Archive for chiropractic adjustments
As a Cameron Park Chiropractor I am concerned about the overall health of my patients. And, though chiropractic adjustments can go a long way in helping individuals to achieve better overall health, diet and exercise are always contributing factors. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, excess weight can create a multitude of problems. One of the health challenges my overweight patients experience is high blood pressure and, unfortunately, many of them are forced to take medication to manage their blood pressure until they can achieve the kind of weight loss that will naturally regulate it. And, even though the side effects of blood pressure medications can be serious, high blood pressure is also a serious problem that has been linked to increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. Most people with high blood pressure are keenly aware of certain food additives to avoid, like salt and sugar. These particular additives are not usually a consideration for people who do not have a history of high blood pressure, but a new study may make even those who rarely think about their blood pressure sit up and take notice. Dr. Michel Chonchol and his colleagues at the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center found that eating too much fructose may raise blood pressure in people without a history of high blood pressure.
After analyzing data on sugar consumption from a survey of more than 4500 adults who ate an average of 74 grams of fructose every day (equivalent to four soft drinks), they found a definitive association between high consumption of fructose and increased blood pressure. One-third of the participants had borderline high blood pressure and eight percent suffered from hypertension. Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association suggested in a press release cited by Reuters that the researchers unfairly attributed all the effect of sugars to fructose. And, in all fairness, it is true that the study could not separate the effects of fructose and glucose. But, men participating in a similar study who were given 200 grams of fructose per day for two weeks, in addition to their normal direct, did show a significant elevation in their blood pressure. In fact, in most of the participants the systolic blood pressure increased by six millimeters and the diastolic blood pressure by three millimeters.
The good news is that most of the elevated blood pressure readings returned to normal after two months, which also means that if you are someone who hasn’t been watching your fructose intake because you haven’t been concerned about your blood pressure, you can reverse the negative effects, relatively quickly, that soft drinks and excessive fruit juice intake may be having on your health.
The best solution, of course, is to eat a healthy nutritious diet, get regular exercise, and see your chiropractor in Cameron Park regularly!
2555 Greenwood Ln Cameron Park, CA, 95682 USA
dr.yongkim@gmail.com • 530-677-7333
Athletic Tape Isn’t Just For Sports Injuries!
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor I treat many people who suffer from arthritis, and I also help individuals who have sustained sports injuries. With the former, I use chiropractic adjustments and with the latter, in conjunction with the adjustments, I often use kinesio taping. Now, it appears that athletic tape can also be beneficial in treating patients with arthritis. Read on…
Athletic Tape
Researchers in Australia have found that athletic tape can be used to improve pain from patellofemoral osteoarthritis, a form of osteoarthritis found around or behind the kneecap.
This was a small study, to be sure, involving only 28 people, 14 with and 14 without patellofemoral arthritis. Yet the findings may provide another therapy option for people with this knee pain. This finding may also benefit people with chronic patellofemoral pain, which is relatively common in runners and can oftentimes be related to a misalignment in the knee joint.
The researchers from the University of Melbourne enlisted the 28 participants, all adults with an average age of 57. The researchers took MRI scans of the participants knees and discovered that the arthritis sufferers had a higher incidence of misalignment of the knee joint, including an inclination for the kneecap to be positioned toward the outside of the leg.
Using athletic tape to wrap the patient’s knees, the researchers were able to improve that misalignment. This contributed to improvement in reported pain during a squatting exercise.
According to lead researcher, Dr. Kay M. Crossley;
“Our results confirm that patellar taping is an excellent technique which can be recommended for people with (patellofemoral arthritis).”
The tape must be applied correctly to achieve the benefit, and not to worsen the condition. The researchers indicated that a physical therapist would be the most appropriate to wrap the knee, but that with instruction and practice, the patient would be able to successfully tape their own knee.
Using tape may not be the best solution for everyone with patellofemoral pain. Many people may require other forms of therapy or a combination with taping. Dr. Crossley stated that she and her colleagues are currently conducting a clinical trial which is studying the outcomes of knee taping with other treatments.
The results of the taping study were published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.
