Statin Myopathy: A Common Cause of Chronic Pain

By James J. Lehman, DC

 

 

Statin myopathy is a common dilemma that causes persistent myalgia(1) and chronic pain. Chiropractic physicians should be prepared to evaluate patients with these conditions. This article describes statin myopathy and its differential diagnosis.

While primary care physicians and chiropractic physicians treat more than 90 percent of chronic pain patients in the United States,(2) the treatment approaches vary considerably. Primary care providers, such as allopathic and osteopathic physicians, advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants often focus on pharmacological therapeutics, including the use of opioids. Chiropractic physicians focus on nonpharmacological therapeutics to relieve pain due to neuromusculoskeletal conditions, which as of January 2015 are included in the standard of care promulgated by the Joint Commission.(3) As a member of the medical staff for a federally qualified health center, credentialed as a patient-centered medical home, I appreciate the Joint Commission’s new standards. There is a need to revolutionize the treatment of chronic pain in America,(4) and nonpharmacological therapeutics, including chiropractic and acupuncture interventions, are reasonable solutions.

The Community Health Center Inc. of Middletown, Conn. has integrated chiropractic services into nine primary care sites. Chiropractic specialists and chiropractic residents (e.g., nonsurgical orthopedics and neuromusculoskeletal medicine) evaluate and manage chronic pain patients as members of the primary care team. As one of the chiropractic specialists, I have encountered chronic pain patients who do not respond favorably to pharmacological care offered by primary care providers or the nonpharmacological chiropractic treatment. Often these non-responsive patients are taking statins to prevent heart attacks and death.(5) So now I consider statin myopathy as a possible cause of chronic pain. Since my training and scope of practice do not include pharmacological therapeutics, I do not alter the patient’s medications, but as an evidence-based and patient-centered provider, I have a responsibility to the patient and the primary care provider to communicate my diagnosis. Because I’m a member of the medical staff with full access to the electronic health care record, I am able to efficiently communicate my concerns to the prescribing primary care provider.

Since the majority of chiropractic physicians practice as solo practitioners or as associates in chiropractic practices,(6) they face a conundrum when a chronic pain patient presents with the symptoms of statin myopathy. It is common for prescribing physicians to deny drug toxicity and the symptoms of statin myopathy.(7) Although a doctor of chiropractic (DC) is capable of performing focused history and neuromusculoskeletal examination, which is essential when evaluating muscle complaints that may be induced by statins, the diagnosis is complicated for the chiropractic physician because the process usually involves a change in the statin prescription or a “statin holiday,” which is not within the chiropractic scope of practice. However, a DC does have the ability to contact the patient’s medical provider to discuss the statin and work with that provider on behalf of the patient.

Statin Therapy Guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2010 that 32 million Americans take statin medications. 50 percent of men between 65 and 75 years of age and 39 percent of women ages 75 and older were taking statins from 2005 to 2008. One in four Americans over 45 years of age take statin medications.(8) New guidelines, formulated by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, would increase the use of statins for the older population to 87 percent of men ages 60 to 75 and 54 percent of women in that age range.(9)

The new guidelines recommend statin therapy for the following groups:(10)

• People without cardiovascular disease who are 40 to 75 years old and have a 7.5 percent or higher risk for having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years.

• People with a history of a cardiovascular event (e.g., heart attack, stroke, stable or unstable angina, peripheral artery disease, transient ischemic attack, or coronary or other arterial revascularization).

• People 21 and older who have a very high level of bad cholesterol (i.e., 190 mg/dL or higher).

• People with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who are 40 to 75 years old.

Incidence of Statin Myopathy

For several reasons, controlled clinical trials underestimate the actual percentage of patients who suffer statin myopathy and suggest that muscle problems are rare.(11) Observational studies in nonselected outpatients show a higher frequency of muscle complaints in the statin groups than in the control groups. Statin myopathy frequency has been reported at 9 to 20 percent with these studies. By some estimates, statin myopathy affects 7 million of the 33 million people taking statins in the United States, or 25 percent of the cases.(12)

In spite of the following warning offered by Consumer Reports regarding the use of statin medications, it appears that prescribing physicians usually reject any possible connection of statins and symptoms supported by evidence in the literature.

If you are taking a statin and have muscle aches, pain or weakness, call your doctor right away. This could be a sign of a dangerous breakdown in the muscle tissue.

A patient-targeted survey, addressing how physicians responded when patients presented with possible adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to statin medications, demonstrated that physicians usually do not acknowledge patients’ complaints including muscle pain. 87 percent of patients reportedly spoke to their physician about the possible connection between statin use and their symptom. Patients reported that they and not the doctor most commonly initiated the discussion regarding the possible connection of drug to symptom (98% vs 2% cognition survey, 96% vs 4% neuropathy survey, 86% vs 14% muscle survey; p < 10−8 for each). Physicians were reportedly more likely to deny than affirm the possibility of a connection. Rejection of a possible connection was reported to occur even for symptoms with strong literature support for a drug connection, and even in patients for whom the symptom met presumptive literature-based criteria for probable or definite drug-adverse effect causality. Assuming that physicians would not likely report ADRs in these instances, these patient-submitted ADR reports suggest that targeting patients may boost the yield of ADR reporting systems.(13)

Costs

Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs lists a significant variation in costs for statin medications. In 2007, a generic statin costs as little as $12 per month or less, with brand-name statin costs escalating to more than $500 per month.(14) Normally, these medications are prescribed for long-term use, and cost is relevant for patients. Of interest is that up to 60 percent of patients discontinue use of statins within two years of the initial prescription.(15)

Key Points

A panel of four physicians, including three cardiologists and one neuroscientist, claims that statins are effective but under prescribed because of muscle toxicity concerns by physicians. The panel offers the following key points regarding statin myopathy:(16)

• There is little consensus on the definition of stat in-induced myopathy, and it is underdiagnosed.

• Abnormal pharmacokinetic activity contributes to toxicity, but some patients may be predisposed by underlying metabolic muscle disorders.

• A focused history and neuromusculoskeletal examination are important in the evaluation of muscle complaints that may be induced by statins.

• In patients with possible statin-induced myopathy, assessing the risks and benefits of statin therapy is essential.

• For patients who cannot tolerate statin therapy, alternatives include a “statin holiday” followed by a rechallenge with a different statin, intermittent rosuvastatin (Crestor) or resin therapy. Sometimes the best alternative is a compromise between the goal level for low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and the level achievable with alternative therapy.

Pharmacokinetic Activities

In 1997, Lennemas and Fager described the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and pointed out the similarities and differences. They explained the crucial role of hypercholesterolemia and the subsequent development of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis and its risks of progression with increasing levels of total serum cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

The statins are reversible inhibitors of the microsomal enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate. This is an early rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis. Inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by statins decreases intracellular cholesterol biosynthesis, which then leads to transcriptionally upregulated production of microsomal HMG-CoA reductase and cell surface LDL receptors.(17)

Adverse Effects

The FDA added a safety warning about associated cognitive impairment (e.g., memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment and confusion) and the numerous interactions with cardiovascular and other drugs that may increase the toxicity of statins.(18) there are also increased risks of raised blood sugar levels and the development of Type 2 diabetes. Some drugs interact with statins in a way that increases the risk of muscle injury (myopathy), characterized by unexplained muscle weakness and/or pain.

Statin-Associated Muscle-Related Adverse Effects

In one case series involving 354 patients (age range 34-86 years) who self-reported muscle-related problems associated with statin therapy, 93 percent of the patients reported muscle pain, 88 percent fatigue and 85 percent weakness.(19) Patients with persistent muscle pain due to statin myopathy present with symptoms of muscle weakness, soreness, tenderness, stiffness, cramping or aching, either at rest or with exercise.(20) It is common for women taking statins to experience exertional fatigue and loss of energy.(21) In my experience, many patients suffering with chronic pain present with similar nonspecific muscle symptoms. Warren Hammer, DC, claims his patients complain of nonspecific muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, joint pains, peripheral neuropathy, tendinopathy and lupus-like symptoms that may be caused by the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins).(22)

Differential Diagnosis

It is essential that specific definitions differentiate the types of statin myopathy. While myositis and rhabdomyolysis must be recognized and treated immediately, physicians have a tendency to deny a possible drug connection when a patient presents with myalgia or neuropathy.(23) The specific definitions developed by experts in the fields of cardiology, statin myopathy and drug toxicity attempt to clarify three different statin-associated musclerelated adverse effects: myalgia, myositis and rhabdomyolysis.(24)

A case report described two chiropractic patients presenting with chief concerns of neuromusculoskeletal pain complaints while taking statins. The first patient sought relief of pain in the neck, both legs and knees. The other patient presented with a chief concern of lower thoracic paraspinal pain. Both of these patients responded favorably with a statin holiday and a change in statin medications respectively.(25) The chiropractic physician did not advise the patients to discontinue their medications but referred them to their prescribing physicians.

Statin myopathy patients may present for chiropractic care complaining of chronic neuromusculoskeletal pains affecting the spine and/or extremities. Often there is no history of recent trauma. Provocative maneuvers may or may not reproduce the pains of chief concern. Conservative chiropractic treatments may provide only temporary relief or no relief of the persistent muscle or nerve pain. I suggest that whenever a patient presents with persistent muscle pain and a history of statin medications, you consider statin myopathy as a cause of the chronic pain.

Discussion

Patients suffering with musculoskeletal pain frequently present to chiropractic clinicians for evaluation and management.(27) The rising use of statins indicates that an increasing number of patients suffering with muscle pain, neurological symptoms and chronic pain due to statin toxicity will present to primary care providers and chiropractic clinicians. Hence, chiropractic physicians might be better prepared to evaluate patients with statin myopathy if the chiropractic colleges teach that to chiropractic students and graduates.

Chiropractic students, as part of their training, are taught to perform a differential diagnosis in order to determine the cause of the patient’s neuromusculoskeletal pain symptoms. The students determine the pain generator and its cause through the process of differential diagnosis, involving a focused history and physical examination. It is necessary to discuss the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of statins. The need to communicate directly with the prescribing provider and the patient is stressed to the students. I suggest that evidence-based and patient-centered care mandates that when the neuromusculoskeletal complaints are due to statin myopathy, the attending chiropractic physician should advise the patient and the prescribing provider of these clinical concerns.

I suggest that the majority of chiropractic clinicians may not recognize this drug-induced muscle pain. It would be enlightening to receive feedback from chiropractic clinicians. So, I pose the following question collectively to the readers of this manuscript: “Would you recognize a patient with statin myopathy if he or she walked into your office?” Please respond to my email: jlehman@bridgeport.edu.

Endnotes

1. Fernandez G, Spatz ES, Jablecki C, and Phillips PS. Statin myopathy: a common dilemma not reflected in clinical trials. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, Vol 78, Number 6. June 2011.

2. Blondell RD and Ashrafioun L. Treating Opioid Dependency and Coexistent Chronic Nonmalignant Pain.Am Fam Physician. 2008 Nov 15;78(10):1132-1133.

3. Revisions to pain management standard effective January 1, 2015. Standard PC.01.02.07: The [organization] assesses and manages the [patient’s] pain. Joint Commission Online. Nov. 12, 2014. Available from: www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/23/jconline_November_12_14.pdf. [See Jan/Feb ACA News, Page 8]

4. The Mayday Fund. A Call To Revolutionize Chronic Pain Care in America: An Opportunity for Health Care Reform.

5. Baigent C, Keech A, Kearney PM, et al. Efficacy and safety of cholesterol-lowering treatment: prospective meta-analysis of data from 90,056 participants in 14 randomised trials of statins. Lancet 2005; 366:1267–1278.

6. For the Good of the Patient: The Integrative Chiropractor. ACA News. Available from:www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3298.

7. Golomb BA, McGraw JJ, Evans, MA Dimsdale, JE 2007. “Physician Response to Patient Reports of Drug Adverse Effects: Implications for Patient-Targeted Adverse Effect Surveillance.” Drug Safety; 30(8): 669-675.

8. Wehrwein P. Statin use is up, cholesterol levels are down: Are Americans’ hearts benefiting? Harvard Health Blog. Available from: www.health.harvard.edu/blog/statin-use-is-upcholesterol-levels-are-down-are-americans-hearts-benefiting-201104151518.

9. 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. Volume 63, Issue 25, Practice Guideline July 2014.

10. Doctor discussion is key for cholesterol treatment. American Heart Association. Blog.heart.org. Available from: http://blog.heart.org/doctor-discussion-is-key-for-cholesterol-treatment.

11. Ganga HV, Slim HB and Thompson PD. A systematic review of statin-induced muscle problems in clinical trials. Am Heart J. 2014 Jul;168(1):6-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2014.03.019. Epub 2014 Apr 12.

12. Vladutiu GD. Genetic predisposition to statin myopathy. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2008;20-648-655.

13. Golomb BA, McGraw JJ, Evans, MA Dimsdale, JE 2007. “Physician Response to Patient Reports of Drug Adverse Effects: Implications for Patient-Targeted Adverse Effect Surveillance.” Drug Safety; 30(8): 669-675.

14. Choosing a Statin to Lower Cholesterol. Consumer Reports Health Best Buy Drugs.

15. Jackevicius CA, Mamdani M, Tu JV. Adherence of Statin Therapy in Elderly Patients with and without acute coronary syndromes. JAMA 2002;288:462-467.

16. Fernandez G, Spatz ES, Jablecki C, and Phillips PS. Statin myopathy: a common dilemma not reflected in clinical trials. Cleveland Clin J Med, Vol 78, Number 6. June 2011.

17. Lennemas H, Fager G. Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Similarities and differences. Clin Pharmacokinet. 1997 May;32(5). 403-425.

18. United States Food and Drug Administration FDA drug safety communication: important safety label changes to cholesterol- lowering statin drugs. Silver Spring (MD): The Food and Drug Administration; 2012. Available from: www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm293101.htm.

19. Cham S, Evans MA, Denenberg JO, Golumb BA. Statinassociated muscle-related adverse effects: a case series of 354 patients. Pharmacotherapy. 2010 Jun;30(6):541-53. doi: 10.1592/phco.30.6.541.

20. Linares LA, Golomb BA, Jaojoco JA, Sikand H, Phillips PS. The modern spectrum of rhabdomyolysis: drug toxicity revealed by creatine kinase screening. Curr Drug Saf. 2009 Sep;4(3):181-7. Epub 2009 Sep 1.

21. Golomb BA, Evans MA, Dimsdale JE, White HL. Effects of Statins on Energy and Fatigue With Exertion: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Intern Med/Vol 172 (NO. 15), Aug 13/27, 2012: 1180-1182

22. Hammer W. That Persistent Muscle Pain May Be Drug- Induced. Dynamic Chiropractic – Feb. 24, 2003, Vol. 21, Issue 05.

23. Golomb BA, McGraw JJ, Evans, MA Dimsdale, JE 2007. “Physician Response to Patient Reports of Drug Adverse Effects: Implications for Patient-Targeted Adverse Effect Surveillance.” Drug Safety; 30(8): 669-675.

24. Linares LA, Golomb BA, Jaojoco JA, Sikand H, Phillips PS. The modern spectrum of rhabdomyolysis: drug toxicity revealed by creatine kinase screening. Curr Drug Saf. 2009 Sep;4(3):181-7. Epub 2009 Sep 1.

25. Rodine RJ, Tibbles AC, Kim PSY, Alikhan N. Statin induced myopathy presenting as mechanical musculoskeletal pain observed in two chiropractic patients. J Can Chiropr Assoc. Mar 2010; 54(1): 43–51.

26. Cholesterol Lowering Drugs. Cleveland Clinic. Available from:http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Cholesterol/hic_About_Cholesterol-Lowering_Drugs.

27. Chiropractic: An Introduction. National Center for Complementary and Integative Health (NCCIH).http://nccam.nih.gov/health/chiropractic/introduction.htm.

28. Kumar A and Cannon CP. Acute Coronary Syndromes: Diagnosis and Management, Part I. Mayo Clin Proc. Oct 2009; 84(10): 917–938.

29. Linares LA, Golomb BA, Jaojoco JA, Sikand H, Phillips PS. The modern spectrum of rhabdomyolysis: drug toxicity revealed by creatine kinase screening. Curr Drug Saf. 2009 Sep;4(3):181-7. Epub 2009 Sep 1.

Dr. James J. Lehman is an associate professor of clinical sciences and director of health sciences postgraduate education at the University of Bridgeport. He is a board-certified chiropractic orthopedist and neuromusculoskeletal medicine specialist at the Community Health Center Inc., in Waterbury, Conn., a federally qualified health center and a patientcentered medical home. Dr. Lehman teaches non-surgical orthopedics, neurosciences, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, evidence-based practice and health care reform classes for the University of Bridgeport. He also serves as the team chiropractor for the Bridgeport Bluefish pro baseball team and mentors fourth-year chiropractic clerks and chiropractic residents in orthopedics/ neuromusculoskeletal medicine. He can be contacted at jlehman@bridgeport.edu.

 

Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

 

IN THE NEWS: ARE VACCINES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE? In 1987, for example, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) documented a measles outbreak that occurred in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the spring of 1985. Fourteen adolescent-age students, all of whom had been vaccinated for measles, contracted the disease despite having been injected with the MMR vaccine. Researchers noted that more than 99 percent of students at the school -- basically all of them -- had also been vaccinated, with more than 95 percent of them showing detectable antibodies to measles. In the last 10 years 0-4 have died from the measles and 108 have died from the vaccine.

WELLNESS:GOOD VS. BAD BACTERIA - THE FLORA WAR How does consuming pesticide ruin your good bacteria in your gut that are responsible for maintaining 80% of your overall health, including your immunity? The answer is simple. An acidic environment starts the damage. Once your body is acidic, it welcomes inflammation, gastric issues and a weakened immune state. The "GMO Ocean" in your gut What kills the good bacteria in your system the quickest? Bug killer and weed killer. Pesticide destroys your good bacteria, sometimes in one fell swoop.Keep your gut healthy! "A healthy gut has about 20% bad bacteria and 80% good ones. Each of us has roughly 4 pounds of bacteria in their gut. That's right, it's a lot! And when some bad strains become more prominent, we get ill. So this is why it's important to keep them in balance, with the good bacteria keeping the bad ones in check."READ ABOUT KIFER

 

CHIROPRACTIC: Studies confirm chiropractic treatment prevents heart attacks and lowers blood pressure The popularity of chiropractic care has grown dramatically since the middle of the 20th century. Although most people seek chiropractic treatment to relieve musculoskeletal pain, certain types of pain may be indicative of the patient experiencing a heart attack just before or during treatment. Studies at Palmer Chiropractic College investigated the effects of chiropractic treatment on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in reference to an analysis of heart rate variability. Findings indicated that chiropractic adjustments do reduce pain and lower participant's mean heart rate. Additionally, evidence indicates that adjustments of the atlas, or first cervical vertebra, may stop some heart attacks while they are occurring, according to chiropractor, Dr. Christopher Clarke of the Vibrance Family Chiropractic Center in Nashville. Chiropractic treatment also has a significant effect on blood pressure and anxiety levels, according to a study reported in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. The study examined systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and patients' anxiety levels before and after an adjustment. In all cases, those subjects who received active treatment experienced a distinct drop in blood pressure and a decrease of their anxiety levels. Results of this study provide evidence that chiropractic treatment offers support to the cardiovascular system.

link to diadens click

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DiaDENS

Our bodies, like the universe itself, are alive with electromagnetic forces. Life energy extends beyond the boundaries of our skin, as the latest research shows. By accessing the biological fields surrounding the human body and altering them in beneficial ways it is possible to treat diseases in a radical new way.

Welcome to “DiaDENS” a biofeedback pain eraser.

Today's advanced biofeedback systems are ultra-hi-tech scientifically produced instruments that use sophisticated biofeedback techniques employing a new type of "Virtual-Medicine" technology. The finest scientifically enhanced biofeedback devices turn out to be DENAS/DiaDENS (DENS) devices. DENAS and DiaDENS (DENS instruments) help you normalize your body voltage, advance your healing to help bring you good health

DENAS and DiaDENS are today's advanced versions of SCENAR®** biofeedback apparatus that were originally produced in the 70s by Russian medical organizations. They were initially designed and intended for cosmonauts' use.

It is Important to Note that in Russia today, DENS-Therapy is a part of the mainstream medicine and it is registered by the Russian Ministry of Health as an official independent method of treatment. It is taught in medical colleges as a separate discipline and may be pursued by students as a major professional specialization.

There is often no need to suffer from pain, soreness, out of balance body voltage, acute distension, distress, or almost any superficial infliction, illness, ailment, major pathology or physical disorder.  Painful arthritis and osteoporosis can be of the past for you.  Additionally, a DENAS or DiaDENS instrument can help alleviate conditions such as an aching backache, muscular pains, caused by overwork and  activity as well as many internal related pathologies.

When ordinary medical remedies which involve drugs or pharmaceutical  medicines fail you and cause new problems, it may be time for you to consider this new "space-age" solution.  Additionally, when you discover that pharmaceutical and so-called methods of prevention are not really helping to correct the cause of your ailment, you may want try a new and different method.   That "new method" is actually tried-and-true and proven effective throughout Europe, Australia and Russia.  That method is DENS-therapy.  DENS-therapy is really effective and may be an excellent solution to help you resolve problems with your health problems.  DENS-therapy provides a solution that is a hi-tech, "Star Trek" type of therapy, a much less invasive solution.

The only thing you will feel is a slight sensation caused by the DENS device.  In short, properly using a DENS device may bring you wonderful relief and to a healthy state of strength, and wellness.

Biofeedback, via the DENAS and DiaDENS instruments, invokes your natural immune system.  The instrument, and your own physical biofeedback, instructs the apparatus to generate a signal that will be appropriate for dealing with your physical areas of distress.  As a result, your physical system will quickly provide normal spontaneous healing energy to help reduce, or eliminate, your painful infliction or hurt, and to begin natural healing.

                                           What to expect

 As the DiaDens is moved across an area of the body and it picks up an area that needs treatment there will be both be tonal alert as well as a sensation of “stickiness” along the skin. This is where the device will start delivering the necessary electrical frequencies to rebalance the body. This will not only have a pain elimination affect but will also stimulate a more balanced function to that area of the body. It is not only beneficial for pain but can also help function of the internal organs.

 The electrical frequencies that your body needs can be delivered directly from the unit or through pads placed on the body. The pain and symptom relief will have an accumulative effect. In other words if the first treatment caused a two-hour relief of symptoms then the second treatment could cause 4 to 6 hours of relief until the underlying problem has been completely resolved.

Very often after just a few moments of treatment, patients will sigh (called the “Diadens sigh” by experienced practitioners).

Sighing and yawning are known to be signs of emotional release. When emotional tension is released, the way a person breathes becomes deeper, more relaxed, and normalized.  So breath, emotions, and neuropeptides are closely related.

 Do you know someone in pain? Tell them about Keefe Clinic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

 IN THE NEWS: Hookah smoke contains cancer-causing chemical People who smoke a hookah or inhale secondhand hookah smoke may be breathing in the chemical benzene, a substance that previous research has linked with an increased risk of leukemia, according to a new study. In the study, researchers collected urine samples from 105 hookah smokers before and after they smoked from a hookah, a pipe that's used to smoke flavored tobacco. They also collected urine samples from 103 people who didn't smoke hookah tobacco but attended events where they'd be exposed to hookah smoke, to test the effect of secondhand hookah smoke on these people's bodies. The researchers found that urine levels of a compound called S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), which forms when benzene is broken down in the body, increased more than fourfold in the hookah smokers who smoked at a hookah lounge, and increased almost twofold in the people who smoked hookah tobacco at home.

WELLNESS: Surprising Finding: Gut Microbes Make Dark Chocolate Healthy Dark chocolate, especially raw cacao powder, has pronounced health benefits, provided you eat it in moderation Bacteria in your gut break down and ferment the components in dark chocolate and cacao, turning them into absorbable anti-inflammatory compounds that benefit your health One meta-analysis8 published in 2011 found that those who ate the highest amounts of dark chocolate had a 37 percent reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent lower risk for stroke, compared to those who consumed the least. Besides antioxidants, chocolate also contains other potent plant compounds, including anandamide, named after the Sanskrit word for "bliss," which is a neurotransmitter in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and anxiety. Caffeine and theobromine in chocolate have been shown to produce higher levels of physical energy and mental alertness, and there are likely many more healthy chocolate compounds that have yet to be discovered. Best if above 85% cocoa, most labels will tell.

 

CONDITION OF THE WEEK: Blood sugar problems Both hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia particularly type II diabetes respond well to a combination of chiropractic adjustments to restore function to the pancreas, liver and adrenals and nutritional therapy and diet to reestablish proper chemical balance. If you or somebody you know suffers from blood sugar imbalances call for appointment and get on the road to better health.

FUNNY BONE:Calling Collect My mother was away all weekend at a business conference. During a break, she decided to call home collect. My six-year-old brother picked up the phone and heard a stranger's voice say, "We have a Marcia on the line. Will you accept the charges?" Frantic, he dropped the receiver and came charging outside screaming, "Dad! They've got Mom! And they want money!"

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DIET: FOODS FOR STRONGER NAILS AND THICKER HAIR Whey protein

"Your hair needs protein to produce keratin, the proteins that make hair strong," says Dr. Zeichner. Red meat is loaded with protein, and it also has another nutrient that's important for hair and nail health: iron. Blueberries "Antioxidants help protect your body's cells against free radical damage," says Erin Palinski, RD Almonds Not only are almonds a good source of protein, they're loaded with magnesium, which helps maintain healthy hair and nails. Oysters "Zinc is needed for many biological processes, including making proteins like those in your hair and nails," explains Dr. Zeichner. Eggs are a good source of protein and contain some vitamin D, and they also have biotin. Salmon is a good source of biotin and protein, along with omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation, and promote healthy, moisturized skin. Brazil nuts Rats deficient in selenium (a trace element linked to protection against oxidative stress) have sparse hair growth, says a study in PLoS One. Just six to eight Brazil nuts meet almost 800% of your recommended daily value, according to the National Institutes of Health.

IN THE NEWS: US heroin deaths double in link to prescription painkillers, says CDC The over-prescribing of painkillers is fuelling nearly 17,000 annual deaths from overdoses in the United States as well as a rise in heroin use, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The study found that the death rate from heroin overdoses doubled during that two-year span to from 1 to 2.1 deaths per 100,000 people, while deaths from prescription opioid drugs overdoses declined from 6 to 5.6 deaths per 100,000. "The rapid rise in heroin overdose deaths follows nearly two decades of increasing drug overdose deaths in the United States, primarily driven by (prescription painkiller) drug overdoses," the study found.

CONDITION OF THE WEEK: PAIN with the increase death rate and addiction from painkillers it’s time for Americans to wake up to the fact that drugs that just cover up pain is not the same as fixing the problem. Pharmaceutical companies focus on profit not on health. Chiropractic, acupuncture, electrotherapy and nutritional therapy can get to the root cause of pain and fix it without dangerous drugs. Tell a friend about chiropractic.

FUNNY BONE: More "You May Be A Redneck If..." Your wedding invitations say "Same time, same place." - You park in handicapped spaces based on your SAT score. -  You love lard sandwiches.  - Most of your prayers involve winning a sporting event. - You've ever caught bugs just so you could throw them at your bug zapper. - The flowers in your bridal bouquet were plastic.

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Okay so most headaches will NOT kill you but if you look to pain killers as a cover up then that’s another story. The unprecedented rise in overdose deaths in the US parallels a 300% increase since 1999 in the sale of these strong painkillers. These drugs were involved in 14,800 overdose deaths in 2008, more than cocaine and heroin combined.The misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers was responsible for more than 475,000 emergency department visits in 2009, a number that nearly doubled in just five years.

But if the pain pills don’t kill you then there is a growing problem with addiction. It is estimated today that there are more than 4.7 million Americans dependent on prescription painkillers, which represents up to 2% of the US adult population overall, and this number continues to grow every year.

Studies show that chiropractic care is the most effective treatment on the planet for headaches. This is an important point: when your headache feels better with drugs you have not fixed anything, you’ve just covered up the problem. When your headaches get better under chiropractic care it’s because you’re correcting the underlining condition that’s causing the headache. Even when you think it’s just tension, tension just causes the muscles in your neck to tighten bringing out the misalignment in your neck that’s the root cause of your headache. If the misalignment wasn’t there the tension would not cause the headache.

 

Adjustments help with most headache sufferers. When we add nutritional support and detoxification this helps correct more complicated headache conditions like migraines, hormonal causes or digestive causes to headaches. Not all headaches are the same.

 

The nice thing about chiropractic care is that at first it’s natural, then safe and effective at finding the source of the problem and correcting the source of the problem. Tell someone you care about.

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John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

WELLNESS: Earthing may actually be one of the best-kept secrets for preventing blood clots—it's an old practice gaining a new appreciation! In the simplest terms, Earthing (or grounding your body to the earth) is what occurs when you walk barefoot on bare soil, grass, sand, brick, etc. Free electrons are transferred from the earth into your body through your feet, and these electrons are some of the most potent antioxidants known to man. One of the most important discoveries about Earthing is that it makes your blood less viscous, which has profound implications for your cardiovascular health because virtually every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity. Earthing is so effective at achieving a blood thinning effect that anyone take prescription anticoagulants like Coumadin need to lower their dosage if they start to implement Earthing.

IN THE NEWS: FDA Urges Tighter Rein on Hydrocodone Medication In the year 2011, more than five billion hydrocodone-containing pain pills were prescribed to an estimated 47 million American patients. In little over one decade (1999-2010), deaths from prescription painkiller overdose—whether accidental or intentional—increased by 400 percent among women and 265 percent in men. Prescription drug deaths have far surpassed deaths from illicit street drugs, accounting for about three-quarters of all drug overdose deaths in the US. TELL A FRIEND ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC—SAVE A LIFE

CONDITION OF THE WEEK: ADHD Helped With Chiropractic, A Case Study The case was of a 5 year old boy who had been diagnosed with ADHD at age 2. The childs pediatrician prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin), Adderall, and Haldol for the next 3 years. The combination of drugs was unsuccessful in helping the child. At age 5 the child was brought to a chiropractor to see if chiropractic care would help. The chiropractic examination and x-rays showed noticeable spinal distortion including a reversal of the normal neck curve indicative of subluxations. Chiropractic care was begun and the childs progress was monitored. According to his mother, positive changes in her son's general behavior were noticed. The medical doctor reviewed and examined the child and based on that assessment and his clinical experience, the MD felt that the young boy was no longer exhibiting symptoms associated with ADHD. He then took the boy off the medications that he had been taking for 3 years.

FUNNY BONE:A Japanese clothing company has been criticized for labeling United States sizes skinny, fat, and jumbo. After a huge outcry they changed them to "small, medium, and American."

Visit our web sites: keefeclinic.com&facebook.com/keefeclinic

Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

 

IN THE NEWS: LACK OF SLEEP TIED TO MORE HEALTH RISKS FOR OBESE ADOLESCENTS For overweight and obese adolescents, a lack of sleep may be linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Counsel and Heal reported. In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that only one-third of participants were physically active for at least one hour a day. Furthermore, most teens only slept for approximately seven hours each night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends children between ages 10 to 17 should sleep for a totally of 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night.  While obese or overweight teens already had a high risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases, researchers found that a lack of sleep elevated this risk even further.

WELLNESS: TAKING ACETAMINOPHEN DURING PREGNANCY MAY INCREASE YOUR CHILD’S RISK OF ADHD Most people will take over-the-counter medication without thinking twice about it, which is probably why acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers across the US every year. Acetaminophen is also responsible for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure¹ each year. The study included data from more than 64,000 mothers and children in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Over 50 percent of the women reported taking acetaminophen while pregnant, which was found to be linked to: A 30 percent increased risk for ADHD in the child during the first seven years of life, 37 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorder (HKD), a severe form of ADHD

CHIROPRACTIC:   CHIROPRACTIC WORKS Samantha M. I was in a car accident and wasn’t wearing my seat belt. My face hit the rearview mirror and my knees took out the dash. After three months of wearing a full neck brace, going to a TMJ specialist and physical therapist I went to see a chiropractor. He examined and treated me and I threw the neck brace in the trash. I have been symptom free for years and need only an occasional adjustment to correct the everyday stresses I put on my body. I was thankful for my newly found health… so thankful that I became a chiropractor. Jennifer F. I began seeing a chiropractor after my husband went as a result of a back injury. We also took our 6 month old son. It was one of the best choices we’ve made as parents. Now two and a half years old he’s never had an ear infection and rarely gets sick. The benefits of chiropractic are endless!  B. R. I have suffered from the most horrible migraine headaches for years. The ONLY REMEDY I have ever found is chiropractic. Chiropractic fixes my neck and the headache is gone within an hour. Before chiropractic, the headaches routinely lasted three days and nights.

 Visit our web site: keefeclinic.com&facebook.com/keefeclinic

 

MYTH: High cholesterol is the cause of heart disease.
FACT: Cholesterol is a fairly insignificant player in heart disease.

MYTH: High cholesterol is a good predictor of heart attacks.
FACT: High cholesterol is a lousy predictor of heart attacks. Half the people admitted to hospitals with heart disease have normal cholesterol, and plenty of people with elevated cholesterol have perfectly healthy hearts.

MYTH: Lowering cholesterol with statin drugs will prolong your life.
FACT: There is no data showing statins have any impact on longevity.

MYTH: Statin drugs are perfectly safe.
FACT: Statin drugs have significant side effects, including loss of memory and libido, muscle pain and fatigue, and approximately 65 percent of doctors don't report those side effects, according to a 2007 study.

MYTH: Statin drugs are appropriate for men, women, children and the elderly.
FACT: The only group in which statins have been shown to have even a modest effect is in middle-aged men who've already had a heart attack. If you're not in that group, you've got no business on a statin drug.

MYTH: Saturated fat is dangerous.
FACT: Saturated fat is mostly neutral and may even have some health benefits. A recent peer-reviewed study has shown no association between saturated fat and heart disease.

MYTH: The higher your cholesterol, the shorter your lifespan.
FACT: In the Framingham Study, the people who actually lived the longest had the highest cholesterol.

 

George Mann M D., Associate Professor of Bio-Chemistry at Vanderbilt University College of Medicine and a participating researcher in the Framingham Heart Study was one of the doubters of the benefit of the low cholesterol. The diet-heart idea is the “greatest scam” in the history of medicine, he said. “Researchers have held repeated press conferences bragging about cataclysmic breakthroughs which the study directors ‘claim shows that lowering cholesterol lowers the frequency of coronary disease. They have manipulated the data to reach the wrong conclusions”.Dr. Mann also declared that NIH managers“used Madison Avenue hype to sell this failed trial in the same way that the media people would sell an underarm deodorant”.

In 1992, forty-four years after the Framingham Study began, study director William Castelli, M.D.wrote in an editorial to the Archives of Internal Medicine. “In the Framingham Study, the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol...we found that people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least, and were the most physically active”.

 

Dr. John Yudkin, M.D., pointed out that there was a better and truer relationship between sugar consumption and heart disease. “There is a sizeable minority -of which I am one-that believes coronary disease is not largely due to fat in the die t”. Three decades later, Dr. George Mann arrived at the same conclusion and assembled a distinguished group of scientists and doctors to study the evidence that fat and cholesterol cause heart disease, a concept he later called “the greatest health scam of the century”. Sugar is a far greater danger to your heart than fat ever was or will be. Most medical experts have tried and convicted the wrong culprit. Fat was innocent all the time. It’s sugar that’s the true culprit of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and many cancers.

Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

DIET: EXCESSIVE SUGAR AND LACK OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES THREATEN WORLD WITH DISASTROUS LEVELS OF HEART DISEASE AND CANCER  A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine⁴ examined the associations between added sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths. The study did not include naturally occurring sugars in the diet, focusing only on added sugars. The study, which thankfully has met with robust media coverage, found that: Among American adults, mean percentage of daily calories from added sugar increased from 15.7 percent in 1988-1994 to 16.8 percent in 1999-2004 Mean percentage of daily calories from added sugar decreased to 14.9 percent in 2005-2010 Most adults (just over 71 percent) get 10 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar Approximately 10 percent of American adults got 25 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar in 2005-2010 The most common sources of added sugar are sugar-sweetened beverages, grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candy.

SUGER=INSULIN= INFLAMMATION=CANCER

IN THE NEWS: LOW-LEVEL PESTICIDE EXPOSURE LINKED TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE The risk of Parkinson’s disease clearly increases with exposure to certain environmental toxins, such as pesticides. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are potent toxicants that may cause disruptions or damage to the neurological system, including your brain. What is perhaps most concerning is that even ambient exposure to pesticides has been found to increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease considerably,and this was further confirmed by new research linking the disease to extremely low-level pesticide exposure.

CHIROPRACTIC: THE CHIROPRACTIC APPROACH TO PAIN. As Americans we have grown up in a drug culture. Some people don't think twice about putting artificial pharmaceuticals in their mouth because they have this assumption that it must be safe. But when it comes to pain medication this is a dangerous assumption to make. There are certain pain situations that medication might be necessary, temporarily. But the chiropractic/natural healthcare approach to pain is to understand its root cause. Pain can be your friend. It might be the only way you know something is wrong in your body so turning pain off with some dangerous medication makes as much sense as clip in the wire to the oil light when it comes in your car. The oil light is not your enemy; the condition that caused the oil light to come on is what needs to be fixed. When it comes to pain there can be structural causes (subluxation), internal organ or visceral causes, chemical or toxicity causes or emotional/neurotransmitter (brain chemistry) causes. As a chiropractic physician we will search for the root cause and through chiropractic realignment, diet and detoxification, acupuncture and physical therapy, we will correct the cause and the pain will take care of itself. If you or a family member suffers from some pain disorder seek a solution and not a cover-up. More than 2000 people a week die from medications and a high percent of those are from pain medication. Visit our web sites:  keefeclinic.com & facebook.com/keefeclinic

Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

WELLNESS/PREVENTION:  ASPIRIN RISKS MAY OUTWEIGH BENEFITS IN HEALTHY ADULTS Healthy adults who take daily aspirin to stave off heart disease may be inviting more harm than benefit, according to a new review of past studies. "Too many healthy people think that aspirin will prevent heart attacks and cancer," said Dr. Peter Sandercock of the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. "This shows that if you are healthy, with no symptoms of cardiovascular disease, then it's not sensible to take regular aspirin. It won't improve your health," he told Reuters Health. IN THE NEWS: HAPPINESS AND LAUGHTER ARE NATURAL IMMUNE BOOSTERS There are many studies supporting the belief that people with an upbeat and positive perspective tend to be healthier and enjoy longer lives. For example, in one study, the tendency to always expect the worst was linked to a 25 percent higher risk of dying before the age of 65. In one of Professor Cole’s happiness studies, participants answered questions about the frequency of certain emotional states, covering two different categories or types of happiness known to psychologists as: Hedonic well-being (characterized by happiness gleaned from pleasurable experiences, such as sex) Eudaimonic well-being (originating with Aristotle, this form of happiness comes from activities that bring you a greater sense of purpose, life meaning, or self-actualization ) Interestingly, while both are positive emotional states associated with happiness, the gene expressions they produced were not identical. Those whose sense of happiness was rooted in the eudaimonic camp were found to have favorable gene-expression profiles, while hedonic well-being produced gene profiles similar to those seen in people experiencing stress due to adversity. CHIROPRACTIC: ADJUSTING YOUR FUNNY BONE What kind of music do chiropractors listen to? HIP-POP! Standing in the park, I was wondering why a frisbee looks larger the closer it gets... then it hit me. When I was six, my family moved to a new city. Fortunately I was able to track them down. Conjunctivitis.com – that's a site for sore eyes. You know that thing when you're halfway through eating a horse and you think to yourself, "I'm not as hungry as I thought I was"? You know somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said 'Parking Fine' so that was nice. I was reading this book, the history of glue. I couldn't put it down. Patient: It's been one month since my last visit and I still feel miserable. Doctor: Did you follow the instructions on the medicine I gave you? Patient: I sure did - the bottle said 'keep tightly closed. ‘When I was born the doctor took one look at my face .... turned me over and said. Look ... twins!  Rodney Dangerfield The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian.  He can't ask his patients what is the matter-he's got to just know.  Will Rogers

 

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As we get older we can start noticing our bodies more than when we were younger. A lot of times these symptoms are completely reversible. The reason people have more health challenges as they get older is simply due to the fact that time is the friend of disease. Let me explain, if you have a nutritional deficiency or a misaligned vertebrae in your back those are the seeds of disease. Just like in a garden seeds take time to grow. Disease takes time to grow some times 10,15, 20 years etc.

Disease does not have to be a normal part of aging. Yes we might slow down a little bit, maybe we can't run as fast as we used to and maybe your reflexes aren't as fast because we all age. But that doesn't mean that we have to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer etc. chiropractic offers a proactive approach to staying well. When you maintain a better spinal alignment you have less stress on your nervous system. Your nervous system controls and coordinates every other organ in your body. If your body can regulate your digestive system better or your hormonal system better then you will stay in better health. If your diet is supplying you with the building blocks that your body needs to maintain proper chemistry and healthy tissue cells then you're going to stay in a higher level of health.

 

The facts are these simple principles can have a profound effect on your level of health, your attitude toward life and your ability to stay active and healthy into old age. Most health approaches are designed to wait until you get sick and then focus on suppressing the symptoms of the illness i.e. high blood pressure pills for hypertension etc. I think most of us realize that drugs don't heal in most cases they just manage the disease as we get sicker. Natural health care works with the very foundation of health.

 If you want to stay healthy and active then you must take care of your body. Eating right for your genetic makeup, making sure you're taking extra supplements that match your nutritional needs, and keeping your nervous system free of pressure are the most dynamic thing you can do for your health. It beats any annual exam, MRI, blood work or any other test to find disease. I'm not saying testing is not important I'm saying being proactive is the most important. You don't have to spend the last 5, 10+ years in a rest home hooked up to machines and taking 20+ drugs. You can stay active and vital up to the end. Call today for an evaluation. Get and stay on the road to better health. Health is the best health insurance on the market.

 

Bad posture doesn't happen overnight. It's a gradual process. Bad posture is a response to how you hold your body in various positions, such as sitting, slouching and standing. After a period of time, your posture muscles become weak and other muscles take over the work, making it comfortable to slouch.

Your body responds to your bad postural habits, and soon begins to adapt to these habitual poses until they begin to feel "normal ", making it comfortable to slouch and end up with all kinds of aches and pains - because your back muscles are overworked and overstretched.

Typical problems relating to bad posture include back ache, headaches, muscle fatigue and strain. Even the position and function of major organs can be affected by bad posture.

The common manifestations of bad posture are swayback (a large curve in the back) and slouching, where everything moves forward and rolls in.

Computer use is the cause of a significant number of injuries related to posture and positioning. High heeled shoes, boots, tight clothing and wide belts also shift our center of gravity and move us out of normal alignment.

In order to remedy the problem of bad posture, postural exercises and stretching must be done. This is where the Posture Blocks therapeutic cushion comes into play. Posture Blocks lets gravity do all the work and replicates some of the recommended postural exercises. All you have to do is lay on the cushion! Allowing gravity to stretch the muscles is less harmful than forcing a stretch on an overworked, tight muscle. Sometimes people overstretch their muscles causing damage to the tissues.

 

Posture Blocks starts stretching the chest area and relaxes the back muscles as soon as you lay on it, relieving the tension and stress in the upper body caused by poor posture.

For best results, integrate the Posture Blocks cushion into your lifestyle. Make it part of your daily routine. The benefits of the Posture Blocks cushion are so numerous it will literally change your quality of life!

How the Posture Blocks Posture Cushion Works

The special contours and foam density of the Posture Blocks cushion causes your body weight, along with the pull of Gravity to stretch muscles that need to be stretched and relax muscles that need to be relaxed. Imagine an exercise program that works by you doing nothing except lie on the cushion!

This is what Posture Blocks can accomplish for you:

* Reduces Forward Head Posture;

    * Stretches the front upper body tissues;

    * Shortens the back tissues;

    * Stimulates the spinal postural muscles;

    * Increases circulation;

    * Opens up the chest region, increasing respiratory functions;

    * Alleviates upper AND lower back, shoulder and neck pain;

    * Relieves muscle tension;

    * Improves posture by aligning head, neck and upper body in correct position;

    * Reduces slouching, improving self confidence;

    * Relieves TMJ.

Can you think of any other product that can achieve so much?

For best results, Posture Blocks should be used daily for 5 to 20 minutes. Once you are used to the cushion, you can extend the usage over time, but do not use it for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Remember, your Posture Blocks is a therapeutic cushion, NOT a pillow. DO NOT sleep on your Posture Blocks.

Testimonials

"All my life I have had 'rounded shoulders' and not a very good standing position, since the first use of Posture Blocks my shoulders have pulled back and I have noticed the strain I felt in my neck and shoulders disappear. I am more upright and my chest size seems to have increased because it is pushed out now instead of being pulled under.

The first time I used Posture Blocks I also noticed an adjustment in my TMJ within moments of standing up.

Posture Blocks is extremely comfortable and I find it very easy to completely relax and drift off to sleep often. Wonderful product!!!

I now recommend it to my patients who are also noting changes in their posture - even from the first time of use!" -- Ian J Holmes, Bowen Therapist, Bradford, England

"I have never seen any device work quicker with greater patient compliance, not even traction. Posture Blocks works. Period".-- Dr. Joseph Ventura, posture expert and author of the Posture Pro computerized posture analysis system.

"I just received the Posture Blocks today - and I absolutely love it. I knew what my neck has looked like since chiropractic school, and have been using all sorts of ideas trying to restore the curve to my neck. I had a lateral film taken a few months back, and to my dismay, my neck was still as straight as it was when I left school three years ago. Anyways, after using it for 20 minutes on my lunch hour today, I could notice a difference already -- so I had my CA take a lateral film to see if anything changed. I couldn't believe it For the first time in years, there was a curve! Obviously, I still have work to do, but I was amazed to see a physical change on x-ray after one use!"

-- Dr. Lisa Olszewski, Chelsea, MI

"After so many years of physical abuse playing in the NBA, my body was really sore and tired. Then I discovered Posture Blocks. What a relief! For the first time in many years my upper body is relaxed and free of pain."-- Wallace Bryant , former NBA Center and Power Forward for the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76er's and Orlando Magic.

"It's working great! My shoulder is no longer hurting and my shoes are wearing properly (the actual sole of the shoe and not the side of the sole). I'm not a chiropractor, just a person who found your web site while searching for answers to my problem which I had figured out was impingement of my right shoulder because of improper posture because of the FHP. I no longer walk with my face pointing downwards, and I now see more of the world 🙂 I do have to remind myself about my mental habit if I starting seeing my shoes again when walking."

-- Chris Osborn, Long Beach, CA

"I have been using Posture Blocks daily for about a month now in conjunction with physical therapy, and the results are amazing. My posture has improved remarkably, and my neck and shoulder aches are almost completely gone. This is probably one of the only products in the market that treats FHP problems with convenience, ease, and efficacy. I strongly recommend it."

-- L. Pichoo, Malaysia

"Using Posture Blocks for only two days and I can already see and feel an improvement in my posture. My round shoulders aren't round anymore! Amazing!"-- Carolyn Wilson BTAA, Retired Nurse & Bowen Therapist, Lancaster, England

"The Posture Blocks is a miraculously simple assistive device which could allow everyone to experience the naturalness of normal good posture. Thank you for making this product available and affordable to my patients."

-- Dr. Karen DeYoung, Alexandria, Virginia

"I ordered your product and had one of my patients try it and she really has benefited from it. In fact she began to have an increase in her pain when she didn't use it and had to return to see me. She fortunately has been corrected and now back to using the product and is very satisfied."-- Judith Whatley P.T., Houston, TX

Do you suffer from chronic pain?  Do you know someone who has dealt with long-term symptoms?  If so, you know how frustrating it can be to search for health, to try every new drug or surgery available and find you are still left with the same problem...and sometimes with new ones that the drugs or surgery caused.  There can be periods of time when people just give up and feel  that there is no hope.  Many people decide they will just have to live with the pain.

At Keefe Clinic we see many patients who have reached this point and feel discourage about trying anything new.  Then a family member or friend tells them about chiropractic and encourages them to try one more time!  In the vast majority of these cases, these people do find help that had eluded them up to that point.  In many cases their problem wasn't that hard to correct; it's just that no doctor had yet tried to treat the cause of their problems.  This seems to be the most common cause of treatment failure that I see.

The Question

Many times grateful, satisfied patients ask me, "Why didn’t my other doctors tell me this, or do what you did to help me overcome this problem?"

I understand this question, because a long time ago I asked my own chiropractic physician the very same question after he helped me overcome a condition that my family medical doctor had been totally unable to treat.  Until that point I had been programmed not to ask questions of my medical doctor and just except the treatment that I received from him as the correct and only possible approach.

The Answer

My chiropractor’s answered made me look at the health care system in the US with new eyes.  He explained that the type of doctors that I saw portrayed on TV were trained in the use of drugs to cover-up symptoms of disease and not how to help the body heal itself.  In fact, outside of crisis care (like heart transplants, or acute infections, broken bones, etc.)  They had a very limited scope that they could actually help.  He taught that, although giving drugs to cover-up symptoms might make someone feel temporarily better, this just sends the problem underground or deeper within the body to get worse.

The fact is that in order to secure health within the body proper diet, exercise, rest, positive attitude and the pressure free nervous system have to be in place to support good health.  The average drug therapists in the US has had little or no training in these areas.  This is why Americans spend more on health care than any country in the world and have the least to show for it.  Women in the US are outlived by women and 25 other countries while US men are outlived by men and 36 other countries.  It is hard to understand why our healthcare system is capable of transplanting organs and yet is unable to help someone stop having daily headaches without continually drugging the symptoms away.

Natural Health Care

At Keefe Clinic we believe health is a natural process and is by nature a low-tech phenomena.  High-tech belongs in crisis care which is different than health care.  Health Care includes the supporting of the body's natural processes to enhance proper function.  In natural health care we follow the principle: "first of all do no harm."  The guiding concept is a respect for the body's own intelligence built-in by our Creator.  When this life principle is expressed at 100% to each part of the body then the chance for 100% function will be the highest possible.  And 100% function would be health!

The Choice

Most Americans don't know they have a choice.  They are often uninformed about the natural healthcare option.  Chiropractic is the world's largest natural healthcare system.  Chiropractic physicians utilize the most current knowledge available in safe natural methods to return the body back to normal function.  Symptom relief, under chiropractic care, is a product of returning the body back to healthy function.  Our motto at Keefe Clinic is, "a natural approach first, drugs second, surgery last."

If you are looking for just a quick fix, then health, true health, will always elude you.  On the other hand, if you're committed to finding health, you will be pleased with the tools you will find at Keefe Clinic that will help you reach that goal.  We care about you and your health.  We offer health care for the whole family.

What A Pain In The Neck!

 

Got neck pain? If so, you’re not alone since millions of Americans are in the same boat.

There are many causes, some serious, others not so serious. As you might suspect, neck pain can be related to employment, recreational activities, or other activities of daily living like finally cleaning out that garage.

Most of the time, it may be a result of more subtle reasons such as poor posture or stress.

 

Neck pain can be brought on by sleeping in a bad position (falling asleep on the couch late at night watching TV), or looking up at the stars for a time, or when seated at your computer.

From a clinical perspective, most of the time you’ve either strained a muscle, or spinal joints are subluxated, or ligaments like the disc are injured.

If your spine is unhealthy, you may lose your normal neck curve and suffer from pain, nerve irritation and disc degeneration. Although many doctors tell their patients that this is due to age, disc degeneration can be found in young children while some older adults are relatively free of it. One of the most common causes of disc degeneration is years of uncorrected subluxations. Over time uncorrected subluxations degeneration causes arthritic changes in the vertebrae such as lipping or spurring (bony growths), disc thinning and deterioration. Studies show little or no correlation between the degree of pain felt in the neck and arthritic changes found on X-rays and MRI. Subluxation degeneration is considered a defense mechanism that tries to stabilize an off-balance spine.

First of all understand your head weighs about 10 pounds. Try carrying that much weight around all day in your arms and see how it feels by day’s end!

When questioned, many patients simply don’t remember what brought on their neck pain. It just hurts. Most figure it will go away and won’t do anything differently until it becomes a “quality of life” issue.

In other words, one is now having difficulty playing golf, dancing with their spouse, going to work, or playing with their children. Then and only then is one ready to make changes, which include seeking help from a healthcare professional.

Throughout this ordeal, dads try to “tough it out” compared to moms who are on the phone calling the doctor for help almost immediately. And mom is usually responsible for getting dad to do something about it, too.

More and more kids are also experiencing neck pain due to time spent on the computer, long hours studying, or as a result of more aggressive work-out schedules related to school sports.

Here are some simple tips since poor posture is a major contributor:

Standing:  Maintain natural curves of the spine; not too stiff or too relaxed. Tighten abdomen, tuck buttocks, hold head erect with ears positioned over shoulders.

Sitting: Sit back in chair, not on edge, feet on floor. Position rolled towel or pillow above belt line to get additional low back support.

Lying: Avoid sleeping on stomach. Lie on your side with knees bent. Use firm mattress. Use cervical pillow or position pillow so neck remains as straight (horizontal), as possible.

Chiropractic care is the most effective treatment on the planet for neck pain.

Chiropractic spinal care corrects a severe form of spine and nerve stress known as the vertebral subluxation complex ("subluxation"). This restores proper movement to your spinal column, permitting greater energy, information and nutrients to flow over your nerves and tissues and throughout your body. When corrected, your entire spine begins to rebalance. That is why, for example, people with lower back problems, after receiving a neck adjustment from their chiropractor, find, to their surprise, that their low back pain not only starts feeling better (as well as many other problems) but they have more energy as well!

Just as a periodic dental checkup is necessary to keep your teeth healthy, so a chiropractic spinal checkup is necessary to ensure a nervous system that is free from spinal nerve stress permitting you to experience greater healing and well-being. No matter what disease or condition you have, you can benefit from a healthy spine.

For more information don’t hesitate to contact our office directly 918-663-1111.

With the death rate from heart problems so high and the number of Americans suffering with heart related disease, we need to look at our approach to heart health.

Fortunately, we are slowly evolving from an era where a headache has been treated as an aspirin deficiency into an era of molecular or nutritional medicine, where we can now find the biochemical defects (missing nutrients) that predispose people to many symptoms. The main reasons for so many deficiencies today are dual:

(1) We are the first generation to eat so many processed foods that have been stripped of their nutrients to expand shelf life; and (2) We are the first generation to ever be exposed to and be detoxifying so many chemicals on a daily basis. This process of detoxification requires and actually uses up, or depletes, many nutrients.

For example, most grocery stores' cooking oils and margarines are purified and hydrogenated. This means the oils and margarines have been processed with strong chemicals that remove most of the vitamins and minerals. This is so the product can last for months and not go bad. Unfortunately these nutrients are the very ones that are necessary to prevent arteriosclerosis, early heart attacks, high blood pressure, impotence, Alzheimer's presenile dementia, strokes, premature aging, etc.

Furthermore, hydrogenation means that the product has been exposed to a temperature in excess of 1,000 F, which causes a twisting of the molecule. Normally, lipid (fat or oil) molecules fit into the membranes of cells to protect them and promote proper function. When these heat twisted molecules are ingested, they fit into the membranes like broken keys. They lock into the structure, but they stop it from functioning properly, and they prevent the good molecules from entering to perform their functions. Meanwhile, the twisted molecules are capable of causing the very same damage that saturated fats (from bacon, cheese, steak, etc.) cause.

What do doctors who have not studied nutrition recommend to heart patients?

Margarines, artificial eggs, etc.

Margarines are as much as 35% trans (the "bad" twisted molecules) fatty acids. Corn oil, artificial ("plastic") egg substitutes and most "natural whole grain health breads" (made with hydrogenated oils) contain significant amounts as well. So U.S. cardiologists could have actually been accelerating disease. U.S. cardiologists are blamed specifically, because European doctors are either more aware of biochemistry, are not so egocentric that they cannot listen to doctors who do read about the latest scientific discoveries or perhaps are not as controlled financially by other interests, like food and chemical manufacturers. Europe won't even allow the sales of our margarines there because they are so notoriously high in damaging trans- fatty acids.

Another point is that more than 51% of the heart patients in a recent study were low in magnesium in one study. These are the patients who died from a recalcitrant arrhythmia, induced by an undetected mineral deficiency.

For example, in patients who had suffered heart attacks, had bypass surgery and all the best modern drugs and yet were found to be relentlessly persistent in closing off new vessels with arteriosclerotic deposits, diet and lifestyle changes were able to reverse these lesions in one year, as proven by PET scans. Yet, cardiologists commonly treat irregular heartbeat (cardiac arrhythmia) with various drugs, like calcium channel blockers, even though magnesium is nature's calcium channel blocker.

In a time when government studies reveal that the average American diet only provides a small percent of the daily requirement for magnesium, is it any wonder that there is such an upsurge in the use of calcium channel blockers? The problem is that by artificially fixing the minerally deficiency symptom with a medication instead of correcting' the underlying cause, the deficiency is allowed to progress and cause other serious conquences, like sudden death.

In terms of chronic care, the cardiologist can actually be contributing to disease. For example, mineral deficiency may be a solo cause or one of several causes of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of chronic illness and death in the U.S. However, the main category of drug prescribed for chronic hypertension, a diuretic, is notorious for causing mineral deficiency.

So the very drug that is prescribed to treat (mask) the symptom, is actually worsening the underlying cause. The patient has only one option: to get sicker. As his mineral deficiency worsens, the patient may suffer chronic back spasms, chronic fatigue or depression, cardiac arrhythmia or even sudden death. If that were not enough, these diuretics also elevate serum lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), thereby accentuating another cause of arteriosclerosis. And this occurs because we are drug-oriented and merely mask the symptoms, rather than look for the biochemical causes.

Doctors, in general, do not read bio-chemistry research journals, even though one of the roles of research biochemists is to make important discoveries about human health. Physicians instead normally read medical journals that are between 10 and 45 years behind actual scientific discoveries.

Should anyone take a preview peak into the literature and report it before the self-appointed medical authorities do, he immediately gets proclaimed a quack, or the information is labeled unsubstantiated. This is almost as though there is an unwritten rule: "It shall not be discovered and announced and taken for common knowledge until we are ready."

Historically, nutritional care has not only taken a back seat, but has taken a beating from drug-oriented medicine. Meanwhile, the politics and pace of change in medicine may make it necessary for you to take charge now until the cardiologists and other doctors catch up with the molecular era of nutritional medicine.

In another report, a research dietitian warned that the popular low fat, high-carbohydrate diet americans are being encouraged to follow isn't necessarily best for everyone - and could endanger the health of some individuals.

OK, What can I do? Seek correction not just treatment (symptom relief) for your health problems.

If you have a heart related problem 1) Make sure no subluxations affecting the heart go uncorrected 2) Ask us for a complete lab work-up and Vega exam to find if there are any nutrient problems relating to the underlying condition. 3) Start a regular exercise program 4) Ask about stress reduction.

Your lifestyle changes can make all the difference in the world. There is hope.

Heart surgeon speaks out on what really causes heart disease

 

Kinesio Taping gives support and stability to your joints and muscles without affecting circulation and range of motion. It is also used for Preventive Maintenance, Edema, and to treat pain.

Kinesio Taping is a technique based on the body's own natural healing process. This Kinesio Taping exhibits its efficacy through the activation of neurological and circulatory systems. This method basically stems from the science of Kinesiology, hence the name "Kinesio". Muscles are not only attributed to the movements of the body but also control the circulation of venous and lymph flows, body temperature, etc. Therefore, the failure of the muscles to function properly induces various kinds of symptoms.

Consequently, so much attention was given to the importance of muscle function that the idea of treating the muscles in order to activate the body's own healing process came about. Using an elastic tape, it was discovered that muscles and other tissues could be helped by outside assistance. Employment of Kinesio Taping creates a totally new approach to treating nerves, muscles, and organs. The first application of Kinesio Taping was for a patient with articular disorders.

For the first 10 years, orthopedists, chiropractors, acupuncturists and other medical practitioners were the main users of Kinesio Taping. Soon thereafter, Kinesio Taping was used by the Japanese Olympic volleyball players and word quickly spread to other athletes. Today, Kinesio Taping is used by medical practitioners and athletes around the world.

The Kinesio Taping Method is applied over muscles to reduce pain and inflammation, relax overused tired muscles, and to support muscles in movement on a 24hr/day basis. It is non-restrictive type of taping which allows for full range of motion.

In contrast, traditional sports' taping is wrapped around a joint strictly for stabilization and support during a sporting event obstructing the flow of bodily fluids as an UNDESIRABLE side-effect.

Kinesio Tape is used for anything from headaches to foot problems and everything in between. Examples include: muscular facilitation or inhibition in pediatric patients, carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back strain/pain (subluxations, herniated disc), knee conditions, shoulder conditions, hamstring, groin injury, rotator cuff injury, whiplash, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, patella tracking, pre and post surgical edema, ankle sprains, athletic preventative injury method, and as a support method.

As a physician I like to do blood work, it's a window in to what's going on inside the body. Lab work can lead to effective treatment in returning health or maintaining health. But then it depends on the tools the physician uses. If the tools are toxic or dangerous then maybe it's better not to know what's going on inside the body, it least that's what the latest task force of independent scientists concluded.

For instance if your doctors is going to use drugs that make your liver sick because he finds your cholesterol elevated then maybe it's best he doesn't know your cholesterol is  high. Test study after study indicates drugs for cholesterol not only don't work (save lives), but they lead to other health problems and shorten a person's life. That's a similar finding with the PSA test. Because of the damage to men's health and the lack of extending life from all the expensive and dangerous procedures that are done once a positive PSA is found this task force recommends not doing routine PSA's.

Sure the urologists are screaming bloody murder but then this finding will substantially reduce their income.

So should a man in his 40s do a PSA? Here's what the task force says: Oct. 7, 2011 -- Men should just say "no" to prostate cancer screening with the common PSA blood test, according to draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

About a third of men over age 40, and about half of men age 65 to 79, get regular blood tests for prostate specific antigen, or PSA.

Rising PSA levels are an early sign of prostate cancer, but the test gives a false cancer signal up to 80% of the time. Moreover, not all PSA-detected prostate cancers are dangerous.

"The common perception that PSA-based early detection of prostate cancer saves lives is simply not supported by the scientific evidence," task force co-vice chair Michael L. LeFevre, MD, MSPH, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri, tells WebMD.

"In the American Cancer Society's 2010 guidelines, we said we were uncertain: The evidence is not convincing that PSA testing works," Lichtenfeld tells WebMD. "We feel the task force came to a reasonable conclusion."

Just as women once were told that hormone replacement therapy would prevent heart disease -- until scientific studies showed that it did not -- Lichtenfeld says current evidence strongly suggests that doctors were wrong to tell men that PSA testing would protect them from dying from prostate cancer.

"Men need to know the truth," Lichtenfeld says. "We have gone through 20 years where we have had strong voices telling us PSA testing works. So there is a huge component of men who believe PSA testing has saved their lives. Now, when we say it wasn't necessarily so, that becomes a difficult conversation."

The idea of PSA screening is that it will detect early prostate cancers that can be cured. But clinical trials fail to show that PSA screening cuts prostate-cancer death rates.

"At this point we have had over 370,000 men enrolled in clinical trials, and we still do not see a significant benefit," LeFevre says. "If there is a benefit, it is very small. That is different from zero benefit, but the true benefit is somewhere between small and none."

The harm from a PSA test is that a positive test leads to a biopsy . Biopsy can detect prostate cancer -- but that's where troubles begin.

"The major problem is that most of the cancers we detect do not need to be treated, but we do not know which ones do need to be treated," LeFevre says. "And these treatments do have significant harms."

Etzioni argues that the Gleason score -- a scale used to evaluate prostate cancer severity -- tells doctors which cancers should be treated and which should not. But Lichtenfeld agrees with LeFevre that "we do not have a test to tell which cancers are indolent and which are aggressive."

Once they learn they have a prostate cancer, most U.S. men want treatment. And LeFevre notes that treatment carries very real risks. "I'm not going to criticize men who believe that their lives have been saved by this test," because that's what doctors have told them, Lichtenfeld said. "If you're sitting there and you wet your pants three times a day, you've got to believe it's worth it, that it saved your life."

Many men who agree to a PSA test do not understand what it is. Some common misconceptions:

PSA is just a measure of inflammation, and it can be elevated for many reasons besides cancer: normal enlargement of the prostate with age, an infection, even recent sex, a strenuous bike ride or horseback riding.

A recent Johns Hopkins University study found surprisingly high rates of hospitalization after prostate biopsies and a 12-fold greater risk of death in those who develop infections.

About 90 percent of prostate cancers found through screening are early-stage. Most will grow so slowly they will never threaten a man's life, but there's no good way to tell which ones will. Research suggests that tumors causing symptoms are more likely to warrant treatment than those that are not. Also, finding aggressive prostate tumors early may not affect how lethal they prove to be; the PSA test may just let men learn of them sooner than they otherwise would.

For every 1,000 men who undergo prostate-cancer surgery, five die within a month. Another 10 to 70 men will have complications of surgery. And 200 to 300 of these men will go on to have long-term urinary incontinence, impotence, or both.

"The net result is that doctors and patients and families are going to have to have very careful conversations with their doctors that really emphasize what the scientific evidence shows," Lichtenfeld says. "And that is not overwhelmingly in favor of PSA testing."So the question is should you have a PSA? What if you had a positive PSA would you run and have a dangerous and ineffective treatments done simply because you're scared? This study, which if you read it carefully, had over 370,000 men. It is a massive study. You would be surprised how small studies there are that release new dangerous drugs on the market or medical surgical procedures that have not been studied fully as this has.

If you have a Chiropractic Physician to do the PSA and follow his recommendations then that would be a completely different story. Working with nutrition and diet and lifestyle to improve your immune system and target the prostate with nutrients that have been shown to improve function makes a lot of sense. This is the best cancer to have. I know that sounds strange to your ears but if you read the study carefully you will realize the vast majority of man with prostate cancer outlive the cancer. Cancer studies show that nutrients from vegetables can stop the progression of cancer at every stage. Do you think improving your diet might help prostate cancer? What about restoring nerve function in your body? The nervous system regulates and controls the immune system, the hormonal system and directly influences the health of prostate. What do you think the effects of improving the nerve supply through chiropractic adjustments would have on your prostate?

Getting a PSA is a personal decision. The studies indicate that if you are having symptoms related to prostate than getting a PSA might be indicated, it's just what you do with those results once you get them.

Study after study indicates conservative healthcare is the most intelligent approach. You're not going to be left impotent, incontinent or worse with chiropractic and natural healthcare. The choice is yours. You can follow the crowd or you can follow wisdom.

Heart Problems

With the death rate from heart problems so high and the number of Americans suffering with heart related disease, we need to look at our approach to heart health.

Fortunately, we are slowly evolving from an era where a headache has been treated as an aspirin deficiency into an era of molecular or nutritional medicine, where we can now find the biochemical defects (missing nutrients) that predispose people to many symptoms.

• The main reasons for so many deficiencies today arc dual:
• We are the first generation to eat so many processed foods that have been stripped of their nutrients to expand shelf life.
• We are the first generation to ever be exposed to and be detoxifying so many chemicals on a daily basis. This process of detoxification requires and actually uses up, or depletes, many nutrients.

 

For example, most grocery stores' cooking oils and margarines are purified and hydrogenated. This means the oils and margarines have been processed with strong chemicals that remove most of the vitamins and minerals. This is so the product can last for months and not go bad. Unfortunately these nutrients are the very ones that are necessary to prevent arteriosclerosis, early heart attacks, high blood pressure, impotence, Alzheimer's presenile dementia, strokes, premature aging, etc.

 

Furthermore, hydrogenation means that the product has been exposed to a temperature in excess of 1,000 F, which causes a twisting of the molecule. Normally, lipid (fat or oil) molecules fit into the membranes of cells to protect them and promote proper function. When these heat twisted molecules are ingested, they fit into the membranes like broken keys. They lock into the structure, but they stop it from functioning properly, and they prevent the good molecules from entering to perform their functions. Meanwhile, the twisted molecules are capable of causing the very same damage that saturated fats (from bacon, cheese, steak, etc.) cause.

What do doctors who have not studied nutrition recommend to heart patients? Margarines, artificial eggs, etc.

 

Margarines are as much as 35% trans (the "bad" twisted molecules) fatty acids. Corn oil, artificial ("plastic") egg substitutes and most "natural whole grain health breads" (made with hydrogenated oils) contain significant amounts as well. So U.S. cardiologists could have actually been accelerating disease. U.S. cardiologists are blamed specifically, because European doctors are either more aware of biochemistry, are not so egocentric that they cannot listen to doctors who do read about the latest scientific discoveries or perhaps are not as controlled financially by other interests, like food and chemical manufacturers. Europe won't even allow the sales of our margarines there because they are so notoriously high in damaging trans- fatty acids.

 

Another point is that more than 51% of the heart patients in a recent study were low in magnesium in one study. These are the patients who died from a recalcitrant arrhythmia, induced by an undetected mineral deficiency.

For example, in patients who had suffered heart attacks, had bypass surgery and all the best modern drugs and yet were found to be relentlessly persistent in closing off new vessels with arteriosclerotic deposits, diet and lifestyle changes were able to reverse these lesions in one year, as proven by PET scans. Yet, cardiologists commonly treat irregular heartbeat (cardiac arrhythmia) with various drugs, like calcium channel blockers, even though magnesium is nature's calcium channel blocker.

In a time when government studies reveal that the average American diet only provides a small percent of the daily requirement for magnesium, is it any wonder that there is such an upsurge in the use of calcium channel blockers? The problem is that by artificially fixing the minerally deficiency symptom with a medication instead of correcting' the underlying cause, the deficiency is allowed to progress and cause other serious conquences, like sudden death.

 

In terms of chronic care, the cardiologist can actually be contributing to disease. For example, mineral deficiency may be a solo cause or one of several causes of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of chronic illness and death in the U.S. However, the main category of drug prescribed for chronic hypertension, a diuretic, is notorious for causing mineral deficiency.

So the very drug that is prescribed to treat (mask) the symptom, is actually worsening the underlying cause. The patient has only one option: to get sicker. As his mineral deficiency worsens, the patient may suffer chronic back spasms, chronic fatigue or depression, cardiac arrhythmia or even sudden death. If that were not enough, these diuretics also elevate serum lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), thereby accentuating another cause of arteriosclerosis. And this occurs because we are drug-oriented and merely mask the symptoms, rather than look for the biochemical causes.

Doctors, in general, do not read bio-chemistry research journals, even though one of the roles of research biochemists is to make important discoveries about human health. Physicians instead normally read medical journals that are between 10 and 45 years behind actual scientific discoveries.

Should anyone take a preview peak into the literature and report it before the self-appointed medical authorities do, he immediately gets proclaimed a quack, or the information is labeled unsubstantiated. This is almost as though there is an unwritten rule: "It shall not be discovered and announced and taken for common knowledge until we are ready."

Historically, nutritional care has not only taken a back seat, but has taken a beating from drug-oriented medicine. Meanwhile, the politics and pace of change in medicine may make it necessary for you to take charge now until the cardiologists and other doctors catch up with the molecular era of nutritional medicine.

In another report, a research dietitian warned that the popular low fat, high-carbohydrate diet Americans are being encouraged to follow isn't necessarily best for everyone - and could endanger the health of some individuals.

OK, What can I do? Seek correction not just treatment (symptom relief) for your health problems.

• If you have a heart related problem
• Make sure no subluxations affecting the heart go uncorrected.
• Ask us for a complete lab work-up and Vega exam to find if there are any nutrient problems relating to the underlying condition.
• Start a regular exercise program.
• Ask about stress reduction.

Your lifestyle changes can make all the difference in the world.
There is hope.

Osteoarthritis is rarely appreciated as one of the greatest problems affecting man. This form of arthritis is so universal that it is often regarded as a normal part of aging. Osteoarthritis is usually progressive and often de-forming and disabling. The prevalence in the U.S. for all aged 25-74 is 32.5 percent for the hands (42.4 million persons), 22.2 percent for the feet (29 million), 3.8 percent for the knees (5 million) and 1.3 percent for the hips (men only, 765,000).

There are many names for Osteoarthritis. The name most used is degenerated joint disease (D.J.D). The classification of Osteoarthritis as a disease has even been questioned by some authorities, who prefer to redefine it as "a mechanism of repair of dense tissue". Osteoarthritis means inflammation of a bony joint, the term is usually applied to the process involved in D.J.D even though it is understood as a noninflammatory process that primarily involves breakdown of joint cartilage. This extremely common arthritis can even cause severe pain and disability, leading to loss of work and independents in the aged population.

More than 50 different terms have been applied to osteoarthritis. The most common terms including osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, degenerated arthrosis and degenerative joint disease (D.J.D). The difference between the terms arthrosis and arthritis has come from the fact that the disease process is not always inflammatory. For this reason, D.J.D has gained the most universal acceptance in the literature.

Articular cartilage provides the joint with a self lubricating surface and works well under normal joint loading conditions. However, cartilage has a limited capacity for repair and re-generation, so damage to cartilage disrupts the normal function of this tissue, thus interfering with a normal lubricating process within the joint. Insufficient lubrication may be a primary factor in the cause of osteoarthritis. The tissues of the synovial joint are inherently susceptible to the development of osteoarthritis if range of motion or the amount of stress on the articular cartilage is excessive. Joints are threatened during normal day-to-day activities, and much of the joint protection is from the dynamic system of coordinated muscle activity. O'Connor et al. defines a protective muscular reflex as a somatic muscular activity that prevents injury to a normal joint, or further damage to the injured joint, by preventing the joint from exceeding its normal range of motion.

NSAIDs In The Treatment Of Arthritis And Side Effects

NSAIDs are broad class of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, Voltaren and other similar drugs. NSAIDs continue to be the mainstay of drug therapy for patients with osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, these drugs are over prescribed, readily available and not used judiciously. These drugs are not without side effects; the American College of Rheumatology guidelines suggest that patients receiving long-term NSAID therapy obtained a blood count, urinalysis and chemistry panel every three months. Monitoring cannot wait until the side effects of NSAIDs cause symptoms. Renal failure does not produce symptoms until it becomes severe.

NSAIDs are the most prescribed drug in the U.S.. Even though this class of drug is widely used and perceived safe, there are serious risks of complications. Among these are gastrointestinal ulcers and hemorrhages that can lead to perforation and death. More than one percent of the population uses these drugs on a daily basis. Adverse effects from these medications as a group, are reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more frequently than any other medication class. In a study of economic effects of gastric ulcers in NSAID users, the per patient cost of hospitalization was $3,450; those in need of hospitalization and surgery cost of 15,700. The incidents in severity of acute mucosal injury are does depend but virtually 100% of subjects developed lesions after a single 650-1300 mg dose of aspirin. NSAID- associated GI problems were estimated to cause 32,000 hospitalizations and 3200 deaths per year in the U.S.. There is little evidence to suggest that NSAIDs have any advantage over sample analgesic's and sample analgesic's are also unsatisfactory. In a study of patience with chronic knee pain and osteoarthritis, treatment with either an anti-inflammatory, and analgesic dose of ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen showed no evidence of superiority of either the anti-inflammatory dose or the lower dose of ibuprofen compared to acetaminophen.

 

Rapid deterioration of joints from long-term NSAID treatment has been called analgesic arthropathy and is thought to be caused by loss of protective pain sensation, but it seems more likely that it is a direct effect of the drug on cartilage. In addition, oral administration of aspirin markedly accelerates development of osteoarthritis in C57 black mice, a strain genetically predisposed to the disease. If along with the external evidence that NSAIDs interfere with metabolism of articular cartilage and a repair of bone, clinical experience has shown use of these drugs cause acetabular bone destruction, joint disease and avascular necrosis of the hip. Even though NSAID induced arthritis has been a well-known since the 1960s, in a recent survey, 94 percent of primary care physicians indicated they would prescribed NSAIDs as an initial treatment for elderly patients with uncomplicated hip osteoarthritis.

There Is A Better Way

• Joint health depends on the following factors:
• Proper nutrition
• Movement
• Balance

Chiropractic adjustments are well-known for establishing proper joint balance and function. By improving the alignment of the body each joint is allowed to move in a more natural and balanced manner. Also chiropractic adjustments are beneficial in establishing normal range of motion and normal muscle reflex function as well as release of beta-endorphins (a natural pain killer).

Exercise is the next most important factor when it comes to joint health. Research study after research study has shown the beneficial effects in preventing or reversing arthritis with regular exercise. Diet: a number of studies have shown a large number of patients with osteoarthritis are ingesting less than the U.S. recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, C., D., E. ., B6, folic acid, pantothenic acid in the minerals zinc, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Most of these vitamins are associated with the chronic degenerated disease rampant in our society. Glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, fish oils, magnesium, B-3, collagen, curcumin and other specialty nutrients have shown great promise in the controlled and even reversal of this disease. Through proper evaluation Dr. Keefe can establish a treatment program to help you regain your health.