June 1, 2004 [Volume 5, Issue12]

To Your Health is brought to you by:

• Maintaining Musculoskeletal Health With Vitamin D
• Get With the Program -- and Stay on It!
• Childhood Ear Infections: "Wait and See" Approach May Be Best

Stunt doubles in the motion picture industry make a living out of falling off buildings, out of windows -- you name it. For the elderly, however, a fall isn't something you see in the movies; it's a serious matter with serious consequences. Previous research indicates that up to one-third of all people age 65 and older - and up to half of those over age 80 - suffer injuries from falls.

Researchers examined the role vitamin D plays in reducing the risk of falls in the elderly. The analysis reviewed five studies involving more than 1,200 patients in which patients took a certain amount of vitamin D per day, usually with calcium.

After adjusting for study differences, researchers concluded that vitamin D intake reduced the odds of falling by 22 percent, compared with patients who received either calcium or placebo. Patients who took higher doses of vitamin D (700 to 800 international units daily) seemed to fare better than patients receiving 400 IU per day. In at least one study, vitamin D appeared to reduce the risk of falls.

Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about other forms of nutritional and structural support for your bones and muscles, and how to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system.

To learn more about the benefits of chiropractic, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/whatis.html.

Reference: Bischoff-Ferrari H, Dawson-Hughes B, Willett W, et al. Effect of vitamin D on falls. A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association, April 28, 2004;291:1999-2006.

The phrase "use it or lose it" can apply to almost anything. And Researchers in Ohio have found that this phrase rings especially true when it comes to maintaining good exercise habits. Simply put, if you start exercising and then stop, or only exercise sporadically, you'll lose the physical gains you've made along the way - and you could lose some of the accrued psychological benefits as well.

Scientists looked at the exercise habits of 28 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disorder. Participants completed a 10-week exercise rehabilitation program and were given a home exercise program to continue on their own. A year later, the researchers contacted the participants to see if they had continued exercising.

At the end of the initial program, all of the participants showed gains in physical endurance, as well as in cognitive and psychological functioning. Subjects who continued to exercise during the following year maintained these benefits, but those who had stopped exercising regularly showed "significant declines" on all physical and mental tests.

The message here is simple: If you want to improve yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally, start an exercise program and stick with it. Your doctor of chiropractic can help design an exercise program that will help you get your mind and body in better shape over the long haul.

For more information on the benefits of exercise, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/sports/exercise/index.html.

Reference:Emery CF, Shermer RL, Hauck ER, et al. Cognitive and psychological outcomes of exercise in a 1-year follow-up study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health Psychology November 2003;22(6).

Otitis media with effusion (OME), more commonly known as fluid in the middle ears, is a common childhood condition. It is estimated that more than 2 million cases of OME are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. OME does not involve any type of infection or inflammation to the ears and usually clears up on its own, without treatment, but that doesn't stop many pediatricians from prescribing antibiotics on a regular basis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a new series of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of OME in children ages 2 months through 12 years. The guidelines recommend that children with OME should be managed with "watchful waiting" for at least three months before recommending other treatment.

After three months, children should be re-examined at three- to six-month intervals until: a) the fluid is no longer present, b) significant hearing loss is identified, or c) the practitioner suspects the child has a structural abnormality in the eardrum or middle ear. The guidelines are not intended to be the "sole source of guidance," but rather a tool to assist health care providers, including doctors of chiropractic.If your child suffers from ear infections, make sure he or she receives a comprehensive evaluation before antibiotics are prescribed.

To learn more about common childhood conditions, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/childhood.html.

Reference: Academy of Pediatrics. Otitis media with effusion. Clinical practice guideline. Pediatrics May 2004;113(5):1412-29.

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

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