Low-Tech Tests Help Doctors Diagnose Complex Diseases and Predict Risks…

26 Mar

Sometimes, doctors can use common objects to gather preliminary information about a variety of conditions. Here are a few:

The tape measure: A waist size over 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women indicates a higher risk for diabetes. It is also helpful as a test for sleep apnea, cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

The bathroom scale: A weight gain of just a few pounds is a signal that heart failure patients are retaining fluid and at risk for hospital admission. Doctors and nurses ask heart failure patients to weigh themselves every day.

The paper clip: A bent paper clip can be used instead of calipers to assess nerve impairment in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. A patient should be able to feel both ends of the paper clip when they are pressed into a finger. It is less expensive than using calipers for the two-point discrimination test.

A handshake: At no cost, a firm handshake can help assure that a patient is healthy enough to make it through heart surgery. A weak grip can warn of possible complications. Surgeons also judge frailty by how easy it is for a patient to get out of a chair or get up on a table for an exam.

A stop watch: Testing how long it takes an elderly heart surgery candidate to walk 15 feet helps predict surgical risk. The gait speed test is a validated measure of frailty in elderly people and a predictor of physical and cognitive health. It should take no longer than six seconds to cross the finish line.

 

World Famous Brain Surgeon: “My Mother Assigned and Graded My Book Reports, and She Couldn’t Read” The fascinating story of how a poor child raised in the inner-city of Detroit became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33. His message for you…

25 Mar

His mother married at 13.  She was one of 24 children.  He was an ethnic minority, and grew up in devastating poverty.  These are not usually the ingredients for a successful career.  If ever there was an excuse to fail, and fail miserably, Dr. Benjamin Carson had it.

But rather than of failing miserably, Dr. Carson refused to use the situation he was born into as an excuse.  Instead, he used it as motivation and became one of the most prominent physicians in the United States, not to mention the author of several books.

How did he do it?  According to Dr. Carson: Obviously, I had all the strikes against me: single parent home, dire poverty, poor self-esteem, and horrible temper.  These things tend to preclude success. And they would have in my case also, but my mother, who had only a third grade education, refused to be a victim.  That was the key.  She never felt sorry for herself.  And that was a good thing.  But there was a problem, she never felt sorry for us either!  So there was never an excuse that we could give that was good enough.  And if we gave an excuse, she would come out with a poem called, ‘Yourself To Blame.’  And after a while, we just stopped looking for excuses.  She worked 2-3 jobs at a time because she didn’t want to be on welfare.  Even though she only had a 3rd grade education, she was very observant, and she noticed that no one she saw go on welfare came off of it.  So she didn’t want to be dependant, and she didn’t want us to be dependant either, so she would work as long and as hard as was necessary.  And one of the things she observed in the homes where she worked was that people didn’t watch a lot of TV.  They spent a lot of time reading and strategizing.  So one day, she just came home and turned the TV off and said, ”You guys watch too much TV… if you improve yourself… if you improve your brain… one day people will be watching YOU on television.”  And of course, she was right about that.

That was taken from a television interview.  So yes, she was VERY right about that.  Dr. Carson talked about how much he hated reading.  So, his mother made him and his siblings each read two books from the public library and submit written book reports to her.  Dr. Carson knew his mother could not read, but she would actually mark up the book reports like she had graded them.

Dr. Carson HATED reading and doing the reports while all the other kids were outside playing.  But as he continued reading, things began to happen.  Suddenly he could spell.  He learned grammar and how to express himself.  He learned how to use his imagination rather than just observing someone else’s imagination.  Within 18 months, Dr. Carson went from the bottom of the class to the top of the class, and he began to have a much different view of himself.  The biggest key to Dr. Carson’s overwhelming success is obviously his mother’s ability to see things differently than most people, her refusal to be a victim, her capacity to never make an excuse, and her willingness to work hard and do whatever it took to succeed.

And here’s another great part of this incredible story: Dr. Carson’s mother now has her GED, college degree, and an honorary doctorate.

So what are you going to do tonight… watch TV?  

Research Shows Torn Knee Ligaments Heal Without Surgery – Does Your Body Relieve Back Pain The Same Way?

24 Mar

If you suffer with low back pain, you are about to discover some very important information about potential causes and treatments.  But first, researchers have discovered something very important you should know about “anterior cruciate ligament” (ACL) injuries…

The ACL is one of the major supporting ligaments of the knee.  You may or may not know, but one of the most feared injuries an athlete (or anyone else) can suffer from is a torn ACL.

When it is torn, the knee is usually left unstable.  In other words, the ACL ligament helps keep the bones of the knee joint together.  When there is a tear, the bones can actually separate or dislocate.  This can happen when an athlete or person lands from a jump, tries to stop or attempts to change directions suddenly.  Sometimes, the knee will just “give out” without warning while simply walking.

When a knee is injured, an MRI is often used to help diagnose the problem.  If the MRI shows a torn ACL, it has been common practice for most doctors to recommend surgery to replace the ACL with either a cadaver ACL or one made from the person’s own patellar tendon, or Hamstring tendon. 

This is MAJOR surgery with extensive and lengthy rehabilitation.  Even an athlete in his or her physical prime may not be able to resume their sport for a minimum of six months.

Surgery for a torn ACL has been the common treatment because it was believed that once an ACL was torn, it could not heal.  Now researchers say this is not true.

In fact, in a study that appeared online before its publication in the journal Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy, researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York found that surgery shouldn’t be the first option for some cases. They found solid evidence that the ACL can, in fact, heal itself WITHOUT surgery.  

According to Robert Marx, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), “Some patients who tear their ACL while skiing can get away without surgery.  Their ligament heals by itself, they will have stable knees, and they will be able to do whatever they want, including skiing. It is a huge deal to avoid surgery.” 

Dr. Marx also stated that patients who tear their ACL during recreational skiing should not rush into surgery.  They should wait 6-12 weeks and be re-evaluated unless there is another obvious reason for surgery.

The study found two orthopedic tests that should be performed by a skilled physician to determine if the patient will need surgery or if the ACL can heal without it.

These two tests are “Lachman” and “pivot shift test.”  These tests assess the integrity of the ACL, and if these two tests are negative, a good outcome and normal knee anterior laxity at more than 2 years after the injury is expected… without surgery.

A quick and important side note about this study:  It was performed on recreational Alpine skiers.  Researchers noted that ACL tears from skiing are often less traumatic than other sports.  For example, the level of knee injury can be much greater in football or soccer.

This does not mean that an ACL tear from these sports cannot heal without surgery; it means THIS PARTICULAR STUDY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.  Of course, not all ACL tears in football, soccer, and similar sports are super traumatic.  The answer is to have your knee examined by a qualified and skilled physician who is up-to-date on the research and will assess your knee and give you the best recommendation for your individual case.

What Does All This Have To Do With Back Pain?

A lot, actually.  There are two very big take home messages from the information above.

First, doctors are not always right.  The best doctors use the best and most current research in an attempt to give the patient the best recommendations and treatments possible.

That is, of course, limited to the current research.  No matter what some people think, science (and research) is not magic.  It does not have all the answers, especially when it comes to the complexities of the human body.

The ability of the ACL to heal itself is a great example, but it is not the only one.

The body is truly amazing, and one of the most amazing things is its incomprehensible ability to heal itself.

Often, this means doing less, not more. This is one of the most difficult things for injured or sick people to understand.

When sick or injured, many people believe something must be done or the more treatment, the better.  In reality, in many cases, the less the doctor does and the quicker he or she gets out of the way, the better.

This Is Often The Best Option For Back And Neck Pain

Many Chiropractors are proud that their treatments help back and neck pain.  This, however, is not true.  If you understand how the body works and its amazing ability to heal itself, you will also understand that the reason why some Chiropractors have so much success with back and neck pain is because they simply do as little as possible and then get out of the way and let the body do its magic.

They understand that their “treatments” do not get rid of pain.  Their “treatments” simply remove a roadblock or roadblocks the body had to healing itself.

That’s why they will recommend the LEAST treatments possible and re-evaluate.  Their goal is to get you out of pain and out of their office as fast as possible… not commit you to huge and expensive treatment plans that last months or even years.

Of course, some patients have more serious causes of back or neck pain and need more care.  Every case is individual and should be approached that way.  But the results can be incredible if your Chiropractor simply removes the roadblock, steps aside, and lets the REAL healer take over.

Study Finds Headaches Associated With Back Pain

A German study published in the Dec. 28, 2012 issue of Pain has found an association between both chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headaches with low back pain.

According to the study, the odds of having frequent low back pain were between 13.7 and 18.3 times higher in all chronic headache types when compared to those with no headaches.  In other words, the odds of having low back pain are much higher if you have chronic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches.

Researchers mention nerve pathways as a possible explanation.  But, one must not overlook the possibility of an unbalanced and malfunctioning spine as a possible cause of the headaches.  If this is true, it would explain why so many chiropractors report success treating headaches.

 

A Tasty Way To Lose Weight and Lower Your Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, and High Cholesterol.

23 Mar

No matter who you are, this is great news…

New research shows a high-calorie breakfast not only helps weight loss, but it also might protect against diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular problems.

It is not just WHAT you eat but WHEN you eat it. The body follows a 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm, and this cycle has a big impact on your metabolism.

Accordingly, the time we eat will drastically affect how our bodies process food and if it is used for energy or stored as fat.

To determine the impact of meal timing on weight loss and health, researchers conducted a study in which 93 obese women were randomly assigned to one of two isocaloric groups. Each consumed a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diet totaling 1,400 calories daily for a period of 12 weeks. The first group consumed 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner. The second group ate a 200 calorie breakfast, 500 calorie lunch, and 700 calorie dinner. The 700 calorie breakfast and dinner included the same foods.

Results: Participants in the group that ate the biggest meal at breakfast had lost an average of 17.8 pounds each and three inches off their waistline, compared to a 7.3 pound and 1.4 inch loss for participants in the group that ate their big meal at the end of the day.

What’s more, the big breakfast group also showed a more significant decrease in insulin, glucose, and triglyceride levels than those in the big dinner group. The big breakfast group did not experience spikes in blood sugar levels.

The researchers also found that participants in the big dinner group increased their levels of bad triglycerides.

In other words, according to this study, eating the biggest meal for breakfast was superior to eating the biggest meal for dinner.

Researchers also mention that late night snacking appears to be more harmful than previously thought. So, it looks like eating a big breakfast, small dinner, and no late night snacking might be the way to go.

Why “New Year’s Resolutions” Are Destined To Fail.

20 Mar

In just a moment, I’m going to tell you why “New Year’s Resolutions” are destined to fail. But first, I have to tell you this…

I Googled “New Year’s Resolution Statistics”, and what came up #1 was very interesting… It was a set of statistics from The University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology. Here is what they listed were the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for last year… 2013:

  1. Lose weight
  2. Getting organized
  3. Spend less, save more
  4. Enjoy life to the fullest
  5. Staying fit and healthy
  6. Learn something exciting
  7. Quit smoking
  8. Help others in their dreams
  9. Fall in love
  10. Spend more time with family

All great things. But here is the shocker: The percentage of people who are successful in achieving their resolution is 8%!

What’s that? You think 8% is low? That’s odd; I thought it would be much lower. Here is why…

Success in anything comes from a proper mind-set. In other words, it comes from the way you think. You must think accurately to achieve goals and get positive results.

Waiting until New Year’s Day to start a resolution is completely inaccurate thinking. An accurate thinker would start right now, this very second. Why would you wait a month or a week or even a day to start eating right? Exercising? Stop smoking? Helping others? Spending time with your family and loved ones? Getting organized? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Waiting is procrastination, and procrastination is pure evil when it comes to success and goal achievement.

So, if you REALLY want something, make it part of your life immediately. Take action to get it RIGHT NOW. Don’t stop until you have it. Don’t dream about that someday because for most, that mythical someday keeps getting put off and never arrives.

Pick One Of These Nutrition Tips and Start Losing Weight and Living Healthier…

19 Mar

 

A wise person once said, “Successful people are successful for a reason.” The same is true in reverse… unsuccessful people are unsuccessful for a reason, too. That doesn’t mean if you are unsuccessful at something that it is your fault. On the contrary, many times it is not your fault at all. For example, if you want to lose weight and get in shape and you don’t know the first thing about losing weight and getting in shape, then how can you expect to be successful at it? If you were trying to drive somewhere you had never been before and never even heard of and you didn’t have a map or any directions, would you blame yourself for not knowing how to get there? Of course not.

The first thing to understand is that if you want to lose weight, then you must burn more calories than you take in. It’s simple math. But the big problem is most people underestimate the amount of calories they eat in a day… BY A LOT. The solution is writing down EVERYTHING you eat, even those little bites here and there. Those little bites add up fast. Just like those dollars here and there add up and drain your bank account over the course of a few months. The other problem is overestimating the amount of calories you burn. Even though people are different, the average person must burn about 500 calories a day to lose about one pound per week. This takes the average person 60 minutes of exercise a day! That’s why diet and proper nutrition is so important.

Exercise is vitally important for stress reduction and overall health, both mentally and physically. But if you think you are going to eat bad foods and make up for it by exercising, then chances are you are going to be horribly disappointed. But do not try to starve yourself. This will cause the body to go into “starvation mode” and slow down your metabolism. Try to eat within one hour of waking up in the morning and then eat small meals or snacks every 3 hours throughout the day. This will keep your blood glucose (sugar) level more steady and keep your metabolism moving. Also, make sure you get enough sleep. Research has shown that lack of sleep (under 6 hours) causes an increase in appetite. Lack of sleep also raises levels of cortisone, a stress hormone that causes weight gain.

Here is a tip that can have a HUGE impact on your waistline: Stop eating refined sugar! This includes things like sweetened yogurt, bottled juices, smoothies, and other foods commonly misconstrued as being healthy. If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off, it is absolutely vital that you cut out as much refined sugar as possible, in all of its forms including barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), molasses, and even some forms of natural cane juice.

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