How Much Cancer Can Be Prevented By a Healthy Lifestyle?

28 Sep

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.

This month, we want to discuss a question sent by a reader of my new book, This is YOUR Do-Over: The Seven Secrets to Losing Weight, Living Longer, And Getting A Second Chance at the Life You Want (shameless plug—you can order it at Amazon.)  You can send us questions anytime to youdocs@gmail.com, just put the words “Question for Dr. Mike Roizen to answer” in the subject line and I’ll try to get to it.

Q) Why Are People in Developed Countries Developing More Cancer and What Can I Do To Prevent Cancer in Myself?

A) The average North American eats over 130 pounds (~59 kg) of added sugars and syrups annually and consumes more than 60 pounds (~27 kg) of saturated fat-laden red meat. Plus, the average American household has more television sets than people! No wonder 70% of North Americans are overweight or obese and cancer is the second leading cause of death. A massive new study published in JAMA Oncology online really brings that last point home!

It reveals that 62% of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer cases worldwide happen in developed countries, as do 78% of leukemia cases and 63% of breast cancer, 77% of stomach cancer, 86% of liver cancer, 85% of cervical cancer, 84% of esophageal cancer cases.

Clearly, a convenience-driven lifestyle that leads one to be overweight and inactive isn’t doing you any favors.

At least half of all cancers can be avoided if you maintain a healthy weight, get regular physical activity, and (of course) don’t smoke.  One study followed 500,000 Americans for over a decade and found adopting just those three cancer-fighting strategies reduced their risk for colon cancer by up to 48%.

It may be possible to cut your risk for cancer by up to 80-90% if you also manage stressful events more effectively, eat no added sugars or foods with saturated or trans fats, don’t drink excessive amounts of alcohol, get appropriate cancer screenings, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. (These were the findings of the Swedish Men’s study and the Nurse’s Health study in the United States.)

And if you’ve been making smart lifestyle choices and you are diagnosed with cancer (it can happen to even the most conscientious person), your chances for a good outcome skyrocket.

So, don’t let the phrase “developed countries” mean that’s where folks develop cancer! Instead, develop a plan to make your lifestyle a cancer fighter and follow it.

Young Dr. Mike Roizen (aka, The Enforcer)

Why Should I Exercise For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

27 Sep

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is an EXTREMELY common condition that can affect anyone at any age. In fact, there’s a strong probability that up to 50% of the people reading this today have or have had symptoms of CTS at some point in time and 10% or more have been treated for it! We have recently discussed various non-surgical treatment approaches for managing CTS but the question of WHY exercises should be included in that program remains a mystery to many!

In review of the anatomy of the carpal tunnel, we’ve got nine tendons that are the “shoe strings” that connect the muscles in the palm-side forearm to the fingers traveling through the tunnel along with the infamous MEDIAN NERVE — the culprit creating the numbness and tingling associated with CTS. The bony “roof” of the tunnel is made up of eight carpal bones that connect our forearm to our hand and allow us to bend the wrist in many directions. Without these eight little bones, we would not be able to bend our wrist at all! The “floor” of the tunnel is the transverse carpal ligament, and the median nerve lies directly on top of it. CTS occurs when the contents within the tunnel swell and apply pressure that pushes the median nerve into the floor, which is common when the wrist is bent, such as when sleeping with our hand curled under our chin at night – hence the reason for a night splint (cock-up brace) to prevent nighttime bending.

Now that we have a picture of the tunnel in our mind, exercises for CTS will make more sense. CTS occurs when forceful, repetitive tasks are performed over a lengthy period of time (examples include practicing a musical instrument, assembly line work, carpentry, etc.). The FRICTION between the tendons (“shoe strings”) inside the tunnel creates swelling and that results in tightness.

EXERCISE #1 is ICING using an ice cube or frozen Dixie cup of water and rubbing it over the tunnel. First you will feel COLD, then BURNING, then ACHING, and finally NUMBNESS (“C-BAN”). Quit at numbness as the next stage of cooling is frostbite! Many of you may not look at “ice massage” as an exercise, but it’s very important!

EXERCISE #2 – Stand near a countertop, place the palm-side of your fingers on the edge of the counter and push until your wrist is bent backwards as far as you can stand it while keeping your elbow straight. Now reach across with your other hand and pull your thumb backwards as far as possible. Can you feel the “pull” in your mid forearm up to the elbows? GOOD! Hold that for three to five seconds, rest for five seconds and repeat it three times. Do this on both sides, even if the other hand is “normal” so you can feel the difference between the “tight” CTS side vs. the normal arm. CTS is often bilateral so you may not notice a difference. Now, set the timer on your smartphone to ring every hour to remind you to do this throughout the work day.

EXERCISE #3 is the fist / “bear claw” / hand open sequence. First, make a tight fist, followed by opening your hand while keeping the fingers flexed/bent, followed by opening the hand and fingers fully. Hold each position for two to three seconds and go through the sequence as often as needed (usually two to three times a session, multiple times a day) and do BOTH sides at the same time.

Why do these help? They break up adhesions between the tendons, their sheaths, and the surrounding tissues, and these exercises also force you to take “mini-breaks” during a busy day, which can reduce swelling in the carpal tunnel.

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.

Is Sitting BAD for My Back?

25 Sep

A major manufacturer of workstations reports that 86% of work computer users have to sit all day, and when they do rise from sitting, more than half (56%) use food as the excuse to get up and move. In addition to sitting at work, for meals, and commuting to/from work, 36% sit another one to two hours watching TV, 10% sit one to two hours for gaming, 25% sit one to two hours for reading/lounging, and 29% use their home computer for one to two hours. In summary, the average American sits for thirteen hours a day and sleep for eight hours. That’s a total of 21 hours a day off their feet!

The manufacturer’s survey also notes 93% of work computer users don’t know what “Sitting Disease” is but 74% believe that sitting too much can lead to an early death. “Sitting Disease” represents the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle and includes conditions like “metabolic syndrome” (obesity and diabetes), which is rapidly becoming more prevalent, especially in the young – even in adolescence and teenagers! Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy encouraging employers, employees, and others to sit less citing the many risks associated with sitting including (but not limited to): diabetes, cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Standing is SO MUCH BETTER as it burns more calories than sitting, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow, reduces blood sugar, and improves metabolism. Standing is frequently overlooked as “an exercise” and it’s both simple and easy to do!

So, what about the low back and sitting? You guessed it – sitting is hard on the back! The pressure inside of our disks, those “shock absorbers” that lie between each vertebra in our spine (22 disks in total) is higher when we sit compared with simply standing or lying down. It’s estimated that when we lay down, the pressure on our disks is the lowest at 25mm. When lying on one side, it increases to 75mm, standing increases disk pressure to 100mm, and bending over from standing pushes disk pressure to 220mm. When we sit with good posture, our disk pressure may reach 140mm but that can increase to 190mm with poor posture. To help relieve the pressure on our disks, experts recommend: 1) Getting up periodically and standing; 2) Sitting back in your chair and avoiding slouched positions; 3) Placing a lumbar roll (about the size of your forearm) behind the low back and chair/car seat; and 4) Changing your position frequently when sitting.

Because certain low back conditions “favor” one position over another, these “rules” may need modification. For example, most herniated disk patients prefer low back extension while bending over or slouching hurts. In those with lumbar sprain/strains, bending forwards usually feels good and extension hurts. Modifying your position to the one that is most comfortable is perhaps the best advice.

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

Can Yoga Help Patients with Chronic Pain?

15 Sep

Chronic pain is one of the most common complaints in the developed world. One of the biggest problems with chronic pain is its effect on the brain, both physically and emotionally. “Psychic exhaustion” is a term often used to describe this crippling effect. In fact, a study done at the Stanford University School of Medicine identified a set of changes in key parts of the brain that may explain chronic pain’s capacity to stifle motivation. Dr. Robert Malenka, the co-director of the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neuroscience writes, “With chronic pain, your whole life changes in a way that doesn’t happen with acute pain. Yet this absence of motivation caused by chronic pain, which can continue even when the pain is transiently relieved, has been largely ignored by medical science.”

Dr. M. Catherine Bushnell, a scientific director at the National Institutes of Health notes, “Imaging studies in multiple types of chronic pain patients show their brains differ from healthy control subjects. Studies of people with depression show they also have reduced gray matter, and this could contribute to the gray matter changes in pain patients who are depressed. Our research shows that gray matter loss is directly related to the pain when we take depression into account.”

So, what does yoga have to do with chronic pain? Dr. Bushnell adds that studies show yoga practitioners have more gray matter than non-yoga practitioners in multiple brain regions, including those involved in pain modulation. She adds, “Some gray matter increases in yogis correspond to duration of yoga practice, which suggests there is a causative link between yoga and gray matter increases.” If further research confirms yoga benefits the brains of people who already have chronic pain, someday doctors may prescribe yoga to this class of patients as part of their overall treatment strategy.

Natural Weapon Against Urinary Tract Infections

14 Sep

If you suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI), especially a drug-resistant UTI, this information may be very helpful. Doctors and researchers have known for quite some time that bacteria evolve and become resistant or “immune” to treatments such as antibiotics. One of the most commonly known and dangerous is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), which is an infection caused by a strain of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common extra intestinal bacterial infections and the second most common infectious disease encountered in community practice. UTI alone poses a serious health problem affecting about 150 million people each year around the world. Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine in many respects and their discovery was a turning point in medicinal history. Regrettably, the misuse of these wonder drugs has been accompanied by the rapid appearance of resistant strains.

Because of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, there is an urgent need to explore alternative non-antibiotic treatments to help effectively manage these infections. Garlic (Allium sativum) has been traditionally used for the treatment of different diseases since ancient times. Researchers from the University of East London took aqueous extracts of allicin, a compound found in garlic, and formulated a simple cream. When the cream was applied to vast swathes of the so-called “superbug” MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus), it eliminated them. In a study conducted at the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences in India, researchers found that “even crude extracts of [garlic] showed good activity against multidrug resistant strains where antibiotic therapy had limited or no effect.” This provides hope for developing alternative treatments which may be of help in fighting the menace of growing antibacterial resistance around the world.

Bringing Happiness One High-Five at a Time!

10 Sep

Life is tough. Every day is a grind. It is almost impossible to “get ahead.”

If you believe those three things, it is very easy to become overwhelmed, quit trying, and settle for a miserable life that is barely worth living.

Thankfully, those three statements could not be further from the truth, especially when you understand what will be revealed in the next few paragraphs.

But first, you must be introduced to the work of a revolutionary person who passed away in 2009. His name was Jim Rohn, and he was known for many things. One was his “rags to riches” story that is way too long to tell here. The short version is: Jim grew up working on a family-owned farm in Idaho. He started his professional life by working as a stock clerk for the department store Sears. In 1955, Rohn went to a lecture on direct selling, and he jumped in with both feet. To make a long story short, he became tremendously successful in several businesses, which led him to teach personal development seminars all over the world.

Many of today’s huge success stories were people Rohn mentored including Tony Robbins (way back in the 70s before anyone knew his name), Mark Victor Hanson, and Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul).

One of Rohn’s books, Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, published in 1991, describes what he considered the five components of success: Philosophy – how you think; Attitude – how you feel; Action – what you do; Results – measure often to see if you are making progress; and Lifestyle – the kind of life you make for yourself out of the four pieces.

This quote from Rohn’s book is particularly profound: “It seems that every life form on this planet strives toward its maximum potential … except human beings. A tree does not grow to half its potential size and then say, ‘I guess that will do.’ A tree will drive its roots as deep as possible. It will soak up as much nourishment as it can, stretch as high and as wide as nature will allow, and then look down as if to remind us of how much each of us could become if we would only do all that we can.”

Clearly, we all need something from time to time to remind us how much we COULD become if we would do ALL we can and not just put in the minimal effort.

What does all this have to do with bringing happiness one high-five at a time?

Here is what… Rohn also said, “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” Clearly Rohn believed and taught that attitude, and how you view things has a major impact of your level of success and how happy you are in life.

A great example of this is a video on YouTube that went viral with over two-million views. In the video, filmmaker Meir Kalmanson ran around Park Avenue in New York City giving a friendly gesture to unsuspecting people trying to hail a cab: a high-five.

The 24-year-old told the New York Daily News he was walking around Manhattan one day when he saw a person with his hand in the air. He told a friend he would try to give the man a high-five and pulled it off. He later decided to try to create a video about the concept.

His high-fives seemed to instantly change the attitudes of the people he gave them to. While most people see hailing a cab in the crowded streets of New York as a miserable chore, he was able to instantly turn it into a pleasurable experience.

How many “miserable” things in your life can instantly be turned into a pleasurable experience by simply changing your attitude about them? How much success and happiness might that bring you? The only way to know for sure is to do 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!

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