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Volume 7 - June 2003
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For you gardeners, there is a section in this issue on "Tips and Preventive Techniques to get back into Gardening" this summer. Sore backs and necks from gardening will account for a percentage of patient complaints I get when the weather gets better. Follow those tips and practice safe gardening. There is exciting news for severe spine osteoarthritic patients. Those suffering from chronic back pain will get some relief as early as next year. Pending FDA approval in the USA, artificially implanted discs may give a welcome relief to those suffering form severe osteoarthritis of the spine. The alternative to implantation was spinal fusion of the adjacent vertebrae. The result was always loss of range of motion and chronic pain. Discs damaged from injuries or aging will degenerate until bone grinds against bone enough to cause intense pain. In some cases, nerve root involvement will also cause radiating pain and numbness into the extremities. Herniated discs damaged beyond repair may also be treated with this artificial implants. Check the "Research News" section for more information. Registered Dietician, Ali Chernoff contributed an article with regards to "Fad Diets" in the last issue. This month will be the conclusion to the 2-part article. Ali discussed diets from some diet gurus such as Atkins and Ornish. You'll find out about her article in the "Professional Advisor" section. What is "Core Strength"? Katrina Lewis, our physical fitness trainer tell all this month in the "Professional Advisor" section. Building good core strength will help prevent back injuries and develop a better posture. |
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We are having another exercise ball contest this month. As before, to enter, all you have to do is click onto the link below and email your name and telephone#. The winner will be picked at random on June 27th. Only one entry per email address. Good luck! Click
Here to Feel free to forward this newsletter to your
friends or family.
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Summer
is just around the corner and I am seeing more injuries related
to the good weather. We get our share of strains and sprains due
to highly active sports like roller blading, soccer and running,
however, I also see patients for seemingly benign summer activities
like gardening. I've included some gardening tips for the gardeners
here to avoid back and neck problems. I myself do not profess to
have a green thumb at all. In fact, I still remember inadvertently
watering an African Violet to death many years ago when I volunteered
to baby-sit the little plant for a friend. Fearing reprisals from
her, I cunningly substituted the limp and lifeless thing for a glowing
and flowering plant of the same ilk and size from Art Knapps. Safe
in the knowledge that I had 
outsmarted
a plant, I proudly showed her the newly potted fiend when she returned.
She didn't say a thing but later asked where the other African Violet
was. To this day, I have no love for African Violets! 
Congratulations
to Pauline Gensick who is our contest winner for the exercise ball
draw we had last month! Using the ball properly for your stretches
and workouts will bring superior results to your workouts. Ask me
how if you have any questions. 
Enter
The Contest!
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The following is a story written by Lauran Neergaard of The Associated Press in Washington. This story first appeared on May 20, 2003. |
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By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON - Russ Rice's back pain was so intense he could hardly walk. Two surgeries had failed to offer lasting help for his damaged spinal disc, and only large doses of painkillers got him through each day. Then, as part of a study, doctors implanted an artificial disc in Rice's back. Just four days later, the California man returned to work, pain-free for the first time in over a year. Artificial discs have long been used in Europe but remain experimental in this country. Two major studies nearing completion could change that: For the first time, scientists will know just how such implants compare to the only other alternative patients like Rice have had - major surgery to fuse together two vertebrae in the lower back. Preliminary results are promising enough that doctors expect one artificial back disc to be on the U.S. market as early as next year. Researchers aren't stopping there: Studies recently began of artificial discs designed for the more delicate neck, which don't bear as heavy a load but must be more moveable. And scientists hope to begin studies within a year of injections of collagen-like material to prop up a collapsing disc, buying time before more surgery is needed. The bones of the spine have spongy discs between them - tough collagen rings surrounding a fluid-filled cushion - that act as shock absorbers, keeping verterbrae properly separated, cushioned and flexible. But a disc damaged from injury or aging can cause intense pain, especially if nearby nerves are crunched or the disc degenerates enough that bone grinds on bone. Back pain affects millions of Americans, and a degenerating disc is one of the main reasons. Time to heal and painkillers help most recover; some need special exercises. But a small percentage need surgery, called a microdiscectomy, to remove damaged pieces. When even that doesn't help, more than 200,000 Americans a year undergo spinal fusion - completely removing the degenerated disc and grafting the bones on either side together. It eases pain, but causes a problem: Freezing proper spinal motion puts more pressure on other discs below that spot. As many as 20 percent of fusion recipients need surgery for another disc problem in the next 10 years, says Dr. John Regan of Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The hope is that an artificial disc, by allowing more movement, won't have that problem. The earliest artificial discs failed miserably, says Dr. David Bradford of the University of the University of California, San Francisco. They could become dangerously loose in the spine. Then in the late 1980s, European scientists developed different materials that stayed in place until they grew into the bone - and tracking of European patients suggests those discs offer significant pain relief with few side effects. Two European models - the SB Charite and Prodisc - are the furthest in U.S. studies that, unlike the European research, directly compare the implants to spinal fusion to prove whether the artificial disc is as effective and safe as standard treatment Results of the Charite study - comparing how 300 patients fared two years after surgery - are due in December, and the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) is expected to evaluate that disc next year, Regan says. Prodisc is still under study at about a dozen U.S. hospitals. The discs are similar - metal plates pressed into the surrounding vertebrae that hold in place a soft plastic cushion. Preliminary results from both are promising, say Regan, who is studying the Charite (pronounced shar-ee-TEH) disc, and Prodisc investigator Bradford. Another company, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, recently began U.S. studies of its own artificial disc. However those studies turn out, doctors already know recovery from disc implantation is faster: Implant recipients are encouraged to start moving around the same day, while fusion patients are put in a back brace for three months while their bones meld. "I'm only 40, so I didn't want a fusion - really, you're never the same after that," said Rice, a Santa Clarita, Calif., business executive who was dreading a plane trip abroad to get an artificial disc when he learned Regan had an opening. He needed a midday nap for about a week after returning to work, but otherwise rapidly recovered. "Every day I wake up and I just thank the Lord because I'm like a new guy," he says. |
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| References Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington |
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For more information, consult with your family chiropractor. |
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Fighting the "Fad" in Your "Diet"? (Part two of two) As a further example of the misunderstanding in the article he down plays other "diets". The writer doesn't specifically refer to the Dean Ornish diet, but turns the concept around to promote it in the wrong way but miscommunicating the facts. This diet promotes eating as much fat free foods as one wants. Ornish is referring to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a healthy concept, especially in moderation. But the New York Times missed this point and inferred Mr. Ornish was promoting fat-free cakes, cookies and ice cream. Those who lose weight on high fat/low carbohydrate diets are actually cutting back on their overall calories. This may mean they are losing more water than fat. The editor claimed we are fat because we eat a low-fat diet. He states "We ate more fat-free carbohydrates, which, in turn, made us hungrier and then heavier." The writer forgot to mention the 900 calories in a stuffed pizza, 1200 calories in a double burger with cheese and the super-size movie theatre popcorn with a whopping 1600 calories that most of us are consuming. He suggests that it is only the pasta with fat free sauce, plain bagels and fat free cookies that are making us fat. No scientific evidence exists to back up the concept that low fat diets cause us to be fat. In addition, the editor blamed obesity on the increase in carbohydrate consumption. In reality, most of us don't eat a low-fat diet. According to Statistics Canada, the ingestion of added fats (butter, margarine, oils and shortening) has increased as well as our total fat intake since the 1970s. Meanwhile, the Zone Diet claims it's bad to eat bananas, cranberries, apple juice, orange juice, bread, bagels, carrots, potatoes, lima beans, granola and pasta. Really? You decide if that makes sense. Those foods are healthy choices for most people. Where did this author get his information? This book is based on the premise that primitive man survived mostly on meat and didn't eat whole grains. But there is evidence (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution by Steve Jones, Robert Marin and David Pelbiam and The Natural History of Man by J. Weiner) that this is a not a true premise and anyway primitive man lived a very short life due many other adversarial conditions of climate, disease, food shortage and other physical dangers that surrounded his existence. Then we have the Eat Right For You Blood Type diet. This is another astonishingly unscientific diet choice. In a nut shell it promotes say, a 20-year-old male and a 35-year-old female to be eating the same type of food or following the same exercise regime. There is no credible basis for this concept. All meal plans and exercise programs are individualized depending on age, sex, height, weight, overall lifestyle, etc. The Protein Power diet has no valid research proving its safety and benefit, however, watch out as compelling data strongly demonstrates kidney damage with this type of diet. Here's another one: Dr. Bob Ariot's Revolutionary Weight Control promotes the harder the food the harder the body will be. And if you believe this I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you. Overall, articles in the media or most magazines are over simplified. Remember too much of anything is not a good thing. For instance, studies show that ingesting too many carbohydrates will raise triglycerides, lower HDL (good cholesterol), and cause LDL (bad cholesterol) to become small and dense, (which increases your risk for heart disease). So, what truth can you hold on to when improving your diet? Here's the answer: go back to the basics: variety, moderation and balance. Do your own research and discuss the pros and cons with your dietitian. Enjoy your food! (This is the conclusion to last month's first part of the series.) Ali J. Chernoff can be reached at 604-676-0200 or via email, ali@nutritionatitsbest.com. More information is also available on her Web site, http://www.nutritionatitsbest.com/ |
Q: What Is Core Strength? Why Is It Important?
Your body is just like the wheel.
No matter how strong the arms, chest, shoulders and legs look
and feel, if the "core" (stomach and lower back) is weak, you
won't function properly. As an athlete performs explosive motions
like jumping and sprinting, the upper and lower body must move
in concert to generate maximum force. It is the muscles in the
core that tie the upper and lower body together and help coordinate
their motions. Individuals who possess a strong core will be able
to better manage their body's motions and will be able to perform
better.
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Katch Life Health & Wellness
Presents:
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