Dr Frisch

Happy July!!!

I hope that each of you has a safe and happy Fourth of July and summer vacation season.  The roads will be congested with anxious and aggressive drivers, so here are a couple of tips to help with your travels:

1. The person driving 100 mph past you WILL find the police sooner or later.  You don't have to worry about what will happen to them.

2. If you are being tailgated by a foolish and aggressive driver, move to a different lane, if you can.  It is better to let that person past you and live than to play games in traffic with someone who doesn't care about your life. (see tip #1)

3. Leave plenty of time for your travels and enjoy the trip rather than rushing, remember, YOU ARE ON VACATION.  Enjoy it!

4. Take the time to check all fluids in your vehicle and if need be, get a tune-up before you leave.  Nothing ruins holidays faster than a car breaking down.

5. Be a polite driver.  Mistakes happen. A smile and a wave will not kill you if you have done something stupid in traffic (we all do it, that's why they're called mistakes).

After a fairly cool and wet spring, it is nice that Minnesota is starting to show us some of the summer warmth that we are famous for. 

Remember to drink plenty of water when you are outside and in the sun.  Most people don't realize that they are a big radiator!  To stay cool you need to put fluids into your body.  When you breath and sweat it takes heat away from your inner core body.  You need to maintain fluid levels or you will over-heat and suffer from exhaustion.  It is that simple.

I hope that you all enjoy this month's issue of Dr. Frisch's ENews.  Don't forget to checkout Eileen's Ribs...they are great! 

(I'm so spoiled!)

Pain Relievers Cause Pain

This may seem like a double-bind statement, but it is true.  The International Headache Society recently reported that 'medication overuse' can cause headaches.  They classify a medication overuse headache as " a headache that lasts 15 days each month, is accompanied by regular intake of analgesics or alkaloids, and remisses when the medication usage is stopped".  They acknowledge that up to 50% of all chronic headaches may be attributable to overuse of the medication that is supposed to relieve the headaches.

These claims made by the Headache Society were supported by recent research published in may of 2004 in the journal Neurology.  The journal reports that daily, or near daily use of analgesics for headaches, neck, back and joint point may actually increase the level and frequency of pain.

Some of the more significant findings with using pain medication in this study were:

Increased Likelihood of Chronic Migraines

• Daily medication use of less than 3 months = 2.9 times
• Daily medication use for 3-6 months = 9.9 times
• Daily medication use for more than 6 months = 20.6 times

* This means that people who take daily analgesics for more than 6 months for will have a 20.6 times greater chance of suffering with chronic migraines than someone who doesn't.

Increased Likelihood of Chronic Neck Pain

• Daily medication use of less than three months = 2.1 times

• Daily medication use of 3-6 months = 2.3 times

• Daily medication use of more than 6 months = 3.5 times

* This means that people who take daily analgesics for longer than 6 months are more than 3.5 times as likely to suffer from chronic neck pain than those who don't take daily medication.

Increased Likelihood of Chronic Low Back Pain

• Daily medication use of less than three months = 2.0 times

• Daily medication use of 3-6 months = 2.8 times

• Daily medication use of more than 6 months = 3.5 times

* This means that people who take daily analgesics for more than 6 months will have more than a 3.5 times higher rate of suffering from chronic low back pain than someone who doesn't take daily analgesics.

These findings are significant and do have a societal impact on productivity, lost time from work, medical expenses, and definitely quality of life issues.  Medical doctors need to be aware that daily use of seemingly 'preventative medication' may actually set a patient up for chronic pain that can last a lifetime.

Medication has a necessary place in health care, but should be use appropriately.  Medication often allows a patient to grasp for a 'quick fix', even if the fix is only a temporary relief of symptoms, and allow the actual problem to worsen due to neglect.  Personal responsibility and physician responsibility both seem to be key factors with helping to prevent a chronic pain cascade from beginning.

Be smart about using drugs, even the 'good ones'!

What Do You Think?

A decline in a person's mental cognitive abilities with age (dementia, etc.), may be linked to their mental activities in early and mid-life.

A study published in the British Medical Journal in February of 2004 reports that 2058 men and women, all born in the same week in 1945, and born in England were tracked over time.

At 15 years of age they all took reading tests to determine general ability.  At ages 43 and 53, the subjects were given repeated reading tests of memory, speed, and concentration.  At 53 they also took a national adult reading test.

The results showed that those people who scored higher on reading tests at 15, had slower declines in memory and reading at 53.  Higher adult reading scores, however, were directly linked to slower declines in memory, independent of childhood scoring.

An added measure showed that if someone attained a higher level of education, they also had a slower decline of memory as they aged, independent of initial childhood scores.

This prospective, longitudinal study reveals that childhood learning and reading ability is directly associated with slower mental decline as an adult.  These findings were significant in the fact that socioeconomic status and health did not play a part in mental decline as much as did early achievement.

WOW! That last statement packs a punch!  It really says that if we educate our children properly when they are young and they will be physically healthier as they age. 

It should be noted that personal achievement as an adult, by attaining advanced learning and reading skills may offset the lack of early achievement.  But, only if they truly achieve a level of learning and skill.

The researchers are quick to note that further investigation is needed to correlate their findings and reinforce their data.

What a Study!

The Addicted Brain

Addictions are nothing new to the human race.  Drugs have influenced humans for as long as men and women realized that by ingesting a plant or drinking a tea, they could change how they feel.  The most difficult area to track and predict is how drugs affect each of us so differently.  Why does one person crave caffeine, while another craves chocolate, alcohol or cocaine?  The reasons are difficult, but some answers are becoming apparent.  A recent publication of the Harvard Medical School gives some insight into addictions.

THE BRAIN LIKES REWARDS

There is an area of your brain that is responsible for pleasure.  It is called the nucleus accumbens.  When we perform an action that satisfies a need or desire, a neurotransmitter called Dopamine is released into the nucleus accumbens area and we experience pleasure. This mechanism of the brain increases the likelihood that this behavior or action will be repeated in the future.  It is thought that this mechanism may increase survival potential and/or reproduction.

In nature, this reinforcement of behavior through pleasure centers takes time and there is usually a delay between actions and reward.  Drug mechanisms dramatically change this pattern or sequencing.

Drugs provide a 'shortcut' which floods the nucleus accumbens with Dopamine.  When drugs are repeatedly used or abused, this overloading of the nucleus accumbens with Dopamine causes the brain's receptors to shut down, essentially becoming unresponsive to the drug.  This forces the user of the drug to take increasing amounts to, again, try to flood the nucleus accumbens with Dopamine.  Many drug users will report not getting a 'high' with long term use of a drug.  If you follow the brain's response, you can see why.

There is more to addiction, however, that just the physical use of a drug.  There is a cognitive (thought) component to addiction.  Sometimes memories can be a greater reinforcement of addiction than the actual drug itself.  Those individuals who go through long periods without a drug, may suffer a relapse based purely on a memory and not a physical addiction.

Because of a prior abuse or overuse of a drug, the reward system in the brain may be forever altered.  Simply driving by a bar where someone used to drink, seeing billboard advertising, or even conversing with and old 'drinking or drug buddy' can stimulate the brain to initiate a craving that is as great as when the person used to use or abuse drugs.  The memory essentially induces brain chemical stimulation that results in a true physical desire for that drug, even if they have not used or abused for years.

Internal or external stress is another mechanism that stimulates drug abuse and relapse.  The nucleus accumbens sends signals to the hippocampus and the amygdala, which are the memory and emotional centers in the brain.  It has been shown that stress regulating hormones like CRH are often at high levels when the amygdala is active.  This would account for a correlation between stress and psychological/physical cravings.  

Addiction is about more than just 'quitting' whatever drug someone may be abusing.  There are actual physical brain changes that have occurred.  That is why treatment of addiction is so difficult.  It is not just about eliminating the drug.  There are physical brain changes, societal and family stimulators, as well as impaired learning and memory patterns.  Addiction cannot be fixed by simply giving someone a 'cure-all' pill.  Research is giving us more insight, but it is still an uphill battle.     

Eileen's Corner

Enjoy,

Eileen

Where is Your Data?

I have had so many people bringing me literature recently regarding 'miracle' pills, herbs, rubs, and drinks that I feel I need to write this article about how to become a wise consumer.  

First of all, those of you who know me know that I am all for free enterprise and business.  I think that most people would do better in business if they stopped listening to supposed experts and just ran their business the way they know best.

That being said, let's delve into the arena of multilevel marketing, group sales, tiered marketing and whatever other titles this type industry wants to call itself.  Multilevel marketing is not a pyramid. It is a way for a manufacturer of a product to get that product to market on a consistent basis by getting a consumer(s) to commit to buying a certain amount of product at regular intervals.  The incentive to the consumer is that the manufacturer gives the consumer a portion of the profits that they bring to their company depending on how hard they work to distribute their products.  That is all there is to a multilevel company and it isn't illegal!  If the product is good, it's probably a cost effective way to market.  

Multilevel marketing is here to stay.  What people need to understand is how to determine if what they are being asked to buy into has validity and should they waste their time and money getting involved.

2 Marketing Questions to Ask Yourself

1. What is the Product?

• Is the product something you can buy in a local store or does it have 'lasting uniqueness'?  Patents are nice, but published research in a credible journal (Medical, Economics, etc..) is best.

• If the product is so great, how come you just heard about it?

• We have FDA laws in this country regarding products that can make 'medicinal claims'.  What are the FDA recommendations for this product and what are they claiming?

• What is your knowledge about this product or similar products?  In other words, do you know anything about what you are being asked to get involved with, or are you simply taking someone at their word? 

   2.   What data supports any claims made about this product?

• People aren't stupid, but they can be gullible when they are not knowledgeable on a topic!  When a product is reported to come from someplace far away and very high up, is 'new' to our civilization, and will allow you to bring it to the world, you are probably being conned.  This formula is called 'The Prophet from Afar" and it has been used for longer than you and I have been around. 

• Does the company have their own  research?  It is commonplace for fledgling companies to try and piggy-back off of other company's legitimate research.  I call this the "Me Too Syndrome".  They think that you won't understand that the research sources that they quote have nothing to do with their product, but likely only describe some ingredients within their product.  If it sounds dishonest, that's because it is!

• Testimonials are not research!!!!!!  I can't stress this strongly enough.  Because someone's cousin's, sister's, boyfriend's, niece, knew a guy, who heard about someone who got rid of cancer using this product, what makes you think that it happened at all?  Companies (and people) who don't have valid research use testimonials to sell to you!  If this doesn't scare you, it should!  People buy products and join distributing companies using nothing but testimonials to make decisions.

As I stated earlier, I love the free market, capitalistic society in which we live.  It allows us to become successful and it also allows us to fail.  When the products that we use and sell have validity, are based on sound research, and are of benefit to members of society, they will likely last a long time.  If the whole idea of getting involved with a company or product is the money first, and the product second, you will likely waste a lot of time (and money) trying to market something that doesn't work or that no one wants.  The problem arises when you paid your money up front based on a promise of your success to come later. 

Have a Great Month,

Dr. Frisch