Blood Pressure Numbers

Most people are familiar with Blood Pressure and that it is important for the B/P numbers to be in a certain range. Blood pressure that is too high and way out of the range is indicative of a health problem. What most people do not know is that there is no such thing as a "normal" blood pressure. 120/70 is the medically given ideal blood pressure. This ideal number came about from an average of thousands of different blood pressures taken from thousands of different people. If a person's blood pressure is not exactly 120/70 there is nothing to worry about. All people are different, all blood pressures are different. Concern lies in the fact that when blood pressure goes over a certain point, a disease process is usually responsible. 140/90 is considered border line normal, any thing above these numbers could be a problem. The top number in the blood pressure reading represents the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart beats. This number can rise with stress, nervousness or pain. The bottom number represents the pressure when your heart is at rest. This is where trouble occurs. A reading above 90 is not good and should be checked out. The two numbers, top & bottom should never be more than 60-70 points apart. This may indicate a leaky heart valve.

Thought for the Week: "Chiropractic is good for all things because it is good for not one thing; it is simply good for the body and mind. Chiropractic is biological common sense. If any part, any system, fails to get appropriate nervous control and coordination, it cannot adapt to what the body needs, and to the rest of the body. We call that sick. We know that lack of appropriate nervous control and coordination is subluxation. We know that what we provide, the chiropractic adjustment, makes subluxation go "bye-bye," leading to better health. Simple. The Truth." -----Don Harte, D.C., San Fransisco, California.

Nuts for Walnuts

Walnuts may not be the best tasting nut, or the most popular, but walnuts are at the top of the list as far as good health goes. Walnuts are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The same fatty acid found in fish and flax seed oil. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to build healthy arteries and promote good health in general. Walnuts are a good source of protein and fiber. An interesting benefit to eating walnuts is if you eat them at night, they may help you sleep better. Walnuts contain the sleep regulating hormone melatonin. Low levels of melatonin have also been linked Alzheimer"s disease. Sprinkle walnuts on yogurt or cereal for breakfast. Add to salads and casseroles for dinner. Munch on a handful with an apple for a quick energy boosting snack. Just don't store them like squirrel.

Thought for the Week: "Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work." ------Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Sit-ups not working like they should?

Worried about how you'll look on the beach this season? Are you in the gym working out day after day, but still can't see your muscles or even worse, haven't lost any weight? Exercise alone does not cut it (pun intended). Diet controls about 75 % of weightloss. Someone who does three hundred sit-ups a day, may have strong ab muscles, but if there is a layer of fat over them, the abs will never be seen. The same is true for the hips, thighs, arms, chest and every other body part. Exercise is an important part of fat burning, the toner the muscles, the greater your metabolism burns calories at rest. But, working out by itself is not enough. The fastest results come from an exercise program combined with a sensible diet tailored to your individual weight loss goals. Small frequent meals are better than big ones. For example, if a meal is eaten that contains 800-1000 calories, it would take 8-10 hours of normal activity to burn those calories. That means a person would have to wait 8-10 hours between meals and stay up and active in the evening for 8-10 hours after their last meal. A small meal consisting of healthy food containing 400 calories would require only 4 hours to burn the consumed calories from the food that was eaten and then it would be time to eat again. Eating small frequent meals ensures that there is not any extra calories around for fat storage. And fat storage is what we are trying to avoid in our swim suits.

Thought for the Week: "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases."--- Hippocrates, 460-377 BC

Veggies against cancer!

Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most serious and deadly forms of cancer. It appears suddenly with little or no warning and can overwhelm the body with frightening speed. Researchers from the University of California found that a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables cuts the chance of developing Pancreatic Cancer by 50%. The foods strongly associated with risk reduction were garlic, onions, beans, carrots, dark leafy vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower and oranges. A minimum of 5 servings a day was associated with the lowest risk. On a semi-related side note, Italian researchers found that the hop flower, found in most microbrewed beers, were found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It seems the ingredient in hops, xanthohumol is a potent anti-oxidant.

Thought for the Week: " Illnesses hover constantly above us, their seeds blown by the wind, but they do not set in the terrain unless the terrain is ready to receive them."--- Claude Bernard