Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis or bone loss is not just a condition of aging. While aging normally causes a loss of bone density (osteopenia), bone loss is also directly related to other factors. Poor nutrition is the biggest contributor to a loss of bone density. A very sad fact is that poor nutrition habits of a child or teenager is what leads to accelerated bone loss as an aging adult. The main offenders are overconsumption of soda pop, caffeine, salt and alcohol. Excessive and regular use of these popular "junk" foods leads to bone tissue wearing down. Recently, researchers have found that there is a connection between the immune system and the loss of bone density. When the immune system is worn down and is not working properly, it can lead to the over production of immune system cells called cytokines which start an inflammatory process that breaks down bone tissue. Living a wellness orientated lifestyle can prevent this immune dysfunction from occurring. Another main cause of bone loss is hormonal imbalance. Women who have had their ovaries removed suffer a drop in hormone levels which leads to bone loss. The nervous system is responsible for controlling the hormonal body chemistry as well as immune system function. A properly functioning nervous system also regulates bone production in the body. In addition to a healthy diet, one of the best things a person can do to prevent bone loss and even increase bone density is resistance exercise. Weight training exercises increase bone density.

Thought for the Week: "When men differ...both sides should equally have the advantage of being heard in public...for when truth and error have fair play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter." --------- Benjamin Franklin

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: "Chiropractors are not medical doctors. The chiropractic science is not medicine. A chiropractor repairs by adjusting, fixing, replacing; He does not use any medical remedies. Chiropractic is nontherapeutical, non-medical. Chiropractic does not treat symptoms, but improves the function of structure and thus the body." ------- Paraphrased, D.D Palmer 1910

Allergies...Nature's Self Defense

Allergic reactions are the body's response to normally non toxic material. They recognize the offending culprit, which could be food, grass, mold or animal dander, as a threat. No one is really sure why some people react adversely to normal substances. In some instances, the allergy may be genetic, or it can be a weakness in the individual's immune system. In either case, the body's response is to attack the threat. It does this by releasing histamines, which can cause respiratory problems, mucous production, headaches, sinus trouble, runny eyes and or skin rashes. These reactions, while annoying, are the body's way of ridding itself of the toxin or what we call an allergen. It is the normal healthy response of the body to a perceived health threat. Another main cause of allergies is an over production of mucous. Mucous, a thick, gooey substance, traps and holds allergens in the body causing the body to have a continual allergy attack. The most effective way to combat allergies are to toughen up the immune system and to eliminate as much mucous as possible in the body. Foods that cause or contribute to mucous, should be eliminated. Foods like dairy, eggs, fried and processed food and chocolate. Build up the immune system with adequate rest, plenty of exercise, proper nutrition and a properly functioning nervous system. Also, you may want to look into a HEPA air filter for the house to help trap airborne allergens.

Thought for the Week: "The harmony of natural law reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection." ---- Albert Einstein

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: "Universal Intelligence is in all matter and continually gives to it all it's properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. The expression of intelligence through matter is the chiropractic meaning of life." --- BJ Palmer, D.C.

Deep Thoughts for the week. Einstein and Palmer (Palmer first , early 1900's), state that there is a superior intelligence in nature that is responsible for life and living. Palmer goes on to say that the expression of this intelligence is the chiropractic meaning of life. The meaning, is that in the body, intelligence expresses itself through matter, i.e. the brain's impulses through the spinal cord and nerves is life and the expression of health. ---- Dr. J.Z.

Wine or Peanuts. That is the Question.

Have you heard about the French Paradox? The French population typically smokes tobacco, eats foods high in saturated fats (think heavy cream sauces) and amazingly, as a whole, have a lower risk of heart disease. The suggested reason for the paradox is a moderate consumption of red wine. Scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute have been researching the main compound in red grapes that is responsible for these health benefits. This substance is called Resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to speed up the body's metabolism, helping to burn calories. It has also been shown to help muscles work more effectively and because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it can help lower cardiovascular disease. Another major benefit is that Resveratrol inhibits enzyme activity that could help prevent cancer. Strangely enough, what is not common knowledge in these "Wine Helping Health" studies, is that peanuts are a higher source of Resveratol than red wine and red grapes. Also, Grape Leaves are a higher source of Resveratrol than the grape itself. Even better, once the Resveratrol is extracted from the grape leaves, 95% of the weed is left over and can then be converted to ethanol which is used as an alternative fuel source.

Thought For the Week: " It is to the inside of the person that we must look for the cause of disease. Outside substances and regimes may be supportive to faulty inside function, but they will never solve the problem. We cannot treat disease from the outside in, we must care for the body from the inside out. A person is not sick because they have pneumonia, they have pneumonia because they are sick."

----Fred Barge, DC

Chiropractic Tip of the Week: " If Chiropractic is nothing more than another treatment for symptoms and disease, then it is exactly the same as medicine. The good news is that Chiropractic is not a treatment for symptomatic conditions or diseases. Chiropractic care improves the function of the nervous system, which improves performance in the body, building health from the inside out, completely seperate and distinct from medicine.

Dark Choclate: Tastes Good, Is Good

It has been a very exciting week for health, here is the latest news that has come across my desk. Cocoa, as in dark chocolate, was found by the American Academy of Cardiology to increase arterial blood flow. Cocoa, high in flavinoids was shown to improve blood flow, which might be helpful in fighting off arteriosclerosis. The study participants were given plain dark chocolate, dark chocolate flavored with sugar and a placebo. The groups given the chocolate showed the improvement with the sugarless cocoa showing more improvement than the chocolate with sugar. Here is a new twist on the benefits of Fish Oil. Not only is it a life saving supplement for the heart and arteries, we also know it is good for the joints, improving brain function and fighting disease with it's anti-inflammatory effect on tissues and cells, but now it has been found to increase bone density. This finding could revolutionize how we prevent osteoporosis. Lastly, a note on the environment. Plastic bags, the kind given to us in the grocery store, are a huge environmental hazard. One million plastic bags produced, generates 13 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide. It takes 11 barrels of oil to make 1 ton of plastic bags and 950 tons of plastic bags are in our landfills with only one percent ever being recycled. San Francisco is currently considering a measure that would ban the use of plastic bags in stores. When given the choice at the market, ask for brown paper bags. If the paperbags have plastic over them as a double bag, don't take them. And as always, recycle your brown paper bags. They are picked up with the newspapers and other recycled house wares.

Thought for the Week: "Virtually all conventional physicians are unaware, as I was when I was in the system, that they have been seriously brainwashed by the multinational drug corporations. Drugs are virtually never the long-term answer to any medical problem. They can provide short-term relief when addressing the underlying cause of the problem. Once you understand that you can teach your patients this, they can use you appropriately as a health coach to guide them in their process of taking control of their own health." ----- Dr. Joe Mercola, DO Mercola Wellness Center, Chicago, Ill.

Chiropractic Tip of the Week: "The real, primary cause of disease is tension. The cause of tension is pressure on the nervous system. The cause of pressure on the nervous system in 95% of diseased conditions is misaligned vertebra." ---- D.D. Palmer, D.C.

Nightshade Vegetables

There is a classification of vegetables called Night Shade Vegetables. These vegetables are labeled NightShade because they supposedly grow at night. The most popular nightshade vegetables that are edible include: tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers ( green, red, chili, paprika). The Nightshade vegetables contain a substance called glycoalkaloids. There is no doubt that nightshade vegetables are very good for you and contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. The down side to nightshade vegetables is the glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids can be toxic and also disrupt important calcium metabolism in the body. This disruption can increase arthritis and joint pain. If you are sensitive to nightshade vegetables (and the only way to know if you are, is to eliminate them from your diet) you can actually cure arthritis pain by avoiding eating all of the nightshade vegetables. A tough job to do, but if you are in chronic pain, it may be worth a try.

Thought For The Week: " Health is a condition of wholeness in which all of the body's parts and systems are functioning at 100% of their capability. Health is mental, spiritual and physical well-being, not merely the absence of symptoms."

----Combined Webster's Dictionary and World Health Organization definition of health.

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: "The purpose of the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves) is to control and co-ordinate the function of all of the body's parts and systems. If the nervous system is not flowing properly the body cannot fulfill the above definition of health and will not be healthy." ------ Dr. J