There is a lot of discussion about why StemWave is referred to as the “stem cell machine”. StemWave and SoftWave are amazing technological advancements that been allowed for use by the FDA for pain and inflammation reduction and more. However, do the electrohydraulic shockwaves produced by StemWave and SoftWave influence stem cell function to aid in regenerating tissue? It’s not enough to simply say it does. As doctors, we owe it to our patients to understand and educate how to best understand how this technology works. Continue Reading →
How StemWave and SoftWave ESWT Heal Your Body
Regenerative Medicine Step 3: StemWave and SoftWave ESWT (Part 2 of 2)
Cliff Notes for Both ESWT Blogs before we go forward:
1. StemWave and SoftWave offer electrohydraulic ESWT that is proven to be beneficial for a multitude of conditions
2. The science behind Electrohydraulic Shockwave Therapy is fascinating and has significant advantages over other forms of acoustic and pressure wave therapies
3. StemWave and SoftWave regenerate tissues like nothing ever demonstrated before
4. StemWave and SoftWave are unique and worth a try before more invasive intervention (ex. surgery)
**Please note that you do NOT need to be an active patient to benefit from StemWave and Softwave. You can simply make an appointment. This also applies to Hbot and NormaTec.
As we learned from Part 1, electrohydraulic shockwave therapy is an amazing technology. Although no one treatment intervention can fix every problem, StemWave and SoftWave most certainly addresses conditions that no other intervention can help. The excitement over shockwave therapy is palpable. It’s real. The research pool continues to grow and more and more treatment applications are being discovered as time goes on.
Integrative medical doctors and manual medicine doctors should move into ways to help patients regenerate muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and nerves. It’s THAT important. It’s also important to be aware of what the international shockwave community is saying about extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). Is this all a farce or is it legitimate? Continue Reading →
Regenerative Medicine Step 3: StemWave and SoftWave (Part 1 of 2)
This is a two part blog and in the first part, we’ll discuss how true shockwave therapy works. The second blog will discuss what we use it for and why true shockwave therapy is known to recruit stem cells to facilitate healing. The first blog will be more technical than the second.
Please note that you do NOT need to be a patient to benefit from the StemWave or SoftWave. You can simply make an appointment for shockwave therapy. This also applies to Hbot and NormaTec.
In our previous two blogs, we discussed how hyperbaric oxygen therapy (Hbot) and NormaTec help with recovery and healing. The evidence that Hbot can elongate telomeres, leading to greater cell function and a true anti-aging effect, is nothing less than amazing. These above two referenced interventions constitute the first two prongs regarding how we go about tissue regeneration. Now it’s time to introduce the third prong of this approach.
Before we proceed, we don’t want to anyone to misunderstand. Healing and recovery are a very important focus for us at Columbia Advanced Chiropractic, LLC. Dr. Manison has spent over 2 decades learning and applying the best techniques in the field of manual medicine and rehabilitation. He does so in order to best help his patients obtain the greatest likelihood of recovery from a plethora of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. However, aiding with recovery and healing are different from actual tissue regeneration, and this is the future of medicine. Continue Reading →
SoftWaves for Plantar Fasciitis Work!
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is cleared by the FDA for use on a few conditions, one being plantar fasciitis. This is very exciting as plantar fasciitis is the most common form of heel pain and it can be quite debilitating condition. Podiatrist, orthopedists, PTs, and sports chiropractors all work with patients who suffer from plantar fasciitis, and we are always looking for more and better ways to help these patients. When a proper diagnosis is made (and this means being quite sure to R/O calcaneal stress reaction), the faster we can address a problem and the faster we can fix it. Continue Reading →
Regenerative Medicine Step 2: NormaTec
Please note that you do NOT need to be a patient to benefit from NormaTec. You can simply call and set up an appointment to experience the benefits of NormaTec. This also applies to Hbot and SoftWave.
NormaTec has been used to aid athletes recovery from training, injury, and surgery for over 10 years. This amazing tool uses pressure to pump both lymph and blood supply. By doing so, you increase blood flow and the nutrients it carries (especially oxygen) through not only the specific area of treatment but also through the whole body and this allows for an increased rate of healing.
At Columbia Advanced Chiropractic, LLC, we utilize the NormaTec 2.0 Pro. This version is their top offering and it allows for specific programming to isolate areas that need the increased circulation the most. We use NormaTec as our second step in our 3-pronged approach to tissue regeneration. Why is it used second? First, we hyper-oxygenate the blood with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (Hbot), then we use the NormaTec to hyper-vascularize the area of need. Third, we use the unique SoftWave unfocused extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) unit to stimulate stem cells to regenerate damaged tissue. The three-pronged approach is a potent combination of therapies aimed at helping you recover, and heal, in dramatic fashion. NormaTec will deliver fantastic recovery results when used individually from Hbot and SoftWave, but pairing it with these other therapies will provide for the best means of true tissue regeneration. Continue Reading →
Regenerative Medicine Step 1: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Please note that you do NOT need to be a patient to benefit from Hbot. You can simply call and set up an appointment to experience the benefits of Hbot. This also applies to NormaTec and SoftWave.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or Hbot, is healthy for us in many ways. We usually consider the greatest effects to be for those who have inflammation/swelling following trauma or for those wish to use it for a recovery tool after strenuous exercise. It is also used to aid those who get altitude sickness as enriching the blood with oxygen helps to reduce the effects of reduced oxygen at high elevations.
A new study, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells : a prospective trial , published by Hacho, et. al. in 2020, has shown that Hbot goes further than common uses in that it actually has direct, anti-aging, and regenerative effects. These effects are due to its ability to elongate telomeres.
Telomeres are nucleotides that are found at the end of chromosomes. They serve to maintain DNA stability. Telomeres shorten during replication (mitosis) as well as due to disease processes, lack of physical activity, obesity, cortical thinning of the brain, diabetes, stress, smoking, inflammation, vitamin deficiency, and oxidative stress (think free radicals). Being most of us are not functioning at optimal health, it’s easy to see that our telomeres tend to shorten far faster than they should and this process leads to an earlier death. Telomeres are measured in kilobases, and they tend to be 4-15 kilobases in length. We lose 20-40 bases per year just due to aging. However, the aforementioned conditions drastically decay the telomere length. When telomeres reach a ‘critical length’, cell replication cannot occur and this leads to further cell death. Studies have shown that adults with shorter telomere lengths have increased mortality rates. Simply put: the faster your telomeres shorten, the sooner your death. Continue Reading →
Introducing the InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer Part 3
The 3rd and final part of our discussion about the incredible InBody 570 covers 3 more studies that further validate its accuracy. I know blogs that discuss studies aren’t always the most ‘fun’ to read, but it is important to have evidence readily available to show others that your InBody 570 bioelectrical impedance analyzer assessment is vital to your health and should be part of your medical health history. It can be used to help your primary care doctor (PCP) figure out ways to help you…hopefully many times through dietary intervention (like caloric restriction and intermittent fasting) vs. just administering drugs. Continue Reading →
Introducing the InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer Part 2
Part 2 of the discussion on the InBody 570 covers two of five important studies (and there are more) that help to validate the accuracy and legitimacy of the InBody 570. This technical and may I say, ahem, somewhat boring information is important to discuss as your healthcare providers like to see objective health data. It’s time for the entire healthcare industry to understand and embrace what improvements in body composition can do not only for the individual patient, but also for the healthcare system as a whole. Figure it this way: the more healthy we are, the less disease we will have. This translates to less healthcare costs and this is good for everyone! This blog and the next one serve to help educate not only our patients and those who will want to come to our office to get assessed, but also their healthcare providers who will be viewing these results. Body composition is SO important.
Whether you are on our body modification program (caloric restriction and intermittent fasting…and most all of you should be interested in this to optimize your health) or are an athlete looking to improve your performance and recovery in your respective sport, the 570 is unmatched on the market, it is FDA approved, and it provides data that is vital to your health. This is about your health. It’s time to think of your future and what you should be doing to live longer and healthier!
The first study of interest is from 2004 and the lead author is Shinichi Demura. The study was published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science. The name of this study is Percentage of Total Body Fat as Estimated by Three Automatic Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzers. Continue Reading →
Introducing The InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer Part 1
We are excited to be introducing our patients to the FDA approved InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer.
So, what does this incredible machine do? Well, it does a LOT. Simply put, it provides information about what you are made up of…do you have enough muscle, too much fat, are you more likely to have serious health issues due to too much visceral fat, too much systemic inflammation, etc…? Did I mention this unit has cleared FDA testing?
It is now considered to be one of the gold standards for body composition assessment. This might seem like an odd piece of equipment for a sports medicine chiropractic office, but in reality, all sports chiropractors should all have one. It is vital to have a quality body composition analyzer as so many patients need to improve their muscle:fat ratio as an imbalance in this plays a direct role in a patient’s ability to recover. In addition, we can determine the intracellular water weight vs. the extracellular water weight in the body. This helps us in a unique and validated fashion to determine whether a patient has systemic inflammation. This is very important to be able to assess. On the topic of visceral fat, the major contributor to vascular health and an indicator that most have probably never had checked, yes, the 570 has you covered (it’s validity has been compared to abdominal CT scans). Continue Reading →
Dry Needling Support Models (4 of 4): Central Model and Studies That Prove the Efficacy of Dry Needling
We have covered a lot of information about Dry Needling in our last 3 blogs. We discussed the Radiculopathy Model, the Trigger Point Model, and the Spinal Segemental Sensitization and Pentad Model. Already, we can clearly see how Dry Needling can help to break down myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and reduce pain. The fourth model will discuss another reason as to why Dry Needling can help you.
Central Model
Our final model, the Central Model, covers information about how Dry Needling and other physical interventions (including manipulation, massage, mobilization, etc…) affect the spinal cord and brain. This is a rather basic but powerful model. The premise is that input stimuli will affect tracks in the spinal cord that will carry that information up to the brain. The deeper the treatment, the more information that will be conveyed. The hypothalamus will then take the stimuli and communicate with the pituitary gland and affect other endocrine functions.
In regards to the hypothalamus, it has three primary functions: 1. It supplies input to the brainstem, thus affecting autonomic regulation, 2. It controls endocrine function, and 3. It exerts influence on posture and locomotion.
With the Central Model, MTrPs along the spine will likely cause more autonomic issues (please click to read more about autonomic issues on the Trigger Point Blog). Dry Needling causes an anti-inflammatory response that emanates from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This is deep stuff!
If we assume that the hypothalamus is directly or indirectly adversely affected by MTrPs, then we can conclude that such MTrPs create autonomic and endocrine problems in addition to postural and movement issues (this means it affects the way you work inside and outside). Certainly, we would want to rid our bodies of such noxious stimuli, and since Dry Needling can eliminate such MTrPs, then this makes it a great option for restoring proper function of not only the musculoskeletal system, but also the autonomic and endocrine functions that are affected by an improperly functioning musculoskeletal system.
Any way you slice it, Dry Needling can help you to function better. From simple pain and dysfunction to autonomic concomitants, Dry Needling offers a viable option for the treatment of trigger points and pain due to musculoskeletal causes.
Let’s take a look at some studies supporting the application of Dry Needling…there are a few here but many more in print:
We will start with the grand-daddy of them all…the landmark study performed by Karl Lewit, MD published in 1979. This study broke down the effects of trigger point injections to determine if the analgesic/steroid that was the agent that helped the patient, or was it the needle alone that contained all the magic! Please read study, and if you would like the full study (versus just the abstract), please let us know.
The Needle Effect In The Relief of Myofascial Pain
And the other studies…
Dry Needling Having Anti-Nociceptive (anti-pain) Effects
Probable Mechanisms of Needling Therapies for Myofascial Pain Control
The Influence of Dry Needling of The Trapezius Muscle on Muscle Blood Flow and Oxygenation
Dry Needling and Exercise for Chronic Whiplash – A Randomized Controlled Trial
Management of Shoulder Injuries Using Dry Needling in Elite Volleyball Players
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