Mental Attitude
Acupuncture, Counseling, and Depression. Research involving 755 patients with moderate to severe depression revealed that when compared with usual care alone, patients who received either acupuncture or counseling in addition to their usual care showed a significant reduction in average depression scores. Dr. Hugh MacPherson of the Department of Health Sciences at the
University of York states, "We have found that there is a valuable role for acupuncture and counseling as non-pharmacological
treatments for people who experience ongoing depression after consulting with their family doctor. Acupuncture and counseling
should both be offered as options for people suffering from ongoing depression, especially if they are seeking non-pharmacological
treatment options."
PLOS Medicine, September 2013
Health Alert
No Link Between Celiac Disease and Autism. A very large study analyzed 25,955 patients with celiac disease, 12,304 with inflammation of the small intestine, and 3,719 patients with normal mucosa but a positive celiac disease blood test. The results
revealed that having a diagnosis of autism was not associated with celiac disease, but having autism was linked to increased risk of
having normal mucosa but a positive celiac disease blood test. Lead researcher Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson writes, "I think it is reasonable to
examine intestinal permeability of patients with autism, but I do not think that celiac disease causes autism."
JAMA Psychiatry, September 2013
Diet
Eating Peanut Butter and Nuts Linked to Breast Health. A new study has found that girls age 9-15 who ate peanut butter and
nuts two times per week had a 39% decreased risk of developing benign breast disease by the age of 30 compared to girls who ate
peanut butter and nuts less than two times per week. Benign breast disease is not cancerous, however it can raise the risk of
developing breast cancer later in life.
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, September 2013
Exercise
Yoga May Help Insomnia During Menopause. A study took 249 menopausal women and assigned them to yoga, moderate aerobic exercise, or neither in addition to taking a fish oil supplement or placebo. Results revealed that taking a 12-week yoga class decreased insomnia but had no effect on either hot flashes or night sweats. The other interventions did not show any significant improvements related to relieving menopause-related symptoms. Menopause, September 2013
Chiropractic
Back Pain and Chronic Inflammation. Individuals with an elevated body mass index (BMI) who also suffer from chronic inflammation are at greater risk for back pain. In addition to spinal manipulation, treatment recommendations for overweight or obese back pain patients may include weight loss and dietary changes aimed at bringing the body out of a state of chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has also been linked to diabetes, heart disease, depression, and cancer.
Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, May 2013
Wellness/Prevention
Olive Oil for Eye Protection? New information suggests that adding omega-3 fatty acids and olive oil to the diet may protect our eyes from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among the elderly in the developed world. Researchers even suggest the possibility of adding oil with valuable biological properties to eye drops, instead of neutral oils, in order to add to the viscosity and health of the eye.
Canadian Science Publishing, August 2013
Quote
"The best index to a person's character is how he treats
people who can't do him any good, and how he treats
people who can't fight back."
~ Abigail Van Buren
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