Archive for January, 2010
The Best Things in Life Are Not Only Free, But Healthy!
January 18th, 2010 | 
Author: Obesity, Health Concerns Rise As Parks And Recreation Programs Decline
One way to help address the epidemic of obesity in the United States is improved access to pleasant hiking trails and an ambitious parks and recreation program, a recent study suggests, but programs such as this are increasingly being reduced in many states due to budget shortfalls.
The analysis, done by researchers in Oregon, found that some of the health issues that plague overweight and obese people can be aided by a stronger commitment to recreational opportunities. Cutting such programs to save money may be counterproductive to community health, scientists said. "Research is now showing there's a close correlation between public health and recreational opportunities, both close to home and in state parks," said Randy Rosenberger, an associate professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. "And it's not just about losing weight. It's been found that active obese individuals have lower morbidity and mortality than normal weight individuals who are sedentary."(Read more…)
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The Dangers of Ignoring Headaches
Headaches can be thought of as internal alarm bells, ringing only when something is going on inside of the body. Most of us live a life so full of external distractions that our own physical problems get easily over looked.
Headaches that are Warning: “There is Something up Ahead” -
Nearly 70% of women between 20-35 years of age start to develop a “menstrual migraine”. At first this migraine is easily categorized with normal migraines, but then begins to stand out because of its consistency.
The menstrual migraine will usually show up every month, 2 days before menstruation. As with other premenstrual symptoms, having advanced knowledge of what to expect can make the occurrence less painful by being prepared.
Your Body’s Natural Volcanic System -
A common phrase that children hear from their mothers is, “You must be sleepy.” It’s amusing to watch as the child tries to first deny the accusation and then question what brought on such a declaration.
Unfortunately, when a person reaches adulthood there’s no one around to tell you when you should sleep and when you should relax. Suddenly, the responsibility of knowing what’s best is all yours.
When a body is pushed hard daily and given little to no opportunity of relaxation, something begins to happen. One of those things that happens is a head pain that feels painfully tight around the circumference of the head. The very sight of light can become discomforting, as well as noises both soft and loud.
This is a signal your body has sent with almost volcanic violence. To avoid repeated episodes that can develop to more severe levels, seek a chiropractic doctor.
Talking to a chiropractor about your tension headache is not the same as just going to visit a masseuse, because these doctors will do a thorough examination to find all the root causes of your headache.
The treatment you may receive will definitely be therapeutic, but it will have the added benefit of being preventive as well. The number one goal of these facilities is to not just get rid of pain, but help you continue living a pain free life.
The Weight of Headache Pain -
A scary thing about weight gain is that there doesn’t seem to be any real internal trigger that extra pounds are being added on. Usually it’s not until after all the external evidence is before one that they notice their weight gain.
Studies are starting to reveal that overweight people begin having headaches more often and more severely than those that are of a healthy weight. It’s still unclear as to how the body is triggering this effect, but it is evident in recent researches.
Even when headaches seem to be a part of your life’s package, it’s good to make sure that they’re not coming on for other serious reasons.
Waiting until you reach your breaking point before you get the rest you need is as dangerous as drunk driving. So taking a moment out of your day to visit a local doctor’s office, or chiropractic health practice shouldn’t be delayed, especially since most of us don’t just want the pain to go away, we want it to stay away.
Source: HealthSource
No Evidence that Chiropractic Causes Stroke According to Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes. “While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney. According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists. “What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.” While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.” Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.” Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.” In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.Do You Have the Sugar Blues?
from Integrative Nutrition Blog
Do you have cravings for sweets that you see as treats? Do you think indulging in a pint of ice cream is your reward for making it through the day? Are you looking for something sweet to overcome that 3pm slump? For some, sugar is just as addicting as caffeine, tobacco or alcohol and it keeps us from losing the pounds we long to shed.
The United States is the largest consumer of sweeteners and one of the largest global sugar importers. We started in 1689 when the first sugar refinery was built in New York City. Colonists soon began to sweeten their breakfast porridge with refined sugar, and within 10 years, individual consumption had reached 4 pounds a year. The average American now consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar and sweeteners per year. The USDA recommends we get no more than 10 teaspoons per day, yet most Americans eat about 30 teaspoons per day—that’s three times the liberal recommended daily value.
Humans love sweet things. Even before we started refining sugar, we sought out foods with sweet tastes. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. When unprocessed, sugar contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins. When brown rice or other whole grains are cooked, chewed and digested, the natural carbohydrates break down uniformly into separate glucose molecules. These molecules enter the bloodstream, where they are burned smoothly and evenly, allowing your body to absorb all the good stuff. Read more…