Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Health Tips of the Week - Workplace Ergonomics
Lifting -
1. When lifting from the floor, keep your back straight and lift with the legs. Do not bend over at the waist and lift with the muscles of the low back. Your body is more easily injured in this position.
2. Keep the object being lifted close to your body.
3. Keep your elbows flexed.
4. Keep your head up and your neck straight as you lift.
At the computer -
1. Don't move the mouse with just your wrist. Use your entire arm and shoulder.
2. Don't rest your arm on the edge of the desk while manipulating the mouse.
3. Hold the mouse loosely.
4. Keep your wrist relaxed. Don't hole it up or down; instead, hold it in a neutral (straight) position.
5. Move away from the mouse several times per hour and move your wrists, arms, and shoulders around.
From Healthy Living, JACA Online, July 2007
1. When lifting from the floor, keep your back straight and lift with the legs. Do not bend over at the waist and lift with the muscles of the low back. Your body is more easily injured in this position.
2. Keep the object being lifted close to your body.
3. Keep your elbows flexed.
4. Keep your head up and your neck straight as you lift.
At the computer -
1. Don't move the mouse with just your wrist. Use your entire arm and shoulder.
2. Don't rest your arm on the edge of the desk while manipulating the mouse.
3. Hold the mouse loosely.
4. Keep your wrist relaxed. Don't hole it up or down; instead, hold it in a neutral (straight) position.
5. Move away from the mouse several times per hour and move your wrists, arms, and shoulders around.
From Healthy Living, JACA Online, July 2007
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Green Books
You may have noticed that I recently began posting a BJ's Though Of The Week. Who is this BJ, and why does he have a thought of the week? Let's look at a little chiropractic history today.
In 1895 DD Palmer delivered the first chiropractic adjustment to Harvey Lillard in Davenport, IA. At the time, DD was a "magnetic healer". Mr. Lillard was a janitor in the building in which DD practiced, and was deaf. I'm not sure the exact circumstances, but somehow DD decided to adjust Mr. Lillard, and his hearing returned. DD thought that there must be something to this! He spent the rest of his days exploring the relationship of the spinal column to health. In 1897 he founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA. This is now known as Palmer College of Chiropractic, and is where went to school!
BJ Palmer is the son of DD. Where DD Palmer is known as the founder of chiropractic, BJ is known as the developer. Under BJ's leadership, chiropractic developed into the profession it is today. BJ had a very strong personality, and was quite eccentric. This led to great successes, and also great controversies. He had several fallings out with people within the chiropractic profession, including his own father. At various times he was a very staunch advocate for different chiropractic techniques, methods, and orginizations.
BJ owned several radio stations at the time when radio was the dominant media format. Incidentially, one of the radio stations he owned was WOC (which stands for Wonders Of Chiropractic), where a young Ronald Reagan worked! He was a renowned world traveler who had a very large collection of artifacts. If you are ever in Davenport, IA, be sure to check out the Palmer Mansion, in which is contained several of these artifacts. You can see his eccentricity when touring his former home.
The green books are the writings of both DD and BJ Palmer. BJ was a very prolific writer, and the main author of these green books. This is from where BJ's Though Of The Week comes.
He was a great lover of quippy quotes and covered almost the entire school in provokative thoughts. To this day some of these still exist on the wall of the college! I hope you continue to enjoy some of BJ's thoughts. Here's one for the road-
"Many a man has the eyesight of a hawk and the vision of a clam."
In 1895 DD Palmer delivered the first chiropractic adjustment to Harvey Lillard in Davenport, IA. At the time, DD was a "magnetic healer". Mr. Lillard was a janitor in the building in which DD practiced, and was deaf. I'm not sure the exact circumstances, but somehow DD decided to adjust Mr. Lillard, and his hearing returned. DD thought that there must be something to this! He spent the rest of his days exploring the relationship of the spinal column to health. In 1897 he founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA. This is now known as Palmer College of Chiropractic, and is where went to school!
BJ Palmer is the son of DD. Where DD Palmer is known as the founder of chiropractic, BJ is known as the developer. Under BJ's leadership, chiropractic developed into the profession it is today. BJ had a very strong personality, and was quite eccentric. This led to great successes, and also great controversies. He had several fallings out with people within the chiropractic profession, including his own father. At various times he was a very staunch advocate for different chiropractic techniques, methods, and orginizations.
BJ owned several radio stations at the time when radio was the dominant media format. Incidentially, one of the radio stations he owned was WOC (which stands for Wonders Of Chiropractic), where a young Ronald Reagan worked! He was a renowned world traveler who had a very large collection of artifacts. If you are ever in Davenport, IA, be sure to check out the Palmer Mansion, in which is contained several of these artifacts. You can see his eccentricity when touring his former home.
The green books are the writings of both DD and BJ Palmer. BJ was a very prolific writer, and the main author of these green books. This is from where BJ's Though Of The Week comes.
He was a great lover of quippy quotes and covered almost the entire school in provokative thoughts. To this day some of these still exist on the wall of the college! I hope you continue to enjoy some of BJ's thoughts. Here's one for the road-
"Many a man has the eyesight of a hawk and the vision of a clam."
Monday, July 14, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Cholesterol and Kids
Have you seen the recent news? It seems that the medical community is pondering the use of cholesterol drugs for children. This just absolutely blows my mind. The fact that kids today are, as a percentage, much more overweight than in generations past is indisputible. Along with this, obviously, would come elevated levels of cholesterol. The two are linked. Now, before we jump right to using drugs to control cholesterol, let's think about what is causing this.
Barring some type of legitimate medical condition, there are two basic things that cause you to be overweight; lack of exercise and eating too much/the wrong foods. It's that simple. If we want kids to have lower cholesterol levels, we need to get them exercising and eating right. Maybe as parents we should be mandating time playing outside instead of in front of the computer or tv. Maybe we should be feeding our kids nutritious, home cooked meals instead of fast food because it's convenient. IT'S THAT SIMPLE! Now some may think I am over simplifying this issue, but really, at its core, isn't this what it boils down to.
Instead of using drugs to control cholesterol in our kids, let's tackle this problem at its cause. It takes all of us, as individual parents to take responsibility for our own kids. Anything we can do to keep our kids from being medicated (and avoiding drugs effects and side effects) and keeping them naturally healthy is a good thing. Don't you agree?
Barring some type of legitimate medical condition, there are two basic things that cause you to be overweight; lack of exercise and eating too much/the wrong foods. It's that simple. If we want kids to have lower cholesterol levels, we need to get them exercising and eating right. Maybe as parents we should be mandating time playing outside instead of in front of the computer or tv. Maybe we should be feeding our kids nutritious, home cooked meals instead of fast food because it's convenient. IT'S THAT SIMPLE! Now some may think I am over simplifying this issue, but really, at its core, isn't this what it boils down to.
Instead of using drugs to control cholesterol in our kids, let's tackle this problem at its cause. It takes all of us, as individual parents to take responsibility for our own kids. Anything we can do to keep our kids from being medicated (and avoiding drugs effects and side effects) and keeping them naturally healthy is a good thing. Don't you agree?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Dehydration Warning Signs and Overhydration
Continuing yesterdays article, what are some signs and symptoms of dehydration? Mild to moderate dehydration symptoms include dry, sticky mouth, strong thirst, fatigue, less urine than normal, weakness, headache and lightheadedness. If any of these are present, you are experiencing initial stages of dehydration and it is important to immediately start replacing bodily fluids.
Extreme dehydration symptoms include extreme thirst, low blood pressure with a rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes, lack of sweating when exercising or in heat, inability to urinate, fever, even delerium or unconsciousness in extreme cases. Extreme dehydration is a medical emergency and should be treated as such.
As we discussed yesterday, it is difficult to know how much water/fluids you should consume in a day. There is a way in which you can monitor your fluid intake to assure you are getting enough. Look at your urine. It should be clear or light yellow means that you're getting enough water. If it is dark yellow or amber you are likely dehydrated.
It is possible to over hydrate. This leads to a condition called hyponatremia. This is most often seen in endurance athletes, who consume only water and do not replace lost electrolytes. Some symptoms of this include light-headedness or mild vertigo, altered personality, disorientation, convulsions, and shock. In extreme cases, coma and even death are a possibility. Keep in mind that this is exceedingly rare, and should really only be a concern if you are an endurance athlete, or have diarrhea or vomiting. If this is the case, be sure to consume something that will replace lost electrolytes along with the fluid lost.
Extreme dehydration symptoms include extreme thirst, low blood pressure with a rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes, lack of sweating when exercising or in heat, inability to urinate, fever, even delerium or unconsciousness in extreme cases. Extreme dehydration is a medical emergency and should be treated as such.
As we discussed yesterday, it is difficult to know how much water/fluids you should consume in a day. There is a way in which you can monitor your fluid intake to assure you are getting enough. Look at your urine. It should be clear or light yellow means that you're getting enough water. If it is dark yellow or amber you are likely dehydrated.
It is possible to over hydrate. This leads to a condition called hyponatremia. This is most often seen in endurance athletes, who consume only water and do not replace lost electrolytes. Some symptoms of this include light-headedness or mild vertigo, altered personality, disorientation, convulsions, and shock. In extreme cases, coma and even death are a possibility. Keep in mind that this is exceedingly rare, and should really only be a concern if you are an endurance athlete, or have diarrhea or vomiting. If this is the case, be sure to consume something that will replace lost electrolytes along with the fluid lost.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Importance of Proper Hydration
We're getting into the dog days of summer, when the days are long and hot. Keeping yourself properly hydrated is important year round, but drinking enough water is particularly important this time of year. Here are some of the reasons why.
What are some of the basic things that water does in your body? It transports nutrients and wastes, helps to regulate your temperature, aids digestion, cushions and protects organs, and accounts for 70-75% of your total body weight. Without water, we would die in less than a week!
We lose a LOT of water everyday just through our normal activities. Replenishment of this water is the key to avoiding dehydration. How do you know how much water to drink everyday to replace what is lost? There is not an exact formula for this, but there are some recommendations that can be useful. First, forget about the 8 glasses of water per day rule. This just doesn't make sense in that it isn't very specific. For example, how big is the glass? What about size differences between males and females, and between individuals? What about kids? What about water found in other beverages and foods?
As a starting point, females should get about 90 oz. of water per day, while men should get about 125 oz.. As an example of the amount of water this is, just for a bit of perspective, that would be about 7 1/2 12 oz. bottles of water for a woman, and 10 1/2 for a man. Of course, this water does not come from water alone. It can be found in different foods and drinks that we consume throughout the day. Just be careful not to consume too many diuretics (things that make you pee) because this can actually cause you to lose more water than you gain. Some common diuretics include coffee, caffeinated soda, beer, and even chocolate.
You've got your general starting point for how much water needs to be replaced daily in your body. What factors can affect this number? Hot days can cause you to sweat more, meaning you need to replace more fluids. Exercising can cause you to lose as much as a quart of water per hour. This will obviously need to be replaced. As I stated above it's difficult if not impossible to calculate an exact amount of water you need to drink. Be in tune with your body and pay attention to any signs of impending dehydration.
Later this week I'll discuss dehydration signs, symptoms and strategies.
What are some of the basic things that water does in your body? It transports nutrients and wastes, helps to regulate your temperature, aids digestion, cushions and protects organs, and accounts for 70-75% of your total body weight. Without water, we would die in less than a week!
We lose a LOT of water everyday just through our normal activities. Replenishment of this water is the key to avoiding dehydration. How do you know how much water to drink everyday to replace what is lost? There is not an exact formula for this, but there are some recommendations that can be useful. First, forget about the 8 glasses of water per day rule. This just doesn't make sense in that it isn't very specific. For example, how big is the glass? What about size differences between males and females, and between individuals? What about kids? What about water found in other beverages and foods?
As a starting point, females should get about 90 oz. of water per day, while men should get about 125 oz.. As an example of the amount of water this is, just for a bit of perspective, that would be about 7 1/2 12 oz. bottles of water for a woman, and 10 1/2 for a man. Of course, this water does not come from water alone. It can be found in different foods and drinks that we consume throughout the day. Just be careful not to consume too many diuretics (things that make you pee) because this can actually cause you to lose more water than you gain. Some common diuretics include coffee, caffeinated soda, beer, and even chocolate.
You've got your general starting point for how much water needs to be replaced daily in your body. What factors can affect this number? Hot days can cause you to sweat more, meaning you need to replace more fluids. Exercising can cause you to lose as much as a quart of water per hour. This will obviously need to be replaced. As I stated above it's difficult if not impossible to calculate an exact amount of water you need to drink. Be in tune with your body and pay attention to any signs of impending dehydration.
Later this week I'll discuss dehydration signs, symptoms and strategies.
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