Universal Health Care's Best Services

Universal Health specialises in providing leading edge services and products within the chiropractic and natural medicine field.

Your Universal Health practitioner is highly trained to provide a wide spectrum of therapies. You have a unique body, lifestyle and situation. We take time to understand you, your circumstances and the physical environment that you live in. These are all then considered for a total focus on your health. The wide range of therapies enables your practitioner to select a program specifically for you, using only those techniques that benefit you.

Your practitioner looks for the cause of illness rather than treating the effect or symptoms, thus treating the whole person, including physical, chemical and emotional factors, in an environment which encourages trust, development, achievement and harmony.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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About Medical Herbalism And Their Benefits

Medical Herbalism is a sophisticated system of natural medicine using plant extracts and herbs to help treat physical and mental disorders. It is the oldest system of medicine in the world. Some of the very plants used today were dispensed by the father of medicine, Hippocrates. Many common drugs today are made from herbal extracts. Unlike conventional medicine, herbalists use the whole herb or plant rather than isolating and breaking down chemical compounds and then synthesising them. This is because the plant, being a part of Nature, is said to represent perfect balance; healing requires the natural combination of elements in the plant or herb, not just a single chemical within it.

The Benefits:-

Herbal Medicine will create deep and lasting health improvements in a safe, gentle but effective way; working with your body's own innate healing capacities. It is safe for everyone from the very young to the elderly.Improvements in both chronic and acute conditions such as joint problems, skin disorders such as psoriasis, acne and eczema, allergies, infections, high blood pressure, circulatory problems including varicose veins and ulcers, gynaecological complaints, stress, insomnia, migraine and IBS are just a few examples.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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Benefits of Sports Medicine

Sports Medicine encompasses the medical care and welfare of the exercising population. This ranges from planning rehabilitation for patients after surgery to the medical support of world class athletes. Sports Medicine draws on many modalities including, clinical medicine, orthopaedics, exercise physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, physical therapy, athletic training, massage therapy & sports nutrition, to ensure the best results in the diagnosis and management of problems related to sports and exercise.

Sports Medicine is suitable for you at any level of fitness or recovery, it is suitable for children, the elderly, as well as elite athletes. Our whole idea is to rehabilitate you as quickly as possible as well as give you tips to lessen the chance of re-injury. Your Rehabilitation Program will improve acute problems such as achilles tendonitis, sprains and brakes, hamstring injuries, knee and joint problems as well as provide you with a long term management program to minimise future injury. At Universal Health, our focus is to optimise performance for people at all levels of activity.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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Paediatric Chiropactic

Chiropractic care for children can have dramatic results. A child's developing spine protects the nervous system, which coordinates every process between the mind and body. Birth is one of the most traumatic events that we will ever have to endure, and can cause the vertebrae in the spine and the bones of the skull to become misaligned. A child's spine continues to receive the daily stresses and traumas of life as they grow. These forces distort the positioning of the spine and may cause slight pressure on the spinal cord, thus reducing the flow of communication between the mind and the body. These misalignments,known as subluxations, alter how well the nervous system functions and thus how well your child's mind and body function develops.

 
The Benefits:-
Paediatric chiropractic improves common childhood symptoms of colic, asthma, and ear infections. Spinal misalignments or abnormalities such as scoliosis can be detected at a very early age thus minimising future problems. Children generally sleep better, so parents can too.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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Pilot Study of Neuro Emotional Technique for Low Back Pain

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and to test the procedures of the proposed RCT for the management of chronic low back pain. Procedures include the recruitment of participants, attainment of assessment data, refinement of treatment and sham protocols.

Relevance: Low back pain is the most common presentation to chiropractic practitioners [1]. Pain is defined as “the unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential damage or expressed in terms of such damage [2]. Recent evidence suggests that much chronic LBP is associated with physical and psychosocial components [3]. The biopsychosocial model of pain acknowledges the biological, psychological and social dimensions of the pain experience [4]. The emerging importance of such a model in chiropractic has previously been discussed [5]. This model recognizes amongst other variables that disability often results from an inability to perform activities due to the pain, or due to the fear of future pain. Disability is therefore a function of the pain and a response to it. The consequences of avoiding pain, and pain inducing activities, have been demonstrated to be deleterious [6]. Fear avoidance results in decreased social contact and causes a loss of roles in the family and the community and may lead to invalid status [7].

The mind-body approach attempts to integrate the psychosocial dimensions of the person into therapy. It essentially makes the process more active (with patient participation) rather than relying on the totally passive (doctor based) approaches of pharmacological medicine, surgery or manual therapy. The move toward a more active model of care has been brought about by the knowledge that the predictors of chronicity include: lack of exercise, invalid mentality, prolonged rest, litigation, workers compensation and other reward systems, poor life expectations, relationship difficulties, and poor work satisfaction amongst others [8].

Some forms of manual medicine have begun an exploration of some “mind-body” treatments in the attempt to integrate the function of the mind with the body in both assessment and therapy. Despite these lofty goals, very few of these treatments have been scrutinized under controlled conditions. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that a mind-body approach, identified as Neuro Emotional Technique, may be beneficial in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Methods:

Participants: Seventeen participants were recruited via print media. They rang a research office mobile number, and underwent a telephone screening protocol for eligibility into the study. Inclusion criteria included participants suffering from low back pain ≥ than three months and VAS score of ≥ 5. Exclusion criteria included: acute low back pain (<3 months duration); < 18 years of age; currently undergoing other manual therapy or psychological intervention; presence of “red flag” conditions; pregnancy; abdominal pain; vascular disease; motor vehicle accident or falls in last 3 months; neurological signs and symptoms; organic kidney, urinary tract or reproductive disease; straight leg raise of < 30o; previous spinal surgery; and  bowel, bladder or sexual dysfunction.

Upon inclusion into the study, participants were then randomised into a treatment or control group. Participants were allocated to either group, predetermined by random number generator. The participants were blinded to which group they were assigned, the assessors of data were blinded, however the therapists were not blinded to group allocation. This study received ethics approval, through Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Ethics approval number:-HE26SEPT2003-RO2600.

Outcome measures: Upon initial consultation, all participants completed a new patient questionnaire, as well as a written information and consent form. Scores for subjective outcome measures were obtained at baseline and at 1 month (after 8 treatments). Outcome measures assessed included visual analog scale (VAS), the Modified Somatic P erception Questionnaire (MSPQ) score of the Distress and Risk Assessment Method (DRAM), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Short Form McGill Pain Scale (SF-MPQ). Treatment (Neuro Emotional Technique)

Group: Participants who were assigned to the treatment group underwent a course of NET, as followed by the protocol outlined by Walker [9]. NET has been described as a 15 step, multi-modal intervention that incorporates principles of muscle testing, general semantics, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, the meridian system and chiropractic principles in its application to manage patients. A major goal of NET is to achieve a reversal (or extinction) of classically conditioned distressing emotional responses to trauma related stimuli, stimuli that have the characteristic ability to reproduce or augment pain and other signs of disease without the original tressor(s) being present. Treatment was prescribed at a frequency of 2 sessions per week for one month, followed by 1 session per month for 2 months.

Sham Group: Participants who were assigned to the control group underwent a sham protocol of NET. The participants were administered an enthusiastic treatment of muscle testing and semantic testing which did not pertain to any emotional complex. Treatment was prescribed at a frequency of 2 sessions per week for one month, followed by 1 session per month for 2 months.

Statistical Analysis: A repeated measures analysis with a power model for the correlation over time, obtained using GenStat using a Linear Mixed Model (Residual Maximum Likelihood). There is some evidence that the variance of score data was not constant in this pilot study. Unfortunately, the small numbers prevented an in-depth check on this potential problem. All analyses were performed in Microsoft Excel or in GenStat (Version 9).

Published by Peter Bablis , Assoc Prof Rod Bonello and Dr Henry Pollard 

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THE BVM MODEL: CHIROPRACTIC “PHILOSOPHY” BACK TO THE FUTURE

INTRODUCTION: The chiropractic profession manages a wide spectrum of conditions.

These conditions are primarily musculoskeletal conditions, but also include visceral and

sometimes psychoemotional based problems.

ARGUMENT: We speculate that the attachment of the profession to traditionally described

mechanisms to explain the anecdotal reports of success with non-musculoskeletal conditions

is problematic. Furthermore, additional evidence acknowledges the interactive role of the

viscera and the brain in the formation of many health conditions. Importantly, the traditional

mechanism cannot adequately explain these changes. Additional discussion highlights the

documented cause and effect of many functional disorders of the brain in many pain and

condition-based syndromes by a likely stress based mechanism manifesting through the

Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis of the brain. The biopsychosocial model of disease first

described by Engel and favoured by the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) has been

used to describe the scope of chiropractic in the etiology and management outcomes of

chiropractic treatment.

DISCUSSION: We have postulated a new model to explain the complete spectrum of

chiropractic approaches. The new model promotes the interrelationship of the Brain, Viscera

and Musculoskeletal structures and is referred to the BVM model. This model we feel better

explains the multimodal management strategies being rendered by chiropractic, CAM and

allopathic practitioners, and represents a “scientific” approach to some very traditional

concepts in chiropractic. These concepts include a neurologically based “above down inside

out” view of disease first postulated by Palmer. It is an inclusive model that explains the

musculoskeletal spine-only approach and non-musculoskeletal approaches present in the

profession.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF NEURO EMOTIONAL TECHNIQUE FOR CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN

INTRODUCTION: Chronic low-back pain (CLBP) is a complex, multi-factorial

phenomenon with physical and biopsychosocial components. The biopsychosocial model of

pain acknowledges the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of the pain

experience. Chiropractors have begun to embrace the concept of “mind–body” treatments and

attempt to integrate the function of the mind with the body in both assessment and therapy.

Very few “mind–body” treatments have been scrutinized under controlled conditions. The

objective of this study is to investigate if Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) can alter the

status of LBP in a group of chronic LBP patients, in a randomized controlled trial setting.

METHODS: 17 CLBP participants with 3 months pain duration were randomised into NET

treatment or NET sham protocol groups. Both groups were prescribed a frequency of 2

sessions/wk for 1 month. Outcome measures included the McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ),

a numerical pain rating scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability questionnaire (obtained at

baseline and at 1 month). This study received ethics approval: HE26SEPT2003-RO2600, and

is registered with the ANZCTR Registration number: ACTRN12607000650493

RESULTS: A strongly significant difference was detected between the two time profiles for

Oswestry scores (Exp: 1.9 SE 1.0, Control: 0.05, SE: 0.7); a significant difference was

detected between the two time profiles for the VAS Q1 (Exp: 2.6 SE 0.25, Control: 1.0,

SE:0.3), and between the two time profiles for the MSPQ scores (Exp: 3.4 SE 7.8, Control:

2.0., SE: 6.6); and a significant difference was almost detected between the two time profiles

for the SF-MPQ Q1 scores (Exp: 20 SE 26.5, Control: 2, SE: 0.36). Due to the small

numbers, this study was generally a low power study (30% for all measures except the

Oswestry which was 81%). The disability score especially demonstrated a large effect size

and provides evidence for a larger scale RCT.

CONCLUSION: The disability score demonstrated a large effect size due to NET treatment

and provides evidence for a larger scale RCT for chronic low back pain.

Published by Peter Bablis Henry Pollard, Rod Bonello Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

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