Are You on a Slippery Slope to Cardiovascular Disease?

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as coronary artery disease, stroke, and high blood pressure are among the world's most prevalent health concerns. In the U.S. along, nearly 81 million people suffer from some type of CVD. That's pretty concerning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly a third of all deaths worldwide are attributable to CVD. So, what the heck are we doing wrong? I have a few ideas for you.

The staggering numbers are in large part the result of our crazy lifestyles, characterized by high-fat, nutrient poor foods, sedentary lifestyles and high tobacco use to name a few.  In fact, the WHO estimates that as many as 8 out of 10 cases of CVD are attributable to those modifiable risk factors!!! This is fantastic news! This means that YOU do have control over your life and the diseases you will have or will not have based all on lifestyle. Now, I know this isn't the easiest task for one reason or another. However, it should be a priority! CVD isn't the only disease that they've linked to these lifestyle factors. Breast cancer is another disease that has HUGELY been linked to lifestyle factors. It should be EMPOWERING to know that you don't have to suffer from the things that your parents, grandparents, other family members have suffered from. It should be EMPOWERING to know that you can control, despite genetic predisposition, what your life looks like; one that is healthy and happy, or one that is miserable and full of disease.

What can you do then in order to avoid becoming a CVD statistic?! There is an overwhelming amount of research that shows it's possible to avoid developing CVD by making healthier lifestyle choices. For example,

• Daily, moderate exercise can reduce the risk by improving blood circulation throughout the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), for every 10 mmHG reduction in systolic blood pressure, the risk for complications related to diabetes is reduced by 12%.
• A healthier diet, particularly a Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grains, legumes and vegetables is not only nutrient-dense, but also lower in calories. Research shows that a Mediterranean-style diet may help fight conditions related to chronic inflammation (who's not dealing with that now-a-days?), including type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Incorporating targeted nutrition with a therapeutic lifestyle change program can produce even greater results. According to a recent clinical study, the use of a medical food formulated to support cardiovascular health, in combination with a low-glycemic-load diet, regular moderate exercise, and phytonutrients produced greater results than diet and exercise alone.

If you think this sounds interesting and are motivated to start making a difference for the better in your very own life and the lives you're responsible for, please join me for a FREE webinar on February 15th from 7pm - 8pm mountain time. You MUST REGISTER at www.abdwellness.com/heart to be able to access the presentation. Don't become a statistic, start making a difference today!

A Better Way to Bring Your Numbers Down - Heart Health

Do you have elevated blood pressure or cholesterol? Or think you might?

High blood pressure and elevated cholesterol are 2 of the most common risk factors for chronic disease and health in general.  These "silent" conditions may have no symptoms at all until they have progressed over time.  Or developed into more serious diseases (metabolic syndrome, heart disease, type 2 diabetes) or cardiac events.  Until then, you may "feel" perfectly healthy....even though your blood pressure and lab test numbers say otherwise.

The lifestyle connection for reversing chronic illness.

While genetic factors play a role in their development, high blood pressure and cholesterol are often referred to as "preventable" conditions because they can be strongly influence by food choices, exercise habits, stress, and other lifestyle choices like smoking.  Fortunately, they're also 2 of the most "reversible" conditions.  And best of all, it's never too late to do something about them.

Nutritional support can help.

Nutritional recommendations-such as fish oils, botanicals, vitamins/minerals, and medical foods-can be used strategically with simple lifestyle recommendations for eating healthier, exercising more, and managing stress a little better.  And you don't have to do it all by yourself.  In fact, research often shows greater success for patients who have support and guidance from a health care practitioner than for those who try to go it alone.

FREE  Heart Health Webinar

February 15th 7pm - 8pm

Space is limited. Please register at:

www.abdwellness.com/heart

 

Chiropractic Helps Relieve Headache Pain

Did you know that 9 of 10 Americans suffer from headaches either occasionally or daily?!?  That's unbelievable!  I had no idea that nearly 45 million people are suffering from chronic, recurring headaches either!  I know most of my patients, before chiropractic, believed that they were just going to have to get use to them.  Well, that's just not true or acceptable in my eyes!

Did you know that it's estimated that 20% of children and adolescents suffer from significant headaches, some of which cause debilitating pain and nausea?!  Research has shown that Chiropractic care is effective in treating tension headaches, as well as headaches that originate in the neck.

Here are some recommendations that the American Chiropractors Association (ACA) offers to help reduce the risk of headaches:

• If you spend a lot of time in one position (sitting in front of a computer) take breaks every 30 minutes to one hour in order to stretch.
• Low impact exercise, such as walking and low-impact-aerobics, may help relieve the pain of primary headaches.
• Avoid clenching teeth, as this stress on the jaw contributes to tension headaches (we adjust very gently the joints of the jaw in my office, which has helped a lot of people with their headaches).
• Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day to prevent dehydration.  Avoid caffeine, salty and sugary foods and drinking alcoholic beverages (ok, we know this won't happen so at least keep them in moderation).
• Chiropractic adjustments are a recommended and proven treatment option, as it improves spinal function and alleviates stress on your system.

Join me in a FREE Webinar:

Natural Solutions to Headache Pain

Wednesday, February 2nd

7pm - 8pm

Space is limited!

Please register at www.abdwellness.com/webinar

The Role of Detoxification in the Prevention of Chronic Degenerative Diseases: A Summary

Low-level, long-term exposure to toxins such as heavy metals (e.g. lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium), pesticides, industrial compounds, and pollutants is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), fibromyalgia (FM), neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and atherosclerosis, and many types of cancers.^1-4 Common signs and symptoms of environmental toxicity include acne, rashes, headaches, aches and pains, fatigue, muscle weakness, tinnitus, fertility problems, memory loss, and chronic immune system depression.

Toxins can remain in the body for many years; therefore, we are exposed to much higher toxin doses than present environmental concentrations suggest. Research suggests we all maintain toxin contamination within our bodies on a regular basis due to this lifetime of exposure.

How Does the Body Remove Toxic Substances?

An individual’s ability to remove–or detoxify–toxins is a primary factor in susceptibility to toxin-related conditions.^5-11 In order to remove (excrete) the multitude of diverse toxins, the body has a complex system that converts them into non-toxic molecules for removal. This complex system occurs in two phases—Phase I and Phase II—that together convert (biotransform) a toxic molecule into a non-toxic molecule that can be easily excreted. The majority of detoxification occurs in the liver; however, all tissues have some ability to detoxify, including the intestines, skin, and lungs.

In Phase I, a functional group is added to the toxic molecule producing an intermediate that needs to be further transformed. Phase II detoxification involves a process called conjugation, in which various enzymes in the liver attach protective compounds to the intermediate, making it less harmful and more readily excretable. Because the products of Phase I can be highly reactive and more harmful than the original compound, achieving and maintaining a balance between the Phase I and Phase II processes is critical. Furthermore, a significant side effect of all this metabolic activity is the production of free radicals as the toxins are transformed, resulting in oxidative stress. Nutrients that help protect from oxidative stress include vitamins C and E, zinc, selenium, and copper.^12,13

Achieving Balanced Detoxification

Optimal detoxification requires that both Phase I and Phase II pathways function optimally and in balance with each other. Bifunctional modulators are phytonutrients that support balanced detoxification by modulating Phase I and promoting Phase II. This minimizes damage by reactive intermediates and free radicals. Fruits and vegetables contain many bifunctional modulators, which is one reason these foods are associated with reduced susceptibilities to cancer and degenerative diseases.¹⁴

Nutritional Support for Detoxification

Detoxification is an energy-requiring process that puts a metabolic burden on the body. Therefore, water or juice fasts are not beneficial because they deplete the body of the essential nutrients required for healthy detoxification. These fasts can have many adverse health effects, including decreased energy production, breakdown of lean tissue instead of fat, increased oxidative stress, and unbalanced detoxification.^15,16

Instead of decreasing nutrient support, a focused, high-impact, low-allergy-potential source of macronutrients should be provided. High-quality protein provides methionine and cysteine, which are beneficial to Phase II and may help with toxic metal burdens.¹⁷ Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) support energy production,¹⁸and olive oil may protect against chemically-induced liver damage.¹⁹ Fiber supports fecal excretion of toxins and the integrity of the intestinal barrier, which decreases toxic burden. In particular, rice bran can directly bind some toxins, thereby removing them before they can enter the body and cause damage.²⁰

Nutrients that support energy production include vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), and magnesium. In addition, the following nutrients and phytonutrients provide targeted support for optimal detoxification:

N-Acetylcysteine and Sodium Sulfate promote generation of glutathione, which is used in Phase II and is a major route for detoxification of heavy metals, and supports Phase II sulfation.^16,21

Vitamin B12, Folate, Methionine, and Choline promote balanced detoxification by supporting Phase II methylation and healthy homocysteine recycling. Choline deficiency is causative for liver disease, and is a newly-designated essential nutrient.^22-24 The biologically-active, natural form of folate is 5-methyltetrahydrofolate.²⁵

Ellagic Acid from pomegranate significantly reduces tumors in animals with chemically-induced cancers, protects from toxin liver damage, enhances glutathione production, decreases lipid peroxidation, and binds some metals, thus promoting their excretion.^26-29 It is a bifunctional modulator that can bind some toxins directly, rendering them non-toxic, and can directly bind and protect DNA.^30,31

Catechins from green tea are bifunctional modulators that are strong antioxidants possessing anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic potential.^32,33Catechins are associated with lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease.^33,34The National Cancer Institute is currently investigating the chemotherapeutic potential of green tea catechins.³⁵Catechins also promote healthy gastrointestinal function.³⁶

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) contains high levels of glucosinolates, which are precursors to several bioactives that can inhibit chemically-induced cancers in animals, and promote excretion of carcinogens in humans.^37-41 The bifunctional activity of watercress is one of the proposed mechanisms for its chemoprotective effect.^37,42-44

Silymarin from milk thistle is a well-known liver-protectant that may improve liver function in patients with liver disease and toxicity.^45-47 Silymarin increases glutathione and is a strong antioxidant.^46-49

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is also a liver-protectant with a long history of traditional use that provides strong antioxidant protection and may decrease the loss of glutathione after toxic exposure.^50-53

Summary

Minimizing exposure to toxins is only one part of a beneficial detoxification program. Low-allergy potential, targeted nutrition providing the full spectrum of Phase II supportive cofactors, bifunctional modulators for balanced detoxification, and support for energy production and excretion may optimize balanced detoxification and promote optimal health throughout life.

 

For more information, please visit www.abdproducts.com

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Health Care Guidelines Issued For School Athletes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Schools and other organizations that sponsor teen athletic programs should do more to ensure school-aged athletes stay healthy and injury-free, according to new guidelines.

The recommendations, issued by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and 16 other professional organizations, call for high schools and groups that sponsor teen sports to set up "athletic health care teams."

The teams -- including a physician and an athletic trainer who is on-site during practice and competition -- should not only treat injuries but also have comprehensive plans for preventing them, according to the guidelines.

More than 7 million U.S. high school students participate in school sports -- with numerous benefits, NATA points out. Still, roughly 715,000 students suffer sports- or recreation-related injuries in schools each year, and many could be prevented.

"Appropriate medical care of athletes involves more than just basic emergency care during sporting events," Jon Almquist, chair of the task force that created the guidelines, said in a statement.

"To reduce injuries, organizations sponsoring athletic programs need to establish an athletic health care team that functions to ensure appropriate medical care is provided for all participants; this can go a long way in preventing minor injuries from becoming more significant time-loss injuries."

The task force recommendations, which are published in NATA's Journal of Athletic Training, state that yearly pre-season medical screening of all high school athletes is "essential" to spot teens who are at risk for injuries or more serious problems such as a heart defect.

Such pre-participation screening is required in schools, but it should be encouraged in community sports programs as well, according to the guidelines.

The recommendations also call on organizations to ensure that their facilities and equipment are safe and well-maintained; that there is always a qualified professional on site to take care of athletes' injuries or illnesses, and to oversee their recovery after an injury; and that they give athletes sound advice on nutrition and health.

Athletic health care teams should also try to spot potential "psychosocial" problems, such as eating disorder symptoms, and refer those teenagers for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

According to task force member Dr. Keith J. Loud, of Children's Hospital Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, the recommendations underscore the importance of preventing and treating problems that could eventually "sideline an athlete in a variety of ways throughout life."

SOURCE: Journal of Athletic Training, July 2008.

 

For more information, please visit www.abdproducts.com.

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Healthy Habits Key to Longer Life For Men

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly men can improve their chances of having an even longer and healthier life by quitting smoking, controlling their weight, getting their blood pressure and blood glucose under control and exercising regularly, a study shows.

But making such changes is, of course, easier said than done, Dr. Laurel B. Yates of Brigham and Women's Hospital, the study's lead author, admitted in an interview with Reuters Health. "Lifestyle factors are the hardest things to do -- it's much easier to take a pill," she said. Nevertheless, she added, the rewards will include not only longer life but healthier, well-functioning years at the end of that life.

While a healthy lifestyle is understood to lead to a healthier life, the issue of whether pursuing healthy habits matters as much among older people has been controversial, Yates noted. To investigate, she and her team followed a group of 2,357 men participating in the Physicians' Health Study to determine which factors were associated with living to age 90. The men, whose average age was 72 at the study's outset, were followed for 25 years.

Forty-one percent of the men lived to be 90 or older. Smokers were half as likely as non-smokers to reach their 90th birthdays, while being diabetic, obese, or having high blood pressure also boosted mortality. Men who exercised regularly were 28 percent less likely to die during the study.

At age 70, men who didn't smoke, weren't obese, had normal blood pressure, were free from diabetes and exercised regularly had a 54 percent chance of living for at least another 20 years. But among 70-year-olds who smoked, were obese, had hypertension and diabetes, and were sedentary, just 4 percent reached age 90.

The longer-lived men also had better physical function and mental well-being as they aged, and developed heart disease or cancer years later than their shorter-lived peers.

"It does seem that, yes, there is something a person can do to increase the probability that he will have increased life span and good years at the end of that time," Yates said. It's likely, she added, that the same would hold true for women.

"This study suggests that adherence to sound medical management and lifestyle management pays enormous dividends in life extension and probably substantial reductions of aggregate medical care costs," Dr. William J. Hall of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, New York, writes in an editorial published with the study.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, February 11, 2008.

For more information, please visit www.abdproducts.com

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Bad Backs, Good Sex

Few topics are taboo in chiropractor Donna Schoales's office. Even marital troubles come up for discussion. But when it comes to how back pain is affecting their sex life, most people clam up. "My patients get very open with me with a lot of other issues," Schoales says. "But I think I can count on both hands the number of times that a discussion about sex and back pain has come up over the past 17 years."

That's too bad, because statistics indicate eight in 10 people experience back pain at some point in their life. And when they do, sex is one of the first things that men and women avoid, even though it can be just as comfortable with a few modifications.

In fact, according to Maine physical therapist Lauren Hebert, author of Sex and Back Pain, people with back pain who aim to learn and practice pain-free techniques and positions with their partner often improve their sex life for good. "I have had people say that their sex life is better since they had a back problem and started using my book," he says. "It opens things up for them, forces them to talk about it and communicate."

Schoales, a Toronto-based chiropractor, agrees that communication is essential, because relationship problems often develop when people have long-term, chronic pain and don't explain what they're experiencing to friends and family. "Often, people will say 'my family doesn't understand the pain I'm going through,'" says Schoales. "That can occur when people have pain that's not related to something visible. With back pain, people can't see that you have a cast on your arm or a gash on your leg."

Communication is usually the biggest challenge, as most back pain doesn't involve actual sexual function. In fact, Hebert says that even in extreme cases of back pain he doesn't recommend people stop being sexual. "There can be very passive positions people can take," he says.

The key is to open up enough to discuss which positions are comfortable and which aren't. "Learn what you can and cannot do physically," he says. "If you really can't talk about it, then just use a book-marking technique, where you bookmark pages in my book that contain positions that are of concern to you, hand that to your partner and have him or her do the same."

It's also important that you don't worry excessively about your performance, and that you don't try too hard and get aggravated. To help, it's good to emphasize eroticism and use more foreplay. Romantic massages, hot baths and showers facilitate relaxation and loosen muscles. Massages are especially useful, as they can also help calm the nervous system. "That way you're not starting out with fear, tension, spasm and pain," says Hebert. "You're putting that off and replacing it with something a bit more comforting."

After selling over one million copies of his book and having thousands of clinics in North America and Europe use it to educate patients, Hebert can be confident that his advice will help people with back pain return to sexual activity. And even if the sales weren't enough, there's always the anecdotal evidence. "I frequently get notes from people who say 'I bought your book and it saved my marriage,'" he says.

Part of that success may be due to the book's easy-to-use categorization. Hebert realized that sex generally only involves two back movements: forward bending (flexion) and backward bending (extension). So he used those movements as a starting point. "I thought, well, when it comes to sex there are going to be positions that will bend the spine one way and positions that will bend the spine the other way," he says. "So, using a physical therapist model of categorizing back pain, I could easily fit the various sex positions in."

Patients who have back pain during even slight movements should see Hebert's section on brittle back, while those with more pain while bending backward should see the section on extension pain and those with more pain while bending forward should see the section on flexion pain. Then, they should discuss their concerns with their partner, plan an intimate evening that begins with a warm bath or massage and follow the instructions.

Brittle back

Brittle back refers to serious back conditions that make even slight movements uncomfortable. Patients with such a condition should try lying on their back on a firm surface and using pillows or rolled towels to provide support behind their knees, head and, if it helps, low back. They should also take a passive role while their partner does most movement slowly, and should communicate with their partner to tell him or her when anything is causing discomfort.

Extension pain

Patients who have pain during extension might find many traditional positions uncomfortable. In searching for a more comfortable position, the most important thing they should do is support their low back. A woman can try lying with a rolled towel under her low back and bending her legs as little as possible. A man can try using a rolled towel under his low back while his partner straddles him. Both men and women with extension pain should also consider seated sex. A chair will provide support for a man's low back, and by sitting on her partner's lap a woman can control the pace to minimize discomfort.

Flexion Pain

Patients who have flexion pain should carefully monitor their posture during sex to avoid forward-bending positions. Often, it's best for people with this type of pain to adopt a more passive role during sex. A woman should try lying on her back in the standard missionary position with her knees bent toward her chest, or using a chair and sitting on her partner's lap while controlling the pace. A man with flexion pain may want to sit in a chair as well, or can ask his partner to adopt the traditional missionary position and raise her bottom with pillows to ease the amount of forward bending he must do.

For more information, please visit www.abdproducts.com.

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