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August 14, 2003 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Cyclo-Oxygenase 2 Function Is Essential for Bone Fracture Healing
I honestly think that this was a side effect the pharmaceuticals did not anticipate. Consider this--if COX-2 is essential for bone healing, how does this impact on patients with osteoporosis?? What about the seniors, a group with higher use of COX-2 selective inhibitors due to higher prevalence of arthritis? Hold tight--the house of cards may come tumbling down soon...
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Concurrent cereal allergy in children w/ cow's milk allergy manifested w/ atopic dermatitis
I just recently had a patient whose 4 year old son was put on steroids for a skin reaction of unknown etiology. There was never a recommendation to avoid common food allergens. Mind you, steroids in a child that young really do concern me. Remember that an elimination diet is one of the more powerful tools we have in natural medicine to address a wide range of complaints.
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Past exposure to sun, skin phenotype, and risk of multiple sclerosis
With sun exposure being villified in today's society due to the perceived increased risk of all sun exposure on melanoma, there will be lowered vitamin D and melatonin production. Here we may see a glimpse of some of the skeletons in the closet of sunlight avoidance. While I'm not advocating lying for hours on the beach coating in Crisco, a moderate amount of sun exposure on a daily basis is part of a healthy lifestyle.
bmj.com Abstracts: van der Mei et al. 327 (7410): 316
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Acute low back pain: systematic review of its prognosis
As a chiropractor, it is really hard to pass up an article like this one!! I can verify the findings in this an several other studies from what I see in my office. Low back pain is not a one time episode. Rather, it is a continuim of flare ups and remissions--with all the episodes essentially being one long one. However, although there are no studies to back this up to date, I see time and time again that intervention with chiropractic care can break this cycle and prevent future flare ups in the vast majority of cases.
bmj.com Abstracts: Pengel et al. 327 (7410): 323
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Breast cancer and HRT in the Million Women Study
No one is going to accuse this study of being too small to weed out potential inaccuracies!! Basically, in this study alone, what has been referred to as a "small" increased risk (mainly in the media) would project to 19,000 additional cases of breast cancer. Unless they find (or make up...) some brilliant new use for HRT then we are witnessing snippets for the epitaph of HRT. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part??...
The Journal : Current Issue
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A Reduced–Glycemic Load Diet in the Treatment of Adolescent Obesity
An entire issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine devoted to trying to figure out how to solve the "obesity" crisis in our kids. I would bet that anyone reading this could list out ten things to do to fix this crisis. Do we really need a study to say that these kids are getting too much refined carbs?? I am actually in the process of speaking with the nutritionists for my local school district about the lunch menu. In speaking with him today, he stated that the school lunch menu exceeded government standards. Instead of caring that the food contains enough nutrients to keep the standard Sprague-Dowley rat alive, how about backing up from the menu and evaluating it that way.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med -- Abstracts: Ebbeling et al. 157 (8): 773
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Prevalence of a Metabolic Syndrome Phenotype in Adolescents
Ditto.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med -- Abstracts: Cook et al. 157 (8): 821
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Maternal High-Meat, Low-Carb Diet in Late Pregnancy: Relation to Adult Cortisol Concentrations in the Offspring
Wow. This is an interesting approach. Basically, dietary choices in pregnancy in regards to a high protein diet can pre-program the infant for future elevated cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol can lead to a major negative impact on many factors such as insulin resistance, obesity and adrenal dysfunction. We already have many other studies that link maternal diet with pre-programming the fetus in negative ways. With today's pregnant woman being less healthy and less attentive to good nutrition than their mothers, where will this leave us in successive generations?
JCEM -- Abstracts: Herrick et al. 88 (8): 3554
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Glucose-to-Insulin Ratio Rather than Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Adiponectin Levels Is the Best Predictor of Insulin Resistance in Nonobese Women w/ PCOS
Sorry for the long title...we are always looking for a more efficient way to evaluate insulin resistance that does not involve the arduous 3,4 or 5 post prandial glucose w/ insulin. The fasting glucose to insulin ratio is currently one of the better "snapshot" lab values for this evaluation.
JCEM -- Abstracts: Ducluzeau et al. 88 (8): 3626
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Effect of Lipase Inhibition on Gastric Emptying of, and the Glycemic and Incretin Responses to, an Oil/Aqueous Drink in Type 2 Diabetes
I'm not sure why anyone would continue to use orlistat (or Olestra) after reading the list of potential side effects, but hopefully this will convince the diehard users. Basically, using a drug that blocks the digestion of fats such as orlistat (Olestra is a non-absorbable fat used in foods that may result in similar effects) will speed up the time it takes for the stomach to kick out its contents. This leads to a variety of problems including poor digestion. In this study they evaluated and found negative effects on the glycemic response with orlistat use.
JCEM -- Abstracts: Pilichiewicz et al. 88 (8): 3829
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