August 27, 2001 Research Update

James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiropractic.com
www.lifecarechiropractic.com

Pay Attention: Ritalin Acts Much Like Cocaine

Geez..do I really need to comment on this one? Just to reiterate...the numbers of kids diagnosed with ADD or ADHD has skyrocketed, and the quick answer to these cases has been the use of psychoactive substances such as Ritalin. There are no long term studies to verify the safety of long term use. NONE. Myself and many others out there are not entirely convinced that this is even a problem. Sure, I would agree that many of the diagnosis given are accurate, but I would have to guess they are a minority. Programs such as the Feingold diet, which removes all added chemicals such as food additives, colorings and preservatives, have had good results in bringing the focus back in these children. And, as with many other natural therapies, there are no side effects, unless you consider overall improved health as a side effect... Pay Attention: Ritalin Acts Much Like Cocaine http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v286n8/ffull/jmn0822-1.html

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Energy Regulation

This article touches on all the new potential targets for the drug companies' quest for the ultimate obesity drug. You will have to register with this website to access the article, but it really is a good, in depth article. ENDO 2001: 83rd Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society - Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Energy Regulation http://primarycare.medscape.com/Medscape/CNO/2001/ENDO/ENDO-02.html

The acute effects of calcium on calcium and bone metabolism

There has always been much controversy on the type, dosage and timing of calcium supplementation. I am not a firm believer in calcium carbonate due to the need for stomach acid for absorption (and almost all of us become deficient as we get older) and support the use of calcium citrate, malate or MCHC more strongly. This article finds that the timing of intake (morning or evening) does not affect the absorption (based on calcium's effect on PTH secretion). AJCN -- Abstracts: Kärkkäinen et al. 74 (3): 335 http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/74/3/335

PPAR Ligands Increase Concentrations of Adiponectin

The new diabetes drugs in the thiazolidinediones family are PPAR ligands (mimic the action), but researchers have been unaware as to how this action effected the body. This article sheds some light on this process. Authors found that the PPAR ligands stimulate an increase in the hormone adiponectin; a hormone that has multiple affects on insulin sensitivity and damages caused by increased insulin resistance. Diabetes -- Abstracts: Maeda et al. 50 (9): 2094 http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/50/9/2094

Elderly show severe impairment of DHEA-S

Given the number of articles appearing related to the topic of adrenal function, a quick review is in order. The medulla (inside) of the adrenals produce epinephrine and norepinephrine...key players in the adrenaline response. The cortex (outside) produce three hormones from cholesterol...aldosterone (regulates blood pressure), cortisol (the body's stress hormone) and DHEA (which goes on to ultimately become estrogen and testosterone). In the body's initial response to stress, the body will produce more cortisol at the expense of DHEA (a phenomena known as pregnonolone steal...). Chronic stress will result in both lowered cortisol and DHEA...basically the adrenals "poop out." All these levels are easily, safely and accurately measured with salivary testing. Synergy : Clinical Endocrinology 55 (2), 259-265 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/Journals/content/abstracts/cen/2001/55/2/abstract_cen1317.asp?journal=cen&issueid=6664&artid=123678&cid=cen.2001.8&ftype=abstracts

Risk of Knee Ligament Injury Tied to Ovulation

I thought this article was interesting in that it related hormonal fluctuations with risk of ligamentous injuries. The idea that hormones change ligaments is by no means new--relaxin is secreted during pregnancy to allow the pubic symphysis to stretch and allow passage of the newborn through the birth canal. This article, however, suggests that other hormones may have similar characteristics. Consider this...hormones are readily modified by environment. It would be not great stretch to consider environmental impacts on hormonal regulation and subsequent alterations in ligament strength and flexibility. Might this lead to increased aches and pains seen in some chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis?

Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Ovulation, and possibly oral contraceptive use, may play important roles in women's risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, according to study findings presented at a recent meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in Keystone, Colorado. Principal investigator Dr. Edward M. Wojtys of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues evaluated 65 women with ACL injuries and collected urine samples within a day of each woman's injury to establish the phase of her menstrual cycle. They found that more than 2.5 times the expected number of injuries occurred during ovulation than during other points of the menstrual cycle. Because this pattern emerged only among women who were not on birth control pills, the findings also suggest that oral contraceptive use may provide some measure of protection from the injury, the researchers note. However, lead study author Dr. Wojtys stressed that the findings do not suggest birth control pills offer a way to prevent ACL injuries. "This research does not justify pulling young ladies out of sports or putting young women on oral contraceptives in order to prevent ligament injuries," Dr. Wojtys, the director of sports medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a statement. "There is some evidence that ACL injuries are tied to the menstrual cycle and probably to hormones," he added, "but we don't have enough information yet to justify the use of oral contraceptives in order to prevent ligament injuries." Studies indicate that female athletes rupture their ACLs up to eight times more often than male athletes do. A number of factors — from differences in musculature and training methods to women's wider hips — are believed to account for the higher rate of ACL injuries among females. Previous research has also pointed to the role of the menstrual cycle, showing that ACL injuries are more common during ovulation. Estrogen levels are increased during ovulation and some researchers have speculated that hormone fluctuations factor into women's ACL injury risk. But Dr. Wojtys said this relationship remains unproven. "Even if it is the menstrual cycle that is having some effect on the susceptibility of soft tissue...the susceptibility is not clear," he said in the statement. "People are jumping to the conclusion that it is estrogen and it is acting at the anterior cruciate ligament, when in fact, there are multiple places where any hormone could act, including muscles, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system," Dr. Wojtys added. He suggests further research is needed on how hormones affect ligaments and other soft tissue, as well as how hormones might alter the function of muscles and nerves.