In fields like chiropractic, we talk a lot about the brain and neuroplasticity. In many chiropractic clinics, tools such like HRV (heart rate variability) are used to measure and mitigate sympathetic drive. Practitioners of this particular technique will be fascinated to know that that on March 16, the journal NeuroRegulation published a ground-breaking study that…
They say a dog is man’s best friend. But new research emerging from the University of Alberta claims that they may also be infant’s best friends when it comes to the risk of allergies and obesity. Researchers have discovered a link between the presence of a pet in the household, and an infant’s microbiome. Their…
The more time and research march on, the more we understand about depression. We now know there are implications for gut health and that there may be immune system links, along with the more commonly known symptoms such as persistent low mood, sleep problems and changes in appetite and interests. Adding to this understanding is…
Since they made their first tentative forays into the textile world in the 1970’s, flame-retardants have become so common they are almost implicit. We rarely see ‘low fire danger’ tags announcing the presence of this chemical cocktail. Rather, we see tags announcing ‘high fire danger.’ What would you rather buy to put on yourself or…
Every year, health trends develop and change. Among them are fads worth discarding, a touch of common sense come back to visit us, and often a nutritional gem or two. What are you likely to hear from your practice members and friends this year in terms of health trends? Here’s the scoop. In recent years,…
Food is medicine. Genius, right? Well, in line with this old adage, a new study has some news for us: three or four servings of vegetables daily can have an incredible effect on kidney health. In fact, “Kidney disease patients who eat three to four more servings of fruits and vegetables every day could lower…
A systematic review and consensus update recently published in the journal Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has taken aim at an important topic for chiropractors as we deal with an increasingly aging population. Currently, 15% of chiropractic patients are over the age of 60 [1]. With the World Health Organisation advising us that the number of…
“Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness doesn’t know where to shop,” once quipped Mae West. It’s an interesting statement. If our collective goals as individuals and as a society are to accumulate more stuff… houses, cars, holidays, clothes, the list is endless, surely money must be the source of all happiness and therefore it’s lack,…
Chiropractic is a wonderful profession, one with such profound potential to impact lives. But in the developed world at least, it’s not without it’s challenges. Politics, registration boards and different streams of practice that don’t always see eye-to-eye can mar the simplicity of adjusting subluxations and restoring the innate. When Chiropractor Dr Brinsley Lane stepped…
Short term fasting seems to have made a resurgence into popularity in recent years, with intermittent fasting re-gaining fame for more than just weight loss benefits. So what happens when we move beyond the intermittent to prolonged fasting a couple of times a week? There is research revealing that fasting twice a week could significantly…
We’ve all heard the scaremongers proclaim a link between chiropractic care and stroke. It’s easy to dismiss with a few well-referenced rebuttals and easier still to reject with a roll of the eye. Recently, a group of researchers took the issue of Cervical Artery Dissection, a key cause of strokes, and put it through the…
If you’ve ever had more than one kid, you know by the time you’ve had your second or third, that the once obsessive interest in teaching them how to build blocks, solve jigsaw puzzles and speak a second language has seriously started to wane. It’s takes all your effort just to get them dressed in…
Representing chiropractic care in a positive, understandable manner to the public, and indeed marketing chiropractic care to people with no exposure to it, has long been a challenge. In today’s climate, rich with keyboard warriors and poorly-informed media hype, it is likely to stay complicated. It is therefore encouraging to know that new research shows…
“We are losing our ‘listening’,” says sound and communication expert, author Julian Treasure [1]. “The world is now so noisy, with this cacophony going on visually and auditorily, it’s just hard to listen; it’s tiring to listen. Many people take refuge in headphones, but they turn big, public spaces… shared soundscapes, into millions of tiny,…
Oxytocin has long been hailed as the love hormone – a feel-good chemical released when we hug or kiss a loved one. It plays a significant role in bonding, and is released in larger amounts during sex, birth or breastfeeding [1]. Recent studies have lauded the possibilities for oxytocin to be used in treating depression…
We know not to do the grocery shopping when we are hungry, as such timing is likely to ensure a whole lot of junk food makes it into the trolley. But research shows that it isn’t just food related choices that could suffer when we are peckish. It turns out we are best to avoid…
They say Meniere’s Disease is to dizziness what a Migraine is to a headache. It has the potential to be far more intense and life interrupting, with sufferers dealing with vertigo, tinnitus, in-ear pressure and even hearing loss [1]. This has the potential to greatly impact the way they carry out day-to-day tasks during episodes.…
An Australian study recently published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases has put the efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for spinal pain under the proverbial microscope. The result, pulled together from 35 randomised placebo-control trials in a wide-sweeping meta analysis, is not good news for NSAID devotees. While there is some effectiveness for…
