22 I Winter 2019 www.anjc.info [ CONTINUED ON PAGE 27 ] NYCC’s Long Island Symposium Addresses Women’s Health Issues New York Chiropractic College’s (NYCC) Postgraduate and Continuing Education department and its outpatient health center, located in Levittown, Long Island, NY, recently hosted an educational symposium and health fair for and about women, the “Women’s Health Symposium on Natural Healthcare.” This event, which grew out of the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2020 objectives, focused in particular on how natural healthcare can positively impact the major health issues facing women and girls in our country today. This well-attended event began with an educational symposium, open to the public and practicing professionals alike, during which attendees learned about spinal health, acupuncture, nutrition, and behavioral health. The symposium included lectures from NYCC faculty members and a lunch panel question-and-answer session with a specific focus on problem prevention and positive behavioral enhancement. The visiting public then moved on to the health fair, which featured 10 different interactive stations providing hands-on demonstrations of issues specifically related to women’s health. For example, studies show that women are more likely than men to die as a result of falls, so one interactive station shared fall prevention activities. Also during the health fair, NYCC student clerks and clinicians offered digital posture screenings and Foot Levelers orthotic scans. The Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) hosted a table with information on Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, and the New York College of Health Professions provided free, 10-minute chair massages. Practicing professionals from New York, New Jersey, and surrounding areas; faculty clinicians from NYCC; and chiropractic student clerks were able to take advantage of continuing education offerings, as well as assist members of the public with exercises designed for dynamic, impactful, hands-on learning. As a final step of this exciting and successful event, health symposium organizers will survey attendees to discover any evolution in the way clinicians approach the identified health issues with their patients and whether the women and girls who attended are able to make lifestyle changes that positively influence their health. New York Chiropractic College emphasizes an evidence- based, scientifically sound approach to natural healthcare education. The College’s Levittown-based Postgraduate and Continuing Education department offers ongoing CE credits and opportunities throughout the year for professionals to stay abreast of the latest developments. One of the newest learning opportunities is the Licensed Clinical Assistant (LCA) program, offered through NYCC in partnership with the ANJC. This first-of-its-kind program enables chiropractic assistants practicing in New Jersey to obtain the licensure required for medical billing and top quality, professionally certified care. For more information about this and other programs, visit https://www.nyccpostgrad.com/. Opioid Use and Sports Injuries A recent University of Michigan study found that 21 percent of male athletes and 14 percent of female athletes will suffer a sports-related injury in any given year. It also concluded that athletes are twice as likely to be prescribed opioid painkillers and four times more likely to abuse the pills than non-athletes. Unnecessary use of opioid painkillers to treat athletic injuries could lead to increased dependence, abuse and addiction. In fact, a New York University study found, “three-quarters of high school heroin users started with a prescription opioid.” To treat the pain from injuries, doctors prescribe opioid painkillers. Obligingly, the patient follows doctor’s orders. The secret snare of opioid addiction lives somewhere between the start and end of a prescription. Perhaps since the pain has been reduced, a patient decides to skip a dose. Not having once taken more than prescribed the patient is horrified to discover the instant appearance of withdrawal symptoms. Back in severe pain, they continue taking the drug as prescribed. The patient notices that the drugs aren’t treating the pain as well as they used to. Also noticeable is how difficult it is to get through the day without the painkillers. Opioid addiction doesn’t have to start with abuse. Often, abuse stems from the need to relieve pain, and in some cases can then lead to cheaper “street” alternatives such as heroin. In 2012, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 million adults abused prescription painkillers. Drugs like Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Vicodin are opiate drugs. Each contains a synthetic version of morphine which is derived from the opium plant. Opiate drugs stimulate naturally occurring OUR HEALTH