Cold water bath after intense exercise lowers inflammation

Great Study showing that the levels of CRP (an inflammatory marker) are much lower in both the group that had a cold water bath right after exercise and 3 hours after exercise. Temperature of the cold water group was 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrrr.

CON was water at 79 degrees, CWI(0) was 58 degrees right after and CWI(3) was 58 degrees 3 hrs. after. Also, the groups CWI(0) and CWI(3) were better able to perform the workout the following day.

http://www.jssm.org/vol10/n4/10/v10n4-10text.php

More Chiropractic for the Veterans "Significant improvement for veterans with neck pain"

Study shows 2/3 of chronic neck pain improved in Veterans treated with chiropractic.
http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=55635

NY Times "Smokers Surcharge"

Smokers have 25% greater health care costs than nonsmokers. So if their health insurance cost more, should the employer or employee take the hit? If the employer takes the hit can they discriminate against employees who are not healthy? Great NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/health/policy/smokers-penalized-with-health-insurance-premiums.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

The Greater Good Vaccine Documentary

Chiropractic for the Veterans

A study published in Military Medicine Journal in January 2011 reported that 95% of surveyed Air Force Pilots experienced neck pain, and chiropractic care was the most effective treatment.

At this time Congress is reviewing H.R. 329 to amend the  Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001. This amendment would require the VA to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2014. At this time there are 36 VA facilities with chiropractic physician on staff and at least 100 facilities without.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-329

Survey Says.........Chiropractic

Consumer reports showed that chiropractic was the #1 preffered source for back pain. Here is the link to the report.

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/conditions-and-treatments/back-pain/overview/back-pain.htm

Great NYT article about Protecting your Back

If you have time check out this article its primarily from recommendations published in the medical journal "Osteoporosis International", but if you have to run here is a quick summary.

Do:
1. Posture: Lift your breastbone, and keep your head erect and shoulders back, all the while gently tightening abdominal muscles and maintaining a small hollow in your lower back.
2.When sitting for long periods, place a rolled towel or small pillow at the small of your back. Walk with your chin in and head upright.
3. Learn to bend over safely from the hips and knees, not the waist. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your back straight. Do not twist; turn to face the object you wish to reach before you bend.
Don't Do:
1.Stomach crunches
2 Toe touches
3.Any exercise or activity that involves twisting the spine or bending forward from the waist with straight legs

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/health/28backsb.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Chiropractic Soft Tissue Mobilization Helps Heel Pain

Study finds that patients with plantar fasciitis achieve clinically meaningful improvement from graston (or gua sha) treatment and a home stretching program. Treatment outcomes were on 8 visit schedule.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21334547

Athletic Chiropractic Care

Why should athletes seek chiropractic care? Here are a few reasons and a few athletes who have sought out chiropractic care to help them reach their maximal performance.
1. Posture Improvement - This leads to core improvement and thus greater potential to reach top speeds, take hits better, and breathe better.
2. Maximal Joint Range of Motion - This will lead to less pain in the joints and muscles will be able to produce force through a greater spectrum. This will create greater force. Also there will be greater joint flexibility and a decreased likely hood for early degeneration. A joint that does not move through its range of motion and is repetitively moved will be more likely to degenerate.
3. Improved Clarity and Focus - Studies have show higher cognitive testing and better brain flow to the brain after a chiropractic adjustment.
4. Injury Prevention and Faster Recovery - Flexibility in joints and soft tissue is very important whether the athlete is performing repetitive exercises or if they are taking hits. Also an athlete who receives chiropractic care will be less likely to have scar tissue after an injury.

At this time 95% of all NFL teams regularly provide chiropractic care for their athletes.

Couple of Quotes:
Jerry Rice "You probably know about my long and successful career in football... chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game."
Arnold Schwarzenegger "We've got to let the people know that there is a necessity, it's not even an option, it's a necessity to have a chiropractor."
Lance Armstrong "The team wasn't just riders. It was the mechanics, sasseurs, chefs, soigneurs, and doctors. But the most important man on the team may have been the chiropractor."
Tiger Woods "I've been going to chiropractors for as long as I can remember. It's as important to my training as practicing my swing.
Emmit Smith "Playing in a football game is like being in 30 to 40 car accidents. That stuff takes its toll. But if you take advantage of the healthcare, balance your body back out, put it back where it's supposed to be, you function better, and you recover faster"

Thanks to the Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation.

For Protien Shake Reference

This chart is for reference of different protein shakes tested by consumer reports, not really news. Just good to have, hopefully more third party testing gets done on supplements.

King of Fruit

The Mango! Woo Hoo! Here is a nice article from the NYT that has more than one reason why the mango is king of fruit. "the mango is not high in calories, and it is an excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin A and potassium. Now is the time to get acquainted with them: although they’re in season from January to August, mangoes peak in May and June"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/health/nutrition/25recipehealth.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Bottom line: its time to eat a mango.
Try the Ataulfo/champagne mango:
http://www.champagnemango.com/site/champagne

Chiropractic For Migraine

Recent studies from Norway's Akershus University Hospital are showing that chiropractic among other manual therapies is just as effective as popular migraine medicines propranolol and topiramate. Not to mention the awesome side effects of chiropractic.....a maximally functioning nervous system!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21298314

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Vs. Leisure-time Physical Activity

Mowing the lawn and sweeping the floors are great, but are they as good as getting that heartbeat up? Several studies say cardiorespiratory fitness is a greater indicator for mortality prevention. In the past there have been studies showing the better performance in the maximal treadmill test the better lower the chances of cardiovascular mortality. Now in a large study, they are showing the maximal treadmill test is a better predictor than leisure physical activity for all causes or mortality. So, get out enjoy the day, and get that heartbeat up.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20418526

Ice Vs. Heat LBP

Sooooo.... I stole this from another website, but its such a great summary.

Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs / Which to Use?

Ice is an anti-inflammatory agent which will reduce swelling and temporarily retard circulation when applied. Ice is also an anesthetic agent and will reduce pain in muscular tissues. However, ice will also enact a reflex response as the body reacts to the cold by expanding blood flow to the affected area.

Heat increases cellular activity and circulation. Heat loosens tight muscles and helps in the removal of cellular waste products, due to increased blood flow.

For most injuries, ice is recommended for the first 24 to 48 hours and heat is recommended from then on. Ice should be left on for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and the area should be allowed to warm for at least 30 minutes between applications. Heat can be applied liberally and is especially effective when wet heat is utilized.

+1 Chocolate Milk!

I love chocolate milk. More and more studies are showing that it makes a great recovery drink. The protein, calcium, and carbs help in muscle repair. While the coco helps neutralize free radical production from exercise.

Here one of many good articles about how it compared to carbohydrate drinks.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19234590

Come Run With Me!

Studies are showing possible genetic component to low back pain.

A large University of Utah study showed an increase risk of degenerative disc and herniated disc problems if a second or third degree relative had the condition. So keep your spine in balance and get it checked by your chiropractor!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/health/08really.html?_r=1

Side Stiches? Get your running form check by your Chiropractor!

New studies are suggesting that side stitches seem to have more to do with running posture than diaphragm problems. So get your posture checked by your chiropractor!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/01really.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

New Study Finding Increased Risk of Breast Cancer with Early Hormome Replacement

A study of more than a million postmenopausal women, found that women who never took hormone replacement therapy, had the lowest risk of breast cancer, followed by women who started hormone replacement 5+ years after menopause began, and the group with the largest risk were those who took the hormone replacements before-5yrs. into menopause. Published in National Cancer Institute Journal.
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnci/press_releases/beraldjq527.pdf

Medicare finds Great chiropractic results

A great current chiropractic study from medicare found that:

"from April 2005 to March 2007 found that

with (chiropractic) care was high, with 87%

reporting levels of 8 or higher on a 10-point

scale and 56% indicating a perfect score of 10.

Sixty percent of respondents indicated that

they received “moderate” or “complete” relief

from chiropractic treatments compared to 11%

from treatments by other health professionals”

“Satisfaction(Stason et al., 2010, p. 7).

One of my favorites from Pollan

Everyone should check out, if they have time. Lifecycle of the steak on the table.
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/power-steer/

Active Lifestyle = Lower Risk of Cancer Mortality

This may seem like a no-brainer, but this was a nice study of over 2,500 men that found and average of 30min a day had significantly less cancer deaths then the men who did not get exercise.

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/2/125.short

Stay away from that Screen

If you thought the studies on television watching that said time in front of the screen was harmful, the studies about teens and gaming are even more alarming. Actually they are depressing.

Two studies recently published with samples of 3,000 and 1,000 teens both found that teens gaming and using the Internet heavily are much more likely to become depressed.

"Those who used the Internet excessively were more than twice as likely as the others to be depressed nine months later."

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/video-games-and-the-depressed-teenager/?src=twt&twt=nytimeshealth

So, with that, off I go.

You Are What Your Food Eats!

Many people don't think about how important it is to know what your food eats. If you're going to eat meat, make sure you know what it ate (this applies to plants too, but not as much). For example farm raised tilapia has as many omega-6 fatty acids (the kind that leads to cardiovascular and inflammatory problems) as a doughnut or bacon!

You would think that fish would be healthier than a doughnut (and in some aspects it still is), however the way the fish are fed the fish actually contains more unhealthy fat than a donut.

"All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708092228.htm

So the ratio is the most important factor. Omega 6:3 should ideally be 1:1. This is pretty tough to do. Most Americans diet average 20:1.

Here are some common Meats and comparisons for your info

Natural or Grass Fed	Ratio 6:3	Grain Fed	Ratio 6:3
		Tilapia	11:1
Beef	3:1	Beef	17:1
		Chicken Breast	8:1
		Chicken McNuggets	18:1
Salmon	1:10	Salmon	1:3
Tuna	1:3

Good Running Form Video

This is a pretty good video for the basics. Don't turn up your volume, there is no sound:

Prevention of Tibial Stress Fractures

For my runners out there, this article contains two studies, both which need some follow up studies, but as of now the keys are: strengthen calfs, and shorten your stride 10%. Heel strike is not the answer both for this condition and sooooo many others.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/phys-ed-how-to-prevent-stress-fractures/

Is exercise good for everything? Yep, even Osteoarthritis.

An article that reviewed many studies published on the topic of Osteoarthritis stated that:

"In conclusion, literature shows clear improvement of OA symptoms in patients undertaking exercise programs.When it comes to exercise programs, both low- and high-resistance training with or without weight bearing has been shown to have beneficial effects."

So this brings up the question does running/lifting/working hard cause osteoarthritis (as most professionals agree)? Or could the cause possibly be the last topic of excess inflammation?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004403/?tool=pubmed

Want less Inflammation? Eat This!

News continues to pour out about how to decrease inflammation. Some inflammation is required to heal. However increased amounts can create severe problems. Not only is inflammation is a key ingredient to pain, but it is also a huge player in systemic issues such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, lupus, asthma, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and dementia.
In order to help control your levels of inflammation eating right is key. So what is right (as far as inflammation goes)?

• Eat lots of food with a high ratio of omega 3's compared to omega 6's
• Fish, Walnuts, Grass Fed and Finished Meats
• Link to the amount and type omega 3's and types of fish : http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/omega3.shtml
• Link to the approximate amounts of mercury of each type of fish listed by most, moderate, and low: http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
• Eat lots of spices
•  Turmeric, ginger, garlic and pepper help to reduce inflammatory levels
• Eat as many veggies as possible and some fruit too
•  Especially Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach and berries
• Eat some of these specials
• Green tea, red wine, dark chocolate and cocoa

Great Guide:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/What-you-eat-can-fuel-or-cool-inflammation-a-key-driver-of-heart-disease-diabetes-and-other-chronic-conditions.shtml

Forks over Knives movie comming out soon!

Breast Cancer and the Sun

Good article posted relaying the information of the importance of Vit. D, Calcium, and the sun for women. Remember you need ~15min of sunlight to make Vit. D useful for your body. More than 1 study in this article but its a nice summary.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2195614.ece

Happy New Year



My New Years resolution is to start a blog with healthy news that's quick and easy to read. None of the articles are designed to treat or cure anything. Just knowledge of health information at this time. I hope you enjoy the blog and please email me if you have any requests. Have a happy and healthy 2011.

Here is a great video CBS put out there for easy tips to make 2011 super healthy!
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7194687n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea;cbsnewsMainColumnArea.2