2007 Patient of the Year!

We are so pleased to announce Abby Johnes as our 2007 Patient of the Year. Abby’s life has truly been changed by chiropractic care. Many times people think that chiropractors can help only adults or people suffering from back and neck pain. Abby’s story shows the true power of chiropractic in helping people of all ages live healthier lives less dependent upon medication.

We were first introduced to Abby by her mother Kasey, who is also a chiropractic patient. Kasey was concerned that for most of Abby’s first 15 months of life she was sick with sinus congestion, chronic cough and recurring ear infections. By the time we had met Abby, she had been put through more diagnostic testing than most of us will undergo in a lifetime. She had multiple chest x-rays performed, testing for cystic fibrosis and allergies, two bronchoscopies and an ear tube surgery. When she started care in our office Abby was also taking Flovent, Singulair, Albuterol, Nasonex and Prevacid in an attempt to treat her condition. All of this and Abby had experienced no significant relief. Dr. Barry told Kasey he would be willing to meet with her and Abby to see if there was anything he could do to help. As you can imagine, by this point Kasey was willing to try anything to get some much needed relief for her daughter.

At Abby’s examination, Dr. Barry found that her cervical and thoracic spine were, in fact, out of proper alignment. Empowered with the proper information and diagnosis, Abby’s transformation began. After her second adjustment, Abby slept through the night for the first time in her life! Her parents and babysitter noticed a significant improvement in her cough. They would first count the number of coughs per day and then per week until they were virtually non-existent.

At her progress examination not only was Abby’s improvement physically noticeable, her nervous system scans showed the same. Below are Abby’s two scans. The one on the left was taken at Abby’s first appointment. The one on the right was taken after the recommended series of chiropractic adjustments.

During the course of Abby’s treatment, there was a period of time when Abby stopped coming in for her regular adjustments. During that time most of her symptoms returned and she was back on steroid treatment. Fortunately, Abby began returned for care and within weeks Abby was back to normal with no cough, no congestion and no medications. And even though Abby’s original symptoms have been reduced to only the occasional cough during increased periods of activity, in order to keep her healthy and prevent symptoms from returning, her parents continue to bring her for regular chiropractic wellness adjustments. The following is from a letter written to Dr. Barry from Abby’s mom:

“We were very touched that you considered Abby to be your Patient of the Year. She has made a wonderful transformation and I only have YOU to thank for that. Her journey through this has been trying and sad because she has gone through so much in her short life. If I had only met you a year earlier! But, I thank you for all you have given BACK to us – some sleep and our happy, beautiful little girl.”

Let Abby’s story be a reminder to all of us that chiropractic does not just help back and neck pain. Chiropractors specialize in treating your nervous system which, when free of interference, controls EVERY function in the body. By properly adjusting the spine and taking pressure off of the nerves our bodies are free to heal and regulate naturally. Because of this chiropractic helps many other symptoms caused by an improperly functioning nervous system such as asthma, carpal tunnel, ear infections, colds, sciatica, headaches and many more. Understanding that chiropractic care can help with these conditions empowers patients to think about natural alternatives before resorting to drugs and surgery.

This information has been printed with the consent of Abby’s parents.

Chiropractic & Headaches

It is reported that perhaps as many as 28 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Of these individuals, 4.5 million are having multiple headaches each month. All too often many headache sufferers are unsure as to what is causing their headaches and subsequently are left confused about how to properly treat the problem.

It is often confusing because the true cause of headaches can be multi-factorial. The initial event that initiates a headache is often referred to as a "trigger". Identifying those key triggers can often be of significant help in reducing or eliminating headaches. Of course once identified, this does assume that one is willing to take the necessary steps toward prevention. For example, some individuals may notice that changes in sleep patterns leave them more susceptible to increased migraine attacks. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule of 7-8 hours each night may be all these individuals need to keep their headaches under control. Others may find that stress, high blood pressure, the use of prescription or over-the-counter medications, hormonal imbalances, dehydration, increased caffeine, tobacco or alcohol use, or musculoskeletal injury to be the root cause of their headache symptoms. Less commonly, headaches can be attributed to more severe conditions such brain tumors or aneurysms which would require immediate medical attention.

Chiropractic doctors are specifically interested in those causes of headaches which can be alleviated through either chiropractic adjustments or by helping patients to make healthy and informed lifestyle decisions. Through a comprehensive evaluation by a chiropractor, it can be determined if your case is one that would likely see favorable results through chiropractic and wellness care. Even if they occurred years ago, automobile accidents, sports injuries, or injuries of repetitive nature that can occur at work or at home can leave the spine misaligned in a way that can predispose you for headaches.

If you or someone you know frequently suffers from headaches, I encourage you to have them contact our office at (618) 288-7991 to schedule a complete chiropractic physical examination. If you have someone in mind who perhaps doesn't live in this area, we can also be of assistance in helping them find an excellent chiropractic doctor near their hometown.

Yours In Health,

Dr. Barry

For more information about our office, visit online at www.SpineSmart.com

Dr. Barry DeLassus
Southern Illinois Chiropractic Center, Ltd.
2-B Professional Park Drive
Maryville, IL 62062

Phone: (618) 288-7991
Fax: (618) 288-7901
Email: doctorbarry@SpineSmart.com