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Healthy Life Newsletter February 2015
The following research reports are taken from The Wellness Report By Donald M. Petersen, Jr.at http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/
Chiropractic for Daily Living
If you are an older person, one of your greatest concerns is to maintain your “activities of daily living” (ADL). The ability to get up in the morning, take a shower, get dressed, take care of yourself and be active is very important for aging seniors. Back pain can be a significant challenge for those seniors looking to maintain their ADL.
One study found that chiropractic care for uncomplicated back pain can actually keep seniors more active longer. “The findings from this study suggest that chiropractic use in episodes of care for uncomplicated back conditions has protective effects against declines in ADLs, instrumental ADLs, and self-rated health for older Medicare beneficiaries over a 2-year period.”
Regular chiropractic care is a must for seniors who wish to stay active as well as everyone with a spine.
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Infant Antibiotics = Asthma
Three studies have demonstrated an association between antibiotics and childhood asthma. The first study found that “both prenatal (before birth) and post-natal exposure to antibiotics was associated with an increased risk of asthma.”
Building on this, the second study notes “antibiotic use in the first year life is associated with an increased risk of early-onset childhood asthma that began before 3 years of age. The apparent effect has a clear dose response (the more you take the greater the risk).”
Finally, a third study compared babies born in urban areas with those born in rural areas to see if there were any differences. Researchers found that “the prevalence of children with asthma in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. The prevalence of asthma in male children was higher than in female children. Adding protein food supplement before 6 months, the use of antibiotics and non solid wood furniture material were the main risk factors in children with asthma in urban areas. Adding protein supplement before 6 months, the use of antibiotics, domesticated livestock, the use of coal as fuel and the family smoking before and after birth were the main risk factor of asthma in children in rural areas.”
Parents should be warned against any unnecessary use of antibiotics.
Read the second study abstract
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You Walk How You Feel
An interesting study looked at how emotions impact the way people walk. In the study, “participants recalled past emotional experiences (anger, fear, happy, sad, and neutral), ‘relived’ those emotional memories before gait initiation (GI), and then walked 4 (meters) across the laboratory floor.”
Not surprising, the emotions changed the way people walked. Those who were happy or angry walked faster with a longer stride and “more forceful stepping behavior” than those who were sad.
Something to consider as you walk or watch other people walking.
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Kid Cannabis Use Lowers IQ Permanently
A 20-year study revealed that “persistent cannabis use over 20 y(ears) was associated with neuropsychological decline (IQ decline), and greater decline was evident for more persistent users. This effect was concentrated among adolescent-onset cannabis users, a finding consistent with results of several studies showing executive functioning or verbal IQ deficits among adolescent-onset but not adult-onset chronic cannabis users as well as studies showing impairment of learning, memory, and executive functions in samples of adolescent cannabis users.”
The study further showed:
· “that the impairment was global and detectable across five domains of neuropsychological functioning;
· “that cannabis-associated neuropsychological decline did not occur solely because cannabis users completed fewer years of education
· “that impairment was apparent to third-party informants and that persistent cannabis use interfered with everyday cognitive functioning
· “that among adolescent-onset former persistent cannabis users, impairment was still evident after cessation of use for 1 y or more.
· “these findings are consistent with speculation that cannabis use in adolescence, when the brain is undergoing critical development, may have neurotoxic effects.
This study sends a clear warning that using marijuana, like all drugs, is not without negative side effects. Permanent loss of IQ is just one. Others include increased risk of non-affective psychosis, delusions, hallucinations and depression.
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http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2070
Plastic Takes a Toll on Your IQ
If you haven't been scared away from plastics yet, maybe this factoid will push you over the edge and convince you to avoid plastics whenever possible, particularly if you're expecting a child.
According to a recent study, expectant mothers exposed to the highest levels of chemicals known as phthalates – a group of compounds used in plastics to make products more flexible – produced children whose IQs were lower at age 7 than children whose mothers were exposed to the lowest levels during pregnancy.
Children whose mothers were in the high-exposure group tested four points lower, on average, on the IQ test. Two common phthalates, DnBP and DiBP, were the culprits, according to the research – the latest study to link the chemical compounds to various health consequences including behavioral disorders. Phthalates are found not only in plastic storage and packaging products, but also a wide range of products including plastic toys, nail polish and hair spray.
note from Dr. Mha Atma: One simple way to reduce plastics exposure is to store food in glass containers (not plastic) and to drink water from a filter (easy to install in your home) and avoid plastic water bottles. If you carry water get a glass bottle and keep it refilled.
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Vitamin D levels affect pregnancy outcomes
GrassrootsHealth collaborated with Dr. Carol Wagner of the Medical University of South Carolina, and other researchers to publish a new paper that demonstrates 1) maternal vitamin D status closest to delivery date is more significantly associated with preterm birth, suggesting that later intervention as a rescue treatment may positively impact the risk of preterm delivery and 2) participants with a serum 25(OH)D concentration of at least 40 ng/ml in the 3rd trimester had a 47% reduction in preterm birth when compared to those with a concentration less than 40 ng/ml.
This paper was published on-line ahead of print on November 13, 2014 in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and can also be found in pubmed.
Why is preterm birth important?
According to the March of Dimes, in the US in 2012, 11.5% of all births were preterm births (<37 weeks). Premature infants are at greater risk for short and long term complications, including disabilities and impediments in growth and mental development. Significant progress has been made in the care of premature infants, but not enough in reducing the prevalence of preterm birth. Preterm birth is among the top causes of death in infants worldwide.
In 2007, the Institute of Medicine reported that the cost associated with premature birth in the United States was $26.2 billion each year. Costs are associated with medical and health care costs for the baby, labor and delivery costs for the mother, early intervention services, and special education services. The March of Dimes also states that preterm babies can have more difficulties in school and in their adult work life.
What was the study?
Vitamin D can greatly affect pregnancy outcomes
Dr. Wagner found that vitamin D status measured in the 3rd trimester was the best indicator of preterm birth. This means that even if someone is diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, they may benefit from vitamin D given as a "rescue" therapy. Or, that it is beneficial to educate and supplement pregnant women.
Also, the data showed that if the serum 25(OH)D was greater than 40 ng/ml, there was a 47% reduction in preterm birth compared to those who did not reach the 40 ng/ml mark. If we extrapolate this reduction with the numbers for preterm birth, that would reduce preterm birth to about 6% of all births, and total costs by 50% to $13 billion/year vs $26 billion.
note from Dr. Mha Atma: Get a Vitamin D blood test and seek to increase your levels to 50 or more. If you test under 40, take 5,000/day for 6 months then retest. If you test under 30, take 10,000/day for 6 months then retest. Optimal D levels are likely 60 to 80 (over 100 may be toxic).
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http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2067
Laugh a Little – It's Good for Your Brain
Heard a good joke lately? If you haven't, you're missing out on a good laugh – and the wellness benefits humor appears to provide. According to a recent study, a good dose of humor beneficially impacts memory and stress, two variables that are particularly important as we age.
Researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif., compared the learning abilities of older adults who spent 20 minutes watching humorous videos vs.
older adults who sat quietly for 20 minutes. Results showed that seniors who watched the humorous videos had a higher improved learning ability (38.5 percent vs. 24 percent), more than twice the delayed recall improvement (43.6 percent vs. 20.3 percent) and "significant decreases in salivary cortisol" (dubbed "the stress hormone").
The takeaway: Laugh a little! Go to a comedy show, watch a sit-com on TV, or find other ways to inject humor into your life, especially when you're stressed, depressed and/or not in the mood. It's exactly what your brain needs to lift your spirits, improve your memory – and so much more.
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http://lifecarechiropractic.com/blog/chiropractic-dangers-seniors/
Is Chiropractic Care Dangerous for Seniors?
by Dr. James Bogash
This is not the first time I’ve written about Marge, my 80-something severely osteoporotic patient who was told by her PCP not to see a chiropractor for her neck pain.
Yep. Don’t see a chiropractor. Instead, try steroids (which is what destroyed her bones in the first place) or NSAIDs (well known to destroy joints, cause ulcers and greatly increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke). If those don’t work, then certainly neck surgery is a safer option than those wickedly dangerous chiropractors.
I am sure that there are a large number of people out there, seniors and youngsters alike, that have been steered away from seeing a chiropractor purely out of ignorance for what we do. I know that in my 15+ years of practice it has been a story I hear occasionally.
With Marge, I’m not sure what exactly her PCP thought I was going to do. Maybe it involved jumping off of my desk, landing on her unsuspecting mid back region with a loud yell in the hopes of getting bones to move. The reality is that very, very few of these doctors out there (not just PCPs, but I’ve heard it from neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons as well) haven’t the foggiest notion of what we do.
Knock on wood, but in my 15 (almost 16) years of practice, seeing some 5000 patients for a countless number of treatments, I have not had a serious adverse event occur. Never fractured anything (although there have been a time or two that I really pissed off a rib with thoracic adjusting). Never caused a stroke. Never had anyone die from any type of treatment rendered in my office. And I’ve never heard of it happening to a colleague (although it’s not exactly something you post of Facebook or Twitter).
In general, chiropractic care is incredibly safe.
However, were you a medical journal “title reader,” then the title of this particular article, “Risk of Traumatic Injury Associated with Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation in Medicare Part B Beneficiaries Aged 66-99,” would confirm everything you always thought about chiropractic care. It’s dangerous and should be avoided at all costs because we are killing and maiming patients left and right.
I have to admit that, even for myself, when I read the title of this article I was instantly pissed off, expecting a research attempt to discredit my beloved profession. Reading the first paragraph didn’t help much: “to evaluate risk of injury to the head, neck or trunk following an office visit for chiropractic spinal manipulation, as compared to office visit for evaluation by primary care physician.”
Wow. Really seems like the authors have it out for us.
Before those of you out there who have never been near mortalty wounded by a chiropractor get too upset, here’s what the researchers found:
Those seniors who saw a chiropractor were (are you ready for this???), 76% LESS LIKELY to experience a traumatic injury. (Yes–that is 76%).
The conclusion is not exactly in line with the title here. Basically, something occurs with a chiropractic visit that led to a drastically lower risk of a traumatic injury in the 7 days following the visit.
It is highly likely that the work done (stretching, adjusting, exercises) wakes up the nervous system and as a result, these patients have better balance and are therefore less likely to fall and suffer a traumatic injury. Kind of makes sense.
The bottom line is that chiropractic care is an incredibly safe option for musculoskeletal complaints; not dangerous like your doctor incorrectly believes.
