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As a chiropractor and healthcare provider, I cannot say enough about the crucial issue of excess weight and how it adversely affects every system of the human body. I “preach” to my overweight patients and hammer away on the subject in my blogs because in addition to the cardio-vascular diseases caused by obesity, much of the back pain, hip pain, and knee pain that people experience is influenced by the undue stress excess weight puts on the joints of the body. And, though it may not surprise you, an expert panel in a report out just today said that people in this country must slash their calories and increase physical activity because the obesity epidemic is “the single greatest threat to public health in this century.” 

We all know that dieting isn’t easy, but the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans gave this clear-cut advice: “People in this country need to cut the calories they consume from added sugars and solid fats (butter, marbled meats) and start eating a more nutrient-rich, plant-based diet.”

The report called for many changes in the food environment. To read more, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-06-15-

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If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that as a chiropractor I am very concerned about excess weight and obesity when it comes to people’s health in general, and my patients’ health in particular, especially since I observe first hand every day the damaging effects to the musculoskeletal system that take place when a person carries around unneeded, and therefore unhealthy, poundage. The damage begins early and affects young and growing bones structures as well as those that are on the other end of the spectrum and aging. So, I was very happy, indeed, when I read today on nationalpost.com  that U.S. schools and childcare programs could be required (by law!) to include daily exercise as part of the new National Physical Activity Plan released on Monday.

It is no secret, though still shocking, that two-thirds of adult Americans and one-third of children are either overweight or obese. Obviously, along with a poor diet, inactivity is taking its toll on the U.S. population. Most research shows that both adults and children absolutely need at least one hour of moderate physical activity a day to stay healthy and to keep from gaining weight. And, in addition, regular exercise helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardio-vascular diseases. (Plus, regular exercise stimulates the brain and promotes learning!) The NPAP plan, along with changing medical school curricula and adding guidelines for doctors on counseling patients, local regulations will “encourage” the construction of sidewalks, playgrounds, and parks, and (hurray!) a return of organized exercise in schools.

Nancy Brown, Heart Association CEO, stated: “Unfortunately, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population does not participate in any physical activities.” It is vital to get our country back on track moving the human body as it was designed to move. And, it is important to start early by encouraging our children to be active once again, as children used to be before video games, computers, and 24-hour TV programs. Putting PE back into our children’s daily school activities will not only help them to get and stay healthy, it will help them to get and stay smarter, too!

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As a chiropractor I am always interested in new studies that emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight and getting regular exercise. In addition to regular chiropractic care, I recommend a nutritious diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle whether my patients are children, adults, and seniors. There are enormous health benefits to staying active through the years and we, humans, can neither start too early nor quit too late. In fact, in my years as a chiropractor I have witnessed the positive results on the musculoskeletal system of my older patients who’ve stayed active and don’t carry around excess weight. Not only are they generally more healthy, but they seldom develop the arthritic changes that often accompanyboth a sedentary lifestyle and wear and tear on the joints from extra poundage.

Many organic diseases, in fact, might well be avoided through early exercise and weight maintenance. As a case in point, Cancer Researchers in the UK  estimated that more than 19,000 cases of cancer could be prevented each year in the UK, alone, if everyone maintained a healthy body weight. And, they found that the amount of exercise children get is mainly influenced by their environment, especially their immediate family influences, but also their neighborhood and school environments. The researchers discovered that even though some children may inherit certain genes that make them naturally more likely to enjoy sports and exercise, environment is the most powerful factor in determining how active they actually are.

So, really, it all boils down to this: A family that plays together and weighs together, stays healthier together!

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Summer is the perfect time to get involved in physical activities, especially the ones that you can do outdoors like jogging, softball, and tennis. But, becoming active after the “dormant” days of winter carries requires some forethought. So, here are a few tips for getting in shape before getting physically involved, again, with the great outdoors:

1. See your chiropractor to make sure your musculoskeletal system is in healthy alignment.
2. Always stretch before any type of exercise. Your chiropractor can suggest specific stretches and “pre-sports” exercises that will prepare you body for the types of summer activities you want to get involved in.
3. Stay hydrated. Good hydration means drinking plenty of water and replenishing your “electrolytes” as well.
4. Don’t do it all on the first day. Start out slowly and pace yourself, and make sure you take breaks and to drink those fluids. 
5. Be aware of the outdoor temperature. Extreme summer heat can over-heat your body’s systems. Adding exercise to the mix can further increases circulation, raises your heart rate, and makes breathing more laborious.
6. Don’t go to extremes. After you exercise or play a sport, don’t take an extra cold shower (even if you want to cool down fast) or an extremely hot shower or sauna (even though you want to relax your well-worked muscles). Again, you don’t want to put your body’s system on overload.
7. Have fun. That’s what summer is all about right? healthy exercise can give you a “natural high” that is good for you mentally and physically!

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As a chiropractor who believes in the human body's ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the "treatment" of a number of conditions that don't get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor  who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Try chiropractic first!" But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers "less severity" at best when it comes to a migraine headache.

The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had "avoided" a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.

 I have treated many patients who told me how much they'd "feared" the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only "solution" this study offered?

This study is "important," said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people's anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. "Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times," he and his colleagues concluded.

My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!

SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.

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Though it is unclear how most U.S. men and women feel about gastric bypass surgery versus losing weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle, since Americans tend to have the most overweight people, per capita, than any other country, it is safe to say that a new poll conducted in Briton might also apply to attitudes in this country. The new British poll suggests that more than half of Britons would rather shift excess weight through drastic surgery than diet or exercise. More women than men, in fact, see weight-loss operations as the key to quick results.

As a chiropractor, I find these poll numbers very unfortunate. Weight-loss is, of course, very important for a person’s overall health — from helping to avoid cardio-vascular disease and diabetes to preventing the degenerative and often debilitating changes in the musculoskeletal system that occur as the body attempts to compensate for excess weight. I work with people every day who are experiencing debilitating and unnecessary back, hip, and knee pain as the result of the excess weight their body is attempting to carry around. Do these people need to lose weight? Yes, of course, but often these very same people have a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, both of which impact the quality of their health, including organic function, oxygen and nutrient distribution, and mobility and energy, all of which will eventually affect their longevity.

Overall, 26 per cent of women said they never exercise and would rather endure the discomfort of surgery than visit a gym once a week. Though this is not a majority by any means, it is still an unfortunate number of women who do not understand that 1) weight-loss surgery has serious risks and should only be considered when all other healthier means have been attempted and failed, and 2) the only way to genuinely get healthy and stay that way, in addition to weight loss is to eat a healthy diet (a balanced, nutritious) and have regular physical exercise (30 minutes at least five days a week).

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As a chiropractor I believe that there are many reasons for people to avoid taking painkillers whenever possible. Most people know that not only can painkillers become quickly addictive, but that they carry risky side effects. Though many of us are familiar with many of the negative side effects of painkillers, here’s one that surprised me. A new study in men hints that taking over-the-counter painkillers on a regular basis can actually lead to hearing loss, especially in younger men. And, an even bigger surprise, the study focused on the most common over-the-counter painkillers, Tylenol and Advil. So listen up!

Researchers found that men younger than age 50 who regularly took acetaminophen more than two times a week had roughly double the risk of hearing loss compared to men who did not take acetaminophen regularly. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol and certain other pain relievers. They also found that men within this same age group who regularly took ibuprofen (the main ingredient in Advil) or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) at least twice a week had a nearly two-thirds higher risk of hearing loss than men who took NSAIDs less often. Men who took aspirin twice a week had a one-third higher risk.

The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Medicine March 2010, stem from nearly 27,000 men enrolled since 1986 in the health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study. As part of the study, the men, who were between 40 and 74 years old at the outset, provided information on analgesic use, hearing loss and other relevant factors every 2 years for 18 years, during which time 3,488 men were diagnosed with hearing loss. For more information on this interesting study, go to Reuters.com

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