Healthy Life Newsletter September 2018

 

Spinal Manipulation Plus Exercise Effective for Teen Low Back Pain

 
Twelve weeks of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) (Dr. Mha Atma's note: that means chiropractic adjustments) combined with exercise therapy is more effective than exercise therapy alone over a one-year period for adolescents with chronic low back pain (LBP), according to a study published in the July issue of PAIN.  Researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis compared 12 weeks of SMT combined with exercise therapy to exercise therapy alone among 185 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with chronic LBP.  Pain severity was assessed at 12, 26 and 52 weeks.  The researchers observed a larger reduction in LBP severity over the course of one year with adding SMT to exercise therapy.  Even though the SMT only lasted 12 weeks, the difference was actually larger after 26 weeks and after 52 weeks.
 
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Exercise Improves More Than Just Your Physical Health
 
We all know about the profound physical health benefits consistent exercise brings, but let's not overlook the mental side of things. Exercise in moderation also has mental benefits, a point emphasized by findings in a study appearing in a recent issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.
 
Researchers analyzed data provided by 1.2 million U.S. adults as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys conducted in 2011, 2013 and 2015. The telephone surveys are used to collect information on "health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services." With more than 400,000 interviews each years, the BRFSS is the world's largest continuously conducted health survey, according to the CDC.
 

In analyzing three years of data, the researchers determined that U.S. adults who reported exercising also reported experiencing 43 percent fewer "poor mental health" days in the previous month compared to non-exercisers. A "poor mental health" day was defined as a day in which the person experienced stress, depression and/or difficulty with emotions.

 
Now here's where it gets interesting. Researchers also found that the best mental health was achieved with 45-minute exercise sessions, three to five times a week; but exercising for more than three hours a day actually worsened mental health status. What's more, the strongest association between exercise and mental health was noted for people who played team sports (22 percent lower burden), cycling (22 percent) and other aerobic and gym activities (20 percent). And the exercise didn't need to be at a gym or on a team; even doing chores around the house reduced "poor mental health" days by 10 percent compared to non-exercisers.

 

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Too Much Sleep Isn't Healthy, Either
 
We've run countless articles in To Your Health over the years on the health perils of poor / inadequate sleep. But what could be wrong with too much sleep? According to research, a whole lot when it comes to your health. People who sleep too much – defined by a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association as more than 10 hours a day – are more likely to die from a stroke or heart disease compared with people who sleep eight hours daily.
 
This research review involved 74 studies and 3 million total study participants. Sleeping for more than 10 hours per day was associated with a 56 percent higher risk of dying from a stroke and a 49 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with eight-hour-a-night sleepers.
 
Overall, excessive sleepers were 30 percent more likely to die prematurely compared to regular sleepers. In fact, even study participants who regularly slept more than eight hours a night (but less than 10) had a moderate increased risk of premature death compared to people who regularly achieved the recommended 7-8 hours of nightly sleep.
 
The moral to the story: Sleep is critical to your health, and too much – just like too little – can be a bad thing! Talk to your doctor about sleep wellness and the various factors that can influence the quality of your sleep.

 

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Too Much TV Is Bad News for Your Lungs?
 
You've probably heard that too much time spent watching television can contribute to obesity, and that too much time spent anywhere without moving (for example, on a plane) can elevate the risk of a blot clot – but what about too much television time leading to a potentially fatal blot clot in the lungs? That's the suggestion emerging from a recent study that tracked 85,000 adults (ages 40-79) for 19 years to determine how overall daily television time influenced the development of a pulmonary embolism.
 
According to study findings, adults who reported watching five or more hours of TV a day were 2.5 times more likely to die of a clot compared to adults who reporting watching two-and-a-half hours or less of television daily.
 
The study authors suggest several ways to reduce the risk of a blood clot, one of which sounds distinctly healthier than the other: Get up from the couch periodically to stretch your legs / body; or reduce the amount of time you spend watching TV, which presumably will give you more time to spend in more active, blood-clot-inhibiting pursuits. We'll go with the latter and encourage you to watch less TV and use the time for health-promoting physical activity. Talk to your doctor for more information about the danger of pulmonary embolism and other ways to reduce your risk.

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Say No to Migraine Medication and Yes to Natural Care
 
If you've ever experienced a migraine headache, you know how debilitating it can be. According to the Mayo Clinic, "a migraine headache can cause intense throbbing or pulsing in one area of the head and is commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and be so severe that all you can think about is finding a dark, quiet place to lie down."

 

Nearly 30 million American suffer migraine headaches, with women more than three times as likely as men to be victims. Too often, medication is the first-line treatment strategy to control symptoms – particularly the pain – despite the fact that natural options are being shown to be just as, if not more, effective.
 
Case in point: a recent study that divided 91 adult migraine sufferers into three groups for comparison. One group received topiramate (brand name: Topamax), an anti-convulsant also approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment and prevention of migraines; a second group exercised 40 minutes a day, three times a week; and the third group performed relaxation exercises over the course of the study period. After three months, results showed no significant differences between the three groups: all three interventions reduced the frequency of migraine occurrence.
 
If you suffer from migraines, your doctor of chiropractic may recommend exercise or relaxation techniques to help treat your problem without having to resort to drugs, all of which come with a substantial list of side effects that can make you feel even worse. For example, among the potential side effects of topiramate are nausea, diarrhea and fatigue – just what you don't need when you're dealing with a debilitating migraine.

Of course, your chiropractor may also perform chiropractic adjustments, which have been shown to be effective for headache symptoms. One study showed spinal manipulation to be as effective as amitriptyline for migraine symptoms; another study showed a significant reduction in frequency, duration and severity of migraines, as well as need for medication, following chiropractic manipulation. And nutritional support, such as magnesium supplementation, has also proven to be effective.
 
If you suffer from migraines, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about the drug-free options. Say no to medication and yes to natural care.
 
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: An anti-inflammatory diet is also crucial to improving many cases of migrain headaches.)

 

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Is Screen Time Causing ADHD?
 
We've been focusing on screen time and health lately because, well, we're all spending way too much time in front of our phones, tablets, laptops and televisions; and a growing body of research suggests it's negatively impacting our health, including a recent study that found teens with high screen time were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.
 
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study assessed digital media habits among more than 2,500 Los Angeles high-school students. Researchers surveyed students on their use of 14 types of digital media in the six months prior (texting, checking social media, etc.), and then every six months during the two-year study; and evaluated the presence of ADHD symptoms using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Symptom Checklist, a standardized ADHD questionnaire on attention and hyperactivity (18 symptoms).
 
While none of the students had ADHD symptoms at the start of the study, teens who reported frequent use of digital media were significantly more likely to develop symptoms during the study period. Teens who frequently did seven or more of the 14 digital activities were more than twice as likely to develop ADHD symptoms than teens who did not use any of the 14 types of digital media on a frequent basis.
 
Keep in mind that showing symptoms of ADHD is not the same as being diagnosed with ADHD, and this study doesn't directly link digital media use with ADHD in a cause-effect sense. Nonetheless, it's certainly another reason to monitor your kids' (not to mention your own) screen time.

 

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Oral Antibiotics May Cause Kidney Stones
 
Ever experienced a kidney stone? If you have, our deepest condolences. If you haven't, consider yourself highly fortunate. Kidney stones are small "pebbles" of salt and mineral that can accumulate in the urine.
 
Depending on their size, kidney stones can cause considerable pain, especially when they're passing – in your urine, remember – out of the body. In some cases, surgery may be necessary if the stones don't pass on their own or with other methods.
With that said, why would you do something that increases your risk of developing kidney stones? Millions of people are doing just that by taking oral antibiotics. According to a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, children and adults alike have a significantly increased risk of kidney stones if they take oral antibiotics, and the risk increases the more oral antibiotics they take. Specifically, taking an antibiotic from any of five classes 3-12 months before a kidney stone diagnosis appeared to increase the likelihood of such a diagnosis.
 
Sulfas had the highest risk, followed by cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, nitrofurantoin / methenamine, and broad-spectrum penicillins, and the risk for kidney stones remained significant 3-5 years after exposure for all antibiotic classes except for penicillins.

 

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A War You Can Win: 9 Ways to Make Better Food Choices
By David Seaman, DC, MS, DABCN
 
The average American consumes approximately 60 percent of calories from sugar, flour and refined oils.1 A donut is a good example of a so-called "food" that represents these calorie sources.
 
We also consume a considerable number of calories from French fries and ketchup, each of which began as vegetation, but after refinement represents more sugar, flour and refined oil calories. Generally, Americans consume very little in the way of vegetables and fruit. The result is big business for the refined-food manufacturers and ultimately, Big Pharma. But what about us? Here's how you can fight back.
Unhealthy Food Is Big Business
 
The cost of producing foods made with sugar, flour and refined oil is modest when it comes to the price of these commodities. In other words, there is still an acceptable profit margin for "foods" made with these calorie sources. And companies that use these calorie sources are still doing very well financially. To confirm this, all one needs to do is look at the stock prices of companies that use huge amounts of these calories sources. For example, the stock price for Coca-Cola was $11 in 1995, $21 in 2009 and $39 in June 2015. For McDonald's, the stock price during those years were $15, $55 and $95.
 
Clearly, if one is involved in the selling of refined calories, there is a financial benefit. Refined calories are a good business. If you would have put all your money in Coca-Cola or McDonald's in 2009, you might be able to retire right now because you would have doubled your money. Imagine that – your retirement would be based on sugar, flour and refined oil.
 
What about the people who eat calories from sugar, flour and refined oils? I've labeled these folks "dietary crackheads" because these calories are addictive.2 To be fair, even if you eat few calories from dietary crack, you can still be a dietary crackhead. This is because almost everyone loves the taste of dietary crack, and most of us would like to eat a lot of it, which means we are either practicing or non-practicing dietary crackheads. (I have been mostly a non-practicing dietary crackhead for many years.)
 
But what about those who consume 60 percent of their calories from dietary crack? What happens to them over time? The answer is obvious: most gain weight and eventually develop the metabolic syndrome. Unfortunately, 34 percent of individuals 20 years and older in America have the metabolic syndrome.3 Clearly, the consumers of dietary crack do not benefit unless they simultaneously own stock in companies that distribute "dietary crack."

The metabolic syndrome is an interesting condition because it is a pro-inflammatory metabolic state that can last for many years before an overt disease develops, which then requires a specific drug or surgical intervention. Here is example of conditions that develop after the metabolic syndrome state is achieved by eating dietary crack: acne, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, polycystic ovarian syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, gallstones, sleep apnea, myopia, male vertex balding, depression, low testosterone, and erectile dysfunction.4-5
 
Practically speaking, someone might take acne medication for several years before graduating to metformin for elevated blood glucose and a statin for elevated cholesterol. Eventually, by the time a man is 50 years of age, he may be taking medications for glucose, cholesterol, hypertension, depression and erectile dysfunction. And during this time, he has continued to eat 60 percent of his calories from dietary crack.
 
How does this man benefit beyond the temporary pleasure he gets from the taste of dietary crack? Clearly, there is no benefit for him – just suffering. And the suffering can continue if he develops vascular disease or cancer that requires surgical intervention.
 
Big Pharma Continues to Reap the Financial Rewards
 
In addition to the manufacturers of dietary crack, the pharmaceutical companies and the hospital system are also beneficiaries. While many drug companies had their peak stock price during the tech bubble days (2000), they are certainly not suffering. Their stock prices have a similar upward pattern as the refined food-producing companies. When you get a chance, check out the stock price patterns for Merck, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Like the refined-calorie producers, drugs companies would have been a good investment over the past several decades.
 
How to Make Better Food Choices
 
Refined foods and drugs continue to be growing industries. They obviously have a good business model. Interestingly, people like to blame refined-food companies and drug companies for our bad health. In my opinion, this is completely incorrect and reflects a state of ignorance. If I eat dietary crack and take medications as a result, it is my fault. No one is forcing me to eat their refined calories or take their drugs and support industries that subsequently benefit. This is a voluntary choice made by the majority of Americans. Simply put, we need to make better choices.
 
The challenge, of course, is to avoid refined calories on a long-term basis. This can be complicated for many people, even if you're wellness-inclined. So, here is a list of things you can do:
  
  • Cultivate a proper eating mindset – this involves finding a reason to truly "care" about avoiding disease-promoting refined foods.
  • Understand that almost everyone will always like the taste of dietary crack. Do not feel guilty about wanting it or occasionally partaking. Just don't overdo it on a chronic basis.
  • Eat more vegetables during meals to create the sensation of fullness. In general, the feeling of gut fullness must be respected in spite of what food-eating thoughts one might have.
  • Keep dietary crack out of the house so there is no temptation at home.
  • Drink more water.
  • Build up to exercising at an aggressive-enough level that appetite suppression occurs.
  • Get adequate sleep, as less than six hours per night on a chronic basis can promote weight gain by various metabolic mechanisms.
  • Fight stress with exercise, not by eating excess / unhealthy food.
  • Mentally accept that steps #1-8 represent a process to utilize throughout life.
 
References
  
  • Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, et al. Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005;81(2):341-354.
  • Seaman DR. "Dietary 'Crackheads' and the Never-Ending Battle Against the Bulging Waistline." Dynamic Chiropractic, April 1, 2013.
  • Seaman DR, Palombo AD. An overview of the identification and management of the metabolic syndrome in chiropractic practice. J Chiropr Med, 2014;13(3):210-19.
  • Seaman DR. Body mass index and musculoskeletal pain: is there a connection? Chiropractic Man Ther, 2013;21:15.
  • Wang C, Jackson G, Jones TH, et al. Low testosterone associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome contributes to sexual dysfunction and cardiovascular disease risk in men with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2011;34:1669-75.