"Most over-the-counter and almost all prescribed drug treatments merely mask symptoms or control health problems or in some way alter the way organs or systems such as the circulatory system work. Drugs almost never deal with the reasons why these problems exist, while they frequently create new health problems and side effects of their activities."
-John R. Lee, M.D.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Keeping Your Brain in Shape
Being a doctor of chiropractic, I spend so much of my time helping people get and keep their bodies healthy and in shape. We all know the importance of keeping our bodies fit. What about our brains? Keeping our brains healthy not only helps us now, but can help us age in a healthy way. So what can we do to keep our brains in shape?
First, get out and be social. Keeping involved with family and friends helps us avoid cognitive decline sometimes associated with aging. You can accomplish this by getting out and involved in your community. Have a hobby that you enjoy? Join a group that enjoys the same hobby. Into politics? Help out your favorite candidate by volunteering. There are tons of ways that you can get out and meet people, keeping your brain active.
Do activities that really challenge your brain. Activities that require concentration and logical thinking keep your brain in tip-top shape. Do crossword puzzles, sudoku, and logic puzzles regularly. These are found everyday in the paper (reading the paper is good for your brain too!) and there are tons of free websites that offer these daily. Just google it!
Keep in mind that your brain, while quite unique, is still another organ in your body. Therefore, what keeps your body healthy also helps to keep your brain healthy. Regular exercise increases blood flow throughout your body, including your brain. Your blood carries the nutrients that your brain and body needs to regenerate old cells. The more blood flow, the more nutrients available to keep you healthy. Also, supply what your brain needs through a healthy diet. Brain healthy foods include dark-colored vegetables, colorful fruits, and fish. Be sure to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids also.
With a little work, it's possible to keep your brain healthy and young for your entire lifetime!
First, get out and be social. Keeping involved with family and friends helps us avoid cognitive decline sometimes associated with aging. You can accomplish this by getting out and involved in your community. Have a hobby that you enjoy? Join a group that enjoys the same hobby. Into politics? Help out your favorite candidate by volunteering. There are tons of ways that you can get out and meet people, keeping your brain active.
Do activities that really challenge your brain. Activities that require concentration and logical thinking keep your brain in tip-top shape. Do crossword puzzles, sudoku, and logic puzzles regularly. These are found everyday in the paper (reading the paper is good for your brain too!) and there are tons of free websites that offer these daily. Just google it!
Keep in mind that your brain, while quite unique, is still another organ in your body. Therefore, what keeps your body healthy also helps to keep your brain healthy. Regular exercise increases blood flow throughout your body, including your brain. Your blood carries the nutrients that your brain and body needs to regenerate old cells. The more blood flow, the more nutrients available to keep you healthy. Also, supply what your brain needs through a healthy diet. Brain healthy foods include dark-colored vegetables, colorful fruits, and fish. Be sure to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids also.
With a little work, it's possible to keep your brain healthy and young for your entire lifetime!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thought Of The Week
"People can see the premature wear and tear on their car's tires that occurs if the wheels are misaligned, yet the same holds true for the human body if the spine is misaligned."
-Robert Blaich, D.C.
-Robert Blaich, D.C.
Golf Tips
Did anyone see the U.S. Open this weekend? As I write this it is still going! Tiger's performance on Saturday was incredible, and got me thinking, what can you do to improve your golf game. Here's a golf specific exercise program that can get you onto the (cart) path to improving your game.
Develop strength. Getting stronger gives you the ability to hit the ball further, which, when paired with accuracy will lower your score. Looking at a golf swing, most people believe that you need to strengthen your arms to hit the ball further. This can help a little, but to really get greater distance, you should focus on your core. With a biomechanically proper golf swing your core muscles are what generates the power. Do some core strengthening exercises 2-3 times per week, one set, 8-15 reps per set.
Cardiovascular endurance. Golfing requires a lot of walking, and sustained concentration, often for four hours or more. Playing golf, however, is not necessarily an aerobic exercise, which is what is needed to improve your cardiovascular endurance. Try biking, running, stair-stepping, even sustained walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping will help you improve your cardiovascular endurance. Try this two to three times per week and watch your ability to keep your high energy level and stay focused throughout your rounds improve.
Flexibility. A biomechanically correct golf swing involves motion in a ton of joints, from your ankles to your wrists and everything in between. Having a decreased range of motion, or decreased flexibility in just one of the multitude of joints involved can cause other joints to have to compensate. This leads to decreased performance and increased susceptibility to injury. To increase flexibility try to do 5 minutes of stretching every day. Warm up before you stretch, and focus on your shoulders, trunk, low back, legs, arms and hands.
Warm up. Before beginning a round of golf, be sure to warm up. Take a brisk 5 minute walk before teeing off. This gets the blood flowing and muscles ready for the task at hand. Do some stretches (the same ones that you do during the week) to warm up your muscles. Remember also that golf is not a sport where there is constant motion, so you may need to stretch every few holes to keep your muscles from tightening up.
Your bag. Try pulling your bag instead of carrying it. Having a heavy bag on your back for four hours can put a lot of pressure on your spine, causing pain and disc problems. Also, riding in a cart can bounce you around quite a bit, putting additional stress on your spine.
Hydrate. Drink lots of WATER to prevent fatigue and lapses in concentration. Drinking alcohol dehydrates you further, and puts you at much greater risk for injury.
Good luck on the course!
Develop strength. Getting stronger gives you the ability to hit the ball further, which, when paired with accuracy will lower your score. Looking at a golf swing, most people believe that you need to strengthen your arms to hit the ball further. This can help a little, but to really get greater distance, you should focus on your core. With a biomechanically proper golf swing your core muscles are what generates the power. Do some core strengthening exercises 2-3 times per week, one set, 8-15 reps per set.
Cardiovascular endurance. Golfing requires a lot of walking, and sustained concentration, often for four hours or more. Playing golf, however, is not necessarily an aerobic exercise, which is what is needed to improve your cardiovascular endurance. Try biking, running, stair-stepping, even sustained walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping will help you improve your cardiovascular endurance. Try this two to three times per week and watch your ability to keep your high energy level and stay focused throughout your rounds improve.
Flexibility. A biomechanically correct golf swing involves motion in a ton of joints, from your ankles to your wrists and everything in between. Having a decreased range of motion, or decreased flexibility in just one of the multitude of joints involved can cause other joints to have to compensate. This leads to decreased performance and increased susceptibility to injury. To increase flexibility try to do 5 minutes of stretching every day. Warm up before you stretch, and focus on your shoulders, trunk, low back, legs, arms and hands.
Warm up. Before beginning a round of golf, be sure to warm up. Take a brisk 5 minute walk before teeing off. This gets the blood flowing and muscles ready for the task at hand. Do some stretches (the same ones that you do during the week) to warm up your muscles. Remember also that golf is not a sport where there is constant motion, so you may need to stretch every few holes to keep your muscles from tightening up.
Your bag. Try pulling your bag instead of carrying it. Having a heavy bag on your back for four hours can put a lot of pressure on your spine, causing pain and disc problems. Also, riding in a cart can bounce you around quite a bit, putting additional stress on your spine.
Hydrate. Drink lots of WATER to prevent fatigue and lapses in concentration. Drinking alcohol dehydrates you further, and puts you at much greater risk for injury.
Good luck on the course!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Thought Of The Week
"A man may esteem himself happy when that which is his food is also his medicine."
-Henry David Thoreau
-Henry David Thoreau
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Summer Travel Tips
It's that time of year again. The kids are out of school and you're planning on piling everyone into the family car for vacation. Whether you're going to the Grand Canyon or Disneyland, getting there is half the fun;). Those long trips can take a real toll on your body. Here are some tips to keep you from developing those aches and pains that can pop up after hours in the car.
First, warm up and cool down just as you would with any athletic activity. Take a brisk walk before and after those long stretches. This keep circulation healthy and your muscles stretched out.
The best position for driving is as close to the steering wheel as is comfortably possible, with your knees slightly higher than your hips. Use a back support if possible, to help reduce low back pain. Contract and relax your muscles, starting with your toes and going one by one all the way up your body. This will keep blood circulating throughout your body. (Keep your hand on the wheel and eyes on the road as you do this!)
One of the best strategies to keep in mind is CHANGE! To help you avoid headaches, occasionally change your focal point on the road. Adjusting your seat position every 30 minutes to 1 hour changes where the stress on your body is, giving the areas already stressed time to recover. Change your grip on the steering wheel at about the same intervals or sooner, which will help to relieve fatigue in the hand, wrists and arms and improve circulation.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take rest breaks. Warm up/cool down every time you stop. Keep in mind the possible consequences of fatigue and stress on not only yourself, but your passengers.
Have a safe and happy summer travel season!
First, warm up and cool down just as you would with any athletic activity. Take a brisk walk before and after those long stretches. This keep circulation healthy and your muscles stretched out.
The best position for driving is as close to the steering wheel as is comfortably possible, with your knees slightly higher than your hips. Use a back support if possible, to help reduce low back pain. Contract and relax your muscles, starting with your toes and going one by one all the way up your body. This will keep blood circulating throughout your body. (Keep your hand on the wheel and eyes on the road as you do this!)
One of the best strategies to keep in mind is CHANGE! To help you avoid headaches, occasionally change your focal point on the road. Adjusting your seat position every 30 minutes to 1 hour changes where the stress on your body is, giving the areas already stressed time to recover. Change your grip on the steering wheel at about the same intervals or sooner, which will help to relieve fatigue in the hand, wrists and arms and improve circulation.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take rest breaks. Warm up/cool down every time you stop. Keep in mind the possible consequences of fatigue and stress on not only yourself, but your passengers.
Have a safe and happy summer travel season!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Thought Of The Week
"Most over-the-counter and almost all prescribed drug treatments merely mask symptoms or control health problems or in some way alter the way organs or systems such as the circulatory system work. Drugs almost never deal with the reasons why these problems exist, while they frequently create new health problems as side effects of their activities."
-John R. Lee, M.D.
-John R. Lee, M.D.
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