Surprise! The flu vaccine is ineffective in most cases

Even though the flu vaccine this year cannot protect against two of the three stains that are popping up in the US, the CDC however says we still need it. read more...

Watching Our Children Get Fat

At the Children's Television Conference in 1996, President Bill Clinton underscored America's obsession with television when he noted that "a typical child watches 25,000 hours of television before his or her 18th birthday. Preschoolers watch 28 hours of television a week." If you tend to shrug off this fascination with the tube as harmless, consider a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that examined the potential connection between TV viewing and obesity. Nearly 200 third and fourth-grade students from two public elementary schools participated in the study, in which children from one school received an 18-lesson, six-month classroom curriculum to reduce television, videotape and video game use. The intervention was based solely upon teaching the children to budget their entertainment time and did not include other lifestyle modifications such as exercise. The second school received no curriculum to modify TV viewing and was compared with the initial group after six months. Children from the first school showed significant decreases in body-mass index, triceps skinfold thickness, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio following the six-month educational program, especially compared to the second school that received no intervention to decrease TV viewing. Children from the first school also reported significant decreases in overall television viewing and meals eaten in front of the television. These findings add to considerable evidence suggesting that television can influence our children, and the news isn't good. As parents, let's take the opportunity to do something about it. It's time to stop watching our children get fat. Robinson TN. Reducing children's television viewing to prevent obesity. Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 27, 1999: Vol. 282, No. 16, pp1561-67.

Work Restriction and Back Pain, No Help.

Many doctors advise their patients to restrict work activities in an attempt to get them back to full working capacity faster. However, this practice may not be effective, say researchers.

A new analysis pooled data on employees at a utility company who had back pain-related absence. When researchers compared the 43% of subjects who were given work restrictions with those who were not, they found no statistically significant evidence that work restrictions effect duration of absence or likelihood of relapse.

“No evidence of an association between a prescription of work restriction and early return to work was found,” conclude the study’s authors. “More research is needed to clarify the utility of restricted duty in promoting a positive outcome for work-related low-back pain.”

Spine – April 4, 2003;28:722-8. http://www.spinejournal.com/

Back Pain a Question of Weight?

If you're overweight and suffering from back pain, your doctor will probably suggest that you drop the extra pounds. Losing the weight is probably a good suggestion from an overall health perspective, but it might not be the answer to your back pain, at least not according to a recent study. The potential association between excess weight and back pain was examined in 152 patients attending a hospital-based spinal pain unit. Researchers determined the body mass index (BMI) of each patient after measuring weight and height. (The BMI is essentially a scale that determines "appropriate" weight range by comparing weight and height.) Results showed that BMI had no significant effect on the incidence of back pain, except perhaps in cases involving extremely obese individuals. If you're looking to lose some weight, exercise and dietary adjustments are a good place to start. But if you're suffering from back pain, the chiropractic office is the place to go. In fact, your doctor of chiropractic will be able to manage your back pain and also help you design a sensible program to shed those unwanted pounds. Baker PG, Giles LGF. Is excess weight related to chronic spinal pain? Chiropractic Journal of Australia, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp51-54.

Arterial Disease Linked to Back Pain

Atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries, can lead to high blood pressure, chest pain, heart attack or stroke. Evidence suggests that insufficient blood circulation associated with atherosclerosis may contribute to another serious condition: erosion/degeneration of the discs in your spine.

Speaking of spines, a study published in a journal by the same name investigated whether atherosclerotic lesions in the abdominal aorta were more advanced in patients with low back pain (LBP) vs. those without pain. From 1991-1993, 29 patients (21-58 years of age) were evaluated with a diagnostic procedure called CT discography.

Results showed that 55% of LBP patients had atherosclerotic damage visible on CT scan, compared with only 21% of patients without LBP. This difference was further emphasized when examining a specific group of patients (50 years of age or younger): 48% of LBP patients had aortic damage vs. only 8% of patients without low back pain.

Atherosclerosis is so common that many people assume it's a normal consequence of aging, but don't be fooled: overwhelming research suggests that diet and lifestyle can play a major role in preventing this disease. Your chiropractor can provide you with more information on low back pain, atherosclerosis, and how you can avoid both.

Kurunlahti M, Tervonen O, Vanharanta H, et al. Association of atherosclerosis with
low back pain and the degree of disc degeneration. Spine, Vol. 24, No. 20, pp2080-84.

Anger Predicts Coronary Artery Disease

It's never healthy to keep your stress bottled up inside, but all the evidence suggests that a slow simmer is almost always safer than a raging boil. Anger, especially anger manifested in bouts of uncontrollable rage or fury, can do serious damage - and not just to household items or innocent bystanders.

The results of a study involving 12,986 men and women (45-64 years old at baseline) provide evidence that anger may predict coronary heart disease (CHD). As part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, participants completed a trait anger scale assessing relative anger/rage; clinical examinations at baseline and follow-up assessed the incidence CHD and associated heart conditions.

High levels of anger contributed to an increased risk of CHD and other coronary events, including acute myocardial infarction (MI) and fatal CHD. Specifically, the investigators noted a three times greater risk for people with the greatest difficulty controlling their anger compared to those with the least difficulty.

The moral to this story: We all get frustrated and angry sometimes, but how we release or "control" our anger can make a big difference. It might mean the difference in staying healthy instead of suffering from heart disease. For more information, talk to your doctor.

Reference: Williams JE, Paton CC, Siegler IC, et al. Anger proneness predicts coronary heart disease risk: prospective analysis from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Circulation: Vol. 101, pp2034-39.

The Flu and The Flu Vaccine

What is the flu? Influenza is a respiratory infection that produces fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches, and cough that lasts a week or more. The flu can be deadly for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems or who are suffering from diabetes, kidney dysfunction and heart disease. Each year about 20,000 Americans, mostly in these high risk groups, reportedly die from flu complications such as pneumonia. What is the flu vaccine? The flu vaccine is prepared from the fluids of chick embryos inoculated with a specific type(s) of influenza virus. The strains of flu virus in the vaccine are inactivated with formaldehyde and preserved with thimerosal, which is a mercury derivative. Every year, federal health agency officials try to guess which three flu strains are most likely to be prevalent in the U.S. the following year to determine which strains will be included in next year's flu vaccine. If they guess right, the vaccine is thought to be 70 to 80 percent effective in temporarily preventing the flu of the season in healthy persons less than 65 years old (the efficacy rate drops to 30 to 40% in those over 65 years old but the vaccine is thought to be 50 to 60% effective in preventing hospitalization and pneumonia and 80% effective in preventing death from the flu in the over 65 age group). However, sometimes health officials do not correctly predict which flu strains will be most prevalent and the vaccine's effectiveness is much lower for that year. Does the flu vaccine protect against all throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal and ear infections? The flu vaccine only protects against the three specific viral strains which are included in any given year's flu vaccine. Throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal and ear infections caused by bacteria or other kinds of viruses are not prevented by getting an annual flu shot. Why do doctors say I have to get a flu vaccine every year? Like all vaccines, the flu vaccine only gives a temporary immunity to the virus strains or closely related virus strains contained in the vaccine. The only way to get natural and permanent immunity to a strain of flu is to recover naturally from the flu. Natural immunity to a particular strain of flu can be protective if that strain or closely related strains come around again in the future. However, because the vaccine only provides a 70 to 80 percent chance of temporary immunity to selected strains and those strains may or may not be prevalent each year, doctors say you have to get a flu shot every year. Are there reactions to the flu vaccine? The most common reactions, which begin with 12 hours of vaccination and can last several days are: fever, fatigue, painful joints and headache. The most serious reaction that has been associated with flu vaccine is Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which occurs most often within two to four weeks of vaccination. GBS is an immune mediated nerve disorder characterized by muscle weakness, unsteady gait, numbness, tingling, pain and sometimes paralysis of one or more limbs or the face. Recovery lasts several months and can include residual disability. Less than 5 percent of GBS cases end in death. What are contraindications to the flu vaccine? Among high risk factors listed by the CDC and the vaccine manufacturers are anyone who: (1) is sick with a fever; (2) has an impaired immune system; (2) has an egg allergy; (3) has a mercury allergy; (4) has a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome. In years past, pregnancy was also a contraindication to flu vaccine but, today, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends flu vaccine for women more than 14 weeks pregnant. The package inserts published by the flu vaccine manufacturers state that "Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with influenza virus vaccine. It is also not known whether influenza virus vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman.Although animal reproductive studies have not been conducted, the prescribing health care provider should be aware of the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices The ACIP states that if used during pregnancy, administration of influenza virus vaccine after 14 weeks of gestation may be preferable to avoid coincidental association of the vaccine with early pregnancy loss." Is Flu Vaccine Recommended for Children? The flu vaccine has never been recommended for healthy children. However, in the past few years there have been indications that health officials are soon going to recommend flu vaccine for all children. A nasal flu vaccine is scheduled to be on the market in late 2000 and publicity promoting this vaccine has centered on its potential use in children. The current injectable flu vaccine contains mercury as a preservative. In the summer of 1999, the FDA, CDC and EPA directed the vaccine manufacturers to remove mercury as a preservative in childhood vaccines. Mercury is a known neuro-toxin and American babies under six months of age are currently exposed to mercury in childhood vaccines that exceed EPA safety standards. One consideration with the mass use of flu vaccine in healthy children is the removal of natural antibodies to flu which are obtained from natural infection. The question of whether it is better for healthy children, who rarely suffer complications from flu, to get the flu and develop permanent immunity to that flu strain or it is better for children to get vaccinated every year to try to suppress all flu infection in early childhood is a question that has yet to be adequately answered by medical science. What should I do? Become educated about the flu and its benefits and risks and the vaccine and its benefits and risks and make an informed decision after consulting multiple sources of information and discussing your questions with one or more health professionals. for more information contact http://909shot.com/

Adopting a Dog Lowers Blood Pressure

Another study shows that dogs may very well be man,s best friends. According to the report, owning a dog may prevent hypertension.

As part of the analysis, investigators monitored the blood pressures and stress responses of 60 hypertensive adults who were caring for brain-injured spouses. Half of the subjects adopted dogs. After six months, dog-owners exhibited significantly lower blood pressure rises in response to stress, compared with those who did not own dogs.

Society for Psychophysiological Research October 19, 2000.
http://liberty.uc.wlu.edu/~spr/

Hostility Linked to Heart Disease?

Anger and hostility aren't the same, although they often conjure up one familiar, unpleasant image. Picture the face of the driver you've accidentally cut offon the freeway - very angry, very hostile. While anger is a feeling or emotion,hostility is actually a character and personality trait involving anger, cynicism,mistrust of others, and overt and repressed aggression.

Hostility (and anger) do little to contribute to health and wellness, but increasing evidence suggests that the opposite mechanism may take effect. Case in point comes from a study in the May 17, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Hostility questionnaires administered to 374 men and women (18-30 years old at baseline) provided data on hostility (over a five-year period), and CT scans taken at year 10 examinations assessed the presence of detectable coronary artery calcification - heart disease.

Subjects with above-average hostility scores had more than two times the risk of coronary artery damage compared to less hostile subjects, and five-year changes in hostility were also related with incidence of the disease. The authors conclude that "a high hostility level may predispose young adults to coronary artery calcification."

So don't get mad, get healthy! Your doctor can tell you more about the risk factors for heart disease and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Iribarren C, Sidney S, Bild DE, et al. Association of hostility with coronary

artery calcification in young adults. Journal of the American Medical Association,
May 17, 2000: Vol. 283, No. 19, pp2546-51.