Phone us at (604) 886-7080

Gibsons Chiropractic Blog

July 22, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 07-21-2011

By Dr. Stacey

Source: www.toyourhealth.com

The Purple Pill Myth

The entire digestive process is orchestrated by good stomach acid. If there isn’t enough, the gallbladder doesn’t get triggered properly to function, and the pancreatic enzymes aren’t released for proper digestion.

So, knowing the vital functions of stomach acid,  it seems absolutely insane to take antacids or proton-pump inhibitors such as that little purple pill, doesn’t it?

How does the stomach acid get turned off? And what can be done about it? The main reason stomach acid gets turned off is from stress caused by high carb intake (high sugar levels are enormously stressful for the body), mental stress, physical stresses like excessive exercise, or physical stresses such as inflammation, infections, anemia or food intolerances.

Most people simply need supplementation of digestible betaine hydrochloride (HCI), for three to six months to restore proper acidity to the stomach and eliminate the symptoms they’re having. Mucilaginous vegetables like okra are especially effective for that. The stomach lining heals quite quickly, so after 10 days of eating okra or taking okra pills, you can add in the betaine hydrochloride with each meal. Make sure that it’s taken with or right after a meal.

Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for low stomach acid, but it’s quite weak. It will help a little, but you might also consider supplementation, because if you are continuing to stress your body in whatever way that you do, the apple cider vinegar might not be enough, and considering how much we need good acid, it might be worthwhile to supplement.

It’s not just a matter of fixing the problem once and thinking you’re done. Pay attention to symptoms, and ask your doctor about betaine hydrochloride if you start having problems. Anytime you have a large meal, or when you travel, or in periods of high stress, you take it just as a precaution.

You will be amazed at how quickly those acid reflux, sour stomach, and gas problems will be resolved without having to take a lifetime of purple pills when you incorporate these simple, natural strategies. Ask your doctor for more information regarding digestive health.

Read More

In Shape For Life

After the age of 40, we tend to lose about 0.5 to 2 percent of our muscle each year. If you aren’t concerned about looking good, then also realize that this loss is a large factor in falls in older age, which can most often lead to fractures and even death. The good news is that there’s an answer to helping fight this. Follow these steps and you will find yourself getting in shape for life:

Step 1: Don’t sit too long

The first goal is to avoid sitting or resting for long periods of time. A study in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of a heart attack. The shocking fact is that this is independent on whether you smoke or exercise! It doesn’t matter if you exercise or smoke. Sitting long periods still increase the risk.

Step 2: Start a Walking Program

Start with small steps. The best way to do this is get a simple pedometer. Those cost a few dollars and are well worth it. Stick to your regular routine for the first week and record how many steps you walk every day. Do this every week until you can get to a goal of 10,000 steps per day. This is the big goal so don’t aim for it from the start. It’s about aiming for smaller goals first and then reaching them.

Step 3: Start a stretching (warm up) program

Good news is that you don’t need to spend as much time holding a stretched position as we previously thought. That’s because we are often confused between stretching and warming up. Warming up is about moving body parts slowly and through a full range of motion until your muscles get warmed up. This is the best thing to do before you start any exercise program. Research has shown that static stretching, those positions that you hold for several seconds, can sometimes be responsible for increasing injuries, not decreasing them.

Step 4: Start a strengthening program

Researchers at University of Michigan Health System found that an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle and increase overall strength by 25 to 30 percent after 18 weeks of resistance training. This can occur well into the 80′s and 90′s so its never too late to start.

Read More

You Are What You Drink

Not all calories are the same, especially when it comes to the calories you drink. Most people tend to revolve their diet plans around the foods they consume, often forgetting that what they drink on a daily basis is just as important. Countless drinks on the market tend to be very high in sugar content, which we all know eventually turns into fat, derailing our weight-loss goals.

Some drinks are also loaded with tons of calories that often can be just as high as an entire meal. Learning what drinks to watch out for and which ones to consume can make a big difference in your overall weight and health. Let’s take a look at a few healthy options that can help you meet your long-term goals.

When it comes to finding the perfect drink to complement your healthy eating goals, the number-one thing you need is just five letters: water!

Water is a basic beverage that provides essential benefits like helping to digest your food properly and hydrating the body, but most importantly, it contains zero calories.

When considering beverages, it is essential to always read the nutrition facts just like you would with food. The first ingredient listed is the most common ingredient; the least common ingredient is listed last. Your drink should be mostly water or 100 percent juice, depending on the beverage. If you see sugar first on the label, watch out!

Other things to consider: Try to keep your sugar intake lower than American Heart Association’s limits for added sugars: 100 calories (6 tsp) for women and 150 calories (9 tsp) for men per day. (These shouldn’t be coming from beverages, since many of your foods contain sugars).

So this summer, satisfy your parched taste buds with water; and if you can’t forgo your favorite sip (or more) of something less healthy, do it in small amounts! Small changes can equal big results! Drink well.

Read More

Filed under: Chemicals,Digestion,Exercise,Fitness,Heart Health,Nutrition,Prescription Drugs,Weight Loss — Tags: , , , , ,

June 22, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 06-21-2011

By Dr. Stacey

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

The Sensible Route to Slim

In the long run, repeated episodes of unhealthy weight-loss attempts are more likely to cause damage to our body and outweigh the health benefits of short-term weight loss. That doesn’t mean it’s better to stay at an unhealthy weight. We just have to make sure that we are losing weight in a healthy way and are able to maintain that weight loss.

It takes about a 500-calorie deficit per day to lose about 1 pound per week. If you incorporate exercise that burns an additional 500 calories per day, then you can lose 2 pounds per week. My recommendation would be to aim to lose no more than 2 pounds per week on average. “On average” takes into consideration that the initial weeks may result in greater weight loss because of the loss of retained fluids from exchanging fatty, salty foods for a healthier, more balanced diet. But overall, you should average out to about 2 pounds per week. If you are losing more than that, then you are more likely resorting to less-healthy methods of weight loss, which can hurt your metabolism and health in the long-term.

Believe it or not, people who lose weight at a slow, steady rate tend to keep the weight off longer because they are incorporating new, healthier habits instead of taking drastic measures to get the weight off. When we shift our focus from ‘”dieting” to “creating a healthier lifestyle,” we are more likely to succeed in keeping the weight off for good. Here are a few ways to do just that:

Water: Make it a daily priority to stay hydrated with water and to incorporate vegetables and water into every meal. Portions do not need to be large, but by keeping these two ideas in mind, you will be less likely to become deficient in essential nutrients your body needs to function.

Fibre: Remember to increase fibre in your diet, but at a rate that is slow and gradual. If you increase your fibre intake too quickly, you may bloat and become gaseous. Therefore, start to increase your dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble) gradually to about 20-30 grams per day.

Consider drinking green tea. Green tea flavoring ranges from jasmine to genmaicha (green tea combined with roasted brown rice) to dragon well (hint of sweetness), just to name a few. Green tea has been shown in some clinical studies to have a beneficial impact on many aspects of health, including improvements in cholesterol, weight loss and weight maintenance. The healthy ingredients found in green tea include, but are not limited to, flavonoids, polyphenols and amino acids.

Ultimately, it’s more important that you cross the finish line and achieve a healthy, fit lifestyle you can maintain, rather than losing a lot of weight quickly, but being unable to maintain the healthy weight because you took extreme measures to lose it. We all know that extreme measures cannot be maintained long-term.

Read More

Stretching Your Limits

Stretching is important for several reasons. It improves flexibility, which can come in handy whether you’re reaching down to pick up a pencil from the floor, climbing a ladder to the roof or trying to grab your overeager child before they run into the street. From a sports perspective, flexibility allows you to move more easily and with a greater range of motion while reducing the odds that you’ll pull, strain or overstretch something in the heat of battle. It also can protect against long-term injury, in the sense that flexibility and range-of-motion deficits can cause overcompensation patterns to develop.

Because stretching makes your body more flexible, it also has mental health benefits. First, picture yourself on the couch after a long day’s work or a morning at the racquetball court, sore, stiff and in pain. Now picture yourself on the same couch after the same activities, but well-stretched, blood and oxygen circulating properly, able to achieve a superior range of motion despite your draining day. Now that’s a reason to stretch, isn’t it?

Traditionally, stretching routines have followed the principle of static holding; that means holding a stretch in a single position for 20-30 seconds or more. These types of stretches, known as static stretches, were the only stretches in town for years. Of late, experts in the fitness world increasingly question whether static stretching, particularly before running or performing a sport, has value. In fact, they theorize that static stretching may actually increase injury risk if performed before participating in an activity.

The reason for this concern is because when your muscles are cold, they’re at their most stiff. That makes perfect sense, right? Again, picture yourself heading out for a run – without warming up your body – after spending a sedentary day at your desk at work and another hour in your car coming home. Static stretching could actually overstretch the muscle, straining or tearing it.

The solution, according to more and more experts, is to warm up first, complete your physical activity (say, a run) and then perform static stretches, when your body can handle it. The bottom line is that cold muscles are much easier to injure than warm muscles; applying a prolonged, static stretch before you’re adequately warmed up could do more damage than good.

So, does that mean you shouldn’t stretch before an activity? Of course not. But you might not want to do static stretches. Instead, try dynamic active stretches – things like knee lifts, arm circles, walking lunges, leg swings, torso twists, etc. Think of dynamic stretches as a way to warm up your body in a gentle fashion that prepares you for your activity. Talk to your doctor to learn more.

Read More

Nuts About Almond Butter

More than 3 million people in the U.S. have peanut allergies, among them millions of children. (Allergies among children have doubled in the past two decades, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.) Fortunately, adults and children can snack on almond butter as a sandwich spread or use it as a dip for veggies and know it’s good for them. Here’s why:

  1. It contains less calories and saturated fat and more fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin E and magnesium (based on a 2,000 calorie diet) than peanut butter.
  2. It can protect your heart. It’s high in monounsaturated fats, which are associated with a reduction in heart disease risk.
  3. Almond butter is packed with essential minerals. Some of the highly concentrated minerals found in almond butter include manganese and copper. It’s also rich in calcium, iron and magnesium.
  4. Almond butter is an excellent protein source. Almonds are packed with protein. One quarter-cup of almonds alone contains 7.62 grams of protein – more protein than an egg provides (only 5.54 grams).
  5. It tastes great! With a smooth, grainy texture and creamy, nutty taste, this alternative to peanut butter complements everything from toast to vegetables.

So why not try almond butter today? Your doctor can tell you more about the nutritional value of nuts and how to incorporate them into a balanced, nutritious diet.

Read More

Filed under: Digestion,Exercise,Heart Health,Nutrition,Stretches — Tags: , , ,

March 16, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 03-15-2011

By Dr. Stacey

What’s Causing Your Cough?

A cough, while common, can be caused by all manner of things; some fairly benign and some more health-threatening. Here are a few (varied) reasons why your child – or you, for that matter – could be coughing, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Respiratory Tract Infection: A cough is often a symptom of a cold, flu, pneumonia or other infection affecting the upper respiratory tract. Unlike most of the other symptoms associated with these conditions, it can linger for some time, whether because the infection is hanging around or because your airways are still inflamed and sensitive to irritation.

Asthma: The leading cause of chronic cough in children and also common in adults, asthma can also cause wheezing and shortness of breath, although with at least one type of asthma, cough may be the only symptom. As you might expect, asthma-related coughs may be worsened by respiratory infections or other conditions characterized by coughing.

Blood Pressure Drugs: Yes, some children (and many adults, of course) take ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, which may cause chronic cough; in fact, it’s estimated that 20 percent of people taking blood pressure drugs develop chronic cough that may linger even after medication is discontinued. Your chiropractor can tell you about some of the other unpleasant – and potentially dangerous – side effects of over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: GERD causes stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus, so the throat and even the lungs can be chronically irritated, the result of which can be chronic coughing.

There are other causes of cough, but keep in mind that an occasional, temporary cough is completely normal; it helps keep your lungs clear of foreign substances, secretions, etc., and helps to prevent infections. It’s the unrelenting cough that deserves a visit to the doctor for further investigation, if nothing else than to rule out anything serious as a causative factor.

Read More

Healthy Eating: A Matter of Balance

Balanced eating means taking in the amount of nutrients your body needs for optimal functioning, when your body needs it, and no more. Simple to understand, hard to do! Every person requires different levels of nutrient intake, and your age, activity level, whether you’re a man or woman, and your current weight all play a role in what your plate should look like. One thing is for sure, though: It shouldn’t look like one big bagel. Here’s why.

Not to pick on bagels, but in general, they’re unbalanced -nutritionists would call this “calorie dense / nutrient light,” meaning that within your average medium-sized cinnamon-raisin bagel with butter, most of the 300-plus calories come from one nutrient: carbs. Exchange that bagel for something like a slice of whole-grain bread with cheese and tomato and you get a more balanced profile of nutrients and a lot more vitamins and minerals – key to a nutrient-dense food. And nutrient density is what you want.

Unbalanced nutrition (in either direction) causes your body to work harder. Eating a diet that’s devoid of vitamins and minerals makes your body prioritize its activity – for example, without enough calcium, your body will take it from your bones to make sure your muscles have enough. Conversely, eating more than your body needs means extra energy goes toward processing nutrients, storing them and dealing with the long-term effects of extra weight (joint pain and inflammatory chemical changes, for example). The key is to get the right amounts of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in the right balance so your body can function. Here are five easy ways to ensure balanced, healthy eating:

1. Pay attention to what you eat. It may be boring, but writing down what you eat is the best way to actually see what your daily diet looks like. And you may be surprised by what it shows. Once it’s there in black and white, you can see what you’re doing right and what you might want to change.
2. Make sure every grain you eat is a whole grain. Grain products like bagels can ramp up your calories without providing much bang for the buck. Be adventurous! Try a new grain like quinoa, or replace the white flour in a muffin recipe with whole wheat or even a mix of oat, whole wheat and bran.
3. Eat a fruit and vegetable with every meal. Yes, even breakfast. And no, most jelly doesn’t count. Cold cucumbers with an egg sandwich or a reheated spinach omelet can help you meet your daily need for the vital nutrition found in fruits and vegetables.
4. Look at labels. If any one of the “daily values” for fat, protein, or carbohydrates is off the charts, put that item back.
5. Buy fresh and local as much as possible. Stay on the perimeter of the grocery store where the fresh food lives. And if your grocery store doesn’t stock local growers, talk to the produce manager and ask your friends to make comments, too. You could also join a community supported agriculture co-op, or make a point to visit your local farmers market.

Read More

There’s No Better Time to Exercise

When it comes to exercise, you have to find time, make time and save time or invariably, you’ll have no time left in your busy day, week, month or year to make it happen. Regardless of how hectic your life is, here are four simple ways to ensure exercise doesn’t drop off your daily To-Do List.

Rise and Shine. With the exception of extra sleep, which is important for health in its own right, few things should beat out exercise first thing in the morning. Start the day with exercise and you’ll feel invigorated, if for no other reason than knowing you’ve gotten it done.

The World Is Your Gym. Too many people think that if they don’t make it to the gym or hit the open road for a 5-mile run, they can’t meet their exercise quota. Pure nonsense; after all, physical activity existed long before fitness clubs and fancy workout equipment did. Walk from work to lunch and back; take your dog for a jog; do push-ups with the kids; there are endless ways to stay active even during the busiest of days.

Two Is Better Than One. You want to go to the gym, but dread that it will consume precious hours of your time? Here’s what you can do: Circuit train, which means working out different body parts one after the other with little or no rest. (Many gyms have an equipment “course” set up for this very purpose.) You can also “superset” exercises, combining biceps and triceps routines, for example.

Don’t Go It Alone. If you’re one of the millions who struggle to stay the course (whether it’s exercise, diet, quitting smoking, etc.), it’s not cheating to recruit a little help. Schedule workouts with a friend or office acquaintance, join a walking or running club, or even pay for personal training sessions if you can afford it; whatever it takes to ensure exercise stays front and center.

Increasing research demonstrates the powerful benefits of consistent exercise. Talk to your chiropractor about these and other ways you can incorporate exercise into your life – and keep it there.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Allergies,Blood Pressure,Chemicals,Colds/Flu,Digestion,Exercise,Nutrition,Prescription Drugs — Tags: , , , , , ,

March 9, 2011

What is your Core?

By Dr. Stacey

The word “core” refers to the area of your body between your diaphragm and your pelvic floor. It includes all the joints of the lumbar spine as well as those of the low thorax (chest) and the pelvis. 

Although all muscles of the body are often involved in stabilization, some muscles are better situated to be able to control a joint’s movement; these muscles are called “core muscles” or the “inner unit”. Every joint has an inner unit; the shoulder’s being the rotator cuff.

The inner unit muscles of the lumbopelvic region are the transversus abdominus, the multifidus, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor. These muscles have attachments to the spine or the pelvis, and are therefore better able to stabilize than, for example, the erector spinae or rectus abdominus. As Diane Lee says, “collectively, the inner unit forms a corset around the lumbar spine and pelvis, forming the “circle of integrity”. 

[Source:  www.gaiaadventures.com. Reprinted with permission.]

Filed under: back pain,Exercise,Fitness,Posture,Spine — Tags: , , , , ,

February 16, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 02-16-2011

By Dr. Stacey

Eat Your Way to Heart Health

What is a prudent anti-aging approach to heart health? While the benefits of cardiovascular activity are well-established and often receive the bulk of attention when discussing heart health, the scientific literature suggests a number of nutritional approaches also are worthy of consideration for achieving optimal cardiac fitness.  Here are three you can incorporate into your daily diet starting today. Talk to your doctor for more information.

The Power of (Healthy) Protein. Previous studies have linked consumption of red meat to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Adam Bernstein, from Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues studied data collected on 84,136 women, ages 30 to 55, enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study. The research team examined the women’s medical histories and lifestyles, including dietary habits, and tracked the incidence of non-fatal heart attacks and fatal coronary heart disease for 26 years.

Women who consumed two servings per day of red meat, as compared to those who consumed only half a serving per day, had a 30 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. By comparison, the data also showed that eating more servings of protein sources such as poultry, fish and nuts was significantly associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Compared to eating one serving each day of red meat, women who substituted other protein-rich foods experienced a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease.

Where’s the Watermelon? Watermelon is a rich natural source of L-citrulline, a compound closely related to L-arginine, which is crucial to the formation of nitric oxide, which helps to widen blood vessels and thereby mediate blood pressure. Arturo Figueroa, from Florida State University, and colleagues evaluated four men and five women, average age 54 years, with pre-hypertension (134/77 ± 5/3 mmHg). Subjects were randomly assigned to six weeks of watermelon supplementation or placebo, followed by a four-week washout period and then crossover. The team found that supplementation with 6 grams of L-citrulline from watermelon improved arterial function and lowered aortic blood pressure in all pre-hypertensive subjects.

Healthy Fats, Healthy Heart? Low HDL (high-density lipoprotein, “good” cholesterol) levels and high LDL (low-density lipoprotein, “bad” cholesterol) levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. David Jenkins, from St. Michael’s Hospital (Ontario, Canada), and colleagues recruited 17 men and 7 postmenopausal women to complete a very low saturated fat diet before being randomly assigned to either a high-monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) diet or a low- MUFA diet. Both groups of patients were assigned to a specific vegetarian diet that included oats, barley, psyllium, eggplant, okra, soy, almonds and a plant sterol-enriched margarine.

In the high-MUFA group, the researchers substituted 13 percent of calories from carbohydrates with a high-MUFA sunflower oil, with the option of a partial exchange with avocado oil. The team found significant reductions in blood cholesterol levels over the two-month study period for participants, with the replacement of 13 percent of total calories from carbohydrate by monounsaturated fats in the dietary portfolio resulting in a 12.5 percent increase in HDL and 35 percent reduction in LDL.

Read More

Meditation, Not Medication

Antidepressants have been the mainstay treatment for depression, an approach that has garnered significant criticism over the years from those who believe the drugs are widely overprescribed and unsafe. For example, in some cases, antidepressants appear to actually increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors; certainly not a desired consequence for anyone, but particularly for someone suffering from depression.

Now for some good news: Research is suggesting alternative treatments may be as effective as – and definitely safer than – antidepressant medications. Case in point: a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry that suggests meditation benefits depression patients in remission from the disorder.

In the study, patients who learned how to meditate 40 minutes a day instead of taking antidepressant medication were as likely to avoid a relapse as patients taking antidepressants or a placebo (an inactive pill patients believed contained medication to help them control their depression symptoms).

Keep in mind that depression, particularly major depressive disorder, goes far beyond “feeling blue”; symptoms can severely impact home, school and work life. For additional information about depression including the warning signs, visit the NIMH Web site at www.nimh.nih.gov/health/index.shtml.

Read More

Extraordinary Exercises

Here’s a common snag with people who exercise consistently, especially during the first few months of a new year: You don’t look forward to doing the same exercises you did last year. Although squats, push-ups, lunges and pull-ups are the foundation for most, if not all exercises, they can get monotonous over time and your body could do the thing we don’t want it to do: plateau. If your body plateaus, it means it essentially gets used to the exercises and figures out a way to burn less calories efficiently. That means a less productive workout for you, which is never a good thing. Here are some challenging variations on common exercises that will take your workout from ordinary to extraordinary:

“Uchimata” Push-Up Variation: From a one-leg push-up position and squeezing the glute (buttock) of your support leg, slowly lower your body as one unit until your chest grazes the floor and pause for a count. From there, use your glute to slowly raise your lifted leg as high as you can without overly hyperextending your lower back. Then push back up to the starting position, switch sides and repeat for time. The one-leg lift really increases the demands on your core, lower back, glutes, and hamstrings; and since it shifts your weight forward onto your hands, it really challenges your shoulders, too.

Vertical Squat Jump: Stand in the start position for a body-weight squat, then squat down and jump up as high as possible.

Lunge Hops: Start in the bottom of a split-squat position (one leg in front, one in back). Your front thigh should be parallel to the floor, your torso upright and your abs braced. Jump up explosively and switch leg positions in the air. Your back leg becomes the front leg, and vice-versa. Absorb the landing with your muscles. Keep your abs braced and torso upright. Alternate sides without resting between sides. Repeat for 10 reps total.

Inverted Rows: Set a bar at hip height in the Smith machine or squat rack. Lie underneath the bar and grab it a few inches wider than shoulder-width apart. Row (pull) yourself up the top position with your upper back and lats. Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes (knees) to shoulders. Slowly return to the start position. Repeat for 10 reps. (For beginner inverted rows – keep feet on the ground.)

Hope these twists on some original exercises get you excited and ready for a new, better you in 2011. After all, having an arsenal of exercises that you can do safely and effectively is the only true way to lose weight, gain strength and stay healthy in the long term. Now go out there and get started! Remember to talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, particularly if you have a health condition that could impact performance or safety.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Blood Pressure,Exercise,Fitness,Heart Health,Mental Health,Nutrition,Stress — Tags: , , , , , , ,

February 3, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 02-01-2011

By Dr. Stacey

Time to Put Health in Motion

Too many people (are you one?) believe intense exercise is the only way to make a difference in their health. Eventually, that path becomes frustrating, exhausting and draining, and we end up doing nothing at all. So, the key issue is not really the type or intensity of exercise, but why you need to start moving. It’s a simple issue of motion versus no motion. It’s shocking to realize how many health problems are caused by not doing anything.

Whenever we hear about someone close to us getting cancer, we pray that it doesn’t happen to us. As a result, we may change our diet, try to alter an unhealthy behavior (e.g., quit smoking), reduce our stress levels, etc.; however, one thing we don’t change often enough is our activity level. It’s shocking to truly grasp how much of an impact being sedentary has on our health. In fact, being inactive is more dangerous to your health than smoking!

In one study, one in five deaths in people 35 years or older was attributed to a lack of physical activity. The risk of developing cancer increased 45 percent for men who didn’t include any physical activity in their life and 28 percent for women who were inactive. Risk of dying from respiratory diseases was 92 percent higher for inactive men and 75 percent higher for inactive women. Risk of heart disease was 52 percent higher for inactive men and 28 percent higher for inactive women.

Cardio Movements: If your goal is to establish some form of motion and activity, the minimum recommendations are 30 minutes a day. This 30 minutes does not have to be done at once. You can break it up into three 10-minute sessions. Heading to work or the mall? Park a few minutes away and walk the rest of the way. Going for lunch at work? Take the stairs after you finish. Or simply walk over to a fellow worker’s office instead of phoning them. If you are home most of the time, walk while you talk on the phone. You’d be surprised how much activity you can get doing this. In short, there are literally thousands of ways to move throughout even the busiest day.

Strength Training Movements: Strength training does not mean joining the muscle guys at Venice Beach. Simple strength exercises with your body weight can be beneficial. The general recommendation is to do eight to 10 strength-training exercises with 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise, two to three times per week. If you don’t have weights, you can use your body weight. Simply do squats against the wall, or do a push-up against the edge of a table. Remember, the key is to start off small and work your way up.

Research is actually showing that high-repetition exercises with lower-weight loads can be as good, if not better, than heavy lifting. A recent study from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, revealed that an exercise program using a low weight load, but high volume of exercise, produced better results than lifting heavier weights.

The goal is not to run a marathon (unless that’s your goal), but rather to introduce new ways to get up and move every day. The health benefits are just too great to overlook the power of movement. Your doctor can tell you more – much more – about the value of movement as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Read More

How to Avoid the Dreaded Rut

Rut [ruht]: noun, a fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or unpromising. Does this sound like your life? Are stuck in a rut, desperate to find a way to break free of your boring routine? Well, it’s time to start adding some much-needed spice to your life.

Many of the things you want to do, but are hesitant to do, lie just outside your comfort zone. We grow when we feel uncomfortable and challenged. Status quo may be safe, but it is also boring! The ability to take risks and open up your mind to new possibilities can be the most empowering combination for change you will ever learn. No risk, no nothing! Here are a simple, powerful ways to kiss that rut goodbye. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Feed Fitness: The mind-body connection is undeniable. How you feel is directly related to how well you take care of your body. If you are not currently exercising, check out a local fitness club. The very act of joining and spending just 30 minutes or so four times a week, investing in yourself, will suppress that rut. If you are exercising on a regular basis, change up your routine by doing exercises you have never done before. Take a kick-boxing class, yoga, Pilates, weight-lifting, or begin training with a workout partner.

Try a Change of Taste: The simple act of changing your food selections can bust your rut. Do you always order the same thing off a menu? Well, stop doing that! Go for something completely different and make a 180-degree turn in your choices. Try eating ethnic foods for a change of taste. Visit an ethnic restaurant and experience the flavor of other cultures. Visit the worlds of Greece, Thailand, India, Middle East, Europe, China and Mexico, to name a few. Wake up those taste buds and spice up your palate.

Volunteer: How often do you sit in front of the television every week? The average American watches three hours of television per day! What a waste. Invest that time in helping others. Search for a national or local organization and discover how you can become involved, even if it’s only for one hour a week. Transform yourself and improve the world in the process. Can there be any greater gift than that?

Control the Clock: Change your normal routine of going to bed and waking up. Choose to stay up longer or wake up earlier to invest time in yourself. Take some much needed me time, free from interruptions of family, friends, roommates, television and the overall white noise of daily living. Take this opportunity to read a good book, listen to music, write in a journal, focus on your goals and map out your activities for the day.

Make Your Own Map: Do you ever find yourself sitting in your car at your final destination and wondering how in the world you got there? Normal routines get ingrained in your brain, to the point that every stop and turn is mindless. This is the epitome of ritual rut! You go from home to work and then work to home, making ceremonial stops along the way. How about changing up that boredom and choosing an alternate route? Make a left instead of a right, take a different highway, choose a more scenic route, go straight instead of turning, be creative and become your own GPS.

Read More

Eat Those Fruits and Veggies!

What’s the best reason to eat your fruits and vegetables? They may help you live longer, pure and simple. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, consumption of fruits and vegetables containing alpha-carotene – an antioxidant carotenoid found in many red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, as well as some green ones – may help defend cells from attack.

Researchers discovered that people with higher blood levels of alpha-carotene were less likely to suffer serious illness (particularly cancer and cardiovascular disease) and death over the 14-year study period compared with people whose blood levels of alpha-carotene were lower. The study evaluated 15,318 U.S. adults ages 20 and older as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Follow-Up Study.

If you’re not familiar with alpha-carotene, perhaps its antioxidant cousin rings a bell: beta-carotene, known for its presence in carrots, among other fruits and vegetables. Both alpha- and beta-carotene are converted to vitamin A by the body. While the study authors do not know precisely why alpha-carotene may help protect against disease or if it acts in conjunction with other nutrients, they emphasize that their findings were not attributable to participants’ lifestyle habits, health risk factors or demographic characteristics.

So eat your fruits and veggies! Whether packed with alpha- or beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, magnesium or any of a host of other nutrients, fruits and vegetables provide the nutrition your body needs. Your doctor can tell you more about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables and help outline a nutritional strategy that’s right for you.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com][

Filed under: Exercise,Fitness,Growth,Nutrition,Productivity — Tags: , , , , , ,

January 5, 2011

To Your Health Newsletter 01-04-2011

By Dr. Stacey

Year-Round Skin Protection

Moderate Sun Exposure: There is evidence that painful sunburns are clearly unhealthy; in fact, painful sunburns are associated with all forms of skin cancer. However, sun exposure that doesn’t cause painful burns is associated with reduced expression of most cancers, including melanoma. Regarding the skin, it seems that sun-derived vitamin D protects the skin against the photo-oxidizing effects caused by the sun. In other words, moderate sun exposure is good for our skin and does not appear to cause skin cancer. North Americans have been scared out of the sun and are urged to venture out only if we are slathered in sunscreen, both of which are known to promote vitamin D deficiency.

Diet: Research continues to support the view that a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet is preventive against chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A commonly appreciated anti-inflammatory diet is the traditional Mediterranean diet rich in fish, vegetables and fruit. But what does this have to do with skin health? When it comes to skin, we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that the skin is nourished from the outside by creams and lotions. Rarely is nutrition for skin health a consideration, despite multiple papers published on this topic.

In short, the anti-inflammatory diet that is recommended for primary and secondary prevention of diabetes and heart disease is also known to reduce the expression of skin cancer. Compared with the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Mediterranean countries with high levels of sunlight exposure, including Greece, Spain and Italy, have a substantially lower incidence of skin cancer. This may be due to the anti-inflammatory nature of the Mediterranean diet. It turns out that consumption of large amounts of vegetables and fruit and reduced consumption of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which is characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with reductions in the negative effects of sun damage, including oxidative, mutagenic, immunosuppressive, and inflammatory responses.

A Rationale Plan for Skin Health: It is extremely important to avoid excessive exposure that leads to sunburns, particularly when we are young. Otherwise, we should take a graded approach to sun exposure based on our skin pigmentation. For especially fair-skinned people, this may mean only 10 minutes a day without sunscreen. Because it is not normal for humans to spend multiple hours at the beach lying in the sun, after brief sun exposure, the use of sunscreen is required and a beach umbrella is recommended.

While diet may not typically be considered to influence skin health, the evidence suggests the exact opposite. In addition to healthy sun exposure, we must eat a skin-protecting anti-inflammatory diet. For the average person, this means the avoidance of sugar, flour and refined oils, and substantially increased consumption of vegetables and fruit, which provide vital antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Read More

Exercise Tips for the New Year

A new year means another 365 days to stick to the most common resolution out there: resolving to exercise. What will make this year different from years past when optimism turned to despair after a few months of hard work? Here are a few exercise tips to help you stay on track in 2011 and build a leaner, meaner you:

1. Have a Plan. Consistent exercise requires focus, and focus requires a plan. Outline your workouts by day, week and month so when you hit the gym, you know just what to do.
 
2. Don’t Overdo It. In the real world, you’re not competing on “The Biggest Loser.” Work out for five hours a day and you’ll end up burned out, injured or both. Try 45 minutes, 3-4 times a week.
 
3. Fight Temptation. We’re talking about the inevitable temptation to skip a workout. When you’re having a “bad day,” stay strong and get to the gym. Skip out and you’ll regret it; make it happen and you’ll feel great afterward.
 
4. Schedule Breaks. Many people are afraid to stop working out once they start, but you need time to refresh yourself and allow your body to do the same. Schedule a consistent break (3-4 days or an entire week) every few months and then start right up again.
 
5. Recruit Support. When it comes to exercise, some people can fly solo, and that’s great; but for others, they need a friend or spouse to help keep them on track. If you can’t do it alone, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
 
6. Less Is More. Unless your goal is to look like a body-builder, you can put the heavy weights down. Body-weight, resistance bands and balls, and other basic equipment can get the job done just fine.

Read More

Start Your Day Right

“Start off the day with a balanced breakfast” is a popular phrase in health circles, yet it’s also one of the least likely to be taken to heart. Why do so many skip breakfast when the health consequences are so profound? It goes far beyond reduced mental alertness and lack of energy, according to a recent study.

In the study, children ages 9-15 reported whether they usually ate breakfast before school; skipping the meal was defined as not eating between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Years later, when study participants were 26-36 years of age, the researchers asked the same question to discern whether breakfast skipping had continued until adulthood. Skipping breakfast in childhood and adulthood increased the likelihood of having larger waist circumference, higher fasting insulin, and higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol in adulthood compared to consistent breakfast eaters.

The moral to this story: You’re never too busy for breakfast! Even if you have to “eat on the run,” find a minute or two to toast a whole-wheat bagel or blend fresh berries with nonfat yogurt and protein powder. If that’s too time-consuming, do a little legwork the night before so your whole-grain cereal and milk are ready to take to work. Your body will thank you for it. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Exercise,Fitness,Immune System,Inflammation,Nutrition,Recipes — Tags: , , , , , , ,

December 8, 2010

To Your Health Newsletter 12-07-2010

By Dr. Stacey

Cold and Flu Defense

If you’re looking to gear up for the cold and flu season without subjecting yourself or your family to the potential dangers of the flu vaccine, take heart: There are natural ways to boost your immune system and reduce your risk of getting sick. Here are a few to discuss with your doctor.

Vitamin C: A study of 715 people showed that flu symptoms were decreased by 85 percent when people took 6 grams of vitamin C as a one-time loading dose, then continuing with 1 gram three times a day, compared with people taking only the 3 grams daily. The message here is to take a lot of vitamin C the first day you feel symptoms or the first day people around you are getting sick, and then take 3 grams daily after that. Keep in mind that vitamin C can loosen stools, so be careful if you are predisposed to this.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D has exploded in research and popularity the past few years. Most of us are familiar with its bone-building properties, however new research suggests it improves the immune system as well. Have your doctor test your vitamin D levels before supplementing. Research suggests 2,000 IU daily is safe for most adults and children. Higher doses are safe and effective, but must be monitored by your doctor.

Elderberry: Elderberry (Sambucus) was researched in a group of 60 people and found to alleviate symptoms four days earlier compared with controls. Elderberry helps boosts the immune system and is great-tasting for kids. Start taking as soon as symptoms manifest.

Gingseng: Panax quinquefolium (ginseng) was studied in a large group of 323 patients as a preventive natural medicine. The group that took panax experienced 30 percent less colds compared with the placebo group (people who didn’t take ginseng), and average number of sick days were 11 compared with 16 in the non-treatment group.

Oscillococcinum: Last, but not least, the well-known oscillococcinum is a homeopathic flu treatment that is created new every year. Tough to pronounce, but effective; a Cochrane review of all oscillococcinum studies showed that it reduces the length of illness compared with placebo.

Talk to your doctor for more information about these and other natural ways to boost your immune system and ward off colds and the flu.

Read More

Healthy Holidays

Five pounds, 10 pounds, 15 pounds or even more: How much weight do you gain in an average holiday season? This year, buck the trend with some simple planning. Take these suggestions to heart and enjoy the holiday season the healthy way.

1. Family Fitness: What better way to counterbalance the extra calories you’re sure to consume this holiday season than with some calorie-burning, cardio-benefiting exercise that involves the entire family? Reminiscing with relatives is great, but why not bond with them and stay in shape at the same time with a game of touch football, a snowball fight or even a long walk around the neighborhood?
2. Portion Control: We’re not saying you can’t sample the vast array of cakes, pies and other holiday treats heaped on the table; we’re just saying don’t overdo it. Portion control is important all year, but it’s vital when faced with a daunting supply of high-carb and even higher-sugar foods. So indulge a little and feel good that you’ve indulged; but don’t overeat and end up spending the holidays immobile.
3. Holiday Helper: Whether you’re at home or away for the holidays, taking an active role in holiday preparation can be better than a trip to the gym; getting the house in order, preparing the food and cleaning up (hopefully with some help) afterward will burn plenty of calories. And remember, you can prepare your own entree or side dish and ensure you have at least one healthy item to eat.
4. Safety in Numbers: Keep in mind that when faced with the holiday season, you don’t have to face it alone. Whether it’s splitting up the holiday shopping with your spouse, recruiting a few family members to help cook a (semi) healthy holiday meal, or making a pact with your best friend to stick with your exercise program during the hustle and bustle, do it together and you’ll be more likely to get it done.

Read More

Reduce Your Stress Burden

Pay attention when people talk about sudden onset of bizarre and unusual ailments. When you hear people say things like, “I did not eat anything different yesterday and today my guts are going crazy” or “This is the type of situation I can usually handle, but for some reason I am not processing it well this time,” your ears should perk up. 

The answer can be found in a little word with big implications: stress. Our bodies endure stress, which can be simply defined as anything that causes a reaction. There are three main areas in which we experience stress: physical, emotional and chemical. Stress involving any of these areas can affect us profoundly. Here are some of the common signs of stress, along with ways to reduce your stress burden. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Stress Signals

Unusual fatigue: Stress weighs on you physically, emotionally and mentally. It wears you down and drains you. Can’t get out of bed in the morning? Stress may be what’s keeping you there.
Sleeplessness: You may feel like sleeping for a day or two, but stress tends to keep you up at night, pondering how to pay that bill, meet that work deadline or heal that broken friendship.
Impulsivity: If you find your eating habits changing suddenly, you may be turning to comfort foods to deal with stress. The same is true with impulse buying, particularly when it involves items you don’t really need.
Anger/impatience: Stress can make you short-tempered and easily roused to anger, even if your demeanor is normally calm, quiet and reserved.
Lack of concentration/forgetfulness: Stress usually occupies our mental time, so much so that we can have trouble remembering things or make more mistakes. Never forget your keys in the morning? When you’re stressed, you just might.
Physical ailments: Back pain, neck pain and pain in general that doesn’t have a clear cause (e.g., an injury) is often related to stress. The same is true for colds and flu; stress can lower your immune system, increasing your risk of developing illness.

Ways to Reduce Stress

Work it off: No, we don’t mean spending another five hours a day at the very location that may be a major source of stress; we do mean finding the time to exercise. Whether it’s an a quick trip to the gym, a peaceful run or a brisk walk with family or friends, exercise puts the focus somewhere else for a while. Biochemically, exercise has a big anti-stress benefit: It helps reduces levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) and increases your “feel-good” hormones, endorphins.
Get away from it: This can be challenging, especially if your stress has reached near-obsession levels, but doing what you can to distract yourself can go a long way toward reducing stress. Schedule a vacation, visit old friends, take a long walk; whatever it takes to remove yourself from your stress environment.
Smile about it: It’s much harder for stress to exist in a fun, laughter-filled environment, so put yourself in a position to smile when you’re under stress. Watch your favorite sit-com, get tickets to a comedy show, organize a fun night out with the family or friends. After all, laughter truly is the best natural medicine.
Talk about it: When you’re stressed, your mind can be a continual stream of negative, overwhelming, stressed-out thoughts. Don’t keep it all to yourself; talk to your significant other, closest friend or even a trusted co-worker about what’s bothering you. Sometimes the best way to reduce your stress is to vent about it and get a neutral perspective, rather than staying in a bottled-up, stressed-out state.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Colds/Flu,Exercise,Fitness,Holidays,Immune System,Stress,Weight Loss — Tags: , , , , ,

November 10, 2010

To Your Health Newsletter 11-09-2010

By Dr. Stacey

Travel the Road to Longevity

Harvard scientists have observed that the shortest-living Americans are Native American populations in South Dakota, living an average lifespan of 66.5 years, whereas the longest-living Americans are Asian-American women residing in Bergen County, N.J., who live to an average lifespan of 91.1 years. That’s a nearly 25-year difference! Just think about what you could do with 25 “extra” years, particularly if you could enjoy them with sound body and mind. Here’s what science says about the best ways to stay healthy, active and vital into your older years.

1. Choose Wisely. A study that followed 20,000 men and women, ages 45 to 79, for 13 years found that poor lifestyle choices can shorten lifespan by as many as 14 years. The researchers found that study subjects with the lowest number of healthy behaviors were four-times more likely to die during the study period, most notably from cardiovascular disease. In fact, participants with the lowest healthy lifestyle scores had the same risk of dying as someone with the highest healthy lifestyle scores who was 14 years older.
2. Why Risk It? Adding support to the above, a study of 23,153 German men and women, ages 35 to 65 years, found that four lifestyle factors slashed the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer by 80 percent: never smoking, body mass index of 30 or less, exercising 3.5 hours a week, and eating a healthy diet. The study authors concluded: “The message is clear. Adhering to 4 simple healthy lifestyle factors can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases.”
3. Don’t Weight Around. A 12-year study involving more than 11,000 adult participants found that underweight people were 70 percent more likely to die during the study period compared to people of normal weight, and that the extremely obese had a 36 percent increased risk of death compared to their healthier counterparts. Interestingly, carrying a few extra pounds was found to be protective against early death; modestly overweight subjects were 17 percent less likely to die early, suggesting that when it comes to weight, eating habits, etc., moderation may be the key.

As you can see, staying as healthy as possible for as long as possible and enjoying your golden years, rather than being weighed down by illness and disease, is in large part up to you and the choices you make now, regardless of age. The practical choices we make on an everyday basis are what help us achieve living an extended healthy lifespan. Take a little time and evaluate your current health in conjunction with your health care provider. Small, progressive changes can make a big difference in how long you live and the quality of life you enjoy.

Read More

Understand Your Fibre Facts

Dietary fibre, often referred to as “roughage,” is the edible portion of plant cell walls that is resistant to digestion, but is an extremely beneficial component of our diets. Fibres such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains also have high amounts of vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy body function. And of course, a huge side benefit of eating foods rich in fibre is that they taste good!

Not only does fibre help ward off many diseases, but it’s also been shown to aid in weight loss by reducing food intake at meals. This is because fibre-rich foods take longer to digest and thus result in an increased feeling of fullness and satiety. In addition, the more gradual absorption slows the entrance of sugar into the bloodstream, thereby preventing large blood glucose and insulin spikes that can lead to binge eating.

Plant foods contain both types of fibre in varying degrees, according to the plant’s characteristics. Examples of foods rich in soluble fibre are fruits, vegetables, brown rice, barley, and nuts. Most of insoluble fibres come from the bran layers of cereal grains. Examples of foods rich in insoluble fibre are wheat bran and whole-grain breads and cereals. Remember, both are important for good health, so your diet should include a balance of foods rich in both types.

There is no recommended daily allowance (RDA) for fiber, but the American Dietetic Association recommends eating 20-35 grams of dietary fibre per day or 10-13 grams for every 1,000 calories in the diet. The average American significantly falls short of the recommended amount of fibre, consuming on average only 5-10 grams per day. Here are some easy ways to increase fibre intake:

Choose whole fruits and vegetables (with peels when possible) instead of juices.
Replace white flour with whole-wheat flour in all baked goods.
Select whole-grain bread, pasta and cereals in place of similar processed versions.
Choose brown rice over white rice.
Replace meat with alternate protein sources such as beans, lentils or other legumes.

Read More

Too Little Sleeping = Too Much Snacking

Here’s an important reason to get the kids off to bed: Too little sleep can lead to a bad habit: overeating. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reduced sleep time (less than six hours compared with more than eight) is associated with an increase in energy consumption – often in the form of snacks – without any increase in energy expenditure.

In other words, if kids sleep less, they tend to eat more, but don’t expend energy during the extra time they’re awake.

So, what could they possibly be doing that doesn’t burn any energy? Perhaps they’re studying for next week’s exam or writing that long-overdue birthday card to grandma. But probably not. In fact, the chances are good that they’re playing on the computer, watching television, texting their friends or pursuing some other sedentary activity, which is never a good thing, particularly when combined with additional caloric intake. That’s a bad combination that could lead to chronic overeating and weight gain, not to mention fatigue, irritability, and reduced performance attributable to lack of sleep.

Talk to your doctor about the importance of adequate sleep and what you can do to ensure you and your family get the sleep they deserve every night.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Aging,Exercise,Fatigue,Fitness,Nutrition,Wellness — Tags: , , , , , ,

October 27, 2010

To Your Health Newsletter 10-25-2010

By Dr. Stacey

Understanding Wellness

The term “improved function” has been used by chiropractors for years to help patients understand the benefits of chiropractic care and the role it plays in true wellness. The body is made up of muscles, organs and glands that are controlled by the nervous system, and the nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

The brain sends signals down the spine and to the nerves, which tell the heart to beat, the lungs to breathe, the stomach to digest, the glands to produce necessary hormones, and so on. It’s when the signals don’t get from the spinal cord to the nerves and then from the nerves to the muscles, organs and glands that the body begins to lose proper function and symptoms begin to occur.

Mainstream medicine doesn’t recognize these symptoms as simple alerts from the body that there’s something amiss, but instead as something that must be eliminated through chemicals or pharmaceuticals. They don’t seek wellness, but rather a lack of symptoms.

The biggest difference between mainstream medicine and wellness care is just that: medicine. Today’s medical professionals are still treating symptoms instead of the cause of the problem. The bigger problem lies with the fact that the medicines usually begin to create their own list of symptoms that must be treated with more medicines. It’s a domino effect leading not to health and wellness, but to illness and dependence.

These days, the term wellness is being overused and abused by a society that recognizes its importance but doesn’t understand its application. Marketing departments around the globe are throwing the word around because it’s popular, but often it’s simply being used as a gimmick to improve sales of products that have nothing to do with improved health and function.

We live in a society that’s been conditioned to believe there’s a medication or a surgical procedure to fix every problem. Is that really the way you want to live your life? Now that you understand wellness, start doing something to ensure you can enjoy it. Talk to your chiropractor to learn more.

Read More

Top Whole Foods for Health

Nutritionally, there is no perfect food, although a few come pretty close. And even if there were, who’d want to eat the same thing every meal, every day? Fortunately, variety and healthy eating can go hand in hand, particularly if you know where to look. Take a look at these foods that pack a nutritional punch and can be incorporated into a wide variety of meal plans.

Beets: Beets were one of the most successful crops in the Biosphere project. Basically, it simulated living on the moon. And if you had to pick one vegetable to take with you to the moon, you’d do well to pick beets. The roots and leaves are packed with antioxidant phytochemicals, provide much-needed minerals and vitamins, and are a good source of fiber.

Rye: Obesity statistics suggest a good portion of us could use some help battling the scale, and rye is on your side. Rye has an excellent reputation for helping us feel full, produces a low insulin response, and is typically a good source of fiber. It is a rich source of minerals, too.

Organic Berries: This isn’t a hard sell, right? Juicy, bright, and tasty, berries add fiber, vitamins and antioxidants to your diet. These little gems appear to support healthy arteries, cognition, inflammation and eyesight. Many studies have found a benefit in drinking cranberry or blueberry juice for prevention of urinary tract infections.

Fermented foods: Face it Mr. Clean, the human body needs bacteria, and fermented foods provide “good” bacteria (probiotics) to give our native colonies a helping hand. Clinical trials continue to examine the benefits of probiotics on gastrointestinal complaints like diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as for conditions such as colic and eczema in infants.

Legumes: This low-fat, no-cholesterol source of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals is among the best foods we can eat. As a substitute for meat-based protein, beans can help support our drive for heart health. And the fiber and protein in legumes are excellent tools in our weight-management toolbox.

Read More

An Education in Exercise

Whether you’re in good health, rehabbing a recent injury or have arthritis, osteoporosis or other chronic condition, the following key points should be followed to ensure you get the most out of your workout. Remember to talk to your doctor first so the two of you can work together to design an exercise program that’s right for you.

LESSON 1: Before starting an exercise program, you and your health professional need to understand what your immediate goals are. Are you trying to lose weight? Increase strength? Train for a particular sport? Do you have any swelling? Pain? Weakness? Are your joints stiff? Once you know what you want to accomplish, it’s a lot easier to figure out where to start.

LESSON 2: Exercise should consist of three clear phases. Begins with five to 10 minutes of warm-ups. Keep in mind that a “warm-up” is not the same as stretching.

LESSON 3: Type of exercise is just as important as the three phases. Try to incorporate different types of programs, such as stretching, strength training, balance training, and aerobic conditioning. Each of these affects the joints and body in different ways. By using all of them, you’ll be able to make better gains in your health.

LESSON 4: There can be some discomfort with exercise at first. Therefore, precaution should be taken to ensure you don’t injure yourself. Remember that your body’s response to exercise can change day by day. You shouldn’t feel pain, particularly sudden/sharp pain, when you are exercising.

LESSON 5: Rest time is crucial for strength training. In the past, people tended to weight train every day. Research is showing that if a body doesn’t get enough rest, it will break down instead of building up. Therefore, never strength train the same body part two days in a row. Always allow at least two days in between, if not longer.

LESSON 6: Lifestyle activities are also effective forms of exercise. For example, gardening, going for hikes, taking the stairs at work, or playing catch with your kids or grandkids is just as effective in producing positive effects as a more traditional “gym” program.

LESSON 7: Most guidelines recommend 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day. However, if you are not able to do this, then break it up into five-minute bouts several times a day. Research shows that doing smaller bouts of exercise through the day is just as beneficial as one continuous session.

Read More

[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Filed under: Brain Function,Chemicals,Chiropractic,Chiropractic Research,Exercise,Fitness,Nervous System,Nutrition,Prescription Drugs,Spine,Subluxation,Wellness — Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »