Doctor Higginson’s Blog

When it comes to exercise, motivation is the name of the game. Personal training has exploded in the recent years along with personal coaching. It would be great if we all could have someone who would give us that boost just when we need it, but that is not a reality for the majority of us.

Nike and Apple have joined together to create a product that doesn’t eliminate the need for a coach or trainer, but definitely helps with the motivation.

Last year Apple released a wireless pedometer to be used with specific Nike shoes. The wireless pedometer has a sensor that attaches to the iPod Nano and there is a small chip that is placed under the sock liner in special Nike+ shoes. The chip communicates to iPod wirelessly, providing information on pace and distance traveled.
If you want to know how fast or how far you have been running, just push the center button and a pleasant voice (male or female, your choice) mutes your music and tells you how long you have been running, what your current pace is and your distance, afterwards your music returns. At the end of your run, the voice returns to give you the entire stats of your run including calories.

In my opinion the wireless pedometer is a great product stand alone, but Nike has taken it one step further and created an online community where you can upload your runs, make goals and challenge other runners throughout the world. At the beginning of this year Nike + added a resolution goal to the site which comes with a free text message option. The text message is your personal electronic coach that will keep you informed on your progress or in my case reprimand me when I am not meeting my goals. For those of you with Apple computers, there is a Nike+ goal widget that keeps track of your goals and your current progress.

The Nike+ has changed the way that I run and increased my motivation. Today I was just half way through my run when fatigue started to set in. All I had to do was think about the nasty text messages that I have been getting from Nike about my poor performance and I was back in the saddle.

January 16, 2007 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned healthcare professionals regarding the need for caution when administering cough and cold medications to infants younger than 2 years. Clinicians should also ask caregivers about their use of over-the-counter (OTC) combination medications to avoid the risk for overdose from component duplication.

The warning was based on 3 infant deaths for which cough/cold medications were determined by medical examiners to be the underlying cause, according to an alert sent Friday from MedWatch, the FDA’s safety information and adverse event reporting program.

According to an article published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in last week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the 3 infants ranged in age from 1 to 6 months; all were found dead in their homes. On autopsy, 2 of the infants (patients 1 and 2) had evidence of respiratory infection.

All 3 infants had what appeared to be high levels of pseudoephedrine in postmortem blood samples (range, 4743 - 7100 ng/mL). According to the CDC, these levels are approximately 9 to 14 times the levels resulting from administration of recommended doses to children aged 2 to 12 years. Two of the infants (patients 1 and 3) had received either an OTC or a prescription product, and patient 2 had received both.

Further examination revealed that patients 2 and 3 had detectable blood levels of dextromethorphan and acetaminophen. Although no detectable postmortem levels were found, patients 1 and 2 had been administered prescription medications containing carbinoxamine.

The CDC notes that although OTC sales of pseudoephedrine-containing products have been banned, some pediatric cough and cold medications containing the drug may still be sold behind the counter.

As an alternative to cough and cold medication in infants, use of a rubber suction bulb to clear congestion should be considered; secretions can be softened with saline nose drops or a cool-mist humidifier.

According to the CDC, systematic reviews of controlled trials of OTC cough and cold medications have concluded they are not more effective than placebo for reducing acute cough and other symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection in children younger than 2 years. Moreover, the American College of Chest Physicians released clinical practice guidelines in 2006 advising healthcare professionals to refrain from recommending cough suppressants and other OTC cough medications for young children because of associated morbidity and mortality.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved dosing recommendations for administering OTC cough and cold medications to infants younger than 2 years. OTC labeling advises caregivers to “consult a doctor” for children in this age group; clinicians often extrapolate a dose from guidelines for older children and adults based on the child’s age or weight, assuming that the disease and drug effects are similar.

Healthcare professionals are advised to educate caregivers regarding the importance of administering cough and cold medications only as directed and the risk for potentially fatal overdose associated with ingredient duplication if additional products are given.

Adverse events potentially related to use of cough/cold products in children younger than 2 years should be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch reporting program by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787. 

B vitamins help support adrenal function, help calm and maintain a healthy nervous system, and are needed for key metabolic processes. Vitamin B12, also known as cyanocobalamin, is necessary for DNA synthesis and affects the development of red blood cells, normal myelination (covering) of nerve cells, and the production of neurotransmitters. Deficiencies of B12 can lead to memory loss, confusion, fatigue, and even dementia.

Animal-derived foods, including dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry are the only natural sources of B12, so this important vitamin is often deficient in vegan diets. Good sources are clams, herring, cooked oysters and wild Alaskan salmon. To help meet daily needs, I recommend a B-complex supplement that contains a full spectrum of B vitamins, including thiamine, B12, riboflavin and niacin.

Often many people are unable to absorb B vitamins due to problems in the gut.  One common cause of B vitamin malabsorption is a decreased HCL in the stomach.  To learn more about HCL in the stomach read my post “Heartburn - Too Much or Too Little Stomach Acid.” 

B vitamins are also very important following an injury to the nervous system.  B vitamins help repair the damaged nerves associated with trauma.  This is why I recomend a B complex to my patients who have been in a motor vehicle accident or some other type of trauma that effects the nervous system.

There are a number of different vitamin B supplements on the market, but not all of them are created equal.  I am partial to companies such at Metagenics, Thorne and Standard Process to name a few.  These products are only available through a healthcare practitioner.  If you have questions about a particular brand of supplement, I suggest www.consumerlabs.com.   Consumer labs is very similar to Consumer Reports, but they test on supplements.  There is a yearly charge for the use of the website, which is minimal in comparison to the price of supplements that might not be living up to their claims.

The benefits of mediation and relaxation have been shown to improve one’s overall health and wellbeing.  There are a number of different conditions that respond favorably to relaxation techniques such as meditation.  The following is a quick and easy way to bring the benefits of meditation to your life.  Remember that this is a skill.  In our fast pace world, it is hard to slow down the mind, so start with a few minutes and build from there.

Mindful Meditation

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.

Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present.

2. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.

3. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don’t ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.

4. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens.

5. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Get up gradually.

The esteemed medical journal Spine published a study of herbal treatments for low back pain on January 1, 2007.

The study looked at three herbal Harpagophytum procumbens, Salix alba, and Capsicum frutescens.  Reasearchers review previously published studied on herbal therapy for low back pain.  

Ten trials were included in this review. Two high-quality trials utilizing Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s claw) found strong evidence for short-term improvements in pain and rescue medication for daily doses standardized to 50 mg or 100 mg harpagoside with another high-quality trial demonstrating relative equivalence to 12.5 mg per day of rofecoxib. Two moderate-quality trials utilizing Salix alba (White willow bark) found moderate evidence for short-term improvements in pain and rescue medication for daily doses standardized to 120 mg or 240 mg salicin with an additional trial demonstrating relative equivalence to 12.5 mg per day of rofecoxib. Three low-quality trials using Capsicum frutescens (Cayenne) using various topical preparations found moderate evidence for favorable results against placebo and one trial found equivalence to a homeopathic ointment.

Conclusions: Harpagophytum procumbens, Salix alba, and Capsicum frutescens seem to reduce pain more than placebo. Additional trials testing these herbal medicines against standard treatments will clarify their equivalence in terms of efficacy. The quality of reporting in these trials was generally poor; thus, trialists should refer to the CONSORT statement in reporting clinical trials of herbal medicines.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is an injury caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist, resulting in pain and numbness in the index and middle fingers and weakness of the thumb. The carpal tunnel receives its name from the eight bones in the wrist, called carpals, which form a “tunnel” through which the nerve leading to the hand extends.

Common Signs and Symptoms include:

• Nighttime painful tingling in one or both hands, frequently causing sleep disturbance
• Feeling of uselessness in the fingers
• A sense that fingers are swollen even though little or no swelling is apparent
• Daytime tingling in the hands, followed by a decreased ability to squeeze things
• Loss of strength in the muscle at the base of the thumb, near the palm
• Pain shooting from the hand up the arm as far as the shoulder

Recent studies have shown chiropractic to be beneficial in treating carpal tunnel.  Chiropractors work to decrease the inflammation in the tunnel and mobilize the bones of the wrist to remove the pressure from the involved nerves.  These therapies have been shown to be equally as effective when compared to the traditional medical approach which include pain medications.

There are some conditions that mimic carpal tunnel, but need to be treated differently.  This is why so many carpal tunnel surgeries are not successful.  Speak to your chiropractor if you are experiencing some of the symptoms above.  If you don’t feel like you’re getting a thorough evaluation, seek a second opinion.

This green jellyfish is actually a helpful reminder, confused yet?

Coherence Resources Inc, a local company that provides  products to optimize personal and professional well-being developed a product called Smooth.  Smooth is an inexpensive piece of software that produces a small shape on the bottom of your desktop that rhythmically expands and contracts to remind you to breathe and breathe deep.  I choose the green jellyfish shape which is one of three options.

Deep controlled breathing is one of the most effective ways to prevent and lessen stress, yet most of us take very shallow breathes.  Often we get caught up in what we are doing and stop paying attention to our breath, this little reminder brings your breath back to your conscious and promotes healthy stress relief.

If you are interested in finding out more about Smooth visit my Active Office Page to download a trial and find other resources that will help you stay healthy while at your desk.

There are few decisions that a parent makes that will have such a profound effect on the health and wellbeing of their child than the decision whether or not to vaccinate. In a day and age when we are bombarded with conflicting health information, it is hard to know what is best for our children. Much of the information that we receive comes from a few powerful sources, while suppressing valuable information.

In order to educate parents and parents to be, I will be offering my Vaccine Safety and Efficacy lecture at Wild Oats.
I will discuss:

• The different types of vaccines giving to children
• The diseases that these vaccines are designed to prevent
• Medical research on the safety and efficacy of Childhood vaccinations.
• Options for parents who choose not to vaccinate.

Join me at the Wild Oats Wellness center at 3531 NE 15th from 7:30-9:00 pm on January 17th to learn more.

This lecture is open to the public, but is limited so please call our office at 503-546-9987 to reserve a seat.