Almost Weekly Health Tip

Each week (almost!), Dr. Shtulman offers great tips on creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Check back each week to see how you can add years to your life and life to your years:

First let me wish a happy holiday regardless of which holiday you celebrate. Let it be full of joy and happy memories to come.

Now for the "Tip". Today I will not summarize a health related research article as I have been doing recently, but instead I will support what some people refer to as an old wives tale. How often have you heard someone say you should drink 8 glasses of water per day? Well, I don't think everyone needs 8 glasses per day (some will need more or less depending on their size and activity levels), but avoiding even slight dehydration is crucial to optimal health.

Consider these next 8 statements:

1) 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (likely applies to half the worlds population)

2) In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3) Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism by 3%

4) One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5) Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6) Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7) A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or printed page.

8) Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Remember that water is water and everything else is, well...everything else. Once something is added to water the physical and chemical properties change. Coffee for example actually causes dehydration! So just because a drink is wet, doesn't mean it will do the work of water. Also as an important aside, don't regularly drink distilled water. This will cause loss of important minerals in the body and lead to a host of health problems.

So drink up and make sure your children drink plenty of water (see if their concentration and grades improve).

As always, remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman D.C.


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I just had to send you this article because of where it came from. This article is from Web M.D. and was reviewed by Louise Chang M.D.

CHIROPRACTIC CUTS BLOOD PRESSURE
Study finds special 'Atlas Adjustment' lowers blodd pressure.

by Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Medical News

March 16, 2007- A special Chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure, a placebo-controlled study suggests.

"This study has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination", study leader George Bakris, M.D. tells WebMD. "And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems", adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center.

Eight weeks after undergoing the procedure, 25 patients with early stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent a sham Chiropractic adjustment. Because patients can't feel the technique, they were unable to tell which group they were in.

X-rays ahowed that the procedure re-aligned the Atlas vertebra- the doughnut-like bone at the very top of the spine-with the spine in the treated patients, but not the sham treated patients.

Compared to the sham treated patients, those who got the real procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number).

None of the patients took blood pressure medication during the eight week study.

"When the statistician brought me the data, I actually didn't believe it. "It was way to good to be true" Bakris says. "The statistician said, 'I don't even believe it' But we checked for everything, and there it was."

Bakris and colleagues report their findings in the advance online issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension.

ATLAS ADJUSTMENT AND HYPERTENSION:
The procedure calls for adjustment of the C-1 vertebra. It's called the Atlas vertebra because it holds up the head, just as the Titan Atlas holds up the world in greek mythology.

Marshall Dickholtz Sr., DC, of the Chiropractic Health Center in Chicago, is the 84 year old Chiropractor who performed all the procedures in the study. He calls the Atlas vertebra "the fuse box of the body".

"At the base of the brain are two centers that control all the muscles of the body. If you pinch the base of the brain- if the Atlas gets locked in a position as little as a half a millimeter out of line - it doesn't cause any pain but it upsets these centers" Dickholtz tells WebMD.

What does this have to do with high blood pressure?

Bakris notes that some researchers have suggested that injury to the Atlas vertebra can affect blood flow in the arteries at the base of the skull. Dickholtz thinks the misaligned Atlas triggers release of signals that make the arteries contract. Whether the procedure actually fixes such injuries is unknown, Bakris says.

Bakris began the study after a fellow doctor told him that something strange was happening in his family practice. The doctor had been sending some of his patients to a Chiropractor. Some of these patients had high blood pressure. Yet after seeing the Chiropractor, the patients blood pressure had normalized - and a few of them were able to stop taking their blood pressure medications.

So Bakris, then at Rush University, designed the pilot study with 50 patients. He is now organizing a much bigger clinical trial. "Is it going to be for everybody with high blood pressure? No" Bakris says. "We clearly need to identify those who can benefit. It is pretty clear that some kind of head or neck trauma early in life is related to this. This is really a work in progress. It is certainly in the early stages of research."

Dickholtz has been teaching, practicing, and studying the NUCCA technique for 50 years. He says high blood pressure is far from the only thing an Atlas misalignment causes. "on the other hand, if people have high blood pressure, there is a tremendous possibility they need an Atlas adjustment".

****EDITORS NOTE****
I apologize for the length of this article, but it is important to note that medical research is and has been looking at Chiropractic for more than back pain for a while now. And amazingly enough, the results of these studies are validating what Chiropractors have been saying for over a hundred years.....Chiropractic works! Simple as that.

As always, Remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman DC

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I just heard from the daughter of a friend who was at a wedding in Marietta Georgia. While there, she met a woman who is a massage therapist who is currently enrolled in the Chiropractic school there. My friends daughter informed the student that she knows a massage therapist who is married to a chiropractor, and whose son will be entering the same chiropractic school in the fall. When the student inquired "who?", and was given my name, she said that she was a patient of mine years ago and I was the reason she decided to become a chiropractor. Unfortunately, my friends daughter only remembered her married name, and she was a patient of mine while she was still single. I may never find out who she is.

The point of the story though, is that we often never know what impact we may have on the lives of the people we encounter as we travel through life. Was it something I said, something I did that affected her to make a life changing decision? I don't know. How about you?

Are you living your life to the best of your ability? Do you speak the truth to those around you? Do you make decisions based on integrity or convenience? What is the example you set for yours and others children? Remember that what you say and do matters.

And as always, Remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman D.C.

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This weeks "Tip" is not so much a tip as an announcement. As you may or may not know, I have been certified since 1991 to do manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) but have not performed them for quite awhile. Not because it is not a highly effective and successful way to relieve the most chronic and severe forms of spinal pain, but because as a Chiropractor I couldn't find a surgical center that would allow me to treat my patients. Until now!

I have just been credentialed to perform MUA again at the Sanctuary Surgical Center in Boca Raton. Briefly, MUA is done at an out-patient surgical center with an M.D. anesthesiologist using intra-venous drugs to sedate the patient. Myself and an assisting D.C. (also trained in MUA) then perform a series of stretches and adjustments to the sedated patient to break up adhesions and scar tissue which have formed about the affected joints. The MUA is done 3 days in a row and followed up by several weeks of regular care at the office. The MUA is not performed lightly, and the patients who would qualify for the procedure are carefully selected.

If you or someone you know are in chronic or severe pain and have been told to "live with it", then contact me for further information.

As always, Remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman D.C.

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The following article is sent to you word for word from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, inc. dated March 6, 2006.

It is longer than what I usually send, but definitely worth the time.

ARTICLE ON FALLING AUTISM RATES SPARKS CONTROVERSY.

Analysis of two independent government databases shows that the alarming increase in reported cases of autism not only slowed but actually reversed since thimersol was removed from childhood vaccines, according to the lead article in the Spring 2006 issue of the "Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons".

"This study is exactly the kind of thing people have been waiting for for three years now", stated Richard Deth, a neuropharmacologist at Northwestern University (MetroWest Daily News 3/2/06).

Dr. Robert Davis, director at the immunization safety group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disagreed: "I don't think this study can really be taken to provide any evidence one way or the other".

In 1999, the mercury-based preservative thimerosol was removed from most childhood vaccines as a "Precautionary" measure, but vaccines were not recalled and could be used up until their expiration date, as late as 2003. The total mercury dose that children under 5 years of age could have received from childhood vaccines declined from around 240 micrograms in 1999 to nearly zero in 2003, but could now increase to nearly 60 micrograms if new recommendations to require annual influenza vaccine between the ages of 2 and 5 years are followed.

According to a study by HealthPartners Research published in "Pediatrics", February 2006, 25% of reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) that correlate thimerosal and autism were filed by lawyers rather than "healthcare providers". Thus, authors claim that VAERS data are biased because of litigation (MarketWire.com).

The other government database relied upon in the J P&S article, from the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS), has been called "skewed" because of a change in diagnostic criteria. CDC director Julie Geberding said that the autism rate reported by CDDS "sort of like the stock market bounces around a bit."

Columnist Dan Olmsted writes that the theme song of the CDC as it struggles with concerns over thimerosal and autism should be "Pretzel Logic," as from the Steely Dan album.

According to two databases, rates went up steadily as thimerosal dose increased, then turned around and started to decline as thimerosal was removed, "but so what, say the CDC and others who are on record (and, let's face it, on the line) backing thimerosal to the hilt". (Dan Olmsted, "The Age of Autism: Pay No Attention," RedOrbit 3/2/06).

Proof of casual relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders could have serious repercussions for government agencies and drug companies.

California and five other states have passed laws banning the use of thimerosal in vaccines for pregnant women and children, except in a public health emergency. Eleven other states are considering similar legislation, which is meeting stiff opposition.

Because of an immunity provision tucked into a must-pass defense appropriations bill last Christmas, trial lawyers say it will be nearly impossible for persons injured by a vaccine to force manufacturers to compensate them. Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, manufacturers of vaccines and other countermeasures will be immune from liability if the Secretary of HHS declares a public health and safety emergency. Some argue that this is necessary to build up the vaccine industry in case of pandemic influenza. Some say the provision was secretly inserted into the bill after conference committee members had already voted, a procedure that is not actually legal.

***EDITORS NOTE****
Vaccines are VERY big business. You owe it to your children to study the issues before you vaccinate. Ask me for some resources.

And as always, Remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman DC
.

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I am happy to announce that my almost year long project of producing a professional quality DVD of my Spinal Health Workshop is finally complete and ready for distribution.

I decided to make the DVD frankly because I had difficulty getting new patients to come to my classes. I will still be happy to do live presentations on a multitude of topics (wellness, stress reduction, new mother safety classes, work safety, etc.) for groups of 5 people or more, but now you have the option of seeing the workshop in the comfort of your own home.

The DVD is free, and you can pick it up at your next visit, or I will even mail it to you (as long as you promise to watch it-preferably with at least one other person). I would also appreciate feed back on it so I can add to, or delete from possible future projects.

As always, Remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman D.C.
 

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If I have not already told you in person...Happy and a healthy New Year to you and yours!

This particular "TIP" is geared towards only half my patients, though the other half may benefit indirectly as well. Let's talk about menstrual cramps! You think I'm kidding don't you? Actually there is a very effective and natural way to control or eliminate menstrual cramps. My wife married me because I helped her get rid of her cramps (well, not exactly...but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!).

Chiropractic care by itself is extremely effective in eliminating or decreasing menstrual cramps, but not all women with cramps are under chiropractic care, so here are some tips they can do at home on their own: Since most common menstrual cramps seem to be caused by a forward tipped uterus which makes it difficult for the endometrial tissue to flow out, the trick is to tip the uterus back!

Do this by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place the finger tips of both hands on the pubic bones (the hard place at the very bottom of your belly just above the crotch)and inhale. Then as you exhale slowly press the finger tips into the belly from the pubic bone and steadily drag the fingers up passed the belly button. Don't press too hard at first, and then get a little firmer and go a little deeper each time. Do it 6 or 7 times and rest. If you have a heating pad, use it now for 15 minutes and then repeat the uterine lift manuever. Also to help prevent the bloating and water retention that often accompanies the cramps, start taking vitamin B-6. It is a natural diuretic and helps get rid of the excess water naturally. I recommend 50 mg once daily, and 3 times daily for the several days right before your period.

These 2 things alone should be a great help. Adding the chiropractic adjustment to the process can be life changing for some women.

As always, remember to Learn, Laugh, and Love everyday!

Howard Shtulman D.C.
 

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