November 2010 Health Newsletter

The men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces make huge sacrifices in service to our country, including sacrifices to their health. This Veteran’s Day, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) would like to thank veterans for their service and remind them that doctors of chiropractic who work with VA medical centers across the country are available to help restore their health and wellness.Members of the military serve in austere conditions and routinely wear gear weighing up to 80 pounds. A February 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report cites “diseases of Musculoskeletal System/Connective System” such as back pain as the No. 1 ailment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans accessing VA treatment. Doctors of chiropractic are experts in the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal problems and their natural approach can eliminate or reduce the need for drugs and surgery in some cases. ACA has worked diligently over the years to ensure that America’s veterans have access to chiropractic services. Today, more than 30 VA treatment facilities in the United States offer chiropractic care. VA health care providers can also refer veterans to doctors of chiropractic in their local communities. “America’s heroes simply do not have to suffer in silence with the common neuromusculoskeletal ailments associated with their service,’” says ACA President Dr. Rick McMichael. “This is one time when they do not have to ‘tough it out.’ It is the chiropractic profession’s honor to be a part of the health care system that treats our veterans. We are here to serve them.”

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of patient care and ethics, and supports research that contributes to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit www.acatoday.org.

Author: American Chiropractic Association
Source: American Chiropractic Association. November 8, 2010.
Copyright: American Chiropractic Association 2010

A new study comparing chiropractic spinal manipulation versus microdiskectomy in patients with sciatica (pain running down the leg) as a result of lower back disk herniation was published recently indicating the effectiveness of chiropractic care.Patients included in this study had already failed to respond positively to at least 3 months of non-operative management including treatment with analgesics, lifestyle modification, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and/or acupuncture.Patients were randomly assigned to either the chiropractic spinal manipulation group (the most common specialized procedure used by doctors of chiropractic) or the microdiskectomy group where patients received microdiskectomy surgery. The results indicated that 60 percent of patients with sciatica (NOTE: they had already failed other medical management) benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention. Thus, it makes sense for those suffering from lower back (lumbar) disk herniation even with sciatica to strongly consider chiropractic care even if other forms of care have been unsuccessful – at least prior to going under the knife, so to speak.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: JMPT Volume 33, Issue 8, Pages 576-584 (October 2010).
Copyright: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2010

Researchers have recently found omega-3 fatty acids may actually lower the risk of gum disease. This finding came after studying data of more than 9,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 1999 and 2004. Omega-3 fatty acids are primarily found in fish oils and have a number of healthy benefits including their ability to significantly reduce harmful inflammation in the body. The data indicated that the top one third of participants in the survey in terms of those who consumed the most omega-3s in their diets had an approximately 22 percent reduction in their likelihood of developing gum disease, as compared with the bottom one third. While more research is needed, this is more positive news for the consumption of higher quantities of omega-3 fatty acids and thus, more reason to eat foods high in omega-3s (primarily fish) as well as consider a quality omega-3 supplement.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 2010.
Copyright: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2010

Researchers said on Wednesday they found some evidence that keeping babies off cow's milk may help prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in children with an inherited risk of the disease. The children will have to be followed for years to be sure, but the Finnish researchers found indirect evidence that giving the babies a special formula may have helped. The study of 230 Finnish infants who had stopped receiving breast milk was a preliminary test of the treatment. A much larger study of 2,160 babies, now ongoing in 15 countries, is expected to provide a definitive answer to the question in 2017. The goal is to prevent type 1 diabetes, which typically strikes in childhood and requires a lifetime of careful management, including regular insulin injections. It is believed to be caused when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This study involved infants who only got the formula when breast milk was not available. Instead of a standard cow's milk formula, about half the babies were given a special formula in which the proteins found in the casein portion of the milk had been broken down into components too small to activate the immune system, a process called hydrolyzation. Results of the pilot test, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that babies fed this hydrolyzed formula were less likely to develop telltale antibodies that are believed to pave the way for diabetes. "Our results indicate that a preventive dietary intervention aimed at decreasing the risk of type 1 diabetes may be feasible," the researchers, led by Dr. Mikael Knip of the University of Helsinki, wrote. Children given the cow's milk were twice as likely as the other children to develop one or more diabetes-related antibodies. The antibodies took anywhere from 3 months to 10 years to appear. However, the pilot study was not large enough to tell if avoiding cow's milk reduced the actual risk of diabetes. Eight percent of the cow's milk recipients developed type 1 diabetes, compared to 6 percent who got the special formula, a difference that was not statistically significant. "We did not expect a 100 percent prevention of clinical disease," Knip said in an e-mail. All of the babies in the test -- and those in the larger study now underway -- have a genetic susceptibility to diabetes and had at least one family member with type 1 diabetes. They were followed until their 10th birthday. Finland has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world, with 64 new cases per year among every 100,000 children under 15.

Author: Reuters
Source: Reuters. November 11, 2010.
Copyright: Reuters 2010