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HydroMassage is becoming a more and more popular alternative to regular massage. Through the use of hot pressurized water, it can target specific areas of the body. The use of this hot water is to relax the muscles and allow for a deeper massage. The use of HydroMassage therapies dates back to Roman times, where people ...

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Most people think that the head-sized extension on the top of your car seat is just for resting your head on. However, it is not just a place to rest your head on, it is actually a key safety feature called a head restraint. This head restraint helps to prevent whiplash in the case of ...

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Nobody enjoys chronic low back pain. It's so uncomfortable that many patients who are afflicted with it will try anything to get rid of of the constant pain and discomfort. Increasingly, medical doctors are prescribing epidural steroid injections – anti-inflammatory steroid compounds injected directly into the spinal area – to relieve the pain. While there ...

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Most of us like to think of ourselves as young: young in heart at least, if not actually young in years. But is it possible to stay “forever young” in terms of health and wellness? Of course, probably no one would want to remain forever young in terms of life experience. Our experiences give us character and contribute to our growth and development as persons.

As we get older, though, gaining skills and possibly wisdom, is it really necessary to suffer physical breakdowns along the way? Holding on to youthful bloom may not be feasible in all aspects, but there are a few critical tips and tricks to retain much of that glow and vigor as we get older. We may not, in reality, stay forever young, but we sure can give meaning to the notions that “50 is the new 30” and “60 is the new 40”. Here are two key tips. They may seem obvious, but the power is in actually implementing these tips consistently over time.

Tip #1: Eat less. Each person has his or her own caloric balancing point beyond which extra food will be retained as fat. If your average daily calorie consumption is right around this critical value, all the energy in the food you eat will be used to support your physical functioning. But extra calories will not be burned up and this unused energy will be stored as fat. Over time, increasing fat stores frequently lead to chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. So with respect to long-term health, it’s a very good idea to avoid overeating. Of course, we want to have fun, too, but that’s what a “free food day” is for. If you eat within your caloric range on six days of the week, the seventh can be a “free day” when you can eat whatever you want. Such a system works very well for ongoing optimal weight management (which, of course, means ongoing health and well-being, contributing to our notion of “forever young”).(1)

Tip #2: Exercise more. Did you ever see a gymnast, competitive swimmer, or professional dancer who didn’t look absolutely terrific? These young men and women are in such good shape owing to the high volume of exercise they do every week. Do you know an older adult who was on a high school or college gymnastics team or was a professional dancer long ago? Isn’t that person still really healthy and fit? Such long-term fitness results from a lifelong habit of exercise. The very good news is that even if you haven’t exercised in many, many years, you can still derive benefit for years to come from starting to exercise, right now.(2,3)

You get fit by doing the work. Not all at once of course, but gradually, steadily, building up strength and endurance, starting right where you are. The secret is to begin. And after not too long a time, you’ll find that your new habit of exercise is providing all kinds of surprising benefits, including deeper, more restful sleep and increased energy and exuberance. Not to mention weight loss and a slimmer waistline.

These two tips, eating less and exercising more, have been known for decades. But in order to reap the many benefits, what’s required is to actually do these things. We can be forever young, relatively literally, by taking these simple actions on our own behalf.

1 – Campbell KL, et al: J Clin Oncol Reduced-Calorie Dietary Weight Loss, Exercise, and Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: Randomized Controlled Trial. 2012 May 21

2 – Umpierre D: Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 305(17):1790-1799, 2011

3 – Betof AS, et al: Effects and potential mechanisms of exercise training on cancer progression: A translational perspective. Brain Behav Immun 2012 May 17

Chiropractic Care and the Fountain of Youth

There is no fountain of youth, of course, but there does exist a fountain of youthfulness. Anyone can gain access to this fountain by following a consistent plan of healthy nutrition, regular vigorous exercise, and sufficient rest. When you add regular chiropractic care to your long-term program, all your activities provide a greater yield.

Chiropractic care works by optimizing the functioning of your spinal column. The spinal column houses and protects spinal nerves, branches of your central nerve system that carry messages to all the other parts of your body. When the various parts of your spine – the vertebrae – are working well together, messages can flow freely back and forth along the spinal nerves. By helping ensure this free flow of information, chiropractic care helps you get the most out of your nutrition, exercise, and other healthful activities.

The first time we begin to learn eye-hand coordination is when we are infants, with the largest amount of development happening when we are children. However, we can always improve our eye-hand coordination and it is extremely important to maintain it as we age. After all, it is essential in our daily life with things, ...

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I have recently been spending some time listening to the radio, especially when my show When Your Health Matters is airing.  For those of you who do not know, I have a weekly radio show where I discuss information related to health issues of the month so that you can get a dose of healthful information even if you are unable to make it to the office on a regular basis.  This way you can continue to support yourself and your health with the information provided.  The show airs every Thursday at 9 am on any of the following 3 AM Stations (920 AM, 1260 AM and 1420 AM).  I also air on Saturday mornings at 9am on WKIP 1450 AM as well as Sunday mornings at 6:30 am on WRWD 107.3 FM.   I would welcome your listening and love some feedback and your input to topics that are important to you.  You can always e-mail me at docrick@spineboy.com or simply call the office at (845)561-BACK or 561-2225.

So after listening to the radio and hearing some commercials about something I discuss all the time in the office, I felt it important to do some research to determine if what is being said is accurate.  So I went to the website associated with the product, www.digestiveadvantage.com and looked at what they have posted.  What I came away thinking is they have some great marketing people and impressive layouts to the site and even have some research abstracts related to their product.  Again, all very impressive to the average consumer.  AND since Probiotics have been a topic that is near and dear to my digestive health, as well as my heart for the past 20 years, I thought I would look a little deeper into the information.  After all, the average consumer does not know what to believe and what not to believe.  So some of the claims being made I will discuss and give you more complete information and of course my opinion on the matter.

The site offers the following:

Digestive Advantage Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Lactose Intolerance, Children’s Lactose Intolerance, Gas Defense Formula, Daily Constipation Formula and Colon Care Formula.  They are even nice enough to offer you a Special TV Offer for their daily Probiotic called Sustenex. So I did some research related to their different products by looking on their site and followed that up by calling the manufacturer’s 800 number.  After being on hold for 36 plus minutes, the call center lady answered and was extremely helpful from the standpoint that she told me she works at a call center to answer the phone and answers questions “based on the information on the screen in front of me.”  I asked her what does she do with the medical questions above her understanding, and she said she refers them to their Medical Doctor.  She was then nice enough to give me a second phone number for the manufacturer.

Upon calling that 800 number, I was able to speak to the Vice President of Scientific Studies for the manufacturer Ganeden Biotech.  This is the company that manufactures the Sustenex as well as all the other Digestive Advantage products found on the website.  I asked about the labeling and the concentration of bacteria found in each dosage.  He said that because their product is considered a “Medical Food” and not a supplement, the rules and regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require they put on the label information related to the dosage per serving.  Only food supplements or food (of a non-medical type) are required to put information related to concentration, % of Daily Value, serving size etc.  I wasn’t aware of that, so getting that information related to the different standards for labeling was well worth the time it took to get it.

So I went to the Food and Drug Administration to investigate this by calling their 800 number.  And after 36 minutes and 46 seconds of being on hold, I was able to speak to a woman who was not comfortable giving her name.  She was quite helpful though.  She helped me to navigate their website and directed me to the place where it discusses the term “Medical Food.”

The following is what I gathered related to Medical Foods:

Do the labeling requirements for nutrient content claims and health claims apply to medical foods?

No. Medical foods are exempted from the labeling requirements for health claims and nutrient content claims under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (see 21 U.S.C. 343 (q) (5) (A) (iv)).

Following that recommendation and again being helped by the woman, who shall remain nameless, was directed to the following information:

Exempts from the labeling requirements food: (1) sold for immediate consumption in restaurants, or sold to restaurants for sale or use in restaurants; (2) processed and prepared primarily in a retail establishment and not for immediate consumption in the establishment; (3) including certain infant formulas; (4) which is a medical food; (5) which is customarily processed, labeled, or repacked in substantial quantities at establishments other than those where it was originally processed or packed; (6) in small packages containing no nutrition information; (7) which contains insignificant amounts of all the nutrients and does not make any claim with respect to the nutritional value of the food; (8) sold by certain small businesses, unless the label provides nutrition information or makes a nutrition claim; and (9) sold by a distributor to restaurants or certain other establishments. Allows the Secretary to require, if a food contains insignificant amounts of more than half the nutrients required to be included in the labeling, that the amounts of such nutrients be stated in a simplified form.

So what the Vice President of Scientific research said was indeed true and accurate.  If you are manufacturing “Medical Foods,” you do not have to post the specific nutritional information based on the FDA Rules and Regulations.

Then my “nameless” friend of the FDA directed me to the definition of a Medical Food from their site www.fda.org which I found interesting.  It stated the following:

(8) Medical foods as defined in section 5(b) of the Orphan Drug Act (21 U.S.C. 360ee(b)(3)). A medical food is a food which is formulated to be consumed or administered enterally (by feeding tube) under the supervision of a physician and which is intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation. A food is subject to this exemption only if:

(i) It is a specially formulated and processed product (as opposed to a naturally occurring foodstuff used in its natural state) for the partial or exclusive feeding of a patient by means of oral intake or enteral feeding by tube;

(ii) It is intended for the dietary management of a patient who, because of therapeutic or chronic medical needs, has limited or impaired capacity to ingest, digest, absorb, or metabolize ordinary foodstuffs or certain nutrients, or who has other special medically determined nutrient requirements, the dietary management of which cannot be achieved by the modification of the normal diet alone;

(iii) It provides nutritional support specifically modified for the management of the unique nutrient needs that result from the specific disease or condition, as determined by medical evaluation;

(iv) It is intended to be used under medical supervision; and

(v) It is intended only for a patient receiving active and ongoing medical supervision wherein the patient requires medical care on a recurring basis for, among other things, instructions on the use of the medical food.

So my understanding at that point says the website selling these products are in fact not legal and as my “friend” from the FDA recommended, “You should never buy anything claiming to be a ‘medical food’ on the internet because it has to be used with “Medical Supervision.”  In other words, Digestive Advantage should not be able to be sold directly to the consumer, even if they have a diagnosis related to a digestive concern.  The Supervising Doctor is supposed to administer the “Medical Food.”

So I continued investigating the products available (illegally?) through the Digestive Advantage website and the website of Ganeden Biotech.  When I called the 800 number for the website for a second time, I was able to speak to an operator who told me “the product is available for anyone who has these conditions stated on the labels for the different products.”  I asked her if I needed a prescription for obtaining any of these products and she told me “No.”  So I asked if I needed to be under a doctor’s supervision to buy the products.  And I was told if I had medical questions to direct them to a doctor, but I didn’t need a doctor to purchase the products.  In other words, the “Medical Food” is being distributed without adhering to the Guidelines for the Medical Food as stipulated in the FDA Rules and Regulations.

Choosing to look deeper into the Medical Food being offered and upon further review, I found the following:

The information available on their products is incomplete.  But is that an issue?  My understanding is the information is incomplete by label standards for foods and supplements because “Medical Foods” do not need to adhere to the label requirements of foods or supplements.  They are a distinct category not subject to the same rules and regulations, as stated above.  AND that still doesn’t sit well with me, but it gets better later on.  Please keep reading.

I continued to research the information on the FDA Rules and Regulations for “Medical Food.”  I came across the following rule, which I found completely intriguing.

Do medical foods have to be approved or registered with the FDA?

No. Medical foods do not have to undergo premarket review or approval by FDA and individual medical food products do not have to be registered with FDA.

That is what it says at the FDA website as posted at www.fda.org

What I take away from that statement is any Medical Doctor can formulate anything they choose and administer it to his or her patient(s) without any approval from the FDA or any governing body.  Does anyone else reading this have an issue with that?

Then what naturally follows is par for the course.

They also make claims that are not based in any logic.  For instance, the following is information on their biggest seller, Sustenex.  It says the following related to how it helps immunity within the body:

Sustenex with GanedenBC30 boosts your immune system by replenishing your digestive tract with beneficial bacteria cells, otherwise known as probiotics. These probiotics help boost your immune system by keeping the levels of beneficial and harmful bacteria balanced, creating an optimal environment in which the immune system can function.

The only problem with that statement is you do not want your beneficial and harmful bacteria to be balanced, nor does it say how it does the balancing.  Ideally, you want next to no harmful bacteria and plenty of beneficial bacteria to keep the yeast and Candidia in balance.  This prevents Leaky Gut Syndrome from occurring which strengthens the Immune System.  When you have too much Yeast and Candidia, you get the condition of Leaky Gut and this keeps undigested proteins, due to a lack of healthy bacteria, from breaking down in your digestive system causing foreign proteins to “leak” across the digestive system wall creating an Immune Response and causing weakness over time.  Not ideal if you are interested in increasing your overall health.

I was able to find this label from their website and wanted to point some things out.

Active Ingredient: GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086)

Other Ingredients: Calcium (calcium carbonate), vegetarian capsule shell (hypromellose, water, titanium dioxide (color), chlorophyll), microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide.

Allergy Warning: Sustenex may contain trace amounts of casein (milk protein).

Sustenex is lactose free

Under Active Ingredients, they list their special patented bacteria formulation Ganeden BC30 and then list it as Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086.  What makes it special is it contains a protective ‘spore’ within the capsule which, according to what they say, is able to sustain the harsh acids of the stomach.  This is a good thing, as we’d like the bacteria to make it to the place where it is needed, the intestines.  So far, no problems with the product.

Now we’ll go to Other Ingredients.  The first of which is Calcium listed as Calcium Carbonate.  Knowing a little about nutrition and physiology and a healthy response within the body, Calcium Carbonate is an excretory product the body produces from the ideal form of calcium for the body, Calcium Bicarbonate.  In other words, it is a waste product for the body.  Therefore, having Calcium Carbonate seems like a waste of an ingredient, since the body will simply excrete it.

Next we have Hypromellose which is hypromellose /hy•pro•mel•lose/ (hi-pro´mĕ-lôs) a propylene glycol ether of methylcellulose, supplied in differing degrees of viscosity; used as a suspending and viscosity-increasing agent and tablet binder, coating, and excipient in pharmaceutical preparations, and applied topically to the conjunctiva to protect and lubricate the cornea.  Basically it is a binder for formulating a capsule.

Then we have Titanium Dioxide. Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen ”possible carcinogen to humans”. Titanium dioxide accounts for 70% of the total production volume of pigments worldwide. It is widely used to provide whiteness and opacity to products such as paints, plastics, papers, inks, foods, and toothpastes. It is also used in cosmetic and skin care products, and it is present in almost every sun block, where it helps protect the skin from ultraviolet light.  Pretty sure I do not choose to put that in my body on a regular basis, as it is classified as a possible carcinogen in humans.

After that we have microcrystalline cellulose which compacts well under minimum compression pressures, has high binding capability, and creates tablets that are extremely hard, stable, yet disintegrate rapidly. Microcrystalline Cellulose is basically cellulose and is derived from high quality wood pulp.  No real issue there, as they break it down so much that your body doesn’t have to work hard to handle it.  My question is what is the process for preparing it for use?  Is there bleach used in the process?  Do you choose to eat bleach?

Then we have Magnesium stearate, made by hydrogenating cottonseed or palm oil, and is used throughout the supplements industry as a lubricant. It is added to the raw materials in supplements so that production machinery will run at maximum speeds. This fatty substance coats every particle of the nutrients, so the particles will flow rapidly. This ensures that production schedules will meet profit targets.

Cottonseed oil has the highest content of pesticide residues of all commercial oils; cotton crops are heavily sprayed. In the hydrogenation process, the oil is subjected to high heat and pressure in the presence of a metal catalyst for several hours, creating a hydrogenated saturated fat. Hydrogenated vegetable fats contain altered molecules derived from fatty acids that may be toxic. The metal catalyst used in the hydrogenation process may also contaminate the stearates produced.  Pretty sure I would choose to go without putting that into my body.

Finally, we have silicon dioxide.  Most multivitamin or combination supplement products I’ve come across use silicon dioxide (or silica, SiO2) as an excipient. Recent research has shown that silicon dioxide nanoparticles (size 1-1000nm) can be cytotoxic (i.e. kill mammalian cells) but I’m not sure as to whether “larger” silica particles have this property. What is unclear to me is whether the silicon dioxide used as excipients in nutritional supplement products are formulated in larger pieces (which would not be expected to be absorbed by the GI tract) or if they are indeed being added as nanoparticles instead (which could potentially be much more harmful).

While nanoparticles are a very recent and emerging field and much of the research is preliminary, because of their higher surface area, it has been suggested that they can be more reactive, catalytic, or harmful to mammalian cells than “larger” particles (of the same molecular formula).  For this reason I choose not to put this into my body.

Now appreciate that each of these ingredients are part of the capsule for the GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086).  What that means is you would be ingesting these ingredients every day.  AND over time this would lead to accumulation within the body and potential health issues could result.  You get to make that choice for yourself.  Personally, I choose not to do the active ingredient and therefore do not have to worry about the package it comes in.

So what is the product I recommend?

I personally use UltraFlora Balance Probiotic made by a company I deal with which is also a Medical Food and does not sell directly to consumers.  They adhere to the principle of requiring you to go to a health care practitioner and to be monitored regularly.  And since I know the benefits of taking this probiotic every day, as I have been using this specific product for the past 12 plus years, I can highly recommend and do highly recommend this product to every one of my patients.

If you have digestive related issues, or have health issues in general, you may also choose to consider what has been said here. Being able to purchase Medical Food without the direct recommendation or supervision for the product is not legal, nor very smart.  Taking any health related product without proper supervision is simply irresponsible. And as long as health related issues continue to plague society, don’t you think it is time you gained the understanding you require in order to fully restore your health?

If you have any questions related to this or another health related topic, please feel free to contact me through my office at (845)561-BACK or 561-2225. I thank you for your consideration and for your time.

Many people associate heart disease with older people. However, more and more children are becoming victims of heart disease. Although heart disease is relatively uncommon among children, an increase in child obesity has caused levels to be higher than ever before, and this has caused an uptick in factors that lead to heart disease. Here Are ...

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t’s that time of year again, where we are all given the option of setting our children and our family up for a sickly Winter.  As the title of this article says, National Poison Your Child Day is the holiday we choose to celebrate by giving out bags and buckets full of candy and other processed sugar “treats” to all the little children who come to our doors dressed in costumes that represent their alter egos or opportunities to dress like their heroes.

From a kids perspective, I’m all for it.  They should have several days a year in which to do this.  We, even as adults, deserve a day of being able to dress up like someone we don’t normally dress like for the sheer fun of it.  As long as it is done in a respectful manner that doesn’t offend or hurt others, we should all do it.  Letting go of the notion that we have to be the same all the time is healthy, and this is the time of year for “Letting go.”  What is a concern is the rewards that are given during the time of “Trick or Treat.”  This is what creates the problems.  The question is, “Will you participate?”

The concept of giving away candy to children who recently seemed to have developed more allergy-type conditions, upper respiratory ailments and other conditions such as adult-onset diabetes before the children are adults, is something that needs to be considered.  Not considering the potential downside of receiving large amounts of candy and the effect it has on the Immune System is just plane irresponsible.  So I am writing this today to encourage you to consider celebrating the holiday, get the kids dressed up in whatever costume makes them happy and make it a game to see how much candy you can collect so you can simply throw it out.  I realize this is quite the extreme idea, of which could potentially upset your little Ninja or Princess, but if you position it correctly, they will actually get excited about the idea.  Before I get into how to handle the rewards of going door to door, I wanted to help you understand how eating refined sugar interferes with the functioning of your Immune System and how it sets the body up for more infection.

Every person has 3 major components that help to maintain balance within their digestive tract.  These include good, healthy bacteria, such as E.Coli, along with two different classes of Fungus, known as Yeast and Candidia.  Normally, a healthy person has a balanced amount of all three that enables the proper breakdown and assimilation of the foods eaten.  But if your intestinal flora is out of balance, as a direct result of taking Antibiotics, you will have a digestive system that is deficient in bacteria and has excess amounts of Yeast and Candidia.  This imbalance causes the person to have irrational cravings for sugar, and other simple carbohydrates, in an effort to feed and satisfy the excess Yeast and Candidia.  What results is a body that produces too much mucus.  This will stem from the excess Yeast and Candidia in association with consuming cheese, milk, vinegar, alcohol, especially beer, and other fermented foods.  The mucus and overgrowth of Yeast and Candidia leads to lots of gas and bloating.  It also causes stagnation or constipation.  This, over time, will cause tiny micro-tears in the lining of your intestines, leading to a condition known as “Leaky Gut Syndrome.”  This then follows with undigested food particles entering the blood-stream.  When this occurs, a normal Immune Response will take place where the Immune System attacks the undigested food particles.  This results in what is called Food Allergies.  Since the Immune System is now attacking the undigested food particles needed to build health within the body, slowly over time, your Immune Response is lowered and you’re now more prone to developing infections.  Compound the issue with the excess mucus from certain foods, and your body is now ready to trap infections that the Immune System isn’t strong enough to get to, nor does it have the ability to fight effectively.  This leads to Upper Respiratory Infections, Lung Infections, Asthma, Pneumonia, as well as, Colitis, Diverticulitis and other Digestive System dysfunction.  Since this is the time of year for the Lungs and Large Intestine to be most active, based on being the two components of the Metal Element in the Chinese 5 Element Theory, it is important not to stress either of them out in a negative way.  Consuming large quantities (any quantity) of sugar is the quickest way to throw these two organs into crisis.  Participating in National Poison Your Child Day and allowing your children to eat the candy they receive form Trick or Treating, will set them up for a Winter full of sickness and Antibiotics.  What should a good parent do?  You could say NO!

Allowing your children to partake in the dress-up aspect of Halloween is something every parent should enjoy.  And taking the time to show them off to all the neighbors is fun for everyone.  But what to do with the bags, buckets and baskets full of candy?  One choice is to make a deal with your kids.  For every piece of candy they collect, they get a certain amount of money, let’s say a nickel.  Perhaps you can give them a specific amount for the whole amount of candy collected, something like $5.00 or $10.00.  You decide.  The rule is though that when they get home, you both go through the candy, and you can use the money as an influence to giving up the candy.  Is it bribery?  I wouldn’t call it that.  If, when going through the candy, there are some natural treats, those they can eat.  But for all the hard candy with concentrated sugar, you should consider, for the health of your children and your household, tossing all of it.   It can be an opportunity to teach your children about proper foods, and what is not good to eat.

Another possible solution is perhaps you could convince them to donate the candy to “the needy children who can’t go Trick or Treating.”  This works with the younger ones.  Tell them a story about the “needy children” and see if you can teach your kids to give the candy away.  Once you have them convinced, you could tell your kids you will bring it to those children.  And then when they are at school, you could then simply throw the candy out.  Either choice allows you to avoid setting your children up for a Winter of sickness, and allows you to teach them something valuable.

Consider what I have said here when making your decision to allow your children to go out Trick or Treating on Halloween.  I think if you really consider the consequences of letting them eat any or all of the candy they receive, you’ll realize it is very important for their health and well being.  Dealing with a sick child, especially when you don’t feel well yourself, is not a fun, nor an easy thing.  Setting yourself up to have to deal with a sick child as Winter approaches is now up to you.  Will you participate?

If you have any questions about anything contained in this newsletter, please contact me directly through docrick@spineboy.com where I will be happy to answer all of your health related questions.

In modern society a lot of value is placed on maintaining our youth for as long as we can, but no matter how many products you use to try and keep that youthful glow, we all get old. However, as we get older it doesn't mean that everything is going to go downhill. There are ...

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Tips to Reduce Asthma Symptoms:

• Use air filters to help clean air in your home.
• Cover mattresses and pillows with dust covers and use hypoallergenic bed clothing to reduce exposure to dust mites.
• Include foods with omega-3 fatty acids in the diet-such as fish or fish oil.
• Supplement with vitamin C, which helps reduce allergic reactions and wheezing symptoms.
• >Get regular chiropractic care.

In the United States, about 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma; nearly 9 million of them are children. The most common treatment for Asthma has been the use of corticosteriod inhalers.

A new study found that breathing techniques can cut the use of asthma reliever inhalers by more than 80% and halve the dose of preventer inhaler required in mild asthma, research finds.

The new study, published in the journal Thorax, compared the impact of two breathing techniques on symptoms, lung function, use of medication and quality of life among 57 adults with mild asthma.

One technique focused on shallow, nasal breathing with slow exhalations, and the second technique used general upper body exercises, accompanied by relaxation.

The participants, who used a preventer inhaler and required reliever inhaler at least four times a week, were randomly assigned to one or other breathing technique.

Participants practiced their breathing exercises twice a day for around 25 minutes over a period of 30 weeks. They were also encouraged to use a shorter version of their exercises in place of reliever inhaler, and to use reliever if the exercises did not work.

Researcher Professor Christine Jenkins, of the the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, found that the use of reliever medication fell by 86% in both exercise groups, a process which began within weeks of starting the exercises, and was maintained over eight months.  She writes: “Breathing techniques may be useful in the management of patients with mild asthma symptoms who use a reliever frequently.”

By the end of the study, the participants dropped from using around three puffs of their reliever inhaler each day to approximately one puff every third day.  Preventer dose requirements were also cut in half.