Exercise: Vitamins C and E Supplements May Affect Endurance Training.

A recent study suggests that athletes should stay away from vitamins C and E as these supplements may hinder endurance training. The study involved participants who were randomly selected to receive 1000mg of vitamin C and 235mg of vitamin E or a placebo pill daily for 11 weeks. The results revealed that markers for the production of new muscle mitochondria only increased in those who received the placebo pill.
Journal of Physiology, February 2014

Heading Soccer Balls May Affect Cognitive Function.

Dr. Tom Schweizer, director of the Neuroscience Research Program of St. Michael’s Hospital, recently conducted a literature review of studies related to head injuries among soccer players caused by “heading” the ball. According to existing studies, players who head the ball most often were found to have greater memory, planning, and perceptual deficits and were more likely to perform poorly on verbal and visual memory tests. Other studies noted that older and retired players were more likely to report significantly impaired conceptual thinking, reaction time, and concentration. Dr. Schweizer also found that nearly two-thirds of high school soccer players suffered from concussion symptoms during their playing careers and that girls’ soccer ranked second in concussion injuries among all high school sports.
Brain Injury, February 2014

Diet: Mediterranean Diet Better than Low-Fat Diet for Heart Health.

A literature review of over a half-century of studies shows that people who eat a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of heart attack and cardiovascular-related death compared to those who follow a low-fat diet. Investigators analyzed studies from 1957 to present and believe their findings show consuming a variety of cardioprotective foods in a diet is better at preventing heart disease by just eating less fat. The Mediterranean diet focuses on an increased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, olive oil, nuts, and eating less meat.
American Journal of Medicine, December 2013

Diet: Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Increased with Higher Added Sugar Intake.

People who consume more than 21% of daily calories from added sugar have double the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality compared with people who consume less than 10% of their daily calories from added sugar. The risk almost triples for those who consume 25% of their daily calories from added sugar. The study authors write, “Our findings indicate that most [American] adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. A higher percentage of calories from added sugar is associated with significantly increased risk of CVD mortality. In addition, regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with elevated CVD mortality.”
JAMA Internal Medicine, February 2014

Chiropractic: Does Back Pain Go Away Without Treatment?

Chiropractic: Does Back Pain Go Away Without Treatment?
In 1973, a self-described non-authority and non-researcher on back pain made a comment in a speech that would have long-lasting consequences for back pain sufferers. The speaker, whose last name was Dixon, made the following claim, “Of those who seek advice [for back pain] from their family doctors, 44% are better in one week irrespective of treatment and 86% are better in one month. Only 14% drag on longer than this.” In 1976, a well-regarded researcher erroneously referenced the 1973 speech as if it were a legitimate study. Subsequent references in textbooks and papers on the natural history of back pain appear to have copied the 1976 paper’s reference without having reviewed the original source to see if its claims were accurate.

 

More recent research has proven the 90% statistic is false and without proper treatment to address the underlying cause, as many as 75% of back pain patients will have continued pain and disability a year after the onset of back pain.

Denver Chiropractic Center- Just Two Treatments.

Nearly 200 adults with spinal pain were separated into two groups. One group received two chiropractic adjustments and the other received two sham adjustments so researchers could differentiate if results were the result of the adjustment itself or the expectation of treatment. Two weeks later, researchers assessed each group and found the adjustment group reported greater improvements in pain, better overall improvement, and higher satisfaction.
Spine, November 2013

Chiropractic Relieves Colic.

A recent study reveals that colicky infants were five times less likely to cry if they were treated with chiropractic manual therapy, and their crying time was reduced by about 50% under chiropractic care compared with infants who were solely medically managed.
Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, October 2012

Chiropractic and the Common Cold

Chiropractic and the Common Cold

            Chiropractic methods are utilized for many complaints, of which the majority of research-based evidence supports conditions related to the musculoskeletal system – that is, neck, back, upper and lower limb conditions. However, when applied to certain areas of the spine, spinal manipulation can have other beneficial effects that are also supported by research. One of these additional benefits involves the immune system. So, can chiropractic adjustments be of benefit for conditions such as the common cold? Let’s take a look!

The quick response to this question is, “Possibly!” Studies report that regulation of our immune responses (our body’s ability to fight off infections, allergens, and the like) rely on an intimate relationship between our nervous system and immune system. The steps that occur to make this happen include complex interactions between various chemicals including neurotransmitters (chemicals in the nervous system), cytokines (these help “recruit” immune cells to sites of infection), and others. When studying cell cultures taken from healthy humans who received a single chiropractic adjustment to the upper thoracic spine, the production of a key immune system chemical (a cytokine called “interleukin-2”) was found. This study used 74 healthy age-matched subjects who were assigned to one of three groups: upper thoracic manipulation (group 1), sham (fake) manipulation (group 2) or venapuncture only (group 3 – control group). Blood samples were drawn from each participant before (initial base line), 20 minutes after treatment, and two hours following treatment. Blood samples taken from the subjects representing the three groups were placed in separate cultures infected with an agent and analyzed for differences in antibody production (the immune response). They found that ONLY the manipulation group produced protective antibodies (IgG and IgM). Hence, this supports the hypothesis that upper thoracic chiropractic spinal manipulation can stimulate the immune system via the nervous system and result in an increase in antibody production allowing us to better fight off those nasty bugs like the rhinoviruses that result in the common cold. Continued studies will hopefully tell us more about how all this works, but the current science looks very promising! Remember, there are 99 DIFFERENT recognized types of rhinoviruses, each individually unique, thus making it next to impossible to “cure” the common cold since any one or several rhinoviruses may be attacking us at one time.

            Here are some other reported ways to strengthen the immune system:

  1. Probiotics: Supplementing with “friendly” bacteria that NORMALLY live in our GI tract (intestines) which include two types: 1. Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) and 2. Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB). LA normally resides in the upper GI (small intestine) and BB in the lower GI (large intestine). Studies show that these friendly bacteria strengthen the ability of the immune cells surrounding the GI Tract to defend the body against toxins, (“bad”) bacteria, and allergens.
  2. Exercise: Moderate exercise boosts the immune system function, but intense exercise can have the opposite effect. “Post-exercise immune function dysfunction” is most pronounced when the exercise is continuous, prolonged (>1.5 h), of moderate to high intensity (55-75% VO2 Max), and especially when performed in the absence of eating.
  3. Other vitamins and nutrients: The partial list includes carotenoids, Co-Q10, Echinacea, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc.
  4. Reduce stress: There is a great deal of evidence that stress reduces our immune functions.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing Denver Chiropractic Center for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care, we would be honored to render our services.

Whiplash Recovery

Exercise is an important part of whiplash treatment and is often overlooked by both patients and doctors. We will focus on several practical and effective exercises over the next several Health Updates. The first of this series can be called “brain exercises.”

The following URL offers you a 37 page PDF of a booklet that contains GREAT information and includes the exercises reviewed below:

http://tinyurl.com/WhiplashExercises

            Brain Exercise #1: Eyes Still, Move Head. Hold a pen a comfortable distance in front of your eyes and keep looking at it as you rotate your head from side to side ten times. Stop if you feel dizzy but keep trying after resting. Repeat three times a day.

            Brain Exercise #2: Head Still, Move Eyes. Keep your head still (move only your eyes) while you move the pen left to right as far as you can ten times without losing sight of the pen. Stop if you feel dizzy but keep trying later in the day. Repeat three times a day.

Brain Exercise #3: Standing Balance Test. Stand with your feet close together (or, feet shoulder width apart if you feel unsteady). You should feel steady for 30 seconds with your eyes open AND closed. Try it (count to 30)! If you feel unsteady, this exercise should be repeated often until you feel improvement with the eyes closed! A variation is to place one foot in front of the other, switching feet after each test. Notice this one is more difficult. A third position is standing on ONE foot (switch sides after each test) with the eyes open AND again closed. This one is REALLY hard! Stand near a counter or corner of a room to “catch” yourself – don’t fall.

Notice that these exercises are NOT neck specific; there are others exercises for that. Rather, these incorporate eye / head movements, coordination/balance challenges and address symptoms such as dizziness, headache, post-concussion symptoms (memory loss, difficulty concentrating, etc.), and others. These exercises can be very helpful as they “exercise” our neuropathways, or the “wiring” within our nervous system so that information flows freely to and from our brain, spinal cord, and our various body parts. These help us function safer and better in ALL of our desired daily activities! We can train you in these exercises if you feel uncomfortable doing these on your own.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing Dr. Glenn Hyman’s Denver Chiropractic Center for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Whiplash, we would be honored to render our services.

Chiropractic: Asymmetric Hip Mobility and Neck Pain.

Over three hundred freshmen college students underwent an examination of their hip joints and were asked whether or not they suffered from neck pain. The results showed that the young adults with asymmetrical hip mobility were nearly three times more likely to also suffer from neck pain.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 2013