Which do you think is healthier: BUTTER or BREAD? It's not a trick question but the answer may surprise you. High fat or high carbs? Does it matter if the bread is whole grain or the butter is organic? What if it's a buttery spread?

Our patients who have been taught to avoid inflammatory foods will know the answer. Carbohydrates turn straight into sugar in the body which increases inflammation throughout your system. Processed fats (like fake buttery spreads) can also increase inflammation in the body. However real butter tends to have a limited inflammatory effect compared to bread which spikes blood sugar and inflammation. Organic butter is even better, but organic bread is still high in inflammatory carbs. Multiple studies have now confirmed that saturated fats like those found in butter are NOT related to heart disease, but sugars and processed grains are. Improve your health by limiting the bread.

Military.com reported on a recently published report on a study of chiropractic care in the military. 

"The $7.5 million study was ordered under the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on Oct. 28, 2009. According to the report released Sept. 6, the trials showed some positive results."

A series of clinical trials examined whether chiropractic care reduced back pain and improved fitness compared to military personnel not receiving chiropractic care. The studies showed reduced back pain, increased strength, and improved endurance in those that received chiropractic care. The non-chiropractic group comparatively lost strength and endurance during the studies.

"'Based on the results, the investigators concluded that chiropractic care improves key fitness characteristics among active-duty service members with lower back pain and could lead to improved military readiness in such individuals,' the report notes."

The study confirms prior military research that demonstrated improved outcomes, improved readiness, and lower costs with chiropractic care compared to standard medical care for the military. Even with proven effectiveness and a survey by Blue Star Families demonstrating desire to access chiropractic care, the Military.com article notes continued restrictions limit availability of chiropractic services, especially for military dependents and retirees.

It's time our military, retirees, and their families had full access to the benefits of chiropractic care. Contact your congressman to ask for action.

"Canton Mayor Thomas Bernabei has joined other leaders around the country in proclaiming September as Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness Month, and a new bipartisan bill introduced to Congress signals a change in pain management that could help accelerate an end to our national opioid epidemic.

While state and local governments pursue legal efforts to hold prescription opioid makers and distributors accountable for their role in fostering opioid addiction, communities continue to work hard to reverse the numbers of drug overdose deaths. Stark County has benefited from the collaborative efforts of Stark County Opiate Task Force members.

Our community has had some success at preventing deaths from opioid overdoses through more widespread use of Naloxone, increased opioid addiction treatment and education efforts. Between the years 2006 and 2012, there were 119,481,839 prescription pain pills flooding Stark County, enough for 45 pills per person per year. As of 2017, 191 million opioid prescriptions were still written in the U.S.; six times the number written in 1999. Pulling our community out of that hole will take a continued comprehensive effort.

Another important part of the solution recommended by modern pain treatment guidelines is the increased use of evidence-based, drug-free treatments to address painful conditions. Drug-free treatments like spinal manipulation, acupuncture and physiotherapies utilized first can prevent or reduce opioid reliance. Changing how we treat pain has the potential to not only reduce deaths, but also to prevent overdoses and addiction from starting."

Read more in the article about supporting changes in Medicare that could save lives and dollars.