55% of auto accidents result in an injury each year. Pain from car crashes can become worse over time.

A new study published in Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity looks at the impact of Vitamin D deficiency on diabetes and cardiovascular risk, and says more research is definitely warranted.

The study connects the well-known worldwide prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency to rising incidences of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2, as well as cancer, autoimmune and dental diseases.

Reviewing all relevant literature shows plausible molecular mechanisms of the role played by Vitamin D, leading the researchers to conclude that “treatment with Vitamin D supplements appears to be an effective and inexpensive treatment that deserves to be explored.”

The background that inspired the new study states: “Vitamin D deficiency is newly recognized as a common condition of increasing prevalence worldwide. Clinically, Vitamin D has an established role in calcium and bone metabolism and has recently been shown to be associated with increased risk of developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and obesity.”

The exact molecular mechanisms that connect all the dots are still not fully understood. But the active metabolite of vitamin D regulates numerous genetic effects, obviating its connection to diabetes and other disease states.

Presently, there are no recommendations to screen for Vitamin D deficiency. But there are many known risk factors:

Lack/reduced sun exposure
Nutritional/absorptive problems
Reduced Vitamin D synthesis
Reduced bioavailability
Increased requirements
Medications that accelerate conversion of Vitamin D to inactive metabolites

Although Vitamin D deficiency is frequently unrecognized clinically, here at Lifetime Health and Wellness we know that laboratory measurement is easy to perform and treatment of Vitamin D deficiency is relatively well tolerated and inexpensive, the study says. Rising vitamin D deficiency and the many health-related conditions associated with it suggest the need for appropriate Vitamin D supplementation.

SOURCE: Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity, April 2010 http://journals.lww.com/co-endocrinology/Fulltext/2010/04000/The_impact_of_vitamin_D_deficiency_on_diabetes_and.3.aspx

Disc pain can wreak havoc if not treated properly. At Corona Physical Medicine, we have years of experience treating disc pain.

Results of a recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that arthroscopy is not an effective procedure to relieve arthritis knee pain. Arthroscopic surgery is performed on at least 225,000 middle-aged Americans each year. The procedure requires three small incisions to be made in the knee, through which an arthroscope is inserted to give the surgeon a view of the joint. Debris is flushed from the knee or rough areas of cartilage are shaved from the joint. 180 patients participated in the Baylor College of Medicine study. Each patient was randomly assigned to have the arthroscopy surgery or a placebo surgery, where the surgeons would make incisions in their knees to simulate an operation. 160 patients, who completed the trial, were assessed two years after the study from self-reported scores to measure knee pain and knee function and an objective test consisting of walking and stair climbing. None of the patients who had the knee surgery reported less pain or better function than the placebo group, at any point of the study. If you are in the South Elgin area and are suffering with knee pain and want to avoid surgery, please give us a call here at Lifetime Health and Wellness for a free initial consultation. Our medical staff  here in South Elgin have helped many people avoid surgery. SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine, July 11, 2002, 347;(2):81-8; New York Times, www.nytimes.com, July 11, 2002; WebMD, www.my.webmd.com.

 

Chiropractic has never been better at Corona Physical Medicine. We offer the best, most comprehensive care in Corona.