August 2013 Health Newsletter

Groundbreaking, Integrated Approach to Treatment Demonstrates Commitment to Patient-centered Care—Arlington, Va.—The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today announced that Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)—a pioneer in integrative care, incorporating chiropractic services and other supportive therapies into its advanced, evidenced-based cancer treatments—is the focus of the cover story in the August 2013 issue of ACA News. At CTCA's five regional hospitals, chiropractic physicians work on teams alongside surgeons and oncologists to support cancer patients during their treatment. Its patient-centered approach came from a simple question, "If your mother had cancer, how would you want her to be treated?" CTCA's founder, Richard J. Stephenson, lost his mother to cancer and wished that her treatment had been more focused on providing comprehensive care in addition to the advanced treatment options she needed. Chiropractic physicians joined CTCA's staff 10 years ago (due to patient demand), allowing its hospitals to offer truly comprehensive, integrated treatment under one roof. If a patient complains about a headache due to a new chemotherapy drug, his or her treatment team might first suggest the patient try a chiropractic adjustment as opposed to going on yet another medication. According to Jeffrey Sklar, DC, eastern regional director in the department of chiropractic at CTCA, "We are not treating cancer, we are treating patients with cancer; it is whole-person care. And that is what got me turned on about chiropractic to begin with." CTCA's model has influenced the way oncologists, surgeons and other clinicians around the country think about treating cancer patients. Whole-person cancer treatment combined with a compassionate, nurturing environment—known as the Mother Standard of Care—provides patients with much needed support during treatment. "I applaud CTCA as an institution for its dedication to treating the whole patient by offering therapy aimed at combating the difficult side-effects of grueling cancer treatments, as well as the cancer itself," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. "I am truly inspired by my colleagues at CTCA, who are making a real difference in the quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment."

A new study of colon cancer patients finds that the people who reported eating the most red meat prior to being diagnosed were more likely to die in the following eight years. Researchers were unable to prove that eating red meat caused colon cancer deaths, but established that the amount of meat a person ate before and after their diagnosis was tied with their risk of dying during the study. The study, recently published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, compared data from over 2000 patients diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer between 1992 and 2010. Overall, 966 of the patients died between the start of the study and December 31, 2010. Of the 966, approximately 43 percent reported eating 10 or more servings of red or processed meat per week at the start of the study and died during the follow up period. The study also concluded that the people who consistently ate more red or processed meat before and after their colon cancer diagnosis were more likely to die from the colon cancer. An editorial accompanying the study recommended that the public limit servings of red meat to three or four times a week.

Use it or lose it? After tracking the mental activity of over 1600 older adults, new research indicates that people in the habit of reading, writing and processing new information retain more of their thinking skills and memory as they age. Beginning in 1997, the study of older adults asked participants how often they went to the library, wrote letters and sought out information. Each participant was also given an annual thinking and memory test. People in their 80’s who were mentally active throughout their lives generally scored better on the memory tests. The study rated cognitive activity on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least frequent. Participants scored an average of 3.2 for late-life cognitive activity and a 3.1 for early-life activity. Compared to people with average late-life cognitive activity, the thinking and memory skills of those individuals with infrequent activity declined 48 percent faster than the average. The decline was 32 percent slower among those who were the most cognitively active. While shying away from concluding that being mentally active wards off cognitive decline, the study advised that maintaining a mentally active lifestyle is good for cognitive health in old age.

A new review of several prior studies finds that drinking more water when dieting may increase weight loss. Researchers at the Berlin School of Public Health in Germany, compared eleven previous studies on weight and water consumption. Three of the studies tied increased water intake to enhanced weight loss. One study found that women who increased their daily water consumption while dieting, lost more weight than those who drank less than a liter a day. Another found that participants who drank an extra two cups of water before a meal lost an average of four pounds more than a group that didn't. Still, researchers said there is not enough evidence to say for certain that drinking more water increases weight loss and it’s unclear how the increased water consumption might help dieters. The review authors speculated that the water provides a feeling of fullness, leading dieters to reduce their caloric intake. It’s also possible that the additional water increases the energy expenditure of the body; an idea called "water-induced thermogenesis." However, the researchers pointed out that the studies didn’t always show that people who drank more water necessarily weighed less. Some of the studies indicated that obese or overweight individuals drank more water than their thinner counterparts. Ultimately the review’s authors recommended larger experiments to examine water’s potential benefits while dieting.