DORAL CHIROPRACTIC CENTER – Weekly Health Update Week of: Monday, March 28th, 2016

Weekly Health Update
Week of: Monday, March 28th, 2016

Courtesy of: Charlotte Garzon, D.C. 2406 NW 87th Pl Doral, FL 33172 (305) 463-9697

“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can do every day.” ~ Marian Wright Edelman
Mental Attitude: Green Space May Help Students’ Academic Performance. Students in high school who can gaze upon a green landscape from their classroom are better able to both cope with stress and focus on their studies than students in a windowless room or a room without a green view. The research team behind this finding hopes it will lead to policy changes in areas such as school design and recess. Landscape and Urban Planning, April 2016 Health Alert: Asthma Increases the Risk of Abdominal Aneurysm. Individuals age 50 and older who have had recent asthma-related healthissues appear to be at an elevated risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a weak spot in the body’s main artery, which can rupture, causing massive bleeding. It’s speculated that a specific inflammation-related protein called IgE, which the body makes in response to allergens, contributes to the stiffening of arteries, and this stiffening can lead to a possible aneurysm. Due to the fact that an abdominal aortic aneurysm can rupture and be deadly, the researchers behind this finding recommend screening men 50 and older with asthma for aneurysms. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, February 2016 Diet: Prenatal Diet with Increased Vitamin D May Reduce Allergy Risk in Kids. According to a new report, children born to women who ate vitamin D-rich foods during pregnancy have a 20% lower risk of hay fever. Dietary sources of vitamin D include fish, eggs, dairy products, mushrooms, and cereals. Vitamin D is believed to benefit the immune system, and researchers are interested in its potential role in reducing the risk of asthma and allergies. Study leader Dr. Supinda Bunyavanich comments, “This study may influence nutritional counseling and recommendations to expectant moms to include vitamin D-rich foods in their diets.” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, February 2016 Exercise: Lifelong Physical Activity Increases Bone Density Among Men. A University of Missouri researcher has found that men who continuously participated in high-impact activities during adolescence and young adulthood had greater hip and lumbar spine bone density than those who did not perform high impact activities in their younger years. Dr. Pamela Hinton writes, “The most important take-away is that if you are healthy, it is never too late to begin high-impact activities or resistance training to improve bone mineral density… While activity during skeletal growth is significant, we also saw positive associations between such physical activity and bone density at all ages. So even middle-aged men who spent their teenage years sitting on the couch could see benefits from beginning a bone-strengthening exercise program.” American Journal of Men’s Health, November 2015 Chiropractic: The UK Is Onboard with Chiropractic. Researchers from the United Kingdom (UK) have concluded that chiropractic services are appropriate for private and government healthcare-referred patient groups and that chiropractic services should be considered when medical physicians make decisions concerning the referral of patients with musculoskeletal conditions. The conclusion was based on subjective outcomes concerning 8,222 patients, which revealed improvement in low back and neck pain during the course of chiropractic care. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, January 2016 Wellness/Prevention: Is Ulcerative Colitis Treatable with Vinegar? A study involving mice suggests that vinegar—or its main ingredient, acetic acid—may alleviate ulcerative colitis. This condition is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the digestive tract that can cause abdominal pain and other symptoms. In the study, researchers found that vinegar reduced inflammation in the colon by suppressing proteins and molecular processes that trigger inflammation. They also found acetic acid exposure resulted in an increase in beneficial bacteria in the gut. The findings may lead to a simple way of treating ulcerative colitis in the future. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, January 2016

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”
~ Italo Calvino
Mental Attitude: Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Worse Among Those Abused as Children.
New research suggests that individuals with bipolar disorder who have a history of childhood abuse or neglect may have an increased risk for more severe manic, depressive, and psychotic symptoms as well as a higher risk of suicide than bipolar disorder patients with a less traumatic upbringing. The study also found that those with bipolar disorder who were abused as children have a higher risk for anxiety disorders and substance and alcohol abuse disorders. Study author Dr. Jessica Agnew-Blais writes, “This information could be valuable for identifying patients with bipolar disorder who may benefit from greater support and treatment.”
The Lancet Psychiatry, February 2016

Health Alert: Common Air Pollution May Increase the Risk of Preterm Birth.
An analysis of 225,000 births reveals that exposure to high levels of small particle air pollution from car exhaust, burning wood, coal, and other fossil fuels during pregnancy can increase the risk of early birth by up to 19%. Study author Dr. Emily DeFranco explains, “Although the risk increase is modest, the potential impact is robust, as all pregnant women are potentially at risk… We estimate that decreasing the amount of particulate matter in the air below the [Environmental Protection Agency’s] standard threshold could decrease preterm birth in women exposed to high levels of small particulates by about 17 percent, which corresponds to a 2.22 percent decrease in the preterm birth rate in the population as a whole.”
Environmental Health, January 2016

Diet: Seafood, Mercury, and the Brain.
Though scientists have long warned against eating large quantities of fish known to contain high levels of mercury, a new study finds the brains of individuals with greater mercury exposure did not exhibit the kind of brain that is typically seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Study author Dr. Martha Clare Morris writes, “Everybody’s saying seafood has so many health benefits, but everybody’s afraid of the mercury… We saw absolutely no evidence that higher levels of mercury in the brain were associated with any of the neuropathologies associated with dementia.”
Journal of the American Medical Association, February 2016

Exercise: Exercise During Pregnancy Improves Health for Mom & Baby.
A large, randomized trial revealed that without exercise during pregnancy, women are three times more likely to develop hypertension, 1.5 times more likely to gain excessive weight, and 2.5 times more likely to give birth to a baby that is large for its gestational age. Study co-author Dr. Michelle Mottola recommends that pregnant women should aim for 10,000 steps per day during pregnancy.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, December 2015

Chiropractic: Conservative Care vs. Surgery for Stenosis.
A recent research review investigated the effectiveness of different types of surgery compared with different types of non-surgical interventions in adults with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis—a condition that is often debilitating and associated with degeneration of the spine. The investigators found both surgical and non-surgical treatment approaches produced similar outcomes; however, the rate of side effects ranged from 10% to 24% in surgical cases, while the researchers found no reported side effects for any of the conservative treatments they reviewed in the study. They recommend further high-quality research to compare surgical versus conservative care in the management of lumbar spinal stenosis.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, January 2016

Wellness/Prevention: My Heel Hurts!
If you suffer from painful heels, the American Podiatric Medical Association offers these preventive tips: wear shoes with sturdy soles that absorb shock and offer support, choose shoes designed for your activity preference, warm-up and stretch before exercising, get plenty of rest, provide your body with good nutrition, and lose excess weight.
American Podiatric Medical Association, April 2016