If you play video games, you are not alone. According to the Entertainment Software Association, as of 2013, 58% of Americans play video games. There is an average of two gamers in each game-playing household in the United States (US). The average US household owns at least one dedicated game console, PC, or smartphone. Fifty-one percent of US households own a dedicated game console, and those who do, own an average of two. The average age of a game player is 30 years old and there are more people over the age of 36 playing video games (36%) than between the ages of 18-35 (32%), with 32% being under the age of 18. With so many people playing, and with such a wide age group, the finding of a new study could be very important.
The study reported by the Association for Psychological Science found that how you represent yourself in video games may affect the way you behave and treat others in real life. They reported, “Our results indicate that just five minutes of role-play in virtual environments as either a hero or villain can easily cause people to reward or punish anonymous strangers.” One experiment studied 194 undergraduates. The participants were randomly assigned to a villain, hero, or neutral avatar in the game. They played the game for five minutes. During that five minutes, their avatar (their identity in the game) fought against enemies. After the five minutes ended, the participants took part in a taste test that they believed was not part of the study. In this taste test, they were asked to taste both a chocolate and a chili sauce and then decide which one and how much to give to the next participant.
According to the Association For Psychological Science, “The results were revealing: Participants who played as [the hero] poured, on average, nearly twice as much chocolate as chili sauce for the ‘future participant.’ And they poured significantly more chocolate than those who played as either of the other avatars. Participants who played as the villain, on the other hand, poured out nearly twice as much of the spicy chili sauce than they did chocolate, and they poured significantly more chili sauce compared to the other participants.”
A second, similar experiment of 125 graduates confirmed these finding. According to the lead author of the study, “In virtual environments, people can freely choose avatars that allow them to opt into or out of a certain entity, group, or situation… Consumers and practitioners should remember that powerful imitative effects can occur when people put on virtual masks.”
New Research: How Video Games Change You In The Real World!
22 MayThe Many Faces of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
21 MayCarpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) was first reported in the late 1800’s and the first surgery was noted in 1933. In the beginning, CTS surgery was rarely performed, reportedly because the nerve pinch was present somewhere before the median nerve reached the wrist or carpal tunnel. In brief, possible compression sites include the cervical nerve roots (C5-7), the brachial plexus, thoracic outlet, above the elbow, in the proximal and/or mid forearm, and finally at the wrist / carpal tunnel.
Estimating the frequency of CTS is challenging due to the fact that the pinch or entrapment may include more than one area before the wrist resulting in double and multiple crush syndromes. One European study reported the incidence of CTS at 5.8% in women and 0.6% in men while another reported 3.4% in the United States. Even the causation of CTS is all over the board. For example, the annual incidence of CTS in automobile workers ranges between 1-10%, while in a fish processing plant, it was reported to be as high as 73%! To make this even more challenging, the cause of CTS is commonly associated with other conditions such as diabetes and pregnancy. In diabetics, CTS ranges between 14% and 30% and those who are pregnant have a 2% incidence. Even harder to report is the incidence of median nerve pinching proximal to the wrist as this ranges between as little as 1% to as high as 75% for pronator tunnel syndrome in already symptomatic women. Gender is also a factor as women are reported to be four times more likely to develop CTS than men. If there is NO other condition associated with CTS, the term “idiopathic” is applied, and this reportedly occurs 43% of the time.
Another issue making CTS a challenge to diagnose is the many risk factors associated with it, and sometimes studies are published that contradict one another about the possible risk factors. There are studies that report CTS is more likely to occur with conditions including: 1) Jobs or activities associated with wrist flexion or extension; 2) Hysterectomy without ovary removal; 3) Obesity; and 4) Varicosities in men. Some studies indicate risk criteria such as: 1) Use of birth control pills; 2) Age at menopause; 3) Diabetes; 4) Thyroid dysfunction; 5) Rheumatism; 6) Typing; and, 7) Pinch grasping. One study reported the highest incidence to occur in those with previous wrist fracture (Colles’ fracture), and common conditions included rheumatoid arthritis, hormonal agents or ovary removal, diabetes, and pregnancy. Another study reported obesity and hypothyroid as being risk factors, but not all studies support that theory. Certain medications have been reported to be associated with higher CTS risk including: 1) Insulin, 2) Sulfonylureas (diabetes meds); 3) Metformin; and 4) Thyroxin.
As doctors of chiropractic, we perform a thorough history, examination, and offer MANY non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical ways of treating CTS. Some of these approaches include: 1) Joint and soft tissue manipulation of the neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand; 2) Wrist splinting, especially at night; 3) Vitamin B6 and anti-inflammatory nutrients; 4) Home exercises for the neck, arm and hand; 5) Work station / ergonomic evaluations; 6) Dietary counseling for various conditions listed previously; 7) Co-management with primary care, rheumatology, neurology, orthopedics, and others.
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.
Another Janitor Becomes A HUGE Success! He dropped out of college in 1979 to help his mother raise his four siblings. The amazing story of how he went from janitor… to teacher… to principal!
21 MayNot too long ago we told you about how Richard Montanez went from mopping the floors to calling the shots as the Executive Vice President of PepsiCo of North America. Now, here’s is another incredible success story involving a janitor.
His name is Joseph “Gabe” Sonnier and his story starts with very humble beginnings. Sonnier was attending Southern University but decided to drop out and get a job as a janitor to help his mother, a housekeeper, financially support his four siblings.
As you know, time flies. Before he knew it, he was 39 and still a janitor at Port Barre Elementary School. That’s when the school’s Principal pulled Sonnier aside and told him he should be grading papers instead of picking them up off the ground.
That’s when Sonnier decided to finish his education. “I would come to work at like five in the morning and leave at seven, go to school all day, and then come back and finish up my eight hours of work here, and then go home and do homework,” said Sonnier.
He earned his Bachelor’s Degree, and in 2008, he went from janitor to teacher at Port Barre Elementary. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Education through Arkansas State University. Last November, he was promoted to Principal of Port Barre Elementary.
His incredible journey has several very important life lessons for anyone and everyone, especially if you are unhappy and your life is not where you would like it to be right now.
Sonnier is known for saying, “Don’t let your situation that you’re in now define what you’re going to become later. I always tell them it’s not where you start, it’s how you finish.”
After reading this, one thing is abundantly clear: It has nothing to do with being a janitor and everything to do with what these two janitors, Mr. Sonnier and Mr. Montanez, thought.
Neither one of these guys has any “special inborn skill.” They are not dramatically smarter, or better looking, or luckier than anyone else. What they ARE is super ACCURATE THINKERS.
They both fully understand that hard work beats talent when talent does not work. Sure, some people are born gifted and if they work hard, then they will probably come out ahead of those who are not as naturally capable. But we do not live in a vacuum, and many gifted people simply do not work hard. That makes it easy for hard-workers to blow right by them.
Accurate thinkers understand that there is plenty of opportunity out there. They do not falsely believe that they are condemned to a life of struggling and lack of success simply because there is no other way. They know there is another way simply because so many other people… just like them… have done it already, and are doing it every day.
They clearly understand that it takes HARD WORK to succeed. Nothing worth anything comes easy. Most people simply do not want to put in effort. Sonnier was up a 5 a.m. every day and worked until late at night. He did this for years and years to reach his goal. How many others are willing to make this kind of sacrifice? Are you? Only you know the answer to that question.
Amazing Technology Lets Doctors See Cancer Cells With High-Tech Glasses!
20 May In just a moment, you will read about a fascinating pair of glasses that allows surgeons to actually see cancer cells while they’re in the operating room. It’s pretty awesome and has the potential to dramatically improve the outcome of many cancer surgeries.
But first, here is something fascinating…
It has been reported that Ramjeet Raghav is the world’s oldest new father. Mr. Raghav lives in India, he’s 96 years old, and he just welcomed his second son into the world!
Mr. Raghav fathered his first son back in 2010 and was recognized as the world’s oldest new father at that time too.
Just imagine not only being alive but having enough energy to be that active at age 96!
What is his secret? No one knows for sure, perhaps not even Mr. Raghav, but it’s probably a mixture of great genes and lifestyle. Mr. Raghav is a former wrestler and lives on a diet of milk, butter, and almonds. Perhaps the almonds he eats are magical.
On a more serious note, almonds and other “tree nuts” appear to be very healthy foods. Many people think nuts are fattening and not healthy because of their fat content, but this is not true. There is “good fat” and there is “bad fat.” Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts/hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts, and are high in “good” healthy fats.
In fact, a large-scale 30-year-long study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who regularly ate a small handful of nuts at least seven times per week were 20 percent less likely to die for any reason during the length of the study compared with those who largely avoided nuts in their diet.
Here is a quote from the study as reported in the Washington Post: “Even those who ate nuts less than once a week had a 7 percent reduction in risk. Consuming nuts at least five times a week corresponded to a 29 percent drop in mortality risk for heart disease, a 24 percent decline for respiratory disease, and an 11 percent drop for cancer.”
One thing should be noted: People in this study who ate more nuts also ate more fruits and vegetables and were leaner.
This is important for a couple of reasons. First, it takes more than just doing ONE THING, like eating nuts, to be healthy. There is no silver bullet. Good health (and the vibrant energy and awesome feelings that come with it) is the end-result of doing a lot of little things correctly for years and years.
Secondly, it is no shock that the people who ate more nuts also ate other healthy foods. These were probably not just “nut lovers.” They were likely people who were into eating healthy and nuts were one part of what they considered to be a healthy diet.
While we are on the subject of eating correctly for optimal health, yet another study has shown the negative effects of eating too much “bad” sugar. “Bad” sugar is sugar used to sweeten processed foods.
According to Bloomberg News: “High sugar consumption may double the chance of dying from heart disease, according to a study that adds to evidence that high levels of the sweetener in processed foods and drink is bad for a person’s health.
“People whose sugar intake is about a quarter or more of their total daily calories had twice the risk of dying from heart disease than those whose intake was 7 percent, according to the research today in JAMA Internal Medicine. For those whose intake of added sugar was about 19 percent, their risk of dying from heart disease was about 38 percent higher.”
About 37 percent of added sugar in American diets comes from sugar-sweetened beverages, while the rest comes from grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candy. Sugar from fruits and vegetables is not considered added sugar.
Here is something worth writing down: Processed food is generally not good for you. Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and is believed to cause an estimated 600,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. Making an effort for you and your family to stay away from processed foods may literally save your life and the lives of your family members.
A Common Food that Can Zap You
of Energy and Make You Gain Weight…
One food that many people mistakenly think is healthy is the bagel. Many bagels are processed white bread and they often contain about 40-50 grams of refined carbohydrates that can spike blood sugar levels, setting off a chain of events that result in the release of hormones like tryptophan into your brain to make you feel tired. Not only that, if you don’t burn off those extra calories, your body may convert them into fat!
Does Yogurt Lower Your Risk of Diabetes?
It looks like it just might. New research published in the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes shows that higher consumption of yogurt, compared with no consumption, can reduce the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28%. Scientists found that higher consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products, which include all yogurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses, also reduced the relative risk of diabetes by 24% overall.
Okay, now for some amazing medical technology that just might…
Blow You Away!
Cancer cells appear to glow blue when viewed through new high-tech glasses designed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine. This may help surgeons visualize cancer cells while performing surgery to remove them. The first surgery performed while wearing these glasses was conducted on February 10, 2014 at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
This is important because cancer cells are very difficult to see, even under the greatest magnification. These glasses have the potential to almost ensure that no cancer cells are left behind during surgery.
Surgeon, Julie Margenthaler, MD, is very optimistic, “Imagine what it would mean if these glasses eliminated the need for follow-up surgery and the associated pain, inconvenience, and anxiety.”
Something You Can Do Right Now To Instantly Improve Your Life.
18 MayThis might seem a little hard to believe, so let me explain by telling this quick story…
Back in the 1970s, there was a medical doctor by the name of Linus Pauling. Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1925 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He was also known as the world’s foremost vitamin C proponent.
Dr. Pauling believed high doses of vitamin C could prevent and cure many diseases. He also believed intravenous vitamin C could cure cancer.
Dr. Pauling was labeled a quack by many of his peers in mainstream medicine for these beliefs, which were very radical at the time.
Well, the BBC News recently reported that “High-dose vitamin C can boost the cancer-killing effect of chemotherapy in the lab and mice, research suggests. Given by injection, it could potentially be a safe, effective and low-cost treatment for ovarian and other cancers, say U.S. scientists. Reporting in Science Translational Medicine, they call for large-scale government clinical trials. Pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to run trials, as vitamins cannot be patented.”
The same article later states, “Scientists at the University of Kansas say that, when given by injection, vitamin C is absorbed into the body, and can kill cancer cells without harming normal ones.”
Does this prove that Dr. Pauling was right and vitamin C injection will cure cancer? No, not even close. But it does prove something very important: Always keep an open mind, especially when something is very different than what you are used to or goes against what you currently believe.
The same goes for how you choose your doctors.
The best part about many modern healthcare professionals is that most are open-minded. Most understand that their way is not necessarily the only or the best way and all patients are different and have different wants and needs. With that mindset, they are able to work together with other healthcare professionals to achieve what’s best and wanted by you, the patient.
Watching your back,
Dr. Brent Binder
PS: You may not be aware that I recently wrote “The Herb & Mineral Handbook” that is being sold at local stores. Well, all patients of our practice can receive a free paperback copy just by coming in to the office. So the next time you stop by for a tune-up just mention that you’d like your free copy. Incidentally, there’s a neat section on vitamin C that I’d love for you to read.
New Study: Is Exercise the Best Medicine? New research shows exercise can be just as effective as many frequently prescribed drugs for treating some major causes of death, including heart disease and diabetes!
14 MayIt’s pretty sad, but in today’s society, it is common to boast and brag. It is also common to make things seem much better or worse than they really are.
We see marketers do it every day through the advertising they bombard us with. Who hasn’t bought something after watching a TV commercial only to find out it wasn’t half as good as claimed?
Well, what you’re about to read is different and without any hype, it could change both your health and your future.
With rising insurance costs in the United States and other countries, this information may also save you a lot of money and time.
Here’s what this is all about: Healthcare professionals want to give their patients the best possible treatments but how does a doctor know which treatment is best?
Scientific research is used to determine which treatments work, which treatments do not work, and which treatments do more harm than good.
Countless medications have been scientifically tested over the years, and new drugs are often compared with older pharmaceuticals to prove their efficacy. However, very few studies actually directly compare drugs with exercise to treat common health conditions and diseases.
Until Now…
Huseyin Naci, a graduate student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Dr. John Ioannidis, the Director of the Stanford Prevention Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine, studied the effectiveness of both drugs and exercise in lessening mortality among people who had been diagnosed with either heart disease, chronic heart failure, stroke, or diabetes.
The two researchers gathered all of the recent randomized controlled trials, reviews, and meta-analyses of older experiments relating to mortality among patients with those illnesses, and whether the study participants had been treated with drugs or exercise.
In total, they studied information from 305 studies, which included a total of 340,000 participants. Most of these past studies focused on pharmaceuticals. Only 14,716 of the subjects were prescribed exercise to treat their disease.
The results of their study were published in the October 2013 issue of the British Medical Journal. Their conclusion: “No statistically detectable differences were evident between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and pre-diabetes. Physical activity interventions were more effective than drug treatment among patients with stroke. Diuretics were more effective than exercise in heart failure…
“Although limited in quantity, existing randomized trial evidence on exercise interventions suggests that exercise and many drug interventions are often potentially similar in terms of their mortality benefits in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, rehabilitation after stroke, treatment of heart failure, and prevention of diabetes.”
WOW!
According to this study, both drugs and exercise are more or less just as effective as treatments for those common and life-threatening diseases.
But here is what the study did NOT mention… Exercise is cheaper and does not come with dangerous side-effects!
What Does This Mean for You?
Clearly, health care is changing. With the restructuring of insurance in many countries and an aging population, it must change. Expensive treatments will be cut if cheaper and just as (or more) effective therapies are found. (Or, at least they should be.)
Clearly, insurance coverage is not what it used to be. Many times, patients have to pay huge sums of money out-of-pocket, even if they are insured by private or government insurance plans. Who wants to pay all that money if it can be avoided?
But even more important is doing what’s best for YOU. If exercise can help keep you healthy so you do not end up with heart disease, diabetes, etc., then it makes sense to add it to your lifestyle. Imagine what combining exercise, eating right, stress reduction, and chiropractic care can do for your long-term health.
Science Discovers New Body Part!
You read that correctly. In fact, science has discovered a new ligament in the knee, and its discovery is a pretty fascinating story.
One hundred and thirty-four years ago, French surgeon Paul Segond couldn’t explain the painful resistance in his knee after an injury. This led him to theorize about the existence of an undiscovered ligament.
Now, Belgian doctors have actually found it. The ligament is called the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and was found in all but one of the 41 cadavers they dissected to prove its existence.
According to The Star: “The discovery was shocking: all but one of the dissected bodies had the ‘well-defined ligamentous structure’ between the femur and the anterolateral tibia, or shin that was described by the French scientist. The finding led the doctors to conclude that most humans, about 97 percent, have the little lost ligament.”
Here is something very important: “The doctors also announced patients with ACL tears were likely suffering knee collapses because of ALL injuries.”
This may explain why many people (including athletes) have the diagnosis of a torn ACL but do not have instability or collapse of the knee. There are reports of athletes playing professional sports for years with a torn ACL.
This opens the door for new treatments and ways to approach knee injuries, especially for people with a torn ACL and knee instability.
What is amazing is how long it took scientists to discover a ligament they estimate is in 97% of people.
Can you imagine what will be discovered next?
Pain Relief Chiropractic 