Don't Forget to Eat Your Vegetables!

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Don't Forget to Eat Your Vegetables!

The Benefits of Fruit

The familiar saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is actually quite accurate. Red Delicious, Gaia and Granny Smith apples all have high concentrations of flavonoids - phytochemicals that are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants protects against free radical damage thereby assisting in the fight against aging, heart disease, atherosclerosis, inflammation and cancer. Other enticing sources of flavonoids are red grapes, raisins, oranges, figs, plums, and berries such as blueberries, blackberries, cranberries and raspberries.  Flavonoids are even found in avocados and walnuts, which are also high in healthy fats. Try adding some organic berries to some whole milk organic yogurt for a delicious snack or light meal. The phytochemicals provided by vegetables and fruits can enhance your health and longevity.

Most kids are not very fond of vegetables. Some will go through the motions, pushing broccoli spears and lima beans around their plate a few times, while very little actually makes it into their mouth.

And yet, we would love to have our children eat their vegetables on a regular basis. The best way to accomplish this is to prepare fresh veggies each day, and to set a good example by eating the veggies on our own plates!

Why is making this a priority worth your time and effort?  Mainly because vegetables contain a plethora of very powerful ingredients that help keep us healthy and help us ward off a wide range of serious illnesses.^1,2 These amazing substances that we call phytochemicals give vegetables and fruits their big nutritional kick!  Brightly colored vegetables and fruits contain both the most nutrients and the most phytochemicals.

Some of the phytochemicals you may have heard of include the flavonoids, found in colorful fruits such as cranberries and blueberries,³ and lycopene which is found in tomatoes. Phytochemicals can have many varied effects - some are powerful antioxidants, while others may stimulate enzyme activity or produce a positive hormonal reaction. What they all have in common however is the ability to promote health and well-being and to enhance the performance of those who regularly consume these powerful ingredients.

Why are antioxidants so important?  They protect the cells of your body from the free radicals that are a byproduct of normal metabolic activities. Eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits can provide the necessary antioxidants to neutralize destructive free radicals.

If we fail to consume our daily requirement of vegetables and fruits, our antioxidant reserves eventually become depleted, leaving free radicals to damage cells and cause disease. Certain types of cancer, for example, are linked to free radical damage.

It is important to realize that vegetables, like those broccoli spears your Mom used to make you eat, are much more than meets the eye. (Or taste bud in this case.)  Broccoli is in fact a superfood which is loaded with antioxidants and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Carrots are another superfood with health-enhancing effects. They contain beta-carotene which is another important antioxidant. A portion of the beta-carotene you consume is converted by your body into into Vitamin A, which  can bolster your immune system and help to protect your digestive tract.

Tomatoes are another top super-vegetable. They contain abundant lycopene which is a very powerful antioxidant that is responsible for their bright red color. Lycopene offers proven health benefits in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.

Consuming vegetables each day provides tremendous benefit for people of all ages.  For optimal nutrition, make an effort to enjoy five to nine portions of vegetables and fruits each day.  The most ideal ratio would be to eat slightly more veggies than fruits, if you can.

Your Millar Chiropractic physician has had extensive training in nutrition and will be happy to assist you in designing food plans that will work for you and your entire family.


¹Hayes JD, et al: The cancer chemopreventive actions of phytochemicals derived from glucosinolates. Eur J Nutr 47(Suppl 2):73-88, 2008
²Nair S, et al: Natural dietary anti-cancer chemopreventive compounds: redox-mediated differential signaling mechanisms in cytoprotection of normal cells versus cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Acta Pharmacol Sin 28(4):459-472, 2007
³Vinson JA, et al: Cranberries and cranberry products: Powerful in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo sources of antioxidants. J Agric Food Chem June 2008 (in press)

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Help Your Child Excel in School

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Help Your Child Excel in School

Each year it seems that American kids are subject to increasing pressure to perform well on more and more standardized tests, and each year they appear to fall further behind children around the world, especially in math and science. It takes more to excel academically than just showing up to classes and managing to stay awake throughout the school day. Children have a natural propensity toward learning, but unfortunately this innate desire to acquire new knowledge and experiences is diminished in many kids at an early age.  Teachers are frustrated as they feel forced to "teach to the test" - spending the bulk of their time preparing students to do well on standardized tests rather than engaging their students' natural curiosity and encouraging their love of learning. Many teachers complain that they no longer have the time help their students expand their horizons with creative thought or explore new territory.  The smartest kids are often the ones who become bored the easiest and remain bored if they're not appropriately challenged. So how can we help our kids excel when the educational system is not always able to engage even the best and brightest children?  It may seem simple, but making sure our children are healthy, with a strong sense of well-being, is a good place to start. One interesting development in cognitive science (the study of how people learn) in the last decade is the importance of physical activity in relation to human performance. 1,2 The results are conclusive - research proves that physical activity is highly correlated to learning and academic achievement. Active kids are explorers. They are more alert and interested in the world around them compared to their more sedentary counterparts. Active children have an innate impulse to develop and grow. What kind of exercise is best for our children? The good news is that the type of exercise doesn't really matter. It's all beneficial for cognitive development, whether your child is running track, playing tag, roller skating, playing soccer, or biking around the neighborhood. It's the amount and frequency that matters most, not the specific type of the exercise.  It is recommended that every child get at least an hour of some type of physical activity every day. It doesn't have to be an hour all at once though.  Spreading it out throughout the day works just as well, perhaps even better if your child has a tendency to be overly sedentary the rest of time. The most important aspect though is that your child is consistently active. Chiropractic care can play a significant role in a child's development. Regular chiropractic checkups and treatment can improve the functioning of a child's musculoskeletal system, thereby helping to improve their physical performance.  It can also help a child recover quickly from any injuries that may result from sporting or other activities. By enabling a child to continue with the fun and rewarding physical activities they enjoy, chiropractic care also helps them improve their academic performance. The result is a much more well-rounded young person - a child whose interests may extend not only to the sports field, but also to the science lab, math club or music room.

Chiropractic for Kids - Pays a Lifetime of Dividends   Children are usually more in touch with their natural rhythms and innate healing abilities. For the most part, if a child has had a busy day, filled with physical activities, he'll most likely fall asleep the moment his head touches the pillow. For adults, it is usually a very different story. After a busy day, an adult will often find it difficult to fall asleep.  Instead they may lie in bed reviewing things that happened, repeating conversations in their minds, and perhaps imagining how they could have had a more positive outcome. Children tend to live much more in the present moment, and they're able to get their needed rest more easily and efficiently. Children also naturally recover from injuries more quickly than adults. They can fall down hard and bounce right back up. If a child breaks a bone, it will usually heal in a few weeks rather than the six weeks it will often take for an adult to heal a fracture. A child's natural healing abilities are enhanced even more with chiropractic care.  Because their healing powers are so much stronger, kids' bodies absorb the many benefits of chiropractic treatment and immediately put them to good use. If they were feeling unwell, their return to good health is usually very quick, and if they were already feeling great, their little bodies will be even more optimized. Chiropractic care helps kids maximize the joys of being kids!

¹Hillman CH, et al: The effect of acute treadmill walking on cognitive control and academic achievement in preadolescent chiildren. Neuroscience 159(3):1044-1054, 2009
² Ploughman M: Exercise is brain food. The effects of physical activity on cognitive function. Dev Neurorehabil 11(3):236-240, 2008

 

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Decompressing Your Spine

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Decompressing Your Spine

Chiropractic Care Can Help Improve Your Coordination, Balance and Flexibility

Coordination, balance and flexibility are innate human functions which give grace and beauty to our physical actions. Even if you are not a professional athlete, you can still enjoy functioning at the peak of your own individual capabilities. Chiropractic can help you achieve this by making sure that your central mechanism of coordination balance and flexibility (your spinal column and related musculature) is functioning at maximum efficiency. Chiropractic care can help you achieve your best performance - improving your overall health, enhancing your creativity and optimizing your physical abilities.

Your spinal column has intervertebral discs (IVDs) that make up a quarter of this segmented structure's entire length. That works out to a total combined height, of all your spinal discs, that is about six or seven inches. As time goes on, the IVDs start to lose more of their water content, causing the discs to shrink. This is usually one of the reasons people lose some height as they age.

The majority of jobs today require an abundance of sitting. For many jobs, workers sit virtually all day long, five days a week. When you're sitting or standing in an unchanging position, gravity bears down on your spine at a constant rate of 32 ft/s².  Over time, this unrelenting force will compress the spine making each disc thinner.

It is important to do what we can to reverse the trend of disc compression and expand our discs back up instead - restoring our spinal discs, improving our posture, and regaining any lost stature.  We can do this by engaging in activities that decompress the spine and help restore fluids to our IVDs.

Yoga is one such activity that can provide a multitude of health benefits, which also includes decompressing the spine.^1,2,  When done correctly, all yoga postures create a lengthening effect in the spine, particularly when you make each posture active - focusing on lengthening the muscles of your core during each pose.

 

Even taking a yoga class just once each week can result in noticeable benefits, which often includes a sense of being taller. The spinal decompression that results from regular yoga practice will help increase your coordination, balance, and flexibility.  Yoga can also be done easily in your own home.  You will only need a small amount of space and a rubber mat to get started.  Many people enjoy following along to specially produced yoga workouts on DVD.  If you're just starting out, choose one that is designed for beginners, and be careful not to overdo it.  Beginners will especially benefit from taking at least a few classes with a good teacher though, because they can correct your form and help you to learn how each posture is supposed to feel.  Regular, long-term yoga practice can be very beneficial, especially to your spine.

As wonderful as yoga practice can be though, it is not for everyone.  If you already have a significant amount of disc compression and are having any neck or back pain, or pain radiating into any of your extremities, it is vital to have a full chiropractic evaluation first.  If you have a herniated disc or other significant spinal problems, your doctor may recommend a sequence of decompression traction, which is very effective in helping to restore the compressed and herniated discs in many cases.

¹Jeng CM, et al: Yoga and disc degenerative disease in cervical and lumbar spine: an MR imaging-based case control study. Eur J Spine 20(3):408-413, 2011

²Williams K, et al: Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of Iyengar yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine 34(19):2066-2076, 2009

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Repetitive Stress or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Repetitive Stress or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

What You Can Do For Repetitive Stress Syndrome:

Resting the affected extremity will give your overused tendons and muscles the opportunity to heal.  Additionally, it is important to notice your posture and to perform exercises which are designed to strengthen your wrists, forearms and shoulders. To improve your posture, pay attention to the position of your shoulders.  Many people tend to raise them up toward their ears as they become more stressed.  Gently remind yourself to relax those tight neck and shoulder muscles, allowing the shoulders drop down to a lower and more relaxed position.  It can be helpful to shrug your shoulders up first, holding them briefly as high as you can lift them, and then letting them drop even lower as you release the shoulder shrug.  Repeat this several times throughout the day. You can also roll your shoulders forward, and then back, to help reduce shoulder tension even more. Also remember to take a break from the computer every 30 to 60 minutes, and get up to stretch or walk around.  It is well worth the effort to train your non-dominant hand to control your mouse or track-pad.  Switching back and forth from one hand to the other will effectively reduce your repetitive stress in half.

Like many Americans, you've probably been spending a lot of time on your computer - researching topics, reading reviews and comparing products, shopping, reading articles, blogs and forums, watching videos, typing, and most of all dragging and clicking your mouse repeatedly. You may have begun to notice a chronic dull ache in the wrist you use with your mouse. There may also be a tingling sensation in your thumb, and pain in your forearm when you move your fingers.  You may assume that you have carpal tunnel syndrome.

It's actually quite a bit more likely that you've developed something we refer to as repetitive stress syndrome, which usually responds well to chiropractic treatment.

It is not unusual for internists, family physicians, and even many orthopedists to misdiagnose repetitive stress syndrome as carpal tunnel syndrome.  When a patient presents with wrist and thumb pain, many physicians jump to the conclusion that it is carpal tunnel syndrome. This unfortunately results in unnecessary neurologic testing, needless medication, and unwarranted surgeries.

True carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is relatively uncommon.  It is usually associated with pregnancy, rheumatoid arthritis, or decreased thyroid activity.^1,2 Another indicator for CTS is that the pain is increased at night, and decreases with activity.  Here is a simple test for CTS that you can try at home: place the tips of your thumb and index finger together, forming a circle, and hold this position while another person attempts to pull your fingers apart. If your fingers are strong and can keep the circle closed, you probably don't have CTS.

The forearm, wrist and tendon pain that is common after prolonged use of a computer is due to RSS, which stands for repetitive stress syndrome. What exactly is RSS and what causes it?  Basically, it's the result of repeating the same activity too frequently and over too long a period of time.  The pain caused by RSS can be extremely uncomfortable and cause a significant amount of frustration and limitation.

If you are suffering from RSS, it is important to rest the effected areas of the body and avoid the irritating activities.  If you are experiencing computer-related repetitive stress on your dominant side, it is very helpful to  begin using your mouse with your opposite hand. It can be a bit challenging at first, but it's a highly effective way to alleviate your RSS symptoms.  Eventually, when your dominant hand/wrist is feeling better, you can continue to use your non-dominant hand, or switch back and forth throughout the day to lessen your risk of RSS re-occurrence.

Chiropractic treatment may also be helpful in treating RSS.  There are various musculoskeletal problems - most notably tight neck and shoulder muscles - that may contribute to RSS.  Your chiropractic physician will perform a complete evaluation to determine the source of the problem.

Treatment often includes gentle chiropractic adjustments to improve the mobility of your neck and to reduce stress and tension in your neck and shoulders. Trigger point therapy will also help to relax the tight muscles in your shoulders, wrist and forearm, and will help to alleviate the physical discomfort that accompanies RSS.

Chiropractic treatment, rehabilitative exercises, and resting the affected areas will often result in rapid improvement - decreased pain, greater mobility, and the ability to focus on the work you want to get done, rather than the pain that is getting in your way!


¹Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm.
²Piazzini DB, et al. A systematic review of conservative treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Clin Rehabil 21(4):299-314, 2007.

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