Fall 2007
| In this Issue: |
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| Gluten Free Granola |
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Many individuals who are trying to reduce or eliminate the dietary intake of wheat have difficulty finding wheat-free choices at breakfast. The following recipe is not only wheat –free, but is tasty and nutritious as well. We hope that you enjoy it. 8 cups oats (GF) 1. Mix all of the dry ingredients above in a large bowl. This granola can be eaten with plain yogurt, fruit and/or nut-milks for a delicious breakfast, or dry as a snack. We have been able to order gluten free oats through Amazon.com. This can also be made as a non-gluten free granola with regular non-instant oats. |
| Great Idea for a Healthy Lunch or Dinner |
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Quinoa Tabouleh Salad ½ cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and washed 1. Combine the quinoa, bullion, and water in a small saucepan. |
| Two More Reasons To Supplement With Fish Oil |
Omega-3 fatty acids, in fish or supplements, may help people with depression or mood disorders, concludes an analysis of past research, prepared recently for the American Psychiatric Association. Here are the researchers recommendations for mental heath, which are similar to those devised by the American Heart Association for cardiovascular health: everyone should eat fish at least twice a week, and people with mood or depressive (including bipolar) disorders should consume at least one gram of omega-3’s a day from fatty fish or supplements. Omega-3 supplements should not replace standard treatment, but may be worth discussing with your doctor or therapist. Omega-3’s may also help protect against age-related mental decline , according to two studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in April. One followed 210 Dutch men (average age 75) for five years and found that just two or three servings of fish a week (totaling about 3-grams of omega-3s) helped preserve cognitive function. The second study, following 2,250 Americans (average age 57) for about a decade, linked greater omega-3 intake to reduced cognitive decline, specifically in verbal fluency, and particularly in people with hypertension or undesirable cholesterol levels. Several other recent studies have also suggested that these fats may slow cognitive decline and possibly dementia. Note: It is important that anyone who is supplementing his or her diet with omega-3 fatty acids be aware of the quality of the fish oil. At Back To Health, we only carry fish oil supplements that are strictly test for purity. We can recommend the proper dosages of fish oil for you. The Wellness Letter, University of California, Berkeley. Volume 23, Issue 10 |
| Dear patients and friends: |
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We are excited about our first “electronic newsletter.” For twenty years we have provided wellness information to our patients through office visits and newsletters. This new medium will allow us to assist our patients and friends with achieving their wellness goals.
You will notice that we discuss many aspects of health, not just the benefits of chiropractic care; this results from our integrative philosophy of health. Over the years we have brought our readers useful and timely information on many areas of wellness, helping you, as an individual concerned with your well-being, to take personal responsibility for your health. When you have a health concern it is important to stop and ask yourself what may be the cause of the problem – and not just seek solutions to treating the symptoms. We try to provide some stimulating food for thought to assist you in your search for better health.
We hope you find the information we provide informative and that it aids you and your family in achieving maximum health. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Cheryl Houston & Staff
| Poor Posture, Aches and Pains Can Start at Your Feet! |
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Over our many years of treating patients with muscloskeletal problems, we have found that part of their problems can be related to their feet. We have fitted many of our patients with traditional orthotics and they have found them to help hold their adjustments and remain pain free.
Recently we have added Posture Controls Insoles (PCI) to our office inventory. Posture Control Insoles are a new, inexpensive way of helping patients whose feet are overpronating (collapsing inward when they walk or run). These weight bearing activities not only cause the foot to overpronate, but also result in the dropping of the arch and the ankle rolling inward compromising posture and causing pain.
We think the following testimonial may be of interest because of the enthusiasm of the patient and the detail in his letter to Posture Dynamics, makers of the Posture Control Insoles.
“I can now run pain free for more than an hour thanks to the changes your Posture Control Inserts have given me. I am not really a runner but at fifty-five, jogging from three to ten miles several times a week is good for my heart, blood sugar control, and overall health.
“After trying many cushioned and supportive inserts and metatarsal pads from reputable companies such as Doctor Scholl’s, Spenco and even custom molded orthotics, my ball-of-foot pain persisted. I spent even more hundreds of dollars on running shoes. I tried cushioned New Balance 876 as recommended. I also tried Dansko clogs (the worst for me), the Negative Earth Shoe Energetic-K and ASA Time Out (popular with neuophropy patients), and Georgia Boot 6503 Comfort Core (since I work on concrete floors) and have even slept in night splints to treat plantar fasclitis. I tried ice and ibuphrophen for short-term relief, but none of these provided the long term relief I needed.
“Five months ago I tried Posture Inserts. I immediately felt a muscular response while walking. It took perhaps two months before my running improved, first to thirty minutes pain free and now to over an hour before some light discomfort begins. My feet do not ache at work. I have noticed that health walking strengthens my feet more that running. In other words walking helps me run better. I will try my 3mm for running and continue the 6mm for every thing else.
Thank you for such a fine product.”
Sincerely,
Randy Bolt
If you are having problems with your feet, either running, walking, or after rest, ask one of our doctors to evaluate if you too may be a candidate for PCI’s.
| Milk Linked to Acne in Teenage Girls |
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Up to nine out of ten teens have acne. For some, it is a serious physical problem with impacts on social life and self-image. All sorts of foods have been suggested to cause acne – chocolate, pizza, french fries – and the list could go on and on. There is little firm evidence to support a role for many of these foods; however, a recent study identifies a new and somewhat surprising culprit – milk.
Researchers examined more than 6,000 girls and asked them questions about their diet, if they had acne, and how severe it was. Regardless of the type of cow’s milk they chose (whole, lowfat, skim, or chocolate), girls who drank two or more glasses a day had a higher risk of acne than did girls drinking less than a glass per week. Other foods, including cheese, chocolate candy, and pizza, were not associated with acne, nor was dietary fat or vitamin D. Not enough girls drank soymilk for it to be evaluated.
So if you suffer from severe acne, consider reducing your intake of dairy products and talk to our nutritional consultant about replacing the nutritional components found in milk.
Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS, et al. 2006 Milk Consumption and Acne in Adolescent Girls. Dermatology Online Journal 12(4):1
| Reducing Breast Cancer Risk |
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Every year more 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women and the second most common cause of cancer death in other women.
There are some things that women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer. Exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol intake have all been shown to reduce risk. A recent study suggests that markedly reducing or eliminating red meat can also reduce breast cancer risk.
This study examined more than 90,000 premenopausal women and found that those women who had the highest intakes of red meat (more than 1 and 1/2 servings per day) had close to twice the risk of breast cancer, as did women eating three or fewer servings of red meat per week. Beef, pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, and processed meats like salami and bologna all appeared to increase risk for a common form of breast cancer called estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
We hope this study will serve as a useful guide for young and middle-aged women who want to reduce their risk of breast cancer.
Cho E, Chen WY, Hunter DJ, et al. Red Meat Intake and the risk of Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal Women. Archives of Internal Medicine 166:2253-59
| The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Terms Evidence On Spinal Fusion “Weak” |
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a Medical Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) meeting late last year to discuss the evidence regarding spinal fusion as a treatment for degenerative disc disease (DDD) or discogenic pain, particularly in older populations covered by Medicare.
The May 25, 2007, CMS memo on disc replacement makes it abundantly clear that the CMS coverage group has a skeptical view of spinal fusion as a treatment for DDD, based on that meeting.
“Based on the total evidence presented at that meeting, the panel advised CMS that the state of the evidence supporting improved clinical outcomes from lumbar spine fusion for DDD was weak,” according to CMS. “There was discussion about the need for a clinical trail that would conclusively support the health benefit of lumbar spine fusion for the treatment of DDD.”
The CMS evidence analysts are skeptical not only about the value of spinal fusion, but also about numerous aspects of the diagnosis and management of DDD. The report also went on to say that "though the evidence-based for conservative treatment (of degenerative disc disease/discogenic pain) is weak, the majority of patients with low back pain will have acceptable results without surgery."
Backletter: Volume 22, No. 7. July 2007
| Headaches and Chiropractic |
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If you have a headache, you're not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.
What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.
New research shows that spinal manipulation - the primary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic - may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.
A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originated in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.
"The greatest majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck," according to the American Chiropractic Associate (ACA). "Today, Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.
What can you do? We suggest the following:
- If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
- Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. Engage in such activities as walking and low impact aerobics.
- Avoid teeth clenching. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) - the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull - leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches. Our doctors can perform a specific adjustment to correct the misalignment of your TMJ. Our patients have gotten very positive results from this treatment.
- Drink lots of water every day. Simply, dehydration can lead to headaches.
- Have regular chiropractic care - our doctors are trained and licensed to treat your entire body with specific emphasis on the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.
| Can a Nutritional Consultant Help You? |
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WWW.McNamaraHHC.com
- To alleviate allergies, digestive disorders, chronic conditions, asthma, PMS, depression or insomnia
- To improve your eating habits
- To feel confident in choosing & preparing healthy food for yourself & your family
- To stop cravings and binges
- To experience an increase in your energy & vitality
- To experience improved overall satisfaction with your life
I invite you to a complimentary, initial consultation, to discuss your health history, your concerns and goals. This complimentary, one-hour session is a great way for you to experience how I work with clients and to see if we are a good match. There is no obligation, but I welcome you to consider that this conversation may be a turning point in your life.
Contact me today and let’s see if I can help. Please call 508.728.9836 or email: RmcNamara82Park@aol.com
| Sugar Blues Workshop |
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Are You Suffering From the Sugar Blues?
- Are you constantly craving sweets?
- Want to understand why?
- Want to gain control without willpower or deprivation?
Learn more by attending the workshop with:
Richard McNamara, Holistic Health Counselor
DATE: Tuesday, October 9, 2007
TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Back To Health Chiropractic
82 Park Avenue
Worcester, MA 01609
REGISTRATION: No Fee, however, Pre-registration is required
Please call 508.752.7521 or email: BTHChiro2@aol.com
Refreshments Will Be Served
You Tell Them Chiropractic Works.
It Gets Results. And That's What Counts!
Copyright 2007 Back to Health Chiropractic, P.C., 82 Park Avenue Worcester , MA 01609, 508-752-7521
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