Author: rhrisak

I submitted the following letter to the editors of local newspapers on September 1, 2009.  Events over the past fours years have done nothing to convince me that the government has changed their approach to health care. While the debate on health care reform rages in Washington, D.C. and around the country, an important change…

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful because it allows us to see nerves, discs, and other soft tissues that are hard to visualize with plain X-rays.  However, it has its limitations:  It often shows “problems” where there are no “problems.”  Research has shown that 20-76% of people without symptoms show disc herniation on an MRI. …

Recently I wrote about the benefits of spinal manipulation in improving the body’s immune function.  What about the influenza vaccine?  The goal of vaccination is to stimulate the body’s immune system so that it is can resist a virus when exposed to it.  How well does the influenza vaccine work?  Writing in the New York…

The worst Influenza pandemic in the last 100 years occurred in 1918; an estimated 50-100 million people died worldwide.  However, reports from both chiropractic and osteopathic doctors indicate a much lower death rate for those patients who received spinal manipulation.  Charles Masarsky, D.C. states that the death rate for standard medical care was 5-6 percent,…

Several of my older patients have expressed concerns about falling.  A recent study in the journal Rheumatology examining the use of foot orthoses in elderly women reached the following conclusion:  “Foot orthoses were effective for improving balance and for reducing pain and disability in elderly women. Orthoses can be used as an adjuvant strategy to…

December 3rd is an important day for me because I opened my first office in Mount Jewett on this date in 1979.  Much has changed in the 33 years since that first day in practice.  Then I was a single man, fresh out of college and unaware of how much I still had to learn.…

I asked my web page designer to give me the option to share news and links with you.  He says that makes me a blogger–so welcome to my blog.  In the weeks and months ahead I hope to share helpful information with you.