Dr Beecher’s June 1 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Week of Monday, June 1st, 2015
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Mental Attitude: More Sleep May Help Alzheimer’s Patients. Extra sleep may help improve the memories of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In a study involving fruit flies, researchers found that extra sleep — the equivalent of three-to-four hours of sleep for humans — restored the ability of flies with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms to make new memories. Though more studies are needed, this finding could one day offer a new path of treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Current Biology, April 2015
Health Alert: One in Four Breast Cancer Cases May Be Preventable. Experts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology advise that a healthy lifestyle can reduce a woman’s risk for breast cancer nearly 25%, even if she has a family history of the disease. Previous research has associated the following lifestyle factors with a lower risk of breast cancer diagnosis: maintaining a healthy weight, performing at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, limiting alcohol consumption, not smoking, and eating a healthy diet. American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 2015
Diet: Could a Smiley Face Make Healthy Foods More Appealing to Kids? While schools in the United States are providing healthier food options in their cafeterias as part of a federal initiative, getting kids to put more nutritious items on their plate can be a challenge. Researchers have found that adding a smiley face label to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables or adding a small prize to a plate of four healthy foods resulted in a 62% rise in vegetable servings and a 20% increase in fruit servings on student trays. Pediatric Academic Societies, April 2015
Exercise: Reduces Vertigo Risk in Women. After examining the lifestyles of nearly 500 older women, researchers conclude that performing regular physical activity can reduce a woman’s risk for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) by over 160%! International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology, October 2014
Chiropractic: Back Pain and Sleep Difficulties. After following both chronic and new-onset back pain patients for six months, researchers report that two out of three patients with low back pain experience difficulty sleeping, typically during the week following an episode of back pain. Therefore, to ensure back pain patients have the best opportunity to achieve restful sleep, it’s important for them to follow their doctor’s advice in regards to maintaining a healthy spine and making recommended lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of re-injury. Clinical Journal of Pain, May 2015
Wellness/Prevention: Smartphone App Could Prevent Teens from Using Phone While Driving. A preliminary study suggests that a smartphone app that turns off a teenager’s cell phone service when they turn on their car could help prevent accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents are the leading cause of accidental death among teens, with cell phone use behind the wheel increasing teen accident risk by nearly 24 times! Researchers found that teens who drove cars outfitted with phone-blocking technology drove up to 80% safer than teens in a control group. The communications director of the Governors Highway Safety Association adds, “The more we can get parents to implement these new technological tools and really engage in the process with their novice drivers, the greater chance we have of preventing teen driver crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities.” Pediatric Academic Societies, April 2015
Quote: “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” ~ Anne Frank
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 October 27 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, October 27th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Could Cerebellum Injury Be a Possible Cause of Autism? Princeton University scientists say their research indicates that an injury to the cerebellum early in life may make a child 36 times more likely to score highly on autism screening tests. Study author Dr. Sam Wang adds, “What we realized from looking at the literature is that these two problems – autism and cerebellar injury – might be related to each other. We hope to get people and scientists thinking differently about the cerebellum or about autism so that the whole field can move forward.” Neuron, August 2014
Health Alert: E-Cigarettes a Possible Gateway to Drug Use, Addiction, and Tobacco Smoking. An alarming report claims that using electronic cigarettes may lead to tobacco cigarette smoking and increase the likelihood of illicit drug use and addiction. The researchers discovered that when mice were exposed to nicotine, the substance triggered biochemical alteration in the brain and activated a gene linked to the reward response. This process enhanced a subsequent response to cocaine in the mice, suggesting that nicotine may be a gateway drug for cocaine. Study author Dr. Denise Kandel writes, “We don’t yet know whether e-cigarettes will prove to be a gateway to the use of conventional cigarettes and illicit drugs, but that’s certainly a possibility. Nicotine clearly acts as a gateway drug on the brain, and this effect is likely to occur whether the exposure comes from smoking cigarettes, passive tobacco smoke, or e-cigarettes.” The New England Journal of Medicine, September 2014
Diet: Soy May Promote Breast Cancer? Researchers suggest that women with breast cancer should only eat soy foods in moderation and avoid supplements containing soy. This recommendation is based on findings that soy protein consumption may increase activity in genes linked to breast cancer growth. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, September 2014
Exercise: Sit Less! Shortening the amount of time spent sitting can protect your aging DNA. A newly published study looked at how physical activity affects telomere length. Telomeres can be found on the ends of chromosomes and stop them from unraveling or clumping together and “scrambling” the genetic code they contain. The researchers found that spending less time sitting each day had more of a positive impact on telomere health than increasing the time spent performing physical activities, like exercise. They add, “There is growing concern that not only low physical activity level in populations, but probably also sitting and sedentary behavior, is an important and new health hazard of our time.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, September 2014
Chiropractic: Migraines Reduced with Chiropractic Care. A past study found that chiropractic manipulation combined with therapeutic massage resulted in a 68% reduction in the intensity of migraine headaches within one hour of treatment. The findings add to previous research indicating the benefits of chiropractic care for the treatment of migraines.
Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, March 2012
Wellness/Prevention: Improved Sleep May Reduce Time Away from Work. It appears that absence from work due to sickness is related to a lack of good sleep. A new study has found that people who regularly get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per night are less likely to be absent from work due to an illness. The study further noted that the risk of being absent from work due to sickness for 10 days or more rose significantly among people who slept less than six hours or more than nine hours a night. The researchers note that the optimal sleep duration each night for adults is 7 hours 46 minutes for men and 7 hours 38 minutes for women. Sleep, September 2014
Quote: “I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world.” ~ Margaret Mead
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 June 16 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, June 16th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Does Yawning Cool Down the Brain? Australian researchers suggest that yawning might cool an overheated brain. Investigators found that contagious yawning was most prominent in the summer compared to the winter and most likely to occur when the temperature was about 68 degrees Fahrenheit (about 20 degrees Celsius). They suggest that cooling the brain boosts performance, so contagious yawning may be an evolutionary trait meant to improve alertness in groups of people. Physiology & Behavior, May 2014
Health Alert: “Bad” Cholesterol Involved in Cancer Spread. Researchers in Spain and Australia have identified “bad” cholesterol as a culprit in cancer metastasis. According to this new study, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol helps cancer cells un-stick from one another so they can more easily spread to other parts of the body. However, the presence of high density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol appears to help counter this activity. Cell Reports, May 2014
Diet: Vitamin A and the Fight Against Breast Cancer. Laboratory tests indicate that retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, may someday act as a weapon in the fight against breast cancer. Researchers exposed pre-cancerous breast cells to retinoic acid and observed the cells transform back into normal, healthy cells. However, cells that had already become cancerous were unchanged suggesting there may be a narrow window of opportunity for retinoic acid to be helpful in stopping the progression of breast cancer. Further research is needed to see if this approach is viable in animal — and eventually human — models. International Journal of Oncology, March 2014
Exercise: Exercise Crucial for Women’s Heart Health. Lack of physical activity appears to be the strongest indicator of a woman’s risk for heart disease, even more so than smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure. Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and medical director of the Women’s Heart Program at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, concludes, “If you want to do one thing to prevent heart disease, you should exercise. We need people to become more active again, and the way you can do that is to make it part of your life, like brushing your teeth.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, May 2014
Chiropractic: Parents Seek Alternative Care for Kids. Recent research suggests that about 60% of parents who have children with chronic neurological conditions have sought chiropractic, massage, and other complementary therapy treatments to help their children live a normal, pain-free life. PLOS ONE, April 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Focus on High BMI to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk, Not Waist Circumference. While a large waist circumference, regardless of body mass index (BMI), is associated with a greater risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers, this does not seem to be the case for post-menopausal breast cancer. Using long-term data on nearly 29,000 women, researchers found no greater risk for breast cancer among post-menopausal women with a large waist circumference once BMI was taken into account. According to Dr. Mia Gadet, “The message is that if you have a high BMI, regardless if you are pear or apple shaped, you are at higher risk of breast cancer. Most prior studies on this issue looked at BMI or at waist circumference, but had not looked at them together. This study brings some clarity to the association between obesity and risk of breast cancer.” Cancer Causes & Control, June 2014
Quote: “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” ~ Victor Kiam
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 April 7 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, April 7th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Mentally Ill More Often Victims of Violence. According to a new report, mentally ill adults 50% more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of violence. Study author Dr. Sarah Desmarais writes, “We hear about the link between violence and mental illness in the news, and we wanted to look not only at the notion that the mentally ill are a danger to others, but the possibility that they are also in danger.” American Journal of Public Health, February 2014
Health Alert: People with Sleep Apnea at Higher Risk for Pneumonia. Researchers followed 34,000 patients (7,000 with sleep apnea and 27,000 without sleep apnea) for eleven years and compared the occurrence of pneumonia in each group. They discovered individuals with sleep apnea have a 20% greater risk for pneumonia than those without sleep apnea. Canadian Medical Association Journal, March 2014
Diet: Students Eating More Fruits & Vegetables. New research suggests that the updated 2012 guidelines for school lunches have resulted in increased fruit and vegetable consumption by lower-income students. Researchers report that in the school year following the adoption of the 2012 guidelines, fruit consumption increased 23% while vegetable intake increased 16%. Lead researcher Dr. Juliana Cohen adds, “There is a push from some organizations and lawmakers to weaken the new standards. We hope the findings, which show that students are consuming more fruits and vegetables, will discourage those efforts.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, March 2014
Exercise: Yoga Good for Breast Cancer Patients. Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation may benefit from yoga. Investigators found a sharp decline in cortisol levels among breast cancer patients who practiced yoga. Cortisol is a stress hormone and increased cortisol levels are associated with worse breast cancer outcomes. The study suggests that practicing yoga helps to regulate cortisol levels. Lead author Dr. Lorenzo Cohen explains, “Combining mind and body practices that are part of yoga clearly have tremendous potential to help patients manage the psychosocial and physical difficulties associated with treatment and life after cancer, beyond the benefits of simple stretching.” Journal of Clinical Oncology, March 2014
Chiropractic: Improved Motion. Compared with both supervised exercise and a home exercise self-care program, spinal manipulation performed by a Chiropractor resulted in the greatest improvements in spinal motion among back pain sufferers. The Spine Journal, March 2014
Wellness/Prevention: High Vitamin D Levels May Improve Breast Cancer Survival. A new study suggests that breast cancer patients who have higher blood levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to survive the disease compared to patients with lower blood levels of vitamin D. Researchers found that breast cancer patients in the United States have an average blood level of vitamin D of 17 ng/ml. Based on their findings, patients with breast cancer may benefit from having vitamin D blood concentrations measured and adjusted to within a normal range of 30-80 ng/ml. Study co-author Dr. Heather Hofflich adds, “The study has implications for including vitamin D as an adjuvant to conventional breast cancer therapy.” Anticancer Research, March 2014
Quote: “Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don’t collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don’t really mean anything.” ~ Norman Lear
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 .
