To Your HealthTYH Archives

July 30, 2002 [Volume 3, Issue 15]

 

To Your Health is brought to you by:

ChiroFind


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:

A "Bone" of Contention

"Bone-setting" is a type of traditional manipulative therapy utilized by folk healers in Finland. This form of therapy is considered the basis for the development of modern chiropractic and osteopathy. Researchers recently sought to find out if this predecessor to chiropractic is as valid as modern manipulative therapy.

In this study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, over 100 patients who had suffered back pain for at least seven weeks were divided into three groups, based on the treatment they received: bone-setting (by four traditional healers), physiotherapy, or light exercise. Up to 10 treatment sessions were allowed over a six-week period. Disability scores were calculated at the end of the treatment and three, six, and 12 months later.

The bone-setting group showed the highest improvement in disability scores (each time scores were taken); an analysis of the additional therapies showed a smaller subgroup experienced an even more enhanced effect from bone-setting. The physiotherapy patients showed a decrease in health-center visits for their back pain, however, unlike the other two groups.

Bone-setting may be more effective than light exercise or physiotherapy for back pain. The simple fact that this form of therapy has survived so long suggests that it offers valuable health benefits, which will come as no surprise to chiropractors and their patients. Your doctor of chiropractic can tell you more about the history of chiropractic, or you can read about it at https://www.chiroweb.com/find/whatis.html.

Reference: Hemmilä HM, Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi SM, Levoska S, et al. Long-term effectiveness of bone-setting, light exercise therapy, and physiotherapy for prolonged back pain: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2002:25(2), pp. 99-104.

Unhappy about Antidepressants

Prescriptions for antidepressant medications tripled in the U.S. between 1988 and 1998. Antidepressants are used to treat a wide range of disorders in adults - and children, despite few studies that support their safe and effective use in younger individuals.

To determine trends in antidepressant use in children and adolescents from 1988-1994, the authors of this study in the journal Pediatrics reviewed the records of over 800,000 youths in three health organizations: a group health maintenance organization (HMO) in the northwestern U.S.; Midwestern Medicaid (MWM); and Mid-Atlantic Medicaid (MAM). In the 2- to 19-year-old children, antidepressant use was defined as a prescription claim for the drugs during the previous year.

Information gathered from all three organizations showed an increase in antidepressant treatment. Over the seven-year period, the HMO, MWM, and MAM saw increases in pediatric antidepressant prescriptions of 3.6 times, 2.9 times, and 4.6 times, respectively. Over half of the antidepressant prescriptions in this period were prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Use of antidepressants was highest in boys in the 10- to 14-year-old range and girls in the 15- to 19-year-old range.

Avoid any medication that hasn't been clearly proven to be safe and effective, and always talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks before filling a prescription. For more consumer safety information, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general/consumer/index.html.

Reference: Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, et al. Rising prevalence of antidepressants among US youths. Pediatrics 2002:109(5), pp. 721-727.

Let's Get Physical!

You probably already know that an above-average fitness level can help prevent cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. This health measure is valuable to patients and doctors because it is a noninvasive, inexpensive, and accurate method. But how accurately does exercise capacity predict risk of death, compared to other health measures?

The authors of a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine examined data on more than 6,000 men who had completed treadmill tests and were followed for an average of six years. The men were divided into two groups: those with normal exercise-test results and no cardiovascular disease, and those with abnormal test results and/or a history of cardiovascular disease. Exercise capacity was estimated based on the grade and speed settings of the treadmill.

Peak exercise capacity was the best predictor of death in both healthy individuals and those with cardiovascular disease. In other words, men who were able to work out longer and harder were the most likely to live longer. Those with cardiovascular disease were older and used more medications.

Exercise capacity may be a better predictor of risk of death in men than other established factors associated with cardiovascular disease, including smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and other exercise variables. Do not underestimate the value of regular exercise: It is clearly one of the best methods of promoting longevity and warding off disease.

Reference: Myers J, Prakash M, Froelicher V, et al. Exercise capacity and mortality among men referred for exercise testing. The New England Journal of Medicine 2002:346(11), pp. 793-801.

To find out more about the benefits of sports and fitness, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/sports.

Is It Safe to Work During Pregnancy?

Women are increasingly working outside of the home while they're pregnant. After all, there is no such thing as a "free lunch." But while the effects of work on both the mother and the unborn child are unclear, maternal work in the third trimester of pregnancy has been suggested to raise the risks for preterm delivery, low birth weight, and "pre-eclampsia" - a potentially fatal condition involving increased blood pressure and abnormal swelling.

To determine if working during pregnancy affects blood pressure and pre-eclampsia risk, the authors of a recent study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health evaluated nearly 1,000 expectant mothers in Dublin, Ireland. The women were divided into three groups based on work status: currently working; not working; or normally working, but not currently employed. Blood pressure was measured between the 18th and 24th weeks of pregnancy.

Women currently working were almost five times more likely to develop pre-eclampsia than nonworking women. Working women also had higher average daytime blood pressures than nonworking women. Women who had worked, but were not currently working, were still approximately three times more likely to suffer from pre-eclampsia than nonworkers, although their blood pressures were similar to those of the nonworkers.

If you are currently pregnant or plan to be in the future, talk to your doctor about ways to avoid pre-eclampsia and other conditions that can strike during pregnancy. If you must work while pregnant, try to avoid stressful situations, long hours, and added responsibilities.

Reference: Higgins JR, Walshe JJ, Conroy RM, et al. The relation between maternal work, ambulatory blood pressure, and pregnancy hypertension. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2002:56, pp. 389-393.

For more studies on keeping healthy while pregnant, check out https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/women/pregnancy/index.html.

 

This edition of the To Your Health newsletter is co-sponsored by:


Thank you for subscribing to To Your Health. If you have received this newsletter in error or wish to unsubscribe, you may remove your name from our e-mail subscription list at https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletter/TYH/unsubscribe.php.

Visit Dynamic Chiropractic's "Ask a Doctor of Chiropractic" forum at https://www.chiroweb.com/find/ask.html, where 15 doctors of chiropractic are waiting to answer any of your health questions.

If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please complete this form at https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletterhelp/TYH.

This newsletter conforms to the requirements set by Bill S 1618 Title III, passed by the 105th U.S. Congress.

To report inappropriate ads,