Pine Bark Extract Prevents ADHD

 Another report indicates that pine-bark extract (Pycnogenol) may offer health benefits. The new report suggests that the extract may prevent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in youngsters.

“Pycnogenol’s ability to naturally treat symptoms of ADHD is what makes this extract exceptionally pleasing to parents who may be uneasy about medicating their children with stimulant medications,” explains Dr. Peter Rohdewald, one of the authors of the study.

The study sampled 57 outpatients with ADHD with an average age of 9 years. Forty-one patients received Pycnogenol and 16 received placebo. Patients were not supplemented with any other drugs or with vitamins E or C during the study. Participants in the Pycnogenol group received 1 milligram of Pycnogenol or placebo for every kilogram of body weight, on a daily basis each morning, for one month. Stress hormones were quantified from urine samples of the children taken before and after the intervention. After a one-month discontinuation of treatment, a third urine sample was taken that revealed that ADHD symptoms had recurred. The stress hormone levels had increased again during the period when children had stopped taking Pycnogenol, suggesting the effect of Pycnogenol on stress hormones accounts for the improvement of inattention and hyperactivity of the children. The results reveal Pycnogenol lowers stress hormones by 26.2% in the case of adrenaline and decreases neurostimulant dopamine by 10.8%.

“The findings acknowledge that children with ADHD have dramatically elevated levels of stress hormones known to increase heart rate and blood pressure, causing excitement, arousal and irritability, as compared to children without ADHD symptoms,” concludes Dr. Rohdewald. “The findings of this study demonstrate a significant stress hormone lowering effect for a nutritional supplement for the first time.”

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – September 2007.

For even more information, see the ICPA and Chiro.org

Call Dr. LoGiudice to order the best pycnogenol for your child.  Stop the drug abuse of our children.  Your child is most likely diagnosed with ADD or ADHD if he or she is taking the following meds:

Adderall, Adderall XR
Adderall is a pill that contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine,
sometimes referred to as “Amphetamine Mixed Salts”. Adderall comes
in many different strengths, in tablet form and in capsule form.

CONCERTA (methylphenidate HCl) Extended-release Tablets CII
Concerta is one of the many ADHD drugs that has methylphenidate
as its active ingredient. Conderta differentiates itself from other
methylphenidate pills by a special time-release technology.
Detxroamphetamine
Detxroamphetamine is generic version of Dexadrine, an amphetamine.

Focalin XR
(dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride)
extended-release capsule

Methylphenidate

Methylin Chewable Tablets
(methylphenidate HCl chewable tablets) 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg
Methylin is another ADHD drug that has methylphenidate as
its active ingredient.

Metadate CD
(methylphenidate HCl, USP) Extended-Release Capsules CII
Metadate is another ADHD drug that has methylphenidate as its active
ingredient. There is interesting symbolism in the name “Metadate”.
It is no coincidence that “Metadate” sounds like “Meditate”. Every
drug name contains hidden meaning but you have to look for it.

Ritalin, Ritalin LA, Ritalin SR
Ritalin was the first ADHD product to use methylphenidate as its active ingredient. These days, brand name Ritalin is not used very much.
Patients take generic methylphenidate or they take one of the new
methylphenidate formulations such as Concerta or Metadate.

Strattera
Strattera is the only drug for ADHD that is not a stimulant of some sort.
Since it is not a narcotic like all the others, refills are easier and the
doctor can prescribe it over the phone.
Vyvanse

“It took me months to get up the nerve to see a chiropractor. Now I can’t believe I was so worried about it.”
I was told I should see a chiropractor. What exactly are Chiropractors?
Chiropractors are doctors who practice the art of healing by adjusting, or manipulating, the spinal column. A healthy, well aligned spinal column moving with full range of motion allows the nerve system to perform properly, which is vital because it controls every function of your body. To be licensed, chiropractors must have completed three years of university followed by four years at a chiropractic college.

Does it hurt to get your spine adjusted?
Not at all. Chiropractic adjustments are comfortable and safe for the whole family, from infants to pregnant women and the elderly. For hundreds of thousands of people, visiting a chiropractor is just routine – like regular dental check-ups.

Do physicians recommend chiropractic care?
Most do, and many physicians are being treated by chiropractors themselves.

Chiropractic adjustments are comfortable and safe.

If I go to see a chiropractor, will I be expected to keep going?
That’s entirely up to you. Some people only want to be treated for a specific pain or illness, and when the symptoms disappear they stop going. Others use chiropractic care to fully correct the underlying cause of the symptoms and to remain feeling really well. Like a car, your body has constant stress and wear, and it benefits from a ‘tune-up’. However, which treatment approach you want is always your choice.

Doesn’t it cost a fortune?
No. Many of the pain-killers and drugs you buy to treat pain and illness cost more than chiropractic care. Yet chiropractic care treats more than the symptoms of poor health, it treats the underlying cause. It also helps to restore and maintain good health – without using any drugs.

Maintaining a car costs about $6,000 a year. Chiropractic care costs a fraction of that.

Chiropractic care is safe, comfortable and benefits everyone -
including infants, the elderly and pregnant women.

Fighting Infertility At The Chiropractor
•A CBS 2 Special Report

Feb 25, 2004 11:00 pm US/Eastern
NEW YORK (CBS) Infertility. If you haven’t struggled with it yourself, chances are you know someone who wants to become pregnant but can’t. Now, there’s surprising new research that may crack the case and offer some couples new hope.

As CBS 2’s Cindy Hsu reports, infertility affects more than six million women and their partners across the country.

Kaycee Mogel always dreamed of becoming a mother. She and her husband struggled for years trying to get pregnant.

She was even on fertility drugs but nothing worked. Then, she took a trip to the chiropractor.

“Within a couple months, I was pregnant. Oh, we’re really excited,” she remembers.

Startling new research shows a possible link between spinal adjustments and increased fertility in some women.

“It lets couples who have been infertile or couples who are planning on having a family, it offers them hope,” explains Dr. Madeline Behrendt.

Dr. Behrendt led a study looking at 15 women who struggled with infertility, some for more than a decade. Then, for various reasons, each went to the chiropractor.

Fourteen became pregnant and are now mothers.

“The chiropractor identifies spinal distortions, which are called subluxations, and once they were detected and corrected, the fertility function improved,” Dr. Behrendt explains.

She says there’s a link between chiropractic care and fertility because the nerves to your reproductive system run through your spine. And she says when the back is misaligned, the nerves misfire and cause a hormone imbalance, which can prevent a woman from getting pregnant.

But not everyone is convinced.

Dr. Sandra Ann Carson is with the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. She says the study is too small and she worries it may give women false hope. “Until chiropractic care is compared to standard infertility treatment in a clinical trial, we don’t really know what the side effects are to either treatments or the benefits of one versus the other.”

Dr. Carson’s advice to women trying to have a baby? “Talk with their health care professionals about all treatments available, their side effects and their success rates.”

Dr. Behrendt is heading to Washington, D.C. this spring, trying to get funding for a larger, more comprehensive study on chiropractic care and fertility.

Call Dr. LoGiudice at (503) 908.0122 for a free no-obligation 15 minute consultation to see if you may benefit from the chiropractic benefits, or perhaps reverse your infertility.

What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia, a mysterious debilitating syndrome, is taking an increasing toll on our population. It is characterized by the constant presence of widespread pain so severe that it is often incapacitating. In the U.S., 3 to 6 million people may be afflicted by its symptoms. It is estimated that 15% to 20% of patients seen by rheumatologists have fibromyalgia. The condition bears a striking resemblance to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and mainly affects women aged 25 to 50 years.

For many years the diagnosis of fibromyalgia was perplexing. Like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, patients are plagued with symptoms of chronic muscle pain, aching, stiffness, disturbed sleep, depression and fatigue. Finally, in 1990 specific criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia was determined. The criteria follows:
For a patient to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, he/she must fulfill the two criteria listed below:

1. History of widespread pain for at least 3 months
2. Pain in at least 11 of 18 tender points on digital palpation

The picture to the right shows the location of the typical tender points.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia include:
Multiple tender points and muscle pain
Disturbed sleep with morning fatigue and stiffness
Aggravation of signs and symptoms by modulating factors (emotional stress, temperature changes
Subjective swelling and numbness
Chronic headaches
Irritable bowel syndrome
Cold intolerance (Raynaud’s Phenomenon)
Dysmenorrhea – painful menstruation
Exercise intolerance
Weakness

What may Cause Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Many studies have been conducted regarding the cause of the musculoskeletal pain. The pain originated due to a lack of oxygen supply to the muscles which results in altered muscle function. This lack of oxygen supply to the muscles could be due to a dysfunctional nerve system resulting in the constriction (closing) of the blood vessels supplying the muscles. Thus chiropractic (which restores nerve function) and other activities that increase the blood supply to muscles helps relieve the pain.

Natural Treatment:
There is no one treatment for Fibromyalgia. An all encompassing treatment protocol must be used in order to effectively reduce the pain associated with Fibromyalgia. The ideal treatment would involve the following:

Chiropractic adjustments – to restore normal nerve function
Nutritional Supplements – to increase the oxygen supply to muscle and help restore normal muscle metabolism
Aerobic Exercise – to increase oxygen supply to muscle
Gentle massage and stretches
Acupuncture – helps reduce pain. Aspirin and other pain relievers offer no long term relief of pain
Reduce Muscular Stress – this would involve the use of back supports, modifying some activities, etc
In conclusion Fibromyalgia is a real condition, and it is treatable !

Call (503)908.0122 today and see if we can help you with your fibromyalgia symptoms. Although we may not cure you, we can add life to your years, thus years to your life.

Headaches

Because headaches are so common, some people think that getting a headache is just a normal part of life! They couldn’t be more wrong! Headaches are a definitive sign that something has gone wrong.There are many types of headaches: migraine, tension, cluster, dehydration. A frequent and overlooked cause of headaches is the malfunction of spinal bones in the neck and upper back. When bones of the spine lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels to the head can be affected. When spinal nerves and related tissues are stretched or irritated they can produce throbbing headaches. Aspirin and medications may cover up these warning signs, but do not correct the underlying structural cause. Many people find relief and correction with chiropractic care. If a thorough examination reveals reduced range of motion, loss of normal spinal curves, or mechanical restrictions, chiropractic care should be considered. Many patients report headache relief almost instantly. Others find that the correction of their problem takes longer because their spinal problem has existed undetected for many years. Every patient responds differently. Regardless of how you respond, enjoy the drug-free results millions have enjoyed by consulting a chiropractic doctor.

In the words of Toronto anesthetist and pain specialist, Dr. Peter Rothbart, “Chiropractors were right. Many headaches are caused by damaged structures in the neck – and scientific evidence proves it. And 90% of doctors here still don’t know about it.” Is it any wonder that neck problems will cause headaches?

Living With Pain

Chronic disease is a major problem in U.S. health care.  More than one-third of Americans have one or more chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.  The personal costs to patients and families are often severe, daily, and ongoing.  The economic costs to society are almost $1 trillion annually.¹

Heart disease includes high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, coronary artery obstruction, angina, and heart attacks. Most of these conditions represent a chain of events. Left untreated, of course, high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

Most cases of diabetes develop from a pre-diabetic state which is also known as insulin resistance. Insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas – is necessary for cells to be able to absorb glucose from the bloodstream and use the glucose for energy. If cells become insulin resistant, glucose stays in the bloodstream, leading to a pre-diabetic condition.

Left untreated, pre-diabetes likely advances to diabetes, in which insulin resistance is combined with insulin depletion, as the pancreas loses its ability to produce this important hormone. Diabetes may lead to many severe problems, including kidney failure, and is a leading cause of death from heart failure.²

Cancer is now being recognized as a chronic disease.³ Rather than being a mysterious disorder that occurs randomly, many cancers are now understood to have many elements in common with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Pain is a common element to chronic disease. Affected persons often take daily pain medications. Most people become tolerant to their medication and require increasingly stronger doses. The pain of chronic disease is notoriously difficult to treat.

In recent years a holistic approach has been successfully applied in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.  Chiropractic care is an important component of the holistic approach.  Chiropractic care is considered complimentary and alternative.

Chiropractic care helps restore more normal biomechanical function to the spine, which in turn improves the ability of the nerve system to effectively communicate with the rest of the body.  Important benefits of this restored function may be an improvement in the body’s ability to repair damaged tissues, a strengthened immune system, and reduced levels of musculoskeletal pain.  Such improvements may help lead to improved daily functioning.  As levels of pain decrease, a person may be able to engage in more physical activity.  Multiple benefits follow.

Chiropractic care is a key part of an integrative approach to the management of the pain of chronic disease.  Your local chiropractor which can be contacted at (503) 908.0122 will be glad to help you determine whether chiropractic care is right for you.

¹“An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease”. Santa Monica, CA, Milken Institute, 2007
²Eddy DM, et al: The metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk: implications for clinical practice. Int J Obes 32(Suppl 2):S5-S10, 2008
³“Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer”. Washington, DC, American Institute for Cancer Research, 2007

Physical Activity and Chronic Disease

In recent years, study after study has shown that physical activity is one of the top factors in lowering the risk of developing chronic disease. Risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer are lowered by consistent, moderate exercise.

These remarkable findings have profound implications. Exercise now becomes much more than a quick fix to get yourself ready for the summer and summer clothes. Exercise is now known to be a critically important life-prolonging activity.

If you’re concerned about diabetes – exercise. If you’re concerned about heart disease – exercise. If you’re concerned about cancer – exercise. Exercise is not all there is to do, of course, but if you’re not exercising, you’re missing a key factor in maintaining good health.

Of course, no one is going to start exercising because they think they “should”. Exercise is always a choice. Federal guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. These 30 minutes may be spread out over the course of the day, if needed. If we choose to be healthy, we can do this

Today’s Alternative Medical Treatments Explained to Help You

Take Charge of Your Own Health from:

• hypertension
• hardening of the arteries
• cancer 
• cataracts and more… 

Heimlich’s authoritative guide surveys the latest nonconventional medical treatments for today’s most prevalent diseases. What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You is an objective, up-to-the minute sourcebook on the most significant alternative approaches to health, including:

• Antioxidants
• Bach Flower Remedies
• Biomagnetism
• Colon Detoxification 
• Electrodiagnosis 
• Fish Oils 
• Homeopathy
• Kinesiology 
• Live Cell Therapy 
• Macrobiotics
• Orthomolecular Medicine 
• Ozone Therapy 
• Vitamin C Infusion

 And much more”What Your Doctor Wont Tell You” introduces you to a new world of medical doctors trained in nutrition and preventive medicine. Heimlich offers objective appraisals of dozens of mainstream medical treatments, from chemotherapy to bypass surgery, and describes why the medical establishment continues to rely on toxic drugs and ineffective treatments owing to its ties with big business and government.  Covering both time-honored and cutting-edge procedures, “What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You” is an in-depth overview of the best that alternative medicine has to offer.

Hip arthritis
The usual treatment: If you develop mild to moderate forms of osteoarthritis of the hip in your 40s, you’re usually told to wait until you’re 55 or 60 for a full or partial hip replacement, in which the entire neck and head of the thighbone (the femur) or just the head are replaced with metal parts. Though it may mean tolerating limited movement and chronic pain, there’s a reason for waiting: Metal hips last up to 20 years, and in a recent British study, they lasted this long in only half of osteoarthritis patients under age 40.

Hip resurfacing

Pros: Available to middle-aged arthritis sufferers; marked pain improvement in almost 98% of recipients 5 years later; nearly all patients satisfied

Cons: Data goes back only 9 years; unclear how long resurfacing delays full hip replacement. Femur fractures occur in 1.5% of patients, though they’re twice as likely in women; a doctor should check your bone density first

Smart option: Hip resurfacing. In this procedure, surgeons reshape the top of the thighbone and cover it with a metal cap that sits inside a thin metal hip socket, blocking painful nerve endings on both sides. More bone is left intact than with a replacement, which makes any future surgeries or adjustments easier to perform and more likely to be successful.

Why it may be better: Instead of suffering for years until they qualify for a hip replacement, patients experience “a nearly complete end to pain,” says William Macaulay, MD, director of the Center for Hip and Knee Replacement at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. The FDA-approved Birmingham Hip System was still providing pain relief 5 years after surgery in 98% of patients during clinical trials. In foreign studies, 98% of resurfacing recipients in eight countries were satisfied 7 years later.

Why it’s kept quiet: Hip resurfacing hasn’t been available in the United States for very long — the procedure was approved by the FDA in 2006 — and some doctors with many years of hip replacement experience are skeptical because it’s so new, says James Rector, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Boulder, CO. Additionally, there’s not much long-term data on its efficacy yet — only 9 years’ worth, to be exact. These factors explain why it makes up less than 4% of current US hip surgeries.

Real-life endorsement: By age 42, Charlie Post had arthritis in his left hip that made it impossible for him to sleep comfortably, and the Bantam, CT, resident could no longer hit the ski slopes with his three teenage sons. Three different doctors told him he was too young for surgery. “One said I’d have to be walking with a cane before I had a total hip replacement,” Post says. A year later, he read about resurfacing on the Internet; less than a month after surgery, he was almost entirely pain free and able to sit comfortably in cars and planes again — even skiing with his sons by the end of that season. Though he might still need a replacement someday, “ultimately, it was worth it,” he says.

Fact #1

This root may get to the root of the problem.

Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models.

“Weight gain is the result of the growth and expansion of fat tissue, which cannot happen unless new blood vessels form, a process known as angiogenesis.” said senior author Mohsen Meydani, DVM, PhD, director of the Vascular Biology Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA. “Based on our data, curcumin appears to suppress angiogenic activity in the fat tissue of mice fed high fat diets.”

To learn more about Curcumin and its role in angiogenesis and integrative cancer care, please click here to listen to Wednesday’s Clinical Rounds featuring Nalini Chilkov, L.Ac., O.M.D.

Click here to view the product tech sheet.

Source: Curcumin Inhibits Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Angiogenesis and Obesity in C57/BL

Fact #2

Magnesium is magnificent for high blood pressure.

Supplemental magnesium may reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure, but with seemingly normal magnesium levels, says a new study. On the other hand, the supplements had no effect on the blood pressure measurements of normo-tensive individuals, according to findings. “These findings suggest that magnesium supplementation may help prevent the progression of hypertension in normo-magnesemic non-diabetic overweight people with higher BP, although mechanisms of counter-regulation preventing further BP increase remain to be elucidated,” wrote the researchers.

The magnesium in Magnesium Malate Chelate is now fully chelated to glycine and malic acid, providing a combination of the two most health promoting and most absorbable forms of magnesium available.

Source: Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in normo-magnesemic nondiabetic overweight Korean adults.

Fact #3

This may make pork chops out of the swine flu.

There is compelling epidemiological evidence that indicates that because of vitamin D’s seasonal and population effects on innate immunity, vitamin D deficiency may explain influenza’s seasonality.

In 1992, Hope-Simpson predicted that, “understanding the mechanism (of the seasonal stimulus) may be of critical value in designing prophylaxis against the disease.” Twenty-five years later, Aloia and Li-Ng found 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day abolished the seasonality of influenza and dramatically reduced its self-reported incidence.

Vitamin D Synergy provides a dose of vitamin D3, 2000 IU per veggie cap.

Source: On the epidemiology of influenza

Fact #4

Again, exercise to the rescue.

A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a new study.

“In conclusion, this study provides data on a long overlooked, yet important faction in older long-term cancer survivors. Long-term survivors of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer participating in a diet and exercise intervention reduced the rate of self-reported physical function decline in comparison with a group receiving no intervention,” the researchers write.

Electrolyte Synergy is a complete and balanced electrolyte formula that can be used to improve symptoms of dehydration, after excessive diarrhea or vomiting, or after excessive sweating from exercise.

Source: Effects of Home-Based Diet and Exercise on Functional Outcomes Among Older, Overweight Long-term Cancer Survivors

Fact #5

Gee, I thought I only had to worry about my car emissions.

Fish oil can affect the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen, a part of the cow’s gut leading to reduced emissions.

“The fish oil affects the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen part of the cow’s gut, leading to reduced emissions. Understanding which microbial species are particularly influenced by changes in diet and relating them to methane production could bring about a more targeted approach to reducing methane emissions in animals.”

Source: Fish Oils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flatulent Cows