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HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #53 - Recorded July 14, 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 –  

• Depression and Heart Disease

• Obesity and Prostate Cancer

• Vitamin B and Dementia

• Secondhand Smoke Hazards

• Stress and Blood Pressure

• Global Conference on Integrative Medicine

• World Spine Day

• New Dietary Supplements Legislation

• COCSA board approves new mission statement

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to News Centered HealthBeat Podcast #53, recorded July 14, 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 ….

Depression and Heart Disease

Heart disease patients could also be at risk of depression. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, up to half of people hospitalized for heart surgery or other treatments for blocked arteries develop depression. The researchers say that a fifth of people with coronary heart disease and a third of people with heart failure suffer from depression -- a rate much higher than the general population.

The authors of the study say the stress of facing serious illness could be the cause of the depression, but there could also be a physical link between heart problems and depression. The Associated Press quotes specialists who say that doctors need to do more to check for depression in cardiac patients. Treating depression can lead to other physical benefits for heart patients -- for example, they may be more likely to exercise regularly and take their medications just as prescribed, the AP says.

For more information, surf to Intellihealth.com - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/333/9254/467313.html?d=dmtICNNews

Obesity and Prostate Cancer

Obesity could decrease the chances of successful prostate cancer treatment. A study to be published in the journal Cancer found that prostate cancer patients who are moderately to severely obese are more likely to see their cancer return after radiation treatment than slimmer men.

The men were classified as normal weight; overweight; or mildly, moderately or severely obese, based on their body mass index. For years after the radiation treatment, doctors followed up on the men with digital rectal exams and blood tests of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker of prostate cancer.

The researchers found that the moderately and severely obese men were almost twice as likely to have elevated PSA levels than the thinner men. An early study by the same researchers looked at men who had prostate removal surgery for cancer; the study found that in this case, too, heavier men were more likely to have higher PSA levels, The Associated Press reports.

For more information, surf to Intellihealth.com - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/333/9254/467313.html?d=dmtICNNews

Vitamin B and Dementia

For people with high blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, there is more disappointing news about the value of B vitamins. A New Zealand study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 276 healthy people age 65 and older who had high levels of homocysteine, a substance linked to heart disease and dementia. Over the two years of the study, half the patients took vitamin pills containing 1,000 micrograms of folate, 500 micrograms of B-12 and 10 milligrams of B-6 daily, while the other took a placebo. While homocysteine levels fell in both groups, the researchers found no difference between the groups on tests of cognitive function. However, The Associated Press quotes other experts who say this study was too small to be conclusive, and that more people need to be studied for a longer time to see whether B vitamins can protect older people's minds.

For more information, surf to Intellihealth.com - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/333/9254/467313.html?d=dmtICNNews

Secondhand Smoke Hazards

Secondhand smoke is a serious health risk. That's the stance the U.S. surgeon general took this week, with publication of a report that reviews a years' worth of studies on the effects of secondhand smoke on nonsmokers. The report finds "overwhelming scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke is "a serious health hazard," causing heart disease, lung cancer and other conditions, The Associated Press says. The report urges that buildings and public spaces be entirely smoke-free, since separate smoking areas and ventilation systems don't completely protect nonsmokers. The report also eases concerns about the economic impact of smoke-free restaurants and bars -- it found no negative economic effect in cities with smoking bans. The surgeon general recommended that smokers who haven't quit only smoke outdoors, and never around children or sick people, the AP says.

For more information about quitting smoking, please contact a qualified healthcare professional.

For more information about this article, surf to our Show Notes - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/333/9254/467313.html?d=dmtICNNews

Stress and Blood Pressure

According to a study published in the August 2006 edition of the American Journal of Public Health, workers who are under constant stress may start to show it in their blood pressure readings.

Workers with high job demands, and reported low levels of social support in the office, tended to have higher blood pressure than other workers.

The relationship was stronger among men than among women. As a group, men with high job strain had higher blood pressure and were at greater risk of blood pressure increases over time than those with less stressful work.

In addition, the study found that men and women who said they got little support from their bosses and co-workers seemed particularly vulnerable to the blood pressure effects of job strain.

Many studies have examined the link between cardiovascular disease and job strain -- typically defined as work with high psychological demands, but with little independence or decision-making authority. Evidence suggests that chronically stressed workers are more likely to develop heart disease, but studies looking specifically at blood pressure effects have yielded mixed results.

Theoretically, job stress might raise blood pressure by chronically activating the nervous and cardiovascular systems. On the other hand, stressed workers may have little time or energy for exercise, may eat poorly or have higher smoking rates -- though, in this study, the researchers accounted for factors like smoking, exercise habits and weight.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link to this study - http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2004.057679v1

Global Conference on Integrative Medicine

For those interested, we have posted a link in our Show Notes for an October 21-25 conference on Integrative Medicine, in Kiev , Ukraine .

According to the conference’s web site, the 2006 Integrative Medicine and Phytotherapy Conference and Natural Health Expo will provide non-conventional and patients with practical information on natural medicine, phytotherapy guidance regarding the safety and quality of herbs and botanicals, useful clinical tools, and integrative medicine protocols for the management and or co-management of patients with common diseases.

http://www.nbscience.com/ukraineim.html

World Spine Day

The chiropractic profession and Straighten Up America will celebrate World Spine Day also known as National Spinal Health Day, on Monday, October 16, 2006, with Straighten Up America as its theme.

The celebration will be done in collaboration with the United States Bone and Joint Decade DCs will have an opportunity to serve the public on the front lines of spinal health promotion and wellness in collaboration with the Bone and Joint Decade by teaching simple, enjoyable exercises to improve spinal health. Doctors are encouraged to get involved with public outreach educational events to empower their communities.

The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) and Life University are finalizing implementation kits to enable doctors to teach their patients and their communities Straighten Up exercises.

Instructions and educational materials for getting started with Straighten Up are available at and www.cocsa.org or http://media.sevensides.com

Complete implementation kits will be available soon.

http://www.chiroeco.com/news/2006/June/Spine.php

New Dietary Supplements Legislation

According to the Chiropractic Economics newsletter, legislation (S.3546) has been introduced into Congress that would require companies that sell dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs to submit serious adverse event reports they receive from their customers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (or Adverse Event Report Act — AER) will require companies to include on their products’ labels an address or phone number through which consumers can report adverse events associated with the use of the product. Companies will be required to inform the FDA of any serious adverse event reports within 15 business days.

The bill is supported by several groups, including the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

The bill was expected to be reviewed by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee before the end of June.

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to this article, which contains more information about several key provisions which the bill contains - http://www.chiroeco.com/news/2006/June/Adverse.php

COCSA board approves new mission statement

The board of directors of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) has approved minor changes to the COCSA mission statement and has developed a new vision of the organization.

The mission statement, which was approved at COCSA’s annual planning meeting in March, read:

“The mission of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations is to provide an open, nonpartisan forum for the advancement of chiropractic through service to member state associations.”

The vision statement says: “The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations is the forum for unifying the profession and inspiring the achievement of universal understanding and utilization of chiropractic.”

For more information, surf to the COCSA web site at – www.cocsa.org

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.

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–  David Hume

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

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