Why Every Day Should Be Bring-Your-Chiropractor-to-Work Day

To Your Health
November, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 11)

Why Every Day Should Be Bring-Your-Chiropractor-to-Work Day

By Editorial Staff

You’re at home on a Wednesday for all the wrong reasons. Rather than enjoying a midweek vacation day, your painful back is confining you to the bed or couch, with just about every movement eliciting pain. What if you could be back at work and out of pain – working hard to get ahead so you could truly enjoy your time off when you choose to take it, not when your bad back makes you take it?

If your workplace offered chiropractic care, both of the above scenarios might become reality. That’s because workers who are offered chiropractic care for as little as one day a week in the workplace have lower rates of absenteeism than national averages, regardless of the reason.

chiropractic at work - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark

In a recent study, a company offered in-office chiropractic services (generally described as “wellness care” – everything from spinal adjustments to stretching, laser therapy, advice on nutrition / exercise, ice vs. heat for strain / sprain injuries, etc., and all within the chiropractor’s scope of practice ) to its employees one day a week for three years. Almost all employees took advantage of the services during the course of the study period. Absenteeism rates over the three-year period were 0.72%, 0.55% and 0.67% for company workers; lower than Labor Force Statistics over the same three-year period (1.5%, 1.2% and 1.1%).

Does your company offer chiropractic? If it does, hopefully you’re enjoying the benefits. If not, what are you waiting for? And if your company isn’t on board, why not broach the topic? As this study suggests, providing chiropractic care at the workplace has benefits for both employees and the employer – a real win-win for everyone involved.

A Sugar-Cancer Connection?

To Your Health
November, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 11)

A Sugar-Cancer Connection?

By Editorial Staff

Could the dreaded “C” word – cancer – one day be paired with an even more dreaded word that’s the cause of the first: the “S” word? We’re talking about sugar and too many of us are essentially addicted to it, putting our health at risk courtesy of tooth decay, obesity, type 2 diabetes … and yes, perhaps even cancer. While the sugar-cancer connection is still considered a “myth” in many scientific circles, evolving research may eventually change that perception.

Here’s where sugar and cancer may intertwine: Scientists have long known that the rapid production of cancer cells occurs as the cells take glucose and ferment it, producing lactic acid. Normal, healthy cells rely on respiration, rather than fermentation, taking glucose and turning it into carbon dioxide and H2O. Now, researchers have identified that as sugar is broken down within cells, an intermediate compound produced during the process activates a specific protein that can mutate into a cancerous gene.

The researchers used yeast cells for their experiment, since yeast cells, like cancer cells, also rely on fermentation, not respiration. According to the researchers, this cycle also may explain why cancer cells multiply at a rapid rate. Results of their study were published in the journal Nature Communications, and of course, follow-up research utilizing human cancer cells is required to substantiate the findings.

sugar - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark

While the researchers are quick to dispel the notion that sugar directly causes or spreads cancer, they do emphasize that healthy cells handle sugar in a controlled fashion, while cancerous cells may not; and that excess sugar intake certainly can lead to obesity, which is a known risk factor for numerous types of cancer.

If nothing else, it may mean cancer patients should be wary of sugar intake to avoid proliferation of cancer cells, since all cells use glucose. The more glucose (sugar), the more energy for cells – normal and cancerous – to utilize. And because cancer cells tend to grow rapidly, they require more energy to do so. More sugar = more energy. What’s more, high sugar intake (specifically added sugars) generally means you’re not eating a nutritious diet; which means you’re not getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. It also means you may be overweight / obese, which as mentioned, is a major contributor to cancer.

While we wait for research on cancer cells to verify the sugar-cancer connection, one thing is clear: Too much sugar is a bad thing! Talk to your doctor for more information.