May 2021 Health Newsletter

With the increasing global concern surrounding dementia and related cognitive problems in the elderly, being able to successfully prevent these issues is of great importance. JAMA Neurology conducted a study to research the effects of various forms of mental stimulation on cognitive delays in elderly participants. The study found several forms of mental stimulation that can reduce the risks of cognitive problems in the elderly. For instance, playing games and participating in regular social events was found to decrease the risk of cognitive delay by more than 20%. While participating in crafting activities can lower the risk by 28%, and learning to use a computer can reduce the risk as much as 30%. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by choosing to eat healthy and exercise regularly has also been proven in many studies to reduce cognitive delay. Combining this with regular mental stimulation is a great way to help reduce the risks even further. According to Dr. Denise Park of the University of Texas, participating in new activities or tasks may be more effective than the repetition of familiar activities in preventing cognitive problems. Overall, it is important for older adults to participate in mentally stimulating activities and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and exercise. This may prove to be their best defense against cognitive decline.

It is commonly held that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but until recently the prevailing argument was simply that breakfast eaters started the day with sounder cognitive function and set themselves up for overall better performance and achievement as the day progressed.

However, a recent study out of Kings College London in the UK suggests that children who skip breakfast on a regular basis are likely missing out on all recommended essential nutrients throughout the day.

In general studies conducted over many years, skipping breakfast has been proven to increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, reduced memory function, and weight gain. However, only recently have studies of nutrition shown the effects of missing out on micronutrients such as vitamins C, D, E, B-complex and K, folic acid and beta-carotene, and the correlation of obtaining these nutrients beginning with a meal at breakfast.

Iron and Calcium Deficiencies May Be Linked to Skipping Breakfast
Detailed statistics of participants in the Kings College study show that more than 30% of children who skip breakfast are low on iron, and more than 20% of the children are deficient in calcium. Comparatively, only 3% of children who eat breakfast regularly were low in iron and or calcium. Not surprisingly, fat intake throughout the day was higher when children did not eat breakfast.

Researchers determined that older children, those aged 11 to 18 years, were more likely than their younger peers (ages 4 -10 years) to skip breakfast. And girls were more likely than boys to begin their day without a meal. But the missing micronutrients in the younger breakfast skippers was greater than in the older group, indicating that the younger you are, the more important it is to eat breakfast so that your body can derive and process nutrition throughout the day.

Even children in the study who ate a nutritionally balanced diet despite not eating breakfast were still found, when tested, to be lacking in essential nutrients, further indicating that breakfast may be key to establishing efficient and balanced dietary intake. The study also indicated that children who did not eat breakfast ended up consuming the same number or fewer total calories as children who ate breakfast every day.

A recently published five-year study published evaluated claims from patient visits, pharmacy claims, and inpatient and outpatient procedures. The study followed well over 200,00 patients across the USA, some of them seeing medical doctors while others sought natural alternative care, including doctors of chiropractic.

The end result? Those who initially sought chiropractic care for low back pain (LBP) needed up to 90% less opioid prescriptions.

The study explained that patients who received initial treatment from chiropractors decreased odds of short-term and long-term opioid use compared with those who received initial treatment from a primary care physician (PCP). Compared with PCP visits, initial chiropractic care was also associated with decreased odds of long-term opioid use, too.

Prescription opioid use has ballooned into an epidemic since the 1990s, according to the CDC. Overdose deaths have been on the rise since at least 1999 with spikes in 2010 and 2013. Over 191 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to American patients in 2017. The CDC said on their website, "To reverse this epidemic, we need to improve the way we treat pain."

Chiropractic services can vary from clinic to clinic, but the common denominator is to effectively treat each patient without the use of drugs or having to resort to surgery. Core chiropractic care reduces pain and inflammation while helping you recover range of motion and increase flexibility.