Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Think Twice Before Giving Tylenol to Your Children"

This was a recent study that came out that looked at the relationship between usage of Tylenol in children and rates of Asthma and other allergies. As an aside, some of you may remember a recall that involved Children's Tylenol a few months back. Although unrelated to this study, it does emphasize the need for parents to practice discretion before they give Tylenol, or any other drugs, to their children.

On to the study. New research from around the world is finding that teens who regularly take acetominophen, better known as Tylenol, for pain and reducing fevers are more than twice as likely to have asthma compared to teens who never take Tylenol. But that's not all. Taking acetaminophen was also linked to an increased chance of eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis, or allergic nasal congestion, in adolescents.

However, the researchers were quick to point out that this was a retrospective, epidemiological study. Which means that the researchers interviewed teens and asked them to recall their use of Tylenol and how it related to their asthma and symptoms. This method, understandably does not allow the researchers to draw a definitive connection between Tylenol use and causing asthma. But to their credit, the researchers did point out that their sample size was quite large. This was an international study and involved nearly 323,000 children between the ages of 13 and 14.

"Medium" users of acetaminophen were those who had taken the drug at least once during the prior year; "high" users were those who reported taking acetaminophen at least once a month for the past year.

The risk of having asthma was nearly 2.5 times higher among frequent users, and 43 percent higher among medium users than those who never took acetaminophen.

The study will be published Aug. 13 on the American Thoracic Society's Web site and will later appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Researchers postulate that acetominophen (Tylenol) may interfere with a child's developing immune system. Others studies have found that Tylenol may lower the levels of Glutathione in the lungs, a substance that is important in detoxification. The idea is that with less Glutathione, increased toxins are allowed to accumulate which prompts the body to respond with an inflammatory response, thus resulting in Asthma or asthma-like symptoms in the sufferer.

This study, although not wholly conclusive regarding a causative relationship between Tylenol use and Asthma, should cause some caution in parents. With the incidence of Asthma in children on the rise, this study is another reminder for parents to think twice before liberally resorting to Tylenol for pain or fever in children.

If you live near the Commercial Drive neighborhood in East Vancouver, find out more about your COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC HERE!!!>

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Tips on Preventing Knee Pain"

In my practice, I see many patients who are active and exercise on a regular basis. However, I also see patients who are not that active but would like to be. An issue that comes up fairly regularly is Knee pain.

Like with many other things regarding health, it's always better to start early. Research has shown that at least half of us will develop pain in at least one knee by the age of 85. That's a pretty sobering statistic, but it isn't that surprising when you think of it.

"Every time you take a step you apply three times your body weight to the knee. When you run it's five times, when you jump it's seven times. If you are experiencing frequent knee pain, lifestyle changes might be in order," Dr. William Bryan said in a news release from the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine. But that's not all. For a patient who is concerned about knee pain, it's a lifestyle and weight issue as well.

Many patients strive to be more active and to shed a few pounds, but according to Dr. Bryan, start with your diet. Weight loss will come down to 70% diet and 30% activity. Thinking that you can maintain your current eating habits while just exercising more is false. For best results to overall health and to your waistline, you will have to do both.

So what should you be doing to shed pounds and save your knees? Well aerobic activity that doesn't exert a lot of stress on your knees is always ideal. These activities would include things like swimming and cycling. Also exercising and strengthening your core would be a good idea. Making your 'core' or mid-section stronger not only helps your belly and back but it can also benefit your leg muscles and reduce the strain on your knees.

If you have any questions about how to prevent or treat knee pain come in to see Dr. Chan at his clinic by Commercial Drive in East Vancouver. Or you can message him at, YOUR COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC>

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Is Chiropractic Safe?"

I often times see patients in my practice who have never been to a Chiropractor before. Now besides the understandable apprehension with trying something 'new', patients also ask the question, "is it safe?"

Now of course I am going to tell you that Chiropractic treatment is safe. But I'd also like to expand on that and not only prove that it's safe but also why in certain situations, it may not be.

Chiropractic is a regulated health profession in Canada. Along with federal governing bodies there are also provincial associations that oversee Chiropractic and Chiropractors. Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers which means similarly to Medical Doctors and Dentists, you don't need a referral to see one.

Now more about Chiropractic safety. Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain of the arms or legs, headaches, and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. In my practice the most common 'side-effects' patients occasionally report are soreness and stiffness. The soreness seems to appear after the first one or two sessions but eventually subsides and goes away completely. I advise all my patients on appropriate home/follow-up care to minimize any discomfort they may feel away from the clinic.

Most importantly though, some patients who are suffering from neck pain, headaches, shoulder stiffness etc. and who would benefit from a cervical adjustment are concerned about the possibility of stroke. I can tell you that yes it is possible a Chiropractor can cause damage to the vessels in your neck, that if compromised, can lead to a stroke. However, and this is very important, the scenario you see in movies where a unsuspecting 'bad guy' just collapses because the hero "snaps" his neck is unrealistic. That situation is just Hollywood at work, plain and simple.

Now in the real situation where patients are in my office for help and treatment, I will conduct a thorough history and physical exam. There are patients out there who should not have their neck adjusted, under any circumstance! That's why a Chiropractor must do a thorough exam to rule out those patients. A good Chiropractor should be asking questions about family history, nature of pain, previous trauma, and other symptoms to identify patients who might be better off seeing another health care provider. In addition to this, a physical exam along with Orthopaedic testing can also bring to light "red flags" that should alert a Chiropractor to avoid neck adjustments.

As stated, for the vast majority of patients in almost all situations, a Chiropractic adjustment will offer them tremendous relief without the use of drugs or surgical intervention. But there will always be a small minority of cases where an adjustment might make matters worse. Hopefully this post will not dissuade anyone from seeking Chiropractic care. If anything, my desire for posting this is to make patients more aware so they have a frank and honest discussion with their health care provider be it Chiropractor or not.

In addition, Chiropractic will not be everybody's cup of tea. The reasons for Chiropractic's effectiveness anatomically and physiologically are universal but there is always patient's preference. I'll explain it this way. When you look at a car like a Porsche, a finely tuned, marvel of engineering. It has everything; luxurious interior, superior handling, speed and agility. In many's minds, it's the perfect car. However, there will always be those who prefer a Volkswagen or Toyota, regardless of cost. Go figure. That's preference.

If you have any more questions for your Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC, please visit COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC HERE!!!!