Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

IN THE NEWS: Can a Healthy Gut Microbiome Suppress Autoimmune Diseases?  Medical News Bulletin October 2, 2017 There is a clear increase in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the developed world. Some scientists attribute this change to our modern diet, which can influence our gut microbiome. The human gut harbors over a trillion microorganisms, which is known as the microbiome. The gut microbiome has many functions, ranging from preventing infections to metabolizing nutrients. Its makeup varies among individuals and can be influenced by external factors. Interestingly, changes to the gut microbiome can damage health, in part by contributing to various inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is believed to be caused by immune system cells that target certain parts of nerves, effectively impairing the nervous system. MS is more prevalent in developed nations and some studies have suggested that environmental factors, such as diet, play a prominent role in causing MS. One particular strain of normal gut bacteria, Prevotella histicola, which is more common in those who have an agrarian diet (filled with carbs and fibers), has recently been found to be able to prevent the development of a MS-like disease in an animal model. This novel study, published in Cell Reports, demonstrates the ability of P. histicola, as gut bacteria, to modulate the immune system and suppress the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which models MS, in mice. NOTE: you get friendly bacteria when you eat raw foods and cultured products, fermented foods improve the strength of these populations, eat wisely.

WELLNESS: Why Paying for Nutrition Saves Money on Health Care The foods we eat play a central role in our health. The epidemics of our time—obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes—are intimately tied to unhealthy patterns of eating. But eating healthy is also expensive, making it particularly challenging for the 12% of US households who have to worry whether they can afford enough food each month. For the 41 million Americans living in these households, a common coping strategy is to purchase cheaper, less healthy foods in an effort to make their food budgets last longer. Over time, however, these unhealthy dietary patterns can have a significant impact on a person’s health. Children living in food-insecure homes suffer two to four times as many health problems and are less likely to reach their academic potential. Pregnant women who are food insecure are more likely to develop gestational diabetes and deliver pre-term or low birth-weight babies. Food-insecure adults are more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and osteoporosis. The trouble doesn’t stop there. Once you have one of these illnesses, food insecurity often makes that illness harder to manage. One in three Americans with chronic illness has trouble affording food, medication or both. Moreover, the stress of worrying about where your next meal is coming from is associated with depressive symptoms, which only makes the task of managing a complex disease harder. It is not surprising, then, that food insecurity comes with a cost. On average, food insecure people in the U.S. incur an extra $1,800 in medical costs every year, accounting for $77.5 billion in additional health care expenditures.

CHROPRACTIC:  NUMBNESS IN THE ARM AND HAND if you or someone you know suffers from numbness in the arm or hands then you are most likely dealing with the neck problem. Sometimes you might not have any symptoms in your neck yet the tiny bones in your neck could be pressing on the nerves that go down to your fingertips. Besides nerve pressure an unresolved whiplash can cause compression on the discs in the neck and as they break down to put pressure on the nerves to the fingers. Realignment of the neck can resolve this condition along with shoulder problems, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome as well as numbness or swelling in hand. It’s important to understand you can have nerve pressure without pain. If you or someone you know suffers from this condition have them call 918-663-1111.

FUNNY BONE:  My wallet is like an onion. When I open it, it makes me cry...@@Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?@@Life is short, smile while you still have teeth.@@The best part of going to work is coming back home at the end of the day.@@If you do a job too well, you’ll get stuck with it.@@Quantity is what you count, quality is what you count on.@@5/4 of people admit that they’re bad with fractions.@@I thought about going on an all-almond diet. But that's just nuts@@I don’t play soccer because I enjoy the sport. I’m just doing it for kicks.@@ A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station. “I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.” “Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant. “No, not yet. The floor’s still wet.”@@ A dog thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me and take good care of me...THEY MUST BE GODS!!!!! A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me and take good care of me....I MUST BE A GOD.