Healthy Life Newsletter, September 2026
Chiropractic: The Best Choice for Seniors with Spinal Pain
Compared to what? How about pain medication, including opioids, which continue to be associated with misuse, abuse, addiction and death in simply unacceptable numbers. Opioid use within the senior population is particularly concerning because older adults are often already taking multiple medications (known as polypharmacy); and because many seniors suffer acute and chronic pain. Here’s one big reason why the best choice is chiropractic.
Seniors with spinal pain who receive chiropractic care are considerably less likely to use opioids, suggests research; we’re talking more than 50 percent less likely. Among 55,000+ Medicare beneficiaries (65-99 years of age) diagnosed with spinal pain whose claims were analyzed over a five-year period, the odds of filling an opioid prescription within one year of diagnosis were 56 percent lower among chiropractic care recipients vs. non-recipients. The study authors’ conclusion speaks for itself:
“Older Medicare enrollees with spinal pain who saw both a chiropractor and a primary care physician had less than half the risk of filling an opioid prescription, as compared to those who received primary medical care alone. The association was most pronounced among those who saw a chiropractor within the first 30 days of care.”
What these study findings, published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, don’t mention is that avoiding opioids isn’t the only reason chiropractic is seniors’ best choice; chiropractic is also incredibly effective for both treating and preventing spinal pain! That’s a win-win every senior deserves.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: Many older folks and some younger folks as well are hesitant to come to a chiropractor because they think the treatment will be too rough and/or painful. But as some of you have experienced, there are different chiropractic methods and some are very gentle and still very effective. We tailor our treatment to the needs of each individual which works quite well!)
The Fitness Sweet Spot
For years, fitness advice has been split into camps: cardio for heart health, weights for strength, and endless debate about which matters more. But a large-scale research study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine points to a simple answer – it isn’t an either-or choice at all.
The biggest long-term health gains come from combining aerobic and resistance exercise, with the two working together to reduce the risk of early death more effectively than either one alone.
Importantly, more is not always better. The research suggests diminishing returns at very high training volumes, particularly for resistance exercise. The goal is not extremes, but consistency.
The “Sweet Spot” for Maximum Benefit
But there’s more: A key message from the study is not just that both matter; there appears to be a practical “sweet spot” at which the combination delivers the strongest overall benefit.
Resistance training: approximately 90-120 minutes per week
Aerobic activity: up to approximately 4.5 MET hours per week (150 minutes) (METs measure how many calories are burned during physical activity compared with resting.)
Why the Combination Works
Aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular efficiency, while resistance training preserves muscle mass, strength, and metabolic health. Together, these systems support each other over time.
Together, they address multiple aging pathways at once, including cardiovascular decline, muscle loss, and metabolic dysfunction.
(note from Dr. Mha Atma: 30 minutes aerobic activity 5x/week and 30-40 minutes strength training 3x/week hits the sweet spot. If you can’t fit that in, do what you can–every little bit helps!)
How Vitamin D Can Affect Your Sleep
Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential for physical and mental health, yet many factors can interfere with our ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake feeling rested. Nutrient status is one potentially modifiable factor to help improve sleep. Previous research found that lower vitamin D levels were associated with poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration, while a meta-analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials found significant improvements in sleep quality with vitamin D and certain other supplements.
A new 2026 systematic review by Barakat et al. takes another look at vitamin D and brain health and provides additional insight into why vitamin D status may matter for sleep. Vitamin D doesn’t influence sleep through just one pathway. Vitamin D receptors are found in areas of the brain involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, and vitamin D may affect several interconnected systems that determine when and how well we sleep:
Melatonin and circadian rhythms: Vitamin D may help regulate melatonin and the body’s internal sleep-wake clock.
Dopamine: Vitamin D influences dopamine pathways, which are involved in movement, alertness, and restless legs syndrome.
Neuromuscular function: Vitamin D supports normal muscle function, including mechanisms that may be relevant to upper-airway function during sleep.
Inflammation: Vitamin D helps regulate inflammatory signaling, which may influence sleep quality, fatigue, and certain sleep disorders.
For more about Vitamin D and sleep go to grassrootshealth.net
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: This study shows one more reason that taking vitamin D can have a major positive impact on health. I recommend that adults take 5,000 IU daily of vitamin D3 and 10,000 if a blood test shows a level below 30ng/ml. Best to get a blood test for D at least once/year and adjust your intake based on results. Although the labs usually say the normal blood levels are 30 to 100, based on the very latest research the optimum level seems to be 60 to 80 ng/ml).
A Double Hit to Your Gut
A new study highlights how two common modern habits – high stress and eating late at night – can combine to do more damage to the gut than either one alone.
Researchers found that when the body is under stress, digestion doesn’t function normally. At the same time, eating during the body’s natural rest phase appears to disrupt the gut’s internal clock. When these two factors overlap, they don’t just add up; they appear to amplify each other’s effects.
The gut has its own daily rhythm, similar to a circadian clock, that helps regulate digestion, nutrient absorption and the balance of bacteria living in the intestines. Stress alone can already interfere with this system, slowing or disrupting normal gut activity. Late-night eating also pushes the digestive system to work at a time when it is biologically prepared to rest and repair.
The study suggests combining the two may create a “double strain,” leading to more noticeable changes in gut function and microbial balance than expected. This disruption may help explain why people experiencing chronic stress often report digestive issues such as bloating, discomfort or irregular bowel habits – especially if they also tend to snack or eat meals late in the evening.
Scientists say these findings add to growing evidence that the gut is closely tied to both lifestyle and mental state. Managing stress and aligning eating patterns with the body’s natural daily cycle may be important steps in supporting long-term digestive health. And since stress often leads to overeating – and vice versa, addressing both is a win-win for you – and your gut.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: Avoiding late eating can be easier to do than reducing stress, which is a major subject in itself! For some basic ideas see lung.org or healthline.com. A few other ideas include yoga, meditation, exercise, prayer, and an anti-inflammation diet and supplements.)
Don’t Forget About Chiropractic
Think a visit to your medical doctor will be just as effective as going to a doctor of chiropractic when you’re suffering from low back pain? Hmmm. Your medical doctor will likely recommend over-the-counter pain medication or even prescribe something for the pain. (The latter is a primary reason for the opioid crisis that still accounts for countless deaths every day due to abuse / overuse.) On the other hand, a chiropractor will determine the cause of the pain – not mask it with pain relievers – and use safe, effective spinal adjustments and other nondrug, nonsurgical tools to address the problem and help ensure it doesn’t return.
OK, so you’re still not convinced. Perhaps standard medical care for your low back pain is your preference. But don’t forget about chiropractic, because research suggests even people who receive medical treatment for their LBP benefit more from concurrent chiropractic care than those who receive medical care only.
Case in point: a study published in the American Medical Association’s open-access journal, JAMA Network Open, that evaluated strategies for the management of low back pain in active-duty military personnel. “Usual medical care” included self-care, medication, physical therapy and referral to a pain clinic. Chiropractic care included spinal manipulation to the low back and adjacent areas of the body, as well as therapies such as rehabilitative exercise, cryotherapy (ice), superficial heat and other manual therapies.
When added to medical care, chiropractic care resulted in moderate improvements in patients’ pain and their disability caused by the pain. In other words, they hurt less and were able to function better compared to patients who received medical care only. Now that’s a win-win, no doubt about it.
It’s important to note that in the wake of the opioid crisis, countless health care organizations have issued guidelines that recommend spinal manipulation as one of the primary tools to manage low back pain – before using pain medication. Research also suggests that not only are current medical treatments for LBP ineffective, but that nondrug therapies – such as spinal manipulation – are a wise alternative. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: When a person is in a lot of pain, sometimes chiropractic treatment provided significant, even dramatic, relief, quickly. And sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes, pain management from a medical physician can be appropriate. This study shows that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive and often they are mutually beneficial.)
Their Grades Depend on It
When kids go off to college, you can only hope the sleep routines (and myriad other good habits) you taught them survive the late-night study sessions, dorm-room parties and other sleep-depriving, sleep-disrupting activities. But even if college students manage to get enough sleep on a regular basis, their grades may still take a hit if their sleep patterns are irregular in nature.
New research suggests going to bed and waking up at approximately the same time every day – deemed a regular sleep pattern – leads to better academic performance compared to irregular sleep patterns, such as sleeping in on the weekends while waking up early on weekdays.
The total amount of sleep didn’t impact grades, but the regularity of sleep did. In fact, regular sleepers ended the study period with an average grade-point average (GPA) of 3.72, while irregular sleepers managed only a 3.24 average.
An easy way to help kids establish a consistent sleep routine in the Age of Technology is to teach them to set the sleep function available on many smartphones and other devices. Pick reasonable sleep / wake times you can achieve every day (for example, 10 p.m. sleep / 6 a.m. wake); you’ll get a gentle reminder of when to go to bed, and a gentle a.m. notification to wake up.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: This approach might have really helped me when I was going to college, with quite irregular sleep patterns. Now I am older and wiser and I have alarms on my phone to remind me when it’s time to go to bed AND when it’s time to wake up!)
Researchers used electric stoves to treat asthma. It worked.
The latest evidence that gas is bad for your health.
by Sammy Roth
There’s already lots of research showing that gas stoves fill our homes with nasty air pollution, including cancer-causing chemicals and toxins that increase the risk of kids getting asthma.
Still, a study published this month blew my mind.
Led by Dr. Ash Sehgal, a professor at Case Western’s School of Medicine, researchers recruited families from across the Cleveland and Akron areas where at least one person had asthma. Using funds from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, they replaced gas stoves with electric induction stoves in 91 homes.
And then they did something unprecedented: They studied whether people got less sick after they stopped cooking with gas. It was the first time time scientists had replaced gas ranges with electric ranges and examined the health impacts.
For 72 homes where at least one resident suffered from “poorly controlled asthma,” the team measured health outcomes before and after the gas-to-electric switch: How often were participants awoken by asthma at night? How much time did they spend wheezing? How much shortness of breath did they experience? Did they need to visit the emergency room? Did they have to stay home from work or school?
Lo and behold: Across every health metric studied, people got better. Not just better, actually — dramatically better.
“Our improvement was about twice as much as you typically see with medical treatment of asthma,” Sehgal told me.
Let that sink in: twice as much improvement as with medical treatments of asthma.
To read the rest of this important article go to climatecoloredgoggles.com
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: We had just purchased a brand new gas stove before I became fully aware that electric induction stoves are markedly better for your health, are praised by numerous renowned chefs, and of course very much more environmentally friendly. So we haven’t gotten one yet (but we will!) But if I still had children living in my home I would buy a new electric stove yesterday….)