LIVING HEALTHY IN THE NEW YEAR
Why good dental hygiene is
essential for overall health
The importance of maintaining
clean teeth and healthy gums
goes beyond having fresh breath
and a white smile. Many people are
surprised to discover that oral hygiene
plays an integral role in overall
health.
Research indicates that oral health
mirrors the condition of the body as a
whole. Also, regular dental visits can
alert dentists about overall health
and pinpoint if a person is at a risk
AVOID BACK AND NECK SURGERY
Get relief now for back pain at Spine and Disc Center
Caribbean L 28 ife, Jan. 11–17, 2019
for chronic disease. An oral health
check-up also may be the fi rst indication
of a potential health issue not yet
evident to a general medical doctor.
HEART DISEASE
According to the Academy of General
Dentistry, there is a distinct relationship
between periodontal disease
and conditions such as heart disease
and stroke. Joint teams at the University
of Bristol in the United Kingdom
and the Royal College of Surgeons
in Dublin, Ireland, found that people
with bleeding gums from poor dental
hygiene could have an increased risk
of heart disease.
Bacteria from the mouth is able to
enter the bloodstream when bleeding
gums are present. That bacteria can
stick to platelets and subsequently
form blood clots. This interrupts the
fl ow of blood to the heart and may
trigger a heart attack. Brushing and
fl ossing twice daily and rinsing with
mouthwash can remove bacteria and
keep gums healthy.
FACIAL PAIN
The Offi ce of the Surgeon General
says infections of the gums that
support the teeth can lead to facial
and oral pain. Gingivitis, which is an
early stage of gum disease, as well as
advanced gum disease, affects more
than 75 percent of the American population.
Dental decay can lead to its own
share of pain. Maintaining a healthy
mouth can fend off decay and infections,
thereby preventing pain.
PANCREATIC CANCER
In 2007, the Harvard School of Public
Health reported a link between
gum disease and pancreatic cancer.
In the ongoing study, 51,000 men were
followed and data was collected beginning
in 1986. The Harvard researchers
found that men with a history of gum
disease had a 64 percent increased risk
of pancreatic cancer compared with
men who had never had gum disease.
The greatest risk for pancreatic cancer
among this group was in men with
recent tooth loss. However, the study
was unable to fi nd links between other
types of oral health problems, such as
tooth decay, and pancreatic cancer.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Various health ailments, including
poor oral health, have been linked to
a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s
disease. In 2010, after reviewing 20
years’ worth of data, researchers from
New York University concluded that
there is a link between gum infl ammation
and Alzheimer’s disease. Follow
up studies from researchers at the
University of Central Lancashire in
the United Kingdom compared brain
samples from 10 living patients with
Alzheimer’s to samples from 10 people
who did not have the disease.
Data indicated that a bacterium
— Porphyromonas gingivalis — was
present in the Alzheimer’s brain samples
but not in the samples from the
brains of people who did not have Alzheimer’s.
P. gingivalis is usually associated
with chronic gum disease.
As a result of the study, experts think
that the bacteria can move via nerves
in the roots of teeth that connect directly
with the brain or through bleeding
gums.
These health conditions are just a
sampling of the relationship between
oral health and overall health. Additional
connections also have been
made and continue to be studied.
Back and neck pain make the
simplest tasks nearly impossible.
You may be unable to
walk, bend, work, or drive as
turning your head to see the
car behind you — a function
we barely even think about
under normal conditions —
is not possible. This kind of
debilitating pain impacts the
quality of life.
It may be that you’ve tried
to get help. You may have already
seen doctors for traditional
medical and chiropractic
care, without results.
Perhaps it appears the only
possibility is surgery.
But this is not your only
option.
Dr. James DiGiuseppi DC
of the Spine and Disc Center of
Brooklyn has been treating patients
with these conditions for
more than 35 years, reinstating
their quality of life through nonsurgical
treatment. No spinal
injections or drugs are involved.
Instead, he utilizes decompression
therapy, a leading non-surgical,
alternative treatment for
serious neck and low back pain.
“This gentle treatment
method has been shown to
greatly reduce or eliminate
back and neck pain,” says
Dr. DiGiuseppi. “It has helped
people who are at the end of their
rope.”
Decompression therapy effectively
treats disabling low
back, neck, and radiating leg
and arm pain by reducing the
pressure on spinal nerves,
discs and joints.
“It renders quick, effective,
and amazing pain relief that
enables most patients to return
to a more active lifestyle,”
says the doctor. “There is a
98% success rate — and those
are pretty good odds.”
Research to develop this
procedure was conducted
by prominent physicians,
engineers, and technicians
at major teaching hospitals,
says Dr. DiGiuseppi, who is
trained in these methods.
The certification course was
designed by the leading expert
in spinal decompression,
Dr. Jay Kennedy, D.C.,
who taught doctors worldwide
and treated thousands
of patients using a variety
of decompression systems.
To gain certification involves
more than 40 hours
of instruction, including
hands-on training sessions,
followed by certification examinations.
“We are pleased that we
can serve our patients and
others in the community
with advanced spinal decompression
therapy,” says
Dr. DiGiuseppi.
Decompression therapy
begins with a series of sessions
that typically run three
or four times per week. It’s all
done while the patient is fully
clothed, either face down, or
face up, on the table. During
each of these sessions, electrical
muscle stimulation,
ultrasound, or therapeutic
laser may be applied to help
relax muscles and promote
further healing of injured tissues,
says the doctor. In addition,
patients may be asked
to complete specific exercises
designed to help strengthen
muscles.
People with spinal stenosis,
bulging, herniated, and
degenerative discs, pinched
nerves, and sciatica have
found relief through this
method.
Spine and Disc
Center of Brooklyn
8214 - 13th Avenue
11228 in Dyker
Heights, (718) 833–
3327. www.Spineand-
DiscCenter.com
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