SeniorTimesLAKES REGION

Chiropractic treatments can help relieve pain

Keep the flu awayEarly flu shot recommended

Vermonters with chronic condi-tions particularly vulnerable

It’s not too early to get a flu shot, and vaccine is now widely available around the state in health care pro-vider offices, pharmacies and public clinics.

Go to www.healthvermont.gov to find a flu vaccine clinic.

The Vermont Department of Health recommends that nearly everyone age 6 months and older pro-tect themselves against the highly contagious influenza virus – especial-ly people who have chronic condi-tions such as asthma that put them at risk of serious consequences.

Forty-two percent of adult Vermonters had a chronic condition in 2010, and only half of them received an annual flu vaccine. Nearly half (48 percent) of adult Vermonters with a chronic condition did not receive their recommended flu vaccine in 2010.

“Infection with influenza can have serious consequences for anyone with the virus, but especially those with chronic disease,” said Chris Finley, immunization program chief for the Health Department. “Because flu is unpredictable and we never know when it will arrive each season – and how severe it will be – a flu shot is the best protection.”

Vermont’s asthma prevalence in 2010 was one of the highest in the nation. One in 10 Vermont children had asthma, and approximately 11 percent of the adult population. Of those Vermonters with asthma in 2010, 46 percent adults and 27 percent of children did not get their annual flu shot in 2010, according to survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

“Immunization helps protect everyone who is close to you and pre-vents exposure to the virus, for exam-ple grandparents who are immunized

Fall is the right time to get a flu shot

We’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed some of the best summer weather on record. But these beauti-ful, warm days are fading as we enter the cool, crisp weather of fall. And who knows what this winter will bring? One thing we do know is that we want to stay healthy during the winter months. And one of the best ways to do just that is to get your annual flu shot. It’s the single best way to prevent the flu.

You can get your flu shot at one of the public flu clinics held at conve-nient locations in communities throughout Rutland County and in Dorset and Rupert. Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (RAVNAH) has scheduled a number of community flu clinics for peoples age 18 and older, through Oct. 25. RAVNAH offers regular strength flu and pneu-monia vaccines and a high dose flu vaccine especially developed for people age 65 and older. Ask your doctor if the high dose vaccine is right for you. RAVNAH is also working with the Vermont Department of Health to pro-vide adults the tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough/pertussis (Tdap) vac-cine at no cost.

When should I get a flu shot?Here in Vermont flu activity most

commonly peaks in January or February. Getting vaccinated any time between September and November can ensure you have immunity to protect yourself through the flu season.

Who should get a flu shot?The Centers for Disease Control

(CDC) recommends flu shots for:

n Anyone 6 months of age and older.

Experts say prevention, including a flu shot, is best at fighting the flu

Anyone who has ever suffered back pain, whether that pain is mild, moder-ate or severe, understands just how unpleasant it can be. Back pain can make life extremely difficult, affecting everything a person does, including per-formance at work, time spent with the kids or even sleeping at night.

For those with back pain, chiroprac-tic care might be the best way to relieve that pain. A nonsurgical treatment of the disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system, chiro-practic medicine focuses on spinal manipulation and the treatment of the structures surrounding the spine. Understanding chiropractic care can

help men and women dealing with pain better determine if it’s for them.

What conditions do chiroprac-tors treat?

A chiropractor can treat a number of conditions, but most treatments focus on a handful of common and often painful conditions. Those conditions include:

n joint pain in the arms and legsn mid- and lower back painn neck painn headaches

What do chiropractic treatments entail?

Many people with lower back pain

find such pain so unbearable that they seek the help of a chiropractor. Despite that, many more people remain wary of visiting a chiropractor for myriad rea-sons. But chiropractors can effectively treat pain in a number of ways.

A chiropractic treatment is commonly referred to as a spinal manipulation. During a treatment, the chiropractor will move a joint beyond its usual range of motion. The joint might be moved through twisting, pulling or pushing, but it won’t be moved beyond the range of motion it’s designed to move. Those being treated for the first time should expect to hear some popping or cracking during the treatment. The goal of a spinal manip-

ulation is to improve functionality while reducing nerve irritability and restoring range of motion in the back.

In addition to spinal manipulation, a chiropractor might try other types of treatments, including:

n ultrasoundn the application of heat or icen certain strength and conditioning

exercisesn relaxation therapy

Are there side effects to chiro-practic treatments?

Perhaps the reason some people are

See SHOT, pg. 2 See EARLY, pg. 2

See CHIRO, pg. 7

n People with chronic health condi-tions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease or asthma.

n People with weakened immune systems.

n People who live with, or provide care for, children and adults.

n Women who will be pregnant dur-ing the flu season.

Who should get a pneumonia vaccine?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend pneumonia vacci-nations for:

n All adults 65 years of age and older

n Anyone 2 through 64 years of age with chronic illness

n Anyone 19 through 64 years of age who is a smoker or has asthma

n Women who smoke or have asth-ma, have a chronic illness or compro-mised immune system should be immunized before becoming preg-nant.

Preventing the flu

The first and most important step is to get a flu shot, but practicing good health habits can also help. Here are some tips to keep the aches, pains,

sneezes and sniffles at bay:

n Wash your hands well and often throughout the day or use sanitizing hand rub.

n Avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose.

n Avoid close contact with those who are ill and stay home if you are sick.

n Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, not your hands.

n Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of fluids and eat nutritious foods, stay physically active and manage your stress.

If you get sick with the flu

Unlike the common cold, flu symp-toms are usually more severe and can come on suddenly. Call your health care provider if your flu symptoms are very serious or if you have chronic health conditions. Common flu symptoms include:

n fever (usually high)n headache, muscle aches, chillsn runny or stuffy nose, sore throat

, dry coughn extreme tirednessn vomiting and sometimes diar-

rhea (more often in children)

For a full listing of RAVNAH’s public flu clinics, visit www.ravnah.org or call RAVNAH’s flu hotline at 770-1574.

help protect newborns in their family,” Finley said.

For more information regarding

influenza and chronic diseases visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm.

Visit the Health Department’s web-site at healthvermont.gov, follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook for health information and alerts.

ShotContinued from front page

EarlyContinued from front page

Did you know that n The flu is the sixth leading cause of death in the US,

killing 49,000 Americans annually?n The flu kills as many or more people than breast can-

cer and three times as many as HIV/AIDS?n The flu results in an average of 200,000 otherwise

unnecessary hospitalizations annually?n Fewer than 50 percent of healthcare workers receive

flu shots annually?n The flu vaccine has been shown to be most effective in

younger, healthier individuals. People at highest risk for the flu including the elderly and the immune-compromised are least likely to develop an adequate response to the vac-cine.

According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, healthy working adults who receive the flu vac-cine have:

n 25 percent fewer respiratory infectionsn 44 percent fewer doctor visitsn 42 percent fewer sick days offn 57 percent reduction in pneumonia related hospital-

izations

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all healthcare workers be vaccinated against the flu.

People who hate needles may find a flu mist in the nasal passage is easier to cope with than the regular flu shot.

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Marlene Sanders holds one of several dresses she has been sewing for girls in Africa. Along with other women from the Mettowee Valley Senior Citizens, Sanders has been putting in time to make dresses for Little Dresses for Africa, a nonprofit organization. Between this week and next, the women aim to make 50 dresses. The seniors will ship their dresses to Michigan, from where they will be distributed to Africa. So far they have 14 dresses done. The group meets every Tuesday to create assorted crafts, which they usually donate to various causes.

In early October, the Fair Haven Police were called to reports of possible fraud/phone scams. Police learned the caller telephoned a resident in Fair Haven reporting to be a relative who had been in an accident. The caller advised the resident they had been in an accident with a diplomat of another country and needed them to send money as they were in jail. In this case the resident did wire a sum of money to the caller which turned out to be fraudu-

lent. A short time later a second resi-dent reported the same type of incident and was able to stop the transfer of funds.

The Fair Haven Police would like to advise people to verify all information before sending money. In most cases these types of incidents have turned out to be scams. Do not provide any per-sonal information or agreed to wire funds without confirming the accuracy of the information given to you.

See our weekly event calendar in the Lakes Region FreePress

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hesitant to visit a chiropractor is the fear that, should some-thing go awry, the back could be irreparably damaged. Those fears were common during the early years of chiropractic treatments, but now many med-ical doctors will work in tan-dem with a chiropractor to ensure patients are getting the correct and most effective treat-ments.

That said, there are some potential side effects to chiro-practic treatments. Once the spine has been adjusted, some people might feel minor pain or discomfort, and headaches and

fatigue are possible as well. However, such side effects typi-cally subside within a day of receiving treatment.

In some instances, a herniat-ed disc might result after an adjustment is used to treat neck or back pain. Should that occur, a patient will likely experience pain, weakness and numbness in the buttocks and down the legs. Bladder and bowel control might be affected as well. However, such instances are rare.

Will an adjustment be painful?

Despite the cracking and popping sounds it causes, a spi-nal adjustment is typically not painful. Of course, men and

women who visit a chiropractor are often experiencing signifi-cant pain already, and the move-ment necessary during the treatment might prove painful. However, chiropractors can take steps to make the treat-ment easier on the patient if he or she is struggling with severe back pain. For instance, a chiro-practor might use a drop table during treatment. Parts of the drop table will drop slightly when the chiropractor presses down on the patient’s back. This makes the adjustments more gentle. Another tool used to make adjustments more com-fortable is a hand-held tool called an activator. Many patients, however, do not need either option.

A chiropractor can help treat a host of ailments, including joint pain in the arms and legs and mid- and lower back pain.

ChiroContinued from front page

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The conference will be taking place Friday, Oct. 19th and 20 and will include a visit from Trillium, the RAVNAH Hospice Chorus on Friday evening. The conference is free.

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The Green Mountain Seniors in Wells will be hosting a tea cup auction on Friday, Oct. 19. This will be held at the Modern Woodman Annex Building on Route 30 (Main Street) in Wells. Doors will open at 5:45 and the drawing will start at 6:45.

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Oct. is physical therapy monthOctober is “National

Physical Therapy” month and the perfect time to test your physical therapy IQ. Most peo-ple have heard about physical therapy, know someone who has received therapy, or have even seen a PT themselves. But many people may not know that:

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P h y s i c a l therapists are highly trained clinicians and over 75 percent have a doctor of physical ther-apy degree.

Physical therapists can help in the management of diabetes.

Physical therapy can trace its roots back to Hippocrates, father of western medicine, who advocated “hands on” treatment including massage, manual therapy and hydro-therapy for the ancient Greeks.

“Most people only think about physical therapy for help with orthopedic issues such as a bad knee or shoul-der or in relation to sports injuries. But physical therapy is much more than that -- it is a key component in the treat-ment of the full range of neu-romuscular diseases and con-ditions,” said Matthew R. Hyland, PT, DPT, and presi-dent of the New York Physical Therapy Association. “Physical therapy can help

people walk after suffering a stroke, help people with rheu-matoid arthritis complete everyday tasks such as cook-ing or writing and help people regain their stamina after a heart attack.”

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For more information about physical therapy and how it can help restore motion and mobility and enhance quality of life, go to www.moveforwardny.com.

Physical therapists are highly trained clinicians and over 75 percent have a doctor of physical therapy degree.