Free Chiropractic Lowers Illness Related Absensces

http://avisen.dk/gratis-kiropraktor-giver-lavt-sygefravaer_126376.aspx By Irene Stelling.

"Gratis kiropraktor giver lavt sygefravær"

By providing a package of free wellness services, which includes chiropractic, Hedensted Municipality in Denmark has reduced the already low sick leave duration of its workers to an even lower level, saving the municipality an estimated 10 mill Danish Crowns per year.

Kids & the Importance of sufficient Vitamin D.

http://www.doctorsnatural.se/TEMANUMMER/2010-05-27-barn-vit-D.htm

Dr. Bo Nielsen of Doctors Natural reviews current research on Vitamin D. This important substance is actually horribly mislabeled: It is actually much less of a vitamin but rather acts as a hormone in a host of important processes, ranging from proper bone formation to immune system function.

Tur Att Ni Finns

"Tur att ni finns" ("I am happy that you are here") she had said casually as she exited the treatment room. On occasion a patient will say something along those lines to me, and I always smile and say "thanks", and under my breath thank God for my education and its ability to affect people's lives in such a positive way. Today, for reasons unknown, the comment hit me extra hard. The patient is a 70 year old woman who with her husband holds a small weekend extra job, that she dearly loves because it adds meaning and substance to her life.
We had just reminded each other of her status and state of mind when I first saw her about one year ago: She had been in tremendous pain, taking a daily cocktail of prescription painkillers, which included Tramadol (morfine derivate) and anti-inflamatories (NSAIDs) - all with little or no effect. She was facing the necessity of giving up her beloved job which keeps her active and in contact with hundreds of people every week. She couldn't stand the pain from standing 8-10 hours a day, handling hundreds of 1 or 3 kilo bags. The medicine had virtually no effect and she did not know what to do.
Today, she is once again fully active, works like a maniac with no or few symptoms. She just had one of her busiest days prior to the Swedish Midsommer (equinox) celebration and she felt fine.
Through chiropractic care and a tailored stabilization program this patient had regained her health, her activity level and her quality of life. Yes, I guess so; "Tur att vi finns" - Gave me goosebumps all-over!

Eating Dark Chocolate Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/39 
 
Good news: Dark chocolate has health benefits!
A group of Australian researchers have looked at studies from Medline, Cochrane and international trial registries from 1955 to 2009 for randomized clinical studies comparing to placebo, involving flavanol-rich products such as cocoa and thereby chocolate and the effect of systolic (the highest pressure) and diastolic (the lowest pressure) for a minimum of two weeks. While persons with normal blood pressure were not significantly affected, persons with high blood pressure (hypertension) and borderline (pre-hypertension) showed a statistically significant reduction in blood pressure. If only I like dark chocolate more!!

Insights of a Medical Heretic

http://www.dagensmedicin.se/asikter/blogg/gastbloggar/ingrid_eckerman/index.xml (in Swedish)
It's a blog, so read it from the bottom - up to get the time line right.
A retired medical doctor takes a critical look at her own profession and that of the governmental oversight body. Nice to see someone thinking independently for a change.

Work Disability after Whiplash.

Buitenhuis J, de Jong PJ, Jaspers JP, Groothoff JW. Work disability after whiplash: a prospective cohort study. Spine 2009 34(3):262-7.

A Dutch study done on the basis of 879 sent to people who had filed insurance claims following a car accident. Oftentimes, this scenario could spell trouble, as that there is amble opportunity for (deliberate or accidental) sampeling and statistical errors and other biases. This study appears to be without these flaws, however.
The purpose was to look at how neck pain after car accidents related to ability to work / disability over a period up to one year.
After 6 months, 51% remained symptomatic, and after 12 months 43.7% remained symptomatic. Of those 43.7%, about half (21.7%) still had persistent work disability (which in Holland most likely means total disability or off-work status).
The subjects were contacted at the 3, 6 and 12 months marks. Based on that information a statistically significant correlation was made between work disability and physical factors (including neck pain, stiffness, loss of motion, radiating pain in the arms, dizziness, headache intensity, and concentration problems.
Looking at the status at the 1 year mark, age and concentration problems proved to be good predictors for long term disabilty. No correlation was found between factors such as degree of manual labor (“blue/white collar” work), education level (as some insurance companies in some parts of the world sometimes like to imply).

10 Drinks Your Kids Should Not Be Drinking

From Dove, Laurie L. "10 Drinks Your Kids Should Not Be Drinking." 11 May 2010. HowStuffWorks.com. http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/10-drinks-kids-should-not-drink.htm

Good list to keep in mind along with some research and reasons as to why not.

1. Smoothies
2. Flavored water
3. Athletic power drinks (e.g. Gatorade)
4. Raw milk, juices and ciders
5. Fruit drinks posing as juices
6. Soft drinks (Coke, Fanta, etc.)
7. Over-sweetened tea drinks
8. Coffee
9. Energy drinks
10. Alcohol

Natural Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis (Ulcerös Colit)

http://www.doctorsnatural.se/TEMANUMMER/2010-06-10-resveratrol-ulcerative-colitis.htm

Dr. Bo Nielsen of DoctorsNatural.com reviews new research regarding treating ulcerative colitis (ulcerös colit) with grapewine seed extract (in Swedish).

Good mood can run a long time after workout

From USA Today, June 2, 2009.By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY.

Exercise experts have known for years that moderate physical activity improves mood. Now a study shows that people are in a better mood for up to 12 hours after they work out.

Researchers at the University of Vermont had 24 college students ride an exercise bike for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity. Another 24 people did no exercise during the same time period.

Afterward, everyone in both groups filled out questionnaires that evaluated their overall mood at several intervals: one hour, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 hours. The questions addressed tension, anger, vigor, fatigue, confusion and depression.

The researchers found that people in the exercise group experienced a significant improvement in mood immediately after the exercise. They also had improved moods after two, four, eight and 12 hours compared with the people who didn't exercise, says Jeremy Sibold, an assistant professor in the university's Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science.

At 24 hours, there was no difference in mood between the two groups. The study was presented last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.

"There are other studies that show there is acute improvement in mood after exercise, but we found those improvements are more durable than we thought," Sibold says.

That's an especially important finding for people who have depression or stress, he says.

"Daily exercise can improve your mood and mitigate some of the stressors of your day," Sibold says. "It's clear that exercise is critical for both physical health and mental health."