Upper Cervical Adjustments Lower Blood Pressure

An association between manipulative treatment and decreases in arterial blood pressure has been observed in the past. In some cases, reduction in blood pressure after manipulation has been so dramatic as to induce a call for the monitoring of medicated high blood pressure patients. A recent study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics tests the hypothesis that there is a significant measurable change in blood pressure after upper neck adjustment.

Two tests were performed to check such a theory. In the first test, data was compiled from 40 patients demonstrating signs of upper neck joint dysfunction compared and compared with data from 40 patients without such symptoms. All participants were subjected to a resting and manipulation period in which their blood pressures were observed before and after as to changes in blood circulation rates. The second test involved 30 patients with upper neck joint dysfunction, under the same conditions, in which they acted as their own controls. Test one of this study revealed a statistically significant decrease in blood pressure between the treatment group and the nontreated group. Test two showed a statistically substantial decrease in systolic blood pressure from the postrest reading to the postadjustment reading.

The results indicated that chiropractic adjustment causes a significant decrease in blood pressure in patients with supposed upper neck joint dysfunction in comparison with resting controls, stated lead investigator Dr. Gary Knutson of Indiana University.

If you have high systolic blood pressure, talk to your doctor about what steps you can take to ensure optimal health. For more information about the benefits of chiropractic care, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout.

Reference: Knutson GA. Significant changes in systolic blood pressure post vectored upper cervical adjustment vs. resting control groups: a possible effect of the cervicosympathetic and/or pressor reflex. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2001:24(2), pp. 101-109.

Common Headache Medicines Harmful to Unborn Babies?

The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by pregnant women, such as ibuprofen and aspirin is strongly associated with the development of persistent hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), more commonly known as high blood pressure.

Case in point: A recent study in Pediatrics compared 101 newborns, 40 whom had PPHN. The infants blood pressures were evaluated, as was the history of NSAID use by their mothers. The results were then analyzed and compared. The results showed that 49.5% the women used some form of NSAIDs during pregnancy. Aspirin was used most frequently, followed by ibuprofen and naxproxen (found in Aleve and arthritis pills). A significant association was found between NSAID use by mothers and PPHN in their infants, which led to persistent high blood pressure in the newborns.

It's clear that pregnant women are not getting the message, said lead investigator Dr. Enrique Ostrea. They may not know that such anti-inflammatory drugs are NSAIDs because they can come in a combination of drugs.

Product warnings on NSAIDs must be more prominent, as pregnant women may not be aware of such a problem. The following is an example of a warning from the box of a well-accepted ibuprofen box, it is especially important not to use ibuprofen during the last three months of pregnancy unless specifically directed to do so by a doctor because it may cause problems in the unborn child or complications during delivery.

If you are expecting a child, talk to your doctor about what steps you can take to ensure a smooth pregnancy and delivery. For more information on women's health, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html.

Reference: Alano MA, Ngougmna E, Ostrea EM, et al. Analysis of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in meconium and its relation to persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Pediatrics 2001:107(3), pp. 519-523.

Adding Resistance to Your Aerobics

Step aerobics exercisers can stretch the benefits of their workouts by tugging on supersized rubber bands, according to a new study published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise.

Straining against the stretch cords has the same effect as weight training, which promotes muscle growth in a way that simply bounding up and down on a step platform cannot match, said lead reporter Dr. William Kraemer of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

The study looked at 35 healthy, active women who were divided into four groups. One group took part in a 25-minute step class; another a 40-minute step class; a third took part in 25 minutes of step, plus the stretch-band resistance work; and the last group was assigned no exercise. The program lasted for 12 weeks, after which sophisticated imaging scans were taken to evaluate muscle increases in each group.

All training groups improved their aerobic capacity between 12 and 18 percent, with the step-and-resistance group experiencing the biggest increase. The step-and-resistance exercisers also gained more upper body strength and endurance than the other groups.

The addition of resistance training to an exercise routine appears to do the job measurably better than aerobic exercise alone, and adds benefits to the upper body. If you don't have time for separate aerobics and strength sessions at a health club, you can combine them into one class and get similar gains, said Dr. Kraemer.

For online information on exercise and fitness, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/sports.html.

Reference: Kraemer WJ, Keuning M, Ratamess NA, et al. Resistance training combined with bench-step aerobics enhances women's health profile. American College of Sports Medicine Journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, February 2001, pp. 259-269.

The Choice Is Hers

Postmenopausal women who use estrogen replacement therapy may be at risk of suffering a fatality as a result of ovarian cancer, a new study reports. According to The Journal of The American Medical Association, women who used estrogen for at least 10 years after menopause were about twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer as their peers who did not take estrogen. There are pros and cons to postmenopausal estrogen. It can decrease women's risk of bone-thinning osteoporosis, and treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.

There are also suggestions that estrogen may decrease women's risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Negatively, it can increase the risk of uterine cancer, and long-term use can increase the risk of breast cancer.

An association between estrogen use and ovarian cancer had not been examined, so lead investigator Dr. Carmen Rodriguez began studying 211,581 postmenopausal women in 1982. By 1996, 944 of the women had died of ovarian cancer. Dr. Rodriguez then compared the deaths between estrogen users and nonusers.

Using estrogen for just a few years didn't increase women's risk. But women who used estrogen for ten or more years had double the risk of dying of ovarian cancer than women who never used the hormone, Rodriguez said. Some 27,000 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, and 14,500 will die, the American Cancer Society estimates.

To put the increased risk into context, 43 of every 100, 000 women 65 or older will die of ovarian cancer each year, compared with 414 dying of heart disease. So even with a doubled ovarian risk, some older women may find estrogen's possible cardiac protection a good tradeoff, while a woman with ovarian cancer in the family might not. For those who find their post-menopausal symptoms return, it's a matter of risks vs. benefits regarding long-term use.

To learn more information about women's health risk factors, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html.

Reference: Rodriguez C, Patel AV, Calle EE, et al. Estrogen replacement therapy and ovarian cancer mortality in a large prospective study of US women. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2001:285(11), pp.1460-1465.

Bolstering Chiropractic Through Acupuncture

About 10 percent of U.S. chiropractors incorporate acupuncture into their practices. A recent study in the European Journal of Chiropractic surveyed 720 members of the British Chiropractic Association to access the use of acupuncture in their practices.

Ninety-three percent of the cases studied maintained chiropractic as their primary method of treatment, however, there were 61 conditions treated by chiropractors using the stimulation of acupuncture points without any manipulation. The study's researchers noted that almost all of these conditions could be seen as being classically appropriate to chiropractic care, and traditional acupuncturists spend much of their time treating such "classic" conditions.

The most common conditions treated by acupuncture which parallel chiropractic are: arthritis; low back pain; premenstrual tension; and repetitive strain injury. Acupuncture has also proved to relax the patient initially, thus making a chiropractic manipulation easier and possibly more beneficial.

For more information on acupuncture, visit http://www.AcupunctureToday.com.

Simpson RB, McCarthy PW. Use of acupuncture within the chiropractic profession. European Journal of Chiropractic 2001:47, pp. 3-8.

Getting Rid of Back Pain

Doctors of chiropractic spend years in chiropractic college learning to manipulate the spine, but that's certainly not all they learn. Chiropractors are effective at relieving back pain because they know that long-term solutions come from taking a well-rounded approach to dealing with the problem. A study involving 147 patients (101 of whom were classified as "disabled" from car accidents or work-related back injuries) provides evidence of the effectiveness of this approach to managing back pain. Patients participated in a four-phase rehabilitation program consisting of: 1) chiropractic treatments, including spinal adjustments, ultrasound therapy, and TENS (electrical stimulation of the muscles), along with cardiovascular exercises; 2) isometric strength training; 3) resistance weight training; and 4) education on back pain, including strategies for coping with pain, relaxation techniques, etc. After nine weeks of rehabilitation, patients reported decreases in pain and disability compared with pre-rehabilitation measurements. Strength, flexibility and range of motion were also higher, and most significantly, 91 of the 101 disabled patients were able to return to work. So if back pain's got you down, get up and take a trip to your doctor of chiropractic. You'll get a comprehensive, caring approach that's sure to help you get back on your feet. Reference: Guerriero RC, Rawani M, Gray E, et al. A retrospective study of the effectiveness of physical rehabilitation of low back pain patients in a multidisciplinary setting. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, June 1999: Vol. 43, No. 2, pp89-103. For more information on back pain, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/backpain.html.

Exercise for the Mind

The physical benefits of exercise in elderly people are well-established. More recently, investigators have examined the benefits of exercise on the mental health of elderly people. A new study suggests that aerobically fit individuals tend to perform better on measures of the mind. Building on evidence that many heart-healthy habits do the brain good, a study of 84 men and women (aged 50-77) with clinical depression were randomly assigned exercise plans for a period of four months. Investigators found that four months of regular aerobic exercise appeared to sharpen study participants memory and certain other mental abilities. This finding suggests exercise could counter the mental decline that comes with aging, according to the report. The new findings, published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, suggest that the mental health benefits of exercise go beyond depression. The researchers suggest that the implications are that exercise might be able to offset some of the mental declines that we often associate with the aging process. For more information on senior health, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/senior.html. Reference: Khatri P, Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, et al. Effects of exercise training on cognitive functioning among depressed older men and women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, January 2001:9, pp. 43-47.

Behave Yourself!

Behavioral modification is a prescribed treatment of many illnesses, and a common treatment of chronic low back pain. The main assumption of a behavioral approach is that pain and disability are not only influenced by physical disease, but also by psychological and social factors. A recent study published in Spine reviewed previous literature reporting on behavioral modification to determine whether ones attitude is more or less important than other treatments of chronic low back pain, and which type of behavioral treatment is most effective. Data, gathered by means of a computer-aided medical database search, was pooled and investigated as to behavioral outcomes of a myriad of chronic low back pain cases. The results of the study showed that there is strong evidence that your attitude, modified by behavioral treatments, has a positive effect on pain intensity levels and overall outcomes of patients with chronic low back pain when compared to patients without behavioral treatment. Reference: Van Tulder MW, Ostelo R, Vlaeyen JWS, et al. Behavioral treatment for chronic low back pain: a systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane back review group. Spine 2000:26(3), pp. 270-281.

Tofu or Not Tofu, That Is the Question

If you replace lean meat with tofu in your diet, you may help cut your risk of heart disease, by reducing levels of cholesterol and other fatty substances in your blood called triglycerides (a negative compound formed from fatty acids), and slowing the rate at which the body eliminates bad cholesterol. Previous studies have shown that patients with heart disease have higher levels of oxidized cholesterol in their blood. The slowing rate at which cholesterol is oxidized can therefore be associated with a decrease in coronary heart risk, or more commonly known, heart attack. This theory is investigated in a recent issue of The Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The study found that the replacement of lean meat with the same amount of protein as tofu beneficially changes a number of coronary heart disease risk factors. Also, estrogens found in soy products such as tofu, may lower a persons susceptibility to cholesterol build-up, as they contain certain blocking agents. According to Dr. Madeline Ball, the main researcher, the overall diet to reduce heart disease should be one with appropriate calories to achieve or maintain ideal body weight, low in saturated fat and with good variety of foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables. Using soy products like tofu may also help to reduce fat intake. To learn more benefits of nutrition, talk to your doctor of chiropractic, or visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/nutrients.html. Reference: Ashton EL, Dalais FS, Ball MJ. Effect of meat replacement by tofu on CHD risk factors including copper induced LDL oxidation. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2000:19(6), pp. 761-767.