STUDY COMPARES HEALTH HABITS OF CHIROPRACTIC PATIENTS TO MEDICAL PATIENTS
 
A new analysis compares chiropractic patients with medical patients. Specifically, it looks at modifiable risk factors of chronic disease in the two groups.
 
Researchers pooled data from the National Health Interview Survey 2005 adult sample, which comprised 31,248 people. They determined that, during the past 12 months, 9.3% had seen a chiropractor. Of these, 21.4% did not see a medical doctor.
 
“Comparing chiropractor-only with medical doctor–only patients, we found no significant difference in smoking/alcohol consumption status, but chiropractor-only patients were more likely to be physically active … and less likely to be obese.”
 
The study’s authors conclude: “Based on these analyses, Americans seem to be using chiropractic care for acute neck and low back pain more so than for other health conditions. However, there is no marked difference in their overall health promotion habits and changes in overall general health based on health care provider types.”
 
JMPT – July 2009;32:414-22.

 
 
 
HOW HEALTHY ARE CHIROPRACTIC STUDENTS?
 
Researchers at Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, Calif. report that chiropractic students are healthier than the general population, and understand that chiropractors are health role-models for patients. However, there is “room for considerable improvement.”
 
As part of the analysis, a survey instrument composed of 16 questions was designed and distributed to 279 students, faculty, and staff at a chiropractic college campus in northern California. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the process, and a response rate of 92% was obtained.”
 
Results revealed that “the levels of obesity, inactivity, and smoking on this college campus are lower than the levels reported for the metropolitan area, the state, and the nation. The level of binge drinking among our students was high but similar to the reported rates for college students generally. We found interesting and significant relationships between the behaviors of physical activity and diet (red meat consumption), obesity, and self-reported perceived health in our surveyed chiropractic college population. Without exception, all surveyed members of our campus community view doctors of chiropractic as having a responsibility to role model healthy behaviors and to educate their patients with regard to healthy behaviors; however, we also found that less importance was placed on role modeling and patient education by those who were obese or who consumed red meat in excess.”
 
JMPT – July 2009;32:414-22.
www.jmptonline.org
 
 
 
STUDY LOOKS AT UCLF ADJUSTING TECHNIQUE
 
An article in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association investigates “the use of an upper cervical low-force (UCLF) chiropractic procedure, based on a vertebral alignment model, in the management of neck pain and disability by assessing the impact on valid patient outcome measures.”
 
According to the report, “consecutive patient files at a private chiropractic practice over a 1-year period were reviewed for inclusion.”
 
“Statistically significant clinically meaningful improvements in neck pain … and disability … after an average of 13.6 days of specific chiropractic care including 5.7 office visits and 2.7 upper cervical adjustments were demonstrated. There were no serious adverse events.”
 
The study concludes: “UCLF chiropractic instrument adjustments utilizing a vertebral alignment model are promising for the management of patients with neck pain based on assessment using valid outcome measures.”
 
JCCA – August 2009;53:173-85.
www.jcca-online.org
 
 
 
INSOMNIA MAY TRIGGER CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
 
A new study published in the journal Sleep has found that people who suffer from insomnia have heightened nighttime blood pressure, which can lead to cardiac problems. The investigation measured the 24-hour blood pressure of 13 insomniacs compared to 13 sound sleepers. Subjects spent 40 hours in the sleep laboratory: two nights for adaptation and one for monitoring followed by the intervening day.
 
“Over many years, chronic insomnia can have negative effects on the hearts of otherwise healthy individuals,” says lead author Paola A. Lanfranchi. “Whereas blood pressure decreases in regular sleepers and gives their heart a rest, insomnia provokes higher nighttime blood pressure that can cause long-term cardiovascular risks and damage the heart.”
 
“Blood pressure cycles are mainly linked to the sleep-wake cycle,” adds co-author Jacques Montplaisir. “Since blood pressure is heightened among insomniacs, those with overt cardiac disease are particularly at risk for progression of the disease."
 
Sleep –  June 2009;32:760-66.
www.journalsleep.org
 
 
 
HOME BIRTH IS SAFE, STUDY SAYS
 
A planned home birth attended by a registered midwife may be safer than a hospital birth, according to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
 
The study looked at 2889 home births attended by regulated midwives in British Columbia, Canada, and 4752 planned hospital births attended by the same cohort of midwives compared with 5331 physician-attended births in hospital.
 
The infant death rate per 1000 births was 0.35 for planned home births, 0.57 for midwife-attended hospital births and 0.64 for physician-attended hospital births.
 
In addition, women who planned a home birth had a significantly lower risk of obstetric interventions and adverse outcomes, including augmentation of labor, electronic fetal monitoring, epidural analgesia, assisted vaginal delivery, cesarean section, hemorrhage, and infection.
 
“Women planning birth at home experienced reduced risk for all obstetric interventions measured, and similar or reduced risk for adverse maternal outcomes,” writes study co-author Dr. Patricia Janssen.
 
CMAJ – September 15, 2009;Epub.
www.cmaj.ca

STUDY DEMONSTRATES AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM RESPONSE TO ADJUSTMENTS

Researchers at Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic in Spartanburg, SC, have demonstrated that the autonomic nervous system is affected by chiropractic adjustments, and that the area of the spine adjusted may influence whether the affect involves a parasympathetic or a sympathetic response.

The study enrolled 40 patients between the ages of 25-55 years. All participants were asymptomatic and free of hypertension and a history of cardiovascular disease.

“Patients were evaluated pre- and post-chiropractic adjustment for the following autonomic responses: blood pressure and pulse rate. Seven patients were measured for heart rate variability. The subjects received either a diversified cervical segment adjustment or a diversified thoracic segment adjustment.”

Results revealed that “diastolic pressure (indicating a sympathetic response) dropped significantly postadjustment among those receiving cervical adjustments, accompanied by a moderate clinical effect (0.50). Pulse pressure increased significantly among those receiving cervical adjustments, accompanied by a large effect size (0.82). Although the decrease in pulse pressure for those receiving thoracic adjustments was not statistically significant, the decrease was accompanied by a moderate effect size (0.66).”

“It is preliminarily suggested that cervical adjustments may result in parasympathetic responses, whereas thoracic adjustments result in sympathetic responses,” conclude the study’s authors. “Furthermore, it appears that these responses may demonstrate the relationship of autonomic responses in association to the particular segment(s) adjusted.

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine – September 2008;7:86-93.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15563707



INFLUENCE OF SI BLOCKING ON CERVICAL SPINE

A pilot study conducted at Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, MO, reveals that orthopedic blocking of the sacroiliac affects the cervical spine extensors.

As part of the experiment, 22 volunteers were assigned to either a treatment or a control group. Prior to treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in cervical isometric extension strength. “Treatment consisted of a 2-minute procedure using orthopedic blocks (padded wedges with a 45 degrees incline) that were placed bilaterally under the ilia as determined by leg length assessment. Isometric strength measurements took place in 2 sessions with a day of rest between. The treatment group received therapy at the second session immediate to postisometric measures.”

Findings showed “a statistically significant change in cervical isometric extensor strength after sacroiliac joint blocking.” Specifically, “the treatment group demonstrated an average increase of 6.35 (8.18) lb in extensor strength.”

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine – June 2009;8:56-61.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15563707



STUDY LOOKS AT LUMBAR MUSCLE SPINDLES

Researchers at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA, have discovered new information about the neural response of lumbar paraspinal muscles.

The study, which appears in the Journal Experimental Brain Research, focused on paraspinal muscle spindle afferents from dorsal root filaments in the lumbar spine of cats. The experiment involved applying constant velocity movement to a lower lumbar vertebra while testing dynamic responsiveness.

Findings showed that components of velocity “were at least 5-10 times higher compared with values reported for appendicular muscle spindles.”

The study’s authors conclude that “increased dynamic responsiveness of lumbar paraspinal muscle spindles may insure central driving to insure control of intervertebral motion during changes in spinal orientation. It may also contribute to large, rapid and potentially injurious increases in paraspinal muscle activity during sudden and unexpected muscle stretch.”

Experimental Brain Research – July 2009;Epub.
www.springerlink.com/content/100473/



A LITTLE MEDITATION AND YOGA GOES A LONG WAY

As little as 20 minutes per day of meditation and yoga may lower feelings of stress by more than 10% and improve sleep quality, say researchers.

The study included 48 sedentary office workers. Half of the workers participated in the intervention and half served as controls.

Participants attended one-hour weekly group meetings during lunch and practiced 20 minutes of meditation and yoga per day at their desks. After six weeks, program participants reported that they were more aware of external stressors, they felt less stressed by life events, and they fell asleep more easily than did a control group that did not experience the intervention.

“Because chronic stress is associated with chronic disease, I am focusing on how to reduce stress before it has a chance to contribute to disease,” comments Maryanna Klatt, lead author of the study.

Health Education & Behavior – June 2009;36:601-14.
heb.sagepub.com



‘BRAIN EXERCISES’ WARD OFF DEMENTIA

People who engage in activities that exercise the brain, such as reading, writing, and playing card games, may delay the rapid memory decline that occurs if they later develop dementia, according to a study published in journal Neurology.

The study involved 488 people age 75 to 85 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of five years; during that time 101 of the people developed dementia.

At the beginning of the study, people reported how often they participated in six leisure activities that engage the brain: reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, having group discussions, and playing music. For each activity, daily participation was rated at seven points, several days a week was rated at four points, and weekly participation was rated at one point.

The average was seven points total for those who later developed dementia, meaning they took part in one of the six activities each day, on average. Ten people reported no activities, and 11 reported only one activity per week.

The researchers then looked at the point when memory loss started accelerating rapidly for the participants. They found that for every additional activity a person participated in, the onset of rapid memory loss was delayed by 0.18 years.

“The point of accelerated decline was delayed by 1.29 years for the person who participated in 11 activities per week compared to the person who participated in only four activities per week,” notes study author Charles B. Hall, PhD.

 “The effect of these activities in late life appears to be independent of education,” Hall added. “These activities might help maintain brain vitality. Further studies are needed to determine if increasing participation in these activities could prevent or delay dementia.”

Neurology – August 2009;73:356-61.
www.neurology.org

CHIROPRACTIC MORE EFFECTIVE THAN MEDICAL CARE FOR OLDER PATIENTS WITH LBP A new report compares chiropractic care with medical care for older patients with low-back pain (LBP).  The randomized controlled trial included 240 people (105 women and 135 men). The participants were all at least 55 years old with subacute or chronic nonradicular LBP.  The patients were divided into three groups, including two biomechanically distinct forms of spinal manipulation (SM) or minimal conservative medical care (MCMC). Specifically, “participants were randomly allocated to 6 weeks of care including 12 visits of either high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA)-SM, low-velocity, variable-amplitude (LVVA)-SM, or 3 visits of MCMC.  The study concludes that “biomechanically distinct forms of SM did not lead to different outcomes in older LBP patients and both SM procedures were associated with small yet clinically important changes in functional status by the end of treatment for this relatively healthy older population. Participants who received either form of SM had improvements on average in functional status ranging from 1 to 2.2 over those who received MCMC. From an evidence-based care perspective, patient preference and clinical experience should drive how clinicians and patients make the SM procedure decision for this patient population.” JMPT – June 2009;32:330-43.  www.jmptonline.org

UPPER CERVICAL ADJUSTMENTS RELIEVE HEADACHE, STUDY SAYS Investigators have found that upper cervical adjustments produce significant, measurable results in patients with non-migraine headache (tension-type headache and cervicogenic headache). As part of the analysis, patients underwent chiropractic adjustments to the atlas for correction of vertebral subluxation using National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA) protocol. Findings showed that “there was statistically significant improvement in postural measurement, X-ray measurements, and in all wellness categories from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Time series analysis of the visual analog pain scale assessments showed a significant reduction in pain intensity within two weeks of treatment for those who received only a single treatment and that the pain intensity for the single-treatment group decreased by approximately 75 percent over the study period.” JVSR – June 4, 2009:1-11. www.jvsr.com

CASE STUDY LOOKS AT CHIROPRACTOR’S TREATMENT FOR VERTIGO A just-published case study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics adds to research demonstrating that chiropractic care may alleviate vertigo. The case follows a 46 year-old woman with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) characterized by severe vertigo with dizziness, nausea, and nystagmus. The patient’s doctor of chiropractor diagnosed her with “left posterior canalolithiasis by means of the Dix-Hallpike maneuver. She was treated successfully with the Epley maneuver once and subsequently discharged without further treatment.” Her treatment did not include spinal manipulation. 

JMPT – June 2009;32:387-90. www.jmptonline.org

CELIAC DISEASE ON THE RISE Celiac disease (gluten sensitivity) is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Gastroenterology. The research team tested blood samples of 9,133 healthy young adults, which were gathered between 1948 and 1954, for the antibody marker of celiac disease. They compared those blood test results with recently collected samples from 12,768 gender-matched subjects, with either similar years of birth or age at sampling. The study also found that subjects who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up. “Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don’t know why,” says study author Joseph Murray, MD. “It now affects about one in a hundred people.” “Celiac disease is unusual, but it’s no longer rare,” says Dr. Murray. “Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. Until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation. This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure.” 

Gastroenterology – July 2009;137:88-93. www.gastrojournal.org

SEVERE COPD LINKED WITH LOWER COGNITIVE FUNCTION Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with lower cognitive function in older adults, according to research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Researchers compared cognitive performance in over 4,150 adults with and without COPD and found that individuals with severe COPD had significantly lower cognitive function than those without, even after controlling for confounding factors such as comorbidities. “Our findings should raise awareness that adults with severe COPD are at greater risk for developing cognitive impairment, which may make managing their COPD more challenging, and will likely further worsen their general health and quality of life,” wrote lead author of the study, William W. Hung, MD, MPH, assistant professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Patients with COPD may experience periods of hypoxia that might lead to brain abnormalities that could reduce cognitive capacity. Alternatively, hypoxia may cause or exacerbate diseases that are characterized by cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease, explain the study’s authors. 

AJRCCM – July 15, 2009;180:134-37. www.thoracic.org

Highlands Ranch Chiropractor, Dr. Rob Anderson, Doctor of Chiropractic, specializes in family health, sports performance, spine degeneration, disc injuries, disc herniation, children's health, ear infections, correction, traction, decompression, headaches, back, neck, and shoulder pain.  He has served as the Chair for the Douglas County Health Advisory Committee, as Director of Sport Sensory Performance for HitStreak Baseball Academy, as Team Doctor for Highlands Ranch High School and Valor Christian High School and been honored to be a guest speaker for many local groups and businesses.  He also owns and operates the Vitality Performance ZONE in Centennial which teaches elite athletes to dominate their sport with enhanced vision techniques, reaction time, hand-eye coordination, breathing enhancements, balance and coordination.   He serves practice members from Castle Rock, Englewood, Littleton, Centennial, Denver, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree.  He is seen by his colleagues and practice members as the Best of the Best in Chiropractic in Colorado.