Compass Chiropractic

A new study shows that  babies conceived in the spring and early summer have a higher risk of a wide variety of birth defects including downs syndrome, spina bifida and cleft palate.

“There appears to be a season of conception  in which the risk of having a child with a birth defect is higher,”  according to Indiana University School of Medicine neonatology professor Paul D. Winchester.  Studies in the past have shown an increase in pregnancy complications in women who live on farms and have exposure to high levels of pesticides, but this is the first study to show an increase in birth defects associated with indirect exposure to these chemicals.The affected children were not subjected to high levels of pesticides in a farm or factory setting.

There appears to be a correlation between levels of pesticides in the drinking water and the number of birth defects.  Pesticide levels are highest during April and babies conceived during April had the highest level of birth defects.   This study doesn’t prove a correlation between pesticides and birth defects, it does open the door for future discussion regarding this topic.  Currently there is a larger study underway which will look at 100,000 kids from birth to age 21.

A new report demonstrates a link between the flushing that some people get with alcohol consumption and esophageal cancer risk.  This flushing of the face is due to the lack of an enzyme known as aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2).  There is mounting evidence that individuals who are deficient in ALDH2 have a higher risk of esophageal cancer, but many physicians are not aware of this correlation according to Philip J. Brooks, MD, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

It is important to note that the increase in cancer risk is only for drinkers and doesn’t appear to affect non-drinkers.  The increase of cancer risk in drinkers is seen even in moderate drinkers and should be discussed with a health care provider.

The open house was a HUGE success and I wanted to thank everyone who made this event possible.  From what I could tell, there wasn’t a square foot of floor space available to stand for the majority of the night.  It was great to re-connect with old friends and meet new neighbors.

The artisits were on hand for the event and enjoyed themselves.  We were able to raise a little over $1,000 for the artists and Easter Seals Crossroads.

There has been suggestions that I make this an annual event, but I’m going to wait for a while before I make that decsion.  I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of my neighbors.

Dr. Bingham

Like most things, stress is good when used correctly.  There are times when “stress” can be very beneficial.  For example, let’s say that your being chased by a bear, you don’t want to sit back and pop in the Yanni CD, you want to run.  That is where stress comes in, it tells the body to prepare for evasive action, without it you would be a sitting duck in headphones.

To much of a good thing can be bad.  Stress is intended to remove us from harms way in short bursts, it is not intended for extended use.  Using stress over a long period of time is like trying to sprit a marathon; you need to pace yourself.   Rarely is the stress that we experience in our day to day lives life-threatening, but our bodies don’t know the difference.  The  signals from the brain that keep you from getting eaten by the bear are the same signals that are firing when you have a project that is due or you’re running late.

Just as a sprinter who attempts a marathon, you to will burn out and need a boost.  You might be tempted to start your day with a cup of coffee to get your worn-out systems moving, but that is like putting the wrong fuel in your car!  You body makes it’s own stimulants, but often has a tough time keeping up with the demands of a stressed out individual.  When that happens, you become sluggish and rely on the caffeine cycle to make it through the day. <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Consolas; panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750091 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-link:”Plain Text Char”; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.5pt; font-family:Consolas; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} span.PlainTextChar {mso-style-name:”Plain Text Char”; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:”Plain Text”; mso-ansi-font-size:10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt; font-family:Consolas; mso-ascii-font-family:Consolas; mso-hansi-font-family:Consolas;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

I am sure this scenario sounds familiar to just about anyone in the industrialized world, but does it have to be this way?  As I mentioned earlier, for the most part the stress that we experience is in our heads and stressing about these things doesn’t help one bit.  So, that’s easy enough…stop stressing!  If it were only that easy.

There are a lot of things you can do to help deal with stress and many of them are simple and cost little or nothing.  My favorite is to:

Make a mole hill out of a mountain

Often we get stressed because we’re overwhelmed with tasks that really are not all that important.  It’s easy to let all of these task pile up to be a mountain of stress, while their is really nothing more than a mole hill of tasks.

• Stop what your doing and turn off the TV, radio or whatever is distracting you
• Write out the tasks you need to get done
  
• Prioritize the tasks
• Sit back and look at your mountain and watch it shrink

If your stress is created in your mind then you can exercise some control over the stress. There are a number of great way to control stress and this is just one.

For most of my life I have been bothered by smells that most people find appealing.  After walking (or running at times)  through a perfume section at Macy’s my head starts to tighten and I begin to feel nauseous.  It is not only perfume, but also anything that contains artificial scents.  Air fresheners, carpet deodorizers, cleaning supplies all cause me  the same problem.  I was never aware of anyone else who experienced these symptoms, but recently there have been reports coming out that air fresheners are linked to asthma and cancer.

The cancer connection:

A review of 14 air fresheners off the shelf of a Wallgreens by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found 12 of them containing phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates).  There has been much debate over what health problems caused by phthalates, but it is certain that these chemicals are harmful.  Studies that have looked at high levels of exposure to rats and human have suggested that  certain kinds of phthalates can cause cancer, developmental and sex-hormone abnormalities (including decreased testosterone and sperm levels and malformed sex organs) in infants, and can affect fertility.

Asthma and phthalates

Asthma has been on a exponential rise over the last thirty years and currently 1 in 13 children have asthma.  Asthma has become the leading chronic illness associated with school absenteeism.  Children are not the only ones suffering from asthma as an estimate 23.2 million adults have lifelong asthma.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that adults who were subjected to certain types of phthalates were twice as likely to develop adult onset asthma.  For people who already have asthma, the chemicals found in air fresheners can complicate their condition and lead to more severe conditions according to a study in The Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

How about “natural” or “fragrance free?”

The study by the NRDC found that even air fresheners that were labeled as “natural” or “fragrance free” still contained phthalates.  Many of them did contain lower levels of phthalates, but the “acceptable” levels are not yet known according to Dr. Gina Solomon of the NRDC.

Phthalate regulation:

The US does not regulate or require phthalates to be listed on labels.  The US does not support that these chemicals are harmful, but this thought is not shared by the European Union and fourteen other countries that have banned two different types of phthalates in cosmetics and children’s toys.

What can you do?

• First avoid products that contain parfum, which is a catch all term that hides a number of potential harmful chemicals.
• Get out or open up!  The air outside is most likely cleaner than the air you’re breathing inside, even if you live in a congested urban area.  If weather permits open windows or get out for a walk.
• Use plants to freshen the air. According to NASA you can clean up your air with the introduction of some hearty house plants.  NASA recommends that you have at least 2 house plants for every 100 square feet of space in your home.  The NASA research recommends the following plants: chinese evergreen, dracaena, heartleaf philodendron, pothos, snake plant, spider plant, weeping fig.

“Chiropractic care has been instrumental in my life, both on and off the field, and I am excited to share this with the American public,” says Rice.

Chiropractic is a part of nearly every profession sports team and the best athletes in the world rely on chiropractic care to give them an edge and keep their bodies in tip-top shape.