Eat 15g or Less of This Daily to Help Slim Your Waistline

By Dr. Mercola

In today's world it's more difficult than ever to keep your weight under control, as evidenced by the fact that over 2/3 of all American adults are now overweight or obeseⁱ, as are one in three children.

Part of the blame rests with the processed food corporations that spend billions of dollars marketing unhealthy foodsⁱⁱ as "healthy choices."

So what do "naturally thin" people know that the rest don't?

David Zinczenco, editor in chief of Men's Health magazine, and Matt Goulding address this question in a recent article featured on Yahoo Healthⁱⁱⁱ, stating that most thin people tend to live by a series of "laws" that keep them from gaining excess weight.

These seven rules are simple enough that most can follow them:

1. Avoid "Dieting": By dieting, you're setting yourself up to gain more weight than ever.
2. Avoid "Fat-Free": Fat doesn't make you fat; you need fat in your diet to help you process certain nutrients.
3. Sit Down to Eat: Eating more slowly and savoring your meal boosts levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller.
4. Plan Your Meals and Snacks: Planning your responses to hunger helps you shed pounds faster.
5. Eat Protein: Those who eat moderately high levels of protein (including organic animal protein) are twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off as those who don't eat much protein.
6. Move Around: "Fit people stay fit by having fun."
7. Watch Less TV: Nearly 30 percent of people who watch more than four hours of TV a day have a BMI of 30 or higher.

(To read more about these rules, please see the original article.) I do believe Americans in particular have traded convenience for health, and that is partly visible in the list above.

Staying lean includes skipping conveniences like fast food and driving everywhere you need to go... It's important to understand that poor dietary and lifestyle choices are at the very root of skyrocketing obesity- and disease rates. But, while the seven "laws of thin people" compiled by Zinczenco and Goulding are good ones, from my experience these rules are still coming up a short. So, below I will review several more that I believe are CRUCIAL factors for successful long-term weight management and optimal health.

Rule #1: Severely Limit Fructose in Your Diet

It is important to understand that your diet is THREE times more important for controlling your weight than your exercise. It's very easy to sabotage any benefit you'd receive from exercise by consuming fructose-laden foods and beverages, including sports drinks, sodas, and fruit juices. If you consume any processed foods or sweetened beverages at all, reading the labels is a necessity. You may be shocked to realize just how much sugar is in the products you consume on a regular basis.

Why is limiting fructose so important for weight management and optimal health?

The reasons are numerous, but if I could make you memorize just one thing that can truly help you improve your health, it would be thateating fat does not make you fat; eating excessive fructose does! If you were to view soda with the same disdain most people give to a chunk of lard, you'd be on the right track... Ironically though, the lard would actually be more healthful for you than the soda!

Fructose simultaneously prevents weight loss and promotes fat storage, by:

• Diminishing your satiety (feelings of fullness) as it does not stimulate a rise in leptin, one of the most powerful hunger and fat storage regulators in your body. And, of course, when you're feeling hungry you tend to eat more.
  Leptin resistance, just like insulin resistance, is also one of the most significant factors underlying a vast array of diseases. For example, it plays a significant if not primary role in the development of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself.
• Not suppressing ghrelin (also known as "the hunger hormone"). Glucose, on the other hand, does suppress ghrelin, making you feel satiated
• Slowly, if consumed chronically, causing insulin resistance, which hampers weight loss efforts
• Converting directly to fat more readily than any other sugar. It is also known to raise triglycerides significantly
• Robbing your body of micronutrients while assimilating itself for use (in the case of foods containing high fructose corn syrup. Whole fruits on the other hand does not have this particular problem as the fruit contains all these extra nutrients along with the fructose)

With all these simultaneous factors coming into play every time you consume fructose, it's easy to see why a high-fructose diet can propel you into a vicious cycle of over-eating while also being malnourished.

My recommendation is to keep your total fructose intake below 25 grams of fructose per day, if you're in good health. Most people will also benefit from limiting your fructose from fruit to 15 grams a day, and, if you need to lose weight, you likely will need to limit your total fructose consumption to 15 grams a day total, including that from fruit.

Rule # 2: Reduce Your Grain Carb Consumption

Excess weight	Depression	Bloating	High blood pressure
Fatigue and frequent sleepiness	Brain fogginess	Low blood sugar	High triglycerides

If you experience any of the following symptoms, chances are very good that the excess carbohydrates in your diet are, in part or whole, to blame: the primary reason for cutting out as many grain carbs as possible is because grains convert into sugar in your body, spiking your insulin levels. Eventually, your body becomes insulin resistant, and that's when the majority of the problems really set in. Obesity is just the beginning. Insulin resistance is in fact one of the hallmarks of nearly every chronic disease known to man, from diabetes, to heart disease, to cancer.

If you want to be optimally healthy and normalize your weight, reducing your carb consumption is essential. This includes:

• Breads and baked goods (ALL grains, including organic ones)
• Rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes

We all need a certain amount of carbohydrates, of course, but, through our addiction to grains, corn, sweets and other starchy and sugary foods, we are consuming far too many. Your body's storage capacity for carbohydrates is quite limited, so here's what happens to all the excess: they are converted, via insulin, into fat and stored in the adipose (fatty) tissue.

Rule # 3: Increase Your Healthy Fat Consumption

Carbs (sugars) provide your body with energy, but it's fast burning and doesn't satisfy very long. Once you decrease carbs in the form of sugar/fructose and grains, you need to replace them with increased amounts of vegetable carbs and healthy saturated fats. Fats will not only make you feel satiated longer than carbs, but will also provide you with high quality fuel your body needs. And, while eating grains and sugars will raise your insulin levels and promote insulin resistance, eating fat does not. However, the quality of the fats is very important. Loading up on margarine and vegetable oils is asking for trouble as these types of trans fats have been linked to:

Cancer: They interfere with enzymes your body uses to fight cancer	Decreased immune function: They reduce your immune response	Obesity
Diabetes: They interfere with the insulin receptors in your cell membranes	Problems with reproduction: They interfere with enzymes needed to produce sex hormones	Heart disease: Trans fats can cause major clogging of your arteries

At the other end of the spectrum you have saturated fats, which are:

Preferred fuel for your heart	Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)	Useful for lowering cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
Carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes	Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid)	Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)

Sources of healthy fats that you'll want to add to your diet include:

Olives and Olive oil (for cold dishes)	Coconuts, and coconut oil (for all types of cooking and baking)	Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans	Organic pastured egg yolks	Avocados
Grass fed meats	Palm oil	Unheated organic nut oils

Another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. For more information about omega-3's and the best sources of this fat, please review this previous article.

Rule # 4: Avoid All "Diet" Foods, Especially Diet Sodas

Soda, in my opinion, is one of the primary health threats. A single can of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. However, the alternative may be even worse. Diet sodas, which typically contain either aspartame or sucralose (Splenda), or a combination of both, can wreak havoc on your health in just as many ways as fructose, but since they are manmade chemicals, the toxic ramifications and side effects can be magnified.

Billions of dollars worth of advertising tells you that diet soda gives you all the pleasure of a sweet beverage or snack without any of the worries associated with excess calories. Too bad it really is too good to be true.

In fact, artificial sweeteners have actually been positively linked to weight gain—not weight loss! More recent research has demonstrated that your brain can tell the difference between real and artificial sugar, and not only are artificial sugars less satisfying to your brain at a cellular level, they also increase your craving for the real thing. So artificially sweetened foods and snacks, and diet soda in particular, must be avoided if you don't want to fuel sugar cravings.

Rule # 5: Be Sure to Eat PLENTY of Organic Vegetables

One of the best ways to improve your health is to make sure you're eating plenty of fresh, minimally processed high quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic, with a majority of them consumed raw. One simple way to boost your vegetable intake is to juice them. I highly recommend it to anyone working to restore or improve their health. You can review my comprehensive approach to how to juice on my vegetable juicing page.

And for every vegetable you pack onto your plate or into your glass, you'll have less room for all those other simple carbohydrates that can expand your waistline.

Rule # 6: Optimize Your Exercise Program

A healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to creating and maintaining optimal health. If you are struggling with your weight, exercise is clearly one of the key factors that can synergize the effects of healthy food choices. But did you know that by making some minor changes in the types of exercises you engage in, you can speed up and dramatically improve the results?

It's true.

The key to boosting weight loss and getting the most out of your exercise routine is to make sure to incorporate high-intensity, short-burst-type exercises, such as my Peak Fitness Program, two to three times per week. Several studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session.

This has been shown to hold true even when the session is not done at an extremely high intensity.

This may be because these types of exercises are the closest to how the human body was designed to move—like that of a hunter-gatherer. A recent study highlights the benefits of this type of daily movement. The researchers noted that the ideal "exercise prescription" would include the following aspects of normal hunger-gatherer living:

A variety of exercises performed regularly (weight training, cardio, stretching, etc.)	Alternate difficult days with easier days	Exercise outdoors, which helps maintain vitamin D levels and improve mood
Interval training sessions performed once or twice a week	Weight training at least twice a week	Walk and run on softer, uneven terrain, such as grass and dirt, possibly barefoot or using "simpler shoes that do not drastically restrict foot motion or alter natural foot strike dynamics"
Exercise with a friend to receive social stimulation as well	Ample time for rest after physical exertion	Recreational activities, including dancing and sex

I completely agree that variety is yet another key to getting the most benefits from your exercise. A sound, well-rounded regimen would include:

• High intensity interval exercises
• Conventional aerobics
• Strength training
• Core exercises like Pilates
• Stretching like Yoga or active isolated stretching

If you're like most Americans, you probably have between a few and several unnecessary pounds you'd prefer not to be carrying around every day. I'm here to tell you that not only is it possible to take off the extra weight with a little thoughtful planning, it is also possible to keep the weight off simply by following a few sensible guidelines above and my nutrition plan.

References:

---

• ⁱ Overweight and Obesity Statistics, Weight-control Information Network, February 2010.
• ⁱⁱ Subliminal Stimuli, Wikipedia.
• ⁱⁱⁱ The 7 Laws of Leanness, Yahoo! Health, September 27, 2011: David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

By Dr. Mercola

In today's world it's more difficult than ever to keep your weight under control, as evidenced by the fact that over 2/3 of all American adults are now overweight or obeseⁱ, as are one in three children.

Part of the blame rests with the processed food corporations that spend billions of dollars marketing unhealthy foodsⁱⁱ as "healthy choices."

So what do "naturally thin" people know that the rest don't?

David Zinczenco, editor in chief of Men's Health magazine, and Matt Goulding address this question in a recent article featured on Yahoo Healthⁱⁱⁱ, stating that most thin people tend to live by a series of "laws" that keep them from gaining excess weight.

These seven rules are simple enough that most can follow them:

1. Avoid "Dieting": By dieting, you're setting yourself up to gain more weight than ever.
2. Avoid "Fat-Free": Fat doesn't make you fat; you need fat in your diet to help you process certain nutrients.
3. Sit Down to Eat: Eating more slowly and savoring your meal boosts levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller.
4. Plan Your Meals and Snacks: Planning your responses to hunger helps you shed pounds faster.
5. Eat Protein: Those who eat moderately high levels of protein (including organic animal protein) are twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off as those who don't eat much protein.
6. Move Around: "Fit people stay fit by having fun."
7. Watch Less TV: Nearly 30 percent of people who watch more than four hours of TV a day have a BMI of 30 or higher.

(To read more about these rules, please see the original article.) I do believe Americans in particular have traded convenience for health, and that is partly visible in the list above.

Staying lean includes skipping conveniences like fast food and driving everywhere you need to go... It's important to understand that poor dietary and lifestyle choices are at the very root of skyrocketing obesity- and disease rates. But, while the seven "laws of thin people" compiled by Zinczenco and Goulding are good ones, from my experience these rules are still coming up a short. So, below I will review several more that I believe are CRUCIAL factors for successful long-term weight management and optimal health.

Rule #1: Severely Limit Fructose in Your Diet

It is important to understand that your diet is THREE times more important for controlling your weight than your exercise. It's very easy to sabotage any benefit you'd receive from exercise by consuming fructose-laden foods and beverages, including sports drinks, sodas, and fruit juices. If you consume any processed foods or sweetened beverages at all, reading the labels is a necessity. You may be shocked to realize just how much sugar is in the products you consume on a regular basis.

Why is limiting fructose so important for weight management and optimal health?

The reasons are numerous, but if I could make you memorize just one thing that can truly help you improve your health, it would be thateating fat does not make you fat; eating excessive fructose does! If you were to view soda with the same disdain most people give to a chunk of lard, you'd be on the right track... Ironically though, the lard would actually be more healthful for you than the soda!

Fructose simultaneously prevents weight loss and promotes fat storage, by:

• Diminishing your satiety (feelings of fullness) as it does not stimulate a rise in leptin, one of the most powerful hunger and fat storage regulators in your body. And, of course, when you're feeling hungry you tend to eat more.
  Leptin resistance, just like insulin resistance, is also one of the most significant factors underlying a vast array of diseases. For example, it plays a significant if not primary role in the development of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself.
• Not suppressing ghrelin (also known as "the hunger hormone"). Glucose, on the other hand, does suppress ghrelin, making you feel satiated
• Slowly, if consumed chronically, causing insulin resistance, which hampers weight loss efforts
• Converting directly to fat more readily than any other sugar. It is also known to raise triglycerides significantly
• Robbing your body of micronutrients while assimilating itself for use (in the case of foods containing high fructose corn syrup. Whole fruits on the other hand does not have this particular problem as the fruit contains all these extra nutrients along with the fructose)

With all these simultaneous factors coming into play every time you consume fructose, it's easy to see why a high-fructose diet can propel you into a vicious cycle of over-eating while also being malnourished.

My recommendation is to keep your total fructose intake below 25 grams of fructose per day, if you're in good health. Most people will also benefit from limiting your fructose from fruit to 15 grams a day, and, if you need to lose weight, you likely will need to limit your total fructose consumption to 15 grams a day total, including that from fruit.

Rule # 2: Reduce Your Grain Carb Consumption

Excess weight	Depression	Bloating	High blood pressure
Fatigue and frequent sleepiness	Brain fogginess	Low blood sugar	High triglycerides

If you experience any of the following symptoms, chances are very good that the excess carbohydrates in your diet are, in part or whole, to blame: the primary reason for cutting out as many grain carbs as possible is because grains convert into sugar in your body, spiking your insulin levels. Eventually, your body becomes insulin resistant, and that's when the majority of the problems really set in. Obesity is just the beginning. Insulin resistance is in fact one of the hallmarks of nearly every chronic disease known to man, from diabetes, to heart disease, to cancer.

If you want to be optimally healthy and normalize your weight, reducing your carb consumption is essential. This includes:

• Breads and baked goods (ALL grains, including organic ones)
• Rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes

We all need a certain amount of carbohydrates, of course, but, through our addiction to grains, corn, sweets and other starchy and sugary foods, we are consuming far too many. Your body's storage capacity for carbohydrates is quite limited, so here's what happens to all the excess: they are converted, via insulin, into fat and stored in the adipose (fatty) tissue.

Rule # 3: Increase Your Healthy Fat Consumption

Carbs (sugars) provide your body with energy, but it's fast burning and doesn't satisfy very long. Once you decrease carbs in the form of sugar/fructose and grains, you need to replace them with increased amounts of vegetable carbs and healthy saturated fats. Fats will not only make you feel satiated longer than carbs, but will also provide you with high quality fuel your body needs. And, while eating grains and sugars will raise your insulin levels and promote insulin resistance, eating fat does not. However, the quality of the fats is very important. Loading up on margarine and vegetable oils is asking for trouble as these types of trans fats have been linked to:

Cancer: They interfere with enzymes your body uses to fight cancer	Decreased immune function: They reduce your immune response	Obesity
Diabetes: They interfere with the insulin receptors in your cell membranes	Problems with reproduction: They interfere with enzymes needed to produce sex hormones	Heart disease: Trans fats can cause major clogging of your arteries

At the other end of the spectrum you have saturated fats, which are:

Preferred fuel for your heart	Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)	Useful for lowering cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
Carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes	Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid)	Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)

Sources of healthy fats that you'll want to add to your diet include:

Olives and Olive oil (for cold dishes)	Coconuts, and coconut oil (for all types of cooking and baking)	Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans	Organic pastured egg yolks	Avocados
Grass fed meats	Palm oil	Unheated organic nut oils

Another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. For more information about omega-3's and the best sources of this fat, please review this previous article.

Rule # 4: Avoid All "Diet" Foods, Especially Diet Sodas

Soda, in my opinion, is one of the primary health threats. A single can of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. However, the alternative may be even worse. Diet sodas, which typically contain either aspartame or sucralose (Splenda), or a combination of both, can wreak havoc on your health in just as many ways as fructose, but since they are manmade chemicals, the toxic ramifications and side effects can be magnified.

Billions of dollars worth of advertising tells you that diet soda gives you all the pleasure of a sweet beverage or snack without any of the worries associated with excess calories. Too bad it really is too good to be true.

In fact, artificial sweeteners have actually been positively linked to weight gain—not weight loss! More recent research has demonstrated that your brain can tell the difference between real and artificial sugar, and not only are artificial sugars less satisfying to your brain at a cellular level, they also increase your craving for the real thing. So artificially sweetened foods and snacks, and diet soda in particular, must be avoided if you don't want to fuel sugar cravings.

Rule # 5: Be Sure to Eat PLENTY of Organic Vegetables

One of the best ways to improve your health is to make sure you're eating plenty of fresh, minimally processed high quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic, with a majority of them consumed raw. One simple way to boost your vegetable intake is to juice them. I highly recommend it to anyone working to restore or improve their health. You can review my comprehensive approach to how to juice on my vegetable juicing page.

And for every vegetable you pack onto your plate or into your glass, you'll have less room for all those other simple carbohydrates that can expand your waistline.

Rule # 6: Optimize Your Exercise Program

A healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to creating and maintaining optimal health. If you are struggling with your weight, exercise is clearly one of the key factors that can synergize the effects of healthy food choices. But did you know that by making some minor changes in the types of exercises you engage in, you can speed up and dramatically improve the results?

It's true.

The key to boosting weight loss and getting the most out of your exercise routine is to make sure to incorporate high-intensity, short-burst-type exercises, such as my Peak Fitness Program, two to three times per week. Several studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session.

This has been shown to hold true even when the session is not done at an extremely high intensity.

This may be because these types of exercises are the closest to how the human body was designed to move—like that of a hunter-gatherer. A recent study highlights the benefits of this type of daily movement. The researchers noted that the ideal "exercise prescription" would include the following aspects of normal hunger-gatherer living:

A variety of exercises performed regularly (weight training, cardio, stretching, etc.)	Alternate difficult days with easier days	Exercise outdoors, which helps maintain vitamin D levels and improve mood
Interval training sessions performed once or twice a week	Weight training at least twice a week	Walk and run on softer, uneven terrain, such as grass and dirt, possibly barefoot or using "simpler shoes that do not drastically restrict foot motion or alter natural foot strike dynamics"
Exercise with a friend to receive social stimulation as well	Ample time for rest after physical exertion	Recreational activities, including dancing and sex

I completely agree that variety is yet another key to getting the most benefits from your exercise. A sound, well-rounded regimen would include:

• High intensity interval exercises
• Conventional aerobics
• Strength training
• Core exercises like Pilates
• Stretching like Yoga or active isolated stretching

If you're like most Americans, you probably have between a few and several unnecessary pounds you'd prefer not to be carrying around every day. I'm here to tell you that not only is it possible to take off the extra weight with a little thoughtful planning, it is also possible to keep the weight off simply by following a few sensible guidelines above and my nutrition plan.

References:

---

• ⁱ Overweight and Obesity Statistics, Weight-control Information Network, February 2010.
• ⁱⁱ Subliminal Stimuli, Wikipedia.
• ⁱⁱⁱ The 7 Laws of Leanness, Yahoo! Health, September 27, 2011: David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More

Bracing and Spinal Surgery Mostly Ineffective in the Treatment of Scoliosis; Real Hope Lies Elsewhere

by Dr. Kevin Lau

The worldwide prevalence of scoliosis has been rising for the last few years.  The figures are very telling. The most recent statistics reveal that the United States has the highest number of deaths caused by scoliosis in the world (245) followed by Spain and Germany (both with 44 deaths). Putting each country's current population in the equation means that Germany has the highest percentage of deaths caused by scoliosis in the world, followed by Spain and then the United States.

This is because scoliosis is much more than having an unsightly “C” or “S” curve along the spine or experiencing excruciating back pain. If severe, scoliosis can have serious health complications such as respiratory,  cardiovascular, and neurological damage, all of which can shorten life expectancy among sufferers.

But then again the deaths attributed to scoliosis could have been caused by wrong treatments. This is what happens when the proposed solutions aggravate or worsen the very problem they're supposed to amend. The objective of mainstream scoliosis treatments is to arrest the progression of the curvature, not for the patient to end up in greater disability. The latter, however, is what is happening in a lot of cases. Instead of experiencing relief from pain and discomfort scoliotic patients end up being handicapped for life, either physically, emotionally, or both. Worse, they can even end up dead.

Let's look at the conventional orthopedic treatments for scoliosis.  Currently the scoliosis patients are given three options, depending on the degree of their curvature: bracing if the Cobb angle is already 25 degrees, or spinal surgery if it has already reached 60 degrees. No intervention is applied when the curvature is only 5 to 10 degrees. This wait-and-see period though the monitoring of the spine via frequent x-rays. Unfortunately overexposure to radiation brought about by the series of x-rays that scoliosis patients are made to undergo results in higher breast cancer rates among scoliotic females. Alternative  ways to monitor and measure scoliosis should therefore be explored. 

An important question to ask is why doctors wait before treating the curvature when they can do so much during the observation period to prevent the condition from getting worse. Early treatment will obviate the “need” for bracing and surgery. Also, your doctor telling you to wait and see if your curvature is going to progress or not is just as unsettling as your gynecologist telling you to wait in a few years whether the mass in your breast will become malignant or not. 

It should not matter if the curvature is below 25 degrees. It still needs to be treated. Trivializing mild scoliosis with the knowledge of the high ineluctability of it progressing into moderate scoliosis is a deliberate act of medical neglect. This is the stage when the curvature in the spine is the easiest to reverse. It doesn't make sense to wait for the scoliosis to worsen when the standard available treatments for moderate to severe scoliosis are not just a huge waste of investment of time but money as well, given the cost, inefficacy, and the serious health risks that bracing and spinal surgery bring.

The problem is that bracing and surgery are at their best only marginally effective, but at their worst are devastatingly regrettable treatment options. Knowing that scoliosis doesn't respond well to the two mainstream options for managing and treating advanced scoliosis should prod the medical community to rethink the entire wait-and-see approach.

Spinal braces are, so to speak, ill-fitting armors regardless of the type or model the patient is  using. Apart from being uncomfortable, braces can severely restrict upper body  movement, resulting in muscle atrophy and loss of spinal flexibility. Wearing a spinal brace unfortunately carries a stigma with it as well, since it is not as socially acceptable as dental braces due to its conspicuousness. This is why a lot of adolescents who wore braces to correct their spine end up with emotional trauma, something that they and their families would have to deal with apart from the frustrating and disappointing results that bracing often brings.

Bracing is supposed to deter spinal surgery in people with moderate curvatures.  This is not the case however, as only one third of the 70,000 spinal surgeries performed annually are due to severe scoliosis. This means that two thirds of the scoliotic patients who underwent surgery were only suffering from moderate scoliosis, which should have been managed by bracing if it is truly effective.

Now let's go to surgery. It goes without saying that all invasive procedures are inherently risky, and that complications are not limited to the possible adverse reactions to anaesthesia. The dismaying fact is that the exorbitant cost of spinal surgery does not guarantee successful long-term results. It isn't botch-proof either. One wrong poke along the delicate spine and the patient can end up paralyzed, even dead in a few days or weeks after suffering from neurological complications via bungled procedures. Death can also take place after a longer period as in the case of  cancer developing 2 or 3 years after grafting genetically modified protein into the patient's spine, a required procedure to make certain  surgical devices work.

As responsible healthcare providers doctors should educate their patients about all the possible consequences of conventional treatment options. The problem is that  many times patients are not given an objective and comprehensive orientation regarding the pros and cons of bracing and spinal surgery. This keeps them from making a rational and truly informed decision.

For example, scoliosis patients should be fully educated about the possible and inevitable negative consequences  of  having moderate to severe scoliosis. For one, moderate scoliosis has been shown to greatly impair mobility and limit the physical capacity in female sufferers. The under 25-degree curvature should never be allowed to progress. It gets more bleak for those who are suffering from severe scoliosis. Spinal surgeries that involve the use of rods completely mangle the spinal structure, warranting more surgeries if problems occur with the implanted rods as the spine will not be able to function anymore without the rods. Elderly scoliotic patients who have undergone spinal surgery are very susceptible to failed back surgery syndrome, an irreversible condition characterized by  chronic, debilitating lower back and limb pain and neurological damage. 

All these could be averted if scoliosis is detected and treated in its early stages. The thing is that the prevailing medical system does not encourage doctors to practice prevention or early treatment because there isn't much money in either. There would be no surgeries to perform. Surgeons after all cut people open to make  a living. And no braces or surgical implants to get bribe or royalties from either. Orthos are getting rich, either through royalties for inventing new appliances for spinal surgery that are very expensive but are not guaranteed to be safe, or through the bribe money given by medical companies for them to endorse or utilize their patented rods. This is why some doctors aggressively push treatments that make a lot of patients end up much worse than they originally were prior to either bracing or surgery.

What accounts for the very limited number of treatment options for scoliosis is the failure to  understand biological diversity among patients. Giving them a standardized, across-the-board treatment with no regard to their biochemical and genetic uniqueness is therefore bound to  fail. Treatments should be adapted to the patient, not the other way around.

The good news is that it is possible to curb the curve without any help from drugs, surgery, or bracing. Yes, scoliosis can be treated and reversed naturally with cost-effective methods. The keys are early detection, pro-active prevention, and complementary treatment protocols that are highly customized to suit patient individuality. While results may take a few months to be truly noticeable, the benefits can be sustained indefinitely unlike with bracing and surgery as long as the patient is diligent with the protocols.

Spinal manipulation through chiropractic can work wonders on a scoliotic spine not just by managing back pain but in restoring spinal integrity as well. But not any kind of spinal manipulation will do. It has to be performed by a chiropractor highly trained in modern, advanced techniques that involve low force and specialized adjustments as standard chiropractic manipulations can lead to further instability, causing the spine to bend further. Typical or traditional chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be ineffective, and can sometimes even be harmful to the scoliotic patient due to the unhinging of stable vertebrae. While this may cause pain relief in the short term, the usual long-term result is the progression of the Cobb angle or increased severity of the scoliotic curve. Effective chiropractic techniques are not focused on relieving pain. This is certainly one of  the end results of correcting scoliosis, but the two bigger goals really are to restore the structural integrity of a subluxated spine because humans are meant to have straight, healthy spines, and also to avert life-threatening complications and secondary health problems associated with having a misaligned spine. Well-trained and updated practitioners should be committed to achieving structural changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate and to correct itself. Such chiropractors would also use specific, reproducible precision x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to measure and quantify the positive changes.

Specially designed back exercises that are performed religiously by the patient build stronger back muscles, develop spinal flexibility, and promote proper posture.  Spinal stabilization and coordination are also improved through fitness conditioning and functional training. Unique stretching and core stabilizing exercises can work wonders in realigning a subluxated spine.  Nutritional therapy and supplementation to correct deficiencies that compromise spinal health can yield results that are nothing short of amazing. That's because dietary modifications as determined by metabolic typing have an added boon. Unintended benefits include the mitigation or complete healing of other health conditions such as depression, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Another great thing about natural strategies is that they can be empowering for patients. They start to realize that they can control the outcome of their treatments. This contributes a lot to their success in reversing their scoliosis. With the proper guidance and support of their chiropractor they come to accept and delight in the fact that their health is truly in their hands.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_sco-mortality-scoliosis

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_m...

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/678-Scoliosis-Surgery-Christmas-Shocker!

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/679-Moderate-scoliosis-lowers-physical-capacity-in-females

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/308-Arachnoiditis-Failed-Back-Syndrome-Scar-tissue-gone-Wild

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

by Dr. Kevin Lau

The worldwide prevalence of scoliosis has been rising for the last few years.  The figures are very telling. The most recent statistics reveal that the United States has the highest number of deaths caused by scoliosis in the world (245) followed by Spain and Germany (both with 44 deaths). Putting each country's current population in the equation means that Germany has the highest percentage of deaths caused by scoliosis in the world, followed by Spain and then the United States.

This is because scoliosis is much more than having an unsightly “C” or “S” curve along the spine or experiencing excruciating back pain. If severe, scoliosis can have serious health complications such as respiratory,  cardiovascular, and neurological damage, all of which can shorten life expectancy among sufferers.

But then again the deaths attributed to scoliosis could have been caused by wrong treatments. This is what happens when the proposed solutions aggravate or worsen the very problem they're supposed to amend. The objective of mainstream scoliosis treatments is to arrest the progression of the curvature, not for the patient to end up in greater disability. The latter, however, is what is happening in a lot of cases. Instead of experiencing relief from pain and discomfort scoliotic patients end up being handicapped for life, either physically, emotionally, or both. Worse, they can even end up dead.

Let's look at the conventional orthopedic treatments for scoliosis.  Currently the scoliosis patients are given three options, depending on the degree of their curvature: bracing if the Cobb angle is already 25 degrees, or spinal surgery if it has already reached 60 degrees. No intervention is applied when the curvature is only 5 to 10 degrees. This wait-and-see period though the monitoring of the spine via frequent x-rays. Unfortunately overexposure to radiation brought about by the series of x-rays that scoliosis patients are made to undergo results in higher breast cancer rates among scoliotic females. Alternative  ways to monitor and measure scoliosis should therefore be explored. 

An important question to ask is why doctors wait before treating the curvature when they can do so much during the observation period to prevent the condition from getting worse. Early treatment will obviate the “need” for bracing and surgery. Also, your doctor telling you to wait and see if your curvature is going to progress or not is just as unsettling as your gynecologist telling you to wait in a few years whether the mass in your breast will become malignant or not. 

It should not matter if the curvature is below 25 degrees. It still needs to be treated. Trivializing mild scoliosis with the knowledge of the high ineluctability of it progressing into moderate scoliosis is a deliberate act of medical neglect. This is the stage when the curvature in the spine is the easiest to reverse. It doesn't make sense to wait for the scoliosis to worsen when the standard available treatments for moderate to severe scoliosis are not just a huge waste of investment of time but money as well, given the cost, inefficacy, and the serious health risks that bracing and spinal surgery bring.

The problem is that bracing and surgery are at their best only marginally effective, but at their worst are devastatingly regrettable treatment options. Knowing that scoliosis doesn't respond well to the two mainstream options for managing and treating advanced scoliosis should prod the medical community to rethink the entire wait-and-see approach.

Spinal braces are, so to speak, ill-fitting armors regardless of the type or model the patient is  using. Apart from being uncomfortable, braces can severely restrict upper body  movement, resulting in muscle atrophy and loss of spinal flexibility. Wearing a spinal brace unfortunately carries a stigma with it as well, since it is not as socially acceptable as dental braces due to its conspicuousness. This is why a lot of adolescents who wore braces to correct their spine end up with emotional trauma, something that they and their families would have to deal with apart from the frustrating and disappointing results that bracing often brings.

Bracing is supposed to deter spinal surgery in people with moderate curvatures.  This is not the case however, as only one third of the 70,000 spinal surgeries performed annually are due to severe scoliosis. This means that two thirds of the scoliotic patients who underwent surgery were only suffering from moderate scoliosis, which should have been managed by bracing if it is truly effective.

Now let's go to surgery. It goes without saying that all invasive procedures are inherently risky, and that complications are not limited to the possible adverse reactions to anaesthesia. The dismaying fact is that the exorbitant cost of spinal surgery does not guarantee successful long-term results. It isn't botch-proof either. One wrong poke along the delicate spine and the patient can end up paralyzed, even dead in a few days or weeks after suffering from neurological complications via bungled procedures. Death can also take place after a longer period as in the case of  cancer developing 2 or 3 years after grafting genetically modified protein into the patient's spine, a required procedure to make certain  surgical devices work.

As responsible healthcare providers doctors should educate their patients about all the possible consequences of conventional treatment options. The problem is that  many times patients are not given an objective and comprehensive orientation regarding the pros and cons of bracing and spinal surgery. This keeps them from making a rational and truly informed decision.

For example, scoliosis patients should be fully educated about the possible and inevitable negative consequences  of  having moderate to severe scoliosis. For one, moderate scoliosis has been shown to greatly impair mobility and limit the physical capacity in female sufferers. The under 25-degree curvature should never be allowed to progress. It gets more bleak for those who are suffering from severe scoliosis. Spinal surgeries that involve the use of rods completely mangle the spinal structure, warranting more surgeries if problems occur with the implanted rods as the spine will not be able to function anymore without the rods. Elderly scoliotic patients who have undergone spinal surgery are very susceptible to failed back surgery syndrome, an irreversible condition characterized by  chronic, debilitating lower back and limb pain and neurological damage. 

All these could be averted if scoliosis is detected and treated in its early stages. The thing is that the prevailing medical system does not encourage doctors to practice prevention or early treatment because there isn't much money in either. There would be no surgeries to perform. Surgeons after all cut people open to make  a living. And no braces or surgical implants to get bribe or royalties from either. Orthos are getting rich, either through royalties for inventing new appliances for spinal surgery that are very expensive but are not guaranteed to be safe, or through the bribe money given by medical companies for them to endorse or utilize their patented rods. This is why some doctors aggressively push treatments that make a lot of patients end up much worse than they originally were prior to either bracing or surgery.

What accounts for the very limited number of treatment options for scoliosis is the failure to  understand biological diversity among patients. Giving them a standardized, across-the-board treatment with no regard to their biochemical and genetic uniqueness is therefore bound to  fail. Treatments should be adapted to the patient, not the other way around.

The good news is that it is possible to curb the curve without any help from drugs, surgery, or bracing. Yes, scoliosis can be treated and reversed naturally with cost-effective methods. The keys are early detection, pro-active prevention, and complementary treatment protocols that are highly customized to suit patient individuality. While results may take a few months to be truly noticeable, the benefits can be sustained indefinitely unlike with bracing and surgery as long as the patient is diligent with the protocols.

Spinal manipulation through chiropractic can work wonders on a scoliotic spine not just by managing back pain but in restoring spinal integrity as well. But not any kind of spinal manipulation will do. It has to be performed by a chiropractor highly trained in modern, advanced techniques that involve low force and specialized adjustments as standard chiropractic manipulations can lead to further instability, causing the spine to bend further. Typical or traditional chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be ineffective, and can sometimes even be harmful to the scoliotic patient due to the unhinging of stable vertebrae. While this may cause pain relief in the short term, the usual long-term result is the progression of the Cobb angle or increased severity of the scoliotic curve. Effective chiropractic techniques are not focused on relieving pain. This is certainly one of  the end results of correcting scoliosis, but the two bigger goals really are to restore the structural integrity of a subluxated spine because humans are meant to have straight, healthy spines, and also to avert life-threatening complications and secondary health problems associated with having a misaligned spine. Well-trained and updated practitioners should be committed to achieving structural changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate and to correct itself. Such chiropractors would also use specific, reproducible precision x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to measure and quantify the positive changes.

Specially designed back exercises that are performed religiously by the patient build stronger back muscles, develop spinal flexibility, and promote proper posture.  Spinal stabilization and coordination are also improved through fitness conditioning and functional training. Unique stretching and core stabilizing exercises can work wonders in realigning a subluxated spine.  Nutritional therapy and supplementation to correct deficiencies that compromise spinal health can yield results that are nothing short of amazing. That's because dietary modifications as determined by metabolic typing have an added boon. Unintended benefits include the mitigation or complete healing of other health conditions such as depression, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Another great thing about natural strategies is that they can be empowering for patients. They start to realize that they can control the outcome of their treatments. This contributes a lot to their success in reversing their scoliosis. With the proper guidance and support of their chiropractor they come to accept and delight in the fact that their health is truly in their hands.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_sco-mortality-scoliosis

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_m...

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/678-Scoliosis-Surgery-Christmas-Shocker!

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/679-Moderate-scoliosis-lowers-physical-capacity-in-females

http://www.fixscoliosis.com/threads/308-Arachnoiditis-Failed-Back-Syndrome-Scar-tissue-gone-Wild

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More

The Truth About Adult Scoliosis Progression

When we hear about scoliosis we generally think about the kids we knew in high school that had to wear a brace or maybe even had to deal with scoliosis surgery but we don’t often think about adults with scoliosis. The prevalence of adults with scoliosis is quite high, In this study, results indicate a scoliosis rate of 68% in a healthy adult population, with an average age of 70.5 years(1). So the reality is that 2/3 of the adult elderly population has scoliosis, a curve in their spine when viewed from the front of more than 10 degrees. According to this study and additional resources there is a very strong correlation of scoliosis to pain and dysfunction where about half of the adult scoliosis patients did have measurable social or physical limitations. There was a significant correlation between degeneration of the spine and discs and scoliosis which most likely impacts function levels of those with scoliosis especially on a segmental basis.

When dealing with scoliosis as an adult whether you had the condition from childhood or developed it later in life it seems the major concern is progression. Most adult patients especially the ‘baby boomers” are very concerned about their scoliosis getting worse. I think we have to consider the prevalence of scoliosis differs between the adolescent populations at a 3% incidence level versus the adult population having a 20% incidence level (3). In addition to the older populations of >60 being 40% and >70 year old population at 68%. So there definitely needs to be a distinction between adolescent scoliosis patients that are now adults versus later onset scoliosis induced almost entirely via environmental interaction with an effect on the lumbar spine primarily.

There is a very detailed and respectable study that was recently done regarding progression rates with scoliosis in the adult population (2). The truth is that scoliosis does progress in adulthood. Not only does it progress but it has a somewhat predictable nature to it based on where the curve is located or type of scoliosis. Lumbar and thoracolumbar single curves progress with the highest rate approximately 1.64 degrees per year, so a 10 year span would result in a 16 degree progression, WOW! whereas double major curves have the lowest rate of progression at .82 degrees per year or 8 degrees per decade. These progression statistics were based on very specific parameters. The patients observed in this study were separated into two very distinct groups, Type a double major curves and Type B single lumbar or thoracolumbar curves.

The double major group (type A) was often diagnosed in adolescence and in this particular study started being monitored at a mean age of 24 with a mean cobb angle measurement of 37 degrees (range 22° to 52° ). The single lumbar/thoracolumbar group (type B) began initial monitoring much later at a mean age of 46 with a mean cobb angle of only 20° (range 3° to 35°). The most significant difference between the two different scoliosis types was menopause. Type B single lumbar curves had a significant deterioration and progressed at a faster rate following menopause.

So when discussing whether or not scoliosis progresses in adulthood we have to make an initial distinction between the type of scoliosis that a patient has either adolescent scoliosis generally double major curves or adult onset scoliosis of the lumbar spine. If it is adult onset scoliosis of the lumbar spine then there are certain characteristics to look for and to monitor. If you are female then obviously menopause is a big component of the progression and all proactive steps available should be taken to prevent a big swing of the scoliosis in the wrong direction causing more dysfunction and pain in later years. Considering the progression is correlated and often caused by the rotation in the lumbar spine with adult onset scoliosis this needs to be a major component of the monitoring and scoliosis treatment process.

The adolescent double major has a lower progression rate and is not linked to menopausal deterioration but certainly should not be neglected based on a “ it’s not as bad” mentality, it still will worsen without any intervention and cause undo spinal dysfunction and pain. Interestingly the rotation in this scoliosis type appears to be secondary and a direct result of progression.

The progression of adult scoliosis is linear and therefore can be used to establish an individual prognosis and potentially generate treatment plan to accommodate each type and level of scoliosis.


Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2005 May 1;30(9):1082-5.

Adult scoliosis: prevalence, SF-36, and nutritional parameters in an elderly volunteer population.

Natural history of progressive adult scoliosis.

Marty-Poumarat C, Scattin L, Marpeau M, Garreau de Loubresse C, Aegerter P.

Spine 2007 May 15;32(11):1227-34; discussion 1235.

Adult Lumbar Scoliosis: Underreported on Lumbar MR Scans

Z. Anwara, E. Zana, S.K. Gujara, D.M. Sciubbaa, L.H. Riley IIIa, Z.L. Gokaslana and D.M. Yousema

Published online before print January 6, 2010, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1962 AJNR 2010 31: 832-837

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

When we hear about scoliosis we generally think about the kids we knew in high school that had to wear a brace or maybe even had to deal with scoliosis surgery but we don’t often think about adults with scoliosis. The prevalence of adults with scoliosis is quite high, In this study, results indicate a scoliosis rate of 68% in a healthy adult population, with an average age of 70.5 years(1). So the reality is that 2/3 of the adult elderly population has scoliosis, a curve in their spine when viewed from the front of more than 10 degrees. According to this study and additional resources there is a very strong correlation of scoliosis to pain and dysfunction where about half of the adult scoliosis patients did have measurable social or physical limitations. There was a significant correlation between degeneration of the spine and discs and scoliosis which most likely impacts function levels of those with scoliosis especially on a segmental basis.

When dealing with scoliosis as an adult whether you had the condition from childhood or developed it later in life it seems the major concern is progression. Most adult patients especially the ‘baby boomers” are very concerned about their scoliosis getting worse. I think we have to consider the prevalence of scoliosis differs between the adolescent populations at a 3% incidence level versus the adult population having a 20% incidence level (3). In addition to the older populations of >60 being 40% and >70 year old population at 68%. So there definitely needs to be a distinction between adolescent scoliosis patients that are now adults versus later onset scoliosis induced almost entirely via environmental interaction with an effect on the lumbar spine primarily.

There is a very detailed and respectable study that was recently done regarding progression rates with scoliosis in the adult population (2). The truth is that scoliosis does progress in adulthood. Not only does it progress but it has a somewhat predictable nature to it based on where the curve is located or type of scoliosis. Lumbar and thoracolumbar single curves progress with the highest rate approximately 1.64 degrees per year, so a 10 year span would result in a 16 degree progression, WOW! whereas double major curves have the lowest rate of progression at .82 degrees per year or 8 degrees per decade. These progression statistics were based on very specific parameters. The patients observed in this study were separated into two very distinct groups, Type a double major curves and Type B single lumbar or thoracolumbar curves.

The double major group (type A) was often diagnosed in adolescence and in this particular study started being monitored at a mean age of 24 with a mean cobb angle measurement of 37 degrees (range 22° to 52° ). The single lumbar/thoracolumbar group (type B) began initial monitoring much later at a mean age of 46 with a mean cobb angle of only 20° (range 3° to 35°). The most significant difference between the two different scoliosis types was menopause. Type B single lumbar curves had a significant deterioration and progressed at a faster rate following menopause.

So when discussing whether or not scoliosis progresses in adulthood we have to make an initial distinction between the type of scoliosis that a patient has either adolescent scoliosis generally double major curves or adult onset scoliosis of the lumbar spine. If it is adult onset scoliosis of the lumbar spine then there are certain characteristics to look for and to monitor. If you are female then obviously menopause is a big component of the progression and all proactive steps available should be taken to prevent a big swing of the scoliosis in the wrong direction causing more dysfunction and pain in later years. Considering the progression is correlated and often caused by the rotation in the lumbar spine with adult onset scoliosis this needs to be a major component of the monitoring and scoliosis treatment process.

The adolescent double major has a lower progression rate and is not linked to menopausal deterioration but certainly should not be neglected based on a “ it’s not as bad” mentality, it still will worsen without any intervention and cause undo spinal dysfunction and pain. Interestingly the rotation in this scoliosis type appears to be secondary and a direct result of progression.

The progression of adult scoliosis is linear and therefore can be used to establish an individual prognosis and potentially generate treatment plan to accommodate each type and level of scoliosis.


Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2005 May 1;30(9):1082-5.

Adult scoliosis: prevalence, SF-36, and nutritional parameters in an elderly volunteer population.

Natural history of progressive adult scoliosis.

Marty-Poumarat C, Scattin L, Marpeau M, Garreau de Loubresse C, Aegerter P.

Spine 2007 May 15;32(11):1227-34; discussion 1235.

Adult Lumbar Scoliosis: Underreported on Lumbar MR Scans

Z. Anwara, E. Zana, S.K. Gujara, D.M. Sciubbaa, L.H. Riley IIIa, Z.L. Gokaslana and D.M. Yousema

Published online before print January 6, 2010, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1962 AJNR 2010 31: 832-837

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More

The ineffectiveness of Scoliosis Bracing

By Dr Kevin Lau

Scoliosis is known by the curvature of a person’s spine. The areas commonly afflicted are the middle or side bones of the spine. Scoliosis can be discovered at birth, while in the womb the bones of the spine fail to form properly or the ribs fuse together leading to congenital scoliosis. The condition poses minimal risk to infants and young children of both genders.

Neuromuscular scoliosis refers to muscle problems such as poor muscle control, muscle weaknesses and muscle paralysis caused by certain diseases (spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and polio). Idiopathic scoliosis has no cause and is frequently observed in adolescents, the majority being young girls. The spinal curves worsen as adolescents grow. The braces are less helpful to overweight patients afflicted with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Treatment varies according to the cause of the scoliosis, the size and location on the spine and the growth rate of the patient. For curves between 24 to 40 degrees in adolescents, body braces are advised by doctors to stop the advancement of spine curving. Boston Brace, Milwaukee Brace, Wilmington Brace and Charleston Brace are the different types of braces. Each brace has an individual function and the patients’ health care provider has to choose the most suitable one for the patient.

Medical reports say the scoliosis brace does not reverse the curve; instead it applies pressure at certain points to straighten the spine. The importance of the brace is that it is adjustable as the patient matures.

The standard treatment prescribed is a scoliosis brace that corrects moderate curves of 24 to 40 degrees in adolescents. This treatment is recommended despite the lack of evidence to validate its prescription and the debate is still ongoing. Though hard and elastic braces have been shown to correct spinal curvature, the research does not provide definite answers. More investigation is needed to determine conclusively if body bracing is good for scoliosis patients. 

The preference for scoliosis bracing is in small part due to subpar research on the effects of scoliosis exercise in the 1960’s to1970’s.  It is important to consider the supervision of these research studies. The participants were instructed to engage in scoliosis exercises which were not directed towards relieving scoliosis curvature or pain. The orthopedic scoliosis specialist community took the research as the basis to advocate scoliosis bracing over exercise.

Recent long-term studies published in research journals cast doubt on the usefulness of the scoliosis brace treatment, especially on its supposed ability to halt the scoliosis spine progression, preventing the patient from needing scoliosis surgery or significantly altering the condition.

At the 2010 SOSORT meeting in Montreal, a speaker presented findings that demonstrated the possible negative impact scoliosis braces may have on an individual. When scoliosis braces were used on rat tails, which are structurally similar to the human spine, the rate of disc deformity increased. Moreover, the curvature of the scoliosis spine had an elevated chance of worsening.

The futility of the brace is further illustrated in a graph designed by the creators of the Scoliscore genetic test. The results of the scoliosis brace treatment and the predicted progression of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis by studying pre-disposed genetic factors was plotted in two separate graphs. The two graphical lines matched almost perfectly, emphasizing that scoliosis brace is a poor treatment that doesn’t alter the course of the condition.

Aside from the limited probability of the braces actually working, there are other reasons for the immense aversion to wearing it. The brace is constructed to attach against the skin to firmly hold the spine in place. It has been known to cause great discomfort as well as skin problems since the plastic brace is fitted very tightly. The plastic fittings chaff the skin and are responsible for skin irritations and skin breakouts. The areas have to be given time to heal before the device can be worn again. The brace is also responsible for darkening of patches of the skin. Health care professionals advise patients to wear a cotton shirt underneath the brace, but that does very little to help.

Weather conditions further enhance the distress; given that hot or humid conditions can be very uncomfortable, patients have to take excessive measures to keep their skin cool and dry.

Scoliosis brace treatment is not flexible. It has to be worn for the prescribed period of time each day, which means the patient has to be careful on the removal and fixing of the brace. Most patients find it bothersome to remove the brace for bathing and then to re-attach it again. The biggest issue adolescents have with the scoliosis brace, it is too noticeable. The brace is even obvious under clothing, undermining the patient’s confidence. Many patients reported feeling self-conscious and “weird” after a few weeks of wearing the brace. They began to resist the treatment, seeing it as an imposition and a very unwanted interference in their already difficult lives.

In light of these latest developments, patients should explore other options rather than expensive and invasive scoliosis braces. “Health in Your Hands: Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment” by Dr Kevin Lau D C, Kevin Lau is a good book that underlines a comprehensive and easy plan to prevent and treat scoliosis.

It is divided into three sections and each section offers something to the reader.  With purchase of the book, readers will be privy to vital information that will help them manage their scoliosis condition.

The book offers the following;

• In-depth explanation of the causes and research on the scoliosis condition. The common symptoms of scoliosis.
• Critical analysis on bracing and surgery. Answering questions such as why they are unsuitable and ineffectual.
• Information on the latest treatments including a discussion on their various aspects.
• A scoliosis assessment to determine the quality of life teenagers will have in their later years.
• An extensive nutritional program. In addition to details on the consequences of a proper lack of nutrition especially how it effects the normal growth of the spine.
• Comprehension on the movement of muscles and ligaments on scoliosis patients.
• Elucidates good, strengthening exercises for the spine and routines you can follow within your schedule. All the exercises are detailed in simple diagrams.
• Tips and body mechanics to amend your posture as well as to ease back pain are mentioned in the book. Additionally, the best sitting, standing and sleeping positions are given.
• Inspirational stories and case studies that will enable readers to gain experience and enlightenment.

The dietary program outlined in the book is what the Aboriginal groups of Australia and tribes from native Africa have been surviving on. Their community has a very low occurrence of scoliosis and they are relatively healthy. Dr Lau describes his book as cohesion between modern medicine and ancient wisdom, combining the best from each for a healthier lifestyle.

People suffering from scoliosis have found relief from their problems within the book. It is well-researched and designed to provide maximum benefit to the readers. Chiropractors even recommend it to their patients. The book is handy for both patients and health care professionals to incorporate into a fitness and health regime. 

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

By Dr Kevin Lau

Scoliosis is known by the curvature of a person’s spine. The areas commonly afflicted are the middle or side bones of the spine. Scoliosis can be discovered at birth, while in the womb the bones of the spine fail to form properly or the ribs fuse together leading to congenital scoliosis. The condition poses minimal risk to infants and young children of both genders.

Neuromuscular scoliosis refers to muscle problems such as poor muscle control, muscle weaknesses and muscle paralysis caused by certain diseases (spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and polio). Idiopathic scoliosis has no cause and is frequently observed in adolescents, the majority being young girls. The spinal curves worsen as adolescents grow. The braces are less helpful to overweight patients afflicted with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Treatment varies according to the cause of the scoliosis, the size and location on the spine and the growth rate of the patient. For curves between 24 to 40 degrees in adolescents, body braces are advised by doctors to stop the advancement of spine curving. Boston Brace, Milwaukee Brace, Wilmington Brace and Charleston Brace are the different types of braces. Each brace has an individual function and the patients’ health care provider has to choose the most suitable one for the patient.

Medical reports say the scoliosis brace does not reverse the curve; instead it applies pressure at certain points to straighten the spine. The importance of the brace is that it is adjustable as the patient matures.

The standard treatment prescribed is a scoliosis brace that corrects moderate curves of 24 to 40 degrees in adolescents. This treatment is recommended despite the lack of evidence to validate its prescription and the debate is still ongoing. Though hard and elastic braces have been shown to correct spinal curvature, the research does not provide definite answers. More investigation is needed to determine conclusively if body bracing is good for scoliosis patients. 

The preference for scoliosis bracing is in small part due to subpar research on the effects of scoliosis exercise in the 1960’s to1970’s.  It is important to consider the supervision of these research studies. The participants were instructed to engage in scoliosis exercises which were not directed towards relieving scoliosis curvature or pain. The orthopedic scoliosis specialist community took the research as the basis to advocate scoliosis bracing over exercise.

Recent long-term studies published in research journals cast doubt on the usefulness of the scoliosis brace treatment, especially on its supposed ability to halt the scoliosis spine progression, preventing the patient from needing scoliosis surgery or significantly altering the condition.

At the 2010 SOSORT meeting in Montreal, a speaker presented findings that demonstrated the possible negative impact scoliosis braces may have on an individual. When scoliosis braces were used on rat tails, which are structurally similar to the human spine, the rate of disc deformity increased. Moreover, the curvature of the scoliosis spine had an elevated chance of worsening.

The futility of the brace is further illustrated in a graph designed by the creators of the Scoliscore genetic test. The results of the scoliosis brace treatment and the predicted progression of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis by studying pre-disposed genetic factors was plotted in two separate graphs. The two graphical lines matched almost perfectly, emphasizing that scoliosis brace is a poor treatment that doesn’t alter the course of the condition.

Aside from the limited probability of the braces actually working, there are other reasons for the immense aversion to wearing it. The brace is constructed to attach against the skin to firmly hold the spine in place. It has been known to cause great discomfort as well as skin problems since the plastic brace is fitted very tightly. The plastic fittings chaff the skin and are responsible for skin irritations and skin breakouts. The areas have to be given time to heal before the device can be worn again. The brace is also responsible for darkening of patches of the skin. Health care professionals advise patients to wear a cotton shirt underneath the brace, but that does very little to help.

Weather conditions further enhance the distress; given that hot or humid conditions can be very uncomfortable, patients have to take excessive measures to keep their skin cool and dry.

Scoliosis brace treatment is not flexible. It has to be worn for the prescribed period of time each day, which means the patient has to be careful on the removal and fixing of the brace. Most patients find it bothersome to remove the brace for bathing and then to re-attach it again. The biggest issue adolescents have with the scoliosis brace, it is too noticeable. The brace is even obvious under clothing, undermining the patient’s confidence. Many patients reported feeling self-conscious and “weird” after a few weeks of wearing the brace. They began to resist the treatment, seeing it as an imposition and a very unwanted interference in their already difficult lives.

In light of these latest developments, patients should explore other options rather than expensive and invasive scoliosis braces. “Health in Your Hands: Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment” by Dr Kevin Lau D C, Kevin Lau is a good book that underlines a comprehensive and easy plan to prevent and treat scoliosis.

It is divided into three sections and each section offers something to the reader.  With purchase of the book, readers will be privy to vital information that will help them manage their scoliosis condition.

The book offers the following;

• In-depth explanation of the causes and research on the scoliosis condition. The common symptoms of scoliosis.
• Critical analysis on bracing and surgery. Answering questions such as why they are unsuitable and ineffectual.
• Information on the latest treatments including a discussion on their various aspects.
• A scoliosis assessment to determine the quality of life teenagers will have in their later years.
• An extensive nutritional program. In addition to details on the consequences of a proper lack of nutrition especially how it effects the normal growth of the spine.
• Comprehension on the movement of muscles and ligaments on scoliosis patients.
• Elucidates good, strengthening exercises for the spine and routines you can follow within your schedule. All the exercises are detailed in simple diagrams.
• Tips and body mechanics to amend your posture as well as to ease back pain are mentioned in the book. Additionally, the best sitting, standing and sleeping positions are given.
• Inspirational stories and case studies that will enable readers to gain experience and enlightenment.

The dietary program outlined in the book is what the Aboriginal groups of Australia and tribes from native Africa have been surviving on. Their community has a very low occurrence of scoliosis and they are relatively healthy. Dr Lau describes his book as cohesion between modern medicine and ancient wisdom, combining the best from each for a healthier lifestyle.

People suffering from scoliosis have found relief from their problems within the book. It is well-researched and designed to provide maximum benefit to the readers. Chiropractors even recommend it to their patients. The book is handy for both patients and health care professionals to incorporate into a fitness and health regime. 

About Dr Kevin Lau

Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

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