August 16, 2000 [Volume 1, Issue 20]

"To Your Health" is brought to you by:

This issue features a number of articles you will want to share with your family, friends and co-workers. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to them via e-mail. If you have received this e-mail newsletter from someone else, you may subscribe free of charge and begin receiving your own copy by going to:

https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletter/TYH/subscribe.php

In this issue of To Your Health:

• Working Your Way toward Neck Pain
• Drinking Soda, Risking Bone Fractures
• Too Many Cesarean Sections?
• Preventing Colon Cancer with Plant Foods

The neck is one of the most vulnerable structures on the human anatomy because of its flexibility and its role in supporting the head. Neck pain can be caused by a variety of physiological and environmental circumstances, including tumor, infection, injury, prolonged wear and tear, or motor vehicle accident (whiplash).

Workplace factors may also may cause neck pain, a possibility suggested by a recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Workers in Norway completed a mailed questionnaire in 1990, and 78% of those workers completed a second questionnaire in 1994. Results showed that in workers with or without neck pain in 1990, "little influence on own work situation" predicted neck pain in 1994. The authors explain this association by speculating that control at work enables workers to change and reduce job demands that may contribute to injury or pain.

Your doctor of chiropractic can tell you more about the potential causes of neck pain and evaluate any current neck pain you might be experiencing. You can also find more information online at https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/neckpain.html.

Reference: Eriksen W, Natvig B, Knardahl S, et al. Job characteristics as predictors of neck pain: a 4-year prospective study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Oct. 1999: Vol. 41, No. 10, pp893-902.

Drinking Soda, Risking Bone Fractures

These days, tracking down your kids might be as easy as finding the closest vending machine. Despite increasing awareness of the importance of proper nutrition, teenage consumption of snack foods and carbonated beverages is at an all-time high. If you're not sufficiently worried by the prospect of paying for all those cavities your kids will need filled, consider the findings of a study in the June 2000 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The study used a questionnaire to examine the dietary habits of 460 9th and 10th grade girls, including questions on carbonated beverage consumption and any history of a fracture. Results showed that nearly 80% of the girls reported drinking carbonated beverages, with most drinking regular sodas (sugar-ladened) as opposed to artificially sweetened sodas. More disturbing, one fifth of the girls reported suffering a previous bone fracture, with consumption of carbonated beverages associated with an increased risk.

If your children drink sodas all day, they're probably not getting the necessary nutrients present in other beverages (i.e., vitamin C from orange juice or calcium from milk). As this study suggests, these deficiencies may translate not only into poor nutrition, but an increased risk of bone fractures. Teach your children about the value of a balanced diet, and ask your chiropractor to help outline a nutritional program for you and your family.

Reference: Wyshak G. Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, June 2000: Vol. 154, pp610-13.

Too Many Cesarean Sections?

Although a Cesarean section can be a lifesaving technique for mother and infant, it is a major surgical procedure with substantial risk to both parties. Cesarean sections are now performed in nearly 25% of all deliveries in the United States - a dramatic increase from only 20 years ago.

Lack of progress in labor is a predominant reason for Cesarean delivery in the U.S., accounting for one third of the nearly one million Cesareans performed annually. Is this number too high? Yes, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) published diagnostic criteria for abnormal labor patterns and guidelines for proceeding to Cesarean delivery. In a recent study, ACOG criteria were compared with actual clinical delivery practices involving 733 women in California and Iowa from 1993-1994.

A review of medical records and a postpartum telephone survey were used to gather data on proportion of unplanned Cesareans performed for lack of progress in labor; cervical dilation at time of Cesarean; length of second labor stage; and other variables. Results showed that lack of progress was a dominant reason for Cesarean delivery, even during the latent phase of labor or when labor was not prolonged (second stage). The authors emphasize that these practices do not conform to published diagnostic criteria for lack of progress.

In other words, too many Cesarean sections! Consult with your team of health care professionals during pregnancy to ensure a smooth, safe delivery.

Reference: Gifford DS, Morton SC, Fiske M, et al. Lack of progress in labor as a reason for cesarean. Obstetrics & Gynecology, April 2000: Vol. 95, No. 4, pp589-95.

For additional information on women's health, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html

Preventing Colon Cancer with Plant Foods

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 170,000 cancer deaths could be prevented each year in the United States, primarily by increased attention to early warning signs and risk factors. Colon cancer, one of the most common forms of the disease, is thought to be influenced by dietary considerations, a premise investigated in a recent study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers evaluated the potential influence of carotenoids (pigments found primarily in plant foods) in 1,993 patients with colon cancer and 2,410 healthy subjects. Intake of various carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin) was examined in relation to age at diagnosis and colon tumor site.

A detailed dietary questionnaire provided data on diet history, and nutrient values for dietary carotenoids were determined using the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-Nutrition Coordinating Center carotenoid database (1998). Results showed that subjects with high lutein intake had a reduced risk of colon cancer; no significant associations were noted between colon cancer and any of the other carotenoids studied.

Major dietary sources of lutein include spinach, broccoli, lettuce, and other green-leaf vegetables. Tomatoes, oranges, carrots and celery also provide moderate amounts of this cancer-fighting carotenoid. For more information on the power of nutrition to maintain health and wellness, schedule a consultation with your doctor of chiropractic.

Reference: Slattery ML, Benson J, Curtin K, et al. Carotenoids and colon cancer. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2000: Vol. 71, pp575-82.

Unsubscribe Instructions:
Click this link and enter your e-mail address to unsubscribe from this newsletter.