Family Health

Is it possible that electronics could be an underlying cause for the rise of obesity and Type II Diabetes in the American culture? Though not the sole culprit, the truth is that television, computers, tablets and phones very much contribute to the general decline in aggregate health and weight management. The reason, however, lies far deeper than merely rendering the general population less active. Rather, it has much to do with the colored light emitted from the devices' screens and the resulting negative impact on sleep. Deficiencies in sleep, in turn, handicap not only the body's ability to utilize the energy it stores in fat but also has a profound effect on the amount of fat the body will create, fostering the tendency to gain weight.

Clearly something is out of balance. More than two-thirds of all American adults over the age of 20 are overweight or obese, according to Health, United States, 2012, an annual report on the health of the nation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics. If the current trend continues, it is estimated that 42 percent of Americans – men, women and children - will be obese by 2030.

With obesity on the rise, never before in the West have so many diet programs and products been available to those who want to lose weight. Some plans count calories or carbohydrates; others control what, how much, and when you eat; a few feature supplements or appetite suppressants, diuretics or laxatives; there are the workouts regimens and repetitions; and most extreme is stomach stapling. These weight-loss regimes are well advertised in various media, and classes, books, tapes, and DVDs abound everywhere. Americans now spend an estimated $55 billion a year on diet programs and products. Why then, are so many of us overweight?

This is where we start. This is not unique to me; on the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) webpage, the APTA describes Physical Therapists (PT's) as highly trained medical professionals that "understand how the body works and how to get you moving again." This boils down to "Movement = Life."

 Barley

“Beer, if drank in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health.”Thomas Jefferson

Studies have revealed that beer can produce the same benefits as drinking wine. Whether you prefer ales, lagers, stout, bitter or wheat beers, studies show that one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men will reduce your chances of strokes, heart and vascular disease. It's no secret that the stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of serious, long-term disabilities.
What's interesting is that it was proven (New England Journal of Medicine - Nov. 1999) that those who drank one beer a week compared to those who drank one beer a day experienced no variance in reducing stroke risks. It is said that light to moderate drinkers will decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20%.
A researcher at the Texas Southwestern Medical Center (May 1999) reported that those who consume moderate amounts of beer (one to two a day at the most) have a 30-40% lower rate of coronary heart disease compared to those who don't drink. Beer contains a similar amount of "˜polyphenols' (antioxidants) as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine.
Alcohol has also been attributed of its ability to increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) into the bloodstream as well as help to decrease blood clots.
Beer also contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to heart disease. Those of us who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease.

 “Clearly, drinking alcohol has some benefits. But there also are some very real risks. If you choose to drink, be mindful about it and always drink in moderation.”

— Donald Hensrud, M.D., Preventive Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Recently, consistent information has been provided in support of an association between light to moderate alcohol consumption and protection from vascular and all-cause mortality, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, congestive heart failure, and recurrence of ischemic events. After reviewing the information with respect to major aspects of cardiovascular pathophysiology, to potential confounders and to underlying mechanisms, several concepts emerge. First, the recommended amounts of “safe alcohol drinking” in healthy individuals are up to two standard drinks (~20 g/d) for a man and up to one drink (10 g/d) for a nonpregnant woman. 

© Thieme Medical Publishers

Unfortunately, most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease (Stage III).

Ovarian cancer is cancer that begins in the ovaries. Ovaries are reproductive glands found only in females (women). The ovaries produce eggs (ova) for reproduction. The eggs travel through the fallopian tubes into the uterus where the fertilized egg implants and develops into a fetus.

In our present era where the public is bombarded with Fad Diets and costly vitamin supplements the facts belie the sobering reality.
A staggering 75% of Americans are now overweight or obese. The incidence of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Cancer are rampant.

Are you like so many of my new patients - suffering from severe, one-sided lower back pain that came on abruptly? Are you anxious because it’s not getting better and pills hardly touch the pain? 

Are the muscles in your lower back and buttocks gripping with an aching persistence that is only interrupted by periodic jolts of sharp pain? Does your pain surge when you change positions,

Sexual intimacy is an expected part of a modern day relationship—it is often seen as an expression of love and desire. Most couples are typically very sexual at the beginning of their relationship but it isn't unusual for activity to slow down over time. Factors such as aging, relationship complacency, and hectic lifestyles contribute to the decline in sexual activity but overall, healthy relationships do not tend to go more than six months without sexual intimacy. A steady decline or sudden end of sexual activity may be an indicator of deeper issues; if not addressed, it may be the beginning of a sexless relationship. Sex-avoidant, or sexless couples, are on the rise. Recent studies have shown an increase in the amount of young couples experiencing less than average sexual intimacy in their relationships. A "sexless" relationship is defined as couples having intercourse fewer than ten times a year. It is estimated that nearly 20 million Americans in a relationship are completely sexually inactive.

Do you spend significant amounts of time on your computer, tablet or Smartphone?   If you do, then like an increasing number of people, you may rely so fully upon one or all of these modes of communicating and connecting with the outside world that you might not be able to envision life without it.  While you no doubt have a very real need for these devices in your daily life and work, is it possible that your reliance on them could be eroding the quality of your life, and in particular, your love life?

Is the time you spend online having an effect on your face to face connections?  What happens to relationships when one partner finds themselves flirting with Facebook friends while the other partner would prefer to spend time with them?  And how do relationships fare when one partner is late to bed because they would rather find romance online? 

Are you a junkie? I’m not referring to drugs, alcohol or pain medications. There are other compulsions out there that are nearly as detrimental to our health, and yet, so much more readily available that you could purchase them anywhere, anytime, legally, and heck, you could even use a coupon! I’m talking about food addictions.

Picture American healthcare as a tin of fish. We pay for caviar, but are we receiving canned mackerel? Statistics from 2009 show that we cast out $7,960 per person per year. We are grossly outspending the rest of the world. Sweden pays $3722 per year per person. The savings alone could buy every U.S. citizen a new Volvo every 10 years! Is greater health being gained from shelling out all those clams?
Sorry Charlie! The level of America health is on a sinking ship. Peering into the depths of the World Health Organization’s “Healthy Life Expectancy Rankings” top ten list, Japan floated to the surface as number one. Then came Australia, France… Greece… Andorra. NO America…and, where’s Andorra?

“Wow... how did you know doc?”

“That’s right where I feel it!”
“You always seem to know right where to go!”

I hear these wonderful exclamations from patients every day. Some patients even throw the word “magician” around. My father, also a doctor of chiropractic, has had me as a patient ever since I was a baby. He amazed me, inspiring similar exclamations. Once his magic fingers were on me, he quickly found tender spots I never knew I had. Even though I felt fine and was receiving preventive care, I always felt better afterward! It was like he had special laser-guided sensors in his fingers...

“You can fire your doctor, or fire him or her up. Help your doctor be a better doctor for you during your visits. Become more efficient and prepared without wasting precious appointment time.”

Mrs. Lamb tells everyone that she LOVES her doctor! Sometimes she is lucky enough to be kept waiting in Dr. Badside’s reception room for TWO hours past her appointment time. To top it off, the receptionist keeps to herself and never smiles. This gives Mrs. Lamb the opportunity to catch up on all the old, torn fashion magazines and Hollywood gossip rags from 2008 that are spread across the table in the corner of the room. There Mrs. Lamb sits, turning the dog eared pages until, with a whistle in her voice, the receptionist announces that the doctor is ready and herds Mrs. Lamb into a room down the hall.

 Yes, you ARE a victim of the modern age! You spend much of your day banished for hours sitting in traffic, locked and chained to a work station or your home computer, and captivated on the couch watching TV. Your body is sustained in awkward positions. Your posture is crooked, compromised and fatiguing. Your neck cocks forward, causing your muscles to grip desperately to the back of your skull. The bands of connective tissue and muscles in your pelvis shorten and tighten for hours while you sit oddly perched on a chair. When the day brings needed breaks to your sedentary punishment, you suffer the results. Standing slowly, you teeter to a balance. Your body rebels against further movement.

“Hospitals haven’t given safety the attention it deserves,”
—says Peter Pronovost, M.D., senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

You secure your SCUBA mask and jump through the water’s surface, leaving only a splash as you begin your 100 meter descent into the watery depths. The water is murky and filled with unforeseen horrors that can rip the life from your body in a second. Sharks. The sharp steel of shipwrecks. Gear malfunctions. Such territory requires split second decisions for survival.

Ever see the majestic figure of a Humpback whale off the bow of a boat? Ever feel the rush of hitting the lottery? Ever experience the accomplishment of pushing to the end of a marathon? Ever shout with joy from winning a reality game show? Ever gaze down at the earth from Mount Everest? I certainly hope that you polish off many of the items that fill your bucket list. Unfortunately, another bucket list exists with items that most Americans will experience, but wish they wouldn’t! This list contains events that embarrass, terrify and hurt. I may not be able to help you avoid producing an unexpected bodily sound at a board meeting, or keep bad luck or poisonous spiders out of your way, but I can provide you with valuable insights for the best and most cost-effective ways for handling an event that happens to nearly all Americans - lower back pain!

Jane had neck PAIN. It hurt every morning when she woke up at 5:30 and crept into the shower. Over the past months, she began adding more and more time and hotter water. She thought it would make her neck feel better. The pain returned as fast as the steam and condensation on the mirror cleared. After she came home from work in the evening, Jane’s neck felt raw,