The study involved 272 adults ages 18-65 with neck pain of two to 12 weeks’ duration. Spinal manipulation was provided courtesy of a doctor of chiropractic.Instead of chiropractic care, some patients in the study group received medication as monitored by a licensed medical physician. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (aspirin), or both served as the first line of pharmacological therapy. With patients who did not respond to or could not tolerate these drugs, narcotic medications and muscle relaxants were prescribed.
“Participants who received medication seemed to fare worse, with a consistently higher use of pain medications for neck pain throughout the trial’s observational period,” said the study authors. In other words, chiropractic was a much better choice than medication for neck pain.

Interestingly enough, a third group of patients who received home exercise advice instead of chiropractic care or medication also fared better than the medication group during the study period. That means two forms of conservative, drug-free care – both of which are commonly provided by doctors of chiropractic – were more effective than over-the-counter and/or prescription drugs.

The moral of the story? The next time you or someone you know is suffering from neck pain, don’t turn to the medicine cabinet or a medical doctor; turn to your doctor of chiropractic.

Need more reasons? Kale also contains the glucosinolate isothiocyanate (ITC), which fights the formation of H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori), a bacteria that can attack the digestive system and cause big problems. Kale is also a superstar in the arena of carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. There are also tons of vitamins in kale – think vitamins C, D, A and K. All boost immunity, help maintain healthy bones and teeth, and maximize overall health. Enjoy!

Enriched wheat: The word “enriched” actually sounds pretty healthy. The whole wheat contains the bran, germ and endosperm. The refined wheat kernel has had the bran and germ removed. The majority of the nutrients are in the bran and the germ. These include many B vitamins, healthy fats, minerals, fiber and more than 99 phytonutrients known to prevent disease. What is left is the endosperm. The endosperm is ground into flour and bleached to produce the popular white flour. Most flour is then enriched with five ingredients: niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid.The enrichment of five synthetically produced nutrients from questionable sources, (thiamin mononitrate is derived from coal tar from China) does not make this enriched grain a source of superior nutrition.

Trans fats: Trans fats are clearly not superior nutrition. On the front of a food package, the manufacturer may state, “Zero trans fats.” However, when you look at the list of ingredients, you may still see the words “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” which is just another name for trans fat. This means even though the front of the package promises zero trans fats, the product actually contains trans fats!

High-fructose corn syrup: Most people are consuming gallons of it in their sodas, fruit juices, cakes, cookies, breads and even health food products. HFCS entered our food supply in the early 1970s. This man-made sugar is exceptionally sweet, so manufacturers can use less. It is also very cheap, so manufacturers have higher profits. HFCS metabolizes differently than sugar and may be responsible for higher triglycerides. It also does not cause the release of the hormone leptin, which makes us feel full. Therefore, a person can eat a package of cookies and several sodas and not feel full, which, of course, can contribute to obesity.

So, what can you do? Avoid all products with these three ingredients. Choose more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains. Flavor them when necessary with natural sweeteners and fats that have not been created in a laboratory.

But does sunscreen help prevent skin cancer? A 1999 meta-analysis of 13 epidemiological studies on the relation of sunscreen use to melanoma risk found that three studies showed a decreased risk of melanoma, but four showed an increased risk and six were inconclusive. Why would it increase risk? The explanation is simple. Most chemical sunscreens block ultraviolet B (UVB), but are transparent to ultraviolet A (UVA). More than 90 percent of the ultraviolet light from the sun is UVA.

So, wearing sunscreen prevents sunburns, but research suggests it might not reduce your risk of developing cancer; in fact, it might actually increase your risk. That’s the sunscreen dilemma. Is there an easy solution? Not necessarily. Applying sunscreen will prevent vitamin D production and result in more skin damage, since it enables you to increase your sun exposure without burning. On the other hand, staying out in the sun for hours without sunscreen certainly won’t help you avoid skin cancer, either.

Perhaps the morale to this story is that sun exposure for as little as 10 minutes a day will stimulate ample vitamin D production, but is not likely (unless perhaps you are extremely fair skinned) to cause any sunburn or skin damage – and that’s the best way to reduce your risk while still enjoying the health benefits of vitamin D.

In a study that followed nearly 1,500 Canadian children from birth to age 6, researchers discovered that those who slept less than 10 hours per night in their preschool years were more likely to show problems with their verbal and spatial skills when they entered school. They also tended to be more hyperactive and impulsive than their less sleep-deprived peers.

Overall, children who persistently underslept were three times more likely to score poorly on a standard language test than children who consistently slept at least 10 hours nightly. Even if children increased their sleep time as they got older, the risk of hyperactivity and poor visual/spatial skills remained. Thus, experts recommend that preschool-age children sleep 11 to 13 hours per night; children ages 5 to 12 years should sleep 10 to 11 hours; and teens should get 9 hours per night.

Sleep has the power to refresh and restore, and it can help keep you and your family functioning at your best. Make sure your children are ready for life’s challenges by ensuring they sleep at least 10 hours per night, particularly if they are age 3 or younger.