Tag: Sleep Apnea

Dr Beecher’s July 2015 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter

To download a copy of this newsletter, click here.

“Anything you could ever want or be, you already have and are.” ~ David Russell

                                                                                       

Who Else Wants to Live to Be 100 Years Old?

Starting in 1913, researchers followed

the health of 855 people. What did the ten

who made it to 100 years old have in

common and what does it mean for you?

 

Also this month:

• Quitting smoking, even after 60, may have bigger heart benefits than you think! New research shows those who quit smoking, even past the age of 60, have a considerably lower risk for cardiovascular disease after only a few years.
• Do you crave late night snacks? Study shows it might be your brain’s fault.
• Teen becomes hero on his way to jail! How a 17-year-old kid saved the life of his arresting police officer…

 
For many people, this is true.  Whether this is true or not for you is unimportant, but here is something that is important…ouston – There is an old saying that goes something like this: Youth is wasted on the young.

No matter how old you are now or how long you are going to live, life is short and it goes by in the blink of an eye.

Whatever age you are right now, don’t you want to live as many healthy years into the future as you can?

Sadly, many people think there is nothing they can do to make themselves healthier and live longer.  It is common to believe…

“It’s All In Your Genes.”

Sure.  Genes do play some role regarding the circumstances of your life. For example, not everyone is going to be 7 feet tall (>2m) and play basketball for an NBA team. Not everyone is going to be exceptionally healthy and live to be 100 years old even if they eat junk food and smoke like a chimney.  But there is something you can control and that’s living up to your genetic potential.

Listen, it makes no difference to you if someone else’s genetic potential is better or worse than yours.              The only thing that matters is YOUR genetic potential and how you maximize it.

Here is something else you should know:  Most people think that because they did unhealthy things when they were younger — like eat a lot of junk food or smoke — that it is too late for them now.  The damage is done, so to speak.

While in some instances this may be true, in many cases, the body has an amazing ability to recover and become healthy even after decades of abuse. We’ll talk about this more in a moment, but first, let’s see if living to age 100 is all in the genes…

Over the past 50 years, the University Gothenburg has hosted one of the world’s first prospective study on aging. The participants included 855 Gothenburg men born who were all born in 1913.

The first surveys were conducted in 1963 and continued on until the final survey was conducted with the ten surviving participants in 2013.

A total of 27% (232) of the original group lived to the age of 80 and 13% (111) live to 90.  All in all, 1.1% of the subjects made it to their 100th birthday.

According to the study, 42% of deaths after the age of 80 were due to cardiovascular disease, 20% to infectious diseases, 8% to stroke, 8% to cancer, 6% to pneumonia, and 16% to other causes.

A total of 23% of the over-80 group were diagnosed with some type of dementia.

The study showed that it helped the longevity of the participants if they paid high rent or owned a house by age 50, had a high aerobic capacity on a biking test at age 54, and had a mother who lived a long time.

According to lead researcher Dr. Lars Wilhelmsen, while their mother’s longevity appears to indicate that genetic factors played a strong role in helping these men live longer lives, other factors that are indicative of a healthy lifestyle may be more important for living a long time.

For example, among the longest lived men in the study, none were smokers and all of them were slim and had good posture.

The fact they were non-smokers isn’t surprising but…

What About Being Slim

and Having Good Posture?

Sure, the health benefits of being slim are also pretty obvious.  Numerous studies have focused on weight control and calorie-restricted diets and their benefits.

But what does good posture have to do with it?

Chiropractors have known the benefits of having good posture for well over 100 years.  Even in the early 1900s, doctors of chiropractic believed that spinal structure is directly related to overall health – not just back pain.

Now, the results of this study do not say… or prove… chiropractic care can make you live longer,  but it does raise some very interesting questions.

If good posture is an important factor for good health and living longer, and chiropractic helps you achieve good posture, does chiropractic care improve overall health and help you live longer?

For now, you will have to make your own decision about that.  Hopefully more studies will be performed to give us more definitive answers about all of this.

Now for Some Great News

About Quitting Smoking…

The chances of a smoker dying form cardiovascular disease are double that of someone who has never smoked.  However, if a smoker kicks their habit, their risk for a heart attack or stroke will decrease over time and while it may never be as low as a never-smoker’s risk, it can get close if given enough years.  Even those who quit smoking after age 60 will still experience a drop in cardiovascular risk over time.

In a recent study, researchers attempted to calculate the number of years by which smoking accelerates death from heart disease.  They found that the age of smokers who die from cardiovascular disease is, on average, five and a half years younger than people who have never smoked in their lives.  By contrast, the age of former smokers drops to just over two years younger than life-long non-smokers.

Lead researcher Dr. Hermann Brenner writes, “Therefore, it is never too late to stop smoking.  Even people in the highest age group still gain considerable health benefits from it… Many heart attacks and strokes, with all of their serious consequences, could be prevented this way.”

Clearly, your body has incredible recovery and recuperative powers.  It’s amazing how many people have lived long, healthy lives after years of poor diet, smoking, and even drug abuse.  There is an old saying that goes something like this:  The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time is today. 

The same applies for your health.  Start today.

 

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)

 

 

Teen Becomes Hero on His Way to Jail!    

How a 17-year-old saved the life of his arresting police officer…

 

We hear it every day.  The news is filled with it and so are Facebook posts.  The tension seems to grow by the minute.  I’m sure you know what I am referring to just by reading this first paragraph.  If not, you must be living in a cave.  Either way, you are going to love what you are about to read.

It’s NOT about who is right and who is wrong.  It’s not about one side versus another.  In fact, it’s not about all that controversy at all.

If you are looking for that, this is not for you.  You can get your fill of that by turning on any of the cable “news” shows out there.

This is for you if you want proof of the brighter side of things.  Proof that people actually do care about each other.  Proof that just because someone does one — or even a few bad things —  they may not be a bad person and can still make wonderful choices and do amazing things. Here’s the story…

Jamal Rutledge was off to a bad start in life.  By 17, he already had several run-ins with the law.  According to a Sun Sentinel article published earlier this year, “Rutledge was being booked for violation of probation on charges including burglary and violation of juvenile imposed conditions…”

Seems like a pretty bad kid, doesn’t he?  Well, the story gets better…

While Officer Franklin Foulks was filling out some mandatory paperwork in relation to Jamal’s arrest, he grabbed his chest in pain, fell off his chair, and collapsed to the floor.  Jamal, who was sitting just a few feet away, did not hesitate to react.  He immediately got up and started kicking the security fence and screaming for other officers to come help.

In no time, help arrived and began administering CPR and defibrillation to Foulks’ heart.  There is no doubt that Jamal’s immediate action saved the life of Officer Foulks.

This may seem ironic at first, but the irony is overshadowed by the much bigger picture.  That bigger picture is the fact that Jamal is not an evil person, he is just a misguided kid.  While he made some bad decisions in his life thus far, he still has the ability to care about other people – even people he might dislike under a certain set of circumstances – and save lives.

It’s amazing how important “certain circumstances” are.  It is not uncommon for two people who think they hate each other in one environment to find out they like or even love each other when placed in totally different surroundings.  Most of the time it is because the false narrative of “us vs. them” falls apart once people deal with each other on a personal level.  We see how our “enemies” are actually just like us and not enemies at all.

The “common enemy” is the battle cry of those who profit from promoting division… not unity.  War not peace.  Struggle not success.

Author and speaker, Wayne Dyer has often said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” 

I have a feeling Jamal and Foulk understand what Wayne Dyer is talking about.  I bet they have both changed the way they look at things, and because of that, their entire lives have changed…

 

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?…

 

Do You Suffer from Snoring or Sleep Apnea?

 

Sleep apnea is a common problem, affecting as many as 26 percent of adults.  Sleep apnea is a term used to describe a condition in which a person is unable to breathe properly during sleep, which can have serious health consequences. Some experts believe the rise in sleep apnea diagnoses over the recent decades is related to the dramatic rise in obesity over the same time frame.

Snoring is a related problem caused by a restriction in your airway stemming from either your throat or nasal passageway.  It’s the vibrations caused by air as it struggles to get through your soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils, and/or muscles in the back of your throat that create the snoring sound.

Not only do these breathing disruptions interfere with sleep, leaving you unusually tired the next day, but they can also reduce the amount of oxygen in your blood, which can impair the function of internal organs and/or exacerbate other health conditions you may already have.  Previous research has also linked sleep disturbance to cognitive decline and dementia so if you’re having trouble sleeping, take action now to find help. Not only will you feel better now but your golden years may be a bit more golden… J

 

 

Tip Of The Month

 

Do You Crave Late Night Snacks?   

 

You should be in bed but instead you are wandering around the kitchen searching for something to eat.  How many times are you going to open the refrigerator door hoping something new and delicious is going to appear that was not there 30 seconds ago? If this description fits you, then you are not alone.  Countless people are the victims of late night cravings.

In a newly published study, exercise science professors and a neuroscientist at Brigham Young University used MRIs to measure how people’s brains respond to high and low-calorie food images at different times of the day.  The results showed that images of food, especially high-calorie food, can generate spikes in brain activity, but those neural responses are lower in the evening.

Lead study author Dr. Travis Masterson notes, “You might over-consume at night because food is not as rewarding, at least visually at that time of day… It may not be as satisfying to eat at night so you eat more to try to get satisfied.” 

In other words, when you eat at night, your brain is just not as satisfied as when you eat at other times during the day.  Just knowing your brain is “tricking” you and that you do not actually need more food may help you avoid late night binges, weight gain, and the associated health risks.

 

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.