Chiropractic Adjustments versus Medical Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

On October 2nd, 2010, a research article published in Spine looked at the efficacy of treatment of acute lower back pain comparing traditional medical treatment with treatment that included chiropractic adjustments.  Thirty-six of the patients received chiropractic care, while thirty-five received traditional medical treatment.  Sixteen weeks following initial care, 78% of patients receiving medical care were still taking narcotic analgesic medications on either a daily or as needed basis, while 0% of the patients receiving chiropractic care reported taking narcotic analgesic medications.  In addition, there were no reported adverse reactions to the chiropractic spinal adjustments.  This study suggested that chiropractic spinal adjusting is significantly superior to traditional medical treatment of acute lower back pain.

Should we be exposing our children to Bacteria?

A recent research article from The New England Journal of Medicine (02/24/2011) studied two groups of children.  One group of children were raised on a rural farm, and the other group were not farm-raised children.  The study consisted of 16,511 children between the ages of 6 and 13.  Scientists discovered that children living on farms had a 25% lower prevalence rate of asthma than children not raised on farms.  They attributed the difference in asthma rates to the fact that indoor microbial exposure is much more common and diverse in the farming environment than in the non-farming environment.  The risk of asthma decreased significantly with an increase in the number of detectable bacteria and fungi.  This supports the idea that the greater diversity of microbial exposure among children is associated with protection from the development of asthma.  The reason for this is because microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi trigger the innate immune system, creating a prominent type 1 helper T cell response.  Children with asthma and other auto-immune diseases display a predominance of type 2 helper T cells.  (One major cause of a predominant type 2 helper T cell response is antibiotic usage prior to the age of 2).  Therefore, this study suggests that exposing our children to microorganisms will create balance in their immune system and lead to protection against auto-immune diseases such as asthma.

Does Your Pain Medication Cause Cardiovascular Disease?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the cornerstone of pain management in patients with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.  Examples include Naproxen (Aleve), Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil), Celecoxib (Celebrex) and Rofecoxib (Vioxx).  In the United States an estimated 5% of all visits to a doctor are related to prescriptions of NSAIDs and they are among the most commonly used drugs.

In January of 2011 the British Medical Journal published a study that analyzed the cardiovascular risks caused by NSAIDs.  This study included 116,429 patients with more than 115,000 patient years of follow-up.  They concluded that little evidence exists to suggest that NSAIDs are safe in terms of cardiovascular health.  Cardiovascular death accounted for 46% of all deaths in those evaluated in the study.  NSAIDs were found to increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death.  The authors in this study concluded that "all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse effects."  In 2004, Vioxx was withdrawn from the market because it increased the risk of cardiovascular events.

In comparison, a 2003 study published in Spine found that chiropractic care was better than 5 times more effective that NSAIDs at improving neck and back pain, caused no side effects, and had a stable therapeutic benefit a year after care. 

Consider Chiropractic.  For your Heart's sake.

9 Steps for Flu Prevention

Are you looking for natural solutions to prevent the flu this year?  The following are 9 suggestions to prevent the spread of the influenza virus to you and your family.

1) Get your sleep: When you sleep at night, your body is repairing and
rebuilding itself. Allow yourself at least 7 hours of sleep so your body can
do its job.
2) Cut back on refined sugar and processed food: Replace these foods with
nutrient dense whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
3) Get moving: Research has shown that exercise boosts your immune system,
decreases depression symptoms, and increases energy levels.
4) Get Adjusted: Scientific studies prove that your immune system is enhanced
when under regular chiropractic care.
5) Take Vitamin D3 and Antioxidants: These have been shown to increase the
activity of many flu-fighting immune cells. Your body naturally makes
Vitamin D3 with proper sunlight exposure. However, during the fall and
winter months sunlight exposure is decreased significantly. Anti-oxidants
are naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Congaplex from Standard
Process is a whole food supplement that contains anti-oxidants.
6) Gargle twice daily with warm salt water: Simple gargling with salt water
washes viruses away before they can take hold and proliferate.
7) Drink warm liquids: This has the same effect as gargling, except that rather
than expelling viruses when you spit out the gargling liquid, you wash them
off from your throat into your stomach, where they cannot survive.
8) Blow your nose: This will bring down the viral population in the nasal cavity.
Flushing your sinuses with a Neti Pot is also a good idea.
9) Think Positive:  Emotional stressors can predispose you to an infection and make flu symptoms worse.  A positive mental attitude will not only put you in a better mood, but will boost your immune system.