Nutrition – Page 11 – The American Chiropractor

Enhancing the Benefits of Nutrition

In our culture, we are finding that most patients are open to new ideas and desire to explore alternative therapies to answer their healthcare needs. Such progressivism is great, but that openness has spawned an enormous and sometimes unwieldy explosion in alternative healthcare products, procedures, and professions in the market today.

In the vast ocean of health products, from nutritional supplements to herbs to dietary protocols, prescribing a nutritional curriculum for our patients becomes a complicated and onerous task. In addition to wading through these products, we also have to contend with the reality that specific protocols within nutrition can be antagonistic toward others, relatively competing for biochemical position. The balancing of body chemistry can evolve into a juggling contest more problematic than we are able or willing to handle.

As we increase our efforts in nutrition, we sometimes end up giving our patients more pills than they can swallow. We find ourselves in what I call a “shopping bag” nutritional practice—that is, patients are loaded up with a shopping bag full of products and a list of instructions as long as their arm on how, when, and where to take them. This difficulty usually adds frustration, and patient compliance and confidence frequently falls off, not only in the nutritional treatment, but also in the one who provides it.

Don’t misunderstand. A good lifestyle management program, including nutritional guidelines, is an imperative foundation for optimal health. I’m not recommending that you give up on this valuable therapy, rather that it be used in its most efficacious role for both the patient and the doctor.

While nutrition and herbs are more supportive in their therapeutic effects, chiropractic and homeopathy are more curative. Homeopathy offers a deeper acting therapy to better address the roots of disease. While nutrition works on a biochemical level, homeopathy works bioenergetically, correcting nerve interferences throughout the whole nervous system where the hands of the chiropractor cannot reach.

Homeopathy, like chiropractic, works at the highest levels in the hierarchy of our health to maintain homeostasis. The marriage of chiropractic and homeopathy empowers the chiropractor to more successfully work with the whole nervous system to better fulfill the high call of chiropractic. It also allows additional therapies, like nutrition, the opportunity to maximize their potential. Homeopathy is essential to completing chiropractic destiny, and without it, chiropractic can never realize its full potential.

With the application of both of these modalities to clear nerve interferences throughout our entire control system, everything we do to enhance our patients’ health works better: application of nutrition, herbs, diet, exercise, etc. We will commonly even see improvement in the ability to think and believe more positively and even observe the correction of recurring subluxation patterns.

The protocol of chiropractic and homeopathy using nutrition as a supportive modality definitely helps the practitioner look better from the patients’ perspective. Everyone wants to go to the practitioner who helps people with problems no other doctors could—especially when they are helped using less time, money and effort.

Nutrition and herbs are great therapies; they are essential to a wellness practice. However, using chiropractic and homeopathy as our primary tools, our natural programs are no longer limited to the biochemical realm, and we are better equipped to correct problems at the highest levels in the hierarchy of health. Instead, we can now treat the whole person both biochemically and bioenergetically, eliminating the need to force results by over-treating patients with the limitations of one or two modalities excessively.

The majority of the public is affected by some so-called incurable problem or recurring health issue irresolvable with nutrition, traditional medicine, or even chiropractic alone. These people are open to, hungry for—even hoping and praying for—someone to come along with an answer to their dilemma. Dis-ease has been robbing people of their quality of life for too long, and they are seeking a doctor willing to step up to the plate to try to help them.

I encourage you to try homeopathy. Whether you just want to improve your effectiveness as a musculosketal practitioner, or move more successfully into a full-fledged eclectic style practice, homeopathy holds an essential power position for the chiropractor wanting to maximize results! TAC

Frank J. King, Jr., is a nationally recognized researcher, author and lecturer on homeopathy. In addition, Dr. King is the founder and director of King Bio Pharmaceuticals, a registered homeopathic manufacturing company dedicated to completing chiropractic destiny with the marriage of homeopathy. Dr. King offers, complimentary to all Doctors of Chiropractic, his turnkey procedural system for the high volume practice called, The Chiropractic Enhancer systemÔ (CES). It is so easy to use that you can successfully apply homeopathy in your practice using any company’s products in one day. Call King Bio Pharma-ceuticals, Asheville, N.C. 1-800-543-3245 or e-mail: [email protected].

Syndrome X and Subluxation

Some 40 million Americans are thought to have syndrome X,¹ and there are likely to be several million who are rapidly moving in that direction. Syndrome X is thought to be a driver of heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depression, and other diseases.² Syndrome X refers to an abnormal metabolic state that is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, small dense LDL’s, decreased HDL’s, postprandial lipemia and some other changes.² More recently, other metabolic abnormalities have been associated with syndrome X, including an increase in inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), fibrinogen, and interleukin-6 (IL-6).³

An increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor and fibrinogen results in an increase in fibrin deposition, which ultimately correlates to an increase in fibrous tissue deposition…certainly an enemy to joints and muscles and long thought to be associated with reduced joint motion and subluxation. Indeed, research suggests that with certain patients, their back pain is due to excessive fibrin deposition that leads to spinal tissue fibrosis and chronic pain.⁴ So, it seems quite possible that syndrome X promotes joint dysfunction and back pain in certain patients.

Most docs and many lay people are aware of the term “glycemic index,” which generally refers to the blood sugar response to a given food. Foods with a high glycemic index (GI), such as glucose and white bread, produce elevated levels of blood sugar, compared to foods with a low GI, such as most vegetables, meats, and most fruits. If people eat high GI foods, the result will be an increase in blood sugar and increased levels of insulin, that is hyperinsulinemia.

It is thought that eating high GI foods over time will drive syndrome X. Diets that are high in carbohydrates and low in protein and fat are also thought to the drive syndrome X. Several other nutritional factors are thought, though, to promote hyperinsulinemia, and syndrome X, including deficiencies in magnesium, chromium, biotin, potassium, and vitamin E; elevated ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids; physical inactivity; and even stress (elevated cortisol and reduced DHEA).²

It is reasonable to assume that any patient who has the nutritional imbalances listed above, has an increased chance of developing syndrome X. To be sure about one’s sugar handling capability and insulin status, you can perform a glucose tolerance test.

Assuming a patient does not have diabetes, the treatment approach is straight-forward. Patients must eat low GI foods. It is best to eat five small meals per day, or three moderately sized meals and 2-3 low GI snacks. Water is the preferred beverage. This dietary regimen will help reduce body fat, which is a key goal in the fight against syndrome X. It is known that fat cells release tumor necrosis factors that can block the insulin receptor, thereby promoting hyperinsulinemia and syndrome X.⁵

As several vitamins and minerals are involved in glucose handling, it also makes sense to take a multivitamin and a magnesium supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids help to stabilize blood sugar, so a fish oil supplement is also a wise measure to consider.

Most people in America literally begin a dietary mission to reach the goal of syndrome X by the time they reach forty years of age. Our dietary habits are abysmal in America, a land in which abundant health is a viable option. In early December of 2003, ABC television aired a special show about diet in America. Sugar foods and fast foods are the most common foods consumed in America. In the era of “fat free” foods, Americans still managed to pack on additional pounds; the reason for this…sugar replaced the fat, in fat-free foods.

While many patients and doctors are not interested in preventing syndrome X, heart disease, cancer, back pain, subluxation, and the like, there are many patients who very much want to be free of their health burdens. The approach described in this short article is very easy to follow. If you want to motivate your kids and younger patients, let them know that acne is driven by hyperinsulinemia⁶, which should get their attention.

Dr. Seaman is the Clinical Chiropractic Consultant for Anabolic Laboratories, one of the first supplement manufacturers to service the chiropractic profession. He is on the faculty of Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida and on the postgraduate faculties of several other chiropractic colleges, providing nutrition seminars that focus on the needs of the chiropractic patient. Dr. Seaman believes that chiropractors should be thinking like chiropractors, while providing nutritional recommendations. Doctors and patients who follow his programs report improved feelings of well-being, weight loss, dramatic increases in energy, and significant pain reduction. Dr. Seaman can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

References:

Isomaa B. A major health hazard: the metabolic syndrome. Life Sci 2003;73(19):2395-411
Seaman DR. Clinical nutrition for pain, inflammation, and tissue healing. Hendersonville (NC): NutrAnalysis; 1998: p.89-100
Sakkinen PA, Wahl P, Cushman M, Lewis MR, Tracy RP. Clustering of procoagulation, inflammation, and fibrinolysis variables with metabolic factors in insulin resistance syndrome. Am J Epidemiol 2000;152(10):897-907
Jayson MI. Chronic inflammation and fibrosis in back pain syndromes. In Jayson M. Ed. The lumbar spine and back pain. 3^rd ed. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1987: p.411-418
Grimble RF. Inflammatory status and insulin resistance. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2002; 5:551-559
Cordain L, et al. Acne vulgaris: a disease of western civilization. Arch Dermatol 2002; 138:1584-90

Nutrition, For a Healthier Practice

Nutrition can be a healthy addition to your chiropractic or multidisciplinary practice and help your patients achieve greater well-being. Nutrition is low-cost, easy to implement and can make your treatments more effective. A happy, healthy patient will refer friends and family.

It has never been easier to test for the deficiencies or nutritional needs of your patients. Nutrition companies have classes to teach you about using their products to help your patients. Many have entire programs with CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Inprovement Act) waived test kits, blood work analysis, muscle testing programs or even extensive patient questionnaires designed to allow you to develop a logical approach in adding nutrition to a patient treatment program. All of these make it very easy to use nutrition in a busy practice. The products have been extensively researched and compiled to treat many specific disorders/diagnoses, such as formulas for degenerative joint disease, fibromyalgia, hypercholesterolemia etc. More importantly, you can learn how to augment many patients current treatment regimens with nutrition.

We have a multidisciplinary team in my practice and see a variety of health issues on a daily basis ranging from musculoskeletal to internal medicine. Nutrition is extremely important to the recovery of musculoskeletal patients. Many chemical processes can be given assistance; collagen fibers need extra vitamin C; minerals such as magnesium and manganese, protein, also B-complex, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are perfect to help these patients in their recovery. Fibromyalgia patients, as well as others with any form of fibrous tissue, scar tissue or chronic musculoskeletal problems can benefit from systemic enzyme therapy. And how about the many patients on some of the prescription acid blockers for digestive upsets. A digestive enzyme could get to the root of the problem and your patient may find the problems of indigestion are over. Homeopathic remedies are my favorite with pediatric and pregnant patients, because of the safety and effectiveness of these products.

Many times, too, we are called upon to help treat and council nutrition with diabetic patients. Some of the many demands made on the bodies of diabetics include poor healing, sugar handling issues, early onset of artherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy complications. These individuals need extensive nutritional help, not only with portion control and carbohydrate monitoring, but also the use of B-complex, zinc, CoQ10 and chromium, to name just a few nutrients. Patients who are on some form of cardiac or hypertension medication can be educated about the benefits of supplementation with Co-enzyme Q10. This vital nutrient is depleted from the body by these life-saving medications.

The use of nutrition in my practice developed in an eclectic manner. Over the years we found products and brands that work well, are tolerated well by patients and are reasonable in cost. I look for products that are sold only in physicians’ offices, so I don’t compete with the local health food stores. We have been able to utilize many of the nutritional supplements with patients because of new testing procedures that allowed us to diagnose or detect some deficiencies.

Nutrition can be used to effectively treat or co-manage every health issue that walks in your door! The addition of nutrients to your practice will add to the health of your patients and their families. This will translate into greater income for your office, more regular follow up with patients and many more referrals. It is a daily occurrence for a patient to come to my facility and ask to be evaluated and treated medically or with chiropractic, and to end up being treated nutritionally also. The patient has a happier, healthier outcome and a real plan for wellness when they are finished with their visit.

Most patients are interested in nutrition and supplements, but need educated assistance and products they can be assured are safe. Most health food stores don’t provide the level of help they require. You can easily fill this need for them. Get some education on the implementation of these nutritional products and the tests for deficiencies and nutritional indicators. It’s simple, fun, helpful to your patients and profitable for the practice. TAC

Dr. Lupo is the president and clinic director of First Care Injury Centers for urgent care and physical medicine in Tampa, Florida. He is a 1985 graduate from Life Chiropractic College. He is a senior consultant for Practice Perfect, one of the nations most reputable and largest consulting firms for holistic DC/MD/PT integrated services. He can be reached at [email protected].

Important Multivitamin and Magnesium Update

Multivitamins
Only until recently, has the use of supplements been generally accepted by the mainstream healthcare community. Naturally, there remain pockets of resistance, and that is likely to last forever; however, we just need to recall the comments made in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year:¹

“In the absence of specific predisposing conditions, a usual North American diet is sufficient to prevent overt vitamin deficiency diseases…. However, insufficient vitamin intake is apparently a cause of chronic diseases…. A large proportion of the general population is apparently at increased risk for this reason…. Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone…. We recommend that all adults take a multivitamin daily.”

Bruce Ames, a famous researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, tells us that a deficiency in even one vitamin/mineral, including folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, or zinc, is capable of mimicking the cellular damage caused by ionizing radiation, and that we should compare vitamin/mineral deficiencies to radiation damage to gain perspective on how crucial it is to ensure adequate nutrient intake.² Ames tells us that remedying such deficiencies with supplementation should lead to a major improvement in health and an increase in longevity at a low cost.

In August of 2003, a study on multivitamin supplementation was published in the Journal of Nutrition.³ Researchers examined the relationship between multivitamin intake and myocardial infarction (MI) in adults living in Sweden, a country in which fruit and vegetable consumption is relatively low and foods are not fortified with folic acid. The study found multivitamin supplementation is inversely associated with MI risk in men and women, and this is after healthy lifestyle habits were taken into consideration.

Multivitamin supplements are extremely reasonable. All of our patients should be taking them. Who knows what nasty disease we may prevent by making this simple healthy addition to our diet? As people are often very resistant to changing their diets, adding a multi can act as an intermediate step, offering health protection, while patients struggle to get their diets in order.

Magnesium
In the January 29, 2003, issue of TAC, I wrote an article about magnesium and its many benefits for our patients. Consider briefly that magnesium adequacy can help prevent the development of many diseases, including osteoporosis, muscle dysfunction, depression, apathy, cardiac arrythmias, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and even stress and aging.

Researchers suggest that for every 2.2 pounds of body weight, which is equivalent to one kilogram (kg), we should be ingesting six mg of magnesium. Accordingly, a 150-pound man (70 kg) would require 420 mg/day, while a 200-pound man (90 kg) requires 540 mg/day. This needs to be considered in light of the 420 mg/d RDA for males; clearly it does not necessarily apply to men who weigh more than 150 pounds. The RDA for women is 320 mg/d; however, if you weigh 140 lbs, you will need 380 mg/d. In other words the RDA only applies to woman who weigh 117 pounds.

A recent study examined magnesium intake among white, black, and Mexican males and females. The results are quite shocking. (see Table 1)

It should not be a surprise to any of us that we suffer from diseases related to magnesium deficiency. The majority of our population is likely to be deficient in magnesium. Fortunately, magnesium supplements are reasonably priced and, therefore, remediation is quite easy to realize. TAC

References

Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications. JAMA. 2002; 287(23):3127-9
Ames BN. DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to be a major cause of cancer. Mutat Res. 2001; 475(1-2):7-20
Holmquist C, Larsson S, Wolk A, de Fair U. Multivitamin supplements are inversely associated with risk of myocardial infarction in men and women—Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program (SHEEP). J Nutr 2003; 133:2650-54
Ford ES, Mokdad AH. Dietary magnesim intake in a national sample of US adults. J Nutr 2003; 133:2879-82

Dr. Seaman is the Clinical Chiropractic Consultant for Anabolic Laboratories, one of the first supplement manufacturers to service the chiropractic profession. He is on the faculty of Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida and on the postgraduate faculties of several other chiropractic colleges, providing nutrition seminars that focus on the needs of the chiropractic patient. Dr. Seaman believes that chiropractors should be thinking like chiropractors, while providing nutritional recommendations. Doctors and patients who follow his programs report improved feelings of well-being, weight loss, dramatic increases in energy, and significant pain reduction.
Dr. Seaman can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

All Things a Poison. Plus: Silicon, an Overlooked Trace Mineral?

If you are recommending trace minerals to your patients, chances are you are recommending toxic substances. The strange paradox is, many of these toxic minerals are also essential for life! With the recent popularity of coral calcium, colloidal mineral cocktails, and other supplements containing seventy or more trace minerals, the question of how toxic elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, antimony, and vanadium, can be safe needs to be addressed. Truth is, each of these minerals is deemed an “essential mineral” by the National Research Council (NRC)–that is, essential for human or animal life and only available to the body by ingestion of foods.

Take arsenic for example. This well known deadly poison is also required for life (NRC, 1989). The average human being has 20 mg of arsenic distributed throughout the body.¹ Studies on rats have shown a deficiency of arsenic is associated with retarded growth,¹ Similar information is available on all 25 essential minerals–each is necessary, yet they will all have severe adverse effects in large quantities. The famous Swiss physician, Paracelsus, summarized this phenomenon in the 1400’s when he said, “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy.” Even oxygen and water, taken in extreme amounts, can prove toxic.

But, which minerals are considered essential? One hundred years ago, only fourteen elements were thought to be essential. In 1950, copper, manganese, zinc and cobalt were added. Late in the 1950’s, selenium was included. 1975 saw the inclusion of fluorine and silicon. A few years later, boron was added. Today, twenty-five are classified as essential! The rest are not considered essential or ruled as non-essential. It should be noted that sixty trace minerals are found in human milk, including aluminum, bromine, vanadium and nickel, which were previously considered unimportant, so we may eventually learn that up to sixty are essential or important minerals.

It is interesting that we know of at least twenty-five essential minerals and, yet, our soil is only replenished with the big three: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK). Many trace minerals have become entirely absent in the land growing feed for their cattle, so farmers have begun supplementing their beef and dairy herds, because it makes economic sense–it is more profitable to buy trace mineral supplements and feed it to their cows than to suffer losses from trace mineral deficiency diseases. Heifers on trace mineral programs produced 3.7 pounds per day more milk compared to non-supplemented groups, conception rates improved significantly, weaning weights in calves were higher and overall herd health improved.²

Not only cattle benefit from adding trace minerals to their diets. A two-year study raising meat chickens using Brazilian coral minerals, as compared to birds on growth hormone, was conducted at University of Vila Velha, Brazil. The result showed similar growth rates, but the chickens on coral were more energetic and, hence, produced a leaner, higher protein, lower fat bird.³

Think about that. Farmers find it cost effective to buy trace minerals and add them to animals’ foods because the animals are not getting these elements from the produce of the fields. Humans eat from those same depleted fields and, yet, many of us do not think about supplementing ourselves. Perhaps it is time to reassess our fears of “toxic” trace minerals. Trace minerals can be toxic in large quantities but equally damaging to health, and more prevalent, is their absence.

References
1. Halstead B, Fossil Stony Coral Minerals p. 64.
2. Feedlot, Volume 8, number 2, March 2000.
3. University of Vila Velha Study on Chickens, www.brazilcoral.com.

Silicon, an Overlooked Trace Mineral?

Even silicon, a trace mineral that is abundant in nature, can produce tremendous results far beyond the commonly known benefits for hair, nails and skin, when taken as a supplement. Here are some of the latest studies on this unsung hero:

Silicon has an important role in preventing osteoporosis. Bone loss occurs, generally, with aging, but accelerates during menopause with its resultant estrogen deficiency. Studies with animals indicate that silicon supplementation reduces the number of osteoclast cells, partially preventing bone resorption and bone loss.¹ On the other hand, Keeting, et al., demonstrated that silicon stimulates DNA synthesis in osteoblast-like cells.² Animal models for osteoporosis using estrogen deficient rats show silicon supplementation preventing bone loss.³ In a 1993 study of fifty-three osteoporotic women, silicon supplementation was associated with a significant increase in mineral bone density of the femur.⁴

In addition to connective tissue and bone health, several other health benefits, such as protection of arterial tissue and defense against aluminum toxicity, derive from silicon.

It is believed that silicon bonds with aluminum in food and, in so doing, reduces gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum. In rat studies, silicon was found to prevent the accumulation of aluminum in the brain.⁵ The protective role of silicon on aluminum was confirmed in a French study of elderly subjects. High levels of aluminum in drinking water had a deleterious effect upon cognitive function when the silicon concentration level was low. When the silicon concentration was high, exposure to aluminum appeared less likely to impair cognitive function.⁶
Experiments with rabbits eating a high cholesterol diet demonstrate silicon’s benefit as a defense against atherosclerosis.⁷

Silicon in your diet
Silicon is used by plants for structural support; hence, fiber rich foods, such as cereals, oats, wheat bran and vegetables, have high silicon concentration. Another source of organic silicon available only through medical professionals is coral from Brazil. On average, it contains 1320 ppm, along with seventy-two other trace minerals. There are currently no established guidelines for silicon intake in humans, but there is evidence that supplementation is valuable. – by Mark Percival, D.C., N.D.

References
1. Hott M, et al. Short term effects of organic silicon on trabecular bone in mature ovariectomized rats. Calcif Tissue Int 1993 53:174-179
2. Keeting, et al. Zeolite A increases proliferation, differentiation, and transforming growth factor beta production in normal adult human osteoblast-like cells in vitro. J Bone and Miner Res 1992, 7 (11):1281-1289
3. Rico H, et al. Effect of silicon supplement on osteopenia induced by ovarianectomy in rats. Calcif Tissue Int 1999, 66:53-55
4. Eislinger J, Clariet D. Effects of silicon, fluoride, etidronate and magnesium on bone mineral density: a retrospective study. Magnesium Research 1993, 6(3):247-249
5. Carlisle EM, Curran MJ. Effect of dietary silicon and aluminum on silicon and aluminum levels in rat brain. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 1987, 1:83-89
6. Jacmin-Gadda H, et al. Silic and aluminium in drinking water and cognitive impairment of elderly. Epidemiology 1996, 7:281-285.
7. Loeper J, et al. The antiatheromatous action of silicon. Atherosclerosis 1979, 22:397-408.

Time to Tune Up Your Body’s Engine

Patient compliance is an issue for all doctors. And, let’s face it, when we feel well, we often cheat on our exercise or diet plans. After all, we are only human. This short article provides some great ammunition to motivate us—and our patients—to follow-through with good nutritional practices.

Recently Dr. Bruce Ames, a famous toxicologist from the University of California, at Berkeley, explained that nutrient needs vary with age and genetic constitution, and supplementation with micronutrients and metabolites, would tune up metabolism and give a marked increase in health, particularly for the poor and elderly.1 Consider that 80% of children and adolescents and 68% of adults do not eat the recommended total of five portions of fruits and vegetables per day, which I think is low anyway. Ames points out that such habits are known to promote cancer and other degenerative diseases. We chiropractors have warned our patients about such issues for many years, and now it is becoming a much more popular perspective to have.

How serious are such deficiencies?

Consider telling your patients the following information that was written by Ames, a leading researcher in the field. It is now known that deficiencies in key nutrients will mimic the damage that occurs to cells when they are exposed to radiation. That’s right; micronutrient deficiencies and radiation damage have similar affects on cells. Ames focuses on vitamins B-12, B-6, niacin, C and E, and the minerals iron and zinc. Evidence suggests that at least half the US population is deficient in at least one of these micronutrients. Tell your patients to be smart and take at least a multi. The only way you will discover if you have a subclinical deficiency is when you get cancer or some other serious degenerative disease. Not a good thing to happen if you plan on living a long life.

Infertility? This may also be driven by deficiencies. In a recent study, twenty-four subfertile men took a daily supplement that contained both 66 mg. of zinc and 5 mg. of folic acid for twenty-six weeks and experienced a 74% increase in total normal sperm count. Consider the countless millions that could be saved if people would just take a multiple vitamin.

Need to drop a few pounds? Ames and his group believe that micronutrient deficiencies drive obesity. This is because energy-rich, but nutrient-poor, diets will create a state that drives us to eat more to obtain adequate nutrients. In other words, the overweight and obese are constantly hungry, because they are deficient in key nutrients.

Aging too quickly? Our mitochondria make free radicals when they make ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for cell energy. Free radicals can damage tissue and cause premature aging. What should you do? Ames and his group have worked with lipoic acid and acetyl carnitine and found that they reduce free radicals and as I discussed in a previous issue of The American Chiropractor (Volume 25, Issue 1).2 Magnesium is also important for mitochondria function, so make sure to get enough magnesium and consider supplementing with 400-1000 mg. per day.

There is no need to place oneself at risk for cancer, heart disease, other degenerative diseases, infertility, obesity, and premature aging. Give yourself a nutritional adjustment and drop the inflammatory grains, replacing them with fruits and vegetables. If you want a starch, have a potato. Also, make sure to take a multi, magnesium, perhaps calcium, fish oil, and coenzyme Q10. These represent easy ways to prevent chronic disease from developing, and give every-body a chance to live longer and healthier lives.

Coral Calcium–Debunking the Debunking!

With the FTC filing law suit against Bob Barefoot for false and misleading advertising, and the discovery of lead in one coral calcium brand both happening in June, coral calcium has been severely wounded. Others jumped on the anti-coral bandwagon and suggested coral was no different from cheap calcium carbonate or limestone–that it was just an overpriced calcium supplement.
The $64,000 question is whether the bad rap is justified or are we throwing the baby out with the bath water? Okay, everyone agrees Mr. Barefoot exaggerated coral’s benefits to sell product, and having his infomercial forced off the air was fair treatment; but should we dismiss coral entirely or does it deserve a closer look?
Whatever your beliefs, be prepared for another round of advertising. Several new infomercials, including one with a well-known country singer, are in production to be launched this fall/winter, filling the void left by the removal of Robert Barefoot’s show. These television promotions are likely to rekindle broad interest and you will soon, once again, be answering patients’ questions about the merits of coral calcium products. Here are the pitfalls to watch for.

Load of Bunk #1—“Lead in Coral Calcium”
Let’s get some perspective. ConsumerLabs, a watchdog group, did find a higher than Proposition 65 lead level in one bottle, from one batch, from one brand, of coral calcium. With over 300 brands of coral calcium in a market experiencing vertical growth, it is not surprising that one bad apple has emerged. The vast majority of coral comes from two suppliers who test every batch and offer third party lab results showing Proposition Compliant lead levels. The news that was not published is that almost every other coral brand has been tested by ConsumerLabs, or one of the many other labs around the country, with passing scores.

Steaming Pile of Bunk #2–“Coral calcium is the same as calcium carbonate.”
An initial inquiry revealed that calcium from coral is, indeed, in a carbon-based form, but that is where the similarities end. Even a cursory glance at the electron microscope photo below indicates differing properties.
Coral contains seventy-three minerals not found in calcium carbonate supplements. According to the National Research Council, 25 of the 73 are essential minerals, and 60 of these minerals are naturally found in human milk and blood, indicating that they have unknown functions. It is widely recognized that these trace minerals are often missing entirely from our soils and food in some locations, so it makes sense to supplement.
One recent coral entry is a live harvested coral from Brazil which is particularly high in trace minerals–about twelve times more than Okinawan varieties, which are long dead and somewhat depleted. (www.brazilcoral.com) This Brazilian coral is actually an algae and, hence, has vegetable proteins to which the minerals can chelate. Heat treatment is avoided so the non-mineral marine nutrients stay in tact with this particular form of coral.
We also know that the minerals in coral are found in an organic rather than elemental form. Organic minerals are complexes which contain two or more chemical bonds with the metal (mineral) atom, resulting in higher absorption rates from the intestine and greater biological activity in the tissues.1 To compare a product loaded with organic essential and trace minerals to calcium carbonate is fallacious.

Absorption—The Big Non-Issue
Anti-coral groups have tried to focus the attention on calcium absorption from coral versus from calcium carbonate, saying coral has similar bio-availability, but is more expensive. The only peer-reviewed, published studies available show calcium from coral has superior absorption compared to calcium carbonate. In a small, but well controlled study, Dr. Kunihiko Ishitani reports superior absorption of calcium from coral in food compared to calcium carbonate.2 Other carefully controlled feeding studies performed at the Universities of Rukuyuku and Okinawa have shown calcium absorption from coral calcium in experimental animals was better than absorption of calcium from milk, hydroxiapatite or calcium carbonate.3 Even if calcium absorption from coral were the same as from calcium carbonate, it would still be seventy-two minerals ahead.
The key to coral calcium is its mineral balance, which assists calcium’s effectiveness. With regard to the fight against osteoporosis, for example, Straise L., et al., showed that a group receiving calcium together with trace minerals arrested bone loss, compared to a control group which took calcium alone.4 A good body of science shows calcium is more effective when taken with other minerals so as to provide a mineral balance. (Heaney, Becker, and Weaver, 1990; Huliz, 1990; Beal and Scofield, 1995; Harvey, 1988)
Other well-conducted, controlled studies performed at the Futaba Nutrition School at the Kagawa Nutrition University in Japan were instructive with regard to coral calcium specifically. They showed the benefit of the multi-mineral coral calcium combined with exercise in improving bone mineral density. This research study was presented at the 52nd Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science, in April 1998.
Clearly absorption of calcium is a red herring–it is like comparing a vitamin E supplement to a multi-vitamin containing the same Vitamin E and saying the multi-vitamin is overpriced. It is really apples versus oranges…or in this case, apples versus a whole basket of assorted fruits. We would expect the fruit basket to cost a little more than an apple!
To summarize, yes, lead was found in one sample of coral; and, yes, Mr. Barefoot has made exaggerated claims. Yes, coral is a form of carbonate, but closer inspection shows coral is one of the most promising organic multi-minerals available.

Dr. Mark Percival achieved a doctorate in naturopathic medicine upon finishing his chiropractic degree. Dr. Percival pioneers the use and study of Coral Calcium and is currently the Medical Advisor to CFU for Brazilian Fresh Harvest Coral™. For more information contact 888-293-9875 or visit www.brazilcoral.com

Inflammation, Pain, and Alzheimer’s Disease: Condition-based care

Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that we should try to prevent, not only for ourselves, but also for our families. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease lose cognitive function, emotional expression and memory, which essentially prevents them from experiencing the spice of life.

It is no surprise to read that most patients enter a chiropractor’s office looking for relief from various conditions, the most common among them being back pain, neck pain, and headache. During the history taking process, we typically discover that such patients derive some relief from taking ibuprofen or similar anti-inflammatory drugs, which act to inhibit the synthesis of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, such as prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane A2. Such inhibition results in less activation of nociceptors and, therefore, less pain.

Before 1990, researchers knew that anti-inflammatory drugs could prevent Alzheimer’s disease. McGreer¹ stated that, “immunohistochemical evidence points to a chronic inflammatory state of the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, and data suggests that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is unexpectedly low and that anti-inflammatory therapy might be the explanation.” This relationship between anti-inflammatory drugs and Alzheimer’s is now well established and has led researchers to search for natural alternatives that do not possess the serious side effects so common with long term use of drugs like ibuprofen.

As it turns out, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in elderly folks in India over the age of eighty is only 4%, compared to 15.7% here in the states.² Frautschy, et al., from UCLA, suggest that the liberal intake of turmeric may be the reason for this significant difference in Alzheimer’s prevalence.² It was determined that turmeric is both a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that is capable of inhibiting prostaglandin E2 and other pro-inflammatory substances.^2. Bucci explains that turmeric is effective in reducing musculoskeletal aches and pains, and can even be as effective as anti-inflammatory drugs.³

I spoke with Frautschy, and she explained that ginger may be even more potent than turmeric. Ginger has also proven itself to be effective in reducing the pains associated with muscle injury, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis thought to be a result of inhibition of pro-inflammatory eicosanoid synthesis.⁴

Prostaglandin E2 causes pain and promotes Alzheimer’s disease. Supplements such ginger and turmeric can help our patients with aches and pains, and provide a nutritional adjustment. When taken long term, such supplements may be able to prevent dreaded chronic inflammatory conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. I, personally, drink homemade ginger tea, add powdered ginger to my meals and, when I am not doing either of these, I take ginger supplements. I suggest that you and your patients do the same.

More on Alzheimer’s in the next issue of TAC. Stay on the lookout. TAC

References

McGreer P. Anti-inflammatory drugs and Alzheimer’s disease. Lancet 1990; 335: 1037.
Frautschy SA et al. Phenolic ant-inflammatory antioxidant reversal of A-induced cognitive deficits and neuropathology. Neurobiol Aging 2001; 22: 993-1005.
Bucci L. Nutrition for sports injuries and rehabilitation. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 1995.
Srivistava KC, Mustafa T. Ginger in rheumatism and musculoskeletal disorders. Med Hypoth 1992; 39: 342-48.

Low Back Pain Needs a Nutritional Adjustment

No matter what chiropractic college you went to, your main approach to patient care is likely to be the chiropractic adjustment. This statement is not surprising to most, and it gives a clue as to how we think as chiropractors. We, basically, utilize a mechanical or biomechanical approach to care for our patients. Whether you believe the adjustment is replacing misaligned bones or restoring motion to previously hypomobile joints, your treatment approach involves mechanically thrusting into spinal tissues, i.e., a mechanical approach to patient care. Although we DC’s think and treat our patients structurally, we must realize that it is the chemical mediators of inflammation that activate nociceptors, resulting in pain, which drives patients to our offices.
Low back pain needs a nutritional adjustment

For many years, it has been known that an acidic pH works synergistically with the chemical mediators of inflammation to activate and sensitize tissue nociceptors.¹ Evidence existed regarding low back pain and pH at least as early as the 1960’s. At the time of surgery, Nachemson discovered that the pH of lumbar discs ranged from 5.7-7.5. The lower the pH, the greater the pain, disc degeneration, and fibrous tissue deposition.² Hambly and Mooney state that it has been noted that “sick” discs, as reflected by pain on discography, have consistently demonstrated an acidic pH.³ In more recent years, researchers have demonstrated that the intervertebral disc can release potent inflammatory mediators, which naturally leads MD’s to medicate injured low backs. We DC’s should, of course, continue to adjust the spine, and also consider addressing the inflammation with a nutritional adjustment.

Discs, Back Pain and Chemical Mediators

Recent research demonstrated that intervertebral discs which cause low back pain and sciatica secrete high levels of pro-inflammatory mediators.⁴ At the time of surgery, disc specimens were collected from sixty-three patients undergoing primary discectomy for sciatica, and from twenty patients undergoing interbody fusion for discogenic low back pain. The average age of these patients was forty-one, so they were all young individuals who, theoretically, should be healthy and functional.
A biochemical analysis of the disc specimens revealed that discs from the sciatica and low back pain groups produced significant quantities of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).⁴ None of the specimens produced interleukin-1 (IL-1) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Additionally, not all discs produced IL-6, IL-8 or PGE2, which suggests that either other inflammatory mediators were responsible for the pain generation, or that altered chemistry was not responsible for the nociception and pain in these subjects.

A Simple Nutritional Method to Reduce Cytokines and PGE2

A recent review article by Simopoulos explains that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements can reduce the synthesis of IL-6, PGE2, and many other inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1, TNF, thromboxane A2 (TXA2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), fibrinogen and platelet-derived growth factor.⁵ For many years now, it has been known that fish oil has a dramatic anti-inflammatory effect that can help prevent heart disease, cancer, migraine headaches, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other conditions.⁵ Sierkerka was the first DC to publish an article that urged DC’s to use omega-3 fatty acids to accelerate the disc’s healing process.⁶ About 1-2 grams of EPA/DHA is a common recommendation to improve omega-3 fatty acid status.
Magnesium deficiency is also known to increase the release of IL-6 and PGE2, as well as IL-1, TNF, TXA2 and LTB4.⁷ Animal studies suggest that substance P release from nociceptors may be responsible for stimulating such mediators to be released by local immune and tissue cells.⁸ About 400-1000 mg of supplemental magnesium is the typical recommendation.
Botanicals such as ginger and turmeric are known to inhibit the production of PGE2 and LTB4.⁹ These substances can be viewed as natural COX2 inhibitors, and have been used for thousands of years in India to reduced pain and inflammation. Ginger is the best buy for patients. About 2 grams per day is the typical recommendation for powdered ginger, and about 500-1000 mg, if a standardized extract is used.
In addition to the above, consider using a multiple vitamin/mineral to insure that your patients are getting all the micronutrients necessary to drive the multitude of cell reactions required for tissue health.
From a dietary perspective, make sure your patients eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of water, perhaps one-half gallon per day. Avoiding seeds, grains and flour products is also a must, as these foods contain inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which is heightened by the addition of omega-6 oils, including corn, sunflower, and safflower oils. TAC

Dr. Seaman is the Clinical Chiropractic Consultant for Anabolic Laboratories, one of the first supplement manufacturers to service the chiropractic profession. He is on the postgraduate faculty of several chiropractic colleges, providing nutrition seminars that focus on the needs of the chiropractic patient. Dr. Seaman can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

Diet and Diabetes

Many chiropractors are searching for ways to ethically increase their patient loads and make clinical practice more rewarding professionally and financially. Have you ever considered specializing in health care—preventing chronic degenerative conditions like diabetes before they can be recognized and measured quantitatively by medicine?
“Sick care” is practiced by recognizing and characterizing disease conditions (diagnosis). Once the diagnosis is pronounced, treatment is dictated by prevailing therapeutic procedures. However, until the disease process can be measured through lab work, there can be no acceptable procedures; hence, the guesswork of prescribing drugs for symptoms, with haphazard results.
Health care, on the other hand, is practiced by maintaining normal body functions. Deviations from normal are caused by only one factor: stress. Hans Selye, MD, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Medicine in 1964 for his research on the effect of stress on the human body. His research found that the accumulative effects of stress are predictable. Selye said in his book, The Stress of Life, that as a medical student he was struck by the fact that most disease conditions presented similar symptoms before the disease process could actually be identified. Fatigue, elevated temperature, swelling, redness, and pain were the most common. This led him on a lifelong study to determine why.
Selye found that there are essentially only three kinds of stress: mechanical, emotional, and chemical (or nutritional). Identify the stress and remove it, and your patients who are not yet diseased will get well. You may also have to provide proper nourishment for affected tissues to heal. As a chiropractor, you are already an expert at identifying mechanical stress. Emotional stress is beyond my expertise. That leaves nutritional stress and the subject of this article—diabetes.

The Problem

The term “diabesity” (diabetes + obesity) is increasingly being used to label the patients with Type II diabetes who are overweight. Here are the current statistics according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

17 million Americans have diabetes.
90% of diabetics have Type II (diet-related) diabetes.
60% of adults with Type II diabetes are overweight.
97% of youths diagnosed with Type II diabetes are overweight.

Diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, non-traumatic amputations, heart disease, and stroke. The goal, of course, is to prevent the onset of diabetes. The way to do that is to recognize the possibility that your patient has an Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT). Medical practitioners have long referred to these patients as “borderline diabetics” meaning the patient has a blood glucose level that is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. These are the patients with whom you can best practice health care, thus preventing disease. It is estimated that 20 million people in the United States have IGT, and that the number is rising rapidly. It is further estimated that 50% of these people will develop Type II diabetes. That means there are more than a few patients in your practice and in your neighborhood who could use your help.

Recognition

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and American Diabetes Association President Christopher Saudek, MD, are asking doctors to begin screening overweight patients age 45 and older for pre-diabetes. They state that patients with the following risk factors may develop IGT:

Family history of diabetes
Being overweight
Women who have gestational diabetes or have given birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds
People with steroid-induced hyperglycemia
Those with high blood pressure
Those with an abnormal lipid blood profile (low HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels)
Those with any of the above and a genetic predilection are particularly at risk. This includes African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

Treatment Guidelines

Medical experts are recommending that IGT screening should include glucose monitoring and fasting lipid profiles for those at high risk, as indicated by their past health histories. It is interesting to note they are not recommending prescription drugs for the condition. That puts you, as a chiropractor, in the picture for specializing in health care to increase professional and financial success.
Recognizing those patients at risk for specific future problems allows you to both teach the patient how to maintain their health and monitor their progress. The experience is thus rewarding for you and the patient. Preventing chronic degenerative conditions before they can be measured quantitatively does wonders for building referrals.
The Surgeon General of the United States has pointed out that many chronic degenerative diseases have their beginning with poor diet and digestion. Yet, it is difficult to find agreement among so-called experts as to what constitutes a healthy diet. Many doctors do not take the time to inquire into their patients’ dietary habits, primarily because of the lack of objective clinical findings that suggest a problem exists.
The easiest and most definitive screening procedure for problems in this area is identifying persistent or recurring loss of a normal thoracic kyphosis. Generally, it is a transitory condition related to muscle contraction and not osseous abnormality. It is most commonly caused by muscle contractions associated with viscero-somatic reflexes from those organs that receive their spinal innervations from T4 to T9. The list includes the heart, lungs, bronchi, stomach, pancreas, spleen, liver, gallbladder, and adrenal glands.
When loss of the normal thoracic kyphosis (so-called “anterior dorsals”) is found, palpate for postprandial muscle contractions under the right and left anterior costal arches and in the epigastric area. Palpatory muscle contraction (trigger points) and soreness will always help delineate the stressed digestive organ. Inquiry into the patient’s last meal will be quite instructive. These findings are often, but not necessarily, associated with chronic headache patterns.
When no digestive stress is present (the presence of symptoms is irrelevant) and blood glucose levels are normal, muscle contractions under the costal arches and in the mid-thoracic spine will not be found. Henri Gillet, DC, found that 3-to-10 cups of coffee will produce them!1 Consider the correlation between this and the following two studies.
A study released by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2002 found that men who eat processed meats (such as bacon and sausage) are 46% more likely to develop Type II diabetes than men who eat less of these foods. Over 40,000 healthy men between the ages of 40 and 75 were studied. The results were dose-related; that is, the highest incidence was among those men who ate processed meat five or more times per week.2
Also, a study of the effects of caffeine on blood sugar levels was completed in 2002.3 It is known that caffeine can enter the brain and directly increase blood pressure and stimulate the release of stress hormones (cortisol). These hormones are known to affect insulin and, therefore, blood sugar levels. Insulin sensitivity was measured in selected healthy individuals after administration of caffeine or placebo. The caffeine administered was the equivalent of three cups of coffee. The study showed that caffeine increased both blood pressure and stress hormone levels. It decreased the effectiveness of insulin by 15%.
Poor diet, inadequate digestion, stress, and caffeine all play a role in the development of Type II diabetes, which is now reaching epidemic proportions. Pharmaceutical companies will continue to develop drugs for its treatment, but the best approach is drug-free prevention, according to Daniel Einhorn, MD, director of the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. He states that loss of 5-to-7% of body weight within one year coupled with walking or bicycling 150 minutes a week (thirty minutes per day) is the best therapy known. But, he says that most people will need the guidance of a health care professional to achieve those results.4 Why shouldn’t that health professional be you? TAC

Howard F. Loomis, Jr., DC, president of Enzyme Formulations, Inc., has an extensive background in enzymes and enzyme formulations. As president of 21st Century Nutrition, Inc., for fifteen years, he has forged a remarkable career as an educator, having conducted over 400 seminars to date in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Australia, on the diagnosis and treatment of enzyme deficiency syndromes. Call 21st Century Nutrition at 1-800-662-2630 for more information.