Exercise: Combination of Coconut Oil & Exercise Reduces High Blood Pressure.
Brazilian researchers have discovered that combining exercise and daily consumption of coconut oil can reduce high blood pressure, at least in animal subjects. Using hypertensive rats, the researchers found that the combination of a daily intake of coconut oil and exercise restored baroreflex sensitivity and reduced oxidative stress, resulting in a reduction in blood pressure. Study co-author Dr. Valdir de Andrade Braga explains, “This is an important finding as coconut oil is currently being considered a popular ‘superfood’ and it is being consumed by athletes and the general population who seek a healthy lifestyle.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, February 2015
Diet: Healthy Diet & Nutrition Critical for Mental Health.
A new collaborative study adds to a growing body of evidence showing a relationship between both diet quality and potential nutritional deficiencies and mental health. Studies have shown that many nutrients have a clear influence on brain health including omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins (particularly folate and B12), choline, iron, zinc, magnesium, S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe), vitamin D, and amino acids. Lead author Dr. Jerome Sarris writes, “While the determinants of mental health are complex, the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a key factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that nutrition is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology.”
Quick question: do you know anyone who isn’t interested in reducing the stress in their life? We’ll give you a minute. Still thinking? That’s what we thought! There aren’t too many of us who couldn’t benefit from reducing the stress in our daily lives. Between family, work, and the latest political thread on social media, the stress can be overwhelming! Chronic everyday stress can also significantly impact our brains and bodies, causing everything from fatigue and depression to debilitating headaches.
Why it Matters:
Headaches caused by stress are often classified as tension-type headaches. Pain at the base of the skull that starts in the neck and wraps around to the front of the head is common with tension headaches. Research has shown that Chiropractic adjustments effectively treat and correct the cause of these headaches, providing both relief from symptoms and lasting results. In fact, in addition to reducing tension in the muscles supporting your neck, adjustments can also improve your range of motion and reduce your overall feeling of stress. This unique combination of benefits is why millions of people rely on Chiropractic care to help them find relief.
Chronic stress can contribute to tension headaches.
Chiropractic care is one of the best ways to reduce stress on your musculoskeletal system and spine.
Adjustments have been shown to reduce the frequency, severity, and intensity of tension headaches.
Next Steps:
You don’t necessarily need to make drastic changes to your life to reduce your daily stress level. Picking up a new hobby, taking a few minutes to read before bed, or enjoying a relaxing activity like yoga can all help. If you would like to discover even more ways to help reduce your daily stress, we invite you to attend our complimentary workshop coming up soon. We’ll be covering everything you need to know to reduce stress and end your headaches now!
Science Source(s):
Do Manual Therapy Techniques Have a Positive Effect on Quality of Life in People with Tension-Type Headache? A Randomized Controlled Trial. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. February 2016
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.
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.
Ergonomics is the study of the posture and positioning of your body. It sounds pretty boring until you consider that millions of people are suffering from headaches every day that are related to their posture! Whether it’s an assembly line, a computer, a tablet, or your phone, you’re likely spending a lot of time looking down. Research has found that up to 20 pounds of pressure is placed on the neck for every inch the chin extends forward or down. This increased pressure can irritate the tissues of the neck leading to everything from premature degenerative changes to chronic headaches.
Why it Matters:
Maintaining a healthy posture not only helps reduce the stress and pressure on the spinal joints of your neck, it also helps dramatically reduce your headaches. The first step in regaining proper posture is to establish normal motion. This is why Chiropractic adjustments are likely to become your new best friend! Our care is focused on finding the areas of your spine that aren’t moving correctly and gently helping them regain their normal range of motion. After we’ve worked with you to restore proper movement, we can then focus on strengthening the muscles that support your neck and back. This personalized type of care is how we’ve been able to help many people (just like you!) establish better posture and reduce the frequency and severity of their headaches.
Every inch of forward head posture adds up to 20 lbs. of pressure on your neck.
This added pressure can contribute to tension headaches.
Research has shown that Chiropractic care can dramatically improve your posture and, in turn, reduce your headaches.
Next Steps:
Take a look around your workstation the next time you’re at the office. Is it set up in a way that’s ergonomically correct? If not, or if you’re not sure, just let us know! We would be happy to set up a time to come to your office, evaluate your workplace, and share our specific recommendations to help keep you and everyone you work with feeling great!
Science Source(s):
Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Volume 34, Number 5. 2011
Efficacy of Manual and Manipulative Therapy in the Perception of Pain and Cervical Motion in Patients with Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. (2014) 13, 4-13
For many women, monthly menstruation means monthly migraines. In addition to hormone changes, your diet, physical activity and stress levels all contribute to this pattern. While pregnancy and menopause are two ways to eliminate these types of headaches, we also have a few more practical ways to find relief!
Why it Matters:
New research recommends Chiropractic adjustments as part of an evidence-based approach to reducing the pain associated with migraine headaches. Regular adjustments can both help reduce the stress on the muscles that support your neck and improve your range of motion. By keeping active, reducing your stress, maintaining enough hydration, and staying well adjusted, you’ll give your body the best opportunity to manage those monthly hormonal changes and take the first step towards ending your migraine headaches!
Hormonal changes cause monthly migraines for millions of women.
Stress has been shown to have a significant impact on hormonal balance.
Adjustments are recommended as an evidence-based approach to reducing both migraine headaches and overall levels of stress.
Next Steps:
Did you suffer from migraine headaches before coming into our practice? If so, stop by the front desk and let us know! Sharing your journey and how Chiropractic care helped you find relief may inspire someone else in our community to take action and find a natural solution to their headaches.
Science Source(s):
Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Volume 34, Number 5. 2011
Diet: Follow the Mediterranean Diet to Lower Stroke Risk.
New research suggests that the Mediterranean diet may reduce an individual’s risk of ischemic stroke. The Mediterranean diet includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, and olive oil, with limits on red meat, sweets, saturated fats, butter, and full-fat dairy products. Study author Dr. Paul Wright writes, “Overall, there is strong evidence, based on this study, that strict adherence to a Mediterranean diet significantly reduces stroke risk.”
A lateral ankle sprain (LAS) occurs when you twist or roll your ankle inward.This can happen by walking/running on an uneven surface, stepping on someone else’s foot, pivoting or changing direction during sport.The severity of the sprain can range from mild to severe.
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Structures involved
Usually, this abrupt inward ankle twist or roll will lead to a stretch or a tear, partial or complete, of the lateral ligament complex of your ankle. In the very moment preceding the sprain, your ankle muscles will tend to protect you with a forceful contraction. Sometimes, this can lead to muscle spasms and/or a small bone fracture where the muscle attaches to your foot.The peroneal nerve and the ligaments of your foot may also be overstretched during a lateral ankle sprain.
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Signs & Symptoms that you may experience
Everyone will react differently after an injury and recovery will depend on the severity of the sprain. LAS can cause but is not limited to, pain, difficulty in weight-bearing activities, swelling, ecchymosis, pins & needles.
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Recovery
The severity of the sprain, your rehabilitation plan, your health status, your fitness level and your nutrition affect recovery time. Generally, you can expect to fully recover from a lateral ankle sprain.
Relative rest is a good way to protect your ankle against further damage, but it is important to avoid overprotecting your injury. A few days rest might be necessary, but returning to progressive loading during your activities of daily living, non-painful light cardiovascular exercise and balance exercise will allow better recovery.
Rehabilitation
Follow your practitioner’s advice. It will help you manage the different phases of the recovery process and will increase the likelihood of successful rehabilitation. Your practitioner will assist you during your rehabilitation program in order to regain your normal range of motion, strength and endurance, balance and functional status.
▶ WHAT TO AVOID
Don’t rely on passive treatment only. Each phase of the rehabilitation process is important. Patients that are actively involved in their treatment plan tend to recover faster. Keep in mind that pain is not always a good indicator of tissue damage as severe pain doesn’t necessarily mean a severe injury. As soon as you feel better and the pain is well managed in collaboration with your therapist, you should reintroduce light exercises as tolerated.
If you’re into Crossfit, then you know how addicting it can become. The mix of high-intensity interval training with a little competition can help you stay motivated and make amazing changes to your body. The key to success is staying consistent with your workouts, but it can be challenging if you start to suffer injuries.
Why it Matters:
Injuries can often occur when your body doesn’t have the correct balance of strength and flexibility. Muscles tears, sprain and strains, and even painful arthritic changes can flare up by either lifting too much weight or by not having enough flexibility to support that weight through a full range of motion. So, here a few tips to reduce the likelihood of injuries:
Take a few minutes to stretch before and after your workout.
Increase the weight you lift slowly and focus on reps vs. max weight.
Use good posture and ergonomics during your workouts. Don’t “cheat” and increase your risk of an injury
Next Steps:
Researchers have discovered that a combination of proper warm up/cool down, a full range of motion and progressive intensity training can help reduce injuries when strength training. One of the most effective ways to improve your spinal mobility and flexibility is through Chiropractic care. Adjustments to your spine and extremities have been shown to increase their range of motion and may help you find that perfect balance of strength and flexibility.
Science Source(s):
Short-term effect of spinal manipulation on pain perception, spinal mobility, and full height recovery in male subjects with degenerative disk disease: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2014
Progressive resistance strength training and the related injuries in older adults: the susceptibility of the shoulder. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 2014
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Aberdeen Chiropractic 