Category: Research Review

Reference:

Hyperkyphotic Posture Predicts Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Men and Women: A Prospective Study
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
From: Volume 52 Issue 10, October 2004, Page 1662
Deborah M. Kado, MD; Ms. Mei-Hua Huang; DrPH; Arun S. Karlamangla, MD, PhD; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD and Gail A. Greendale, MD.

Key Points from Dan Murphy

1. This study shows that hyperkyphosis is not primarily caused by osteoporosis.
2. Hyperkyphotic posture is more common in men than women (44% in men, 22% of women).
3. Hyperkyphosis is frequently observed in older persons.
4. In the study, persons with even slight hyperkyphosis had a 1.44 times greater rate of mortality than those without hyperkyphotic posture.
5. Hyperkyphosis is significantly associated with deaths due to atherosclerosis.
6. Hyperkyphosis increased deaths due to atherosclerosis by 2.4 times.
7. In these seniors, the greater the hyperkyphotic posture, the greater the rates of death.
8. The hyperkyphotic posture reflects an increased rate of physiological aging. [Very Important]
9. Atherosclerosis and hyperkyphosis have a common underlying pathology. My explanation is: Hyperkyphosis alters the mechanical inhibition of the thoracic sympathetic nervous system, increasing sympathetic traffic, which contributes to atherosclerosis.
10. Hyperkyphotic posture predicts increased mortality.
11.Interventions specifically targeted at improving hyperkyphotic posture could result in reduced mortality rates.” [Very Important]

This article is extremely important because it supports the concept of the “silent subluxation” (postural distortions) being related to visceral pathology. Specifically, in this article, the visceral pathology is death from atherosclerotic disease.

A 1978 graduate of Western States Chiropractic College, Dr. Dan Murphy is on the faculty of Life Chiropractic College West, and is the Vice President of the International Chiropractic Association. For more information, visit http://www.danmurphydc.com.

Reference:
Cerebrospinal Fluid [CSF] Glutamate Levels in Chronic Migraine
From: Cephalalgia, September 2004, Page 735
MFP Peres, E Zukerman, CA Senne Soares, E O Alonso, BFC Santos & MHW Faulhaber

Background Information from Dan Murphy

Glutamate (an amino acid) is the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter.  However, excess glutamate kills brain neurons and is, therefore, called an “excitotoxin.”

Too much glutamate literally excites brain neurons to death. Glutamate is commonly added to foods, because it makes them “exciting” or taste better. Most of us know glutamate by its salt form, monosodium glutamate or MSG. There are dozens of names for glutamate as it is added to foods. A partial list of alternative names for glutamate can be found from the website www.truthinlabeling.org. The names include words such as autolyzed and hydrolyzed.  The website notes that most, if not all, live virus vaccines contain MSG. [WOW!]

Aspartate acid, or aspartate (another amino acid) is the brain’s second prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter. Aspartate poses the same deleterious toxicity to brain neurons as does glutamate, and is, therefore, also labeled as an excitotoxin. Most of human exposure to aspartate is through the artificial sweetener aspartame. Aspartame is composed of the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartate. In the body, and sometimes in the food product when heated, the bond between phenylalanine and aspartate is broken, releasing the excitatory neurotransmitter and excitotoxin aspartate. Importantly and sadly, according to neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock’s 2002 book, Health and Nutrition Secrets that Can Save Your Life, phenylalanine and aspartate are not linked through a standard peptide bond but, rather, are linked with methyl alcohol (a deadly toxin itself). Consequently, ingestion of aspartame exposes our bodies to both aspartate and to methanol. Apparently, both glutamate and aspartate enter the brain through holes in the blood brain barrier at the hypothalamus, called the circumventricular organs. They, then, become factors in creating an array of symptoms, including chronic migraines (as noted in this article), and also accelerate neurodegenerative diseases. The key points from this article include:

• Elevated CSF glutamate and aspartate are linked to chronic migraine pathophysiology and to fibromyalgia.
• An acute increase in glutamate and aspartate levels can trigger a migraine attack.
• Increase in CSF glutamate levels is also seen in chronic daily headache patients.
• The head pain in migraine arises within the trigeminal system, which receives afferent input from the upper cervical spine. This is very important for upper cervical chiropractic.
• Acute migraine drugs increase CSF glutamate levels, increasing chances of chronic migraine suffering. [Amazing.]
• Magnesium blocks the glutamate receptor, reducing the excitotoxicity of glutamate. This is an important management tip. [Try 600 mg/day.]

This article would suggest management for chronic migraine, for chronic daily headache, and for fibromyalgia would include avoiding dietary glutamate and aspartame, taking supplemental magnesium, and using upper cervical chiropractic.

A 1978 graduate of Western States Chiropractic College, Dr. Dan Murphy is on the faculty of Life Chiropractic College West, and is the Vice President of the International Chiropractic Association. For more information, visit http://www.danmurphydc.com/newsletter.htm.

Reference:

Sympathetic Segmental Disturbances:
The Evidences of the Association, in Dissected Cadavers, of Visceral Disease with Vertebral Deformities of the Same Sympathetic Segments
From Medical Times, November, 1921. Pp. 1-7
Henry Winsor, M.D.

Key Points from Dan Murphy

1. Curvatures of the spine adversely affect the sympathetic nervous system.

2. The sympathetic nervous system controls the blood supply to the viscera, and is, therefore, related to all manner of visceral diseases and pathology, and specifically, “the ordinary diseases of adult life.”

3. Visceral diseases and pathology can be traced back to the segmental levels of sympathetic involvement with nearly 100% correlation.

4. Prolonged abnormal spinal posture stretches the sympathetic nervous system, firing the sympathetics, causing reduced blood supply to visceral organs, and resulting in visceral pathology.

5. Abnormal spinal curvatures precede organic visceral diseases.

6. The author perfectly describes pelvic-lumbar subluxations, fibrosis, reduced motion, and sympathetic nerve interference adversely influencing blood flow and resulting in visceral pathology.

7. Spinal disease precedes old age and causes old age.

8. Stiff distorted spines cause sympathetic irritation, vascular spasm, arterial hardening, and old age follows.

9. A person is as old as his spine.

10.  Postural distortions causing sympathetic dysfunction can be treated with fulcrum-assisted reversal of the postural distortion. [Incredible]

11.  This author references both osteopathic and chiropractic literature in his bibliography.

A 1978 graduate of Western States Chiropractic College, Dr. Dan Murphy is on the faculty of Life Chiropractic College West, and the Vice President of the International Chiropractic Association. For more information, visit http://www.danmurphydc.com/newsletter.htm.