May 2012 Health Newsletter

A common mistake made by those suffering from low back pain (LBP) is to play the "wait and see" game. And while it is true that bouts of LBP can disappear on their own without care, what chiropractors know and what research indicates is that waiting too long prior to seeking care for LBP ultimately increases the odds that back pain will reoccur and that more aggressive future care will be required. A recent study comparing those who received physical therapy care early during their acute LBP (less than 4 weeks after the start of their LBP) with those who received care later (more than 3 months after the start of their LBP) found benefits to obtaining care early on. Specifically, those obtaining care within the first 4 weeks of the onset of LBP had a significantly lower incidence of seeking future care for the initial pain. Future care included lumbar surgery, lumbosacral injections, and frequent physician office visits during the following year. The lesson - if you're suffering from back pain, contact your local chiropractor and get yourself checked out. Chiropractic care is safe, natural, effective and scheduling a no-obligation consultation is absolutely painless!

According to a newly published study the previous low back pain (LBP) practice guidelines used by physicians have underestimated the likelihood of acute bouts of LBP recurring as well as turning into longer term chronic LBP. In the study, researchers followed 605 acute LBP patients who had an average pain intensity score of 5.6 out of 10 and a disability score of 15.8 out of 24. Eight percent had declared sick leave between pain onset and the baseline interview. Thirteen percent of 521 patients (86% follow-up) experienced chronic pain at 6 months and 19% of 443 patients at 2 years. At 6 months, 54% had experienced at least 1 LBP recurrence, and 47% in the subsequent 18 months. So what does this all mean? Simply, that LBP has a high tendency to return as well as turn into something more serious and more long term. Don't take a chance and think your back pain is just temporary or that taking a substance to mask the pain is the fix. Chiropractors are highly trained to evaluate and provide care for the back and spine. Chiropractors look to the source of LBP and focus on correcting the cause and not just simply masking the symptoms. Get proactive with your health and call your local chiropractor today!

In the last 50 years the incidence of obesity in American has skyrocketed from 13% to an estimated 34% of the U.S. population. In the same time period, the incidence of extreme or “morbid” obesity has jumped from 0.9% to 6%. While these findings are common knowledge, the costs associated with the epidemic of obesity are eye-opening. Recent Mayo Clinic studies indicate that obesity racks up over $190 billion in annual medical costs - an average of $1,850 more per year for an obese person than a person of healthy weight. The morbidly obese’s average yearly cost was estimated as high as $3,086 per year. Shockingly, the average health costs of the obese were greater than the costs incurred by smoking. Smokers health care costs were generally $1,274 a year greater than non-smokers because of increased mortality, while individuals with a body-mass index (BMI) above 40 were estimated at $5,530 annually. The costs of obesity outside of health care were greater as well. The study noted a $5 billion annual increase in jet fuel over the 1960’s cost to fly heavier passengers and a $4 billion annual increase in gasoline costs for cars transporting the obese.

A recent review of past studies indicate that zinc shortened the duration of the common cold for adults, but the results came at a cost. The duration of the average adult cold is seven days. The U.S. National Institutes of Health estimate that there are over 62 million cases of the common cold annually in the United States, resulting in over 22 million missed days of work. In randomized control trials, adults taking zinc experienced two and a half days less of symptoms of the common cold when compared to participants in a placebo group. Interestingly, zinc had little to no effect on children’s colds in the studies. The benefits of zinc, however, came at a cost. Sixty five percent of the test subjects reported an unpleasant “metallic” taste and 64 percent experienced nausea. There was also no effect on the severity of colds experienced by subjects at day three. The review, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal also pointed out that researchers are unclear why zinc stops the rhinovirus. They recommended that patients considering taking zinc consult with their doctor first.