Dr Beecher’s February 17 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, February 17th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Green Spaces? Researchers have discovered that moving to greener areas can improve a person’s mental health over the long-term. During a 5-year study, people who moved into greener areas experienced an immediate improvement in mental health that persisted for at least three years. Those who moved to a more built-up area with less green space experienced a decline in their mental health. The authors of the study suggest creating more green spaces in towns and cities (parks and gardens) could bring lasting benefits to public health.
Environmental Science & Technology, January 2014
Health Alert: Excessive Alcohol Consumption. Nearly forty million American adults drink too much alcohol, although most are not considered alcoholics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high weekly use is considered 15 or more drinks for men and eight or more drinks on average for women. Excessive alcohol consumption causes premature death (79,000 deaths annually in the United States alone) and costs the economy $224 billion a year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2014
Diet: High-Protein Diet Linked to Kidney Problems! A Spanish study found that rats fed a long-term, high-protein diet (57% of total calories from protein) had a higher risk for developing kidney stones and other renal diseases than rats fed a lower protein diet (13% of total calories from protein). The authors of the study stress that even though these results are derived from rat subjects, their findings should translate to humans and anyone on a high-protein diet should be closely monitored for kidney-related issues. Nutricion Hospitalaria, January-February 2013
Exercise: Decreased Risk for Heart Attack Later in Life. A Swedish study involving over 740,000 males found that lack of aerobic fitness at age 18 corresponds to a greater risk for a heart attack later in life. According to lead researcher Dr. Peter Nordström, “As far as we know, this is the first study to investigate the links between an objective measure of physical fitness in teenagers and risk of heart attack in the general population. Further studies are needed to investigate the clinical relevance of these findings, but given the strong association that we have found, the low cost and easy
accessibility of cardiovascular training, and the role of heart disease as a major cause of illness and death worldwide, these results are important with respect to public health.” European Heart Journal, January 2014
Chiropractic: Car Wrecks and Disk Injuries. A disk injury can cause chronic neck pain following a car accident. If the outer wall of the disk (the annulus) is torn and does not properly heal, stress on the nerve endings in the annulus may cause neck pain during normal activities. North American Spine Society, January 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Un-Happy Employees are More Likely to Smoke. According to the Gallup research, employees who are emotionally disconnected from their jobs are 20% more likely to smoke than employees who are either neutral or excited about their work. Previous research has shown that disengaged employees are more likely to suffer from stress, obesity, and chronic health problems. Gallup, August 2013
Quote: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
~ Joseph Campbell
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s December 30 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, December 30th, 2013
Mental Attitude: Blood Test for Concussions. Currently, 15-30% of concussion sufferers will experience significant, persistent cognitive deficits, such as processing speed, working memory, and the ability to switch or balance multiple thoughts. Unfortunately, doctors have no reliable way to asses if a concussion sufferer may fall into that group. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Baylor College believe they have discovered a blood test that can determine if a concussion sufferer will experience long-term neural complications. By testing blood for elevated levels of a specific protein (STNF), medical professionals can accurately identify if recovery issues will arise and what additional treatment measures should be taken. Frontiers in Neurology, November 2013
Health Alert: Alcohol and Acetaminophen. There were 116,395 new kidney failures, 571,414 people living with kidney failure, and 90,118 deaths from the disease in the United States in 2009. Moderate or light consumption of alcohol taken with acetaminophen may increase the risk of kidney dysfunction. Acetaminophen usage and low to moderate alcohol consumption are not considered as individual risk factors for kidney damage, but together, they increase a person’s risk for kidney damage by
123%. Mayo Clinic, November 2013
Diet: Fruits and Veggies are Good for Your Child’s Bones! A study from the United Kingdom found that fruit and vegetable intake was positively associated with increased total body bone mineral density and bone mineral content in adolescent girls and boys. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2006
Exercise: It Can Take Time… After the first two months of an exercise program, volunteers who had insomnia reported they were not sleeping any better than they had at the start of the study. It wasn’t until the four month mark that their insomnia improved. They also rarely reported sleeping better on nights when they had exercised and they almost always exercised for a shorter amount of time on the days after a poor night’s sleep. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, November 2013
Chiropractic: Significant Improvement! Fifty patients with neck and arm pain caused by an MRI-confirmed cervical disk herniation received chiropractic adjustments over a 90-day period. After two weeks, 55.3% of patients reported their pain had significantly improved. This number rose to 68.9% after one month and 85.7% after three months of care. No adverse events were reported. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 2013
Wellness/Prevention: Pesticides and Endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common condition that affects 10% of women during their reproductive years. Symptoms may include painful menstrual periods, pelvic pain, and infertility. Researchers looked to
see if exposure to environmental chemicals with estrogenic properties (like some pesticides) could increase a woman’s risk for developing the disease. They found that women with blood samples showing exposure to two now-banned pesticides (beta-
hexachlorocyclohexane and mirex) have a 30-70% higher risk for developing the condition. Study author Dr. Kristen Upson concludes, “The take-home message from our study is that the persistent environmental chemicals, even those used in the past, may affect the health of the current generation of reproductive-age women with regard to a hormonally driven disease.” Environmental Health Perspectives, November 2013
Quote: “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” ~ John F. Kennedy
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s March 25 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, March 25th, 2013
Mental Attitude: Happiness and Age? Psychological well-being is linked to important life outcomes such as career success, relationship satisfaction, and health. Well-being tends to increase with age; however, when you were born can have a lasting impact on your overall sense of well-being. For example, people who grew up during the Great Depression started off with lower levels of overall well-being than their children who grew up during more prosperous times. As they aged, their overall sense of well-being increased but stayed below the following generation’s levels at similar ages. Based on this data, researchers warn that people growing up in today’s more challenging economic environment may experience similar long-lasting effects to their overall sense of well-being. Psychological Science, February 2013
Health Alert: Alcohol On The Brain? Excessive alcohol use accounts for 4% of the global burden of disease, and binge drinking is a growing health issue. Functional signs of brain damage from alcohol misuse in young people include deficits in visual learning, memory, and executive functions. Structural signs of alcohol misuse in young people include shrinking of the brain and significant changes to white matter tracts.
Cortex, February 2013
Diet: Obesity Causes Vitamin D Deficiency? Researchers have observed a 4.2% drop in Vitamin D levels for each 10% increase in BMI. Vitamin D is important because it aids bone health and decreases risk of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and early death. PLoS Medicine, February 2013
Exercise: Reduce Risk of Dementia. People who exercise and have higher physical fitness levels during middle age have a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia later in life.
Annals of Internal Medicine, February 2013
Chiropractic: Osteoarthritis and Injuries From Early Adulthood. Young adults who had injuries to the knee and/or hip were 3x-5x as likely to suffer from osteoarthritis in the knee and/or hip later in life than young adults who suffered no such injuries. Annals of Internal Medicine, September 2000
Wellness/Prevention: Osteoporosis Risk. Risk factors for osteoporosis include: inadequate dietary calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency, lack of regular weight-bearing exercise, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Medical Journal of Australia, February 2013
Quote: “I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.”
~ Thomas A. Edison
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
