Lifecare Chiropractic
James Bogash, D.C.
1830 S. Alma School Rd
Bldg 7, Ste 135
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 839-CARE (2273)
Research Updates 4-25-2005
***Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure***
Need I say more? Remember, though, that this is dark chocolate, NOT milk chocolate with all it's added sugar.
***Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in irritable bowel syndrome: Symptom responses and relationship to cytokine profiles***
I saw a patient yesterday that I hadn't seen in about three years. She had pretty severe diarrhea predominant IBS and we ran Great Smokies CDSA. For those of you not familiar with this test, one of the things it checks for is bacterial flora. The sad part for this patient is that she showed this test to numerous providers and specialist she had seen since, and none said it had any value. I apologized to the patient for the lack of current knowledge for her providers. This article is a perfect example of how far behind clinical practice is. Most clinicians are maybe just catching onto the idea of what probiotics, as a general term, are. But the research moves on and we are now identfying the different physiological effects different strains have on the GI tract. Once we are able to pin this info down, the therapeutic potential will definately rise.
***Undernutrition w/o malnutrition as a protective factor to prevent DNA damage in the elderly***
Despite the infomercials, emails and all the anti-aging miracles you get in the mail, the only thing that has consistently shown to extend lifespan in mammals in calorie restriction without nutrient restriction. This is an interesting study in that it is done in healthy elderly patients. With a mild caloric restriction of 10-20%, the research found less DNA damage in the patient's white blood cells. Most of the research seems to suggest that much of the benefit of calorie restriction has something to do with lowering insulin levels.
***Urinary 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid excretion is associated with oxidative stress in hypertensive subjects***
Not to confuse anyone with long words (just how much would that be worth in Scrabble?) but it is surprising to me just how many ways we are finding to evaluate oxidative stress. Truly this is a wonderful movement, because we are still lacking a good, overall, solid test to check for oxidative stress. What I can see happening is a panel of several oxidative stress markers that will give a good idea of what state a patient is in. Given that I think oxidative stress/mitochondrial dysfunction is the root of all evil, any markers we can identify to evaluate this is a good thing.
***Antidepressant-like effects of cranial stimulation w/in low-energy magnetic field in rats***
This study raises some very interesting questions and concerns. First, there is the therapy aspect--might some form of electrical/magnetic stimulation positively affect our mood? Next, what about deleterious effects of cell phones, microwaves, headphones, diagnostic testing, etc...? I personally think that, when all the chips fall, in 30 yrs or so we will find that cell phone use has increased the risk/rate of some conditions like ADD/ADHD, brain tumors, seizures, Alzheimer/Parkinson's.
***Effect of docosahexaenoic acid on lipoprotein subclasses in hyperlipidemic children***
A few important points here. First, this study wisely looked at the subclasses of lipids, which is much more important than looking at just HDL, LDL particles. Second, the results were quite dramatic--91% increase in LDL1 and 14% increase in HDL2 (both "good") and a 91% decrease in LDL3 ("bad'). Lastly, look at the dosages used--1.2 grams/day of EPA. That's quite a hefty dose considering that most, off the shelf supplements have between 100-200 mg. All in all, remarkable results in this study with, in this group of patients, can have dramatic long-term preventative effects on these kids if the supplementation continues.
***Consumption of milk and calcium in midlife and the future risk of Parkinson***
I've said it before, and I will say it again (and again, and again...) that I think the idea that cow's milk "does a body good" is one of the most successful marketing campaigns based on little to no evidence ever exposed to the American public. Good luck finding any articles not sponsored by the dairy industry that show a strong beneficial effect on dairy products for any condition. Conversely, dairy intake has been linked to food allergy, ear infections, osteoporosis (or at least no protection from), Type 1 diabetes and now add Parkinson's to the list. Ironically, although this showed a 2.3 fold increase (quite a large increase) and it was in a major neurology journal, not a PEEP from the media. Compare this to a 3-lb decrease in body weight over 6 months with dairy intake (and no-one just body fat--just weight) and you would think the Holy Grail for America's weight problem was found.
***Dietary intake in patients with asthma: A case control study***
It is funny how little we look at dietary factors in the treatment of asthma. I remember a few years back I had a middle aged male patient who I could not even adjust without him going into a one minute coughing spasm that require water to calm down. He had been seeing a pulmonologist for 10+ years. I mentioned to him that refined carbs and caffeine could affect airway reactivity. Turns out he was drinking Mountain Dew several times per day. Bottom line--one month later, after avoiding Mountain Dew alone, he was back to normal. This was never once mentioned to him by his "specialist."
***Cardiac carnitine leakage is promoted by cardiomyopathy***
Recall that carnitine is used to shunt fatty acids into the mitochondria so the mitochondria can burn the fatty acids for energy formation. It also functions in the reverse to remove toxins form the mitochondria. So, lowering carnitine==potential for less energy production and mitochondrial dysfunction. This effect would be larger in higher respiratory tissues like heart, brain, liver and skeletal muscle. This particular study sees a link with cardiomyopathy.
***Simultaneous dietary administration of xylitol and ethanol on bone resorption***
Not quite sure what the practical aspects are of this one, but I thought it was interesting. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar that is found in foods like fruits that is known to have a positive effect on dental health. Bacteria in the mouth cannot use xylitol to produce acids that destroy dental enamel, so xylitol containing items like gum have been shown to lower the incidence of dental caries. But I was unaware that xylitol also had a beneficial effect on bone mass by slowing down bone breakdown. This study combined xylitol with ethanol (ethanol lowers bone mass by speeding up breakdown) and found a much greater decrease in bone breakdown because the ethanol keeps more xylitol in the bloodstream. No quite sure where to go with this one--maybe xylitol in your wine to boost bone health???
Dr. James Bogash, D.C.
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 for Chandler, Mesa and Tempe Arizona
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