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HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #32 - Recorded February 17, 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 –

• NJ Passes EMG Law

• Stress at Work and Heart Disease

• Women and Heart Disease

• Health Diets and Blood Pressure

• Menstruation and Headaches

• Recurrent Headaches and Public Health

• Intuition and the Heart

• And finally, Chiropractic Corner presents an interview with Dr. Warren Hammer

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to HealthBeat Podcast #32, recorded February 17, 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.

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And Now for some news ….

NJ Passes EMG Law

According to the NJ group, the ANJC, S188/A456, the EMG bill, has been signed into law. It provides that only physicians who are licensed to practice medicine and surgery may perform and interpret needle insertion EMGs.  

Originally, it would have taken away a chiropractor's right to perform and interpret NCVs, SSEPs, and other evoked potentials. However, through the diligence of the ANJC legislative committee, chaired by Dr. Steven Clarke, and ANJC lobbyist, Jon Bombardieri, NJ was able to have the bill amended so that chiropractors can continue to perform and interpret NCVs, SSEPs, surface EMGs, and other evoked potentials.

On December 12, 2005, Drs. Mike Goione and Joe Garolis went to Trenton to testify before the Senate Health Committee. The bill passed out of committee with the amendments that continue to do the studies Chiropractors were previously authorized to perform.

In early January, Governor Codey signed the bill into law.

For more information, surf to http://www.anjc.info

Stress at Work and Heart Disease

New research appears to confirm the link between stress at work and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The research also showed that individuals at lower employment grades have a greater risk of developing these conditions.

Stress is the body's reaction to changes in one's life that often produce tension or strain. Previous research has suggested that stress may have very negative effects, such as raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease. Basic stress management techniques include getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.

A recent study by British researchers is confirming the idea that stress at work can take a toll on the body. It also provides new insight into the biological processes that may link work stress with heart disease and diabetes.

The researchers determined that individuals with chronic work stress (defined by three or more work stress exposures) were more than twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those without any work stress. They also found that participants from lower employment grades were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a set of metabolic risk factors for a heart attack, which include central obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

Some researchers speculate that prolonged exposure to work stress has the ability to affect the human nervous system. Others believe that chronic stress has the ability to reduce biological resilience and disrupt the natural physiologic balance of the body.

The study concluded that stress at work is an important risk factor for Metabolic Syndrome.  The study provides evidence for the biological plausibility of the link between psychosocial stressors from everyday life and heart disease.

For more information, surf to the British Medical Journal - http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/rapidpdf/bmj.38693.435301.80v1?etoc

http://heart.healthcentersonline.com/newsstories/stressatworkmayleadheartdiseasediabetes.cfm

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/rapidpdf/bmj.38731.622975.3Av1?etoc

Women and Heart Disease

According to the American Heart Association, the AHA, US women still do not fully understand their high risk of heart disease and are confused by reports that suggest being overweight and inactive are not really that dangerous.

Statistics released in early February 2006, revealed that 483,800 American women died from heart disease and stroke in 2003, the latest year for which detailed statistics are available.

Six million women had coronary heart disease and 3.1 million had strokes, the AHA said in a special issue of its journal Circulation.

But only 55 percent of 1,008 women surveyed knew that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. women over the age of 25.

The study pointed out that women do not realize the importance of exercise and weight control.  Those women who were active but obese were 2.48 times more likely to have heart disease. Those who were at a normal weight but who did not exercise were 1-1/2 times as likely to have heart disease as the very few women who were both lean and who exercised regularly.

As always, COT’s Healthbeat always recommends discussing any nutritional or exercise lifestyle modifications with a qualified healthcare professional.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link to this article - http://heart.healthcentersonline.com/newsstories/uswomenstillneglectheartriskstudiesfind.cfm

Health Diets and Blood Pressure

A study in the American Heart Associations journal Hypertension found that healthier eating habits could make a big difference in the epidemic of high blood pressure in the US , according to a report from the American Heart Association.

Over the past 10 years, studies have bolstered evidence that diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sodium can lower a person's blood pressure, the AHA concludes in a scientific statement published in its journal Hypertension.

In addition, one of the benefits of healthier eating -- weight loss -- may also help lower or prevent high blood pressure.

In general, the AHA says, shedding pounds, cutting down on sodium, boosting potassium intake and limiting alcohol are all proven ways to help control blood pressure.

According to recent estimates, more than one quarter of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, while another 31 percent are on the verge of the condition. Left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke or kidney failure.

As always, COT’s Healthbeat always recommends discussing any nutritional lifestyle modifications with a qualified healthcare professional.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link to this free journal article - http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/47/2/296

Menstruation and Headaches

According to the journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Ovarian hormones have a significant effect on the central nervous system of female migraineurs.

Reproductive milestones such as menarche, pregnancy, and menopause are associated with changes in the clinical course of migraine headache. Migraine attacks are commonly triggered during declines in serum estrogen levels that occur before and during the time of menstruation.

Therefore, substantial clinical evidence suggests that changes in ovarian hormones affect migraine headache. The journal published  two manuscripts defining the role of ovarian hormones in the pathogenesis of migraine headache.

The purpose of the first article reviews the molecular and neurophysiologic effects of estrogen and progesterone on neurotransmitter systems and pain processing networks relevant to migraine headache. The second manuscript focuses on the clinical studies detailing the influence of estrogen and progesterone on migraine headache.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link to this study’s Abstract - http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00309.x

Recurrent Headaches and Public Health

Another study from the journal Headache reviewed the prevalence of recurrent headache and/or self-considered migraine (RH/M) and its association with self-rated health, other symptoms, and use of health care and medication in the general population.

The study comprised a random population sample of 43,770 men and women aged 18 to 79 years covering an area of 58 municipalities in Sweden . The data were obtained using a postal survey questionnaire during March to May 2000. The overall response rate was 65%.

The study concluded that recurrent headache and/or self-considered migraine constitutes a substantial public health problem that mainly affects young and middle aged adults. It is associated with poor self-rated health, musculoskeletal and psychosomatic symptoms, increased use of health care and medication as well as unmet needs of health care.

For more information about the treatment of headaches, contact a qualified healthcare professional, such as your Doctor of Chiropractic.

A link to this study can be found in our Show notes – http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00297.x

Intuition and the Heart

According to the web site – Quantum Biocommunication - Intuition has often been thought of as a mysterious sixth sense. However, a new research study conducted by the Institute of HeartMath helps to solve some of the mysteries that surround intuition, revealing the role the heart plays in processing and decoding intuitive information.

Dr. Rollin McCraty, Director of Research for the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek , California , directed a recent scientific study that examined physiological indicators of intuitive perception. The study sought to test whether we somehow receive information about a future event before it happens, and, if so, to determine where and when in the brain and body the intuitive information is processed.

HeartMath researchers found that we can actually be aware of an event five to seven seconds before it happens. In the recent study, subjects were shown a series of images. Most of the images were peaceful and calming, such as landscapes, trees and cute animals. Other photos, randomly dispersed in the succession, included violent, disturbing and emotionally stimulating images such as car crash, a bloody knife or a snake about to strike.

The main findings show that the heart receives and responds to intuitive information. Significant changes in heart rate variability occurred prior to disturbing and emotionally stimulating images appearing on the screen, compared to calm and serene images appearing.  Another noteworthy finding of the study was the fact that there were significant gender differences. Women appeared to have a greater sensitivity to future emotional stimuli.

According to Dr. McCraty - "To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure the heart’s connection with intuitive perception, and this implies that the brain does not act alone in this regard. This is an important finding that may open the door to larger scientific studies and greater understanding of the heart’s role in human perception and behavior."

For more information, surf to our Show notes for a link to this study - http://www.quantumbiocommunication.com/projects/study-proves-that-the-heart-responds-to-future-events.html

As always, please surf to our Podcast Show Notes at ChiropractiRadio.com for a full listing of web references mentioned in today’s show.

And remember - COT’s Healthbeat always recommends discussing any nutritional or exercise lifestyle modifications with a qualified healthcare professional.

Chiropractic Corner – In this edition of COT’s Chiropractic Corner, I spend a few moments with renowned author and chiropractic lecturer Dr. Warren Hammer.  Dr. Hammer has spent much of the past few decades lecturing about the importance of Soft Tissue injuries.

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Finally, I leave you with the following quote:

"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool." 
– Jane Wagner

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

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