Lifecare Chiropractic
James Bogash, DC
Amy Strock, DC

1830 S. Alma School Rd
Bldg 7, Ste 135
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 839-CARE (2273)

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In this issue of To Your Health:

Never Too Old to Exercise

You're never too old to live healthy. Changes in diet and the addition of exercise into your lifestyle can make significant differences to your health and overall wellness.

In a study published in the Journal of Aging and Health and conducted at the University of South Florida School of Aging, Professor Ross Andel and co-researcher Robert Simons, executive director of the Bonsai Holistic Spa and Wellness Center in Largo, Florida, demonstrated a noticeable increase in body strength, flexibility, balance and agility in study participants. The 64 volunteers, ranging in age from 66 to 96, were divided into a walking group, a resistance training group and a control group that did not exercise. In the training group, warm-ups, stretching and flexibility exercises were followed by workouts on resistance training equipment.

The walking and resistance training groups both benefited from the study, suggesting that physical activity can offset physical declines that come with aging and preserve functionality among seniors. Your doctor of chiropractic can tell you more about the benefits of consistent exercise and help outline a program suitable to your needs. For more information on senior health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/senior.html.

Simons R, Andel R. The effects of resistance training and walking on functional fitness in advanced old age. Journal of Aging and Health 2006;18(1):91-105.

Better Diet, Better Cholesterol Profile

A recent study suggests that a change in diet may supersede the need for cholesterol-lowering medication. The drawback for some and the plus for others (depending on your eating habits) may be the necessary inclusion of tofu and oatmeal in the diet.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and headed up by Dr. Cyril Kendall and David Jenkins of the University of Toronto, included 55 middle-aged women and men. Members of the research group, already following a healthy diet, were told to include specific foods such as tofu and other soy foods, raw almonds, oatmeal, barley, okra, eggplant and plant sterol-enriched margarine. Those who faithfully followed the newly prescribed diet lowered their cholesterol by an average of 29 percent after one year. Other participants who did not follow the diet as strictly as others still lowered their cholesterol by 10 percent to 20 percent.

If you're not used to eating healthy, you may have trouble adhering to this type of diet, which also includes low-fat dairy products, smaller portions of lean meat and skinless poultry, and substituting soy products for meat as much as possible. However, as you can see from the results, the benefits are substantial. For more information on healthy eating, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Kendall C, Jenkins D, Faulkner D, et al. Assessment of the longer-term effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006;83:582-591.

Low Back Pain in Women: Hormonal Influences

Women, take note -- you may be at particular risk for developing an all-too-common common ailment: low back pain. In a study that included 11,428 women, hormonal and reproductive factors were associated with LBP.

The researchers used information from a study of the general population, ages 20 to 59, in three towns in different regions of the Netherlands, that evaluated risk factors for chronic diseases. Female participants were given a physical exam and asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Duration of oral contraceptive use, number of children, estrogen use during menopause, young maternal age at first birth, irregular or prolonged menstruation, and hysterectomies were associated with chronic LBP. The researchers concluded that factors related to an increase in estrogen may be the common thread. For more information on women's health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html.

Wijnhoven H, Vet H, Smit H, et al. Hormonal and reproductive factors are associated with chronic low back pain and chronic upper extremity pain in women - the MORGEN study. Spine 2006;31(13):1496-1502.

Chiropractic: Hitting It Big With College Athletes

It's estimated that more than one-third of the American public uses the services of doctors of chiropractic and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers each year. Among those who take full advantage of CAM's benefits are professional athletes; in fact, many pro sports teams now have chiropractors and other CAM providers as part of their medical or training staff. A new study shows that chiropractic and other types of CAM are extremely popular among athletes on the college level as well.

In this study, researchers gave a survey to more than 300 college athletes attending a Division I school in Hawaii. The survey asked the athletes about their use of different types of CAM in the previous year, along with their use of traditional medical care. Fifty-six percent of the athletes reported using some type of CAM within the past 12 months, with more women using CAM than men. Chiropractic was the second most popular form of CAM, just behind massage; 29 percent of the athletes said they had used chiropractic at least once in the past year.

While considerable evidence suggests chiropractic can improve the performance of elite athletes, there's just as much evidence which shows chiropractic care is effective for a variety of everyday problems, too. Back pain, neck pain and migraine headaches are just a few of the many conditions that can be treated with an adjustment by a well-trained doctor of chiropractic. If you suffer from any of these conditions, make an appointment with your chiropractor today. You'll be thankful you did. To learn more about chiropractic's many benefits, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives.

Nichols AW, Harrigan R. Complementary and alternative medicine usage by intercollegiate athletes. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine May 2006;16(3):232-7.

Five Ways Men Can Lower Their Risk of Heart Disease

Listen up, men! You probably know you don't eat as well as you should or exercise as much as you should. You also probably know that a poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and other bad habits significantly increase your risk of having a heart attack or developing heart disease later in life.

The good news is that the damage isn't irreversible; in a recent study, researchers tracked the incidence of heart disease in a group of more than 42,000 middle-aged men for 16 years. By analyzing a series of questionnaires, the scientists found five specific "lifestyle factors" or habits that appeared to lower the risk of heart disease:

  • not smoking;
  • having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or less;
  • exercising regularly (at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily);
  • drinking in moderation; and
  • eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fiber, chicken and fish, and low in trans-fats and saturated fats.

Just how important were these factors? According to the study, men who accomplished all of the above were 87 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to men who followed none of the habits. Even adopting just two healthy habits reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 27 percent.

In other words, it's never late to change. If you're looking to make significant changes to your lifestyle, talk to your chiropractor; he or she will be happy to work with you in creating an exercise program, making changes to your diet, or other changes that will improve your health and fitness levels. For more information about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general/wellness.

Chiuve SE, McCullough ML, Sacks FM, et al. Healthy lifestyle factors in the primary prevention of coronary heart disease among men. Circulation 2006;114:160-167.

Dairy Foods and Diabetes in Women: Think Low-Fat

According to the American Diabetes Association, up to 9.2 million in the United States have type 2 diabetes, which increases the risk of heart disease, kidney damage and other disorders. The results of a new study suggest that a diet that contains high amounts of low-fat dairy products can provide some protection against developing type 2 diabetes, and that the more dairy products a women eats, the lower the risk.

In this study, scientists examined the dietary records of more than 37,000 women who were participating in a national health survey. The scientists looked at the intake of various dairy foods and calcium, and then compared those statistics with the number of women in the study who developed diabetes over a 10-year follow-up period.

According to the analysis, women who consumed the highest amounts of dairy foods were 21 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who ate the lowest amounts of dairy foods. Each serving-per-day increase in dairy products reduced the risk of diabetes by 4 percent. Low-fat dairy foods appeared to be more effective in lowering diabetes risk. Most high-fat dairy foods, on the other hand, showed little to no benefit, or actually increased the risk of developing diabetes. To learn more about the influence of nutrition on health, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Liu S, Klevak A, Choi HY, et al. A prospective study of dairy intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care July 2006;29(7):1579-1584.

James Bogash, DC and Amy Strock, DC
1830 S. Alma School Rd, Bldg 7, Ste 135, Mesa, AZ 85210
(Alma School Road, just south of the Superstition Freeway/Highway 60)
Chiropractic Health Care Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert & Tempe, Arizona
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