WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Week of: Monday, August 24th, 2015
Belleview Chiropractic 303-771-3102
“Patience and
perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and
obstacles vanish.” ~ John Quincy Adams
Mental Attitude: Atrial Fibrillation
May Increase Dementia Risk. After analyzing data regarding 332,665 atrial
fibrillation (AF) patients from Taiwan's
National Health Insurance Research Database, researchers report that a
diagnosis of AF may increase an individual's risk for dementia by up to 42%,
even after adjusting for age, gender, and medication use. International Journal of
Cardiology, July 2015
Health Alert: National Program to
Address Sepsis Is Needed! Sepsis is a condition that occurs when an infection enters
the bloodstream, resulting in an inflammatory response throughout the body.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center
report that during a two-year period in California, 240,198 patients were
readmitted to hospitals for sepsis (almost as many as heart attack and heart
failure combined) leading to $500 million dollars in additional healthcare
costs. Experts suggest a national program aimed at improving discharge
practices, follow-up care, and instructions for patients on how to properly take
their medications will go a long way to reduce sepsis-related complications. Critical Care Medicine,
June 2015
Diet: Food Supply Driving
Global Obesity Epidemic. Is the global obesity epidemic simply due to the oversupply
of processed foods? Researcher Dr. Stefanie Vandevijvere writes "Much of
the increase in available calories over the decades has come from
ultra-processed food products, which are highly palatable, relatively
inexpensive, and widely advertised, making overconsumption of calories very easy."
World
Health Organization, June 2015
Exercise: Extracurricular Sports
Improves Kids' Academics. Participating in extracurricular sports may help children
develop the discipline they need to excel in school. Researchers note that both
a child’s attention span and level of self-control can be positively associated
with their participation in organized, after-school sports. Study leader Dr.
Linda Pagani adds, "There is something specific to the sporting
environment – perhaps the unique sense of belonging to a team, to a special
group with a common goal – that appears to help kids understand the importance
of respecting the rules and honoring responsibilities." She hopes these
findings will lead to improved access to parks and playgrounds where children
can engage in sporting activities. American Journal of Health Promotion, July 2015
Chiropractic: What Factors May
Increase a Patient's Risk for Another Back Pain Episode? Researchers conducted
MRI scans on 76 patients who had an episode of back pain within the previous
three months and followed them for a year in an effort to identify any factors
that may indicate whether or not a patient may experience future back pain
episodes. After comparing the MRI findings and case history of each patient who
had a recurrent back pain episode with those who did not, the researchers found
that patients with disk degeneration were 89% more likely to have another
episode of back pain within the next twelve months when compared with patients
without MRI-confirmed disk generation. For patients with a bulging disk, the
risk for a recurrent episode was 84% greater than those without a disk bulge.
They also found that each previous episode of back pain increases a patient's
risk for a future episode by 4%. Spine Journal, July 2015
Wellness/Prevention: Maintain a Healthy
Weight to Lower Breast Cancer Risk. Using thirteen years of data concerning 67,142
postmenopausal women, researchers note that obese women (body mass index >
35) have an 86% greater risk of being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
This news is especially troubling as two-thirds of women in the United States
are either overweight or obese. JAMA Oncology, July 2015