Frank J. Valente DC, CCSP: August 2010

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Cholesterol and Kids: Wait, Don't Medicate

High cholesterol is no laughing matter, whether you're an adult or a child, but cholesterol-lowering prescription medication doesn't need to be the stock solution, particularly when an abundance of research indicates that lifestyle modifications such as exercise and diet can make a significant dent in the problem. Add to that the results of a recent study that suggests children with even very high cholesterol levels may experience a drop over time - without drugs or other interventions.

The study, published in Pediatrics, found that some children with high cholesterol levels at baseline (and warranting drug intervention according to guidelines) had levels after four years that no longer would require intervention.

Some children (and adults) with a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol or who fail to improve after conservative interventions (diet, exercise) may need to take cholesterol-lowering medication, but it's important to understand that the majority develop high cholesterol as a consequence of poor diet or obesity, both of which can be modified.

Consider this recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics on how to manage children with cholesterol (courtesy of WebMD): "For kids who are overweight or obese and who have a high blood-fat level or low level of 'good' HDL cholesterol, weight management is the primary treatment. This means improved diet with nutritional counseling and increased physical exercise." Drug management should be considered only in children ages 8 or older who have extremely high cholesterol and a family history of early heart disease.

Your doctor can give you a comprehensive picture of cholesterol, assess your (and your children's) cholesterol status and risk factors, and suggest natural approaches to manage high levels if warranted.

Time-Saving Tips to Improve Health

We live in a busy world and for most of us, it's only getting busier. Before you drop to the ground in frustration, take these tips to heart and see how quickly your health and well-being improve:

1. DON'T WAIT FOR A RAINY DAY Procrastination does little good for your mind, body or soul, although at any given time, the procrastinator thinks they're doing themselves a service by putting something off until "later." The problem is that while you may not be doing it (yet), you're thinking about it and worrying about it not being done, or doing it halfway and the ending up with even more to do. The message is simple: Save time later by doing it now.

2. YOUR HOME IS YOUR GYM For many people, rushing to the gym at 5:00 in the morning or 9:00 at night doesn't work, especially in the long term. Add to that the daily rigors of work, family and everything else, and you can see why so many people quit working out after an encouraging start. The time-saving solution is to invest in a few simple pieces of equipment so when you don't have time to go to the gym, the gym can come to you!

3. A LITTLE ORGANIZATION... Lack of organization may be the most time-consuming scenario of all. Consider how much of your life is spent looking for things you put "away" without putting them in the right place. Taking the time to organize your life - from your bills to your garage to your kitchen cabinets to your daily agenda - will save you more time than you can imagine, and you'll feel great doing it.

4. COOK NOW, EAT LATER We live in a society that rewards poor preparation, particularly when it comes to food. If you're trying to avoid fast food, microwavable entrees and the like, you'll often end up scrambling to prepare meals after work or while trying to get the kids off to school. Save time (and sanity) by doing some of the prep work on the weekend: cook lean meat or fish, steam veggies, boil brown rice or whole-wheat pasta, and you'll have days worth of meals ready to go.

Healthy Back-to-School Lunches

The majority of entrees served on school campuses include pizza, Sloppy Joes, cheeseburgers, spaghetti, hot dogs and corn dogs. It's rare that you will see anything made with fish and chicken, unless it's fish sticks and chicken nuggets, which contain processed meat that is breaded and deep fried. It's time to accept the fact that raising healthier children means they won't be eating school lunches, but instead will need to be provided lunch from home. Here are some suggestions for how even the busiest parents can do it.

The Beverage: The American Academy of Pediatrics says that juice consumption is contributing to cavities and gastrointestinal issues for children, while milk has proven to be a common food allergen. Your best option is to encourage your child to drink water. This can be done by providing water for them in their lunch box using a stainless-steel thermos or by placing ice cubes in their thermos in the morning.

The Entree: Great sources of protein that can be put in a small lunch container are cubes of baked chicken, turkey or fish. This does not include processed meat that you buy at your grocery store, but should be prepared at home and cut into bite-size pieces. Remember that you can freeze these in small portions and use them randomly over the course of several weeks.

Commonly found in the packed lunch is a sandwich; the problem is that bad choices can be made here as well. White bread bought at the store contains bleached flour. And don't be fooled by the word "enriched," as adding back a portion of the vitamins removed during the bleaching process doesn't undo the damage.

Better sandwich choices include whole-wheat bread with a lot of grains, and almond butter instead of peanut butter. And be creative. Try to put vegetables into a sandwich as much as possible. If your children "don't like vegetables," stick with it. Sometimes it's just a phase, and the more exposure they get (and choices), the greater the chance they'll surprise you.

The Sides: Most children don't consider lunch complete unless there are chips and cookies. These must be avoided at all cost; chips and cookies are an occasional treat, not a lunch staple. The side dishes for your children should be tasty cut vegetables, keeping in mind that greener is better.

Fruit is also a great side dish, but while it is healthy, it is also a source of sugar and not as rich in vitamins and minerals as vegetables. Try to serve fruit just once for every five servings of vegetables. Remember that it should be fresh, organically grown fruit, not processed "substitutes." Fruit roll-ups are not fruit.

No one knows better than your own child what they're going to eat, so let them help you prepare their lunches. Remember that if they like what they're eating, they will bring home an empty lunch box. The best way to accomplish this is to ensure that they have a variety of healthy choices. Talk to your doctor for more great ideas on how to give your children healthy lunches this school year - and all year round.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Top Health and Fitness Myths

The first truth, albeit a regrettable one, when it comes to health and fitness is that if there is a dollar to be made, someone will step up to the plate and act as if they are an expert. That's why we're inundated with infomercials touting weight-loss products, fitness equipment and other products "guaranteed" to fulfill our health and fitness needs. But are the claims supported by fact? Let's take a look at some of the more common health and fitness myths:

The Longer You Exercise, the Better Your Results. Many people think that the longer they exercise, the more weight they will lose. The reality is that in most cases, the more you exercise, the more you stimulate your body to burn fat. That's good, but it also increases production of a hormone called cortisol, which often causes your body to store more fat as fuel for the next time you work out. The key to optimizing weight loss is to exercise for approximately 45 minutes per session. If you want to exercise more during a day, that's OK, but divide up your workouts so you only work out for 45 minutes at a time.

Eat Less Food = Lose More Weight. While in general this is true over time, many people think that if they essentially quit eating (eat only a few meals a day, or eat very little) they will lose weight. The body senses the lack of food, digestion slows down and the body holds on to fat. To lose weight effectively, don't stop eating; eat smaller meals more often to optimize your metabolism. That way, your body will burn more fat instead of storing it; in fact, it will burn fat even when you're not exercising!

Exercising on an Empty Stomach Helps You Lose Weight. When to eat and what to eat around your workout is simple. If you are trying to lose weight, eat more carbohydrates and fats when you can burn them. Your meals should have more protein if you are not working out for a while. Your ratio of protein to carbs to fat should be about 40 percent to 55 percent to 5 percent two hours before and two hours after a workout; for other times, the ratio should switch to 55 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 5 percent fat. It is also best to avoiding eating 4-5 hours before you go to bed.

When it comes to health and fitness, stick to the basics, use common sense, and keep it fun and simple. That's the most important advice I can give you. Too many people think it is too complicated to exercise or eat right. It's not unless you make it complicated. Eat a balanced diet, work up a good sweat when you exercise, and you'll do just fine. And remember, discuss your health and fitness goals with your doctor; they can help design the fitness program that's right for you - and help dispel more of the myths of health and fitness.

Tips to Help You Sleep Soundly

It's important to understand that sleeping is as individual an event as exercising, eating right or deciding what to wear every day. Our society makes you think that if you have any old mattress and a pillow, and time to sleep, everything will take care of itself. Not true. Here are a few suggestions on how to make your sleep more individualized and restful.

Your Mattress: Most people buy a new mattress when their old one "wears out," meaning it's tattered, torn, excessively stained and/or otherwise unappealing to sleep on. Generally, it is not a good idea to keep a mattress longer than 10-15 years due to the wear and tear you put it through. Depending on the quality, it may last longer or shorter. Going to a store and lying on a mattress for a few minutes is not enough time to make a decision on something you will have to lie on for years to come. You need to test it out in a real sleep environment to make sure you can experience deep, rejuvenating sleep for years. After all, why pay good money to end up tossing and turning every night?

Sleep Position: OK, so you've picked out your "perfect" mattress; now how do you sleep on it? From a health perspective, the best position for sleep is on your back with a pillow under your knees. The pillow should be comfortable for you and help take pressure off the small of your back. The second-best position is on your side with a pillow between your knees. The pillow between the knees must be thick enough to keep your thighs hip-width apart. On your side also means you need a supportive pillow.

The most undesirable position for sleeping is on your stomach. This is because you need to turn your head to either side in order to breathe and this can cause neck pain

Your Pillow: Think about how you like to sleep before you choose your pillow. People who sleep on their back need a thinner pillow than those who sleep on their side. There are so many pillows to choose from, but the best advice to you is to take your current pillow to your chiropractor and let them analyze it for you.

Remember, poor sleep, particularly if it becomes chronic, could be a sign of an underlying medical condition, so talk to your doctor if you're having trouble sleeping so they can help determine what's causing it and then do something about it! After all, you deserve a good night's sleep, and you deserve it every night, not just occasionally.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Thera-Band® FlexBar® NOW AVAILABLE

FlexBar® This product has received a lot of press lately as a result of the researchpresented by Tim Tyler at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting. Tim's study showed that the "Tyler Twist," a novel exercise using the Thera-Band®FlexBar^®, was found to be effective in reducing pain and increasing strength in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis, (a.k.a. tennis elbow). Tim's study has been featured in numerous consumer journals, such as the Reader's Digest, New York Times, international journals, and on radio and TV.

Description:

Thera-Band® FlexBar® is a flexible, durable resistance device with a ridged surface for enhanced grip during use. It is used to improve grip strength and upper extremity stabilization by bending, twisting, or oscillation movement. It has been research-proven effective for Tennis Elbow, offering a cost-effective treatment that requires no injection or expensive equipment. Thera-Band FlexBar is 12" long and is made from dry natural rubber in 4 progressive resistance levels to match user capability.

ALINE The World’s Most Advanced Insole NOW AVAILABLE

What if you could really stabilize your foot inside your shoe, without crushing it or cutting off circulation? Imagine taking those big, loose downhills without your toes jamming forward into the shoe… Imagine keeping a sure grip on loose surfaces because your weight is naturally centered in over the "sweet spot" of your shoe sole…. Imagine bearing heavy loads efficiently and reducing break-in time... It's all a reality with ALINE...the world's most advanced insoles.

ALINE’s patented ribs compress under the foot to reduce impact forces and maintain alignment during strenuous activity. When you slow down and apply less force, the ribs rebound to continue supporting your foot and enhancing your alignment.

BFAST (BILATERAL FOOT ALIGNMENT SUSPENSION TECHNOLOGY)
ALINE’s patented suspension system revolutionizes insole design and performance. By allowing your foot’s structures to move naturally AND providing unprecedented transverse arch support, the BFAST system allows balance, power and optimal lower leg alignment.

ALINE insoles support and shape your foot to enable optimal alignment in all phases of motion and activity. Powerful ribbed arch structures work together with flexible suspension zones to help align the entire leg from foot to hip. This decreases harmful forces on the feet, knees and ankles, while allowing maximum performance in sports… and in life.

Every ALINE insole includes elevated, strategic support zones to allow for gentle lowering of foot structures during activity. This enables your foot to travel unobstructed through its natural path, storing and releasing energy to help provide the balance and power you need during activity.

ALINE’s suspension and support zones help guide your foot through its natural path of motion, aligning your body and reducing harmful slippage of the foot during forceful activities. Instead of being misdirected, your leg energy now translates into greater power and control.

Come in today and get fitted for a pair. See the difference these orthotics can make in your game.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Stretching exercises

Here is a list of stretches for the entire body. Static stretches such as these can be used with great effect in improving flexibility in both injury prevention and rehabilition. All of these stretches should be held (without bouncing) for 20-30 seconds.
Neck Stretches