1. Hcalth$-$ricfsOuick f ixes, new research, home remedies
Add a Chiropractor
ou'vepractisedyourbreath-
ing and you've packedyour
bags,Butthere'sanotheritemto
addto yourlabourpreparations-
chiropracticadjustments,
Weight gain during pregnancycan
cause pelvic misalignment,says Katrina
Kulhay,chiropractorandfounderof Kulhay
Wellness& EducationCentrein Toronto.
Kulhayadvocateschiropracticadjustments
and simpleat-homeexercisesto buildup
thepelvicfloormusclesandrestorethejoint
to itsproperposition.Adjustingthesacroili-
acjointsandincreasingpelvicstrengthand
flexibilitygive women more controlover
fl}rl Yc;r,;
l-'lavr: Tf:-i'*-c>i*t
tllg,e&x$r'?
A SELF CHECK
About 1.5 millionCanadians
have thyroid disorders and
many don't know it.
Thyroid disease -
which includesthe usually
benign hypothyroidism,
hyper-thyroidism and
thyroid nodules - is best
treated when caught early.
The thyroid is a butterfly-
shaped gland just above
the collarbone that
regulates metabolism and
cell grovvth,Here'sa do-it-
yourself test to determine
thyroid abnormalities.
erLook into a mirror and
focus on the area of the
neck imrnediately above
the collarbone and tip your
head back.
e Drink water and swallow.
* As you swallow, look at
your neck.
* lf you see a protrusion or
bulge (ignoringthe Adam's
apple), call your doctor.
- Laura Bicftle
114 CANADIAN LIYING
to Your Birth Team
thesemuscles,shesays,makingchildbirth
quickerandlesspainful.
lsabelleBergof Torontowasskeptical
whensheapproachedKulhaywitha sciatic
nerveproblerninherninthmonth.Butbythe
thirdsessionherpelvicjointsweremoving
morefreelyandthepaingeneratingfromher
sciaticneruehadgoneaway,
Atthoughtherearenostudiessupporting
Kulhay'sclaimthatchiropracticcarereduces
labourtime,a studyof 400patientsinOntar-
ro'sNiagaraPeninsulaindicat-
ed that it lessenslabourpain.
Whilesessionscanbegin
anytimeduringpregnancy,pa-
tientsusuallyattendmonthly
sessionsduringthe firsttwo
trimesters,twicemonthlyformonthsseven
and eight and once weeklytor the final
month. - Debora lt Euerest -Hi ll
Ohlropractic
adJustm,ernts
may slroften
labour time
is conducting memory tests involving
positron emission tomography (PET), a neu-
roimaging device that records the brain in ac-
tion. Results indicate ttrat older people may
be using different parts of their brains than
younger subjects. This is particularly evident
in people with sharp memories, which sug-
gests that engaging these other areasis relat-
ed to the ability to rernernber.
*The
idea is that maybe these other areas
are being recruited by older subjects to help
them remember," says Cheryl Grady, who is
heading the three-year study funded by The
Medical ResearchCouncil of Canada and the
Ontario Mental Health Foundation.
This information could prove invaluable
to individuals with severernernory loss due to
dernentias such as Alzheimer's disease or
brain injury.
*If
lve knew how to activate
these areas, if we knew what the older sub-
jects ryeredoing to use these areas,we might
be able to help those with memory impair-
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Hope for the Mernory-lmpaired
*Using
your brain" is takingon a whole new
meaningfor researchersinvestigatingage-re-
latedmemo{yloss.
The Rotman ResearchInstitute at the
BaycrestCentrefor GeriatricCarein Toronto
: OCToBER I998
mend'saysGrady. - lennifer McPhee