The practice of yoga coupled with deep breathing eased the symptoms of individuals suffering from depression without the use of potentially harmful medication, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Major depressive disorder or MMD, or depression, is a common mood disorder causing sadness and serious mental health issues. Depression affects about 16 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers from Boston University Medical Center who conducted the latest study concluded that twice weekly yoga classes in addition to home practice helped brighten the mood of participants not taking antidepressants and for those who claimed their medication wasn�t working.
Since antidepressants come with common side effects such as nausea and insomnia, experts say that this new study offers an exciting and safe alternative treatment to the treatment of this common disorder.
Dr. Delia Chiaramonte, director of education, at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tells Newsmax Health that this new study solidifies the research that�s already been done examining the benefits of yoga not only for the body, but for the mind as well.
�There are multiple studies that suggest the benefits of yoga in people suffering from depression,� she says. �Exercise has also shown to have significant benefit in alleviating depression as well as meditative practices. Since the practice of yoga combines both physical exercise and meditation, in my opinion, it should be considered as an adjunct treatment for depression.
�It can be used alongside other forms of exercise, cognitive strategies, meditation, guided imagery and in severe cases, antidepressant medication.�
While the participants in the Boston University study practiced two to three 90 minute sessions of Iyengar yoga along with their home practice, experts say that a few minutes of daily practice can produce powerful results.
Iyengar yoga is a style that incorporates precise movements and alignments to balance the body and mind. Kundalini yoga, on the other hand, works on the energy systems of the body and can create equanimity in minutes to help battle depression, says Dr. Gregg Biegel, a certified Kundalini instructor, so you get more bang for your buck.
�People who are diagnosed with depression are almost always prescribed either short term or long term medication to combat their symptoms. But the harmful side effects of these drugs can sometimes make those symptoms worse,� he tells Newsmax Health.
�That�s like putting a Band-Aid on a severed artery. Scientists are now exploring alternative approaches to a healthier lifestyle without medication, and yoga, an ancient art that�s enjoying quite a revival in this stressful society, is a valuable tool.
�Human beings are complex emotional animals. Our behavior is directly controlled by the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system and our glandular system. When these control systems are out of balance, you experience a wide range of emotions from nervousness to anger to anxiety and depression.�
The practice of yoga, says the expert, can help regulate and balance the body�s control systems by incorporating breathe and movement.
�Within minutes of practicing these physiologically powerful series of movements we call kriyas we can banish the blues and stave off depression,� he says.
While Kundalini yoga is considered to be the �fast track� to establishing equanimity between body and mind, it is important to study with a certified teacher, says Biegel. Since there as many styles of yoga as there are flavors of ice cream, find a class that suits your needs and preferences.
�Practicing yoga on a regular basis combined with eating a healthy diet and enjoying a positive lifestyle provides a natural alternative to medication in battling depression,� says Biegel.
Seizing on the opioid epidemic as a chance to expand their reach, naturopaths and chiropractors�are aggressively lobbying Congress and state governments to elevate the role of�alternative therapies�in treating chronic pain. They�ve scored several victories in recent months, and hope the Trump administration will give them a further boost.
Their Most Powerful Argument: We Don�t Prescribe Addictive Pain Pills
Shunning pharmaceuticals, they treat pain with everything from acupuncture to massage to castor oil ointments. They offer herbal supplements and homeopathic pills.
There�s little rigorous scientific research to back up such treatments. Yet patients often say they feel relief. And providers say their alternative approaches are vitally needed at a time when more than 30,000 people a year die of opioid overdose in the US alone � and half of those deaths involve a prescription painkiller, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
�I am surprised that with the crisis where it is today, more people aren�t picking up on alternative treatments,� said John Falardeau, a senior vice president with the American Chiropractic Association.
Chiropractors scored a big victory recently in Oregon, where the state Medicaid program decided to cover spinal adjustment for lower back pain starting in 2016. Vermont, Virginia, and Nevada are considering similar moves.
Another win came earlier this year, when the American College of Physicians recommended non-surgical interventions such as acupuncture, yoga, and chiropractic care as the go-to treatments for lower back pain.
�The American College of Physicians is our new best friend,� said Robert Hayden, a Georgia chiropractor and spokesperson for the�American Chiropractic Association. Hayden said the the industry considers the decision �a direct result of the fact that we are in an opioid crisis in this country.�
Hoping For Help From The Trump Administration
Hoping to make even more inroads, both naturopaths and chiropractors are lobbying Congress to push the Veterans Affairs health system to hire alternative providers. Chiropractors are also pushing for a role in the National Health Service Corps, which puts providers to work in community health centers, often in rural areas.
And this month, naturopaths will descend on Washington, D.C., for a meeting all about chronic pain. �Naturopathic doctors are poised to be the leaders in combating the opioid epidemic,� the promotional materials claim.
The pain workshops will be followed by a three-day conference to set a lobbying agenda and teach naturopaths organizing techniques.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians clearly sees an opening to make gains: The arrival of the Trump administration and a new, Republican-controlled Congress �opens up new opportunities for AANP to push for insurance non-discrimination, to have [naturopaths] included in the VA, and to emphasize that naturopathic care is a much-needed alternative to opioids for the treatment of chronic pain,� the AANP website declares.
Chiropractors, too, are hopeful. President Trump has talked about giving more Americans access to flexible spending accounts�for health care. That, they say, will make it easier for�consumers to pay for treatments that insurance doesn�t cover � like chiropractic care.
�I think they see an opening. Whether it actually works or not is secondary. It�s basically an opening for them to try to claim some legitimacy.�
Dr. David Gorksi, surgical oncologist
Some mainstream doctors � who often range from skeptical to fiercely critical of alternative medicine � are wary. They worry that naturopaths or chiropractors might persuade patients with serious diseases to shun conventional medical care. And they point out that some herbal treatments interact badly with chemotherapy or other pharmaceuticals.
Other skeptics dismiss the push to claim a role in treating pain as a public relations ploy.
�I think they see an opening,� said Dr. David Gorski, a surgical oncologist and an editor of the blog Science-Based Medicine. �Whether it actually works or not is secondary. It�s basically an opening for them to try to claim some legitimacy.�
He finds it particularly galling that alternative providers often mix sound advice on diet and exercise, drawn from mainstream medicine, with fringe therapies that have no evidence behind them, like homeopathy pills. �It becomes hard for the average person to figure out what is and it isn�t quackery,� he said.
But other doctors are cautiously embracing the idea of new ways to treat chronic pain. They say if alternative remedies help � even if only through a placebo effect � patients may be able to avoid addictive pills.
Helping Patients Gain Control Over Their Pain
Emily Telfair, a naturopath in Maryland, said she often sees chronic pain patients who feel frustrated that conventional treatments haven�t worked to treat their pain. Or those patients haven�t been able to tolerate the tough side effects of pain medication. They come to her hoping for relief.
�That�s the place where naturopathic medicine shines. It offers another option for folks who haven�t found help,� Telfair said.
Telfair uses massage therapy, including a specific type of treatment known as craniosacral massage. She also sends patients home with castor oil packs and topical creams to apply to their pain points, all of which she said are noninvasive ways �to invite the body to heal and let go of the chronic symptom.�
�It offers another option for folks who haven�t found help.�
Emily Teflair, naturopath
She said her job isn�t always to cure a patient�s pain � it�s to help patients see that their pain won�t always be unrelenting and oppressive, and to help them gain control.
�Knowing their pain can be different from one day to the next, that is a very powerful tool,� she said. �I know I can�t help everybody with chronic pain. But you [can] change the person�s relationship to their pain.�
That�s been the case for 70-year-old James Fite, who has had both hips replaced and now needs a shoulder replaced. He�s hesitant to have the surgery because of his chronic pain.
�It�s always there. Sometimes it�s just blinding, excruciating,� he said. But he�s found relief with an acupuncturist and naturopathic care from Telfair.
He uses roll-on castor oil, sticks to an anti-inflammatory diet, and also receives massage therapy. Other times, he takes opioids. Fite said he has had 15 providers trying to treat aspects of his pain. He feels his acupuncturist and Telfair are the most �tuned in� to his body�s condition.
�None of these things are cure-alls for a chronic condition like mine,� he said. �But I�ve gotten as much help from them as from anybody.�
With various combinations of treatments, Fite said he�s more able to manage his pain than he has been before. He�s found the energy to teach chess after school twice a week at a nearby library and can spend more time playing with his grandkids.
Other naturopaths said they see their goal as finding and addressing the root cause of a patient�s pain. And they argue they have more time than a medical doctor to do that.
�It�s not as simple as a replacement for an opioid. We treat the cause of the pain. We don�t just mask it with a painkiller,� said Michelle Brannick, a naturopathic provider in Illinois who markets her services specifically to pain patients. Brannick relies on homeopathic arnica and herbal supplements, among other treatments.
A Cautious Approach From Physicians
Taxpayers subsidize roughly $120 million a year in federal grants to research alternative medicine through the National Institutes of Health.
Even after all that research, Dr. Josephine Briggs, the director of the NIH�s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, said she is aware there isn�t much robust evidence to support many alternative pain therapies.
�We can�t call this a slam dunk. This is not a situation where we�ve got an easy answer for a tough clinical problem,� she said.
But she pointed out that many alternative remedies are fairly low-risk. And some physicians are opening their minds up to the idea � with caveats.
�As a physician, I would never just say, �You have pain, so we�re going to just put you on pain medicine,�� said Dr. Andrew Esch, a clinician and consultant with the Center to Advance Palliative Care in New York.
Doctors stress that pain can vary wildly from one patient to the next, and treatments won�t be the same for every patient, either. �Sometimes that�s physical therapy and Motrin, sometimes it�s acupuncture and antidepressants,� said Esch.
Dr. Charles von Gunten, a palliative care specialist at OhioHealth, agreed alternative therapies like acupuncture and massage can be part of a doctor�s toolkit.
�They�re not either-or types of approaches,� he explained.
�As a physician, I would never just say, �You have pain, so we�re going to just put you on pain medicine.��
Dr. Andrew Esch, palliative care expert
But doctors also are leery of sending cancer patients or others with serious illnesses to a naturopathic provider who might convince them to go off of chemotherapy or forgo conventional medical care.
�That�s certainly a concern,� said Briggs. There�s also concern that homeopathic remedies like St. John�s wort will interfere with a patient�s prescribed medication and make those drugs less effective. Encouraging pain patients to experiment with alternative treatments might open the door to those risks.
But Esch said he doesn�t see those concerns as a reason for doctors to dismiss naturopathic approaches that their chronic pain patients are interested in trying. Most patients he sees are using some sort of alternative treatment � and many will continue to do so whether doctors like it or not, he said.
�If someone is going to take shark cartilage because they think it will make their pain better, my approach is not to immediately say no,� he said.
Instead, he scours the evidence, the side effects, and the potential drug interactions that might put a patient at risk. If it seems safe for a patient to try, he gives them the green light and checks back regularly to see if it�s helping.
�It�s part of the responsibility of physicians to know what people are taking and not dismiss it, because it�s our job to know they�re going to do it safely,� he said.
One State Weighs The Costs Of Treating Pain
Many dietary supplements � which don�t have to go through a regulatory review for safety or efficacy before hitting the market � are relatively cheap: Shoppers can snag 60 homeopathic arnica tablets off a drugstore shelf for less than $10.
But other alternative therapies can be costly: Craniosacral massage and acupuncture, for instance, can each run over $100 for an hourlong session, and patients may need multiple visits each month.
The Oregon Health Plan, which is the state version of Medicaid, weighed those expenses when deciding whether to cover chiropractic adjustment for lower back pain.
The chiropractic care costs more than would for a short course of opioids � a single vertebrae adjustment can cost around $65. But health officials are hopeful that they�ll save money in the long run by reducing the number of people addicted to opioids.
�We�re trying to offer up some of these treatment options from the beginning, with the goal of trying to reduce the transition from acute pain to chronic pain,� said Denise Taray, who coordinates the Oregon Pain Management Commission.
That commission spearheaded the research into what treatments should be covered and ultimately recommended that state Medicaid cover chiropractic care. They�re now looking at alternative medicine treatments for other pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia.
�We�re all focused on the opioid epidemic and managing prescribing,� said Taray. �The part that still seems to be falling through the cracks is the patient perspective and the treatment and the care of pain.�
A Natural Cholesterol-Lowering Supplement Red Yeast Rice Poses Same Health Risks As Statin Drugs
a new study contends.
Red yeast rice could increase risk of muscle injury or liver damage, Italian researchers reported after reviewing 13 years of patient data.
“These findings raise the hypothesis that the safety profile of red yeast rice is highly similar to that of synthetic statins and warrants further investigations to finally characterize the safety profile of red yeast rice,” the researchers concluded.
American heart experts said it’s not surprising that the researchers discovered adverse reactions to red yeast rice that are similar to those produced by statins.
That’s because one of the compounds in red yeast rice — monacolin K — has the same chemical structure as the statin drug lovastatin, said Dr. Paul Thompson.
“Statins actually exist in nature, in fungi and molds and stuff like that,” said Thompson, an American College of Cardiology fellow. “Patients need to know there is lovastatin in this product.” (Brand names for lovastatin are Mevacor and Altoprev.)
However, the new report only details 55 reports of adverse reactions during the entire study period. To Thompson, this indicates they are “a very rare problem.”
“It’s a tempest in a teapot,” Thompson said of the new study.
Red Yeast Rice Is Concocted From Yeast Grown On Rice
U.S. sales of red yeast rice dietary supplements totaled about $20 million a year in both 2008 and 2009, the most recent years for which data are available, according to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration views red yeast rice products containing more than trace amounts of monacolin K as unapproved new drugs, since they are chemically identical to lovastatin, and cannot be sold legally as dietary supplements.
But dozens of red yeast rice products remain on the market. And products tested as recently as 2011 have been found to contain monacolin K in substantial amounts, the NCCIH says.
For the new study, the Italian researchers reviewed government data collected on natural health products between April 2002 and September 2015.
Reports of muscle pain came from 19 patients, including some who experienced an increase in levels of creatine phosphokinase, an enzyme released when muscle tissue is damaged, the researchers said.
Thirteen of 14 “serious” cases required hospitalization. Ten patients suffered liver damage, the researchers found.
In addition, 12 patients reported gastrointestinal reactions that included upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The researchers noted that muscle pain and liver damage are common side effects of statins, which countless people take to lower their cholesterol and their risk of heart attack and stroke.
Study Doesn’t Directly Tie Red Yeast Rice To Any Of These Health Problems
“There’s no way to be absolutely guaranteed certain that most of these cases were related to the red yeast rice,” he said. Thompson is chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
Patients with high cholesterol often buy red yeast rice over the counter when they’re concerned about the side effects of prescription statins, said Dr. Robert Eckel, a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
“You have to let them know that, well, you’re actually taking a statin,” said Eckel, who’s also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement manufacturer trade group, recommends that people talk with their doctor before taking red yeast rice to lower cholesterol.
“For the small percentage of people who may have an adverse response to red yeast rice, a doctor can help to determine whether it can be tolerated, and if not, to seek other alternatives,” said Duffy MacKay. He’s the council’s senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.
Some clinical trials have shown that people with a history of statin intolerance seem to tolerate red yeast rice, Eckel said.
Thompson said he prescribes a fair amount of red yeast rice in his clinic as a way to ease reluctant patients into statin treatment.
But because it’s a supplement, the amount of active ingredient in red yeast rice can vary widely from brand to brand and even batch to batch, Thompson and Eckel said.
“The products are not as well-controlled and the dosages are variable,” Eckel said.
Red yeast rice also can prove expensive if taken regularly, because it isn’t covered by insurance, Thompson said.
“My advice is people should take regular statins, even if they have to take it at very low doses,” Thompson said.
The new study appears in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
SOURCES: Paul D. Thompson, M.D., chief, cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn., and fellow, American College of Cardiology; Robert Eckel, M.D., professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and spokesman, American Heart Association; Duffy MacKay, senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition; Jan. 19, 2017, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, online
News stories are written and provided by HealthDay and do not reflect federal policy, the views of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Let’s face it, sometimes there’s nothing better at the end of a long day than a glass of wine. But sipping much more than that can wreak havoc with your shape, and not just by adding hundreds of calories to your diet. Alcohol temporarily keeps your body from burning fat, explains integrative medicine specialist Pamela M. Peeke, MD, author of The Hunger Fix. The reason is that your body can’t store calories from alcohol for later, the way it does with food calories. So when you drink, your metabolic system must stop what it’s doing (like, say, burning off calories from your last meal) to get rid of the booze.
“Drinking presses ‘pause’ on your metabolism, shoves away the other calories, and says, ‘Break me down first!'” Dr. Peeke explains. The result is that whatever you recently ate gets stored as fat.
What’s worse: “Research has uncovered that alcohol especially decreases fat burn in the belly,” Dr. Peeke adds. “That’s why you never hear about ‘beer hips,’ you hear about a ‘beer belly.'”
So can a girl ever enjoy a drink without putting on pounds? Absolutely, if you imbibe the right way. In fact, large, long-term studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and International Journal of Obesity found that middle-aged and older women who drank moderately (about one drink a day) gained less weight over time than those who never imbibed at all; they were also less likely to become obese.
It’s a complex topic, but JoAnn Manson, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the studies, says that the moderate drinkers appeared to be more likely to compensate for the occasional drinks by taking in fewer calories from other sources and also tended to be a little more physically active. (In other words, they didn’t get blitzed on margaritas, then dive in to a bowl of fried ice cream.) What else beyond basic exercise and calorie-counting can keep happy hour from turning into hefty hour? Health dug into the research and grilled the experts on how you can have your sips and jeans that still zip.
Rule #1: Always eat when you drink
While the Harvard research suggests it’s wise to factor in those cocktail calories, it’s actually more important to eat right than to eat less, the experts stress. Skimping on food in order to “make room” for drinks will only backfire and send you straight to the bottom of the candied nut bowl. Here’s why: Most cocktails are loaded with simple carbohydrates, “so during a night of drinking, people end up with soaring blood sugar, followed by a ‘crash’ that leaves them ravenous,” says Jason Burke, MD, an anesthesiologist and hangover researcher who runs a hangover treatment clinic in (where else?) Las Vegas.
You can help counteract that effect by nibbling foods that provide long-lasting energy. “Before you go out, have dinner or a snack with protein, fiber, and healthy fat,” says Karlene Karst, RD, author of The Full-Fat Solution. “They stabilize your blood-sugar levels without slowing down your metabolism.” Karst recommends Greek yogurt with berries, almond or hemp butter with an apple, or a protein shake. An added benefit of grabbing a bite beforehand, she says, is that that Pinot or appletini will be absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream, minimizing its diet-damaging effects.
In addition to revving your appetite, tippling also makes you lose your eating inhibitions (“I only live once�I’ll have the steak frites!”). “It temporarily impairs the prefrontal cortex, the smarty-pants part of the brain that allows you to think clearly and rein in impulsivity,” Dr. Peeke says. “So after a certain amount of alcohol (and it’s different for everyone), you’re going to feel yourself not caring and letting it rip with food and probably drinks.” A cocktail (or three) can make you forgetful, too�as in, forgetting that the Death by Chocolate dessert is not on your eating plan.
The trick is to have an easy-to-follow strategy in place before you take that first sip. Scout out the bar or restaurant menu ahead of time and note your picks on your phone. Then set an alert to remind you to order wisely�that way you won’t have to think too much (or rely on that alcohol-impaired prefrontal cortex!) to stay on track.
As with your pre-partying meal, go for something with fiber, protein, and a little bit of healthy fat to help control blood-sugar levels and make you feel satisfied, Karst says.
Rule #2: Know that some drinks make you hungrier than others
When it comes to waist-friendly cocktails, the simpler the drink, the better. Not only do the sweet-and-fancy ones tend to have more calories, but the additional sugar can make you even hungrier: Your blood sugar skyrockets higher than it does on beer, wine, or a shot of something, making the plummet (and the resulting cravings) worse.
And then there are the calories! Booze has 7 calories per gram, making it the second-most calorie-dense macronutrient. (That’s just below pure fat, which has 9 calories per gram.) This means a measly 1.5-ounce jigger of vodka has almost 100 calories. Mix that up with some club soda and lime, and it’s a reasonable tipple, but when you start tossing together a whole bunch of different liquors�whether it’s a hipster fizz made with bourbon, elderflower liqueur, and house-made bitters, or a dive-bar Long Island iced tea loaded with vodka, rum, tequila, and gin�it really adds up (to the tune of 300 calories, in the case of a Long Island).
Even simple mixed drinks like rum-and-Cokes and screwdrivers pack extra calories because of the sugary soda and juice. “So if you’re going to drink, have something straight up and simple like wine or beer,” Dr. Peeke advises. Any wine or beer works, but to trim about 10 calories per glass, choose a ros� or white wine instead of a heavier red. A whole pint of a dark beer is around only 170 calories (compared with 195 for the same amount of regular beer) and may leave you feeling fuller than, say, Champagne, because it’s so starchy and rich, Karst notes. Vodka, gin, or bourbon with club soda and a twist are pretty good bets, too. Club soda is calorie- and sugar-free and dilutes the alcohol and its effect on your cravings. Avoid juices, liqueurs (which are sweet and syrupy), colas, tonics, and super-sugary bottled mixes like the ones for a lot of bar-made margaritas and daiquiris.
Rule #3: Stick to a drink or two, tops
One drink a day is the widely accepted definition of moderate drinking for women, but there’s a misconception among some bar-hoppers that you can go without alcohol all week and save your seven drinks for the weekend. “That’s the worst thing you can possibly do for your weight,” Dr. Peeke says. (And, of course, for your health.) “It has a much bigger effect than one drink a day.”
When you down three or four drinks in one night, your body has many hundreds of alcohol calories to process before it can continue to break down food calories or stored fat. Plus, all those drinks throw your blood sugar even more out of whack so you’re hungry as heck�and because you’re tipsy, your prefrontal cortex is misfiring and you now have zero compunction about ordering the fried mozzarella sticks with a side of ranch (and keeping them all for yourself). The extra calories alone are enough to pile on the pounds; have four drinks every Saturday night and you’ll be up about 10 pounds in a year.
Rule #4: Beware that gnawing, starving feeling the next day
The morning after poses a new diet challenge. As if a hangover weren’t punishment enough, you’re fighting cravings for large amounts of cheesy, greasy fast food. Part of the problem is that you’re dehydrated (don’t forget, alcohol is a diuretic), and that can make you feel even hungrier, Karst notes. But that’s not the only thing at play. “The body needs energy to resolve the effects of a big night of drinking, so it wants the richest source of energy it can find, which is fat,” Dr. Burke says. “Also, greasy foods tend to settle the stomach a bit.”
To avoid that: When you’re out, drink a big glass of water for every drink you have. Then, before going to bed, have some more, along with a snack that is high in fiber and protein such as high-fiber cereal or oatmeal, Dr. Burke suggests. “You’ll get important nutrients into the body that were lost during alcohol consumption,” he adds. “Plus, foods rich in fiber stay in the stomach longer, so you’ll be less prone to hunger in the morning.” With any luck, you’ll also be less likely to overdo it in the a.m., ensuring your figure won’t have to pay the price for a night out.
Super Bowl 50 showcased the leading players in the NFL along with Joshua Kollmann, DC and Brad Wiest, DC � chiropractors for the Carolina Panthers � and Shawn Caldwell, DC for the Denver Broncos. These doctors of chiropractic helped the players achieve optimal performance.
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the value of chiropractic care, points out that all 32 NFL teams include the professional services of a doctor of chiropractic (DC) as part of their integrated health care team approach.
Marking their fifth year with the Carolina Panthers, Drs. Kollmann (pic. left) and Wiest (pic. right) highlight the integrative role of chiropractic care: �We are in the stadium training room twice a week � and more often during play-offs � addressing specific sports injuries or providing preventive, maintenance care that the athletes want in order to achieve peak performance. Every player is individually assessed and the treatment plan is communicated and discussed with the training staff. Since the physical nature of the sport really impacts body structure, many players look forward to their pre- and post-game spinal and extremity adjustments as well as other advanced approaches.�
Shawn Caldwell, DC, who has served the Denver Broncos since 2004 and is now preparing for his second Super Bowl, says, �I work hand-in-hand with the athletic trainers and focus on performing chiropractic spine and extremity adjustments that restore joint function. The goal is to enable players to perform optimally or heal from injuries. I am at the facility two-three times weekly or more if necessary. Some players get an adjustment every time I am in the training room, while others when they are symptomatic so they can return to the playing field.�
According to Kyle Prusso, DC, team chiropractor for the Oakland Raiders since 2005 and president of Pro Football Chiropractic Society, an organization of chiropractors who provide the highest quality chiropractic health care to the elite athletes of professional Football: �It�s great to see chiropractic care integrated in all facets of health care, especially in professional and amateur sports. One of the reasons is that athletes are asking for us, with increased player requests driving utilization of chiropractic across all sports. Athletes are very in tune with their bodies and recognize that chiropractic care can boost optimal performance levels.�
All doctors are passionate about their roles as team chiropractors to an NFL Super Bowl contender, as Dr. Kollmann says, �I am humbled by this position and want the world to know that this is a great time to be a chiropractor. It means the world to me to ignite and advance our profession � especially for those who are pursuing a chiropractic education as well as veteran professionals. We are igniting the profession and honor those DCs who pioneered the opportunities that have helped us to become a part of the NFL teams.�
Dr. Caldwell, who is also the chiropractor for the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team, sums it up, �Chiropractors are playing an important role in the health care and performance of professional athletes. This is a fantastic experience for us and for the players.�
Doctors of chiropractic receive a minimum of seven years of higher level education, and are qualified to diagnose, treat and manage a broad spectrum of health conditions. They are the primary care professionals for spinal health and well-being. For athletes, chiropractic care helps to reduce the risk of injuries, and improve health and performance through enhancements in range of motion, flexibility, balance, muscle strength and other key factors.
If you are interested in learning more about how to be an NFL Chiropractor you can connect with the Professional Football Chiropractic Association on their website or on their Facebook page.
No matter what the outcome of this weekends game may be, rest assured that both teams will have been well adjusted and their nervous systems tuned on and ready to perform on the biggest stage of all.
Chiropractors swarm the field! Ready for some adjustments to help these players perform their best. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the value of chiropractic care share the fact that all 32 NFL teams utilize doctors of chiropractic (DC), as part of their health care programs.
Because it is something of a mystery disease that can show itself as a bewildering array of other conditions, you could have Leaky Gut Syndrome and not even realize it.
The reason is that Leaky Gut Syndrome is one of the many concepts in medicine that cuts across the boundary lines of specific diseases.
It is a major example of an important medical phenomenon: distress in one organ causes disease in another. That is why it is vital to look beyond the symptoms and discover the root cause of illness.
Conditions that Signal Leaky Gut Syndrome
Do you have:
arthritis
allergies
depression
eczema
hives
psoriasis
chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia?
Then you may also have Leaky Gut Syndrome, because it causes or contributes to these conditions.
Getting a better understanding of Leaky Gut Syndrome may help you find a more effective solution to your condition.
I am telling you about Leaky Gut Syndrome because it is a vitally important, but often undiagnosed, condition that is key to recovering from many illnesses and regaining robust good health.
An Integrated Approach to Leaky Gut Syndrome
I�ve been evaluating patients for Leaky Gut Syndrome for over twenty years, and have been writing about my integrated approach to this condition. My article �Leaky Gut Syndromes: Breaking the Vicious Cycle� is available online at the Foundation for Integrated Medicine. (1)
Through my clinical experience and further research I came to understand how gastrointestinal health in general, and Leaky Gut Syndrome in particular, contributes to many seemingly unrelated conditions.
To share my knowledge and help my colleagues learn more about this important topic I wrote a chapter titled �Integrative Approach to the Gastrointestinal System� for the textbook Integrative Medicine: Principles for Practice in 2004 and coauthored the book-length monograph Gastrointestinal Dysregulation: Connections to Chronic Disease, in 2008.
I have found Leaky Gut Syndrome especially relevant for many people with chronic fatigue syndrome.
What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Because it connects apparently unrelated disorders, Leaky Gut Syndrome is one of the most misunderstood concepts in medicine today.
To begin with, Leaky Gut is not a single disease or syndrome; it�s a pathological condition that occurs as part of many different diseases and syndromes. The term refers to an abnormal increase in the permeability of the small intestine. Increased intestinal permeability is a component of many different disorders.
Leaky Gut Syndrome is associated with:
inflammatory and infectious bowel diseases (6-12),
several types of arthritis (13-18),
acne (19),
psoriasis, (19),
AIDS (20),
chronic liver disease (21),
pancreatic disease (22)
as well as numerous conditions triggered by food allergy, including eczema, hives, and irritable bowel syndrome (29-37).
Sometimes, Leaky Gut Syndrome plays a primary role in the evolution of an illness.
Crohn�s disease is a serious chronic intestinal disorder that effects almost a million people in the United States. People who develop Crohn�s disease may have a genetically induced increase in intestinal permeability that creates the inflammation in the bowel. This predisposing leakiness can be found in close relatives of patients with Crohn�s diseases, suggesting that it precedes the development of inflammation.
Leaky Gut Syndrome can also be caused by the treatment for another disease.
In rheumatoid arthritis, for example, the drugs used to relieve pain and inflammation can damage the intestinal lining, leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome within two weeks. Leaky Gut Syndrome, in turn, is associated with aggravation of arthritis.
For most conditions, the precise role of Leaky Gut Syndrome remains unclear, but it seems to be part of a vicious cycle that makes the condition get worse over time. Allergic reactions to food, for example, cause a transient increase in intestinal permeability. If this happens frequently, it may increase the number or severity of food allergies.
In chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder, Leaky Gut Syndrome activates the intestinal immune system to produce chemicals called cytokines that spread inflammation through your body.
Inflammation is an important trigger for symptoms like fatigue, malaise, pain, and depression.
When should you suspect Leaky Gut Syndrome?
If you have:
pain in multiple joints,
a chronic skin condition,
chronic diarrhea or abdominal pain,
chronic fatigue,
chronic depression,
malaise,
a feeling of being infected but your doctor can�t find the infection,
or if you use aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs on a regular basis, or if you�re a heavy drinker of alcohol.
Recent research in animals has indicated that Leaky Gut Syndrome may also be associated with difficulty losing or gaining weight, but its association with obesity is still under investigation.
Five Steps to Help Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome
Get rid of anything that might be causing or contributing to increased intestinal permeability:
Stop drinking alcohol for at least a month.
Stop using aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). I wrote about the side effects of these common pain relievers in a recent Huff Post article �Why Medication Can Be Dangerous to Your Health.�
Have a stool test for intestinal parasites. There is extensive medical literature on intestinal parasites causing symptoms like fatigue, joint pain and skin disorders, without causing diarrhea. I discuss these in a chapter I wrote titled, �Intestinal Protozoan Infestation and Systemic Illness�, for the Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd Edition, in 2005 [34].
Adopt an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern. I explain the benefits of eating to reduce inflammation, and provide a plan to achieve that, in my book, The Fat Resistance Diet. The principles are simple to understand: avoid foods with added sugar and refined starches, made from white flour. Decrease consumption of saturated fat and most vegetable oils, using extra virgin olive oil instead. Eat at least 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and at least 4 servings of fish per week.
There are dietary supplements that help the small intestine heal and restore its functional integrity. The most important of these are the amino acid L-glutamine and the amino sugar N-acetyl- glucosamine, which are readily available in health food stores.
These are but a few introductory steps toward an integrated approach to this condition. There is a vast amount of scientific literature on Leaky Gut Syndrome, a sample of which appear in the references below from journals such as The Lancet, The British Medical Journal and The Annals of Internal Medicine.
The health of every system in the body is ultimately essential to promote overall wellness and when one of these is out of balance, it can trigger an array of symptoms and disorders. Digestive health is of utmost importance because it’s the source of most nutrients. When a disorder develops it could be due to another cause, such as leaky gut syndrome.
Trending Topic: More Vaccine Truths Revealed
Vaccines still remain as one of the most controversial topics of our time. Immunizations and vaccines are believed to be the cornerstone of modern medicines, where many professional physicians and healthcare providers validate their effectiveness, however, others have argued whether all vaccines can truly be labeled as safe and effective. Many experts have been warning the public on the dangers of vaccinations while the government and various other medical groups claim these should be mandatory. The accounts of side effects caused by these have increased.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Lt. Col. Scott Griffith, MD, and Army�s pain management consultant, quoted in a recent interview, �Chronic pain can be very challenging so we focus a lot on their functionality, being able to restore their function as well as bringing their pain down to the extent that we can. Even for people who cannot have their pain eliminated, many of them can have an improvement in the quality of their life.�
For military healthcare providers, managing acute and chronic pain has become a tremendous problem than ever before. In a June 2014 report in JAMA Internal Medicine, of 2,597 evaluated individuals, researchers found that 44 percent of troops experienced chronic pain symptoms after being deployed for combat while 15.1% of those individuals reported regularly using opioids. Furthermore, Veterans Affairs administrators gave a testimony before a Congress hearing that chronic pain was among the most common medical complication in veterans returning from the last decade of conflict. The frequent cause for chronic pain is due to musculoskeletal injury, which is usually unrelated to battlefield wounds. Causes for musculoskeletal injury include training and job performance with the use of increasingly heavy protective equipment as well as sports and recreation.
The challenge for federal medicine providers still lies on relieving chronic pain symptoms among active duty military members and veterans while also decreasing the chance of opioid addiction and abuse among individuals. In 2003, the Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM) was established to support and regulate pain research and education as well as improving pain management methods. Six years later, the Army surgeon general organized a pain task force membership that included representatives from military services, TRICARE and VHA, to give guidance and approval for a comprehensive pain management strategy. That same task force distributed a report in May 2010 recommending the military to use a holistic, multimodal and multidisciplinary approach to pain management, including complementary and alternative medicine.
Through the project, the VA will analyze the extent and cost-effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine utilization among veterans being treated at the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinics for musculoskeletal disorder-related pain and other related conditions. On a wider spectrum, changes in drug development are giving clinicians other means to helping active-duty service members and veterans as well as others avoid opioid addiction.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Both acute and chronic pain relating to trauma from an injury, have constantly been a common complication among troops. Fortunately, in recent years, efforts by the United States Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs officials to solve the issue of pain among active duty service members and veterans have started offering a larger variety of non-drug alternative methods. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
Marking their fifth year with the Carolina Panthers, Drs. Kollmann (pic. left) and Wiest (pic. right) highlight the integrative role of chiropractic care: �We are in the stadium training room twice a week � and more often during play-offs � addressing specific sports injuries or providing preventive, 
maintenance care that the athletes want in order to achieve peak performance. Every player is individually assessed and the treatment plan is communicated and discussed with the training staff. Since the physical nature of the sport really impacts body structure, many players look forward to their pre- and post-game spinal and extremity adjustments as well as other advanced approaches.�
Shawn Caldwell, DC, who has served the Denver Broncos since 2004 and is now preparing for his second Super Bowl, says, �I work hand-in-hand with the athletic trainers and focus on performing chiropractic spine and extremity adjustments that restore joint function. The goal is to enable players to perform optimally or heal from injuries. I am at the facility two-three times weekly or more if necessary. Some players get an adjustment every time I am in the training room, while others when they are symptomatic so they can return to the playing field.�
