Like Scylla and Charybdis, the twin sea monsters of Greek mythology, diabetes and obesity are the twin medical monsters confronting America’s children. Diabetes and obesity have even been featured as the story line in a recent episode of Law … Order, a show well-known for focusing on issues that matter.

What’s going on? Diabetes and obesity are twin raging epidemics endangering the health and welfare of our nation’s young people. In New York City, by the age of 4, there is a one in three chance that the child will be obese. More than 40% of children are at an unhealthy weight at ages 2 and 3.1 National statistics are similar.

Type II diabetes, long known as “adult-onset diabetes”, is now being recognized as a significant juvenile disorder. Up to 45% of the children diagnosed with diabetes have the type II form.2 And the numbers keep increasing.

Type II diabetes and obesity are closely related. And being overweight is one of the two major risk factors for developing type II diabetes. The other major risk factor, not surprisingly, is lack of exercise – not being physically active.

Why should we be concerned? Both diabetes and obesity contribute to additional severe health issues. Obesity is the leading cause of pediatric high blood pressure and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Uncontrolled diabetes, over time, can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, neurologic disorders, and blindness.

So we are very concerned for our children’s well-being. The good news – and it is very good news – is both conditions are lifestyle-related. Bad diet and lack of exercise cause both conditions. This is well-known. It is also well-known that maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise prevents obesity and prevents or delays type II diabetes.3,4

As parents, it’s up to us to set the standards. If we’re eating healthy, balanced meals, our kids will do the same. If we exercise regularly and keep ourselves fit and trim, our kids will exercise regularly, too.

1″Child obesity picture grim among New York City poor”, The New York Times, April 6, 2006.

2Fagot-Campagna A: Emergence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children: Epidemiological evidence. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism 13(Suppl 6): S1395-S1402, 2000.

3Hamman RF, et al: Effect of weight loss with lifestyle intervention on risk of diabetes. Diabetes Care 29:2102-2107, 2006.

4Knowler WC, et al: Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. New England Journal of Medicine 346(6):393-403, 2002.

For additional information on health and chiropractic feel free to contact Dr. Jason Fowler Dr. Jason Fowler

categories: O’ Fallon Chiropractor,Wentzville chiropractor,lake Saint Louis chiropractor,back pain specialist,headache specialist,2. chiropractor,chiropractic,low back pain,headaches,nutrition,Lake Saint Louis,Wentzville,O’ Fallon,Fitness

We’ve all seen the TV ads ” nice-looking woman in her fifties, sitting on a nice sofa in a nice living room, rubbing her hands, in obvious pain. Of course, she’s not Lady Macbeth, trying to rub off the imagined blood of her murdered husband. She’s a woman with arthritis.

According to the Center for Disease Control, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States.1 Approximately 47 million people have doctor diagnosed arthritis and 17 million have arthritis-attributable activity limitations.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is a degenerative condition affecting the joints and the soft tissues around the joints ” the associated cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. The most commonly affected areas are the spine, the hands, and the shoulders, hips, and knees. The pain of arthritis, the reduced mobility, and the lifestyle accommodations needed for pain avoidance are discouraging and may even lead to depression.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are available for the treatment of arthritis, and in recent years many of these have been found to cause severe side effects. Vioxx is the most notorious of these ” cardiovascular complications caused a worldwide recall of the drug. Celebrex, another well-known arthritis medication, was also found to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke at high doses.

The very good news is there are several wellness-based treatment alternatives to long-term medication. These include exercise, diet, and in many cases, chiropractic treatment.

Exercise is critical in restoring mobility and, over time, in reducing pain.2,3 Persons with osteoarthritis often experience a vicious cycle of deteriorating symptoms. Pain can cause reduced mobility (pain avoidance), which (paradoxically) actually causes more pain, which causes further reductions of mobility . . . . Activities of daily living ” getting out of a chair, opening a jar, bending and lifting ” become a real challenge as the person struggles to avoid further pain.

So, restoring mobility is key. Exercise done very gently at first ” is the answer. Range-of-motion activities to get the joints moving again are very beneficial, including Arm circles Wrist circles Shoulder shrugs Side-to-side bending for the lower back Gentle knee bends Ankle circles Flexing and pointing the feet

Walking is a perfect exercise for treatment of arthritis. Begin by walking one block, then two, then around the block. Walk five minutes daily for a week, then increase by a minute or two each day. Get up to 15 minutes of gentle walking, and then begin to gradually increase your pace. The increased mobility will not only reduce pain, but also provide a cardiovascular benefit and improve one’s ability to perform activities of daily living.

Chiropractic treatment, in combination with an exercise program, may assist in restoring joint mobility and reducing pain. Gentle chiropractic manipulative therapy is designed to improve mobility of spinal joints. As spinal joint motion improves, pain lessens, and a positive cycle of return-to-function begins.

1″Prevalence of Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation.” CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 55(40);1089-1092, 2006. 2Huang MH, et al: A comparison of various therapeutic exercises on the functional status of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 32(6):398-406, 2003. 3Suomi R, Collier, D: Effects of arthritis exercise programs on functional fitness and perceived activities of daily living measures in older adults with arthritis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 84(11):1589-94, 2003.

For additional information on health please contact Dr. Fowler Dr. Jason Fowlerat www.lakestlouisdc.comwww.lakestlouisdc.com

categories: 1.O’ Fallon Chiropractor,Wentzville chiropractor,lake Saint Louis chiropractor,back pain specialist,headache specialist,2. chiropractor,chiropractic,low back pain,headaches,nutrition,Lake Saint Louis,Wentzville,O’ Fallon,Fitness