Is It Safer to Drive Impaired By Marijuana or Alcohol?

Is It Safer to Drive Impaired By Marijuana Or Alcohol?

As my avid blog readers are already aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my clinic time treating patients who have been injured in Baltimore auto accidents. Typically these patients present with a constellation of symptoms inclusive of headaches, neck pain, back pain, radiating arm pain, and radiating leg pain. Recently I have seen an increase in the number of Baltimore auto accident injury patients presenting after having been involved in a motor vehicle collision with a drunk driver. I almost never see injury patients that have been injured as a result of a collision with a patient that is high on marijuana. So it made me wonder whether driving under the influence of one substance was “safer” than the other. As it turns out, research seems to indicate that it is less risky to drive while under the influence of marijuana as compared to alcohol. Now let me make one thing perfectly clear: the safest way to drive is clearly in a non-impaired state and not under the influence of any foreign substance. And I am in no way advocating that drivers choose to drive high or drunk. I am just taking a look at what statistics have shown about this subject because I found myself curious.

A 2011 collaborative study out of the University of Montana and the University of Colorado demonstrated that in states with legal medical marijuana, the number of traffic deaths have been reduced by almost 9 percent as compared to states where marijuana is not legal. This is about the same decrease in injury and death rate that was seen when the legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 several years ago.

Interestingly, there is no clear reason why there has been a decrease in the number of fatal auto accidents as a result of driving under the influence of marijuana. One supposition is that younger people, especially men, tend to choose consumption of marijuana over beer and alcohol in states where it is legal. The second consideration is that people who get high may stay at home and consume the foreign substance, as opposed to those who drink and need to drive to or from bars in order to do so. To be clear, no one knows exactly why this research seemed to indicate that it was “safer” to drive under the influence of marijuana as compared to alcohol, and it will be hard to figure out exactly why that it is the case.

Interestingly, statistics, when adjusted for factors such as age, race, and gender suggest that there’s little to no difference between driving stoned or sober when it comes to the risk of having a wreck according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Those who drive high tend to drive slower and focus on obeying traffic laws, whereas those who drive drunk tend to make worse decisions behind the wheel which leads to increased injury and crash risk.

Once again I feel the need to state that I am in no way advocating that anyone intentionally drives under the influence of any foreign substance such as alcohol or marijuana. My fiance and I drive these same roads with our friends and neighbors and we all need to do our part to drive safely to cut down on the risk of fatalities and injuries. It is always safer to call an uber, lyft, or taxi to help you get to where you are going than it is to drive under the influence of marijuana or alcohol.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore auto accident caused by a driver intoxicated by alcohol or marijuana please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help you begin the process of physical recovery.

Dr. Gulitz

Our New Clinic Is Open!

As my avid blog followers are aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my clinic time treating patients with headaches, neck pain and back pain in Baltimore. Typically these patients present for care after having been involved in a Baltimore auto accident, but that is certainly not always the case. For this blog post I decided that I want to share a bit of my professional history with everyone.

I began my career as a Chiropractor working for the Neck & Back Clinics in Las Vegas, NV. I worked as an associate chiropractor in that clinic for about three years and I have to say, I really enjoyed my experience there. I got to learn to see thousands of patients and I got to hone my clinical skills at a rate that far exceeded what I would have been able to do on my own in my own clinic. I also got to see “behind the curtain” as to how the clinic was owned and operated and I was intoxicated with it. However, in the three years that I worked there, I found myself not really enjoying the environment of Las Vegas. The weather was too warm, there was no baseball or football team to root for, and all of my family and friends were back on the east coast. I pledged to myself that I would move back to the east coast and find a city with a young and active population, great football, great baseball, and great healthcare for when I get older. I also wanted a community of an under-served hispanic population as I learned to speak Spanish. All across the board it became clear to me quickly that Baltimore would be my new home.

I moved to Baltimore in December of 2011 and quickly began scouting locations for my new clinic. I drove all around the city looking for good locations with great visibility and parking. I stumbled upon our current location at 2001 Eastern Avenue in Fells Point and I knew it was perfect the moment I saw it. I still remember the sign in the window “Will build to suit, call Vic” So I called Vic. I said “Vic, my name is Marc Gulitz. I am trying to open a Chiropractic clinic and I really like your space.” We met shortly thereafter and a deal was struck in less than thirty days. I still remember Vic asking me about my experience. He asked if I had ever owned my own business, or managed people, and I said no. But he believed in me because I believed in myself. Several months later the clinic was constructed and opened and we began serving the Baltimore community in Southeast Baltimore. The beginning was very slow as expected. I had no friends, no referral sources, and no history in the community. At the time there were two employees in the organization, me and a medical biller who has since been discharged. I remember my first patient who walked in the first day and I remember it like it was yesterday.

In the nearly four and a half years that followed my professional life has become a rocket ship. Each month the number of new patients we were able to help grew in the clinic. We just finished our best month ever in terms of new patients and total patient visits and we are pushing the edges on the number of patients that we can comfortably serve in Fells Point…So what better time to open a new clinic?

One of my many dreams has always been to own a series of clinics, not just one. The boss that I used to work for did that and I loved the pride that he had in building his infrastructure. When I asked him why he wanted to open so many clinics his response really resonated with me. He said that as much as he loves being a chiropractor and serving the population, he can help more people by opening more clinics than he can by his hands alone. And that response really stuck with me to the point where I agreed with him. If I can’t get another segment of the population to come to my clinic due to traffic pattern issues in Baltimore, then I owe it to the population of Baltimore to bring my brand of fast, casual, chiropractic care to them.

It is with great pride that I announce the grand opening of my second clinic, Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic in Northwest Baltimore starting tomorrow, Monday February 20, 2017. We are located on the corner of Park Heights Avenue and Fallstaff Road at 6810 Park Heights Avenue, Suite C4, Baltimore, MD 21215. We are going to provide the same great service at a new more accessible secondary location. We will still offer walk-in appointments, evening appointments, and digital x-rays on site. The phone number is the same that you’ve come to know over the years, 443-842-5500. Now we have a hosted phone system that can direct your telephone call to the office of your choice.

So if you are in Northwest Baltimore and are in need of chiropractic care for headaches, neck pain, or back pain, whether or not you have been involved in a Baltimore auto accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help you, as always!

Finally, I would like to say thank you to my fiance Kristin, my staff members, referral partners, doctors, lawyers, friends and family that have helped my dream continue to become a reality. There is no way we could have gotten here without everyone’s help and support.

Dr. Gulitz

Study Finds Millennials Atop List of Worst Drivers On The Road

As a Baltimore Chiropractor I spend the majority of my clinic time treating patients with headaches, neck pain, and back pain. My clinic has seen a sharp increase in the number of auto accident-related injuries as of late. Typically patients that have suffered Baltimore auto accident injuries present with acute post-traumatic headaches, neck pain with radiating arm pain, and occasionally, lower back pain with radiating leg pain. It is not unusual for someone to be sitting at a red light to get rear-ended at a high rate of speed. Some people are lucky enough to walk away from these auto accidents without injuries. Others are not as lucky and suffer a lot of pain and inconvenience in their lives as they attempt to rehab their injuries and return to their normal activities.

I find myself curious about cultural behaviors and how they impact the injuries and patients we see in my clinic. I came across an article from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. They conducted a survey to look at why the number of driving related fatalities reached over 35,000 in 2015, which reflected a 7 perfect increase year over year, the highest single year increase in nearly five decades. Many professionals suspect that distracted driving is largely to blame for this problem. Our Fells Point clinic is at the epicenter of young professional/millenial living. It comes as no surprise then, as a result, that we have been seeing a large uptick in the number of Baltimore auto accident related

The study found that drivers between the ages of 19-24 were most likely to behave in risky behaviors behind the wheel. They defined risky behaviors as speeding (greater than 10 mph over posted speed limits), running red lights, and texting/emailing while driving. The percentage of drivers per age group that participated in risky behavior are as follows

1. Drivers aged 19-24 (88.4 percent) [Millenials]
2. Drivers ages 25-39 (79.2 percent)
3. Drivers aged 40-59 (75.2 percent)
4. Drivers aged 16-18 (69.3 percent)
5. Drivers aged 75+ (69.1 percent)
6. Drivers aged 60-74 (67.3 percent)

Its interesting to note that even the “Safest” drivers participated in risky behaviors at a nearly 2/3 rate! That means for every car you drive past on the road 2 out of 3 of them are either likely to be speeding, running red lights, or texting while driving. Its no wonder why we are seeing such an alarming increase in the number of Baltimore auto accident injuries – no one is watching where they are driving!

The biggest take away from this study is that “some drivers ages 19-24 believe that their dangerous driving behavior is acceptable.” To me, its the same reason why people smoke cigarettes despite the fact that there are surgeon general warnings on the side of the package. Everyone understands that there is a risk but no one seems to think that the risk applies to them. We all think we are unique and special and that bad things only happen to other people. Unfortunately, this is not true and we all have to do our part to make the roads safer since we all share them.

What do you think of the results? Do you think they are accurate? Or what else do you think is causing the increase in number of auto accident injuries across the U.S. Feel free to comment below if you have some input.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore auto accident injury, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We now have two convenient locations in Baltimore City to help you recover from your injuries.

Dr. Gulitz

American College of Physicians Issues Guideline for Treating Nonradicular Low Back Pain

As my avid blog followers are already aware I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my clinic time treating Baltimore area residents with chiropractic care for headaches, neck pain, and back pain. If you read my last blog entry you’ll remember that we recently just opened our second clinic in Northwest Baltimore, on Park Heights Avenue. We are now offering the same great service that you’ve come to know and trust to the communities in northwest Baltimore, including Baltimore City, Pikesville, Mount Washington and Owings Mills.

Even though my time is spread thin with more attention being placed on the new northwest Baltimore clinic, I still take time to read about chiropractic and back pain in the news in order to share any pertinent information with my fans.

I recently came across a recommendation from the American College of Physician’s with regards to treatment of nonradicular low back pain. You can see their position on the matter by clicking this link here. Anecdotally, I suspect that about 50 percent of the patients that present to my two Baltimore chiropractic clinics are patients who present with nonradicular low back pain. To be nonradicular means that the back pain is local and does not involve nerve root irritation. To say it another way, this means that patients feel their lower back pain ONLY in their lower back and they do not have any associated numbness, tingling, or weakness down into their grown, thighs, buttocks, lower legs, or feet. Given how often my Chiropractic associates and I come across this physical presentation I wanted to know what the American College of Physician’s thought would be “best practice” to help reduce or eliminate back pain.

Their official policy was that patients with acute (less than 4 weeks duration) or subacute low back pain (4 to 12 weeks duration) should treat their conditions with “superficial heat, massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation.” While they do not come right out and recommend chiropractic care, they do state “physicians should remind their patients that any of the recommended physical therapies should be administered by providers with appropriate training.” Chiropractors are exactly the types of professionals that are trained in administering these remedies appropriately for low back pain patients.

For patients that have chronic lower back pain (greater than 12 weeks duration) or who have had inadequate response to non-drug therapy, patients should first consider NSAIDs as a first line of medicine to combat the pain, followed by tramadol. They then go on to state that “physicians should only consider opioids as an option in patients who have failed the aforementioned treatments and only if the potential benefits outweigh the risks for individual patients and after a discussion of known risks and realistic benefits with patients.”

For our patients and our providers this is wonderful news that the American College of Physicians guideline for treating low back pain is in line with what the majority of chiropractors across the country already knew and already perform. I suspect that this news will help to open the eyes of more physicians across Baltimore and the rest of the country to the benefits of chiropractic care for acute back pain episodes.

If you, or someone you know, has acute or subacute low back pain and you’ve been curious about trying chiropractic care for low back pain, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Daylight Savings – Time to Review Your Auto Insurance PIP Coverage

As a Baltimore Chiropractor I spend the majority of my clinic time treating injured patients in Baltimore with headaches, neck pain, and back pain. In about half of the instances these patients were injured in Baltimore auto accident car crashes. In the other half these are regular people such as you and me who woke up with a stiff neck or back and wanted some relief of their symptoms. I came across a scenario last week in my clinic that I thought warranted a further discussion so I figured I would make a blog entry about it here today. The issue involved a component of auto accident insurance in Maryland, called PIP.

As you may know, PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection. It is a form of no-fault insurance in Baltimore and the entire state of Maryland that pays for your medical care and lost wages following an auto accident, regardless of fault. So to be clear, if you hit a patch of ice and hit a wall or tree, your PIP coverage would pay for medical care and lost wages related to this injury. Likewise, if you were at a red light and got rear-ended and developed whiplash, headaches, and neck pain, the PIP coverage would pay for your care as well.

PIP is written in amounts of either $2,500, $5,000 or $10,000. All of this sounds great but there’s a catch. Under current Maryland law anyone who elects to purchase insurance must be offered PIP coverage, but can waive it entirely, and not pay for it. Typically those who waive PIP don’t even realize it until after they’ve had an accident and need the coverage. So what I am recommending is that my blog readers take 15 minutes and review their coverage now, before they are injured and before they ever need it.

When I was growing up, we used daylight savings time as “built in reminders” to change the batteries in our smoke alarms. As I got older I further used it as a reminder to ask my credit card companies for credit line increases every six months. Now that I am a professional chiropractor with two clinics in Baltimore (both southeast Baltimore in Fells Point and northwest Baltimore in Upper Park Heights) I see daylight savings as a “wake up call” to review auto insurance coverage. Rates change and benefits change all the time and there are tons of property and casualty insurance professionals who would be happy to review your auto policy and let you know what your levels of coverage are.

The thing I like best about PIP is how cheap it is to buy.  I carry the maximum amount of PIP at $10,000. I pay a total of 78 dollars a year(!) ($6.50 per month) for this invaluable coverage. I know I am paying hundreds of dollars of premium a month for health insurance that I barely use but given the population of Baltimore and the number of bad drivers out there I think spending $6.50 a month on 10,000 worth of coverage is well worth every penny. Heck, most people spend about $8 a month insuring a $300-400 dollar iPhone with Apple!

In spite of this, most people sadly still don’t know what PIP is, or if they carry it. The number one complaint I get from patients who have been involved in Baltimore auto accidents is they wish they had purchased more PIP before they had their accident.

My friend and auto accident personal injury attorney Ross Albers wrote a blog post about PIP and how it is important not to waive it for many of the same reasons I touch on.

So do yourselves a favor. Don’t be another patient that wishes they had taken 15 minutes to review their policies now. You’d be surprised how inexpensive it would be to purchase PIP or add on to a higher level of coverage. Those that have been involved in Baltimore auto accidents and know the financial ramifications of these crashes will attest that it is something they wished they would have done sooner.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a Baltimore auto accident with or without PIP coverage, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We now have two locations to better serve your needs.

Dr. Gulitz