Jan 07

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• New Years Special Message

• Probiotics for a Healthy Colon

• Speaking of Cancer

• It’s really a chiropractic perspective….

• Low Testosterone & Anemia

• A simple way to Lower your chance of Alzheimer’s

• Back surgery or waiting? No difference in outcome.

• Anti-bacterial soaps

• Ear and eye infections in kids don't need antibiotics, say researchers.

• Dangers of Childhood Obesity

• Did you know….?

• Chiropractic Case Studies

• Humor

• References

New Years Special Message

Thank you. We really value knowing you and working with you. Our relationship is dynamic – we learn from you as you learn from us. We really do. Every person we see is a wonderful mystery and our relationship gives us each a unique opportunity to learn, grow and appreciate the infinite variety of life.

At this time of the year we’re rededicating ourselves to better healing, better teaching and better helping others – including you and your family.

Thank you.

Probiotics and a Healthy Colon

Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer among men AND women. It is something that can be prevented or at least greatly reduced by just a few small steps. A study in The Journal of Nutrition (2006 American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 136:1483-1487, June 2006) found that patients supplementing with probiotics had higher amounts of Congugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in the colon. CLA is a greatly known anticancer and anti-inflammatory fat. This is an absolutely great study. CLA is something that everyone of us could use more of. Another interesting note here is that Raw Milk also has high amounts of CLA. Just another reason why you should look into finding raw milk rather than the pasteurized stuff at the store.

For more information on Raw Milk check out RealMilk.com and WestonAPrice.org

Speaking of Cancer

Here it is, your monthly reason for taking a high quality Omega 3 supplement. A study from JAMA (Vol. 296 No. 11, September 20, 2006) showed that people who consumed higher amounts of fish had lower amounts of Renal Carcinoma’s (kidney cancer).

It’s really a chiropractic perspective….

One of chiropractic’s premises is that we are born with a wonderful healing potential. It is always with us. We must learn to respect it and work with it so it may permeate our beings and fill us with healing, strength, hope, growth and life.

We are never without this potential. Even cancer patients, for example, still have a healing ability. Cut a cancer patient and they will heal. The question is, if they can heal a cut, why can’t they heal their cancer?

They can! There are numerous case histories of people with all kinds of terminal illnesses who undergo spontaneous remission – they heal. Somehow they were able to tap into their innate or inborn healing ability and defy all the doctors’ grim predictions. Years later they may attend their doctors’ funerals.

Chiropractic helps us tap into our potential by freeing us of subluxations – blockages to our flow of energy and information. Free of subluxations, your body and mind function more efficiently – in communication with your natural perfection.

Low Testosterone & Anemia

This study is important for all of us. Especially if you have a decreased sex drive, impotence, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, tiredness and many more symptoms. It is from The Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol. 166 No. 13, July 10, 2006). It found that men an women who have lower testosterone levels also have a higher chance of getting anemia when older. I think that this is very important because out of all of the Labrix studies that we do, I have never seen anyone with to high of testosterone. I have, on the other hand, seen a ton of people with testosterone levels that are way to low.

There are relatively easy ways to elevate testosterone. Exercise (especially lifting weights), don’t drink/eat out of plastic containers (they contain chemicals that mimic estrogen), avoid soy products (contain phyto-estrogen), take something like Total Male/Female, GHR, or T. Arginine.

A simple way to Lower your Chances of Alzheimer’s

Some of you may remember me saying a few eNewsletter’s past that I am convinced that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) rates are going to continue to rise. Well here is a easy and simple way to lower your chances of getting AD. Eat your veggies! A study in Neurology (2006;67:1370-1376) looked at the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the elderly and their cognitive function. They found that consumption of fruits did not affect the cognitive abilities but found those that had a higher intake of veggie’s had a much slower rate of cognitive decline.

Back surgery or waiting? No difference in outcome.

For the first time ever (and it’s about time!), large scale studies were done asking whether it’s better to rush into back surgery for ruptured lumbar disks and sciatica or…just wait. The results found that surgery was no better than doing nothing. Patients in both the surgery and non-surgery groups improved substantially over a 2-year period.

Tell that to the 300,000 Americans that have spinal surgery each year.

Actually these findings are nothing new – other studies have demonstrated the same thing: people with ruptured disks in their lower backs or with sciatica usually recover without surgery and (very important) there is no harm in waiting. No one in either study developed cauda equina syndrome that can cause nerve damage, weakened leg or loss of bowel or bladder control.

Many surgeons were against doing the studies because they said that they knew that the operations worked and it was unethical for their patients to participate in the study.

The study mentioned that a percentage of those who had back surgery needed repeat operations within the year. (2-3)

Anti-bacterial soaps

In 2004, Americans spent more than $540 million on anti-bacterial hand cleaners, soaps and detergents that contain chemicals such as triclosan to kill germs, even though a Food and Drug Administration panel found that they are no better than soap and water.

Triclosan mimics thyroid hormone, is commonly added to soaps, toothpaste, deodorant, dog shampoo, cutting boards, clothing, toys and other anti-bacterial products, and is turning up in fish, breast milk and wastewater. A recent study has shown it's enough to disrupt thyroid function in frogs. Equivalent data on humans isn't yet available.

By the way, anti-bacterial soaps don't prevent colds or flu, which are associated with viruses, not bacteria. (4)

Danger of Childhood Obesity

This is an article from USA Today on children and obesity. It is pretty eye-opening, especially for parents as we ultimately decide what goes in our children’s mouths. A few highlights:

1)As parents we dictate what/how much our children eat

2)Many Children are getting 500 Calories or more from soft drinks (soda, cool aid, even juices)

3)School meals also are not helping out our children

My wife and I recently got addicted to the show “Biggest Loser.” It was a very fun thing to watch those people work so hard and loose so much weight. One person lost more than 200 lbs! The thing that I want to mention regarding this show is during the finale they went to public schools and saw the school lunches. They consisted of pizza, pop, chocolate milk, tons of deserts, and the kicker was the kids veggie intake, French fries. This is a serious problem and we all as parents and adults need to make a stand and get back on track. There is no body to blame except us!

Here is the link.

Ear and eye infections in kids don't need antibiotics, say researchers.

I really like the following article. It discusses the rate at which children’s ear infections healed using antibiotics vs. no drugs. I will tell you that the kids that took the antibiotics did heal quicker. Click the link to find out how much quicker.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/s1748158.htm

Did you know….?

Your body contains nine pints of blood that travel along 62,000 miles of blood vessels (they could go around the equator 2.5 times). The nerves from your spine control the size of many of the blood vessels that go to your internal organs. A subluxation that irritates your nerves can affect your blood vessels and cause internal organ malfunction – another reason to see your chiropractor.

Your body has 650 muscles. Subluxations may cause pain, muscle spasm, contraction, muscle weakness and muscular in-coordination (as in you just can’t seem to get a good golf swing). Remember, it takes 17 muscles to smile and 42 to frown (and only three to extend your arm and smack the person on the head who was bothering you in the first place).

Chiropractic Case Studies

Infertility and Chiropractic

(From The MontereyCountyHerald)

Did you hear the one about the woman who went to the chiropractor and got pregnant?

Really, all Karen Bulch wanted was a little neck-and-shoulders adjustment.

But a month after wandering into chiropractor Mark Kimes’ Salina office, the 44-year-old Monterey woman was with child, something she had unsuccessfully been trying to accomplish for 4½ years.

Kimes told her it might happen. And if it did, he said it would be within the first few months.

Kimes noticed a subluxation – essentially, that’s chiropractic for blockage – in Bulch’s lower back. He wasn’t sure, but Kimes thought he just might be able to tweak the subluxation to the point of reproduction. “I’ve been in practice for 12 years and I’ve seen it happen with many women,” he said. (5)

Deafness, hearing loss and chiropractic

Patient: 68-year-old woman native of the Dutch East Indies. At age 7, she was struck in the head by a Japanese military officer after she spilled tea on him while serving him. This caused her left ear to bleed. At age 9, a grenade exploded about 30 feet from her and she lost all hearing in her left ear and most of the hearing in her right ear. She had been wearing a hearing aid in her left ear since she was a young lady.

At her daughter’s urging she came in for chiropractic care. By her third visit she was able to hear sounds for the first time since she was 9. On her forth visit she was able to hear sounds (phone ringing, etc.) without having her hearing aid in her ear. On her fifth visit she was able to hear more subtle sounds without her hearing aid. [From the records of Joseph A. La Barbera, DC]

Humor

The Divorce
A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York a couple of days before Christmas and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "No way they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately and screams at her father, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for Christmas and paying their own way."

Ed Was In Trouble
He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him, "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 5 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!"

The next morning Ed got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Ed has been missing since Friday.

See you next month. Have a wonderful holiday season and never stop seeing yourself, your children, family and loved ones as full of health, healing and perfection – even though it might not seem that way at times. Beauty is always there, we just have to learn to see better.

Come by for a holiday adjustment too. All the stresses of this season can be a bit much.

References

1. Salpeter SR et al. Meta-analysis: Effect of long-action B-agonists on severe asthma exacerbations and asthma-related deaths. Ann Internal Medicine. 2006;144:904-912.

2. Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Tosteson AN, Deyo RA et al. Surgical vs. nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation. The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT): A randomized trial. JAMA. 2006;296:2441-2450. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/20/2441

3. Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Tosteson AN, Deyo RA et al. Surgical vs. nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation. The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT): Observational cohort. JAMA. 2006;296:2451-2459. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/20/2451

4. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-611190297nov19,1,7985070.column?coll=chi-health-hed

5. A spine-tingling affair. The MontereyCountyHerald. March 1998;D:1.