• Wear proper eye guards (lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racket sports, basket ball, tennis or volleyball;

• Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for baseball and softball;

• Use helmets and face shields approved by the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association when playing hockey.

It is important for parents to know that regular reading glasses, sunglasses, or even safety glasses do not provide the adequate eye protection for many sports. Eye guards can be purchased at sports stores or local optical store. But, be sure to ask someone familiar with your child’s eyesight to fit them properly, making certain that the eye guard contains cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent your young athlete from cutting or damaging his or her face.

Source: Pennsylvania Association for the Blind

Technorati Tags: child safety, eye injuries, sports injuries, Where:Sacramento-CA

Obesity is an enormous problem of epidemic proportions in this country. Factors such as changing eating habits (from healthy to “fast, fatty, and excessive”) and a sedentary lifestyle (for children as well as adults) have contributed to the obesity problem. It is also postulated that excessive consumption of fat creates failures in the signal transmitted by neurons controlling satiety in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus, and that these failures can lead to uncontrollable food intake and, consequently, obesity.

The researchers demonstrated that exercising (in this case exercising obese rodents) showed signals of restored satiety in hypothalamic neurons and decreased food intake. These findings confirmed that physical activity contributes to the prevention and treatment of obesity, not only by increasing energy expenditure, but also by modulating the signals of satiety and reducing food intake.

So, there you go, another good reason to exercise brought to you by your friendly chiropractor in Sacramento!

Source:
PLoS Biology

Technorati Tags: exercise, weight loss, Where:Sacramento-CA

Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine explained in a university news release that the “unified body construction” of a laptop, with its inseparable keyboard and monitor, makes it difficult for users to configure their equipment in a way that minimizes risk to their bodies. For instance, awkward positioning of the fingers and body can cause nerve injury to the wrist and prompt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, while poor neck position and shoulder posture can cause muscle strain and soreness in those areas.

Researcher, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, a physician in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his colleagues point out that laptop users can take specific steps to minimize their risk. So, listen up and heed the tips below:

• If you are working at a computer, your body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees and hips.
• Use a docking station and cables to hook up to an external monitor and/or separate keyboard that are movable to encourage better posture.
• With the help of a docking station, position the computer so you can read the screen without bending your neck.
• Pay attention to the chair you sit in — look for one that is adjustable and comes with back support.
• Tilt the screen so you don’t need to bend your neck, and place the mouse so that your wrists are in a neutral position (one in which they are aligned with your arm and not raised above it).
• Take frequent short breaks every 20 minutes or so — this can help rest muscles and encourage position shifting. Do some shoulder shrugs, gentle forward head rolls, and shoulder scrunches to stretch your muscles.
• Stay hydrated — drinking plenty of water can help keep discs in your back lubricated.

In addition, be sure to watch out for warning signs, such as pain and tingling. These may mean you need to use better posture, take more breaks, or see your chiropractor in Sacramento!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, headaches, laptops and bad posture, neck and shoulder pain, Where:Sacramento-CA

Health experts, such as chiropractors, and the U.S. government all recommend getting daily exercise — about an hour a day of moderate exercise for most adults — to keep weight off and prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plus, we chiropractors are well aware that keeping weight off not only helps to prevent the diseases just mentioned, but it also helps to slow down, and often prevent, arthritis and stress injuries of the musculoskeletal system caused by excess weight.

But, excess weight is not only caused by, and sustained through, lack of exercise. Here are some more “fun facts” from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics:

• The prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over has increased from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2009.
• In 2009, 9 percent of adults 18 and over had diabetes, up from 8.2 percent in 2008 and 5 percent in 1997.
• 20.6 percent of adults smoked, about the same as in 2008.
• Nearly 23 percent of adults had at least one day of binge drinking in 2009, defined as having five or more drinks in a day.
• Most Americans believe they are healthy. More than 66 percent said they had excellent or very good health, down from 68.5 percent in 2008. 2.4 percent said they had poor health.
• Just over 4 percent of all Americans said they had an asthma attack in the past year

There are no shortcuts and no way to get around it: Good health and vibrant wellness is created and maintained through an overall healthy lifestyle.

Technorati Tags: exercise, healthy lifestyle, weight loss, Where:Sacramento-CA

How does that relate to your receiving insured chiropractic care? The provider non-discrimination provision says that “A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall not discriminate with respect to participation under the plan or coverage against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider’s license or certification under applicable State law.”

What does that mean for you? Well, once in full effect, health insurance companies will no longer be able to deny chiropractic patients their right to receive coverage for their acupuncture treatment, their nutritional therapies or the many other alternative services many chiropractors provide, but which insurers routinely reject.

The provision has long been championed by the American chiropractic Association (ACA) and members of the Chiropractic Summit. It was achieved primarily due to collaboration with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and help from other key players such as Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT). Although he did not support the final bill overall, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) did lend his support for the advancement of the non-discrimination provision. The ACA will continue to fight for proper implementation during the regulatory process.

NACA Vice President, Mike Schroeder, said: “It is important to recognize this provision as a historic first for the chiropractic profession. We now have a federal law applicable to ERISA plans that makes it against the law for insurance companies to discriminate against doctors of chiropractic and other providers relative to their participation and coverage of health plans. And, he added that “While there is still much work to be done in the regulatory process, we are encouraged by the fact that Congress has finally acted to end provider discrimination based on one’s license.”

This is great news for you, as my patient, and for me, as your chiropractor in Sacramento. And, it’s great news for chiropractors and their many patients everywhere!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic insurance coverage, chiropractor, Where:Sacramento-CA

Though office refrigerators were the focus of the article and studies, it’s equally important, of course, for each of us to ask ourself how often we clean out our home refrigerator. According to a study conducted by the ADA and ConAgra Foods, 44 percent of office refrigerators are cleaned once a month and 22 percent are cleaned only once or twice a year. The article suggested that the next time someone was looking for a relatively bacteria-free place to store their lunch, they should consider that the bathrooms in most offices are probably cleaner than the fridge. (At least they are cleaned more often!) According to the Agriculture Dept., the foods most likely to turn unhealthiest the quickest are casseroles, cold cuts, poultry, yogurt, and sour cream. Though such food items are healthy “in the beginning,” can go from bad to lethal. Last year at an AT&T Center in San Jose, California, a co-worker who was trying to be helpful, cracked open the office fridge to clean it and noxious fumes sent seven of her co-workers to the hospital and forced authorities to evacuate the building while men in hazmat suits spread down the fridge!

So, add “clean the refrigerator” to your health “to do” list. Even food that’s good for you when it’s fresh, can be bad for your health given enough time!

Technorati Tags: healthy environment, Where:Sacramento-CA

Let’s face it, life these days has become a spectator sport for many people. Kids sit in front of the television or their computers — and so do adults! Business often demands it and, after a long day of sitting at the computer at the office, “relaxation” or “family time” frequently comes in the form of vegging in front of the TV. There is growing evidence to suggest that people (and in the case of this particularly study, women) who are physically active in mid-life and beyond have a lower chance of dementia, as well as the “more minor” forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, until now there has been less clarity regarding the importance of physical activity for women early in life and at different stages of life. The researchers at Sunnybrook health Sciences Centre in Canada compared the physical activity and cognition of 9,344 women at different ages (teenage, age 30, age 50, and late-life) to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages on later cognitive abilities.

“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive, but also that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Laura Middleton, PhD, who lead the research. And, in addition, she and her research team found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers, but became physically active at age 30 or age 50 had significantly reduced their odds of cognitive impairment as well compared to those who remained physically inactive. “Low physical activity levels in today’s youth may mean increased dementia rates in the future,” Middleton added.

What’s good for the body is always good for the brain. So be smart and stay that way by being physically active. Motion is Life, so get moving!

Technorati Tags: chiropactic, chiropractor, cognitive impairment, dementia, exercise, physical activity, sports, Where:Sacramento-CA

After analyzing data on sugar consumption from a survey of more than 4500 adults who ate an average of 74 grams of fructose every day (equivalent to four soft drinks), they found a definitive association between high consumption of fructose and increased blood pressure. One-third of the participants had borderline high blood pressure and eight percent suffered from hypertension. Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association suggested in a press release cited by Reuters that the researchers unfairly attributed all the effect of sugars to fructose. And, in all fairness, it is true that the study could not separate the effects of fructose and glucose. But, men participating in a similar study who were given 200 grams of fructose per day for two weeks, in addition to their normal direct, did show a significant elevation in their blood pressure. In fact, in most of the participants the systolic blood pressure increased by six millimeters and the diastolic blood pressure by three millimeters.

The good news is that most of the elevated blood pressure readings returned to normal after two months, which also means that if you are someone who hasn’t been watching your fructose intake because you haven’t been concerned about your blood pressure, you can reverse the negative effects, relatively quickly, that soft drinks and excessive fruit juice intake may be having on your health.

The best solution, of course, is to eat a healthy nutritious diet, get regular exercise, and see your chiropractor in Sacramento regularly!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic adjustments, chiropractor, high blood pressure, high fructose diet, new study, Where:Sacramento-CA

As a Chiropractor in Sacramento I know the debilitating effects of back pain. Though some people try to “ignore” their back pain in the hopes that it will go away on its own, the majority of individuals know that back pain is difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. back pain is a constant. It interferes with a person’s ability to work and to enjoy daily life, and it makes it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. In addition, many people know that untreated back pain can cause further musculoskeletal problems. But it will, no doubt, come as a surprise to almost everyone that unaddressed back pain that lingers six months or more has been linked with a loss of brain volume that’s equivalent to 10 to 20 years of normal aging. That’s right!  According to new research at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, back pain can significantly age the brain!  A. Vania Apkarian, Ph.D. and co-author of the study, said that the decline has to do with how the brain adapts to pain, and such decline can damage a person’s ability to assess emotional cues and control emotion.

If you are someone who needed one more reason to make an appointment with your chiropractor to get the treatment you need for your back pain, the possibility of significant brain decline might just be the “inspiration” you needed! Be smart (and stay smart) by calling your Sacramento Chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: back pain, brain decline, chiropractor, Where:Sacramento-CA

Where are PBDEs found? Just about everywhere, such as in carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. PBDEs can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. Is it any wonder then that PBDEs can be found in the blood of most American residents? And, if you live in California the situation is even more criticaul because of the state’s rigorous flammability laws. Concentrations of the chemicals in blood and breast milk have increased dramatically in the last three decades.

Though it is not currently known just how the chemicals interfere with thyroid function, researchers believe that PBDEs could bind to thyroid receptors and alter how the hormone is released. The bottom line, however, is that these chemicals are dangerous, especially for pregnant women. “Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks,” said Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, heartburn, joint swelling, low back pain, nausea, pregnancy, Where:Sacramento-CA