I always find it amusing when you read health news headlines in the press says Leeds Chiropractor Alison Eaves. Take a look at BBC Health News today and you will see a headline Sunshine may reduce arthritis risk’. It grabbed my attention because as a chiropractor I like to keep abreast of new research that may influence how we manage back pain. However upon further reading it is perhaps of less interest and is unlikely to revolutionise chiropractic treatment of back pain any time soon.
The story relates to a study by researchers at Harvard University that looked at rates of rheumatoid arthritis in two very large populations (both greater than 100,000) over a period of 20-30 years. They found that in one group the risk of getting the disease was 21{8c34c0d03372d798e22443fa1cd79a4c0c458739bec8c1532104b8390ef42220} less likely in people living in a part of the USA where sunshine levels were the highest. It is proposed that exposure to vitamin D (produced by sunlight) may protect the body. Low levels of vitamin D are believed to play a role in other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a specific type of arthritis caused by an autoimmune condition whereby the immune system attacks the joints (and often body organs in some cases). However the type of arthritis seen largely as a result of wear and tear and mechanical stresses and strain is much more common. It is this second common type of arthritis prevalent in the general population that many patients to my chiropractic clinic may be complaining about.
So read the health headlines and then go on to read the full article. In fairness this article does go on to have comments from both Arthritis Research UK and the British Society of Rheumatology both urging a cautious approach to the findings of this single study but how many people go on to read the entire article. We are all guilty of trying to grab a headline : even me with this article!
