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 By John in Nutrition on January 13th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Source Cochrane Summaries
Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases
Bjelakovic G, Nikolova D, Gluud LL, Simonetti RG, Gluud C
Previous research on animal and physiological models suggests that antioxidant supplements have beneficial effects that may prolong life. Some observational studies also suggest that antioxidant supplements may prolong life, whereas other observational studies demonstrate neutral or harmful effects. Our Cochrane review from 2008 demonstrated that antioxidant supplements seem to increase mortality. This review is now updated.
The present systematic review included 78 randomised clinical trials. In total, 296,707 participants were randomised to antioxidant supplements (beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium) versus placebo or no intervention. Twenty-six trials included 215,900 healthy participants. Fifty-two trials included 80,807 participants with various diseases in a stable phase (including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, ocular, dermatological, rheumatoid, renal, endocrinological, or unspecified diseases). A total of 21,484 of 183,749 participants (11.7%) randomised to antioxidant supplements and 11,479 of 112,958 participants (10.2%) randomised to placebo or no intervention died. The trials appeared to have enough statistical similarity that they could be combined. When all of the trials were combined, antioxidants may or may not have increased mortality depending on which statistical combination method was employed; the analysis that is typically used when similarity is present demonstrated that antioxidant use did slightly increase mortality (that is, the patients consuming the antioxidants were 1.03 times as likely to die as were the controls). When analyses were done to identify factors that were associated with this finding, the two factors identified were better methodology to prevent bias from being a factor in the trial (trials with ‘low risk of bias’) and the use of vitamin A. In fact, when the trials with low risks of bias were considered separately, the increased mortality was even more pronounced (1.04 times as likely to die as were the controls). The potential damage from vitamin A disappeared when only the low risks of bias trials were considered. The increased risk of mortality was associated with beta-carotene and possibly vitamin E and vitamin A, but was not associated with the use of vitamin C or selenium. The current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general population or in patients with various diseases.
Authors’ conclusions:
We found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Beta-carotene and vitamin E seem to increase mortality, and so may higher doses of vitamin A. Antioxidant supplements need to be considered as medicinal products and should undergo sufficient evaluation before marketing.
Abstract included here.
By John in Nutrition on December 30th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Source Science Daily
Animals with persistently lower insulin stay trim even as they indulge themselves on a high-fat, all-you-can-eat buffet.
When we eat too much, obesity may develop as a result of chronically high insulin levels, not the other way around. That’s according to new evidence in mice reported in the December 4th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, which challenges the widespread view that rising insulin is a secondary consequence of obesity and insulin resistance.
The new study helps to solve this chicken-or-the-egg dilemma by showing that animals with persistently lower insulin stay trim even as they indulge themselves on a high-fat, all-you-can-eat buffet. The findings come as some of the first direct evidence in mammals that circulating insulin itself drives obesity, the researchers say.
The results are also consistent with clinical studies showing that long-term insulin use by people with diabetes tends to come with weight gain, says James Johnson of the University of British Columbia.
“We are very inclined to think of insulin as either good or bad, but it’s neither,” Johnson said. “This doesn’t mean anyone should stop taking insulin; there are nuances and ranges at which insulin levels are optimal.”
Continue reading …
A Basic Rehabilitative Template
The Chiro.Org Blog
Clinical Monograph 1
By R. C. Schafer, DC, PhD, FICC
INTRODUCTION
Injuries can be classified into 13 types: abrasions, contusions, strains, ruptures, sprains, subluxations, dislocations, fractures, incisions, lacerations, penetrations, perforations, and punctures. This paper will not detail the management of burns or injuries requiring referral for operative correction, suturing, or restricted chemotherapy.
Objectives
Except for the most minor injuries, traumatized neuromusculoskeletal tissues are benefited by alert restorative procedures. The more serious the injury, the more prolonged is and the greater the need for professionally guided rehabilitation. The first step in rehabilitation is to explain to the patient that rehabilitation is just as important as the initial care of the injury. The goal is not only to restore the injured part to normal activity or as near normal as possible in the shortest possible time but also to prevent posttraumatic deterioration. It is an individualized process that requires patient dedication. The author recognizes that it is easier to write about comprehensive planning than to motivate some patients to follow prescriptions after pain has subsided.
You may also enjoy our page on:
Chiropractic Rehabilitation
Most authorities would agree with Harrelson when he lists the goals of rehabilitation as:
- decreased pain;
- decreased inflammatory response to trauma;
- return of full pain-free active joint ROM;
- decreased effusion;
- return of muscle strength, power, and endurance; and
- regain of full asymptomatic functional activities at the preinjury level (or better).
Continue reading …
By John in Nutrition on January 6th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Source NY Times
Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E are associated with better mental functioning in the elderly, a new study has found.
Researchers measured blood levels of these nutrients in 104 men and women, whose average age was 87. The scientists also performed brain scans to determine brain volume and administered six commonly used tests of mental functioning. The study is in the Jan. 24 issue of Neurology.
After controlling for age, sex, blood pressure, body mass index and other factors, the researchers found that people with the highest blood levels of the four vitamins scored higher on the cognitive tests and had larger brain volume than those with the lowest levels.
Omega-3 levels were linked to better cognitive functioning and to healthier blood vessels in the brain, but not to higher brain volume, which suggests that these beneficial fats may improve cognition by a different means.
Higher blood levels of trans fats, on the other hand, were significantly associated with impaired mental ability and smaller brain volume.
The lead author, Gene L. Bowman, a researcher in neurology at Oregon Health and Science University, said that the study could not determine whether taking supplements of these nutrients would decrease the risk for dementia. But he added: “What’s the harm in eating healthier? Fish, fruits, vegetables all have these nutrients, and staying away from trans fats is one key thing you can do.”
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Diagnosis on November 13th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
General Factors Involved in Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
The Chiro.Org Blog
We would all like to thank Dr. Richard C. Schafer, DC, PhD, FICC for his lifetime commitment to the profession. In the future we will continue to add materials from RC’s copyrighted books for your use.
This is the Appendix from RC’s best-selling book:
“Symptomatology and Differential Diagnosis”
These materials are provided as a service to our profession. There is no charge for individuals to copy and file these materials. However, they cannot be sold or used in any group or commercial venture without written permission from ACAPress.
General Factors Involved in Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
Several general factors are involved in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, abnormal loss and utilization or subnormal absorption, intake, storage, or transport, singularly or in combination, may readily lead to symptoms of nutritional deficiency.
See Table A.1.
You may also find value reviewing the:
Nutrient–Drug Depletion Charts
Agents Contributing to Vitamin, Mineral, and Other Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms
Drugs and nutrients often have adverse interactions. Drugs usually interfere with normal cellular nutrition by:
(1) depressing the central appetite center,
(2) decreasing normal blood levels (eg, excessive excretion),
(3) interfering with the nutrient’s storage or metabolism,
(4) developing a chemical antagonism (eg, inactivate),
(5) increasing the action of ingested antivitamins or antiminerals, or
(6) destroying intestinal bacteria necessary to synthesize the nutrient.
See Tables A.2, A.3, and A.4.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on October 31st, 2011 at 10:35 am
Why You Should Not Stop Taking Your Vitamins
The Chiro.Org Blog
SOURCE: The Huffington Post ~ 10-20-2011
By Mark Hyman, M.D.
Do vitamins kill people?
How many people have died from taking vitamins?
Should you stop taking your vitamins?
It depends. To be exact, it depends on the quality of the science, and the very nature of scientific research. It is very hard to know things exactly through science. The waste bin of science is full of fallen heroes like Premarin, Vioxx and Avandia (which alone was responsible for 47,000 excess cardiac deaths since it was introduced in 1999).
That brings us to the latest apparent casualty, vitamins. The recent media hype around vitamins is a classic case of drawing the wrong conclusions from good science.
Remember how doctors thought that hormone replacement therapy was the best thing since sliced bread and recommended it to every single post-menopausal woman? These recommendations were predicated on studies that found a correlation between using hormones and reduced risk of heart attacks. But correlation does not prove cause and effect. It wasn’t until we had controlled experiments like the Women’s Health Initiative that we learned Premarin (hormone replacement therapy) was killing women, not saving them.
A new study “proving” that vitamins kill people is hitting front pages and news broadcasts across the country. This study does not prove anything.
This latest study from the Archives of Internal Medicine of 38,772 women found that “several commonly used dietary vitamin and mineral supplements may be associated with increased total mortality”. The greatest risk was from taking iron after menopause (which no doctor would ever recommend in a non-menstruating human without anemia).
Continue reading …
By Brett Kinsler in Nutrition on April 30th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
 Is inflammation a good thing or a bad thing? Sometimes, the fact that the body gets inflamed is beneficial – swelling caused by acute inflammation following an injury can help promote healing and fight local infection. It’s an appropriate immune response. But another kind of inflammation, a chronic sort, can occur throughout the body, and over long periods of time may actually increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Chronic inflammation is kind of a glitch in the system — a feedback loop gone awry. How do you test for the presence of this chronic inflammation and, if it is present, what should we do about it? Dr. Brett Kinsler presents a new podcast episode of On The Other Hand, in which we hear from Dr. David Seaman, chiropractor, professor at National University of Health Sciences in St Petersburg Fl. and the producer of the website Deflame.com. He’s an expert in the connection between nutrition and chronic inflammation.
Podcast can be found on iTunes or at OnTheOtherHand.KinslerPress.com
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on February 17th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Essential Fatty Acids Eases Premenstrual Syndrome
The Chiro.Org Blog
SOURCE: NHI OnDemand
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the journal Reproductive Health evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a supplement containing essential fatty acids and vitamins for the treatment of PMS and to assess effectiveness on prolactin and total cholesterol levels.
The researchers recruited 120 women with PMS and were divided into 3 groups that received either 1 or 2 grams of the supplement or placebo for six months using the Prospective Record of the Impact and Severity of Menstruation (PRISM) calendar. The actual dosage per one-gram serving included 210 mg of gamma linolenic acid, 175 mg of oleic acid, 345 mg of linoleic acid, 250 mg of other polyunsaturated acids, and 20 mg of vitamin E.
The results were the group treated with 2 grams of supplement experienced the most significant reduction in the PRISM score the next significant reduction was in the group taking 1 gram of supplement. The placebo group experienced the least reduction in PRISM score. There were no statistically significant differences in prolactin or total cholesterol levels after six months of treatment.
Continue reading …
By Steve Vaitl in Nutrition on February 6th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Randomized trials have suggested that folic acid may not have any beneficial effects for preventing heart attacks especially a second episodes. However in a meta-analysis published Wednesday (2/2/11) Wald,et. al. suggest that previous studies have failed to account for the use of aspirin by study participants. The authors suggest folic acid could be a part of a preventative measure to reduce first attacks but not second due to the use of aspirin by those suffering from a previous attack.
The study was published online as part of the PLoS site, an open access peer reviewed site. You can download the study in its entirety here;
Wald DS, Morris JK, Wald NJ (2011) Reconciling the Evidence on Serum Homocysteine and Ischaemic Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16473. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016473
By John in Nutrition on November 30th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Guidelines Call for Increase in Vitamin D
The Chiro.Org Blog
Source: WebMD
New guidelines for vitamin D call for increasing the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D to 600 international units (IU) for everyone aged 1-70, and raising it to 800 IU for adults older than 70 to optimize bone health.
The guidelines, released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), also raised daily calcium RDAs. The new guidelines call for a recommended dietary allowance of 700 milligrams of calcium per day for children aged 1 through 3, 1,000 milligrams daily for almost all children aged 4 through 8, 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day for adolescents aged 9 through 18, and 1,000 milligrams for all adults aged 19 through 50 and men until age 71. Women starting at age 51 and men and women aged 71 and older need 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on August 19th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
The Nutrition Page
The Chiro.Org Blog
The Nutrition Page provides non-solicitous nutrition information, including articles and research abstracts supporting the benefits of vitamins, minerals and herbals for the restoration and maintenance of health. The Nutrition Section is divided into several convenient sections.
The Supplements Section contains 38 sub-sections covering nutrients from Acidophilus Pre/Probiotics to all the vitamins and minerals. If you happen to be using any prescription drugs then the Nutrient Depletion Charts will show you which nutrients a particular drug depletes from your body.
Continue reading …
By Steve Vaitl in Health on April 6th, 2010 at 9:32 am
 osteoarthritic menisci and meniscal cell culture The results of a study published online on March 30th 2010 could very well present a treatment dilemma in OA patients with concomitant osteoporosis.
How to insure target tissue specific outcome for Ca++ supplementation therapy in these type of patients? I certainly am no expert when it comes to supplements, are there any other supplements that could be coupled with the Ca++ in order to at least maximize osseous uptake while also decreasing cartilaginous uptake?
Abstract is available here which includes a link to the complete article as a provisional PDF.
.
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on March 31st, 2010 at 10:43 am
Thanks to ChiroAccess for access to these materials!
The evidence supporting the antihypertensive effects of cocoa has been building over the last few years, and a January 2010 systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials, comprising 297 individuals confirms the BP-lowering capacity of flavanol-rich cocoa products. [1] The high level of flavanols found in the cocoa plant is believed to be responsible for the lowering of blood pressure.
Another study, published this month (March 2010) compared a lower (6g/day) with higher dose (25g/day) of dark chocolate, and the results suggest that, although chocolate may lower blood pressure, there was no added benefit to taking higher doses. The 25g per day group experienced slight increases in body weight with no additional improvements in BP. [2]
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on January 12th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
A new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry revealed a direct correlation between diet and depression. Most earlier studies on diet and depression focused primarily on individual nutrients rather than on overall diet. That’s what makes this new study so interesting.
These researchers defined 2 primary dietary patterns: “whole food oriented” (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish) and “processed foods oriented” (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products).
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on December 29th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
JAMA Recognizes Soy Food Intake and Breast Cancer Survival
The Chiro.Org Blog
Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. To evaluate the association of soy food intake after diagnosis of breast cancer, with total mortality and cancer recurrence, 5033 surgically treated breast cancer patients were tracked for more than 3 years.
Soy food intake, as measured by either soy protein or soy isoflavone intake, was found to be inversely associated with mortality and recurrence. The researchers concluded that soy food consumption is significantly associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence of breast cancer.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Education on November 28th, 2009 at 11:52 am
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has struck a deal with Coca-Cola to sponsor its consumer-focused website, familydoctor.org
Amusingly enough, the AAFP’s Consumer Alliance is a program that allows corporate partners like The Coca-Cola Company to work with them to educate consumers about the role their products can play in a healthy, active lifestyle. Isn’t that amazing?
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Education on November 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Do You Recommend Supplementation In Your Practice?
The Chiro.Org Blog
If you do, or wish you knew more, we have a variety of nutrition resources that you may find useful:
By Steve Vaitl in Books on September 20th, 2009 at 7:15 am
The following is taken from TheScientist.com’s Blog entry from Friday (09/18/2009) Posted by Margaret Guthrie:
“The book presents detailed nutritional information on food plants, including insight into hybridization and genetic modification, such as genetic engineering to reduce cell-wall softening in tomatoes, one of the world’s most popular “vegetables.” …… Details of vegetative components are given, along with analysis of “other biologically active substances” like antioxidants, flavonoids and tannins.
Not given over entirely to facts, charts and tables, The New Oxford Book of Food Plants also contains quirky passages that entertain as they illuminate. For example, nestled into the entry for spinach: “[Spinach] was reputed to have very high content of iron but this is a myth due to the incorrect placing of a decimal point in the calculations of Dr. von Wolf at the end of the nineteenth century, although recalculated in the 1930s.”
All in all, The New Oxford Book of Food Plants is an essential and engaging reference for everyone from casual readers and curious cooks to nutritionists and food writers. The book is due in bookstores on September 25.
The New Oxford Book of Food Plants, 2nd Edition, by J.G. Vaughan and C.A. Geissler, Oxford University Press USA, 2009. 288 pp. ISBN: 978-0-199-54946-7. $39.95.”
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on September 8th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Let’s Talk Supplements: Part II
The Chiro.Org Blog
In the last year there has been a disappointing series of nutritional studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA was rabidly opposed to supplementation until 2002, when they finally published an excellent article that proposed that taking supplements could reduce the risk of chronic disease. [1] That article was right on the money. This recent group of articles challenges those findings, but you will soon find that they were all seriously flawed. Let’s review these clinical trials, and consider how asking the wrong question can yield the wrong answers, and how that process generates negative bias against supplementation. The first study we will discuss is the:
Physicians’ Health Study II
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on September 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 am
Let’s Talk Supplementation
The Chiro.Org Blog
The debate over using supplements vs. getting “all you need from your diet” has raged on for years. Competent medical professionals are actually telling people that they get everything they need from their diet. Seriously?
What exactly is the “minimum daily requirement” of vitamins? A quick review of the Food Guide Pyramid should make certain things clear:
1. Those recommended food servings (and it’s a LOT) only provides the MINIMUM vitamins required to avoid getting a vitamin dedficiency disease. WOW, great news. It is NOT enough for a growing child, pregnant woman, or ANYONE who is sick.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Nutrition on July 22nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Editorial Commentary:
In the last few months there has been a disappointing series of nutritional studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA was rabidly opposed to supplementation until 2002, when they published an excellent article that proposed that taking supplements could reduce the risk of chronic disease. [1] That article was right on the money. This recent group of articles challenges those findings, but you will soon find that they were all seriously flawed. Let’s review these clinical trials, and consider how asking the wrong question can yield the wrong answers, and how that process generates negative bias against supplementation.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Education on June 24th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Nutritional Consulting
The Chiro.Org Blog
Do you make nutritional recommendations as part of your Care Plan? Do you recommend supplements? Do you carry supplements in your office?
Many chiropractic schools only provide a 3-credit class in nutrition, so students have to continue to study on their own to develop confidence in offering recommendations.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in ADHD on June 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
A new study just revealed that stimulant medications, specifically methylphenidate, are associated with a 6- to 7-times increased risk for sudden death in children and adolescents. UGH!
What does the FDA say about that? “Given the limitation of this study’s methodology, the FDA is unable to conclude that these data affect the overall risk and benefit profile of stimulant medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity.”
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in Education on June 19th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
The Women’s Health Page contains a wealth of articles addressing fertility and menopausal issues.
It also links to the ADD/ADHD Page. This page discusses conservative management protocols, including chiropractic care and nutritional management.
Continue reading …
By Frank M. Painter, D.C. in News on May 27th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Our Pediatrics Section contains a wide variety of materials pertaining to children’s health.
The Kids Need Chiropractic, Too! page contains many articles by the profession’s foremost pediatric specialists.
Continue reading …
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