Dr Beecher’s January 12 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, January 12th, 2015
Mental Attitude: Blood Sugar Control and Dementia Risk. An analysis involving 1,342 elderly patients indicates that those with poorly controlled blood sugar are 3-5 times more likely to develop either dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, December 2014
Health Alert: Riding Adult-Sized ATVs Can Be Deadly for Youth. Riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) poses a high-risk for injury or death to children and teens. Dr. Mary Aitken, a professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, writes, “Finding a more effective way to communicate the risks of these vehicles to parents and youth is key. But in the meantime, a combination of strategies including training exposure, improving vehicle design to improve safety, and improving enforcement of existing policies may help.” Pediatrics, January 2015
Diet: Popular Heartburn Drugs May Upset Your Gut Flora. According to a new study, heartburn medications such as Prilosec and Nexium may disrupt the population of an individual’s gut bacteria, potentially increasing his or her risk for infections and other problems for up to one month after they cease using such drugs. Among longtime users, these medications have also been connected to vitamin deficiencies, bone fractures, and pneumonia. Patients should talk with their healthcare provider regarding the necessity of these medications and justify their continued use. Microbiome, November 2014
Exercise: Is 30 Minutes of Daily Exercise Effective as One Hour of Exercise? Thirty minutes of daily exercise can be as effective for weight loss and improvement in body mass as 60 minutes of exercise, according to research published in 2012. The study involved moderately overweight men who either worked out hard enough to produce a light sweat for either 30 minutes or one hour daily over a 13-week period. On average, the men who exercised 30 minutes a day lost close to eight pounds during the three month study, while those who exercised for 60 minutes only lost about six pounds in the same time span. Researcher Dr. Mads Rosenkilde explains, “Participants exercising 30 minutes per day burned more calories than they should relative to the training program we set for them. In fact we can see that exercising for a whole hour instead of a half does not provide any additional loss in either body weight or fat. The men who exercised the most lost too little relative to the energy they burned by running, biking, or rowing. [Thirty] minutes of concentrated exercise give equally good results on the scale.” American Journal of Physiology, August 2012
Chiropractic: Chiropractic and Rehabilitation for Radiculopathy. A new case study demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of chiropractic care in the management of intervertebral disk bulges with radiculopathy. A 45-year-old woman with low back and right leg pain consistent with L4 nerve root entrapment received ten treatments of skilled spinal and extremity manipulation followed by exercise and myofascial therapy for an additional 12 visits. After treatment, she reported significant improvement in back and leg pain. The results suggest chiropractic care can be an effective and safe tool in management of such conditions. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, November 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Parents Need to Help in the Prevention of Teen Concussions. Experts recommend that parents play an active role in protecting their children from sport-related concussions. Several steps can be taken to help reduce the risk of concussion such as making sure their teen has the right protective gear, voicing concern that coaches need to be appropriately trained and have sideline concussion protocols, and ensuring that schools have a health professional at games to determine if an athlete has a concussion. Parents and teens should also know the signs of a concussion, which include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, confusion, headache, slowed thinking, memory loss, insomnia or excessive sleep, mood swings, and sensitivity to noise and/or light. If a child has any of these symptoms after a head injury, they should see a doctor immediately. American Migraine Foundation, November 2014
Quote: “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” ~ L.M. Montgomery
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 .
