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March 2004

In This Issue:

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Featured Speaker at Chiropractic Conference

For the 12th consecutive year, global superstar and chiropractic supporter, and now Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the featured speaker at the International Chiropractors Association’s (ICA) Symposium on Natural Fitness held March 5-6, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio.

Speaking to over 400 participants Governor Schwarzenegger told the crowd: “I am honored to be back with you and to celebrate this great weekend once again. We share a common mission, and that is health and fitness for everyone. What a great partner the ICA is on this. I look forward to doing this with the ICA for many years to come"

Arnold then explained his reasoning for seeking the office of Governor by saying, "Many people have asked me why I would give up all of the benefits of being a movie star, the attention, the $30 million per movie, and also the freedom as a private citizen to become Governor of California. I can tell you that being Governor is the best thing I could ever be doing because helping people, serving all of the people, and making a difference in peoples’ lives means more to me than walking down a red carpet at another movie premiere. It is just like what you do as chiropractors; make a difference by helping people heal and feel better, making it possible to live fuller lives. This I know from my own experience with chiropractic and I am very grateful for what you have done for me and for so many millions of people around the world."

He went on to say, "It is also very important for me to give something back to the community because all that I have, all of my success, I owe to America and the opportunities that were made available to me in this great country. When I saw California in such difficult circumstances, I had to do something about it personally, to try my best to find solutions and to help rebuild what is the greatest state in America. We all need to recognize our responsibility to help those who need a little extra help from us. As doctors I hope that you will reach out to those who need help from you, who might be having hard times, and do what you can to help them back to health and to let them know that your profession and the community cares about them as people"

Governor Schwarzenegger also thanked the ICA for its longstanding partnership and support, and acknowledged ICA’s leaders as “key contacts” for the work he is engaged in as Governor.  ICA honored Governor Schwarzenegger this year with the presentation of a San Francisco 49ers official helmet, autographed by all-time great running back Roger Craig, who was one of the main speakers at this year’s program. Inscribed “To Governor Arnold, The Captain of Our Team” and embossed with an engraved gold disc from the ICA Council on Fitness, ICA used this presentation to thank the Governor for his support and his continuing participation in this important chiropractic event.

 

Breast Cancer Linked to Antibiotic Usebreast exam

From the February 18, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, (JAMA) comes an alarming study that suggests that breast cancer is linked to the use of antibiotics.  Researchers pored over the medical records of  thousands of American women and found that those who took the drugs most often had twice the risk of the disease.

Dr. John D. Potter, director of the division of public health sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and an author of the report noted, "This is potentially worrisome, but we don't know why this connection exists, we only have an observation."  He went on to qualify his findings by saying, "At the moment, we need to see these results replicated with more research before drawing any conclusions."

This was not the only study on this phenomenon as in 2000, scientists in Finland found that women younger than 50 who had taken antibiotics for urinary tract infections also had an elevated risk for getting cancer.

The original JAMA study ended with a compelling conclusion, "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 function, or other factors are pertinent underlying exposures. Although further studies are needed, these findings reinforce the need for prudent long-term use of antibiotics."

 

Breast-Feeding During Infancy May Lower Blood Pressures in Childhood

According to a report by the March 02, 2004 Reuters Health, individuals who were breast-fed during infancy appear to have a decreased risk of death from heart disease, and now new research suggests that this may be due to blood pressure-lowering effects.  The findings are based on a study of 4,763 non-twin, full-term infants who had their blood pressures determined at 7.5 years of age.

Dr. Richard M. Martin, from the University of Bristol in the UK, and colleagues found that breast-fed children had systolic blood pressure (the top number of the blood pressure reading) lower than those of children who were not breast-fed.  The study showed that there was little difference between infants who were only breast-fed and those who received a combination of breast milk and formula.  The study did show that the duration of breast-feeding had an increasingly positive effect, creating a notable decrease in blood pressure for each additional 3 months of breastfeeding.

Dr. Martin noted the importance of even a slight decrease in blood pressure by commenting, "A one-percent reduction in population systolic blood pressure levels is associated with about a 1.5-percent reduction in all-cause mortality, equivalent to a lessening in premature death of about 8000 to 2000 deaths per year in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively"

 

Snap, Crack and Pop Your Way Back to Good Health

The interesting headline above came from the February 13, 2004 issue of the Cape Cod publication, The Barnstable Patriot.  In this feature, the author Marion Rewcastle, writes about how he previously was a skeptic concerning chiropractic, and now he takes it for granted.

He recalls his story.  "I started using chiropractic many years ago, after a car accident in California gave me some serious whiplash. I knew people convinced by their own results that chiropractic was great, but I was not so sure. I also absolutely abhor headaches. I mean actual, physical, pounding headaches, not the metaphorical ones brought on by insurance claim forms.  My physician encouraged me to see a chiropractor. Not only did this relieve my headaches, but even an old tennis-injured knee dramatically improved."

Since that point, Marion has been a regular with chiropractic.  " Chiropractic is still an important part of maintaining my health. The aches of life, like too much time sitting in front of a computer; the pains that come from finding out too late that I'm too old to do some things, as well as a continued disdain for headaches are a part of my life and so is my chiropractor."

Interviewed in the article was Dr. Aaron Selfridge of Hyannis. He explained that chiropractic works by reducing and/or relieving interference with the nerves. "The spine acts as a relay station," he said. Micro traumas, such as bad posture, and major traumas, such as slips and falls or car accidents, can interfere with the nerves. Dr. Selfridge likened the interference to a dimmer switch. "A chiropractor finds the interference and adjusts accordingly. The most immediate benefit is pain relief, but Dr. Selfridge feels that is simply the beginning of the results chiropractic can have."

 

Antibiotics May Be Scrapped for Most Ear Infections

CNN.com released a story on March 3, 2004 reporting that antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. According to federal health officials, two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics.

About half of all antibiotics prescribed to preschool children are for treating ear infections.  The problem that is arising is that because of the high usage, more bacterial infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics.  Health officials believe if they can reduce child antibiotic use for such infections, they can stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs created by overuse of the drugs.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the meningitis and special pathogens branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that this new recommendation will represent a marked departure from years of common practice.  He states, "It will mark a dramatic change in appropriate antibiotic use."

Dr. Allan Lieberthal, co-chairman of the medical committee reviewing the proposed new guidelines stated, "Since the discovery of penicillin, when there is a bacterial infection, antibiotics are given." He continued, "Because of the increasing resistance of common bacteria to antibiotics, the importance of limiting their use is essential."

 

Chiropractors Starting to Find Acceptance

The above headline appeared as the title of a feature article originally published in Northern Colorado Business Report of Feb. 20, 2004.  The article, whose subtitle was, "Medical community losing its opposition to chiropractic care," was written by Chryss Cada, and features a number of testimonials from chiropractic patients.

The opening testimonial came from a woman, Nancy Summers who took her 10-year-old daughter, Anna, to a chiropractor. It seems that Anna had been having "episodes", for which she had been brought to general physicians and a neurologist.  During these episodes, the athletic and otherwise healthy young girl became dizzy, had ringing in her ears and was unable to function.  Her mom believes the episodes are the result of an ATV accident.

Neurologists, thinking Anna might be suffering from some type of migraine headache, put her first on anti-seizure medication and then diuretics (in an effort to drain excess fluid from her ears and restore her balance). The drugs did have some positive impact on Anna's symptoms, but they also had side effects. "It wasn't like she was totally zoned, but it's like she was numb and not the same girl she had been before," Anna's mother said. "And we weren't really happy with the idea of having her on medication for the rest of her life."

Anna's mother, Nancy, recalled that Anna had had three episodes the week before going to the chiropractor. However, after starting chiropractic care, her mother noted, "The weekend after there was not one episode. It was incredible. We were totally in shock."  The article further reported that since Anna began chiropractic care in November, she has had only a handful of episodes and those have been milder and up to nearly a month apart.

Ms. Summers said she felt her daughter's doctors were trying to dissuade her from seeking chiropractic care. "It's like the traditional medical community acts like seeking a treatment outside of that medical community is irresponsible," she said. "It was a big step to take her to a chiropractor. But now I know it was definitely the best decision we made."

The article's author further noted that, according to a study published in the Nov. 11, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 11 percent of the population visited a doctor of chiropractic in 1997. That translates into approximately 30 million patients.

 

Fitness Can Improve Thinking Among Aging

The above headline comes from the February 17, 2004 Associated Press, and offers seniors hope for a vital life.  Researchers at the University of Illinois reported that improving fitness can boost the thinking ability of aging adults.  The study published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that adults ages 58 to 78 who began a fitness program, even as simple as brisk walking, saw improvements in how their brains functioned.

In the study 41 adults began an exercise program that gradually increased over three months to a 45-minute walk three times a week. Their brain activity was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. After three months the adults in the exercise program showed increased brain activity and had an 11 percent improvement on tests that measured their decision-making while performing a variety of tasks.

A control group of similar age and health that only did stretching and toning exercises, but not the cardiovascular walking program, had lower brain activity than the other group and only showed a 2 percent improvement in performance.  Arthur F. Kramer of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois explained, "The kinds of tasks that we explored are similar to those encountered in real world situations such as driving a vehicle or any endeavor that requires a person to pay attention despite distractions,"

 

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