Chiropractic

Mental Attitude: Student Loans = Stress for Young Adults.

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Mental Attitude: Student Loans = Stress for Young Adults.

A new study finds that student loan debt is a significant cause of stress among young adults. Researchers conducted a survey across the United States and found that those with greater student loan debt reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. Study author Dr. Katrina Walsemann writes, “We are speculating that part of the reason that these types of loans are so stressful is the fact that you cannot defer them, they follow you for the rest of your life until you pay them off.” Further research is needed to determine how student loan debt affects other areas of health and life, such as job choices, marriage, and children. University of South Carolina, January 2015

Wellness/Prevention: Positive Emotions May Be Best Anti-Inflammatories.

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Wellness/Prevention: Positive Emotions May Be Best Anti-Inflammatories.

University of California, Berkeley researchers have discovered a link between positive emotions and lower levels of inflammatory proteins that are knows to signal the immune system to work harder. The research team found that participants who experienced positive emotions had the lowest levels of the cytokine and interleukin 6, which are known markers of inflammation. Sustained high levels of cytokines are associated with conditions such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression. Emotion, January 2015

Mental Attitude: Stress Reduces Our Ability to Deal with Pain.

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Mental Attitude: Stress Reduces Our Ability to Deal with Pain.

Chronic stress can take a mental and physical toll on the body. A new study suggests that stress can affect our ability to withstand physical pain as well. Of the study’s 29 participants, those who experienced higher levels of psychological stress had a significantly lower ability to withstand pain than those with lower stress levels. Lead researcher Dr. Ruth Defrin explains, “Modern life exposes individuals to many, recurrent stressful situations. While there is no way to predict the type of stress we will feel under different circumstances, it is advisable to do everything in our power – adopt relaxation and stress reduction techniques as well as therapy – to reduce the amount of stress in our lives.” Pain, February 2015

Health Alert: Over 50 Million Non-Smokers in the US Are Still Exposed to Secondhand Smoke!

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Health Alert: Over 50 Million Non-Smokers in the US Are Still Exposed to Secondhand Smoke!

While secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure was cut in half between 1999/2000 and 2011/2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 58 million non-smokers are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the risk of secondhand smoke exposure is higher among minorities, those living below the poverty line, and those living in rental housing. Experts from the CDC add, “Each year exposure to SHS causes more than 41,000 deaths from lung cancer and heart disease among non-smoking adults and 400 deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, as well as about $5.6 billion annually in lost productivity.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2015

Wellness/Prevention: Remember to Use Sunscreen.

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Wellness/Prevention: Remember to Use Sunscreen.

The use of sunscreen is vital in preventing sunburn and the future development of skin cancer. The Cleveland Clinic suggests wearing sunscreen if you spend several hours outdoors, have fair skin and burn easily, ski frequently, work in your garden, or sunbathe. The Cleveland Clinic, January 2015

Exercise: Elderly COPD Patients Benefit from Home-Based Rehabilitation with a Pedometer.

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Exercise: Elderly COPD Patients Benefit from Home-Based Rehabilitation with a Pedometer.

A small-scale study found that older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) achieved greater improvements in physical function when they used a pedometer in conjunction with their home-based pulmonary rehabilitation. The researchers believe the pedometer helps to motivate patients to be more active when they have viewable feedback. Respiratory Medicine, January 2015

Chiropractic: More Sitting Time More Neck and Shoulder Pain.

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Chiropractic: More Sitting Time More Neck and Shoulder Pain.

According to a study involving 118 males in blue-collar jobs across a variety of industries, those who spend nearly the whole workday sitting are nearly three times more likely to experience neck and shoulder pain than workers who spend more than half the workday on their feet.
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, February 2015

Diet: Oatmeal for Breakfast = Fullness & Lower Calorie Intake at Lunch.

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Diet: Oatmeal for Breakfast = Fullness & Lower Calorie Intake at Lunch.

Your breakfast choice may affect how full you feel during the rest of the morning and how much you eat for lunch. Scientists from the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital report that having oatmeal for breakfast results in greater fullness, less hunger, and fewer calories eaten during lunch compared with those eating a ready-to-eat cereal for breakfast. The researchers believe that the greater satiety effect of oatmeal cereal compared to sugared ready-to-eat cereal or water might be due to slower gastric emptying, as they found that oatmeal took longer to leave the stomach.

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, January 2015