Here’s another research finding to file under “Duh, you think?” Recent scientific research found that junk food is addictive. Hey, mom, don’t blame your kid when he has a meltdown when his “fix” at McDonald’s is replaced by a nutritious home-cooked meal that includes (yikes!) vegetables! And, you dieters out there, stop beating yourself up when you find that no matter how many fresh fruits and vegetables you add to your diet, you still find yourself at a midnight In-N-Out Burger drive-thru. It’s an addiction, man!
The study found that eating junk food can actually change the chemistry in your brain. How? High-calorie foods affect your brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin, and can lead to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction. Plus, foods stripped of healthy nutrients, like junk food, make you more hungry because your body “thinks” you need more food when, in fact, what you really crave is more nutrients.
Chiropractors, like me, work with our patients to achieve overall health through regular chiropractic care, a nutritious diet, good hydration, and daily exercise. If any one of these components is missing, your good health and longevity are at risk. See your chiropractor today. He or she can help you “kick” your junk food “addiction.”
For more on this study, go to reuters.com.
“Move it or lose it” captures the chiropractic philosophy in a nutshell, especially when it comes to aging. As we age, our joints lose much of their “natural” mobility mostly due to wear and tear over the years and age-related moisture decline. Unless we, boomers, make a concerted effort to get regular exercise and stretch daily, and perhaps to get periodic chiropractic manipulation to maintain or increase joint mobility, boomers are cruising towards a future of mobility-related disabilities that will be costly both in healthcare needs and quality of life in general. Which direction are a large number of baby boomers cruising? According to new study, the number of middle-aged Americans with certain mobility-related disabilities, (including walking a quarter-mile and climbing 10 steps) is on the rise. That’s right! The study, based on a National Health Interview Survey carried out each year from 1997 to 2007, which included up to 15,000 individuals annually, revealed that more than 40 percent (that’s too close to half!) of 50 to 64 year olds reported having problems with at least one of nine physical functions and many reported more than one difficulty.
There was also an increase in the number of people using special equipment, like a cane or wheelchair, to get around. Moreover, an increased number of people reported needing help with daily personal care activities, such as getting out of bed and moving around the home. “This a disappointing trend with potentially far-reaching and long-term negative consequences,” said Richard Suzman, director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging, which funded the study. “If people have such difficulties in middle age, how can we expect that this age group — today’s baby boomers — will be able to take care of itself with advancing age? If it continues, this trend could have a significant effect on the need for long-term care in the future.”
The researchers note that the study was based on people’s self-reports, which could affect the results.
For more on the study, which was published in the April issue of the journal Health Affairs, go to LiveScience.com.
As a San Diego Chiropractor, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Before you let out all the seams in your current wardrobe, there are some things that you may want to know relating to those few seemingly benign extra pounds you may have gained. As we age, they can add up to a surprising number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back challenges and joint degeneration. Surplus poundage puts excessive stress on organs, like the heart, not to mention on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of men and women in America are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is an extremely compelling number and an enormous national health issue (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not intended to transport additional poundage in the form of body fat. A mere excess of 20 or 30 pounds can veritably overload and encumber the joints and muscles of the body. Added weight in the abdominal region, for instance, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This angle produces compression in the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression hinders nerve activity. A larger percentage of individuals that have a “spare tire”suffer from low back pain caused by an impingement of the sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that restrict nerves as a result of weight-bearing stresses. If left untreated, misaligned vertebra in most cases produce new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. To begin with the obvious, a “normal” body weight is essential in order for the musculoskeletal system to act and respond in the way it is designed to. Chiropractic treatment can not only relieve pain created by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve compression in the spinal column and help to get movement back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, certainly exercise and physical activity are a lot easier, and healthier for the body, when the the joints have good movement and the spine is aligned. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually inhibit degenerative changes as we age.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise choices. In addition to treating individuals suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer proficient guidance regarding the type of lifestyle corrections that can help a person to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unpreventable part of the aging process. The human body was intended for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if those extra pounds have been sneaking up on you, and they’ve turned into a surprising load of pain, as your San Diego chiropractor and someone who understands, I can help. Make an appointment today!
As a chiropractor who believes in the human body's ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the "treatment" of a number of conditions that don't get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Try chiropractic first!" But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers "less severity" at best when it comes to a migraine headache.
The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had "avoided" a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.
I have treated many patients who told me how much they'd "feared" the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only "solution" this study offered?
This study is "important," said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people's anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. "Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times," he and his colleagues concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
