This Issue's Feature Articles:
- Healthcare Rates Will Continue To Soar
- Pregnant Women’s Musculoskeletal Pains Left Untreated
- Higher-Intensity Workouts More Effective
- Vitamin D Reduces Falls In The Elderly

Healthcare Rates Will Continue To Soar
A recent report from the US government states the cost of healthcare services in America will double to more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years. According to the report, for every dollar spent in 2006, 16 cents was for healthcare. This is expected to increase to around 20 cents in just 10 years. According to experts, increased spending on prescription drugs will account for much of this expected increase. We should add that chiropractic care is the largest, drug-free healthcare profession in the world and chiropractic care does not involve the use of prescription drugs. Instead, chiropractic care is based on the premise that given the right circumstances, the body is able to correct and heal itself. Chiropractors simply provide the body with the proper environment for this to occur.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: Reuters. February 21, 2007.
Copyright Holder: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2007

Pregnant Women’s Musculoskeletal Pains Left Untreated
It’s unfortunate that although many musculoskeletal pains arise during pregnancy, most go untreated, especially in underserved communities. According to a recent study from the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, of the 599 predominantly low-socioeconomic pregnant women surveyed, 67 percent reported musculoskeletal pain with 21 percent reporting their pain intensity as severe. Surprisingly, 80 percent of pregnant women experiencing pain slept less than 4 hours per night and 75 percent of these women took pain medications. Most disappointing, 85 percent of the women felt they had not been offered treatment for their musculoskeletal disorders. Chiropractors are highly skilled in providing care for musculoskeletal pains, including those that arise during pregnancy. If you or another is suffering from pregnancy-related musculoskeletal pains or any type of musculoskeletal pain, please consider scheduling an appointment with a musculoskeletal expert today, your local chiropractor.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: JMPT. Vol 30, Issue 2. February 2007.
Copyright Holder: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2007

Higher-Intensity Workouts More Effective
In terms of promoting overall fitness, German researchers have found moderate to high-intensity endurance exercise significantly more beneficial than low-intensity exercise. While low-intensity exercise is appropriate for those with heart conditions or other disabilities/conditions that prevent higher intensity exercise, researchers stated that for healthy adults, intense endurance exercise is superior. In order to reap the benefits of endurance exercise, researchers recommended that healthy individuals with no heart problems aim for a heart rate of at least 80 percent of their maximum heart rate. To determine your approximate maximum heart rate for those 20 years of age and older, simply subtract 20 from your current age, then subtract the resulting number from 200. Thus, a 35-year old would have a maximum heart rate of 185 beats per minute; 35 minus 20 equals 15 and 200 minus 15 equals 185. Therefore, the target exercising heart rate for this individual would be 148 beats per minute; 80 percent of 185.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine. January 2007.
Copyright Holder: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2007

Vitamin D Reduces Falls In The Elderly
A new study shows that elders who simply take additional amounts of vitamin D can significantly reduce their likelihood of falling – a common and often critical occurrence in the elderly. In this new study, researchers found that elderly nursing home residents supplementing with 800 units of vitamin D daily were 72 percent less likely to experience a fall as compared with those receiving a placebo during a 5-month period. Of those participants supplementing with 400 units of vitamin D per day, half were found to be vitamin D deficient. It should be noted that vitamin D deficiency is common with elderly nursing home residents. Vitamin D plays an important role in allowing the body to utilize calcium, keeping both muscles and bones strong.

Author: ChiroPlanet.com
Source: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. February 2007.
Copyright Holder: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2007