Dr. Frisch

Welcome to spring!

The trees are blossoming, the plants are blooming, and the allergies are seemingly in full force for many people.  If this is you, be sure and tell Dyanna or myself that you would like to go through the Allermune allergy program. 

 Patient's have been using this program with effective results for many years.  The results are also long-standing.  This program is supported by medical research  for lowering blood histamine levels.

This issue will discuss several interesting topics including, women and depression, attention deficit disorder, interesting Parkinson's research and new research with neck injuries after an accident.

I will be combining the May and June newsletters.  Time constraints have already absorbed the month of June.

 I will be returning in July with more new information and Eileen's holiday recipe, just in time for the 4th of July!

Enjoy this issue and I will see you again in July.

Dr. Frisch

Women and Depression

Worldwide, women are much more prone to depression than men.  The ratio is two to one over men.  This is not because women are the weaker sex or that they are lacking some internal drive.  The reason that women are more prone to depression than men appears to be both biological and environmental.

STRESS may be the environmental culprit  The rates of depression are not exclusive to this country either. 30,000 women in 30 countries (cross-cultural study) were found to have similar reports of depression in stressful situations.  This was not mirrored by the men of those same countries.

Biological stressors such as reproductive hormones, stress hormones and mood-regulator neurotransmitters (serotonin, nor epinephrine) all play a part in depressive states.  It appears that women, more than men, may be more sensitive to these stressors and unable to turn off the emergency response as efficiently as men.  This would result in a chronic emergency state of the body.

Exercise, diet and rest are all important factors in proper body function, but to quell the emergency state, some people may actually need medication.  Those of you who know me, know that I am not anti-medication.  It has its place.  Remember though, medication ONLY alters chemical reactions in the body.  ALL drugs are either a stimulant or a sedative.  Drugs do not alter structure and function.  That is what a chiropractor does.

SSRI medications (Prozac and Zoloft) inhibit the reuptake of serotonin into the nerve bulb.  This allows serotonin to sit in the nerve synapse LONGER and provide relaxing and calming effects.  They are quite effective for altering mood and stress.  The difficult thing is that once on a medication, doctors are often reluctant to take you off the medication, even if the stressors in your life change.

If you or someone you know is depressed and suffers from long term stress,  first clean up the easy things like diet, rest and begin an exercise program.  It is often all that is needed.  If that is not completely effective at resolving the depressive state, medication may be needed, at least until the stressors can be resolved.

My recommendations to you is to consider depression a transitional state with stressors that need to be resolved in order to become 'normal' again.  Do seek help, however, if things do continue to feel overwhelming for longer periods of time without any relief.    

Attention Deficit Disorder

This is the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorder.  the symptoms of this are hyperactivity, restlessness, impulsivity and, and being easily distracted.

This is a controversial topic. There are sectors of medicine that recommend only medications like Ritalin and Dexedrine and they frequently clash with the biologically-based doctors and the socially-based doctors.

New studies recently published indicate that the brains of people with ADHD show minor differences in the amount of brain matter in the frontal lobes.  This area of the brain is responsible for controlling impulses and higher order thinking and planning.

If the brains appear to be different, what could be some of the reasons why?  First, they may have been born that way.  The problem could be genetic.  Second, the mother may have ingested toxins (drugs, alcohol) while the baby was developing, and thirdly, the child may have been exposed to environmental toxins after birth.  These would be causations noted by biological doctors.

Socially- based doctors contend that the child may have been born normal or with possible tendencies toward ADHD that would not occur without an environmental factor.  This environmental factor could be how the child was raised, including improper discipline and education, verbal or physical abuse, and even a lack of emotional nurturing.  These factors could indeed alter how the brain develops and molds itself during the growth years (I have talk about dendritic growth in early newsletters).

Both of these approaches have validity, but who is right?  Is there a right?

There are new medications available that may make focus and concentration easier for children (and adults) who truly have a biological ADHD.  Information on these may be found on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ( www.aacap.org ) website.

The bigger issue of behavior structure and modification (discipline) is still a hot potato.  No parent wants to admit that they may lack parenting skills and actually be part of the problem that results in physical changes in their child.  Medication is easy and we live in a drug society.  The United States uses 80% of all the world's prescription stimulants (that what is used with ADHD) and some feel that a diagnosis of ADHD is being tailored to fit the drug treatments available.  They may not be all wrong.

ADHD exists and is real.  The biological disorder may, however, have a very real social component that is being missed, overlooked or totally ignored.

Rear-End Collisions Revisited

The past few years have revealed significant literature regarding the effects that a rear-end collision has on the human frame.  

During the crash, the lower part of the neck moves forward very quickly and the upper neck 'stays behind'. This causes shearing forces across the neck and between the joints.  This shear is what tears the ligaments.  The speed of this tearing happens between 50-75 milliseconds.  It is very quick.

Recent research investigated what speeds were necessary to actually sustain trauma. At an acceleration level of 5 mph. the C5-C6 level in you neck begins to tear.  At speeds over that, the tearing begins to spread to other areas of your neck and even your upper back, which is a primary complaint with most whiplash suffers.

Remember, there is no such thing as a 'pulled' muscle or ligament, they are TORN.  Without the appropriate post-accident care, the healing is incomplete.

The authors of this study agree:

"Chronic pain resulting from  low-speed collisions may be explained by partial tears of the soft tissues, including annulus fibers, ligaments, and avascular cartilage.  Because of poor blood supply, these tissues may not completely heal following injury, resulting in altered cervical spine kinematics that can lead to accelerated degenerative changes and clinical instability."

(Published in Spine 2004;29:979-987)

As I have discussed in previous newsletters, the speed of an accident is not nearly as important as the 'shear forces' that accompany an accident.  

The ligaments support the bones of your neck so that they remain in an upright column.  The muscles move the bones.  When the supporting ligaments and discs are damaged, it is a lot like a slinky that moves around in all directions.  The stability is lost.  If left alone, the healing that takes place is incomplete and the joints begin to breakdown and become arthritic.  Bony spurring develops as the body tries to stabilize the area on its own.  The problem is that the pain of this type of trauma may not be felt until years after the accident.  At that time there is no insurance coverage for the damage and the patient often spends thousands of dollars just trying to regain some semblance of a pain-free life.

If you have been in a car accident, you owe it to yourself to take 30 minutes out of your day to get evaluated.  The examination process is thorough and very accurate as to whether you or any passenger has sustained true injury.  You can't 'wish this type of problem away'.

After an accident, be smart and treat yourself properly.  Pain is not a good indicator of ligamentous or discal injury. 

Eileen's Corner

With the upcoming Memorial holiday I thought that something quick, easy and travels well would be in order.  The kids will love these.

Rice Krispie Bars

8-10 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup Butter

2 Packages Marshmallows (10 oz bag)

Steps:

#1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from the heat.

#2 Add the Rice Krispies and stir until coated.

#3 Use a buttered spatula or wax paper, and press the mixture evenly into a 9 X 13 inch buttered pan.

#4 Let cool at room temperature.

"Just try and one only one!"

Have a great holiday,

Eileen

Parkinson's Disease Effects

A recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry (April 2004) revealed that there may be more to Parkinson's Disease than earlier thought.

An unusual clinical trial was done in which 39 people, each suffering with Parkinson's disease were to have embryonic cells transplanted into their brains to stop or slow the progression of the disease.

The process was done by drilling 4 holes into their heads under local anesthesia.  Only half of the subjects actually received the treatment.  The other half did not receive any embryonic cells.  The subjects did not know which group they were placed into.

The results were quite surprising:

• Those who thought they had received the transplants reported a better quality of life one year later than did those who felt that they got the placebo surgery.

• Doctors (also not aware of who got what) rated these same people as doing better. 

• Those people who 'thought' that they had received the treatment did better with quality-of-life testing than those people who actually DID receive the treatment.

This research indicates that the more 'extreme' the placebo treatment administered, the better the outcome of the study.  The placebo effect may actually aid in the recovery of a number of participants.

Countless research studies have indicated that the mental state of a patient is important to recovery of injuries and disease.  A positive outlook does alter chemical responses in the body.  Although a positive mental outlook won't 'cure' a disease like Parkinson's, it may offer a longer, functional life.

Have a great holiday and I will see you again in July!

Dr. Frisch