Dr Beecher’s March 30 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
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WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, March 30th, 2015
Mental Attitude: Loneliness & Depression Associated with TV Binge-Watching. A recent study has found that the more lonely and depressed a person is, the more likely he or she will binge-watch TV. Researchers say that depressed individuals use this activity to move away from negative feelings and those who lack the ability to control themselves are more likely to binge-watch. This is of concern as past research has shown that obesity and other health problems are related to excessive television viewing, suggesting that binge-watching may be more than a harmless addiction.
65th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, February 2015
Health Alert: Prescription Combo Can Be Fatal for Seniors. Combining commonly prescribed antibiotics with a widely used heart medication appears to more than double the risk of sudden death in seniors, finds a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Spironolactone (Aldactone) is a common diuretic widely used in the treatment of heart failure. However, investigators have found that when trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Septra, Bactrim) is prescribed to someone on Spironolactone, it can cause blood potassium to rise to potentially life-threatening levels. Over a 17-year period, almost 12,000 people died suddenly after taking this combination of medicines and most of the patients who died were over the age of 85. The authors conclude that pharmacists and physicians must be made aware of this interaction, as it does not appear widely known at present time. Canadian Medical Association Journal, February 2015
Diet: Toddler Snacks & Meals Have Plenty of Salt & Sugar. Many prepackaged meals for toddlers contain high levels of salt, and many snacks, desserts, and juices for infants and toddlers contain added sugar. Researcher Dr. Mary Cogswell writes, “It was surprising that more than seven of ten packaged toddler meals contained too much sodium (salt)… Some parents might be surprised that a majority of infant and toddler snacks and sides, such as flavored crackers and rice cakes, contained added sugar. About half the analyzed ready-to-serve mixed grains and fruits products, such as oatmeal and fruit in a jar, contained added sugar.” She recommends preparing food for infants and toddlers as a healthier choice over prepackaged foods. Pediatrics, February 2015
Exercise: You May Want to Take it Easy When Jogging. After following 1,000 healthy joggers and 4,000 healthy non-joggers for a decade, researchers claim that those who jog 1-2.4 hours per week were 71% less likely to die during the study period than non- joggers. However, they found no mortality benefits when comparing more strenuous joggers to the non-joggers in the study. Study researcher Dr. Jacob Marott adds, “We believe that long-term strenuous endurance exercise may induce pathological structural remodeling of the heart and large arteries.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, February 2015
Chiropractic: Improvement in Chronic Hypertension Following Cervical Adjustment. A 55-year-old male with a history of chronic hypertension that did not respond to medical management presented for a trial of chiropractic care. After receiving an upper cervical adjustment using a specific chiropractic protocol, his blood pressure progressively lowered. The findings support the possible use of chiropractic care in the management of unresolved chronic hypertension.
Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, January 2015
Wellness/Prevention: Probiotic Pill May Help Diabetics. Researchers claim that a study involving rats demonstrates that a modified strain of “friendly” human gut bacteria called Lactobacillus appears to have instigated a process that converted cells in the intestinal lining to behave like pancreatic beta cells and release insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. In the study, the rats that received the modified probiotic had blood glucose levels up to 30% lower than rats that did not receive the probiotic. The researcher’s hopes to one day develop a probiotic pill for human use that diabetic patients could take each morning to help manage and possibly cure their condition. Diabetes, February 2015
Quote: “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” ~ Stephen King
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 2015 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Monthly Newsletter, please click here!
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ~ Harry S. Truman
New Study Shows Refined Sugars May Raise Blood Pressure More Than Salt!
Also this month:
- Study Links Vitamin D Deficiency to Depression. The evidence about the importance of Vitamin D is adding up. It affects your immune system and has now been linked to depression.
- Lose Weight with Potatoes? New study shows you may be able to lose weight even if you are eating a diet high in fat and refined carbohydrates with this potato extract…
- How Stealing Eggs Fed a Family of Six. Stealing is not good but the outcome of this “theft” may have saved a few lives…
Houston – There is no question, science has dramatically changed the way in which we see the world and has helped us better understand both ourselves and the universe we inhabit.
Here is something most people do not know about science and the scientific method: it raises more questions than answers. You see, the purpose of science is NOT to “prove” things. In fact, all scientific theories are actually unprovable.
The late philosopher Karl Popper believed a hypothesis, proposition, or theory is “scientific” only if it is, among other things, falsifiable.
According to Princeton University’s website: “Falsifiability or refutability is the logical possibility that an assertion could be shown false by a particular observation or physical experiment. That something is ‘falsifiable’ does not mean it is false; rather, it means that if the statement were false, then its falsehood could be demonstrated.
“The claim ‘No human lives forever’ is not falsifiable since it does not seem possible to prove wrong. In theory, one would have to observe a human living forever to falsify that claim. On the other hand, ‘All humans live forever’ is falsifiable since the presentation of just one dead human could prove the statement wrong (excluding metaphysical assertions about souls, which are not falsifiable). Moreover, a claim may be true and still be falsifiable; if ‘All humans live forever’ were true, we would never actually find a dead human, and yet that claim would still be falsifiable because we can at least imagine the observation that would prove it wrong.”
Here Are Two Important Things About This…
First, a statement that is unfalsifiable is non-scientific, but that does not mean it is not relevant or that it is inaccurate. One great example is the existence of atoms. The ancient metaphysical and unfalsifiable idea of the existence of atoms led to modern theories about atoms that are falsifiable.
In other words, just because something does not fit into the scientific method does not mean it will not fit someday or that it is false. It is very possible that things could be untestable by science but true.
Just as important, because something does fit into the scientific method and has withstood scientific testing, it does not mean it is true or even partially true. It is not uncommon to discover that things we believe to be fact are either partially or completely incorrect.
In other words, we know a lot less than we sometimes think we do and we should always keep an open mind.
Is Sodium Really the Devil?
For example, sodium has been demonized for quite some time because it has been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. For many years, it has been an accepted “fact” that sodium intake must be reduced in people with high blood pressure and by most people in general.
Not too long ago, a study was published that suggested the important measure wasn’t sodium intake but the sodium/potassium ratio in an individual’s diet. This could mean that even a low-sodium diet could be bad if an individual’s diet is also low in potassium, or that a high-sodium diet may not be an issue if a person’s diet is also a high-potassium diet.
But it gets better… Now, a new study published in the journal Open Heart has added to the debate. In this study, high-sugar diets were found to raise blood pressure.
According to the study: “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature mortality in the developed world, and hypertension is its most important risk factor. Controlling hypertension is a major focus of public health initiatives, and dietary approaches have historically focused on sodium.
“While the potential benefits of sodium-reduction strategies are debatable, one fact which there is little debate is that the predominant sources of sodium in the diet are industrially processed foods. Processed foods also happen to be generally high in added sugars, the consumption of which might be more strongly and directly associated with hypertension and cardio metabolic risk.”
The authors of the study went on to add, “Thus, while there is no argument that recommendations to reduce consumption of processed foods are highly appropriate and advisable, the arguments in this review are that the benefits of such recommendations might have less to do with sodium – minimally related to blood pressure and perhaps even inversely related to cardiovascular risk – and more to do with highly-refined carbohydrates.”
Here’s What Is VERY Important To YOU:
This may seem like a lot of “scientific” information. It may also seem confusing. Researchers are good at making things confusing!
Here is the scoop: Foods loaded with processed, refined carbohydrates are not good for you. Choosing to eat fewer refined, processed foods is one of the best ways to lose weight and stay healthy. Period. End of story.
Notice, I did not say to stop eating carbohydrates? Many people are confused by this and think all carbohydrates are the same but nothing could be further from the truth.
There is a HUGE difference between highly refined carbohydrates and unrefined carbohydrates.
Sure, there is a raging debate over low-carb and high-carb diets but that is another conversation. The first thing you must understand is highly refined carbohydrates are not good for you in any amounts. How many unrefined and GOOD carbohydrates you should consume is a very different topic.
Does science always have the right answer? No, it is not supposed to. Science is a method, a process. It is one part of how we know what we know. It is not all of it.
We should use science as part of the process to make the best decisions about life and health.
With that being said, I will go out on a limb and say this: If you want to be healthier – possibly much healthier – stop eating processed, highly refined foods.
Are You SAD? Vitamin D Deficiency
Might Be The Cause…
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is believed to affect up to 10 percent of the population. SAD is a type of depression related to the changes in the season and can affect some geographic locations more than others. The symptoms of SAD usually start in the fall and continue throughout the winter months. Now, new research suggests that Vitamin D plays a HUGE role in whether or not a person develops SAD. According to Dr. Alan Stewart of the University of Georgia College of Education, “Rather than being one of many factors, Vitamin D could have a regulative role in the development of SAD… We believe there are several reasons for this, including Vitamin D levels fluctuate in the body seasonally, in direct relation to seasonally available sunlight. For example, studies show there is a lag of about eight weeks between the peak in intensity of ultraviolet radiation and the onset of SAD, and this correlates with the time it takes for UV radiation to be processed by the body into Vitamin D.”
It is important to note that Vitamin D is involved in the synthesis of dopamine and serotonin and lower levels of both are linked to depression. This is especially important since many people now avoid the sun as much as possible out of fear or developing skin cancer. Clearly, exposure to sunlight is important for optimizing your health. But there is a big difference between getting too much sunlight (and getting sunburns) and taking an extreme position to get no sunlight at all. The tricky thing is determining what level of sun exposure is most beneficial for you. Factors like skin tone and geographic location drastically affect how much sun any given person should be exposed to. However, a vitamin D supplement may safely help increase your vitamin D levels, especially during winter months when sunlight exposure is extremely limited.
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)
How Stealing Eggs Fed a Starving Family of Six
Ever had a bad day? One of those days where you wish you never got out of bed? We all have those days. Sometimes we get more of them than we want to deal with.
Clearly, life can be tough and it has brought many good people to their knees. It’s a safe bet that EVERYONE at one time or another has needed help. Getting help is what this amazing story is about…
Helen Johnson was just buying groceries, something we all do. But that’s where the similarity ends for most of us.
Helen was not buying much, just the necessities because the children in her charge had not eaten in two days. When the cashier told her the total, she was 50 cents short. This put Helen in a very tough spot. She is raising her two daughters, two grandchildren, and a niece. She gets assistance from disability and welfare, but her last check got lost in the mail.
Helen was faced with letting her family go hungry… or stealing. She chose the latter.
She put three eggs in her pocket and they broke. This mistake turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Here is why: The cashier saw the broken eggs and knew she was trying to shoplift them, so she called the police. When the police came, Helen was honest and told Officer William Stacy what had happened.
Officer Stacy said she started crying and said she needed help to put food in her babies’ stomachs.
Instead of arresting her, Officer Stacy told her to wait for him in the parking lot. She did and he came back with a carton of eggs he purchased for her. When he handed Helen the eggs, she almost broke down with overwhelming emotion.
What’s more, someone in the parking lot caught the entire exchange on video. The video was uploaded to the internet and as you can imagine, went viral.
But it gets even better… Officer Stacy is employed by the Tarrant Police Department in Alabama. The Tarrant Police Department signed up Helen’s family for a local toy drive and also collected enough donations to deliver two truckloads of groceries to the family.
Helen has been quoted as saying, “I was just getting eggs and now that’s saved my life. I’ve never been more grateful in my life. I’m so overwhelmed with the goodness of these people… My heart is wide open right now.”
This story is not as unique as one may think. In 2013, Jessica Robles was caught shoplifting groceries in a Publix Supermarket in Florida. When Miami-Dade Police Officer Viki Thomas looked at the situation, she decided to pay $100 for the woman’s groceries instead of arresting her.
Everyone knows there is plenty of bad in the world, but there is also plenty of good. Most of the time, you see what you are looking for.
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?…
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Throughout each day, your body loses water through your urine, exhalation, and sweat glands – even when you’re not purposely working up a sweat. As a result, you have to drink water to constantly replenish this fluid. No, coffee and soft drinks do not count toward this requirement. Both coffee and soda are high in caffeine, which act as a diuretic that will dehydrate you. Worse yet, sodas, fruit juices, and other sweetened beverages are loaded with sugars that could negatively impact your health. So, the key is to drink pure water. Once your body has lost 1-2% of its total water content, it will signal its needs by making you feel thirsty.
Besides listening to your thirst, a good rule of thumb is to look at the color of your urine. In most cases, you want to drink enough water to turn your urine a light-colored yellow (if it’s clear, you may be drinking too much water). Also, Riboflavin (vitamin B2, which is also found in most multi-vitamins) will turn your urine a bright, almost fluorescent yellow. So, if you’re taking supplements containing B2, it may be more difficult to judge hydration by the color of your urine. Frequency of urination can also be used to judge your water intake. If your urine is scant or if you haven’t urinated in several hours, that too may indicate you need to drink more water.
Tip Of The Month
Lose Weight with Potatoes?
Potatoes (and other carbohydrates) have gotten a bad rap in recent years. Now, newly published research claims they can help you lose weight. Well, sort of. According to researchers at McGill University, a potato extract may help limit weight gain from a diet that is already high in fat and refined carbohydrates. The study was done on mice that were fed an obesity-inducing diet for ten weeks. Some of the mice were also fed a potato extract. The mice fed the potato extract gained less weight.
Here are a few things that are important… The extract comes from 30 potatoes. Obviously, attempting to eat 30 potatoes a day would not achieve the same results (due to the large amount of calories) and is not advisable. That’s why an extract was used. But there is a bigger issue: This potato extract was tested on mice eating diets high in fat and refined carbohydrates. A much better solution would be to stop eating that sort of low-quality diet. The answer is not to eat poorly and hope that a supplement or drug will solve your problems. The answer is to eat right in the first place. The study said the mice taking the extract with the poor diet gained LESS weight. This means they still gained weight. There are no good shortcuts to losing weight and staying healthy. Making the decision to eat right and exercise for the rest of your life is the only real solution.
Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal
and maintain the pain free body you deserve.
This information 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 health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.
Dr Beecher’s October 13 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, October 13th, 2014
Mental Attitude: Marital Stress Strains Parent-Child Relationships. An analysis of more than 200 families revealed that when parents reported conflict and tension in their marriage, their interactions with their children were also strained in the immediate future. Study author Dr. Chrystyna Kouros writes, “The quality of that relationship spills over into each parent’s interactions with the child. So if mom and dad are fighting, it will show up initially — and in some cases on the second day — in a poorer quality relationship with their kids.” Journal of Family Psychology, August 2014
Health Alert: Germs Follow Families When Moving. Microbiologists at the United States Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory claim that a unique population of bacteria follows families when they move to a new home. The research team notes that it took less than a day for a family’s new home to have the same bacteria populations as their old home. The findings suggest that analyzing bacteria in a home could predict if a person has lived in a specific location and how recently with a great deal of accuracy. Science, August 2014
Diet: Salt Problematic for MS Symptoms. There may be a link between salt consumption and multiple sclerosis (MS) disease. In a newly published study, individuals who consumed moderate or high amounts of salt had approximately three more episodes of progressing symptoms and were four times more likely to have exacerbations when compared to individuals who consumed the least salt per day. The researchers add, “High salt intake is implicated in various aspects of poor health. Findings suggest further research into whether dietary salt reduction could ease MS symptoms or slow the progression of the disease might now be warranted.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, August 2014
Exercise: Exercise While Watching Television. The American Council on Exercise offers these suggestions to get some exercise while you watch TV: ditch the remote and change the channel yourself, walk around the house or up and down the stairs during commercials, perform resistance exercises while watching TV, use a treadmill or stationary bike, and perform activities that involve standing, such as ironing clothes. The American Council on Exercise, August 2014
Chiropractic: Acute Neck Pain Patients Satisfied with Spinal Manipulation. According to a recent study, individuals with acute and sub acute neck pain were more satisfied with receiving spinal manipulation or home exercise/advice than taking medication prescribed by a physician. Overall, participants who received spinal manipulation performed by a Doctor of Chiropractic were the most satisfied of the three groups in the study in regards to the general care they received. Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, September 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Smartphone Could Screen for Jaundice in Newborns. A team from the University of Washington is developing a smartphone app called BiliCam that could make it easier for doctors and parents to monitor newborns to determine if blood tests are needed to confirm jaundice. Caregivers can use the app by placing a calibration card on the baby’s naked torso and then taking a photo with their smartphone. The app then uses an algorithm to analyze the photo and report on the likely levels of bilirubin in the baby. Bilirubin is a substance that builds up in the blood causing a yellowing of skin and happens in newborns when the liver is not yet optimally functioning. The team hopes the app will also be useful in developing countries where jaundice accounts for many newborn deaths. University of Washington, August 2014
Quote: “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
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.
