Archive for the ‘2014’ Category

2014 – November Newsletter

Posted on: November 1st, 2014

Reef Chiropractic Care            

Dr. Brian C. Baker

203.259.4939

 

To view an online version of this please click here             

 

Please like us on Facebook  

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 Low Back Pain

 Health Benefits of Eggs

 Neck Pain
 HA1c and Heart Disease

  Diabetes and Heart Disease

 

 

INTERESTING LINKS

 

Reefchirocare

 

Deflame

 

CTChiro

 

The Paleo Diet

 

Food Politics

 

ChiroVoice

 

 

 

 

 

EMAIL THIS TO A FRIEND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2014

 

Have you been enjoying the great weather we’ve been experiencing this summer?  Well, I’ve just read about a possible Polar Vortex heading our way as early as September.  Experts then predict we’ll be getting an El Niño which will bring more snow than usual.  This could all lead to an uptick in Snownados (I made that one up, but I’m trademarking the term).  I’m looking forward to learning some new weather phrases to share with you this coming fall/winter season.  May that be the only price you’ll pay for having such tremendous weather today.

 

Hope you’re enjoying yourself and if you’re heading back to school, have a successful year!

 

By the way, due for a tune up?  Of course you are! Use this opportunity to call or go to our website to request an appointment.  Shane is awaiting your phone call.

 

Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and family.

 

 
 
Low Back Pain Patient Education
I think this is an excellent video about low back pain. Take a look: Video
 
 

 

10 Proven Health Benefits of Eggs

I’m a fan of eggs rather than refined carbohydrates for breakfast.  Invariably a patient will tell me that they’ve been told to avoid eggs because they have high cholesterol.  I think that is a mistake.  Here are 10 health benefits of eggs that have been confirmed in human studies…..Full Story
 
 

 

Neck Pain – Drugs or Chiropractic?
When you have neck pain, do you instinctively reach for that bottle of ibuprofen or Tylenol? If so, is that the best option? Who can we trust for the answer? Since between 10-20% of the population suffer from chronic or persistent neck pain, this is a VERY IMPORTANT question! Article
 
 
 

Hemoglobin A1c: A Modifiable Predictor of Heart Disease

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that hemoglobin A1c ( HbA1c ) — a measure of long-term blood glucose level — predicts heart disease risk in both diabetics and non-diabetics.

 
An elevated blood glucose level is the defining feature of diabetes, but until now it was unclear whether elevated glucose levels contributed independently to increasing heart-disease risk.
 
“Our results suggest that improving blood-glucose control may reduce heart disease risk,” said Elizabeth Selvin, lead author of the study and at Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology. “
 
For non-diabetics, lifestyle modifications, such as increased physical activity, weight loss and eating a healthful, low-glycemic, index diet rich in fiber, fruit and vegetables, may not only help prevent diabetes, but also reduce the risk of heart disease,” she said.
 
According to the study, the current target for “good” glycemic control established by the American Diabetes Association is an HbA1c value less than 7 percent. However, the researchers’ analysis suggest that heart disease risk begins to increase at values even below 7 percent.
 
They found that those study participants without diabetes but who had “ high normal ” HbA1c levels ( approximately 5 percent to 6 percent ) were at an increased heart disease risk, even after accounting for other factors such as age, cholesterol level, blood pressure, body mass index and smoking.
 
Non-diabetic persons with HbA1c levels of 6 percent or higher had almost a two-fold greater heart disease risk compared to persons with an HbA1c level below 4.6 percent.
 
The results suggest we should be concerned about elevated blood sugar levels in non-diabetics as well as diabetics. An important next step is to incorporate strategies for lowering HbA1c.  
 
Need more convincing?  Then read this next article.

 

One in 10 Heart Attack Patients Has Unrecognized Diabetes

Ten percent of patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction had undiagnosed diabetes at the time of their heart attack, underlining the importance of evaluating such patients for diabetes while they are hospitalized, investigators have reported.

 
The study found that 287 (10.1%) of the 2,854 patients enrolled in a 24-site U.S. acute MI registry, who were not known to have type 2 diabetes on admission, actually had diabetes, reported Dr. Suzanne V. Arnold, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Mo. The data were presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research conference.
 
The diabetes diagnosis was based on hemoglobin A1c levels of 6.5% or higher. If no HbA1c result was available, the diagnosis was based on at least two fasting glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or higher, or at least one fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher plus a glucose level at presentation of at least 200 mg/dL.
 
Of the 287 patients who were identified as having unrecognized diabetes in the study, almost 70% (198) had not been diagnosed by the physician who treated them during their hospitalization. This lack of a diagnosis was indicated by patients not having received education about diabetes while hospitalized or not being discharged with a diabetes medication.
 
If a physician checked the HbA1c for a patient with an acute MI as part of routine clinical care, however, the likelihood that the patient would be diagnosed with diabetes was increased 18-fold, a highly statistically significant finding, Dr. Arnold said.
 
 

Low Back Pain with Prolonged Standing?

 

05/01/2014 Graph

 

 

Professional at Work

I’d hire this guy.
 
 

Fun Stuff

This is an amazing. Take a look and watch it in full screen with the music turned up.

Video

 

  Copyright © 2013 Reef Chiropractic Care. All Rights Reserved.

2014 – August Newsletter

Posted on: August 2nd, 2014

Reef Chiropractic Care            

Dr. Brian C. Baker

203.259.4939

 

To view an online version of this please click here             

 

Please like us on Facebook  

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 Low Back Pain

 Health Benefits of Eggs

 Neck Pain
 HA1c and Heart Disease

  Diabetes and Heart Disease

 

 

INTERESTING LINKS

 

Reefchirocare

 

Deflame

 

CTChiro

 

The Paleo Diet

 

Food Politics

 

ChiroVoice

 

 

 

 

 

EMAIL THIS TO A FRIEND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2014

 

Have you been enjoying the great weather we’ve been experiencing this summer?  Well, I’ve just read about a possible Polar Vortex heading our way as early as September.  Experts then predict we’ll be getting an El Niño which will bring more snow than usual.  This could all lead to an uptick in Snownados (I made that one up, but I’m trademarking the term).  I’m looking forward to learning some new weather phrases to share with you this coming fall/winter season.  May that be the only price you’ll pay for having such tremendous weather today.

 

Hope you’re enjoying yourself and if you’re heading back to school, have a successful year!

 

By the way, due for a tune up?  Of course you are! Use this opportunity to call or go to our website to request an appointment.  Shane is awaiting your phone call.

 

Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and family.

 

 
 
Low Back Pain Patient Education
I think this is an excellent video about low back pain. Take a look: Video
 
 

 

10 Proven Health Benefits of Eggs

I’m a fan of eggs rather than refined carbohydrates for breakfast.  Invariably a patient will tell me that they’ve been told to avoid eggs because they have high cholesterol.  I think that is a mistake.  Here are 10 health benefits of eggs that have been confirmed in human studies…..Full Story
 
 

 

Neck Pain – Drugs or Chiropractic?
When you have neck pain, do you instinctively reach for that bottle of ibuprofen or Tylenol? If so, is that the best option? Who can we trust for the answer? Since between 10-20% of the population suffer from chronic or persistent neck pain, this is a VERY IMPORTANT question! Article
 
 
 

Hemoglobin A1c: A Modifiable Predictor of Heart Disease

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that hemoglobin A1c ( HbA1c ) — a measure of long-term blood glucose level — predicts heart disease risk in both diabetics and non-diabetics.

 
An elevated blood glucose level is the defining feature of diabetes, but until now it was unclear whether elevated glucose levels contributed independently to increasing heart-disease risk.
 
“Our results suggest that improving blood-glucose control may reduce heart disease risk,” said Elizabeth Selvin, lead author of the study and at Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology. “
 
For non-diabetics, lifestyle modifications, such as increased physical activity, weight loss and eating a healthful, low-glycemic, index diet rich in fiber, fruit and vegetables, may not only help prevent diabetes, but also reduce the risk of heart disease,” she said.
 
According to the study, the current target for “good” glycemic control established by the American Diabetes Association is an HbA1c value less than 7 percent. However, the researchers’ analysis suggest that heart disease risk begins to increase at values even below 7 percent.
 
They found that those study participants without diabetes but who had “ high normal ” HbA1c levels ( approximately 5 percent to 6 percent ) were at an increased heart disease risk, even after accounting for other factors such as age, cholesterol level, blood pressure, body mass index and smoking.
 
Non-diabetic persons with HbA1c levels of 6 percent or higher had almost a two-fold greater heart disease risk compared to persons with an HbA1c level below 4.6 percent.
 
The results suggest we should be concerned about elevated blood sugar levels in non-diabetics as well as diabetics. An important next step is to incorporate strategies for lowering HbA1c.  
 
Need more convincing?  Then read this next article.

 

One in 10 Heart Attack Patients Has Unrecognized Diabetes

Ten percent of patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction had undiagnosed diabetes at the time of their heart attack, underlining the importance of evaluating such patients for diabetes while they are hospitalized, investigators have reported.

 
The study found that 287 (10.1%) of the 2,854 patients enrolled in a 24-site U.S. acute MI registry, who were not known to have type 2 diabetes on admission, actually had diabetes, reported Dr. Suzanne V. Arnold, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Mo. The data were presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research conference.
 
The diabetes diagnosis was based on hemoglobin A1c levels of 6.5% or higher. If no HbA1c result was available, the diagnosis was based on at least two fasting glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or higher, or at least one fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher plus a glucose level at presentation of at least 200 mg/dL.
 
Of the 287 patients who were identified as having unrecognized diabetes in the study, almost 70% (198) had not been diagnosed by the physician who treated them during their hospitalization. This lack of a diagnosis was indicated by patients not having received education about diabetes while hospitalized or not being discharged with a diabetes medication.
 
If a physician checked the HbA1c for a patient with an acute MI as part of routine clinical care, however, the likelihood that the patient would be diagnosed with diabetes was increased 18-fold, a highly statistically significant finding, Dr. Arnold said.
 
 

Low Back Pain with Prolonged Standing?

 

05/01/2014 Graph

 

 

Professional at Work

I’d hire this guy.
 
 

Fun Stuff

This is an amazing. Take a look and watch it in full screen with the music turned up.

Video

 

  Copyright © 2013 Reef Chiropractic Care. All Rights Reserved.

2014 – March Newsletter

Posted on: March 4th, 2014

Reef Chiropractic Care            

Dr. Brian C. Baker

203.259.4939

 

To view an online version of this please click here             

 

Please like us on Facebook  

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 Exercise

 Medication and Fractures

 Sleep and Obesity
 11 Charts

  Mr. Peabody

 

 

INTERESTING LINKS

 

Reefchirocare

 

Deflame

 

CTChiro

 

The Paleo Diet

 

Food Politics

 

ChiroVoice

 

 

 

 

 

EMAIL THIS TO A FRIEND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2014

 

I’m sure you’re as ready as I am for some semblance of spring to show up soon.  One sure sign that we’re heading into warmer weather is that daylight savings time will end this Saturday night. Remember to SPRING forward one hour and then bask in that extra hour of daylight. So warm!

 

By the way, due for a tune up?   Use this opportunity to call or go to our website to request an appointment.  Shane is awaiting your phone call.

 

 

 
Whenever there is a disruption in the normal movement or position of the vertebrae in your spine, with time it will result in inflammation and pain. Spinal adjustments serve to re-establish normal vertebral motion and position in the spine
 
 
EXERCISE, PRESCRIBED: Cheating the Reaper
For patients with high blood pressure, doctors are likely to prescribe anti-hypertensive medication and provide detailed instructions about how much to take, and when. They have been less able to provide detailed dosage recommendations for exercise. Research shows that a regular walking, swimming, or tennis habit reduces chronic disease risk, but it’s been unclear just how much different levels of exercise might extend our lives. Now, a study coauthored by epidemiologist I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, offers specific exercise prescriptions.
 
Lee and her colleagues pooled data from six large studies that included information on the leisure activities and body mass index of more than 650,000 people older than 40, each of whom was followed for an average of 10 years. The researchers’ analysis revealed that subjects who completed the equivalent of 75 minutes of brisk walking each week—roughly 11 minutes a day—lived 1.8 years longer than those who didn’t exercise at all. Those who got the federally recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week—22 minutes every day, or 30 minutes a day, five days a week—gained 3.4 years. Full Story
 
 

More Medication Increases Hip Fracture Risk

The Facts:
a. Hip fracture is an important public health issue.
b. Researchers looked at the insurance claims of 2328 elderly patients in Taiwan who had previously suffered a hip fracture.
c. They sought to see if hip fractures in this group were related to taking more medications.
d. They knew that polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications) had been previously shown to be a risk factor for falling in elderly individuals and that 73 to 90% of hip fractures were the result of a fall in elderly individuals.
e. The odds ratio for hip fracture was found to increase with both the number of medications used on a daily basis and age.
f.  Analysis was used to account for the effect of gender and age and the authors concluded that “hip fracture risk in older people increases with the number of medications used, especially in women.”
 
Take Home:
With increasing medication intake elderly people have a greater risk of the serious problem of hip fracture.
 
We are all affected by the passing of the years. We know that we need to make an effort to eat correctly and exercise appropriately but as we get older that becomes harder. As more and more conditions afflict the elderly they tend to take more medication. But as everyone knows, medications come with the risk of side effects. Here is just one unintended consequence of multiple medications. Pubmed
 

 

 

 

Lack of Sleep Linked to Obesity
Can lack of sleep make you fat? A new paper which reviews the evidence from sleep restriction studies reveals that inadequate sleep is linked to obesity. The research, published in a special issue of the The American Journal of Human Biology, explores how lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure. Article
 
 

 

These 11 Charts Show What’s Wrong With the Modern Diet

The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before. Everywhere modern processed foods go, chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease soon follow.
 
Here are 11 graphs that show everything that is wrong with the modern diet.

 
 

 

Mr. Peabody Miracle Worker

Video

 

 

 

 

  Copyright © 2013 Reef Chiropractic Care. All Rights Reserved.

2014 – February Newsletter

Posted on: February 2nd, 2014

Reef Chiropractic Care            

Dr. Brian C. Baker

203.259.4939

 

To view an online version of this please click here             

 

Please like us on Facebook  

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 Cervical Disc Herniation

 Pain Interventions to Avoid

 Obesity and Discs
 Sugar and the Brain

 Muscle Pain Relief

 Brief History of Medicine

 Healthcare Technology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


INTERESTING LINKS

 

Reefchirocare

 

Deflame

 

CTChiro

 

The Paleo Diet

 

Food Politics

 

ChiroVoice

 

 

 

 

 

EMAIL THIS TO A FRIEND

 

 

 

 

 

February 2014

 

Snow and more snow!   Be careful driving and shoveling. Contrary to what you might think, chiropractors do not wish for snow, and its not great for business.  Be safe.

 

Looking for something fun and meaningful?  How about becoming active in the community?  I’ve been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Fairfield since moving here in 1987.  It started as a way for me to become known in town and help establish my practice. What I found was an opportunity to get involved with community fundraising and volunteerism and at the same time work and socialize with some great men and women.  Needless to say I’ve remained a member.

 

For 2014, Fairfield Kiwanis is looking to increase their membership. If you’re working (or retired) or living in town and are interested in becoming involved with a terrific international organization like Kiwanis, I’d like to invite you, as my guest, to one of our weekly lunch meetings.  Need to learn more about Kiwanis and what we do?  Simply respond to this newsletter or give me a call.  I’d love to tell you more! 

 

By the way, due for a tune up?   Use this opportunity to call or go to our website to request an appointment.  Shane is awaiting your phone call.

 

 

 

Cervical Disc Herniation Eased by Chiropractic

New research shows the chiropractic can produce clinically significant reductions in pain for patients with cervical disc herniation.
 
Often patients with neck pain experience tingling, numbness, and pain emanating from their neck down the arm. These symptoms are characteristic of cervical radiculopathy or radicular pain. Cervical radiculopathy results from compression of the nerve root in the cervical spine (the part of the spine in your neck), and can cause pain to travel down the nerve pathway in the arm.
 
Disc herniation is the second most common causes of cervical radiculopathy. Unfortunately, few medical studies have analyzed the effectiveness of conservative treatments for cervical disc herniation. A team of Swiss researchers sought to fill that gap in knowledge by observing the effects of chiropractic care on patients with disc herniation in a new study.
 
The study included 50 patients with cervical disc herniation confirmed on MRI scans and orthopedic tests. The patients were treated by chiropractors who used spinal adjustments applied directly to the affected area observed on the MRI scans. After two weeks of treatment more than half of patients had significantly improved. By the three month mark, 85.7% of patients had significant improvements in pain and disability. Additionally, none of the patients experienced adverse effects as result of treatment.
 
Patients with acute pain at the start of the study (with symptoms lasting under 4 weeks) had a greater chance of recovery compared to patients with subacute/chronic pain. However, the majority of patients with of subacute/chronic pain patients (76.5%) still experienced significant improvements.
 
“This is clinically important as the chronic patients are the ones who are usually the most costly in terms of health care cause and quality-of-life disruption,” the researchers wrote.
 
These findings add to earlier research demonstrating the efficacy of chiropractic care for lumbar disc herniation and radiculopathy.  Research

 

 

Top Five Pain Interventions to Avoid

In the latest response to the call from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation for recommendations on the most overused interventions, the American Society of Anesthesiologists has issued its list of top 5 tests and therapies that are of questionable usefulness in the field of pain medicine.
 
Of the top five interventions that doctors were advised to avoid, I’d like to highlight two of them:
 
1. In treating chronic non-cancer pain, consider multimodal therapy, including non-drug treatments, such as behavioral and physical therapies, before pharmacologic intervention. If drug therapy appears indicated, try non-opioid medication, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or anticonvulsants, before starting opioids.
 
2.  Avoid imaging tests, such as MRI, CT, or x-ray, for acute low back pain without specific indications. Avoid these interventions for low back pain in the first 6 weeks after pain begins if there are no specific clinical indications (eg, history of cancer with potential metastases, known aortic aneurysm, progressive neurologic deficit). Most low back pain doesn’t require imaging, and performing such tests may reveal incidental findings that divert attention and increase the risk of having unhelpful surgery.
 
 ASA’s Committee on Pain Medicine
 
 

 

 

Abdominal Obesity and Disc Degeneration

Conventional wisdom leads most to assume low back pain is due to obesity.  This study tried to determine whether there is an association between obesity and the incidence of lumbar disc degeneration in early adulthood.  The researchers looked at MRIs of 325 females and 233 males with an average age of around 21 years old.  They took measurements of obesity, like waist circumference, abdominal diameter, subcutaneous fat thickness and then looked at the incidence of disc degeneration.

 

Conclusion: They found a total of 155 (48%) females and 147 (63%) males  with disc degeneration.  After analysis, measures of abdominal obesity in MRI and waist circumference were associated with disc degeneration among the 21-year-old males, however there was no association found with females.

 

What I find most interesting, is the number of 21 year olds with disc degeneration!

 

 

How sugar affects the brain 
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine — an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation. Video
 

 

Spinal Adjustments Relieve Muscle Pain Instantly

Chiropractic adjustments can provide immediate relief for people with chronic muscle pain, according to new research.
 
Chronic muscle pain, also known as myofascial pain syndrome, affects an estimated 25% of the general population, and 85% of middle-aged people. Myofascial pain can be caused by an injury to muscle fibers, repetitive motions, or a lack of activity. Frequently patients have specific trigger points, or hyper-irritable spots of pain.
 
In a new study, 36 patients with myofascial pain were treated with either chiropractic spinal adjustments or a sham treatment. The researchers measured patients’ pressure pain threshold, or their ability to withstand pain at trigger points. Having a lower pressure pain threshold indicates more pain sensitivity and tenderness.
 
Immediately after receiving spinal adjustments, chiropractic patients had significantly improved pressure pain thresholds and reduced sensitivity compared to the control group.
 
This adds to earlier research showing that chiropractic is a safe, effective way to reduce chronic pain. If you suffer from ongoing muscle pain, chiropractic can help.
 
 

A Brief History Of Medicine

2000 B.C. — Here, eat this root.
 
1000 A.D. — That root is heathen. Say this prayer.
 
1850 A.D. — That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion.
 
1940 A.D. — That potion is snake oil. Swallow this pill.
 
1985 A.D. — That pill is ineffective. Take this antibiotic.
 
2008 A.D. — That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.
 
 

Healthcare Technology

 

 

  Copyright © 2013 Reef Chiropractic Care. All Rights Reserved.