June 28, 2005 [Volume 6, Issue 14]

To Your Health is brought to you by:

In this issue of To Your Health:

• Choose Chiropractic Before Pills for Low Back Pain
• Vitamin C, Fruit and Veggie Consumption May Help Prevent RA
• Exercise for Life

Need help managing your low back pain (LBP)? Before you reach for that bottle of muscle relaxants, consider recent evidence that shows that chiropractic care is more effective than drugs for pain.

A study compared chiropractic adjustments vs. muscle relaxants for the treatment of LBP. One hundred ninety-two patients with LBP were assigned to one of two intervention groups (adjustments with placebo medicine or muscle relaxants with sham adjustments) or to a control group (sham adjustments with placebo medicine). Chiropractic adjustments consisted of high-velocity, low-amplitude thrusts to the lumbar, pelvic or sacral spinal region, performed with each subject in a prone or side-lying position on a drop table. The interventions were applied for two weeks (eight visits), followed by a final assessment visit two weeks later.

Results: After two weeks, chiropractic adjustments proved to be more effective than placebo in reducing pain, and more effective than muscle relaxants and placebo in reducing Global Impression of Severity scores. "This study identified a sample population of subacute low back pain sufferers for which chiropractic care provided an equally effective management to the conservative medical care of muscle relaxants," wrote the researchers.

If you suffer from LBP, make an appointment with your doctor of chiropractic today! And for more information on this and other studies highlighting the benefits of chiropractic, visit www.chiropracticresearchreview.com.

Reference: Hoiriis KT, Pfleger B, McDuffie FC, et al. A randomized clinical trial comparing chiropractic adjustments to muscle relaxants for subacute low back pain. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics July-August 2004;27(6):388-98. www.mosby.com/jmpt.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating and painful disease whose cause is thought to be a complex combination of genetic factors and environmental agents. Diet has been implicated in the development of other diseases, but little is known about the influence of diet on the development and/or progression of RA.

A recent study evaluated the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and dietary antioxidants, and the risk of developing inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), or RA. Researchers studied 23,654 men and women (ages 45-74), who completed seven-day diet diaries, providing comprehensive data on their consumption of fruits and vegetables and other foods high in dietary antioxidants. Participants were asked to estimate the amount of food and drink they consumed each day using household measures and food portion photographs (small, medium, large).

Participants had developed IP during the study period (1993-2001) and were then referred by their primary care physicians to a study designed to identify and follow up on cases of IP. For comparative purposes, each case of IP was matched for age and sex with two controls free of the disease. Seventy-four cases of IP were identified over the nine-year study period. Lower consumption of vitamin C, fruits and vegetables was associated with an increased risk of developing IP compared to subjects with higher consumption. Subjects with the lowest intake of vitamin C had three times the risk of developing IP compared to those with the highest intake.

So eat your fruit and veggies! And for more information on nutrition, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Reference: Pattison DJ, Silman AJ, Goodson NJ, et al. Vitamin C and the risk of developing inflammatory polyarthritis: prospective nested case-control study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases June 2004;63:843-7. www.annrheumdis.com

Women: You've heard about the many benefits of regular exercise. Now a recent study shows that women diagnosed with breast cancer who engage in regular physical activity have an increased rate of survival over those who don’t exercise.

The study examined the physical activity of 2,987 female registered nurses who were diagnosed with stage I, II, or III breast cancer between 1984 and 1998. Physical activity was assessed using metabolic equivalent task (MET) hours. Three MET-hours equal walking at an average pace of 2 to 2.9 mph for one hour. Categories of MET-hours per week were classified as fewer than 3; 3 to 8.9; 9 to 14.9; 15 to 23.9; and 24 or more. Participants were asked about the amount of time they spent engaged and participated in physical activities in 1986. Physical activity was then assessed at intervals in 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000.

Results: Compared with women who engaged in physical activity fewer than 3 MET-hours per week, the adjusted relative risk of death from breast cancer was 20 percent lower for 3 to 8.9 MET-hours per week of physical activity; 50 percent lower for 9 to 14.9 MET-hours per week; 44 percent lower for 15 to 23.9 MET-hours per week; and 40 percent lower for 24 MET-hours per week or more. The absolute unadjusted risk of death reduction was 6 percent at 10 years for women who engaged in 9 MET-hours per week or more, compared with women who engaged in fewer than 3 MET-hours per week.

The researchers concluded that "Women who engaged in an amount of physical activity equivalent to walking 1 or more hours per week had better survival compared with those who exercised less than that or not at all." Researchers also noted that maximal benefit occurred in women who walked 3 to 5 hours per week at an average pace of 2-2.9 miles per hour.

For more information about women's health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/women.

Reference: Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, et al. Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. JAMA May 25, 2005;293(20):2479-2486.

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