Shelton Chiropractic Center
1635 Olympic Hwy N
Shelton, WA
(360) 426-8060

Hoodsport Chiropractic
60 N Lake Cushman Road
Hoodsport, WA
(360) 877-BACK

This newsletter is dedicated to your good health. Please accept our personal invitation to explore its contents and forward it to others you care about!!!

Chiropractic is Cost-Effective in Treating Chronic Back Pain

The above is a direct quote from a headline that appeared in of all places, the November Medical News Today. The article, also picked up by UPI news and several other sources, was reporting on a new study published in the October issue of the scientific journal, The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).

In this study 2780 patients with mechanical low-back pain referred themselves to 60 doctors of chiropractic and 111 medical doctors.  These cases were reviewed for effectiveness of care and for costs. One of the articles noted that back pain care in the United States alone is estimated to reach $48 billion this year, and, at any given time, 80 percent of the U.S. population suffers from back pain. The results of the study showed several interesting facts.  With regards to the outcomes, the study showed that both the acute and chronic patients showed better outcomes in pain and disability reduction and higher satisfaction with their car! e after undergoing chiropractic care, as compared to medical care.

The costs of the care for the medical and chiropractic showed different results depending on the usage.  Without adding the costs of any over-the-counter drugs, hospitalization, or surgical costs, when you simply compared the costs of in-office chiropractic to in-office medical care, the chiropractic care was slightly more expensive.  If you then add in the additional costs for any referrals made by the chiropractor or the medical doctor, the chiropractic care costs for chronic patients were then 16 percent lower than medical care costs.

The authors of the study, noting that the satisfaction for the chiropractic care was higher, and the overall total costs were lower, made a concluding statement urging more chiropractic utilization in the health care system.  They stated, "With their mission to increase value and respond to patient preferences, health care organizations and policy makers need to reevaluate the appropriateness of chiropractic as a treatment option for low-back pain."

Meet The Staff

Dr. Ernst, Chiropractor and Clinic director for Shelton and Hoodsport Chiropractic.  Dr. Ernst enjoys helping the patient reach their potential health and well being through chiropractic.  Dr. Ernst and Shannon have 4 children and one grandchild.

Dr. Morson is our token Canadian chiropractor, contributing to the multicultural feel of the office- not really eh!  He is a 2002 graduate of the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, and has been practicing chiropractic in the South Sound since 2003.  He lives in Shelton with his wife and 4 young children, and  enjoys aviation in his free time.

Shannon Ernst is our Office Manager and the better half of Dr. Ernst!! :) We have been in Shelton since 1998, We enjoy the beauty of this area and the small community. We have a great staff at Shelton Chiropractic and Hoodsport Chiropractic, and we are here to help you!

Carolyn H.; She's back:) Carolyn returns to our office after a brief retirement.  Happy to have her back to help you with any office needs.

Erika, Chiropractic Assistant.  My Husband Curtis and I moved from North Bend to Shelton in 2005. Including Shelton Chiropractic I have nine years experience working with chiropractic. When I'm not at work you will most likely find me knitting on some project. Look forward to seeing you soon at Shelton Chiropractic Center.  

Carolyne W. Chiropractic Assistant started at Shelton Chiropractic July 2007 she is learning the ropes and is eager to help you.

Kristin, massage therapist, joined Shelton Chiropractic in 2000. She specializes in deep tissue and personal injury work. Kristin also works part time as our office manager/massage therapist in our Hoodsport office.

Jennifer, massage therapist, graduated from Massage School in August of 2000 and has worked at Shelton Chiropractic since April of 2005. She lives here in Shelton with her husband and two daughters.

Canine Chiropractic 

A cute little news feature that aired in March on the TV station KSFY from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, followed the story of Heidi, an eight-year-old Miniature Dachshund who had suffered major lower back problems.

Heidi's owner Darla Kempf, recalled, " Initially she had been lifting one back leg for quite a while and the vet had looked at her and said she had a disc problem."  Despite plenty of pampering and rounds of drugs, Heidi wasn't getting any better. Darla then decided to take Heidi to a chiropractor.

Dr. Jones, examined Heidi and started to initiate care.  The results were expectedly positive. Heidi's owner says she's seen huge progress in five sessions. But Dr. Jones doesn't limit his animal practice to pups, "I've worked on every animal from A-Z, but of course if there's anything that's dangerous, I like to have a muzzle on it!"

Cerebral Palsy Helped With Chiropractic Care, Four Case Studies

Four documented case studies were published in the June issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.  In each of these case studies the children were previously diagnosed with cerebral palsy secondary to birth trauma. Additionally each of these children were found to have the presence of vertebral subluxations as detected by objective testing. 

Chiropractic care was given to each of the children with the objective of correcting or reducing the detected vertebral subluxations. The mothers and or care providers of each of these children monitored changes in activities of daily living and observed their quality of life.  They noted that after one month of chiropractic care, all four children showed improvement in activities of daily living including mobility, feeding, and postural control.  

The first case study was of an 8 year old female presenting with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy secondary to birth trauma who was also prone to seizures.  She also suffered from tremors of her arms and legs, frequent urination and had visual problems as well as poor posture. Her previous medical treatment consisted of physical therapy procedures including massage and acupuncture. 

Over a 9 week period this child received a total of 22 chiropractic adjustments. Following chiropractic care, the parents reported that she could sit better and was able to walk upright without anyone's help. She also gained the ability to walk up stairs on her own. She was able to use her left arm and hand better, especially

when feeding herself.  She was able to walk steadier and more confident, and was less "limp."  Her parents also noted that her overall coordination improved and they reported an increase in energy and that her emotional state improved. They also noted that she was less fatigued and needed less sleep, and the tremors lessened in severity.

Similarly each of the children also showed improvements. One 7 year old boy who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy also suffered from seizures. His parents reported that as an infant he did not move much and that he seemed to lack any emotion. He also did not start to crawl until he was 11 months old and did not walk until he was almost 5 years old.  Additionally, this unfortunate child suffered from frequent colds, numbness and pain in the arms and legs, seizures, nasal bleeding, throat pain, hoarseness of the voice, pain in the gums and teeth, rhinitis, extremity tremors, pain in the feet, and anemia. He had trouble sleeping, difficulty communicating, concentrating and working in school.

After the initiation of chiropractic care, his parents reported that he became more stable while standing and walking, had greater mobility and better balance of the upper part of the body.  Additionally, he was able to walk longer distances before tiring. His abilities in school improved and his sleeping problems resolved. They reported that his appetite, communication and emotional state improved.  

The other two children in this study also showed improvements that included improved changes in their coordination, gait improvements, better sleeping and appetite.  Additionally, changes in posture and mental attitude were also noted.

The authors note that all of these improvements correlated with objective findings of reductions of subluxations during chiropractic care. In their conclusions they state, "These reports are consistent with widespread anecdotal reports of similar types of improvements and are consistent with other case reports in the literature. Given the significance of such types of improvements in the lives of these children the authors call for more extensive investigation of the effects of subluxation analysis and correction in children suffering from cerebral palsy."

Patient Appreciation Week has come to our office this month!

If you have a friend, family member, or a loved one that you feel could benefit from receiving an examination from the doctor, this special program enables your family members, friends or loved ones to receive their first visit including consultation, exam, and any needed x-rays, at no cost.

Simply call the office directly(not via this newsletter) mention this program, and make their appointment.  The greatest gift we can give to someone else is the gift of drugless health.

Please call our office for your appointment today.

Shelton Chiropractic Center