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Study Finds Natural Spice Might Relieve Pain as Well as Ibuprofen!
29 JulDo you suffer from arthritis in one or both knees? If you do and would like to know how to get some relief, then this information will be very important to you.
Here is Why…
Researchers have found curcumin, a component of the spice tumeric, may work as well as or better than anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
Tumeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and is best know as one of the ingredients used to make curry and also as the ingredient that gives store-bought mustard its bright yellow color.
For centuries, tumeric has been used by both Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory treatment, and lately it’s been hailed as a “super food” with many possible health benefits. Some people even claim tumeric can be used to treat medical conditions like Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and even several types of cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society’s website, “Turmeric is a common food flavoring and coloring in Asian cooking. Animal and laboratory studies have found that curcumin, an antioxidant that is an active ingredient in turmeric, demonstrated some anti-cancer effects in the lab. But human research is needed to determine curcumin’s role in cancer prevention and treatment in people. Several types of cancer cells are inhibited by curcumin in the laboratory, and curcumin slows the growth and spread of some cancers in some animal studies. Clinical trials are underway to find out if it can help humans as well.
“Curcumin is being studied to find out whether it helps other diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and stomach ulcers. It is also being studied to see whether it can help lower “bad cholesterol” and improve outcome in kidney transplants. A few early studies have been done in humans, but much more human research is still needed to find out if curcumin can be effective in these uses.”
Good News for
Knee Arthritis Sufferers!
A study published in the March 2014 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging compared Curcuma domestica (C. domestica) extracts to ibuprofen to treat knee osteoarthritis. Over 350 knee osteoarthritis patients with high pain scores were given either 1,200 mg/day of ibuprofen or 1,500 mg/day of C. domestica extract.
The study concluded: “C. domestica extracts are as effective as ibuprofen for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The side effect profile was similar but with fewer gastrointestinal AE reports in the C. domestica extracts group.”
Two things are very important here…
First, according to this study, C. domestica extract relieves knee osteoarthritis pain. Even more importantly, the study concluded that the adverse effects were similar to ibuprofen except for fewer gastrointestinal problems.
But, adverse events were only noted if they occurred during the study and drugs like ibuprofen can have even worse side effects. In fact, ABC News reported the results of a large Danish study that found, “People taking ibuprofen — sold under the brand names Advil, Motrin, Nuprin — had [a] 29 percent increased risk of stroke.”
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is in this group) have carried a warning for increased risk of cardiovascular problems since 2005. C. domestica extract use has not been found to increase an individual’s risk for heart attack or stroke. Some researchers and doctors speculate that freshly juiced tumeric may outperform tumeric extract but of course, more research needs to be done.
New Study Finds Nagging by a Spouse
Can Shorten Their Partner’s Lifespan!
Sometimes reality sounds more unbelievable than fiction, and this is one of those times. According to a new study, nagging by a spouse can actually kill you. That’s right, researchers have finally given anti-naggers some good amunnition to end the badgering. According to CBS News, “Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen said having a nagging partner can significantly shorten one’s life, and could result in three extra deaths per 100 people per year.” The study also said people nagged by their spouses are more likely to develop heart disease and cancer and men are at greater risk than women, if only slightly. Researchers always like to say, “more research needs to be done” but it appears that nagging someone, even if your intentions are good, may be doing more harm than good.
How the “Black Death” Can
Make You Healthier
It might seem strange to think that something like the “Black Death” (also called bubonic plague) can make you healthier, especially since it was one of the most devastating epidemics in human history.
In fact, the bubonic plague is estimated to have killed nearly one hundred million people between 1347 and 1351. For a better understanding of the devastation, the plague wiped out approximately 30% of all Europeans and almost 50% of Londoners in just four years.
But, a new study sheds a different light on the Black Death, and it is not all bad.
The study published in the journal PLOS ONE suggests that, “people who survived the medieval mass killing plague known as the Black Death lived significantly longer and were healthier than people who lived before the epidemic struck in 1347.”
The article indicates that, “the disease targeted elderly adults and individuals who had been previously exposed to physiological stressors.”
A key point here is that the disease did not just target “older” people. In fact…
The 14th-century Black Death was not an indiscriminate killer, but instead targeted frail people of all ages.
Survivors of the plague experienced improvements in health and longevity with many people living to ages of 70 or 80 years, as compared with pre-Black Death populations.
Improvements in survival post-Black Death didn’t necessarily equate to good health over a lifespan, but revealed a hardiness to endure disease, including repeated bouts of plague.
The Black Death, either directly or indirectly, shaped mortality patterns for generations after the epidemic ended.
This is All Very Interesting Information… but…
Why is Any of This Important to YOU Now?
Good question. This study, like just about all studies, is not “the answer.” It shows interesting correlations and raises even more interesting questions.
One such question is, since the Black Death only seemed to kill people with weakened immune systems (the frail), wouldn’t it be wise to do everything possible to strengthen your immune system to its full genetic potential by eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and keeping your nervous system functioning optimally as possible?
A Little Secret About Walt Disney Most Do Not Know.
27 JulYou are about to read a story about the legendary Walt Disney that holds one of the biggest secrets to living a happy life.
This story was told over a decade ago by the late Mike Vance to a group of about 1,000 people. These people were lucky because, if they really listened and paid attention, it would be darn near impossible to not improve their lives after hearing this story.
You might not know the name Mike Vance, but Mike worked side-by-side with Walt Disney for many years and was responsible for countless Disney breakthroughs.
One summer day in Los Angeles, Mike and Walt were scheduled to do some work but it happened to rain, which is pretty rare for a June day in Southern California.
So, instead of working, Mike and Walt went for a walk. Walt commented on the rain and how beautiful it looked as it balled up on the leaves of different plants. He mentioned how he loved the rain and missed it.
Then, Walt brought Mike into his house and they both peered out the window and looked at all the beauty around them. Walt turned to Mike and said, “Isn’t it wonderful that we can stand here, as adults, staring out the window, looking back at our lives and realize that all the dreams we had as children we have achieved as adults?”
There are several very powerful principles here. First, why did Walt see so much beauty in the rain and other common things others take for granted or actually complain about?
Wayne Dyer often says, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
This was one of Walt Disney’s biggest secrets. While most people were complaining about the rain that day, Walt was pointing out how wonderful it was, and even how he missed it.
Walt was living out his childhood dreams because he took action and went after them. He also saw the world differently. Perception is reality, and Walt’s perception was one of beauty and wonder.
So, what do you think about and how do you feel when it rains in your life?
There is always going to be rain, you cannot control that. What you can change is your reaction to it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brent Binder
Chiropractic and Allergy Care: PART 1
24 JulChiropractic has been utilized to treat many ailments, including allergies. Though large-scale, randomized controlled trials are lacking in regards to chiropractic treatments and allergies, case reports and other research show promise. The concept of managing allergies may include diet management and/or a multi-disciplinary approach to obtain optimum outcomes.
When a patient presents for chiropractic care, we evaluate the entire person. The workup includes a review of the past medical history such as hospitalizations, illnesses, current/past conditions, medication history, allergy history, vaccination history, injury history, a review of psychosocial factors and habits such as smoking history, caffeine and alcohol intake, exercise utilization, sleep quality, and a review of your systems: musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, genitor-urinary, endocrine, and more. When reviewing this information, we will frequently find various aspects that may require further investigation and potentially co-management strategies with other healthcare providers.
Although spinal and cranial sinus manipulation can be highly satisfying, it has got to be clear that manual therapy alone may NOT bring about satisfying relief of the signs and symptoms of allergies. The use of a multi-modal approach, often including lifestyle changes, is generally needed to bring about SIGNIFICANT improvement in allergy sufferers. A general overview of self-help strategies was recently aired on “THE WEATHER CHANNEL” (see the video: 4-10-14, http://www.weatherchannel.com/allergies). Here, Dr. Taz Bhatia, an integrative medicine specialist, shows the audience a simple approach based around three goals: 1) To stimulate the immune system; 2) Eat foods that fight the allergic response; and 3) Improve your environment to avoid a histamine reaction. Specific recommendations include: 1) Lower intake/exposure to sugar and dairy, consider adding Black Seed Oil, honey, and taking a probiotic; 2) Eat the following foods: pineapple (contains bromelain), apples (contains pectin and quercetin), garlic, and onions. Vitamin/nutriceuticals and/or, a homeopathic remedy that contain these ingredients was also commented on; 3) Environmental controls included washing pollen off of pets, clothing, hair, our sinuses (nasal rinse approaches: Netti Pott, Nasaline, and others are options), and using HEPA filters in vacuum cleaners.
Here are some nutritional options that are often recommended to facilitate in the battle against allergies: 1) Butterbur: Sometimes referred to as, “…the Singulair of the herbal world,” reportedly works as a “leukotriene inhibitor” (blocks some chemicals that trigger nasal passage swelling. 2) Quercetin: This is found in fruits, vegetables, and wine and may work as a “mast cell stabilizer” blocking histamine release that causes the nasty allergy symptoms. 3) Stinging Nettle is a common allergy aid that contains carotene, vitamin K, and quercetin. 4) Bromelain: Studies show benefits by reducing nasal swelling and mucous thinning and hence, helps breathing. 5) Phleum pretense: A few studies reported a sublingual tablet reduces some pollen allergy symptoms including eye irritation, in people with asthma, and hayfever symptoms, and allowed people to reduce their allergy medicine(s) dose. Before concluding PART 1 of this topic, it MUST be mentioned that these are GENERAL recommendations and each person should discuss their personal situation with their chiropractor, primary care doctor, pharmacist, and READ the label on the bottle for specific risks and interactions. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and / or under 18 years old, additional considerations are appropriate.
We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care, we would be honored to render our services.
Whiplash Self-Care: Part 2
22 JulLast month, we started the discussion of self-care options in the management of whiplash or CAD (cervical acceleration-deceleration) or WAD (whiplash associated disorders). In this series, we are describing various treatment methods that you can be taught to help facilitate in the management process during the four stages of healing (acute, subacute – discussed last month; remodeling and chronic – addressed this month).
Like in the acute and subacute stages, many of the same self-care techniques can be applied here as well. You will NEVER “hurt” yourself with ice or ice/heat combinations (done properly), so they can be continued indefinitely. Many patients find this helpful. Using the analogy of a cut on the skin, in the acute stage, the cut is fresh and new. It is quite pain sensitive and unstable and it will continue to bleed if you don’t take it easy. After 72 hours (entering the subacute stage), the wound has an immature scab on it and it can still easily be re-injured, and if this occurs, especially by NOT self-managing properly, the recovery time can be significantly prolonged. So, “DON’T PICK AT YOUR CUT!!!” As we enter the later subacute phase (fourteenth week), the wound’s scab is quite mature, and self-care can be appropriately more aggressive. Think strengthening and activity restoration!
Stage 3 – REMODELING phase (14 weeks to 12 months or more): In this stage, we are now three months to a year out from the injury date and hence, we SHOULD now be more “aggressive” with care. During the late acute and subacute stages, you would have been performing exercises focused on movement restoration (range of motion / ROM exercises with LIGHT resistance) in addition to self-applied myofascial release techniques using foam rolls, tennis balls, TheraCane, and/or the Intracell (and possibly others). It is NECESSARY to continue the use of these methods, as they help reduce the chances for any scar tissue to become permanent. In this stage, we will guide you into more advanced exercises that include aerobics (walking, walk/run combinations, etc.) as studies show that whole body aerobic exercise helps MANY specific area injuries, including WAD/CAD injuries. Stretching short/tight muscles, working on balance-challenging exercises (rocker or wobble boards, balance beams, gym balls, eyes closed specific action movements) are VERY IMPORTANT, as they retrain your neuromotor system and reintegrate neural pathways that have been disrupted by the injured tissues and retrain faulty movement patterns you’ve developed from compensating due to pain. Strengthening exercises will include the core since the head sits on the neck, the neck on the trunk, the trunk on the legs, and ALL of this sits on the feet (so we’ll even consider stabilizing the sub-talar joint at the ankle and if pronation is excessive, foot orthotics can help whiplash patients)!
Stage 4: CHRONIC (Permanent): ALL OF THE ABOVE can be employed after the one to two year point to “maintain” your best level of function. If you still have pain, try to “ignore it” and KEEP MOVING, stay active, stay engaged in work, family activities, and DON’T let the condition “win.” AVOID CHRONIC DISABILITY by staying active and fit!
Fibromyalgia: Do I or Don’t I Have It?
17 JulFibromyalgia (FM) is one of the most common types of chronic pain disorders with an estimated five million sufferers in the United States alone. A “hallmark” of FM is the difficulty its sufferers have in describing their symptoms. When asked, “…what type of pain do you feel?,” the response is often delivered with uncertainty such as, “…it’s kind of achy but sometimes gripping…it makes me stop what I’m doing sometimes for only a second or two, but othertimes, I have to sit or lay down until it passes.” It’s sometimes referred to as “deep inside” or radiating, shooting, tender, pins and needles, and locating the pain is another big challenge. It’s often a “generalized” deep ache that includes multiple body areas, sometimes all at once. At other times, it’s spotty and moves around. It’s typically NOT restricted to one side of the body but rather on both sides. It is these inconsistencies that makes diagnosing FM so challenging, sometimes to the point where it can literally take YEARS before a patient is diagnosed. One study reported that of the 92% FM sufferers who had discussed their complaints with a primary care doctor, only 24% lead to the diagnosis of FM! It is often asked what makes FM so difficult to diagnose and the answer is simply, “…we can’t see it,” and, there are no definitive diagnostics like a blood test, an x-ray, or even more sophisticated tests that can be relied upon to easily make the diagnosis. Moreover, many FM sufferers have other conditions that overshadow FM signs and symptoms that often become the focus of her (or his) doctor.
Back in the early 1990s, the American College of Rheumatology reported “a system” for diagnosing FM. This consisted of a physical examination approach where a certain amount of pressure applied to at least 11 of 18 “tender points” had to be present. This was initially received with enthusiasm, as previously FM was a diagnosis made almost entirely on “gut instinct.” However, it soon became apparent that it was not so easy to interpret the patient’s response when these tender points were tested. Today, for a diagnosis to be made, there are three specific findings that are considered: 1) Wide spread muscle pain (in all four quadrants); 2) Pain that has been present for at least three months; and, 3) at least 11 of the 18 tender points are found – LESS emphasis is placed on the latter. The Fibromyalgia Pain Assessment Tool is a questionnaire filled out by the patient that can also help lead to the diagnosis of FM. Assessing the FM patient for other complaints or conditions commonly associated with FM include the following (% prevalence is reported by fibrocenter.com): 1) Irritable bowel syndrome (32-80%); 2) Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) (75%); 3) Chronic fatigue syndrome – sometimes to the point where bed rest is mandatory (21-80%); 4) Tension or migraine headaches (10-80%); 5) Multiple chemical toxicities; (35-55%); 6) Interstitial cystitis (21%) which includes eight months of bladder pain, urinary urgency, and frequency (more eight times a day and two times a night); 7) Restless leg syndrome (32%); and 8) Numbness, especially the hands and/or feet (44%). Other common complaints include sleep interference, which prevents deep sleep to be reached, depression or anxiety, concentration and/or memory problems, and more!
As chiropractors, we are trained to assess the FM patient, establish the diagnosis, and offer management strategies such as spinal manipulation, massage, exercise training, nutritional counciling, modalities, and more, which can significantly improve the quality of life of the FM patient. To achieve the best outcome, you may require the services of other types of healthcare providers, as the importance of co-management cannot be overemphasized!
If you, a friend or family member requires care for Fibromyalgia, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services!
Pain Relief Chiropractic 