I feel obliged to pass along information from Health Canada on the ongoing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) problem. According to health officials, the risk of developing SARS is low for most Canadians. There is no reason to panic, however it is prudent to recognize the symptoms and know what steps to take if needed.

Starting April 1, airport authorities will place health alert notices and posters outlining the symptoms of SARS in highly visible places. The notices advise people to postpone travel if they:

• Are experiencing SARS-related symptoms OR
• Have been in contact with a SARS-affected person in the last 10 days OR
• Have visited a health facility identified as affected by SARS

Passengers on incoming flights from Asia will be asked to provide contact information for the next 14 days, which will allow Health Canada to contact them if necessary.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the following are symptoms of possible SARS:

• A fever over 38 C AND
• Cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing AND
• Close contact with someone diagnosed with SARS or a history of travel to affected areas, including Toronto, Vancouver, Guangdong province in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam.

For those of you returning from an overseas trip to any of the following noted areas in Asia, there is now a self-imposed quarantine of a minimum of 10 days. The respiratory symptoms appear two to seven days after exposure.

*** If you have any doubts at all, please call and talk to your family physician before going into the clinic. You may also call the clinic and talk to me. Try to minimize the exposure risk to the other patients and the clinic by calling and talking to your healthcare provider first. If it is determined that you are a suspected SARS case, you will then be directed to present yourself to designated SARS testing facilities in the lower mainland that is specially set up to handle suspected SARS cases. In the meantime, keep your immune systems strong, take your vitamins and keep healthy. If you don't feel well, and am not sure if you should keep you chiropractic appointment, please call first before showing up.

Heat or Ice? This is probably the most common question I encounter everyday at the practice. Patients seem to get conflicting advice on which one to apply. There is really a very simple rule-of-thumb to follow and why. If you follow this basic rule, you'll find that the healing process is a much faster and a pain-free one. Find out more in the "Research News".

Madeleine Patton is back this issue on what to do when you are involved in a motor vehicle accident. Most of us are not quite sure what appropriate steps we should take and will end up allowing ICBC to resolve the issue for us. Like anything else, an informed decision is the better decision. Are you sure you have the best possible health care results when you accept a settlement? Are there any other soft tissue injuries that need to be treated in the future? Questions like these should be considered when you are dealing with ICBC. Madeleine Patton, a lawyer and patient at Bayside has offered a ½ hour consultation with no charge to those of you seeking legal advice if you are currently dealing with ICBC or have legal questions concerning a family matter. See what Madeleine has to tell you in the "Professional Advisor" section.

Katrina Lewis has contributed a great article this month on setting your own personal fitness-training program with the POLAR Heart Rate Monitor. It acts as your own personal fitness trainer and motivates you to train regularly. She also talks about the proper calorie management through diet and exercise. Find out more in the "Professional Advisor" section.

There is a contest this month. I have probably told some of you to include your workouts and stretches with an exercise ball. I think workouts with the ball are far superior in results to some gym workouts. You can do all of them at home as well. Write or ask me more about ball workouts if you are interested. To enter, all you have to do is click onto the link below and email me your name and telephone#. The winner will be picked at random on April 25th. Only one entry per email address. Good luck!

Click Here to Enter The Contest!

To your health!

Dr. Andrew Chin.

A common confusion is whether to use Heat or Ice when an injury occurs. I am asked this question almost everyday in practice. There really is a simple answer to this if you understand what either of these two elements will do.

Ice

Ice initially constricts local blood vessels and decreases tissue temperature. Ice will:

1. decrease swelling
2. decrease tissue damage
3. decrease inflammation
4. decrease muscle spasm
5. decrease pain
6. speed nutrients to the area
7. promote healing

I recommend use of cold treatment in cases of acute injuries. Acute injuries can be defined as an injury that has just occurred within the first 24 to 48 hours. The most common of these are sprains and strains. You will find an appreciable relief to the injured area on regular application of ice of the next 1 - 3 days.

There are three methods to applying ice. The rule of thumb is to apply ice for about 20 minutes on, and 20 to 40 minutes off. Then repeat until the symptoms of pain and inflammation is reduced. You do not need to ice longer than 2-3 days.

I recommend the following which is provided to patients or Kaiser Permanente Health Organization:

Heat:

Heat dilates or expands local blood vessels to bring blood to the treated area.

The use of heat produces two reactions in your body:

1. Relaxation of tight muscles (spasm), relief of pain and soreness, especially prior to exercising.
2. Increasing local circulation to promote healing of inflamed tissue, i.e., muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and other soft tissue.

Remember, always ICE an injured area first! Heat may be used 48 hours after the initial injury. It is best utilized in chronic muscular discomfort or when the pain is dull and low grade and the muscles are generally tight. Use moist heat, not dry heat. Moist heat packs are made for home use. These desirable reactions take place due to reflex action in the first 20 to 30 minutes of heat application. Prolonged heat past this point may be harmful and produce the opposite reaction, i.e., tightening of muscle and decrease in circulation. Allow 1 hour or more between each heat or ice application.

Moist heat is usually more beneficial than dry heat. The rule-of- thumb for heat application is 15-20 minutes at a time every two to three hours. I recommend one or any combination of the following forms of moist heat:

• Warm showers or tub baths.
• A damp, warm cloth placed against the skin with a covering of thin plastic material (cleaner bag, vegetable bag, etc.). Place an electric heating pad over this. Be sure that the electric heating pad is protected from the wet cloth.
• A damp, warm cloth under a hot water bottle.
• The purchase of Hydrocollator moist heat packs from any hospital or surgical supply store. Be sure to check your skin before and after heat or ice packs.

Contraindications to using Heat:

Do not use heat if infection is present.
Do not use heat if skin is broken, blistered, or if a rash is present.
Do not use heat if you have a medical condition like heat stroke or Eczema.

*** If you have any questions, ask me or your doctor. If any of the aforementioned procedures aggravate your condition, stop. If applied correctly, heat and cold can help you quickly recover from an injury. Learn to use them correctly - improper use will only make your injury worse.

WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU ARE INJURED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT?

Following a motor vehicle accident, you are required to immediately notify the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia of a potential claim so that benefits that may become due to you, including medical expenses and lost wages, are put into place. If you do not notify the Corporation, these benefits could be denied at a later date. Other than your initial telephone call to report the motor vehicle accident, it is not advisable that you talk to any representative from ICBC, without first consulting a lawyer, who will inform you of your legal rights.

In British Columbia, the limitation period for commencing litigation proceedings for a motor vehicle accident injury is two years from the date of the motor vehicle accident. Do not feel that you must settle your claim within the first few months of the motor vehicle accident although it may be tempting to settle your claim when the adjuster offers a lump sum settlement in the early stages. However, it is very important that ask yourself whether the settlement offered will adequately cover your future medical treatment and whether it will properly compensate you for your pain and suffering, loss of quality of life and/or past and future earnings.

It is imperative that you see your treating practitioners immediately after the motor vehicle accident and that you follow up with your medical care on a regular basis. Non-compliance with the recommendations of your treating practitioners and lack of regular visits with your treating practitioners may prejudice your case.

You have a right to recover for damages that have taken place. For a free initial consultation with Madeleine Patton, please call 603-682-2200 (ext. 2) to discuss your claim in further detail.

Madeleine Patton
madpat@madpatlaw.com
604-682-2200 (ext. 2)

What is OwnZone?

The OwnZone is your personal training zone that will yield the best exercise results. This training zone corresponds to 65%-85% of your maximum heart rate that you can achieve for that day. If your tired or stressed, you will not be able to get your heart rate up to the same level as you would when you are fully rested. This means that according to your daily condition, this optimum training zone will vary from day to day. The Polar M-Series units are the only heart rate monitors that can read your body and provide you with the right intensity zone for each day's exercise. So with OwnZone, you can always count on getting the most effective workout possible.

Why OwnZone training?

Training in your OwnZone has a number of advantages. Namely, the improvement of your health and fitness, controlled weight loss and the reduction of stress and risk of injury.

Reach your ideal weight with OwnZone!

It's not a secret that a sensible reduction of weight can only be achieved with a balance of diet and exercise. Calories in must be monitored, but just as important is the calories that you expend. With the common diets of today, many times all you lose is water weight, or the diet is not something that you can live on for a long period of time. The focus is on calories in only, and the calories expended through exercise are overlooked. It takes effective exercise to reach your goal.

The more fit you are, the more efficient you will burn fat. OwnZone based exercise will help improve your fitness and help build an efficient calorie-burning machine. It will pace you to exercise long enough so you can get the optimum calorie expenditure, and it provides the motivation that comes with knowing that you are exercising the right way. All this without the discomfort that many people associate with traditional exercise programs.

Reference: Polar "Train Smarter Not Harder" Pamphlet

Where can I use the Polar Heart Rate Monitor?

The Polar Heart Rate Monitor can be used for any activity that requires you to move your body. Some examples are:

The simple, hassle free way to exercise!!!

Contact us: 604.825.7555, Katrina@KatchLife.com
or the Bayside Chiropractic front desk.