Chipley Chiropractic
Phone: (304) 252-0200
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Services
    • Auto Injuries
    • Neck Pain
    • Headaches
    • Low back Pain
    • Neuritis and Sciatica
    • Arthritis and Degeneration
    • Work Injury
    • DOT CDL Fitness Exams
    • WV Mine Industry Drug and Alcohol Testing
    • Drug and Alcohol Testing
  • Blog
  • New Patient Forms
  • Giving Back
    • Giving Back
    • Giving Terms and Conditions
    • Giving Back Winners and Pictures

World Is Falling In Love With Coal Obama Hates

8/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Reprinted from Investor's Business Daily 8/7/15
Written by 
STEPHEN MOORE   

At the very moment President Obama has decided to shutter America’s coal industry in favor of much more expensive and less efficient “renewable energy,” coal use is surging across the globe.   

A new study by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences detects an unmistakable “coal renaissance” under way that shows this mineral of fossilized carbon has again become “the most important source of energy-related emissions on the global scale.”
   Coal is expanding rapidly “not only in China and India but also across a broad range of developing countries — especially poor, fast-growing countries mainly in Asia,” the study finds.    Why is coal such a popular energy source now? The NAS study explains that many nations are attracted to “(relatively) low coal prices . . . to satisfy their energy needs.” It also finds “the share of coal in the energy mix indeed has grown faster for countries with higher economic growth.”    In sum, using coal is a stepping stone to prosperity. So much for it being a satanic energy source.
  

Hardly a day passes without evidence that coal is making a major comeback:
  
•
Some 1,200 coal plants are planned across 59 countries, with about three-quarters in China and India, according to the World Resources Institute.
  
•
Coal use around the world has grown about four times faster than renewables, according to the global energy monitoring publication BP Review of World Energy 2015.
  
• German coal “will remain a major, and probably the largest, fuel source for power generation for another decade and perhaps longer,” the Financial Times concludes.   
• “The U.S. is dropping coal plants at an unprecedented rate, but still nowhere near as quickly as India is adding them,” Bloomberg Business reckons.    “By the end of this year, some 7.5% of the U.S. coal fleet will have disappeared . . . . But by 2020 India may have built about 2.5 times as much capacity as the U.S. is about to lose.”   

Then, of course, there’s the world’s biggest coal addict by far — the People’s Republic of China. According to a 2014 report from Eric Lawson of Princeton University, a leading climate change apocalyptic on the left:
   “The reality is that fossil fuels dominate
China’s energy landscape, as they do in virtually every other country. And the focus on renewables also hides the fact that China’s reliance upon coal is predicted to keep growing.”    Lawson’s calculations of how coal use is growing in China are jaw-dropping. “From 2010 through 2013, (China) added half the coal generation of the entire U.S. At the peak, from 2005 through 2011, China added roughly two 600-megawatt coal plants a week for seven straight years.    “And according to U.S. government projections, China will add yet another U.S. worth of coal plants over the next 10 years, or the equivalent of a new 600-megawatt plant every 10 days for 10 years.”   

All this underscores the foolishness and futility of the Obama climate-change regulations designed to drastically reduce coal production in the U.S. As we use less and the rest of the world uses more, the impact on global temperatures will be very close to zero.
   Coal production in the U.S. is much safer and less carbon-intensive (clean coal technologies have reduced pollutants by 30%) than coal from other nations. So Obama’s war on coal may make global warming worse.    Some might say this gesture by the Obama administration to cut off coal production in the U.S. is a useful first step to save the planet. Except this isn’t just a cheap sign of goodwill.    It’s a tremendously expensive gesture that will cost America hundreds of thousands of jobs, raise utility prices by as much as $1,000 per family and reduce GDP by as much half a percentage point a year when we are already barely growing. The poor will be hurt most.    What makes the Obama administration regulations doubly destructive is that the U.S. has more coal than any other nation.    With at least 300 years of supply at a value of trillions of dollars, we are truly the Saudi Arabia of coal. To leave it in the ground would be like Obama telling Nebraska to stop growing corn, Idaho to stop growing potatoes and Silicon Valley to give up on the digital age.    Ironically, the president justifies his war on coal by arguing, “We must lead so that others will follow.” But outside of dreamland, the rest of the world has no intention of following Mr. Obama’s act of economic masochism. Most nations value getting richer over getting greener — as well they should. Given the sad state of our economy today, so should we.


0 Comments

Your Child, Their Backpack, And Back to School

7/29/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Today Dr. Chipley was contacted by WVNS CBS 59 for a quick interview on what to know about preventing back pain from backpacks.

Here is a link for a printable flier with all the facts about backpacks and what you should know put together by Dr. Chipley, Dr. McMillen and Chipley Chiropractic:
BackPack_Summary_2015

Here is a link for an official policy statement from the American Chiropractic Association indicating overloading backpacks leads to chronic back pain in our youth:
ACA_Policy_Statement_BackPacks_Youth_Chronic_Pain

The bottom line is that we are here to help you.
Key points:
  • Backpacks should never weigh more than 10% of a child's weight.
  • Backpacks should be worn with 2 straps for any extended distance or with any weight over 5% of your child's weight.
  • Backpacks should not be too large for the child.

We are open from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. You can call us at 304-252-0200.

0 Comments

Parkinson's Patients - Balance and Falling Risk

7/22/2015

3 Comments

 
Parkinson's Patients- The Single Leg Standing Test in Parkinson's Disease (1)
 
The Facts:

a. Determining how long a person can stand on one leg has been used in the evaluation of elderly patients.

b. In Parkinson patients, being capable of standing on one leg for around 10 seconds or less appears to be an indicator that the patient is at risk for falls.

c. They looked at 27 patients who had Parkinson's disease.

d. The mean age was 67.1 years.

e. The patients kept their eyes open and were timed standing on one leg. Each leg was tested three times unless the patient was able to stand perfectly on each leg for 60 seconds on the first two trials. In those cases the test was terminated after standing on each leg twice.

f. It was concluded that those who had standing times of approximately 10 seconds or less "had reached a clinically important stage of disease progression with significant worsening of postural stability..."


Take Home:

Those who can stand on one leg for 10 seconds or less have a "significant worsening of postural stability..." and are at a greater risk of falls.


Reviewer's Comments:  It appears that if you can stand on one leg with eyes open for 60 seconds and do it perfectly on each leg for two times in a row that's pretty good. But as the times decrease and we approach the 10 second mark, that's a significant reason for concern. It would appear this test might provide a quick and simple assessment tool to determine disease progress in Parkinson's patients. - Roger Coleman DC

Editor Comments
: 
Editor's Comments: Just as a side note, leg tremors during both bilateral and single leg standing have also been associated with early Parkinson's. Presence of rapid or low frequency leg tremors during the test described above should also alert the practitioner as a possible harbinger of neurological dysfunction. (2) - Mark R. Payne DC

References:
  1. Chomiak T, Pereira FV, Hu B. The single-leg-stance test in Parkinson's disease. J Clin Med Res. 2015;3:182-5.

Link to Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25584104 

      2.    Suk Yun Kang,a,b Sook-Keun Song,a Jin-Soo    Kim,a and Young Ho SohnaUnilateral Standing Leg Tremor as the Initial Manifestation of Parkinson DiseaseJ Mov Disord. 2009 May; 2(1): 29-32.


3 Comments

Supreme Court Upholds ObamaCare... It's Here to Stay!

6/25/2015

0 Comments

 
High Court Upholds Health Reform Law; Declares Exchanges Are Within Statute 

 

Just hours ago, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it was upholding a key provision found in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that would allow subsidies to consumers purchasing health insurance in states where the insurance exchange marketplace is operated by the federal government. This latest action by the Supreme Court reaffirms the law's validity and virtually assures uninterrupted implementation of the health reform law signed by the president in 2010.


Opponents of the law stated that subsidies should be made available only to those where exchanges were operated by the state. However, the Supreme Court found that congressional intent did not preclude exchanges operated by the federal government from offering subsidies to patients looking to obtain health insurance on the exchange.


For ACA and its members, the Supreme Court's decision means the association's current legislative and regulatory strategies to ensure the full and non-discriminatory inclusion of chiropractic physicians in America's health system will continue as planned. Learn more about health care reform and ACA's advocacy efforts at www.acatoday.org/hcr. 

 

0 Comments

FMCSA Government Update about DOT CDL Exams 

6/18/2015

0 Comments

 
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has heard from many of you recently asking about submitting CMV driver exams. A few recently asked questions are:

1. What Forms Do I Use for the DOT Driver Exams?

Certified Medical Examiners (MEs) must continue to use the Medical Examination Report and Medical Examiner's Certificate as found on the FMCSA website at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/medical/driver-medical-requirements/medical-applications-and-forms until December 22, 2015.

On April 23, FMCSA published a final rule, Medical Examiner's Certification Integration, which will require MEs to use the new Medical Examination Report Form, MCSA-5875 and Medical Examiner's Certificate (MEC) Form, MCSA-5876 beginning December 22, 2015. FMCSA will publish the new forms on the FMCSA website soon.

2. How do I determine "Intrastate Only" on the Medical Examiner's Certificate?

You mark "Intrastate Only" as "No" when a driver operates or intends to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce, even if the driver operates a vehicle that weighs less than 26,001 pounds and does not require a commercial driver's license.

A driver operates in interstate commerce if he or she:

(1) Drives across a State line; or

(2) Carries freight that is originating or terminating outside the State.

3. What is the Maximum Certification Period for a Federally Grandfathered Driver?

For a driver who is grandfathered under 49 CFR 391.64, the maximum certification period is one year.

These drivers participated in a Vision Waiver Study Program or a Diabetes Waiver Study Program in the early 1990s. In 1996, FMCSA grandfathered these drivers and sent them a letter. They may continue to drive if they meet the requirements in 49 CFR 391.64, including having an annual DOT medical examination for certification.




Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Website: www.fmcsa.dot.gov
Medical Review Board Website: mrb.fmcsa.dot.gov
National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners Website: nrcme.fmcsa.dot.gov
0 Comments

Yes, We Still Do DOT Physicals!

6/4/2015

0 Comments

 
We still do DOT Exams everyday Tuesday thru Friday.  We do them from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm.  We even recently changed our policy to let those who fail due to their eyes, blood pressure or whatever to come back and re-test 1 time within the next 30-days for FREE.  So, if you take care of the problem, we can then re-examine you and help you get a valid fitness certificate without having to pay us twice!!! Not many of our peers will offer you such a great deal. 

And Remember, we also perform DOT drug Testing Collection and Lab services. We charge $60 for the DOT Drug Testing and that includes the lab costs and the Medical Review Officer costs. We even do the DOT Approved Breath Alcohol Testing at the office.  We also started offering the state mandated mining industry drug testing this past year.  If you have any questions, just give us a call at 304-252-0200 or to learn more go to our website at http://DrugTestWV.com. 
0 Comments

Ditch Your Dishwasher?

2/27/2015

0 Comments

 
In the News - A new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests that hand washing of dishes may be healthier than using an automatic dishwasher. The study, which looked at 1029 families with children ages 7-8 years finds that some allergy related disorders are less common in families who primarily hand wash their dinner and cookware as opposed to using a dishwasher.

The authors theorize that perhaps, since hand washing would appear to be a less thorough method of cleansing, residual bacteria left on dinnerware might help subjects to develop a more natural tolerance to various allergens. Some findings include the following. Eczema was seen in 38% of children from "dishwasher" families as opposed to only23% in families who typically hand wash. Asthma was more than four times as common (7.3%) in machine washed families compared to hand washed households (1.7%). Nasal allergies didn't appear to be as much increased, but were still increased at 12.9% vs. 10.3%. Additionally, the study showed that families who eat fermented foods and farm-fresh produce are less likely to exhibit allergies.

The authors acknowledge there are real limits to the research due to possible confounding factors such as; the fact that "hand washing" is often done in households where family members live in more close proximity with one another, such families may have lower hygiene standards in general, and/or inhabit areas where there are higher bacterial counts in general. All of these are conditions which tend to be associated with a lower incidence of allergy related disorders.
 
Author: Mark R. Payne DC
Link to Full Text: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org

There has always been an argument that being too clean can create its own problems.  This is an interesting article and it deserves attention because we don't want to sterilize our self into increased sickness.  The recent article on peanut allergies also showed that exposure to little bits of peanuts can reduce allergies in kids... It is a very similar thought process and maybe researchers are about to change their thought process on reducing allergies in kids.  At Chipley Chiropractic, we are here to help you and sometimes just push you to think about the possibility that what we have learned may not be correct. Stay Healthy my friends - Dr. Chipley
0 Comments

WV Mine Safety Statute Requires ALL Mining Industry Employees Undergo Drug Testing

1/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
My office does a lot of drug testing in Southern WV and I have been contacted by many companies who perform coal related services for specific drug and alcohol testing that meets the code of the WV Mine Safety Administration. 

Over recent months, I have been in contact with the WV Mine Safety Administration and also with my lab for performing drug testing, and we have managed to put together a fully compliant WV Mine related drug and alcohol test. 

Starting in January of 2015, we are now offering our 12 panel WV Mine and Safety Administration approved test for $65 at our office at 409 N. Kanawha St in Beckley WV. 

Below is a great article originally written by Daniel D. Fassio in May of 2012.  In researching the ins and outs of the law, I stumbled onto a great article by Daniel D. Fassio published on May 29 of 2012.  It is a great summary of what the law means to many employees and employers involved with the coal industry in Southern WV.  
Recently, the West Virginia Legislature passed HB 4531, a mine health and safety bill aimed in part at curbing substance abuse by miners and promoting safety in the workplace.  The substance abuse prevention section of the law, codified at W. Va. Code §22A-1A-1 et seq., requires employers to implement a substance abuse screening policy that requires both pre-employment and random drug testing beginning January 1, 2013.  The statute applies to all employers who “employ certified persons who work in mines, regardless of whether the employer is an operator, contractor, a subcontractor or otherwise.”  The Office of Miner’s Health, Safety and Training (“OMHST”) is charged with overseeing the new statute’s implementation and is given authority to make additional rules and regulations to enforce its provisions.

There are two main parts to the testing requirements prescribed by the statute.  First, pre-employment testing is required of all new hires, as well as all employees who are rehired by a former employer.  Furthermore, any employee who is transferred into West Virginia operations from a state which does not have a drug testing statute of similar ilk must be tested before starting work.

The second part requires a random drug testing program for employees in “safety-sensitive” positions.  “Random testing,” for purposes of the statute, means that each employee has an “equal chance of being selected for testing at random and at unscheduled times.”  The randomness must be ensured by a “scientifically valid” method, such as a “random number table” or “number generator” which is matched with employees’ social security numbers or other identifying numbers.  “Safety-sensitive” employees are defined as persons whose job duties include activities involving personal safety of employees or others working at the employer’s facility.  For practical purposes, this will likely include employees who serve as engineers, safety staff, and mine management.

All tests, both random and upon employment, must be a ten-paneled urine test for amphetamines, cannabinoid/THC, cocaine, opiates, PCP, benzodiazepines, propoxyphene, methadone, barbiturates, and synthetic narcotics.  Any other drugs, and other substances that are being used as pseudo-narcotics, such as bath salts or K-2, are not required to be tested.  Additionally, the statute does not specifically set levels which would trigger a “positive” test; OMHST may set such levels in the future.  Testing must be done by SAMSHA-certified laboratories and must be done in accordance with DOT standards, unless OMHST alters the procedures.  All testing standards are baselines, and employers are free to set more stringent standards for positive tests or to add substances or drugs to the testing panel.

In addition to the testing prongs, there are educational and reporting requirements in the statute.  All drug testing policies must be reviewed with new hires, with all employees annually, and at any time there are changes to the drug testing program.  Employers must send a quarterly report to OMHST detailing the number of tests and the number of positive test results under the employer’s program.  Employers must also notify the OMHST’s director of any employee discharged for violation of the employer’s drug screening policy, and such notices must include a record of the positive test result.  Once the OMHST receives notice of the discharge, the employee’s certificate is temporarily suspended pending a hearing before the OMHST Board of Appeals to be completed 40 to 60 days after the discharge. Lastly, any arbitration pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement regarding the employer’s testing policy must be reported within seven days of completion.

This law imposes many new requirements on employers in the mining industry and bears watching in the coming months due to its seemingly incomplete nature.  While the statute goes a long way in attempting to protect miners from persons who are under the influence of illicit substances, the statute notably lacks specifics in many areas.  For example, the statute provides no guidance for how to treat employees who test positive due to prescribed medications.  The statute is also silent on how these new regulations change or augment an employer’s obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Additionally, much of the enforcement procedure, as well as the standards, must be set by OMHST in the coming months.   As such, employers in the mining industry would be wise to keep an ear to the ground in order to ensure compliance as the new year rolls around. ###

For anyone in southern WV interested in having access to our WV Miners Drug and Alcohol Testing, please feel free to call our office at 304-252-0200.  You can also fill out the contact form below and Dr. Chipley or a representative of our office will gladly get in touch with you to see if we can help you with your drug testing needs!

    Contact Us for Info on our WV Miner's Drug and Alcohol Testing

Submit
0 Comments

The U.S. Pain Killer Problem - A WV Epidemic

12/16/2014

0 Comments

 
Are we in the midst of a painkiller epidemic? According to a report issued by Express Scripts titled A Nation in Pain: Focusing on U.S. Opioid Trends for Treatment of Short-Term and Longer-Term Pain, the answer is yes—especially in regard to long-term opioid users. From 2009 to 2013, researchers with Express Scripts thoroughly reviewed over 36 million claims filed with various pharmacies that involved a person receiving at least one opioid prescription. The test subjects were then divided into two distinct categories: short-term users (which was defined as individuals who had a prescription lasting 30 days or less during a one-year time period) and long-term users (persons receiving more than 30 days’ worth of opioids during the same timeframe). Each person was assessed based on how many prescriptions they received from the pharmacy, the number of days prescribed, and dosage.

Here are just a few of their findings:

  • Even though there are fewer people filling opioid prescriptions overall, those that are filling them are filling more of them for longer periods, citing an 8.4 percent increase.
  • Of the subjects that filled more than a 30-day supply of opioids within a one-year timeframe, almost 50 percent were still taking them three years later.
  • Opioid use is highest among our nation’s seniors; however, adults between 20 and 44 years of age filled a larger number of prescriptions for longer periods of time.
  • More women take opioid prescriptions (30 percent) than men, but men tend to take higher doses for longer amounts of time.
  • Roughly 60 percent of opioid users were taking them with other medications (such as anti-anxiety prescriptions) that, when mixed, can cause a fatal overdose.
These statistics cause concern over how Americans are choosing to treat their pain. Additionally, there is the added fact that opioids are often addictive, compounding the problem even more. One way to start to reverse these trends is engaging in pain treatment via chiropractic care.

For instance, one study conducted by Palmer Center for Chiropractic Care found that almost three-quarters of their test subjects reported lower levels of low back pain when they engaged in treatment via medical care and chiropractic. Another piece of research that reviewed 21 different controlled clinical trials found that chiropractic care improved migraine headaches, showing that this particular treatment method is effective for many different types of body-related pain.

Essentially, chiropractic care can offer short and long-term pain reduction without the risk of addiction and negative side-effects often associated with pain killers. It’s time to start reversing the trend.

A nation in pain: focusing on U.S. opioid trends for treatment of short-term and longer-term pain. (2014, December). Express Scripts.

Bryans, R, DC et al. (2011, June). Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache [Abstract]. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 34(5), 274-289.

Positive findings in military low-back pain study. Palmer College of Chiropractic. Retrieved from http://www.palmer.edu/research/studies/military-study-low-back-pain-relief-with-chiropractic-care/

Written by: Michael Melton on December 15, 2014.
0 Comments

Is Texting Hurting Your Neck?

12/5/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
On average, how many minutes a day do you think you spend on your smartphone texting, checking your email, playing games, or searching one of your many downloaded apps? Ten? Twenty? Sixty? More?

A recent study from the Journal of Behavioral Addictions that has found that young woman typically spend 10 hours daily engaged with their cell phones. No, that isn’t a typo. They spend roughly ten hours.

Whether you’re spending this much time texting or conducting any other business on your phone or not, the impact on your neck after even a few minutes can cause you a tremendous amount of issues. Issues that you feel today, as well as years down the road.

The Effects of Texting on Your Neck


Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, the Chief of Spine Surgery with New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, has studied this effect and found that the force of having your head tilted forward for long periods of time has damaging results on the cervical area of your spine (your neck region). And the more your head is tilted forward, the greater the effects.

A human head weighs somewhere around 11 pounds. Therefore, when you are standing or sitting with good posture (which is defined as head sitting squarely on your shoulders with your shoulders down and back), there is around 11 pounds of force straight downward on your cervical spine.

Now, if you lean forward just slightly, creating a 15 degree angle in your neck, that amount of pressure more than doubles, increasing to 27 pounds. In essence, it is like your head now weighs 27 pounds which, as you can imagine, would put an extreme amount of pressure on your neck while trying to hold it up.

Bend your head forward a little more and it gets even worse. For instance, Dr. Hansraj found that a 30 degree forward tilt raises the pressure to roughly 40 pounds, and a 45 degree bend means that your neck is trying to deal with just under 50 pounds of pressure. No wonder your neck hurts!



Being aware of this fact is the first step to correcting the issue. The second step involves spending less time on your smartphone, and raising it to eye level when you do need to access it. Of course, regular chiropractic adjustments can help put your neck back in place too, but remember that it is always better and easier to prevent an issue than it is to treat it.

Roberts JA, Yaya LHP, Manolis C. The invisible addiction: cell-phone activities and addiction among male and female college students. Journal of Behavioral Addiction 2014;

Hansraj, KK. Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture and position of the head. Surgical Technology International, 25; 277-279. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2014; 1 (-1): 1 DOI: 10.1556/JBA.3.2014.015

Written by: Michael Melton on November 24, 2014.

1 Comment
<<Previous
Forward>>

    This Blog is a Group Effort from all of the Staff of Chipley Chiropractic:

    Kay, Kathy, Cheryl,
    Dr. Melissa McMillen and
    Dr. Julian Chipley

    Powered by ChiroNexus

    Archives

    August 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly