Healthy Life Newsletter, August 2022
A Note from Dr. Mha Atma
We chiropractors often talk about how important spinal health is, and that chiropractic care can be a very important component of feeling better and staying healthy. However, I have a confession to make. There are other factors that are more important to becoming and staying healthy than getting regular chiropractic care.
What are they? The ones I’m thinking about are:
An anti-inflammation diet. Chronic inflammation caused by eating too many inflammatory foods (sugar, grain flour products, most vegetable oils—which are in all processed food and commercial salad dressing, trans-fats, and most factory-raised animal products) is likely the number one cause of pain, disease and premature death in the United States. Chronic inflammation can sabotage the benefits of chiropractic care by causing persistent neck, back and joint pain, headaches and more.
Anti-inflammation supplements. A good diet makes this less important but it won’t help much with your vitamin D intake and, unless you’re a lifeguard or someone else who regularly spends long hours in the sun, vitamin D deficiency can cause or contribute to persistent pain and many other health problems that may not respond well enough to chiropractic adjustments alone. Others that are very helpful include magnesium, fish oil or other omega-3 sources, turmeric and ginger.
Proper and sufficient exercise. This includes aerobic exercise (including walking as well as cycling, swimming, running, dancing and more) as well as both stretching and strengthening exercises. Exercise deficiency can cause or at least contribute to recurring neck, back and joint pain, poor posture, and many other chronic health problems.
Adequate and good quality sleep. Sleep scientists say that most Americans don’t get enough, and that deficiency can cause or contribute to chronic pain, depression and many other health problems including heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
Self-nurturing. Many folks are more loving to and take better care of their pets than they do of their bodies. Treating your body with the kindness and affection that you give to your pet (which involves all the above factors plus an attitude of self-acceptance and nurturing) is a prerequisite to lasting good health.
On the other hand, chiropractic adjustments can help compensate for some of the inevitable deficiencies in the factors I just listed, and can often relieve pain and promote wellness even when your body is stressed or weakened by inadequacy in one or more of these important ingredients. And there are many times when a person is doing fairly well with all of the above and still suffering health issues.
Just today I spoke with an otherwise healthy young man who had been in pain for nearly five months after hurting his back and neck at work. Five months of physical therapy exercises had barely helped. He’d never been to a chiropractor before. The day after his first chiropractic adjustment he felt incredibly better and he was amazed. He knows he’ll need further treatment, but his cloud of persistent pain had lifted. And his experience is an illustration of how, even if getting chiropractic care is not the most important ingredient to health, it can be an essential one.
NOTE: To read the details in the following piece go to the link below. Here we just list the 12 benefits but not the details and research regarding each benefit. And to see Dr. Mha Atma’s turmeric/ginger cocktail, go to Ideas for Good Health
12 Scientific Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin
There’s no shortage of health claims about curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. But what does the research say?
By Lauren Bedosky
\1. Curcumin Is an Anti-Inflammatory
2. Curcumin May Help Protect Against Heart Disease
3. Curcumin May Help Prevent (and Possibly Treat) Certain Types of Cancer
4. Curcumin May Help Ease Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
5. Curcumin May Help Treat or Prevent Diabetes
6. Curcumin May Help Delay or Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease
7. Curcumin May Play a Role in Depression Treatment
8. Curcumin May Play a Role in Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
9. Turmeric May Improve Skin Health
10. Turmeric Protects Your Body From Free Radicals
11. Turmeric May Work as an Anti-Aging Supplement
12. Curcumin May Prevent Eye Degeneration
Benefits of a Half Teaspoon of Brewer’s Yeast Daily (for Blood Sugar Issues Including Diabetes)
By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM
The British Medical Journal published a report in 1854 that suggested two to three daily tablespoons of brewer’s yeast could cure diabetes in six weeks.
Hemoglobin A1c measures blood sugars over time, and a value below 6 percent indicates normal blood sugars, 6 to 6.5 percent signals pre-diabetes, and more than 6.5 percent means you’re diabetic.
Researchers investigated the claim 150 years later and found that a daily half teaspoon of brewer’s yeast for three months resulted in improved insulin sensitivity and a significant drop in fasting blood sugars and hemoglobin A1c. The placebo group’s A1c started and stayed around 9 percent, but the brewer’s yeast group dropped from 9 to 8 percent, achieving significantly better diabetic control.
When subjects got a daily half teaspoon of brewer’s yeast for just seven weeks, their A1c levels dropped from 8 to 6.6 percent, which is nearly nondiabetic.
The component in yeast that causes the drop contains chromium, a trace mineral, but giving chromium supplements doesn’t seem to be effective.
Beta-glucan is a special fiber in yeast, and supplementation with the amount in two to three daily teaspoons of brewer’s yeast resulted in a slimmer waist and lowered blood pressure within six weeks, despite no significant changes to their caloric intake.
To read the full article go to nutritionfacts.org
The following is a condensed version of an article at grassrootshealth.net . Go there to see the references for various studies referred to in this piece.
Managing High Blood Pressure, “the Silent Killer,” with the Help of Nutrients
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of the adult population in the United States has high blood pressure, and many of them are unaware that they have it. With no outward symptoms in most cases, it has been labeled a “silent killer.”
Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other health consequences leading to premature death.
How to Identify High Blood Pressure – AKA “the Silent Killer”
A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers. The top number is the systolic blood pressure, or the amount of pressure exerted on the artery walls when the heart is beating. The bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure or the amount of pressure when the heart is at rest.
A healthy or normal blood pressure is when the systolic number is less than 120, and the diastolic number is less than 80. The stages of high blood pressure begin when the systolic blood pressure is 130 or higher, or the diastolic blood pressure is 80 or higher.
How the Following Nutrients Affect Blood Pressure Health
Magnesium
In January of 2022, the FDA acknowledged the relationship between magnesium intake and a reduced risk of high blood pressure.
Magnesium has been shown to have a strong relationship to cardiovascular health overall, with a higher magnesium intake being linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular death.
Magnesium has been demonstrated to use the same pathway as statins to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol to reduce inflammation, clotting, and plaque formation in the arteries, all of which contribute to blood pressure. Magnesium helps regulate the heartbeat by controlling the sodium potassium pump and extending the relaxation period after contraction, which may help lower the risk of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important regulator of blood pressure through its influence on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; it also has a protective effect against oxidative damage and atherosclerosis, and is important for smooth muscle function (vascular pathways).
Studies have shown that low vitamin D levels are a risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
One study found that higher magnesium intake strengthened the effect of vitamin D on lowering blood pressure. This study not only confirmed vitamin D’s relationship specifically to systolic blood pressure (SBP), where higher vitamin D levels were associated with lower SBP, it also showed that this relationship was strongest among those getting more magnesium compared to those getting less. In other words, the combination of higher vitamin D levels and higher magnesium intake has an even stronger effect on lowering blood pressure than either alone.
Omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids are also known to benefit cardiovascular health by helping to improve heart function and cholesterol status, lowering blood pressure, and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
A 2022 analysis found that an optimal omega-3 intake (EPA + DHA) for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was between 2-3 grams per day.
Among those whose baseline systolic blood pressure was 130 mm Hg or higher, stronger reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were seen in response to supplementation with EPA and DHA. There was a continued change with greater reductions in blood pressure as daily intake increased. Stronger effects were also seen among those starting with hyperlipidemia and those who were ages 45 years or older.
Lack of Sunshine Could Contribute to High Blood Pressure
Research suggests that avoidance or lack of sunshine may be a risk factor for increased blood pressure and death from heart attacks, with one study concluding that avoidance of sunshine resulted in a shorter life expectancy comparable to the shortened life expectancy of smokers! The paper, published by Lindqvist et al., summarized findings showing that, compared to those with the greatest amount of sun exposure, women with low sun exposure habits had a 41% higher risk of hypertension, and women with moderate sun exposure habits had a 15% higher risk.
11 Things You Can Do to Help Save Your Neck
11 Things You Can Do to Help Save Your Neck
By Mha Atma S Khalsa, DC
Neck pain and stiffness, like many other symptoms, are your body’s way of telling you that something in your life is out of balance and needs attention. When we are willing to listen to our body, look at our life, and get the message, we can make the changes that will help us feel better, and our lives will improve. While it’s not always easy to figure out what the message is, you may well find the answer(s) among the following points:
\1. Exercise! Neck pain and stiffness as well as many other symptoms are often a result of poor physical conditioning combined with physical and emotional stress. Exercise improves conditioning and relieves stress. Take at least 10 minutes every day to do stretching exercises, concentrating on stretches for the neck, back and shoulders. Spend a minimum of 30 minutes three times per week walking briskly or doing some other form of aerobic exercise (like biking or swimming). An especially helpful neck exercise to do regularly is the chin tuck.
\2. Improve your diet . Eating an anti-inflammatory diet with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts, healthy protein (wild salmon, grass-fed organic animal protein) and less refined and processed foods (like sugar, bread, chips, boxed cereals and more) will result in better health and, for many folks, less neck pain. Reducing caffeine consumption often results in less neck tension and stress.
\3. Take anti-inflammatory supplements . Many nutritional substances can aid in reducing inflammation and in promoting healing of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other soft tissues. They include vitamin D, fish oil (or other omega-3 sources such as flaxseed oil), magnesium and botanicals (especially ginger and turmeric).
\4. Learn to relax. Neck stiffness and pain are often caused or aggravated by stress and by habitual physical and mental tension. Yoga, meditation, and other stress-releasing activities can help.
\5. Improve your posture and body mechanics . Pay attention to your neck when you:
\6. Talk on the phone. Don’t hold the phone between your ear and shoulder!
\7. Sleep. Don’t sleep on your stomach, and use a cervical pillow that will give good neck support.
\8. Read or sit at your computer. Avoid spending long periods of time with your neck bent forward or twisted to one side.
\9. Stand and walk. Imagine a string attached to the top of your head, with the other end attached to a huge helium balloon that floats your head up, maintaining a proper and relaxed neck curve.
\10. Take care of your mental health. Work on acknowledging and dealing with the emotional challenges, stresses, and discomforts of your life, which typically cause neck pain and other physical symptoms when suppressed or ignored. Just like physical health, good emotional health for most of us is the product of an ongoing effort, which could include talking more with loved ones and close friends, keeping a journal, prayer and meditation, and/or working with a good psychotherapist.
\11. See your chiropractor! Abnormal spinal function can result from neglect of any of the above important aspects of life. Chiropractic treatment helps restore balance and relieve nerve irritation and stress as you work to improve the quality of your life style. Even when you do change habits that have contributed to your problems, chiropractic is often necessary to release spinal blockages and irritated nerves left over from past bad habits. And we all have a certain amount of physical and emotional stress that is an inevitable part of life. Chiropractic treatment restores spinal balance, helping us to cope and to stay healthy in the face of those ongoing challenges. Scientific research is rapidly accumulating that validates what we’ve known for many years–chiropractic is the most effective AND cost-effective treatment available for neck pain