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Why You Should Be Making Periodic Visits to Your Chiropractor

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When you experience back pain, chiropractic care can help relieve the pain and identify the underlying cause. But your care shouldn’t stop once the pain stops (or comes back, which can frequently happen).

A new study suggests maintenance chiropractic care (defined by the researchers as “treatment at regular intervals regardless of symptoms”) is more effective than symptomatic treatment (receiving chiropractic treatment only when you’re experiencing pain).

In the study, patients with recurrent / persistent low back pain who received maintenance care (scheduled every 1-3 months) after their initial treatment reported an average of 19.3 less days of “bothersome” low back pain over a 12-month period compared to patients who received only symptomatic chiropractic care. Overall, during the 12-month period, maintenance care patients made seven visits, on average, to their chiropractor, versus five visits, on average, for symptomatic patients.

So, if you’re suffering low back pain and your chiropractor suggests you come in periodically for treatment, you may want to heed his/her advice. It’s a research-supported suggestion that could dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend in pain.

The Adult Consequences of Childhood Heart Risks

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High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and smoking – three heart risk factors we can often modify by behavior changes such as better diet, stress reduction, regular exercise and smoking avoidance / cessation.

That’s the good news; the bad news is that these risk factors can be present in children, and the consequences in adulthood may be significant and include health conditions you wouldn’t expect.

Heart disease, stroke and various cancers have all been linked to the above heart-risk factors, but if children / teens display these factors, they may experience midlife declines in memory and learning equivalent to an additional six years of aging, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Among more than 3,500 children, ages 3-18 at study entrance and tracked for more than 30 years until midlife, subjects with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels and/or who smoked during childhood were more likely to have diminished memory and learning as assessed when they reached middle age. The more risk factors during childhood, the greater the risk of cognitive decline, according to the study.

Unhealthy habits start younger and younger these days, and as research such as this study suggests, the consequences can last a lifetime. Teach your children that the health behaviors you teach and the health choices they make truly can make a difference, now and in the future.

Healthy Aging: A Question of Calories?

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Calorie restriction can be an important component of a sensible weight-loss program, particularly if caloric binging has been a staple of your weight gain.

But that’s not the only benefit of cutting down on the calories, suggests research that examined data gathered as part of the National Institute on Aging’s CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) trial. Calorie restriction also may help slow the biological aging process itself.

In the study, researchers from Duke University School of Medicine analyzed data on 200-plus adults who restricted their calorie intake by 25 percent or maintained their regular diet, with the former group achieving an average 12 percent reduction in calorie intake over the two-year study period. Researchers assessed biological age before, during and after randomizing subjects by assessing biomarkers of cardiovascular, metabolic and immune function, among other variables.

At each annual follow-up assessment, subjects on the restricted-calorie diet experienced a small drop in their biological age (.11 years), while subjects not on calorie restriction saw their biological age rise by nearly a year (.71 years). What’s more, calorie-restricted subjects actually moved closer toward a younger, healthier reference point (young, healthy people in their 20s) determined by the researchers, while subjects not on calorie restriction remained unchanged in terms of movement toward or away from that reference point.

The lesson: Less calories (as part of a sensible eating plan, of course) may be the anti-aging mechanism we’ve all been looking for! Talk to your doctor for more information and assistance designing a balanced, sustainable diet that works for you.

Codeine – Not for Kids, Says FDA

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When it comes to testing the effectiveness or safety of medications, kids are essentially left out in the cold. After all, how many parents want their child to be the test subject? The unfortunate result: We tend to find out whether children’s medications work or are safe with real-world experience and by applying adult experiences to child guidelines for use.

With the spotlight on pain medications, particularly the opioid class, the Food and Drug Administration recently strengthened its warning against children using prescription medications that contain codeine or tramadol – two opioid pain relievers. According to the FDA warning, which will be added to all relevant medication labels, children younger than age 12 should never be given any prescription med containing codeine for pain or cough, or tramadol for pain, and recommends against their use in children ages 12-18.

The FDA release announcing the label changes made the health risk clear: “These medications carry serious risks, including slowed or difficult breathing and death, which appear to be a greater risk in children younger than 12 years, and should not be used in these children.”

Note that while codeine is also an ingredient in some over-the-counter cold / flu medications, the FDA did not restrict their use in children, but did recommend parents talk to a doctor before administering them to their children.

Dealing With Symptoms of Menopause: Think Natural

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Menopause is a natural biological process, but that doesn’t mean women have to endure the distressing emotional and physiological symptoms if they can help it. Hormone replacement therapy is the common prescription, but what about a natural option without the potential side effects associated with HRT? Enter fennel, an herb shown in recent research to reduce menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Eight weeks of twice-daily supplementation with 100 mg of fennel (in capsule form) reduced Menopause Rating Scale scores at four, eight and 10 weeks compared to study participants who received no fennel, but were instead given a twice-daily inactive capsule they thought was fennel. The Menopause Rating Scale asks patients to rate the severity of their menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, sleep problems, joint and muscular discomfort, bladder dysfunction, etc., on a 0-4 scale, with 0 meaning no symptom and 4 meaning extremely severe symptom.

The study authors believe phytoestrogens present in fennel may account for its beneficial impact on menopausal symptoms. Talk to your doctor to learn more about alternatives to hormone replacement therapy during and after menopause.

What Your Spine Says About Your Health

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You may have heard the saying, “the eyes are the window to the soul.” There is another saying in the world of chiropractic, “your spine is the window to your health.” How can the condition of your spine divulge so much information about overall health? Your spine is the central support column of your body and its primary role is to protect your spinal cord.

Think of it like the foundational frame of a house holding everything together. If the frame becomes dysfunctional many problems will begin to manifest themselves. The house begins to develop cracks, shifts, and structural problems. When your spinal foundation becomes dysfunctional you develop aches, pains, injuries, and other health related issues. The good news is you can do a simple spinal health checklist to determine if you may benefit from the expert intervention of a chiropractor or other healthcare professional. Becoming familiar with simple spinal anatomy, structure and function will help empower you to take control of your health.

Your spine is composed of 24 bones (vertebrae); 7 in the neck (cervical spine), 12 in the middle back (thoracic spine), 5 in the lower back (lumbar spine) and the base tailbone (sacrum). Your soft spinal cord is encased inside these 24 moveable hard vertebrae to protect it from injury. Your spinal column has three natural curvatures making it much stronger and more resilient than a straight design. There are cervical, thoracic, and lumbar curves designed with precise angles for optimum function. However, these curves are different than the abnormal curves associated with scoliosis and postural distortions. You may remember getting screened in school or your doctor for scoliosis when they had you bend over and touch your toes. This was an early checklist for spinal abnormalities. Through life’s stresses, genetics, trauma, injuries, and neglect the spine can develop dysfunctions in these curvatures and the body must compensate by changing posture as a protective mechanism.

What are some of the compensations your body develops and what can they tell you about spinal health?

Rounded Shoulders: This is a very common postural distortion resulting from more sedentary lifestyles. Hunching over in front of a computer screen hours on end simply feeds this dysfunction. This poor posture pattern adds increased stress to the upper back and neck because the head is improperly positioned relative to the shoulders. Common effects are headaches, shoulder, pain, neck pain and even tingling and numbness in the arms because of nerve compression by tight muscles.

Uneven shoulders: One shoulder higher than the other is indicative of a muscular imbalance or spinal curvature. You probably see this one on most people where one shoulder is migrating up towards the ear. Stand in front of a mirror and you can easily see if this asymmetry is present. You may also notice that one sleeve is longer than the other when you wear a shirt. This asymmetry is a common precursor for shoulder injuries, headaches, neck pain, elbow injuries and even carpal tunnel syndrome (tingling in the hands).

Uneven hips: Hips that are not level are like the foundation of a house that is not level. You begin to develop compensations further up the body so you remain balanced when walking. You develop altered spinal curvatures, shoulder positions, and head tilts. Your body has one primary purpose of maintaining symmetry and balance and it will do it whatever way is necessary. Signs of unbalanced hips may manifest in abnormal shoe wear typically on the outside edges and pants will fit unevenly in the leg length.

When you visit a chiropractor for a spinal evaluation some of the things they will search for during your evaluation are underlying signs of spinal damage that you can’t see. Spinal x-rays are a safe and effective way to get look at your spine for damage or potential problems. Just like a dentist takes an x-ray of your teeth to see if you have cavities or problems with the bones below gum line. If problems are detected, corrective or preventive measures can be implemented to help your body function at optimum.

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD): This is not a real disease in the terms of how we think of them. DDD is term used to describe degeneration and excessive wear on the soft tissue disc structures between the spinal bones. It may come with age or from biomechanical asymmetries in movement causing excessive wear from overuse. Sort of like uneven treads on a car with imbalanced tires, one may be worse than the other. Although the degeneration cannot be reversed, once discovered there are strategies your chiropractor can implement rebalancing exercises and therapies to help prevent further damage.

Osteoarthritis: The breakdown of the tissue (cartilage) that protects and cushions joints. Arthritis often leads to painful swelling and inflammation from joints rubbing together. The increase in friction causes a protective pain response and excessive swelling where the body attempt to add artificial cushioning via swelling.

Herniated disc: A herniated disc is an abnormal bulge or breaking open of a protective spinal disc or cushioning between spinal bones. Patient’s may or may not experience symptoms with a herniated disc. Disc diagnosis is conformed via a special imaging study called an MRI (\Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which observes soft and hard tissue structures. You cannot see or confirm a suspected disc herniation via normal spinal x-rays.

Spinal stenosis: The narrowing of the spinal canal the open space in the spine that holds the spinal cord. Stenosis is a more severe form of arthritis that typically causes radiating (referred pain down the arms or legs) from an irritated or compressed spinal nerve.

If you experience spinal pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, muscles spasms or swelling near your spine or arms and legs consult a healthcare professional. These are all warning signal signs from your body that something is wrong and needs your attention. Pain is how your body communicates its function with you. A car has dashboard warning lights that tell you when the car has a problem. If you chose to ignore the signals bad things are going to happen. Your body has its own warning light system. Start checking for the warning lights. Ignore them at your own risk. See your chiropractor for a proper assessment and any concerns.

Water, Water Everywhere – But Are You Drinking Enough?

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Water is second only to air in importance for life. We can survive many days or even weeks without food, but we can only survive a few days without water.

Getting your daily requirement of water helps your organs function, keeps your skin clear and hydrated, and supports the body’s digestion, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of toxins. It also makes your body less vulnerable to injury. When the heat of summer descends, it’s a good time to remind ourselves to increase our water intake to compensate for more water lost through physical activity and time spent in the sun.

Did you know that 60-75 percent of your total body weight is water? Most people know that the blood, lymph, urine, sweat and tears are mostly water. However, many of us do not realize that the lungs are 90 percent water; the brain 76 percent water. Even the bones are 25 percent water. Sixty-seven percent of the water in the body is inside the cell. The other 33 percent is outside the cells in the extracellular fluid. This fluid surrounds the cells and is found in the blood, lymph, spinal fluid and joint spaces.

Water has many functions in the body. It is the medium by which nutrients are delivered to tissues and unwanted waste is carried away. It is also the medium in which all chemical reactions take place within the cells, and therefore, greatly influences cell function. Water also serves as a cushion and lubricant for our spine and other joints.

Most individuals lose between 10 and 16 cups of water per day. This loss is in sweat, urine, feces, in the air we exhale, and via direct evaporation from our skin. During exercise in a warm climate, as much as 8 cups of water can be lost in one hour. The loss of body water through urination is greatly increased by the ingestion of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. These drinks have a diuretic effect, meaning they stimulate the kidneys to excrete more urine. Not only do we lose more water, we also lose water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and other B complex vitamins. There is also increased excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride and zinc.

Negative Effects of Caffeine

A high intake of caffeine has been linked to anxiety, insomnia, elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, headaches, fibrocystic breast disease, diarrhea, increased stomach acidity and ulcers, birth defects and miscarriages. Long-term use of caffeine will cause overworked and weakened adrenals, which may lead to depression and chronic fatigue.

Tolerance for caffeine varies greatly. Some individuals can tolerate as much as 500 mg of caffeine per day, equivalent to 5-plus cups of coffee. Other people cannot tolerate even 1 cup of green tea, which contains approximately 35 mg of caffeine. This intolerance is often due to decreased capacity of the liver to clear caffeine from the body. If any symptoms of excess caffeine consumption are present or pregnancy is planned, caffeine should be eliminated from the diet. Otherwise, intake of caffeine should be limited to less than 100 mg per day, the equivalent of one cup of coffee, and then only if your body is in excellent health. Besides coffee and tea, caffeine is present in soda, chocolate, aspirin and other drugs such as Fiorinal, Vivarin, NoDoz and Dexatrim.

Water From Other Sources

A diet containing lots of fruits and vegetables will supply about 4 cups of water per day. Even with a diet high in fruits and vegetables, it is still necessary to drink an additional 6-8 cups of water per day to supply enough water to meet the body’s daily needs. For every caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you drink, you need to add an additional glass of pure water.

Insufficient water intake results in less-than-optimal intracellular water volume and reduced cell function. This greatly diminishes the body’s ability to heal damaged tissues from injury and maintain optimal health. F. Batmanghelidj, MD, the author of Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, has successfully treated many diagnosed diseases, e.g., peptic ulcers, colitis, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic back and neck pain, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, high cholesterol, asthma, allergies and diabetes, with just increased and regular intake of water.

According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, dry mouth is the last sign of inadequate cellular water. When the thirst signals produced by the body are ignored or are responded to with intake of beverages other than water such as soda, coffee, tea or concentrated fruit juice, eventually the body stops providing the sensation of thirst. It often requires drinking water regularly throughout the day (even if you are not thirsty) for as long as six to eight months for the normal thirst signals to return and for people to reacquire a taste for water. It can take up to a year or longer to rehydrate your tissues. The sensation of thirst also diminishes has we age. Therefore, it is very important for the elderly to acquire a “habit” of drinking adequate water to avoid cellular dehydration and subsequent health problems.

How to Survive a Heart Attack

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We know exercise is important when it comes to keeping your heart strong and healthy; if you’re not doing moderate physical activity for 30-60 minutes on most days of the week, you’re doing your heart a disservice, particularly over the long term. Now research suggests another key heart benefit of regular exercise: heart attack survival.

A study involving more than 14,000 adults, none of whom had experienced a heart attack at the start of the study, tracked their activity levels and health for more than 30 years (1976-2013). At baseline, subjects were categorized as sedentary (light activity for less than 2 hours per week), light exercisers (2-4 hours of walking or light activity weekly) or moderate / high exercisers (more than 2 hours of vigorous activity such as biking per week).

Among people who suffered heart attacks during the study period, light exercisers were 32 percent more likely to survive the attack than sedentary subjects; moderate to high exercisers who suffered a heart attack were 47 percent more likely to survive.

The message is simple: Exercise! Your heart will thank you for it. Talk to your doctor to learn more.

Even Thirdhand Smoke Is Dangerous

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As if the documented dangers of primary and secondhand smoke aren’t enough to sway people from the habit, now comes research suggesting that even thirdhand smoke – defined by the Mayo Clinic as “residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke” can be harmful.

A recent study funded by the University of California-run Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program adds to a growing of research implicating thirdhand smoke as a viable health hazard. The latest research supports the contention that even after smoke has left a room or other area occupied by a smoker, the toxic pollutants inherent in cigarette smoke remain – on everything from bedsheets, carpets and clothing to furniture and even walls. Not only do these hazardous compounds stay in the area for months, but they could combine with other commonly used household chemicals / products to create even greater health risks.

Thus, in a sense thirdhand smoke may be more problematic over the long term than primary or secondhand smoke because of its ability to linger. You can always quit smoking, but the impact of thirdhand smoke may persist. Again according to the Mayo Clinic, “Thirdhand smoke residue builds up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning. Thirdhand smoke can’t be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners, or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home. Thirdhand smoke remains long after smoking has stopped.”

If you’re pursuing health and wellness through proper diet, consistent exercise and stress reduction, but remain a smoker, now’s the time to do something about it. And if you know someone who smokes, keep in mind that anything you do to help them quit won’t just help them; it will improve the lives of those around them – including you!

Chiropractic for Chronic Pain

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Chronic pain is a major issue these days, and finding solutions that don’t cause even more pain and misery (read: opioid abuse / addiction) is an even bigger issue. So, it’s refreshing when we get a glimpse of nondrug approaches that are working. And boy is this one working.

Findings from a unique Medicaid pilot project in Rhode Island involving high-use Medicaid recipients from two health plans were recently presented to the state’s Department of Health, demonstrating stellar outcomes with regard to medication use, ER visits, health care costs and patient satisfaction.

Since 2012, Rhode Island Medicaid “Community of Care” enrollees suffering from chronic pain have participated in an integrated chronic pain program designed to “reduce pain levels, improve function and overall health outcomes, reduce emergency room costs, and through a holistic approach and behavioral change models, educate members in self-care and accountability.”

The program features holistic nurse case management with referrals to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers including chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists; and patient education including stress-reduction tips and more.

Community of Care enrollees “have significant economic challenges as well as bio-psycho-social disorders.” CoC enrollees, as might be expected, tend to make more visits to emergency rooms compared to other patients.

Here are some of the key findings from the pilot program thus far (2012-2015), showing average per-enrollee improvements post-referral into the integrated chronic pain program compared to pre-referral for enrollees with at least 12 months pre-referral data and 12 months post-referral data. Note that these improvements are also significant compared to the control group, consisting of CoC members who did not enroll in the chronic pain program.

  • Rx Scripts: Prescriptions declined from a whopping 70.42 pre-referral to 25.97 post-referral.
  • Opioid Scripts: Opioid prescription use declined from 7.69 pre-referral to 1.10 post-referral.
  • ER Visits: Emergency-room visits, a major issue for CoC enrollees, declined from 7.57 visits pre-referral to 2.98 visits post-referral.
  • Total Claims Costs: Average pre-referral claims costs approached $20,000 ($19,456.59) per enrollee pre-referral; post-referral, claims costs declined to $14,150.76, including CAM costs.
  • Patient Satisfaction: According to a third-party survey of program participants, 92 percent “agree or strongly agree their CAM provider reduced their pain level”; 82 percent “believe their quality of life has improved by participating”; and 96 percent “would recommend the program to friends or family suffering from chronic pain or fatigue.”

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