Healthy Life Newsletter, November 2024
A Note from Dr. Mha Atma
In over four decades as a doctor of chiropractic, I have never talked with patients about politics except when they brought it up, and even then kept the conversation brief and respectful. My professional concern with each patient is to support them to attain and maintain the best of health.. But now, far more than ever before, it is clear to me that the health of every one of my patients will be profoundly affected by the outcome of the election coming in just a few days after I write this. So with the hope that some of you will read this before or on November 5th, I need to share what I see right now.
Here are a few of the ways that the outcome of this election may affect your health:
Income inequality: I have a book by an esteemed medical physician and professor of public health, Stephen Bezruchka, titled Inequality Kills Us All. His very well documented thesis is that the more income inequality in a society, the more everyone’s health, both rich and poor, is adversely affected. If Donald Trump is elected, he will greatly worsen inequality with more tax cuts for the rich and by gutting social programs that lift people up. That will hurt us all and damage our health.
Health care: While the US health care system is deeply flawed, the Affordable Care Act has brought insurance coverage to many millions of Americans, subsidizing coverage for many, doing away with pre-existing condition limitations, and including people under the age of 26 in their parents’ health care plans. Trump pledges to get rid of the ACA with no clear plan to replace it.
Climate change and biodiversity: Our world is facing an existential crisis of a planet and ecosystem that will not support us and may result in tremendous danger to our health and lives in the form of floods, hurricanes, drought, unprecedented heat waves, great reductions in agricultural output and collapsing ecosystems. Harris would continue Biden’s efforts (unprecedented even if insufficient) to address these problems while Trump believes they are a hoax and promises to “drill baby drill.” He promises to abolish or greatly weaken the Environmental Protection Agency and do away with most regulations that limit the ability of corporations to pollute and poison our air, water and soil.
Stress: Chronic stress has a huge impact on our health, and the stress of living under an extreme authoritarian or even fascist regime, which classifies anyone who opposes them as “enemies” who must be punished, will be far greater than anything many of us have experienced before.
These are just some of the obvious ways that this election will affect our health. So for the first time ever, I urge my patients, if you are reading this before the polls close on November 5th, for the sake of their health and that of their families and friends, to vote and to share this portion of my newsletter with anyone who might benefit from reading it!
Patient of the Month: Joan Decker
About five years ago I had such pain in my body I could not walk. I could not come up with a remedy. I did not want surgery. I read books, took exercise classes…and it just got worse! I did not know what the next step would be.
A few business associates spoke highly of Dr. Mha Atma Khalsa. I had my doubts, but I went for it.
I was impressed by the office—it felt spiritual and soulful. Dr. Mha Atma’s gentle treatment worked great! He recommended chiropractic treatment, supplements and exercises. I felt much better very quickly.
I have been coming now about once a month for almost five years. There is nothing like having Dr. Mha Atma oversee your health and posture. I have much better posture and I am pain free. I feel I have optimum health as a result of the care from Dr. Mha Atma and the vitamins he suggests. P.S.—I am now almost 90 years old.
I advise all who start chiropractic care to stick with it—our body needs constant tuning. This office is a tranquil sanctuary and I feel so comfortable when I’m here. Dr. Mha Atma’s persona is comfortable and knowledgeable.
Quality of Sleep Affected by Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Other Nutrients
How well we sleep can directly affect our overall health, and a consistent lack of sleep can contribute to the development and progression of chronic health diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), insufficient sleep has been linked to conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.
Lack of sleep can be attributed to many factors, however, for individuals struggling with falling asleep and staying asleep, research has shown certain nutrients to be helpful.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Chan, V. and Lo, K. looked at data from 31 randomized controlled trials to see which dietary supplements had the strongest relationship to quality of sleep. The authors found that sleep quality was significantly improved among those supplementing with amino acids, melatonin, and vitamin D.
Other supplements mentioned by the study authors that show promise for improving sleep quality include magnesium, zinc, resveratrol, and nitrate. In fact, some research investigating magnesium supplementation and sleep has shown significant improvements in insomnia severity, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, and the regulation of sleep related hormones. Magnesium supplementation has also been shown to decrease periodic limb movements during sleep.
For more go to grassrootshealth.net
Kids and Chronic Pain
Anxiety and depression are skyrocketing among children and young adults, with social media use, isolation (due to increased reliance on technology / remote engagement) and other variables as key contributing factors. Another potential cause: chronic pain.
Let’s look at new research emphasizing the association and underscoring why pain – at any age – needs to be addressed promptly, if not prevented altogether.
Published in JAMA Pediatrics, the research analysis reviewed 79 studies involving nearly 23,000 children under the age of 18. Conditions in which pain is the primary or secondary symptom, and cases in which pain does not have a known cause, were included in the studies.
Results showed that young people who experience chronic pain are three times more likely to also be diagnosed with clinical anxiety or depression than same-aged people without chronic pain. Specifically, per the researchers, “1 in 3 youth with chronic pain meet criteria for anxiety disorder, and 1 in 8 meet criteria for a depressive disorder.”
No one deserves to suffer chronic pain, particularly not children – and particularly not when early intervention / prevention (such as chiropractic care) can often prevent it from progressing to chronicity in the first place. That’s where your chiropractor comes in…
The Power of Pistachios
One of Nature’s Best Cholesterol Fighters
By Dr. Jacob Schor
They’re small, green and are ideally eaten by hand, although you can also find them in salads, muffins, chicken and fish dishes, and even ice cream. Yes, we’re talking about pistachios, and an increasing body of research asserts that these nuts are powerful allies in the fight against high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Here’s the latest news about pistachios and how they - and nuts in general - are an essential element of a healthy diet.
Pistachios and Cholesterol
A few years back, a research team from Pennsylvania State University recruited 28 men and women with high cholesterol and fed them nuts; pistachios to be exact. How much? About an ounce serving (32 grams) either once a day or twice a day for a month. Levels of high-density lipoprotein (“good”) and low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol were monitored carefully before and after the pistachio month.
The results were dramatic. Eating two servings of pistachios a day lowered total cholesterol by 8 percent and LDL cholesterol by almost 12 percent (p< 0.05). That little “p value” number in the parenthesis tells us how statistically significant the decreases in cholesterol are. P< 0.05 means decent odds that these findings aren’t just random chance. The total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio and the LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio for this group of nut eaters dropped 8 percent and 11 percent, respectively (also p< 0.05). These were also positive findings, since in both cases, it meant a higher percentage of cholesterol was of the HDL variety, which has been shown to protect against the development of atherosclerosis.
To read the rest of this article, go to: toyourhealth.com
Acid Suppressants Linked to Fracture Risk
Proton-pump inhibitors sound like something right out of Star Wars, but they’re actually common - far too common, considering their potential risks - here in the real world.
This class of drugs, which includes Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, among others, is prescribed to treat digestive tract issues such as gastroesophageal reflux, chronic dyspepsia (indigestion) and peptic ulcer disease. These conditions are all characterized by excessive production of stomach acid. The intended mechanism of action of proton-pump inhibitors, as you might expect, is to reduce acid by blocking the gastric proton pump; a decidedly unintended mechanism of action is increased fracture risk.
Following a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of studies, the administration posted a “class labeling change” notice on its Web site alerting health care professionals and consumers that proton-pump inhibitors will now feature a label warning regarding “a possible increased risk of fractures at the hip, wrist and spine” attributable to their use. According to the FDA, people ages 50 or older who had been taking the medication for one year or more, often in high doses, were at the greatest risk.
If your doctor tells you proton-pump inhibitors are in your immediate future, ask about the potential side effects and if you can avoid taking medication altogether.
Hail the Weekend Warrior
Many people are so busy during the week that the weekend becomes their only real time to exercise. Confining your physical activity primarily to the weekend still helps reduce disease risk, according to research, which means when it comes to health, it’s time to hail the weekend warrior!
The study, findings from which appear in the research journal Circulation, a publication of the American Heart Association, tracked nearly 90,000 individuals with wrist accelerometers to gauge total physical activity performed, as well as time spent engaging in specific types of physical activity. After one week, researchers utilized the data to categorize participants as weekend warrior, regular exerciser or non-exerciser (inactive).
Next, the researchers compared physical activity patterns, as categorized above, and the presence of nearly 700 conditions spanning 16 types of diseases (mental health, digestive health, neurological health, and more), tracked for years after the one-week data-collection period. They discovered that both weekend warriors and regular exercisers had substantially lower risks of more than 200 diseases compared with non-exercisers. Among the strongest risk reductions: cardiometabolic conditions (example: high blood pressure) and diabetes.
The most important finding: differences were not significant when comparing weekend warriors with regular exercisers, meaning you reduce your disease risk approximately the same whether you concentrate your physical activity on the weekends or spread it throughout the week. So whenever you find the time, get out there and exercise!
What to Do About Whiplash
Prevention and Treatment Strategies
By Dr. Perry Nickelston
Whiplash is the most common injury associated with motor vehicle accidents, affecting up to 83 percent of those involved in collisions, and is a common cause of chronic disability.
The Quebec Task Force (QTF) on Whiplash Associated Disorders defines whiplash as “bony or soft tissue injuries” resulting “from rear-end or side impact, predominantly in motor vehicle accidents, and from other mishaps” as a result of “an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck.” It is estimated that as many as four per 1,000 people may experience a whiplash-related injury and associated pain syndromes. The overall economic burden of whiplash injury, including medical care, disability and sick leave, is estimated at a staggering $3.9 billion annually in the U.S. alone.
The mechanism of injury suggests that whiplash may occur as a result of hyperextension (excessive backward bending) of the lower cervical spine (neck) in relation to a hyperflexion (excessive forward bending) of the upper cervical vertebrae, producing a force of impact “whipping” through the body. The result is soft-tissue damage, inflammation and muscle spasm.
Whiplash is associated with a wide variety of clinical symptoms including neck pain, neck stiffness, arm pain, jaw pain, headaches and paresthesias (tingling/numbness), problems with memory and concentration, and psychological distress. Symptoms of whiplash may not present until several weeks after the causative incident. Frequently people experience little pain and discomfort in the early stages. However, after several weeks the body begins to manifest symptoms. It is this delayed onset of symptoms and lack of early treatment intervention which may cause the condition to become chronic and debilitating.
Treatment Options
Whiplash injuries are difficult to treat for many reasons. Complex interactions of psychosocial, legal and physical factors make effective treatment highly variable. However, there are many therapeutic options available to help whiplash related injuries. Initial treatment traditionally includes a soft cervical collar to restrict cervical range of motion and prevent further injury. Overall rest and motion restriction may hinder progress in the long run, so it is best to seek out professional help in resolving symptoms. That’s where your chiropractor comes in.
Chiropractic: Chiropractors are the single largest group of practitioners treating whiplash injuries, and they do it well: For example, one study found chiropractors were effective at relieving whiplash pain more than 90 percent of the time. Chiropractic care focuses on relieving soft- tissue spasm, inflammation and pain by restoring proper motion in the spinal column. Due to the force impact of whiplash, the spinal column can misalign and cause pain. By performing manipulation to the spinal column, chiropractic can help restore normal function and movement to the affected areas.
Depending on their treatment style and your specific case, your chiropractor may decide to utilize additional treatment options in addition to chiropractic, either in their office or via a referral. Here are some of those potential treatments, all with the single goal of relieving your pain and managing your whiplash symptoms in the most effective way possible – and without requiring pain-relief medications, which are perhaps the most common “treatment” option for whiplash sufferers, despite the fact that they provide only short-term relief and may create more problems than solutions in terms of the potential side effects.
to read the whole article go to: toyourhealth.com
Sugar and Epigenetic Age
You can’t control your chronological age, but evidence supports the relationship between lifestyle behaviors and your epigenetic age – your age in terms of your health. That’s why some 70-year-olds are healthier than 40-year-olds despite their dramatic chronological age differences.
One lifestyle variable that affects epigenetic age, for better or worse, is diet; in this case, added sugar intake.
A recent study involving 342 middle-aged (ages 36-43) women examined how their diets impacted their epigenetic age. The investigators specifically looked at the impact of a Mediterranean diet, as well as the impact of added sugar.1
The study included an analysis of female participants in the 1987-1997 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS). The authors based their epigenetic age assessment using GrimAge2, which utilizes “second-generation markers of epigenetic aging that account for clinical and functional biomarkers, and is most notable for its robust associations with human mortality and morbidity risk, including time to death and comorbidity counts.”
The women consumed a daily average of 61.5 grams of added sugar each, with a range of 2.7 grams to 316.5 grams. (Sixty grams of sugar is the equivalent of three Snickers candy bars.)
The authors noted that “even in healthy dietary contexts, added sugar still has detrimental associations with epigenetic age. Similarly, despite higher added sugar intake, healthier dietary intakes appear to remain generally associated with younger epigenetic age.”
According to their findings, the gains from eating a Mediterranean diet could be offset by consuming 31 grams of added sugar (only 1.5 Snickers bars). The authors suggest that to increase their epigenetic health, individuals need to both optimize the nutrient intake in their diets while reducing their sugar as much as possible.
Everyone’s epigenetic clock is ticking. We have the power to speed it up or slow it down. In many cases, our eating habits are based on what we’re taught. If you’ve been taught to eat a diet high in added sugar, ask your doctor for help outlining a sensible long-term plan to reduce added sugar and in so doing, lower your epigenetic age.
Reference
Chiu DT, Hamlat EJ, Zhang J, et al. Essential nutrients, added sugar intake, and epigenetic age in midlife black and white women: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program. JAMA Netw Open, 2024;7(7):e2422749.