Is Chocolate Good For You?

January 30, 2012

chocolate image
chocolate

Some chocolate is actually good for you.


The very word, “chocolate,” brings to mind images of a melt-in-your-mouth, rich and decadent substance that can be both a comfort food and special treat!

Dentists and conscientious parents shun chocolate because of its sugar content, which promotes tooth decay, and Xanthine, a chemical that has properties similar to caffeine. However, there actually are some health benefits associated with chocolate that have some people rethinking that position!

Dark chocolate only, not milk chocolate or white chocolate, may actually be good for you! Dark chocolate is loaded with flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that help your body resist the damaging effects of free radicals that cause an increase in heart disease and other illnesses.

The benefits associated with eating dark chocolate include:

  • Reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol by as much as 10%
  • Increased production of endorphins and serotonin, brain chemicals associated with feelings of pleasure
  • Reduction in blood pressure
  • Increased ability for the body to turn sugar into energy – benefits for those with diabetes
  • Improvement in healthy blood vessel function which results in better blood flow, which may reduce headaches

Now please, don’t take this to mean you can eat as much dark chocolate as you want because of its health benefits. Remember, chocolate is loaded with fat and calories, which can cause weight gain.

Studies to measure the health benefits of dark chocolate have used about three and a half ounces (100 grams) of dark chocolate each day, which adds 400 calories to your daily dietary intake. You would need to balance that increase in calories through changes to your daily diet and/or through exercise. Also, in order to receive the maximum benefit from dark chocolate, it must contain at least 65% cacao.

Remember too that regular chiropractic care increases your odds of staying healthy by strengthening the function of your nervous system, which helps your immune system to fight disease. Dark chocolate can only do so much, while chiropractic care can have far-reaching effects.

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You Don’t Need a Car to Get Whiplash!

January 20, 2012

roller coaster image
roller coaster

It may not be all fun at the amusement park if you end up with whiplash!


When they hear the word, “whiplash,” most people immediately picture a rear-end motor vehicle accident. But there are other ways that whiplash injuries can occur, including:

  • Assault, such as being punched or shaken
  • Roller coaster rides
  • Sports, especially contact sports such as football or boxing
  • Falls

A whiplash injury occurs when the cervical spine (neck) is stretched beyond its normal range of motion in a forward (flexion), backward (extension) or sideways movement. The discs between the vertebrae, along with their associated muscles, tendons and ligaments can be stretched or torn, resulting in symptoms such as:

These symptoms and related pain can show up immediately or up to 72 hours after the impact that caused the whiplash injury. And the pain and discomfort can last for months, even years.

An article in the British Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine stated that “chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment in chronic cases” of whiplash injury. The article reported the results of a study in which 26 out of 28 patients with chronic whiplash syndrome benefitted from chiropractic care.

The authors also noted that “conventional treatment of patients with whiplash is disappointing.”

The goal of chiropractic care is to return neck joints affected by whiplash to their normal position to relieve stress on affected nerves and strain on affected muscles. For best results, and to avoid the formation of scar tissue and unnecessary pain, you should make an appointment to come in for an examination as soon as possible after a whiplash injury.

 

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Are You Stressed Out?

January 17, 2012

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walking

Getting plenty of exercise can help alleviate stress.


We live in very stressful times. A world-wide economic crisis, declining home values, job losses, financial insecurities, an uncertain future… these and other “real life” events cause a lot of people a lot of stress. And that stress is responsible for all types of health problems, including high blood pressure, strokes, insomnia and an increase in the number of people experiencing back pain.

Chronic stress (emotional, physical and chemical) can affect your nervous system’s ability to function correctly, leading to an increased risk for illness and pain. And… when you’re under stress, your muscles get tense and tighten, especially the muscles in your neck and back.

So what can you do about stress-related back pain?

  • Learn how to relax muscles through stretching, take “stretch” breaks at work, walk around your building during break or lunch
  • Exercise to release stress and endorphins, those “feel good” brain chemicals – brisk walking, cycling, swimming – anything that increases your heart rate and gets you moving is beneficial
  • Eat healthy meals – avoid empty calories, sugary snacks and comfort foods that pack on the weight and offer little in terms of nutrition
  • Write down your thoughts or talk to a professional counselor – getting the stress out, on paper or in person, helps to relieve stress
  • Treat yourself to a massage to ease tense muscles
  • Learn to say “no” to anything that will further complicate your life, causing additional stress
  • Get plenty of rest – it’s hard to deal with the stress that causes chronic back pain when you’re not well rested

And by all means, make sure you’re staying up to date with your chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic care helps to “reset” the nervous system so you are better able to fight the negative effects of stress.

 

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Are You At Risk for Osteoporosis?

January 13, 2012

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osteoporosis

Preventing osteoporosis should start with good habits in childhood - avoid the soda!


A simple low-impact fall causes a wrist fracture, or worse, a hip fracture – is it osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis occurs when there is a loss in bone density which causes the bone to become porous and weak, making it easier to sustain a fracture, mostly in the spine, hip or wrist. Postural changes and chronic neck pain are also symptoms.

What are potential risk factors for osteoporosis?

  • You’re a woman – in fact it’s estimated that one in two women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime
  • There is a history of osteoporosis in your family – if your mother had it, your risks for osteoporosis are doubled
  • You’re Caucasian or Asian
  • You have a small or thin body frame
  • You smoke and/or drink heavily
  • Your diet is poor and lacking in adequate calcium and Vitamin D
  • You have low estrogen levels due to menopause or hysterectomy
  • You have taken certain medications such as glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, anticonvulsants, and/or aluminum-containing antacids
  • You’ve suffered from an eating disorder
  • Your caffeine intake is high (more than 3 cups of coffee, tea or soda a day)
  • You live a sedentary lifestyle with very little exercise or physical activity

According to Norman Kettner, DC, DACBR, chair of the department of radiology at Logan College of Chiropractic,

The best treatment for osteoporosis is prevention, and that’s equivalent to pediatric care. The simplest tools can prevent osteoporosis – a lifestyle that focuses on nutrition and exercise. Any member of a family who walks down the aisle of the grocery store and picks up Coca-Cola instead of bananas is having an effect on the osteoporosis patients of the future. Lifestyle modifications are so intrinsic to prevention that it’s not enough to speak to a parent, or to a teenager. It really has to be leveraged through the whole family.

It’s never too late to prevent or to slow the progression of osteoporosis!

 

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Do You Suffer From Burnout?

January 10, 2012

burnout image
burnout

Burnout can make the simplest tasks unbearably difficult.


You’re constantly tired, life is just “too hard,” and your get up and go just got up and went! You heave a heavy sigh and wonder if whatever it is that you’re doing is really worth the effort. Burnout? Could be…

The word “burnout” was first used by Herbert Freudenberger in his 1974 book, Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. He defined the term as “the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one’s devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.”

What are some symptoms of burnout? If you suffer from burnout, you might just experience:

  • Physical Exhaustion – You feel drained of all physical energy, barely able to get out of bed every morning to face the world
  • Emotional Exhaustion – Life is, well, too hard. You’re irritable and more easily frustrated and you’re suffering from a definite lack of motivation
  • Lowered Immune System Response – You’re often sick – headaches, body aches, colds, flu-like symptoms can result from burnout stress
  • Lack of Interest/Personal Investment in Work – You arrive late to work, you call out sick, your relationships with your boss and co-workers are strained and there are frequent conflicts
  • Withdrawal from Personal Relationships – You have less interest in personal relationships; they’re just too much effort. You no longer have fun in any relationships and you have no patience with people
  • Behavioral Changes – Maybe you’re abusing alcohol, food or drugs and isolating from others. Maybe your work or family responsibilities are too much of a bother or you’re becoming increasingly frustrated with everything and everyone around you
  • Let’s face it – experiencing burnout is like resigning from life – you have no drive and no energy to invest in anything or anyone.
  • What can you do to recover from burnout? Slow down and take some time for yourself to rest, relax and reflect. Let go of any unnecessary commitments that are a burden. Lean on loved ones or professionals for the emotional support you need during this difficult time. Try to discover what’s not working in your life. Are you suffering from a lack of balance between family and work time? Do you need to delegate more on the job? Are you missing out on something you’d really like to do?

Remember that burnout is triggered by your reaction to stress. One of the best ways to manage physical, chemical and emotional stress is to obtain regular chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments relieve many of the results of chronic stress on your body; this allows you to adapt better and it helps keep your immune system in tip-top shape too!

 

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy

December 24, 2011

menopause image
worry

Worrying about what might be takes energy and focus from your present life and causes stress that can lead to a host of health problems.


Ever meet someone who is a “worry wart”? Maybe you are one yourself. Where does it all get you and how does it affect your life on a daily basis?

Worry leads to stress and stress takes its toll on your body. How? By breaking it down. By affecting your nervous system. By making you sick… literally. In fact, the stress caused by worrying can actually kill you or, at the very least, shorten your lifespan and lead to chronic neck pain, back pain and headaches. Is this really any way to live? Hardly.

So what can you do about it? Why not try some of these suggestions:

  • Decide what you can do about your worry right here and right now. Is it in your control to do anything about it? No? Then move on and let life take its course – as it will – in God’s time.
  • It’s okay to plan ahead, but don’t expect anything or worry about outcomes that might occur as a result of your planning. Move on to the next task at hand and do your best to rest easy about it for the time being.
  • Don’t sit and daydream, conjuring up “worst-case scenarios.” It’s completely counterproductive and a waste of time and energy that could be used in more constructive ways.
  • Recognize your human limitations and the things over which you have little or no control. Let the Power that be, who has a much broader perspective than you, take care of it.
  • Do not procrastinate. Adrenaline rushes really don’t feel all that great and no, you don’t do your best work under pressure because, well, you’re under pressure which equals stress!
  • Don’t lie in bed, either in the morning or during the night, allowing your worries to control your thoughts and keep you either from sleeping or getting up. Get up and do something constructive that either makes you tired or starts your engine (how about some exercise?).
  • When approaching a project, don’t look at it as a whole, insurmountable amount of work. Break it down into manageable pieces that allow you to see results as you go along.
  • Worry only allows you to hold your own private pity party, feeling powerless and sorry for yourself. Afterward you still have to face whatever it was you didn’t want to confront.

Keep in mind that chiropractic care helps your body deal with the stress that results from worry. So, stay on track with your appointments and remember that 95% of what you worry about never happens, and the rest you rarely have control over – so stop worrying and start living!

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“Why does my back hurt?! I didn’t even do anything!”

December 20, 2011
newspaper image
newspaper

Picking up the newspaper didn't cause your back pain!

Many people with sudden, acute back pain think, “But gosh, I didn’t even do anything!”

What many folks don’t know, or don’t understand, is that it’s not always a case of what you did five minutes ago, or what you did yesterday, or even what you did last week that’s causing the current problem; it’s more a case of “the straw broke the camel’s back,” no pun intended!

Sometimes it’s chronic stress that wreaks havoc on your nervous system and finally causes your back to “go out” or a “pain in your neck” because of the strain of carrying the weight of all that stress on your back and neck.

Or maybe it’s some underlying long-term health problem that you’ve failed to address that finally manifests itself in pain of some sort that forces you to look at the real cause of the symptom (pain).

So, you walk outside to pick up the newspaper and you feel a sharp pain in your lower back. But picking up the newspaper certainly didn’t cause that!

Let’s use an everyday example to demonstrate. You go to the local eatery and put your purchase on your bank debit card. All of a sudden, bells and whistles go off because you didn’t have enough in your account to cover that charge. It’s not this charge that “broke the bank,” it’s all the money you spent before this purchase and the fact that you didn’t properly manage your account in the first place that put you in this predicament. Now, you’re faced with overdraft charges, embarrassment and the inconvenience of having to deal with the situation.

It’s the same with your health… ignore it and it will find a way to let you know you’re overlooking something.

The best way to stay on top of things so you don’t wind up “over spent” is to stay on schedule with your chiropractic adjustments, eat healthy foods, sleep at least eight hours each night, and learn how to manage your stress (exercise, yoga, meditation, a relaxing hobby, etc.)

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Is the Glamour of High Heels Worth the Pain?

December 16, 2011
high heels image
high heels

Is the look worth the consequences?

You’re all dressed up and ready to go out to work. Or a night on the town. Or on a fancy dinner date. And you’re wearing the one accessory that pulls the entire look together – your nosebleed-high heels that give you that long, lean, leggy look.

Nice. Now how about the damage those heels are doing to the rest of your body, or is glamour the only thing you care about? Shoes and women… perfect together, just as long as the heels aren’t too high.

High heels may look nice, but oh – the problems they cause! In terms of your feet, they either cause or aggravate conditions such as corns, calluses, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, bunions and even stress fractures in your toes.

And what about back pain? Think about it, high heels tilt your entire foot forward, increasing the normal forward curve of your back and causing your pelvis to tilt forward. Essentially, wearing high heels throws your entire body off its center of gravity and, therefore, off balance. Think of the long-term effect this has on your body if you wear heels to work each day and then go out at night!

Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life West College of Chiropractic and spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, states that the “dangers associated with wearing high heels affect the entire body, particularly the knee, hip, and back. The abnormal weight-bearing and stressful posture induced by high heels can strain both the low back and the neck, not to mention the foot, ankle and knee.” There are enough causes of neck pain without adding to it with high heels!

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress has issued the following recommendations for women who wear high heels:

  • Don’t wear high heels more than two hours a day. If you must wear heels, carry a pair of flat shoes to change into.
  • Compromise heel height to less than two inches.

If you’ve been wearing heels for years, you’ve probably already experienced some of their negative effects. Chiropractic care can certainly help to address some of the detrimental spinal effects of wearing high heels, but, if you really want to make a difference, then the rest is up to you.

So why not ditch the high heels and go barefooted or flat-footed to maintain proper balance and improve your posture and your health! After all, isn’t a healthy body a lot more “glamorous” than one that is damaged by a clothing accessory that is completely unnecessary?

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Attitude of Gratitude

December 14, 2011
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gratitude

Learn to be happy with what you have.

There are two types of people – those who want what they want and those who want what they have.

Those who want what they want are always chasing the next “thing,” the thing they think will make them happy, impress others, or give them the sense that they’ve “arrived.” The simple fact is there is always a next “thing” and these same folks just never seem to be happy. They have higher levels of stress, greater incidence of illness and chronic conditions like headaches and back pain.

Now the other folks, the ones that want what they have, they are content and happy. They are the ones who have true gratitude in their lives and they feel blessed by all good things that come their way. They’ve learned that “things” don’t make you who you are, attitude does, and an attitude of gratitude is the attitude to have. Why? Because thankful people always seem to get more of just what they need, and they don’t even have to chase it down, it just comes their way naturally.

It’s easy to sit there and complain about your lot in life, what’s not fair, who has more than you and doesn’t deserve it and cry “poor me.” When you regularly hold your “itty-bitsy-pity-party,” you not only tend to attract more of the same into your life, but more of the same type of people who are just like you, never satisfied, always miserable.

Instead, develop an attitude of gratitude and a thankful heart, and you not only influence those around you, you will attract more thankful people to you.

Want to develop an attitude of gratitude? Count your blessings. Write them down – everything you are grateful for in your life. (The real art is being thankful for, and seeing the blessings in adversity, disappointment and unpleasant circumstances. Look carefully and you’re bound to find the silver lining!) Add to your list each day and watch it grow. Although you might find this exercise difficult at first, you should soon find it easy to find something to be grateful for each day – that’s when you start getting the green lights and the parking spaces right up front – even though walking a bit further is healthier for you!

 

 

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Cleansing for Good Health

December 1, 2011

juice image
juice

Juice fasting is just one type of body cleansing.

Many people set aside a week or a weekend twice a year to clean out debris from their homes. It’s their way of ridding their homes of excess clutter and starting fresh.

There are those who think this is a good idea for the body as well – believing that body cleansing gets rid of built-up toxins, especially in the liver, intestines and colon – organs that act as filters in the body and tend to get “clogged,” possibly resulting in a variety of ailments from headaches to digestive disorders.

Detoxification diets help to eliminate environmental, metal and dietary toxins from the body to remove substances that get in the way of optimal health. Many religions and health and fitness gurus have praised the benefits of detoxification practices for years. Some of the more popular ones include:

Detox Diet

Usually done for two weeks to cleanse the liver and colon, remove dietary, environmental and chemical toxins, improve circulation, [optimize] health, increase energy and concentration, improve digestion and elimination and clear skin.

This diet calls for the elimination of sugar (all kinds and artificial sweeteners), caffeine (coffee, tea, sugar), alcohol, wheat, all dairy products, gluten (found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye), yeast, high-fat foods and processed foods from your diet. You substitute fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, brown rice, beans, herbal and green teas, water instead.

Juice Fast

This is another type of detox diet, usually done for one – three days. With a juice fast, you drink fruit/raw vegetable juices and water only – no solid food at all. A juice fast provides your body with necessary vitamins and antioxidants and organic fruits and vegetables work best.

There are many possible side effects to a juice fast and it cannot be used by people with certain medical conditions. For more information, including precautions, and potential side effects, see this article on juice fasting.

Water-Only Fast

Spiritual and philosophy leaders, including Jesus, Gandhi, Socrates and Plato, various religions and several different cultures have believed in the benefits of fasting for many years. Many people like to fast in the spring, to relieve winter weight gain and the accumulation of toxins – it’s a way to “lighten up” for summer. Many people who do a water-only fast talk about the spirituality and profound sense of peace they feel while doing it and right after.

There are other types of herbal cleanses, colon cleanses, and diet cleanses, but many of these are commercial products with questionable value.

 

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