Weekly Health Update For The 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

Weekly Health Update For The Week Of Monday, December 23rd, 2013

Mental Attitude: Meditation May Slow Progression of Dementia.
A small study of adults with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (which may progress to dementia) divided participants into two groups. One group participated in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) using meditation and yoga. The other group served as a control. The MBSR group participated in a day-long retreat, met as a group for two hours a week, and was encouraged to meditate at home for 15-30 minutes per day. After just eight weeks, brain scans of MBSR group participants showed positive improvements related to memory and cognitive function. This may indicate a slowing in dementia progression.
Neuroscience Letters, November 2013

Health Alert: Depression Worldwide!
When compared to other diseases and injuries, "major depressive disorder" (MDD) ranked as the second leading cause of global disability and 11th leading cause of global burden (quality years lost to disability).
PLoS Medicine, November 2013

Diet: Green Tea Slows Prostate Cancer Progression.
New research shows that green tea polyphenols may help slow or prevent some types of cancer. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that premalignant prostate lesions were three times less likely to progress to malignant tumors in men who took a 600mg green tea catechins supplement daily for a year (9% vs. 30% in the control group).
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2013

Exercise: Combat Health Conditions!
No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis, and falls.
Mayo Clinic, November 2013

Chiropractic: Herniated vs. Bulging Disks?
Disks act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. They're composed of an outer layer of tough cartilage that surrounds softer cartilage in the center. A bulging disk extends outside the space it should occupy. The bulge typically affects a large portion of the disk, so it may look a little like a hamburger that's too big for the bun. A herniated disk results when a tear in the outer layer of cartilage allows some of the inner cartilage to protrude out of the disk. The protrusion of inner cartilage in a herniated disk usually happens in one distinct area. Herniated disks are also called ruptured disks or slipped disks.
Mayo Clinic, November 2013

Wellness/Prevention: Stressed Mothers and Offspring.
Female rats born to mothers who had been through stressful life events prior to pregnancy showed increased expression of the CRF1 gene (a gene that mediates the body's response to stress) in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in emotional regulation and decision making. When the female offspring were exposed to stress, they behaved differently than female offspring whose mothers were not stressed prior to pregnancy. This finding is a part of a growing body of evidence that a parent's experiences can affect their offspring, even before conception takes place.
Biological Psychiatry, November 2013

Weekly Health Update For The Week Of Monday, December 16th, 2013

Mental Attitude: Long-Term Opioid Use and Depression.
Recent studies show more than 200 million prescriptions for opioid analgesics were issued in 2009 in the United States. Data on over 50,000 patients reveals that those on opioids for 180 days or longer have a 53% increased risk of developing major depression.
Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2013

Health Alert: Alcohol and TV.
According to a voluntary standard adopted in 2003, alcohol companies agreed not to place any ads on TV programs where more than 30% of the audience was younger than age 21. However, a survey of television programs popular with youths shows that 25% of the programs still featured ads selling alcohol. Studies have shown that exposure to alcohol marketing increases the risk that children and young adults (under age 21) will begin drinking, and those who do start drinking will drink more and do so more often.
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 2013

Diet: Cruciferous Vegetables and Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates.
Women with the highest fruit and vegetable intakes have better ovarian cancer survival rates than those who generally neglect these foods. Researchers found that yellow and cruciferous vegetables contributed to longer survival. The authors concluded that low-fat, plant based diets are not only beneficial for cancer prevention, but they may also play a role in increasing survival time after diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, August 2010

Exercise: Even Elderly Hearts Can Benefit From Exercise.
A pilot study involving 310 adults over age 70 found that even men and women in their later years can improve their heart's health with moderate physical exercise. To assess the effect of exercise on the heart, researchers measured a blood-based injury marker called Troponin T that is traditionally used to assess damage to the heart. After one year, Troponin T levels in the exercise group were less than a third of the levels found in the control group that did not exercise. The study's lead author, Dr. Christopher DeFilippi adds, "Our findings suggest biochemical evidence to support the old adage, 'You're never too old to start a physical activity program to improve cardiac health.'"
American Heart Association, November 2013

Chiropractic: Pain in the Neck?
The cervical spine is made up of seven bones called vertebrae, and these vertebrae are separated by disks filled with a cushioning gel-like substance. Your cervical disks stabilize your neck and also help it to turn. Decades of movement can really take a toll on the neck as two-thirds of people will experience neck pain at some point in their lives. Researchers estimate that 50% of the population at 40 years of age and 70% of those at 65 years have some level of cervical disk degeneration. Cervical disk degenerative processes can cause radiating pain, as well as numbness and weakness in your shoulders, arms, and hands.
Clinical Evidence Concise, 2004

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep for Children.
In a recent study, when children increased their sleep by 90 minutes per night over just a few weeks, they consumed an average of 134 fewer calories per day, weighed a half pound less (~.2 kg), and had lower fasting levels of leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone that is also highly correlated with the amount of adipose (fat) tissue in the body.
Pediatrics, November 2013

Weekly Health Update For The Week Of Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Mental Attitude: Kids and Moms.
A mother's friendships with other adults can impact their adolescent children's relationships with their own friends, particularly the negative aspects of these relationships such as conflict and antagonism. Adolescents may mimic the negative characteristics of their mothers' relationships in their own peer-to-peer friendships. Mothers who display high levels of conflict with friends may signal to their children that such behavior is acceptable.
University of Missouri, November 2013

Health Alert: Bacteria in Your Gut?
Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks joint tissue and causes pain, affects 1.3 million Americans. Researchers have linked a species of intestinal bacteria known as Prevotella copri to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Of those tested, 75% of stool samples from patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis carried Prevotella copri compared with 21.4% of samples from healthy individuals.
NYU Langone Medical Center, November 2013

Diet: Pickled Turnips?
Scientists have discovered that the bacteria Lactobacillus brevis may prevent the flu. Lactobacillus brevis comes from Suguki, a pickled turnip popular in Japan. When a particular strain of Lactobacillus brevis was eaten by mice, it showed protective effects against influenza infection. Suguki enthusiasts have often cited its protective powers, but it is not known yet whether the same effects will be seen in humans. Human clinical trials using a probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus brevis bacteria are underway and scientists are hopeful that, given a suitable quantity of bacteria, foods containing Lactobacillus brevis may turn out to be the next superfood.
Letters in Applied Microbiology, November 2013

Exercise: Exercise Helps Arthritis.
Seniors who participated in classes that promoted the self-management of arthritis through exercise reported decreased pain, improved mobility, reduced stiffness, more energy, and an improved quality of life. According to Dr. Linda Russell, a rheumatologist and chair of the Public and Patient Education Advisory Committee at Hospital for Special Surgery, "Getting seniors to be active in any way will generally improve their quality of life and help them function better in their everyday activities. People believe that if you have arthritis you shouldn't exercise, but appropriate exercises actually help decrease pain."
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 2013

Chiropractic: Pain Relief!
Patients with chronic spinal pain (either neck, mid-back, or low back) were randomized to receive NSAIDs (pain relief medication), acupuncture, or spinal adjustments. Care was provided for four weeks, followed by assessment of improvement. After 30 days, spinal manipulation was the only intervention that achieved statistically significant improvements in pain and disability.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 1999

Wellness/Prevention: Physical Fitness Helps the Heart Too!
Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death among both men and women in the United States. After following 9,800 coronary heart disease patients for an average of 11 years, researchers found that the patients with higher levels of physical fitness were less likely to suffer a cardiac event and were 75% more likely to still be alive a decade after diagnosis. Senior study author Dr. Michael Blaha writes, "We hope that as a result of this study, more physicians will consider prescribing physical activity as a front-line therapy to improve survival and quality of life for their patients who are able to safely exercise."
John Hopkins Medicine, November 2013