September is here!

I can't believe summer is nearly over.  It went so fast, but when the State Fair rolls around, it's to late to look back.

I thought that I would have some fun with a State Fair-related story.  After writing the first article, however, this month's ENews pretty much wrote itself.  Each article led into another topic.  What I ended up with was a newsletter that began talking about corn dogs and ended up explaining bacteria in your body.  It was somewhat evolutionary!

When you read the article on Omega fatty acids, pay attention to where you can find them.  It is actually fairly easy to eat Omegas.

Muscle weakness with aging was an interesting investigation and it is worth reading a couple of times.  It might be a lot to wrap your head around in just one read.  In addition to the muscle research, I looked at the relationship of Chromium and muscle health, but there just was not enough good data that found reproducible benefits for muscles.  Prostate yes, muscles no.

Probiotics is a fun word to throw around in the realm of nutrition, but few people really understand probiotics and their function in the human body.  I hope that I helped to clarify the topic a bit.  I also hope that my underlying message was clear for their use.

Eileen brings you an 'after school' cookie this month.  I have had this one many times and it is a treat!

Enjoy this ENews issue, and as always, call me with any questions that you may have.

Dr. Frisch 

Bad 'Good Food'

Well, the end of summer is here again and you know what the means.  That's right.  The Minnesota State Fair is 'blooming' again!  Just think of the sounds, the smells and the tastes.  It is hard to resist.  Some years I tell myself, "I will skip this year", but I always seem to go anyway!  I wonder if the tradition of the State Fair is more important than anything that I would see there?  But, really, who cares?  It is just a good time.

I was curious about this 'tradition' aspect, so I decided to investigate the fair a little closer.  I have never been that big of a fan of corn dogs or pronto pups, but I was surprised to find out that there is quite an ongoing battle over who actually created the first corn dog.

'Pronto Pups' were first served at the Minnesota State Fair in 1941, while the Texas State Fair claims to have served the first corn dog in 1942.  These earlier forms of our treat on a stick were not actually on a stick, but rather eaten as a breaded hot dog....how boring!  A Port Arthur, Texas newspaper claims to have written a story about the first corn dog stand in 1940, at the Louisiana State Fair, but those claims are still in question.  I never realized that this debate was so important!

The first corn dog on a stick wasn't called a corn dog at all.  It was called a 'Cozy Dog' and the 1946 logo had two cartoon hot dogs hugging.  The creator, Mr. Ed Waldmire Jr., actually wanted to call the creation a 'Crusty Cur', but his wise wife told him that no one wanted to buy anything crusty.  It was a smart decision.  Mr. Waldmire later patented a device to dip and fry several corn dogs at once.

When talking about Fairs, we can't forget about Dr. William Morrison.  Dr. Morrison was a noted dentist, lawyer, author, and political leader.  He was also friends with Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan.  Dr. Morrison held many patents.  He patented a process of removing oil from cotton seeds to be a lard substitute as well as a chemical process to purify drinking water.  He is best remembered, however, for his 1897 patent, along with John Wharton, for an electric candy machine.  They called the product 'Fairy Floss'.  It was an instant hit and remains so to this day!  It seems ironic, however, that an educator and Dentist is best remembered for creating Cotton Candy!

I hope that each of your who attend the State Fair this year will remember this article and become somewhat inquisitive once inside the big gates.  There is more to the State Fair than just what appears on the surface.   Traditions that are successful replicate for a good reason.  Maybe you can figure it out and create the next...'About a Foot Long Hot Dog'.

(I just love that disclaimer!)

Omega Fatty Acids

Weakness with Aging

We tend to associate getting older with getting weaker and becoming more frail.  I am not sure if it is a blind assumption that we must ‘go down hill’ physically with age or if at a certain point, people stop caring about physical health and begin to focus their efforts on fighting diseases!  Think about that for a moment.

When a person’s health begins to fail and diseases begin to appear, how much thought is really given to regaining and maintaining true physical health.  I would contend that most people would say that health is just stabilizing or curing the disease process at hand.  Demanding physical exercise may take a back seat to cholesterol, cardiac, and diabetic drugs.  I hope that this article helps to refocus the thought process that each of us may have regarding aging. 

Aging is a decline in the physical function of the body.  This includes many different systems, like bones, muscles, ligaments, organs, blood vessels and nerves.  Our body is made up of many different ‘large systems’.  There are also, however, many ‘small systems’ that are of equal or greater importance.  Each cell in your body has operating systems that you are never aware of, like the sodium-potassium pump, which literally runs your body!  There are other small processes, however, that occur as a result of things like trauma, burns or even when you have a cold.

Interleukin-6 (IL6) is an inflammatory substance secreted by specific cells to stimulate the immune response after trauma, especially burns and other tissue injury, which leads to inflammation.

The liver also responds by producing a large volume of acute-phase reaction substances, including C-reactive proteins.  It is thought that these substances bind to damaged cells and foreign bodies to begin the internal antibody reaction process.  The whole process is quite complicated, but fascinating at the same time.

It is the inflammatory markers like interleukin and C-reactive proteins that are often studied in the aging process.  C-reactive proteins are a direct contributor to artery plaquing in heart disease and interleukin-6 is present in the process of osteoporosis and muscle degeneration.  Recent research in the aging process has focused on how aging is related to muscle activity.

It was also published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society (2000)² that low muscle strength, not muscle mass, was directly associated with poorer physical function in older men and women.

Inflammatory markers continue to show a relationship between the aging process and the loss of muscle strength.  By lessening the amount of inflammatory markers present in the body, there should be less degradation of the body and a slowing of the aging process.

Some of the best ways to lessen the inflammatory markers in the body are also the simplest things that you can do:

1. Exercise
2. Lose weight
3. Quit smoking and using tobacco-related products
4. Take vitamins, especially niacin
5. Use Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids in your diet
6. Limit alcohol use
7. Brush, floss, and have regular dental checks

These simple activities, which we all know about, may be the key to remaining healthier during our lifetime and slowing the actual aging process.

1. Schaap, L.A., Phuijm, S.M., Deeg, D.J., Visser, M. (2006). Inflammatory markers and loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) and strength. American Journal of Medicine. Jun; 119(6): 526. e9-17.

2. Bemelman, W.J., et al. (2000). Skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength in relation to lower-extremity performance in men and women. Journal of the American Geriatric Society. Apr; 48(4): 381-6.

Eileen's Corner

"This cookie was always one of my favorites growing up.  I hope that your kids like them too!"

What is a Pro-Biotic?

First of all, a pro-biotic is a living thing.  Hence, the word biotic (biological).  Pro-biotics are nothing new.  Chiropractors have been recommending pro-biotics for many years.  Most people have heard  about taking acidophilus (good bacteria) to help with intestinal problems and prevent vaginal, yeast infections, but few people remember that it was probably the chiropractor who told them first!

Pro-biotics are finally making their way into mainstream nutritional products, but it is not without growing pains.  Too many people want to jump on the healthy band wagon without first doing their homework.

There are normal bacteria living in our bodies.  Some of these bacteria reside in the stomach and intestinal tract, with other reside in the lungs, urinary tract, and many other system that have processing capabilities.  These normal bacteria can be damaged by disease, chemicals, poor diet, and lifestyle choices (smoke and drink).  Once damaged, a system can usually replenish its normal bacteria without any outside help! Our bodies are remarkable at self-recovery.

There are times, however, when a system needs a little help to reintroduce normal bacteria or to speed up the stabilizing process.  Remember, though, that the bacteria being introduced actually belong there.  You are NOT curing a disease with 'something new' or artificial!

If you are healthy and have healthy systems and you ingest pro-biotics as part of your normal daily nutritional plan, you could be wasting your money because your body doesn't need your outside help.  If you exercise heavily, have a lot of stress in your life, are suffering with injury or trauma, or are recovering from surgery, chemotherapy or a disease, you probably could benefit by using pro-biotics.

A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics (2006)¹ revealed that progressive microbial colonization of the intestines begins at birth and progresses (and changes) throughout our lives.......and each of us is different!  This also means that just because we take a pro-biotic product, it doesn't mean that our body needs it or will use it.  Future pro-biotic therapy will likely be 'disease-specific', but that development will be years away.

In a favorable light, a study published in Current Opinions on Clinical Metabolic Care² stated that ...a number of recent studies have shown that pro-biotics play a role in decreasing postoperative complications in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal operations.  The evidence given is speculative, but still encouraging that pro-biotics can be of therapeutic benefit with surgical recovery and disease-states.

I continue to see more and more nutritional supplements stress that they contain pro-biotics and they are now beginning to argue about who has the 'purest ingredients'.  Remember, pro-biotics may be of benefit if you need them and if you are deficient in one or more bacteria, but how do you know you are deficient?  

Be careful when attempting 'home-remedies' with supplements and pro-biotics because they are not candy, and they may upset another metabolic process within your body!  That is precisely what everyone complains about with prescription medication.  I do recommend that you consult your Chiropractor or MD prior to beginning any regimen of pro-biotic therapy.  You know what they say about 'too much of a good thing'!

Have a Great Month!

Dr. Frisch

1. Salminen, S., Isolauri, E. (2006). Intestinal colonization, microbiota, and probiotics. Journal of Pediatrics, Sep; 149 (3 Suppl): s115-20.

2. Correia, M.I., Nicoli, J.R. (2006). The role of probiotics in gastrointestinal surgery. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, Sep; 9(5): 618-21.