Life | Rook Torres

May 04 0

Patient Satisfaction with Boise Chiropractic Care

Posted by Rook Torres

At a time where patients are constantly being forced to go to different health care providers each year due to their prior doctor “…not being on the list,” are patients truly satisfied with the care/treatment they receive?

If so, what exactly are the reasons and factors that drive patient satisfaction with Chiropractic?

The process of measuring patient satisfaction can be viewed from several different angles.

One study looked at the improvement of the patient’s condition and only 57% of the satisfaction score was based on improvement.

Because the concept of measuring satisfaction is multifactorial, more important methods of measuring patient satisfaction had to be considered.

A recent study did just this – they measured parameters that included pain, disability (activity tolerance), satisfaction with information received, effectiveness of care, caring, and quality of care.

The information was obtained by two different interviewers with similar information received regardless if it was the doctor or a third party.

THE RESULTS SHOWED ALL PATIENTS REPORTED HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION AND THOUGH THE CLINICAL OUTCOMES REGARDING PAIN AND DISABILITY WERE MOST IMPORTANT, THE INFORMATION RECEIVED THAT HELPED PATIENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM, AND, WHAT COULD BE DONE (BY BOTH DOCTOR AND PATIENT) TO SPEED RECOVERY AND PREVENT FUTURE EPISODES WERE VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE OVERALL SATISFACTION SCORE.

Patients also wanted timely information so they were kept up-to-date with what was being done at various points in time during care.

The information had to be understandable and informative and explained in “layman’s terms” so that they “learned something” from the information received.

Caring included four questions:

Does the doctor believe what the patient tells them?
Does the doctor understand the patient’s concerns?
Was the doctor comfortable dealing with the patient’s pain?
Was the doctor concerned about the patient after they left the office?

The information gathered included treatment, doctor confidence, and prognosis (how long it might take to get better). Also, effectiveness was further divided into listening, knowledge, experience, and the use of an active management approach.

The conclusion of the study emphasizes the importance of using a mixed-method approach when examining patient satisfaction.

This includes quantitative “scores” from questionnaires as well as qualitative information about the encounter including information, caring, and effectiveness.

May 04 0

How to Explain Chiropractic to Others in Boise

Posted by Rook Torres

We cannot thank our family, friends, patients, and allied health care providers enough for referring patients to our practice.

There is no other form of advertising that attracts the quality of patients as those our patients refer to us.

So, here’s some information that may help you tell others about us: Chiropractic has been around since 1895 and is the third largest healthcare profession in the world:

The primary focus of treatment includes the neuromusculoskeletal system (nerves, muscles, joints) such as disk herniations (e.g., sciatica, pinched nerves), sprains and strains, sports injuries, neck pain (e.g., whiplash), headaches, and many others.
The treatment includes a “hands-on” approach where massage, manual traction, joint manipulation and mobilization are commonly utilized. In general, the treatment typically feels good and patients look forward to the process.
In many cases (such as low back pain, neck pain, headaches), chiropractic care may function as the primary or only treatment that is needed. However, when other medical conditions co-exist, the combination of chiropractic and medical treatment is often better than either one by itself (depending on the condition).
Doctors of chiropractic commonly refer back and forth with medical and osteopathic doctors, creating a “win-win” for the patient and providers.
Over the last 20-30 years, a significant volume of research has been published finding chiropractic approaches to be either equal or superior to other forms of healthcare provision for low back and neck pain, headaches, and other conditions.
Many hospitals, medical clinics and VA facilities have integrated chiropractic into their healthcare systems. Medicare and Medicaid have included chiropractic coverage since the 1970’s and most private insurers include chiropractic coverage due to the significant volume of research reporting the benefits, cost savings, and patient satisfaction.

Your individual story may actually be the most important thing you can share.

The following are a few of the many websites that include great information about chiropractic that may also be appreciated by the potential “internet savvy” future chiropractic patient:

We look forward to giving your family, friends, and co-workers the same quality care that you’ve been receiving!

Apr 25 0

12 Tips to Reduce Allergies in Boise

Posted by Rook Torres

The dry climate in Boise is about to really take hold and that means allergy season is going to kick into high gear.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), over half of Americans are allergic to one or more allergens. It’s never more apparent than during spring and summer in Boise, when seasonal allergies are likely to flare up.

Aside from the lousy, coldlike symptoms that allergies provoke (sneezing, congestion, watery/itchy eyes, runny nose, etc.), allergies can cost you days at work and money to seek out solutions. In fact, according to AAAAI, allergies may cost Americans close to $8 billion a year in costs related to direct care and lost work productivity.

If you live in the United States, chances are you have allergies. At least, that’s the finding from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).

According to NHANES III, the top four most common allergens include:

Dust mites
Rye
Ragweed
Cockroaches

About 25 percent of Americans tested positive to each one. Least common was the peanut, with only 9 percent reacting positively.

As for food allergies, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network says that eight foods account for 90 percent of all foodrelated allergic reactions:

As pollen, and other allergens peak in Boise this spring, those with allergies should stay indoors as much as possible (or if you can’t resist venturing outside, at least shower and wash your clothing afterward).

Staying indoors when pollen counts are high is one of the best ways to prevent allergy symptoms.

Milk
Egg
Peanut
Tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.)
Fish
Shellfish Soy Wheat

While it would seem that, with so many people suffering from allergies, we would be well prepared as a population to handle them and know their causes, this is not the case. Nearly half (49 percent) of allergy sufferers wait until symptoms occur to take action, rather than using preventative measures. This is unfortunate when it’s so easy to do! Increasing immune function will help reduce or eliminate allergies altogether.

I’ve had dozens of patients over the years tell me their allergies were reduced or eliminated during and after chiropractic care. What’s funny is that no a single person told me they had allergies to start with or wanted treatment for allergies! Boosting the body’s internal ability to heal and function is what chiropractic does and it shows in cases like this.

Minimize your allergies with these 12 tips, however, the best tip is…boost your immune system with wholesome foods and chiropractic care to ensure your body functions at it’s best so you can enjoy life to the fullest:

1. Keep your windows closed to keep pollen out (this is especially important from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. when plants release most of their pollen).

2. Use your air conditioner instead of opening windows, and ideally use an air conditioner that has an allergyreducing HEPA filter in it.

3. Check the daily pollen and mold counts (AAAAI’s National Allergy Bureau has daily pollen counts for locations across the country). If counts are high, stay indoors as much as possible. Also stay indoors if it’s windy, as dust and pollen will be blown about.

4. Clean your home frequently to reduce pollen, mold, dust and other allergens.

5. Wash your bedding once a week in hot water to help get rid of dust mites and other allergy triggers.

Some people face worse allergy flareups in the fall than the spring.

6. Shower before you go to bed. This will help wash away any pollen, mold and other allergens that have accumulated in your hair and on your body.

7. Always wash your clothes after spending time outdoors to remove pollen and other allergens.

8. Have someone else mow your lawn. Cutting the grass will expose you to a host of pollens and molds (the same goes for raking leaves in the fall).

9. Wipe off surfaces you touch often. Surfaces such as computer keyboards, countertops, furniture, door handles and appliances can be loaded with allergens. When you touch these areas, the allergens are transferred to your hands and then likely to your eyes, nose and mouth, potentially worsening your symptoms. Giving these a wipe with a microfiber cloth can keep all types of allergens to a minimum.

11. Resist the temptation to hang your clothes out in the sun to dry. When you bring them inside, they’ll be covered in pollen and mold.

12. Get away for a while. If you can spare a few weeks, great, but even a weeklong vacation to a lowpollen area (such as a beach) can be a muchneeded reprieve.

Article adapted from Dr. Mancini (see linked article)

Mar 08 0

Resolution of Fatigue, Malaise & Depression

Posted by Rook Torres

Here is another great example of how chiropractic care helps in many ways that you may not have thought of. The reason is simple and overlooked by many in healthcare. The central nervous system controls all function in the body. That’s ALL FUNCTION. Every cell, every tissue, every organ, every system, every muscle, every signal, and every chemical reaction. Got it? Everything! So what if your nervous system malfunctions, or can’t get signals through to the body properly? What if your body can’t receive the signals even if they’re sent by the brain properly? You see, there are many ways this miscommunication can happen, ultimately leading to malfunction in the body and some sort of breakdown. If it goes on long enough could it even cause death? You bet!

Chiropractic was specifically developed to find nerve disturbances called subluxations which interfere with nerve communication and eventually lead to declining health and malfunction in the body. Chiropractic adjustments remove subluxation and allow your body to heal, communicate and function as intended, allowing you to be the best you can be!

Read this article and think about the possibilities:

Resolution of Fatigue, Malaise & Depression in a 30 Year Old Male Following Subluxation-Based Chiropractic Care Utilizing Gonstead Technique: A Case Study

Brian Berg, D.C.

Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ February 29, 2016 ~ Pages 10-20

Abstract

Objective: This case study describes the effects of subluxation-based chiropractic care on the management of a 30-year-old male with fatigue, malaise and depression.

Clinical Features: A 30-year-old white married male presented with the chief complaint of general tiredness, fatigue, loss of energy and depression. The patient history also revealed complaints of occasional headaches and acid reflux.

Interventions and Outcomes: Over an eight-month period of time, the patient received specific intersegmental chiropractic care via the Gonstead Technique for reduction of vertebral subluxation. 46 total adjustive procedures were administered over 22 office visits. SF-36 general health survey was utilized to document patient progress at two-month intervals. Data analysis demonstrated significant improvement particularly in the areas of General Health, Mental Health, and Mental Component Summary, correlating with subjective patient reporting.

Conclusion: This case study demonstrates the efficacy of subluxation-based chiropractic care for the management of fatigue and malaise in a single patient. Following eight months of care via the Gonstead Technique, the patient’s symptoms of fatigue and malaise were reduced, and objective health measures via the SF-36 noted marked improvement in multiple areas.

Jun 22 0

Car Accident Injury (Part III of III): Long-Term Health Affects of Whiplash

Posted by Rook Torres

Perhaps the most scary thing about a common car accident injury, whiplash, is that it can cause serious negative long-term health affects. A study recently published out of Canada looked at data correlating a history of neck injury from motor vehicle crashes with chronic neck pain. This list of health problems is terrifying and should absolutely change your actions when it comes to treating yourself and those you love after a car accident.

The study is entitled Long-Term Consequences of Whiplash: Allergy; Breathing, Digestive and Cardiovascular Disorders; Hypertension and Low Back Pain. Just the title alone nearly says it all. The authors inquired about neck pain, headache, and depression as well.

One of the most important aspects of this study was the association of various health problems with history of neck injury from car accidents. The authors looked at allergies, breathing disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, digestive disorders, and low back pain. They found higher incidence in all categories except hypertension; in many cases, the reported complaints were close to twice that seen in those with no history of neck injury.

Unfortunately, the authors did not inquire about thyroid or other endocrine disorders. In previous studies there has been found a possible link between thyroid disease and neck injury, as documented in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. In that study, a possible link between hypothyroidism and exposure to whiplash trauma was made.

The bottom line here is if you have had neck trauma, and don’t seek proper neurological and spinal care for recovery and healing, your chances of many undesirable health problems can increase by 200 percent! That’s a risk I’m nobody needs to take when there’s expert care that’s so easy to access.

Remember, there are tons of car accidents so they’re widely studied and highly scrutinized. People are followed and the health affects widely studied.

You don’t need a referral to see a chiropractor. So scheduling an appointment at my office is easy and fast! The chiropractic care I provide is detailed, and as safe as any other treatment in healthcare (as proven by nearly the lowest malpractice insurance rates in all of healthcare among professionals).

When you come to my Boise office you get a detailed spinal motion and neurological exam designed to find the affects of whiplash.

Did you know that X-ray is the standard diagnostic test for car accident injury across all of healthcare? We have on site X-ray, so your results are fast and you save tons of time not having to go elsewhere to have proper diagnostic testing.

After a detailed exam and diagnostic tests you get to see your own X-rays and get an explanation of exactly what the problem is and what it will take to help you heal. I even give you an accurate estimate of how long it will take to recover and what the process will look and feel like. Costs usually aren’t a problem because insurance can cover most or all of the expense. If not, we’ll work with you. Due to my extensive experience and intricate analysis system that tells me exactly what treatment you need at that moment visits in my office are extremely thorough and fast, really fast! So you don’t have to interrupt your day and worry about how you can fit it all in.

Give my office a call or email right now! Now that you know how much your future health depends on it, and how easy it is, there’s no reason not to.

Jan 28 0

Some People in Boise Get Back Pain or Sickness, Other Don’t: Your GAP is Why

Posted by Rook Torres

Why is it that some people get sick or back pain while others don’t? Ever notice that some people get colds every winter, or some kids miss school a lot while others never do? Some people blow out their back every few months, others don’t. This is all related to an individual’s General Adaptive Potential.

Some of Chiropractic’s 33 principles focus on a concept known as “The Limitations of Matter”. This refers to the conditions necessary for a living system to survive or thrive. Living like us! I guess an extreme example of this would be that even a very healthy person would die if they were left naked outside in sub-zero temperatures for long enough. There is a limit to what we can adapt to. This is the “Limitation of Matter.”

In life, the experience isn’t usually so extreme. We all experience some degree of negative stress. These stresses usually aren’t so overwhelming that they result in instant death. Many times the negative stress adds up and reduces our experience and expression of life, thus our health, causing us back pain or sickness.

The good news is, you can improve your GAP and thereby increase the ability of your body to manage negative stress. Chiropractic care is simply one of the best ways to accomplish resolving back and neck pain and improve overall health.

The beautiful thing is that your body is more than a machine—it has life that flows through it, it can re-create itself! And that is exactly what we want to partner with you in doing through chiropractic care with me at my office.

Feb 10 0

Life Principles You Can’t Live Without

Posted by Rook Torres

The first thing I want you to understand is that you are born to develop, heal, adapt and thrive. You don’t need drugs to do it. You don’t need surgery to do it. You have a life force that directs the whole process. This principle forms the major premise of chiropractic which states “There is a Universal Intelligence in all matter, constantly giving to it its properties and actions, thereby maintaining it in existence.”

It is also important to understand that life is conditional. This means that if the conditions of life are not properly met, its expression will be limited, and if the condition contains enough severe negative stress, life will cease.

Now, if we look to apply these concepts, it makes sense that we make our best efforts to work with these principles—and that is exactly what chiropractic care at my office in Boise does.

We take positive action on the things that we know support and enhance life, and we act to eliminate things that take life away. This is no easy task, and I salute you for making this incredible commitment to calling my office, a commitment that I can help you continue as a lifestyle for your lifetime!

Action Step

What I want you to do is pay close attention to what you do, and add chiropractic to enhance the health giving quality of your life’s practices. Now that you have a better understanding of the principles of life, you will begin making better decisions for you and the ones you love.

Jan 07 0

Chiropractic Treatment in Boise: The Power of Touch

Posted by Rook Torres

This week I want to share with you a fascinating article that was reviewed in a scientific publication, The Explorer. In two separate experiments at the University of Connecticut’s Medical Center, 98 mice were injected with 200,000 cells of Methylcholanthrene (which is a cancer causing toxin), double the defined lethal dosage.

These experimenters took a “healer”, who works by laying his hands on people, and had him use his talents on the mice. Not only did the tumors show regression on the mice the healer put his hands on, but further, other mice in the vicinity that also had tumors were helped, and he never physically touched them! What does this all mean?

Years ago, most serious scientists would denounce such findings or these types of experiments in general. Today, we see this type of research all the time, specifically in regards to chiropractic treatment right here in Boise, Idaho, home to one of chiropractic’s largest research centers. Historically, the human body was viewed as pure matter, a  bag of bones if you will, and therefore all strategies for helping it were based on this incomplete view. In the last century however, with the rise of the study of quantum physics, these energies started becoming widely accepted. As a result, we started looking at the body and mind and the role of energy in health (like chiropractic treatment), healing, and the expression of life in general. We still, to a large degree, can only speculate as to why a person can lay his hands on someone and tumors can heal, but we do know it happens.

Chiropractic, as a profession, was way ahead of its time in this respect. Since 1895, chiropractic treatment has used the healing power of touch as a part of our procedure to promote healing. Chiropractic knew that the connection between the mind and body was the nervous system, and that in order for health to be fully expressed, the nervous system must be free of interference. In fact, as part of your assessment in my office I specifically measure the energy and adaptability of your nervous system to determine the chiropractic treatment needed.

This nerve energy communication process can be hampered by the negative stress of everyday living, and that is why chiropractic treatment from my office in Boise is so important. Together, utilizing this powerful mind and body connection, you and I help eliminate negative stress so that you can realize the best of your potential.

The moral of this story, don’t underestimate the healing power of   loving touch.

Jun 25 2

The Nature of Life

Posted by Rook Torres

This is an article I’ve adapted for you by Dr. Patrick Gentempo who is one of the greatest thinkers in healthcare today. Enjoy! -Dr. Rook

In order to succeed in chiropractic and creating wellness it is critical to have a foundational understanding as to the nature of life. This is especially true with regard to health.

The first thing you need to understand is that you are born to develop, heal, adapt and thrive. You don’t need drugs to do it. You don’t need surgery to do it. You have a life force that directs the whole process. This principle forms the major premise of chiropractic which states “There is a Universal Intelligence in all matter, constantly
giving to it its properties and actions, thereby maintaining it in existence.”

It is also important to understand that life is conditional. This means that if the conditions of life are not properly met, its expression will be limited, and if the condition contains enough severe negative stress, life will cease.

Now, if we look to apply these concepts, it makes sense that we make our best efforts to work with these principles—and that is exactly what the chiropractic lifestyle does.

We take positive action on the things that we know support and enhance life, and we act to eliminate things that take life away. This is no easy task, and I salute you for making this incredible commitment to chiropractic and create wellness in your life, a commitment that should continue as a lifestyle for your lifetime!

Action Step: What I want you to do this week is pay close attention to what you do, and see if it contributes to or takes away from your well-being. This will enhance the health giving quality of your life’s practices.

Now that you have a better understanding of the principles of life, along with the resources Dr. Rook provides, you will begin making better decisions for you and the ones you love.

Thank you for your commitment to Reclaim Your Life, and remember—you are not alone.

Mar 19 0

Stress Relief for a Lifetime

Posted by rook

How to battle stress and win! Life can offer many challenges, here are a few things that you can do to manage stress and conquer the things you love to do.

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