To Your HealthTYH Archives

August 12, 2003 [Volume 4, Issue 17]

 

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In this issue of To Your Health:

Dangerous Curves

Everybody's spine naturally curves in a front-to-back fashion, which can be seen in the normal rounding of the shoulders and the depression of the lower back. However, up to 20% of the adult population suffers from scoliosis - an abnormal curvature of the spine often characterized by an "S"-shaped, side-to-side deformity. Many people with abnormal spinal curvature never suffer any symptoms, but for others, the curve gets worse over time and causes pain, limits normal activities and complicates breathing and circulation. How do these people with spinal degeneration perceive their health?

In a recent study, approximately 50 adults with scoliosis completed general health questionnaires and received a clinical and diagnostic evaluation. Patients were further analyzed in two groups, based on the degree of spinal curvature. Data were compared to those from the general population; from people ages 55-64; and from patients with low-back pain or hypertension.

The average age for adults with scoliosis was 63 years. Overall, general health scores of patients with adult scoliosis were significantly lower than scores in all health categories compared to the general population, and in most categories compared to the 55- to 64-year-old group and patients with back pain or hypertension. Loss of proper spinal curvature was most significantly linked to lower scores for social function, emotional well-being and general health.

Adult scoliosis is becoming a significant health problem, primarily affecting the fastest-growing segment of our society - the elderly. You can avoid the debilitating symptoms of scoliosis, however. A chiropractor can examine your spine for proper curvature and provide you with the advice necessary for maintaining a healthy back.

Reference: Schwab F, Dubey A, et al. Adult scoliosis: A health assessment analysis by SF-36. Spine 2003:28(6), pp. 602-606.

To read about more health conditions that affect the spine and back, go to www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/musculoskeletal.

Weight Loss for the Little One

People who realize they are overweight often struggle to begin or maintain a weight-loss program; frequently, a sense of futility can emerge when the realization hits that losing weight is not a fun or easy thing to do. As a result, some of these individuals give up and become content with their weight. A recent study in Pediatrics shows that women attempting to have a child may not have this option.

A team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta looked at risks for several major birth defects based on nearly 1,000 area pregnancies between 1993 and 1997, over 600 of which were selected because of a known birth defect. The body mass index (BMI) of each mother, a measure used to determine if a person is overweight or obese, was calculated to determine birth-risk differences between obese and normal-weight mothers.

Women considered obese when they became pregnant were more than three times more likely to have a baby with spina bifida (a defect involving incomplete development of the vertebrae and exposure of the spine) or an abdominal deformity called an omphalocele than healthy-weight mothers. Both obese mothers and even mothers only considered overweight were twice as likely to have an infant with heart defects or multiple, unrelated birth defects.

Abnormal metabolic processes or undiagnosed diabetes common in obese women may be responsible for the development of birth defects in a fetus. If you are considering having a child, but are overweight, try to get down to a healthy weight before conceiving. Not only will you benefit physically and emotionally - so will your unborn child.

Reference: Watkins ML, Rasmussen SA, et al. Maternal obesity and risk for birth defects. Pediatrics 2003:111(5), pp. 1152-1158.

For more tips on staying healthy during pregnancy, check out www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/women/pregnancy/index.html.

Relax ... But Don't Take a Deep Breath

Understandably, when you go to public places where people are smoking around you, you are probably concerned that the second-hand smoke is not only unpleasant, but also damaging to your health (especially if your children are with you). Without a doubt, cigarettes are horrible for the health of smokers, increasing risks for everything from cancer to heart disease. A recent study in the British Medical Journal may help put your mind somewhat at ease regarding second-hand smoke, though.

To determine the risks of long-term second-hand smoke, researchers examined spouses of smokers for tobacco-related diseases. Over 39 years of data were gathered on 120,000 California adults, focusing on approximately 35,000 people who had never smoked but had a spouse who did. The researchers wanted to see if the spouses were at a higher risk for diseases commonly associated with smoking.

There was no significantly increased risk for heart disease, lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (all clearly linked to smoking) in spouses of smokers than in spouses of nonsmokers. Current or past exposure to environmental tobacco smoke showed no significant associations to any long-term health condition studied.

This isn't to say that second-hand smoke is harmless, though. Other studies have shown that it may increase the risk for respiratory problems in children and infants, and there may be other, smaller health risks from being exposed to long-term second-hand smoke. But the next time someone lights up near you, no need to panic. They are doing much more damage to their own health than to yours.

Reference: Enstrom JE, Kabat GC. Environmental tobacco smoke and tobacco related mortality in a prospective study of Californians, 1960-98. British Medical Journal 2003:326, pp. 1057-1066.

To read about the many dangers of smoking, go to www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general/smoking/index.html.

Replace Your Hormone Therapy

Many women who used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to combat the symptoms of menopause stopped taking these hormones after a large study last year showed that they increased a woman's risks for heart attack, breast cancer and stroke. Other women have remained loyal to the treatment, citing such benefits as better memory, mood and sleep. How effective really is HRT for treating these symptoms?

As part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), over 16,000 women ages 50 to 79 were randomly selected to receive either estrogen plus progestin or a placebo (essentially a sugar pill); neither the researchers nor the participants were aware which each had been given. Measures of quality of life were recorded initially, one year later, and after three years (in a smaller subset of these women).

Estrogen and progestin pills did not provide any significant improvements in the women's health in any quality-of-life area, including memory; sleep; sex life; depression; pain; energy levels; or emotional health. Hormone therapy was considered effective for treating hot flashes and night sweats only in 50- to 54-year-olds suffering these symptoms, however.

In another blow to HRT, this study from The New England Journal of Medicine shows that it does not appear to offer any meaningful effects to a woman's quality of life. Black cohosh and other herbs, as well as soy products, have shown some ability to safely fight menopausal symptoms, but there is still no consensus on their effectiveness. Despite the lack of many viable alternatives, hormone replacement therapy is not the way to go.

Reference: Hays J, Ockene JK, et al. Effects of estrogen plus progestin on health-related quality of life. The New England Journal of Medicine 2003:348(19), pp. 1839-1854.

To learn more about women's health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html.

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