Healthy Life Newsletter, October 2023
A Note from Dr. Mha Atma
Patients often ask me what they need to do to lose their back pain and to prevent it from recurring. Of course, chiropractic treatment is unique and irreplaceable for many in their efforts to feel better. But there are a number of other important factors that should be and sometimes must be addressed. Below is a checklist of some of the most important.
It may not be necessary to cover all the things on this list. But factors leading to the onset or persistence of back pain are likely to be found here, and the more of these you can check off, the more likely you are to feel better and stay better. Some folks can get away for a while without doing any of these, but sooner or later their neglect catches up with them. Sometimes taking care of just one of these factors is enough to result in a very noticeable difference. But some folks may need to check off every item in order to eliminate their back pain and keep it better.
Have I been getting regular or sufficient chiropractic care?
Have I been doing consistent and sufficient back mobilizing and stabilizing exercises?
Have I been doing enough walking or other aerobic exercise?
Have I been eating an anti-inflammation diet and taking anti-inflammatory supplements?
Have I been sleeping in a good position and on a decent mattress?
Have I been mindful of good posture and ergonomics while working, sitting, and standing?
Have I been getting sufficient rest and sleep?
Have I been compassionate toward myself and managing stress reasonably well?
When you are able to check off every item on this list, your back is likely to feel better. And you may notice some side effects, which could include more energy, less pain in other parts of your body, better digestion, a stronger immune system, an enhanced feeling of general well-being, and more!
The following piece might be a good one to share with your medical doctor:
Research Shows DCs Are the Best Choice for Neck Pain
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A new study published in Spine looks at the patterns of utilization for patients with new-onset neck pain by provider type.
Chiropractors were found to be the provider of choice by 45.2% of patients, followed by primary care providers (33.4%).
78.7% of patients who began chiropractic care for their neck pain continued with chiropractic care.
“The wholesale reliance on diagnostic imaging by primary care physicians, emergency medicine and orthopedists may expose a lack of ability to physically diagnose neck pain (or back pain, for that matter). The lack of ability to provide manual manipulation and other types of manual care appears to lead to a greater use of therapeutic injections and surgery. “
“ For patients with new-onset neck pain, self-referral to specialist physicians may be comparatively inefficient as higher care intensity may not improve the prognosis of acute musculoskeletal pain conditions.”
To read the full article and see references, go to the link above.
Chiropractic for Sciatica
Radicular low back pain, or pain that radiates from the low back down the back of the leg, is known as sciatica. Too often, medical doctors prescribe gabapentin, an anti-convulsant / anti-epileptic medication used as an off-label treatment for sciatica.
Chiropractic spinal manipulation is your best option for treating sciatica, since the usual cause is a pinched / inflamed spinal nerve. New research also shows that patients with sciatica improve under chiropractic care to the point that they are less likely to need gabapentin, underscoring chiropractic’s effectiveness.
Researchers found that among adults under age 50 with newly diagnosed radicular low back pain, patients who received chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy were significantly less likely to be prescribed gabapentin over a one-year follow-up period. Compared to patients who did not receive chiropractic SMT (and who received standard medical care instead, including medication), patients who visited a chiropractor were 53 percent less likely to need gabapentin in the following year. Findings appear in BMJ Open.
Not surprisingly, gabapentin’s off-label use is not supported by research, according to the study authors, who state that “systematic reviews in 2018 and 2022 demonstrated clear evidence of lack of its effectiveness for [radicular low back pain]. Additionally, there is growing evidence of its risks including abuse, misuse, dependence and withdrawal. … Several clinical practice guidelines do not recommend gabapentin for the treatment of LBP or rLBP, including those of the American Family Physician (2017). Evidence supporting the use of gabapentin for LBP is considered inconclusive by guidelines from the North American Spine Society (2020), Global Spine Care Initiative (2020) and Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense (2019 and 2022).”
(By the way, previous research also suggests chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy reduces the odds of needing a prescription for opioids or benzodiazepines (neither of which are recommended for acute low back pain or radicular LBP, either, according to the study authors.)
Not the first time a medication has been prescribed – either for an intended or off-label use – despite the potential for more harm than good. But that leads us to the clear takeaway for anyone with sciatica, particularly if their medical doctor has recommended or prescribed gabapentin (or another medication): go to a chiropractor instead!
24 Extra Years
The younger generations might not appreciate it, but those of us with a few years behind us recognize and appreciate the power of longevity. No one wants to die before “their time,” and while you can’t completely control your destiny, the decisions you make – or don’t make – can play a significant role in where your future takes you …
….including how long you live. So, how about an extra two-and-a-half decades? That’s how many extra years you can enjoy on this planet if you’re willing to do the work.
What type of “work” do we mean? Lifestyle choices that can add up to 24 extra years to your life compared to not making them. According to researchers, who presented their findings at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting in July 2023, adopting these eight specific habits by age 40 can increase your lifespan by up to the aforementioned 24 years:
Being physically active
Eating a healthy diet
Managing stress levels
Avoiding smoking
Getting good sleep
Positive social relationships
Avoiding binge drinking
Avoiding opioid addiction
Lack of physical activity, opioid use and smoking have the biggest impacts on lifespan, increasing the risk of early death by 30-45%. And even if adopting all eight healthy habits seems a bit daunting, adding just one or two still adds anywhere from 4-7 extra years to your life compared to adhering to zero of the seven. What’s more, even adopting these behaviors at a later age (50, 60, etc.) can be beneficial; according to the researchers, the gain in lifespan years only declines slightly.
OK, so here’s the important part of the story: How many of the eight do you prioritize? If your answer is in the 6-8 range, give yourself a pat on the back – and then work on achieving the remaining ones. If it’s fewer – especially much fewer, then talk to your doctor about what you can do about it. The effort is well worth the reward.
Smell Improves Memory?
Memory and smell – how could they possibly be related? Researchers have the answer, and it may have important applications for managing cognitive decline with age (particularly cognitive issues characterized by memory deficits).
No one wants to lose their memory; not short term and certainly not the cherished, long-term memories that sustain us. Let’s see the latest research adds to a conversation that can give us all hope.
Neuroscientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory found that significant memory improvements were achieved in older adults (ages 60-85 and without memory impairment) who were exposed to a fragrance (one of seven different natural oils each night) that wafted through their bedrooms for two hours a night while they slept. Compared to the control group (older adults, also without memory impairment, who were exposed to only insignificant amounts of fragrance), cognitive capacity increased a whopping 226% after six months.
The researchers verified the memory improvements in two ways: a common word list test used to evaluate memory; and brain imaging, which revealed better integrity in a brain pathway called the left uncinate fasciculus. Findings, which appear in a recent issue of the peer-reviewed research journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, add to the evidence suggesting the olfactory (smell) and limbic (memory) systems are connected.
With baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964; now ages 59-77) representing 15 percent of the population, that means approximately 68 million U.S. adults are at risk for experiencing cognitive decline as we speak. Imagine if something as simple (and easy to do) as exposing oneself to essential oil scents while sleeping (in the study, participants were given seven essential oils and inserted one into a diffuser every night before bed) could help preserve memory and in so doing, stave off an agonizingly frustrating symptom of cognitive decline?
Added Sugar in Kids’ Diets: How Much Is Too Much?
As the song goes, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” But to help your family stay healthy, you might want to step away from the sweet stuff.
Eating and drinking too much added sugar puts kids at risk for obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, among other health problems, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Families should focus on foods and drinks that do not have added sugar, the AAP advises.
Sugar often is added to processed, packaged food and drinks while they are being made or at the table.
Added sugar is becoming easier to spot on nutrition labels. Many foods now list added sugar separately. You also can find added sugar by reading the ingredients. It comes in many forms, including brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, invert sugar, malt sugar, molasses, raw sugar, turbinado and ingredients ending in “-ose.”
The average child eats and drinks much more added sugar than he should. On average, sugar makes up 17% of what children consume each day. Half of that comes from drinks with added sugar.
How can you reduce added sugar in your child’s diet? The AAP offers the following suggestions:
Aim for less than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for children 2 years of age and older. Avoid serving food and drinks with added sugar to children under 2 years of age.
Serve water and milk instead of soda, sports drinks, sweet tea, sweetened coffee and fruit drinks. Milk contains natural sugar (lactose). It also provides calcium, protein, vitamin D and other nutrients that children need.
Watch out for hidden sources of added sugar in processed food like ketchup, dried cranberries, salad dressing and baked beans.
Satisfy your child’s sweet tooth with whole fruit.
Limit 100% fruit juice. It has more sugar per serving than whole fruit. The AAP recommends no more than 4 ounces of 100% fruit juice a day for children ages 1 through 3 years; 4 to 6 ounces for children ages 4 through 6; and 8 ounces for children ages 7 through 14. Do not give fruit juice to infants under 1 year old.
Indigestion No More
Ever experienced dyspepsia? Your initial response might be “no,” but what if we used its more common name: indigestion? If you’ve ever had stomach pain, over-fullness and bloating during and after eating, acid reflux, heartburn and/or excessive burping, you’ve had dyspepsia. (Source: Mayo Clinic)
For some people, dyspepsia isn’t just an occasional occurrence after eating a particularly stomach-irritating meal (for example, fried / fatty foods); it’s fairly regular. As you can imagine, chronic dyspepsia (“functional” dyspepsia) can be uncomfortable and distressing. Unfortunately, one of the primary treatments for chronic dyspepsia is medication, namely proton-pump inhibitors. What if there were a natural alternative to medication? There is.
Research published in a British Medical Journal publication suggests curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) is as effective as proton-pump inhibitors. Participants with functional dyspepsia received curcumin alone, a PPI (omeprazole, branded as Prilosec or Prilosec OTC, Losec, etc.), or curcumin and omeprazole. Patients in the curcumin group took two 250 mg capsules of curcumin, four times daily, for 28 days. Researchers evaluated functional dyspepsia symptoms on day 28 and 28 days thereafter (day 56). “No significant differences were observed among the three groups” on days 28 and 56, with comparable improvements in pain, non-pain and satisfaction categories of the Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment scale.
So, if curcumin is as effective as a medication for functional dyspepsia – shouldn’t you be talking to your prescribing physician about whether you should try the natural option instead? After all, natural is always better than non-natural, as long as the effects are the same. And we know all medications come with long lists of potential side effects; which means the non-drug version should be your first option for dyspepsia – and all things related to your health and wellness.