Monday, January 16, 2012
When is Scoliosis Surgery Necessary?
To date, the bulk of the information you will find related to Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) on the Internet supports the use of back bracing and scoliosis surgery. Initially, treatment from a medical doctor consists of "observation only", until the Cobb angle progresses to 25 degrees, at which point the patient is placed in a scoliosis brace. When back bracing is unsuccessful in stabilizing the progression of the disease, which is frequently the case, scoliosis surgery is the only other option that the medical community has to offer.
Due to the complicated nature of idiopathic scoliosis and the difficulty in understanding and treating this condition, the development of a surgical method of treating idiopathic scoliosis by Dr. Harrington was understandable. However, science, & long term research agree that this procedure does not cure idiopathic scoliosis, but rather replaces one deformity (a flexible, curved spine) with another (a straighter, fused spine).
A majority of people we see, who have been treated with scoliosis surgery, report after the operation that their pain levels either stayed the same or worsened, leading to long term use of stronger and stronger pain medication. "On average, 16 years after surgery, 40% of surgery patient are permanently handicapped for the rest of their lives" (Long-term results of quality of life in patients with idiopathic scoliosis after Harrington instrumentation and their relevance for expert evidence. Gotze C, Slomka A, Gotze HG, Potsl W, Liljenqvist U, Stienbeck J. Z Orthop Ihre Grensgeb 2002 Sep-Oct, 140(5): 492-8).
We believe that surgery for scoliosis, while potentially necessary at times for very large spinal curvatures, is only symptomatic/cosmetic procedure for a much more complex condition. Hardware failure does occur, and poses a very serious health risk for the patient and results in the obvious need for further scoliosis surgery. Furthermore, after looking at the hardware removed from patients, it has been revealed that two out of three demonstrate significant corrosion, (Corrosion of spinal implants retrieved from patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Akazawa T, Minami S, Takahashi K, Hanawa T, Moriya H. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. J Orthop Sci. 2005; 10(2):200-5. "Corrosion was seen on many of the rod junctions (66.2%) after long term implantation"), which can cause heavy metal toxicity, depression of the immune response, and chronic inflammation.
"The current trend for management of these curves is early surgical intervention for scoliosis, the rationale being the ineffectiveness of back bracing in preventing the progression of such a large curve and the difficulty in obtaining satisfactory correction by postponing scoliosis surgery to a later date. On the basis of our results, we propose a conservative line of management for these curves, in contrast with current views, rather than to rush into a major spine surgery. If the curve progresses, scoliosis surgery can always be considered later, keeping in mind the excellent correction obtained with the pedicle screw systems even for large curves of 70 to 100 degrees."
~ A large adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curve in a skeletally immature patient: is early surgery the correct approach? Overview of available evidence.
Telang SS, Suh SW, Song HR, Vaidya SV. Department of orthopedics, Korea University, Guro Hospital, Guro-Dong, Guro-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
J Spinal Disord Tech. 2006 Oct;19(7):534-40.
"Correction of scoliosis (scoliosis surgery) is largely an elective cosmetic procedure in the young population, who account for the largest portion of the scoliosis surgery population. Associated with the correction, however, is a very real possibility of major neurological injury, including paralysis."
Tod B. Sloan MD, PhD
Anesthesiology Clinics of North America
Volume 15, Issue 3, 1 September 1997, Pages 573-592
After understanding these facts and considering the other complications involved with this procedure, you can see why we believe that scoliosis surgery should be a last resort for
the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis, to be considered only after every other non-invasive treatment option has been thoroughly exhausted.
http://www.treatingscoliosis.com/scoliosis-surgery.html
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.To date, the bulk of the information you will find related to Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) on the Internet supports the use of back bracing and scoliosis surgery. Initially, treatment from a medical doctor consists of "observation only", until the Cobb angle progresses to 25 degrees, at which point the patient is placed in a scoliosis brace. When back bracing is unsuccessful in stabilizing the progression of the disease, which is frequently the case, scoliosis surgery is the only other option that the medical community has to offer.
Due to the complicated nature of idiopathic scoliosis and the difficulty in understanding and treating this condition, the development of a surgical method of treating idiopathic scoliosis by Dr. Harrington was understandable. However, science, & long term research agree that this procedure does not cure idiopathic scoliosis, but rather replaces one deformity (a flexible, curved spine) with another (a straighter, fused spine).
A majority of people we see, who have been treated with scoliosis surgery, report after the operation that their pain levels either stayed the same or worsened, leading to long term use of stronger and stronger pain medication. "On average, 16 years after surgery, 40% of surgery patient are permanently handicapped for the rest of their lives" (Long-term results of quality of life in patients with idiopathic scoliosis after Harrington instrumentation and their relevance for expert evidence. Gotze C, Slomka A, Gotze HG, Potsl W, Liljenqvist U, Stienbeck J. Z Orthop Ihre Grensgeb 2002 Sep-Oct, 140(5): 492-8).
We believe that surgery for scoliosis, while potentially necessary at times for very large spinal curvatures, is only symptomatic/cosmetic procedure for a much more complex condition. Hardware failure does occur, and poses a very serious health risk for the patient and results in the obvious need for further scoliosis surgery. Furthermore, after looking at the hardware removed from patients, it has been revealed that two out of three demonstrate significant corrosion, (Corrosion of spinal implants retrieved from patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Akazawa T, Minami S, Takahashi K, Hanawa T, Moriya H. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. J Orthop Sci. 2005; 10(2):200-5. "Corrosion was seen on many of the rod junctions (66.2%) after long term implantation"), which can cause heavy metal toxicity, depression of the immune response, and chronic inflammation."The current trend for management of these curves is early surgical intervention for scoliosis, the rationale being the ineffectiveness of back bracing in preventing the progression of such a large curve and the difficulty in obtaining satisfactory correction by postponing scoliosis surgery to a later date. On the basis of our results, we propose a conservative line of management for these curves, in contrast with current views, rather than to rush into a major spine surgery. If the curve progresses, scoliosis surgery can always be considered later, keeping in mind the excellent correction obtained with the pedicle screw systems even for large curves of 70 to 100 degrees."
~ A large adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curve in a skeletally immature patient: is early surgery the correct approach? Overview of available evidence.
Telang SS, Suh SW, Song HR, Vaidya SV. Department of orthopedics, Korea University, Guro Hospital, Guro-Dong, Guro-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
J Spinal Disord Tech. 2006 Oct;19(7):534-40.
"Correction of scoliosis (scoliosis surgery) is largely an elective cosmetic procedure in the young population, who account for the largest portion of the scoliosis surgery population. Associated with the correction, however, is a very real possibility of major neurological injury, including paralysis."
Tod B. Sloan MD, PhD
Anesthesiology Clinics of North America
Volume 15, Issue 3, 1 September 1997, Pages 573-592
After understanding these facts and considering the other complications involved with this procedure, you can see why we believe that scoliosis surgery should be a last resort for
the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis, to be considered only after every other non-invasive treatment option has been thoroughly exhausted.
http://www.treatingscoliosis.com/scoliosis-surgery.html
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.Friday, January 13, 2012
Surgical Techniques Affect Outcome in Scoliosis Surgery
For patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, eight factors correlate significantly with maintenance of kyphosis, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in Spine.
(HealthDay News) — For patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), eight factors correlate significantly with maintenance of kyphosis, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in Spine.
Baron S. Lonner, M.D., from the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, and colleagues investigated the surgical and radiographic factors in AIS surgery that affect kyphosis maintenance, in a retrospective multicenter study of 269 patients. Participants had kyphosis of less than 22 degrees. Operative data were recorded, and a complete radiographic series was obtained for each patient before surgery, immediately after surgery, and at two years after surgery.
In multivariate analysis, the investigators found that maintenance of kyphosis at two years post-surgery was significantly associated with eight variables. Increased kyphosis at follow-up correlated significantly with anterior approach, elevated thoracic coronal curve, and a greater percentage of hooks in the construct. Hypokyphosis correlated with a larger number of levels fused, preoperative kyphosis, the percentage of screws in the construct, use of stainless steel rods, and percent decrease in the thoracic curve.
"Our multivariate analysis demonstrates that in patients with AIS who have thoracic hypokyphosis as part of their deformity, anterior approach, fusing as few levels as possible, and using a hybrid construct are associated with improved thoracic sagittal contour," the authors conclude.
The study was supported by corporate/industry funding; one or more authors disclosed financial ties to a commercial entity related directly or indirectly to the study.
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.For patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, eight factors correlate significantly with maintenance of kyphosis, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in Spine.
(HealthDay News) — For patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), eight factors correlate significantly with maintenance of kyphosis, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in Spine.
Baron S. Lonner, M.D., from the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, and colleagues investigated the surgical and radiographic factors in AIS surgery that affect kyphosis maintenance, in a retrospective multicenter study of 269 patients. Participants had kyphosis of less than 22 degrees. Operative data were recorded, and a complete radiographic series was obtained for each patient before surgery, immediately after surgery, and at two years after surgery.
In multivariate analysis, the investigators found that maintenance of kyphosis at two years post-surgery was significantly associated with eight variables. Increased kyphosis at follow-up correlated significantly with anterior approach, elevated thoracic coronal curve, and a greater percentage of hooks in the construct. Hypokyphosis correlated with a larger number of levels fused, preoperative kyphosis, the percentage of screws in the construct, use of stainless steel rods, and percent decrease in the thoracic curve.
"Our multivariate analysis demonstrates that in patients with AIS who have thoracic hypokyphosis as part of their deformity, anterior approach, fusing as few levels as possible, and using a hybrid construct are associated with improved thoracic sagittal contour," the authors conclude.
The study was supported by corporate/industry funding; one or more authors disclosed financial ties to a commercial entity related directly or indirectly to the study.
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Newly discovered feline muscle disease
Kiesewetter IS, Tipold A, Baumgartner W and Schenk HC. Potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness in 12 cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011; 238: 1026-31.
Twelve shorthair cats in Europe (6 males and 6 females; age range, 2 months to 3 years) from one household were assessed for clinical signs of episodic muscle spasticity. The signs were characterized by a hypermetric, ataxic gait that appeared to be induced by exercise. Familial relationships among the cats were suspected but not known. The physical examination of all the cats demonstrated a thin to mildly emaciated body condition and signs of suppurative rhinitis. The results of hematologic and CSF analysis, diagnostic imaging, electromyography, motor nerve conduction tests, screening for metabolic storage diseases, provocation tests via exercise in a cold environment, and gross pathological and histologic examination revealed no abnormalities that could explain the clinical signs. Offering consumption of a potassium-enriched diet resulted in severe aggravation of clinical signs in 7 of 7 tested cats. These developments lead to a diagnosis of potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness. A functional channel disease, especially a sodium channelopathy similar to potassium-aggravated myotonia, was considered likely. [VT]
Related articles: Gaschen F, Jaggy A and Jones B. Congenital diseases of feline muscle and neuromuscular junction. J Feline Med Surg. 2004; 6: 355-66.
More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Twelve shorthair cats in Europe (6 males and 6 females; age range, 2 months to 3 years) from one household were assessed for clinical signs of episodic muscle spasticity. The signs were characterized by a hypermetric, ataxic gait that appeared to be induced by exercise. Familial relationships among the cats were suspected but not known. The physical examination of all the cats demonstrated a thin to mildly emaciated body condition and signs of suppurative rhinitis. The results of hematologic and CSF analysis, diagnostic imaging, electromyography, motor nerve conduction tests, screening for metabolic storage diseases, provocation tests via exercise in a cold environment, and gross pathological and histologic examination revealed no abnormalities that could explain the clinical signs. Offering consumption of a potassium-enriched diet resulted in severe aggravation of clinical signs in 7 of 7 tested cats. These developments lead to a diagnosis of potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness. A functional channel disease, especially a sodium channelopathy similar to potassium-aggravated myotonia, was considered likely. [VT]
Related articles: Gaschen F, Jaggy A and Jones B. Congenital diseases of feline muscle and neuromuscular junction. J Feline Med Surg. 2004; 6: 355-66.
More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Kiesewetter IS, Tipold A, Baumgartner W and Schenk HC. Potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness in 12 cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011; 238: 1026-31.
Twelve shorthair cats in Europe (6 males and 6 females; age range, 2 months to 3 years) from one household were assessed for clinical signs of episodic muscle spasticity. The signs were characterized by a hypermetric, ataxic gait that appeared to be induced by exercise. Familial relationships among the cats were suspected but not known. The physical examination of all the cats demonstrated a thin to mildly emaciated body condition and signs of suppurative rhinitis. The results of hematologic and CSF analysis, diagnostic imaging, electromyography, motor nerve conduction tests, screening for metabolic storage diseases, provocation tests via exercise in a cold environment, and gross pathological and histologic examination revealed no abnormalities that could explain the clinical signs. Offering consumption of a potassium-enriched diet resulted in severe aggravation of clinical signs in 7 of 7 tested cats. These developments lead to a diagnosis of potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness. A functional channel disease, especially a sodium channelopathy similar to potassium-aggravated myotonia, was considered likely. [VT]
Related articles: Gaschen F, Jaggy A and Jones B. Congenital diseases of feline muscle and neuromuscular junction. J Feline Med Surg. 2004; 6: 355-66.
More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read More
Twelve shorthair cats in Europe (6 males and 6 females; age range, 2 months to 3 years) from one household were assessed for clinical signs of episodic muscle spasticity. The signs were characterized by a hypermetric, ataxic gait that appeared to be induced by exercise. Familial relationships among the cats were suspected but not known. The physical examination of all the cats demonstrated a thin to mildly emaciated body condition and signs of suppurative rhinitis. The results of hematologic and CSF analysis, diagnostic imaging, electromyography, motor nerve conduction tests, screening for metabolic storage diseases, provocation tests via exercise in a cold environment, and gross pathological and histologic examination revealed no abnormalities that could explain the clinical signs. Offering consumption of a potassium-enriched diet resulted in severe aggravation of clinical signs in 7 of 7 tested cats. These developments lead to a diagnosis of potassium-aggravated muscle stiffness. A functional channel disease, especially a sodium channelopathy similar to potassium-aggravated myotonia, was considered likely. [VT]
Related articles: Gaschen F, Jaggy A and Jones B. Congenital diseases of feline muscle and neuromuscular junction. J Feline Med Surg. 2004; 6: 355-66.
More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Friday, January 6, 2012
Neck pain study reinforces use of chiropractic, other conservative options
January 6, 2012 — A new studypublished this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and exercise more effective at relieving neck pain than pain medication. The research reinforces the use of conservative care options like chiropractic as a first line of defense against pain, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).
The study divided participants into three groups that received either SMT from a doctor of chiropractic (DC), pain medication (over-the-counter pain relievers, narcotics, and muscle relaxants) or exercise recommendations.
After 12 weeks, about 57 percent of those who met with DCs and 48 percent who exercised reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.
After one year, approximately 53 percent of the drug-free groups still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain; compared to just 38 percent pain reduction among those who took medication.
The study also found that despite experiencing limited pain relief, people in the drug group continued using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period. This finding underscores concerns raised in an April 2011 government report that indicated prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has reached crisis level.
"Doctors of chiropractic have long cautioned against the overuse of medication to treat musculoskeletal pain," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. "We continue to promote drug-free, conservative interventions for neck pain patients before referral for medical management that may result in side effects. Patients deserve to know that there are natural, drug-free options when it comes to pain relief."
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.January 6, 2012 — A new studypublished this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and exercise more effective at relieving neck pain than pain medication. The research reinforces the use of conservative care options like chiropractic as a first line of defense against pain, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).
The study divided participants into three groups that received either SMT from a doctor of chiropractic (DC), pain medication (over-the-counter pain relievers, narcotics, and muscle relaxants) or exercise recommendations.
After 12 weeks, about 57 percent of those who met with DCs and 48 percent who exercised reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.
After one year, approximately 53 percent of the drug-free groups still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain; compared to just 38 percent pain reduction among those who took medication.
The study also found that despite experiencing limited pain relief, people in the drug group continued using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period. This finding underscores concerns raised in an April 2011 government report that indicated prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has reached crisis level.
"Doctors of chiropractic have long cautioned against the overuse of medication to treat musculoskeletal pain," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. "We continue to promote drug-free, conservative interventions for neck pain patients before referral for medical management that may result in side effects. Patients deserve to know that there are natural, drug-free options when it comes to pain relief."
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.Why you should eat more (not less) cholesterol
For decades now, the general American population has been neurotically avoiding cholesterol-rich foods for fear of developing heart disease, thanks to the promulgation of the unfortunate Diet-Heart hypothesis. (1)
Those of us that follow a paleo diet are well aware by now thatdietary cholesterol does not significantly affect cholesterol levels in the blood or risk for heart disease, and that there is no reason to avoid whole foods with naturally high levels of cholesterol.
However, beyond just ‘not avoiding’ high cholesterol foods, there is a significant reason for us to make a special effort to include many high cholesterol foods in our diet.
The reason? The much under-appreciated B-vitamin called choline, found primarily in cholesterol-rich foods.
If you haven’t heard of choline, or don’t know much about this vital nutrient, you’re not alone. Choline has only been ‘officially’ recognized as an essential nutrient since 1998, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established an Adequate Intake (AI) level of 425 mg per day for women and 550 mg per day for men. (2) Even though it has been deemed a nutrient vital for human health, only 10% of Americans are meeting the conservative AI levels established by the IOM.
If you eat a strict paleo diet, you may be closer to meeting your choline needs than the average American, but only if you are regularly including choline rich foods in your diet. The best whole food sources of dietary choline are egg yolks and liver, which are often avoided by many Americans due to unfounded fear of dietary fat and cholesterol. However, these high cholesterol foods are at the top the choline-rich foods list, followed (albeit distantly) by beef, cod, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. (3)
Why is choline such an important nutrient to consider in one’s diet?
Choline has a variety of functions in the body, including the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, cell-membrane signaling, lipid transport, and methylgroup metabolism. (4) In addition, it is an essential component of the many phospholipids that make up cell membranes, regulates several metabolic pathways, and aids detoxification in the body. During pregnancy, low choline intake is significantly associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects in the newborn.
Choline deficiency over time can have serious implications for our health. Symptoms of choline deficiency include fatigue, insomnia, poor kidney function, memory problems, and nerve-muscle imbalances. Extreme dietary deficiency of choline can result in liver dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, impaired growth, abnormalities in bone formation, lack of red blood cell formation, infertility, kidney failure, anemia, and high blood pressure. Incredibly, choline deficiency is the only nutrient deficiency shown to induce the development of spontaneous carcinoma. (5)
Chris Masterjohn has written extensively about choline deficiency and its relationship to fatty liver disease which affects as many as 100 million Americans and is often attributed to excess alcohol and sugar consumption by conventional practitioners. After a review of the literature, Masterjohn concludes that choline deficiency plays a role in virtually every type of diet-induced fatty liver model, and that adequate dietary choline is essential for proper liver function. He also suggests that high consumption of dietary fat, including saturated fats, increases the amount of choline required to prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver. (6)
This means that if you’re eating a higher fat diet, it is even more crucial that you include a variety of choline rich foods in your diet.
Another important factor to consider is that while humans are able to produce some level of endogenous choline, some people have a common gene variation that further increases the amount of choline they must consume to satisfy their body’s requirements. (7) These particular people are more susceptible to choline deficiency, and must be especially vigilant about including choline rich food in their diets.
As choline is so important, you may be wondering what the best food sources are in order to improve your intake. There are many natural, whole foods that are excellent sources of bioavailable choline, with the best sources being beef liver, poultry liver, and whole eggs. (8) These foods are not only high in choline, but are also very high in many different vitamins and minerals such as as vitamin A, arachidonic acid, DHA, and the B vitamins. (9)
We already know liver is an amazing superfood. Liver from pastured animals is a great source of trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium, plus highly bioavailable folate and iron. (10)
Liver is also the most potent source of dietary choline that we know of.
For example, a three ounce serving of pan-fried beef liver has over 400 mg of choline in it, compared to less than 80 mg in the same amount of cooked ground beef. (11) While you don’t need to consume beef liver on a daily basis to reap the benefits of this superfood, it should be clear that including pastured liver and other organ meats as part of a nutritionally complete diet is one of the best ways to improve your health and prevent the many types of chronic disease caused by nutrient deficiencies.
If you’re not used to including lots of liver and whole eggs in your regular meal plan, give a few of the following recipes a try. It’s never too late to start incorporating more choline into your diet!
http://chriskresser.com/why-you-should-eat-more-not-less-cholesterol
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.For decades now, the general American population has been neurotically avoiding cholesterol-rich foods for fear of developing heart disease, thanks to the promulgation of the unfortunate Diet-Heart hypothesis. (1)
Those of us that follow a paleo diet are well aware by now thatdietary cholesterol does not significantly affect cholesterol levels in the blood or risk for heart disease, and that there is no reason to avoid whole foods with naturally high levels of cholesterol.
However, beyond just ‘not avoiding’ high cholesterol foods, there is a significant reason for us to make a special effort to include many high cholesterol foods in our diet.
The reason? The much under-appreciated B-vitamin called choline, found primarily in cholesterol-rich foods.
If you haven’t heard of choline, or don’t know much about this vital nutrient, you’re not alone. Choline has only been ‘officially’ recognized as an essential nutrient since 1998, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established an Adequate Intake (AI) level of 425 mg per day for women and 550 mg per day for men. (2) Even though it has been deemed a nutrient vital for human health, only 10% of Americans are meeting the conservative AI levels established by the IOM.
If you eat a strict paleo diet, you may be closer to meeting your choline needs than the average American, but only if you are regularly including choline rich foods in your diet. The best whole food sources of dietary choline are egg yolks and liver, which are often avoided by many Americans due to unfounded fear of dietary fat and cholesterol. However, these high cholesterol foods are at the top the choline-rich foods list, followed (albeit distantly) by beef, cod, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. (3)
Why is choline such an important nutrient to consider in one’s diet?
Choline has a variety of functions in the body, including the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, cell-membrane signaling, lipid transport, and methylgroup metabolism. (4) In addition, it is an essential component of the many phospholipids that make up cell membranes, regulates several metabolic pathways, and aids detoxification in the body. During pregnancy, low choline intake is significantly associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects in the newborn.
Choline deficiency over time can have serious implications for our health. Symptoms of choline deficiency include fatigue, insomnia, poor kidney function, memory problems, and nerve-muscle imbalances. Extreme dietary deficiency of choline can result in liver dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, impaired growth, abnormalities in bone formation, lack of red blood cell formation, infertility, kidney failure, anemia, and high blood pressure. Incredibly, choline deficiency is the only nutrient deficiency shown to induce the development of spontaneous carcinoma. (5)
Chris Masterjohn has written extensively about choline deficiency and its relationship to fatty liver disease which affects as many as 100 million Americans and is often attributed to excess alcohol and sugar consumption by conventional practitioners. After a review of the literature, Masterjohn concludes that choline deficiency plays a role in virtually every type of diet-induced fatty liver model, and that adequate dietary choline is essential for proper liver function. He also suggests that high consumption of dietary fat, including saturated fats, increases the amount of choline required to prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver. (6)
This means that if you’re eating a higher fat diet, it is even more crucial that you include a variety of choline rich foods in your diet.
Another important factor to consider is that while humans are able to produce some level of endogenous choline, some people have a common gene variation that further increases the amount of choline they must consume to satisfy their body’s requirements. (7) These particular people are more susceptible to choline deficiency, and must be especially vigilant about including choline rich food in their diets.
As choline is so important, you may be wondering what the best food sources are in order to improve your intake. There are many natural, whole foods that are excellent sources of bioavailable choline, with the best sources being beef liver, poultry liver, and whole eggs. (8) These foods are not only high in choline, but are also very high in many different vitamins and minerals such as as vitamin A, arachidonic acid, DHA, and the B vitamins. (9)
We already know liver is an amazing superfood. Liver from pastured animals is a great source of trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium, plus highly bioavailable folate and iron. (10)
Liver is also the most potent source of dietary choline that we know of.
For example, a three ounce serving of pan-fried beef liver has over 400 mg of choline in it, compared to less than 80 mg in the same amount of cooked ground beef. (11) While you don’t need to consume beef liver on a daily basis to reap the benefits of this superfood, it should be clear that including pastured liver and other organ meats as part of a nutritionally complete diet is one of the best ways to improve your health and prevent the many types of chronic disease caused by nutrient deficiencies.
If you’re not used to including lots of liver and whole eggs in your regular meal plan, give a few of the following recipes a try. It’s never too late to start incorporating more choline into your diet!
http://chriskresser.com/why-you-should-eat-more-not-less-cholesterol
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.Exercise May Encourage Healthy Eating Via Brain Changes
Exercise may encourage healthy eating by changing parts of the brain that influence impulsive behaviour, according to a new review of the available literature by researchers from Spain and the US published in Obesity Reviews. The researchers conclude that in a society where we are surrounded by temptations and triggers that facilitate over-eating and excess, the part of the brain responsible for "inhibitory control" undergoes "relentless strain" (they note it has limited capacity anyway), and doing exercise on a regular basis enhances it.
"By enhancing the resources that facilitate 'top-down' inhibitory control, increased physical activity may help compensate and suppress the hedonic drive to over-eat," they write.
Obesity has been rising at an alarming rate in Spain in recent years, so much so that in some parts of Spain, the proportion of the population that is obese is higher than that in many parts of the United States, the country traditionally considered as having the highest obesity rates in the western world.
Also, in line with other countries in the Mediterranean, Spain has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.
Co-author Dr Miguel Alonso Alonso, a Spanish neurologist working at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, told the press on Wednesday that many studies suggest "physical exercise seems to encourage a healthy diet. In fact, when exercise is added to a weight-loss diet, treatment of obesity is more successful and the diet is adhered to in the long run".
However, in order better to inform and improve current approaches and treatments for obesity, he and his co-authors, from the US and Spain, thought it might be useful to bring together what these "somewhat disparate, yet interrelated lines of literature" may have to say about the neurological underpinning of the link between exercise and weight loss.
"Designing effective weight-loss interventions requires an understanding of how these behaviours are elicited, how they relate to each other and whether they are supported by common neurocognitive mechanisms," they write.
There is evidence that regular physical exercise changes the working and structure of the brain. From their review, the researchers conclude these changes seem to support the idea that regular exercise improves the results of tests that measure the state of the brain's executive functions, and increases in connections in the grey matter and prefrontal cortex.
One of the brain's executive functions is "inhibitory control" which helps us keep check on impulsiveness, or to suppress inadequate, excessive or inappropriate behaviour toward a goal.
The researchers conclude that regular practice of physical exercise, in time, produces a "potentiating effect" on the brain's executive functions, including the ability for inhibitory control, and this helps us "resist the many temptations that we are faced with everyday in a society where food, especially hypercaloric food, is more and more omnipresent".
Exercise also brings other benefits, such as making the brain more sensitive to physiological signs of fulness. This helps not only to control appetite, but it also modifies the "hedonic" response to food stimuli, say the researchers. Thus the benefits of exercise occur in the short term (these affect metabolism) and in the long term (these affect behaviour).
Alonso Alonso and colleagues suggest it is important that social policies help and encourage people to practise sport and engage in physical exercise, whether at school, in urban settings, or daily life, with the help of public transport, pedestrianized areas and sports centres.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
"By enhancing the resources that facilitate 'top-down' inhibitory control, increased physical activity may help compensate and suppress the hedonic drive to over-eat," they write.
Obesity has been rising at an alarming rate in Spain in recent years, so much so that in some parts of Spain, the proportion of the population that is obese is higher than that in many parts of the United States, the country traditionally considered as having the highest obesity rates in the western world.
Also, in line with other countries in the Mediterranean, Spain has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.
Co-author Dr Miguel Alonso Alonso, a Spanish neurologist working at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, told the press on Wednesday that many studies suggest "physical exercise seems to encourage a healthy diet. In fact, when exercise is added to a weight-loss diet, treatment of obesity is more successful and the diet is adhered to in the long run".
However, in order better to inform and improve current approaches and treatments for obesity, he and his co-authors, from the US and Spain, thought it might be useful to bring together what these "somewhat disparate, yet interrelated lines of literature" may have to say about the neurological underpinning of the link between exercise and weight loss.
"Designing effective weight-loss interventions requires an understanding of how these behaviours are elicited, how they relate to each other and whether they are supported by common neurocognitive mechanisms," they write.
There is evidence that regular physical exercise changes the working and structure of the brain. From their review, the researchers conclude these changes seem to support the idea that regular exercise improves the results of tests that measure the state of the brain's executive functions, and increases in connections in the grey matter and prefrontal cortex.
One of the brain's executive functions is "inhibitory control" which helps us keep check on impulsiveness, or to suppress inadequate, excessive or inappropriate behaviour toward a goal.
The researchers conclude that regular practice of physical exercise, in time, produces a "potentiating effect" on the brain's executive functions, including the ability for inhibitory control, and this helps us "resist the many temptations that we are faced with everyday in a society where food, especially hypercaloric food, is more and more omnipresent".
Exercise also brings other benefits, such as making the brain more sensitive to physiological signs of fulness. This helps not only to control appetite, but it also modifies the "hedonic" response to food stimuli, say the researchers. Thus the benefits of exercise occur in the short term (these affect metabolism) and in the long term (these affect behaviour).
Alonso Alonso and colleagues suggest it is important that social policies help and encourage people to practise sport and engage in physical exercise, whether at school, in urban settings, or daily life, with the help of public transport, pedestrianized areas and sports centres.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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.
Exercise may encourage healthy eating by changing parts of the brain that influence impulsive behaviour, according to a new review of the available literature by researchers from Spain and the US published in Obesity Reviews. The researchers conclude that in a society where we are surrounded by temptations and triggers that facilitate over-eating and excess, the part of the brain responsible for "inhibitory control" undergoes "relentless strain" (they note it has limited capacity anyway), and doing exercise on a regular basis enhances it.
"By enhancing the resources that facilitate 'top-down' inhibitory control, increased physical activity may help compensate and suppress the hedonic drive to over-eat," they write.
Obesity has been rising at an alarming rate in Spain in recent years, so much so that in some parts of Spain, the proportion of the population that is obese is higher than that in many parts of the United States, the country traditionally considered as having the highest obesity rates in the western world.
Also, in line with other countries in the Mediterranean, Spain has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.
Co-author Dr Miguel Alonso Alonso, a Spanish neurologist working at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, told the press on Wednesday that many studies suggest "physical exercise seems to encourage a healthy diet. In fact, when exercise is added to a weight-loss diet, treatment of obesity is more successful and the diet is adhered to in the long run".
However, in order better to inform and improve current approaches and treatments for obesity, he and his co-authors, from the US and Spain, thought it might be useful to bring together what these "somewhat disparate, yet interrelated lines of literature" may have to say about the neurological underpinning of the link between exercise and weight loss.
"Designing effective weight-loss interventions requires an understanding of how these behaviours are elicited, how they relate to each other and whether they are supported by common neurocognitive mechanisms," they write.
There is evidence that regular physical exercise changes the working and structure of the brain. From their review, the researchers conclude these changes seem to support the idea that regular exercise improves the results of tests that measure the state of the brain's executive functions, and increases in connections in the grey matter and prefrontal cortex.
One of the brain's executive functions is "inhibitory control" which helps us keep check on impulsiveness, or to suppress inadequate, excessive or inappropriate behaviour toward a goal.
The researchers conclude that regular practice of physical exercise, in time, produces a "potentiating effect" on the brain's executive functions, including the ability for inhibitory control, and this helps us "resist the many temptations that we are faced with everyday in a society where food, especially hypercaloric food, is more and more omnipresent".
Exercise also brings other benefits, such as making the brain more sensitive to physiological signs of fulness. This helps not only to control appetite, but it also modifies the "hedonic" response to food stimuli, say the researchers. Thus the benefits of exercise occur in the short term (these affect metabolism) and in the long term (these affect behaviour).
Alonso Alonso and colleagues suggest it is important that social policies help and encourage people to practise sport and engage in physical exercise, whether at school, in urban settings, or daily life, with the help of public transport, pedestrianized areas and sports centres.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Read More
"By enhancing the resources that facilitate 'top-down' inhibitory control, increased physical activity may help compensate and suppress the hedonic drive to over-eat," they write.
Obesity has been rising at an alarming rate in Spain in recent years, so much so that in some parts of Spain, the proportion of the population that is obese is higher than that in many parts of the United States, the country traditionally considered as having the highest obesity rates in the western world.
Also, in line with other countries in the Mediterranean, Spain has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.
Co-author Dr Miguel Alonso Alonso, a Spanish neurologist working at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, told the press on Wednesday that many studies suggest "physical exercise seems to encourage a healthy diet. In fact, when exercise is added to a weight-loss diet, treatment of obesity is more successful and the diet is adhered to in the long run".
However, in order better to inform and improve current approaches and treatments for obesity, he and his co-authors, from the US and Spain, thought it might be useful to bring together what these "somewhat disparate, yet interrelated lines of literature" may have to say about the neurological underpinning of the link between exercise and weight loss.
"Designing effective weight-loss interventions requires an understanding of how these behaviours are elicited, how they relate to each other and whether they are supported by common neurocognitive mechanisms," they write.
There is evidence that regular physical exercise changes the working and structure of the brain. From their review, the researchers conclude these changes seem to support the idea that regular exercise improves the results of tests that measure the state of the brain's executive functions, and increases in connections in the grey matter and prefrontal cortex.
One of the brain's executive functions is "inhibitory control" which helps us keep check on impulsiveness, or to suppress inadequate, excessive or inappropriate behaviour toward a goal.
The researchers conclude that regular practice of physical exercise, in time, produces a "potentiating effect" on the brain's executive functions, including the ability for inhibitory control, and this helps us "resist the many temptations that we are faced with everyday in a society where food, especially hypercaloric food, is more and more omnipresent".
Exercise also brings other benefits, such as making the brain more sensitive to physiological signs of fulness. This helps not only to control appetite, but it also modifies the "hedonic" response to food stimuli, say the researchers. Thus the benefits of exercise occur in the short term (these affect metabolism) and in the long term (these affect behaviour).
Alonso Alonso and colleagues suggest it is important that social policies help and encourage people to practise sport and engage in physical exercise, whether at school, in urban settings, or daily life, with the help of public transport, pedestrianized areas and sports centres.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
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 D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. 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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