Blog

Dr Beecher’s January 2014 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter

To download Dr. Beecher’s Monthly Newsletter, please click here!

“But all endings are also beginnings.  We just don’t know it at the time.” ~ Mitch Albom

Is There One Supplement You Should Take During the Colder Months?

Find out what recent research says about this supplement and why you might need it to stay as healthy as possible.

Also this month:

• A common nutritional deficiency in athletes and how to correct it: Study shows adding this to your diet can decrease inflammation and pain while also increasing athletic performance.
• Knee arthritis attacking much younger crowd: Knee arthritis and total knee replacement surgery was once thought to be a problem only for those age 55 and older. New research shows much younger people are at risk because of one very preventable issue.
• FDA makes a statement on ingredient in processed foods: Find out what you are probably eating that the FDA said is not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food.
• Concrete proof there are still wonderful people in the world: After reading this story, you must ask yourself, “Am I a good enough person to do this too?”

Houston – Is there one supplement you should take during the colder months?  Research shows there is a very good chance the answer to that question is YES, especially if you are an athlete or on a regular workout program.  Here is why…

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for good health.  The main function of Vitamin D is to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in our bones and aid in cell-to-cell communication throughout the body.  Vitamin D is unique from other essential vitamins because humans can produce it through exposure to sunlight.

If you get enough exposure to sunlight, you will have plenty of Vitamin D so you can probably already see where this article is headed…

The first problem with all this is, due to the fear of skin cancer, even in the summer months, many people do not get adequate sun exposure for their bodies to produce enough Vitamin D.

In winter, it is simply a fact that there is a lot less sunlight.  If you live in higher latitudes, chances are you are not going to get enough sun exposure during the colder months to produce sufficient levels of Vitamin D.

In fact, a study recently published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism stated: “A high prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency, which may impact on health and training ability, is evident among athletes worldwide.”

The study investigated the Vitamin D status of elite Irish boxers and recorded the effect of Vitamin D supplementation. A group of boxers were supplemented during the winter months with 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 for 10-12 weeks. The result was that this supplementation significantly increased blood levels of Vitamin D and corrected any insufficiencies/ deficiencies in these athletes.  Three out of four boxers who did not receive the supplementation were Vitamin D insufficient/ deficient after winter, and 35% were insufficient/ deficient at the beginning of the study (which was before the winter months).

The study’s conclusion: “This study has highlighted a high prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency among elite Irish athletes and demonstrated that wintertime Vitamin D3 supplementation is an appropriate regimen to ensure Vitamin D sufficiency in athletes during winter and early spring.”

Another study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Nov. 2013) tested their own group of elite athletes and found similar results that support the same conclusion.

Here is a quick aside if you are an athlete…  A study published in the journal Cytokine (July 2013) found that Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in exercise induced muscle damage and inflammation in rats.  Obviously, rats are not humans, and more studies need to be done but having your levels of Vitamin D in the appropriate range is really looking like a great idea.

According to The Endocrine Society’s guidelines published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (July 2011): “Considering that Vitamin D deficiency is very common in all age groups and that few foods contain Vitamin D, the Task Force recommended supplementation at suggested daily intake and tolerable upper limit levels, depending on age and clinical circumstances.”

Because everyone is individual, this newsletter will not give any recommendation as to anyone’s personal Vitamin D needs.  The best thing to do is discuss this with a health care provider who is knowledgeable on this subject.

FDA Moving To Ban Popular

Ingredient In “Junk” Food

In a press release dated November 7, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not ‘generally recognized as safe’ for use in food.  The FDA’s preliminary determination is based on available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels.”

It looks like artificial trans fats will be banned, and manufacturers will be forced to reformulate the products that contain them.

Trans fats are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils.  The hydrogenation of oils increases their shelf life, but it is also wonderful at clogging arteries.  This was originally done so food would not spoil, but storage conditions have vastly improved and these trans fats are no longer needed.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reducing trans fat consumption by avoiding artificial trans fats could prevent 10,000 – 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 – 7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year in the United States.

It’s been well documented that artificial trans fats can do very bad things to the body and are strongly linked to poor lipid levels and poor cardiovascular outcomes.

Trans fatty acids have similar properties as saturated fats in that they both increase LDL “bad” cholesterol if consumed in excessive quantities.  High LDL has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

The Irony

There is quite a bit of irony here.  Not too long ago, margarine was considered a healthy alternative to butter.  Countless people made the switch thinking they were improving their health.  As it turns out, margarine is loaded with artificial trans fats.  Most brands contain between 1.5 – 3 grams per serving.

The bottom line is, try to eat as natural as you can.  If it is artificial, chances are it is not your best choice.

            Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.

Inspirational Story Of The Month

(Names And Details May Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)

Are You A Good Enough Person To Do This?

Here is proof that there are still amazing people in the world.  Are you one of them?

Every day, it feels like all the news covers is the dark, horrible side of humanity.

Sure, people do bad things, even evil things.  But, there is another side to this story.  There’s a clear argument that can be made that many more people are good than bad.  For every one bad person in the news (or going viral on the internet) there are hundreds, thousands, or millions who did not do anything wrong.  In fact, many, if not most, probably did quite a bit of good.

So, why don’t we hear about all this good?  Quite frankly, it’s because bad stuff sells.  It sells much more than good news.  People love drama.  It’s no coincidence Honey Boo Boo, The Kardashians, and The Jersey Shore were/are monstrously successful shows.

That’s why I bet you have probably heard of those shows but have not heard about this…

Rabbi Noah Muroff lives in New Haven, Connecticut and bought a desk off Craig’s List for $200.  So far, that’s nothing shocking… but it gets better…

When he got the desk home, he couldn’t get it into his office in one piece.  So, Rabbi Noah took the desk apart and pulled out the drawers.

Behind one of the drawers, he found a plastic bag.  At first glance, Muroff saw what he thought to be a $100 bill.

When he opened the bag, he discovered there were quite a few $100 bills.  In fact, there was $98,000 in cash.  That’s ninety-eight THOUSAND dollars in CASH.

WOW!  So let me ask you a question… What is the first thing you would do with that money after you stopped jumping around cheering? Pay off some bills?  Buy a car?  Go on vacation?  Give some to charity?

Muroff did none of that.  Instead, he did the right thing.  He called the person he just bought the desk from and told them what he had found.

As it turned out, the desk’s previous owner had hidden her inheritance money in the desk and had forgotten all about it.

Muroff returned the money.  All of it.  He is quoted as simply saying, “The most important thing in life is to be honest.”

That’s it.  There was no police chase.  No drugs or violence.  No one yelling and screaming.  Just an ethical and moral person choosing to do the right thing and not making a big deal about it or even looking for public approval or praise.

The comments posted on this story were varied.  Some praised him and said they would do the same thing.  Others said he was a fool and they would have spent the money.  Some said it is all just a matter of the amount and that we all have a price.  If that was $10 million… or $1 billion… that he would have kept it.

So, the question for you is, what would YOU do?  Let’s say it was $10 million and no one else knew.  It was your secret.  Do ethics and morality really have a price?

Do YOU have a price?

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and

getting them feeling better!  We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!

Don’t be a stranger.  You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!

Did You Know?…

7-UP Used to Include Psychiatric Medication? 

The lemon-lime flavored soda 7-UP was created by Charles Grigg of the Howdy Corporation in 1929 and first launched two weeks before the 1929 stock market crash.  It was originally named “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda” and included lithium citrate in its formula.  Lithium citrate is a mood-stabilizing drug that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it is still used today for people with bipolar disorder, among others.  Obviously, such a lengthy name wasn’t ideal on the consumer side of things, so the beverage’s name was quickly shortened to “7-UP Lithiated Lemon Soda”, then chopped to just “7-UP” in 1936.  The lithium citrate, surprisingly, stuck around in the drink all the way until 1950 when new research showed it had potentially dangerous side effects.

Tip Of The Month

Why Knee Arthritis is Attacking People Under 55 Years Old and

What You Can Do to Possibly Prevent a Total Knee Replacement!

The statistics are staggering.  Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States.  According to research on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, nearly 1 in 2 people may develop symptomatic knee arthritis by age 85.  According to data collected from 1999 – 2003,  two in three people who are obese may develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis during their lifetime.  Two-thirds of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis are overweight or obese.  But that is only the beginning…

New research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School shows an alarming increase in the rate of knee replacements linked to obesity among the young.  According to the study: “Contrary to popular myth, it is not the aging Baby Boomer or weekend warrior that is causing the unprecedented increase in knee replacement surgeries.  Data gathered by more than 125 orthopedic surgeons from 22 states across the United States show a more mundane culprit:  rising rates of obesity among those under the age of 65.”  Total joint replacement surgery is not only one of the most expensive procedures in the country, it is one of the most often performed.  The study tracked 9,000 people and 55% of the subjects under age 65 were considered obese, as compared to 43% of those subjects over 65 years old.

Here’s something more shocking:  More than twice as many of the younger (under 65) participants were morbidly obese.  The actual statistics were 5% of participants over 65 and 11% under 65 were morbidly obese.  Morbidly obese is considered having a body mass index greater than 40.  The under 65 group also had higher rates of smoking and lower mental health scores.  Researchers add that the rise in obesity among younger people is “having a dramatic influence on the number of total joint replacement surgeries.”  According to the study, “Knee replacement surgeries are already one of the most common procedures in the United States.  Approximately 600,000 are performed each year at a cost of $9.9 billion, and the demand is expected to grow to 3.48 million procedures a year by 2030.” 

What’s amazing to consider is research has shown a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds (~ 5 kg) reduces the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in women by 50% and for every one pound (~ .5kg) of weight loss, it removes four pounds (~ 1.8 kg) of joint stress in people with knee arthritis.  Experts say that the accumulated reduction in knee load for a pound loss in weight would be more than 4,800 pounds per mile (~2,177 kg/1.6 km) walked.  Clearly, one of the best things you can do for, not only your knees but all your weight bearing joints and overall health, is to maintain a healthy weight.  Treating knee arthritis while being overweight seems to be a losing battle.  Even though technology is better than it has ever been, no one wants a total knee replacement if it can be avoided.

Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal

and maintain the pain free body you deserve.

This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice.  Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history. We cannot be held responsible for actions you may take without a thorough exam or appropriate referral. If you have any further concerns or questions, please let us know.