Yesterday I got a call from my mother. She informed me that my Father was passing two kidney stones! OUCH!
If you have ever passed a kidney stone, you know how painful it can be. The medical doctors told my father that if he was unable to pass the stones, that they might have to fly him from Pinetop AZ to Phoenix for treatment. Fortunately, Dad was able to pass the stones in the night, but not without quite a bit of pain and a little blood loss.
Although I can't do anything about the stones that my dad passed last night, there are some things that I can advise him of that might help him in the future. They could help you as well.
According to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN), the very diet recommendations that have been found to reduce high blood pressure has also been show to reduce the tendency to develop kidney stones.
The diet is called the DASH diet, and it stresses the importance of increasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts in the diet. It further recommends reducing sugars, sweets, and red or processed meats.
Imagine that... a healthy diet is a healthy diet... what a technological breakthrough. I wonder what else a healthy diet helps with...
Anyway, excuse my sarcasm.
If you tend to suffer from kidney stones or know someone who does, pass this information along. Most who have experienced the excruciating pain of passing a stone will agree that if changing their diet can prevent only one stone, it is well worth it.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
biggschiropractic.blogspot.com
therapeuticfoods.blogspot.com
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Vitamin B for Brain
Vitamin B has been show to slow the shrinking of the brain that occurs in aging. Certain B vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, are known to control levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. High levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers.
In a study of nearly 170 volunteers at Oxford University, researchers used MRI scans to measure the rate of brain shrinkage over a two-year period. They found that on average, the brains of those taking a tablet that combined folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those in the placebo group had a mean brain shrinkage rate of 1.08 percent. Those subjects in the study with high homocysteine blood levels benefited the most, with a nearly 50% decrease in brain shrinking rate when compared to subjects in the study group that were taking placebos.
According to an article on the CNN website, the researchers said that "The two-year clinical trial is the largest to study the effect of vitamin B on MCI and one of the first disease-modifying trials in the Alzheimer's field to show positive results."
The researchers made it clear that this was a limited study and that more research is needed.
William Thies, chief medical officer of the Alzheimer's Association, expressed his concern as well saying that "No recommendations can or should be made to doctors or the public regarding use of B vitamins based on this study. No clinical or personal habits should be changed as a result of this article." (Translation: heaven forbid that we find something as benign as vitamins helping with this horrible disease. How can we make money selling Vitamin B? We need a drug!)
I find the position of William Thies perplexing. Tell me, what can it hurt to try an increased dosage of the B Vitamins? We are talking about an illness for which there is no medical answer, so if taking an increased amount of Vitamin B fails to make a difference, then what is lost? What is gained... increase health in general?
As for me, I believe that we should increase our vitamin consumption across the board, and that includes an increased dose of the B Vitamins. It might not slow down brain matter loss, senile dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, but then again, it just might. Either way, the B vitamins are necessary for healthy physiology. Perhaps What Dr. Thies wants is for our at risk adult population to just sit and wait for the next "miracle" drug with all of its unknown side effects. After all, a cure is just around the corner, right? Brilliant.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
biggschiropractic@gmail.com
In a study of nearly 170 volunteers at Oxford University, researchers used MRI scans to measure the rate of brain shrinkage over a two-year period. They found that on average, the brains of those taking a tablet that combined folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those in the placebo group had a mean brain shrinkage rate of 1.08 percent. Those subjects in the study with high homocysteine blood levels benefited the most, with a nearly 50% decrease in brain shrinking rate when compared to subjects in the study group that were taking placebos.
According to an article on the CNN website, the researchers said that "The two-year clinical trial is the largest to study the effect of vitamin B on MCI and one of the first disease-modifying trials in the Alzheimer's field to show positive results."
The researchers made it clear that this was a limited study and that more research is needed.
William Thies, chief medical officer of the Alzheimer's Association, expressed his concern as well saying that "No recommendations can or should be made to doctors or the public regarding use of B vitamins based on this study. No clinical or personal habits should be changed as a result of this article." (Translation: heaven forbid that we find something as benign as vitamins helping with this horrible disease. How can we make money selling Vitamin B? We need a drug!)
I find the position of William Thies perplexing. Tell me, what can it hurt to try an increased dosage of the B Vitamins? We are talking about an illness for which there is no medical answer, so if taking an increased amount of Vitamin B fails to make a difference, then what is lost? What is gained... increase health in general?
As for me, I believe that we should increase our vitamin consumption across the board, and that includes an increased dose of the B Vitamins. It might not slow down brain matter loss, senile dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, but then again, it just might. Either way, the B vitamins are necessary for healthy physiology. Perhaps What Dr. Thies wants is for our at risk adult population to just sit and wait for the next "miracle" drug with all of its unknown side effects. After all, a cure is just around the corner, right? Brilliant.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
biggschiropractic@gmail.com
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Stop Smoking and Eat Your Vegetables
Smoking causes lung cancer. Period. This is a certain and verifiable statement. The best way to avoid or reduce your risk of developing the deadly disease of lung cancer is to quite smoking.
But there is more...
A recent study published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, states that eating vegetables and fruits reduce the risk of contracting lung cancer.
The interesting thing about the study is that the researchers determined that the quantity of the vegetables was not as important as the variety of the vegetables.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
But there is more...
A recent study published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, states that eating vegetables and fruits reduce the risk of contracting lung cancer.
The interesting thing about the study is that the researchers determined that the quantity of the vegetables was not as important as the variety of the vegetables.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
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