Category: Nutrition

The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates approximately 73 million American adults age 20 and over have hypertension, also known as the “silent killer,” because only 60 percent of adults who have hypertension are being treated for it, and two-thirds of those don’t have it under control!

The AHA defines hypertension as a systolic blood pressure (BP) of 140 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher. Almost 30 percent of adults have pre-hypertension, with systolic BP between 120 and 139, or diastolic BP of 80 to 89.

According to the American Heart Association’s “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, 2005 Update,” high blood pressure killed nearly 50,000 Americans in 2002 and was listed as a primary or contributing factor in 261,000 deaths. Starting as low as 115/75, the risk of heart attack and stroke doubles for every 20 point jump in systolic blood pressure or every 10 point rise in diastolic blood pressure. People with pre-hypertension (blood pressure greater than 119/79) levels once considered normal, have twice the risk of heart disease as those with normal blood pressure. And people with frank hypertension (blood pressure greater than 139/89) have four times the risk of heart disease as people with low blood pressure.¹ Clearly, we chiropractors who are promoting anti-aging and wellness care might consider what we can do naturally for patients with blood pressure of over 120/80.

 

Milk Does a Body Good?

Milk proteins, both caseins and whey, have previously been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure in animal models. A 2006 study published in the The Journal of Clinical Hypertension reported similar results in humans.^2,3 “Whey-derived peptides might be a viable option for pre-hypertensive and/or stage 1 (systolic >139, <159 mmHg and/or diastolic >99, <119 mmHg) hypertensive populations,” concluded these researchers.

John Zhang, MD, PhD, of Logan Chiropractic College and I have authored a human study on a multi-ingredient whey and colostrum based zoonutrient powdered drink mix, formulated with liposomes to enhance bioavailability. In 90 days, this dairy peptide formula lowered blood pressure 13.4 mmHg and 8.2 mmHg, respectively.⁴

This result is comparable to the benefits seen with the proven best dietary approach, the D.A.S.H. diet, equal to the average results of any one medication, and better than the results attained through exercise.^5,6,7 Of even more interest is that the control group in the study, who received 500 mg of calcium daily, gained an average of 6 pounds, while the special whey formula group gained no weight.

This adds dairy peptides to the growing list of nutraceuticals available to those of us chiropractors who are interested in drug free approaches to hypertension. This list includes phytochemicals from grape seed extract, quercitin, cocoa, green tea extracts, hawthorne berries, hibiscus tea, stevia, lycopene extracts, soy isoflavones, and fatty acids in oils like olive oil, flax oil, and fish oil.^8-19

 

Shake It Up, Baby!

The pathways through which blood pressure is lowered are many, including inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), blocking calcium channels, promoting nitric oxide induced vaso-relaxation and diuretic activity.²⁰ Therefore, it is likely that combining several approaches in one may provide not only greater hypotensive effects, but multiple other benefits as well. As an example, one might try mixing 18 gm of the above stevia sweetened, vanilla flavored whey protein (available through health professionals only) with cocoa (baking chocolate) and high isoflavone ( > 20 mg) soy milk twice a day as a “Heart Healthy Chocolate Shake.” If results are to come, they should be apparent within 60 days, and likely to improve further with time.

Of course, lifestyle changes are always important in any longevity program.²¹

• Losing just 10 pounds or a few inches around the waist can help reduce blood pressure significantly.

• Regular physical activity, meaning 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 mmHg.

• The D.A.S.H. (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and which skimps on saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol, can lower your blood pressure by up to 11.4 mm Hg.

• Alcohol in small amounts, generally up to one drink a day for women and two a day for men, can help prevent heart attacks and coronary artery disease and potentially lower your blood pressure by 2.5 to 4 mm Hg.

• Tobacco products can raise blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after smoking.

• For caffeine, the current consensus recommendation is to stay under 200 mg a day, which is equivalent to about two cups of coffee.

 

Dr. John H. Maher is co-founder of BioPharma Scientific and creator of “The SuperFood Solution™: Lifelong Wellness Made Easy” (www.superfoodsolution.com). He can be reached by email at [email protected].

Useful Websites

On its website, the American Heart Association has a simple “High Blood Pressure Health Risk Calculator,” which you may find useful as an educational and motivational tool for your practice. See http://www.americanheart.org/beatyourrisk/en_US/main.html.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provides, “Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure,” which goes over the above lifestyle guidelines, at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/prevent.htm.

The Ayurvedic approach to pain management is a holistic one. When treating a patient with chronic pain, I always advise an integrated approach, and look beyond the outward pain to discover the underlying source. Very often, chronic pain is caused by an inflammatory response within the body. Ayurvedic herbal treatments are effective for healing and controlling excess inflammation; but, for long-term results, such treatments must be part of an integrative approach combining diet and nutritional changes, detoxification, therapeutic exercise, yoga and breathing exercises. What follows is a sampling of my clinical experience using Ayurvedic herbs.

 

Boswellia serrata—Salai

 

This herb is unrivaled as a treatment for osteoarthritis. In a 2008 double-blind, placebo controlled study, Boswellia serrata produced very rapid results in patients with osteoarthritis, many of whom were bedridden. The patients’ pain scores and functional abilities were markedly improved, and blood levels of cartilage-degrading enzymes decreased.¹ In another study, all of the osteoarthritis patients treated with Boswellia reported reduced knee pain, increased knee flexion and increased walking distance. Swelling was also reduced considerably.² I have been able to take many patients off prescription pain medications, including steroids.

 

Curcuma longa—Turmeric

 

My personal belief is that turmeric is responsible for the low cancer rate in India. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial and hepatoprotective spice. I have used it with remarkable results in treating cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders.

As a pain-reliever, turmeric is potent in treating every aspect of inflammation. Various laboratory studies have demonstrated that turmeric’s active principle inhibits the action of inflammatory agents, including phospholipase, lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2), leukotrienes, thromboxane, prostaglandins, nitric oxide, collagenase, elastase, and others.³

Turmeric has a much broader spectrum of anti-inflammatory activity than Cox-2 inhibitors, such as Celebrex and Vioxx, without the side-effects. Turmeric has been used as a culinary spice in many areas of the world for centuries, and its safety for human consumption is well-established.

 

Withania somnifera—Ashwagandha

 

Clinical studies have shown Ashwagandha to relieve the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. When the herb was given to a group of RA patients for a period of four weeks, more than half of them experienced pain relief. Some of these patients were completely free of pain and swelling after the herbal treatment.⁴

Ashwagandha is one of the Ayurvedic herbs that offers promise as an alternative to steroids and its effects are comparable to hydrocortisone. I always choose Ashwagandha for patients with a need for steroids. Ashwagandha always comes to the rescue with flying colors, allowing such patients to reduce or eliminate their need for steroids.

 

Zingiber officinale—Ginger

 

Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. It was studied in patients with rheumatic arthritis in two clinical trials. One in seven RA patients reported pain relief, increased joint mobility, decreased swelling and reduced morning stiffness.⁵

The second clinical study treated twenty-eight rheumatoid arthritis patients, eighteen osteoarthritis patients, and ten patients suffering from muscular discomfort with powdered ginger at high doses over periods of up to two-and-a-half years. Seventy-five percent of both the rheumatoid arthritis and the osteoarthritis patients reported relief from pain and swelling. All ten patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief. The patients who took higher doses of ginger experienced the fastest results. In another study, ginger relieved migraine headache.⁶

 

Comiphora mukal—Guggal

 

In a recent study in southern California, thirty osteoarthritic patients, both male and female, were treated with 500 mg of guggal extract three times a day over a period of one to two months. The patients showed significant improvements in their symptoms, including pain and mood, and no side effects were observed.⁷

I have been able to take patients off medications like Methotrexate, Enbrel and Prednisone after three to sixteen months of Ayurvedic treatment. Even though my patients show tremendous improvement, I always advise them to stick to their nutritional program and lifestyle changes to ensure a lifetime of great health. I usually use combination formulas of standardized extracts of guggal with ashwagandha, turmeric, boswellia and ginger, for a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect.

 

Dr. Virender Sodhi is an internationally respected Ayurvedic and Naturopathic physician, and one of the first to practice Ayurvedic medicine in the US, and is the founder of Ayush Herbs Inc. For more information about Dr. Virender Sodhi and the Ayurvedic Clinic, visit www.ayurvedicscience.com and www.ayush.com.

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See references on page 46

Please note: This article is purely informative and should not replace the guidance of your physician. If you suffer from an illness, you should consult a physician before taking any herbs, vitamins, minerals or enzymes. Even at the peak of health, it is best to consult a qualified practitioner before taking any dietary supplement. TAC

Who else but Chiropractic Physicians should be discussing nutrition with their patients? There are more people in agreement with nutrition and health than with chiropractic care. So, as chiropractors, we should link this common bridge and “span the gap” with the general public by offering nutrition in our offices.

We live in a society that is literally poisoned through our food and through our environment. We all know that these poisons lead to cancer, heart disease, and other pathologies, which are then treated with drugs and surgery. How barbaric?

The public is starting to wake up to this whole idea of nutrition, despite the drug commercials and the propaganda. Even well known reality TV shows like The Biggest Loser show how the right diet and exercise has increased the health and dismissed sickness and disease from several contestants. But, what about real life? What choices do the people in OUR community have? Who do they go to for their nutritional advice? Do they go to the medical profession? Pharmaceutical companies? The local health club? Nutrition store? Or, how about their LOCAL CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIAN?

Let me tell you why we would be the best option. We understand how the body functions and how nutrition works within our bodies. We acknowledge the importance of nutrition when healing the body. It is not only necessary that we use nutrition in our practice, but that we take responsibility and are obligated to educate the public about the causes of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and all of the other pathologies that are crippling America.

Strategy is defined as a “plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.” Let’s focus on a few “Strategies….”

 

Strategy One

Be the role model. “Be and look healthier than your healthiest patient.” There’s a leadership law that states that a level 4 leader can only lead levels 3, 2 and 1, but not levels 5, 6, 7, etc. The higher levels will never follow the lower levels. If you want to double the number of people you lead, increase your level as a leader to 8, 9, or 10. Albert Schweitzer summed it up this way: “Example is leadership…. Example is not the main thing in influencing others…. It is the only thing.” As chiropractors, we need to practice what we preach and, if we are going to “preach” health and nutrition, we need to be and look healthy.

 

Strategy Two

Pick a nutritional protocol that compliments your treatment style. Today, there are many diverse practices from high to low volume, rehabilitative, pediatric, geriatric, etc. Find a nutritional protocol that compliments your treatment style and is an easy fit in your office. The last thing you want is disruption and extra added expenses. On the other hand, let’s not minimize the use of nutrition the way a housewife uses a cookbook. “Cook book nutrition” means that you give your patients this supplement for this symptom. Sounds like the way the medical profession dispenses drugs doesn’t it?

Nutrition is not that simple; however, nutrition is not complicated, if you understand the basics. In my 30 years of study there are a handful of principles which, if followed, yield 90% of your results. Just the way you need a strategy when treating a low back case, you must offer them a strategy when treating them from a nutritional perspective. There are many nutritional programs in our profession to choose from and, of course, I am partial to one in particular.

 

Strategy Three

Educate! With all the misinformation, deceptions, and old wives tails confusing an already confused public, it is up to our profession to step up to the plate and take the number one position as the leading cutting edge profession that it deserves to be. We need to start treating health and disease the way it should be treated, with chiropractic care and nutrition. Right now our nation is trying to pass a health (sickness) care reform bill. If nothing is done in the field of wellness care, it can only lead to a “dismal failure” due to the way medicine treats disease. This all starts with you!

Doctor means teacher. It does not matter if you educate your patients one by one or in groups, just educate them. Use pamphlets, charts, articles, power point presentations, etc., to make it real to the patient. Think of some hot nutritional topics to present to the public such as:

1. How to eat more and lose weight;

2. Nutrition pure and simple;

3. A natural approach to hormone replacement therapy;

4. Fatigue, the great thief of time;

5. The truth about cholesterol;

6. Childhood obesity, “simple changes in diet can make the difference.”

 

Be a role model and let your presence command attention from the world!

Dr. Cima has been in private practice for 32 yrs. He has written many books for the profession on Biochemical Blood Chemistry and Nutritional Analysis, which now includes a web based application. If you would like to learn more about it, visit www.cimasystem.com. He can be reached at [email protected] or 1-877-627-2770

Most all of us who are baby boomers know of Jack LaLanne. Some of you who, like me, started paying attention to nutrition back in the 1960’s, probably know of other long lived icons of the mid twentieth century natural food movement, such as Paul Bragg, Bob Delmontique and even Dr. N. W. Walker of juicing fame. All have preached the same doctrine, a “live food” diet rich in plant foods, most especially fruits and vegetables.

Though perhaps more conservative in their recommendations, even the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommend diets rich in fruits and vegetables, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein.

When I first started studying nutrition back in 1967, many of the most popular supplements were what we might today call “super-foods,” if they weren’t so “old school:” alfalfa tablets, kelp, brewer’s yeast, molasses, desiccated liver tablets, wheat germ oil and cod liver oil.

Though health food stores became popular with my “hippie generation,” a real, long term “revolution” in the Standard American Diet never really happened. Today, health food stores are largely replaced with vitamin shops that sell mostly supplements, not healthy foods.

Given the rising obesity rates (with associated diabetes, heart disease and cancer rates) in the western world, it does not appear that the strategy of not eating very well and making up the difference with supplements creates the same kinds of benefits that Jack Lalanne, Paul Bragg, Bob Delmontique and Dr. N.W. Walker experienced.¹ Indeed, the scientific data on the effects of mega-vitamin supplementation reports mixed results.²

Even given the massive resources of the U.S government and health associations promoting the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines, it has been reported that only three percent males consume the now recommended nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day.³ In fact, men on average eat only four servings a day. Yet only twenty-five percent of men believe they need to eat more!⁴ The Products for Better Health State of the Plate Report found, “No other food commodity (fruits and vegetables)—especially one with such importance to disease prevention—has a gap this large between recommended and actual intake.“⁵

Furthermore, according to recent excerpts from US Government press releases, only three percent of the US population follow just four out of five of the recommendations of the new food pyramid guidelines! Even the AMA now recommends that everyone take a multivitamin!⁶

 

Fast-Food Super-Foods?

 

In 2005, a press release posted on the www.5aDay.org site by the Produce for Better Health Foundation was entitled, Americans Need More than MyPyramid. Noting a broad-scale effort is needed to change America’s food environment, the foundation “unveiled a national action plan calling on institutions and industries to help make the healthy choice the easy choice…to reverse the obesity epidemic and its health crisis, and to close the gap in important nutrients and phytochemicals in the American diet, we need an environment where healthy food choices are encouraged and convenient.”⁷

Nonetheless, three years later, we are in virtually much the same position.

Now, we baby boomers want to live long and active lives. We know we should eat well. But we are busy, even too busy for our own good. While we will try to eat well when we can, we need a solution different from eating on the run while swallowing an ever growing list of supplements we “should” be taking. One such admittedly not perfect, but likely way to succeed is what may be called The Superfood Solution.

 

What We Need to Eat

 

“Knowledge of the role of physiologically active food components, from both phytochemicals and zoochemicals, has…evolved as…science has advanced beyond the treatment of deficiency syndromes to reduction of disease risk… The availability of health-promoting functional foods in the US diet has the potential to help ensure a healthier population….” American Dietetic Association Position Paper on Functional Foods, 1995

It is generally agreed that we need to eat more:

1) fruits and vegetables, from a wide variety of all the colors, especially greens

2) more omega-3 fatty acids

3) more fiber

4) lean proteins with less pro-inflammatory saturated and omega-6 fats.⁸

It is generally agreed that we should eat less:

1) high glycemic index foods

2) high glycemic load meals

3) high saturated, omega-6 and trans-fat meals.⁹

The superfood solution I propose would be comprised of good tasting functional food products, either ready to eat (ready to drinks, chewable gummies and/or bars) or instant to make (drink mix powders).

The most important super-foods may be products that supply the phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables, most especially the greens. Next in importance might be functional food products, including vegan formulas, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA. Finally, I believe we need products supplying lean, complete, high biological value proteins both from whey and plant sources. Soluble and insoluble fiber can often be incorporated in such products.

 

The Super-Food Solution

 

Though I am proposing this “superfood solution,” I agree with Jack Lalanne, “If you eat right you can’t go wrong.” But I also know the day-to-day practice reality of trying to make people change the way they eat, especially if nutritional advice is just an adjunct to your main health service. You don’t have the time, you couldn’t get paid properly for it if you did, and most patients won’t make large, long lasting changes anyway. If that is not true of your practice, and you are not an RD or other health professional whose whole practice is dietary advice and support, then my hat’s off to you!

But adding supplement pills, no matter how efficacious they may be, also presents many considerations for you and your patients:

1) Which ones to take?

2) How to take so many, everyday, forever?

3) Are you now, in your patients’ minds or in the opinion of some regulatory agency, treating diseases with supplements as if they were drugs?

4) Will your patients wind up buying them at the store for less, thinking you overcharge?

5) How efficacious are supplements when, often, the main nutritional problem is too much “bad fat,” too many high glycemic meals/snacks with too little fiber, too little phytonutrition?

The Superfood Solution answers many of these questions by providing quick, enjoyable and filling euglycemic, anti-inflammatory, high antioxidant, phytonutrient rich, satiating recipes that can function as meal replacements, snacks or pre-meals or even, with a little more effort, desserts.

An example of a “superfood breakfast of champions” might be a scoop of undenatured vanilla flavored whey protein with one teaspoon ground flaxseed in vitamin D and calcium enriched orange juice. This almost instant breakfast provides lean, complete high biological value protein protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, phyto- and zoonutrients, vitamins and alkalizing minerals. Such a functional food dense breakfast likely either replaces the high glycemic, pro-oxidant, pro-atherosclerotic, pro-inflammatory meal or it adds to a breakfast that often consists of just a cup of black coffee and perhaps some high sugar juice drink. If a meal was replaced, the effect on the budget was likely minimal, as food needs to be purchased either way. If before just a cup of coffee was consumed, it is highly likely that that person more than makes up for it by high sugar and caffeine snacks and over eating in the evening! The key to ending that disastrous eating pattern is a healthy breakfast.

In providing guidance and products for superfood meals such as the one above, the health professional is fulfilling many a baby boomer’s desire for true wellness care, without directly treating their diseases with pills. By recommending dietary changes that almost everyone already knows they ought to follow, with supportive products that make it easy, you are providing scientifically sound, foundational lifelong nutritional wellness care that is easy to understand and implement in your practice.

Part of the superfood solution, both for your practice and your patients, is that you only need to provide them with two or four physician-quality superfood products. If you wish this superfood solution to be profitable, these products should be strictly available through health professionals only. Nonetheless, such a formula should also be easily available to your patients and their family members once they are no longer seeing you regularly. This can be via a personalized online store through your practice with drop-ship direct to your patient from the distributor or direct fulfillment provided from your offices.

We Doctors of Chiropractic have been on the forefront of nutrition supplementation for decades. The “superfood solution” allows the DC to offer scientific lifelong wellness nutritional care, made easy for patients to follow, easy for staff to implement and profitable to the practice. This solution is a viable option either as a stand alone service or foundational to more intensive nutraceutical/herbal/homeopathic adjuncts. Of course, this superfood solution will not be necessary if you can simply get all your patients, not just baby boomers, to eat like Jack LaLanne!

 John H. Maher, D.C., oversees physician and consumer education for BioPharma Scientific, creators of NanoGreens¹⁰, NanoPro^PRP and NanOmega³. Dr. Maher is past post-graduate faculty of NYCC Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, a Diplomate of the College of Clinical Nutrition, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Integrative Medicine. For a FREE copy of The SuperFood Solution: Lifelong Wellness Made Easy^TM, simply call him at 1-877-772-4362, email [email protected] or visit www.nanogreens.com/free 

References:

1) Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults, BRFSS, Center for Disease Control 2004

 

2) Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD007176. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007176. Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases.  Authors: G. Bjelakovic, D. Nikolova, L.L. Gluud, R.G. Simonetti, C. Gluud

 

3) USDA Jan 2005 Dietary Guidelines, http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/

 

4) Mercy Net Health Information Archives, Sisters of Mercy, http://www.mercy.net/healthinfo/archive/020903.asp

 

5) 5-a- Day press release http://www.5aday.org/html/press/pressrelease.php?recordid=129

 

6) AMA’s Position on Nutritional Supplements: Supplements Shown to Provide Valuable Health Benefits :Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults, Scientific Review June 19, 2002; Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH; Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc; JAMA. 2002; 287:3116-3126.

 

7) www.5aday.org/html/press/pressrelease.php?recordid=129

 

8) http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/default.htm

 

9) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pattern_diet

 

Can Pain Due to Intestinal Disorders Be Stopped in Minutes with a Simple Soft Tissue Technique?

Inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other intestinal disorders often respond extremely well to a combination of soft tissue techniques and nutritional supplementation.

Various studies show between one person in one hundred to one thousand in North America will experience ulcerative colitis (UC) at some point in their lifetime. It’s more common in northern climates,³³ suggesting low vitamin D levels may play a role. There’s an increased risk of colorectal cancer if UC is present for ten years. Symptoms include frequent, bloody, watery, often painful bowel movements, abdominal pain, low back and sacroiliac pain, joint pains, fatigue (often secondary to anemia from blood loss), allergies, and increased risk for more serious diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD.) includes both UC and Crohn’s disease.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is extremely common.³⁵ Twenty percent of the United States population may have symptoms at any time. Most people occasionally experience the symptoms of IBS, which include excess gas, abdominal pain or discomfort, diarrhea or constipation, etc. Although medical managements of IBD and IBS are completely different, the natural treatments discussed in this article are applicable to both.

These procedures may work in either chronic or acute symptoms, but care must always be taken to rule out serious disease and medical emergencies such as appendicitis, pancreatitis, cancer, etc. It’s often best to have the patient seen by a medical specialist before any natural treatments are applied.

 

Nutritional intervention for intestinal disorders:

Surgery may be avoided.

 

 

Many nutritional substances effective for IBD will also aid IBS. Here are some starting suggestions out of over 100 possible supplements.

A probiotic strain called VSL#3^{4,6,12,18,23,27,34} has been shown to dramatically induce remissions in UC in several studies. One of the bacterial strains contained in VSL#3, bifidobacterium infantis, has also been the subject of numerous studies and shown to be extremely effective for ulcerative colitis (available as LifeStart, by Natren). Lactobacillis GG (Culturelle) has been reported effective in IBD as well as IBS in numerous studies.³⁶

Liquid Bentonite, made by Sonne’s, is a unique product due to its ability to detoxify the GI tract easily. It seems to have potent anti microbial properties. I’ve even used it on patients with amoebic dysentery with good results. DHEA in high dosages has been reported effective in refractory ulcerative colitis.^3,13

L-glutamine powder in dosages of 5-20 grams (1-4 tsps) accelerates healing of the GI tract.^{1,14,15,17,21,31} Glutamine may be constipating, which is great for IBD, but may worsen IBS, so you have to monitor that. L glutamine is the most prevalent amino acid in the body, and is important for immune support, GI tract rebuilding, muscle growth, and even cognitive support. Slippery elm is a mucilaginous herb^25,32 that I’ve found extremely effective for many GI problems. One-half to one tsp of the powder two to three times a day will often heal tissues, reduce pain, stop diarrhea and normalize constipation.

Vitamin D may be effective in symptomatic relief of both IBD and IBS^11,24,29,30 as well as prevention of bone loss that may eventually occur in IBD. Much higher dosages of Vitamin D3 have recently been recommended for this and other diseases; check out www.vitamindcouncil.com for current information on this essential nutrient.

Food sensitivities may be critically important in management of any intestinal complaint.^{2,5,8,9,15,16,22,28} Undiagnosed gluten sensitivity is common and may occur in up to 40 percent of the population!^2,7,9,16 Since the American diet is 50 percent wheat products (bread, rolls, cookies, cake, etc.), it’s a wonder most of us are not running to the can constantly! In one study, the most common food offenders were wheat, dairy products, corn, yeast, tomatoes, citrus fruit, and eggs.²⁸ I’ve seen a number of patients respond dramatically to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, pioneered by Sidney Haas, MD⁸ and discussed in Breaking the Vicious Cycle.⁹ Certain types of dietary sugars are completely avoided.

 

Soft tissue techniques can often stop abdominal pain instantly.

 

Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ is a technique I developed many years ago. At this time, it has helped stop even severe abdominal pain in minutes by specific stimulation of spinal nerves.

In 1979 I saw a 30-year-old woman with severe ulcerative colitis, who was scheduled to have her colon surgically removed. I treated her with nutritional therapies. Her frequent bloody stools and abdominal pain stopped within two weeks, and her condition eventually resolved completely.

Sam was stooped over with severe back pain, but it was secondary to ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease). He’d been having twenty bloody bowel movements a day; prednisone had reduced these but he still had severe gut and back pain, as well as fatigue. I found multiple areas of extreme tenderness throughout his abdomen, as well as his back.

I was able to immediately eliminate every painful area using Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™, a technique that erases painful trigger points by stimulation of spinal nerves in a precise sequence. The patient left with both back and abdominal pain much reduced. This improvement continued when I saw him a week later. His MD advised him to wean himself off the prednisone.

Naomi, a 21-year-old girl, had severe abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, weight loss and other crippling symptoms for several years. Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ instantly stopped the discomfort. All symptoms subsided after the treatment.

Dozens of DC’s and MD’s treated with Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ at state conventions have had instant elimination of abdominal pain, including post surgical hernia pain, Crohn’s disease, hiatal hernia pain, right lower quadrant pain, etc. The greater, lesser, and least splanchnic nerves (as well as the vagus) are “motivated” to immediately improve intestinal function.

There’s a potentially large emotional component in many intestinal disorders, but many patients get relief using just these physical methods. With inflammatory bowel disease, it’s extremely important to make sure that patients understand the long term consequences of their disease. If they don’t realize the possibility of degenerative changes and a potentially very negative outcome, they may not follow through with proper treatment.

 

Stephen Kaufman, D.C., graduated L.A.C.C. in 1978, and practices in Denver, CO. His techniques, Pain Neutralization Technique and Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™, represent a rapid new lasting approach to pain. For more information, call 1-800-774-5078 or 1-303-756-9567 or visit www.painneutralization.com.

 

 

References

1.  Abcouwer SF, Souba WW. Glutamine and arginine. Shils, ME, Olson JA, et. al. eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Williams & Wilkins, 1999.
2. Andresen, A.F.R. Ulcerative colitis: an allergic phenomenon. Am J Dig Dis 1942; 9:91-98.
3.  Andus T, Klebl F, Rogler G, Bregenzer N, Schölmerich J, Straub RH. Patients with refractory Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis respond to dehydroepiandrosterone: a pilot study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Feb;17(3):409-14.
4.  Bibiloni, Rodrigo Ph.D.,  Richard N. Fedorak, M.D., et.al.2 VSL#3 Probiotic-Mixture Induces Remission in Patients with Active Ulcerative Colitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2005;100:1539–1546
5.  Bock S. Integrative medical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Int J Integr Med. 2000;2(5):21-29.
6.  Böhm S, Kruis W.  Probiotics in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Fortschr Med. 2006 Aug 31;148(35-36):30-4.
7.  Braly, James, M.D., and Hoggan, Ron, M.A. Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health. Avery. 2002
8.  Haas, S.V., M.D., and Haas, M.P. Management of Celiac Disease. J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. 1951.
9.  Breneman, J.C. Basics of Food Allergy.  Charles C. Thomas; 1978.
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An important part of every case history, and even ongoing case notes, should be knowledge of the patient’s prescription and over-the-counter drug use. This has always been important because drugs mask symptoms and physical findings that are important in making an accurate assessment of the need for chiropractic care.

However, at the dawn of the 21^st century, prescription drug abuse is rapidly becoming epidemic.

Consider the findings of a recent survey conducted by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health of 1,695 individuals taken in January of this year:

• One third of Americans were prompted to ask their doctor about a drug they had seen advertised.

• An alarming 82 percent have a prescription written for them. Forty-four percent were given the drug they asked for and the remainder had a prescription for a similar drug written for them, although a third of them had an over-the-counter drug recommended for them.

These figures show an increase in patient requests for prescription drugs from 2005 when 75 percent of those requests were being granted. The president of the Kaiser Foundation stated that the survey shows that advertising of drugs is very effective. Substantiating this view is the fact that drug companies spent a whooping 4.8 billion dollars for advertising in 2006 as compared to $2.6 billion in 2002.

The study found that Americans are evenly divided on their opinion of the pharmaceutical industry:

• Forty-seven percent have a favorable impression of drug companies;

• Forty-four percent have an unfavorable view, citing high prices and large profits, as well as corporate greed as the basis for their opinion.

Extensive advertising of prescription drugs began in 1997 after the pharmaceutical industry spent an unspecified amount of money for four years (1994 to 1997) encouraging congress to “modernize the Food and Drug Administration.” Previously, it would have been necessary to list almost the entire content of the Physicians Desk Reference for each drug advertised. There were probably two reasons for the change in marketing direction. First, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the pharmaceutical companies were rewarding individual doctors and hospitals for using their products and many thought this unethical. Second, by the late 1980’s, it was being reported that more Americans were visiting non-medical practitioners than medical doctors.

In 1994, The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study by DM Eisenberg, that identified ten conditions that Americans were willing to pay for—out of their own pockets—because the sick care provided by their health insurance providers was ineffective. Those conditions were:

1. Back problems

2. Anxiety

3. Headaches

4. Sprains or strains

5. Insomnia

6. Depression

7. Arthritis

8. High blood pressure

9. Digestive problems

10. Allergies

 

All of the above are symptoms and not considered pathological or, at least, disease entities.

I would like the reader to know that other articles like this one will appear bi-monthly in The American Chiropractor and will not be taking an anti-pharmaceutical position; rather, the emphasis will be pro-chiropractic and how your patients’ prescriptions are affecting your clinical findings and even perpetuating structural problems. I would like to bring to your attention what I believe to be critical points concerning the use of all pharmaceutical drugs, either prescriptive or over-the-counter:

• Commonly prescribed drugs work by either blocking receptor sites or interfering with a human enzyme system.

• Therefore, they all have deleterious effects on the body, not the least of which are nutrient deficiencies they can produce.

• They do not restore normal function, nor can they maintain health.

• Drugs provide great benefit for the public when used for the treatment of disease. But, when used for symptoms only, no objective tests are performed to determine which patients will suffer their known side effects.

This article will basically follow this outline:

• The targeted symptom or condition;

• Drug-class being advertised and brand names;

• Clinical studies—the physiological effects on the body;

• The known side effects;

• Reported nutrient deficiencies produced, if any;

• Possible visceral (functional) dysfunction and perpetuation of a structural disorder and/or subluxation pattern—this is what I refer to as 2^nd Factor in Chiropractic.

 

Restless Legs Syndrome

 

Restless Legs Syndrome is described as a disorder in which a person experiences vague, unpleasant, seldom painful, but always very annoying, sensations in the legs, such as creeping, crawling, and tingling. These sensations occur anywhere from the thigh to the ankle. One or both legs may be affected and, for a small percentage, the sensations may also be experienced in the arms. The symptoms usually occur when the person lies down or sits for prolonged periods of time, such as at a desk, riding in a car, or watching a movie.

There are no laboratory tests to diagnose RLS and no physical examination findings are indicated in the literature for determining the presence or cause of RLS. Recommendations for a drug are based solely on the following symptoms:

• An urge to move the legs usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant leg sensations;

• Symptoms begin or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying or sitting.

These symptoms can be partially or totally relieved by movement such as walking or stretching, at least as long as the activity continues. Since movement relieves the symptoms, it is commonly reported that the symptoms only occur or are worse at night.

 

Drug-class being Advertised and Brand Names

 

Orally administered dopamine agonists are being widely advertised for symptomatic relief of RLS. In pharmacology, an agonist is a substance that binds to a specific receptor and triggers a response in the cell. It mimics the action of a neurotransmitter or hormone that binds to the same receptor. Since anogists are useful in replacing the neuron-transmitter dopamine, these drugs are also used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. While the patho-physiology of both Parkinson’s and RLS is unknown, neuro-pharmacological evidence suggests a primary presynaptic system involvement.

The most commonly advertised dopamine agonists are Requip^TM (ropinirole hydrochloride) and Mirapex^TM (pramipexole dihydrochloride). The medication most studied for RLS is oral levodopa combined with a dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (carbidopa or benserazide). The dopa decarboxylase (an enzyme) component prevents the peripheral conversion of levodopa to dopamine. Thus, more levodopa is available to cross the blood/brain barrier.

Studies have shown that these drugs have helped some people control or improve their symptoms. Although they may seem to help at first, later, in some people, these medicines make symptoms worse by a process called augmentation. Because this undesired outcome is most associated with regular use of levodopa, most patients who require daily medicine will need a dopamine agonist.

 

Side Effects in Healthy Subjects

 

The most common side effects in clinical trials for RLS were nausea, headache, and tiredness. Studies indicated the drug has little or no effect on blood pressure or pulse rate when lying down. But, upon standing, they produce a drop in blood pressure, both the systolic and diastolic. These changes are accompanied by lightheadedness upon arising, general fatigue, inability to tolerate stress, and a slow, weak pulse rate.

Patients treated with dopamine agonists have reported falling asleep while engaged in activities of daily living, including the operation of motor vehicles, which sometimes resulted in accidents.

Patients and caregivers should be informed that impulse control disorders and compulsive behavior may occur, including hallucinations and exaggerated urges for sex and gambling.

 

Nutrient Depletion by Levadopa and Dopamine Angonists

 

Increased urinary potassium losses occur in some people treated with levodopa. The mechanism isn’t clear, but potassium losses are not significant when a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor, such as carbidopa, is used with levodopa. However, when Requip or Miraplex is used for symptoms of RLS potassium, losses may become significant. Symptoms of potassium loss include stiff, sore joints (hypoflexia), constipation, inability to think clearly, and cardiac arrhythmias.

 

Can Chiropractic Help?

 

Gastrointestinal side effects of dopamine agonists directly affect your patients. These include:

• Stomach upset and pain (T5 to T9)

• Nausea (T10 to T11—Kidney)

• Constipation (L1 to L3—Colon)

• Other more systemic, side effects include headache, dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, and unusual weakness.

Have you ever thought of Restless Legs as a chiropractic deficiency? In my opinion, RLS should be considered a chiropractic specialty, since patients who experience its frustrating symptoms invariably have chronic sacroiliac subluxations that can be caused by many mechanical or structural problems: fallen arches, Morton’s Syndrome (long second toe), knee cartilage damage, and an anatomical short leg, just to mention a few.

Recommend the patient change chairs at work or in the car. One of the most common causes of RLS is sitting in a recliner at home.

Nutritionally, we expect patients with symptoms of restless legs to present symptoms associated with pre-calcium and protein deficiencies commonly seen with frequent joint complaints (particularly the sacroiliac joint), cold hands and feet, and edema.

 

Howard F. Loomis, Jr., DC, President of Enzyme Formulations^®, Inc., has an extensive background in enzymes and enzyme supplementation. As president for fi fteen years of 21^st Century Nutrition^® (now the Loomis Institute^® of Enzyme Nutrition), he has forged a remarkable career as an educator, having conducted over 400 seminars to date, in the United States and internationally, on the diagnosis and treatment of food enzyme deficiency syndromes. Dr. Loomis welcomes your comments or questions through the Loomis Institute^TM at 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison, WI 53719 or by phone at 1-800-662-2630.