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
adults."

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

Latest Research

CHRONIC PAIN

"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.
PP 22-23

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
injury.

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
even poorer.

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/

OPTIMISTS LIVE LONGER

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
and harmony.
- Win Hampton

ANNUAL PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC COST OF MEDICAL INTERVENTION