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WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Week of: Monday, March 28th, 2011

Courtesy of:

Eric Lane, D.C.

(520) 742-7785

 

Mental Attitude: Cognitive Disorders. Seniors (age 85 and older) were most likely to report one or more cognitive disorders, such as senility or dementia (18.4%) compared to seniors ages 75-84 (6%) and seniors ages 65-74 (1.1%). The average annual health care expense for seniors reporting one or more cognitive disorders totaled $15,549 a year, compared to $9,019 for seniors not reporting any cognitive disorders.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

 

Health Alert: A Bad Fish Story. Mercury contamination, a worldwide environmental problem, has been called "public enemy No. 1" in California's San Francisco Bay. Mercury mining and gold recovery in the mid-1800s, combined with present day oil refineries, chemical manufacturing plants and wastewater treatment plants have contributed enough mercury to threaten wildlife and prompt a fish consumption advisory in the Bay Area. Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but some 2,000 tons of it enter the global environment each year from human-generated sources. A small portion of mercury consumed by microorganisms converts to methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish and the animals - and people - who eat them. Health effects include damage to the central nervous system, heart and immune system.

Environmental Science & Technology, January 2011

 

Diet: Depressed Over Trans Fats. Consumption of trans fats, present in fast foods and mass-produced foods like pastries, may raise the risk of depression. A diet rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats and olive oil appears to have a slight protective effect. People who consumed a high level of trans fats had a 48% higher risk of developing depression and the more trans fats consumed, the higher the risk.

Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Depression: The SUN Project", Jan 2011

 

Exercise: Eat Right! Because 33% of children and 66% of adults in the US are overweight or obese, the new "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," places stronger emphasis on reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity. Good nutrition is an integral component of successful aging, the benefits of a healthy diet and regular physical activity may include a more robust immune system, higher energy levels, faster recuperation times, sharper mental acuity, and better management of chronic health problems.

The Gerontological Society of America, February 2011

 

Chiropractic: Fun Fact! Humans have a 100 trillion cells! Anatomy & Physiology, Guyton

 

Wellness/Prevention: Cool Down, Lose Weight. Warmer winter temperatures in your home could be a factor in the current obesity epidemic. Increased time spent indoors, widespread access to central heating and air conditioning, and increased expectations of thermal comfort all contribute to restricting the range of temperatures we experience in daily life and reduce the time our bodies spend under mild thermal stress - meaning we're burning less energy.
Obesity Reviews, January 2011.

 

Quote: "Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are." ~ Muhammad Ali

 

Contact a Tucson Chiropractor for Chiropractic Care today at 520.742.7785 or EMAIL US NOW

 

 

 

 

WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Week of: Monday, March 21th, 2011

Courtesy of:

Eric Lane, D.C.

(520) 742-7785

 

Mental Attitude: Lets Talk. People are attracted to, date, and marry people who resemble themselves in terms of personality, values, and physical appearance. A new study finds people who speak in similar styles are more compatible. The study focused on words called "function words," words that show how those words relate (words like the, a, be, anything, that, will, him, and and). How we use these words constitutes our writing and speaking style. Pairs of people whose language style matching scores were above average were almost four times as likely to want future contact as pairs whose speaking styles were out of sync. 80% of the couples whose writing style matched were still dating three months later, compared with 54% of the couples who didn't match.

Psychological Science, January 2011

Health Alert: Are We Bugged? Superbugs are not just a problem in hospitals, they could also come from animal farms. Insects could be responsible for spreading antibiotic resistant bacteria from pigs to humans. Widespread use of antibiotics in confined swine production is likely to increase the selection and evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. While farm pigs continue to share their homes with insects, the risk of these resistant strains being transferred to humans via cockroaches and flies is an ever-present possibility.

BMC Microbiology, January 2011

Diet: Diabetes. 33% of adults in the US (79 million people) have pre-diabetes and 26 million have diabetes. Prediabetes exists when blood sugar levels are too high, but not enough for a diagnosis of diabetes to be reached. Those with prediabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes, as well as stroke and heart disease.

CDC, January 2011

Exercise: Stretch The Other Side? To properly strengthen the muscles of your upper back, which help pull your shoulders and head back for better posture, you should stretch your chest muscles first. Most people have overly contracting chest muscles that inhibit or turn off the upper back muscles. If you stretch the chest first, this will allow the upper back muscles to fire at a higher rate. Try it.

Chiropractic: Another Analogy. "Not following through with maintenance care is like wearing braces for 3 years and not wearing the retainer." The idea of wellness/maintenance chiropractic care is simple: maintain proper spinal/joint motion and decrease the risk of muscles tightening and the spine degenerating.

Wellness/Prevention: Try Leisure Instead Of Medicine. "Play" or leisure is an important part of a person's health. It renews our spirit, gives us clarity of thought, life satisfaction and benefits blood pressure. For our physical, mental, spiritual and cognitive health, "leisure time should be a necessity, not a luxury." Leisure is anything that brings personal enjoyment to individuals and allows them to recharge. It can include: puzzles, a walk, a sport etc., as long as it fits this criteria: the activity must be freely chosen; must provide satisfaction and adventure; must arouse interest; must require a commitment; must serve as a sense of separation or escape; and most important, must be pleasurable.

Canisius College, Feb 2011

 

Quote: "The best way to get something done is to begin." ~ Anonymous

 

Contact a Tucson Chiropractor for Chiropractic Care today at 520.742.7785 or EMAIL US NOW

 

 

 

 

WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Week of: Monday, March 14th, 2011

Courtesy of:

Eric Lane, D.C.

(520) 742-7785

 

Mental Attitude: Who Has The Highest Stress Levels? A workplace's key employees may be at the greatest risk of experiencing high stress levels. 18% reported their job was "highly stressful." The odds of having high stress were greater if workers were managers or professionals, if they thought their poor job performance could negatively affect others, or if they worked long or variable hours. If workers felt their poor job performance could result in any physical injury, damage to their company's equipment or reputation, or a financial loss, they were twice as likely to report high stress. Having a worksite far from their home, or having to entertain or travel for their jobs also increased the odds of being stressed, as did variable hours such as being on call, doing shift work or having a compressed work week. Chronic stress can lead to burnout, and can worsen existing mental health problems or physical disability.

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2011

Health Alert: Medication Errors For Kids? Preparing small doses of medication from syringes may be inaccurate and can result in crucial dosing errors for infants and children. Because babies and young children require small doses of drugs, these are often prepared from stock of less than 0.1 mL. Current equipment does not permit the accurate measurement of volumes less than 0.1 mL. 7.4% of preparations for children needed less than 0.1 mL of stock solution and 17.5% needed preparations from less than 0.2 mL. Medications most commonly requiring small doses include potent narcotics and sedatives such as morphine, lorazepam and fentanyl as well as immunosuppressants.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, January 2011

Diet: Foods Preferred By Preschool Kids. Preschoolers (ages 3-5) prefer salt, sugar and fat, and these children equate their taste preferences to brand-name fast-food and soda products. Children even turn to condiments to add these flavors -- and with them calories -- to be sure the foods they eat match their taste preferences.

Appetite, January 2011

Exercise: Stretch Before Sit-ups? To properly strengthen abdominal muscles, stretch your low back muscles first. Most people have overly contracting low back muscles that inhibit or turn off the abdominals. Stretching the low back first will allow the abdominals to fire at a higher rate. Try it.

 

Chiropractic: Starting Over, Fun Fact! The human body is in a constant state of breakdown and repair, your cells are constantly replaced by new cells. (Lung tissue becoming healthy again after quitting smoking is a good example.)

Anatomy & Physiology, Guyton

 

Wellness/Prevention: Another Reason Not To Smoke. Women who smoke regularly before menopause have a higher risk of developing lung cancer. The risk was also greater if the woman smoked for longer, started at an earlier age, and consumed many cigarettes each day. Breast cancer is the most common worldwide female cancer.

Archives of Internal Medicine, 2011

Quote: "A Hospital is no place to be sick." ~ Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974)

 

Contact a Tucson Chiropractor for Chiropractic Care today at 520.742.7785 or EMAIL US NOW