August 2005 Newsletter

 

In this issue of To Your Health:

• A Hot Way to Ease Low Back Pain
• Say Goodbye to PMS With Calcium and Vitamin D
• Red Meat, Fish and Cancer: What Are the Risks?
• Antibiotics for Ear Infections: Not the Right Answer?
• Less Fat, Please!
• Exercise Cuts the Fat, Keeps the Bone

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A Hot Way to Ease Low Back Pain

If you've ever had low back pain, you know that your doctor of chiropractic may try several different procedures to make you feel better. While some chiropractors may simply adjust your back, others may offer a variety of treatments ranging from heat to certain exercise routines. A recent study compared the effectiveness of these other treatments, and found that a combination of heat and exercise worked better than either therapy by itself.

Scientists examined 100 people with acute low back pain and randomized them into one of four groups. The first group wore a disposable low-level heat wrap eight hours per day for five consecutive days; the second group performed a series of flexion and extension exercises at various times for five days; the third group used a combination of exercise and heat wraps; and the final group received an educational booklet. At baseline and other intervals, the patients were examined to determine their functional ability, along with the intensity of their low back pain and any relief the therapies offered.

By the time the study concluded, patients who received the combination of heat and exercise showed significant improvements in function, disability and pain relief compared to the other groups. In some instances, the improvements were up to 175 percent greater; no adverse effects were reported among patients using the heat-exercise combination.

If you suffer from low back pain, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about what treatments may work best for you. For more information on low back and the types of therapies doctors of chiropractic use, visit www.chirofind.com.

Mayer JM, Ralph L, Look M, et al. Treating acute low back pain with continuous low-level heat wrap therapy and/or exercise: a randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2005;5:395-403.

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Say Goodbye to PMS With Calcium and Vitamin D

It has been estimated that up to 20 percent of all women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). While the symptoms of PMS may vary from person to person, they usually include conditions such as depression, irritability, cramping and headaches. Oftentimes, these conditions are severe enough to interfere with a woman's ability to function throughout the day. As a result, scientists have looked for various remedies that could reduce, or even prevent, many of the symptoms that occur with PMS.

In this study, researchers looked at the levels of calcium and vitamin D intake in a group of approximately 3,000 women, more than a third of whom had developed PMS over a 10-year period. Results showed that women who consumed the highest amounts of calcium were 20 percent less likely to have PMS than women who consumed the lowest amounts of calcium. In addition, women with the highest levels of vitamin D intake were 41 percent less likely to develop PMS compared to women taking the least amount of vitamin D.

Foods that contain substantial amounts of calcium and vitamin D include skim milk, low-fat milk, and some cheeses. Vitamin D and calcium are also available in supplement form. For more information on ways to increase levels of calcium and vitamin D in your diet, talk with your doctor.

Bertone-Johnson ER, Hankinson SE, Bendich A, et al. Calcium and vitamin D and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome. Archives of Internal Medicine 2005;165:1246-1252.

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Red Meat, Fish and Cancer: What Are the Risks?

It's been well established that consuming large amounts of red meat may not be good for you. Less well-known, however, are the benefits that can come from consuming high quantities of fish. A new study of more than 478,000 people has revealed just what type of effects red meat consumption can have on the body - and how fish can help nullify those effects.

In the study, researchers examined the health records of people in 10 European countries. Among the items measured were daily intakes of red meat, processed meat, and fish. All of the people were free of cancer at the start of the study, but after approximately 5 years, over 1,300 people had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Results: People eating higher amounts of red or processed meat (160 or more grams per day) were significantly more likely to develop bowel cancer than those who ate lower amounts (less than 20 grams per day). Fish intake, on the other hand, seemed to have a protective effect; people who consumed more than 80 grams of fish per day were 31 percent less likely to develop colon cancer, compared to people who consumed less than 10 grams of fish daily. People who ate high amounts of fish and low amounts of red meat were also significantly less likely to have colorectal cancer than those who ate low amounts of fish and high amounts of red meat.

The message to take from this study? If you want to reduce your chances of getting colon cancer, reduce the amount of red meat you eat, and start eating more fish. Your doctor of chiropractic can develop a health plan that includes a healthy balance of fish and meat, along with fruits, vegetables, good sources of dietary fiber, and regular doses of exercise. For more information on health and nutrition, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Norat T, Bingham S, Ferrari S, et al. Meat, fish, and colorectal cancer risk: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, June 15, 2005;97(12):906-916.

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Antibiotics for Ear Infections: Not the Right Answer?

One of the most common infections children experience is acute otitis media (AOM), which affects the middle ear, and is often associated with a buildup of fluid that causes pain and swelling. While many doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat AOM, some health care providers believe using antibiotics too frequently can lead to drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, some doctors choose to let an AOM infection run its course and don't prescribe antibiotics unless they're absolutely necessary. This may be good thinking; in fact, the results of a recent study suggest not providing antibiotics may be just as effective in the overall treatment of AOM.

In the study, over 200 children with AOM were randomized into two groups. Both groups received medication to treat the pain associated with AOM, but only one group received a course of antibiotics. Over a 30-day period, doctors then examined the children in both groups to determine whether the infection had resolved or become more severe.

Results: While children given antibiotics also took fewer doses of pain medication, samples of bacteria obtained from those children were more likely to be drug-resistant than in children who hadn't received antibiotics. In addition, parents in both groups seemed equally satisfied with the care their child received, and the costs of treatment were almost $36 less per patient among children not taking antibiotics.

The lesson here? Not every infection needs to be treated with an antiobiotic. With proper education and observation, acute otitis media can often be managed without resorting to these types of drugs for care. For more information on conservative managemet of acute otitis media, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/pediatrics/otitismedia.

McCormick DP, Chomnaitree T, Pittman C, et al. Nonsevere acute otitis media: a clinical trial comparing outcomes of watchful waiting versus immediate antibiotic treatment. Pediatrics, June 2005;115(6):1455-1465.

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Less Fat, Please!

Anyone who's seen the recent film "Super Size Me" knows too much fat in the diet can lead to an amazing array of health problems, the least of which is weight gain. In healthy people, about half of the fat derived from food is used for energy, while the remainder is stored in adipose tissue for future use. According to a new study, however, eating too much fat can accumulate in the liver and cause "fatty liver," which can lead to metabolic syndrome, cirrhosis and other, more sinister disorders.

In this study, researchers sought to determine the accumulation of fat in the liver in a group of clinically obese people, all of whom had been diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Five days before having a liver biopsy, study participants were given food containing fats laced with deuterium, a rare form of hydrogen, in order to trace the location of the fat as it coursed through the person's body.

Analysis of liver tissue revealed that it contained significant amounts of fat, approximately 15 percent of which came from the diet. In addition, the conversion of dietary carbohydrates to fatty acids occurred at a rate nearly five times higher than in healthy people.

Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about creating a diet plan that includes a healthy balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. You'll end up feeling much better - and so will your liver! For more information on weight loss, go to www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general/wellness.

Donnelly KL, Smith CI, Schwarzenberg SJ, et al. Sources of fatty acids stored in liver and secreted via lipoproteins in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 2005;115(5):1343-1351.

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Exercise Cuts the Fat, Keeps the Bone

They say beauty is only skin deep. Regular exercise creates benefits that go much deeper. In addition to making you look better on the outside, exercising causes significant changes on the inside, such as strengthening your bones and muscles. This is especially true among elderly people, who generally have less bone mass and muscle tone than the overall population. A recently published study, however, has found that routine exercise can help the elderly gain muscle and lose fat without any significant losses in bone mass.

In the study, 115 men and women ages 55 to 75 were asked to follow a series of government recommendations on exercise for 6 months, or to participate in a supervised program three times per week, performing a series of stretching, resistance training and aerobics. People in the supervised program showed improvements in upper body strength, lower body strength, lean mass, body weight, and total body fat, with no significant changes in bone mineral density in men. Those who showed the highest gains in fitness levels actually had an increase in bone mass. In women, there were slight decreases in bone mineral density, but these decreases were comparable to those seen in women who did not exercise.

As this study shows, not all of the benefits of exercise are apparent on the outside. Furthermore, it suggests a regular, moderately intense exercise program can be useful for people of all ages. To learn more about the benefits of exercise, specifically in the senior population, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/senior.

Stewart KJ, Bacher AC, Hees PS, et al. Exercise effects on bone mineral density. Relationships to changes in fitness and fatness. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, June 2005;28(5):453-460.

James Bogash, DC and Amy Strock, DC
1830 S. Alma School Rd, Bldg 7, Ste 135, Mesa, AZ 85210
(Alma School Road, just south of the Superstition Freeway/Highway 60)
Chiropractic Health Care Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert & Tempe, Arizona
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