October 2026 Healthy News from Connected Chiropractic: Chiropractic Joins the Healthcare Team and Encourages Motion
CHIROPRACTIC'S ROLE GROWS IN INTEGRATIVE CARE SETTINGS
If you have ever questioned whether your other healthcare providers and your chiropractor are in agreement, new research offers reassuring 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 indicated they recommend chiropractic care for chronic pain, and 71% of the patients had turned to it, making chiropractic the most widely used integrative therapy in the group. (1) Chiropractic also ranked among the top three therapies that both clinicians and patients most wanted access to, yet nearly half of the patients said they had never received information about therapies like these, which tells us people are interested and the conversation just needs to happen more often. A second paper sheds light on why chiropractic belongs so naturally on the healthcare team. Drawing on workshops with 105 chiropractic educators, researchers, practitioners, students and leaders, Maiers and colleagues describe how the profession lines up with "whole health," a growing movement in health care that looks at the whole person, including physical, mental and social well-being, instead of a single symptom. They highlight qualities Connected Chiropractic patients will recognize: care centered on your own goals, starting with the most conservative options first, support for healthy movement and lifestyle habits, and lasting 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: MOVE A LITTLE MORE
This month's tip is a simple one: 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 at the top of the list for years lived with disability, and heart disease and dementia leading the years of life lost. (3) An earlier Swiss study reported 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 clue that the habits and culture around us shape 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 culture this October: take a lively walk through the fall leaves, park a little farther from the door, stand up and stretch every hour, and bring a friend or family member along so the habit takes hold.
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 Connected Chiropractic in Elgin today to book your next visit, and pass this newsletter along to a friend or family member who could use the nudge. We look forward to seeing you soon!