October 2026 Healthy News from Apple Country Chiropractic: Chiropractic Joins the Healthcare Team and Encourages Motion
CHIROPRACTIC'S ROLE GROWS IN INTEGRATIVE CARE SETTINGS
If you have ever asked yourself whether your other healthcare providers and your chiropractor are working from the same playbook, recent research offers welcome news: more often than ever, they are. In a survey of primary care clinicians and patients with chronic low back pain at a Veterans Affairs health system, 75% of the clinicians reported they recommend chiropractic care for chronic pain, and 71% of the patients had used it, making chiropractic the most frequently used integrative therapy in the group. (1) Chiropractic also ranked among the top three therapies that both clinicians and patients most wanted to have available, yet close to half of the patients said they had never received information about choices like these, which shows people are interested and the conversation simply needs to happen more often. A second paper helps explain why chiropractic fits so naturally into a team approach. Drawing on workshops with 105 chiropractic educators, researchers, practitioners, students and leaders, Maiers and colleagues describe how the profession fits with "whole health," a growing movement in health care that considers the whole person, including physical, mental and social well-being, instead of a single symptom. They identify qualities Apple Country Chiropractic patients will find familiar: care shaped by your own goals, starting with the most conservative options first, support for healthy movement and lifestyle habits, and long-term relationships that shift the message from depending on a doctor to "you've got this." (2) For you, that means choosing chiropractic care is fully in step with where health care is heading: toward teamwork, prevention and treating you as a whole person.
CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: STAY IN MOTION
This month's tip could not be simpler: move a little more, every day. Researchers in Switzerland calculated that too little physical activity accounts for about 2% of that country's total burden of disease, with depression and low back pain topping the list for years lived with disability, and heart disease and dementia leading the years of life lost. (3) An earlier Swiss study found the per-person burden of inactivity was about twice as high in the French- and Italian-speaking regions as in the German-speaking region, a reminder that the habits and culture around us affect how much we move. (4) Encouragingly, the goal is doable: the 150 minutes of moderate activity a week used as the benchmark in the 2026 study works out to just over 20 minutes a day. So make movement part of your own daily routine this October: take a lively walk around your neighborhood, park a little farther from the door, stand up and stretch every hour, and ask a friend or family member along so the habit lasts.
LISTEN IN, THEN COME SEE US
Consider the thought that “it's just walking,” until you can't. We invite you to listen to Episode 169 of The Back Doctors Podcast, where Dr. Ted Magnuson tells the story of a patient who was in a wheelchair, underwent care with a chiropractor who is certified in Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management, and returned to walking. Motion is life, life is motion. After listening, put this month's research to work for you! If pain or stiffness is holding you back from moving the way you want to, contact Apple Country Chiropractic in Williamson today to set up your next visit, and pass this newsletter along to a friend or family member who could use the encouragement. We look forward to seeing you soon!