Austin Family Chiropractic now offering Cold Laser Therapy.

*The following article is being reprinted from page 7 of the 8-3-2005 issue of the Virden Recorder.

Laser therapy, which has been around since the 1960's in Europe, is used for all aspects of physical medicine, wound healing and rehabilitation. It has become a locker room staple for European sports teams and during the past five years has slowly been working its way into chiropractic offices in the United States, mainly on the east and west coasts. A Macoupin County Chiropractic Physician, Dr. Todd Austin of Virden, IL is now using this amazing technology in his office. Some of the results are quite staggering!

Austin was first introduced to this laser technology in the summer of 2004 at a chiropractic seminar. He then attended a weekend seminar devoted entirely to laser therapy in March 2005. "I was especially intrigued by the extent of serious shoulder injuries (rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, bursitis, etc.) that I witnessed responding to laser therapy at that seminar." says Austin. "I decided to devote the next few months to learn all that I could about lasers, to find the right laser equipment for my practice, and to save up the money to purchase this technology." And now Dr. Austin has done just that.

His laser equipment which arrived on July 16, 2005, actually consists of three individual laser devices. The first is suited for relaxing any kind of soft tissue injury, as well as promoting lymphatic drainage, while the second is specific for hard tissue problems like bones, joints and nerves (including conditions like sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome). The third laser device is used for relaxing muscles as well as performing trigger point therapy and can also be used to perform acupuncture without needles.

Austin has been practicing needle acupuncture since 1993 and sees this 3rd laser as quite a breakthrough. "I love acupuncture, and have performed it for a variety of conditions. But I limit myself to doing three needle acupuncture treatments per day, since it is so time intensive. With laser acupuncture, I can treat each point (usually about 10 acu-points per patient) for just 30 seconds at each acu-point and get the same results."

And here's the kicker... most insurance companies won't pay for needle acupuncture which they consider "experimental", but will cover laser acupuncture which is usually included under the patient's therapy benefits.

"I see this as an awesome opportunity to introduce the benefits of acupuncture to more people throughout central Illinois," Austin explains, "and they won't even have to get stuck with needles."

The lasers that Austin uses are commonly called "cold lasers" or low-level laser therapy (LLLT) because they do not increase the temperature of the tissues that they contact, as compared to much more powerful "hot lasers" which are used for surgical applications in which the objective is to cut or cauterize tissue.



Photo caption: Dr. Todd Austin gave a laser demonstration speech at a local Toastmasters meeting. The speech was called "Lighting up Macoupin County".

Cold laser therapy directs a specialized beam of light to the injury site. On a cellular level this increases local circulation, improves tissue oxygenation and stimulates the production of ATP (the cell's energy blocks), allowing tissue to be more responsive and to heal faster. On a larger scale, cold laser therapy quickly decreases pain, increases range of motion and increases the tissue's ability to heal and handle stress.

Cold laser therapy is exciting for the results it delivers to both doctors and patients. These benefits include:

*Easy to use. Simply turn the laser on and move it over the area of complaint. Research has shown that this protocol alone increases healing time by up to 30 percent, although there are much more advanced protocols for conditions like shoulder injuries.

*Time saving. Patients often feel better within 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

*'Body saver'. The laser prepares the patient for the chiropractic adjustment. It quickly softens tissue and increases range of motion, so the Chiropractic Physician doesn't need to work as hard.



Photo caption: Dr. Todd Austin performing cold laser therapy on a patient.

"In the two short weeks we've been using the lasers so far at our clinic, we have treated over two dozen patients with this technology" said Austin. "Most patients are quite impressed with the results. We've had several patients who are low back pain sufferers who reported that when they got up off the treatment table after their laser treatment, their pain was totally gone."

The first lady that used Dr. Austin's lasers for a chronic shoulder problem hadn't had normal right shoulder range of motion in over a year. She reported that her shoulder was pain-free when she got off the treatment table. Two days later, just before her second laser treatment, she informed the doctor that her range of motion not only had returned to normal, but that she had abused her shoulder at work all day with no ill effects whatsoever!

Lasers speak for themselves -- through patients who have experienced their healing effects. For more info on cold laser therapy or to schedule an appointment call Dr. Austin's office at (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net .

For more information from an independent resource on cold laser therapy, including more than 200 research abstracts, go to http://www.laser.nu , the Web site sponsored by the Swedish Medical Society. More information can also be found on Dr. Austin's website at: http"//www.AFCvirden.com .

More on alternate treatments for Fibromyalgia.

Treating Fibromyalgia With Chiropractic

Chiropractic care is essential for those who suffer from fibromyalgia in order to keep both the spine and muscles from losing too much movement. Because fibromyalgia causes the muscles to tighten up and lose some of their natural flexibility, it results in a global loss of movement in the spine. The loss of movement in the spine results in a neurological reflex that causes the muscles to tighten even further. This vicious cycle will continue over time, eventually leading to increased pain, increased muscle tightness, a loss of movement, even more difficulty sleeping and the development of a veritable plethora of trigger points.

The only option is to continually adjust the spine and keep it moving. It is not uncommon for those with fibromyalgia to be adjusted two to four times per month to keep everything mobile and relaxed. The biggest concern when it comes to treating people with fibromyalgia is that their muscles have a diminished healing ability. For this reason, chiropractic adjustments are usually modified slightly to be more gentle than normal. This helps to decrease the stress on all of the small supporting muscles of the spine, which can be easily injured. It is important when seeking chiropractic care, to make sure that the doctor is familiar with the muscular changes that occur with fibromyalgia so that they can adjust their treatment protocols accordingly.


Treating Fibromyalgia with Cold Laser Therapy

Since poor healing of muscle tissue and chronic pain are characteristic traits of fibromyalgia, laser therapy is an important part of any treatment plan. Two of the major benefits of cold laser therapy are stimulation of tissue healing and decreased sensations of pain.

A 1997 study of 846 people with fibromyalgia reported in the Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery demonstrated that two-thirds of the patients experienced improved pain and mobility with cold laser therapy. Another study published in Rheumatology International in 2002, showed that those who received laser therapy had a significant improvement in pain, fatigue and morning stiffness.

According to some FMS experts, the connective and soft tissues of Fibromyalgia patients have less ATP (the energy units that cells utilize) than those of folks that don't suffer from FMS. One of the great things about Cold Laser Therapy, is that the laser light photons cause an increase in ATP at the cellular level. Thus, one more reason that FMS sufferers should be receiving Cold Laser Therapy treatments.


Self-Care for Fibromyalgia

Your day to day lifestyle choices have a tremendous impact on how much impact fibromyalgia will have on your life. The difference between those who take care of themselves and those who do not is tremendous. Those who make lifestyle changes to help their fibromyalgia suffer much less pain, are able to remain more active and have a much higher quality of life than those who do not. If you have fibromyalgia, here are some of the main things that you can do on a daily basis to help your body:


Getting enough good sleep

Getting enough sleep and the right kind of sleep can help ease the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, but is something that can be hard to get. Many people with fibromyalgia have problems such as pain, restless legs syndrome and brain-wave irregularities that interfere with restful sleep. Insomnia is very common. Although alcohol may help you to relax, it is not recommended before bed as it has been shown to interfere with restful sleep. Some of those with fibromyalgia have found 5-HTP very helpful. It is virtually impossible to heal FMS without enough sleep!


Exercising
Improved fitness through exercise is recommended. Studies have shown that fibromyalgia symptoms can be relieved by aerobic exercise. Though pain and fatigue may make exercise and daily activities difficult, it's crucial to be as physically active as possible. The best way to begin a fitness program is to start with low impact exercises, like walking or swimming. Starting slowly helps stretch and mobilize tight, sore muscles. High-impact aerobics and weight lifting could cause increased discomfort, so listen to your body. The more you can exercise, the better off you will be.


Making changes at work
Many people with fibromyalgia are able to continue working, but they may have to make big changes to do so. It may be necessary to reduce the number of hours at work, find a job that will allow you to have a flexible schedule, or switch to a less physically demanding job. Many people with fibromyalgia require specially designed office chairs, adjustable desks or other adaptations in order to continue working. If you face obstacles at work, such as an uncomfortable desk chair that leaves your back aching or difficulty lifting heavy boxes or files, hopefully your employer will make adaptations that will enable you to keep your job.


Eating well
Foods, just like anything else, have the ability to either stress your body or to help your body heal. Foods that tend to be stressful on the body include: dairy, wheat, corn, as well as anything with monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates or nitrites (as are found in processed foods). Several environmental toxins may also contribute to the overall physical stress on your body, therefore large amounts of fish should be avoided as well. It is important that you eat as much clean, organically grown fresh foods as possible. Base your diet around whole foods such as: brown rice, legumes, oats, spelt, rice milk, soy, hormone-free chicken or turkey, roots, nuts and berries.

We hope that the about info is helpful in your search for answers to Fibromyalgia. If we can be of service, please contact us today at (217) 965-3100!

Holistic Tips for Sinus Sufferers

My new "Holistic Tips for Sinus Health" video is now live on the AFCvirden website. If you are a sinus sufferer or you know of someone who is, you can view the new video at the following URL:

http://www.AFCvirden.com/sinus.html