Healthcare Update
Backpacks Quite a Pain for Today’s Youngsters
Back pain may already be common among American adults, but the trend seems to
be getting younger—children today are suffering from more back pain than
any previous generation. Why the change? A major contributing factor seems to
be the giant backpacks students lug to and from class on a daily basis.
According to a recent study conducted in Italy, the average child carries around
the equivalent of a 39-pound burden for a 176-pound man, or a 29-pound load
for a 132-pound woman. Of those children carrying heavy backpacks, 60 percent
had experienced back pain as a result. Another study in France concluded that
the longer a child wears a heavy backpack, the longer it takes for a curvature
or deformity of the spine to correct itself.
Among solutions suggested for the problem, children should carry no more than
five to 10 percent of their own body weight on their back, and wear ergonomically
designed packs with double padded shoulder straps fitted to hang no more than
four inches below a child’s waistline.
In 2001 alone, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that backpack
related injuries sent more than 7,000 people to the emergency room.
Congress Provides $2 Million for Chiropractic Student Loan Program
Thanks to the expansion of a pilot program allowing doctors of chiropractic to
participate in the National Health Services Corp (NHSC), more DCs will be eligible
to receive student loan reimbursements of up to $25,000 a year. Signed by President
Bush on Dec. 8, the new legislation, passed by Congress and sponsored by Senators
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), will provide $2 million in funding
for the expansion of the student loan repayment program. Backed by the American
Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC),
Congress approved the pilot program in 2002, sending eight DCs to work at community
health centers across the United States. The NHSC assists medically underserved
communities with recruitment and retention of primary care clinicians. More than
23,000 health professionals have served with the NHSC since 1972.
Good News for Acupuncture
The federal registrar recently published four new time-based acupuncture codes
designed to make treatments more affordable for patients and reimbursements easier
for chiropractors. The new codes, billed in 15-minute increments, are designed
for both electrical and needle acupuncture services. Where previously only two
acupuncture codes were available, the American Chiropractic Association developed
the codes with assistance from the American Association of Oriental Medicine and
the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
Research indicates that an increasing number of doctors of chiropractic, nearly
18 percent, perform acupuncture, and even more employ an acupuncturist or refer
their patients to one.
Fast Food Consumption Among Young Adults Leads to Weight Gain and
Insulin Dependence
Although studies have long documented the negative effects of eating fast food,
a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) discovered
that young adults who frequently eat at fast food restaurants gain more weight
and have a greater increase in insulin resistance in early middle age.
The study, which followed 3,031 young black and white adults who were between
18 and 30 in 1985-1986, found that after 15 years, those who ate at fast-food
restaurants more than twice a week compared to less than once a week, gained an
extra 10 pounds and had a two-fold greater increase in insulin resistance—a
risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
The dangers of fast food eating include products high in fat, sugar and calories,
and low in fiber and nutrients. The study found that black men reported an average
frequency of 2.3 fast-food visits per week in 2000-2001, and white women reported
the lowest, with only 1.3 visits per week. In order to prevent the onset of diabetes
and heart disease, consumers should eat less fast food, smaller portions and ask
that high-fat sauces and condiments be put on the side.
Salmon: Still Healthy
Studies conducted by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC)
and the industry Salmon of the Americas (SOTA), examined both wild and farmed
salmon to determine their levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a mixture
of synthetic and organic chemicals with the same basic chemical structure and similar
physical properties. The study found that wild and farmed salmon populations contained
similar amounts of PCBs, in levels far below the FDA’s tolerance limit for
such chemicals. The study’s findings about salmon’s low PCB levels
come at a good time, when other fish populations have recently tested positive
for traces of mercury and other toxins.
Continuing good news about the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon underscores
the fact that consumers should include salmon in their diets, and may do so without
fear of contamination issues.
Eye Disease a Key Factor in Predicting Heart Failure
According to a new study, retinopathy, a common disease that involves the back
of the eye, is a major factor for heart failure, even in the absence of other
risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Conducted at the University of Melbourne in Australia, the study analyzed data
from 11,612 subjects who participated in an atherosclerosis risk population study
lasting seven years. In 1993 and 1995, patients were evaluated for retinopathy,
a common marker for blood vessel disease throughout the body. Heart failure was
determined through hospital and death records.
The rate of heart failure among subjects with retinopathy was much higher than
the incidence in those without, 15.1 percent and 4.8 percent respectively. Even
after adjusting for various factors that may have influenced the association,
the study concluded that in subjects without preexisting heart disease, high blood
pressure, or diabetes, the presence of retinopathy almost tripled the risk of
heart failure.
Correct Coding
A recent study by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), the
American Chiropractic Association (ACA) reports significant undercoding by caregivers.
The study found 14.4 percent of claims contained documentation that supported
a higher-paying code than was actually utilized, which resulted in nearly $1 billion
in underpayments last year.
“It is understood that upcoding is not acceptable, but DCs should know that
undercoding is equally as risky,” said ACA’s vice president of Professional
Development & Research. “If the DC can provide the clinical documentation
for an extended or comprehensive service, and that service is the level of care
the patient needs, then they should bill the appropriate higher level code. Undercoding
can be viewed as providing not enough patient care, and can even raise the risk
of CPT codes being eliminated.”
To learn more access the CMS report at coverage.cms.fu.com/certpublic/.
New Weight Loss Survey Dispels Common Dieting Myths
A recent survey conducted by LA Weight Loss Center revealed some surprising truths
about why Americans diet, what food they crave and when they cheat. The national
survey, written by LA Weight Loss’s registered dieticians and administered
to 657 participants during October and November of last year, revealed that nearly
half of all people lose weight to “feel healthier,” rather than to
look more attractive. The second highest percentage, 42 percent, wanted to lose
weight to feel “more confident,” and 36 percent revealed that they
wanted to feel “sexier.”
Another myth-busting finding concluded that while 41 percent of dieters said being
overweight made them feel depressed, less than one percent said they felt “ugly/unattractive.”
Signaling a downturn in the low-carb craze, only 28 percent of the survey’s
respondents said they craved “Bread/Other Carbs.” The survey also
found that 30 percent of dieters said their greatest “munchie moment”
occurred just before bed, rather than the mid-afternoon drought so highly publicized
by the dieting industry.
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