Chiropractic OnLine Today's
HealthBeat

    Welcome to COT's HealthBeat Podcast
        Chiropractic OnLine Today is pleased to present a
    Chiropractic "Radio" Segment to the Health Community.
               Return to HealthBeat main page

Please Vote for HealthBeat!
 

HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #28 - Recorded January 20, 2006

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of HealthBeat, Chiropractic OnLine Today’s Health, News and informational Podcast.

In this week’s news:  We’ll Look At -

• Update to Dr. John Cerf’s Story

• Maryland Enacts Health Care Legislation

• Asthma and Wheezing

• Prevention is Key

• Steroid Usage

• Yoga and Low Back Pain

• Vitamin C and Free Radicals

• And Finally, Chiropractic Corner talks Research with Dr. Stephen Perle

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to HealthBeat Podcast #28, recorded January 20, 2006.  HealthBeat is Chiropractic OnLine Today’s radio program, providing current news and commentary about Chiropractic and Health.

This week’s Episode is sponsored by DaVinci Laboratories.  Please surf to our web site at ChiropracticRadio.com and click on the DaVinci link for your Health and Nutritional needs.

While at our web site, please remember to vote for us via our PodcastAlley link.  We would also appreciate your vote at http://podcasts.yahoo.com     You will also see a link to sign up for our Chiropractic OnLine Today Mailing List.

And don’t forget to add yourself to our Frapper! COT Map!

If you are interested in creating personalized Healthbeat podcasts for your office or website, to help attract new patients, please surf to our web site and send us an Email via our Web Site or Skype us by typing in “healthbeat”, all in small letters.

And Now for some news ….For information about adding Personalized Healthbeat Podcasts to your office’s Web Site, to help you attract new patients, please Email us at – healthbeat@chiropracticradio.com

Update to Dr. John Cerf’s Story

In a recent Email correspondence with Dr. Cerf, concerning his nephew’s rare blood disorder, called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), Dr. Cerf wished to thank everyone for their support.

His family is still looking for an exact donor match.  According to Dr. Cerf, listeners can stay updated with donation possibilities by surfing to www.aidenschance.com

Make a Wish is sending Aiden and his family to Disney before he gets admitted in mid-February for a bone marrow transplantation.  They will destroy his marrow and then replace it with the best match they can find.   If a close enough match is found, he has a 70% chance of being cured.

Our whole COT HealthBeat family sends our best thoughts and get-well wishes to Aiden.  We do ask all our listeners to surf to www.aidenschance.com and spread the word to help Aiden get an exact donor match.

Maryland Enacts Health Care Legislation

On Thursday January 12, 2006, the State of Maryland enacted legislation that would require large corporations, such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., spend more on employee health care despite the governor's veto of the legislation. The measure, touted as a money-saver for Medicaid, now goes to the House for a vote.

Supporters of the bill said Ark.-based Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, unfairly costs taxpayers money by spending less than 8 percent of payroll on health care. The bill requires all companies with more than 10,000 employees to spend that much or give the state the difference. Currently, only Wal-Mart would meet the criteria in Maryland .

Critics called it a dangerous precedent that ultimately would cost Maryland jobs.

Surf to the NY Times for updates on this story - http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Maryland-Wal-Mart.html?hp&ex=1137128400&en=aa633e69cea230cf&ei=5094&partner=homepage  

Asthma and Wheezing

According to an article in the online eNewsletter from DrKoop.com, Parents should be alert to wheezing and shortness of breath in their children.  Both could be signs of an Asthma condition.

Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound produced by air flowing through narrowed breathing tubes, especially the smaller ones deep in the lung.

By definition, Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways, characterized by periodic attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.

Here's a list of asthma's telltale signs, courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics:

1. Breathing is difficult and faster than usual.

2. Complaints of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

3. Speaking is affected because of the difficulty breathing.

4. Skin color is pale.

5. Level of awareness has decreased.

6. Drawing in of the muscles between the ribs is necessary to breathe.

COT’s HealthBeat recommends contacting a Qualified Healthcare Professional if your child is experiencing any of these symptoms or signs.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link to this DrKoop.com article - http://www.drkoop.com/newsdetail/93/529820.html

Prevention is Key!

As we begin a new year, another DrKoop.com article stresses the importance of Early Detection Screenings as a method of Preventing illnesses from occurring.

Chiropractic and other Alternative Healthcare methods have been promoting the concept of Prevention for over 100 years.  Chiropractors have been stressing the importance of maintaining Spinal Health in order to keep the nervous system healthy.

The article suggests starting with the Annual Physical Exam.  In addition to the common Vital Signs such as Pulse Rate and Blood Pressure, it is recommended that some common tests also be performed, such as for detecting high sugar levels which may be indicative of Diabetes and high Cholesterol levels, which may be an indicator for Heart Disease.

Some other testing methods, including blood tests, can help alert the examiner for different types of cancers, such as:

• Breast Cancer

• Colon Cancer

• Prostate Cancer

• Cervical Cancer

• .... to name a few

Indications for possible Bone thinning, a sign of Osteoporosis, should also be investigated as a person reaches age 50 or so.

And don’t forget screenings for your Ears, Eyes and Mouth.

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to this article - http://www.drkoop.com/newsdetail/93/529728.html

Steroid Usage

According to the FitnesssBusiness-pro eNewsletter, New Jersey is the first state in the nation to take statewide action to address the growing issue of high school steroid use. In late December, New Jersey 's Acting Governor Richard J. Codey signed an executive order that would put into place a program that will randomly test high school teams and individuals qualifying for championship games for steroids beginning with the 2006-2007 school year.

http://fitnessbusiness-pro.com/new_jersey_steroids/

Yoga and Low Back Pain

According to the December 20th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, Yoga may be more effective than a self-care book for improving function and reducing chronic low back pain

Authors recruited patients who had a recent primary care visit for low back pain and randomly assigned 101 to yoga or conventional exercise or a self-care book. Patients in the yoga and exercise groups reported good adherence at 26 weeks. Compared with self-care, symptoms were milder and function was better with yoga. The exercise group had intermediate outcomes. Symptoms improved between 12 and 26 weeks only with yoga.

Researchers developed a series of yoga classes that used simple poses from a therapeutically oriented style of yoga, viniyoga, and avoided the use of poses that would be inappropriate for patients with back pain.

The authors of the study concluded that Westerners practice various styles of yoga that differ in their approach to the practice of yoga postures and breathing exercises. It is important to note that some styles, such as Bikram and vinyasa, may be too vigorous for patients with back pain who are unfamiliar with yoga whereas other styles may need modification from normal practice to be appropriate for patients with back pain.

COT’s HealthBeat recommends discussing what type of rehabilitation may be best suited for your individual recovery or preventative needs with a qualified healthcare professional, such as a doctor of Chiropractic.

http://fitnessbusiness-pro.com/yoga_back_pain/

Vitamin C and Free Radicals

According to new laboratory research at the University of California , Berkley , vitamin C (ascorbate) is the best agent for protecting us from free-radical damage to blood lipids, a type of fat.  "At levels typically found circulating in human blood plasma, the vitamin neutralized 100 percent of the free radicals produced in the study. No other plasma antioxidant, or free radical ‘quencher,’ showed this capability."1

Research has shown that free-radical damage can initiate or exacerbate many of the common diseases "associated with aging, including cancer, heart attacks, stroke, arthritis, and cataracts."2 These radicals are formed in our bodies by our vitally necessary metabolism of oxygen.

Ultraviolet radiation and environmental pollutants, such as car exhaust and cigarette smoke, are examples of external sources of oxidants (which form radicals). "Because other research has shown that free-radical damage of blood fats carried by low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) helps initiate artery-clogging plaque, the new findings also indicate that vitamin C nutrition ‘might have the potential to protect against atherosclerosis,’" according to biochemist Balz Frei, who led the work.

In addition to vitamin C, blood plasma contains three other water-soluble antioxidants (protein thios, bilirubin and urate) which are formed in our bodies and cannot be easily manipulated.

When vitamin C was present in the blood plasma along with all these other antioxidants, it alone completely "disarmed the radicals" (100 percent), conserving the other antioxidants. In contrast, when vitamin C was absent, vitamin E disarmed only 70 percent of the free radicals. Balz Frei said that he was "quite surprised at how much better a scavenger of free radicals and oxidants ascorbate was, especially when compared with vitamin E, which leaves 30 percent of the blood fats unprotected risking considerable pathologically relevant damage."

"These observations suggest that while other plasma antioxidants can slow lipid oxidation, ‘only ascorbate can completely prevent it,’" Frei said. Thus, he and his colleagues think that their data "argue for increasing the recommended daily allowance [RDA] for vitamin C – a level presently based only on the vitamin’s role in preventing scurvy."1

As always, COT’s HealthBeat recommends discussing any nutritional advice with a qualified healthcare provider.

http://www.nutrition4health.org/NOHAnews/NNF89VitaminC_BloodFats.htm

Chiropractic Corner – In this edition of HealthBeat’s Chiropractic Corner, I present an interview with Bridgeport ’s School of Chiropractic ’s Dr. Stephen Perle, who discusses current research trends in the profession.

Thank you for listening…. As always, We Want to hear from you.  Please send us emails…. Simply surf to our Web Site at ChiropracticRadio.com and click on the Email link.

You can also leave us Voice Mail…. Simply open up your Skype and type in “healthbeat”, all in small letters.

If you have an idea for a future Health Segment, please feel free to contact me directly via email …. The address is: healthbeat@chiropracticradio.com

We also would appreciate your vote at Podcastalley.com.  If you are enjoying these podcasts, please surf to our HealthBeat homepage and click on the Podcast Alley link.

If you have a Web Site for your practice and you would like to add content to help attract more patients, please consider adding a personalized HealthBeat segments to your site. For more information, please send me an Email at healthbeat@chiropracticradio.com

Finally, I leave you with the following quote:

“Anxiety is Worry gone Out of Control.” 
– 2006 Commercial

For Chiropractic OnLine Today’s HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Please Vote for HealthBeat on Podcast Alley!