Singapore Chiropractic

Cell Phone Radiation Cause Osteoporosis

Admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:25:25 +0000

Cellphone and Bone Loss

Research suggests that wearing a cell phone on your hip may weaken an area of your pelvis. Using an X-ray technique used in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with osteoporosis, researchers measured pelvic bone density in 150 men who regularly carried their cell phones attached to their belts. The men carried their phones for an average of 15 hours each day; they had used cell phones for an average of six years. The researchers found that bone mineral density was lowered on the side of the pelvis where the mobile phones were carried. The findings raise the possibility that bone density could be adversely affected by electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones.

Using an X-ray technique used in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with osteoporosis, researchers from Turkey’s Suleyman Demireli University measured pelvic bone density in 150 men who regularly carried their cell phones attached to their belts.

The men carried their phones for an average of 15 hours each day; they had used cell phones for an average of six years.

The researchers found that bone mineral density was slightly less on the side of the pelvis where the mobile phones were carried than on the side that was not in contact with the phones.

The difference was not statistically significant and fell far short of approaching bone density reductions seen in people with osteoporosis.

But the findings raise the possibility that bone density could be adversely affected by electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones, researcher Tolga Atay, MD, and colleagues note in a news release.

The men in the study were relatively young — their average age was 32 — and the researchers hypothesize that bone loss may be more significant in older people with a greater risk for osteoporosis.

The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

It is among the first to suggest that close-proximity, long-term exposure to mobile phones may weaken bones, and the researchers stress that their findings are preliminary.

Source: WebMD

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Scoliosis Braces: A Waste of Money?

Admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:39:56 +0000

Scoliosis Screening in Singapore is part of the School Health Service (SHS) school-based screening programme since 1981. The idea is to discover scoliosis, since early detection of scoliosis will hopefully allow for remedial action such as bracing to avoid the need for invasive surgery. But what does the current evidence say?

Osteoporosis Risk for Singapore Men and Women

Admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:08:36 +0000

Osteoporosis in Singapore

SALES executive Sherilyn Ong’s grandmother suffered from osteoporosis and she is worried that, with her current lifestyle, she might be at risk of contracting the disease as well. The 25-year-old smokes occasionally,
goes clubbing every weekend and does not exercise – all things that could raise her chances of getting the disease, a condition where bones become fragile and are likely to break.

Since osteoporosis usually strikes women after menopause, a common myth is that it’s an older woman’s disease. But a study conducted in Britain by the University of Surrey and the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro last year showed that 20 per cent of women aged 20 to 29 had low bone mass, which could lead to early onset of osteoporosis. “I know I stand a high chance of getting osteoporosis because of my unhealthy
lifestyle, and also because of my grandmother’s medical history,” said Ms Ong, who is thinking of quitting smoking and going running every week.

It would be a good idea for her, as bone-mass loss begins at around age 30, potentially leading to the disease and causing painful fragility fractures. Dr Lau Tang Ching, president of the Osteoporosis Society (Singapore), said that a person’s bone mass usually starts declining by about 1 per cent a year after that age, and that a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary habits – the result of living in a busy, modern world – can compound the risk of osteoporosis. Bone-mass deterioration can occur at a rate of 2 or 3 per cent a year, he added.
That, combined with bad lifestyle choices, means young people are at greater risk of developing this disease
in the future. Dr Bernard Thong, head and senior consultant of the Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, stressed that prevention is easier than cure when it comes to osteoporosis. And that specifically means reducing alcohol intake and smoking, increasing aerobic exercise and improving dietary calcium and vitamin D intake,said Dr Thong.

According to Ministry of Health clinical-practice guidelines released in January, the incidence of hip fracture
in Singapore has increased 1.5 times in men and five times in women since the 1960s. One in five die within a year after sustaining a hip fracture. About 800 to 900 hip fractures occur every year in Singapore because of osteoporosis. “Fragility fractures of the hip and spine can lead to significant pain and immobility, and affect daily activities, especially among able-bodied working adults,” said Dr Thong.

Practise a healthy lifestyle to promote bone health. Do weight-bearing (impact) exercises like aerobics, brisk
walking, dancing, running or skipping for about 30 minutes, three to four times a week. Adopt a diet that is adequate in calcium (1,000mg a day) and vitamin D (400 international units a day). To do this, eat calcium-rich
foods like ikan billis (small fish), lowfat yogurt, cheese and cooked soya beans, and supplement your diet with
calcium tablets. Drink low-fat milk every day. Do not smoke cigarettes because they are toxic to bone cells
and have other harmful effects on the body. Avoid consuming excessive alcoholic beverages because they
are toxic to bone cells and have other harmful effects on the body. Information from Osteoporosis
Society (Singapore)

Copyright © 2007 for SingaporeChiropractic.com
Use of Content is Allowed only with a Link back to SingaporeChiropractic.com

Ankylosing Spondylitis in Singapore

Admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:40:48 +0000

PAIN is what a 25-year-old arthritis sufferer has been living with for nine years. The university student, who wants to be known as Bai, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis – a form of arthritis – when he was 16. More young Singaporeans like him are being diagnosed with arthritis, a chronic condition that causes painful inflammation of the joints. In 2007, 4.9 per cent of people here aged 18 to 29 had arthritis, a survey by the Health Ministry showed. In 2001, just 0.3 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 had arthritis. While the cause of arthritis remains unknown, two Singapore doctors have attributed the rising number of young sufferers to increased awareness, as well as the growing obesity rate (being overweight increases stress on joints). They revealed this at a press conference yesterday, during which the findings of a study on arthritis were announced.

Fructose Can Cause Weight Gain Without Warning

Admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:15:00 +0000

fructose weight gain

I use to think that fruit sugar is better than table sugar. In fact, it is recommended in place of sucrose which is table sugar for diabetics since it has lower glycemic index. However, now they are finding that eating too much fructose can induce leptin resistance, a condition that can easily lead to becoming overweight.

Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in helping the body to balance food intake with energy expenditure. Previous studies have shown that being leptin resistant can lead to rapid weight gain on a high-fat, high-calorie diet. But a new study is the first to show that leptin resistance can develop as a result of high fructose consumption. The study also showed for the first time that leptin resistance can develop silently, with little indication that it is happening.

Fructose is the sugar found in fruit, but it’s not the normal consumption of fruit that is the problem. Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are about 50 percent fructose, and these ingredients have become increasingly common in many foods and beverages. With sugar and high-fructose corn syrup being added to many foods, people now eat much more fructose than ever before.

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Use of Content is Allowed only with a Link back to SingaporeChiropractic.com

Pediatricians Recommend Increase Vitamin D Dosage

Admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:38:55 +0000

sunlight and vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a problem in not only adults but also in children. American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for a daily dose of vitamin D in children, in the hopes of preventing rickets and promoting other health benefits.

The new guidelines from the nation’s leading group of pediatricians now call for children to receive 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day, beginning in the first few days of life. Children who do not get enough vitamin D are at risk for rickets, a bone-softening disease that result in stunted growth and skeletal deformities. Rickets remains rare in United States, but there have been some reports that it may be on the rise.

Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but air pollution, sunscreen and clothing all limit the amount of vitamin D the body can synthesize from sunlight. Ever wondered why kids in poor countries never seem to have that problem? Well most of them don’t spend their time indoors. They get plenty of sunlight. Some question we need to ask: Are these children getting their milk from mother’s or from cows? Shouldn’t mother’s milk provide adequate amounts of money? Again we are not looking at causes, just covering up symptoms. That’s why the chiropractic philosophy of looking at the cause first may be something the medical system may want to consider.

Your Genome — for Five Thousand Dollars?

Admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:36:58 +0000

Starting next spring, a complete human-genome sequence can be ordered for $5,000 through a new service announced by Mountain View, California startup Complete Genomics. This stunning price drop (sequencing currently costs about 20 times that amount) could completely change the way that human genomics research is done, and open up new possibilities in personalized medicine.
A $5,000 genome would enable new studies to identify rare genetic variants linked to common diseases, and could open up the sequencing market to diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies. It could make genome sequencing a routine part of clinical drug testing. Complete Genomics anticipates the capacity to sequence 1,000 genomes in 2009 and 20,000 in 2010. That would represent a massive jump; only a handful of human genomes have been sequenced to date.
Complete Genomics says that its cheap price tag comes thanks to two innovations: a way to densely pack DNA and a method to randomly read DNA letters. First, an 80-base-pair piece of DNA is inserted into a circular piece of synthetic DNA and replicated 1,000 times with a specialized enzyme. That large aggregate of DNA compresses into a tightly packed ball, and these DNA “nanoballs” are then packed onto specially fabricated arrays. The high density of DNA allows large volumes to be sequenced quickly with few reagents, one of the most costly components of the process.
p>Next, Complete Genomics determines the sequence of the target DNA using a series of fluorescently labeled DNA strands designed to bind to corresponding letters. But while sequencing technologies currently in use read the sequence sequentially, letter by letter, Complete Genomics’ labels bind to the target DNA randomly. But the labels are designed to allow scientists to deduce the position of each highlighted base, which allows a computer to reconstruct the sequence of the target DNA.

Hypertension Rates are Soaring in the United States

Admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:50:47 +0000

p>Researchers from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have revealed that the number of Americans treated for high blood pressure has dramatically increased. The main cause of the increase is obesity.
p>A study processing data gathered on more than 30,000 people showed that the number of hypertension patients increased from 50.3 percent to 55.5 percent between 1988 and 2004.
p>The percentage of people suffering from the condition called prehypertension (meaning that they are prone to develop high blood pressure) has gone up from 32.3 percent to 36.1 percent./p>img src=”wild>/aggbug.aspx?PostID=71252″ width=”1″ height=”1″>br>a runat=”server” href=’/blogs/public_blog/Hypertension-Rates-are-Soaring-in-the-United-States-71252.aspx#comments’> img runat=”server” border=”0″ alt=wild> /img><

A Workout for Your Brain is Just a Few Clicks Away

Admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:42:44 +0000

p>Searching the Internet may help middle-aged and older adults keep their memories sharp.
p>Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles studied people doing Web searches while their brain activity was recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans.
p>People who had Internet experience used more of their brain during the search, suggesting that that act of searching on the Internet may train the brain./p>img src=”wild>/aggbug.aspx?PostID=71251″ width=”1″ height=”1″>br>a runat=”server” href=’/blogs/public_blog/A-Workout-for-Your-Brain-is-Just-a-Few-Clicks-Away-71251.aspx#comments’> img runat=”server” border=”0″ alt=wild> /img><

Acetaminophen is Bad for Babies

Admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:23:02 +0000

p>The use of acetaminophen in the first year of life is associated with an increased risk for asthma, eczema and allergic runny nose. Acetaminophen is sold in the United States under the brand name Tylenol, and is used as an ingredient in many other pain relievers.
p>The study looked at data from more than 190,000 children in 28 countries. Their parents responded to questionnaires about various health and diet practices. After controlling for numerous factors, the study showed that children given acetaminophen before age 1 had an almost 50 percent increased risk for asthma, eczema and allergy.
p>The study is large, but the conclusion is not certain; the medical information was obtained from parents after the fact, and children with asthma and related illnesses may be more likely to be treated with acetaminophen in the first place./p>img src=”wild>/aggbug.aspx?PostID=71028″ width=”1″ height=”1″>br>a runat=”server” href=’/blogs/public_blog/Acetaminophen-is-Bad-for-Babies-71028.aspx#comments’> img runat=”server” border=”0″ alt=wild> /img><