Health First Research

Dutch researchers report that treating pregnant mothers, and then their infants, with select strains of probiotics may help prevent a skin condition known as eczema in children with a family history of allergies, particularly during the first 3 months of life. Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition thought to be related to allergies. As a chiropractor, I am always interested in new research that supports natural remedies. Probiotics are bacteria present naturally in the body and sometimes added to food or dietary supplements to boost immune function. Chiropractic treatment can also improve the function of the autoimmune system.

In the study, 150 pregnant women with a family history of allergic diseases were given either a mixture of three probiotic bacteria or a placebo during the last six weeks of pregnancy. In addition, the researchers also gave the same treatment to the women’s children for 12 months.

In a follow up with 102 of the children born to the mothers who took part in the study, parents of 6 in 50 of the subjects who received probiotics reported eczema in their children, compared to 15 or 52 of the placebo group. And, even though the rate of eczema in both groups became more similar, there was still some benefit even after two years.

One of the paper’s 9 authors is employed by Winclove Bio Industries B.V., Amsterdam, which manufactures the probiotic supplements used in the study. The study appeared in the journal Allergy.

Technorati Tags: eczema, probiotics, research

Despite the fact that chiropractic is not a therapy for asthma, per se, recent research published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research recorded the results experienced by 81 children with asthma who were given chiropractic adjustments. The two-month study reported that those under care experienced a 45% decrease in the number of “attacks” and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily decided to decrease their medication.

Even though chiropractic care may be able to help those who already have asthma, public health researcher Julie Von Behren, of Northern California Cancer Center in Berkeley, and colleagues found that being overweight, especially around the middle, may increase a woman’s risk for developing asthma.

In the study women who were overweight or obese were much more apt to have asthma than women at a healthy weight, but regardless of a woman’s weight, a large waist size, i.e., more than 34 inches, also suggested increased risk for asthma, Von Behren and colleagues report in the medical journal Thorax.

In addition, obesity may make asthma symptoms more severe, according to Von Behren, and make urgent medical visits and hospital admission due to asthma more likely. “These findings are particularly troubling,” Von Behren and colleagues say, given that the majority of American adults are now overweight or obese.

For more on this valuable study and sources, go to reuters.com

Technorati Tags: athsma, chiropractic, health research, obesity, overweight