As the body changes during pregnancy the head, spine and pelvis can become biomechanically stressed. Chiropractic care provides gentle and effective adjustments to relieve headaches, neck and back pain - all without medication.
This is especially important since a UCLA study found that the drug acetaminophen, if taken during pregnancy, has been associated with a higher risk in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. A specific postural and spinal evaluation combined with appropriate treatment can establish balance within the pregnant woman's pelvis. This helps reduce unwanted stress to the uterus in the supporting ligaments. For a healthier pregnancy more women are discovering that chiropractic care delivers.
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 Should 1/3 of adults be on cholesterol meds? The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recently issued new cholesterol guidelines that are estimated to double the number of American adults on statins (cholesterol lowering medications) from about 15% to 30%.
New Cholesterol guidelines would place 1/3 of adults on statins Dr. Neil Stone, who headed the cholesterol guideline panel, explained to reporters, "We're going to give statins to those who are the most likely to benefit." The guidelines increase the emphasis on factors like age, gender, race, and smoking rather than cholesterol levels. Trying to be more selective about the use of cholesterol medication sounds like a good idea, especially with increasing warnings about newly recognized risks over the past couple years. But when the plan results in doubling the number of American adults on cholesterol lowering medication (and those adults may not even have high cholesterol)...it seems like something went wrong. We're not the only ones wondering about the new guidelines. The AHA and ACC have taken considerable heat from doctors and researchers. Rita F. Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and the editor of JAMA Internal Medicine and John D. Abramson, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School and the author of “Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine,” noted flaws with these guidelines in a New York Times article: "[This would be good news for patients] if statins actually offered meaningful protection from our No. 1 killer, heart disease; if they helped people live longer or better; and if they had minimal adverse side effects. However, none of these are the case."  As part of National Chiropractic Health Month, we take a look at one the biggest issues affecting patient's ability to heal from injuries - delaying treatment.
The National Institute of Health notes pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Why do so many Americans experience chronic pain? It's common to wait after an injury to see if it will go away on its own, but waiting too long only makes it harder to bounce back. Research confirms that waiting more than 7 days to treat an injury increases your risk of chronic problems. But why? It's all about how the body heals from an injury: Initially, inflammation increases at the site of an injury. This means swelling, redness, warmth, and PAIN. Inflammation increases over 1-3 days, which explains why pain may not be immediate but can build after a day or two. Frequently, the pain and inflammation will start to reduced after a few days - this is where you can get in trouble... Within a week of injury, the body starts repairing soft tissues with fibriotic scar tissue. Picture normal muscles and soft tissues as nicely organized fibers lined up next to each other. Now picture scar tissue as a tangled nest of fibers trying to patch up a hole. Pain may be fairly well controlled at this point, but as scar tissue builds, increased stiffness and joint restrictions can develop. If scar tissue develops enough to restrict a full range of motion in a joint, it's only a matter of time before pain and inflammation return -- because the joint can't function correctly. Moral: Don't delay treatment more than one week or the risk of chronic problems increases Chiropractic treatment is key to not only reducing pain and inflammation, but also improving scar tissue function so your joints are moving correctly again. The key is healthy movement. Chiropractic adjustments help the scar tissue align and reorganize to be more similar to your body's normal healthy soft tissues. This reorganization process can take months, but chiropractic care tends to accelerate this natural response. Don't rely on pain as your only indicator of health. If you pay attention to how well your body is moving and functioning, you may be able to avoid the pain in the first place.  As part of National Chiropractic Health Month, we take a look at recent news and research that has highlighted the growing epidemic of prescription drug problems:
CNN's story, "Let’s End the Prescription Drug Death Epidemic," reported on the increasing injury and death from prescription medication as Americans consume 80% of the world's pain medication for less than 5% of the world's population. Harvard research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlighted increasing medical mismanagement of back pain as doctors continue to increase narcotic pain prescriptions and ignore medical guidelines that recommend safer, more effective options like chiropractic treatment. A national report on prescription drug abuse ranked Ohio as 12th Highest Drug Overdose Mortality Rate in the US, with most deaths coming from prescription medications. "Fifty Americans die a day from prescription drug overdoses, and more than 6 million suffer from prescription drug abuse disorders. This is a very real epidemic - and warrants a strong public health response," said Andrea Gielen, ScD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. What's Going On?  October is National Chiropractic Health Month. Discover how to improve your health with chiropractic care. Joints are critical to all movement and allow us to carry out normal activities of daily living. Some 150 million to 200 million cases of back pain send people to the doctor every year—and many of those are related to joint injuries. The bones that make up the joint allow movement, but it is the muscles that pull the bones that produce the movement. Use it or Lose it The movements that you perform on a daily basis are critical to long-term joint health, as are proper nutrition, a healthy exercise regimen, and a healthy lifestyle. Moving a joint through its full range of motion serves several important purposes. Joints are not supplied directly with blood as are other organs within the body, but instead are nourished with synovial fluid that is forced into the joint cartilage through pressure resulting from body movement. So the saying, “Use it or lose it” applies to joint function.
Get Vertical
Enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care. Get vertical and get moving again!  Is your fish oil supplement natural? The health benefits of omega-3 fats found in fish or fish oil supplements has been widely reported, but new research indicates the source of those healthy fats is more important than initially understood.
It has been recommended that Americans eat 2-3 meals of fatty fish each week (not fried) to benefit from their omega-3 fats. Those who don't like fish or don't eat fish often can substitute fish oil supplements to receive the health-promoting benefits to the heart and other areas of the body. However, recent research on fish oil supplements from the University of Pennsylvania indicates it's not that simple. The researchers noted that one of the ways omega-3 fats improve health is by relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. But synthetically manufactured versions of omega-3 fats (DHA) do not produce the same beneficial effect that natural omega-3 fats do. Synthetic fish oil supplements did not relax blood vessels the way natural fish oil fat does. Many manufacturers have produced synthetic fish oils or added higher doses of synthetics to their fish oil supplements to keep costs low while assuming there will be no difference in health benefits. This study once again reinforces two points:  Breastfeeding benefits baby & mom. Recent studies on breastfeeding & c-sections have reinforced the importance of raising children naturally whenever possible, while noting how poorly a job we are doing at encouraging women to do so. Here's a quick summary of four recent studies.
Breastfeeding Rates Improving, but Still Way Too Low The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding for at least 12 months due to multiple known health benefits for mother and child. A CDC analysis of American infants born between 2000-2008 revealed improvement in breastfeeding levels, but less than half of American babies meet breastfeeding recommendations for 6 months of feeding, and very few exclusively breastfeed for 6 months. 44.4% breastfed (often not exclusively) for 6 months & only 23.4% breastfed for the recommended 12 months These rates of breastfeeding from infants born in 2008 represent an improvement over those born in 2000. Among infants born in 2000, 34.5% breastfed for 6 months, and 16.0% breastfed for 12 months. The American Pediatric Association recognizes very few reasons to avoid breastfeeding such as an active tuberculosis infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Read about the numerous benefits of breastfeeding here. Breastfeeding, C-sections & Baby's Gut Bacteria Researchers involved in a recent study noted, "The gut microbiota is essential to human health throughout life, yet the acquisition and development of this microbial community during infancy remains poorly understood. Meanwhile, there is increasing concern over rising rates of cesarean delivery and insufficient exclusive breastfeeding of infants in developed countries." 12/6/2012 Natural News & Research - Salt & Heart Disease, Bariatric Surgery & Halting Alzheimer's DiseaseRead Now Should you be afraid of salt? It's time again to catch up on some of the latest research related to natural ways to improve your health. From heart disease to diabetes and Alzheimer's you can do more than you think to prevent these diseases or stop them in their tracks...
Diet Benefits Beyond Meds for Heart Disease A study of over 30,000 men & women confirms that changing to a healthier diet can help prevent heart problems for those at high risk. A healthy diet also prevents further problems for those who already have heart disease. Researchers found a benefit to healthy eating regardless of medications being taken. Those who ate the healthiest diet had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events (death, heart failure, stroke) than those eating the poorest diet. This confirms that eating well helps everyone, not just those who are already healthy. It's never too late to benefit from a healthier diet, so start now. Link Between Salt & Heart Disease Debatable  Use probiotics to prevent diarrhea Research Shows Probiotics Prevent Diarrhea
MedPage Today reports on research that shows probiotics prevent diarrhea resulting from the use of antibiotics. Diarrhea is a common side effect that occurs after taking antibiotics; experienced in as many as 30% of patients. Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They are also called 'friendly bacteria' or 'good bacteria'. You can add these healthy microorganisms to your diet by taking supplements or by eating fermented foods. Learn more about probiotics and fermented foods in our recent post. What Did The Probiotics Research Show? The researchers performed a meta-analysis in which they reviewed multiple studies that have been performed. They analyzed 82 randomly controlled studies on the subject and found a significant reduction in antibiotic-related diarrhea for those patients who received probiotics. Various probiotic strains were used including bacteria and yeasts. All tested strains demonstrated some benefit in preventing diarrhea, with an average reduced risk of 42%. How Do Probiotics Prevent Diarrhea? The researchers explain the benefit of probiotics: "Potentially, probiotics maintain or restore gut microecology during or after antibiotic treatment through receptor competition, competition for nutrients, inhibition of epithelial and mucosal adherence of pathogens, introduction of lower colonic pH favoring the growth of nonpathogenic species, stimulation of immunity, or production of antimicrobial substances." Translation: Taking probiotics returns good bugs to our gut after antibiotics kill them. They compete against the bad bugs for nutrients and space, so it is harder for the bad bugs to develop into an infection. These healthy bugs also help stimulate our immune system. Probiotics are basically the opposite of antibiotics. Instead of taking a pill that kills any microorganisms in your body (good or bad), you take a supplement that increases the number of healthy microorganisms that should be in your body. This restores the natural balance and helps the immune system work as it should. Do Probiotics Benefit Children & Adults? Most of the research has been performed on adults, but studies on children have also noted significant benefit to using probiotics as well. They are considered to be very safe. One possible risk is when used in neonates that have been born prematurely and have an immune deficiency. Babies should be enjoying the immune enhancing benefits from their mother's breastmilk anyway. You can enjoy the benefits of probiotics by taking a supplement or eating fermented foods - learn more here. It's hard to keep up with all of the recent health news, so here's a rundown on the latest.  Sleeping Pills Called 'as Risky as Cigarettes' Study Links Sleeping Pills to 4.6-Fold Higher Death Risk WebMD recently reported on research that showed a surprisingly high death rate related to taking sleeping pills. Researchers estimate that sleeping pills are linked to 320,000 to 507,000 U.S. deaths each year: The top third of sleeping-pill users had a 5.3-fold higher death risk. They also had a 35% higher risk of cancer, the study found. "We are not certain. But it looks like sleeping pills could be as risky as smoking cigarettes. It looks much more dangerous to take these pills than to treat insomnia another way," study leader Daniel F. Kripke, MD, tells WebMD. The sleeping pills in question are known as hypnotics. They include newer drugs such as zolpidem (the best known brand name is Ambien) as well as older drugs such as temazepam (the best known brand name is Restoril). In their latest study, Kripke's team analyzed 2002-2007 data from a large Pennsylvania health system. They obtained medical records for 10,529 people who were prescribed hypnotic sleeping pills and for 23,676 matched patients who were never prescribed sleeping pills. "We think these sleeping pills are very dangerous. We think they cause death. We think they cause cancers," Kripke says. "It is possible but not proven that reducing the use of these pills would lower the U.S. death rate." You may want to consider alternatives when possible. Natural sleep aids like melatonin were not linked to these risks. Read the full story here on WebMD. More Evidence Omega-3 Rich Diet May Protect Aging Brain Medscape Medical News recently reported on research published in the Journal of Neurology that indicates increased omega-3 fat consumption is beneficial for brain health: New data from the Framingham Offspring Study cohort suggest that higher dietary intake of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may help protect the aging brain. Results showed that lower red blood cell (RBC) levels of DHA and EPA in late middle age were associated with smaller brain volumes and a "vascular" pattern of cognitive impairment, even in persons free of clinical dementia. "People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about 2 years of structural brain aging," study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, from the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, comments in a written statement. This study, Dr. Tan told Medscape Medical News, "adds to the current body of evidence on the beneficial health effects of omega-3 fatty acids." However, he said, it is premature to make clinical recommendations solely based on this study. "It needs to be validated in other populations and extended to clinical trials, which may be able to provide more specific recommendations." "With that said, people who are already consuming fish as part of a balanced diet can take stock in the promising findings of this study that omega-3 fatty acid may benefit not only their heart but their brain as well," Dr. Tan said. The findings were published in the February 28 issue of Neurology. Read the Medscape article here. If you're not including fish in your diet, add it or add a good quality fish oil to supply your omega-3 fats. Statin Labels Will Come With New Safety Warnings
CNN reported on changes in labeling for cholesterol medications, which will warn of newly recognized risks: An entire class of statin drugs will get new labels that alert the public to safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. Statins, which treat cholesterol, now will come with labels that include a warning that the drugs, taken by almost 32 million Americans, can cause memory loss and confusion. The FDA says reports in general have not been serious, and the symptoms subsided when patients stopped taking the medications. The new labeling will also warn doctors and patients that statins can cause hyperglycemia, an increase in blood sugar levels and increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Amy Egan, deputy director for safety in the FDA's Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products, says the agency looked at the adverse events reported to determine the scope of the problem. They can't say what caused the memory loss and confusion, but it seems to be a class effect and a rare event. While these medications may be helpful for some patients, most see dramatic improvement in a short time in their cholesterol when they eliminate processed food from their diet and eat more whole foods like fruit, vegetables, and good quality fat & protein. Some patients have come to our clinic for aches and pains, and we figured out their painful complaints were related to their cholesterol medication. Once they improved their cholesterol with better eating habits and their physician no longer recommended the medication, most of the muscle aches went away. Read the full CNN article here.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) started a program called "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work" to educate Americans about the overuse of antibiotics and the growing danger of antibiotic resistance. With coughs, sneezes and sore throats (oh my!) going around, we want to help share this important information. The following is from the CDC website: Facts About Antibiotic Resistance
Facts About Antibiotic Prescribing
 Colds or Runny Nose
Since the common cold is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help it get better. A runny nose or cold almost always gets better on its own, so it is better to wait and take antibiotics only when they are needed. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed can be harmful. Sore Throat When a sore throat is caused by a virus or irritation from the air, antibiotic treatment will not help it get better. Most sore throats will improve on their own within 1-2 weeks. Antibiotics are needed if a healthcare provider diagnoses you or your child with strep throat, which is caused by bacteria. Strep throat cannot be diagnosed by looking in the throat – a lab test must also be done. Ear Infections When an ear infection is caused by a virus, antibiotic treatment will not help it get better. Ear infections will often get better on their own without antibiotic treatment. Your healthcare provider will determine what treatment is best for you or your child. Your healthcare provider will consider several factors when determining if antibiotics are needed for you or your child: age, severity of illness, diagnostic certainty, and follow-up options. Bronchitis (chest cold) Antibiotics will rarely be needed since acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis are almost always caused by a virus and chronic bronchitis requires other therapies. If your healthcare provider diagnoses you or your child with another type of respiratory infection such as pneumonia or whooping cough, antibiotics will most likely be prescribed. Sinusitis (sinus infection) When sinusitis is caused by a virus or irritation in the air (like cigarette smoke), antibiotics will not help it get better. Acute sinusitis will almost always get better on its own. It is better to wait and take antibiotics only when they are needed. What You Can Do to Feel Better
We would also recommend eating as well as possible (mom's homemade chicken soup) and don't forget your vitamins. Find more information on appropriate antibiotic use on the CDC website. A future post will explore the CDC's report and recommendations on the use of antibiotics fed to our farm animals, which may also be contributing to antibiotic resistance: "According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, about 25 million pounds of antibiotics and related drugs are used every year in livestock for nontherapeutic purposes. The Animal Health Institute estimates that 20.2 million pounds of antibiotics were produced for use in farm and companion animals in 2003." Stay tuned... 1/17/2012 Annals of Internal Medicine: Chiropractic & Exercise Better than Meds for Neck PainRead NowA study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared the treatment of 272 adults with neck pain lasting at least 2 weeks. They were treated with chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), home exercises, or medications (anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, pain killers). Improvement was periodically evaluated over 52 weeks.
The researchers found that chiropractic and exercise were significantly more beneficial than medications for patients suffering neck pain. This significant improvement was noted within 8 weeks for chiropractic treatment and within 26 weeks for home exercises. The improved benefit lasted at least 52 weeks (the length of the study). Read the neck pain study here. |
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Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor. This blog is not a doctor and will not diagnose or treat your problems.
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