October 2026 Healthy News from Johnson Chiropractic: Chiropractic Joins the Healthcare Team and Encourages Motion

CHIROPRACTIC'S ROLE GROWS IN INTEGRATIVE CARE SETTINGS

If you have ever wondered whether your other healthcare providers and your chiropractor are working from the same playbook, fresh 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 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 almost half of the patients said they had never received information about choices like these, which suggests the interest is there 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 rising movement in health care that looks at the whole person, including physical, mental and social well-being, instead of a single symptom. They identify qualities Johnson 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 long-term relationships that shift the message from depending on a doctor to "you've got this." (2) In practical terms, that means choosing chiropractic care is well aligned with where health care is heading: toward teamwork, prevention and treating you as a whole person.

CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: STAY IN MOTION

Here is this month's tip in six words: move a little more, every day. Researchers in Switzerland estimated 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 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 sign that the habits and culture around us affect how much we move. (4) The good news is that the goal is within reach: 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 rhythm this October: take a brisk walk through the fall leaves, 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 shares 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 keeping you from moving the way you want to, contact Johnson Chiropractic in Richmond today to set up your next visit, and share this newsletter with a friend or family member who could use the motivation. We can't wait to see you!