Foods to Avoid and to Choose

17 Dec

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, let’s talk about choices you make that may slow down your brain and choices that can help you stay sharp.

We’ve long known artery-clogging saturated and trans fats and inflammation-producing added sugars and syrups damage your cardiovascular and immune systems. Now it’s clear the sugar- and fat-laden diet of most North Americans slams the brakes on cognitive flexibility—that’s the ability to adapt to changing circumstance and think on your feet. And there’s more: The high-sugar/high-saturated fat diet also dims short- and long-term memory.

Why are added sugars and unhealthy fats so brain-dulling? The research shows they alter the way your gut bacteria communicate with your brain! Healthy, happy gut bacteria release compounds that act as neurotransmitters, stimulate sensory nerves, and enhance other biological functions. But they can’t run smoothly if there’s a lot of sugar and saturated fat disrupting their fuel lines. In lab-based research, it took just four weeks for saturated fat- and sugar-eating mice to become dim-witted.

So stay sharp. Avoid life-shortening sugars and fats in processed foods as well as saturated fats in red and processed meats. ‘Cause as Lloyd says to Harry in the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber: “Life’s a fragile thing, Harr. One minute you’re chewin’ on a burger, and the next minute you’re dead meat.”

On to the great news… Researchers found two choices that help make you smarter, even if you cannot pronounce one of them…

For me, some words are always hard to pronounce… the Irish girl’s name Siobhan (Shivone) as in Siobhan Dervan, 4-time Irish National Road Race Champion; Worcestershire (worster-sheer) sauce, which left New Jersey chef Pasquale Sciarappa tongue-tied in a cooking video viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube; and the latest trendy pseudo-grain, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).

But no matter how you say it, quinoa’s nutritional virtues are clear. Rutgers University researchers (and international partners) report that quinoa contains health-beneficial phytochemicals, including healthful amino acids, fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, (and say these next ones correctly) phytoecdysteroids, phenolics, and glycine betaine. Plus, they cite four clinical studies that indicate supplementing your diet with quinoa “exerts significant, positive effects on metabolic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal health…”

  • Protein: It’s got more than barley, oat, rice, and maize and delivers more than 180% of the daily recommended intake of 10 essential amino acids.
  • Fiber: It’s 10% dietary fiber, and fiber boosts your digestive health, lowers lousy LDL cholesterol, and helps control your appetite.
  • Healthy Fats: Quinoa delivers anti-inflammatory omega-3 and omega-6 in a good ratio.
  • Vitamins and Minerals: You’ll get a good dose of A, Bs, C, and E. Plus more minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, than in rice or wheat.
  • Odd Stuff: Contains phytoecdysteroids that may help build muscle; phenolics that have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-obesity and cardio-protective effects; glycine betaine, an amino acid, helps manage diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Did you know Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was buried with a good supply of chocolate and red wine—along with snooker cues, pencils, and a power saw? Apparently, he knew chocolate and red wine are two healthful choices. (We’re not sure what to make of the other supplies!)

Red wine–in moderation –has long been touted as heart-friendly. Now, a vast new study in the journal Heart reveals that regularly enjoying chocolate is associated with a lower waist-to-hip ratio and a 23% lower risk of stroke. Plus, it helps cool inflammatory CRP proteins and reduces the risk for diabetes. And compared with folks in a study population who didn’t eat chocolate, higher chocolate intake was linked to a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular-associated death.

That’s because chocolate’s polyphenols help reduce your blood pressure, decreasing your risk for heart attack and stroke.

How can you get chocolate into your diet without falling for candy bars laced with sugar, palm oil, corn syrup, and artificial flavors and colors? We recommend having one ounce a day of 70% cacao dark chocolate after dinner (Dr. Mike grabs 3 Featherss 22 calorie chocolates a day– see http://bit.ly/11K18D6) or try unsweetened cocoa powder added to black beans seasoned with cinnamon and hot sauce. You can also grate it and sprinkle it over your morning oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk.

Thanks for reading. 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)

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.

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 tow newly revised books: The patron saint “book” of this column YOU Staying Young—revised and YOU: The Owner’s Manual…revised —yes a revision of the book that started Dr Oz to being Dr Oz. These makes great gifts—so do YOU: ON a Diet and YOU: The Owner’s Manual for teens. And, the new book by Dr Mike Roizen: This is YOUR Do-Over

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.radioMD.com Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including: YOU Staying Young.

What Exercises Can I do for CTS?

15 Dec

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the leading cause of numbness to the middle three fingers and thumb and affects millions of Americans each year. There are MANY potential causes of CTS, and these causes can be unclear or multi-factorial. We have discussed the importance of night splints and what chiropractic can do for CTS in the recent past. This month, let’s look at what YOU can do for CTS.

“Self-help” concepts are VERY important as they empower YOU to gain control of your condition’s signs and symptoms, thus placing less reliance on those of us who manage (in this case) CTS. There is a time for “PRICE” or, Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, such as when most activities make symptoms worse. This is the time for splinting, reducing activities of daily living (which sometimes includes work restrictions), and the use of ice cupping or massage. Patients should initiate movement or exercise-based approaches as soon as such activities can be tolerated. Here are four different exercises you can do:

  1. Fist / “Bear Claw” / Open Wide Hand: This is a three-step exercise, and you can start or stop on any of the three “steps.” A. FIST: Make a fist and squeeze as tightly as tolerated; B. BEAR CLAW: Starting from the fist position (A), open only the palm of the hand (keep your thumb and fingers bent but straighten the big knuckle joints at the base of the fingers); C. OPEN WIDE: Straighten and spread ALL your finger joints by opening up your hand as much as possible and feel for a good stretch in the palm. HOLD each position for one to five seconds (vary the “speed” of moving between the three positions – fast, medium, and slow; emphasize what feels best if you have a preference). Repeat five to ten times or until your hands feel looser.
  1. “Church Steeple”: Place your hands together in front of you (“prayer position”) touching the pads of the thumbs and all four fingertips together and spread your fingers as wide as possible. Next, separate your palms as far as you can while applying pressure against your finger/thumb tips and repeat. Alter the speed and number of repetitions until your hands feel stretched out.
  1. “Shake and Flick”: Simply shake your hands as if you just washed them and you’re shaking the water off to “air dry” them. Again, alter the speed and reps until they feel loosened up.
  1. Forearm Stretches: Place one arm out in front, elbow straight, and fingers pointed straight, palm up (first set). Reach with the opposite hand and pull the fingers, hand, and wrist down and back towards you until you feel a strong “pull” in your forearm muscles. Hold until the forearm muscles feels stretched (5-10 seconds). Repeat this with the palm facing down for the second set to stretch the opposite (extensor) forearm muscles.

Do these on each side two to three times each (even the “good” side) EVERY HOUR (or as often as possible). Think about what you do on a daily basis and if you work in a repetitive manner (on the job or a hobby at home), try to do these exercises DURING THE REPETITIVE ACTIVITY to help keep your symptoms from getting out of control. If you can alter the position or speed of a work or avocational activity, do so for long-term prevention purposes!

If you cannot gain control of your CTS condition, you may need additional treatment options of which chiropractic offers a safe, non-surgical approach.

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.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888


Truths & Myths of MRI for Low Back Pain

14 Dec

Low back pain is a very common complaint. In fact, it’s the #1 reason for doctor visits in the United States! The economic burden of LBP on the working class is astronomical. Most people can’t afford to be off work for one day, much less a week, month, or more! Because of the popularity of hospital-based TV dramas over the past two decades, many people think getting an MRI of their back can help their doctor fix their lower back problem. Is this a good idea? Let’s take a look!

Patients will often bring in a CD that has an MRI of their lower back to a doctor of chiropractic and ask the ultimate question, “….can you fix me?” Or, worse, “…I think I need surgery.” Sure, it’s quite amazing how an MRI can “slice” through the spine and show bone, soft tissues, disks, muscles, nerves, the spinal cord, and more! Since the low back bears approximately 2/3 of our body’s weight, you can frequently find MANY ABNORMALITIES in a person over 40-50 years old. In fact, it would be quite odd NOT to see things like disk degeneration, disk bulges, joint arthritis, spur formation, etc.!

Hence, the “downside” of having ALL this information is the struggle to determine which finding on the MRI has clinical significance. In other words, where is the LBP coming from? Is it that degenerative disk, bulged disk, herniated disk, or the narrowed canal where the nerve travels? Interestingly, in a recent review of more than 3,200 cases of acute low back pain, those who had an MRI scan performed earlier in their care had a WORSE outcome, more surgery, and higher costs compared with those who didn’t succumb to the temptation of requesting an MRI!

This is not to say MRI, CT scans, and x-rays are not important, as they effectively show conditions like subtle fractures and dangerous conditions like cancer. But for LBP, MRI is often misleading. This is because the primary cause of LBP is “functional” NOT “structural,” so it’s EASY to get railroaded into thinking whatever shows up on that MRI has to be the problem.

Here is how we know this, when we take 1,000 people WITHOUT low back pain between ages 30 and 60 (male or female) and perform an MRI on their lower back, we will find up to 53% will have PAINLESS disk bulges in one or more lumbar disks. Moreover, we will find up to 30% will have partial disk herniations, and up to 18% will have an extruded disk (one that has herniated ALL the way out). Yet, these people are PAIN FREE and never knew they had disk “derangement” (since they have no LBP). When combining all of these possible disk problems together, several studies report that between 57% and 64% of the general population has some type of disk problem without ANY BACK PAIN!

Hence, when a patient with a simple sprain/strain and localized LBP presents with an MRI showing a disk problem, it usually ONLY CONFUSES the patient (and frequently the doctor), as that disk problem is usually not the problem causing the pain! So DON’T have an MRI UNLESS a surgical treatment decision depends on its findings. That is weakness, numbness, and non-resolving LBP in spite of 4-6 weeks of non-surgical care or unless there is weakness in bowel or bladder control. Remember, the majority of back pain sufferers DO NOT need surgery!

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.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR LOW BACK PAIN! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Do You Want to Be More Productive and Successful?

10 Dec

A new study conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the ONE THING you do NOT want to do if you want to be as productive and successful as possible. The study reports employers in the United States (US) lost $77 billion in 2010 thanks to workers’ impaired productivity due to excessive alcohol abuse – a number that jumps to almost $90 billion once other drinking-induced factors such as absenteeism are added to the mix.

According to an article published by Bloomberg, “The study came up with an even more dire number for alcohol abuse’s effect on the US economy overall that same year: $249 billion, a number that includes not only the lost-productivity toll, but also spending on healthcare, crime, car crashes, and alcohol-caused deaths. That headache seems to be getting worse. Back in 2006, the same cost to the U.S. economy was $224 billion, outpacing inflation…”

Study author Dr. Robert Brewer adds, “The increase in the costs of excessive drinking from 2006 to 2010 is concerning, particularly given the severe economic recession that occurred during these years.”

Clearly, excessive alcohol consumption is one of the best ways to destroy your career and health. Even if your career is not negatively impacted to the point that you lose your job, you may never be as successful as you could be. The same is true when it comes to your health. The damage from excessive drinking often takes YEARS to rear its ugly head and show symptoms.

Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal and maintain the pain free body you deserve.

Three Ways to Boost Your Memory

8 Dec

Did you know that parts of your brain actually shrink as you grow older? It’s true. But it’s not as bad as it seems. There are ways you can slow down this process and possibly even improve your brain power as you age. It is commonly known that puzzles and crossword puzzles help retain memory power, but here are three other things you can do that you may like better.

The first thing you can do is go for a walk. Research shows that going for a 40-minute walk three times a week helps to increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of your brain responsible for memory formation.

Laugh! Studies show that laughing for approximately 20 minutes will boost your short-term memory. Spend more time with the people who make you happy doing the things you love. That’s what life is really about, anyway.

Listen to music! But wait, not just any music. Researchers found that listening to classical music increased the brain wave activity linked to memory retention and enhances your ability to concentrate and perform cognitive tasks.

When in doubt, stay active and remain positive. There is little doubt that stress harms your body and brain in countless ways, and there is some truth to the old saying, “laughter is the best medicine.” There are many things in life we cannot control. Stop worrying about them and concentrate on the things you can control. Being happy—in most cases—is a choice.

Woman with Incurable Disease Blinks Over 1 Million Times to Write Her Book!

7 Dec

It’s everywhere you look.  “Life is hard.”  “Life is a grind.”  “Life is a struggle.”  “Mondays are brutal.”  “I barely made it through the day.”  And on… and on… and on.

Here’s something you need to know:  No, it’s not.  Life is not a never-ending, difficult struggle unless you think of it that way.  On the contrary, life can be a never-ending source of happiness and fulfillment — if you make the choice to see it through a different lens.

Here’s a great example…

According to an article published by Central European News Agency (CEN), Mrs. Gong Xunhui, of Chengdu, China, was diagnosed with ALS in 2003 and has needed the aid of a wheelchair since 2006.  With the help of her husband, Xunhui completed her 150,000-word book by blinking more than one million times to spell out phonetic sounds to form Chinese characters.

She writes, “I want to use my personal experience to tell other ALS patients that, although we suffer from this incurable disease, there is still much we can do to enrich our lives.”

Much of Xunhui’s book is about her struggles as a child dealing with her debilitating disease.  She published 5,000 copies of the book, and the Chinese government published another 1,800.  Xunhui’s goal is to make enough to buy six breathing machines to help other ALS sufferers.

It’s amazing how many people break down at the thought of another Monday while Xunhui was blinking her way to finishing her book and becoming a published author.

But she is not the only ALS success story.  Last month, we briefly discussed the story of Stephen Hawking. He is thought by many to be the best mind in physics who has ever lived, and all of Hawking’s most famous work came after he was diagnosed with ALS and confined to a wheelchair without the ability to speak.

In fact, when doctors diagnosed Hawking with ALS, he was just 21 and had started work on his PhD in physics. Even though he was given just two years to live, he didn’t call it a life and roll over and quit. Instead, when his doctor told him his disease would take away muscle control, he asked, “What about my brain?”

The doctor told him his brain would be fine but he would not have any way to communicate what he was thinking.

Hawking began working feverishly to get as much work done on his theories as possible.  He completed his PhD and wrote several books — A Brief History of Time being his most popular.

Hawking is now 73 years old and has been typing with the movement of a cheek muscle for quite some time.  (It looks like he beat the prognosis of two years.)

He once wrote the perfect advice for anyone who thinks they have it tough and thinks they are struggling… “However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at.  While there’s life, there is hope.”

 

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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