Dr. Brad’s Weekly Health Update: Many People Choose Manual Therapies for Headaches
Many People Choose Manual Therapies for Headaches
Utilizing data from 35 published studies, a new report finds that about a third (32.3%) of headache patients utilize manual therapies to help manage their condition. The report notes the most common reasons headache patients seek out manual therapies include pain relief, perceived safety, and dissatisfaction with drug-based treatment options. Chiropractors have long used manual therapies such as spinal manipulation to effectively treat headache sufferers. BMC Neurology, March 2017
Protect Your Child’s Body Image
What you say can affect your children, even if you don’t think they are listening—so when talking about body image, remember to have a positive attitude. The United States (US) Department of Health and Human Services suggests the following: avoid speaking negatively about food, weight, body shape, and body size; provide a wide variety of healthy meals and snacks, and let your child make decisions about what to eat; praise your child for values, accomplishments, efforts, and talents; communicate openly and frequently; limit TV time, but watch it together so you can discuss the images you see; become active at your child’s school; and support policies that oppose discrimination, teasing, and harassment. US Department of Health and Human Services, April 2017
Combining Exercise and Vitamin D is Better for Heart Health
In this study, researchers analyzed 20 years of health data concerning more than 10,000 American adults and found a synergistic link between exercise and optimal vitamin D levels in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. In the first part of study, investigators observed that the more one exercised, the higher their vitamin D levels. In the second part of the study, they found that the most active individuals with the highest vitamin D levels had the lowest risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, April 2017
Italian-Style Coffee Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
An analysis of nearly 7,000 Italian men revealed that those who consumed at least three cups of Italian-style coffee per day were at a 53% lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who consumed less than three cups a day. Furthermore, the researchers found that caffeinated coffee extracts reduce the ability of prostate cancer cells to proliferate and metastasize. The research team points out that the study was conducted on an Italian population with a coffee culture not only characterized by high consumption, but also by the way in which the coffee is made, which results in a higher concentration of bioactive ingredients. Study co-author Dr. Licia Iacoviello notes, “They prepare coffee [the] rigorously Italian way: high pressure, very high water temperature, and with no filters.” International Journal of Cancer, April 2017
Obesity Reduces Chances of Healthy Aging
Healthy aging is defined as “not developing any major chronic disease, good physical and cognitive functioning, no limitations in instrumental activities of daily living, no depressive symptoms, no health-related limitations in social life, good overall self-perceived health, and no function-limiting pain.” In this study, French researchers followed 2,733 healthy (no cancer, heart disease, or diabetes) middle-aged adults for over a decade and found the odds of healthy aging decreased as a participant’s body mass index increased. Obesity, May 2017
Yours in health,
Dr. Brad Butler, DC
