by Meghan Vivo
1. RUSHING YOUR REPS
You want to get through the weight-lifting portion of your workout as quickly as possible, so you hustle through 15 reps and check that exercise off the list. Bad idea. Rushing through your repetitions too quickly raises blood pressure, increases your risk for joint injury and compromises your results. Experts recommend exhaling for two counts as you lift and inhaling for four counts as you return to your starting position. Be sure to exhale during the hardest part of the lifting process.
2 LOSING FOCUS
Research suggests you get a better workout when you're mentally focused on the particular muscle group you're working. Reading, watching TV and talking to friends can keep you motivated to get to the gym, but stop every few minutes on cardio machines to pay attention to your heart rate and push yourself with more resistance, a steeper incline or a quicker pace. When lifting weights, practice mindful exercise by thinking about the muscles you're working until you can feel the resistance in those areas.
3. BELIEVING YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING IF YOU EXERCISE
It's easier than you think to gain weight even if you're exercising. One extra "treat" each day can more than make up for the calories burned in a workout. Here's the math: You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound. So if you're burning 300 calories in one workout, it will take you nearly 12 workouts to lose one pound. To put that into perspective, the average person burns around 250 calories walking for one hour at 3.5 mph. That means you have to do a lot of cardio to burn just a few hundred calories. If you cut your intake by 300 calories in addition to burning 300, it will take you half as long to lose a pound. So watch what you eat, even if you're working out regularly.
Once you're eating right, also be aware of the timing of your meals. It may sound counterintuitive, but to burn fat you need to eat. You will get more out of your workout if you eat a light, balanced meal beforehand as well as a small meal of protein
and carbs within two hours after the workout to build and repair muscles and blood vessels.
4. FAILING TO VARY YOUR ROUTINE
Muscles are incredibly efficient. If you do the same exercises at the same pace and intensity each day, certain muscles get stronger and expend less energy, and you burn fewer calories. Try shaking up your workout routine at least once a month - add an extra workout per week, increase your workout by 5-10 minutes, use interval training or add an incline for short bursts of higher intensity.
For those hooked on a certain piece of cardio equipment, try new activities that work different muscles (e.g., cycling or swimming). Cross- training can vastly improve your results. Rather than spending a full 30 minutes on the treadmill, use the treadmill for just 15 minutes and then hop on a rowing machine, stationary bike or elliptical trainer. Exercise can be fun if you vary your routine and continually search for alternatives you enjoy.
5. THINKING CARDIO IS ENOUGH
Many people, especially women, think a good cardiovascular workout is all they need to maintain a healthy weight. Unfortunately, the human body begins losing muscle at age 30, and the average woman loses five pounds of muscle every decade after that. Strength training builds muscle, which has the added benefit of increasing metabolism and burning calories. With strength training, every pound of muscle that you build burns an additional 50 calories a day even while you're sleeping. A well-rounded routine should consist of 3-4 cardio workouts and 2-3 strength-training sessions per week.
6. USING CARDIO EQUIPMENT IMPROPERLY
When using the elliptical trainer, treadmill or stair climber, do you stand up straight? Or are you slumped over, trying desperately to keep up? The American Council on Exercise calls this the "gym slouch," and it not only prevents you from getting a good workout, but also can be damaging to your spine.
Hanging on to the cardio equipment robs you of a true moderate- to high-intensity workout - think of all the extra calories you can burn from moving your arms and forcing your body to maintain balance. If you can't stand straight on the cardio machines, slightly decrease the speed or resistance level. If you must hold on, rest your fingers on the bars rather than keeping an iron grip.
7. PERFORMING STRENGTH-TRAINING EXERCISES IMPROPERLY
You can hurt yourself if you don't adjust the seat height and weight of strength-training machines before you use them. Choose a weight you can lift for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions each while maintaining correct form throughout. If you're struggling after the first few reps or you're using momentum rather than muscle to lift the weight, decrease the weight. Be sure to perform each repetition slowly and with control, and don't hold your breath. Exhale when lifting the weight and inhale when releasing the weight. And finally, remember to rest your muscles for at least 48 hours between training sessions.
To see results, isolate the muscles and focus on the specific zone you're working. For example, an effective abdominal workout requires contraction from the rib cage to the hip bone, whereas most people use their upper torso, neck and head to lift the weight. Other common mistakes include doing lat pull-downs behind your head instead of in front of your shoulders and chest, and failing to lock your elbows at your sides when toning the triceps.
8. CONSUMING SPORTS DRINKS AND ENERGY BARS UNNECESSARILY
Most recreational exercisers don't need bars or drinks to give them energy. If you exercise for 60 minutes or more, depending on the intensity, you may want a sports drink. For a 30-60 minute workout, water should be sufficient. No matter how long or hard you work out, drink plenty of water - at least two cups of water before your workout, plus another 4-6 ounces every 15 minutes during your workout. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already mildly dehydrated!
9. SETTING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
If you drag yourself to the gym three times a week to walk for 30 minutes, you expect to lose weight, right? Probably not. Despite advertisements to the contrary, it's unrealistic to think you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days or that you can have washboard abs simply by doing 10 minutes of crunches a day. In reality, experts recommend 31/2 to 4 hours of physical activity per week just to prevent weight gain. There are 168 hours in a week - spending one percent of your time in the gym won't transform you into a supermodel or a marathon runner. If you want results, you've got to do the work.
It's best to build your fitness gradually and lose only 1-2 pounds per week to ensure you don't lose muscle or bone tissue in addition to fat. If you set goals appropriate to your fitness and skill level and don't compare yourself to others, you won't get discouraged and be tempted to give up after just a few workouts.
10. BURNING YOURSELF OUT
Motivation is a great thing, but starting off too strong can lead to quick burnout, soreness and eventually giving up. If you're new to exercise, consider a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn proper use of machines and healthy ways to achieve your fitness goals.
You can't shrink fat in one particular area of your body, so don't burn yourself out trying. The best way to change your body composition is by eating fewer calories and burning more fat through regular aerobic exercise and strength training for all major muscle groups. If you have medical concerns or prior injuries, be sure to discuss your fitness goals and plans with your chiropractic doctor.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Are You Taking Too Many Medications?
John Abramson, MD
Harvard Medical School
With our national pharmacy bill now topping $200 billion each year, and recent disclosures about harmful and ineffective drugs, more people are asking: Are all those pills really necessary?
To learn more, Bottom Line/Health talked with John Abramson, MD, a Harvard Medical School clinical instructor who is widely recognized for his in-depth research of the drug industry...
Are most Americans overmedicated? They sure are. Americans take many drugs unnecessarily, and when drugs are needed, people often take the wrong ones. For example, before rofecoxib (Vioxx) was withdrawn from the market because it was found to cause heart attacks and strokes (and was discovered to provide no better relief of arthritis symptoms than older, much less expensive anti-inflammatory drugs), about 80% of the Vioxx that was prescribed worldwide was used in the US.
Are doctors to blame? The vast majority of physicians prescribe medication because they think it's in their patients' best interest. But there have been radical changes in the way that our medical knowledge is provided. Before 1980, most clinical research was publicly funded, but now most is funded directly by the drug and other medical industries, whose primary mission is to maximize the return on investments for investors.
Ninety percent of clinical trials now are commercially funded -- as well as 75% of published clinical research. When a pharmaceutical company sponsors a study, the odds are five times greater that the findings will favor its product.
Drug and medical industries fund 70% of continuing education lectures and seminars, which are among the activities that doctors are required to attend to maintain their licenses to practice. Wherever doctors turn for sources of information, drug companies dominate.
Who should be monitoring doctors' relationships with drug companies? The real failure is on the part of government agencies, such as the FDA and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Medical journals and academic researchers have become dependent on drug company money and/or are vulnerable to drug company lobbying. Doctors and the public still trust these institutions to independently oversee the integrity of the medical knowledge that informs our medical care, when they simply are not able to do this anymore.
We all know that cholesterol-lowering statins are widely prescribed. Are they unnecessary? Despite being on the market for 18 years and becoming the best-selling class of drugs, statins have never been shown in randomized, controlled trials to provide a significant health benefit when used by women of any age without heart disease or diabetes. The same is true for men over age 65 without heart disease or diabetes. Even so, millions of people in both groups now are taking a statin drug.
Is it ever advisable to take a statin? Yes, there is good evidence that statins are beneficial for people who already have heart disease and for at least some people who have diabetes. A good case also can be made for men who are at very high risk for heart disease (LDL "bad" cholesterol approaching 200 and other risk factors).
What other drugs do you think are being prescribed because of drug company influence? Antihypertensives -- drugs used to treat high blood pressure -- are good examples. Newer medications, such as calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, are among the most popular. One of them, amlodipine (Norvasc), was the second most commonly prescribed drug for older adults in 2003. But a study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that diuretics, which have been around for decades, are as good or better than Norvasc in protecting against complications of hypertension, such as heart attack and stroke. A diuretic might cost $29 per year, compared with $549 to $749 for Norvasc, depending on the dose. The patents for diuretics expired decades ago, so drug companies don't profit much from them.
Should everyone with high blood pressure just take a diuretic? High blood pressure is a complex problem. Some people respond to one drug, some to another, and some need more than one. It would make sense, though, to start with a diuretic, and use expensive drugs such as Norvasc only when other alternatives haven't worked.
Are natural therapies a better alternative to some drugs? If you look at the data rather than listen to the drug ads, you see that natural alternatives, such as improved diet and routine exercise, often are far more effective than drugs at achieving real health improvements, such as less heart disease and longer life.
Probably the most important test of a healthful diet's effect on heart disease is the Lyon Diet Heart Study conducted in Lyon, France. Heart attack patients were randomly counseled to eat a Mediterranean diet (high in unprocessed grains, fruits, vegetables and olive oil -- very low in red meat, dairy fat and cholesterol) or a "prudent" post-heart attack diet (no more than 30% of calories from total fat and no more than 10% from saturated fat).
The people counseled to eat the Mediterranean diet developed 72% less heart disease than those in the prudent diet group over the next four years. There were 56% fewer deaths in the group counseled to eat the Mediterranean diet -- that's two to three times the benefit achieved with statin drugs.
The same holds true for exercise. A study conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas followed 25,000 men who had undergone physical exams. Over the next 10 years, the men whose exercise endurance (as measured on a treadmill) was in the lowest 20% of the group were at a much higher risk of dying than those with high total cholesterol levels (above 240) -- confirming that exercise is even more important than cholesterol control.
But many patients prefer pills because they're easier. There is no question that many of us would rather take a pill than change our lifestyle. If the pills worked, it would simply be a question of how we want to spend our money. The problem is that the pills often are closer to folk medicine -- empowered by our cultural beliefs but without a genuine scientific basis. About two-thirds of our health is determined by the way we live our lives, and -- for better or worse -- no pills can change that.
What's the solution? Most doctors don't invest much time or energy helping patients to make healthful changes in diet and exercise or teaching stress reduction. If you are willing to consider these approaches before trying drug treatment, tell your doctor. When medication is necessary, ask your doctor if a generic drug is just as effective as the expensive brand-name product. Remember, drug ads that tell you to "ask your doctor" about a particular drug have a single purpose -- to sell more drugs, not to improve your health.
Prescription drug ads have become a normal part of our cultural landscape, but the US and New Zealand (with less than four million people) are the only two industrialized countries that allow them. The governments of other industrialized countries believe that assessment of the scientific information about prescription drug treatment should be left to doctors, who should work in a partnership with each patient to determine optimal medical care based on his/her individual situation.
Harvard Medical School
With our national pharmacy bill now topping $200 billion each year, and recent disclosures about harmful and ineffective drugs, more people are asking: Are all those pills really necessary?
To learn more, Bottom Line/Health talked with John Abramson, MD, a Harvard Medical School clinical instructor who is widely recognized for his in-depth research of the drug industry...
Are most Americans overmedicated? They sure are. Americans take many drugs unnecessarily, and when drugs are needed, people often take the wrong ones. For example, before rofecoxib (Vioxx) was withdrawn from the market because it was found to cause heart attacks and strokes (and was discovered to provide no better relief of arthritis symptoms than older, much less expensive anti-inflammatory drugs), about 80% of the Vioxx that was prescribed worldwide was used in the US.
Are doctors to blame? The vast majority of physicians prescribe medication because they think it's in their patients' best interest. But there have been radical changes in the way that our medical knowledge is provided. Before 1980, most clinical research was publicly funded, but now most is funded directly by the drug and other medical industries, whose primary mission is to maximize the return on investments for investors.
Ninety percent of clinical trials now are commercially funded -- as well as 75% of published clinical research. When a pharmaceutical company sponsors a study, the odds are five times greater that the findings will favor its product.
Drug and medical industries fund 70% of continuing education lectures and seminars, which are among the activities that doctors are required to attend to maintain their licenses to practice. Wherever doctors turn for sources of information, drug companies dominate.
Who should be monitoring doctors' relationships with drug companies? The real failure is on the part of government agencies, such as the FDA and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Medical journals and academic researchers have become dependent on drug company money and/or are vulnerable to drug company lobbying. Doctors and the public still trust these institutions to independently oversee the integrity of the medical knowledge that informs our medical care, when they simply are not able to do this anymore.
We all know that cholesterol-lowering statins are widely prescribed. Are they unnecessary? Despite being on the market for 18 years and becoming the best-selling class of drugs, statins have never been shown in randomized, controlled trials to provide a significant health benefit when used by women of any age without heart disease or diabetes. The same is true for men over age 65 without heart disease or diabetes. Even so, millions of people in both groups now are taking a statin drug.
Is it ever advisable to take a statin? Yes, there is good evidence that statins are beneficial for people who already have heart disease and for at least some people who have diabetes. A good case also can be made for men who are at very high risk for heart disease (LDL "bad" cholesterol approaching 200 and other risk factors).
What other drugs do you think are being prescribed because of drug company influence? Antihypertensives -- drugs used to treat high blood pressure -- are good examples. Newer medications, such as calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, are among the most popular. One of them, amlodipine (Norvasc), was the second most commonly prescribed drug for older adults in 2003. But a study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that diuretics, which have been around for decades, are as good or better than Norvasc in protecting against complications of hypertension, such as heart attack and stroke. A diuretic might cost $29 per year, compared with $549 to $749 for Norvasc, depending on the dose. The patents for diuretics expired decades ago, so drug companies don't profit much from them.
Should everyone with high blood pressure just take a diuretic? High blood pressure is a complex problem. Some people respond to one drug, some to another, and some need more than one. It would make sense, though, to start with a diuretic, and use expensive drugs such as Norvasc only when other alternatives haven't worked.
Are natural therapies a better alternative to some drugs? If you look at the data rather than listen to the drug ads, you see that natural alternatives, such as improved diet and routine exercise, often are far more effective than drugs at achieving real health improvements, such as less heart disease and longer life.
Probably the most important test of a healthful diet's effect on heart disease is the Lyon Diet Heart Study conducted in Lyon, France. Heart attack patients were randomly counseled to eat a Mediterranean diet (high in unprocessed grains, fruits, vegetables and olive oil -- very low in red meat, dairy fat and cholesterol) or a "prudent" post-heart attack diet (no more than 30% of calories from total fat and no more than 10% from saturated fat).
The people counseled to eat the Mediterranean diet developed 72% less heart disease than those in the prudent diet group over the next four years. There were 56% fewer deaths in the group counseled to eat the Mediterranean diet -- that's two to three times the benefit achieved with statin drugs.
The same holds true for exercise. A study conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas followed 25,000 men who had undergone physical exams. Over the next 10 years, the men whose exercise endurance (as measured on a treadmill) was in the lowest 20% of the group were at a much higher risk of dying than those with high total cholesterol levels (above 240) -- confirming that exercise is even more important than cholesterol control.
But many patients prefer pills because they're easier. There is no question that many of us would rather take a pill than change our lifestyle. If the pills worked, it would simply be a question of how we want to spend our money. The problem is that the pills often are closer to folk medicine -- empowered by our cultural beliefs but without a genuine scientific basis. About two-thirds of our health is determined by the way we live our lives, and -- for better or worse -- no pills can change that.
What's the solution? Most doctors don't invest much time or energy helping patients to make healthful changes in diet and exercise or teaching stress reduction. If you are willing to consider these approaches before trying drug treatment, tell your doctor. When medication is necessary, ask your doctor if a generic drug is just as effective as the expensive brand-name product. Remember, drug ads that tell you to "ask your doctor" about a particular drug have a single purpose -- to sell more drugs, not to improve your health.
Prescription drug ads have become a normal part of our cultural landscape, but the US and New Zealand (with less than four million people) are the only two industrialized countries that allow them. The governments of other industrialized countries believe that assessment of the scientific information about prescription drug treatment should be left to doctors, who should work in a partnership with each patient to determine optimal medical care based on his/her individual situation.
Turn On The Power
Chiropractic is really quite simple: it just wants to turn the power on. The same power that grew you, cell by cell from the time the egg met the sperm. The power that changed you from a fetus to an infant to a child to an adolescent to an adult. The same power that may be dimmed a little by the stresses of life. Chiropractic just wants to turn that power back on. It's more than a figure of speech. Most people don't really get chiropractic, even after all these years. What they don't get is its completeness, its purity, and its simplicity. After 100 years, everybody's heard of chiropractic, but only about 10% use it, and only some of that 10% actually get it.
What is the dream of chiropractic? Full individual potential. Highest quality of life, from the womb to the tomb. Let the inner wisdom of the body come to fruition: in every situation, give it the first chance. Unobstructed nervous system, optimum nerve transmission between the brain's central computer and the body, back and forth. Sensory experiences program the brain: input. Like a clean install on a brand new hard drive - the original programming sets up how the computer is going to operate from then on.
The brain then organizes the whole enchilada and sends a thousand updates a second to every cell. This involves a lot of wiring - main trunk, branch trunks, smaller and smaller bundles, down to the single threads at the cell level. Messages can't afford to get put on hold. Any delays cause loss of life, starting on the smallest scale. Longer delays cause more significant loss of life, known as degeneration. After a certain amount of time, the damage caused by the nerve distortion becomes irreversible.
Chiropractic seeks to remove that blockage and make a correction while the damage is fully reversible and 100% healing can occur. As we know, the human body can taken an immense amount of abuse. But there are limits.
SUBLUXATION
Cirrhosis of the liver doesn't happen overnight. Neither does diabetes. Cancer takes seven or eight years before it grows from a single cell to a tumor the size of a pencil tip. (McDougall) If you are an American you stand a 50/50 chance of dying from heart disease. That takes years to develop. How about chronic fatigue? Low immune function - auto immune things, on and on What's the master system controlling all other systems? The nervous system. So what regulates all the above? The nervous system. What can cause all of the above? Distorted information, chronically garbled memos put through the nervous system. Garbage in, garbage out. Subluxation.
What is the dream of chiropractic? Full individual potential. Highest quality of life, from the womb to the tomb. Let the inner wisdom of the body come to fruition: in every situation, give it the first chance. Unobstructed nervous system, optimum nerve transmission between the brain's central computer and the body, back and forth. Sensory experiences program the brain: input. Like a clean install on a brand new hard drive - the original programming sets up how the computer is going to operate from then on.
The brain then organizes the whole enchilada and sends a thousand updates a second to every cell. This involves a lot of wiring - main trunk, branch trunks, smaller and smaller bundles, down to the single threads at the cell level. Messages can't afford to get put on hold. Any delays cause loss of life, starting on the smallest scale. Longer delays cause more significant loss of life, known as degeneration. After a certain amount of time, the damage caused by the nerve distortion becomes irreversible.
Chiropractic seeks to remove that blockage and make a correction while the damage is fully reversible and 100% healing can occur. As we know, the human body can taken an immense amount of abuse. But there are limits.
SUBLUXATION
Cirrhosis of the liver doesn't happen overnight. Neither does diabetes. Cancer takes seven or eight years before it grows from a single cell to a tumor the size of a pencil tip. (McDougall) If you are an American you stand a 50/50 chance of dying from heart disease. That takes years to develop. How about chronic fatigue? Low immune function - auto immune things, on and on What's the master system controlling all other systems? The nervous system. So what regulates all the above? The nervous system. What can cause all of the above? Distorted information, chronically garbled memos put through the nervous system. Garbage in, garbage out. Subluxation.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Childhood Weight May Predice Weight in Adulthood
It's no secret that obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions. Now, new research shows that children between the ages of 8-15 who are in the upper half of their normal weight range are more likely to become overweight or obese young adults than their leaner counterparts.
Researchers recorded the height, weight and blood pressure of 314 Massachusetts children, ages 8-15 years old at baseline, between 1978 and 1981. These values were measured in the same participants eight to 12 years later at follow-up. Participants averaged a mean body mass index (BMI) of 20 kg/m2 at the first childhood visit, with a "prevalence of at risk for overweight or overweight at the first childhood visit [at] 34 percent for girls and 32 percent for boys."
At follow-up, 48.3 percent of the boys and 23.5 percent of the girls were overweight or obese. High blood pressure was more prominent among the boys (12.3 percent) than girls (1.9 percent), as well. According to the authors, "children with a BMI between the national 85th and 95th percentiles for age and gender were classified as at risk for overweight, and those with a BMI > 95th percentile were classified as overweight." The authors considered BMI between the 50th and 84th percentile to be at the high end of a normal weight range.
The researchers concluded, "Although very lean children are unlikely to become overweight adults, we observed that children in the upper end of the healthy weight range (e.g., 50th to 84th percentiles) are at an elevated risk of becoming overweight or obese. Furthermore, boys in the upper end of the healthy weight range are at an increased risk of becoming hypertensive. These findings suggest that future interventions to prevent adult obesity and its complications should include not only overweight children but also children and adolescents as low as the 50th percentile of BMI for age and gender."
Reference: Field AE, Cook NR, Gillman MW. Weight status in childhood as a predictor of becoming overweight or hypertensive in early adulthood. Obesity Research Jan 2005;13(1):163-69.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Caffeine Increases Risk for Chronic Daily Headache
Before your reach for your next "cup-o'-jo," consider the consequences of excessive caffeine consumption. Caffeine has been shown to cause withdrawal headache, which may contribute to the development of chronic daily headache (CDH), or headache occurring at least 15 days per month.
To confirm such a hypothesis, researchers recruited population-cases and control subjects from three U.S. metropolitan areas as part of a study designed to address caffeine’s potential involvement in CDH. Control subjects reported two to 104 headache days annually (average: 30 days), while population-cases reported 180 or more headache days per year (average: 260 days). Current and past caffeine consumption was assessed by way of self-report.
Results: High caffeine exposure, defined as being in the upper quartile of dietary consumption or using a caffeine-containing over-the-counter medication as a headache treatment, was associated with onset of CDH. Approximately one-fourth of case subjects reported taking pain medication of any type daily for headache in the previous three months.
According to the authors, “High medicinal or dietary caffeine consumption at the time of CDH onset (e.g., pre-CDH consumption) was a modest risk factor for CDH onset. Secondary analyses revealed that pre-CDH caffeine consumption might be an initiating factor in a subset of CDH sufferers, with the high-risk groups being women and those younger than age 40."
Still need a "pick-me-up" in the morning, but want to wean off caffeine? Try drinking green tea instead, which contains substantially less caffeine than coffee and has been shown to have a host of health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.
Reference: Scher AI, Stewart WF, Lipton RB. Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache. A population-based study. Neurology, Dec. 14, 2004;63(11):2022-27.
To confirm such a hypothesis, researchers recruited population-cases and control subjects from three U.S. metropolitan areas as part of a study designed to address caffeine’s potential involvement in CDH. Control subjects reported two to 104 headache days annually (average: 30 days), while population-cases reported 180 or more headache days per year (average: 260 days). Current and past caffeine consumption was assessed by way of self-report.
Results: High caffeine exposure, defined as being in the upper quartile of dietary consumption or using a caffeine-containing over-the-counter medication as a headache treatment, was associated with onset of CDH. Approximately one-fourth of case subjects reported taking pain medication of any type daily for headache in the previous three months.
According to the authors, “High medicinal or dietary caffeine consumption at the time of CDH onset (e.g., pre-CDH consumption) was a modest risk factor for CDH onset. Secondary analyses revealed that pre-CDH caffeine consumption might be an initiating factor in a subset of CDH sufferers, with the high-risk groups being women and those younger than age 40."
Still need a "pick-me-up" in the morning, but want to wean off caffeine? Try drinking green tea instead, which contains substantially less caffeine than coffee and has been shown to have a host of health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.
Reference: Scher AI, Stewart WF, Lipton RB. Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache. A population-based study. Neurology, Dec. 14, 2004;63(11):2022-27.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Women: One More Reason Not to Stress Out
Women, don't let this news stress you out, but a new study has found that stress can lead to increased pain during menstrual cycles.
The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, tracked 388 young women, ages 20- to 34-years-old, through over 1,000 menstual cycles. According to the study, approximately 44 percent of the participants noted having painful periods, characterized by at least two days of abdominal or low-back pain during a cycle.
Reseachers found that those women with high stress levels during the preceding month were 2.4 times as likely to have a painful period during the following cycle compared to their low stress counterparts. And women that reported having medium stress levels were 1.2 times as likely to have a painful period during the following cycle. The researchers suggested that women with painful menstrual cycles should try to reduce the stress in their lives.
If you are a woman that suffers from painful periods, ask your doctor of chiropractic to recommend a treatment plan. Routine chiropractic care not only helps with pain relief, but also facilitates stress relief.
Reference: Wang L. Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Dec 2004;61: 1021-1026
The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, tracked 388 young women, ages 20- to 34-years-old, through over 1,000 menstual cycles. According to the study, approximately 44 percent of the participants noted having painful periods, characterized by at least two days of abdominal or low-back pain during a cycle.
Reseachers found that those women with high stress levels during the preceding month were 2.4 times as likely to have a painful period during the following cycle compared to their low stress counterparts. And women that reported having medium stress levels were 1.2 times as likely to have a painful period during the following cycle. The researchers suggested that women with painful menstrual cycles should try to reduce the stress in their lives.
If you are a woman that suffers from painful periods, ask your doctor of chiropractic to recommend a treatment plan. Routine chiropractic care not only helps with pain relief, but also facilitates stress relief.
Reference: Wang L. Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Dec 2004;61: 1021-1026
Infections Are Good For Babies
Yet another study confirming that infection in early childhood helps the immune system to mature, become more robust and protect against chronic disease and illness. This raises the question of whether it is wise to use multiple vaccines to prevent all infection in early childhood, including chicken pox, the flu or rotavirus infection which, for 99.9 percent of children living in modern countries, is benign.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4471957.stm
Published: 2005/04/22 10:42:17 GMT
Day care prevents child cancers
Sending your baby to day care in the first few months of life could protect them against leukaemia, say UK experts.
The Leukaemia Research Fund team believe exposure to common infections in early infancy is good and helps "prime" the immune system.
Conversely, reduced exposure to bugs in the first year of life increases the risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), they suggest.
The findings of their 10-year study appear on bmj.com.
"Good infections"
Childhood leukaemia - cancer of the blood cells - has been increasing at a rate of about 1% a year.
In children, about 85% of these are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or ALL and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) accounts for most of the rest.
There have been many theories about what might trigger leukaemia, including exposure to radiation from the environment.
But the authors of the current study say they now have compelling evidence that exposure to infections in infancy is key.
This notion has been around for decades, but the UK Childhood Cancer Study is one of the largest to look at this link.
It involved 6,305 children aged 2-14 years without cancer and 3,140 children with cancer, of whom 1,286 had ALL.
Parents were asked about day care and social activity with children outside the family during the first year of life.
The researchers found that increasing levels of social activity outside the home were linked to consistent reductions in the risk of ALL.
The greatest reduction in risk - of 52% - was seen in children who attended formal day care on a regular basis during the first three months of life.
Those youngsters exposed to informal day care, such as that provided by friends and family, saw a 38% drop in risk of ALL, while those who had some social activity, but not day care, had a 27% lower risk.
"Double whammy"
Lead researcher Professor Mel Greaves, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: "There is good biological evidence now that with childhood leukaemia, there is an interesting double whammy.
"First, there is a genetic mutation that occurs in the baby while they are in the womb, which happens very commonly."
This is very reassuring for parents
Dr David Grant of the Leukaemia Research Fund
Then, in 1% of those children, after birth, there is a trigger that causes a second mutation in the genes, he said.
"There is abundant evidence now that the immune system requires infection in the first few months of life in order to be set up and function normally."
If this does not happen, when the child is older and encounters an infection, that infection can then trigger the leukaemia, he said.
"Infection early in life is good for you, it protects you - pretty much what your grandmother might have told you," he said.
Dr David Grant, scientific director of the Leukaemia Research Fund, which funded the research, said: "This is very reassuring for parents. We have had a lot of theories about what causes leukaemia, but this study takes us to a very firm conclusion.
"The more implausible theories I think we can now dismiss."
He said treatments were improving and that now about 75% of children with leukaemia survive the disease.
"But if we can prevent the disease occurring in the first place, which I think now is quite possible, then this has been a tremendously helpful study," he said.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4471957.stm
Published: 2005/04/22 10:42:17 GMT
Day care prevents child cancers
Sending your baby to day care in the first few months of life could protect them against leukaemia, say UK experts.
The Leukaemia Research Fund team believe exposure to common infections in early infancy is good and helps "prime" the immune system.
Conversely, reduced exposure to bugs in the first year of life increases the risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), they suggest.
The findings of their 10-year study appear on bmj.com.
"Good infections"
Childhood leukaemia - cancer of the blood cells - has been increasing at a rate of about 1% a year.
In children, about 85% of these are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or ALL and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) accounts for most of the rest.
There have been many theories about what might trigger leukaemia, including exposure to radiation from the environment.
But the authors of the current study say they now have compelling evidence that exposure to infections in infancy is key.
This notion has been around for decades, but the UK Childhood Cancer Study is one of the largest to look at this link.
It involved 6,305 children aged 2-14 years without cancer and 3,140 children with cancer, of whom 1,286 had ALL.
Parents were asked about day care and social activity with children outside the family during the first year of life.
The researchers found that increasing levels of social activity outside the home were linked to consistent reductions in the risk of ALL.
The greatest reduction in risk - of 52% - was seen in children who attended formal day care on a regular basis during the first three months of life.
Those youngsters exposed to informal day care, such as that provided by friends and family, saw a 38% drop in risk of ALL, while those who had some social activity, but not day care, had a 27% lower risk.
"Double whammy"
Lead researcher Professor Mel Greaves, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: "There is good biological evidence now that with childhood leukaemia, there is an interesting double whammy.
"First, there is a genetic mutation that occurs in the baby while they are in the womb, which happens very commonly."
This is very reassuring for parents
Dr David Grant of the Leukaemia Research Fund
Then, in 1% of those children, after birth, there is a trigger that causes a second mutation in the genes, he said.
"There is abundant evidence now that the immune system requires infection in the first few months of life in order to be set up and function normally."
If this does not happen, when the child is older and encounters an infection, that infection can then trigger the leukaemia, he said.
"Infection early in life is good for you, it protects you - pretty much what your grandmother might have told you," he said.
Dr David Grant, scientific director of the Leukaemia Research Fund, which funded the research, said: "This is very reassuring for parents. We have had a lot of theories about what causes leukaemia, but this study takes us to a very firm conclusion.
"The more implausible theories I think we can now dismiss."
He said treatments were improving and that now about 75% of children with leukaemia survive the disease.
"But if we can prevent the disease occurring in the first place, which I think now is quite possible, then this has been a tremendously helpful study," he said.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Fountain of Youth
In "Secrets of Great Skin, The Definitive Guide to Anti-Aging Skin Care", author Dr. David J. Goldberg, a board-certified dermatologist at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, says this:
"The skin cells need nutrients supplied via the blood to function. The more nutrients you keep sending to those cells, the healtheier your skin is going to be, and the fresher and more radiant your complexion will be. Even minor nutritional deficiencies can affect the health and appearance of the skin by impairing its ability to renew itself. People who improve their dietary habits often find that their skin tone becomes more youthful, and signs of aging may recede.
In fact, if you want to undertake a journey to the fountain of youth, you need travel no farther than the produce section of your local supermarket. Fruits and vegetables are not only loaded with vitamins and minerals, they are also a rich source of biologically active plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, that play key roles in cellular activity, repair, and renewal. Scientists have already identified thousands of phytochemicals, and more are being discovered every day. Fruits and vegetables also fortify the body's own natural armor against free radicals - possible making them one of the very best defenses against disease and aging.
Ounce for ounce, fruits and vegetables pack far more antioxidant power than any other type of food. ......A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is well documented as one of the best defenses against age-related chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and stroke."
REMEMBER, you are getting 17 servings of these powerful gems in your diet EVERY DAY with JUICE PLUS!
"The skin cells need nutrients supplied via the blood to function. The more nutrients you keep sending to those cells, the healtheier your skin is going to be, and the fresher and more radiant your complexion will be. Even minor nutritional deficiencies can affect the health and appearance of the skin by impairing its ability to renew itself. People who improve their dietary habits often find that their skin tone becomes more youthful, and signs of aging may recede.
In fact, if you want to undertake a journey to the fountain of youth, you need travel no farther than the produce section of your local supermarket. Fruits and vegetables are not only loaded with vitamins and minerals, they are also a rich source of biologically active plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, that play key roles in cellular activity, repair, and renewal. Scientists have already identified thousands of phytochemicals, and more are being discovered every day. Fruits and vegetables also fortify the body's own natural armor against free radicals - possible making them one of the very best defenses against disease and aging.
Ounce for ounce, fruits and vegetables pack far more antioxidant power than any other type of food. ......A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is well documented as one of the best defenses against age-related chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and stroke."
REMEMBER, you are getting 17 servings of these powerful gems in your diet EVERY DAY with JUICE PLUS!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Massage Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background: Massage therapy is an attractive treatment option for osteoarthritis (OA), but its efficacy is uncertain. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial of massage therapy for OA of the knee.
Methods: Sixty-eight adults with radiographically confirmed OA of the knee were assigned either to treatment (twice-weekly sessions of standard Swedish massage in weeks 1-4 and once-weekly sessions in weeks 5-8) or to control (delayed intervention). Primary outcomes were changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain and functional scores and the visual analog scale of pain assessment. The sample provided 80% statistical power to detect a 20-point difference between groups in the change from baseline on the WOMAC and visual analog scale, with a 2-tailed of .05.
Results: The group receiving massage therapy demonstrated significant improvements in the mean (SD) WOMAC global scores (–17.44 [23.61] mm; P<.001), pain (–18.36 [23.28]; P<.001), stiffness (–16.63 [28.82] mm; P<.001), and physical function domains (–17.27 [24.36] mm; P <.001) and in the visual analog scale of pain assessment (–19.38 [28.16] mm; P<.001), range of motion in degrees (3.57 [13.61]; P = .03), and time to walk 50 ft (15 m) in seconds (–1.77 [2.73]; P<.01). Findings were unchanged in multivariable models controlling for demographic factors.
Conclusions: Massage therapy seems to be efficacious in the treatment of OA of the knee. Further study of cost effectiveness and duration of treatment effect is clearly warranted.
Perlman AI, et al. Archives of Internal Medicine. December 11/25, 2007; Vol. 166; No. 22, pp. 2533-2538.
Methods: Sixty-eight adults with radiographically confirmed OA of the knee were assigned either to treatment (twice-weekly sessions of standard Swedish massage in weeks 1-4 and once-weekly sessions in weeks 5-8) or to control (delayed intervention). Primary outcomes were changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain and functional scores and the visual analog scale of pain assessment. The sample provided 80% statistical power to detect a 20-point difference between groups in the change from baseline on the WOMAC and visual analog scale, with a 2-tailed of .05.
Results: The group receiving massage therapy demonstrated significant improvements in the mean (SD) WOMAC global scores (–17.44 [23.61] mm; P<.001), pain (–18.36 [23.28]; P<.001), stiffness (–16.63 [28.82] mm; P<.001), and physical function domains (–17.27 [24.36] mm; P <.001) and in the visual analog scale of pain assessment (–19.38 [28.16] mm; P<.001), range of motion in degrees (3.57 [13.61]; P = .03), and time to walk 50 ft (15 m) in seconds (–1.77 [2.73]; P<.01). Findings were unchanged in multivariable models controlling for demographic factors.
Conclusions: Massage therapy seems to be efficacious in the treatment of OA of the knee. Further study of cost effectiveness and duration of treatment effect is clearly warranted.
Perlman AI, et al. Archives of Internal Medicine. December 11/25, 2007; Vol. 166; No. 22, pp. 2533-2538.
Monday, January 01, 2007
The 5 Most Common Exercise Mistakes
Wayne Westcott, PhD, CSCS
More people start an exercise program in January than at any other time of the year. Within weeks or months, most of them have called it quits -- often because of injury. Unfortunately, many people exercise in a way that almost guarantees injuries or even chronic pain. But this common problem can be avoided.
How much exercise do you need? Opinions differ, but I recommend following the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines -- 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week... and two 20-minute weight-lifting sessions a week. This level of exercise -- along with ordinary activities, such as going for occasional walks and working in the yard -- is sufficient for fitness as well as disease prevention.
Avoid these exercise mistakes...
Mistake 1
Stretching before workouts. At one time, trainers advised everyone to stretch before exercise. It doesn't help -- and actually increases the risk for injury.
Tendons have a limited blood supply. It takes them longer to warm up than muscles. Performing stretches before a workout -- when tendons are cold -- increases the risk for microtears in the connective tissue in or around the tendon. These tears are painful and slow to heal.
Recommended: Stretch after -- not before -- vigorous activities. Warm up by performing the exercise at a slower pace and reduced resistance for three to six minutes. For example, if you plan to bike for 35 minutes, begin by riding at a slow, comfortable pace for three to six minutes.
Mistake 2
Using a barbell (a bar with an adjustable weighted disk attached to each end and held with two hands). Experienced weight lifters can safely use barbells, but a dumbbell (a short bar with weight at each end and held in each hand) is better for injury prevention. That's because the wrists are less likely to move into a fully supinated (palms facing up) or pronated (palms facing down) position, that may strain your elbows. Just about every exercise that you perform with a barbell can be done with dumbbells.
Recommended: If you're using a barbell, keep your hands in your peripheral vision. If they're so far apart that you can't see them, the wrist will be cocked at an angle and more vulnerable to strain.
Mistake 3
Performing repetitions too quickly. People who use weight machines or lift free weights tend to go too fast -- either to minimize time spent in the gym, or because accelerating the pace generates momentum and makes it easier to lift heavy loads. Fast lifting greatly increases stress on the joints, especially when people neglect proper form.
Recommended: A six-second repetition speed. When lifting weights, take about two seconds to raise the weight, then lower it to a count of four. This pace is slow enough to maintain good form throughout the movement, and fast enough to complete about 10 repetitions in one minute -- the recommended number of repetitions for most workouts.
Mistake 4
Lifting too much weight. This is among the most common causes of joint, muscle and tendon injuries.
Recommended: Warm up by lifting lighter-than-usual weights. For example, if you are going to do curls with 15-pound dumbbells, begin with eight to 12 repetitions with five-pound dumbbells. After warming up, lift no more than 70% to 80% of your one-repetition maximum. That's the heaviest weight you can lift one time.
Example: If the most you can lift at one time with dumbbell bench presses is 20 pounds in each hand, use 75% of that -- about 15-pound weights. You'll know you're in the right range if you can complete eight to 12 repetitions. If you can't complete eight repetitions, the weight is too heavy... if you can easily complete 12 or more, the weight is too light.
Mistake 5
Neglecting to cool down. The cool-down period is even more important than the warmup period -- not just for injury prevention, but also to protect the heart.
The elevation in heart rate that occurs during exercise continues for several minutes after you stop. A larger-than-usual volume of blood is being pumped from the heart throughout the body. Without continued muscle activity to help pump it back into circulation, the blood tends to pool in the legs and feet. The heart has to work harder to restore normal circulation, which can trigger high blood pressure.
Recommended: After finishing any exercise or vigorous activity, keep moving for a few minutes at a slower rate -- by walking in place or biking at a reduced resistance or slower pace, for example.
Bonus: Activity during cool-down helps flush lactic acid from the muscles. This metabolic byproduct increases during exercise and can result in muscle discomfort.
Since muscles and tendons have the best blood flow and elasticity during cool-down, it is a good time to do a basic gentle stretch that targets many of the body's muscles.
What to do: Sit on the floor with your legs extended. Bend your right knee and place your right foot just below your left knee. Bending at the waist, reach forward with your arms as far as you comfortably can toward your left ankle or foot. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg. The full cool-down should last about four to eight minutes.
More people start an exercise program in January than at any other time of the year. Within weeks or months, most of them have called it quits -- often because of injury. Unfortunately, many people exercise in a way that almost guarantees injuries or even chronic pain. But this common problem can be avoided.
How much exercise do you need? Opinions differ, but I recommend following the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines -- 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week... and two 20-minute weight-lifting sessions a week. This level of exercise -- along with ordinary activities, such as going for occasional walks and working in the yard -- is sufficient for fitness as well as disease prevention.
Avoid these exercise mistakes...
Mistake 1
Stretching before workouts. At one time, trainers advised everyone to stretch before exercise. It doesn't help -- and actually increases the risk for injury.
Tendons have a limited blood supply. It takes them longer to warm up than muscles. Performing stretches before a workout -- when tendons are cold -- increases the risk for microtears in the connective tissue in or around the tendon. These tears are painful and slow to heal.
Recommended: Stretch after -- not before -- vigorous activities. Warm up by performing the exercise at a slower pace and reduced resistance for three to six minutes. For example, if you plan to bike for 35 minutes, begin by riding at a slow, comfortable pace for three to six minutes.
Mistake 2
Using a barbell (a bar with an adjustable weighted disk attached to each end and held with two hands). Experienced weight lifters can safely use barbells, but a dumbbell (a short bar with weight at each end and held in each hand) is better for injury prevention. That's because the wrists are less likely to move into a fully supinated (palms facing up) or pronated (palms facing down) position, that may strain your elbows. Just about every exercise that you perform with a barbell can be done with dumbbells.
Recommended: If you're using a barbell, keep your hands in your peripheral vision. If they're so far apart that you can't see them, the wrist will be cocked at an angle and more vulnerable to strain.
Mistake 3
Performing repetitions too quickly. People who use weight machines or lift free weights tend to go too fast -- either to minimize time spent in the gym, or because accelerating the pace generates momentum and makes it easier to lift heavy loads. Fast lifting greatly increases stress on the joints, especially when people neglect proper form.
Recommended: A six-second repetition speed. When lifting weights, take about two seconds to raise the weight, then lower it to a count of four. This pace is slow enough to maintain good form throughout the movement, and fast enough to complete about 10 repetitions in one minute -- the recommended number of repetitions for most workouts.
Mistake 4
Lifting too much weight. This is among the most common causes of joint, muscle and tendon injuries.
Recommended: Warm up by lifting lighter-than-usual weights. For example, if you are going to do curls with 15-pound dumbbells, begin with eight to 12 repetitions with five-pound dumbbells. After warming up, lift no more than 70% to 80% of your one-repetition maximum. That's the heaviest weight you can lift one time.
Example: If the most you can lift at one time with dumbbell bench presses is 20 pounds in each hand, use 75% of that -- about 15-pound weights. You'll know you're in the right range if you can complete eight to 12 repetitions. If you can't complete eight repetitions, the weight is too heavy... if you can easily complete 12 or more, the weight is too light.
Mistake 5
Neglecting to cool down. The cool-down period is even more important than the warmup period -- not just for injury prevention, but also to protect the heart.
The elevation in heart rate that occurs during exercise continues for several minutes after you stop. A larger-than-usual volume of blood is being pumped from the heart throughout the body. Without continued muscle activity to help pump it back into circulation, the blood tends to pool in the legs and feet. The heart has to work harder to restore normal circulation, which can trigger high blood pressure.
Recommended: After finishing any exercise or vigorous activity, keep moving for a few minutes at a slower rate -- by walking in place or biking at a reduced resistance or slower pace, for example.
Bonus: Activity during cool-down helps flush lactic acid from the muscles. This metabolic byproduct increases during exercise and can result in muscle discomfort.
Since muscles and tendons have the best blood flow and elasticity during cool-down, it is a good time to do a basic gentle stretch that targets many of the body's muscles.
What to do: Sit on the floor with your legs extended. Bend your right knee and place your right foot just below your left knee. Bending at the waist, reach forward with your arms as far as you comfortably can toward your left ankle or foot. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg. The full cool-down should last about four to eight minutes.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Flu Vaccine Glut - America Say's "NO THANK YOU"...
After all the hype, most people are finding that the risks outweight the benefits of the flu shot. The Drug companies are asking us to just pay them more and take the flu shot, although the numbers and benefits are not backed up with hard science, but with pleas for bigger profits.
If you haven't had your flu shot, read the article before you run out and put more money in the Big Pharma's pockets.
Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:
What part of "no thanks" do CDC officials and drug company execs not understand when it comes to most Americans refusing to get a flu shot every year? Despite all the hype about how 36,000 Americans die every year from influenza and 200,000 more are hospitalized, it is hard to find somebody who knows anybody who was hospitalized or died from infection with one of the three influenza viruses contained in the flu vaccine. Yet, those figures keep getting bandied about by public health officials, who steadfastly refuse to produce the hard scientific evidence to back up their numbers. In light of the fact that only 20 percent of all flu-like illness in any given flu season is actually influenza, inquiring minds want to know the truth and are asking for proof that backs up the rhetoric. So far, the flu vaccine studies published in the medical literature fail to give credence to any of the inflated influenza mortality figures the CDC is using to try to scare the people.Guaranteeing Drug Company Profits - Unable to frighten Americans into getting an annual flu shot, public health officials have taken to playing the sympathy card. On behalf of drug companies, they are pleading for the people to roll up their sleeves, dig deep into their pockets and shell out some bucks for the flu shot to guarantee the drug companies big profits. It doesn't look good on drug company stockholder proft/loss statements when unused surplus vaccine has to be dumped after the flu season is over. No, wait! Now public health officials are saying that there is no such thing as the beginning and ending of a flu season: the flu is actually a killer all year round so everybody should get vaccinated all year round! Exercising the Immune System - It wasn't so very long ago when the flu vaccine was only recommended for those at very high risk for suffering serious complications from influenza infection, such as the elderly or those already seriously ill. The majority of healthy young Americans accepted getting the flu every couple of years as a part of life. It was a great excuse to take a few days off from school or work and stay in bed with plenty of kleenex, Vicks vapor rub, OJ, chicken noodle soup and a good book. Then, after experiencing the sore throat, chills, fever and other symptoms of acute inflammation that are part of a robust immune system exercise, often recovery from influenza was followed by an extended period of good health. And when that same strain of influenza came around again, there was either no re-infection (immunity) or fewer and milder symptoms of illness. Superior Natural Immunity - Experience with type A and type B influenza infection has another bonus: immunological memory that could help resist the ravages of a nastier version of type A or type B influenza that comes around someday. Flu vaccine only provides temporary immunity. So pandemic flu planners are counting on the superior, longer lasting immunity of those Americans, who have actually recovered from influenza infection, because drug companies won't be able to produce pandemic flu vaccine fast enough to provide doses for everyone for up to a year after the pandemic begins. If public health officials are depending upon Americans with qualitatively superior cell mediated immunity to influenza, which can only be obtained from recovering from the flu the old fashioned way, to limit morbidity and mortality from a future pandemic flu - then why are they insisting that every American get annual flu vaccinations from birth? Dealing with the Flu - These days, many Americans are taking steps to deal with influenza or flu-like illnesses by enhancing the functioning of the immune system through diet, exercise and other positive lifestyle and health care changes. And if they do get the flu, they are taking a common sense approach. To prevent and treat influenza or flu-like illness that does not involve a fever over 103 F, pneumonia or serious complications which may require special medical intervention, here are a few non-toxic suggestions:1. Wash your hands frequently.2. Avoid close contact with those who are sick.3. If you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.4. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze.5. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.6. Get adequate sleep.7. Eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially foods containing vitamin C (such as citrus fruits) and vitamins A and D (such as cod liver oil) and spend a few minutes a day in sunlight to help your body make and store vitamin D.8. Exercise regularly when you are well.9. Lower stress.10. Consider including holistic alternatives in your wellness or healing plan, such as chiropractic adjustments, homeopathic and naturopathic remedies, acupuncture and other health care options.There is little indication that CDC officials are going to stop asking Americans to roll up their sleeves and guarantee drug companies flu vaccine profits. There is also little indication that Americans are paying much attention to that request. In the wings: most likely a CDC and drug industry plan to try to get politicians to mandate the stuff."
No forced vaccination. Not in America."
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061216&Category=ZNYT01&ArtNo=612160439&SectionCat=BUSINESS&Template=printart
If you haven't had your flu shot, read the article before you run out and put more money in the Big Pharma's pockets.
Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:
What part of "no thanks" do CDC officials and drug company execs not understand when it comes to most Americans refusing to get a flu shot every year? Despite all the hype about how 36,000 Americans die every year from influenza and 200,000 more are hospitalized, it is hard to find somebody who knows anybody who was hospitalized or died from infection with one of the three influenza viruses contained in the flu vaccine. Yet, those figures keep getting bandied about by public health officials, who steadfastly refuse to produce the hard scientific evidence to back up their numbers. In light of the fact that only 20 percent of all flu-like illness in any given flu season is actually influenza, inquiring minds want to know the truth and are asking for proof that backs up the rhetoric. So far, the flu vaccine studies published in the medical literature fail to give credence to any of the inflated influenza mortality figures the CDC is using to try to scare the people.Guaranteeing Drug Company Profits - Unable to frighten Americans into getting an annual flu shot, public health officials have taken to playing the sympathy card. On behalf of drug companies, they are pleading for the people to roll up their sleeves, dig deep into their pockets and shell out some bucks for the flu shot to guarantee the drug companies big profits. It doesn't look good on drug company stockholder proft/loss statements when unused surplus vaccine has to be dumped after the flu season is over. No, wait! Now public health officials are saying that there is no such thing as the beginning and ending of a flu season: the flu is actually a killer all year round so everybody should get vaccinated all year round! Exercising the Immune System - It wasn't so very long ago when the flu vaccine was only recommended for those at very high risk for suffering serious complications from influenza infection, such as the elderly or those already seriously ill. The majority of healthy young Americans accepted getting the flu every couple of years as a part of life. It was a great excuse to take a few days off from school or work and stay in bed with plenty of kleenex, Vicks vapor rub, OJ, chicken noodle soup and a good book. Then, after experiencing the sore throat, chills, fever and other symptoms of acute inflammation that are part of a robust immune system exercise, often recovery from influenza was followed by an extended period of good health. And when that same strain of influenza came around again, there was either no re-infection (immunity) or fewer and milder symptoms of illness. Superior Natural Immunity - Experience with type A and type B influenza infection has another bonus: immunological memory that could help resist the ravages of a nastier version of type A or type B influenza that comes around someday. Flu vaccine only provides temporary immunity. So pandemic flu planners are counting on the superior, longer lasting immunity of those Americans, who have actually recovered from influenza infection, because drug companies won't be able to produce pandemic flu vaccine fast enough to provide doses for everyone for up to a year after the pandemic begins. If public health officials are depending upon Americans with qualitatively superior cell mediated immunity to influenza, which can only be obtained from recovering from the flu the old fashioned way, to limit morbidity and mortality from a future pandemic flu - then why are they insisting that every American get annual flu vaccinations from birth? Dealing with the Flu - These days, many Americans are taking steps to deal with influenza or flu-like illnesses by enhancing the functioning of the immune system through diet, exercise and other positive lifestyle and health care changes. And if they do get the flu, they are taking a common sense approach. To prevent and treat influenza or flu-like illness that does not involve a fever over 103 F, pneumonia or serious complications which may require special medical intervention, here are a few non-toxic suggestions:1. Wash your hands frequently.2. Avoid close contact with those who are sick.3. If you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.4. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze.5. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.6. Get adequate sleep.7. Eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially foods containing vitamin C (such as citrus fruits) and vitamins A and D (such as cod liver oil) and spend a few minutes a day in sunlight to help your body make and store vitamin D.8. Exercise regularly when you are well.9. Lower stress.10. Consider including holistic alternatives in your wellness or healing plan, such as chiropractic adjustments, homeopathic and naturopathic remedies, acupuncture and other health care options.There is little indication that CDC officials are going to stop asking Americans to roll up their sleeves and guarantee drug companies flu vaccine profits. There is also little indication that Americans are paying much attention to that request. In the wings: most likely a CDC and drug industry plan to try to get politicians to mandate the stuff."
No forced vaccination. Not in America."
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061216&Category=ZNYT01&ArtNo=612160439&SectionCat=BUSINESS&Template=printart
Saturday, December 30, 2006
They Could Save Your Life...
"The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you. It's that they are so good for you they could save your life."By David Bjerklie, TIME Magazine, October 20, 2003
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bosses Push Staff to Eat Right, Exercise
By ELLEN SIMON
The Associated PressMonday, December 4, 2006; 5:00 PM
NEW YORK -- Many companies are starting to sound like moms: They're pushing employees to eat their vegetables and go outside and play. And they're not being gentle about it.
Outdoor clothing company L.L. Bean, Inc. shuts down its manufacturing line three times a day for mandatory five-minute stretches, designed to prevent the most common injuries the workers suffer.
"It's a safety measure, just as we would ask someone to wear safety glasses if there's a danger of hurting their eyes," said Susan Tufts, the company's employee wellness program manager.
At retailer Replacements Ltd., 250 employees take part in a walking program organized by the company nurse. T-shirt manufacturer American Apparel has 80 loaner bikes, locks and helmets for employees and hosted an employee screening of "Fast Food Nation," a film where the villain is the meat industry.
Insurance company The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is among those using price manipulation in its cafeteria to encourage employees to eat right. It's increasing the prices on fatty foods and using the extra money to fund a subsidy for healthy sandwiches, cut fruit and salads.
Such "Twinkie taxes" are now in place at 7 to 10 percent of corporate cafeterias run by food service company Sodexho, up from almost none three years ago, according to the company.
Mounting healthcare costs are driving the changes. Employee assistance company ComPsych Corp. runs what it calls "trainwreck exercises," in which companies compute how long they can absorb healthcare cost increases before they become unprofitable. The first client that did the exercise realized it only had 18 months. Health insurance premiums for 2006 rose 7.7 percent twice the rate of inflation.
While some companies are responding to the higher healthcare cost by cutting employees' coverage and shifting more costs to the employees, others are doing everything they can to convince employees to adopt healthier habits in the hopes they will avoid diseases caused or complicated by eating poorly and being overweight or inactive.
After L.L. Bean increased the price for burgers and lowered the price for salads in its cafeteria fruit and salad bar purchases doubled while French fry and burger sales fell by half.
When railroad company Union Pacific Corp. opened a new headquarters in Omaha two years ago it ordered its cafeteria operator to hire a full-time dietitian for the site and cut the fat and calories on every item by 10 percent.
The company runs a "Know Your Numbers" program that drills into employees' heads figures such as the 30 minutes of exercise they should be getting a day and the 3,500 calories in a pound.
"The biggest thing the guys come back and say they learned the most about is portion size," said Marcy Zauha, the company's director of health and safety. "They didn't understand how much they were eating."
Besides cost cutting, another factor behind the programs is the amount of time employees spend at work.
If workers don't have access to fruits and vegetables on the job, they will need to consume between one and two servings every waking hour after work to meet the goal of eating 5 to 9 servings a day, according to the California Department of Human Services. To reach the recommended 10,000 steps a day, sedentary workers would have to spend most of their evenings in motion, the department said.
Even a little daily exercise can boost health, said Dr. Antronette (Toni) Yancey, associate professor at the UCLA School of Public Health.
Yancey collaborated with the Ministry of Health in Mexico, where everyone gathers at 11 a.m. each morning for 10 minutes of exercise to music. The result, after a year, was an average .45 pound weight loss an improvement from the one pound a year, on average, people gain as they age.
"Especially as it relates to physical activity, people have demonstrated that they're not going to make a lot of changes on their own," Dr. Yancey said. "If we're going to make a big dent lower healthcare costs, improve productivity and morale you have to make it easier to do than not do."
Yancey and others say that work gyms are used primarily by people who would exercise anyway. For everyone else, a little manipulation goes a long way. Her suggestions include incorporating exercise breaks in to the work day, restricting parking close to the building, limiting elevator access to people with disabilities, widening and brightening stairwells and hosting walking meetings. (People seldom refer to the notes they take during seated meetings, she says.)
Price manipulation worked for senior business analyst Kathy Blaszczyk at The Hartford, who started buying a flank steak salad with grilled corn when the price dropped from $6 to $4.70.
"I love it, but I never used to get it," she said. "I have in my head a $5 threshold."
Having the company's top leaders embrace the program also helps.
Dan T. Cathy, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc. restaurants and a runner, has cajoled 265 company employees to run the January Walt Disney World marathon or half-marathon with him. Most of the runners joining him "have never done anything like that distance-wise," Cathy said of his group. "There's a lot of first timers."
Cathy said he's motivated by his religious belief that the body is a temple and a more practical thought.
"We live in a time when there really is a healthcare crisis," said Cathy. "Every segment of society needs to make a contribution."
Ellen Simon is a national business beat reporter for The Associated Press, covering labor and workplace issues. Write to her at esimon(at)ap.org.
© 2006 The Associated Press
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bosses Push Staff to Eat Right, Exercise
By ELLEN SIMON
The Associated PressMonday, December 4, 2006; 5:00 PM
NEW YORK -- Many companies are starting to sound like moms: They're pushing employees to eat their vegetables and go outside and play. And they're not being gentle about it.
Outdoor clothing company L.L. Bean, Inc. shuts down its manufacturing line three times a day for mandatory five-minute stretches, designed to prevent the most common injuries the workers suffer.
"It's a safety measure, just as we would ask someone to wear safety glasses if there's a danger of hurting their eyes," said Susan Tufts, the company's employee wellness program manager.
At retailer Replacements Ltd., 250 employees take part in a walking program organized by the company nurse. T-shirt manufacturer American Apparel has 80 loaner bikes, locks and helmets for employees and hosted an employee screening of "Fast Food Nation," a film where the villain is the meat industry.
Insurance company The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is among those using price manipulation in its cafeteria to encourage employees to eat right. It's increasing the prices on fatty foods and using the extra money to fund a subsidy for healthy sandwiches, cut fruit and salads.
Such "Twinkie taxes" are now in place at 7 to 10 percent of corporate cafeterias run by food service company Sodexho, up from almost none three years ago, according to the company.
Mounting healthcare costs are driving the changes. Employee assistance company ComPsych Corp. runs what it calls "trainwreck exercises," in which companies compute how long they can absorb healthcare cost increases before they become unprofitable. The first client that did the exercise realized it only had 18 months. Health insurance premiums for 2006 rose 7.7 percent twice the rate of inflation.
While some companies are responding to the higher healthcare cost by cutting employees' coverage and shifting more costs to the employees, others are doing everything they can to convince employees to adopt healthier habits in the hopes they will avoid diseases caused or complicated by eating poorly and being overweight or inactive.
After L.L. Bean increased the price for burgers and lowered the price for salads in its cafeteria fruit and salad bar purchases doubled while French fry and burger sales fell by half.
When railroad company Union Pacific Corp. opened a new headquarters in Omaha two years ago it ordered its cafeteria operator to hire a full-time dietitian for the site and cut the fat and calories on every item by 10 percent.
The company runs a "Know Your Numbers" program that drills into employees' heads figures such as the 30 minutes of exercise they should be getting a day and the 3,500 calories in a pound.
"The biggest thing the guys come back and say they learned the most about is portion size," said Marcy Zauha, the company's director of health and safety. "They didn't understand how much they were eating."
Besides cost cutting, another factor behind the programs is the amount of time employees spend at work.
If workers don't have access to fruits and vegetables on the job, they will need to consume between one and two servings every waking hour after work to meet the goal of eating 5 to 9 servings a day, according to the California Department of Human Services. To reach the recommended 10,000 steps a day, sedentary workers would have to spend most of their evenings in motion, the department said.
Even a little daily exercise can boost health, said Dr. Antronette (Toni) Yancey, associate professor at the UCLA School of Public Health.
Yancey collaborated with the Ministry of Health in Mexico, where everyone gathers at 11 a.m. each morning for 10 minutes of exercise to music. The result, after a year, was an average .45 pound weight loss an improvement from the one pound a year, on average, people gain as they age.
"Especially as it relates to physical activity, people have demonstrated that they're not going to make a lot of changes on their own," Dr. Yancey said. "If we're going to make a big dent lower healthcare costs, improve productivity and morale you have to make it easier to do than not do."
Yancey and others say that work gyms are used primarily by people who would exercise anyway. For everyone else, a little manipulation goes a long way. Her suggestions include incorporating exercise breaks in to the work day, restricting parking close to the building, limiting elevator access to people with disabilities, widening and brightening stairwells and hosting walking meetings. (People seldom refer to the notes they take during seated meetings, she says.)
Price manipulation worked for senior business analyst Kathy Blaszczyk at The Hartford, who started buying a flank steak salad with grilled corn when the price dropped from $6 to $4.70.
"I love it, but I never used to get it," she said. "I have in my head a $5 threshold."
Having the company's top leaders embrace the program also helps.
Dan T. Cathy, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc. restaurants and a runner, has cajoled 265 company employees to run the January Walt Disney World marathon or half-marathon with him. Most of the runners joining him "have never done anything like that distance-wise," Cathy said of his group. "There's a lot of first timers."
Cathy said he's motivated by his religious belief that the body is a temple and a more practical thought.
"We live in a time when there really is a healthcare crisis," said Cathy. "Every segment of society needs to make a contribution."
Ellen Simon is a national business beat reporter for The Associated Press, covering labor and workplace issues. Write to her at esimon(at)ap.org.
© 2006 The Associated Press
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Exercise a Key Component to Avoiding Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is one of the world's most common chronic diseases. It affects one-third of all women over age 50 (making it more common than breast cancer), and one in five men (making it more common than prostate cancer). A new report released by the International Osteoporosis Foundation examines some of the causes behind osteoporosis, and offers several suggestions for people of all ages on how to avoid the condition later in life.
The report, entitled Move It or Lose It, was published to commemorate World Osteoporosis Day. Among the report's highlights:
In girls, the amount of bone tissue accumulated between the ages of 11 and 13 equates to approximately the same amount of bone tissue lost in the 30 years following menopause.
Exercise appears to be the key to increasing (or retaining) bone mass. A study in Finland found that the most physically active young girls gain about 40 percent more bone mass than girls who are the least physically active.
A study was conducted on postmenopausal women who used small weights to strengthen their back muscles for approximately two years. At a 10-year followup, women who exercised had stronger back muscles than those who did not exercise. Perhaps most importantly, they had reduced the chance of getting a fracture by approximately 300 percent.
Exercise also greatly reduces the risk of falls in the elderly, an important statistic considering that each year, approximately 40 percent of people over 65 suffer at least one fall. Individually tailored exercise programs and group exercises such as tai chi appear to be the most effective in reducing the incidence of falls and fall-related injuries.
The Move It or Lose It report is available for free on the International Osteoporosis Foundation's Web site (www.osteofound.org). In addition, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about ways to combat osteoporosis, including exercise and rehabilitation programs, and diet and lifestyle modifications. For more information, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/senior/osteoporosis/index.html.
Minne H. Move It or Lose It. How Exercise Helps to Build and Maintain Strong Bones, Prevent Falls and Fractures, and Speed Rehabilitation. Published by the International Osteoporosis Foundation, October 2005.
KEEP YOUR BODY YOUNG, ALIVE & FULLY FUNCTIONING
New research reveals revolutionary sound technology - the same technology that enhances memory - can dramatically increase longevity, slow aging and lower stress. This sound technology can actually put you - very safely, quickly and easily - into states of...
Deep stress release and relaxation
Superlearning
Dramatically enhanced creativity
Laser-beam focus and concentration
Enhanced memory
Increased feelings of well-being
Dear Reader, It's a rare immune system that can't use a little help. Let's face it; few of us are perfect. I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to get as much sleep as I should. And although I'm pretty good at managing stress, life has a way of throwing stressful surprises at us on an almost daily basis. And then there are the exercise and diet issues. Again, few of us are perfect. So wouldn't it be nice to provide your immune system with a security force that would quickly respond to any breech of the perimeter, so to speak, freeing up your immune functions to do their work at top capacity? Let me introduce you to a first class security force: four Pathogen Destroyers that are ideally suited to give your immune system a strong helping hand. -------------------------------------------- Flu fighters ---------------------------------------
First: What's a pathogen? The word comes from the Greek and literally means "birth of pain" - a good way to describe a disease-causing microorganism that may arrive in the form of bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite. Four excellent Pathogen Destroyers were featured in a recent issue of Baseline of Health, a weekly e-letter published by HSI Panelist Jon Barron. When I asked Jon about the Pathogen Destroyers (we'll call them PDs to keep it simple), he told me he always keeps several bottles on hand so he'll be prepared fight off infection. Jon added: "If you catch a cold or flu at the first sign and hit it hard, you can stop it. Like most illnesses, if you wait until it's fully established, it's harder to get rid of it. And one other note, after you get rid of it, keep hammering for another 2-3 days to make sure it's really gone and not still lurking around."
------------- PD #1: Oil of wild mountain oregano -----------------------------------
The most exotic sounding of the four PDs is oil of wild mountain oregano (OWMO), which is produced from oregano that grows in remote mountain regions north of the Mediterranean Sea. The ancient Greeks put wild oregano to medicinal use long before scientists discovered the herb to be extremely rich in minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, manganese and others) and vitamins C and A. Jon notes that OWMO is "antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. It also has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The key components, the isomeric phenols, in dilutions as low as 1 to 50,000, destroy a wide range of pathogens. Another phenol constituent, thymol, actually helps boosts the immune system."
------------------------- PD #2: Olive leaf extract ---------------------------------------- "Olive leaf extract (OLE) has a long history of being used against illnesses in which microorganisms play a major role," writes Jon. OLE is a member of a group of antioxidant plant compounds called flavonoids. In one laboratory test an OLE effectively eliminated a wide range of organisms, "including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeast/mold/fungus." In a previous e-Alert, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., wrote this about OLE: "I'd add some acidophilus culture (also called probiotics) to the mix, during and for a few days after the use of OLE. The situation here is that OLE is such a good antibacterial that it can also kill the 'good guy' bacteria that we need in our gastrointestinal tracts. A capsule or so of acidophilus before meals should be adequate insurance for keeping these beneficial organisms established."
-------------------- PD #3: Grapefruit seed extract ------------------------------------- Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is a natural antibiotic, which Jon describes as a "broad spectrum anti-pathogen." And he offers this impressive benefit list: "Internally grapefruit seed extract can help with gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, food poisoning, parasites (single and multi-celled), candida yeast infections, thrush, oral infections, colds and flu, sore throats, strep throat, and sinusitis." GSE can also be used to treat various skin conditions (nail fungus, cold sores, warts, athletes foot, infections, rashes, acne, etc.), and is sometimes used by campers to add to water of questionable quality. Jon adds one word of warning: "Grapefruit seed extract MAY increase the effect of a number of medications."
-------------------- PD #4: Garlic --------------------------------------------
The most familiar item on the PD list is garlic, which Jon calls his favorite because it's the "kindest" to the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Jon writes: "The olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, and grapefruit seed extract can all destroy your beneficial bacteria if taken in sufficient quantity. Garlic is kinder to probiotics. In addition, garlic is one of the best infection fighters available for both bacterial and viral infections." Other garlic benefits:
Stimulates the activity of macrophages (which engulf foreign organisms)
Helps clear mucous from the lungs, making garlic particularly effective in treating upper respiratory viral infections
Effective against strep and staph bacteria
Deep stress release and relaxation
Superlearning
Dramatically enhanced creativity
Laser-beam focus and concentration
Enhanced memory
Increased feelings of well-being
Dear Reader, It's a rare immune system that can't use a little help. Let's face it; few of us are perfect. I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to get as much sleep as I should. And although I'm pretty good at managing stress, life has a way of throwing stressful surprises at us on an almost daily basis. And then there are the exercise and diet issues. Again, few of us are perfect. So wouldn't it be nice to provide your immune system with a security force that would quickly respond to any breech of the perimeter, so to speak, freeing up your immune functions to do their work at top capacity? Let me introduce you to a first class security force: four Pathogen Destroyers that are ideally suited to give your immune system a strong helping hand. -------------------------------------------- Flu fighters ---------------------------------------
First: What's a pathogen? The word comes from the Greek and literally means "birth of pain" - a good way to describe a disease-causing microorganism that may arrive in the form of bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite. Four excellent Pathogen Destroyers were featured in a recent issue of Baseline of Health, a weekly e-letter published by HSI Panelist Jon Barron. When I asked Jon about the Pathogen Destroyers (we'll call them PDs to keep it simple), he told me he always keeps several bottles on hand so he'll be prepared fight off infection. Jon added: "If you catch a cold or flu at the first sign and hit it hard, you can stop it. Like most illnesses, if you wait until it's fully established, it's harder to get rid of it. And one other note, after you get rid of it, keep hammering for another 2-3 days to make sure it's really gone and not still lurking around."
------------- PD #1: Oil of wild mountain oregano -----------------------------------
The most exotic sounding of the four PDs is oil of wild mountain oregano (OWMO), which is produced from oregano that grows in remote mountain regions north of the Mediterranean Sea. The ancient Greeks put wild oregano to medicinal use long before scientists discovered the herb to be extremely rich in minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, manganese and others) and vitamins C and A. Jon notes that OWMO is "antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. It also has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The key components, the isomeric phenols, in dilutions as low as 1 to 50,000, destroy a wide range of pathogens. Another phenol constituent, thymol, actually helps boosts the immune system."
------------------------- PD #2: Olive leaf extract ---------------------------------------- "Olive leaf extract (OLE) has a long history of being used against illnesses in which microorganisms play a major role," writes Jon. OLE is a member of a group of antioxidant plant compounds called flavonoids. In one laboratory test an OLE effectively eliminated a wide range of organisms, "including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeast/mold/fungus." In a previous e-Alert, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., wrote this about OLE: "I'd add some acidophilus culture (also called probiotics) to the mix, during and for a few days after the use of OLE. The situation here is that OLE is such a good antibacterial that it can also kill the 'good guy' bacteria that we need in our gastrointestinal tracts. A capsule or so of acidophilus before meals should be adequate insurance for keeping these beneficial organisms established."
-------------------- PD #3: Grapefruit seed extract ------------------------------------- Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is a natural antibiotic, which Jon describes as a "broad spectrum anti-pathogen." And he offers this impressive benefit list: "Internally grapefruit seed extract can help with gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, food poisoning, parasites (single and multi-celled), candida yeast infections, thrush, oral infections, colds and flu, sore throats, strep throat, and sinusitis." GSE can also be used to treat various skin conditions (nail fungus, cold sores, warts, athletes foot, infections, rashes, acne, etc.), and is sometimes used by campers to add to water of questionable quality. Jon adds one word of warning: "Grapefruit seed extract MAY increase the effect of a number of medications."
-------------------- PD #4: Garlic --------------------------------------------
The most familiar item on the PD list is garlic, which Jon calls his favorite because it's the "kindest" to the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Jon writes: "The olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, and grapefruit seed extract can all destroy your beneficial bacteria if taken in sufficient quantity. Garlic is kinder to probiotics. In addition, garlic is one of the best infection fighters available for both bacterial and viral infections." Other garlic benefits:
Stimulates the activity of macrophages (which engulf foreign organisms)
Helps clear mucous from the lungs, making garlic particularly effective in treating upper respiratory viral infections
Effective against strep and staph bacteria
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Back Pain Not Cured by Back Exercises Alone
Chiropractors and other health care providers often prescribe specific types of exercise to help their patients strengthen and mobilize the lower back. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that targeting the back does not always help relieve back pain, and that in some instances, it may even aggravate the condition. The results of a recent study add to this evidence, and imply that general "recreational" exercises may do a better job of easing back pain than specific exercises.
In the study, 681 patients with low back pain were randomized into two groups and tracked for 18 months. People who participated in "recreational physical activities" such as brisk walking for three or more hours per week were more likely to report low levels of back pain, disability, and psychological distress. By contrast, those who performed exercises designed specifically for their backs were more likely to experience back pain and disability.
Exactly why specific back exercises may increase back pain remains unclear; people may perform them incorrectly, or they may be not be prescribed a specific exercise that could benefit their condition. Whatever the reason, staying active also seems to play a key role in reducing back pain. If you have back pain, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about a wellness plan that includes various types of activities, along with a balanced diet, to help you achieve optimal well-being.
Hurwitz EL, Morgenstern H, Chiao C. Effects of recreational physical activity and back exercises on low back pain and psychological distress: findings from the UCLA Low Back Pain Study. American Journal of Public Health, October 2005;95(10):1817-1824.
In the study, 681 patients with low back pain were randomized into two groups and tracked for 18 months. People who participated in "recreational physical activities" such as brisk walking for three or more hours per week were more likely to report low levels of back pain, disability, and psychological distress. By contrast, those who performed exercises designed specifically for their backs were more likely to experience back pain and disability.
Exactly why specific back exercises may increase back pain remains unclear; people may perform them incorrectly, or they may be not be prescribed a specific exercise that could benefit their condition. Whatever the reason, staying active also seems to play a key role in reducing back pain. If you have back pain, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about a wellness plan that includes various types of activities, along with a balanced diet, to help you achieve optimal well-being.
Hurwitz EL, Morgenstern H, Chiao C. Effects of recreational physical activity and back exercises on low back pain and psychological distress: findings from the UCLA Low Back Pain Study. American Journal of Public Health, October 2005;95(10):1817-1824.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Insomniacs Have Alternative Choices
Tired of all the Lunesta and Ambient commercials keeping you up? Ads with glowing butterflies that are supposed to help you get a good night's rest, as long as you have a full eight hours to sleep and don't mind waking up groggy the next morning.
A recent study by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) shows that over 1.6 million Americans use some form of complementary or alternative treatment to help with insomnia. Some of the more commonly used therapies included dietary supplements such as melatonin and valerian, meditation, acupuncture and yoga.
If you are having trouble sleeping at night and want to stay clear of the all the new sleep aides on the market, be sure to ask your chiropractor about other options that are available, or visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/herbs.html.
Pearson N, Johnson L, Nahin R. Insomnia, Trouble Sleeping, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Analysis of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey Data. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1775-1782.
A recent study by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) shows that over 1.6 million Americans use some form of complementary or alternative treatment to help with insomnia. Some of the more commonly used therapies included dietary supplements such as melatonin and valerian, meditation, acupuncture and yoga.
If you are having trouble sleeping at night and want to stay clear of the all the new sleep aides on the market, be sure to ask your chiropractor about other options that are available, or visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/herbs.html.
Pearson N, Johnson L, Nahin R. Insomnia, Trouble Sleeping, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Analysis of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey Data. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1775-1782.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
WHAT IS LOVE
I know this is a little off topic, but it bears reading.
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouth of babes. What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing,
you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who
you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes
and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars
come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's
gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about
a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old
gentleman's
yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy
said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that
God is all you need.
Put a little love back in your life today!
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouth of babes. What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing,
you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who
you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes
and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars
come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's
gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about
a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old
gentleman's
yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy
said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that
God is all you need.
Put a little love back in your life today!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Chiropractic Side Effects
Finally…something all chiropractors can all agree on!
Whether you are a reactionary DC who believes all drugs are evil, or if you are like most of us who recognize that drugs have their place (but not in my office, thank you), or even if you treat patients in tandem with a prescription-pad toting MD, you probably have a problem with the pharmaceutical industry wantonly pushing “a pill for every ill”. Especially if you have ever railed against the philosophy that what America needs is a better pill, then you need to see the movie Side Effects.
Side Effects is a satirical look at the big drug companies starring Katherine Heigl (from Gray’s Anatomy) as a pharmaceutical drug rep living the American Dream with a big salary, company car, great clothes…and a growing pit in her stomach.
Here’s the blurb from the movie box:
KARLY HERT has spent the last ten years selling drugs...legally, that is.
Although conflicted on a daily basis by the values within the pharmaceutical industry, an industry driven by profits at the expense of patients; Karly has been seduced by the golden handcuffs of corporate America.
Enter ZACH DANNER, who convinces Karly to be true to her values and walk away from her lucrative but empty job. As their relationship blossoms, Karly devises a plan to get out. But leaving is never quite as easy as it seems...
It’s a funny movie, but it also has a brave and unique message which is consonant with the “drugs last” wellness philosophy many DCs espouse.
There is also a documentary about the movie, Money Talks, which is a more journalistic look at big Pharm. If you want to see an 8 minute clip from the documentary about Vioxx and the problems created by drug companies financing research which is more profitable than objective then
CLICK HERE: http://www.bodyzone.com/articles/article.html?id=156&filter=topic
If you are like me and want Americans to think twice before taking a pill, and consider seeing a chiropractor first rather than last, consider getting a few copies of the movie to lend patients.
Planting seeds of knowledge is the best way to grow a practice, and our profession.
You'll find more about Money Talks and Side Effects online at:
http://www.bodyzone.com/articles/article.html?id=156&filter=topic
Whether you are a reactionary DC who believes all drugs are evil, or if you are like most of us who recognize that drugs have their place (but not in my office, thank you), or even if you treat patients in tandem with a prescription-pad toting MD, you probably have a problem with the pharmaceutical industry wantonly pushing “a pill for every ill”. Especially if you have ever railed against the philosophy that what America needs is a better pill, then you need to see the movie Side Effects.
Side Effects is a satirical look at the big drug companies starring Katherine Heigl (from Gray’s Anatomy) as a pharmaceutical drug rep living the American Dream with a big salary, company car, great clothes…and a growing pit in her stomach.
Here’s the blurb from the movie box:
KARLY HERT has spent the last ten years selling drugs...legally, that is.
Although conflicted on a daily basis by the values within the pharmaceutical industry, an industry driven by profits at the expense of patients; Karly has been seduced by the golden handcuffs of corporate America.
Enter ZACH DANNER, who convinces Karly to be true to her values and walk away from her lucrative but empty job. As their relationship blossoms, Karly devises a plan to get out. But leaving is never quite as easy as it seems...
It’s a funny movie, but it also has a brave and unique message which is consonant with the “drugs last” wellness philosophy many DCs espouse.
There is also a documentary about the movie, Money Talks, which is a more journalistic look at big Pharm. If you want to see an 8 minute clip from the documentary about Vioxx and the problems created by drug companies financing research which is more profitable than objective then
CLICK HERE: http://www.bodyzone.com/articles/article.html?id=156&filter=topic
If you are like me and want Americans to think twice before taking a pill, and consider seeing a chiropractor first rather than last, consider getting a few copies of the movie to lend patients.
Planting seeds of knowledge is the best way to grow a practice, and our profession.
You'll find more about Money Talks and Side Effects online at:
http://www.bodyzone.com/articles/article.html?id=156&filter=topic
Heavy Metals May Be Implicated in Autism
New Scientist Magazine (newscientist.com)
May 30, 2006
Heavy Metals May Be Implicated in Autism
URINE samples from hundreds of French children have yielded evidence for a link between autism and exposure to heavy metals. If validated, the findings might mean some cases of autism could be treated with drugs that purge the body of heavy metals.
Samples from children with autism contained abnormally high levels of a family of proteins called porphyrins, which are precursors in the production of haem, the oxygen-carrying component in haemoglobin. Heavy metals block haem production, causing porphyrins to accumulate in urine. Concentrations of one molecule, coproporphyrin, were 2.6 times as high in urine from children with autism as in controls.
Autism is thought to have a number of unknown genetic and environmental causes. Richard Lathe of Pieta Research in Edinburgh, UK, says he has found one of these factors. "It's highly likely that heavy metals are responsible for childhood autistic disorder in a majority of cases," he claims. The study will appear in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.
Lathe says these porphyrin metabolites bind to receptors in the brain and have been linked with epilepsy and autism.
The researchers restored porphyrin concentrations to normal in 12 children by treating them with "chelation" drugs that mop up heavy metals and are then excreted. It is not yet known whether the children's symptoms have eased, but Lathe cites anecdotal reports suggesting the drugs might do some good.
The study is available online at: http://filariane.org/anglais/DOC/MSFINAL.pdf
May 30, 2006
Heavy Metals May Be Implicated in Autism
URINE samples from hundreds of French children have yielded evidence for a link between autism and exposure to heavy metals. If validated, the findings might mean some cases of autism could be treated with drugs that purge the body of heavy metals.
Samples from children with autism contained abnormally high levels of a family of proteins called porphyrins, which are precursors in the production of haem, the oxygen-carrying component in haemoglobin. Heavy metals block haem production, causing porphyrins to accumulate in urine. Concentrations of one molecule, coproporphyrin, were 2.6 times as high in urine from children with autism as in controls.
Autism is thought to have a number of unknown genetic and environmental causes. Richard Lathe of Pieta Research in Edinburgh, UK, says he has found one of these factors. "It's highly likely that heavy metals are responsible for childhood autistic disorder in a majority of cases," he claims. The study will appear in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.
Lathe says these porphyrin metabolites bind to receptors in the brain and have been linked with epilepsy and autism.
The researchers restored porphyrin concentrations to normal in 12 children by treating them with "chelation" drugs that mop up heavy metals and are then excreted. It is not yet known whether the children's symptoms have eased, but Lathe cites anecdotal reports suggesting the drugs might do some good.
The study is available online at: http://filariane.org/anglais/DOC/MSFINAL.pdf
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Exercise helps eliminate Low Back Pain at the office
Effects of a workplace physical exercise intervention on the intensity of low back symptoms in office workers: A cluster randomized controlled cross-over design
Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a workplace physical exercise intervention on the intensity of low back symptoms.
Methods: The study was a cluster randomized controlled trial with department (n=4) as the unit of randomization. The subjects were office workers [(n=36), mean age 47.1 (SD 8.4) years] who self-reported low back symptoms, which restricted their daily activities during the last 12 months. Low back symptoms were measured using the Borg CR10 scale. The cross-over design consisted of one intervention period of light resistance training and guidance and no training and no guidance of 15 weeks duration. Statistical analyses were based on linear mixed models.
Results: The active component of the intervention, light resistance training, resulted in a slight, but statistically significant, decrease in the intensity of low back symptoms (p=0.020). At the average training time of 5 minutes per working day (25 min/week) the average decrease during the 15-week period was 0.42 CR10 (95% CI 0.07-0.77) and 19% (95% CI 3-35).
Conclusion: A physical exercise intervention, which included daily light resistance training, conducted during the working day affected low back symptoms in a positive direction among symptomatic office workers.
Sjogren T, et al. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. 2006; Vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 13-24.
Top
Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a workplace physical exercise intervention on the intensity of low back symptoms.
Methods: The study was a cluster randomized controlled trial with department (n=4) as the unit of randomization. The subjects were office workers [(n=36), mean age 47.1 (SD 8.4) years] who self-reported low back symptoms, which restricted their daily activities during the last 12 months. Low back symptoms were measured using the Borg CR10 scale. The cross-over design consisted of one intervention period of light resistance training and guidance and no training and no guidance of 15 weeks duration. Statistical analyses were based on linear mixed models.
Results: The active component of the intervention, light resistance training, resulted in a slight, but statistically significant, decrease in the intensity of low back symptoms (p=0.020). At the average training time of 5 minutes per working day (25 min/week) the average decrease during the 15-week period was 0.42 CR10 (95% CI 0.07-0.77) and 19% (95% CI 3-35).
Conclusion: A physical exercise intervention, which included daily light resistance training, conducted during the working day affected low back symptoms in a positive direction among symptomatic office workers.
Sjogren T, et al. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. 2006; Vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 13-24.
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