Stronger knees Chondroitin helps treat knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is estimated to affect 20 million people and may double over the next 10 years. A promising treatment therapy is supplementation with chondroitin sulfate, a natural compound found in healthy cartilage.

Although short-term trials look promising, few long-term studies have been published. A group of international researchers participated in a massive study examining the effects of long-term supplementation with chondroitin sulfate on structural and symptomatic changes in people with knee osteoarthritis. A total of 622 patients with knee osteoarthritis randomly took chondroitin sulfate (800 mg per day) or placebo for two years.

The chondroitin group showed significantly less joint space narrowing, a sign that supplementation slowed the progression of the disease. The chondroitin group also responded to treatment faster as shown by lower rating of pain. There were also no differences in side effects between supplementation and placebo.

The significant improvement in structural changes associated with chondroitin as well as reduced pain provides strong evidence for this therapy as a method to slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Source: Arthritis Rheumatism

Gout in men Vitamin C lowers risk and may prevent gout

Gout is a type of arthritis that occurs when excess uric acid – a natural compound in the body – builds up in the blood. In a 20-year study of about 47,000 men, those who consumed over 1,500 mg of vitamin C per day from all sources were nearly half as likely to have gout as were men who got less than 250 mg per day.

In gout, excess uric acid forms sharp, needle-like crystalline deposits in the joints, causing inflammation and pain. Doctors believe vitamin C may help the kidneys excrete excess uric acid and may keep excess uric acid from forming.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine

YOUR BRAIN – A Human Computer

The human brain has the potential to be faster and store more information than any computer ever developed. Unfortunately, we have only learned to use a tiny percentage of our brain’s capacity. Even so, your brain receives and interprets thousands of signals from every nerve in your body during every second of the day. The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum, relays messages from the sensory organs, such as the nose, eyes, ears, tongue and skin, to the various parts of your body. Certain areas of the cerebrum are responsible for specific functions, such as memory, reading comprehension, physical movement and so on. Another part of the brain, the medulla oblongata, controls automatic processes like breathing and keeping your heart beating. The cerebellum, is responsible for balance and motor coordination.

Your brain is connected to all parts of the body. The tail of the brain – the spinal cord emerges through an opening in the skull called the Foramen Magnum (a large hole). The spinal cord goes through the twenty-four bony rings or vertebrae and the spinal nerves branch out from the various vertebrae to carry information to and from every part of the body. As stated before, when the nerves are impeded because the vertebrae are out of alignment, the result is a lack of normal function.

Source: Chiropractic First

Dr. Harry Llwewllyn’s Experience

I was reading when I first felt a dull ache in my lower back. The ache continued on and off for days. I knew that a car accident in my childhood had caused a severe lordosis or abnormal inward curvature of the lumbar vertebrae, but the injury had never affected me until now. Being a medical doctor, I followed the typical route of back x-rays and orthopedic surgeons. I was told I could avoid lying down on my back, tolerate the pain or try surgery. Not one of these answers appealed to me.

My brother-in-law advised me to visit a chiropractor. After a month of adjustments, I could read without any back pain. After five months of adjustments, I drove 18 hours back to New Jersey without any back pain. Until then, my limit in a car was 30 minutes.

Source: Chiropractic First

A Chiropractic Patient Testimonial

My name is Steve T. and the major problem I had was vertigo and nausea.

I went to the movies and had a bad episode of dizziness for the next few days. I was very dizzy anytime I looked up. I went to a regular doctor and he gave me pills that did not work, only made me dizzier.

My friends referred me to a chiropractor. I came and saw Dr. Moulas and had only one visit, and I never had the dizziness again. He is a miracle worker! Dr. Moulas is great!

STRESS FRACTURE SYNOPSIS

How Stress Fractures Develop

1. Casual event

2. Pain after exercise only and relieved by short rest

3. Pain tolerable during exercise but more marked after exertion and relieved by longer rest

4. Pain intolerable during and after exercise and partially relieved by long rest

5. Constant pain not relieved by rest

Signs of Stress Fractures

1. Point tenderness of bone (except well-shielded femur)

2. Soft-tissue swelling

3. Palpation of callus (with time)

4. Alteration of gait

5. Muscular atrophy, especially anterior tibial and gastrocnemius-soleus groups

6. Full and painless range of motion of adjacent joints

7. Painless resisted active movement of joint

Treatment of Stress Fractures

1. Rest from running

2. Relieve symptomatic inflammation with ice and anti-inflammatory agent

3. Maintain strength (especially foot dorsum and plantar flexors)

4. Maintain cardiovascular fitness with swimming and/or biking

5. Orthotics tailored to need

6. When asymptomatic, gradually reintroduce running

Source: The Physician and Sportsmedicine

Does Coffee Improve Your Performance?

Marathon racers, bicycle racers, cross country skiers, and other endurance athletes may benefit from the caffeine in coffee. The studies by David Costill, an exercise physiologist at Ball State University, indicated that trained cyclists worked 7 percent harder in two hours of cycling when they were given caffeine. In a second test they had 19 percent more endurance.

Caffeine’s stimulant effect is not responsible for increasing your endurance. Rather, caffeine lessens the amount of glycogen burned by the muscles. It stimulates the release of fats from the tissues into the bloodstream. When more fats are available, the muscles burn them in preference to the glycogen. This spares the glycogen stores, and the muscles are able to work longer.

Caffeine overdose is common with athletes who drink three to four cups of strong coffee. Two cups does the trick. The suggested dose is about one and a half to two milligrams per pound. A 150-pound runner may benefit from 300 milligrams of caffeine, the amount in two average cups of coffee.

Source: Sports Health