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HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #62 - Recorded September 15, 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 –  

• 9-11 Health Issues

• Nicotine Levels Up

• Prolong Life by Increasing Activity

• Prevention is the Focus of Federal Legislation

• High Intensity Interval Training and Metabolic Syndrome

• And Finally, Health Corner Looks at the VA Program

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to HealthBeat Podcast #62, recorded September 15, 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 ….

9-11 Health Issues

On this 5^th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, and with the proximity of this recording to September 11^th, we look at recent health news concerning this tragedy. 

The NY Times recently reported that the largest health study yet of the thousands of workers who labored at ground zero shows that the impact of the rescue and recovery effort on their health has been more widespread and persistent than previously thought, and is likely to linger far into the future.

The study was released by the Mount Sinai Medical Center, and is expected to erase any lingering doubts about the connection between dust from the trade center and numerous diseases that the workers have reported suffering. It is also expected to increase pressure on the federal government to provide health care for sick workers who do not have health insurance.

Roughly 70 percent of nearly 10,000 workers tested at Mount Sinai from 2002 to 2004 reported that they had new or substantially worsened respiratory problems while or after working at ground zero.

The study is among the first to show that many of the respiratory ailments — like sinusitis and asthma, and gastrointestinal problems related to them — initially reported by ground zero workers persisted or grew worse in the years after 9/11.

Most of the ground zero workers in the study who reported trouble breathing while working there were still having those problems up to two and a half years later, an indication that the illnesses are becoming chronic and are not likely to improve over time.

In addition, the NYC Health Department also released Clinical Guidelines related to 9-11 workers, saying in part:

• Five years after the World Trade Center (WTC) attack, many New Yorkers continue to suffer disaster-associated physical and mental health conditions.

• Primary care providers should ask patients about WTC exposure, especially patients with respiratory symptoms, reflux disease, mental health problems, or substance use disorders.

• Providers should know how to identify, evaluate, treat, and refer patients with conditions that could be associated with exposure to the disaster.

• Because physical and mental health conditions are often intertwined, a coordinated approach to care usually works best and referral may be necessary.

Surf to our Web Site for link related to 9-11 Health Issues - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/06/nyregion/06bloomberg.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/06/nyregion/06health.html

Link to NYC Clinical Guidelines – Click Here.

Nicotine Levels Up

U.S. smokers are getting more nicotine per puff now than in previous years. A study recently released by the Massachusetts Department of Health found that the amount of nicotine being delivered to smokers' lungs has climbed for all brands of cigarettes.

In the study, researchers tested nicotine levels of 179 cigarette brands. Unlike previous studies, this one tried to test for nicotine based on the way people actually smoke -- covering ventilation holes and taking longer puffs.

The researchers found that nicotine yields are up by about 10% overall. Ninety-three percent of the brands tested fell into the highest range for nicotine content, up from 84% six years earlier. Nicotine levels for the brands most popular with younger smokers were as much as 20% higher than in previous years, the researchers found. "Light" and "ultra-light" cigarettes had as much nicotine as "full flavor" brands.

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to the Massachusetts Department of Health Press Release - http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=pressreleases&agId=Eeohhs2&prModName=dphpressrelease&prFile=pr_060829_nicotine.xml

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/333/9254/491382.html?d=dmtICNNews

Intellihealth.com – Effects of Smoking on Health - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC277/22017/68777/455473.html?d=dmtContent

Prolong Life by Increasing Activity

For years researchers have provided information to the public pointing out the importance of regular exercise and the decreased risk of diseases associated with physical activity.

Even with the abundance of information supporting increased physical activity and caloric expenditure through traditional, structured exercise programs, factors such as time constraints, job and family responsibilities, or a general lack of motivation have prevented a large number of Americans from participating in such programs.

The National Council on Strength and Fitness ask the following questions - In order to experience the positive health benefits and decreased risk for disease, is it imperative that individuals participate in structured programming? Or can individuals, by simply increasing their overall activity level through any means, still reap the benefits traditionally associated with exercise programming?

As always, COT’s HealthBeat suggests contacting a qualified healthcare provider, such as your Doctor of Chiropractic, for more in-depth discussion of these issues.

Prevention is the Focus of Federal Legislation

In an effort to reduce the rising costs of healthcare and to improve the long-term health of Americans, Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) introduced a new federal health promotion bill, the Preventative Medicine for a Healthier America Act of 2006 (HB 5657).

The program would have three main goals:

• to increase the number of individuals pursuing careers in preventive medicine

• encourage businesses to offer wellness programs for their employees, and

• to increase public awareness on the importance of preventive medicine.

According to Rep. Knollenberg, One of the best ways to accomplish these goals is to encourage companies to implement programs that prevent disease and encourage healthy lifestyles.

In order for business owners to qualify for the $200 credit per employee, wellness programs must be developed in conjunction with a physician and provide at least two preventive screenings and resources for at least three of the following: smoking, obesity, stress management, physical fitness, nutrition, substance abuse, depression, mental health, heart disease, and maternal and infant health.

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to this bill - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas

High Intensity Interval Training and Metabolic Syndrome

The results of a study examining high-intensity interval training versus sustained, moderate intensity training related to metabolic syndrome were presented at the International Symposium on Atherosclerosis.

The study’s data strongly suggests that high intensity interval training results in a greater improvement in HDL levels than what is experienced during sustained, moderate intensity exercise.

Metabolic syndrome is most commonly defined as a co-morbid condition of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.

The practical applications of this research are important. Many physicians and fitness professionals are not aggressive enough with their exercise programming when it comes to individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.

Although overall risk of complications increases with high-intensity interval training, properly trained fitness professionals can minimize the risk and maximize the gains by designed a program specifically tailored to their individual clients.

As always, especially with exercise recommendation concerning high intensity, it is imperative that listeners and athletes get full clearance from a qualified healthcare professional.

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to these findings - http://www.isa2006.org/index1.html

Health Corner –In this edition of HealthBeat’s Health Corner, we broadcast a Paul Krugman editorial from the NY Times.

COT’s HealthBeat has been covering the Veterans Administration’s Health Insurance Program going back to Episode 31.  In this editorial, Mr. Krugman again discusses how well this program is run.

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.

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.

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Finally, I leave you with the following quote:

"Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment."
– Robert Benchley  

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

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