Dr Beecher’s July 6 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, July 6th, 2015
To download a copy of this newsletter, click here. If you would like to know more about the best chiropractor in Houston, please give us a call.
Mental Attitude: Protect Your Brain with Tai Chi. With a growing senior population, age-related cognitive decline has become a major public health issue. A review of nine studies that included 632 participants found that regularly performing Tai Chi appears to have a protective effect against age-related cognitive decline. According to researchers, Tai Chi practitioners fared better than members of a control group on a variety of outcome assessments that measured memory, rate of learning, short-term verbal recall, spatial processing, visual attention, task switching, and reaction time. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, July 2015
Health Alert: Can Noisy Neighborhoods Cause Weight Gain? Swedish scientists say their research indicates that noise from traffic, trains, and planes may play some role in the obesity epidemic. In their study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, they note that an individual’s risk for a larger waist size increases 25% if they are exposed to either traffic, train, or plane noise on a routine basis, and their risk increases to 50% if they are regularly exposed to all three sources! It is believed that traffic noise may increase the levels of cortisol in the body, the stress hormone that has been observed to stimulate the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area. Lead researcher Dr. Charlotta Eriksson adds, “Traffic noise should be recognized as an important environmental health hazard that needs to be taken into consideration in urban planning.” Occupational & Environmental Medicine, May 2015
Diet: Drinking Water Helps Kids Think. Could the simple act of drinking water give your child the edge he or she needs to perform better at school than their peers? According to a study published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, the answer may be yes. The study involved 63 third graders who performed a variety of tests designed to measure their executive function skills over a three- day period. The researchers kept track of each child’s food and beverage intake and found that those who consumed the most water were best able to stay on task when presented with difficulties and distractions. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, June 2015
Exercise: Swim! Swimming is a great exercise that burns calories, is easy on the joints, helps manage weight, and builds both muscular strength and endurance. It also improves cardiovascular fitness, cools you off, refreshes you on hot summer days, and is an activity you can perform safely into old age. MedicineNet, May 2015
Chiropractic: Possible Benefits for Those with Fibromyalgia. A new study reveals the benefit of chiropractic treatment in the management of fibromyalgia. During a three-month study, 120 women with severe fibromyalgia received treatment that included education, cognitive behavioral therapy, and an exercise component. One half of the group also received chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine during this time. Outcome assessments showed the group who also received chiropractic care experienced greater overall improvement when compared with the group who did not receive spinal manipulative therapy. The researchers conclude that adding chiropractic care to current treatment plans for fibromyalgia patients may improve their overall results. Rheumatology International, July 2015
Wellness/Prevention: A Healthy Lifestyle Can Prevent Over a Third of Female Colon Cancers. After analyzing decades of health and lifestyle data concerning over 200,000 female nurses, researchers claim that living a healthy lifestyle may prevent up to 37% of colon cancer cases among women. Lifestyle factors that may have a protective effect against the development of the disease include maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, no/moderate alcohol consumption, not smoking, taking a daily multivitamin, and consuming over 700 mg of calcium per day. Cancer Causes & Control, June 2015
Quote: “A closed mind is a dying mind.” ~ Edna Ferber
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 19 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, March 19th, 2012
Mental Attitude: Depression and Negative Peer Relationships At School. Often, the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression; however, it was found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships. No evidence was found to suggest that peer relationships forecasted depression among a school-based sample of adolescents. Child Development, Feb 2012
Health Alert: Weighty Physician? Physicians with a normal BMI, as compared to overweight and obese physicians, were more likely to engage their obese patients in weight loss discussions, 30% vs. 18%, and more likely to diagnose a patient as obese if they perceived the patient’s BMI met or exceed their own, 93% vs. 7%. Obesity, Jan 2012
Diet: Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with muscle weakness, increased fall risk, and bone fractures.
26% of the distal radius fracture patients were vitamin D insufficient (having vitamin D serum levels between 20-32 mg/ml), compared to 11% in the control group.
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Feb 2012
Exercise: Tai Chi And Parkinson’s. A new exercise study has shown significant benefits for patients with mild-to- moderate Parkinson’s disease. A tailored Tai Chi training program of 60-minute exercise sessions 2x/week for 24 weeks resulted in improved postural stability and walking ability, and reduced falls in the participants.
New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 2012
Chiropractic: Alf! Famous neurosurgeon Dr. Alf Breig reviewed the adverse mechanical tensions on the central nervous system from abnormal postural loads. He concluded that abnormal posture affects the nervous system, which in turn, affects the sympathetic nervous system, which plays a large part in controlling the immune system. Breig, 1976
Wellness/Prevention: Waist-Hip Ratio and the Cardiovascular System. The Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) is the ratio of a person’s waist circumference with hip circumference. The smallest waist measurement is taken just above the navel and is divided by the hip circumference at its widest part. In a thin person, the waist is measured at its narrowest point. For the larger person with a big belly, it is measured 1 inch above the belly button. Hips are measured at the widest point of the buttocks in the lean person and at the great trochanters in larger individuals. If an adult female has a 27-inch waist and 36- inch hips, her WHR is .75. (27 divided by 36). WHR for men: < 0.9 means he has a very low risk of having cardiovascular health problems; from 0.9 to 0.99 means he is at moderate risk of cardiovascular health problems; > 1 means his risk of cardiovascular problems is high. WHR for women: < 0.8 means she has a very low risk of having cardiovascular health problems; from 0.8 to 0.89 means she is at moderate risk of cardiovascular health problems; > 0.9 means her risk of cardiovascular problems is high.
Quote: “You Chiropractic doctors are really miracle workers.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
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 www.BeecherChiropractic.Com.
