Exercise & Pregnancy

The January 27, 2001, British Medical Journal published the results of a new study showing that exercise during pregnancy may increase birth weight. The study followed 46 women who were not exercising by their eighth week of pregnancy. These women were divided into two groups. One group was placed on a mild exercise regime while the other was not. The results showed that the women who exercised gave birth to babies who were significantly heavier and longer than those babies born to women who did not exercise.

What is "Mainstream Healthcare" Now?

According to a recent survey published in American Demographics , 70% of Americans have tried or are currently using what the study termed "alternative medicine." This type of study begs a key question. Why is anything called an "alternative" if more than 50% of people are using it?

According to the survey, 44% of the general public utilizes some form of "faith healing" or prayer. Chiropractic or massage was the second most popular, with 33% of the population using these. The study goes on to point out that women are more receptive than men to using "alternatives." Americans from the Western United States were 16% more likely to visit a chiropractor than was the rest of the country. Southerners were more likely to practice faith healing than the rest of the nation, and Midwesterners were the least likely to use any of the alternatives named in the survey. Those individuals aged 35 to 54 were constantly more likely to use alternatives than those aged 18 to 34.

Eat Whole Grains for Your Health

A recent study of nearly 34,000 Norwegian adults found that those who ate the highest amounts of whole grain had a 23% reduced risk of death from heart disease, and a 21% reduced risk of death from cancer compared with people who ate little or no whole grains. Lead author, Dr. David Jacobs, Jr., stated, "This study bolsters the whole idea that the whole grain might be good for you… The people who eat (whole grains) tend to have healthier lifestyles in general, so their diet is generally higher in fruits and vegetables and lower in red meat. We find then that part of the benefit of the whole grain is the other things that people do with it, but part of it seems to be related to the whole grain itself."

Contributed by Dr. Jim Pizzadilli from his web site www.pizzadillichiropractic.com
Dr. Pizzadilli can be reached at 272-6299.