Dr Beecher’s March 3 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, March 3rd, 2014
Mental Attitude: Online Courses for Stress Reduction? While mindfulness training in a 1-on-1 setting has been shown to be beneficial for reducing perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, researchers at the University of Oxford wondered if such training delivered via the internet would be as effective. A group of 273 participants completed an online mindfulness course that consisted of 10 sessions over an average time span of four weeks. Following the course, outcome assessments showed reductions in perceived stress, anxiety, and depression similar to those reported by participants who experienced in-person trainings. BMJ Open, February 2014
Health Alert: Amazing! Scientists from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Italy have announced the first known instance of an amputee “feeling” the world via a state-of-the-art sensory- enhanced artificial hand. Sensations felt by the “hand” are converted into electrical impulses that communicate with the patient via wires that were surgically connected to nerves in his arm. Science Translational Medicine, February 2014
Diet: The Mediterranean Diet and Firefighters. The Mediterranean diet is rich in fish, nuts, vegetables, and fruits and previous studies have linked it to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. However, these studies tend to focus on an older population, patients with existing health problems, and people who live in Mediterranean countries. In this study, the participants were firefighters living in the Mid-Western United States. The firefighters who most adhered to the diet had a 35% decreased risk for metabolic syndrome and were 43% less likely to gain weight compared with those who least followed the diet. PLOS ONE, February 2014
Exercise: Play Team Sports! Because of declining estrogen levels, menopausal women are at greater risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Researchers found that menopausal women who participated in team-based sports for just twelve weeks had significant reductions in their blood pressure and improvements in blood vessel function, putting them at a 40% lower risk for stroke and a 20% lower risk for heart disease. As an added benefit, the majority of the women enjoyed the activity and were likely to continue participating after the study concluded. AJP: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, January 2014
Chiropractic: Just Two Treatments. Nearly 200 adults with spinal pain were separated into two groups. One group received two chiropractic adjustments and the other received two sham adjustments so researchers could differentiate if results were the result of the adjustment itself or the expectation of treatment. Two weeks later, researchers assessed each group and found the adjustment group reported greater improvements in pain, better overall improvement, and higher satisfaction. Spine, November 2013
Wellness/Prevention: Folic Acid and Pregnancy. Despite decades of research recommending pregnant women take folic acid supplements in order to prevent spina bifida and other neural tube defects, only 31% of pregnant women in the United Kingdom (UK) do. Additionally, among women who had previously given birth to a baby with a neural tube defect, only 51% took a folic acid supplement during subsequent pregnancies. In the United States, Australia, and 74 other countries, some grain-based foods are fortified with folic acid in hopes of reducing the risk of these types of birth defects. PLOS ONE, February 2014
Quote: “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.”
~ Abraham Lincoln
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s March 2014 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ~ Harry S. Truman
Surprising News: Exercise Without This May Not be Doing as Much Good for
Your Heart as You Think!
New study shows why nutrition may be more important than exercise for preventing the nation’s #1 killer…
Also this month:
- Is Your Lunch Missing a Key Weight-Loss Ingredient? A new study shows that eating this at lunch helped overweight adults feel fuller for longer!
- The One Thing You Should Never Do in the Morning: If you are like most people, you do this every day and it could be prematurely aging you and harming your health!
- The Janitor Who Traded His Mop for the Executive Jet: How a Mexican-American janitor went from cleaning the floors to being an Executive Vice President of PepsiCo of North America…
Houston – This is big news, especially if you want to increase your odds of living a longer and healthier life. This news will also shock many people because it sounds counterintuitive. But, that’s one reason scientific research is done. You see, what seems obvious is not always correct.
For example, let’s take a look at two people: one has good cardiovascular fitness but is overweight and the other does not have good cardiovascular fitness but is lean.
Which Person Do You Think
is at Greater Risk of a Heart Attack?
According to the findings of a new study, the overweight but fit person may be at greater risk for a cardiac event than the lean not-so-fit person.
In other words, according to this study, being lean may be better than being in good aerobic shape. But that’s not the whole the story, so let’s look at the study…
In the study published in the European Heart Journal, a research team found that physical fitness in a person’s teen years can reduce their risk for a heart attack later in life.
Researchers analyzed data from 743,498 Swedish men who received a medical examination at the age of 18 when they were conscripted into national service between 1969 to 1984. Each man’s fitness level was measured with a bicycle test in which the resistance was gradually increased until he was too exhausted to continue. The men were monitored for an average of 34 years until they suffered a heart attack, died, or until January 1, 2011, whichever came first.
According to researcher Dr. Peter Nordström, “We report a significant graded association between aerobic fitness in late adolescence and [a myocardial infarction or heart attack (MI)] later in life in men. However, obese men with a high aerobic fitness had a higher risk of MI than lean men with a low aerobic fitness.
“While being physically fit at the end of your teens can reduce the risk of a heart attack, fitness alone does not appear to fully compensate for the risks with being overweight or obese. In other words, having a normal weight is more important than being in good physical shape, but it is even better to be both fit and have a normal weight.”
How to Possibly Decrease
Heart Attack Risk by 18%
The researchers also ranked the men based on physical fitness and for every 15% increase in fitness, they found the men in that group had an 18% lower risk for a heart attack 30 years later. They also found that consistent fitness training into late teens can reduce risk of having a premature heart attack by 35%.
Dr. Nordström and his team also stated that several factors may have influenced their data. For example, some people are born with bodies more equipped for higher levels of fitness and a lower risk for heart disease.
Scientific research is used to determine which treatments work, which treatments do not, and which treatments do more harm than good.
Countless drugs have been scientifically tested over the years, and drugs are often compared against each other, but very few studies have actually directly compared drugs with exercise and their effect on several common health conditions and diseases.
While more research needs to be done on this topic, here are two things that would not be a bad idea: (1) If you are a parent, it is probably a very good idea to make sure your kids exercise regularly, whether in sports or just an exercise program. It may dramatically decrease their risk of premature heart attack in adulthood. (2) Stay lean! In other words, try to eat the best you can. If this study is accurate, shedding some weight and staying lean may add years to your life.
The best possible scenario is to both eat right (stay lean) and exercise. Once again, science is showing that simply eating right and exercising is by far the best medicine.
If you add stress reduction and proper sleep to the mix, barring genetic weaknesses or accidents, you should be in good shape to live a long, healthy life.
It is amazing how even chronically sick people can become healthy just by eating right, exercising, reducing stress, and getting the proper amount of sleep.
Most BIG diseases and health problems come from the cumulative effect of small, unhealthy things done over decades.
The first cigarette does not kill you, but smoking a pack or two a day for 30 years is a cancer time bomb. Similarly, going for a walk today will not make you healthy, but walking every day for decades could prevent a heart attack or some other serious health problem.
Here is something very important: Many people are mistaken about what exercise can do for you.
The Most Common Weight Loss Mistake…
It is common for people to believe that if they exercise, they can eat more… or eat poorly… and they will still lose weight.
It is believed that exercise will overcome poor nutrition.
Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, no amount of exercise can make up for poor diet and poor diet is probably the biggest reason so many people work out like dogs, never see results, and quit.
On the contrary, you can lose a ton of weight by eating properly and not exercising at all.
Now, we are not saying you should not exercise. Clearly, exercise is very beneficial and should be used in conjunction with eating right. But, you must eat correctly if you want to lose weight and be healthy.
If you are serious about losing weight and getting fit, the only way to do it is to make a lifestyle change. Diet and exercise fads do not work. They only lead to frustration and rebound weight gain.
Forget about “magic” pills and foods that burn belly fat and simply decide to eat right for the rest of your life.
The same goes for getting fit. There is nothing you can buy on an infomercial that will give you the quick and easy solution. It simply does not exist.
If you need help, just ask. As your chiropractor, I am trained in nutrition and exercise physiology. I can give you the answers you are looking for and start you on a path to losing weight and a healthier, happier future.
Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.
Inspirational Story Of The Month
(Names And Details May Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)
The Janitor Who Traded His Mop for an Executive Jet
How a Mexican-American janitor went from cleaning the floors to being an
Executive Vice President of PepsiCo of North America…
The year was 1976. Richard Montanez was a Mexican-American janitor at the Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He changed a popular snack food and his life in an instant and he has a very important message for you…
Here’s the story and it all started long before 1976. When Montanez was just in grade school, his mother gave him a burrito to bring for lunch. All the other kids had bologna sandwiches. Feeling out of place, the next day Montanez asked his mother to make him a bologna sandwich. His mother told him, “No.” She told him that he is different and should be proud of who he is. Then, she packed him a few extra burritos to share with his bologna sandwich friends. Soon after that, Montanez had a little side business selling burritos to all the “bologna boys.”
His mother’s lesson stuck with him, and when Richard was working as a janitor in the Frito-Lay plant, he never thought of himself as just a janitor. He thought of himself as an owner. So, he acted like one.
He would mop the floors during the day and play around with recipes at night. He invented a recipe to coat the Cheetos made by his company and tried it out on all his friends. Everyone loved it, so he called the CEO.
Surprisingly, his call got through and he made an appointment to meet with the management team. He had no idea what he was doing so he went to the public library and got some books on marketing. He even bought a $3 tie to wear on what would be a life-changing day. Rumor has it that he did not know how to tie a tie, so his neighbor did it for him.
To make a long story short, the big wigs not only loved his recipe, they loved him. They promoted him and mentored him. His recipe became a smash hit, mainly due to its appeal with the rapidly expanding Latino population in the United States. You may recognize the recipe Montanez invented, it is called Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Montanez became a smashing success, too. He has met several U.S. Presidents and has spoken at the United Nations. He currently teaches leadership to MBA students at a California university and is frequently sought after for advice.
“My disqualifications are the very things that qualified me,” he said, particularly urging young minorities to be courageous and confident. “Your own people will hold you back… Break ranks. That’s diversity and inclusion. Don’t just hang out with your own.”
He says diversity is what made him a successful burrito salesman as a child and also enabled him to drop his mop and board the executive jet.
“Maybe I wasn’t created to fit in. Maybe I was created to stand out,” Montanez said unabashedly. “My greatness is courage. I’m willing to take a chance.” His prime message is that there’s no such thing as “just a janitor” if you “act like an owner.”
“Diversity and inclusion programs can open doors,” he said, “[but] if you have confidence, you can walk into any room. Your job is to prepare yourself to walk through the doors.”
He made one point crystal clear. He said that diversity and inclusion programs can create opportunity – but that is just opportunity. You must be prepared for that opportunity and have the courage and ability to make the most of it.
We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and
getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!
Don’t be a stranger. You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!
Did You Know?…
How Does Salt Enhance Flavor?
“Saltiness” is actually one of the five primary basic tastes the human tongue can detect. Those five tastes include salt, bitter, sweet, sour, and umami. (If you’re not familiar with umami, it is from glutamic acid. It’s found in many foods, particularly some meats, and is the basis of the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG).
Salt has other effects outside of simply making things taste more salty. Adding salt helps certain molecules in foods release more easily into the air, thus helping the aroma of the food, which is important in our perception of taste.
Salt also has been shown to help suppress the bitter taste. So, adding a bit of salt won’t just increase your salty taste perception, but will also decrease the bitter taste in any given food (which is why it is often sprinkled on grapefruit before eating, for example).
Finally, adding salt to sweet or sour things — while not shown to suppress sweet or sour flavors as with bitter flavors — will help balance out the taste a bit by making the perceived flavor less one-dimensional.
Tip Of The Month
Eat This at lunch if You Want to Feel Full for Longer!
If you are like most people, you love to eat! In fact, many people say eating is their favorite thing to do. Nothing is worse than trying to lose a few pounds and feeling hunger pangs. Well, there is a certain kind of food that is not only good for you but also helps you feel full for several hours. This is wonderful because it also puts great nutrients into your body and will keep you away from snacking on fattening and unhealthy junk food.
What is this food? It’s the avocado! New research shows that eating half an avocado at lunch helped overweight adults feel full for longer in the hours after lunch and before dinner. Dr. Joan Sabate, a Professor of Nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health, writes, “Avocados are a very popular and delicious fruit, and from the results of our study, may also be helpful for people who are looking to better manage their weight.”
In the study, the group who ate half an avocado with their lunch was 40 percent less likely to want to eat again over the three hours following lunch and 28 percent less likely to want to eat again over the five hours following lunch compared with the group who did not have any avocado in their lunch. The downside to this study is that it was only done with 26 people, so the results may not hold true for the population as a whole. But, who cares? Avocados are great for you so give it a try and see how it works for you!
The One Thing You Should Never Do in the Morning!
Almost everyone does it, but doctors and sleep experts are saying it is bad for you… We are talking about HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON! According to experts, hitting the snooze button is a bad idea for several reasons. First, it is a sign that you either are not getting enough sleep or enough QUALITY sleep. You are hitting the snooze button in an attempt to get the sleep your body desperately needs. But, hitting the snooze button will not help. In fact, it may make things worse. This is because, according to Dr. Robert Rosenberg, “When you hit the snooze alarm, you are disrupting your current stage of sleep. Unfortunately, in many ways, fragmented sleep is worse than no sleep. As an example, if you are in REM sleep and you interrupt it with the snooze alarm, this can lead to an inability to process and reconcile emotionally laden memories from the previous day. In addition, fragmented sleep can result in moodiness, cognitive problems, and trouble paying attention.”
The best thing to do is to go to bed a little earlier and turn off any blue-light emitting devices at least one hour before bed time. It is a bad idea to watch TV or play on the computer, iPad, or smartphone right up until the time you want to go to sleep. Turn all these things off and give yourself a “cool down” period.
Getting enough quality sleep is vital to your health. Besides the obvious feeling tired and miserable all the time… lack of sleep quickly affects your body! After just one night, you will be hungrier and more likely to eat more. You will also be more likely to get in an accident. Getting six or less hours of sleep triples your risk of a drowsy-related accident. You will also not look as good and be much more likely to catch a cold. Over time, lack of sleep increases your risk of stroke, obesity, and may even increase your risk of certain cancers.
Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal
and maintain the pain free body you deserve.
This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history. We cannot be held responsible for actions you may take without a thorough exam or appropriate referral. If you have any further concerns or questions, please let us know.
Dr Beecher’s February 24 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, February 24th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Meditation Benefits. According to an analysis of 47 clinical trials involving over 3,500 patients, meditation offers benefits to people with depression, anxiety, and pain similar to antidepressant medications. The researchers behind the study also note that meditation does not have the potential negative side-effects of antidepressant drugs. JAMA Internal Medicine, January 2014
Health Alert: Hygiene and Diabetes? Researchers at the University of Helsinki Children’s Hospital believe the rise in auto-immune diseases, like type 1 diabetes and allergies, may be linked to a corresponding rise in hygiene standards. The so-called “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that less bacterial exposure during childhood may hinder the development of a child’s immune system. The researchers point out that Finland has the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world but neighboring countries with lower hygiene stands have much lower reports of the auto-immune disease.
University of Helsinki Children’s Hospital, January 2014
Diet: Avocado Please. According to a new study, participants who ate half of a fresh avocado with lunch were 40% less hungry three hours later and 28% less hungry five hours later. Most of the fat content in avocados is monounsaturated fat and studies have shown that regularly consuming this type of fat can reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, as well as reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Nutrition Journal, January 2014
Exercise: A Quick Walk? Walking at a moderate pace for 180 minutes over the course of a week (30 minutes a day for five days or 60 minutes a day for three days) has been demonstrated to significantly improve mild to moderate depression. Harvard Medical School, November 2005
Chiropractic: Dare to Compare. Patients with chronic (>13 weeks) spinal pain were placed into one of three types of care: acupuncture, medication, or spinal manipulation. After 30 days of treatment, only the manipulation group showed significant reduction in pain intensity and improvements across all outcome measurements.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 1999
Wellness/Prevention: Watch What You Eat! A study involving 224 adolescent females found that the increased consumption of dietary fat was significantly linked to an increase in abdominal fat, regardless of total calorie intake or physical fitness. The accumulation of abdominal fat is harmful as it increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular problems, diabetes mellitus, arterial high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, etc. According to lead researcher Dr. Idoia Labayen, “Until now it was thought that even with an unbalanced diet, you somehow compensated for it if you got plenty of physical exercise. In this study we have shown that this is not the case.” Clinical Nutrition, January 2014
Quote: “Before you can think outside the box, you have to be smart enough to know that there is a box.”
~ A. Farthingsworth
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s February 17 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, February 17th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Green Spaces? Researchers have discovered that moving to greener areas can improve a person’s mental health over the long-term. During a 5-year study, people who moved into greener areas experienced an immediate improvement in mental health that persisted for at least three years. Those who moved to a more built-up area with less green space experienced a decline in their mental health. The authors of the study suggest creating more green spaces in towns and cities (parks and gardens) could bring lasting benefits to public health.
Environmental Science & Technology, January 2014
Health Alert: Excessive Alcohol Consumption. Nearly forty million American adults drink too much alcohol, although most are not considered alcoholics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high weekly use is considered 15 or more drinks for men and eight or more drinks on average for women. Excessive alcohol consumption causes premature death (79,000 deaths annually in the United States alone) and costs the economy $224 billion a year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2014
Diet: High-Protein Diet Linked to Kidney Problems! A Spanish study found that rats fed a long-term, high-protein diet (57% of total calories from protein) had a higher risk for developing kidney stones and other renal diseases than rats fed a lower protein diet (13% of total calories from protein). The authors of the study stress that even though these results are derived from rat subjects, their findings should translate to humans and anyone on a high-protein diet should be closely monitored for kidney-related issues. Nutricion Hospitalaria, January-February 2013
Exercise: Decreased Risk for Heart Attack Later in Life. A Swedish study involving over 740,000 males found that lack of aerobic fitness at age 18 corresponds to a greater risk for a heart attack later in life. According to lead researcher Dr. Peter Nordström, “As far as we know, this is the first study to investigate the links between an objective measure of physical fitness in teenagers and risk of heart attack in the general population. Further studies are needed to investigate the clinical relevance of these findings, but given the strong association that we have found, the low cost and easy
accessibility of cardiovascular training, and the role of heart disease as a major cause of illness and death worldwide, these results are important with respect to public health.” European Heart Journal, January 2014
Chiropractic: Car Wrecks and Disk Injuries. A disk injury can cause chronic neck pain following a car accident. If the outer wall of the disk (the annulus) is torn and does not properly heal, stress on the nerve endings in the annulus may cause neck pain during normal activities. North American Spine Society, January 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Un-Happy Employees are More Likely to Smoke. According to the Gallup research, employees who are emotionally disconnected from their jobs are 20% more likely to smoke than employees who are either neutral or excited about their work. Previous research has shown that disengaged employees are more likely to suffer from stress, obesity, and chronic health problems. Gallup, August 2013
Quote: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
~ Joseph Campbell
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s February 10 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, February 10th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Depression’s Influence on Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers! Based on data provided by 322 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, researchers have identified that a patient’s psychological state can affect self- reported measurements about how their body responds to different treatments and therapies. The researchers recommend rheumatologists be aware of their patient’s mental state when assessing the efficacy of their treatment plan.
Arthritis Care & Research, December 2013
Health Alert: Smoking is a $289 Million Dollar a Year Burden! During the last half-century, 20 million Americans have died as a consequence of smoking and 16 million more continue to suffer from smoking-related conditions. The combined healthcare expenses and lost economic productivity that results from smoking-related illnesses costs the United States (US) about $289,000,000 each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every thirteen children alive in the US right now will die prematurely from smoking-related diseases unless current smoking rates drop! Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2014
Diet: Diet Soda Not Helpful for Dieters! A new study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that drinking diet soda may not help dieters lose weight. Using data from the long-term National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers discovered that, even though people who drink diet sodas are drinking fewer calories, they tend to consume just as many or more total calories than people who drink sugary beverages. According to lead author Dr. Sarah Bleich, “The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight–who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages–may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification.” American Journal of Public Health, January 2014
Exercise: How to Keep that New Year’s Resolution. Recording goals in a fitness diary, reflecting on successes and failures, and being held accountable by others are key strategies that have been found to maximize the achievement of all goals, including New Year’s resolutions. Loughborough University, January 2014
Chiropractic: The Cause of Post Car Accident Neck Pain. After a car accident, the cause of neck pain may be unknown. Muscles and ligaments can become strained and even inflamed, but they usually heal within six to ten weeks. Pain that lasts longer is usually due to injury to the disk, facet joint, or both. Facet joint pain is the most common cause of chronic neck pain after an accident. Facet joint pain may occur alone or along with disk pain and may sometimes be mistaken for muscle pain. North American Spine Society, January 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Breastfeeding and Rheumatoid Arthritis? A study of 7,000 older Chinese women showed that those who breast fed their children had a 50% reduced risk for rheumatoid arthritis later in life.
Rheumatology, January 2014
Quote: “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” ~ Maya Angelou
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s February 3 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, February 3rd, 2014
Mental Attitude: Be Positive! Young people with positive attitudes such as self-belief, aspiration, flexibility, and an appetite to learn were associated with less hyperactivity, fewer emotional problems, fewer problems with fellow pupils, greater inclination to help others, were happier, and slept better. Think Forward, January 2014
Health Alert: Alarming Rate of Overweight and Obese in Developing Countries. In the last three decades, the amount of overweight and obese people in developing countries has skyrocketed from 250 million to almost one billion people. In comparison, richer nations have seen a rise from 200 million to 600 million overweight and obese people over the same period of time. Dr. Steve Wiggin explains, “On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems.” Overseas Development Institute, January 2014
Diet: Vitamin E. A study involving 140 elderly men and women found that those with higher levels of vitamin E in their bodies were less likely to suffer from cognitive decline. Foods rich in vitamin E include spinach, almonds, sunflower seeds, avocados, shrimp, rainbow trout, olive oil, broccoli, and pumpkin. Experimental Gerontology, January 2014
Exercise: As Effective as Medications. Doctors from the Stanford University School of Medicine reviewed the results of
305 studies involving over 300,000 patients and have determined that exercise may be as effective as medication in preventing early death in people who’ve had heart attacks or strokes. Furthermore, regular exercise lowers the risk of early death, helps one stay lean, and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, some cancers, and cognitive decline. Despite this information, only 21% of American adults meet the government’s recommendations for exercise: 150 minutes per week of moderately intense aerobic activity and muscle strengthening activities two days a
week that work all the major muscle groups. British Medical Journal, January 2014
Chiropractic: Can Neck Pain Affect Brain Activity? Transcranial magnetic stimulation measurements taken on chronic neck pain patients both before and after spinal manipulation showed that manipulation improved cerebellar motor processing in their brains. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that plays an important role in fine-tuning the body’s movements. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 2013
Wellness/Prevention: Decreasing Cancer Risk. Over an 8-year study period, postmenopausal women who closely followed the American Cancer Society’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Cancer Prevention Guidelines had a 17% lower cancer risk, a 20% lower risk of cancer-related death, and a 27% lower risk of death from all causes. According to lead author Dr. Cynthia Thomson, “The message is simple and clear: If you want to reduce your risk for cancer, even later in life, eat a healthy diet, be active daily, avoid or limit alcohol, and don’t smoke.”
US National Institutes of Health, January 2014
Quote: “Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!” ~ Vince Lombardi
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s February 2014 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Monthly Newsletter, please click here!
“When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is
wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” ~ Helen Keller
New Study:
Is Exercise the
Best Medicine?
New research shows exercise can be just as effective as many frequently prescribed drugs for treating some major causes of death, including heart disease and diabetes!
Also this month:
- Fight the Common Cold… with Your Stomach! The health benefits of probiotics and how research shows they can reduce your child’s risk for the common cold.
- Scientists Discover a New Body Part! That’s right… After all these years, scientists have actually discovered a new body part, and knowledge of its existence may help doctors treat some knee injuries.
- The Tale of Two Homeless Men: Faced with one of the most difficult decisions of his life, this homeless man made the right choice and turned his whole life around…
Houston – It’s pretty sad, but in today’s society, it is common to boast and brag. It is also common to make things seem much better or worse than they really are.
We see marketers do it every day through the advertising they bombard us with. Who hasn’t bought something after watching a TV commercial only to find out it wasn’t half as good as claimed?
Well, what you’re about to read is different and without any hype, it could change both your health and your future.
With rising insurance costs in the United States and other countries, this information may also save you a lot of money and time.
Here’s what this is all about: Healthcare professionals want to give their patients the best possible treatments but how does a doctor know which treatment is best?
Scientific research is used to determine which treatments work, which treatments do not work, and which treatments do more harm than good.
Countless medications have been scientifically tested over the years, and new drugs are often compared with older pharmaceuticals to prove their efficacy. However, very few studies actually directly compare drugs with exercise to treat common health conditions and diseases.
Until Now…
Huseyin Naci, a graduate student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Dr. John Ioannidis, the Director of the Stanford Prevention Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine, studied the effectiveness of both drugs and exercise in lessening mortality among people who had been diagnosed with either heart disease, chronic heart failure, stroke, or diabetes.
The two researchers gathered all of the recent randomized controlled trials, reviews, and meta-analyses of older experiments relating to mortality among patients with those illnesses, and whether the study participants had been treated with drugs or exercise.
In total, they studied information from 305 studies, which included a total of 340,000 participants. Most of these past studies focused on pharmaceuticals. Only 14,716 of the subjects were prescribed exercise to treat their disease.
The results of their study were published in the October 2013 issue of the British Medical Journal. Their conclusion: “No statistically detectable differences were evident between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and pre-diabetes. Physical activity interventions were more effective than drug treatment among patients with stroke. Diuretics were more effective than exercise in heart failure…
“Although limited in quantity, existing randomized trial evidence on exercise interventions suggests that exercise and many drug interventions are often potentially similar in terms of their mortality benefits in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, rehabilitation after stroke, treatment of heart failure, and prevention of diabetes.”
WOW!
According to this study, both drugs and exercise are more or less just as effective as treatments for those common and life-threatening diseases.
But here is what the study did NOT mention… Exercise is cheaper and does not come with dangerous side-effects!
What Does This Mean for You?
Clearly, health care is changing. With the restructuring of insurance in many countries and an aging population, it must change. Expensive treatments will be cut if cheaper and just as (or more) effective therapies are found. (Or, at least they should be.)
Clearly, insurance coverage is not what it used to be. Many times, patients have to pay huge sums of money out-of-pocket, even if they are insured by private or government insurance plans. Who wants to pay all that money if it can be avoided?
But even more important is doing what’s best for YOU. If exercise can help keep you healthy so you do not end up with heart disease, diabetes, etc., then it makes sense to add it to your lifestyle. Imagine what combining exercise, eating right, stress reduction, and chiropractic care can do for your long-term health.
Science Discovers New Body Part!
You read that correctly. In fact, science has discovered a new ligament in the knee, and its discovery is a pretty fascinating story.
One hundred and thirty-four years ago, French surgeon Paul Segond couldn’t explain the painful resistance in his knee after an injury. This led him to theorize about the existence of an undiscovered ligament.
Now, Belgian doctors have actually found it. The ligament is called the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and was found in all but one of the 41 cadavers they dissected to prove its existence.
According to The Star: “The discovery was shocking: all but one of the dissected bodies had the ‘well-defined ligamentous structure’ between the femur and the anterolateral tibia, or shin that was described by the French scientist. The finding led the doctors to conclude that most humans, about 97 percent, have the little lost ligament.”
Here is something very important: “The doctors also announced patients with ACL tears were likely suffering knee collapses because of ALL injuries.”
This may explain why many people (including athletes) have the diagnosis of a torn ACL but do not have instability or collapse of the knee. There are reports of athletes playing professional sports for years with a torn ACL.
This opens the door for new treatments and ways to approach knee injuries, especially for people with a torn ACL and knee instability.
What is amazing is how long it took scientists to discover a ligament they estimate is in 97% of people.
Can you imagine what will be discovered next?
Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.
Inspirational Story Of The Month
(Names And Details May Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)
The Tale Of
Two Homeless Men
Faced with one of the most difficult decisions of his life, this homeless man
made the right choice and turned his whole life around…
Imagine there are two homeless men begging for change on a street corner. A young man stops and makes them an incredible offer.
The young man offers them each two choices: You can have $100 in cash right now or no money and two months of coding lessons. (Coding is a term computer programmers use in regards to writing software programs.)
Now, imagine one homeless man takes the $100 and the other decides to learn to code. What happened to both men? The hypothetical homeless man with a $100 bill would likely spend it and still be on the streets. As for the other man, the one who took the coding lessons, we don’t have to speculate his future because we actually know it.
You see, a 23-year old computer programmer by the name of Patrick McConlogue made this exact offer to a 37-year old homeless man named Leo Grand. Leo chose the programming lessons.
So, McConlogue started by spending one hour a day with Grand before work. After their morning session, McConlogue would go to work and Grand would practice what he learned on a Google Chromebook McConlogue gave him.
Grand would practice his daily lesson until the battery in his Chromebook died. (He found places to charge it overnight while he slept on public benches.)
At the end of the two months, Grand had learned a lot, but both men decided they wanted to do more. That’s when McConlogue’s boss, John Katzman, stepped in.
Katzman allowed McConlogue to teach Grand full-time at the New York office of his company “Noodle.” After five more weeks of full-time work, Grand had completed and released his first app. An App… or application… is a type of software program that allows you to perform specific tasks. Applications for desktop or laptop computers are sometimes called desktop applications, and those for mobile devices are called mobile apps.
Grand is currently researching for his next app and is looking for a full-time job as a computer programmer.
Even better, McConlogue has started a mentorship program for programmers. So far, 150 programmers have signed up to teach someone to code for one hour a day for two months. McConlogue is still figuring out how to run his new mentorship, but the impact he could have on so many lives is incredible.
It’s amazing what a little delayed gratification can do. Grand decided to pass up on the quick and easy $100 now for the possibility to create a wonderful life in the future.
Not only that, you just never know how far one small act of kindness can reach. It would have been much easier for McConlogue to just walk right by Grand or to throw him some spare change. Instead, he took a chance. He opened his heart and gave Grand the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity that meant a lot of dedication and work for both men.
Altruism is rare, but it is clearly not dead.
We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and
getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!
Don’t be a stranger. You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!
Did You Know?…
Good News About Cherries!
Did you know that eating cherries could lower inflammation in the body drastically enough to alleviate arthritis symptoms? In at least one study, powdered cherry consumption actually led to a change in the functioning of inflammation-regulating genes in mice.
Like all dark-skinned fruits, cherries are high in antioxidants and other phytochemicals that promote human health in ways that science is only just beginning to understand.
While sweet cherries may be more fun to eat, the most potent inflammation-fighting cherries are the tart variety. In addition to fighting inflammation and arthritis, cherries have also been found to fight gout, reduce body fat, and lower levels of cholesterol. Think it can’t get any better? At least some tart cherries contain high enough levels of the hormone melatonin that they can actually help you fall asleep.
Tip Of The Month
Fight the Common Cold… with Your Stomach!
No one wants to get sick. In fact, I bet you never want to get the common cold or the flu ever again in your life. While that would be nice, it is impossible. But, new research has shown a way children may get the common cold less often, and shorten the time they have it when they do. This is extremely important because the common cold is responsible for the largest amount of school and work absenteeism and causes a huge economic burden.
A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed during the winter season in Thailand. Children ages 8-13 were given either a two-strain combination probiotic or placebo twice a day for three months.
According to the study, “Children in the probiotics group had significantly lower risk of fever, cough, rhinorrhea, school absence, and school absence related to common cold compared to children in the placebo group. There was no impact on diarrhea and vomiting.”
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are microorganisms that offer some form of health benefit to their host organism and they can be found in various different foods. Probiotics are believed to play very important roles in regulating proper intestinal function and digestion by balancing intestinal microflora. Probiotics are normally consumed in fermented foods with active live cultures, such as yogurt, though they are also available in supplement form as capsules, liquid, and chewables. There are many different strains of probiotics, but the most common strains available today are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.
Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal
and maintain the pain free body you deserve.
This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history. We cannot be held responsible for actions you may take without a thorough exam or appropriate referral. If you have any further concerns or questions, please let us know at 281-286-1300.
Dr Beecher’s January 27 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, January 27th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Be Right or Be Happy? There’s an old saying, “Would you rather be right or be happy?” In a small experiment involving one married couple, researchers tested this adage by measuring the self-reported quality of life scores of both the husband and wife over time if the husband were instructed to always agree with every opinion and request his wife made (the wife was not informed of this instruction). After 12 days, the experiment was halted because the husband found his wife becoming increasingly critical of everything he did. The husband’s quality of life score fell from 7/10 on day one to 3/10 by day twelve. On the other hand, the wife’s score increased slightly from 8/10 to 8.5/10 during the study. According to the study’s authors, “It seems that being right is a cause of happiness, and agreeing with what one disagrees with is a cause of unhappiness… The results of this trial show that the availability of unbridled power adversely affects the quality of life of those on the receiving end… Many people in the world live as couples, and we believe that it could be harmful for one partner to always have to agree with the other. However, more research is needed to see whether our results hold if it is the male who is always right.” British Medical Journal, December 2013
Health Alert: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cardiovascular Problems. There is concern that long-term, untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular health problems. Researchers detected the presence of myocardial ischemia in 17% of the participants with PTSD but only 10% of participants without PTSD. Biological Psychiatry, December 2013
Diet: The Essentials. Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are called essential fatty acids because we cannot manufacture them ourselves, meaning they must come from the foods we eat. These fatty acids are named for their carbon-to-carbon double bond on a carbon chain, and only plants are able to make a double bond at the third or sixth carbon position. There are no known animals that create their own omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. New England Journal of Medicine, June 2012
Exercise: Dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association states 5.2 million Americans are affected by dementia and one in three seniors will die with some form of cognitive issue. Researchers claim dementia sufferers demonstrate improvements in cognitive functioning and their ability to perform daily activities when they engage in regular exercise. University of Alberta in Edmonton, December 2013
Chiropractic: Asymmetric Hip Mobility and Neck Pain. Over three hundred freshmen college students underwent an examination of their hip joints and were asked whether or not they suffered from neck pain. The results showed that the young adults with asymmetrical hip mobility were nearly three times more likely to also suffer from neck pain.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 2013
Wellness/Prevention: Life Satisfaction? Does money bring happiness? In most developing countries, life satisfaction rises as a country’s wealth increases and people are able to meet their basic needs. Once income reaches a certain level (around $36,000 USD), life satisfaction levels peak and begin to decline. Happiness dips because more money creates higher aspirations, leading to disappointment and a drop in life satisfaction if those aspirations are not met. World Values Survey, December 2013
Quote: “Work and struggle and never accept an evil that you can change.” ~ Andre Gide
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s January 20 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, January 20th, 2014
Mental Attitude: The Importance of Self-Worth. Reflecting on better times can help the downtrodden take steps to escape their poverty. In an experiment conducted in a New Jersey soup kitchen, 150 participants were asked to recount a proud moment or memorable achievement prior to taking a series of problem-solving tests. A control group took the tests without a positive affirmation beforehand. The affirmation group performed dramatically better than the control group with a difference in scores representing roughly a 10-point increase in IQ. Participants in the affirmation group were also more likely to seek out help from local government or charity programs that are used by only a fraction of those eligible. Psychological Science, December 2013
Health Alert: Inflammatory Proteins? A recent study shows there is an abnormal amount of an inflammatory protein called PAR2 in the abdominal fat tissue of overweight and obese people. Previous research has shown that PAR2 is also increased on the surface of human immune cells by the excessive consumption of fats and sugars. This finding links obesity and fattening diets with changes in immune cells and inflammation levels within the body. The FASEB Journal, December 2013
Diet: Facebook and Diet? “Appearance exposure” on the Internet has been linked to body image disturbances among adolescent girls. A recent study found an association between time spent on Facebook and poor body image among adolescent girls who internalize a thin ideal physique, which may lead to eating disorders.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, December 2013
Exercise: Reduces Fatigue in Cancer Patients. An analysis of 56 studies involving over 4,000 cancer patients discovered that aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, reduces fatigue in those undergoing treatment. Fatigue is a common and problematic side-effect of cancer and cancer treatment. This exhaustion may last for months or years and make a patient less inclined to continue any further treatment. Previously, doctors recommended rest to treat cancer-related fatigue; as it turns out, the proper course may be physical activity. The Cochrane Library, November, 2012
Chiropractic: Pain Affects Quality of Life. Over half of older adults in the United States have experienced bothersome pain in the previous month, impairing their physical function and underscoring the need for proper health care. Three-quarters of older adults with pain reported having pain in multiple locations, such as in the back, hips, and knees. Additionally, pain was strongly associated with decreased physical capacity. PAIN, December 2013
Wellness/Prevention: Fight Fat with Heat? People who live in well-heated homes above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) are less likely to be obese, or have a high body mass index, compared with individuals who keep their dwellings cooler. People may eat less and burn more energy when residing in a warmer indoor environment. At temperatures above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit, heat must be lost to maintain a constant body temperature and this process (such as sweating) requires energy. Coupled with decreased appetite and food intake, the additional energy expenditure could lead to weight loss. Obesity, November 2013
Quote: “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” ~ Mark Twain
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Dr Beecher’s January 13 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, January 13th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Maternal Depression? Depression is a serious mental illness with many negative consequences for its sufferers. Depression among pregnant women may also have an impact on their developing babies. Children of depressed parents are at an increased risk for developing depression themselves, which can be the result of a combination of both genetic and environmental factors. These children also display alterations in their amygdala, a part of the brain that’s important for the regulation of emotion and stress. Biological Psychiatry, December 2013
Health Alert: E-Cigarettes? E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that look like cigarettes and deliver an aerosol of nicotine and other chemicals. These devices are largely unregulated, with no effective controls on marketing them to minors. Despite industry claims that it markets only to adults, the percentage of 12-18 year olds who use e-cigarettes doubled from 2011 to 2012. As of 2012, an estimated 1.8 million American adolescents have used the devices. Journal of Adolescent Health, November 2013
Diet: Low Vitamin D Levels. A recent study shows that vitamin D deficiency may cause damage to the brain and other organs. When middle-aged rats were fed a diet low in vitamin D for several months, they developed free radical damage to their brains and also performed poorly in cognitive functioning tests for learning and memory. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, December 2013
Exercise: Parents Need to be Fitness Role-Models! Two-thirds of United Kingdom schoolchildren surveyed about their parent’s fitness levels stated that their mom and dad do almost no physical activity. After testing the children’s fitness levels, researchers found that the children of sedentary parents were 50% more likely to be classified as physically unfit. Dr. Gavin Sandercock, the lead author of the study, adds, “As parents we don’t need to be Olympic athletes to be good role models for our children. We need our children to know that we encourage and support their physical activity and, most importantly, we need our children to see us being active ourselves.” University of Essex, June 2012
Chiropractic: One More on Cracking Knuckles. Dr. Donald Unger spent a half-century cracking the knuckles of his left hand but never his right. After fifty years, he reported no arthritis or other problems in either hand, despite cracking the knuckles in his left hand over 36,500 times. Arthritis & Rheumatism, May 1998
Wellness/Prevention: Get a Dog! Several studies have shown that children exposed to dogs during early infancy have a much lower risk for developing allergies and asthma. Now, researchers and the University of California-San Francisco believe they know the reason and it’s in the gut. Mice were exposed to dust samples from homes with and without dogs. The immune systems of mice exposed to dust from homes with dogs had decreased reactivity to common allergens. The researchers examined the gut bacteria in these mice and observed that it had changed after exposure to the dust. In particular they noticed a greater presence of the bacteria Lactobacillus johnsonii. When this bacteria was introduced to a different group of mice, they exhibited nearly the same decrease in response to common allergens as the group exposed to dust samples from the homes with dogs. According to Dr. Susan Lynch, “Gut microbiome manipulation represents a promising new therapeutic strategy to protect individuals against both pulmonary infection and allergic airway disease.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 2013
Quote: “People don’t quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
