Healthy Life Newsletter March 2024
https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3242
Tackle Back Pain Early
Are you
ignoring your low back pain (LBP) – or masking the pain temporarily with
over-the-counter pain medication? That's two mistakes that can lead to chronic
LBP – pain that lasts more than a few months and is tough to resolve.
In fact, according to new research, once your back pain becomes chronic, your
chances of getting rid of it are much lower, which makes early intervention /
prevention – for example, with chiropractic care – a great choice, whether
you're experiencing LBP or want to reduce your risk of experiencing it.
An international research team reviewed nearly 100 studies that investigated low
back pain of various durations, including chronic LBP (pain lasting 12-52
weeks). People with persistent low back pain continued to experience moderate to
high levels of pain and disability, with minimal improvement over time, compared
to people with LBP that lasted for shorter time frames. On the other hand,
people with LBP of shorter duration ("acute" pain, lasting less than six weeks)
were more likely to recover quicker and more completely.
The takeaway is clear: Tackle your back pain early! That means two things: going
to your chiropractor whenever you experience low back pain; and visiting your
chiropractor periodically, even when you're not in pain, so you can prevent pain
from starting in the first place. Now that's a win-win for your health and
wellness.
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3243
Half and Half
Aerobic exercise is a proven, recommended activity for
improving heart (cardiovascular) health; that's why it's nicknamed "cardio."
However, it's not the only form of exercise that can strengthen your heart and
prevent heart-related illness. Resistance training is also important – and
combining the two in equal amounts may be as effective as aerobic exercise
alone.
In a one-year study involving 400-plus adults (ages 35-70), researchers assigned
participants to one of four groups for comparison: no exercise, aerobic exercise
only (treadmill or stationary bike), resistance exercise (weight machines) only,
or aerobic and resistance exercise. All participants were overweight/obese and
had high blood pressure at the start of the study.
In the three groups that exercised under supervision for the year (one hour,
three times weekly), body fat decreased significantly compared to the group that
did not exercise, with body-fat reductions associated with lower risks of
cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and
metabolic syndrome. The combined-exercise group had the lowest scores for
cardiovascular disease risk.
If you don't have a gym membership or exercise equipment at home, don't worry;
there are countless ways to do aerobic and resistance exercise without either.
Ask your doctor for help outlining a combined aerobic-resistance exercise
program that will help optimize your heart health – and get you in better shape
at the same time!
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3244
Your Brain Needs a Pet
Love your
pet? Of course you do. But your heart isn't the only organ in your body that
benefits from pet ownership. Your brain loves pets, too; so much so that your
risk of cognitive decline is lower if you own one. Let's see what new research
suggests about why your brain needs a pet, particularly as you get older.
If you're getting older and live alone, your pet may offset the association
between living alone and declining cognitive function – particularly when it
comes to verbal memory and verbal fluency. That's the finding from a study
published in JAMA Network Open that evaluated living status, pet ownership and
cognitive decline in nearly 7,500 adults ages 50 and older.
Specifically, the study found that living alone accelerated cognitive decline –
but pet ownership appeared to mitigate the increased risk. That's probably
because people who live alone, but who have a pet, aren't really living alone!
Sure, they don't have human companionship; but many pet owners might say that
their pet is just as good (if not better). When it comes to brain health, it
appears to make perfect sense.
Keep in mind that other research makes it clear that as we age, social
interaction (with humans) is an important variable that helps us stay healthy
and happy, too, so pet ownership isn't the be-all, end-all. Age well by staying
fit, eating right, minimizing stress – and as these results show, keeping
companions – human and pet – front and center in your life.
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That pain in your back? It’s really a pain in your brain
BY NATHANIEL FRANK
As a chronic pain sufferer, I sometimes surprise people by telling them
that my pain doesn’t have a physical cause. It’s a mind-body thing, I
say, related to stress and emotions. To many, this sounds like admitting
to being a little bit crazy. And when I up the ante by suggesting
they’ve probably had this kind of pain too, some become outright angry,
interpreting my words to mean their pain is “all in their head.”
All of which makes a new study published in the Journal of Pain a big
deal. It offers robust evidence that the overwhelming majority of
chronic back and neck pain cases — among the most common chronic pain
complaints — come from the mind, despite the fact that most diagnoses
cite a physical cause, such as bulging disks or bone spurs.
In the new study, doctors assessed 222 consecutive pain patients at an
orthopedic care clinic in Louisiana — everyone who showed up, as long as
they could complete a questionnaire. Just 12% showed evidence of a
structural problem as the root of their pain. Eighty-eight percent, on
the other hand, had what the researchers call “primary pain,” which
refers to symptoms generated by neural circuits in the brain rather than
by “structural” damage to the body.
Based on this and prior research, the authors believe that a process in
the brain initiates the non-structural pain. The sensations could be the
residual pain from a bodily wound that healed but didn’t notify the
brain. Or the brain may have generated pain in the absence of any
injury, perhaps in an effort to protect the patients from emotional
wounds by occupying their attention with physical sensations instead.
To read the rest of this article go to:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-01-29/chronic-pain-health-wellness-mind-body.
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3247
Yes to Chiropractic
And no to most drugs, says the World Health Organization (WHO), which
recently released its "Guideline for Non-Surgical Management of Chronic
Primary Low Back Pain in Adults in Primary and Community Care Settings."
The purpose of the document is to "provide evidence-based
recommendations on nonsurgical interventions for chronic primary LBP in
adults" that will improve outcomes. "Spinal manipulative therapy" which
includes chiropractic, is among the interventions the guideline
recommends for all adults, including older adults. In addition to spinal
manipulative therapy, the guideline is also in favor of structured
exercise, acupuncture, massage, and topical cayenne pepper (Capsicum
frutescens).
Among the medication interventions the guideline recommends against are
opioids, antidepressants (tricyclic, serotonin and noradrenaline
reuptake inhibitor), skeletal muscle relaxants, injectable local
anaesthetics and pharmacological weight-loss medications. Nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) continue to be the only recommended
pharmacotherapy.
Acetaminophen, benzodiazepines and cannabis-related pharmaceutical
preparations received "no recommendation," while listing potential
harmful effects including "cardiovascular, renal and gastrointestinal
harms and increased mortality risk" for acetaminophen; "potential harms
including memory impairment, misuse, overdose deaths from respiratory
depression, somnolence, fatigue and light-headedness potentially leading
to falls" for benzodiazepines; and "evidence of possible adverse events,
including harms associated with its nonmedicinal use" for
cannabis-related pharmaceutical preparations.
Within the short list of recommended interventions, most chiropractors
provide at least three: spinal manipulation, structured exercise and
massage. Some also provide acupuncture as part of a multidisciplinary
clinic. Thus, it is not hard to conclude that doctors of chiropractic
should be the first choice when it comes to chronic low-back pain
management.
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3251
Stress Consequences
Eat right? Exercise religiously? Too much stress in your life can lead
to metabolic syndrome anyway, elevating your risk of diabetes and other
health issues. The mechanism behind the connection? Inflammation.
Metabolic syndrome (also known as insulin resistance syndrome) is
characterized by excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high fasting
blood glucose. For a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, you need to be
suffering from at least three of the five variables.
Researchers have found that not only is there a link between stress and
metabolic syndrome, but that inflammation explains more than 60% of the
association. Findings appear in the research journal Brain, Behavior, &
Immunity – Health.
The bad news: It's estimated the approximately one in three U.S. adults
suffers from metabolic syndrome, either diagnosed or undiagnosed.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, metabolic syndrome increases your
risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke – or all three.
There's good news, though: It stands to reason that reducing your stress
can reduce the risk factors that lead to metabolic syndrome. As many of
the variables are related to exercise and eating habits (when we're
stressed, we're less likely to work out or eat right), it makes perfect
sense.
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3250
15 Minutes a Day
No matter how busy you think you are, we're guessing you can find a mere
15 minutes a day to do something that will effectively cancel out one of
the major health risks you may be facing. We're talking about a
sedentary lifestyle (particularly sitting), and only 15 minutes of
sitting less can counter it, according to research.
While people who spend most of their workday sitting are more likely to
die sooner of any cause and specifically from cardiovascular (heart)
disease compared with people who don't sit much at work, increasing
physical activity away from work by at least 15 minutes daily appears to
mitigate the increased risk. The people who sat most of the day, but
increased their activity, had similar health risks compared to the
people who didn't sit much, but were essentially inactive away from
work.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study was big (nearly 500,000
adults), with participants followed for more than a decade after
researchers initially assessed their sedentary behavior. Of note, people
who alternated sitting and standing (e.g., with a sit-stand desk) during
work hours also had similar risks as people who sat less (non-sitters).
The bottom line: Get up and move more! Whether it's during the workday
or after you get home, make sure you keep your body moving. You'll live
longer and live healthier. (This is one of many studies suggesting, as
we've said before, that "movement is life.") If you struggle to motivate
yourself to get active after a busy workday, ask your doctor for help
outlining a post-work exercise routine. Remember, a mere 15 minutes
makes a big difference.
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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2336
5 Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day
In our world of fast food, microwaveable meals and processed, boxed,
bagged empty calories, too many of us are getting less and less of the
foods we should be eating. Let's change that right now: Stock your
fridge with these five foods and eat them every day (or at least most
days).
You'll feel better and be healthier for it:
1. Broccoli: Who knew a little green "tree" could pack so much power? We
do, and so should you. Broccoli contains sulfur compounds (e.g.,
sulforaphane) that help fight cancer, and research proves it. Can't
stomach broccoli? Try dicing it into your favorite dish or pulverizing
it into a smoothie.
2. Berries: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries – you
name it! Berries have a long list of health benefits, not the least of
which are protection against chronic disease and cancer. So get your
daily antioxidants with a cup of berries today!
3. Oats: Worried about high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart
health in general? It's oats to the rescue! This whole grain features
beta-glucan, which helps keep cholesterol and BP in the safe range. So
swap out those high-sugar cereals and plain bagels with a cup of oats
every morning; your heart will thank you for it.
4. Lean Protein: It's a carb world, at least in the United States, and
those excess carbohydrates are leading to weight gain, diabetes and a
host of other health complications. The solution: balance your diet with
more protein! Protein contains amino acids, the building blocks of
muscle; and may help increase your metabolism, which in turn will help
burn more fat. Think fish, skinned turkey or chicken, beans, tofu,
yogurt (particularly Greek yogurt), or powdered protein sources for your
favorite shake.
5. Tea: Sodas and sweetened beverages are destroying our teeth,
promoting weight gain and leading to insulin resistance. Go the
healthier route by switching to plain water and tea, the latter of which
has been shown to protect against heart disease, stroke and cancer.
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Cannabis on Fertility and Pregnancy
By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM
To read the full article go to:
https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/cannabis-on-fertility-and-pregnancy/
Key Takeaways
About one in six couples are labeled infertile and unable to conceive
after a year, and a male factor has been identified in up to half of all
cases.
Smoking cigarettes has been linked to diminished sperm production, and
smoking cannabis more than once weekly has been associated with 28
percent lower sperm concentration and lower total sperm count (though no
adverse association was found for use less than once a week).
Findings were similar for women: A quarter fewer eggs were retrieved
from women who used cannabis more than 90 times in their lifetime or had
been using the year before.
Medical authorities encourage women who are pregnant, contemplating
pregnancy, or breastfeeding to discontinue marijuana use, but use has
increased in recent years despite the warnings.
Risk factors have been identified, such as infants being more likely to
be anemic or have lower birth weight, but because of confounding
factors, it’s “difficult to determine the direct effects of maternal
cannabis use on the developing fetus.”
Links have been found between prenatal marijuana exposure and learning
problems later in life, highlighting concerns about the potential
long-term effects on brain development.
ON THE OTHER HAND: Check out my video
Natural Treatments for Morning Sickness
to see how marijuana use during pregnancy can sometimes be a lifesaver.