Walking and cycling plus low-emission vehicles may reduce future disease burden, researchers say
(HealthDay News) — Encouraging city dwellers to walk and bicycle instead of using cars would offer much greater public health benefits than increased used of low-emission vehicles, U.K. researchers have found.
The study compared the projected health effects in 2030 of alternative urban land transport scenarios for London, England, and Delhi, India: business-as-usual (no greenhouse gas reduction policies); motor vehicles with lower carbon emissions; increased walking and cycling (active travel) plus less motor vehicle traffic; and a combination of increased walking/cycling and low-emission vehicles.
In both cities, reductions in carbon dioxide emissions achieved through increased active travel and less use of motor vehicles offered much greater health benefits than increased use of low-emission vehicles. The benefit was over 40 times greater in London and over seven times greater in Delhi. The greatest health benefits would be achieved by combining active travel and increased use of low-emission vehicles, according to the report published online Nov. 27 in The Lancet. Read more…
It probably goes without saying that as we age our body doesn’t feel or respond the same way as it did when we were younger. It hardly seems right that our body seems to become less “cooperative,” while our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; certain activities during the day make us sore in the evening; and, if we’re not truly careful, even something as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped object, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. The good news is that there is natural treatment available that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.
Take arthritis for instance. To be sure, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine does little to take care of this age-related challenge. What is the reason? It is because most medical doctors are only concerned with the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic method is to uncover the cause of the problem and relieve the pain at its source. For over a hundred years, chiropractors, like your Santa Clara Chiropractor, have been caring for people suffering from back pain and other challenges created by arthritic changes in the musculoskeletal system.
Arthritic changes take place as your body ages because, over time, degeneration of certain joints takes place as the result of repetitive stresses, and years of incorrect gait, improper posture, and insufficient movement. Chiropractic treatment reestablishes motion in your joints and relieves pain, and it corrects any vertebral misalignment that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition, did you know that misaligned vertebra, along with causing arthritic changes in the spine and escalating pain, can also weaker your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this could be one of the reasons why it may seem to you that as you age you experience more health problems and that it frequently takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. To put it another way, as you get older, chiropractic care is good for what ails you!
Chiropractors are highly proficient when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of a mature adult. Your chiropractor understands the aging process and has singular observational and diagnostic skills that help in locating spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can often reveal certain age-related changes before they’ve had a chance to create noticeable pain. Moreover, your Santa Clara Chiropractor can assess your posture and check your gait to determine if there are any incorrect patterns that might create further arthritic changes.
So, if you have been feeling your age lately, but you’d like to feel a whole lot better, call your Santa Clara Chiropractor today!
If you are a regular food label reader, did you know that even the most diligent scanning can still result in food reactions? If you have problems with gluten or dairy, those supposed gluten-free and dairy-free foods still may have some type of enzyme or chemical derived from the very types of food you are trying to circumvent. Because of this issue, the FDA is devising a number of standardized definitions for the description of foods so that you will be able to tell what each ingredient is.
Food labeling is necessary to comply with the law. Any major food allergy triggers must be clearly displayed on the packaging if it contains any ingredient or derivative of the ingredient. While the foods may not contain the actual allergic ingredient, if the food is made in the same manufacturing plant as another product that does create food products with those allergens, there is a possibility of cross contamination. The food labels must clearly state this scenario as well. For instance, cookies may have a food label saying they contain no nuts but other cookies in the factory may be baked with nuts and so the label must indicate the possibility.
How to read food labels
It is smart to read food labels, but you must be more aware of the variety of ways ingredients can be described, especially if they are derivatives of foods you are allergic to. Here are some important aspects to keep an eye out for:
Even if it is a product you have purchased for years, read the food packaging. Sometimes, food manufacturers change the production process or modify ingredients without any type of warning. It is important, therefore, to always read food labels, even for those “tried and true” go-to safe products.
Please note that food labels that proclaim it is free of something like “dairy-free” are not always accurate. These proclamations are not regulated by the government and therefore these food products could still have minute amounts of the supposedly absent ingredient. For example, powdered creamers for drinks sometimes mention they are dairy-free but there is usually a powdered form of some type of milk derivative.
Keep an eye out for food packaging that says something like “may contain” on its label. This possible claim covers manufacturers in the event of a consumer has an allergic reaction but it can be quite a nuisance for you when shopping for safe foods. This “may contain” phrase basically means that your supposedly safe food product could have been contaminated by an allergen. Any manufacturer that uses nuts for some products but not for others uses this proclamation quite a bit.
Some food labels are a bit nebulous. Is it safe to take a chance on a food product with “may contain” on the label? Is there any way to avoid these foods altogether? When food allergies are mild, you can probably chance it and be ok. However, if you have a life threatening allergy or one that makes you completely miserable, it can be tough to shop for food. This ambiguous food labeling is the very thing the FDA is trying to remedy.
The best thing to do is avoid anything suspect and purchase only fresh foods that have not seen the inside of a factory. Look to internet grocers that cater to people with severe allergies and only market safely manufactured foods. Health food stores are good options to shop in. However, the only way to be absolutely certain about your food is to read food labels diligently.
Comparison of plans finds differences in mood despite similar weight loss
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
(HealthDay News) — Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year.
But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood, according to a study in the Nov. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
People on both diets consumed roughly the same number of calories.
"Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals," explained study author Grant D. Brinkworth, a research scientist with the food and nutritional sciences division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Adelaide, Australia.
Even a slight elevation was linked to coronary artery calcification in study
(HealthDay News) — Elevated blood levels of phosphorus are associated with a higher risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers say.
They studied the link between phosphorus levels and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in nearly 900 healthy adults in the Spokane Heart Study, a long-term investigation of heart disease risk factors. CAC is an early sign of hardening of the arteries.
At the start of the study, 28 percent of participants had CAC. After six years of follow-up, another 33 percent had developed CAC, and the level of CAC increased among those who already had the condition. Read more…
Yummy Wrap
The Almost Gourmet Quickie Veggie Wrap
This is my quickie go-to lunch many days. It comes together in just a few short minutes if you have all of your veggies washed and prepped ahead of time. I like to slice my veggies while I am assembling the wrap, but you could certainly slice them in advance if you are crunched for time, or even make the wrap ahead of time, and store it in plastic wrap. It is extremely filling and nutritious. I also adjust the amount of veggies by my hunger level – adding more if I am starving or less if I am not incredibly hungry.
If you want to add more protein, you can absolutely add some chicken/turkey breast, salmon, tuna, etc.
Ingredients
- Half of a gigantic whole wheat tortilla
- 1 tbsp of garlic and chive chevre (goat cheese)
- Cucumbers, sliced in long thin strips
- Red, green, orange, and yellow peppers sliced in long thin strips
- Carrots, sliced in long thin strips
- Beets, sliced in long thin strips
- Green onion, chopped
- Handful of sprouts
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Lay tortilla out on a flat surface.
- Spread goat cheese evenly across tortilla.
- Pile on the veggies. I typically organize them from heaviest items on the bottom to lightest on the top, to make it easier to handle.
- Finish with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Close wrap and secure with a toothpick if needed.
- Serve.
Study: Those Who Suffer From Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) Find Relief Through Tai Chi Practice
Knee X-ray
A new study conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine has determined that patients 65 years of age and over who’ve been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, enhanced their physical capability and encountered less pain. Osteoarthritis is a prevalent form of arthritis that causes a wearing away of joint cartilage. Chiropractors provide therapy for many men and women suffering from OA in a number of places in the body, including the knee joints. Second only to spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most prevalent afflictions of the musculoskeletal system. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are an astounding 4.3 million people in this country over age 60 diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC predicts that half of the people in America may suffer from symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. Knee osteoarthritis results in pain, mobility limitations, dysfunction and disability, and a reduced quality of life.
Why do so many people develop OA? As with nearly all of the musculoskeletal dysfunctions that we develop as we age, undue stress to a joint over the years is a major element. That is why as people get older they are more susceptible to developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect function of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and repetitive use of the knee joint all produce undue stress on the knees. Eventually arthritic changes in the knee joint occur. Most chiropractors suggest such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, in combination with their chiropractic care. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that generate mental relaxation, as well as increased balance, an augmentation of strength, and improved flexibility.
Though in good health otherwise, the 40 adults with confirmed OA that were selected for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Patients were randomly picked to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi practice involves the kind of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is consistent with contemporary exercise recommendations for osteoarthritis. As an added benefit, researchers observed that the “mental feature” of Tai Chi promoted a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and impressions of health that helped the participants to deal differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi exhibited a substantial decrease in knee pain.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Lose More Weight!
Living With Less TV, More Sweat Boosts Weight Loss
Home environment plays role in effort to drop pounds, experts say
(HealthDay News) — If you want to lose weight, exercise and diet are crucial. But a new study says other factors appear to play a role, too — including the number of TVs in your house and the presence of exercise equipment.
“The home environment really came out as a stronger factor than we would have anticipated,” Suzanne Phelan, assistant professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University and lead author of the new study, said in a news release.
Phelan and colleagues looked at the results of surveys of 167 people who lost a big chunk of their body weight — at least 10 percent — and managed to keep the pounds at bay for five or more years. The researchers compared this group to two other groups of people who were overweight or obese.
The researchers investigated what set the weight-losers apart from the others, and published their findings in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Read more…
Diabetes News
Americans Get Failing Grade on Diabetes Awareness
Survey finds abundant myths about debilitating disease
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) — Though someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds, many Americans lack basic knowledge about the potentially life-threatening disease, according to a new survey from the American Diabetes Association.
Diabetes is responsible for more deaths each year in the United States than breast cancer and AIDS combined, but just 42 percent of those surveyed knew that diabetes could be so deadly.
"There's a real lack of awareness of the seriousness of the disease," said Sue McLaughlin, president of Health Care and Education for the diabetes association. To combat that, the organization has launched a new campaign called Stop Diabetes to encourage people with diabetes to share their stories. The effort aims to increase awareness of the disease, fight the social stigma sometimes associated with it and get more people involved in the fight against diabetes.
Those who have the disease often say the lack of awareness can feel like a lack of support.
"Living with diabetes every day is a struggle, and people don't always understand what you go through every day," said Malika Bey of Pittsburgh. Bey was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during two pregnancies, and then with type 2 diabetes after her last pregnancy.
"It would help if family members were more supportive," she said. "You know, I can't eat everything I want to eat, and at a party, nobody thinks about something simple, like getting diet drinks."
McLaughlin said a common myth is that sugar and overeating cause diabetes. But, that's not true for either type of diabetes. Diet isn't a factor at all in type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks the islet cells in the pancreas, destroying the body's ability to produce insulin. And, though type 2 diabetes is more common in people who are overweight, genetics and other unknown factors — not just diet — can be contributors. Even some thin people have type 2 diabetes. Read more…
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