Dr. Norman Allan's
Newsletter

Vol 1, No. 1, January 2005

an article dated 3/12/2004 (where I made no note of which newspaper - it must the National Post!)

"That tomato isn't as hearty as it used to be"

A "study at the University of Texas ... analyzed 43 common vegetables and found widespread declines in their content of vitamins B and C, iron, calcium and other nutrients."
   "... The study concluded that a modern tomato has 40% less vitamin C, 40% less protein and 40% fewer minerals than a tomato grown in 1950."

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headline in the Guardian, 31/12/2004 ...

"15 year study links fast food to obesity"

surprise! While this is a gross example of the obvious, it is amazing how year by year the "wisdom" of natural medicine in slowly vindicated by science...

Published in The Lancet the US study showed a link between eating "fast foods", increased weight, and insulin resistance (and with that an increased risk of adult onset diabetes).

*   *   *

and again, no surprise...

"Household chemicals in direct link to asthma rise"

A study* showed a "clear connection" between asthma and use of domestic chemicals such as air freshener, bleach, disinfectants, etc.

Exposure to these household chemicals during pregnancy increased the risk of asthma dramatically in these children after birth.

Source: The Times (London) 23/12/2004

* published in the journal "Thorax"

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now this may be a bit of a surprise...

New York Times 23/11/2004

"Pain and the Downsized Brain"

"People with chronic back pain showed measurable shrinkage of the brains when they were given M.R.I. scans, researchers reported yesterday.
   Writing in The Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers said that among the volunteers with back pain they had studied, the gray matter of the brain was 5 percent to 11 percent smaller..."

Till now chiropractors have been obliged to used measured language, but now I can go hyberbolic: "Get that back pain treated or else you could lose your mind!"

The study was done with low back pain. The findings most probably generalize to all chronic pain.

*   *   *

Globe and Mail 23/11/2004

"Painkillers of little use for arthritis of the knee"

"Painkillers, from the cheap over-the-counter variety through to expensive prescription drugs, are not much use for people suffering arthritis of the knee, according to a new study" published in the British Medical Journal

*   *   *

"Sniff a lemon to beat asthma"

There's a chemical in lemon peel that "significantly prevented" asthma. "Limonene" reduces the persistent inflammation suffered by asthmatics.

source Daily Mail. 30/12/2004

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What's new in my "practice":- as of December first 2004 chiropractic was "delisted". Provincial health insurance no longer pays us the pittiance it used to ($9.65 per visit up to $150 per year), so I'm biting the bullet and will not raise my fees at this time.

We still offer acupuncture, chiropractic, counseling, craniosacral therapy, herbs, homeopathy, trigenics... at the same cost to patients ($30 for 15 minutes, $120 per hour)

and we still offer treatment by donation at our Wednesday walk-in clinic, from 3 to 4 p.m.

visit Dr. Allan's home page at
www.normanallan.com