Finding Relief from Tension Headaches

If you are someone who has suffered from tension headaches you're going to want to read up to some brand new research which showcases natural and conservative ways for you to find relief and improve your quality of life. 

Over 90% of all headaches are classified as tension-type headaches, and they impact millions upon millions of people worldwide. Quite often a combination of ergonomics, a long time commuting in the car,  long days at the computer, stress, and gravity contribute to tension headaches. And they can be truly debilitating. 

But brand new research from the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine showed a combination of chiropractic adjustments, and pressure points can improve your quality of life. This research paper was titled, "Do manual therapy techniques have a positive effect on quality of life in people with tension headaches: a randomized controlled trial". A randomized controlled trial is the top tier of research. 

These researchers found that a combination of adjustments, or spinal manipulation, and pressure points right under the base of the skull provided dramatic improvement for people suffering from tension headaches. 

Previous research has showcased how chiropractic care adjustments can provide a decrease in pain associated with tension headaches, a decrease in frequency of those headaches, and a decrease in intensity when they come on. 

So, these are all things to consider when you are thinking about natural conservative ways to stay well and find relief from tension based headaches.

How to Use Instagram Stories as a Chiropractor

Here is a quick tip on how you can use Instagram stories to market your chiropractic practice. 

Instagram stories allow you to showcase your practice, reduce fear, and inspire action!. Let's face it. Going to a new doctor is nerve-racking. Not knowing the doctors, the staff, the diagnosis or treatment is scary.  And that fear can cause in-action. Thankfully, Instagram stories are the perfect tool to reduce this fear.  

Walking through the front door of a new doctors office is intimidating. So showing off what's behind your front door is a great way that you can reduce fears and increase the likelihood that somebody will call you when they are in need.  A great way to do that is with Instagram stories- you can simply go to Instagram, and at the top, you will see "stories." The first icon in the row will be you, and there will be a little plus there. You simply click that, and it brings you to a beautiful screen where you can take a picture, or even shoot a short video.

You can do all of that with Instagram stories. If you're shy about being on camera or you're a little unsure of yourself, don't hesitate to point the camera away and give a first-person point of view tour of your office.  You could tour a treatment room or interview a front desk staff member to get people engaged and exposed to what goes on behind the scenes of your office. Make them feel more comfortable, and they are much more likely to ask you to be their chiropractor! 

Instagram for Chiropractors: A Quick Tip to Get Started

How's it going? I wanted to give you a quick two-minute tip on how you can use Instagram to start new conversations with people in your community other businesses as well. 

Are you using Instagram yet? If not, you should be. Instagram has hundreds of millions of users, and many fall into the exact demographic that utilizes chiropractic care. It is great because you can search people close by (to your location) and start conversations with them. So here's a quick way to do that. 

First, open up Instagram, and you will see a magnifying glass at the bottom. Click on that. It brings up a screen that says "search." You click search. Guess what it now says at the top? It says "near a current location." Click that near a current location tab, and it is going to bring up a variety of locations and businesses. Hopefully, your practice is right there or perhaps its the place you are grabbing lunch. Well, here comes the magic.

Click on the location where you are at, and lo and behold what happens? Instagram gives you a map of top posts and most recent posts directly arranged as a perfectly curated feed. 

It's called geotargeting when you find people based on their location. And it's an absolute gold mine of people in your community. If you're searching the right places (the gym, a healthy local restaurant) and finding a feed of people who are posting pictures at that exact location. Now it's time to simply comment and engage with them. You will notice that your followers start to go up as you engage- which gives you a greater ability to tell your chiropractic story. Showcasing the healthy lifestyle that you advocate for your community and inspiring people to take action with their health and wellness. 

So there it is- a quick, practical tip to use Instagram to get more eyes on your practice so you can tell your story with more impact. 

Before You Reach for That Bottle of Pills, Reach for New Research from The Lancet

If you have back pain, you may not want to reach for that bottle of pills. Brand new research from one of the oldest and most respected medical journals, the Lancet, has showcased that mediations, injections, and surgery should be your last options when dealing with back pain. 

They also discussed that a collaborative approach to care, between medical doctors and chiropractors, just might be the future of back pain relief. 

The Lancet showcased that collaborative care model is best when dealing with back pain. Back pain is one of the most significant burdens on people worldwide with over half a billion people suffering at any given time. But here is the really interesting part of their research0 they point out that many of the common practices like medications, injections, and even surgery should not be your first option when dealing with back pain. As a matter of fact, they go on to say that there has historically been a massive gap between what the evidence shows to be effective care and the actual care given in many medical doctors offices today.

Conservative collaborative care, including the care given by chiropractors, is the best place to start. 

Chiropractors were also involved in the publication and the research behind these groundbreaking papers. So, it is a fantastic day when collaborative conservative care comes to the forefront and medications, injections, and surgery go to only those who need it (which thankfully is only a tiny percentage of the people).

So if you know someone who has suffered from back pain, please keep in mind that a collaborative approach to care is best. Staying conservative with exercise, perhaps seeing a chiropractor, staying as active as possible, and maintaining a positive outlook is crucial to recovering and thriving after a bout of low back pain. 

Learn more about this exciting research on The Evidence Based Chiropractor Podcast. 

Building Your Chiropractic Brand on Social Media

Building your brand with social media. These days is crucial to market your chiropractic practice online. I want to offer two tactical tips for you to grow your practice in 2018 by building your brand on social media. 

Also, you can check out the long-form portion of this in the latest issue of Chiropractic Economics. 

Number one- every time that you are out in your community focus on highlighting somebody else's business. So take out your smartphone. Take a picture when you are eating lunch at a healthy local shop, when you're grabbing groceries at Whole Foods, etc. Start to showcase other people's businesses by tagging them in your photos on Instagram and Facebook. I can guarantee that they will then share that content with their audience. 

Tactical tip number two is to interview other business owners in your community. A yoga studio, a pilates studio, perhaps even a physical therapist or another healthcare professional. Reach out and start to schedule interviews with them that you can stream on Facebook Live. Or if you're uncomfortable on camera, simply use the audio and post it as a podcast or blog.

It will help you build your brand (and goodwill) in your community. You will be able to get more eyes on your content and also help you make relationships to get more patients exposed to your practice and your clinic. There you have it! Two tactical tips to build your brand on social media.