September 7, 2004 [Volume 5, Issue 19]
To Your Health is brought to you by:
- The Future of Health Care
- Trash the Junk
- Suffering From Osteoarthritis Pain? Don't Count on Drugs to Help
The Future of Health Care
With all of the recent reports stressing the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, it was only a matter of time before research began exploring the role doctors of chiropractic could play as cost-effective primary care providers (PCPs).
A paper published recently in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) revealed that a managed-care network consisting of doctors of chiropractic as PCPs provided equivalent care and saved substantial costs, compared to care provided by medical doctors and osteopaths. The analysis found that chiropractors were not only able to diagnose and treat patients at a level nearly equal to medical doctors, but that those same patients were admitted to hospitals less frequently, spent less time in hospitals for care, underwent fewer surgeries, and used fewer pharmaceuticals than other health maintenance organization (HMO) patients, resulting in tremendous cost savings and high patient satisfaction.
This information serves as a glimpse into the future of health care - a future in which doctors of chiropractic will treat a larger range of patients using an integrative approach to medicine.
For more information on chiropractic, visit www.chiroweb.com/find.
Reference: Sarnat RL, Winterstein J. Clinical and cost outcomes of an integrative medicine IPA. JMPT June 2004;27:336-347.
Trash the Junk
If you're like most people, you take great care of your car: You have it serviced routinely, wash and wax it every weekend, and even fuel it with premium gasoline. After all, you want to get the most out of your investment. Yet, despite how much people care for their cars, they continue to neglect their own bodies by fueling on empty foods that do nothing to enhance performance.
A recent study published in the June issue of the Journal of Food Chemistry and Analysis evaluated the diets of approximately 5,000 adults; researchers found that almost one-third of the average U.S. diet consists of junk food. Topping the list were sweets, hamburgers, pizza and potato chips. According to lead researcher Gladys Block*, "Such healthy foods as vegetables and fruit make up only 10 percent of the caloric intake in the U.S. diet. A large proportion of Americans are undernourished in terms of vitamins and minerals."
Is it time for you to maximize the performance of your body - by far, your most valued investment? You can start by replacing sugary sweets, calorie-laden sodas, salty snacks and other junk food with smarter food choices, including whole grains, fruit, lean meat and vegetables. And don't be surprised when your "engine" starts running much more smoothly.
To learn more about the myriad benefits of healthy eating, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.
References: Block G, et al. Foods contributing to energy intake in the US: data from NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2000. Journal of Food Chemistry and Analysis June 2004;17:439-447.
*"Junk food one-third of U.S. diet, study finds." Reuters Health. June 2, 2004.
Suffering From Osteoarthritis Pain? Don't Count on Drugs to Help
Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating disease that causes the degeneration of the cartilage between joints. Once the cartilage is worn away, the joints rub against each other, causing tissue and bone damage, and with it, pain.
One standard mode of treatment has been the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), administered in both oral and topical form; however, a recent study found that topical NSAIDS for osteoarthritis are only beneficial for up to two weeks. British researchers examined a dozen clinical trials comparing topical NSAIDS with placebo or oral NSAIDS. According to the evidence, topical NSAIDS were more effective than placebo in relieving pain for the first two weeks of treatment, after which time they became virtually ineffective. Moreover, topical NSAIDS were less effective than oral NSAIDS during the first week of treatment; however, other studies have shown that oral anti-inflammatory drugs can have adverse side-effects when used over long periods of time, including upset stomach and ulcer.
If you suffer from osteoarthritis, regular chiropractic treatments can help manage your pain and discomfort - without the uncomfortable and potentially dangerous side-effects often associated with drugs.
For more information on general health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/
Reference: Lin J, Zhang W, Jones A, Doherty M. Efficacy of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. British Medical Journal, Aug. 7, 2004;392:324.
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