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Does Exercise Make Kids Smarter?
In the midst of reports of schools cutting recess and physical
education in order to provide additional time for standardized
test preparation, new research reveals that limiting physical activity may reduce cognitive function in youngsters.

The research team from the University of Illinois
presented their findings this week at the annual
meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological
Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"We have found a strong relationship between
academic achievement and fitness scores,"
elucidates study co-author Darla Castelli. "Those
who scored well in academics also did well in
physical fitness. We're not suggesting that if we
run more laps it will make us smarter, but there does appear to be a correlation."

Along with researchers Charles Hillman and Sarah
Buck, Castelli analyzed about 500 third-, fourth-
and fifth-graders. They compared the subjects'
aerobic capacity, flexibility, muscle fitness and
cognitive function (as determined by standard achievement tests and neuroelectric and behavioral responses to stimulus discrimination tasks).

"We found that fit children allocated more
resources towards identifying stimuli, and also
processed stimuli faster," Hillman pronounced. "Behaviorally, these effects showed up in that
these fit children made fewer errors than sedentary ones."

"Despite increased incidence of childhood obesity
and type II diabetes mellitus, physical education
time is being reduced to address academic issues
related to federal 'No Child Left Behind' legislation,"
adds Castelli. "If evidence existed that physical
education contributed to intellectual development,
it may gain credibility and instructional time."

Source: Society for Psychophysiological Research - October 20, 2004. http://sprweb.org/
SOFT DRINK CONSUMPTION SKYROCKETING

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill have calculated that calorie intake from
soft drinks in the United States rose 135% between
1977 and 2001. Over the same span milk intake plummeted 38%.

"There has been considerable controversy about
the promotion of soft drinks in schools and
elsewhere," notes study author Dr. Barry M.
Popkin. "Extensive research on all age groups
has shown that consuming these soft drinks and
fruit drinks increases weight gain in children and

Source: Journal of Preventive Health - October 2004
CHRONIC BACK PAIN EATS AWAY AT BRAIN
Scientists in Chicago have discovered new clues into
what role the brain plays in chronic back pain (CBP).

The investigators used magnetic resonance imaging
brain scans to compare the morphology of 26
individuals with CBP with 26 pain-free control subjects.

According to the report "patients with CBP showed
5-11% less neocortical gray matter volume than
control subjects. The magnitude of this decrease is equivalent to the gray matter volume lost in 10-20
years of normal aging. The decreased volume was
related to pain duration, indicating a 1.3 cm(3) loss
of gray matter for every year of chronic pain."

The study also showed that CBP patients had
decreased gray matter density.

"Our results imply that CBP is accompanied by brain atrophy and suggest that the pathophysiology of
chronic pain includes thalamocortical processes,"
conclude the authors.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience - November 2004;24:10410-5.
http://www.jneurosci.org/
EARLY RECOVERY FROM LOWER BACK PAIN PREDICTS LONG-TERM OUTCOME

What demographic factors affect a chiropractic
patient's recovery from chronic low-back pain (LBP).
To find out, 115 chiropractors in Norway pooled data
on 875 patients. All patients had suffered LBP for at
least 2 weeks at the time of their initial chiropractic consultation and a minimum of 30 days altogether
during the preceding year.

According to the report, gender, social benefit,
severity of pain, duration of continuous pain at first consultation and additional neck pain all influenced outcome at the fourth visit and at 3 months.

Early recovery was identified as a strong predictor
of long-term outcome. Specifically, being free of back
pain at the fourth visit was associated with triple the
odds of remaining pain-free at 3 and 12 months.

Source: JMPT - October 2004;27:494-502.
http://www.mosby.com/jmpt
MAINTENANCE CHIROPRACTIC CARE PREVENTS RELAPSE IN DISABILITY, STUDY SUGGESTS

Maintenance care appears to accomplish exactly
what chiropractors have long claimed it does.
According to a new study, maintenance care prevents chronic disability in patients with low-back pain (LBP).

Investigators tracked 2 groups of 15 patients with
chronic nonspecific LBP. Both groups underwent
intensive chiropractic care for a 1-month period. One group received no maintenance care while the other received adjustments every 3 weeks. Nine months
later both groups were reevaluated.

The study's authors write that "for both groups, the
pain and disability levels decreased after the intensive phase of treatments. Both groups maintained their
pain scores at levels similar to the post-intensive treatments throughout the follow-up period. For the disability scores, however, only the group that was
given spinal manipulations during the follow-up period maintained their post-intensive treatment scores. The disability scores of the other group went back to their pretreatment levels."

"This experiment suggests that maintenance spinal manipulations after intensive manipulative care may
be beneficial to patients to maintain subjective post-intensive treatment disability levels. Future studies, however, are needed to confirm the finding in a larger group of patients with chronic low-back pain."

Source: JMPT - October 2004;27:509.
www.mosby.com/jmpt

"Vast majorities of people suffering from chronic pain are actually the result of unnecessary back surgery. In one study, I demonstrated that at least 80% of those who had lumbar surgery for a presumed ruptured disc had not had a ruptured disc before their first surgery. (Shealy CN. Percutaneous radiofrequency denervation of spinal facets.

Treatment for chronic back pain and sciatica.
J of Neurosurgery.1975;43:448-451.) By the time
they had between 5 and 7 unsuccessful back
operations they certainly were invalids....In
selective patients with back pain, we have found
two significant problems: locked or degenerative
facet joints or a sacral shear."

Source: C. Norman Shealy, MD Ph.D.
Chronic Pain Management.in the.Townsend Letter
for Doctors and Patients. Jan. 2005.

CHRONIC BACK PAIN IMPAIRS DECISION MAKING
Scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that
chronic pain impairs an individual's decision-making capability

As part of one study, investigators compared 26
healthy people with 26 patients with chronic back
pain (CBP) and 12 patients with a condition called
chronic complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
CRPS is a chronic nerve disorder typically afflicting
the arms or legs, which usually onsets following an

The study participants were asked to perform a test researchers use to assess emotional decision-
making. The test, called the Iowa Gambling Task,
is a gambling card game.

Subjects with CBP performed 41% worse than did
pain-free individuals. Those with CRPS performed

The study's authors conclude that "our evidence indicates that chronic pain is associated with a specific cognitive deficit, which may impact every
day behavior especially in risky, emotionally laden, situations."

"Other cognitive abilities, such as attention, short-
term memory, and general intelligence tested
normal in the chronic pain patients."

Source: Pain - March 2004;108:129-36.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/

A sunny disposition may be the key to long life, finds
a study suggesting that optimists live longer than
their less positive peers.

According to a 9-year inquiry of 941 adults in the Netherlands between the ages of 65 and 85 years,
the most optimistic participants were 29% less likely
to die during the study period than the most
pessimistic of subjects.

Subjects who had an upbeat take on life were 77%
less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than were pessimists. These findings were not influenced after researchers controlled for confounding issues such
as age and lifestyle factors.

Source: Archives of General Psychiatry - November 2004; 2004;61:1126-35.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/
COMMON SUBLUXATION PATTERN IDENTIFIED
IN 96% OF CHILDREN

A new study examines a subluxation pattern common
in children called the Pelvic Distortion Subluxation Complex (PDSC). The study's researchers believe
that PDSC "is responsible, partially or fully, for a
number of adaptive neurological patterns and kinesiopathological reflexes that can propagate a
myriad of conditions."

To test their hypothesis, 6 chiropractors with
pediatric certification from the International
Chiropractic Pediatric Association examined 327
boys and 323 girls.

The study's authors explain that "the preponderance
of PDSC is to present with a left pelvic fixation and a corresponding right hypermobility. We have found
that 96% of all children seem to possess, and be subjected to the effects of the Pelvic Distortion Subluxation Complex. The PDSC was a common denominator in complaints plaguing our sample of children. These are summarized into a percentage
of the total sample and the most common complaints
of children in our study are mainly of a somatic nature with some visceral and immune components."

"Our study revealed a pattern of pelvic dysfunction correlated with numerous somatic, visceral and
immune complaints. These dysfunction's should be discovered as early as possible in a child's
development to effect a correction and the
relationship between these dysfunction's and ill
health should be further studied."

Source: JVSR - October 18, 2004.
http://www.jvsr.com
According to Dr. Guylaine Lanctot, MD:
The bottom line is that the medical systems are
controlled by financiers in order to serve financiers.
Since you cannot serve people unless they get sick,
the whole medical system is designed to make people sicker and sicker.
"It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US."
Dr. Joseph Mercola
This fully referenced report shows the number of
people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million per year. The
number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed
annually for viral infections is 20 million per year.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million per
year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million per year.
The most stunning statistic, however, is that the
total number of deaths caused by conventional
medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year.
Source: From Death by Medicine by By Gary Null,
PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD;
Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, Ph.D.
783,936 people each year die because of
conventional medicine. That's the equivalent to
three jumbo-jet crashes every two days. Would
you fly if you knew that statistic?
Energy blocks or imbalances can cause illness, depression, distort our perceptions, and dampen
our feelings. Removing the blocks restores the
natural energy flow resulting in feelings of peace

ANNUAL PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC COST OF MEDICAL INTERVENTION

Stress Ups Skin Cancer Risk
A study in mice underscores the connection between stress and disease. The analysis shows that stressed mice are at an elevated
risk of skin cancer.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins exposed mice to cancer-
causing UV light. Mice who were also subjected to
stressful conditions developed skin cancers in less than
half the time it took the non-stressed mice to grow

"There's a lot of evidence pointing to the negative
effects of chronic stress, which dampens our
immune system and impacts various aspects of our
health," says study director Francisco Tausk, MD.

"Stress reduction programs usually are a good
option for many people, but we think they may be
more important for individuals at high-risk for skin
cancer," he adds.

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology - December 2004;51:919-22.
http://www.eblue.org/
Food Irradiation will be used to
MaskFilthy Slaughtering and Food Processing Practices
Food irradiation dose limit would be removed, health and safety regulations discarded
under new plan, substandard food could be "treated"
with high-dose radiation in unlicensed and dirty facilities.You are what you eat. Take a proactive
approach when it comes to feeding your family.

Medicating Kids For Convenience

Investigators in Australia are concerned over the use of

medications in children.
In-depth interviews with 40 parents of children
under 5 years of age showed that "there were 3
striking and readily apparent themes in the use of
OTC medications among children. One was the administration of OTC medications as a form of
'social medication,' to give parents control over
children's behavior that they perceived as
fractious and irritating. A related theme was the
use of OTC medications to reduce the
inconvenience to the parents of having a sick child, again giving parents greater control and better
time-management abilities. Finally, acetaminophen
was considered by many parents to have almost miraculous properties in calming, sedating and
lifting the mood of children."
"The use of OTC medications for the treatment
of minor ailments among children is widespread,
despite the lack of evidence of efficacy of the most commonly used medications and the potential for toxicity," conclude the scientists. "With the
increasing propensity to look to medication as
a means of supporting changing lifestyles, there
is an urgent need to review the prevalence and
effects of social medication."
Source: Pediatrics - September 2004;114:e378-83.
http://www.pediatrics.org/
"The person who takes medicine must recover twice,
once from the disease and once from the medicine."
William Osler, M.D.

Modern Crops Show Decline In Nutrients

A recent study of 43 garden crops led by a University of Texas at Austin biochemist suggests that their nutrient value has declined in recent decades.
The researchers chose garden crops, mostly vegetables, but also melons and strawberries, for which nutritional data were available from both 1950 and 1999.

"Considered as a group, we found that six out of 13 nutrients showed apparently reliable declines between 1950 and 1999" says Dr. Donald Davis.

These nutrients included protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and ascorbic acid. The declines, which ranged from 6% for protein to 38% for riboflavin, raise significant questions about how modern agriculture practices are affecting food crops.

Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition - December 2004;23:5.
http://www.jacn.org/

Spinal Manipulation Is Most Cost Effective For Lower Back Pain
A new study examines the cost effectiveness of adding spinal manipulation, exercise classes, or a combination of both to standard treatment for low-back pain (LBP) delivered by general practitioners. (A chiropractor, osteopath or physical therapist performed the spinal manipulation.)

The inquiry tracked 1,287 individuals with LBP from across the United Kingdom. Results revealed that adding spinal manipulation, exercise, or both significantly cut costs and boosted quality of living. The researchers also determined that "manipulation alone probably gives better value for money than manipulation followed by exercise."

Source: BMJ - November 29; doi:10.1136.
http://www.bmj.com/

NSAID's Not Recommended For OA Pain
Oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors, are
commonly used by patients with osteoarthritis (OA). However, a
new analysis reveals that long-term
use of these drugs is not recommended, and the "advantage
of oral NSAIDs over placebo for
short term pain relief is small and probably clinically insignificant."

The study pooled data from 23 trials involving NSAID use in a total of
10,845 patients with knee OA.