A recent study published in The Journal of Pain found both raw and heat treated ginger reduced the pain associated with muscle injury when compared with a placebo. “The primary novel finding was that supplementation with both raw and heat-treated ginger attenuated muscle pain intensity 24 hours after eccentric exercise,” wrote the researchers, led by Chris Black, PhD, from Georgia College and State University. The researchers also added, “Consumption of raw ginger resulted in a 25 percent reduction while heat-treated ginger resulted in a 23 percent reduction in muscle-pain intensity 24 hours postexercise.” It is believed ginger may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain killing) properties, similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’
Natural Pain Relief Ginger Supplements May Reduce Post Exercise Pain
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010Morning Coffee May Not Be Giving You The Boost You Think It Does!
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010Think coffee helps you wake up and gives you more energy? Recent research from British scientists says just the opposite. Bristol University researchers found coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to both the anxiety-producing and the stimulating effects of caffeine. In other words, drinking coffee only brings you back to where you should be without coffee – not better or more stimulated. “Although frequent consumers feel alerted by caffeine, especially by their morning tea, coffee, or other caffeine-containing drinks, evidence suggests that this is actually merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal,” wrote the scientists led by Peter Rogers of Bristol’s Department of Experimental Psychology.
Heart Surgeons Get Wake-Up Call On Common Procedure
Monday, August 9th, 2010On May 15th, 2007, the Commonwealth Fund issued a report entitled, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care.”
The results were not good. In fact, here’s what the first sentence of the report had to say: “Despite having the most costly health system in the world, the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries. Are you Shocked? You shouldn’t be. Why? This is because this is nothing new at all.
According to the report: “Among the six nations studied—Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last, as it did in the 2006 and 2004 editions of Mirror, Mirror. Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last on dimensions of access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity. The 2007 edition includes data from the six countries and incorporates patients’ and physicians’ survey results on care experiences and ratings on various dimensions of care.”
Overall, Germany and the UK topped the list, with Canada and the United States bringing up the rear. Also worth noting here is that America spends close to three times as much for its mediocre approach to health per capita ($6,102) annually than does New Zealand ($2,083), and almost twice as much as Canada ($3,165). Even worse, American doctors are the slowest to change when it comes to technology, again, with the lowest numbers in relation to using electronic medical records or keeping up with the latest treatments via the Internet.
Now here is something that you will probably find interesting, even puzzling. According to the report, “the area where the U.S. health care system performs best is preventive care, an area that has been monitored closely for over a decade by managed care plans.”
It’s always been abundantly clear that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For example, the May 9th edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) had an article entitled: “Cardiologists Get Wake-up Call on Stents.” According to the article, “Patients with stable coronary artery disease treated with stents and optimal medical therapy fare no better than those who receive optimal medical therapy alone, according to new findings from a large clinical trial.”
For many cardiologists, the results serve as a wake-up call that they need to reevaluate how frequently they offer stenting (which has slight risks associated with the intervention itself, as well as stent-associated thrombotic events) as a first option for relief of stable angina. The data comes from the Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation (COURAGE) Trial, reported here in March at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology.
It seems like research is simply confirming what many thought to be true all along. Prevention is far superior to invasive “crisis” procedures after years and years of neglect. It is abundantly clear you cannot abuse or neglect your body and health and have the wonders of modern medicine save you.
Key Steps On Losing The Pounds Forever
Saturday, July 24th, 2010Successful weight loss is not just a matter of losing pounds. The emphasis needs to be on abandoning body fat and avoiding loss of lean body tissue, primarily muscle mass. Why is this the key to long-term success? Because muscle requires 15 times the energy compared to fat to survive (7.5 Calories per day for muscle versus 0.5 calories per day for fat). The more lean tissue, the more calories one can consume once desirable body weight is achieved. Overall, a moderate diet of at least 1000 calories of high quality food per day and exercise is clearly the best approach because 80% of the weight lost is fat. This plan protects lean body mass, which is critical to keep from gaining the weight back again.
Exercise in moderation is essential. It burns calories, which promotes weight loss. And it makes a body look good, inside and out: the payoff is a leaner, more attractive body, with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. However, physical activity by itself may not be enough to lose weight. For best results, it should be combined with a reduced caloric plan, calculated to match an individual’s new physical activity level.
Rapid weight loss can be encouraging at first, but long term results are disappointing. The lost weight (mostly water) rapidly returns, besides diets too low in calories quickly lower the body’s metabolic rule. This makes it even harder to lose weight and much easier to gain it back, creating a “yo-yo” dieting syndrome. More fat is lost when the rate of weight loss is about 2 pounds per week. The number of calories needed to achieve this varies for each person and should be determined on an individual basis.
There are immediate benefits to consuming the right number of calories. First of all, it helps to avoid the hunger, fatigue and grouchiness that so often accompany deprivation of food. It supplies the energy needed to exercise. Trying to exercise on a very low caloric diet is like starving yourself twice – it leads to further loss of lean body tissue. It helps ensure that nutritional needs are met. This is especially important over an extended period of time.
Another important thing to consider is to choose the right foods. Many weight loss diets encourage avoiding carbohydrates (starchy foods), the body’s primary source of fuel. Such diets promote rapid loss of body water for a few weeks. But this can lead to a discouraging weight plateau, followed by weight gain from water and sodium retention once carbohydrates are eaten again. A healthy mix of foods, high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat, sugar and alcohol gives the individual the most for their calories plus a higher energy level and better nutrition.
Lifelong weight control requires more than a simple diet. A plan is needed that focuses on making changes in behaviors that have contributed to the weight problem, changes that are realistic and fit each person’s unique lifestyle. The best program for most people includes: a personal plan of action with specific solutions for permanent change, a program with the right balance of calories and physical activity to lose weight at an optimal rate, and the personal support they need to succeed. Doing it right helps ensure that the weight loss is not just temporary, but lifelong.
Possibly The Simplest And Easiest Way To Lose Weight Ever.
Monday, June 14th, 2010Here’s a quick riddle for you…It’s everywhere because almost everyone wants it. Yet, most never achieve it. What is it? It is weight loss. You can’t flip through the pages of a magazine or the channels on cable TV without being bombarded by advertisements for a new breakthrough miracle weight loss solution. It seems like everyone has the answer yet there are so many people that are still overweight.
Maybe you’ve tried some of these “quick and easy” solutions, and maybe one word sums up the way you feel. That one word is frustrated. So, is there anything out there that actually works? The first thing to understand is that there are no overnight “miracles.” The hard truth is that the real secret to weight loss is doing the right things consistently for the rest of your life. Doing the right things will cause you to lose weight but as soon as you stop and go back to your old ways, the weight will come back, and come back with a vengeance. And along with that so will the frustration. Sometimes it’s referred to as yo-yo dieting.
That’s why the best way to lose weight is to become well educated on the subject. The internet has a frightening amount of information, some good and a lot bad. That’s why your best option is to talk to a healthcare professional that has already helped many others and can short-cut the process for you.
That being said, researchers have found when people eat quickly, they end up consuming more calories than they would have if they ate more slowly. In fact, according to a new study referenced in a February 10, 2010 New York Times article, “scientists found that when a group of subjects were given an identical serving of ice cream on different occasions, they released more hormones that made them feel full when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of 5. The scientists took blood samples and measured insulin and gut hormones before, during and after eating. They found that two hormones that signal feelings of satiety, or fullness – glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY – showed a more pronounced response in the slow condition.” This means you eat less. The New York Times article also mentioned a study done by the American Dietetic Association in 2008 that reported subjects felt more full and consumed 10% less calories when they ate slowly as opposed to “wolfing” down their food. And, a study in The British Medical Journal stated those who ate quickly and until full had tripled the rate of being overweight compared with others.
What does all this mean for you? This research simply suggests if you eat slowly you are likely to feel fuller and consume fewer calories. This of course is not a weight loss miracle. But, feeling full is nice, and eating fewer calories over the long run will lead to weight loss and greater health. If you think this isn’t a big deal, please remember that little hinges open big doors. It’s the accumulation of small things done consistently over time that leads to great success. In other words, stop looking for the big home run and start hitting singles. And, educate yourself as much as you possibly can. There is tons of information available for weight loss and health education. For more information, you can visit www.BackCareTreatment.com to read some of the latest health information.
Shocking Proof About How The Way You Think Can Relieve Pain And Cure Disease.
Monday, June 7th, 2010Ever wonder why our healthcare system in the United States is in such shambles? Ever wonder why with all the amazing technology we have, and all the “breakthrough discoveries” you keep hearing about every night on the news, we are still a nation of chronic illness, pain and disease? Ever wonder why you keep suffering with aches, pains, and various illnesses and doctors never seem to help? Well the answer may shock you.
But first, a tiny piece of history so you understand where all this is coming from. This all started way back in the 17th Century with a physicist, physiologist and mathematician by the name of Rene Descartes. He’s the guy that said “I Think, Therefore I Am.” Descartes revolutionized “modern” thinking with his theory of dualism. In a nutshell, dualism says that the mind and body are completely separate. Descartes came up with his theory while meditating one morning. Then he actually made an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church that he, as a man of science, would restrict himself to the study of the physical body, while religion would deal with the “mind.” From that time on, studies of mind and body have for the most part, remained two distinct and separate fields. Scientists stayed within the realm of what they could see and measure. Meanwhile, those in the religious life lifted thought, reason, and emotion out of the body, into the realms of the spiritual. The first problem with this separation is that medicine used science as it’s ONLY measuring stick. Procedures are only used if they pass strict scientific testing. This means the procedures must be able to be seen and measured. If they can’t be seen and measured and proven through scientific experiment, they do not exist and will not be used in medicine.
What about this example? If you place your hand in a bucket of water, what happens to the water? It rises. It rises by the exact amount your hand takes up or displaces in the bucket. You know it happened because you can measure the level of the water. This happens every time, so it is called a law. It is known as the law of displacement. Now, what happens if I stick my hand in the ocean? Well, we know that your hand displaces water. It has to because it’s a law. The problem is…can you prove it? After all, you can’t measure it. You can’t see the results. So did the ocean actually rise? Absolutely! It rose in an immeasurable amount. At least immeasurable with the tools we have.
So what’s the point? The point is that by throwing out the mind-body connection simply because it could not be scientifically measured, medicine has ignored one of the most powerful healing forces known to man!
How do I know the mind-body connection is such an important healing force? In 1981 Neurobiologist David Felton at the University of Indiana discovered that the immune system is actually hard-wired to the brain through the nerve system. Why is this so important to you? In 1974, Ader, an experimental psychologist, made what most consider being one of the central discoveries of mind-body research. In the course of investigating conditioned response (Pavlov’s drooling-dog-and-bell concept), he was testing to see how long such a trained response might last in some laboratory rats. Using a combination of saccharine-laced water and the nausea-inducing drug Cytoxan, he had trained the rodents to associate the sweet stuff with a bad bellyache. Afterwards, while giving them saccharine-water without the accompanying Cytoxan, Ader watched to see how long it might take for them to forget the association between the two. Unexpectedly, during the second month, the rats began to fall prey to disease and die off. In investigating this unforeseen result, Ader checked into the properties of the nausea-inducing drug he had used and found that one of its side effects was as an immune suppressant. The rats had been conditioned to not only to associate sweet water with nausea, but also with an immune shutdown. The conclusion was obvious. Their minds were controlling their immune systems! Isn’t that amazing? The rats actually killed themselves just by thinking it! So, my question to you is, what are you thinking your immune system into doing? Are you thinking yourself healthy or sick? Here’s an even better question. Since your nerves serve as the communication lines between your brain and your body’s immune system, are you sure those lines are open so your brain can keep you healthy?
The bottom line is if you have misaligned or malfunctioning spinal bones, your brain cannot communicate properly with your body. And as you now know, this relates to the immune system. Having these spinal misalignments, also known as subluxations may not only cause pain, but also weaken your immune system and lead to sickness and possibly disease. The only way to keep your spine free from these subluxations and unnecessary pain and disease is by routinely getting your spine checked by your chiropractor just like you routinely brush your teeth and go to the dentist.
Shocking Statistics About Children Every Parent Needs To Know…
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Being a parent is difficult. It is probably the biggest and most important responsibility anyone will ever face. You would think kids would come with some sort of instruction manual. Sadly, they don’t… and raising kids today is more complex than at any time in history. That’s why it’s so important to learn all you can – whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Now Is One Of Those Times
For example, there are a couple of alarming statistics and trends every parent should know. They have the potential to shape your children’s future in positive or negative ways.
Here’s the first statistic every parent should know: According to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “The average young American now spends practically every waking minute, except for time spent in school, using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device. “Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7½ hours a day with such devices, compared with less than 6½ hours 5 years ago.” That does not include time spent simply texting or talking on the phone. It also found: “that heavy media use is associated with several negatives, including behavior problems and lower grades.”
Here’s the second statistic, as reported on January 20, 2010 in the New York Times: “Between 1977 and 2002, the percent of the American population eating 3 or more snacks a day increased to 42 percent from 11 percent, according to a large study of American nutritional habits conducted by the Agriculture Department with the Department of Health and Human Services. Further, researchers found the percent of children surveyed who said they had eaten 3 meals on the previous day went down, while those who had a snack went up more than 40 percent.”
Even though these statistics are from several years ago, researchers in the article say the trends have not changed. It is very possible the situation is even worse today.
Think about it. Food is everywhere. Have you been to an event for your children lately that did not have some snack for sale? As the New York Times’ article pointed out, these snacks are usually “junk food.” Here’s something very interesting from a parent interviewed for the article: Once a week, Vivian Zachary’s 6-year-old son, Joel, goes dashing for the vending machine at the gym after his gymnastics’ class ends at 5 p.m. “Last week it was a Fruit Roll-Up and a can of 7-Up,” Ms. Zachary wrote in an e-mail message. “I’m not sure why I let this go on, and I often think that if I were a better parent, or at least more able to tolerate incessant complaining, I would let him buy the snacks but not actually consume them until after dinner. But I have already established the pattern [the ‘rule’ in Joel’s mind], so there’s no going back now.”
Like the first sentence of this newsletter stated, “Being a parent is difficult.” It also pointed out how important this responsibility is. So, you have to ask yourself at some point…
Who Is Raising Who?
Who’s making the important decisions? Who is the parent and who is the child? And clearly… it is NEVER too late to start doing the right thing – no matter how difficult it may seem. When looking back on our lives, it is easy to see our “mistakes.” It is also easy to say we made those mistakes because we just didn’t know what to do at that time. We didn’t have the facts. We didn’t know the right answer.
But, that’s not true, because most of the time we DO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER. We do know what we should do. We just don’t choose to do it because it seems too darn hard. We take what seems to be the easy way out – and then deal with the terrible repercussions later.
A Great Story About This Instantly Comes To Mind…
Several children were asked to come into a room with an interviewer one-by-one. When the child sat down with the interviewer, one marshmallow was placed in the center of the table. As soon as the “interview” was to begin, someone would enter the room and announce they needed the interviewer. The interviewer would tell the child he had to leave and the child had two choices… The child could eat the marshmallow while he was gone or wait until he got back. If the child ate the marshmallow while he was gone, that’s all he would get. If the child waited until the interviewer got back, the child would get an entire bag of marshmallows.
As the story goes, these children were followed up later in life. The children who immediately ate the marshmallow had a tendency to lead difficult lives. They had a hard time keeping jobs and relationships. They usually did not amount to very much. The kids who waited were very different. They tended to be very successful in most aspects of their lives. They had good jobs and healthy long-term relationships.
This story exemplifies the value of… Delayed Gratification
In other words, the ability to put off a small reward, pleasure of satisfaction now, for a larger one in the future. Should you purchase those new shoes or big screen TV on your credit card today – or should you save your money and buy it with cash later? Should you eat that piece of chocolate – or go to the gym and exercise?
Should the parent in the quote above deal with her child complaining about getting a snack now or give in and have a larger problem in the future? We all know the right answer is NOT eating the marshmallow right now and getting a whole bag later. It is standing up to a 6 year old and making the right choice for them because it will lead to a better life for everyone.
Dealing with problems head-on, no matter how difficult they may seem at the time, is almost always the best choice. Visit http://www.backcaretreatment.com for more info.
“Here’s One For All You Chocolate Lovers…Maybe.”
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010When I first heard about this study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, I was jumping for joy. Why? It says eating small doses of dark chocolate over a two week period have been found to help blood vessels become more flexible.
More specifically, 11 of 21 patients eat 1.6 ounces of flavonoid rich chocolate every day for two weeks. The remaining patients ate another chocolate with low flavonoid levels. At the end of the study, the group who ate the flavonoid-rich chocolate had greater flow mediated dilation. Basically… more flexibility in their arteries. Flow-mediated dilation is also used as a marker for determining heart disease risks. Researchers also found increased levels of an antioxidant that inhibits platelet clumping called epicatechin. As a side note: Cholesterol levels did NOT increase. The conclusion of the research was: Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate may improve artery flexibility while increasing epicatechin levels that may prevent blood clots. Now you can see why I was jumping for joy.
But the sad thing is… my celebration didn’t last more than a day. Here’s why: The very next day, with chocolate bar in hand, I opened and read an email from the Health Science Institute that warned of a few “flaws” in this study. In particular, the author of the email, Jenny Thompson wrote how the focus of the study was all wrong. The truth of the matter is…Chocolate Was NOT Responsible For The Positive Health Claims In The Study! Not even close. It was the flavonoids found IN the dark chocolate that caused all the benefit.
These same flavonoids can be found in fruits such as apples, blueberries, grapes and most all vegetables… without all the processing and added sugar. And green tea contains flavonoids AND epicatechin. An important note is: Adding milk to the process (the milk chocolate bars you get at the store) destroys the beneficial antioxidant effects found naturally in the chocolate. But here’s the real kicker: Why do you think the study would seem to focus on chocolate as the “doer of good” and not the flavonoids that are readily available in obviously much healthier food (especially if you are diabetic or overweight)?
Answer: The study was funded by the Mars candy company… a huge manufacturer of chocolate. Don’t need to say anymore about that.
So what’s my advice? Sorry to say… it’s to stick with the flavonoid-rich natural foods above. And, if you are going to eat chocolate: Eat it only if you are healthy and find companies that reduce heat and alkalization while processing. This can preserve as much as 70-95% of the chocolate flavonoids.
Did You Know?…
Sunday, April 4th, 2010The health benefits of broccoli and related vegetables may come in part from a chemical
known as sulforaphane, which appears to activate a specific heart-protecting protein. In addition to broccoli,
cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, rapeseed (canola), radish, turnip, mustard greens and
watercress. Sulforaphane was found to increase the activity of the protein Nrf2, which is known to be inactive
in areas of the cardiovascular system that are predisposed to plaque build up. In these areas, which include
bends and branches in blood vessels, blood flow is slowed or even disrupted entirely. Sulforaphane has shown
it can protect those regions by activating Nrf2. These fascinating findings provide a possible mechanism by
which eating vegetables protects against heart disease. For more healthy tips, visit the New Century Spine Centers website at www.BackCareTreatment.com
Did You Know?… It’s All in the Family
Thursday, February 18th, 2010One smart way to care for yourself is to care for your relationships.
Healthy family connections and positive social support go a long way in helping you maintain and improve your physical
and mental health. (And these strong relationships help make life more meaningful and fun.) So, improve your health by taking small steps toward communicating, connecting, and creating healthy bonds with friends and family. Did you know a shared dinner satisfies more than just your child’s rumbling stomach? It’s been found children who eat more meals with their families report significantly less substance abuse and better overall mental health than those who eat fewer meals with their families. So, take small steps toward gathering the family to feast. Even if it’s simple food, the time together —
not fancy fare — is what’s important. Is breakfast less rushed than dinner? Then, talk over toast. Did you know there
might be a real “love connection” between kindness and heart health? Maybe your heart really can be filled with (or at
least fueled by) love? Men with known or suspected coronary artery disease who answered “yes” to the question, “Does
your wife show you her love?” had significantly less chest pain than men who answered “no.” Everybody wins when you
take small steps today. So hug your hubby, smooch your sweetie, cuddle your kids. Tuck “you’re special” notes in pockets or lunchboxes. At the very least, say “I love you.”