July 13, 2004 [Volume 5, Issue 15]
To Your Health is brought to you by:
- Recommended Reading: Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul
- Aching Mind, Aching Back
- Are Antibiotics Putting You at Risk for Breast Cancer?
- When in Gout, Leave Meat Out
RECOMMENDED READING: Keeping you aware of the latest resources that will provide the information you need to make wise decisions about your health.
This month's featured title is Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Dr. Fabrizio Mancini
Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul offers encouragement, insight and inspiration for anyone interested in the art and science of chiropractic. This series of awe-inspiring stories provided by doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic staff members and chiropractic patients focuses on positive chiropractic experiences and is divided into eight sections: Optimizing Peak Performance, Miracles, Say Goodbye to Pain, Pediatrics and Chiropractic, Chiropractic and Kids, Added Years, Beyond the Call of Duty, Defining Moments, and also includes anecdotes about the benefits that animals can enjoy from chiropractic care. The appendix provides contact information for those who have contributed their uplifting stories about chiropractic care. An excellent book for anyone looking to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic.
Click here to read the complete review.
Aching Mind, Aching Back
The typical portrait of depression is an individual with slumped shoulders, slow movement and a defeated look. While there are a number of potential consequences of depression - some benign, some more complex - you might be surprised to know that depression could be associated with back pain.
In a recent study, 744 health-plans members 70 years and older were given a baseline assessment that included evaluation of demographic, medical, physical and cognitive status. At baseline, 153 of the subjects were found to be depressed; over a 12-month follow-up period, 186 participants reported disabling back pain during one to two months, with 91 reporting back pain during three months. The researchers concluded that the presence of depressive symptoms was independently associated with the occurrence of disabling back pain, and was a strong factor for the occurrence of disabling back pain in community-dwelling older persons.
Depression and back pain can be disabling, independent of one another; but when the two are combined, the results can be potentially devastating. Talk to your doctor if you're suffering from symptoms of depression, and if you also have back pain, schedule regular appointments with your chiropractor.
Visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/musculoskeletal for more information about maintaining musculoskeletal health.
Reference: Reid CR, et al. Depressive symptoms as a risk factor for disabling back pain in community-dwelling older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Dec. 2003;51(12), pp1710.
Are Antibiotics Putting You at Risk for Breast Cancer?
Antibiotics are prescribed for a number of infections that can start as early as infancy. Depending on one's propensity for developing infections, antibiotic use can be used extensively during a lifetime; however, a recent study shows that antibiotic use over many years could increase the risk for breast cancer.
Researchers studied 2,266 women older than 19 years with primary, invasive breast cancer from a large, nonprofit health plan (case group), and 7,953 randomly selected women from the same health plan without cancer (control group). The control group subjects were matched to case group subjects based on age and length of health-plan enrollment.
Conclusion: According to the study, "Use of antibiotics is associated with increased risk of incident and fatal breast cancer. It cannot be determined from this study whether antibiotic use is causally related to breast cancer, or whether indication for use, overall weakened immune system function or other factors are pertinent underlying exposures." The researchers affirm that although additional research is needed, the findings in this study "reinforce the need for prudent long-term use of antibiotics."
If you are taking antibiotics, or have taken large amounts of antibiotics in the past, talk to your doctor about the findings in this study and whether there are alternative nonpharmaceutical means of fighting infections otherwise treated with antibiotics.
For more information on women's health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html.
Reference: Velicer CM, Heckbert SR, Lampe JW, et al. Antibiotic use in relation to the risk of breast cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association 2004;291(7):827-35.
When in Gout, Leave Meat Out
Gout is a painful and debilitating condition that occurs when excess uric acid in the bloodstream forms crystal deposits in the joints (usually in the feet, ankles and big toe, although it can also affect the hands, wrists, elbow and fingers).
Researchers studied the diets of 47,150 men with no history of gout over a 12-year period; during the course of the study, 730 of the participants were diagnosed with the condition. Researchers found that those who developed gout had a high intake of red meat and seafood during that time, while the incidence of gout decreased in men who had consumed more dairy products. The researchers concluded that individuals who consume higher amounts of meat and seafood are at greater risk for developing gout, while higher levels of dairy consumption are associated with a decreased risk.
But diet and nutrition aren't the only ways to keep your joints healthy and strong. If you suffer from joint or musculoskeletal pain, your doctor of chiropractic can offer you a wide range of treatment options, as well as information on nutrition.
For more on the benefits of chiropractic care and musculoskeletal health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/musculoskeletal/index.html.
Reference: Hyon KC, Atkinson K, Karlson EW, et al. Purine-rich foods, dairy and protein intake, and the risk of gout in men. The New England Journal of Medicine 2004;350(11):1093-1103.
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