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WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE Week of: Monday June 2, 2014

Courtesy of:

John H. Keefe III, D.C.

(918) 663-1111

 

IN THE NEWS:PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD TAKE IODIDE SUPPLEMENT; DOCS SAY Pregnant women should take an iodide-containing supplement to protect the brain development of their babies, according to the leading U.S. group of pediatricians. Iodine, which the body can get from iodide, is needed to make the thyroid hormones that are required for children’s brain development before and after birth. “Women who are childbearing age need to pay attention to this topic as well, because about half of the pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned,” Dr. Jerome Paulson said. “Women in the early part of the pregnancy may not realize they’re pregnant.”

WELLNESS: TOXINS IN THE ENVIRONMENT MAY ACCELERATE AGING, STUDY FINDS Avoiding environmental toxins may be the key to preserving your youth, according to new research. Just as exposure to carcinogens increases a person’s risk for cancer, experts now believe a class of environmental toxins – known as gerontogens – may put people at an increased risk for accelerated aging. Toxins present in cigarette smoke, UV rays and chemotherapy are all suspected gerontogens - capable of accelerating the rate at which a person ages. “Genetic studies have taught us only 30 percent of aging is genetic, meaning the other 70 percent comes from the environment,” study author Dr. Norman Sharpless, director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina.

CONDITION OF THE WEEK:Prospective Case Series on the Effects of Lumbosacral Manipulation on Dysmenorrhea (Painful periods) Over a 4-week period, 16 females were screened for symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea and motion restrictions of the lumbosacral spine. Thirteen subjects were enrolled into the study. Using the 95% confidence interval (CI) as an estimate, clinically meaningful changes (<5) in general abdominal pain and lower back pain were evident for most patients during the treatment phase, whereas for lower abdominal pain, the improvements were subject and cycle dependent. This prospective case series suggests the possibility that menstrual pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea may be alleviated by treating motion segment restrictions of the lumbosacral spine with a drop table technique.

 

FUNNY BONE:A group of scientists have started attaching sensors to sharks to help predict hurricane intensity. They’re hoping the information they gather will save enough lives to offset the number of lives lost attaching sensors to sharks.