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In a report published in the journal Pediatrics on November 29, 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reviewed the health benefits associated with the use of probiotics. Probiotics are food stuffs or supplements which contain living microorganisms (bacteria).

As many consumers know, producers of foods and supplements usually go to great lengths to insure that there is no contamination with bacteria in their products. One might ask… “Why would they intentionally add live bacteria to a product meant for consumers?” The answer to this question lies in the fact that not all bacteria are bad.

You might be interested to know that there is a whole host of microorganisms living symbiotically in the intestines of you and your loved ones. Think of them as an army of farmers, soldiers and townsfolk. They take up space and use the resources that you consider waste. They do you no harm. In some cases, they actually help you break down and absorb nutrients that you would not normally have access to. The important part of this analogy is coming up. When bad bacteria (pathogenic bacteria) try to take up residence in your intestines, they have to compete for food and space with these already well established colonies of beneficial bacteria (intestinal microflora). This limits the ability of the pathogenic bacteria to survive and thrive in your intestines. That is a good thing.

So we know that there are good and bad bacteria that like to live in our intestines. The whole point behind the use of probiotics is to maintain and/or repopulate the colonies of intestinal microflora that can become compromised by the use of antibiotics or because they are to some extent flushed out by diarrhea. Antibiotics, the medications prescribed for bacterial infections, can either; kill, weaken or slow the growth of bacteria. By using probiotics you are essentially sending in “fresh troops” to make sure that beneficial bacterial numbers stay high. This leaves less room and resources to be used by the “bad guys”.

As for what the AAP had to say in their review:

They mention that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that probiotics are modestly effective for the prevention of diarrhea that can be associated with antibiotic treatment.

RCT’s have also shown that giving probiotics to children with diarrhea from sudden onset inflammation of the stomach and intestines due to viral infection can reduce the duration of diarrhea by 1 day.

That there are positive early results from various RCTs showing that probiotics may have a place in the treatment of: inflammation of the stomach due to the bacteria H. pylori, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic ulcerative colitis and infantile colic.

They are not ready to recommend the daily use of probiotics though, and they do warn against their use in children who have long standing or serious diseases.

At this point… You are probably thinking that you might like to know where to get probiotics for the next time your stomach and intestines are troubling you or your child. Well…You can simply go to your local grocery store and get “Activia” the yogurt that Jaime Lee Curtis has been the spokesperson for. You can find many products like it in some dairy food isles. Just look for products that have “live cultures of bacteria”. You can also find probiotics at the local health food store in capsule form. Just ask the person behind the counter. As for the question about how much to take…follow the recommendation of the manufacturer. You can also check with your physician. The AAP doesn’t have the answers for the perfect dose for the perfect amount of time. It just hasn’t been established firmly enough in the scientific literature yet.
If you would like to see a synopsis of the AAP review you can start here: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733463

There was a nice study done on Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Therapy that was published in the peer reviewed medical journal “SPINE”. It was in the October 2010 issue. The title of the paper was. The Chiropractic Hospital-based Interventions Research Outcomes (CHIRO) Study: a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of clinical practice guidlines in the medical and chiropractic management of patients with acute mechanical low back pain.

Here is what the study was about. There are Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidlines (CPG) which in part state that chiropractic treatment should be implemented in the care of patients with acute mechanical low back pain. However, these guidlines are not often used by medical physicians. This study was designed to see what the effectiveness of the CPGs were when compaired to Family Physician-directed Usual Care (UC).

Patients were identified and seperated into two groups. Those who were going to undergo UC and those who were going to be treated according to the CPGs. A blinded outcome assessment (a questionaire that did not let the graders know which group the patients were from during grading process) was utilized at 8, 16, and 24 weeks.

The conclusion was…The patients in the CPGs group whose treatment included spinal manipulative therapy administered by chiropractors saw significantly greater improvement than the group treated with family physician-directed UC.

To see the Abstract for this study on PubMed you can go to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20889389

I am sure that people will find it amusing to know that the idea of being adjusted by a chiropractor used to cause quite a tingle of fear in me. I can remember a period in my life when the sound of someone “popping” their knuckles, back or neck used to set my teeth on edge like someone drawing their fingernails across a chalk board.

The big question is: How does one go from being fearful of the chiropractor to becoming one? That’s quite a transition (and a long story), but my personal experiences do bear strongly on the topic I would like to cover.

Should someone fear going to the chiropractor? Now, because of my profession, I am sure you know what my answer will be. No…of course you should not fear going to the chiropractor!
But because of my realism, I’m also sure that just saying so has not changed the mind of anyone who actually has this fear. Allaying someone’s fears is never as easy as simply denying the fear need exist.

Everywhere I go I meet individuals who suffer from CFF – Chiropractic Fear Factor. What symptoms are common to this illness? Fear of the unknown, lack of education and general feelings of vulnerability or distrust, to name a few.

What if you learned that facing your fear could improve your life in great strides? How are life’s fears conquered? By taking one small step at a time. Put your toe in the water and then ease yourself in.

In this way, a fear of chiropractic can be put to rest by a gradual building of trust between the patient and the doctor. This was the case for me.

I spent a number of years in the Allan Hancock College Dance Company. While there, the company doctors were chiropractors. I would watch them work on and help other dancers. For some time I would not let them treat me. However, when I injured my mid-back lifting another dancer and was in a fair amount of pain, I consented to let them treat me. Pain is a great motivator for change.

While the company doctors adjusted people using the traditional manual chiropractic methods, they also used a hand held instrument which did not require twisting or popping to get the job done. That instrument is called the Activator.

Many people are not aware that there are a variety of different chiropractic methods out there, including this gentle and less intimidating approach.

When I sought their help, this is the method of treatment that I asked for. I was amazed at how quickly my pain was resolved and how soon I was able to return to dancing and lifting my partner. It was still some time before I allowed the doctors to adjust me without the instrument.

It is with the understanding of my initial fear that I chose to make the use of the Activator Adjusting Instrument one of my specialties when I became a doctor of chiropractic. I have long since resolved my fears about chiropractic, and I adjust patients with a variety of chiropractic methods. But, I always keep in the forefront of my mind the best interest of the patient. Whether their concerns are due to an injury, a pre-existing medical condition or simply come down to fear, a patient’s concerns must be addressed and responded to in a caring and professional manner.

Arensdorf Chiropractic, 1414 S. Miller St. Ste. C, Santa Maria Ph: 805 346-6700, DrRay@ArensdorfChiropractic.com
www.arensdorfchiropractic.com

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