Healthy Life Newsletter, March 2026
A Note from Dr. Mha Atma
Spring is coming for us Northern Hemisphere folks. A time of renewal and healing in an ever-changing world. This newsletter presents some ideas and information that might help you understand a little more about options for a better life.
Starting this month with a short simple powerful meditation practice from Trudy Goodman (Insight LA founder). Then info about a study that found that folks with back pain who see a chiropractor first before visiting an orthopedic or other surgeon have dramatically less chance of winding up with back surgery over the next three years. Then something about the benefits for body and mind of simple walking, followed by a short piece about dementia triggers that can be avoided with awareness and action. Also some information about a few of the important benefits of taking first magnesium and then vitamin D. And a bit about how sleep affects your gut microbiome which in turn affects everything else. And I think that’s enough!
A simple meditative practice from Trudy Goodman, founder of Insight LA, at trudygoodman.com
Practice: Stepping Back, Stepping Up
\1. Sit comfortably and physically lean back just slightly. Feel what happens in the body when you stop leaning forward toward the next moment. You might feel a subtle sense of relaxation, maybe a deeper breath, even a yawn.
\2. Stepping back, you are free to simply receive: the breath, the sounds of life around you, the sensations moving through the body, all your thoughts and feelings about this moment in your life. Relaxing, receiving, receptive.
\3. Reflect: What new insight in me might be asking to be known?
\4. Stepping up, from the cushion or the chair, step outside and look around. Even if you’re distracted, as soon as you know it, there is some freedom; just a bit of space between the skull and the brain, where you can enjoy being close to whatever patch of nature surrounds you.
\5. Stepping up to express your love and caring – if you feel called to be of service:
Let it be with joy
Let it be with clear, kick-ass awareness
And a touch of determined defiance
How to Avoid Back Surgery: See a Chiropractor First
According to the Mayo Clinic, “back surgery is needed in only a small percentage of cases. Most back problems can be taken care of with nonsurgical treatments, such as anti-inflammatory medication, ice, heat, gentle massage and physical therapy.” Accurate on face value, but missing an important piece of the puzzle.
Yes, while back pain is rampant, surgery is rarely required; even the Mayo Clinic admits that while “back pain is extremely common … surgery often fails to relieve it.” However, chiropractic is glaringly absent from the nonsurgical recommendations, despite ample research evidence supporting chiropractic care for back pain and increasing reliance on chiropractic as a first-line treatment option.
So, what determines whether a patient undergoes spinal surgery? A recent study attempted to answer that very question and came up with several predictive variables, perhaps the most interesting of which is the type of health care provider – namely a surgeon or a doctor of chiropractic – the back pain patient sees first. The study authors, who note that “there is little evidence spine surgery is associated with improved population outcomes, yet surgery rates have increased dramatically since the 1990s,” found that Washington state workers with an occupational back injury who visited a surgeon (orthopedic, neuro or general) first were significantly more likely to receive spine surgery within three years (42.7 percent of workers) than workers whose first visit was to a doctor of chiropractic (only 1.5 percent of workers). This association held true even when controlling for injury severity and other measures.
Of the 174 workers (9.2 percent of the subject population) who had a surgery during the three-year time frame, the vast majority were decompression procedures (78.7 percent), with 3.4 percent undergoing fusion without decompression and 17.8 percent undergoing both on the same day.
For more insights into the perils of spine surgery, read “Back Surgery: Too Many, Too Costly and Too Ineffective” by clicking here.
Your Easiest Health Upgrade
When people think about improving their health, they often imagine intense workouts, gym memberships or complicated routines. But research consistently shows that one of the simplest activities can deliver powerful physical and mental health benefits.
Whether it’s a brisk stroll around the neighborhood or a daily step goal, this habit is accessible, sustainable and surprisingly effective.
- Walking Protects Your Heart and Metabolic Health
Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2024) links even modest walking activity to a significantly lower risk of early death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, highlighting walking’s protective effect on heart health.
Additional evidence shows that walking improves key markers of cardiometabolic health in people with type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis in Diabetes Care and related journals found that walking interventions significantly lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) – a critical measure of long-term blood sugar control – and reduce BMI and diastolic blood pressure.
Further support comes from a 2025 Scientific Reports study showing that even a 10minute walk immediately after glucose intake can improve post-meal blood sugar levels.
- Walking Strengthens the Brain and Improves Mood
Walking isn’t just good for the body, it’s good for the brain. Research spanning decades shows that consistent aerobic activity like walking can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, strengthen mood, and support cognitive function. A 2014 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that walking group interventions were associated with significant reductions in blood pressure and resting heart rate, plus improvements in physical functioning and reductions in depression scores.
In older adults, observational studies and reviews indicate that regular walking is linked with slower cognitive aging and may help reduce the risk of dementia later in life. Evidence published in JAMA Network Open and research like the long-running Framingham Heart Study have shown that higher levels of physical activity in midlife, including walking, are tied to dramatically lower dementia risk – up to 45% lower in some analyses.
- Walking Supports Longevity and Healthy Aging
Large observational studies demonstrate that even moderate walking levels are connected with longer life. For example, a 2024 British Journal of Sports Medicine analysis suggested that regular daily walking could be associated with extended lifespan and reduced mortality risk, even for relatively low step counts.
Clinical evidence also shows that walking helps preserve muscle strength, balance and joint health, which are key for maintaining independence as we age. A growing body of research, including a multi-study review in Ageing Research Reviews, links regular walking with reductions in ager-elated disease and improved functional health in older adults.
Why Walking Works So Well
Walking is low impact, low risk and highly adaptable. It can be social or solitary, structured or spontaneous. Most importantly, it’s an activity people actually stick with – and that consistency is what drives real health change. Walking isn’t a backup plan – it’s a smart, research-supported strategy that works with your life, not against it.
The Dementia Triggers
Early-onset dementia is defined as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or other manifestation of dementia in someone younger than age 65. (Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.) Understanding the dementia triggers that can elevate your risk of developing dementia at a younger age is the key to prevention. Here’s what you can control when it comes to avoiding dementia at a younger (or any) age.
Among 350,000 plus adults involved in a study on dementia risk factors, with results published in JAMA Neurology, risk factors for early-onset dementia included the following: vitamin D deficiency, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high C-reactive protein levels, social isolation and depression. All of the above are generally considered modifiable in some respect because you can change your diet, exercise more, improve your social patterns, and get treatment for depression.
If you know someone who suffers from dementia, you know you never want to experience it yourself. It is not a normal part of aging, but it can make healthy aging a challenge, rather than a joy. Reducing your dementia triggers – the risk factors that can lead to dementia – is within your power. Make dementia prevention a priority – no matter your age.
Magnesium, Modern Diets, Stress, and Why So Many People Fall Short
Magnesium deficiency is common and often develops slowly and silently. Fatigue, muscle tension, poor sleep, and stress sensitivity are all common symptoms that are nonspecific and easy to dismiss. Yet research, such as that found in a comprehensive new review by Sarić et al., suggests these common symptoms reflect widespread suboptimal magnesium intake.
How Common Is Inadequate Magnesium Intake?
Population studies consistently show that a large proportion of adults fail to meet recommended magnesium intakes. This is not limited to one country or demographic, it is a global pattern.
Contributing factors include:
Agricultural soil depletion
Higher physiological demands due to stress and chronic illness
Medications that lower magnesium status
Increased consumption of processed foods
Lower intake of magnesium-rich whole foods
Magnesium plays a role in:
Modulating inflammation
Supporting muscle relaxation
Regulating nerve conduction
When intake is consistently low, the nervous system may operate under greater strain. Over time, this can affect:
Sleep quality
Stress resilience
Physical comfort
Overall recovery capacity
Rather than causing immediate illness, magnesium insufficiency may gradually erode the body’s ability to adapt and restore.
Under chronic stress, magnesium requirements increase and magnesium loss through urine also rises. This creates a feedback loop: stress depletes magnesium, and low magnesium increases stress sensitivity.
The review by Sarić et al. also highlights associations between low magnesium intake or status and:
Increased stress reactivity
Difficulty relaxing at night
Poorer sleep duration and quality
In fact, when it comes to sleep, rather than acting as a sedative, magnesium appears to support the conditions required for sleep to occur naturally.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: The two types of magnesium best absorbed are magnesium glycinate and magnesium citrated. Typical dose ranges from 200 mg to 800 mg per day, best taken in divided dose in morning and evening. Some folks are very sensitive and get diarrhea with magnesium; usually this resolves with a lower dose.)
Sleep Affects Your Gut
With increasing research suggesting the gut microbiome exerts considerable influence over our health, and research also connecting the dots between sleep wellness and health, it’s no surprise that the two may also be related. That’s according to a new study that links irregular sleep patterns to higher levels of harmful GI bacteria.
In coming to their conclusion, researchers compared blood, stool and gut microbiome samples among two groups of adults: those with a routine (regular) sleep schedule vs. those with irregular sleep habits – the latter of which the research team termed “social jet lag” – sleep pattern changes between workdays and off days.
Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, findings revealed that a mere 90-minute difference in sleep midpoint (the halfway point between sleep vs. wake-up time) was associated with differences in the composition of the gut microbiome; specifically, more abundant “unhealthy” gut bacteria.
The takeaway: Your gut health and your sleep patterns are related! As such, it’s important to prioritize both, starting with establishing a regular sleep pattern whenever possible. Talk to your doctor for more information, particularly if you can’t seem to get a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis.
Vitamin D for Muscle Health and Body Composition
Key Points
Adequate vitamin D supports muscle strength and growth by regulating muscle protein synthesis, fast-twitch muscle fibers, and neuromuscular coordination.
Vitamin D helps regulate body fat and metabolic health, improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and limiting excessive fat cell growth.
Because vitamin D is fat-soluble and sequestered in adipose (fat) tissue, individuals with higher body fat often require higher intakes to reach the same blood levels, making standardized dosing unreliable.
Maintenance dosing must match the dose required to achieve a target blood level; lowering intake after reaching sufficiency predictably leads to declining vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D receptors (VDRs) are widely distributed throughout the body, including in skeletal muscle, adipose (fat) tissue, and metabolic organs, underscoring its systemic influence beyond bone health. What ultimately determines whether vitamin D can exert these effects is the vitamin D status, or the amount of vitamin D in our blood, measured as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Intake alone does not predict biological activity, and two people taking the same dose can end up with very different blood levels and very different physiological outcomes. This makes testing and individualized optimization essential, particularly when vitamin D is being used to support extra-skeletal functions such as maintaining muscle health, physical performance, or healthy body weight.
How Vitamin D Supports Muscle Growth and Strength
Vitamin D directly influences muscle at the cellular level. Muscle cells express vitamin D receptors, which regulate genes involved in muscle protein synthesis, muscle fiber size, and neuromuscular coordination.
Adequate vitamin D status has been associated with:
Increased proportion and function of type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers, which are essential for strength, power, and injury prevention
Improved muscle contraction efficiency and reduced risk of muscle weakness
Enhanced neuromuscular signaling, improving balance, coordination, and physical performance
Vitamin D also appears to support muscle recovery by modulating inflammation and oxidative stress following exercise. When vitamin D levels are low, muscle tissue may be less responsive to training stimuli, making it harder to build or maintain lean mass, even with consistent exercise.
(note from Dr. Mha Atma: Blood testing for vitamin D is essential to make sure you are taking the right amount. Ideal blood levels are 50 to 80 ng/ml, so if your doctor does a vitamin D blood test it is crucial that you get the exact number because the lab typically says 30 or above is normal, which is not aligned with current research. And if you require taking, say, 6,000 IU/day to get your D levels to 60 or above, it likely will take the same amount to keep your levels there. When I took 10,000/day for a year or so, my blood levels got a bit too high, but when I cut down to 5,000/day they dropped too low. I found that taking 5,000 one day and 10,000 the next (averaging 7500/day) kept my D levels where I wanted them.)