8 Tips for a Safe Road Trip

During the summer months, millions of people take to the road to enjoy family time together. Most of the time, things go off without a hitch. You and your family have a camera card and a brain filled with wonderful memories. However, with more and more people on the road the risk of accidents tends to rise.  Here are 8 easy tips to ensure that you stay safe while traveling:

1. Drive the speed limit - According to the Federal Highway Administration, your risk of involvement in a fatal accident is approximately 1% when driving 55 mph.  That risk rises to 7% with only a 5 mph increase in speed.  As far as non-fatal accidents are concerned, it is estimated that there are 3 million new cases of whiplash and whiplash associated disorders every year.
 
2. Service your car before you leave - An unexpected auto repair can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, not to mention precious hours, days and sometimes weeks. If your car breaks down while away from home, these losses are magnified many times over. A simple check up before the trip can remedy small problems before they become big problems.

3. Get a good night's sleep - Driver fatigue is a major cause of accidents. Be sure you start the day well rested. Get a good night's sleep and have a healthy breakfast before starting out. Try to avoid foods with high sugar content to prevent the inevitable "crash" that occurs due to the rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels.

4. Take frequent breaks - Studies have shown that driving while tired or drowsy is equal to driving while drunk. Prolonged driving can also aggravate lower back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. Taking frequent breaks helps stretch the body and focus the mind.

5. Obey local driving laws - Seems like a "no-brainer" but be aware that speed limits and other laws can change quickly, especially near border areas of states and counties. Just like having an auto repair away from home, having legal trouble away from home is extremely inconvenient and frustrating.  

6. Do not engage with aggressive drivers - Road rage has been a buzzword for a while now, but the stories of assaults or worse are far too common these days. Please be considerate of others in their cars and try not to let the actions of other drivers get under your skin. Every last one of us engages in questionable driving maneuvers from time to time. Remember that the other drivers have families too. Don't do something you'll regret later.

7. Enforce seat belt use - It cannot be overstated that seat belts SAVE LIVES. In addition to buckling up, please make sure that any and all passengers are buckled up or restrained in a car or booster seat. NEVER remove a baby from their car seat while driving and do not allow children to climb throughout the vehicle while it is moving.

8. Be wary of trucks - We all have to share the road. Remember that 18 wheeler and other large vehicles are not as maneuverable as your sedan or coupe. Give them a wide berth and don't attempt to "draft" them or follow too closely. If you cannot see their mirrors, they cannot see you. Its not just a saying.

When accidents do occur, whiplash injuries are often the result of the neck being forced past its normal range of motion. This causes damage to the muscles, ligaments, and even the fibers of the intervertebral disc. Symptoms of whiplash include neck and shoulder pain, headache, difficulty moving the head and swelling.

Chiropractic remains the treatment of choice for millions of those that have sustained whiplash injuries. Most patients see faster and longer lasting results when compared to other treatments.

Enjoy the road!

Dr. Louis S. Crivelli II
Chiropractor
Greenbelt, MD

Wallets and Lower Back Pain....A Visual Explanation

Sir Isaac Newton Teaches a Lesson About Car Accident Injuries

Occupant Injuries in Frontal Car Accident

This interesting paper from the DC proceedings illustrates something that Isaac Newton taught us a long time ago.  Force = Mass x Acceleration.  The larger someone weighs, the more force is potentially generated in an auto crash.  Sometimes, an argument can be made regarding "more padding" but generally the safety cages of most cars seem to perform better when restraints (seat belts) are in contact with bony areas of the body.  

Patients of All Sizes who have experienced a Car Accident Treated With Optimum Care at Greenbelt Chiropractic Rehab

Here at Greenbelt Rehab, patients of all shapes and sizes receive the highest quality care following motor vehicle collisions.  As a specialist with regards to whiplash injuries, I am committed to implementing the most recent, evidence based therapies to get my patients better as quick as possible.

Augenstein J, Digges K, Bahouth G, Cui X, Higushi K, Hiromasa T, St. Lawrence S: Occupant injuries in frontal crashes by age, weight and BMI. 23rd Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Conference Proceedings, Washington, DC, June 13-16, 2011.

Abstract - Car Accident Injuries 

The paper used NASS/CDS to examine the distribution of belted front seat occupants exposed to frontal crashes and the resulting injured at the MAIS 3+ severity level. The data was subdivided by occupant weight, BMI, and age. Further subdivisions by gender and crash severity were included. The age effect was most pronounced. Injury risk for all ages increases with delta-V. However, exposure at higher speeds is lower for occupants over 35 years old than for the younger population.


Occupants under 35 experience the highest number of injuries in higher speed crashes while injuries to older occupants are more uniformly distributed. About 17% of the occupants with MAIS 3+ injuries were 55 and older and were also in low or moderate severity crashes. The increasing weight and BMI of the US population was also evident in the data. Occupants weighing more than 205 lbs. in higher severity frontal crashes accounted for about 7% of the of the belted front seat occupants with MAIS 3+ injuries. Another 9.5% weighed between 175 and 205 lbs.

-Dr. Louis S. Crivelli II

 Chiropractor

 Greenbelt, MD

This is a GREAT comic.

Chiropractic Care for Sports Injuries

Many professional athletes now use chiropractic care to achieve maximum performance and recovery.

In the below video our Accessible Beltway Clinics Chiropractor Dr. Rick Rosa treated Professional Athlete Mike Easton and curved his recovery time by 50%. Mike’s original estimated recovery time from 6 months, but after treatment with our Dr. Rosa he recovered in only 3 months.

Chiropractic care has proven very beneficial in the recovery of sports injuries. Many professional teams have a designated team chiropractor, but chiropractic care is also useful in injuries that occur during recreational activities as well.

To learn more about sports chiropractic care and treatment visit www.greenbeltchiropracticrehab.com. 

7 "Bad" Foods You Should Be Eating

As part of our "inside-out" healing philosophy at Greenbelt Rehab, we must pay significant attention to the way our patients eat and especially what our patients eat. Effective rehab from whiplash injuries, sports injuries, or even repetitive, everyday joint issues will not be achieved if we do not "heal from within".  To that end, I offer this short list of 7 foods that have been characterized as "bad for you", but are secretly, nutritionally "good" for you.
- Dr. C

Peanut Butter

The bad rep: Peanut butter is fattening.
The good news: Peanut butter is high in fat (mostly the "good" fat) but that doesn’t mean it’s fattening. (Gaining or losing weight and body fat basically comes down to balancing calories.) That said, peanut butter is a very concentrated source of calories, so you don’t want to go overboard. But you don’t need to eat tons to feel satisfied: just a tablespoon (90 calories) or two of peanut butter goes a long way. Plus, peanut butter provides protein and folate, a B vitamin important for the healthy development of new cells.
Dr. C's tip: Try adding a square of dark chocolate to your tablespoon of peanut butter for an antioxidant boost and great taste.

Eggs

The bad rep: Since eggs are a source of dietary cholesterol, they should be avoided by those concerned with heart health.
The good news: Many studies and experts now emphasize that saturated fats and trans fats are bigger culprits in raising blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol is. Plus, eggs are super-satisfying: in one study, people who ate a scrambled-egg-and-toast breakfast felt more satisfied, and ate less at lunch, than they did when they ate a bagel of the same size and same number of calories. Egg yolks also contain high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, compounds that research links with reduced risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
Dr. C's tip: If you like your eggs scrambled and are still worried about the cholesterol in yolks, try experimenting with the yolk to white ratio (ex. 3 whites per 1 yolk).

Beef

The bad rep: Beef is full of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, so people who care about their hearts should avoid it.
The good news: Lean cuts of beef are a good source of protein and iron (a mineral essential for the transport of oxygen throughout the body). There are many lean cuts of steaks: filet mignon, sirloin, strip steak, flank steak. If you can’t remember the names, pick steaks that are deep red with a relatively small amount of marbling—a fancy name for fat—to find lean cuts.
Dr. C's tip: Treat beef as a side dish, not a main course and try to find GRASS FED beef whenever possible.  When cows graze on grass instead of corn, the fat in their meat has more healthful, antiinflammatory Omega-3 faty acids.

Chocolate

The bad rap: Chocolate has lots of fat and sugar—and it tastes amazing, so it must be bad for you.
The good news:  Dark chocolate contains flavanols and antioxidants that seem to have a blood-thinning effect, which can benefit cardiovascular.  And, recently, researchers in Switzerland (where else?) reported that eating dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it) every day for two weeks reduced stress hormones, including cortisol, in highly stressed people. But be sure to account for the calories (1.4 ounces delivers 235)—or you may be stressed to see extra pounds creeping on.
Dr. C's tip: Chocolate is very calorie dense, so remember, a little goes a long way. Try to avoid milk chocolate or any chocolate product mixed with other sugary substances (caramel, ice cream, etc.). The darker the chocolate (higher percentage of cacao) the more antioxidants.

Potatoes

The bad rap: Potatoes rank high on the glycemic index, which measures how quickly different foods raise your blood sugar. Foods with a high GI value tend to cause a higher spike in blood sugar, and in insulin, the hormone that helps glucose get into cells—which can be a problem for some people, particularly those with diabetes.
The good news: Potatoes are a good source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C. And unless you’re eating an absolutely plain potato all by itself, its GI value doesn’t matter all that much. (It’s also worth noting that the glycemic index is an imperfect and sometimes controversial scale.) A high-GI potato becomes a low-GI meal if you simply add a little olive oil, beans, or another low GI food because the added fat and protein helps slow the absorption of the potato’s carbohydrates.
Dr. C's tip: New potatoes (small, waxy potatoes sometimes differently colored) are the perfect portion size and lower GI than larger baking potatoes. Eat those instead.

Coffee

The bad rep:  Where to start?, coffee can make you super-jittery, interfere with your sleep and, well, it’s just not good for you.
The good news: Studies show that compounds in coffee, including but not limited to caffeine, may reduce the risk of dementia, diabetes and liver cancer. Most benefits are associated with drinking 2 to 4 (8-ounce) cups a day. That said, coffee can make some people jittery; and if this is true for you, you should cut back. You should also limit caffeine if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology advises no more than two cups a day while expecting or nursing.
Dr. C's tip: Its no secret to my friends and patients that I love a good cup of coffee. I do however, try to do most of my coffee drinking in the morning hours.  Usually I switch to green or oolong tea in the afternoon. They have less caffeine and many health benefits.

Nuts

The bad rap: Nuts are full of fat.
The good news: Nuts are full of fats, BUT they’re the good, heart-healthy unsaturated kinds. Nuts also deliver other healthy nutrients, depending on the nut. For example, pistachios are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that help keep eyes healthy. Almonds provide vitamin E and walnuts offer significant amounts of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. You do need to keep an eye on serving size, though: at around 160 to 200 calories per ounce, nuts do pack a substantial amount of calories.
Dr. C's tip: A handful of nuts is all you should consume at a time due to the calorie density. Try combining dark chocolate and nuts for 2 great treats (dark chocolate covered almonds or walnuts) in one package.

Here's hoping that you include some of these "bad" foods into your diet.

-Dr. Louis S. Crivelli II
 Chiropractor
 Greenbelt, MD

Chiropractic Treatment Better than Drugs for Neck Pain

Consider Chiropractic Treatment before you “Pop” another Pill for Your Neck Pain

A new study funded by the National Institute of Health, has found the best way to get rid of that troublesome neck pain is not to "pop" another pain medication. The study of over 272 patients found that chiropractic treatment is the best method in relieving neck pain available. The study found that patients treated by a chiropractor alone rated the highest in pain relief after a 12 week period compared to patients treated by exercise or drugs. In fact after a 12 week period those patients who exercised or used a chiropractor were over twice as likely pain free in comparison to patients who relied on medicine.

 

The Study Shows Chiropractic Treatment is the Most Effective Remedy for Neck Pain

The results reveal the necessity of chiropractic care when it comes to neck pain– 32 percent of patients treated by a chiropractor were pain free, compared to 30 percent of those who exercised and only 13 percent of those who took medication as treatment after a 12 week period. Dr. Lee Green, professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan says, “Neck pain is a mechanical problem, and it makes sense that mechanical treatment works better than a chemical one.”

 

To learn more about chiropractic treatment for neck pain visit www.greenbeltchiropracticrehab.com.