Chiropractors have always said "Motion is life." This study shows that brain function is improved by walking. The cross-crawl pattern of walking fires opposite sides of the brain and improves blood flow and neurocircuitry. Cross-crawl is what babies develop and use.
To desk workers I would suggest getting up at least 5 minutes of every hour sitting and doing something like marching in place. Your knees should come up high enough so that your upper leg is parallel to the floor. Make sure to swing the right arm with the left leg and vice versa. You'll be surprised how fast you will tire initially. Don't get discouraged. The brain is plastic and will respond accordingly. You'll gain stamina and best of all brain power!
Two new studies spell out benefits for people recovering from in strokes as well as for those 50 and older.
By Jeannine Stein Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 8, 2008
Walking is good for your head. Sure, we knew about the improvements it can provide to aerobic capacity, not to mention muscles and joints, but two recently released studies show that walking can enhance brain function too.
Walking or other repetitive exercise can change the brain in a number of ways, says Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry and aging at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. The heart pumps more blood, affecting not only muscles but also the brain. "Your brain needs blood, because in the blood are nutrients and oxygen, which are good for the cells and will make the brain healthier," he says. "The vessels that deliver the nutrients also branch out and become more effective."
The act of doing a movement over and over can also stimulate the brain's neurocircuits, he adds, resulting in activity in various regions of the brain. That activity may decrease over time as the body becomes more efficient at the activity. But other stimulation can have an effect -- while a person walks outside with a friend, for example, the brain is guiding a number of activities, such as talking and observing.
In one study, stroke patients put through a walking program could walk better and faster afterward, and the repetitive movements also activated areas of their brain. Researchers expected to see most activity in the cortex, which governs motor skills, but instead much activity was seen in the subcortical region, which, says lead author Dr. Andreas Luft, "has some role in walking, but maybe we've underestimated it. We're actually putting this idea back as a potential mechanism of how walking is controlled."
About half of 71 study subjects with some movement disability were asked to walk on a safety-rigged treadmill three times a week for up to 40 minutes, increasing intensity to a moderate level as the study progressed. The others did assisted stretching exercises for the same amount of time. All were tested in the beginning and after six months for speed and aerobic capacity; about half in each group were given functional magnetic resonance imaging tests before and after to determine brain activity.
The walking group increased its speed by 51%, while the stretching group improved by 11%. The walkers' fitness levels also increased, with aerobic capacity rising about 18%, while the stretching group's fitness levels decreased slightly.
Functional MRI tests revealed intensified activity in the subcortical region in the walking group, which surprised the researchers (the stretching group showed no change). "We found that change can not only happen in the superficial layers of the brain, but in the deeper brain levels as well," says Luft, professor of neurorehabilitation at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The study appeared in the August issue of the journal Stroke.
"The movement repetition that typically goes on in a physical therapy session is very low," says Dr. Daniel Hanley, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and a co-author of the study, which was conducted at Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Maryland VA Medical Center. "We did a lot of repetition with the same leg, and we think that is associated with the brain changes." The researchers believe the brain is either relearning how to walk, or reprogramming itself to compensate for regions damaged by the stroke.
In the other study, a walking regimen boosted cognitive scores in adults who were encouraged to exercise at home for 24 weeks in a moderately intense regimen (most chose walking). Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia did randomized tests on 170 adults 50 and older who didn't have dementia but were considered at increased risk due to memory problems. All participants received education materials on memory loss, stress management, diet, alcohol consumption and smoking, but not on physical activity. Half -- the control group -- were not encouraged to exercise. The others were asked to exercise for three 50-minute sessions per week. Cognitive function was measured over 18 months with the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, which measures cognitive dysfunction in people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
Those in the exercise group showed a small improvement in cognitive scores compared to the control group, according to results published in the Sept. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn. They also displayed better delayed recall. Researchers believe the progress is significant, considering participants engaged in only moderate amounts of physical activity. jeannine.stein@latimes.com
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Studies suggest chiropractic care can help dyslexia
Sept. 3, 2008 07:08 AM Special to the Republic
Question: My 6-year-old has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Can you tell me what causes dyslexia?
Answer: There are various theories such as the visual theory, cerebellar theory, etc. However, experts do not know exactly what causes a child to be dyslexic.
Q: I took my child to a psychologist who recommended special-education classes and psychological therapy. Talking to my child's pediatrician, he recommended that I consider placing my child on a stimulant medication. Are there any alternative therapies, including chiropractic, that can help my child?
A: There are several case studies that show the benefit of chiropractic care in treating children with dyslexia. The chiropractic approach is based on two models. The first is the vertebral subluxation/hemisphericity, which hypothesized to be a potential consequence of central nervous system dysfunction. The second model is vertebral subluxation/neurologic disorganization. This model is based on a theory that children with dyslexia and learning disabilities have a functional disturbance to the appropriate organization of higher centers of the central nervous system.
Another approach is to incorporate chiropractic with specific exercises to "train" the cerebellum to respond normally to information from the vestibular system, which is involved in balance.
Q: What is a subluxation?
A: The official definition of a subluxation is "a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health."
Q: Can chiropractic care help dyslexic adults, too?
A: Yes.
Q: I am afraid to take my child to a chiropractor and let him/her "snap" his neck. Are there any other techniques?
A: Chiropractors use many non-force techniques where there is no twisting, snapping, crackling and popping sounds.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/09/03/20080903gl-askexpert0903-ON.html
Question: My 6-year-old has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Can you tell me what causes dyslexia?
Answer: There are various theories such as the visual theory, cerebellar theory, etc. However, experts do not know exactly what causes a child to be dyslexic.
Q: I took my child to a psychologist who recommended special-education classes and psychological therapy. Talking to my child's pediatrician, he recommended that I consider placing my child on a stimulant medication. Are there any alternative therapies, including chiropractic, that can help my child?
A: There are several case studies that show the benefit of chiropractic care in treating children with dyslexia. The chiropractic approach is based on two models. The first is the vertebral subluxation/hemisphericity, which hypothesized to be a potential consequence of central nervous system dysfunction. The second model is vertebral subluxation/neurologic disorganization. This model is based on a theory that children with dyslexia and learning disabilities have a functional disturbance to the appropriate organization of higher centers of the central nervous system.
Another approach is to incorporate chiropractic with specific exercises to "train" the cerebellum to respond normally to information from the vestibular system, which is involved in balance.
Q: What is a subluxation?
A: The official definition of a subluxation is "a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health."
Q: Can chiropractic care help dyslexic adults, too?
A: Yes.
Q: I am afraid to take my child to a chiropractor and let him/her "snap" his neck. Are there any other techniques?
A: Chiropractors use many non-force techniques where there is no twisting, snapping, crackling and popping sounds.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/09/03/20080903gl-askexpert0903-ON.html
Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection
Why do people continually place their faith in drugs? Rheumatoid arthritis medications have been shown to cause fatal fungal infections because they lower the body's immune function. RA is considered to be an autoimmune disease producing lots of painful inflammation.
This is quite easy to treat naturally. An anti-inflammatory diet consisting of lots of greens, cold water fish like salmon and sardines, almonds, etc. combined with the elimination of all white sugar, aritificial sweeteners, white flour, white rice, etc.
Most importantly is a good detox program to chelate the garbage out of the body. The reason the joints are inflamed in RA is that the body stores excess toxins in the fat and joints when it is overloaded and cannot eliminate in the usual ways.
You don't need to risk a 20% chance of death by prescription drugs just because you have rheumatoid arthritis!
September 5, 2008 NYT
Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.
The drugs — Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia — work by suppressing the immune system to keep it from attacking the body. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment provides relief from swollen and painful joints, but it is “a double-edged sword,” said Dr. Jeffrey Siegel of the drug agency. That is because the drugs also lower the body’s defenses to infections.
Dr. Siegel, who heads the office that oversees arthritis drugs, said the agency became concerned after discovering that doctors seemed to be overlooking a kind of fungal infection called histoplasmosis. Of 240 cases reported to the agency in which patients taking one of the four drugs developed this infection, 45 died. That is about 20 percent.
The infection, which mimics the flu, is prevalent in the middle part of the country. It can have grave consequences if it is not caught and spreads from the respiratory system to other organs.
Dr. Siegel said the investigation began with a single case of a woman who was taking one of the drugs and later died of histoplasmosis. Delving into the case, doctors at the agency found that the woman had been sick with the fungal infection for a long time. Patients should call their doctors if they develop persistent fever, cough, shortness of breath or fatigue, which can be signs of the fungal infection.
Separately, the agency is investigating a possible link between the four medications and cancer in young patients. The agency said earlier this year that it had received 30 reports of cancers, mainly lymphomas, in patients who began taking the medications when they were 18 or younger. That investigation is expected to take the rest of the year.
Humira is sold by Abbott Laboratories; Cimzia by UCB; Enbrel by Amgen Inc. and Wyeth; and Remicade by Centocor, a unit of Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough Inc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/washington/05arthritis.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss
This is quite easy to treat naturally. An anti-inflammatory diet consisting of lots of greens, cold water fish like salmon and sardines, almonds, etc. combined with the elimination of all white sugar, aritificial sweeteners, white flour, white rice, etc.
Most importantly is a good detox program to chelate the garbage out of the body. The reason the joints are inflamed in RA is that the body stores excess toxins in the fat and joints when it is overloaded and cannot eliminate in the usual ways.
You don't need to risk a 20% chance of death by prescription drugs just because you have rheumatoid arthritis!
September 5, 2008 NYT
Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.
The drugs — Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia — work by suppressing the immune system to keep it from attacking the body. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment provides relief from swollen and painful joints, but it is “a double-edged sword,” said Dr. Jeffrey Siegel of the drug agency. That is because the drugs also lower the body’s defenses to infections.
Dr. Siegel, who heads the office that oversees arthritis drugs, said the agency became concerned after discovering that doctors seemed to be overlooking a kind of fungal infection called histoplasmosis. Of 240 cases reported to the agency in which patients taking one of the four drugs developed this infection, 45 died. That is about 20 percent.
The infection, which mimics the flu, is prevalent in the middle part of the country. It can have grave consequences if it is not caught and spreads from the respiratory system to other organs.
Dr. Siegel said the investigation began with a single case of a woman who was taking one of the drugs and later died of histoplasmosis. Delving into the case, doctors at the agency found that the woman had been sick with the fungal infection for a long time. Patients should call their doctors if they develop persistent fever, cough, shortness of breath or fatigue, which can be signs of the fungal infection.
Separately, the agency is investigating a possible link between the four medications and cancer in young patients. The agency said earlier this year that it had received 30 reports of cancers, mainly lymphomas, in patients who began taking the medications when they were 18 or younger. That investigation is expected to take the rest of the year.
Humira is sold by Abbott Laboratories; Cimzia by UCB; Enbrel by Amgen Inc. and Wyeth; and Remicade by Centocor, a unit of Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough Inc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/washington/05arthritis.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss
Friday, September 05, 2008
Jeff Hartwig, Oldest American To Qualify for the Olympic Team in the Pole Vaulting Event, Attributes Success to Chiropractic Care
Jeff Hartwig, Oldest American To Qualify for the Olympic Team in the Pole Vaulting Event, Attributes Success to Chiropractic Care
CARMICHAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At age 40, Jeff Hartwig goes on record as the oldest member of the 2008 Olympic U.S. Track and Field team, competing in the pole vault event. A two time Olympian and four-time national champion, Hartwig holds the American indoor pole vaulting record and attributes much of his athletic success to chiropractic care.
“The first time I was treated by a chiropractor was akin to a miracle -- a much better option than simply using conventional medicine because my injuries healed faster and my whole body felt better,” said Hartwig during an interview conducted a week prior to the Olympic events.
Just shy of his 41st birthday, Jeff is one of the three U.S. pole vault athletes competing in Beijing. He vaulted 18 feet, eight inches to become the oldest American to qualify for the Olympic team in his event. Hartwig finished 11th at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and went on to set the American record in 1998 at 19 feet, 9¼ inches.
“Without chiropractic care, I doubt that I would ever have been able to reach these levels or be able to train at such an intense level," said Hartwig.
Jeff is treated by U.S. Olympic Committee team chiropractor Ted Forcum, D.C. of Tigard, Ore., one of four doctors of chiropractic joining the 62-member U.S. Olympic healthcare team for the 2008 Olympic Games.
“Chiropractic fulfills a niche need, not only by treating injuries but also by aiding in recovery and positively impacting athletic performance,” said Forcum. “Chiropractors promote active care and treatment with a commitment to healthy progression and rehabilitation.”
Since the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, chiropractors have provided healthcare services to elite performers, and this year chiropractors will assume an even greater role in the integrated healthcare team, which includes medical doctors, massage therapists, and certified athletic trainers.
In addition to the four chiropractors who will provide care to the U.S. Olympic athletes, chiropractors from around the world will be joining their respective Olympic teams in providing safe and effective healthcare. Team chiropractors will be present from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, and China among others.
About F4CP
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is a 501c6 corporation that represents a cross section of the chiropractic and vendor communities with the goal of increasing the public’s awareness of the benefits of chiropractic. www.F4CP.org.
Contacts
for The Foundation for Chiropractic ProgressJessica Giordano, 201-641-1911 x35
jgiordano@cpronline.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080813006132/en
Chiropractic Care Helping Heroes Realize Their Potential in Triathlon Series
Chiropractic Care Helping Heroes Realize Their Potential in Triathlon Series
Disabled Veterans Value Chiropractic Care While Competing In Triathlon
CARMICHAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Team Semper Fi, a triathlon team comprised of elite athletes who are also disabled war veterans, competed in the recent Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Series. These athletes have come forward to validate the value of chiropractic care in improving their ability to compete against able-bodied athletes by: swimming against the fierce currents from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco; biking 18 miles; and running eight miles in a triathlon.
“Competing in these events has actually made my life ten times better and has given me tremendous self-worth,” says Iraq war veteran, Eric Frazier, the team’s leading hand cyclist who suffered a paralyzing injury to the spinal cord and now uses his hands and arms to propel his cycle. “After any race, my upper body is in pain because I do it all with my hands and arms. Following chiropractic care, I find that I perform better.” Frazier receives his chiropractic care from Dr. Bill Morgan, staff chiropractor for the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, and affiliate chiropractor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Team Semper Fi is a sports program of the Inter Marine Semper Fi Fund designed to help rehabilitate injured Marines and injured sailors. On a monthly basis, team members compete in triathlons, venture races, marathons, and 10k races. They compete against a variety of professional athletes, amateurs, and beginners, disabled and able-bodied athletes alike.
Team members Dan Lasko and John Szczepanowski also access chiropractic care on a regular basis so that they can perform to their greatest potential.
“With my injury and a prosthetic leg, my back is always in pain,” says Dan Lasko, who lost his left leg below the knee in two IED (Improvised Exploding Device) roadside explosions while defending the U.S. during the war on terror in Afghanistan. “But when it comes to triathlons, chiropractic has helped out tremendously, I see my chiropractor before the event and a few days later…it just makes me a better athlete overall.”
John, the only non-injured team member, praises chiropractic as “making it possible” for him to get out there and be a part of these events.
Prior to the triathlon events, these brave men are treated by chiropractors who support the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (www.F4CP.org). Dr. Bill Morgan feels privileged to be a part of the extraordinary perseverance displayed by these veterans.
“I salute the brave fighters who have overcome so much to compete in these athletic events,” says Dr. Morgan. “I can think of no greater honor than to provide care for those injured while in the service of their country.”
For information about Team Semper Fi or if you wish to make a donation to the team please visit www.semperfifund.org.
About F4CP
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is a 501c6 corporation that represents a cross section of the chiropractic and vendor communities with the goal of increasing the public’s awareness of the benefits of chiropractic. www.F4CP.org.
Contacts
For F4CPJessica Giordano, 201-641-1911 x35jgiordano@cpronline.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080904005998/
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Brain Function Improved By Playing, And Even Watching
I've been saying for quite some time how important motion and movement are to brain function. New research says that even discussing and watching sports can stimulate areas of the brain associated with language. Fascinating!!
Brain Function Improved By Playing, And Even Watching
Sports02 Sep 2008
Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research at the University of Chicago shows.
The research was conducted on hockey players, fans, and people who'd never seen or played the game. It shows, for the first time, that a region of the brain usually associated with planning and controlling actions is activated when players and fans listen to conversations about their sport. The brain boost helps athletes and fans understanding of information about their sport, even though at the time when people are listening to this sport language they have no intention to act.
The study shows that the brain may be more flexible in adulthood than previously thought. "We show that non-language related activities, such as playing or watching a sport, enhance one's ability to understand language about their sport precisely because brain areas normally used to act become highly involved in language understanding," said Sian Beilock, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Chicago. She is lead author of the paper, "Sports Experience Enhances the Neural Processing of Action Language," to be published Tuesday, September 2 in the on-line issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Experience playing and watching sports has enduring effects on language understanding by changing the neural networks that support comprehension to incorporate areas active in performing sports skills," she said.
The research could have greater implications for learning. It shows that engaging in an activity taps into brain networks not normally associated with language, which improves the understanding of language related to that activity, Beilock added.
For the study, researchers asked 12 professional and intercollegiate hockey players, eight fans and nine individuals who had never watched a game to listen to sentences about hockey players, such as shooting, making saves and being engaged in the game. They also listened to sentences about everyday activities, such as ringing doorbells and pushing brooms across the floor. While the subjects listened to the sentences, their brains were scanned using functioning Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which allows one to infer the areas of the brain most active during language listening.
After hearing the sentences in the fMRI scanner, subjects performed a battery of tests designed to gauge their comprehension of those sentences.
Although most subjects understood the language about everyday activities, hockey players and fans were substantially better than novices at understanding hockey-related language.
Brain imaging revealed that when hockey players and fans listen to language about hockey, they show activity in the brain regions usually used to plan and select well-learned physical actions. The increased activity in motor areas of the brain helps hockey players and fans to better understanding hockey language. The results show that playing sports, or even just watching, builds a stronger understanding of language, Beilock said.
----------------------------Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.---------------------------- Joining Beilock in this research were Howard Nusbaum, Professor of Psychology at the University; Steven Small, Professor of Neurology and Psychology at the University; and Beilock's Ph.D. students Ian Lyons and Andrew Mattarella-Micke Source: William Harms University of Chicago
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119952.php
Brain Function Improved By Playing, And Even Watching
Sports02 Sep 2008
Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research at the University of Chicago shows.
The research was conducted on hockey players, fans, and people who'd never seen or played the game. It shows, for the first time, that a region of the brain usually associated with planning and controlling actions is activated when players and fans listen to conversations about their sport. The brain boost helps athletes and fans understanding of information about their sport, even though at the time when people are listening to this sport language they have no intention to act.
The study shows that the brain may be more flexible in adulthood than previously thought. "We show that non-language related activities, such as playing or watching a sport, enhance one's ability to understand language about their sport precisely because brain areas normally used to act become highly involved in language understanding," said Sian Beilock, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Chicago. She is lead author of the paper, "Sports Experience Enhances the Neural Processing of Action Language," to be published Tuesday, September 2 in the on-line issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Experience playing and watching sports has enduring effects on language understanding by changing the neural networks that support comprehension to incorporate areas active in performing sports skills," she said.
The research could have greater implications for learning. It shows that engaging in an activity taps into brain networks not normally associated with language, which improves the understanding of language related to that activity, Beilock added.
For the study, researchers asked 12 professional and intercollegiate hockey players, eight fans and nine individuals who had never watched a game to listen to sentences about hockey players, such as shooting, making saves and being engaged in the game. They also listened to sentences about everyday activities, such as ringing doorbells and pushing brooms across the floor. While the subjects listened to the sentences, their brains were scanned using functioning Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which allows one to infer the areas of the brain most active during language listening.
After hearing the sentences in the fMRI scanner, subjects performed a battery of tests designed to gauge their comprehension of those sentences.
Although most subjects understood the language about everyday activities, hockey players and fans were substantially better than novices at understanding hockey-related language.
Brain imaging revealed that when hockey players and fans listen to language about hockey, they show activity in the brain regions usually used to plan and select well-learned physical actions. The increased activity in motor areas of the brain helps hockey players and fans to better understanding hockey language. The results show that playing sports, or even just watching, builds a stronger understanding of language, Beilock said.
----------------------------Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.---------------------------- Joining Beilock in this research were Howard Nusbaum, Professor of Psychology at the University; Steven Small, Professor of Neurology and Psychology at the University; and Beilock's Ph.D. students Ian Lyons and Andrew Mattarella-Micke Source: William Harms University of Chicago
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119952.php
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Here's to Your Brain
Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine but not in white wine, has been found to protect the brain from the formation of amyloid plaques. These plaques are present in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Watch this video to learn more!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Training-Induced Brain Structure Changes In The Elderly
This is amazing information! In this age of dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's we have here evidence that the brain is always plastic. By inputting information into the brain the output will be the reward of better cognition and function. I don't mean to say that learning to juggle will stave off these diseases but anything that improves brain function gives you a better chance. And this goes to show that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" simply doesn't hold water. The brain is always ready to receive new information and reward it's owner with improved function.
Chiropractic care is a great way to improve brain function and don't forget that your brain controls the rest of your body! How does it do this? In every muscle and joint there are tiny receptors (structures that receive information). When we move they are activated and fire their information into the Central Nervous System (the spine and brain). When this happens the brain is happy and lights up. The brain celebrates this input by sharing it with the rest of the body and you benefit with better function of your organs and total physiology.
Sometimes joints become locked or fixated and muscles become weak or tight. This can be due to many reasons. Chemical, physical, structural, emotional, etc. Locked up motion receptors no longer feed information into the brain and so you have both a local (at the joint) and global (throughout the body) decrease of function. Some of these changes are slow and even imperceptible for decades and sometimes the effects are more immediate. Either way its just a matter of time before a problem is perceived. Remember that by the time you perceive pain the problem has been there building up for some time! This is outside of the occurrence of a traumatic accident.
Locked up motion receptors have effectively gone off line and the brain no longer recognizes the level of the the locked up joint.
The chiropractic adjustment does three main things to reverse this:
Training-Induced Brain Structure Changes In The Elderly: Commentary from F1000
Posted 08/15/2008
Lutz JänckeAuthor Information
Boyke J, Driemeyer J, Gaser C, Büchel C, May AJ Neurosci 2008 Jul 9 28(28):7031-5
Commentary from Faculty Member Lutz Jäncke
This is the first study published so far demonstrating cortical plasticity in the elderly and, thus, supports the view that cortical integrity and possibly cognitive functions can be shaped by training, even in the elderly. One of the most interesting and possibly important findings in cognitive neuroscience has been the discovery that the human brain can be shaped by experience. In this context, it has been shown that even specific characteristics of brain anatomy (e.g. gray and white matter density) can be changed by experience. This study demonstrates that gray matter changes can even be induced in the elderly. The authors of this study focused on healthy elderly citizens (on average 60 years of age) and conducted a training study during which these subjects learned three-ball cascade juggling. It turned out that senior citizens learned to juggle but with less proficiency compared with adolescents. However, similar to the young group, gray matter changes in the older brain related to skill acquisition were observed in area hMT/V5 (middle temporal area of the visual cortex). A further finding relates to the hippocampus and reveals that elderly volunteers who learned to juggle showed transient increases in gray matter in the hippocampus on the left side and in the nucleus accumbens bilaterally.
Faculty of 1000 Medicine Evaluations, Dissents and Author responses for: [Boyke J et al. Training-induced brain structure changes in the elderly. J Neurosci 2008 Jul 9 28 (28):7031-5]. 2008 Jul 17. www.f1000medicine.com/article/id/1115644/evaluation
Chiropractic care is a great way to improve brain function and don't forget that your brain controls the rest of your body! How does it do this? In every muscle and joint there are tiny receptors (structures that receive information). When we move they are activated and fire their information into the Central Nervous System (the spine and brain). When this happens the brain is happy and lights up. The brain celebrates this input by sharing it with the rest of the body and you benefit with better function of your organs and total physiology.
Sometimes joints become locked or fixated and muscles become weak or tight. This can be due to many reasons. Chemical, physical, structural, emotional, etc. Locked up motion receptors no longer feed information into the brain and so you have both a local (at the joint) and global (throughout the body) decrease of function. Some of these changes are slow and even imperceptible for decades and sometimes the effects are more immediate. Either way its just a matter of time before a problem is perceived. Remember that by the time you perceive pain the problem has been there building up for some time! This is outside of the occurrence of a traumatic accident.
Locked up motion receptors have effectively gone off line and the brain no longer recognizes the level of the the locked up joint.
The chiropractic adjustment does three main things to reverse this:
- It restores the normal range of motion to the joint
- It puts a quick stretch in the muscle
- It provides a barrage information into those receptors
When this happens those receptors which were locked up and still now scream to the brain "We're still here. We just couldn't talk to you for awhile." The brain is only too happen to hear this since it just received a huge message from those joint levels and brings them back online. Function is now improved. And those tight muscles just received a quick stretch which helps them relax and perform better. Best of all you feel better, looser, lighter, with less stress due to the release of endorphins and enkephalins from the brain's natural pharmacy.
Chiropractic promotes plasticity of the brain and nervous system. It promotes joint structure and function. It promotes health.
Training-Induced Brain Structure Changes In The Elderly: Commentary from F1000
Posted 08/15/2008
Lutz JänckeAuthor Information
Boyke J, Driemeyer J, Gaser C, Büchel C, May AJ Neurosci 2008 Jul 9 28(28):7031-5
Commentary from Faculty Member Lutz Jäncke
This is the first study published so far demonstrating cortical plasticity in the elderly and, thus, supports the view that cortical integrity and possibly cognitive functions can be shaped by training, even in the elderly. One of the most interesting and possibly important findings in cognitive neuroscience has been the discovery that the human brain can be shaped by experience. In this context, it has been shown that even specific characteristics of brain anatomy (e.g. gray and white matter density) can be changed by experience. This study demonstrates that gray matter changes can even be induced in the elderly. The authors of this study focused on healthy elderly citizens (on average 60 years of age) and conducted a training study during which these subjects learned three-ball cascade juggling. It turned out that senior citizens learned to juggle but with less proficiency compared with adolescents. However, similar to the young group, gray matter changes in the older brain related to skill acquisition were observed in area hMT/V5 (middle temporal area of the visual cortex). A further finding relates to the hippocampus and reveals that elderly volunteers who learned to juggle showed transient increases in gray matter in the hippocampus on the left side and in the nucleus accumbens bilaterally.
Faculty of 1000 Medicine Evaluations, Dissents and Author responses for: [Boyke J et al. Training-induced brain structure changes in the elderly. J Neurosci 2008 Jul 9 28 (28):7031-5]. 2008 Jul 17. www.f1000medicine.com/article/id/1115644/evaluation
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Trace Arsenic in Water Linked to Diabetes
Here is another reason to think seriously about detoxing. A simple urine test can determine the levels of heavy metals in the body. Heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium are now ubiquitous in the air, water, and soil. That means it's in everything we eat, drink, and breathe. Unfortunately these metals play havoc with normal human physiology in many ways, most notably in damaging the brain. Here is new evidence that shows a link between arsenic and increased levels of Type II Diabetes. Researchers are unsure yet as to whether or not arsenic increases the risk of diabetes or if diabetics simply excrete more arsenic, but whatever the case may be it's better not to have an abundance of arsenic in the body.
My office tests for heavy metals and based on the results offers lab testing, nutritional help, and a detox program to rid the body of heavy metals and other toxins.
Trace Arsenic in Water Linked to Diabetes
Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press
Aug. 19, 2008 -- A new analysis of government data is the first to link low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with Type 2 diabetes, researchers say. The study's limitations make more research necessary. And public water systems were on their way to meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards as the data were collected.
Still, the analysis of 788 adults' medical tests found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared to people with even lower levels.
Previous research outside the United States has linked high levels of arsenic in drinking water with diabetes. It's the link at low levels that's new. The findings appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
"The good news is, this is preventable," said lead author Dr. Ana Navas-Acien of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
New safe drinking water standards may be needed if the findings are duplicated in future studies, Navas-Acien said. She said they've begun a new study of 4,000 people.
Arsenic can get into drinking water naturally when minerals dissolve. It is also an industrial pollutant from coal burning and copper smelting. Utilities use filtration systems to get it out of drinking water.
Seafood also contains nontoxic organic arsenic. The researchers adjusted their analysis for signs of seafood intake and found that people with Type 2 diabetes had 26 percent higher inorganic arsenic levels than people without Type 2 diabetes.
How arsenic could contribute to diabetes is unknown, but prior studies have found impaired insulin secretion in pancreas cells treated with an arsenic compound.
The policy implications of the new findings are unclear, said Molly Kile, an environmental health research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Kile wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.
"Urinary arsenic reflects exposures from all routes -- air, water and food -- which makes it difficult to track the actual source of arsenic exposure let alone use the results from this study to establish drinking water standards," Kile said.
Also, the findings raise a chicken-and-egg problem, she said, since it's unknown whether diabetes changes the way people metabolize arsenic. It's possible that people with diabetes excrete more arsenic.
The United States lowered arsenic standards for public water systems to 10 parts per billion in 2001 because of known cancer risks. Compliance was required by 2006, years after the study data were collected in 2003 and 2004.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/19/arsenic-diabetes.html
My office tests for heavy metals and based on the results offers lab testing, nutritional help, and a detox program to rid the body of heavy metals and other toxins.
Trace Arsenic in Water Linked to Diabetes
Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press
Aug. 19, 2008 -- A new analysis of government data is the first to link low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with Type 2 diabetes, researchers say. The study's limitations make more research necessary. And public water systems were on their way to meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards as the data were collected.
Still, the analysis of 788 adults' medical tests found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared to people with even lower levels.
Previous research outside the United States has linked high levels of arsenic in drinking water with diabetes. It's the link at low levels that's new. The findings appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
"The good news is, this is preventable," said lead author Dr. Ana Navas-Acien of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
New safe drinking water standards may be needed if the findings are duplicated in future studies, Navas-Acien said. She said they've begun a new study of 4,000 people.
Arsenic can get into drinking water naturally when minerals dissolve. It is also an industrial pollutant from coal burning and copper smelting. Utilities use filtration systems to get it out of drinking water.
Seafood also contains nontoxic organic arsenic. The researchers adjusted their analysis for signs of seafood intake and found that people with Type 2 diabetes had 26 percent higher inorganic arsenic levels than people without Type 2 diabetes.
How arsenic could contribute to diabetes is unknown, but prior studies have found impaired insulin secretion in pancreas cells treated with an arsenic compound.
The policy implications of the new findings are unclear, said Molly Kile, an environmental health research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Kile wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.
"Urinary arsenic reflects exposures from all routes -- air, water and food -- which makes it difficult to track the actual source of arsenic exposure let alone use the results from this study to establish drinking water standards," Kile said.
Also, the findings raise a chicken-and-egg problem, she said, since it's unknown whether diabetes changes the way people metabolize arsenic. It's possible that people with diabetes excrete more arsenic.
The United States lowered arsenic standards for public water systems to 10 parts per billion in 2001 because of known cancer risks. Compliance was required by 2006, years after the study data were collected in 2003 and 2004.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/19/arsenic-diabetes.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
