Pillows and Neck Pain

Neck pain and pillow issues go hand in hand for many patients. Unfortunately, little research is available on this popular topic. However, a recent study in Manual Therapy was just published, comparing the following pillow types: 1. Polyester synthetic fibre filled, 2. Foam regular shape (from high density foam), 3. Foam contour shape (high density foam), 4. Latex rubber, and 5. Feather.
The feather pillow was significantly proven as the worst pillow. The best results were found with a Dunlopillo latex rubber pillow (115mm in depth [height]). Pillow shape did not affect pain levels and contoured pillows were actually found to be more uncomforable than regularly shaped pillows.

Remember, we are all shaped differently; perhaps you are comfortable sleeping on your feather pillow? As long as you are not sleeping on a pillow that jacks your head up into flexion and you are comfortable on the pillow you currently own, keep on sleeping well.

If you are a stomach sleeper… become a back sleeper now! If you are a side sleeper, try to get on to your back too as many individuals who sleep only on one side will encounter shoulder and rib injuries over time.

Gordon SJ, et al., Pillow use: the behaviour of cervical pain, sleep quality and pillow comfort in side sleepers. Manual Therapy 2009; 14: 671-678.




I prefer water based pillows over the foam pillows.  I have found that the foam pillows break down over time and lose their elasticity and their shape.  Water pillows do not have this problem.  You can also adjust the firmness of a water based pillow to your personal preference.
 
There has been significant research into water based pillows.

DID YOU KNOW? On average, there are 12 major body shifts and 50 movements in head and neck position during sleep. With the Mediflow Water Pillow, as you roll from back to side, the water instantly adjusts to constantly maintain correct head and neck support and provide outstanding comfort.


RESEARCH -


In a medical school conducted study, on adults with chronic neck pain, it was found that the Mediflow ® Waterbase ® pillow was associated with reduced morning pain intensity, increased pain relief and improved quality of sleep.
Use of a Mediflow ® Waterbase ® pillow in conjunction with chiropractic care resulted in a reduction in neck pain and disability, and improved quality of sleep in subjects with chronic neck pain. ²
Based on a survey of students, faculty and staff at a chiropractic college, over 68% said their quality of sleep improved after using the Mediflow Waterbase ®. Over 84% rated the Mediflow ® Waterbase ® pillow 8 or better (on a point scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of satisfaction). ³

CONCLUSION: Proper selection of a pillow can significantly reduce pain and improve quality of sleep.


¹Cervical Pain: A Comparison of Three Pillows, Lavin RA. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation February 1997. original article

²Chronic Neck Pain Findings, Logan College of Chiropractic. Presented at the International Conference on Spinal Manipulation. October 1996 Bournemouth, England.

³Quality of Sleep Findings, Logan College of Chiropractic. Poster presentation at the Conference of Chiropractic Research and Education, June 1996 San Diego, USA.


Sleep tight and sweet dreams!

FDA Admits that Tylenol is the Number One Cause of Liver Failure in the US

In this article the FDA finally admitted that acetominophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the United States!!  Annually it is reponsible for 456 deaths and 56,000 emergency room visits. 

I also found it interesting that in the nineteen years since data collection began on the harmfulness of acetaminophen, it can be extrapolated that over a million emergency room visits and 8,000 deaths have stemmed directly from the use of this drug. For those who are keeping track, over two and a half times as many people were killed from this drug as were killed on that fateful day in September, 2001. And unfortunately, acetaminophen is but one drug, of many drugs, that cause significant harm to the population - all with the stamp of the FDA.

Read the entire article it is very interesting. 

Remember it is always wiser to try safe and effective chiropractic first.  Even over the counter medications can have very serious side effects even when taken properly.

Stevia as an Artificial Sweetener

The Truth About Stevia Based Sweetners



In 2007 the FDA banned the use of Stevia as a food additive (or sweetener); yet new Stevia-based “sweetener” products continue to pop up on grocery store shelves nationwide. How can this be?

The most likely answer—the FDA is caving into pressure from artificial sweetener manufacturers who fear they will lose their empire in the wake of a new “natural” sweetener hitting the market. So instead of approving the Stevia plant for use as a natural sweetener the FDA decided to only approve one of Stevia’s active ingredients: rebaudoside.

Rebaudoside is the agent that provides most of the sweet taste found in Stevia. The problem is this: when used as a whole plant Stevia offers zero calorie sweetness with other health benefits. But by extracting just one element of the Stevia plant for use as a sweetener, this element loses its group synergy and will most likely perform differently when consumed. In a nutshell, the new Stevia based sweeteners now on grocery store shelves may not affect your body the same way as the Stevia plant—Stevia based sweeteners may deliver adverse health affects.
Here’s what we know for sure. The plant Stevia has been used as a natural sweetener for over 1,500 years. Besides being a zero calorie natural sweetener, studies have found many other health benefits associated with Stevia including a reduction in blood glucose, triglycerides and triiodothhyronine (Dec 2008 Journal of Animal Psychology and Animal Nutrition). Stevia is also a great source of antioxidants (Journal of agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2007).

All of this information paves a clear path of action for us as consumers: avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs including Stevia based sweeteners (the ones that use only Rebaudoside). Instead, opt for using natural, untampered with, regular old sugar as your sweetener of choice.

Uncover the health hazards of using artificial sweeteners and refined sugar; order your copy of Dr. John Madeira's book 'Setting Things Straight' available at www.SettingThingsStraight.com.

Chiropractic for primary care

I just read an interesting article about children and adverse drug events.  It comes from a study published in Pediatrics, in October 2009 and basically it was an 11-year study of adverse drug events in the outpatient setting from clinics and hospitals across the nation.  Here are a few of the things that I found interesting from the study.

•    600,000 children per year had to go to the doctor’s office or the emergency room for treatment of adverse drug reactions to prescription medications that were administered and taken properly.

•    Children 0-4 years of age had the highest incidence of ADE (adverse drug reactions) visits, accounting for 43.2% of visits.

•    The medication classes most frequently implicated in an ADE were antimicrobial agents (27.5%), central nervous system agents (6.5%) and hormones (6.1%)

•    Among the adverse reactions to antimicrobial agents, more than half were a result of a penicillin (40%) or cephalosporin (15%).

•    About 70% of children seen by medical personnel in an ambulatory setting are given drugs – translation: when you take your child to a clinic he will be given drugs 70% of the time

•    4.7% of all hospitalizations are the result of adverse drug events.

•    6.5% of inpatients will suffer adverse drug events during their hospitalization.

•    16% of all outpatient prescriptions are associated with adverse drug reactions – translation:  almost 1/5 of the drugs taken are to counteract or to fix the damage from the drugs taken previously – what is wrong with that picture!!

•    Among children 12-18 the increase in the number of adverse drug reactions related to central nervous system agents and hormones and synthetic substitutes.  The rise in visits related to central nervous system agents likely reflects the increase in medication therapy for depression and other emotional and behavioral disorders during adolescent years.

Bottom line in all of this is that for all non life-threatening medical treatments, you are better off trying safe and natural chiropractic care first rather than taking drugs.  Have faith in your chiropractor that he will refer to a medical doctor if he finds a condition that he cannot treat or one that requires medical care beyond chiropractic.

reference article:
PEDIATRICS Vol. 124 No. 4 October 2009, pp. e744-e750 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3505) Pediatric Adverse Drug Events in the Outpatient Setting: An 11-Year National Analysis Florence T. Bourgeois, MD, MPHa,b, Kenneth D. Mandl, MD, MPHa,b,c, Clarissa Valim, MD, ScDd,e, Michael W. Shannon, MD, MPHa