This is an interesting article that appeared in a recent edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
What the authors wanted to know was,..."what were the chances of repeated disability for low back pain patients seeking care from different health care providers?" A simple enough question it seems, so researchers sought out to compare the effects comparing three different health care options; physicians (MD), physical therapists (PT) and chiropractors (DC).
The researchers looked at 894 patients who had suffered a work place injury and then followed their progress over the following year. The participants of the study were divided between the three different treatment providers. The year following tracked progress from their first episode of disability through their subsequent return to work.(This period was referred by researchers as the 'health maintenance care period')
To analyze the data the researchers collected, they had to account for the workers demographics and severity of pain. Once this was done, they could get a clearer pictures of the difference the three therapies actually made to the patients. What they found was very surprising!
This study found that the likelihood of recurrent disability due to low back pain was consistently higher for patients receiving care from a physician or a physical therapist compared to a chiropractor. In fact the difference was huge! According to the data, patients were 60% more likely to suffer recurring disability if they were treated by a physician compared to a chiropractor. What's even more astonishing was patients were TWICE as likely to suffer recurring disability if they were treated by a physical therapist compared to a chiropractor!
The main conclusion of the study was; 'In work-related nonspecific low back pain (LBP), the use of health maintenance care
provided by physical therapist or physician services was associated with
a higher disability recurrence than in chiropractic services or no
treatment.' This is something that I have also personally noticed in practice. I have seen patients who were suffering from joint dysfunction and muscle imbalances who sought my care after being disappointed with physical therapy/physiotherapy. These patients often reported that the physical therapist had them performing exercises that they were clearly not ready for. Only leading to frustration for the patient and even in rare cases, re-injury!
This study shows that work related cases of low back pain should be treated by chiropractors. The size of this study was good. With nearly 900 participants in the study, I think the results are pretty clear and hard to refute.
In the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver? visit Dr. Chan's office or visit the website here; COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!
References:JOEM or online: Cifuentes M, Willetts J, Wasiak R. Health
maintenance care in work-related low back pain and its association with
disability recurrence. JOEM, April 2011;53(4):396-404.
Eating too many calories may not be the only reason people gain weight. A new study appearing in the journal; Cell Metabolism has found that mice given food on a schedule, gained less weight than mice who were allowed to eat whenever they liked. Eventhough, the diets for the two groups consisted of the same foods!
According to researchers, the study shows that restricting eating times is an under appreciated way to keep off the pounds. "Every organ has a clock," said study researcher Satchidananda Panda, of
the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. That
means there are times that our livers, intestines, muscles and other
organs work at peak efficiency, and other times when they are — more or
less — sleeping, Panda said. The body has natural biological 'clocks' that determine when certain organs work at their best. When mice or even people eat frequently throughout the day and night, these 'clocks' can be thrown off.
The researchers suggest that there is evidence that our eating habits have changed over the years. For one thing, we in western culture have access to an abundance of food at our fingertips. We are able to eat whatever we want almost whenever we want. It's not hard to find fast food restaurants that now cater to late night eaters with '24 hour' access to junk food. But the other problem is also that we have a lot more stimulus that keep us up later at night. We have computers, the internet, TV, streaming video, Tivo, video games, cell phones etc. All these things that we traditional resort to to 'unwind' after a hard day, also helps to keep us up.
It's no secret that when people are engaged in these activities, we tend to snack. So what's the take home message. Well if you are really committed to losing weight, you have to look at ALL the factors that help you pack on the pounds. Engaging in exercise and watching what you eat is a great start, but actually understanding how your body naturally processes calories is important as well.
In the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver? come drop by the office, or visit the website here; COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!
This recent article came out extolling yet again the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. But not in the way that you might think. Researchers from the University at Buffalo found a link between eating
lots of fruit and veggies and maintaining a tobacco-free lifestyle in
smokers. This article published in the journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research, included 1000 participants. The researchers had the participants answer surveys regarding their fruits and vegetables intake and smoking habits.
What the researchers found was that there was a positive correlation between a participants fruits and vegetables intake and the likelihood that they had quit.......and stayed away, from tobacco. To go further, the researchers also noticed that those who ate the most produce, were about 3 times more likely to also have reported not smoking at all in the last month!
Now it's not possible to draw a direct correlation between consumption of produce and smoking cessation, but it does make you wonder about what the relationship is. Some possible explanations are; perhaps those who ate more fruits and vegetables have made a concerted effort to become healthier in all aspects of their lives? Thus motivating them more intensely to quit smoking. Perhaps, the consumption of more fruits and vegetables increases a person's intake of fiber. Making them feel more 'full' and more likely to ignore the craving to light up? Another interesting possibility posed by researchers is that eating more fruits and vegetables can actually alter the body and brain's biochemistry! Meaning, eating more produce actually made cigarettes taste WORSE and thus less enjoyable for the smoker!
"With a few modifications to their diet -- consuming items that make
cigarettes taste bad, such as a cold glass of milk, and avoiding items
that make cigarettes taste good, like a pint of beer -- smokers can make
quitting a bit easier," Joseph McClernon,
Ph.D commented.
Wow, that idea is truly fascinating indeed. Now whatever mechanism is at work, the overall benefit of quitting smoking is undeniable. But to think that eating more fresh fruits and vegetables could aid in your attempts to quit, is fantastic on so many levels!
Please leave your questions or comments here if you like or if you're in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver, stop by the office. Click the link to visit the website; COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC
This article seemed interesting to me not only because I commute to work but it made me wonder why some patients explain that they can't find the time to exercise. Being a doctor, I realize today's lifestyles are extremely busy but you must make time for your health, or suffer the consequences.
This article was written by Dr. Christine M. Hoehner of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Hoehner and her team looked at the commuting habits of 4,297 people. She also measured key metabolic and health indicators and compared them among the participants. Body Mass index (BMI), Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF), blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, waist circumference were among some of the indicators monitored. In addition, Dr. Hoehner also had the participants complete a survey regarding individual assessments of their activity/ exercise levels.
The study found that those who had to travel the farthest to and from work were the ones who showed the poorest measurements in the health indicators mentioned. These people were also the ones who reported the lowest activity/exercise levels as well. Now that just might seem like common sense, those who spend more time commuting have less time to exercise, right? Yes, but lets look at the consequences for a moment. The longest commuters were measured to have the lowest cardiorespiratory fitness as well as the highest BMI's, waist circumference and blood pressures.
Another interesting finding was that the 'tipping point' distance was somewhere around 15 miles (about 24 kms) At this distance and further, the likelihood participants would show poor health indicators measurements was significantly higher.
Moral of this story is that if your commute to work is long or especially long, you really must make an effort to exercise! Understandably, the time spent during your commute takes away from the time doing the things you 'want' to do, but your health and even your life, may depend on it!
Questions or comments? Leave them here. In the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver? visit Dr. Chan's office or check out the website here; COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!
