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Your
Body Is Sending a Message
 These days, people
are constantly "connected" to their hand-held devices, whether it
is their cellular phones, portable video games like Nintendo DS, e-readers
such as Amazon Kindle, or they are just using apps on an iPhone. A Kaiser
Family Foundation survey found that young people 8-18 years old spend in
excess of seven-and-a-half hours a day using some form of mobile media. As
a result, this younger demographic will surely be developing a condition
known as forward head posture (FHP).
As technology advances in the market of hand-held mobile devices, it's
important to understand that where the head goes, the body will follow. If
you have forward head posture, then you will have rolled shoulders. With
rolled shoulders, a concave chest can follow, and often a pelvic tuck, all
of which can contribute to progressive pain and dysfunction over time.
Because the demographic of people ages 13-27 is one of the largest
groups of texters, we can expect to see a large increase of medical and
chiropractic conditions within the next decade. The amount of time spent in
a forward head tilt while texting or gaming, surfing or browsing the Web
has increased as hand-held mobile devices such as cell phones, video games,
and MP3 players have become smaller, mobile and essentially a direct
extension of the person.
Look around you and you will see people with FHP using hand-held mobile
device at tables in restaurants, at red lights in their cars, walking
through the mall, in line at the grocery store, and even sitting in
doctors' reception areas. We are a society that is "connected,"
now more than ever before, and we are suffering the health consequences.
Of course, forward head posture is not a new condition. Chiropractors
have been treating and educating patients on the dangers of FHP for years,
and the health conditions that FHP or anterior head carriage contribute to
are well-researched and documented.
With all this said, it's important to understand the negative effects of
a repetitive stress syndrome and appreciate how many hours you are using
your hand-held mobile devices and how many hours your children are using
these devices. Talk to your doctor about forward head posture, the dangers
of text messaging and other behaviors that put your body in stressful
positions, and how you can avoid the pain before it starts.
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Big
Benefits of Physical Activity
 According to the
CDC, adults need to engage in at least 2½ hours (150 minutes) each week of
moderate-intensity aerobic activity to achieve substantial health benefits.
Examples include brisk walking (3 miles per hour), bicycle riding (less
than 10 miles per hour), ballroom dancing, or general gardening. Indeed, aerobic
activities that keep you moving are integral to an anti-aging lifestyle.
Let's review some of the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity; then
get up and get moving with some physical activity of your own!
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1.
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Help Your Heart. Richard V. Milani, from the Ochsner Clinic
Foundation, and colleagues investigated how psychosocial stress
influences the effects of exercise training. The team followed 522
cardiac patients, including 53 who had high stress levels and 27 control
patients who had high stress levels but did not engage in cardiac
rehabilitation. The study subjects were offered 12 weeks of exercise
classes consisting of 10 minutes of warm-up, 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic
exercise (walking, rowing, jogging, or similar), and then a 10-minute
cooldown stretch. The researchers found that the subjects who became
physically fitter during the study period (by exercising) were 60 percent
less likely to die in the following six years.
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2.
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Grow Brain Cells. David J. Creer, from the National Institute on Aging,
and colleagues studied the underlying mechanisms dictating how exercise
improves information processing. The researchers prompted adult mice to
uses running wheels, finding that doing so increased their number of
brain cells and enabled them to perform better at spatial learning tests
compared to mice that did not exercise. The exercising mice were better
able to tell the difference between the locations of two adjacent
identical stimuli, an ability that the team found to be closely linked to
an increase in new brain cell growth in the hippocampus portion of the
brain.
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3.
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Build Strong Bones. Wolfgang Kemmler, from Freidrich-Alexander University
(Germany), and colleagues analyzed data on 246 older women who were
enrolled in the Senior Fitness and Prevention (SEFIP) Study. The
researchers found that women who exercised had higher bone density in
their spine and hip, and also had a 66 percent reduced rate of falls.
Fractures due to falls were twice as common in the controls versus the
exercise group (12 vs. six incidents). The authors' conclusion:
"Compared with a general wellness program, our 18-month exercise
program significantly improved [bone mineral density] and fall
risk."
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4.
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Stress a Little Less. Matthew P. Herring, from the University of Georgia,
and colleagues analyzed the results of 40 randomized clinical trials
involving nearly 3,000 patients with a variety of chronic medical
conditions, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and
chronic pain from arthritis. The researchers found that, on average,
patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety
symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.
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So take some advice from the experts, starting today: Get up and get
moving! As the research presented in this article suggests, consistent
physical activity has profound health and wellness benefits that you
deserve to enjoy. Your doctor can help evaluate your current
fitness/activity level and outline a fun, energizing, health-promoting
exercise routine to keep you happy and healthy day after day, year after
year.
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The
Science of Sustained Energy
 Carbohydrates, fats,
and protein are known as the energy-yielding nutrients. These are the
dietary components your body can actually break down to create molecules of
energy known as ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). While many diet plans
emphasize focusing on one macronutrient over the others, a healthy diet
represents balanced intake from all three groups. Lets take a quick look at
each macronutrient and how it impacts energy levels.
Carbs:
Carbohydrates are often seen as your body's preferred source of energy
because they can most easily be broken down to create ATP. In fact, for
several of your body's tissues, including your brain, carbohydrates are
actually the main source of fuel.
Simple
carbohydrates, such as white bread, cookies, and anything made with refined
flour, provide the body with a rapid rush of energy as they are quickly
metabolized for fuel. Unfortunately, this energy rush is often followed by
a fall in blood sugar, felt by the individual as an energy crash (and of
course, hunger). On the other hand, a diet high in complex
carbohydrates - whole grains, fruits, and vegetables - can offer unlimited
health benefits. These carbohydrate sources contain dietary fiber, which
provides a slower release of energy and contributes to feelings of fullness
and satiety.
Fats:
Just like carbohydrates, fat has received some negative publicity when it
comes to a healthy diet. However, fat is actually the most
energy-sustaining nutrient since it provides 9 kilocalories (kcals) per
gram (protein and carbohydrates only provide 4 each). Fat is also digested
more slowly and when consumed correctly, can help provide a steady, slow
release of energy and contribute to feelings of fullness.
Much like carbohydrates, when incorporating fat into your diet it is
important to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fat sources. While
saturated and hydrogenated fats can negatively affect health, omega-3 fatty
acids, which can be found in nuts, seeds, and cold-water fish, can
contribute to neurological and cardiovascular health.
Protein:
Unlike fats and carbohydrates, protein is often touted as the healthiest of
the macronutrients. It is true that protein, in addition to providing a
source for energy production, is also required for the makeup of skeletal
muscle and enzymes. Consuming meals high in protein can support lean body
mass as well as contribute to satiety and blood sugar control. Food sources
high in protein include meats and poultry, legumes, nuts, and quinoa.
While no one food choice is the best for supporting energy levels, a
balanced combination of macronutrients which provide a high dose of
micronutrients, including B vitamins and other supportive nutrients, will
give your body the nourishment it needs. That's the science of sustained
energy. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
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More
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