Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

DIET: VITAMIN E MAY OFFER BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE   The study compared the effects of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and the Alzheimer's drug memantine, to assess which one might be more effective for slowing progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in patients taking an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.  Follow up was just over two years. Results showed that clinical progression of Alzheimer's slowed by 19 percent per year in the group receiving vitamin E, compared with placebo. (This delay translated into just over six months of delayed progression over the two-year follow-up period.) It's worth noting that this isn't the first time memantine, sold under the brand name Namenda, has been found to be more or less useless for mild to moderate Alzheimer's. The drug is approved for moderate to severe cases, but doctors often prescribe it off-label for mild Alzheimer's cases. It's even prescribed off-label for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is frequently the prelude to Alzheimer's.

IN THE NEWS: POOR SLEEP LINKED TO TEEN MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS Getting too little sleep might be a sign of - or even a contributor to - emotional problems, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among teens, according to a large study from Europe. Based on data about the sleep habits of nearly 12,000 teens across 11 European countries, researchers found that a student with suicidal thoughts could be predicted to sleep about 36 minutes less each night compared to counterparts with no suicidal thoughts. For teens with severe emotional problems, the amount of sleep lost would be about 30 minutes, on average, each night. Lack of sleep among teens has been linked in other research to many negative health effects, including high blood pressure. And researchers have found that teens are generally going to bed later. Past research has also shown that teens need between eight and a half and nine hours of sleep each night. Teens in the current study averaged about eight hours of sleep.

CHIROPRACTIC: NEW OREGON LBP GUIDELINES:   TRY CHIROPRACTIC FIRST  This new State of Oregon Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Low Back Pain recommends spinal adjustments as the only nonpharmacological treatment for acute lower back pain. The guidelines, which have been adopted by the Oregon Health Authority, are a collaborative effort between the Center for Evidence-Based Practice, Oregon Corporation for Health Care Quality, Oregon Health and Sciences University's Center for Evidence-based Policy, and the new Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission.

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