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Did You Know?…

20 Feb

The average red blood cell lives for 120 days.

There are 2.5 trillion (give or take) red blood cells in your body at any moment.

A red blood cell can circumnavigate your body in less than 20 seconds.

Nerve Impulses travel at over 25 mph (40 km/hr).  

A sneeze generates a wind of 100 mph (166 km/hr).

A cough moves out at 60 mph (100 km/hr). 

Our heart beats around 100,000 times every day.

Our eyes can distinguish up to one million color surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.  

Our lungs inhale over two million liters of air every day.

When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 124 mph. 

We exercise at least 30 muscles when we smile.

We make one liter of saliva a day. 

Our nose is our personal air conditioning system: it warms cold air, cools hot air and filters impurities.

In one square inch of our hand, we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 9,000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors and 75 pressure sensors.

A person can expect to breathe in about 40 pounds of dust over his/her lifetime.

Former Professional Wrestler Helps Disabled Gulf War Veteran Lose 140 lbs. And Walk Again!

20 Feb

Inspirational Story Of The Month (Names And Details Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)

Arthur Boorman was a paratrooper in the Gulf War.  All the jumps took their toll on his back and knees.  Unable to easily move from the pain, he gained weight, ballooning up the 297 pounds. He was no longer able to walk without the assistance of two crutches.

Doctors told Arthur he would never walk unassisted again, and he believed them… for 15 long years. He was 47 years old and had given up hope.

He thought exercise was impossible. He wanted to try Yoga, but instructors wouldn’t give him a shot; that is, until he found an unlikely angel.  As the story goes, one day Arthur stumbled across the website of former professional wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page (DDP).  DDP’s yoga seemed different and inspirational to Arthur.  So, he sent DDP an email detailing his situation.  DDP read his story and looked at his pictures.  His immediate reaction was, “God, how am I gonna help that guy?”  But, he was willing to try.  Arthur said, “He didn’t know me… but he believed in me… when no one else did.”

Arthur began trying DDP’s yoga via DVDs in his living room.  He fell.  Over and over again… he fell.  But every time, he kept getting back up.  He kept trying because someone believed in him.  He also started eating the way DDP advised him to. He started losing weight and gaining balance.  He fell less and less.

Then, the most important thing took place… Arthur started to believe it could happen.  He lost 100 pounds in 6 months.  Then, he lost 40 more.  He sent DDP videos documenting every step of his amazing transformation.  But, there was one video that made even this big, bad ex-pro wrestler cry.

In the last video, DDP could see Arthur walking unassisted for the first time in 15 years.  No wheelchair.  No crutches.  Then, all of a sudden… Arthur started running! He picked up speed and sprinted by the camera.  The end of the video says: “They were wrong… it was possible.  Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself.   Almost anything is possible when you believe in yourself.   Never give up.  I lost 140 lbs. in 10 months.  Thanks DDP for believing in me.”

Notice he thanked DDP for believing in him and not the Yoga?  It’s something to think about.  Here’s the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXOo8D9Qsc

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 Chiropractic Care Help 15-1 Long Shot “I’ll Have Another” Win The Kentucky Derby?

20 Feb

Chiropractic care has helped countless people, including many world-class professional athletes and celebrities!

Chiropractors are musculoskeletal system experts, and since animals and horses have musculoskeletal systems, why wouldn’t Chiropractic care also help them?

Well, according to USA Today, Larry “Thumper” Jones has been helping horses with Chiropractic care for years.

Years ago, Jones suffered a hockey injury and had back surgery.  His rehabilitation was unsuccessful, and it wasn’t until a Chiropractor treated him that he got better.

For 30 years now, Jones has been treating horses as an equine Chiropractor.  He has worked with top racehorses such as $5.2 million dollar winning horse, Lava Man. He recently worked on I’ll Have Another the week before the 15-1 long shot won the Kentucky Derby.

According to USA Today: “Jones, 53, describes I’ll Have Another as a ‘yoga specialist’ who has complete range of motion in his joints. He laughed, saying he wouldn’t be surprised if the horse could put his leg behind his head. As a result, I’ll Have Another should be able to take long strides, using less energy to get around the track.

“Keeping horses limber, relaxed and mobile is important, Jones said, as for any athlete. He said he uses instinct to know when a horse needs treatment, saying the animals often indicate the areas where they have tightness or pain.

“This week, I’ll Have Another will get some massages, done with a vibrating machine that helps to loosen muscles and increase blood flow.”

It looks like Jones was right.  I’ll Have Another did take some long strides and won the Kentucky Derby! (Editor’s note: After this article was written, I’ll Have Another also won the Preakness Stakes, the 2nd leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, but suffered a career ending injury on the eve of the Belmont Stakes.)

If Chiropractic care is good enough for top professional athletes and Kentucky Derby winning horses, then it just might be good enough for you too!

And 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.

 

An Avocado A Day Can Help Keep The Wrinkles Away?

20 Feb

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Just rub this wonder cream on and your face and all your wrinkles will instantly disappear!” We’ve all seen the commercials, and the results they show are pretty sensational. Isn’t it funny how that “wonder cream” is usually from some accidental discovery or from some magical plant in the rainforest?

What happens when you buy that wonder cream?  Yeah, that’s right…  NOTHING!  Except your wallet is $19.95 lighter (plus shipping and handling).

So, instead of all that fantasy stuff, let’s talk about the real world and something you can eat that is good for you and might help slow the aging process.

That Food Is A Fruit &

It Is Called The Avocado

Why is the avocado so great?  First, it has a very high level of oleic acid.  Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat that aids in fat metabolism.

Avocados also have high levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and Vitamin E.  Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoid antioxidants.  According to the American Optometric Association:

“Many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. 

“Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that filter harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light and act as antioxidants in the eye, helping protect and maintain healthy cells.”

Avocados also contain ionic potassium and folate.  Potassium – Sodium ratios are very important to keep your heart healthy and functioning properly.

If you eat vegetables (and you should), here’s another great thing about avocados…

According to Natural News, most vegetables contain high amounts of carotenoid based antioxidants. “Studies have shown that these antioxidants are lipophilic (fat-loving) and are absorbed best in the body when combined with a healthy fat such as oleic acid.”

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in March 2005 showed that adding avocados to salad increased absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times higher, respectively, than the average amount of these carotenoids absorbed when avocado-free salad was eaten.

In other words, eating avocados in your salad and with vegetables is (most likely) a very good thing!

What Type Of Avocados

Should You Eat?

Both Florida (the big avocados) and Hass avocados are good for your digestive tract because they contain soluble and insoluble fiber.  However, Hass avocados have higher concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin and some other nutrients.

Can Avocados Prevent Skin Wrinkling?

Some think avocados can prevent wrinkles and skin aging.  It is believed avocados are great anti-aging foods because they contain D-manno-heptuloe sugar. This sugar has been shown to improve skin epidermis by boosting collagen formation.

Avocados contain antioxidants that may reduce age spots, decrease inflammation and help scars to heal.

Five Fantastic Things That Are Invigorating Me!

19 Feb

The Most Important Principles For Staying Young: 

Five Fantastic Things That Are Invigorating Me!

Dr. Michael F. Roizen

Co-Author of 4 #1 NY Times Bestsellers including: YOU Staying Young.

The Owner’s Manual For Extending Your Warranty (Free Press)

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing:  You get a do over: it doesn’t take that long, and isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you and then to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over your quality and length of life

Since this series started, we’ve given you dozens of easy to adopt tips to Staying Young. This week, we were totally blown away (that’s a 70’s or 80’s term we know, but that’s what we are) by 5 that are not quite ready for prime time, but excite us about the future. We may not have room for all, but let’s start and see how much we can squeeze in before the space police (the editorial staff) cut us off.

#1. Omega-7’s and Heart Disease, and plaque in brain arteries, and even diabetes. “Wow,” you might say, “I know about that DHA omega-3, that is the active ingredient in fish oil* that helps retain memory and eyesight. But omega-7…what is that?” It was discovered that Macadamia nut oil seemed to decrease LDL (The Lousy kind of) cholesterol, Triglycerides, and inflammatory markers, and to increase HDL (the Healthy kind of) cholesterol. The problem—it was expensive, like $30 dollars a day.  Now, they’ve found a less expensive source, even purer (34-90%, and without the aging saturated fats). They restarted research, and found almost a miracle (these studies have been done at Harvard, the Cleveland Clinic, and in Japan).  Giving a minor amount (not gallons) of this Omega-7 in capsule form to adults decreased liver fat substantially in overweight humans (a very good thing), and did so in two studies (one in Boston and one in Japan). Two studies are better than one study, but not enough or done long enough for us to say to our patients you should take this.  This omega-7 stuff also decreased atherosclerosis  (it actually eliminated observable plaque in mice bred for growing plaque and fed a fat diet).   These changes after omega-7 need to be validated in at least three more human studies before we say take it. In fact, I have asked a company whose scientific advisory board I chair to start such studies.

*We like it from algae, where the fish get it from, because of the almost zero risk of contaminants, like mercury.

Our personal take: we take 900mg of DHA omega-3 a day, and added 200 mg of purified Omega-7 a day.  We even used some purified omega-7 (it is expensive) to sauté with (palmitoleic acid—the omega-7 we take and used for this has a very high boiling point for the Foodies reading this). That’s how strong the data are, and with no side effects reported in the mice and man studies. But remember, while the animal data are strong, not enough human data now exists for us to recommend this unconditionally.

Okay, we went over our allotted word count and we only got to tell you about the first of five great breakthroughs… the other four (I’ll give you the titles now) will go to next month…

2. Exercise… What type, when and how much is best for you for health, building strength, and endurance?

3. Stress management can totally eradicate the DNA changes that family violence or violent disturbing movies or events can cause you and yours. Yes, your reaction to violence changes your DNA and in a way that shortens your life more than playing football without a helmet does.  You can learn how to avoid those DNA changes (remember you control your genes). Read how right here next month.

4. Ceramides and cancer.  Scientists may have accidentally found a cure for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma (a very bad acting brain tumor). How soon will it be available, and how it works invigorated me about the future.

5. Bexarotene and Alzheimer’s. The first results from attempts by other labs to replicate this amazing cure should be in by mid-June.

While we do not know of side effects from DHA-omega-3 or purified omega-7, do tell your doc about all the things you take. You may be the first to push her (or him) to google “Omega-7”.

Thanks for reading.

Young Dr Mike

You can follow Dr Roizen  (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories  of the week) on twitter @YoungDrMike. 

 

Feel free to continue to send questions to youdocs@gmail.com. You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have a new web site: YOUBeauty.com  and its companion BeautySage.com the only site we know of where you can find skin products proven to meet the claims (opened for business on June 1st, 2012), and a new book: YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens.  It makes a great (even late) graduation gift.  Thanks for reading.

 

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.healthradio.net  Saturdays from 5-7 p.m . E-mail him questions at YouDocs@gmail.com.   He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including : YOU Staying Young and YOU: The Owner’s Manual. He is Chief Medical Consultant to the two year running Emmy award winning Dr Oz show– The Dr Oz show is #2 nationally in daytime TV.  See what all the fun is about, and what he, The Enforcer, is up to. Check local listings or log onto DoctorOz.com for channel and time. And for more health info, log onto youbeauty.com anytime.

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice. This article is of the opinion of its author.  

Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.

 

 

Low Back Pain: What Are Your Treatment Goals?

19 Feb

Low back pain (LBP) has been a challenge to treat for centuries and evidence exists that back pain has been a concern since the origins of man. Chiropractic offers one of the most patient satisfying and fastest treatment approaches available. But, when you go to a chiropractor, there seems to be a lot of different approaches utilized from doctor to doctor. Is there any evidence that suggests one approach is favored over another? How are the patient’s goals addressed?

Let’s look at what chiropractors actually do. Sure, we manipulate the spine and other joints in the upper and lower limbs using a variety of techniques, which seems to be the “brand” of chiropractic. This is good as joint manipulation has consistently been reported to be safe, effective, and with few side effects. Since this is the “staple” of chiropractic, it’s safe to say that regardless of our preferred or chosen technique, obtaining a good result is highly likely.

But, chiropractic includes SO MUCH MORE than just joint manipulation! For example, we focus on the whole person, not just their isolated issue or complaint. Using low back pain as our example, a “typical” evaluation includes a detailed history of the patient’s general health, past history, illness history, family history, personal habits including sleep quality, exercise habits, dietary issues, quality of life measurements and a review of systems. By gathering this information, we can identify areas that may be directly related to low back pain care, indirectly related, or possibly not related at all, but interferes with the person’s quality of life which, in turn, increases LBP. It’s really difficult to separate our low back from the rest of our body.

For example, if a person has plantar fascitis, a heel spur, an ingrown toe nail, diabetic neuropathy in their feet, pes planus or flat feet, an unstable ankle from multiple sprains, knee or hip problems, the gait pattern or, the way a person walks will be affected and the “domino effect” can trickle up to change the low back/pelvic function — resulting in low back pain! Proper management must address all of the issues that are affecting the patient’s gait if long-term success in low back pain management is expected, rather that just putting a “band aid” on the problem.

Let’s talk about what treatment goals we like to address when we treat our low back pain patient population. The most obvious first goal is pain cessation or getting rid of pain! Since this is what usually drives the patient into our office, patient satisfaction with the care received will not be significant unless the pain is managed. This is achieved through advice, reassurance and training. We often recommend ice (vs. heat) aimed at reducing inflammation, activity modification (teaching proper bending, lifting, pulling, and pushing techniques) and gentle stretching exercises when LBP is present in this acute stage.

Once the pain becomes more manageable and activities become less limited, the second goal is structural restoration. This usually includes managing the flat foot possibly with foot orthotics, a short leg with a heel lift, sole lift or combination, an unstable ankle, knee or hip with exercise often emphasizing balance challenge exercises, and sometimes an orthotic that can be as simple as an elastic wrap to a more elaborate brace. This goal also includes “functional restoration” or transitioning the patient back into real life activities they may be afraid to try such as work, golf, gardening, walking or running, etc.

The third goal is prevention oriented. This may include nutrition (including vitamin/mineral recommendations), weight management (though this is also part of the 2nd goal), exercises (aerobic, stabilization, balance, stretch), and stress management (yoga, lifestyle coaching, etc.). We treat ALL of you, not just your parts!

We realize you have a choice in who you choose to provide your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for low back pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

 

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