The Most Important Principles for Staying Young: You Can Snack Healthy Too!

18 Jun

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it 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 for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the quality and length of your life.

Q) I’m afraid my hubby and I, while pretty good at avoiding the Five Food Felons of your book when we eat at home, and aren’t horrible at restaurants — we get fish or skinless chicken, no added sugars anywhere, and whole grains only — but are horrible with snacks, and it seems we are eating more snacks and bar foods as meals.  And then we are still hungry when we get home and snack more.   What can we do? – Dottie in Indian Wells, CA.

A. You are right, North America is under a snack attack and the snacks are winning! It seems more and more of you are substituting grab-and-go foods for real meals. Finding healthy snack or bar foods can be tough. It’s one reason Americans end up spending $48 billion a year on salty or sugary munchables (three times more than we spend on fruits and vegetables). That’s a lot of buck for very little nutritional bang! So, here are my suggestions:

Prepare for What’s Coming and Snack Early: Nothing replaces the nutritional–and emotional—benefits of a sit down meal with the family, but my first tip is to snack on healthy foods before you go out so you are not tempted to have unhealthy foods. That means you should eat or carry snacks that are healthy with you in the car. Stock your fridge and pantry with easy grab-n-go foods. Keep unsalted nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew) on hand. In the fridge, stock the seasonal fruits and veggies you love along with oil-free hummus, and whole-grain bread or small whole-grain pitas or tortilla wraps. My favorites for the car are walnuts and apples, because they make me smarter (see below).

 Prepare for What’s Coming and Snack Healthy After: Stock your freezer and with easy grab-n-go foods like frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, and mango chunks) and veggies (bags of frozen green beans, edamame, and peas). Keep counter-top goodies like ground flax seeds, roasted sunflower or sesame seeds, bananas, apples, tomatoes, and avocado handy, too.
If you eat in the same bars or other consistent places, ask them to serve healthier foods or modify the recipe for you. For example, ask for guacamole with just avocados, tomatoes, onions, and spices with no sour cream, for example.  Or hummus without oil served with whole grain pitas.
Turn over…

Breakfast snacking: For a quick breakfast, whirl up a quick smoothie. Combine fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt, greens of any kind (celery, spinach, whatever looks green to you), unsweetened almond or soymilk,  and a few chia seeds. Or spread almond butter on a whole-grain tortilla, top it with banana slices, sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, and then roll it up and go!
Lunch snacking: Put an easy-open pouch of tuna in water, pre-washed greens, avocado chunks, and a drizzle of dressing made from olive oil and lemon juice into a tightly sealed container. Or mash beans on a tortilla, top with tomato, avocado, fold it up, and tuck into a sandwich bag. Toss eat-and-run sides into your lunch bag, too — like fresh fruit, baby carrots, red pepper and zucchini strips (cut in advance and keep in your fridge).
Just want a car snack before you go out? Walnuts and apples are my favorite. Favorite because I like the taste, favorite because they are easy to carry, favorite because they are easy to eat, and favorite because they make me younger and keep me from losing all my marbles.  Experiment with toasting walnuts for a taste you love.  I frequently toast ‘em at 275 degrees Fahrenheit (~135 degrees Celsius) in a toaster oven for ten minutes. Two recent studies found that just 6-18 walnut halves a day (different amounts in different studies) were associated with six-year younger brain function in large numbers of humans in the National Health and Nutrition studies.  That equivalent amount given to mice predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease reduced it by 50%.
Thanks for reading. And feel free to send questions—to youdocs@gmail.com, and some of them we may know enough to answer (we’ll try to get answers for you if we do not know).

-Young Dr. Mike Roizen (aka, The Enforcer)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

16 Jun

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) develops from a nerve problem in the wrist (the median nerve) and is NOT a “muscle problem” like some people believe. That is not to say the median nerve cannot be trapped and pinched by muscles. When this occurs, the condition is labeled with a different name, depending on which muscle(s) are pinching the nerve or where the entrapment is located. Here are some more FACTS about CTS that you need to know:

SYMPTOMS: CTS complaints include numbness, pain, tingling, and/or weakness of the hand (especially fingers two, three, and four), and while this can be constant, it usually comes and goes.

ONSET: CTS usually comes on gradually. However, the length of time over which it progresses can be HIGHLY VARIABLE. It can take weeks, months, or even years before the patient consults with their chiropractor or family doctor.

CAUSE: There are MANY reported causes of CTS, but it is not completely known how the process starts out or how it evolves for different people. Risk factors include age greater than 50, obesity, genetics (family history of CTS), gender (as it favors females over males), work type (highly-repetitive, hand-intensive work), pregnancy, birth control pill usage, thyroid disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. In general, swelling is the culprit that results in pressure on the median nerve. This most commonly occurs from overuse of the hands and fingers. Playing musical instruments, sewing, crocheting, basket weaving, assembly/line work, meat processing work, typing/computer work, and waitressing are common over-use activities.

CLINICAL COURSE: Early into the disorder, CTS is usually easily managed and reversible. However, if the amount of pressure on the nerve is too much, the symptoms can become permanent. Think of a wire and how wearing away the plastic coating will “short” the wire. There are multiple layers to our nerves and the wearing away of the outer layers over time can become a problem resulting in permanent numbness and/or weakness.

BIGGEST MISTAKE: Don’t wait until your symptoms are terrible! If you feel periodic numbness and tingling and you find yourself shaking your hand and “flicking” your fingers in attempt to “wake them up,” NOW IS THE TIME TO COME VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR before nerve damage occurs and the risk of permanency increases.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC HELPS: Treatment guidelines for CTS recommend a non-surgical approach, and this is where chiropractic comes in! A wrist night splint is typically recommended since sleep interruption due to numbness is VERY common as we cannot control our wrist position when we sleep. Ice (not heat) is best as it reduces swelling (see #3 above). Rubbing an ice cube (or Dixie cup of ice) over the palm-side of the wrist works well. First, you will feel COLD followed by BURNING, then ACHING, and finally NUMBNESS (“C-BAN”). At this point STOP, as the next stage of cooling is frost bite! Do this three times a day or as directed. Your doctor of chiropractic will also talk to you about taking “mini-breaks” at home and/or at work and teach you exercises or stretches that can be performed during these breaks! A work station assessment is often very helpful as sometimes a simple change in work position or method can reduce wrist strain considerably. Your doctor of chiropractic may also perform manipulation to the small joints of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck as indicated in each specific case. He or she may also perform soft tissue release techniques to the muscles and soft tissues of the forearm, shoulder, and neck regions as needed. Surgery should be the LAST step in the treatment process, used only if all other non-surgical options have been tried without success.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

Spinal Manipulation AFTER Surgery HELPS!

15 Jun

Unfortunately, low back pain (LBP) is something MOST of us cannot avoid. There is solid evidence that chiropractic care is one of the most effective methods of treating LBP, but there are times when a referral for surgery is needed. What about manipulative therapy (MT) AFTER surgery? Is this a good idea? Does it help?

In March 2015, an article published in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation discussed the pros and cons of MT after lumbar open laser microdiscectomy, a common surgical technique used to treat patients with a pinched nerve due to a herniated lumbar disk. Unfortunately, patients who undergo this procedure can experience early post-surgical physical disability that reduces their ability to perform required daily activities. For this reason, the objective of this study was to look at whether early individualized spinal manipulation would reduce the occurrence of post-surgical disability. To do this, 21 patients (aged 25-69) who had a microdiscectomy were randomly placed into either a spinal manipulation or an active control group. Manipulation was performed two to three weeks after surgery, at two times a week for four weeks.  The researchers found patients in the MT group experienced a 55% reduction in disability while those in the control group reported a 5% increase in disability! Also, leg pain was reduced by 55% in the MT group compared with only 9% in the control group. This pilot study concluded that while a larger-scale study is recommended, the findings indicate that manipulation “…may be an important option for post-operative management after spinal surgery.”

This is yet another testimony that spinal manipulation can not only help many people avoid surgery, but it can also significantly reduce or eliminate back pain and disability AFTER surgery! Spinal manipulation is the most common treatment approach performed routinely by chiropractors. And although other healthcare professionals are showing an increasingly greater interest in learning this skill, manipulation must be performed on a regular, concentrated basis in order to obtain the best outcomes or therapeutic results for patients. So, regardless if you have or have not had surgery for LBP, the benefits of chiropractic and spinal manipulation are recognized as a recommended course of treatment!

 

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

New Study Claims Adolescent Drinking Alters Adult Behavior

11 Jun

Here is the shocking first sentence of a recent study abstract:  “Binge drinking is common during adolescence and can lead to the development of psychiatric disorders.”

Furthermore, binge drinking during adolescence may alter brain development during this important time, leaving lasting effects on genes and behavior that will continue into adulthood. In a recently published study in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine provided alcohol to rat subjects on-and-off in two day increments during their adolescence. Then, they observed them during adulthood. The rats given alcohol displayed much higher levels of anxiety than the control rats who were not given alcohol during development. Also, when given the choice between alcohol and water during adulthood, the rats given alcohol during adolescence drank more alcohol than the rats in the control group.

When researchers looked at the brains of the rats in the study, they found the rats in the alcohol group had higher levels of a protein called HDAC2 in the part of the brain called the amygdala. Previous studies have linked elevated levels of HDAC2 in the amygdala to higher levels of anxiety and alcohol-drinking behavior. This suggests that alcohol exposure during adolescence activates the gene/s responsible for increased HDAC2 expression.

Lead study author Dr. Subhash Pandey, a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Neuroscience Alcoholism Research at UIC writes, “This may be the mechanism through which adolescent binge drinking increases the risk for psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism in adulthood… On-and-off exposure to alcohol during adolescence altered the activity of genes needed for normal brain maturation… [The gene alterations] increased anxiety-like behaviors and preference for alcohol in adulthood.”

Which Is Worse, Eating Junk Food During Early or Late Pregnancy?

9 Jun

Does it matter if a mother eats junk food during pregnancy?  A recent study claims that eating junk food has different effects on the developing fetus depending on which stage of pregnancy an expectant mother eats junk food.

According to Dr. Jessica Gugusheff, post-doctoral researcher in the School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine at the University of Adelaide, “Our research suggests that too much junk food consumed late in pregnancy for humans has the potential to be more harmful to the child than excess junk food early in the pregnancy… Importantly, it also indicates that if excess junk food was consumed by the mother in those early stages of pregnancy, there may be a chance to reduce those negative effects on the baby by eating a healthy diet in late pregnancy.  The second critical window is adolescence and we’ve found differences between males and females. Our experiments showed that eating a healthy diet during adolescence could reverse the junk food preference in males but not females.”

Dr. Gugusheff also mentioned that the brain grows the fastest during these critical windows, which is probably why it is so susceptible to the effects of junk food at these times.

 

The Secret to a Happy Life

4 Jun

How a Fisherman from a Small Mexican Village Taught a Harvard-Educated Investment Banker the Meaning of Life

Fables are short, fictitious stories that convey a moral intended to teach a lesson to help you live a better life.  What you are about to read is an incredible modern fable, especially if you want to live a happy life. An American investment banker was at the pier of a tiny coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.  The man replied, “Only a little while.”

The American then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish.  The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.  The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman laughed and replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.  You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.  With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats.  Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.  Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.  You would control the product, processing, and distribution.  You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”
“15 to 20 years.”
“But what then?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions? Then what?”

“Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine, and play your guitar with your amigos.”

That’s a pretty incredible life lesson, isn’t it?  Surprisingly, too many people get trapped in a self-made prison because of what they think they want, and what they think they want is simply what they think everyone else wants them to do.  Their lives become a blur as they constantly chase a “dream” that is unattainable and will never lead to happiness. Clearly, small inexpensive (or even free) things can provide a beautiful life.  You don’t need an impressive title, big car (or boat), or big business to live a beautiful life and be a beautiful person.  In fact, in most cases, a smaller home and fewer obligations can make life easier and much more enjoyable. If you have a nagging feeling that you could do better, make more, and deserve to upgrade, then remember that the secret to having it all is recognizing that you already do.  You just have to start recognizing it.  Life is what you let slip away while you are endlessly chasing things you wished you had but don’t need.

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