Author: melissa

It’s common knowledge that changing what you eat can impact your weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. Can changing what you eat impact your mood as well?  As it turns out, the answer to that question is yes, and new research underscores that conclusion.

Granted, research in the area is relatively new, but already, some interesting trends have begun to emerge.

The first intriguing discovery is that people who eat more fresh vegetables tend to have markedly fewer depressive symptoms than people who eat a traditional western diet which is heavy on meat, dairy and contains a lot of processed foods.

Science is also beginning to connect the dots between improved mental health and certain specific vitamins, minerals and other compounds.  For instance, there are now documented connections between improved mood/mental health and Selenium, Vitamin D, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, antioxidants, and vitamins A, C, E, B9, B12, and Zinc.

Again, the research is still in its infancy regarding diet and mood/mental health. However, the early indications point to a diet that heavily emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, the virtual elimination of processed foods from your diet, and a touch of whole grains.

In addition to that, researchers recommend increasing your intake of probiotic foods which improve the health of your gut flora. It is so important because gut health has also been shown to have an impact on your mood. Serotonin is made in the gut, so a healthy gut will help you produce more happy hormones. Here, you’ll be gravitating toward foods like Kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, and yogurt.

There are a number of research projects currently underway that will be wrapped up and reported on in the next 2-3 years that will dramatically increase our understanding of the connection between diet and mood. Until the data is in, researchers encourage individual experimentation.  Eat up and take notes about how different foods make you feel!

 

The snow and ice that accompany the winter season in most of the country can complicate your life in a few ways. Unfortunately, one of those is an increased risk of wintertime slips and falls.   Emergency Rooms around the country confirm what most of us know intuitively.

You’re more likely to get hurt during the long, cold winter months. The good news is that there are a few simple things you can do to minimize your risk.

Here they are:

• Dress appropriately– This is about much more than simply bundling up (which you should absolutely do) when it’s cold outside. What we’re really talking about here is the need to pay special attention to your footwear, selecting shoes or boots that will provide better traction on slippery surfaces, minimizing your risk of a fall.
• Stretching – The cold weather makes our muscles protest when we start using them. To counter that, be sure you perform some light warm ups and thorough stretching before you undertake any physical activity in cold weather.
• Increased Mindfulness – This, more than anything else, will minimize your risk of injury, no matter the time of year. Increased mindfulness really comes down to tactical and situational awareness which has the effect of drastically reducing the chances that you’ll find yourself in a situation where physics is likely to get the better of you. Watch where you’re stepping, look for ice, and don’t take risks.

There’s no such thing as a magic bullet, so none of these tips will reduce your risk to absolute zero. However, if you adopt them all, you’ll be miles ahead of the game. It’s quite likely you’ll get through the holiday season this year without an incident. That will give you more time to focus on enjoying the festivities that come with this time of year, and that’s good stuff indeed.

If you’re like many people, your holiday plans this year include traveling to be with family and friends.

As wonderful as that is, the unfortunate reality is that it puts you in unfamiliar territory during a busy, hectic time of year.

The chaos that is woven into the fabric of the season could easily lead to an accident if you’re not careful.

According to holiday statistics, here are the types of things you’re most likely to suffer from while traveling:

Car Accidents – These can range from simple fender benders where nobody gets hurt to big multi-car pile ups on the highway that result in extended stays in the hospitals. They sometimes, unfortunately, result in the deaths of one or more holiday travelers.

Trips, Slips and Falls – This one probably comes as no great surprise.  Combine the hectic pace of the holiday season with high amounts of foot traffic, add in icy conditions, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, ERs find themselves dealing with higher than normal numbers of patients who find themselves at the hospital after a trip, slip or fall.

Fatigue or Dehydration – While this one isn’t as common as trips, slips and falls, it’s still common enough to earn a special mention here.  While dehydration is more often associated with the hot summer months, it’s easier than you might think to become dehydrated in the wintertime too. In cold temperatures, all available moisture in the air gets frozen. This includes some moisture of the human body. You may feel very dry. So, invest in a humidifier and drink plenty of fluids.

In all three of these cases, you can minimize your risk of holiday injury simply by being more mindful of your surroundings and moving with deliberation and purpose.  It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and chaos of the season. By slowing your pace slightly and being more aware, you can help to ensure that your holiday season will be filled with good memories this year and not painful ones.

Spring forward and fall back!

It’s a mantra that has been repeated by millions of Americans for decades. It’s a ritual we go through every year to squeeze a bit more daylight out of the end of the year. All so we don’t wind up driving to work in the dark.

The question though, is does it have a notable impact on our health and on our bodies? Interestingly, scientists have researched this topic and they have found that it does have real, tangible, notable short-term impacts in a few different ways.

Here are the basics:

• The change temporarily disrupts sleep patterns – While it might be convenient not to have to drive to work in the dark, it does take your body a few days to get with the program. Most American adults don’t get enough sleep as it is, and when we spring forward or fall back, we’re bound to get even less sleep because our bodies have to adjust to the new routine.
• More ER Traffic – Research into the matter revealed that in the days immediately following a time change (forward or back) Emergency Rooms around the country see more traffic flowing through them. It turns out that blood tends to clot more quickly in the morning and chronic sleep deprivation increases both stress and blood pressure. The disruption in your sleep patterns immediately following a time change makes heart issues more likely until your body adjusts.
• Car Accidents Are More Likely – Here’s another surprise in the data. For a few days after the time change, there’s a temporary spike in the number of car crashes reported.  Again, this is almost certainly tied to the disruption in sleep patterns and the spike vanishes after a few days as everybody adjusts to the new schedule.

It’s interesting just how big an effect something as simple as a one-hour time shift can have on our bodies.  Something to be mindful of when you spring forward and fall back in the months ahead.

 

If your joints start aching in protest to the cold weather outside, you’re certainly not alone.

It’s a problem millions of people around the world deal with. There’s no single explanation for this, but there are lots of theories.

Surprisingly, it’s an area where science hasn’t fully answered the question.

One theory is that the drop in barometric pressure causes tendons and muscles, and the tissues surrounding them to expand.  Given the confines of your body, this leads to tension and stiffness or soreness.

There’s certainly evidence to back this up, and since everyone responds to pressure changes differently, it explains why not everyone is equally impacted.  In fact, if you have arthritis, you’re probably more sensitive to such changes, which means that your arthritis is likely to “act up” when the weather starts turning chilly.

It’s normally not something that’s serious enough to consult your doctor about. However, if the pain is new, unexpected, or unusually severe, don’t let it wait.  See your doctor right away to see if there’s something that can be done to help alleviate the pain.

In most cases, you can avoid the worst of it by doing a few things like:

• Dressing appropriately for the colder weather and if you know you’re especially susceptible to wintertime aches and pains, add an additional layer of clothing for a bit of added warmth.
• Begin every day with a period of low intensity stretching to limber up for the activity ahead.
• Be more mindful of what you’re doing and how it’s affecting your body so as not to overtax your joints in the cold weather.
• Treat yourself to periodic heat treatments to offset the cold and soothe your aches and pains. Your heating pad may become your new best friend during the winter months.

If you follow those simple tips, odds are you’ll be able to manage your aches and pain on your own.

Ahh, muscle cramps.  We’ve all experienced them at one point or another, but what causes them?  In this piece, we’ll take a closer look at that very question! In simplest form, a muscle cramp is nothing more than an involuntary contraction of one of the muscles in your body.

They’re generally harmless, although when they’re happening, it certainly might not feel like it! Some of the more painful cramps are called Charlie horses. In fact, when a muscle cramp strikes, it may stop you in your tracks or leave you hopping around your house muttering a string of colorful language as you try to massage the pain away or “walk it off.”

Over-use of one or more of your muscles is the primary cause of muscle cramps.  If you exercise too strenuously or hold the same position for an extended period, the strain on the muscle group in question can easily cause a muscle cramp.

Other common causes of muscle cramps include:

• Mineral Depletion – Specifically, if your body is deficient in magnesium, calcium or potassium, it makes you much more likely to suffer from muscle cramps. If you take certain medications you may be more prone to this as they can deplete these minerals from your body. Another cause may be an iron deficiency. This can cause muscle cramps, headaches, restless legs, and much more.  Here, simple changes to your diet or taking nutritional supplements can help. Ask your doctor to test your blood for deficiencies.
• Nerve Compression – If nerves in your spine become compressed, it can lead to cramping pains in your legs that typically worsen the longer you move about. In this case, a visit to your local chiropractor can help. If you can’t get to your chiropractor’s office right away, walking in a slightly flexed position as though you were pushing a shopping cart can help mitigate your pain until you can get an appointment.
• Insufficient Blood Flow – If the arteries in your legs have narrowed (a condition called arteriosclerosis) it can produce cramping when you walk and especially when you’re working out. Fortunately, cramping caused by this condition tends to ease up not long after you stop exercising.

Again, in most cases, muscle cramps are nothing to get alarmed about, unless they become so severe that they prevent you from performing your normal daily activities.  If things start moving in that direction, you should make an appointment with your doctor and you chiropractor right away.

 

If you wake up feeling as though you didn’t get any rest at all, you’re not alone.  Most American adults are sleep deprived and  the quality of our sleep is generally poor.  There are a few factors contributing to this, but the good news is that the reasons you wake up tired are fixable.

Here are the main reasons you don’t feel well rested when you wake up:

• Your mattress isn’t supportive enough. Studies have shown that a medium-firm mattress is your best bet, and if you have anything other than that, it’s likely contributing to your sleep problems.  The age of your mattress is also a contributing factor.  Again the newer your mattress is, the fewer aches and pains you’re likely to have, which translates directly into a better night’s sleep.
• Your mattress might be dirty. It may be home to a motley collection of dust, pet dander, pollen and other allergens which can clog your nose at night and lead to nighttime coughing and sneezing, even if you don’t suffer from significant allergy problems.
• Your bedroom is too hot or too cold. Studies have shown that the optimal temperature band for a good night’s sleep ranges between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.  If the temperature of your bedroom is outside that band, the quality of your sleep is likely to be suboptimal.
• You don’t have an established routine or bedtime. Routine matters.  If you commit to the idea of going to bed at the same time every night, it will psychologically prepare you for sleep, and the quality of your sleep will improve.

Getting a better night’s sleep isn’t rocket science, and if you address the issues described above, you’ll go a long way toward improving the quality of your sleep. That will make you healthier, happier, and more productive.

Applied pressure is also called acupressure.

You may have heard a friend or neighbor talking about it and wondered if it really works or if it’s all just a bunch of hype.

It’s a good, and totally fair question.

Unfortunately, there has been very little research done on the benefits of acupressure treatments.

Nonetheless, the practice has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, and many people who have tried it have reported that it does help to ease various aches and pains.  On that basis alone, it might be worth investigating at least to see if you personally find it helpful or beneficial.

The basic idea behind it goes something like this:  The body has a dozen “major meridians” that connect to specific organs and networks of organs.  By massaging and applying pressure to these meridians, a variety of symptoms can be alleviated.

As to what to expect if you decide to give it a go, a typical acupressure session lasts about an hour. You’ll be fully clothed, lying on a massage table.  A specialist will come in and begin applying pressure to your twelve meridians via fingers, palms, elbows or feet.  Occasionally, other massage devices will be used as well.  You may also be gently stretched, depending on the practitioner.

One thing to bear in mind is this:  Just like a single visit to your local chiropractor won’t miraculously cure what ails you, it may take several acupressure visits to start seeing good results. So, don’t be discouraged if after one session you don’t really feel much of a difference.

The bottom line though, is this:  Giving acupressure a try certainly won’t hurt you, and if it helps you feel better, then ultimately that’s a good thing.  If you’ve tried other forms of treatments for the aches and pains you’re feeling and they’re not getting it done, there’s certainly no harm in giving acupressure a try.

Falling in love feels great.  Falling out of love hurts. Do those things impact more than just our emotional well-being?

The answer is a resounding yes! Falling in love and sex as a physical act of love can have a variety of impacts, both physical and mental.

Physically, love can have these benefits:

• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce stress levels
• Improve your sleep patterns
• Boost your immune system

The positive mental impacts can:

• Improve your self esteem
• Bolster your self confidence
• Reduce anxiety
• Blunt the impacts of depression and reduce your chances of becoming depressed

Although it takes some of the romanticism out of the equation to know it, the big drivers here are hormonal.  In particular, being in love increases both the dopamine and oxytocin levels in your body, and it is these that help drive most of the positive benefits, both mental and physical.

There’s a dark side to the equation though, and that of course, is falling out of love.  Just as falling in and being in love can give you a raft of benefits, falling out of love or being rejected can hurt you in real and tangible ways.

You may not realize it, but there’s an actual condition called Broken Heart Syndrome. If you have it, it can seriously impact your health.  The stress caused by the condition can actually cause the heart to enlarge, which can be fatal.  In addition to that, falling out of love or being rejected dramatically increases your stress levels, disrupts your sleep patterns, and can lead to deep depression.

The good news is that the heart is resilient, and we can rebound from falling out of love or being rejected.  If you’ve been profoundly hurt by someone, take plenty of time for self-care and give yourself time to heal.  It may not feel like it at the outset, but things will get better!

How much time do you spend thinking about your heart?  Unless you’ve recently had a heart attack or some other heart related problem, the answer is probably ‘not much’. However, it’s important to understand the basics of heart health if you want to maximize your overall health.

With that in mind, here are the basics:

Opinions vary somewhat on what a healthy, normal heart rate is. Generally speaking, it’s somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute, and some experts peg the range between 50 and 70.  Slower than that, and doctors will refer to your heartbeat as bradycardia (Slow heart).  Faster than that, and they’ll use the term tachycardia (fast heart).

When you exercise rigorously, it will cause your heart rate to increase to 70-80 percent of your maximum heart rate.  To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from the number 220.  If you’re 40 years old, your maximum heart rate should be 180.  70-80  percent of this gives you a range of 126 to 144.  If your heart rate exceeds this during rigorous exercise, it’s a sign that there’s a problem.

If your heart rate is abnormal, you could see a wide range of symptoms, depending on whether your heart is beating faster or more slowly than it should be.

If you have a slower heartbeat than normal, you may see things like:

• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Fatigue

If your heart rate is above normal, you may see symptoms like:

• Shortness of breath
• Tightness in your chest
• Palpitations or a fluttering sensation in your chest
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fatigue

In either case, it is a cause for alarm and you should see your doctor immediately.  Granted, these symptoms may well be caused by something other than your heart rate, but it simply doesn’t pay to take any chances!