Diary of a NJ Chiropractor

Is your insurance agent selling you an inferior Medicare Advantage insurance plan in exchange for a fat commission check?

Is your insurance agent selling you an inferior Medicare Advantage insurance plan in exchange for a fat commission check? It has been my experience that in business, incentives alter the behavior of those in the system.   We see this in the healthcare space where finding caring and competent care is more difficult than ever.   Visit an ER today and see what corporatization has done to the experience.  The incentive is to do the least and charge the most. The experience is horrendous. We see the same with insurance agents who sell auto insurance and give people the pip switch option Read More »

Chronic lower back, shoulder and neck pain and reciprocal twins.

Chronic lower back, shoulder, and neck pain and reciprocal twins. What is a reciprocal twin?    A reciprocal twin is when you develop a problem in a hip capsule and it affects the opposite shoulder on the other side due to mechanical and neurological adaptations, the most common being shoulder impingement, rib pain, or a frozen shoulder.   You can also develop these problems on the same side as well where the hip affects the shoulder.   Conversely, a chronic shoulder problem can affect the hips, in the same way, altering the way you walk and resulting in lower back pain. A Read More »

What does the data tell us about mask mandates vs. no mask mandates according to the NY Times?

What does the data tell us about mask mandates vs. no mask mandates according to the NY Times? You should observe mask mandates because…   There are numerous narratives depending on your beliefs, some being political while others worrying about the what-if infection or disease. As I have spoken about in this blog, masks are a great barrier to whatever can infect us, but the larger data that has been collected has not shown that masking reduces disease in the general population according to a recent article in the NY Times. In NJ, our governor had been very conservative in his Read More »

Beyond crunches; proven exercises to develop a strong core and reduce the likelihood of lower back pain.

Beyond crunches; proven exercises to develop a strong core and reduce the likelihood of lower back pain. I have worked with many patients who had 6 pack abs and were thinking that this was the most important part of a functioning core. Develop a strong core by understanding what the core is and does.  One patient’s knee problems were caused by his regimen of 300 situps per day which shortened the fascia resulting in chronic knee pain, making it difficult to run. Our patients understand that the core and the deep core require maintenance, especially if you sit at a Read More »

A better workout can begin with a cup of this popular drink.

A better workout can begin with a cup of this popular drink. If you are wondering what you can do to improve your workouts, the answer may be that drinking this popular breakfast brew is the answer. According to a recent NY Times article, caffeine may be the secret to better bike rides and faster runs. For most of us, our morning coffee ritual gets us going in the morning.  For anyone who works out, caffeine may be the ultimate performance aid. According to the NY Times, caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world and one of Read More »