Resolutions and Health

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and New Year.

Now that I'm back to work and catching up, I've seen many posts on many blogs talking about the "New Year's Resolution" and weight loss.  Of course, some of the blogs are selling something: a product, a system, a fantasy.  Given that back pain can be caused by excess weight being carried around, I thought I could use this blog to comment on my experiences in pain and weight loss.

I had always had a stomach but as I got into my 30's, I became more sedentary and my stomach got worse.  In addition to a sore back, my knees and feet were killing me.  I started exercising and eating better and lost about 50 pounds and became a whole new person.

A couple of undeniable truths that you need to understand are:

1. There is no "easy" way to lose weight and get into shape.  Every pill and product out there says you need to adjust your diet and include exercise to get the best results.  I didn't take pills, I didn't use instruments and I didn't join a gym.  I ate right, walked until I could jog and I bought some dumbbells for weight training.  It was a long, hard process that took 12 months and included setbacks in which I gained as much as 7 pounds back after a 2 week vacation.  Prepare your self.  Long term results will only happen with long term effort.

2. No reality exists in which you can go from eating french fries, pizza and Twinkies your entire life to a special diet for a month to look like a model and then go back to eating french fries, pizza and Twinkies and still look like a model.  Eating poorly and not exercising got you to where you are.  If you are fortunate enough to keep your resolution long enough to be successful and then go back to eating poorly and not exercising, you will gain all the weight back.  If you want to lose weight, don't look for a diet, look for a lifestyle change.

3. It didn't take you a week to put it on, it's going to take more than a week to take it off.  My friend recommended it to me and I've recommended it to everyone else when they start trying to lose weight:  Don't go near a scale for the first 6 weeks.  It can be very disheartening to have a couple of weeks worth of good workouts and healthy meals only to see that you gained a pound.  Give yourself and your body time to adjust and once you get past 6 weeks, you will start to see some results. The best way to tell if you are losing fat is they way your clothes fit.  Regardless of what the scale says, if your clothes are looser, you are being successful.

I'm going to stop here for now because I have more to say on the topic and I'll continue in another post.  I don't want to lose you in too much rambling.

More on PulStar's Flexibility

In an earlier post I talked about PulStar's flexibility when it comes to force settings and the different modes of adjusting.  Another way PulStar's flexibility can help you is in the adjustment position.

Our research has found that patient position is an important variable when it comes to effectively dealing with a patient's pain.  Patients react to treatment differently in different positions because of things like gravity and the support they receive from the table they are laying on or the chair they are sitting in.  If you are laying on a table some muscles are relaxed and the adjustment may not be effective.

Some patients spines look completely different when standing compared to when they are laying down or sitting.  A little more surprising than this is that different problems causing pain may show up in these different positions.   With this in mind we developed constant posture systems that allow doctors to both analyze and adjust patients in standing as well as sitting positions.

No other instrument or adjusting technique can offer this option which is designed to make sure a patient's back pain can be relieved quickly and effectively.  The PulStar Multiple Impulse Therapy is the best instrument technology on the market.

PulStar is Patient Friendly

The PulStar Multiple Impulse Therapy has always included a sophisticated database.  Not only does this system analyze and adjust patients, it also stores the results of the visit.  In the database a doctor can store the results of the analysis and adjustment, where the patient was adjusted, how much force was used and even the number of impulses!!   Any patient can view any of their previous visits, get a print out of any visit and even be shown trends for every vertebra over all visits on an easy to understand display.  

Also, if a patient has a previous visit, as soon as their information is retrieved, a "Last Visit Display" pops up so the doctor and patient can review the results of the last visit and compare it side by side with the results of the current analysis.  The PulStar displays the images side by side using bar graphs that make it simple for a patient to understand.

The PulStar technology takes the guess work out of back pain treatments.  Doctors can find the exact area where the pain is coming from and treat it effectively to relieve the pain.  Then both the patient and the doctor can review the results together to make sure progress is being made.  Empowering the patient in this way has helped make PulStar a patient favorite across the country.

Why Don't All Chiropractors have a PulStar?

Given all that I have learned about the PulStar Multiple Impulse Therapy since I've been here, I often wonder why chiropractors aren't beating down our door for one.  It's interesting to me when I talk to a chiropractor about buying a PulStar, the two main reasons I hear why they don't want to buy one are 1. Cost and 2. they don't want to change the way they currently do things (ie manual  adjustments).

The cost is understandable especially in these difficult economic times and it's a topic I can discuss later.  But the part about this that I struggle with is that the PulStar will attract new patients which will in turn increase their income.  But they say it still costs too much.  However, it's a pretty good bet that most of these chiropractors have spent more money on a car that loses value everyday and costs more in maintenance and gas and doesn't return a penny.  But people still buy cars.  Anyway...

The other reason that chiropractors don't buy is because they think they do it better themselves and technology is just for show or for chiropractors that hurt and can't use their own hands any more.  We hear stories all the time from doctors who buy a PulStar and find they had no idea how much their patients prefer it.  If you read through the testimonials on our web site and the results of a survey given by Dr. Mantoya to his patients posted earlier, you will see that patients love the gentle treatment the PulStar gives them.

Everyone knows that one of the knocks on chiropractic is that people think it hurts and is dangerous.  Chiropractors know this but somehow don't believe that people with back pain don't seek chiropractic care because they are scared.  I'll admit that I have never been manually adjusted and I never will.  I don't care what anyone says, I don't want my body twisted up and I know that I am not alone.  The PulStar is ideal for someone like me and had I known it was available, I would have started using it a long time ago. 

I hope we can get some people on this blog to comment about their experience being manually adjusted and then getting a PulStar treatment to relieve their back pain.  I'm sure if enough people tell chiropractors that they prefer the safe and effective PulStar treatment, more chiropractors will make it available.  Treatment for back pain doesn't need to be painful or scary or dangerous.  The PulStar proves it.

Back Pain Treatment Is So Confusing

I'm always looking around at what other people are saying about back pain and the treatments that are available or that they suggest. It's no wonder that people are so cynical when talking about "cures" for back pain.

I was at a site called BackPainFixes.com and I clicked on the "Sports Medicine" link and I noticed all of the "Best Sports Therapies" in the left hand column and I couldn't help think, "If any one of them worked, why would they need to list all of them"?  There aren't 43 different solutions to relieve headaches.  You take ibuprofen or acetaminophen and you call it a day because it works.  You don't try some exercise one time, try straps, weights, girdles, helmets or whatever instrument another time and then some balm or cream or syrup another time.  We all know that ibuprofen and acetaminophen work so we use those.

But when it comes to back pain, web sites have no problem selling every thing under the sun because it doesn't matter what works and what doesn't as long as you keep buying the products they produce or market.  If relieving your pain mattered, they would only list the product that worked and not every product available.  The truth is that if they cure your back pain, they may not be able to sell you more products.

Chiropractors that use our PulStar Multiple Impulse Therapy report that they are getting a great response from their patients (physically) and that their patients love it.  Add to that the research we have done on the results of treatment with our system and it's pretty hard to deny that we aren't the ibuprofen or acetaminophen of back pain.  The PulStar will give you safe, gentle and effective pain relief.  We just need to get it into the hands of more chiropractors.

If you have had an experience with the PulStar, let us know about it.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Dr. John Huffman in Erie, PA

Dr. John D Huffman, DC opened his doors at Huffman Family Chiropractic at 2030 E. 38th Street in Erie, PA on October 27th of this year.  After practicing in Dublin, OH and Sunbury, OH, Dr. Huffman decided to buy a PulStar and start his own practice.

Dr. Huffman graduated from the Logan College of Chiropractic in 2005.  Since then he has specialized in the Diversified, Thompson and Cox techniques.  Dr. Huffman says that PulStar's "reputation" as the latest technology on the market accompanied with the best customer support made the decision to buy a PulStar easy.

Dr. Huffman grew up in Randolph, NY and enjoys football, baseball and some hockey when he's not giving PulStar treatments.  Cars are also a hobby of his, both working on them and driving them.  Maybe after treating your back pain he can treat the sputter in your carburetor.  ;-) 

Dr. Huffman promises to treat you like family at his practice.  With that promise and a PulStar at his side, we're sure Dr. Huffman will have great success.  

Congratulations on the new practice and PulStar, Dr. Huffman!  Good luck!  Keep us posted on how things are going.

PulStar's Flexibility

Another reason the PulStar is so effective and patients appreciate the results they get is that it has three (3) modes of adjustments and displays the results of the adjustment in realtime as well.  These include "Constant-Frequency", "Auto-Frequency" and "Sweep Mode".

The "Constant Frequency" adjusting mode enables a doctor to select any of seven (7) force settings (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 pounds) at any rate between 2 and 20 Hertz (hertz equals impulses per second).  While almost no one uses the 35 pound setting any more because the 25 or 30 pound settings are more than enough, no other instrument provides this wide a combination of force and frequency settings.

In the "Auto-Frequency" adjusting mode the impulse head starts at 20 Hz and then, as the stiffness of the joint decreases, it matches the rate to the change in stiffness.  This means that as the adjustment proceeds, the frequency of the instrument changes along with the joint being adjusted and this change is all displayed on the monitor as it happens.

In the "Sweep" mode, the impulse head starts at 2 Hz and then slowly increases all the way up to 90 Hz and then slowly back to 2 Hz.

Why are all of these options important to you?  They are important because there is no such thing as "one adjustment fits all" (or frequency for that matter).  All patients are unique and all respond differently to the adjustment.  it is important to have the range and flexibility to meet every patient's needs.  The PulStar is the only adjusting instrument that provides the range of force levels and frequencies to relieve the back pain of the vast majority of patients.  No other instrument incorporates a low force setting of 5 pounds or a high constant frequency of 20 Hz.  No other instrument enables doctors to recruit muscle spindle and secondary nerve endings at frequencies up to 90 Hz like the "Sweep" mode.

This flexibility is just another reason why you can trust that you will receive safe, gentle and effective treatments from the PulStar no matter what your size, shape, tolerance or pain level.

PulStar Treatments are Easy to Understand

One of the reasons patients love the PulStar is that it's easy to see and understand where the problem is, what the doctor did to fix the problem and the results of the treatment.  The reason is that the PulStar offers a "Full Spine Display".

This display shows both the doctor and the patient all 30 vertebral locations and the stiffness at each vertebra.  There is no need to switch back and forth between each area of the back.  The doctor and the patient can view the entire spine and evaluate the response at each area.

Not only can the doctor and patient see the results of the last visit (graph on far right) they will be able to see the results of the pre- and post- scans also.  Patients will get an easy to read picture of their progress since the last visit.

Also on the screen a patient can see the amount of force delivered by the PulStar and the rate it was delivered at.  All of which can be adjusted by the doctor as necessary.  There is no guessing or estimating what was done and how much force was used, it is all displayed on the screen.

The PulStar Multiple Impulse therapy allows patients to interact with the doctor and to easily understand the analysis and treatment in clear and precise terms.  Patients can feel safe knowing that a doctor won't accidentally use too much force during an adjustment of the back or neck and cause damage.  

The PulStar's technology adds objectivity to a field built on the subjectivity of the practitioner.   Patients appreciate the consistency delivered by the PulStar because it ensures a safe, gentle and effective treatment delivered every time.

Money Spent on Back Pain

In my search for back pain treatments, I came across this article from the NY Times "Well" blog.  The author cites a report that shows how more people are spending more money on back pain relief than ever before.  People are spending more on drugs and surgeries and not finding the relief they are after.

In the previous post, Dr. Evans talked about research that showed that 96% of the patients treated with the PulStar were completely out of pain in six visits.  No drugs, no surgery, just safe, gentle and effective pain relief.  

Reading articles like the one above makes me realize how important our job is to get the word out about how effective the PulStar is.  Who wouldn't want to save time and money to cure their back pain?  Many people are afraid of the addictive nature of medications and the complications that can arise from surgery.  The Pulstar Multiple Impulse Therapy can give them that relief with no addictions and complications.  It really is a great instrument.

How is Multiple Impulse Therapy Different?

One of the frequent questions that patients have is "Will the treatment hurt?"  Since The basis for Multiple Impulse Therapy is a precisely controlled low energy impulse, In general, the therapy will not cause you any more pain than you are in right now.  Both the analysis and treatment impulses can be as low as five pounds which is hardly noticeable.  Patients report that the feeling is closer to a soothing deep massage than a conventional manual adjustment.  The therapy consists of a rapid repetition or train of small impulses rather than a single high energy thrust.  These impulses stimulate reflexes and relax the muscles around the joint thereby allowing the relief of muscle spasms that place abnormal loads on joint systems.  Once the abnormal loading of the joints is corrected and the joint is restored to normal motion, the related joint pain is usually relieved.  You and your clinician can see the effectiveness of the impulses as they relax the joint system.  Since the therapy is applied through many impulses, there is no single adjustment and no "crack" when the joint is treated.

"Lose the Back Pain" Blog

Here is another blog I found about back pain.  While it seems Jesse Cannone's "muscle imbalance" idea agrees with our own theory of back pain, the difference is that the PulStar will directly treat the imbalance to relieve the pain using multiple impulse technology.  I can not speak to the effectiveness of any of the products that the Health Back institute sells but I can say that there is only one PulStar that is sure to offer a gentle, safe and effective treatment for your back pain.  

I will also say that after a PulStar treatment, you will have the opportunity to look at what areas of your back were irregular prior to your treatment and then see how effective the treatment was on the screen display.  The display is easy to read and understand and gives you specific information about which vertebra were treated, how much pressure was used to treat and exactly how many impulses were needed to achieve that result.  You even get a printout of the screen display to take home with you so you can easily track your own progress to judge for yourself how effective the PulStar treatment is.  A copy of the screen display is below.

The point is that with the PulStar, you don't need to try lots of different products and systems.  You don't have to guess what is being treated and how.  You can see for yourself in the easy to read, easy to understand print out and know for sure how effective the PulStar treatments are.