctors, further educating ourselves on the latest techniques and therapies.
Providing the highest quality service in the most cost effective and ethical manner

At Elite Health and Sports Chiropractic, we are personally committed to your health. We will treat you as an individual, respect your time, and pride ourselves on having an ongoing professional relationship as your doctor.

For more information about us, check out our website www.elitehealthnyc.com or feel free to give us a call at 212.319.0485