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INTRODUCTION
*HEALTH NEWS - The latest news in health
*FEATURE ARTICLE - Teenaged girls,
carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures
*HEALTH RESEARCH - Current research you
should be aware of
*HOW TO CONTACT US
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the second issue of Health-E-Newsletter, a
weekly newsletter for those interested in a wide variety of up-to-date
health news. Our mission is to provide informative, useful, and
current health news for the betterment of our community. This
information was found online and in peer-reviewed health and medical
journals and is not intended to be a replacement for professional health
care. Please forward this to friends, family, discussion groups and
others so that they may benefit as well. If you have questions,
comments, suggestions for future articles, or to subscribe/unsubscribe,
please let us know at:
Essence of Wellness
Yours in health,
Dean L. Smith, D.C., M.Sc.
Jane Palmer Smith, D.C.
We look forward to serving you.
HEALTH NEWS
"There is no proof that Ontario's $38-million
universal flu vaccine program has had any impact in limiting the spread of
the illness, a leading epidemiologist says." From:
Healthmall.com and Canadian
Medical Association Journal
"Simply washing for 15 seconds with warm water and
soap can drastically reduce the spread of disease. You don't have to use
the fancy antibacterial products either. The idea is not to kill the
microbes but to get them off your hands. The use and overuse of
antimicrobial soaps, lotions, and sprays may backfire and lead to more
resistant organisms. Most infectious agents are spread through hand to
hand contact; handwashing practices learned early can protect patients as
well as the health care provider." From: Chiroviewpresents.com
and Martha Friesen, PhD
"In recent years there have been several articles
relating cervical spine dysfunction to various vestibulocochlear problems
(1-5). I will very briefly mention 3 of these articles followed by a short
commentary and appropriate references." From: Chiroviewpresents and
Dean L. Smith, D.C., M.Sc.
According to an article posted by ABC News, the FDA has
warned Americans to quit using dozens of over-the-counter drugs that
include phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which has been linked to an increased
risk of hemorrhagic strokes. Major drug stores across the United States
including Rite Aid, CVS & Walgreen, began pulling dozens of
over-the-counter drugs and diet pills off of their shelves due to the
government warning, according to reports.
It would seem as though the whole world knows the story of
Lance Armstrong. An American dream, Lance came back from a battle with
cancer to win the Tour de France. Now he has won it again, a confirmation
that he can indeed beat all challengers. In the words of Lance Armstrong:
"They say that once you win the tour de France, you've done it all in
cycling. If I thought that way, I never would have won it for a second
time." "Some believe that if they could win the tour,
they'd by happy. I've got a lot more to be happy about than that. Kristin.
Luke. My health."
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FEATURE ARTICLE
By: Dean L. Smith, D.C., M.Sc.
Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption, and
bone fractures
Osteoporosis affects 25 to 30 million American adults and
fractures related to osteoporosis cost our health care system over $13
billion per year. A major factor in future fracture risk is the amount of
bone present at skeletal maturity (peak bone mass). The best strategies
for preventing osteoporosis are to build strong bones early in life, and
then reduce bone loss in later years. Peak bone mass is achieved during
late pubertal development and roughly 40% to 60% of peak bone mass is
gained during adolescence. Therefore, adolescence is a crucial time for
bone development, and any factors that negatively impact on bone
production during these years may have potentially long-term harmful
consequences.
A recent cross-sectional retrospective study in the journal
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (1), studied 460 9th
and 10th grade girls who completed a questionnaire relating to
physical activities and personal and behavioral practices. The girls’
self-reports on physical activity, carbonated beverages and bone fractures
were assessed. It should be noted that no causation can be assumed due to
this type of study, however the results are profound and add to the
growing body of literature, showing an association between soda
consumption and increased fracture risk.
Results indicated that "in the total sample,
carbonated beverage consumption and bone fractures are associated"
and "among physically active girls, the cola beverages, in
particular, are highly associated with bone fractures." It was found
that nearly 80% drink carbonated beverages with nearly two-thirds
consuming cola drinks. The author noted: The Center for Science in the
Public Interest, in a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, urged a study on the health impact of soda pop be commissioned,
because "teens drink breathtaking quantities of soda."
"National concern and alarm about the health impact of
carbonated beverage consumption on teenaged girls is supported by the
findings of this study. The results have policy implications for improving
the dietary practices and health of children." The author also
suggests that in addition to research, there needs to be health and social
policies to promote better behavioral practices, including diet among all
women.
Why might there be an association between soda consumption
and bone fractures? One possibility is that high phosphorus concentration
in cola beverages can cause bone loss. Another possibility is that those
who drink large amounts of soda also consume less calcium containing
products (i.e. dairy). It is clear that teenagers today consume diets high
in phosphorus and low in calcium and this combination can negatively
impact peak bone mass.
Do you know people who regularly consume carbonated
beverages and in particular cola beverages? I guess this is a silly
question since 80% of the students in this study consume carbonated
beverages. Of course you do, nevertheless, our community will only benefit
by becoming aware of potential risks such as that reported here.
1. Wyshak G. Teenaged Girls, Carbonated Beverage
Consumption, and Bone Fractures. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.
2000;154:610-613.
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HEALTH RESEARCH
This study shows strong associations between patterns of
HRT use and changes in breast density. Our findings suggest that in some
women, HRT increases breast density but these increases are potentially
reversible with cessation of HRT. This result has important implications
for breast cancer screening. Increased density adversely affects the
accuracy of screening mammography and is a strong, if not the strongest,
risk factor for cancer missed at screening.6
(Get the full text of this article by clicking on the link above)
A central assumption behind psychiatric diagnoses is that a
disease has an objective existence in the world, whether discovered or
not, and exists independently of the gaze of psychiatrists or
anyone else. In other words, neolithic people had post-traumatic stress
disorder as have people in all epochs since. However, the story
of post-traumatic stress disorder is a telling example of the
role of society and politics in the process of invention rather than
discovery.
In this study of pharmacologically treated hypertensive
patients, antihypertensive drug regimens that did not include a thiazide
diuretic were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke
compared with regimens that did include a thiazide.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Essence of Wellness Chiropractic Center
Dean Smith, D.C., M.Sc.
Jane Palmer Smith, D.C.
890 South Barron St.
Eaton, Ohio 45320
(937) 456-4555
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