Six rules every doctor should follow.

A recent study found that most doctors fail to show empathy when given the opportunity.

What are the six rules every doctor should follow? See if you agree with them by clicking on this short video!

Wine Compound May Protect Against Radiation Exposure

In our current world we are exposed to all sorts of radiation sources, the majority of which occur naturally and some of which are man made. Add resveratrol to anti-radiation nutrients. Miso has also been shown to protect against radiation.

Rat study finding could lead to human treatments that are effective, non-toxic

TUESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The antioxidant resveratrol, found in many plants and in red wine, may help protect against radiation exposure, say University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers.

They gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to mice before exposure to radiation and found that the rodents' cells were protected from radiation-related damage. The team is conducting further studies to determine whether acetylated-resveratrol can help protect humans against radiation.
The findings were expected to be presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology annual meeting, in Boston.

The research, led by Dr. Joel Greenberger, chairman of the department of radiation oncology, is overseen by the university's Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation. The center's mandate is to identify and develop small molecules that can protect people against radiation in the event of a large-scale radiology or nuclear emergency.

"New, small molecules with radioprotective capacity will be required for treatment in case of radiation spills or even as countermeasures against radiological terrorism. Small molecules which can be easily stored, transported and administered are optimal for this, and so far acetylated resveratrol fits these requirements well," Greenberger said in a prepared statement.

"Currently, there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure. Our goal is to develop treatments for the general population that are effective and non-toxic," he added.

In 2004, Greenberger's team identified a drug called JP4-039, which can be delivered directly to the mitochondria (the energy-producing areas of a cell) to help the mitochondria combat radiation-induced cell death.

More information
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has more about the biological effects of radiation.

A Honey of a Sinusitis Treatment

Honey is more effective than antibiotics in fighting sinus infections. Pathogens shield themselves in a substance called a bioshield. Whereas the most powerful antibiotics were unable to penetrate this sheild, honey did a far better job.

Keep in mind that sinus problems are usually related to gut function. The gut contains 80% of the immune system and there are more microbes living in the than there are cells in the body. They perform a multitude of functions including digestion, absorption, immunity, acid-alkaline balance, and have anti-cancer capabilites.

When you have sinus problems you have an imbalance of microbes in your digestive tract. I wonder if honey can be diluted in water and spritzed into the nose.

A Honey of a Sinusitis Treatment

The natural sweet defeats the bacteria that drive the ailment, study shows

By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Honey may help bring sweet relief to chronic sinusitis sufferers, new Canadian research suggests.

Scientists say natural germ fighters in honey attack the bacteria that cause the discomforting disorder.

"Honey has been used in traditional medicine as a natural anti-microbial dressing for infected wounds for hundreds of years," noted study co-author Dr. Joseph G. Marsan, from the University of Ottawa.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the activity of honey on so-called "biofilms," which are responsible for numerous chronic infections, Marsan explained.

"Certain bacteria, mainly Staph aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have found a method of shielding themselves from the activity of anti-microbials by living in substances called biofilms, which cannot be penetrated by even the most powerful anti-microbials," he said.

The report was to be presented Tuesday at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation's annual meeting in Chicago.

In the laboratory, Marsan's team applied honey to biofilms made up of the bacteria that cause sinusitis.

They found that honey was more effective in killing these bacteria than antibiotics commonly used against them.

"Our study has shown that certain honeys, namely the Manuka honey from New Zealand and the Sidr honey from Yemen, have a powerful killing action on these bacterial biofilms that is far superior to the most powerful anti-microbials used in medicine today," Marsan said.

This study has shown that certain honeys may play some role in the management of these chronic infections that are extremely difficult to treat, Marsan said. "This study was carried out in-vitro in the lab and we must now find how to apply this activity in-vivo on lab animals and subsequently on patients," he added.

The Canadian findings echo research published last year in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, by a team at Penn State College of Medicine. That group found that honey worked better than commercial cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DM) in easing children's cough.

But Dr. Ian Paul, director of Pediatric Clinical Research at Penn State and the leader of the cough study, isn't sure how the sinusitis findings would be applied clinically.

"Bacteria do not grow very well in honey," Paul noted. "There is data that honey works well for wounds, in smothering the bacteria that that grow in wounds. So it's not altogether surprising that honey would be effective in killing these bacteria."

However, whether honey could be used clinically to treat sinusitis isn't apparent, Paul said.
"I wonder how they are going to propose using honey, clinically, in sinusitis," Paul said. "I'm wondering how they are proposing it would be curative or helpful in that setting?"

Results of another study, slated to be presented at the meeting Tuesday, show that many patients with sinusitis sufferer from aches and pains that are equal to those experienced by people with arthritis or depression. Researchers found that endoscopic sinus surgery to relieve the blockage in the sinuses, also significantly people's reduced pain.

"This study highlights an important point: Chronic sinusitis should not be considered as a minor localized disease condition rather, as this study emphasizes, sinusitis can cause serious clinical levels of discomfort in many patients," study co-author Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, an otolaryngologist and sinus surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said in a statement.

More information
For more information on sinusitis, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
SOURCES: Joseph G. Marsan, M.D., University of Ottawa, Canada; Ian Paul, M.D., M.Sc., director, Pediatric Clinical Research, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey; Sept. 23, 2008, presentation, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting, Chicago
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

WebMD reports how chiropractic cuts blood pressure

A chiropractic study run by Dr. George Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center shows that chiropractic adjustments lower blood pressure. This makes sense given what we know about neurology, physiology, and anatomy and the effect of chiropractic adjustments on receptor systems in the autonomic nervous system, but it's great to have the scientifc studies to back it up! Granted this was only a small study but it's a step in the right direction and hopefully it will be expanded upon.

WebMD reports how chiropractic cuts blood pressure

September 22, 2008 — Studies and research regarding the chiropractic adjustment are being performed more and more to show the validity of chiropractic. WebMD has recently released information showing a special chiropractic adjustment called the Atlas Adjustment, can significantly lower high blood pressure. “This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD, told WebMD. “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems,” added Dr. Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center.

Research showed that eight weeks after undergoing the procedure, 25 patients with early-stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent a sham chiropractic adjustment. Because patients are unable to feel the technique, they could not tell which group they were in. WebMD reported that patients that got the real procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure. None of the patients took blood pressure medicine during the eight-week study.

Dr. Bakris notes that some researchers have suggested that injury to the Atlas vertebra can affect blood flow in the arteries at the base of the skull. Dr. Dickholtz thinks the misaligned triggers release of signals that make the arteries contract. Whether the procedure actually fixes the injuries is unknown, Bakris says.

Source: Parker College of Chiropractic, www.parkercc.edu

Children who use mobile phones are 'five times more likely to develop brain tumours'

Children who use mobile phones are five times more likely to develop brain tumours, research has suggested.

Slowly the evidence is beginning to trickle in. Unfortunately the really solid proof may be decades in the making as it takes many years for disease to develop. If cell phone exposure increases brain tumour risk by a factor of 5, then how much, if any, does the constant exposure to cell antennas increase the risk?


By Daniel MartinLast updated at 8:33 PM on 21st


A study suggests that children who use mobile phones are five times more likely to develop a type of brain tumour.

Children who use mobile phones are five times more likely to develop a type of brain tumour, research has suggested.

The Swedish study indicated that under-16s are more at risk of radiation from mobile phones because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.

Because their heads are smaller and their skulls are thinner the radiation penetrates deeper into their brains, it is believed.

After presenting their findings, the scientists said that children under 12 should only use mobiles for emergencies.

They added that teenagers should use hands-free devices and try to restrict themselves to texting.

But other researchers have cast doubt on the findings - saying that mobiles have not been on the market long enough to test accurately the risks associated with them.

Around 90 per cent of under-16s in Britain have a mobile phone as do 40 per cent of primary school children.

The Swedish research was reported at a conference on mobile phones and health.

It was held at London's Royal Society by the Radiation Research Trust, an independent organisation campaigning for further research into the possible dangers of electromagnetic radiation.

One major finding of the study was that the earlier a person started using a mobile phone, the higher the risk of developing a tumour.

Professor Lennart Hardell, of the University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden, said: 'People who started mobile phone use before the age of 20 had a more than five-foldincrease in glioma.'

This is a cancer of the glial cells which support the central nervous system. About half of all primary brain tumours are gliomas, according to Cancer Research.

Professor Hardell said that home cordless phones were almost as risky as mobile phones, with youngsters using them four times as likely to develop glioma.

Those who started using a mobile phone before the age of 20 also increased the risk by five times of getting an acoustic neuroma.

These are benign tumours which do not cause cancer. Nevertheless, they can damage the auditory nerve and cause deafness.

The researchers said that those who started using their mobiles in their 20s were 50 per cent more likely to contract glioma and twice as likely to get acoustic neuromas.

Professor Hardell said: 'This is a warning sign. It is very worrying. We should be taking precautions.'

The research led to calls from other scientists to look again at the potential risks of mobile phone use.

David Carpenter, of the State University of New York, said: 'Children are spending significant time on mobile phones.

'We may be facing a public health crisis in an epidemic of brain cancers as a result of mobile phone use.'

However other scientists expressed doubts about the Swedish research.

One of the problems with studying the effects of mobile phone radiation is that it can take years for cancers to develop - perhaps much longer than mobile phones have so far been generally available.

Britain is carrying out its own research involving 90,000 people, called the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme.

Professor David Coggon, who is working on the study, said: 'It looks frightening to see a five-fold increase in cancer among people who started use in childhood.'

But he added that he would be 'extremely surprised' if the risk were shown to be that high once the evidence was in.

Find this story at www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058989/Children-use-mobile-phones-times-likely-develop-brain-tumours.html

The Bilingual Brain

Here is a great article from the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C.
The brain is an organ which is designed to receive sensory information and produce some type of motor output. The more you stimulate the brain with thinking activities and movement the more it will reward you.

Chiropractic is great for the brain because it releases locked up joints which contain motion receptors. When the joints are moving properly these receptors fire information to the brain. And when the joints are locked up or fixated they cannot fire off to the brain. The chiropractic adjustment does three things:

1. it restores motion to the joint
2. it fires off those receptors
3. decreases muscle spasm

Having moved from the U.S. to Israel I'm slowly learning to speak Hebrew. It's good to know that all the struggle to learn a new language may pay off with increased brain function!

As scientists unlock more of the neurological secrets of the bilingual brain, they're learning that speaking more than one language may have cognitive benefits that extend from childhood into old age.


Parlez vous francais? Sprechen Sie Deutsches? Hablas español? If so, and you also speak English (or any other language), your brain may have developed some distinct advantages over your monolingual peers. New research into the neurobiology of bilingualism has found that being fluent in two languages, particularly from early childhood, not only enhances a person’s ability to concentrate, but might also protect against the onset of dementia and other age-related cognitive decline.

These discoveries are leading to:
A better understanding of how the brain organizes speech and communication tasks.
Greater insight into how specific types of brain activity may prevent or delay dementia and other age related cognitive problems.

More targeted and effective therapies for helping bilingual individuals recover their communication skills after a brain injury.

Bilingualism is common in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 18 percent of Americans speak a language other than English at home. Of those, three-quarters also report that they speak English “well” or “very well”—a strong indication that they are bilingual.
Until fairly recently, parents and educators feared that exposing children to a second language at too early an age might not only delay their language skills but harm their intellectual growth. New research, however, has found that bilingual children reach language milestones (such as first word and first fifty words) at the same age as monolingual children. Nor do they show any evidence of eing “language confused.”

In fact, being bilingual may give children an advantage at school. Bilingual preschoolers have been found to be better able than their monolingual peers at focusing on a task while tuning out distractions. A similar enhanced ability to concentrate—a sign of a well-functioning working memory—has been found in bilingual adults, particularly those who became fluent in two languages at an early age. It may be that managing two languages helps the brain sharpen—and retain—its ability to focus while ignoring irrelevant information.

Other research suggests that bilingualism may delay the onset of age-related dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, by up to four years. Although scientists don’t know why bilingualism creates this “cognitive reserve,” some theorize that speaking two languages may increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain and keep nerve connections healthy—factors thought to help ward off dementia.

More recently, scientists have discovered that bilingual adults have denser gray matter (brain tissue packed with information-processing nerve cells and fibers), especially in the brain’s left hemisphere, where most language and communication skills are controlled. The effect is strongest in people who learned a second language before the age of five and in those who are most proficient at their second language. This finding suggests that being bilingual from an early age significantly alters the brain’s structure.

Exactly how the brain organizes language in bilingual individuals has been debated for many years. Is each language “stored” in its own area of the brain or in overlapping regions? Thanks to technological advances in brain imaging, scientists have recently discovered that the processing of different languages occurs in much of the same brain tissue. However, when bilinguals are rapidly toggling back and forth between their two languages—that is, in “bilingual mode”—they show significantly more activity in the right hemisphere than monolingual speakers, particularly in a frontal area called the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (the source of the bilingual advantages in attention and control). This expanded neural activity is so prominent and predictable on brain scans that it serves as a “neurological signature” for bilingualism.

Finally, neuroscience research is showing promise for evaluating and treating bilingual patients who lose the ability to produce or understand speech after a brain injury. Research is showing that rehabilitation efforts that use both languages, not just one—even a patient’s native language—hold the greatest promise for recovery.



Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature. 2004 Oct 14;431:757. ©2004.
Brain scans of bilingual individuals found greater gray-matter density (yellow) in the inferior parietal cortex, an area in the brain’s language-dominant left hemisphere. The density was most pronounced in people who were very proficient in a second language and in those who learned a second language before the age of five.

Cactus Goo Makes Water Safe

The gooey stuff inside a cactus leaf can bind to dirt and arsenic in water and also kills bacteria. This stuff is called mucilage, which call also be found in oats, flax seeds, okra, and other plant sources. Mucilage is very important for its binding properties. It essentially acts as a detoxifier by binding to unwanted and toxic substances. In the body the whole bound up complex is expelled in the waste but what good news this is to find out that mucins can also detox our water before we drink it!

By the way pectins are also a powerful binding detoxifier. Apples come first to mind as being very high in pectins. You know about the apple a day keeping the doctor away!

Cactus Goo Makes Water Safe

Jessica Marshall, Discovery News

Sept. 17, 2008 -- The slimy ooze inside prickly pear cactuses that helps the plants store water in the desert can also be used for scouring arsenic, bacteria and cloudiness out of rural drinking water, according to research at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Biochemical engineer Norma Alcantar first learned of the cactus's unique abilities from her grandmother, a native of north central Mexico. There, the residual water from boiling the flat, oval-shaped lobes of prickly pear for salads and other dishes was used to clear up cloudy water drawn from the river before use for cooking or drinking.

"When you boil [the prickly pear], what is getting separated is mucilage," Alcantar said.

Mucilage is the clear, gooey, viscous liquid from within the cactus which helps to seal water inside the plant so it can survive desert-dry conditions.

Alcantar began to study how the mucilage worked to clear cloudy water. She found that the mucilage binds to the dirt and causes the particles to coagulate, forming large enough clumps that they can settle out of the water.

Then, she turned her attention to other water contaminants. The group's more recent research has shown that the mucilage can also form a complex with arsenic, a carcinogenic water contaminant that can occur naturally or from industrial or agricultural pollution.

The arsenic-mucilage complex is large enough that it can be removed by drawing the water through a sand filter.

"Sometimes we get 80 percent removal, and sometimes we get lower than 50 percent removal," Alcantar said. "We don't yet know exactly what it is; we haven't found what are the exact best conditions for the mucilage [to get the most arsenic removal]."

What percentage removal is sufficient will depend on the amount of arsenic in the water supply.

Other ongoing research by Alcantar's team has shown that the mucilage can also kill bacteria in the water, solving another potential water quality problem. The mucilage either engulfs the bacteria and starves them, or it binds to the bacteria and causes them to settle out of the water.

Mucilage consists of carbohydrates and sugars. The team is investigating exactly how these components interact with bacteria, arsenic and suspended particles. The evidence so far suggests that when arsenic binds to the sugars, the number of charges on the particle changes, which changes its ability to stay dissolved. Similar processes appear to be at work with the other contaminants.

Alcantar estimates that one lobe of prickly pear would supply a family of five for about five weeks. Alcantar's team is still optimizing and developing the best system, but she envisions that each family would pass their water through a filter that would periodically be recharged with fresh mucilage from prickly pear grown at home or in the community.

An advantage of the approach is that prickly pear is familiar to local communities, which her work suggests will help ease its acceptance by local people in Temamatla, Mexico, where she is working with families to design and supply filters.

"Our survey showed that 97 percent of the community wanted to have a filter, especially if it's based on something that they know and are accustomed to," said Alcantar

"There are a number of aspects to this project that I think are unique," said Angela Lindner of the University of Florida in Gainesville. "She knows these communities so she understands the social aspects that are involved. She's keeping in mind that the one who is going to be making these filters is going to be the person who is drinking the water. That's rarely done in engineering design."

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/09/17/cactus-arsenic-water.html

Common plastics chemical linked to human diseases

Plastic bottles leach chemicals into the drinks they contain. That's why I tell people be careful of bottled water. First of all, bottled water itself is less subject to testing and filtration than tap water. Secondly it's usually contained in a plastic bottle. Water is the universal solvent and it will cause toxic chemicals to leach from the plastic, especially if the bottle has been exposed to sunlight or heat.

This study concludes that a very common chemical called BPA leaches into bottled water. The people with the highest levels of BPA "were more than twice as likely to have heart disease and, or diabetes compared to the 25 percent of with the lowest levels."

Diabetes and heart disease are probably not the only diseases that are associated with BPA. They're just the first two which have been scientifically proven.

The best bet is a good home filtration system and a glass water bottle for the road.

And once again here is another great reason for a thorough detoxification program!

Common plastics chemical linked to human diseases

Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:52am EDT
By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - A study has for the first time linked a common chemical used in everyday products such as plastic drink containers and baby bottles to health problems, specifically heart disease and diabetes.
Until now, environmental and consumer activists who have questioned the safety of bisphenol A, or BPA, have relied on studies showing harm from exposure in laboratory animals.

But British researchers, who published their findings on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed urine and blood samples from 1,455 U.S. adults aged 18 to 74 who were representative of the general population.

Using government health data, they found that the 25 percent of people with the highest levels of bisphenol A in their bodies were more than twice as likely to have heart disease and, or diabetes compared to the 25 percent of with the lowest levels.

"Most of these findings are in keeping with what has been found in animal models," Iain Lang, a researcher at the University of Exeter in Britain who worked on the study, told a news conference.

"This is the first ever study (of this kind) that has been in the general population," Lang
said.

Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry group, said the design of the study did not allow for anyone to conclude BPA causes heart disease and diabetes.

"At least from this study, we cannot draw any conclusion that bisphenol A causes any health effect. As noted by the authors, further research will be needed to understand whether these statistical associations have any relevance at all for human health," Hentges said in a telephone interview.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts on Tuesday will hear testimony on health effects from BPA as it reviews a draft report it issued last month calling BPA safe.

"The study, while preliminary with regard to these diseases in humans, should spur U.S. regulatory agencies to follow recent action taken by Canadian regulatory agencies, which have declared BPA a 'toxic chemical' requiring aggressive action to limit human and environmental exposures," Frederick vom Saal of the University of Missouri and John Peterson Myers of the nonprofit U.S.-based Environmental Health Sciences, wrote in a commentary accompanying the study.

BOTTLES TO UTENSILS

BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic, a clear shatter-resistant material in products ranging from baby and water bottles to plastic eating utensils to sports safety equipment and medical devices.
It also is used to make durable epoxy resins used as the coating in most food and beverage cans and in dental fillings.

People can consume BPA when it leaches out of plastic into liquid such as baby formula, water or food inside a container.

In the study, the team said the chemical is present in more than 90 percent of people, suggesting there is not much that can be done to avoid the chemical of which over 2.2 million tons is produced each year.
The researchers, who will also present their findings at the U.S. FDA session on Tuesday, added it was too early to identify a mechanism through which the chemical may be doing harm.

Animal studies have suggested the chemical may disrupt hormones, especially estrogen.

The researchers also cautioned that these findings are just the first step and more work is needed to determine if the chemical actually is a direct cause of disease.

"Bisphenol A is one of the world's most widely produced and used chemicals, and one of the problems until now is we don't know what has been happening in the general population," said Tamara Galloway, a University of Exeter researcher who worked on the study.

Canada's government in April decided BPA was harmful to infants and toddlers and announced plans to ban some products.

The European Union's top food safety body said in July the amount of BPA found in baby bottles cannot harm human health.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Will Dunham)
© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSLF18683220080916

Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard?

Did you know that you could buy tires that are dangerous to drive on? Sure, retreads you must be thinking. Nope. Brand new never used tires, except that they're not so new. They've never been used but they've been sitting on the shelf for anywhere from 6 to 15 or so years. They are dangerous!! There is a code on the inside of the tire to help determine how old the tire you're thinking of buying is. This video will help you decipher that code and help you make a smart and safe tire purchase. It could save your life.



http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Arthritis knee op 'does not work'

There have been prior studies on patients with knee pain getting real vs. sham surgery. 100% of sham knee surgery patients experienced the same benefits and improvements as the real knee surgery patients.

If there is still some cartilage left in the joint that cartilage can be rebuilt through specialized nutritional protocols and phyisotherapy. This goes for any joint in the body.

It works better than surgery and your body doesn't need to suffer the additional stress and risk of surgery.

Any surgery is a risk. It just depends how much of a risk.

Arthritis knee op 'does not work'

An operation offered to ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis makes no difference, say Canadian doctors.

Patients given knee arthroscopy showed no improvement beyond that provided by physiotherapy and painkillers.

Arthritis experts in the UK said some surgeons were still carrying out the operation, against national guidance.

They said New England Journal of Medicine study showed doctors still relying on the technique to treat osteoarthritis were misguided.

Surgeons still performing this operation need to ask themselves why they are doing it Spokesman Arthritis Research Campaign.

Thousands of people in the UK suffer from osteoarthritis in the knee, which can be painful and limit movement.

The operation involves inserting instruments through small incisions to try to flush out loose fragments of cartilage, and to smooth the surfaces of the joints, in the hope that this will relieve symptoms.

A group of 178 men and women, with an average age of 60, were enrolled in the trial at the University of Western Ontario.

All of them were given physiotherapy and painkilling drugs such as ibuprofen, but half of the volunteers were also given the "lavage and debridement" procedure.

When their symptoms were compared at various points afterwards, the group who had the operation were faring no better than those who had not received it.

Guidelines breached

Dr Brian Feagan, one of the researchers, said: "This is definitive evidence that arthroscopic surgery provides no additional therapeutic value when added to physical therapy and medication for patients with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee."

This type of surgery is still recommended for some other knee conditions, including more severe osteoarthritis where the knee is "locked" in position, but is not recommended for moderate osteoarthritis by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which formulates UK guidelines.

A spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said there was no longer any excuse for performing it in patients with less severe arthritis.

"Arthroscopic lavage and debridement is still commonly performed in the US but more rarely in the UK over the past ten years, and is no longer accepted as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee in this country.

"Surgeons still performing this operation need to ask themselves why they are doing it."

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/7607891.stmPublished: 2008/09/12 08:03:04 GMT

Brain function gets a boost from walking

Chiropractors have always said "Motion is life." This study shows that brain function is improved by walking. The cross-crawl pattern of walking fires opposite sides of the brain and improves blood flow and neurocircuitry. Cross-crawl is what babies develop and use.

To desk workers I would suggest getting up at least 5 minutes of every hour sitting and doing something like marching in place. Your knees should come up high enough so that your upper leg is parallel to the floor. Make sure to swing the right arm with the left leg and vice versa. You'll be surprised how fast you will tire initially. Don't get discouraged. The brain is plastic and will respond accordingly. You'll gain stamina and best of all brain power!


Two new studies spell out benefits for people recovering from in strokes as well as for those 50 and older.

By Jeannine Stein Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 8, 2008

Walking is good for your head. Sure, we knew about the improvements it can provide to aerobic capacity, not to mention muscles and joints, but two recently released studies show that walking can enhance brain function too.

Walking or other repetitive exercise can change the brain in a number of ways, says Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry and aging at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. The heart pumps more blood, affecting not only muscles but also the brain. "Your brain needs blood, because in the blood are nutrients and oxygen, which are good for the cells and will make the brain healthier," he says. "The vessels that deliver the nutrients also branch out and become more effective."

The act of doing a movement over and over can also stimulate the brain's neurocircuits, he adds, resulting in activity in various regions of the brain. That activity may decrease over time as the body becomes more efficient at the activity. But other stimulation can have an effect -- while a person walks outside with a friend, for example, the brain is guiding a number of activities, such as talking and observing.

In one study, stroke patients put through a walking program could walk better and faster afterward, and the repetitive movements also activated areas of their brain. Researchers expected to see most activity in the cortex, which governs motor skills, but instead much activity was seen in the subcortical region, which, says lead author Dr. Andreas Luft, "has some role in walking, but maybe we've underestimated it. We're actually putting this idea back as a potential mechanism of how walking is controlled."

About half of 71 study subjects with some movement disability were asked to walk on a safety-rigged treadmill three times a week for up to 40 minutes, increasing intensity to a moderate level as the study progressed. The others did assisted stretching exercises for the same amount of time. All were tested in the beginning and after six months for speed and aerobic capacity; about half in each group were given functional magnetic resonance imaging tests before and after to determine brain activity.

The walking group increased its speed by 51%, while the stretching group improved by 11%. The walkers' fitness levels also increased, with aerobic capacity rising about 18%, while the stretching group's fitness levels decreased slightly.

Functional MRI tests revealed intensified activity in the subcortical region in the walking group, which surprised the researchers (the stretching group showed no change). "We found that change can not only happen in the superficial layers of the brain, but in the deeper brain levels as well," says Luft, professor of neurorehabilitation at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The study appeared in the August issue of the journal Stroke.

"The movement repetition that typically goes on in a physical therapy session is very low," says Dr. Daniel Hanley, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and a co-author of the study, which was conducted at Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Maryland VA Medical Center. "We did a lot of repetition with the same leg, and we think that is associated with the brain changes." The researchers believe the brain is either relearning how to walk, or reprogramming itself to compensate for regions damaged by the stroke.

In the other study, a walking regimen boosted cognitive scores in adults who were encouraged to exercise at home for 24 weeks in a moderately intense regimen (most chose walking). Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia did randomized tests on 170 adults 50 and older who didn't have dementia but were considered at increased risk due to memory problems. All participants received education materials on memory loss, stress management, diet, alcohol consumption and smoking, but not on physical activity. Half -- the control group -- were not encouraged to exercise. The others were asked to exercise for three 50-minute sessions per week. Cognitive function was measured over 18 months with the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, which measures cognitive dysfunction in people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Those in the exercise group showed a small improvement in cognitive scores compared to the control group, according to results published in the Sept. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn. They also displayed better delayed recall. Researchers believe the progress is significant, considering participants engaged in only moderate amounts of physical activity. jeannine.stein@latimes.com

Studies suggest chiropractic care can help dyslexia

Sept. 3, 2008 07:08 AM Special to the Republic

Question: My 6-year-old has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Can you tell me what causes dyslexia?

Answer: There are various theories such as the visual theory, cerebellar theory, etc. However, experts do not know exactly what causes a child to be dyslexic.


Q: I took my child to a psychologist who recommended special-education classes and psychological therapy. Talking to my child's pediatrician, he recommended that I consider placing my child on a stimulant medication. Are there any alternative therapies, including chiropractic, that can help my child?

A: There are several case studies that show the benefit of chiropractic care in treating children with dyslexia. The chiropractic approach is based on two models. The first is the vertebral subluxation/hemisphericity, which hypothesized to be a potential consequence of central nervous system dysfunction. The second model is vertebral subluxation/neurologic disorganization. This model is based on a theory that children with dyslexia and learning disabilities have a functional disturbance to the appropriate organization of higher centers of the central nervous system.

Another approach is to incorporate chiropractic with specific exercises to "train" the cerebellum to respond normally to information from the vestibular system, which is involved in balance.

Q: What is a subluxation?

A: The official definition of a subluxation is "a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health."

Q: Can chiropractic care help dyslexic adults, too?
A: Yes.

Q: I am afraid to take my child to a chiropractor and let him/her "snap" his neck. Are there any other techniques?
A: Chiropractors use many non-force techniques where there is no twisting, snapping, crackling and popping sounds.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/09/03/20080903gl-askexpert0903-ON.html

Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection

Why do people continually place their faith in drugs? Rheumatoid arthritis medications have been shown to cause fatal fungal infections because they lower the body's immune function. RA is considered to be an autoimmune disease producing lots of painful inflammation.

This is quite easy to treat naturally. An anti-inflammatory diet consisting of lots of greens, cold water fish like salmon and sardines, almonds, etc. combined with the elimination of all white sugar, aritificial sweeteners, white flour, white rice, etc.

Most importantly is a good detox program to chelate the garbage out of the body. The reason the joints are inflamed in RA is that the body stores excess toxins in the fat and joints when it is overloaded and cannot eliminate in the usual ways.

You don't need to risk a 20% chance of death by prescription drugs just because you have rheumatoid arthritis!


September 5, 2008 NYT
Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.

The drugs — Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia — work by suppressing the immune system to keep it from attacking the body. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment provides relief from swollen and painful joints, but it is “a double-edged sword,” said Dr. Jeffrey Siegel of the drug agency. That is because the drugs also lower the body’s defenses to infections.

Dr. Siegel, who heads the office that oversees arthritis drugs, said the agency became concerned after discovering that doctors seemed to be overlooking a kind of fungal infection called histoplasmosis. Of 240 cases reported to the agency in which patients taking one of the four drugs developed this infection, 45 died. That is about 20 percent.

The infection, which mimics the flu, is prevalent in the middle part of the country. It can have grave consequences if it is not caught and spreads from the respiratory system to other organs.
Dr. Siegel said the investigation began with a single case of a woman who was taking one of the drugs and later died of histoplasmosis. Delving into the case, doctors at the agency found that the woman had been sick with the fungal infection for a long time. Patients should call their doctors if they develop persistent fever, cough, shortness of breath or fatigue, which can be signs of the fungal infection.

Separately, the agency is investigating a possible link between the four medications and cancer in young patients. The agency said earlier this year that it had received 30 reports of cancers, mainly lymphomas, in patients who began taking the medications when they were 18 or younger. That investigation is expected to take the rest of the year.

Humira is sold by Abbott Laboratories; Cimzia by UCB; Enbrel by Amgen Inc. and Wyeth; and Remicade by Centocor, a unit of Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough Inc.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/washington/05arthritis.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Jeff Hartwig, Oldest American To Qualify for the Olympic Team in the Pole Vaulting Event, Attributes Success to Chiropractic Care

Jeff Hartwig, Oldest American To Qualify for the Olympic Team in the Pole Vaulting Event, Attributes Success to Chiropractic Care

CARMICHAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At age 40, Jeff Hartwig goes on record as the oldest member of the 2008 Olympic U.S. Track and Field team, competing in the pole vault event. A two time Olympian and four-time national champion, Hartwig holds the American indoor pole vaulting record and attributes much of his athletic success to chiropractic care.

“The first time I was treated by a chiropractor was akin to a miracle -- a much better option than simply using conventional medicine because my injuries healed faster and my whole body felt better,” said Hartwig during an interview conducted a week prior to the Olympic events.

Just shy of his 41st birthday, Jeff is one of the three U.S. pole vault athletes competing in Beijing. He vaulted 18 feet, eight inches to become the oldest American to qualify for the Olympic team in his event. Hartwig finished 11th at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and went on to set the American record in 1998 at 19 feet, 9¼ inches.

“Without chiropractic care, I doubt that I would ever have been able to reach these levels or be able to train at such an intense level," said Hartwig.

Jeff is treated by U.S. Olympic Committee team chiropractor Ted Forcum, D.C. of Tigard, Ore., one of four doctors of chiropractic joining the 62-member U.S. Olympic healthcare team for the 2008 Olympic Games.

“Chiropractic fulfills a niche need, not only by treating injuries but also by aiding in recovery and positively impacting athletic performance,” said Forcum. “Chiropractors promote active care and treatment with a commitment to healthy progression and rehabilitation.”

Since the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, chiropractors have provided healthcare services to elite performers, and this year chiropractors will assume an even greater role in the integrated healthcare team, which includes medical doctors, massage therapists, and certified athletic trainers.

In addition to the four chiropractors who will provide care to the U.S. Olympic athletes, chiropractors from around the world will be joining their respective Olympic teams in providing safe and effective healthcare. Team chiropractors will be present from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, and China among others.

About F4CP
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is a 501c6 corporation that represents a cross section of the chiropractic and vendor communities with the goal of increasing the public’s awareness of the benefits of chiropractic. www.F4CP.org.
Contacts
for The Foundation for Chiropractic ProgressJessica Giordano, 201-641-1911 x35
jgiordano@cpronline.com


Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080813006132/en

Chiropractic Care Helping Heroes Realize Their Potential in Triathlon Series

Chiropractic Care Helping Heroes Realize Their Potential in Triathlon Series

Disabled Veterans Value Chiropractic Care While Competing In Triathlon

CARMICHAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Team Semper Fi, a triathlon team comprised of elite athletes who are also disabled war veterans, competed in the recent Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Series. These athletes have come forward to validate the value of chiropractic care in improving their ability to compete against able-bodied athletes by: swimming against the fierce currents from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco; biking 18 miles; and running eight miles in a triathlon.

“Competing in these events has actually made my life ten times better and has given me tremendous self-worth,” says Iraq war veteran, Eric Frazier, the team’s leading hand cyclist who suffered a paralyzing injury to the spinal cord and now uses his hands and arms to propel his cycle. “After any race, my upper body is in pain because I do it all with my hands and arms. Following chiropractic care, I find that I perform better.” Frazier receives his chiropractic care from Dr. Bill Morgan, staff chiropractor for the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, and affiliate chiropractor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Team Semper Fi is a sports program of the Inter Marine Semper Fi Fund designed to help rehabilitate injured Marines and injured sailors. On a monthly basis, team members compete in triathlons, venture races, marathons, and 10k races. They compete against a variety of professional athletes, amateurs, and beginners, disabled and able-bodied athletes alike.
Team members Dan Lasko and John Szczepanowski also access chiropractic care on a regular basis so that they can perform to their greatest potential.

“With my injury and a prosthetic leg, my back is always in pain,” says Dan Lasko, who lost his left leg below the knee in two IED (Improvised Exploding Device) roadside explosions while defending the U.S. during the war on terror in Afghanistan. “But when it comes to triathlons, chiropractic has helped out tremendously, I see my chiropractor before the event and a few days later…it just makes me a better athlete overall.”

John, the only non-injured team member, praises chiropractic as “making it possible” for him to get out there and be a part of these events.

Prior to the triathlon events, these brave men are treated by chiropractors who support the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (www.F4CP.org). Dr. Bill Morgan feels privileged to be a part of the extraordinary perseverance displayed by these veterans.

“I salute the brave fighters who have overcome so much to compete in these athletic events,” says Dr. Morgan. “I can think of no greater honor than to provide care for those injured while in the service of their country.”

For information about Team Semper Fi or if you wish to make a donation to the team please visit www.semperfifund.org.

About F4CP
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is a 501c6 corporation that represents a cross section of the chiropractic and vendor communities with the goal of increasing the public’s awareness of the benefits of chiropractic. www.F4CP.org.

Contacts
For F4CPJessica Giordano, 201-641-1911 x35jgiordano@cpronline.com

Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080904005998/

Brain Function Improved By Playing, And Even Watching

I've been saying for quite some time how important motion and movement are to brain function. New research says that even discussing and watching sports can stimulate areas of the brain associated with language. Fascinating!!


Brain Function Improved By Playing, And Even Watching

Sports02 Sep 2008

Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research at the University of Chicago shows.

The research was conducted on hockey players, fans, and people who'd never seen or played the game. It shows, for the first time, that a region of the brain usually associated with planning and controlling actions is activated when players and fans listen to conversations about their sport. The brain boost helps athletes and fans understanding of information about their sport, even though at the time when people are listening to this sport language they have no intention to act.

The study shows that the brain may be more flexible in adulthood than previously thought. "We show that non-language related activities, such as playing or watching a sport, enhance one's ability to understand language about their sport precisely because brain areas normally used to act become highly involved in language understanding," said Sian Beilock, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Chicago. She is lead author of the paper, "Sports Experience Enhances the Neural Processing of Action Language," to be published Tuesday, September 2 in the on-line issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Experience playing and watching sports has enduring effects on language understanding by changing the neural networks that support comprehension to incorporate areas active in performing sports skills," she said.

The research could have greater implications for learning. It shows that engaging in an activity taps into brain networks not normally associated with language, which improves the understanding of language related to that activity, Beilock added.

For the study, researchers asked 12 professional and intercollegiate hockey players, eight fans and nine individuals who had never watched a game to listen to sentences about hockey players, such as shooting, making saves and being engaged in the game. They also listened to sentences about everyday activities, such as ringing doorbells and pushing brooms across the floor. While the subjects listened to the sentences, their brains were scanned using functioning Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which allows one to infer the areas of the brain most active during language listening.

After hearing the sentences in the fMRI scanner, subjects performed a battery of tests designed to gauge their comprehension of those sentences.

Although most subjects understood the language about everyday activities, hockey players and fans were substantially better than novices at understanding hockey-related language.

Brain imaging revealed that when hockey players and fans listen to language about hockey, they show activity in the brain regions usually used to plan and select well-learned physical actions. The increased activity in motor areas of the brain helps hockey players and fans to better understanding hockey language. The results show that playing sports, or even just watching, builds a stronger understanding of language, Beilock said.

----------------------------Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.---------------------------- Joining Beilock in this research were Howard Nusbaum, Professor of Psychology at the University; Steven Small, Professor of Neurology and Psychology at the University; and Beilock's Ph.D. students Ian Lyons and Andrew Mattarella-Micke Source: William Harms University of Chicago
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119952.php

Here's to Your Brain

Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine but not in white wine, has been found to protect the brain from the formation of amyloid plaques. These plaques are present in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Watch this video to learn more!