When the Pain Doesn't Go Away

Imagine pain that doesn't go away, or that subsides for a few days, weeks or months but then returns. If you can do more than just imagine this condition, you're probably suffering from chronic pain - and you're not alone. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons people seek health care, and they do it up to five times more frequently than the general population.

How serious is the problem? If the estimates in this study from England are any indication, very serious indeed. A random sample of 5,036 patients (age 25 and older) from 29 general practices completed questionnaires to assess the presence of chronic pain (three months' duration or more). Response data taken from the questionnaires revealed the widespread, debilitating nature of chronic pain:

Overall, more than one of every two respondents (50.4%) reported suffering chronic pain.

The proportion of respondents complaining of chronic pain increased dramatically with age, from 31.7% in the youngest age group (25-34 years old) to 62% in the oldest age group (75 years and older).

17.2% reported no need to use health care services for their pain, but 28% reported the highest need for such services.

Age, sex, housing tenure, and employment status were identified as potential contributors to chronic pain. If aches and pains are a daily or near-daily occurrence in your life, it's high time you sought the services of your local doctor of chiropractic! If you'd like more information on finding a chiropractor near you, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/cgi-bin/locator.

Reference: Elliott AM, Smith BH, Penny KI, et al. The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. Lancet 1999: Vol. 354, pp1248-52.

More Activity = Lower Health Care Costs

So maybe you don't care about exercise. Maybe you don't care about eating right. Maybe you don't care about following any of the established recommendations for living a long, healthy life. But do you care about your wallet?

Previous research has suggested that $4.3 to $5.6 billion could be saved annually if 10% of inactive adults began doing one simple thing on a consistent basis: walking. Examining this potential cost savings further, the authors of a study in Physician and Sportsmedicine compared direct medical expenses (for a single calendar year: 1987) of active vs. inactive men and women, using actual medical expenditures from 35,000 U.S. consumers from 14,000 households.

Individuals reporting at least 30 minutes of moderate or strenuous physical activity three times or more per week were classified as physically active; those who reported less weekly activity were classified as inactive. Results showed that:

Average direct medical costs were substantially lower in the active group vs. the inactive group ($1,242 vs. $2,277).

Overall, active individuals reported less hospital stays, physician visits, and use of medications, with major savings derived from lower hospitalization costs ($391 for active, $613 for inactive).

Physical activity saved $330 dollars per person, equating to $29.2 billion in 1987. Calculated to the present dollar value, this equals $76.6 billion in the year 2000 alone! Reference: Pratt M, Macera CA, Wang G. Higher direct medical costs associated with physical inactivity. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, Oct. 2000: Vol. 28, No. 10, pp1-11.

For more information on the many benefits of consistent physical activity, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/sports.html.

Got the Flu? Antibiotics Won't Help

Most infections are caused by one of two main types of germs: bacteria or viruses. Most coughs and sore throats (and all colds) are caused by viruses, meaning that antibiotics cannot help. In fact, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes this clear, advising: "antibiotics should not be used to treat viral infections." Children receive a disproportionate number of antibiotic prescriptions, particularly to treat upper respiratory infections. Evidence suggests that many times, these prescriptions are unnecessary because they are given not for URIs, but for viral infections such as the common cold.

Apparently many doctors aren't paying attention to this information. Consider the results of a three-part study published last year in the journal Pediatrics. Survey responses from 366 pediatricians and family physicians were compared with published recommendations on diagnosis and treatment of URIs; patient charts from 25 randomly selected pediatricians were reviewed; and a sample of parents from each practice was interviewed by telephone.

Although 97% of physicians agreed that antibiotic overuse is a major factor contributing to resistance, many did not follow recently published recommendations for judicious antibiotic use: 86% prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis regardless of the duration of cough, and 42% prescribed antibiotics inappropriately for the common cold. Most revealing perhaps was the observation that physicians who prescribed antibiotics more prudently had up to 30% less total office visits per child per year.

In other words, more isn't necessary better, especially not when it comes to antibiotics! Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of antibiotic use, and about the many effective nonpharmaceutical alternatives available.

Reference: Watson RL, Dowell SF, Jayaraman M, et al. Antimicrobial use for pediatric upper respiratory infections: reported practice, actual practice, and parent beliefs. Pediatrics, Dec. 1999: Vol. 104, No. 6, pp1251-57.

For more information on pediatric conditions, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/childhood.html.

What Smoking Can Do to Your Baby

During the early stages of pregnancy, separate areas of the face develop individually, then fuse together. If certain areas fail to join properly, the result is a facial deformity known as a cleft. Infants born with a cleft lip have an opening in the upper lip between the mouth and the nose; those born with a cleft palate have an abnormal opening at the back of the mouth, or even complete separation of the roof of the mouth.

Because smoking has been shown to have numerous negative effects on pregnancy, including premature birth and low birth weight, it has been proposed that smoking may contribute to facial deformities such as cleft lip and/or cleft palate. To investigate this hypothesis, detailed information on nearly four million live births was obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics 1996 Natality database. Data gathered included maternal smoking status during pregnancy and infant health status, such as the incidence of cleft lip/palate.

Results: Any amount of cigarette smoking during pregnancy significantly increased the risk of bearing a child with a cleft lip/palate, and increased smoking correlated with increased risk. The authors point out that nearly 14% of mothers surveyed in the study admitted to smoking during pregnancy, emphasizing that this is a significant public health concern for both mother and child.

If you're a smoker and can't seem to quit, talk to your doctor about the most effective methods of breaking the habit once and for all. For more information on women's health issues, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html.

Reference: Chung KC, Kowalski CP, Kim HM, et al. Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and the risk of having a child with a cleft lip/palate. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2000: Vol. 105, pp485-91.

Taking Control of Neck Pain

Common causes of neck pain include watching TV, using a computer, reading a book, or talking on the phone, especially with the receiver held on your shoulder or under your chin. Fortunately, this pain usually subsides within a short period of time, particularly if you discontinue the offending activity for a while. On the other hand, chronic neck pain, the kind that doesn't go away or that keeps "coming back," can be a far more serious and debilitating problem.

Current treatment of chronic neck pain runs the proverbial gamut, from anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medications to group gymnastics, neck massage and manipulation. Neck-specific strengthening exercises have also been suggested as a potential treatment option. In a recent study designed to evaluate this potential, 76 men and women with chronic neck pain received active care, home care, or simple recommendations on exercising.

Active care included postural control exercises, relaxation training to reduce muscle tension, and cervical muscle endurance/coordination training. Home care comprised a neck lecture and training on exercises to be performed at home. The third treatment protocol (the control group) received a lecture on neck care and general recommendations to exercise. Patients in the active group reported greater satisfaction, reduction in pain severity, and improvements in working ability at three and 12-months compared with the home group and the control group.

If neck pain's putting a crimp in your day, it's about time you did something about it. For more information on neck pain and the various treatment options available to you, schedule an appointment with your doctor of chiropractic. And for information on line, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/neckpain.html.

Reference: Taimela S, Takala E, Asklof T, et al. Active treatment of chronic neck pain: a prospective randomized intervention. Spine 2000: Vol. 25, No. 8, pp1021-27.

Playing Sports, Staying Healthy

Organized athletics are woven into the fabric of the American tradition. Millions of boys and girls participate in baseball, basketball, track and field, and other sports as part of club and/or school teams. In addition to its established health benefits, sports participation has been lauded for fostering such basic values as fair play, competitiveness and achievement.

It has also been hypothesized that because team rules and guidelines often promote proper nutrition and the avoidance of unhealthy behaviors, sports participation in youth may contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine examined this hypothesis using data from the 1997 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey. More than 14,000 U.S. high-school students were asked about sports participation and about experiences with various health-risk behaviors, including poor diet, tobacco use, alcohol and illegal drug use; sexual activity; violence; and weight-loss practices.

Results showed that approximately 62% of U.S. students (70% of male students, 53% of female students) participated on one or more sports teams in school or nonschool settings. With few exceptions, these students also reported less risky health behaviors than nonparticipants, including better diet (higher consumption of fruit and vegetables) and lower incidence of cigarette smoking, illegal drug use, and sexual intercourse in the previous three months. The authors make their findings clear, concluding: "Sports participation is common among U.S. high-school students and is associated with numerous positive health benefits and few negative health behaviors."

Encourage your children to participate in athletics as part of a healthy lifestyle. For more information on the many benefits of exercise and fitness, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/sports.html.

Reference: Pate RR, Trost SG, Levin S, et al. Sports participation and health-related behaviors among U.S. youth. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Sept. 2000: Vol. 154, pp904-11.

Exercise Today Keeps Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is known as the "silent thief" because symptoms often remain hidden while bone loss manifests. Many people remain unaware of the threat until their bones are sufficiently weakened to the point that a simple fall can cause a debilitating fracture.

Isometric exercises involve tensing a muscle and holding it stationary while maintaining the tension, and evidence hints at their utility in combating the effects of osteoporosis. Forty-one postmenopausal women (a high risk group for the disease) with osteoporosis participated in a two-part study that evaluated the effect of isometric exercise on muscle strengthening and bone loss.

Exercises incorporated an inflatable ball with attached nonelastic straps providing progressive resistance. Study participants performed 10 exercises every other day (half each day) with one exercise-free day per week; each exercise session lasted approximately 5-10 minutes. Eight weeks of training improved muscle strength and bone formation, with no further loss of bone noted.

Women in particular are at risk for osteoporosis following menopause because levels of circulating hormones drop noticeably. Your doctor can tell you more about the dangers of osteoporosis and what you can do to minimize or prevent the "silent thief" from attacking.

Reference: Swezey RL, Swezey A, Adams J. Isometric progressive resistive exercise for osteoporosis. Journal of Rheumatology 2000: Vol. 27, No. 5, pp1260-64.

For additional information on women's health, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html

Fighting High Cholesterol with Grape Juice

Previous studies have shown that moderate wine consumption can favorably influence cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, specifically by increasing high-density lipoproteins (the "good" cholesterol). These studies suggest that such benefits confer specifically to consumption of red wine, rather than white wine, beer or other types of alcohol.

If you'd like to get the cholesterol-lowering benefits of red wine without the alcoholic content, consider a possible alternative: purple grape juice. Flavanoids, the powerful antioxidants present in red wine, are also present in purple grape juice, an observation that spurred a recent study published in the journal Circulation> In the study, 15 adults with coronary artery disease consumed approximately 21 ounces of purple grape juice twice daily for 14 consecutive days. Results showed improved arterial dilation (the ability of the arteries to expand, allowing for enhanced blood flow) and improvements in other indicators of the disease.

What are you waiting for? Get to the store and get yourself some purple grape juice today! As these results suggest, you'll be doing yourself and your loved ones a favor.

Reference: Stein JH, Keevil JG, Wiebe DA, et al. Purple grape juice improves endothelial function and reduces the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation 1999: Vol. 100, pp1050-55.

Additional information on the benefits of proper nutrition can be found at http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/nutrients.html.