Effects of adding sacral base leveling to osteopathic manipulative treatment of back pain: a pilot study.

A selected group of patients with sacral base unleveling greater than 2 mm were studied to determine the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and heel lifting on chronic low-back pain. The McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire administered by trained personnel was used to assess the patient's pain before and after treatments. Five patients with no experience with manual treatment were treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and OMT for restrictions in spinal motion. Their improvement was statistically significant. Seven patients who had been treated previously with OMT and NSAIDs received heel lifts of graduated thickness until the sacral base was within 2 mm of being level. Attaining a "level" sacral base with heel lifts also provided a statistically significant relief from low-back pain.

Leaf wax of oats.

Leaf wax of oats (Kelsey variety) consists of hydrocarbons (5%), esters (10%), free alcohols (45%), free acids (2.5%), ß-diketone (5.5%), hydroxy-ß-diketones (2.5%), and unidentified (29%). Wax on leaf blades contains more free alcohols than wax on leaf sheaths, and wax on the flag leaf sheath contains more ß-diketone than wax on the rest of the plant. Principal hydrocarbons are C29, C31, and C33. The esters, mainly C44-C48 and C52, are probably C18-C22 and C26 esters of hexacosanol. Free alcohols are almost entirely hexacosanol. The ß-diketone is hentriacontane-14, 16-dione. Hydroxy ß-diketones are a mixture of 5-, 6- and 7-hydroxyhentriacontane-14, 16-diones in the proportions 58∶35∶7. The wax also contains a small amount (0.5%) of 1,16-hexacosanediol.