Dr. Missaghi’s Newsletter for the month of September

Dr. Missaghi’s Newsletter for the month of September

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Dr. Bahareh Missaghi, DC

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Preparing Your Child for First Day at Preschool

Text Box: When enrolling your child in preschool or kindergarten there are a number of things you can do to help prepare your then for that first-day:

§ Tell your child in advance that he or she soon will be going to school.

§ Be positive and reassure your child that school is a good place.

§ Never use school as a threat or a means to change your child's behavior.

§ Prepare for new school experiences by using puppets or by role-playing some enjoyable school activities.

§ Read age-appropriate books about going to school to help your child know what to expect or work with your child to make a storybook about going to school.

§ Prepare the night before by planning meals, clothes and transportation.

§ Consider riding the bus with your child the first day. Check with your child's school to be sure this is allowed and don't go along if your child seems embarrassed.

§ Let your child bring a security object to school like a stuffed toy, or give them a photo to keep.

Don't be too concerned if, in spite of your best efforts, your child cries and refuses to leave your side the first day of school while another youngster dismisses his or her parent with a wave of the lunch box. Clinging and crying are healthy coping mechanisms in very young children, so try not to overreact.

Most concerned teachers will allow you to stay in the classroom for awhile. Gradually lessen the amount of time you stay, but don't sneak out when you leave.

A Hot Way to Ease Low Back Pain

If you've ever had low back pain, you know that your doctor of chiropractic may try several different procedures to make you feel better. While some chiropractors may simply adjust your back, others may offer a variety of treatments ranging from heat to certain exercise routines. A recent study compared the effectiveness of these other treatments and found that a combination of heat and exercise worked better than either therapy by itself.

Scientists examined 100 people with acute low back pain and randomized them into one of four groups. The first group wore a disposable low-level heat wrap eight hours per day for five consecutive days; the second group performed a series of flexion and extension exercises at various times for five days; the third group used a combination of exercise and heat wraps; and the final group received an educational booklet. At baseline and other intervals, the patients were examined to determine their functional ability, along with the intensity of their low back pain and any relief the therapies offered.

By the time the study concluded, patients who received the combination of heat and exercise showed significant improvements in function, disability and pain relief compared to the other groups. In some instances, the improvements were up to 175 percent greater; no adverse effects were reported among patients using the heat-exercise combination. If you suffer from low back pain, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about what treatments may work best for you.

The Spine Journal 2005;5:395-403.

Reprinted with Permission of MPA Media

Antibiotics for Ear Infections:

Not the Right Answer?

Text Box:
One of the most common infections children experience is acute otitis media (AOM), which affects the middle ear, and is often associated with a buildup of fluid that causes pain and swelling. While many doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat AOM, some health care providers believe using antibiotics too frequently can lead to drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, some doctors choose to let an AOM infection run its course and don't prescribe antibiotics unless they're absolutely necessary. This may be good thinking; in fact, the results of a recent study suggest not providing antibiotics may be just as effective in the overall treatment of AOM.

In the study, over 200 children with AOM were randomized into two groups. Both groups received medication to treat the pain associated with AOM, but only one group received a course of antibiotics. Over a 30-day period, doctors then examined the children in both groups to determine whether the infection had resolved or become more severe.

Results: While children given antibiotics also took fewer doses of pain medication, samples of bacteria obtained from those children were more likely to be drug-resistant than in children who hadn't received antibiotics. In addition, parents in both groups seemed equally satisfied with the care their child received, and the costs of treatment were almost $36 less per patient among children not taking antibiotics. Not every infection needs to be treated with an antibiotic. With proper education and observation, acute otitis media can often be managed without resorting to these types of drugs for care.

Pediatrics, June 2005;115 (6):1455-1465.
Reprinted with Permission of MPAMedia

What Men & Women Want

What men and women look for in the opposite sex changes when they reach middle age.

For women over 50, "sex and romance" is the No. 1 characteristic they look for in a partner, according to the survey done in conjunction with an upcoming book by Mason Grigsby and Nancy W. Collins entitled: "Love At Second Sight -- Playing the Mid-Life Dating Game."

In a first marriage, women looked primarily for a "good provider," followed by intelligence and companionship. Sex and romance were No. 4.
Men over the age of 50 look for women with common interests, followed by attractiveness and intelligence.

For men, sex and romance, the No. 2 quality they looked for in their youth, is fourth in middle age.

Kids Walking to School are Healthier

Children who walk to school have higher overall daily physical activity levels compared with those who travel by car, bus or train, a British study says.
A study appearing this week in the British Medical Journal suggests the findings are important for promoting healthy school and transport strategies. Researchers measured moderate to vigorous physical activity among 92 pupils, ages 13 and 14, from four schools in the Edinburgh area of Scotland.

Pupils walking both ways accrued the most minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, followed by those walking one way. In all, the study showed 87 percent of pupils using a car, bus or train accumulated an average of 60 or more minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on weekdays, compared with 90 percent who walked one way and 100 percent of students walking both ways.

Reasons for increased physical activity may include differences in appreciation of activity. Walking in the morning may stimulate further activity and social facilitation. The study concludes that understanding the differences might enhance health-promoting school and transportation strategies.

Some Vitamins Slow Cataract Growth

Tufts Univiverity researchers say taking vitamins B, E and C may inhibit cataract development. Age-related cataract is the world's leading cause of blindness but surgical correction is currently the only known option for intervention. The researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University sought to determine if prevention is possible.

In one study, lead scientist Paul Jacques, director of the center's Nutritional Epidemiology Program, and his colleagues analyzed the diets and examined the eyes of a group of Boston-area women during a five-year period. Those supplementing their diets with vitamin E for 10 years or more had significantly less progression of cataract development.

Similar findings were seen among those reporting higher intakes of two B vitamins, riboflavin and thiamin. "Our results," said Jacques, "suggest vitamin supplementation, particularly long-term use of vitamin E, may slow cataract development." An earlier study indicated similar results for vitamin C. The study's complete findings appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Sunbathing Might be an Addiction

Most people know exposure to ultraviolet rays produced by the sun or a tanning both are dangerous, now a study indicates why many people ignore that fact. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, using criteria adapted from methods used to screen for alcoholism and drug dependency, determined repetitive tanning behavior might result from a type of addiction.

UTMB Professor Richard Wagner, senior author of the study, and his colleagues asked 145 Galveston beachgoers a series of questions such as, "Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the sun, but find yourself still sun tanning?"

Results indicated 53% of the beachgoers interviewed were classified as "ultraviolet light tanning dependent." Wagner said the study's results might explain why educational interventions have not been more successful. The study appears in the current online issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Text Box: Teenage Smoking Predictors are Researched

Researchers say it is possible absorption of nicotine from second-hand smoke during childhood makes adolescents susceptible to nicotine-seeking behavior. Dr. Margaret Becklake, professor emeritus at McGill University in Montreal, says the smoking rate among adolescents in the context of anti-smoking campaigns is troubling.

Predictor of teenage smoking commonly cited are parental smoking during childhood and peer pressure during adolescence.

Becklake investigated those and other possible predictors of teenage cigarette smoking and found salivary content measuring uptake of environmental tobacco smoke is a significant predictor.

Cocoa May Help Stop Stroke, Heart Disease

Cocoa has long been described as a medicine for many ailments and now researchers say it might also have a beneficial effect on heart disease and stroke.

A research team in Southampton, England, led by Dr. Denise O'Shaugnessy has shown drinking a cup of cocoa can prevent potentially fatal blood clots by inhibiting platelet function.

When blood clots lodge in our brain or heart there are potentially fatal consequences, such as stroke or heart attack. The blood cells called platelets are necessary for clotting to occur. "Cocoa contains a substance called flavonoids, which are also present in red wine," explained 'Shaugnessy. "Flavonoids can be preventive for coronary heart disease; however our research has uncovered another ingredient in cocoa which may be responsible for the platelet inhibition. “This finding may well lead to important new therapies to prevent heart disease and stroke. But it may also mean that a nice hot cup of cocoa may also take on new importance for people in high risk categories."

Long Work Hours - More Injuries & Illnesses

Text Box: U.S. researchers say there's new evidence that overtime and long work hours result in more occupational injuries and illnesses. A study appearing in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine says injuries and illnesses have nothing to do with how hazardous the job is.

The researchers analyzed the responses of nearly 11,000 people to the annual National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The survey included questions about employment history, work schedules, and sick leave, covering the period between 1987 and 2000. In total, 110,236 job records were analyzed and 5,139 work related injuries and illnesses were noted, with more than half occurring in jobs requiring extended working hours or overtime. After adjusting for age, gender, type of industry and job, employees working overtime were 61 percent more likely to suffer a work related injury or illness than employees who did not work overtime. Working 12 hours/day was associated with a 37% increased risk of injury/illness, while working at least 60 hours/wk was associated with a 23% increased risk, compared with those who worked fewer hours.

Heart Healthy Care Benefits Oral Health

Case Western Reserve University researchers in Cleveland suggest heart healthy habits are also good for maintaining one's oral health.

Researchers examined data from 12,110 individuals who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They found individuals who exercised, had healthy eating habits and maintained a normal weight were 40 percent less likely to develop periodontitis -- a gum infection that can result in loss of teeth.

Before the study and aside from brushing and flossing, healthy behaviors contributing to the prevention of periodontitis were unknown, the scientists said. The study appears in the Journal of Periodontology, the official publication of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Placebo Effect Not Purely Psychological

A University of Michigan study suggests just believing a medicine will relieve pain is enough to prompt one's brain to release its own natural painkillers.

The researchers, led by Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta, an associate professor of psychiatry and radiology, said their study provides the first direct evidence the brain's own pain-fighting chemicals, called endorphins, play a role in the phenomenon known as the placebo effect, resulting in a reduction in feelings of pain.

Previous studies showed the brain reacts physically when a person is given a sham pain treatment expected to help. But Zubieta said the most recent study is the first to pinpoint a specific brain chemistry mechanism for a pain-related placebo effect. He said this might result in better use of psychological therapy for people suffering chronic pain.

The results are published in the Aug. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience by a team from the university's Molecular and Behavioral Neurosciences Institute.

Mysteries of Garlic Revealed

University of California scientists have determined garlic's active ingredients work the same in the same way as the chemicals in chili peppers and wasabi.

Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco's Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology said garlic's pungent aroma and its effects on the body, such as dilating blood vessels, are due to a variety of sulfur-based chemicals, especially allicin. Little is known about how those compounds produce their effects on a molecular level, but researchers David Julius and colleagues demonstrated garlic extracts, as well as purified allicin, excite a subset of sensory pain neurons from rats by activating a cell membrane channel called TRPA1. The excited neurons then release brain chemicals stimulating blood vessel dilation and inflammation in rats. The study appears in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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