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A perspective article published on April 8, 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), raises the idea of adding an additional tax on high sugar drinks. The NEJM article notes that sugared drinks may represent the single largest contributor to the obesity epidemic in the United States. They identify drinks such as soda sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, or other sweeteners and other carbonated and uncarbonated drinks, such as sports and energy drinks.

The authors of the NEJM article note that there are some studies that do not connect these drinks with obesity. However, they dismiss these objections by noting, “Studies that do not support a relationship between consumption of sugared beverages and health outcomes tend to be conducted by authors supported by the beverage industry.”

The NEJM article and several new articles in the general media report that currently 40 states now have taxes on soft drinks or snack foods, but that these taxes are small and do not affect the consumption of these beverages. However, ABC news reported in an April 8, 2009 news story that the governor of New York was proposing an 18 percent tax on sugared beverages.

The ABC article addresses the question if higher taxes would lower the consumption of sugared drinks by looking at the example of tobacco. Increased taxes on tobacco have been credited with dramatically lowering usage. They then claim that economic studies on soft drinks show that a 15 percent tax on sugared beverages should drop consumption by 12 to 15 percent, and higher taxes would have stronger effects.

The authors of the NEJM article summed up their conclusions by stating, “A penny-per-ounce excise tax could reduce consumption of sugared beverages by more than 10%. It is difficult to imagine producing behavior change of this magnitude through education alone, even if government devoted massive resources to the task. In contrast, a sales tax on sugared drinks would generate considerable revenue, and as with the tax on tobacco, it could become a key tool in efforts to improve health.”

A story in the July 2004 issue of Chiropractic Economics magazine reported on a July 6, 2004 press release from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). The USOC press release stated, “A 47-person medical staff has been announced by the U.S. Olympic Committee to provide health care for more than 540 American athletes in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The USA Medical staff consists of medical doctors, certified athletic trainers, massage therapists, chiropractors and pharmaceutical experts.”

Notable is the fact that two chiropractors were included in this list. Dr. Ira A. Shapiro of Old Bridge, N.J., and Dr. Marc P. Jaffe of Summit, N.J., are the chiropractors who were selected to join the other health professionals who will care for more than 540 American athletes in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Aug. 13 through Aug. 29, 2004.

The Chiropractic Economics article notes that these Doctors of Chiropractic are only the eighth and ninth chiropractors ever selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to represent the United States at any Olympic event in an official capacity.

In order to be selected, Drs. Shapiro and Jaffe had to pass an initial assessment process. They were then allowed to adjust athletes at several events prior to the Olympics. Dr. Shapiro worked with nearly 200 American athletes at the 2003 Titan Games in San Jose, Calif., while Dr. Jaffe worked with more than 150 American athletes at the 2003 Summer World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.

Chiropractic has been used by athletes for some time to not only help them when they may be injured, but more importantly to help maximize their performance abilities.

Jim Scherr, the USOC’s chief executive and chief of sports performance, speaking in generic terms about all the care the athletes will receive stated, “We feel that our athletes get the best medical care in the world. We go to every length to care for these athletes who have accomplished their goals to get here. We want to make sure they take that next step with the best medical care available.”

The above is the headline of a feature story that appeared in the August 11, 2006 issue of the Post-Crescent, a local news service for the Appleton, Wisconsin area. The article written by their staff writer, Wendy Harris, takes an overview look at the chiropractic profession and interviews two local chiropractors as sources of information.

The article starts out by chronicling the story of a young middle school girl named Rachel who had been suffering from frequent migraines. Her mother, concerned for her daughter took her to a chiropractor who upon examination discovered that Rachel had several congenitally fused bones in her neck. Apparently these bones had also moved and were irritating nerves and creating young Rachel’s problems.

The article then fast forwards to Rachel at 29 and notes that even with her congenital defects she is virtually migraine free, suffering only one or two episodes per year. The article notes that Rachel credits her chiropractor. “I used to get migraines at least once a month, and sometimes three times a week,” states Rachel. “They are really infrequent now. My last migraine was six months ago.”

Wendy Harris, the author of the article, notes that chiropractic is presently the United State’s third largest primary health care profession. Only medicine and dentistry have more practitioners. She also noted that according to the Annals of Internal Medicine, there are approximately 190 million patient visits to chiropractors each year.

The article also quotes Dr. Mark Hallett, a family practice and sports medicine physician who is also medical director of ThedaCare Orthopedics Plus in Appleton Wisconsin. He states, “There have been more studies that have come out documenting the effectiveness of chiropractic and the cost effectiveness of it.” The article notes that the result of this is that medical doctors are increasingly referring patients to chiropractors.

A study published in the May 2006 issue of the scientific periodical, The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, looked at how chiropractic adjustments would affect relative times to perform movements in a controlled test.

Ten patients from a private chiropractic practice participated in this prospective, randomized, and controlled trial. These ten patients received chiropractic adjustments to areas determined to have vertebral subluxations. A separate group of individuals who did not receive chiropractic care were also tested to have a baseline for comparison with those receiving the chiropractic adjustments.

Movement time was measured on a computer screen where subjects were asked to move a cursor onto a target.

The results showed that all those in the study who received chiropractic adjustments for subluxation correction had significantly improved movement times. This was in stark contrast to the control group that did not receive chiropractic care where only one participant showed improvement in their movement times.

The average improvement in movement time for the group that received chiropractic care was 183 ms (mille-seconds), which represents a 9.2% improvement. This can be compared to the control group that showed only a 29 ms, or 1.7% improvement. The study researchers reported, “The difference (improvement) scores after the intervention were significantly greater for the chiropractic group compared with the control group.”

The authors showed the importance of the results of this study in their conclusion, “The results of this study demonstrated a significant improvement in movement time with chiropractic care. These results suggest that spinal adjustments may influence motor behavior.” The ramifications are large for those involved in sports, as these results suggest improved performance is possible with chiropractic care.

Once again for 2005 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared as the feature speaker at the International Chiropractors Association Sports and Fitness Symposium. The event was held March 4-5, 2005 in conjunction with the Arnold Bodybuilding and Fitness Classic. For each of the past 13 years Arnold, (now Governor Schwarzenegger) has taken time out of his Fitness Classic to make an appearance and speak to the chiropractors. In addition to his speech he also takes the time to take a picture with each chiropractor present.

Governor Schwarzenegger has been a long time supporter of chiropractic and has said so on many occasions. He strongly believes that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and many people benefit from chiropractic care.

“I am so happy to be back among such good friends because we are really partners in the same mission, getting people well and keeping them healthy through natural means,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. ” As partners, we know the relationship between exercise and health, and chiropractors are the best profession to help make this happen. Chiropractors are truly the most noble of health professionals because of the good that you do. I know in my own experience, and with my own family, chiropractic has helped me and kept me going when other people would have had to just give up because they couldn’t make it. You all know Dr. Franco Columbu is a great chiropractor and he has been with me for so many years, in competitions, in making movies; he is like my own personal chiropractor, always there to take care of me, and that has been a big part of my success.”

This year Governor Schwarzenegger also made a special point of speaking about school lunches. He stated that he believes that children should not have junk food present in the school. He said that children should have healthy food to help them live healthier lives.

An interesting story appeared in the sports section of the February 15, 2008 issue of the Philadelphia Enquirer. The story titled, “Phillies getting Hamels his chiropractor,” is about the Philadelphia Philly pitcher who requested his team get a team chiropractor. The team has agreed to add one to their staff.

When informed that his team will be getting a chiropractor Hamels responded in the article, “Really? I’ve always thought it was beneficial. Ever since I’ve used one, it’s done wonders for me. This is nice. It’s great that they’re going out of their way to get a network going. I know I do have a bunch of guys in a vast majority of the cities that I’ve been able to go to. If they’re able to get those guys, that’s great. But it doesn’t matter. They’re putting in the effort, which is good. I definitely can’t complain.”

In response to Hamels’ request, Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said, “That’s the type of stuff you do every year. I certainly think that the players’ needs change as the game goes on. We’re going to go through times when you find a group of players that need one thing, and we have to provide it. Certainly, it’s our job as the medical team and administration to adapt to our needs. I don’t have any problems with chiropractic care. Cole and I have had open discussions about it. I’m trying to provide him something that can help him.”

The article notes that the Phillies hope to have a network of chiropractors in place when they are on the road. To accomplish this the Phillies have received help from the Philadelphia NFL football team, the Eagles, as the NFL already has a network of chiropractors in place for their players.

The article notes that Hamels believes that not having chiropractic care played a role in his being on the DL (disabled list) last year. “It’s a vast majority of things that I could have done to prevent it, but I know it (chiropractic) would have helped,” he said. The article notes that Hamels thinks this year with chiropractic 20 wins is a very attainable goal.

Poorly fitting athletic shoes can hurt your stride and therefore your spine. This information was reported in a Dec. 6, 2005 release appearing on PRNewswire. According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), footwear plays an important role in the functional biomechanics of the human body.

The article also reports that improperly-fitting shoes can do more than hurt a runner’s stride, they can upset a person’s overall biomechanics and lead to pain throughout the body. Dr. Jeffery Solomon, president of the ACA’s Council on Sports Injuries & Physical Fitness noted, “Your feet are the foundation of your body, and if they are not properly supported you can have problems anywhere from the bottom of your feet up through your neck.”

The article posted several tips to consider before a runner should purchase their next pair of running shoes. These are:

Be sure to match the right shoe to the right activity.

If possible, purchase running shoes from a specialty store or from someone knowledgeable about matching the correct type of running shoes to your foot type and stride pattern.

Select shoes with adequate cushioning in the soles, which helps absorb the shock of your feet hitting the ground. Cushioning is especially important when running on hard surfaces, such as pavement or sidewalks.

Check for adequate room at the widest part of your foot. The shoe shouldn’t be tight, but your foot shouldn’t slide around, either.

Consider custom made orthotic insoles. Orthotics can address structural abnormalities in the feet and the resultant biomechanical faults.

The above is the advice from the Colorado Chiropractic Association (CCA) and appeared as a PRNewswire release on May 27, 2004. The article starts out by noting that bending, reaching, and digging in the garden can provide a great workout, but if you’re not careful you can get hurt.

The article suggests that a warm-up and cool-down period is just as important for gardening activities as it is for sports. The CCA also recommends stretching before engaging in gardening. They also recommend that if you feel aches and pains from gardening, and the pain persists, consider visiting a doctor of chiropractic.

The article gives several tips for stretching that should be done before gardening.

Stand up and prop your heel on a back door step or stool with your knee straight. Bend forward until you feel a slight pull in the muscle at the back of the thigh, called the hamstring. Hold the position for 20 seconds, then relax. Do the stretch once more, then repeat with the other leg.

Stand up and put your right hand against a wall or other stable surface. Bend your left knee and grab your ankle with you left hand. Pull your heel toward your buttocks to stretch the quadriceps muscles at the front of your thigh. Hold that position for 20 seconds, relax and do it again. Repeat with the other leg.

Weave your fingers together above your head with your palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds to stretch the upper body, then reverse. Repeat two or three times.

“Hug your best friend:” Wrap your arms around yourself and rotate to one side, as far as you can go. Hold it for 10 seconds, then reverse.