Are You Active Enough to Prevent Chronic Degenerative Disease?

It is well known that a sedentary lifestyle leads to illness. At first we just don’t feel well – not enough energy or stamina, little aches and pains, gaining a little weight. Eventually, these discomforts and inconveniences can turn into something more serious – heart disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, digestive problems, and so on. Many Americans exercise regularly to help them stay healthy, but a new study shows that even those who hit the gym a few times a week might not be getting anywhere near the exercise needed to prevent chronic disease.

How much exercise is enough? Generally accepted recommendations are 150 minutes of moderate exercise (e.g. walking at a pace fast enough to raise your heart rate and respiration but not so fast that you can’t carry on a conversation) each week as well as weight lifting or some form of muscle-strengthening activity twice a week. According to the CDC, about 75 percent of Americans do not meet these standards.

Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle is defined as taking less than 5,000 steps a day – that’s the equivalent of walking about 2.5 miles. About 25 percent of Americans fall into this sedentary category.

However, according to a new study, it looks like about 10,000 steps a day (5 miles) is actually needed to maintain good health.

Researchers conducting the study found that the physiological changes seen in those at high risk for Type 2 Diabetes occur in people who transition from high amounts of activity (greater than 10,000 steps a day) to inactivity (fewer than 5,000 steps each day). These same physiological changes could also lead to other chronic disease.

Walking 5 miles is going to take the average person about 1 ½ hours – not something that most of us have time for on a daily basis. So, once we get up to the level of meeting the accepted recommendations, how do we bring our daily activity level up to 10,000 steps?

The answer lies in how we live our lives when we’re not exercising. Here are a few examples:

• Walk to the corner store instead of driving.
• Take the stairs, not the elevator.
• Park further from the store or your place of business.
• While at work, walk to another office for a meeting rather than calling.
• Take a short walk during lunch time.
• Walk the dog.
• Mow the lawn with a regular lawnmower instead of a riding mower.
• Rake the leaves.
• Put on some music and dance.
• Ditch the remote and get off the couch to change the channel.

In other words, exercising a few times a week at the gym is not enough when you spend most of the rest of your time sitting. You actually have to lead an active life day in and day out.

If you want to live longer and enjoy good health well into your ‘old age’, get up and move around. It’s not guaranteed to cure or prevent all ills, but it will certainly make a major contribution.

Sources: Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232158.php; The Walking Site, http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html

Low Back Pain:

Chiropractic Adjustments vs. Muscle Relaxants

Chiropractic had a better outcome in 24% of the patients

Outcomes in clinical trials shed light on effectiveness in care. When there are studies that are blinded, or performed without the research patient knowing what is being done is the one of the purest forms of unbiased conclusion. This was one such study and the results confirmed what chiropractic has been saying for over 100 years: it works and with low back pain and better that muscle relaxers that have been prescribed for decades. The goal of this review is to give patients a better chance, with virtually no side effects positive outcomes for low back pain.

To learn more, click on the link below or copy and paste to your Web browser.

Click below or copy: http://www.uschirodirectory.com/index.php/chiropractic-research/item/306-low-back-pain-chiropractic-vs-muscle-relaxants

The digestive system is a key factor in the health of just about every vital organ, function and system in the body. Digestive processes and biological elements regulate our energy levels, immunity, and nutritional status. A healthy body starts with a healthy gut. But a new study suggests that when our digestive system is out of whack, it’s not just our body that suffers: it also adversely affects our mental and emotional state.

The study, conducted at McMaster University’s Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute and published in the online edition of Gastroenterology, tested the mental and emotional reactions in mice to changes in the bacterial content of the gut.

The gut plays host to about 1,000 trillion bacteria, all of which perform vital functions. These are ‘good’ bacteria. But when the good bacteria is overwhelmed by the bad – as in the case of taking antibiotics, which kills both good and bad bacteria –the gastrointestinal tract ceases to function as it should. As a result, our energy level goes down, nutrients are not absorbed and passed through to the rest of the body, and we become much more susceptible to infection.

According to the new study, an imbalance of bad bacteria to good can also cause anxiety and depression.

To cause the imbalance and overwhelm the good bacteria in the gut, the researchers in the study fed antibiotics to adult mice. The resulting changes in the gut produced an increase in certain factors of the brain that are associated with depression and anxiety, and the mice became noticeably more nervous and aggressive.

When the antibiotics were discontinued, and the balance of good to bad bacteria in the gut was restored, the mice calmed down. Their brain chemistry also returned to normal.

To further test these results, mice with normal bacterial balance – and a passive emotional state – were colonized with bacteria from mice with an imbalance. As a result, they become more aggressive. Researchers also tested in the opposite direction; colonizing mice with an imbalance with the bacteria of those with a healthy balance. This, too, resulted in a change in behavior from aggressive to passive.

“The exciting results provide stimulus for further investigating a microbial component to the causation of behavioral illnesses,” said Stephen Collins, professor of medicine and associate dean research. Premysl Bercik, assistant professor of medicine and one of the researchers, also said that the results justify investigating the therapeutic potential of probiotic bacteria and their products in the treatment of behavioral disorders, particularly those associated with gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

The study also demonstrates the physical and emotional benefits of finding alternative solutions to antibiotics.

Source: Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110517110315.htm

I found this and thought is was vital that people realize this very important misconception.

The TRUTH IS EATING FAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU FAT.  It’s the inability to burn fat that makes you fat.  In fact, depriving your body of fat can have detrimental effects to its function.  Your brain, your nervous system, your hormones, and the cells of your body are built from fat.  Therefore, for your body to function at its optimal level, you need to replenish your body with a good source of FAT in your diet.

In the last decade, “low-fat” and “non-fat” or “0 Calories” products have taken over the shelves at the grocery store.  From yogurt to Pringles to soda, people have been  tricked into thinking that if its “low in fat” this will help them lose weight.  In fact, the opposite is true.  Recent research from the Behavioral Neuroscience found that fat substitutes can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate food intake which leads to inefficient use of calories and weight gain!¹

Researchers studied rats on a high fat diet versus rats eating “fake-fats” and the results showed that the rats that ate fake-fat Pringles ate more food, put on more weight, and gained more body fat than their counterparts on the high-fat diet that were given only the high-fat Pringles.

Not only does eating a “low-fat” diet deprive your body of essential nutrients, but it doesn’t lead to the weight loss you want.  In 2009, a study showed 645 obese patients who used a low-fat diet had NO CHANGE in waist circumference.²

Don’t get drawn into the trap that man-made and man-altered products are better and healthier for your body than the food that God has provided on this earth.  Just like our bodies, He didn’t create junk, He didn’t create foods with too much fat that need to be altered by man before we eat them.  If a food doesn’t naturally come from the earth, don’t eat it!

Whiplash

Whiplash is most commonly received by passengers in a motor vehicle that is struck from behind by another vehicle. When the head is suddenly “jerked” back and forth (“whipped”) beyond its normal limits, the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine and head can be overstretched or torn. The soft, pulpy discs between spinal bones can bulge, tear or rupture. Vertebrae can be forced out of their normal position causing stiffness, pain and nerve damage. The spinal cord and nerve roots in the neck can become stretched or irritated. This is all possible even with little damage to the vehicle. In fact, research shows that increased “crushing” (as seen with higher-speed impacts) of the vehicle actually absorbs some of the shock of the impact and can lessen injury to the car’s occupants. When “crushing” does not occur (as seen with lower-speed impacts), nearly all of the shock is transferred to the driver and passengers.

Symptoms Associated with Whiplash

Whiplash symptoms may include headache, dizziness, blurred vision, pain in the shoulder, arms or hands, reduced ability to turn and bend, and even low back and leg problems. These symptoms may appear immediately following the accident or as much as 2 weeks after the injury.

The human body will attempt to immobilize injured areas following a trauma. This usually begins with “protective” muscle spasm (as the name implies, the spasm is attempted to prevent further harm by immobilizing damaged joints and muscles). If function is not restored within 4-8 weeks, then scar tissue will be laid down at the site of injury hampering the return to full function. This will eventually lead to increased bone growth with the joint causing joint degeneration. All of this, however, can occur with little to no pain.

A study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery stated that “…an individual involved in a motor vehicle accident is nearly 7-times more likely to suffer neck degeneration within 7-years of the accident…” than individuals that have not been involved in an auto accident. The goal of chiropractic care is to return the injured joints, muscles and nerves to complete, healthy function thereby reducing this increased risk of degeneration.

Treatment for Whiplash

Since injuries following a motor vehicle accident tend to affect many different tissues, a multi-pronged treatment program is often necessary to achieve full recovery.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic Adjustments return joints to their proper motion and position allowing your body to regain its lost function. This often relieves pain caused by inflammation trapped within the joints and reduces strain on tight, fatigued and spasmed muscles. Chiropractic adjustments are also effective in reducing pressure on “pinched” nerves and joint irritation often associated with headaches.

Muscle Therapy

Muscle Therapy following an auto accident is beneficial at reducing the pain associated with muscle spasms and is also effective at preventing muscle inflammation from converting to scar tissue within the muscle (one of the prime contributions to chronic pain following an accident).

Ice and Medications

Ice, anti-inflammatory medications (Advil, Ibuprogen, Motrin, Alleve), painkillers and muscle relaxants can offer short-term relief, but do not address the source of the pain. These methods only mask the symptoms and can sometimes be harmful especially if it allows the injured person to perform activities that should be avoided until significant healing has occurred. Remember: Pain and muscle spasms are both protective responses that attempt to prevent further damage.

Common Problems Associated with Whiplash

• Headaches
• Neck Pain
• Low Back Pain
• Disc Injuries
• Shoulder Pain
• Rotator Cuff Impingement
• Tendonitis

Want more information? Contact 565-7474 or visit www.nevadachiro.com.