March 08

CRC eNewsletter

This issue’s table of contents

·Late Breaking News: Gov’t admits that vaccine worsened girls illness

·Fibromyalgia and chiropractic

·What can chiropractic do for you?

·If you have Children YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO

·Watchful waiting preferred over antibiotics

·Artificial sweetener causes weight gain

·Nutrition myths

·Lack of Vit. D linked to Heart Disease

·Chiropractic and spinal research

·Humor

·References

Late breaking News: Gov’t admits that vaccine worsened Girl’s illness
I really debated whether or not to put this in the month’s eNewsletter. Vaccines are a very emotional issue and not all of you agree with my position on vaccines. I am totally o.k. with that! I really believe that you shouldn’t do what I do just because it’s what I do. You should all educate yourselves and make informed decisions. After all, at the end of day, each one of us is ultimately responsible for our own health.

Click here to read the article that discusses the vaccine decision. The thing to remember here is that they aren’t saying that it caused the illness; they’re saying that it made her illness worse. The debate still stands as to whether or not vaccines are safe or not but we all really need to look at the situation and amount of stuff we inject into our children.

Fibromyalgia and chiropractic
Imagine being tired all the time with burning pain, muscle spasms and tender “trigger” points. Add to that increased sensitivity to pain, heat, cold, bright lights, plus bowel/bladder problems, headaches, sleeplessness and/or anxiety. These are the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antidepressants and other prescriptions, physical therapy, counseling and support groups all have poor records helping fibromyalgia sufferers. However, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, meditation and nutritional therapy offer more encouraging results. (1-3) What about chiropractic?

The Chiropractic Approach

An unhealthy spine has long been associated with fibromyalgia. (4) In one study neck injury increased the occurrence of fibromyalgia by ten times! (5)Chiropractic adjustments to correct subluxations of the spine have shown powerful results. In one study all 23 fibromyalgia sufferers (ages 11-76) showed 92-100% improvement and maintained their improvements after one-year follow-up with chiropractic care (6). In another study of 15 women, 60% reported at least a 50% reduction in their pain, less fatigue and improved sleep quality with chiropractic. (7)

Chiropractic for fibromyalgia sufferers

Anyone suffering from fibromyalgia should see a chiropractor for a spinal checkup. It may make the difference between recovery and continued illness, between a life of pain and a life of ease.

What can chiropractic do for you?
For a healthier, happier life, for healthier children – try chiropractic. Too many lives are wracked by illness (both physical and mental). Is there a way to help ensure greater health?

 

Chiropractic is a natural approach to healthcare. Our goal is to work with nature by ensuring that your body structure and your internal communications system – your brain and nerve system – function in harmony. Disharmony ultimately ends in lowered resistance to disease, sickness, unhappiness, less ability to deal with stress and an early death.

If You have Children YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO

How sick is this. We take everyday toys and poison them with lead, mercury, phthalates, and other toxins. This really reminds me of the fact that people (esp. big business) are not looking out for us, they’re looking out for themselves. Oh by the way, it’s not only our toys that are contaminated with lead. Check out this article on MSNBC (click here) that looked at different supplements and multivitamins and found lead in them. I bet I don’t have to tell you where a lot of cheap supplements are made. I’ll give you a hint…it’s not it the U.S.

Just another reason to get quality supplements that are from reputable companies that spend the money to have their vitamins tested by independent labs!

Watchful waiting preferred over antibiotics
Antibiotics are not justified to reduce the risk of complications after upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat or ear infection according to a study in the British Medical Journal. Is it not good medicine to prescribe antibiotics if a patient has upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat or ear infection? Guidelines advise against the routine use of antibiotics in patients with these conditions.

Antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in UK general practice declined by 45% between 1994 and 2000. The authors conclude that general practitioners should not base their prescribing for sore throat, ear infection or upper respiratory tract infections on a fear of serious complications; most infections can be managed by watchful waiting.(10)

Comment: For better health, replace watchful waiting with a chiropractic adjustment.

Chiropractic technique more effective for back pain
I don’t usually like to put stuff like this in the articles because I think that Chiropractic is far more important than just pain relief but this study is pretty cool. A study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (September 2006;12(7):659-68) looked at a technique called Flexion/Distraction (the stretching table that we use in the office) and compared it to exercises and physical therapy.

What did they find? Well, both groups improved but the Chiropractic group had a higher percentage of relief of pain 1 year later!

Artificial sweetener causes weight gain
Many people drink artificial sweeteners because they think it’s healthier for them when in fact the opposite is true. Worse than that, these dangerous chemicals are addicting! Now a new study shows rats that ate food sweetened with saccharin ate more, gained more weight and stored more fat over time than rats that ate regular sugar. The researchers say the artificial sweetener caused a biological change in the rats, slowing down their metabolism. The study seems to explain why some of the heaviest consumers of artificial sweeteners are some of the heaviest Americans. (12)

Nutrition myths (from westonaprice.org)

Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl.
Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. [Circulation. 1992; 86(3):1026-1029.]

Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.
Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils. [Fed Proc. 978;37:2215.]

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.
Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities. [Food Chem News.10/3/94.]

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you "feel better . . . and increase your joy of living."
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. [Lancet. 3/21/92 v339]

More Good news about Green Tea
I hope you all liked the study I put in last month’s eNewsletter regarding Green Tea (click here for last month’s eNewsletter). Well there’s more good news. I found this study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (March 2008). This study found that Green Tea Extract (GTE) increases fat oxidation during moderate intensity exercise and that it also can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in young men.

Now the glucose and insulin sensitivity is cool, especially for diabetic or syndrome X persons but, the increasing fat oxidation during exercise is pretty sweet if you ask me! This is a great tool for those of us who are looking to shed a few pounds going into the summer months

Lack of Vit. D linked to Heart Disease
Vit. D is quickly becoming one of my favorite Vitamins. I had an article a couple months ago that discussed that lack of vit. D and it’s link to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and now a new study has linked the lack of the vitamin to Heart disease and stroke.

Click here for the article.

I have started taking about 800IU’s a day of vit.D. You can also get the vit. D that God intended us to have by standing in the sun (if it’s ever out).

Chiropractic and Spinal Research

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and chiropractic.

A 6-year-old boy struck his head in a fall from a playground slide and was knocked unconscious. Unable to alleviate her son's headaches and neck pain with painkillers, the mother brought the boy to a doctor of chiropractic eighteen months later. The boy also suffered from stomach pains and bloodshot eyes, was unable to sit still, had poor grades in school, and his teacher complained of disruptive and inattentive behavior in class. All of these symptoms appeared after the fall from the slide. After three weeks of chiropractic care his grades improved dramatically and his other symptoms were much reduced or disappeared. (14)

No matter what the cause, every child (and adult) with learning disorders such as ADD/ADHD or dyslexia should be checked by a chiropractor for subluxations. Chiropractic care may make a big difference. (15-16)

Humor

In Richardson, Texas a State Trooper was running radar. He had a perfect spot to watch for speeders, but wasn't getting any. Then he discovered the problem. A 12-year-old boy was standing up the road with a hand painted sign which read "RADAR TRAP AHEAD!"

The officer later found a young accomplice down the road with a sign reading, "TIPS" and a bucket full of money. (And we used to just sell lemonade!)

My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. – Rodney Dangerfield

Money can't buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. – Spike Milligan

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. –Bob Hope

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it. –W.C. Fields

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. – Will Rogers

Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty ... but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. – Phyllis Diller

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere. – Billy Crystal

Bye. See you next month. Don’t forget to stop by for a checkup and (maybe) an adjustment.

References

1. Valim V, Oliviera L, Suda A et al. Aerobic fitness effects in fibromyalgia. J Rheumatol. 2003;30(5):1060-1069.

2. Guler M, Kirnap M, Bekaroglu M et al. Clinical characteristics of patients with fibromyalgia. Isr J Med Sci. 1992;28(1):20-23.

3. Kaplan KH, Goldenberg DL and Galvin-Nadeau M. The impact of a meditation-based stress reduction program on fibromyalgia. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1993;15(5):284-289.

4. White KP and Carette S. Trauma and fibromyalgia: is there an association and what does it mean? Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2000;29(4):200-216.

5. Buskila D, Neumannn L, Vaisberg G et al. Increased rates of fibromyalgia following cervical spine injury: a controlled study of 161 cases of traumatic injury. Arthritis Rheum. 1997;40:446-452.

6. Amalu WC. Upper cervical management of primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases. Today’s Chiropractic. May/June 2000;76-86.

7. Hain S and Hain F. Combined ischemic compression and spinal manipulation in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a preliminary estimate of dose efficacy. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2000;23(4):225-230.

8. Symons BP, Leonard T, Herzog W. Internal forces sustained by the vertebral artery during spinal manipulative therapy. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2002;25(8): 504-510.

9. http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/E3/0C038BE3.asp

10. Petersen I, Johnson AM et al. Protective effect of antibiotics against serious complications of common respiratory tract infections: retrospective cohort study with the UK General Practice Research Database. British Medical Journal. 2007;335:982.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=31439

11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601392.html
12. Swithers SE and Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behavioral Neuroscience. February 2008;122(1).

13. www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325470,00.html
14. Lovett L, Blum CL. Behavioral and learning changes secondary to chiropractic care to reduce subluxations in a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a case study. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.October 4, 2006:1-6.

15. Pauli Y. Improvement in attention in patients undergoing network spinal analysis: a case series using objective measures of attention. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, Aug. 23, 2007:1-9.

16. Todres-Masarsky M, Masarsky CS, Anrig CA, et al. Somatovisceral involvement in the pediatric patient. In: Masarsky CS, Todres-Masarsky M. Somatovisceral Aspects of Chiropractic: An Evidence-Based Approach. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2001.