Does your refrigerator light stay on when you close the frig door? No? Well, new research is suggesting that perhaps it should! As a chiropractor, I’m all about “total wellness,” which means that I believe in routine chiropractic care along with a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and dealing effectively with life stresses. Getting the nutrition we need from fruits and vegetables used to be a “no brainer,” i.e., just buy them fresh. But, with the current trend towards big farm over-planting that has lead to soil depletion in many areas, sadly the fruits and vegetables grown in, and pulled from, soil lacking in nutrients lack much of the health benefits they once offered. We generally need to search for fruit and veggie stands and farmers’ markets to get anything close to the natural nutrition that was once “a given” when we were children because, let’s face it, it’s hard to find healthy produce in our supermarkets anymore. So, I was pleasantly surprised and very interested in a new study that the harsh, unnatural lighting in most supermarkets — the kind of lighting that seems to have no environmental upside — apparently has a bright side: healthier fruits and vegetables.

That’s right! A recent study found that spinach actually gained nutritional value as it sat for days under fluorescent lights! And, not just “minor” value gains. Some vitamins doubled their concentrations. Apparently, fluorescent supermarket lights mimic the spectrum of natural sunlight, and some supermarkets keep them on all the time, 24-hours a day. Continuous light exposure allows plants to maintain photosynthesis and, of course, photosynthesis produces nutrients.

The study’s author, Gene Lester, is a research plant physiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD. He and his colleagues chose to study spinach because it is one of the most nutritionally complete vegetables commonly available, with significant concentrations of vitamins C, A, K, E and folate.

You can read about how the research was done in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry or by going to discovery.com

Bottom line: To boost the nutritional content of spinach and other produce, researchers suggest (counter-intuitively) that consumers select packages from the front of display cases that are kept under continuous light.

Posted via email from healthandfitnessnews’s posterous

Technorati Tags: nutrition, Where:Oxnard-CA

You probably know that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but did you know that “A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories”? As a chiropractor who believes that a healthy lifestyle includes a healthy weight, I believe that the latter equation is just as important as the former when it comes to your health. So does First Lady, Michelle Obama. In announcing a national plan to counter childhood obesity, she indicated that weight loss doesn’t have include an unnatural “minus” intake of food, but slight lifestyle changes, such as replacing soda pop with water or walking to school, are “small changes that add up.” The formula seems simple enough: reducing calorie intake by just 100 calories a day, or burning up that amount, would equal losing a pound every 35 days, or as much as 10 pounds or more a year. And, though individual losses might vary and educating children (and their parents) about nutrition is still very necessary, in my opinion making “small changes” is a healthy place to start for many kids.

Unfortunately, there are those who find such equations “misleading,” like the health blog at NYTimes.com . In it Tara Parker-Pope states that “numerous scientific studies show that small caloric changes have almost no long-term effect on weight. When we skip a cookie or exercise a little more, the body’s biological and behavioral adaptations kick in, significantly reducing the caloric benefits of our effort.”

The question the article poses is “Can small changes in diet and exercise at least keep children from gaining weight?”  And it goes on to say that “While some obesity experts think so, mathematical models suggest otherwise.”

To read the blog in its entirety, click the link above. Then you can reach your own conclusions.

Posted via email from healthandfitnessnews’s posterous

Technorati Tags: childhood obesity, Where:Oxnard-CA

Let’s face it, if you like beer, you’re going to look for a good reason to drink it, whether it’s a tailgate party, as a pizza accompaniment, or to help build strong and healthy bones. Say what? Up until I heard the recent news reports and read an article that appeared recently on the healthDay News blog, I wouldn’t have listed that last reason on the “pro” side of any health list I was making. But according to a new study published in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture beer (or at least “some” beer high in barley and hops that contain dietary silicon) contributes to bone mineral density. I’m a chiropractor, so naturally anything that helps to build bone density is good in my book. And, though there are foods, such as bananas, that also contain dietary silicon, if you like beer, this study is good news!

Beer for the Bones?

(HealthDay News) — Beer may help keep bones strong because it’s a rich source of dietary silicon, which contributes to bone mineral density, a new study reports.

But the amount of silicon apparently varies by the type of beer.

“The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied,” study author Charles Bamforth, a professor in the food science and technology department at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The study is published in the journal’s February issue.

“We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer,” Bamforth said. Wort is liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer.

The researchers tested 100 commercial beers and found that their silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter.

“Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” Bamforth said. “Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort, and much of this survives into beer.”

More information

The U.S. National Institute of arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about bone health.

SOURCE: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, news release, Feb. 7, 2010

Posted via email from healthandfitnessnews’s posterous

Technorati Tags: beer and bone density, chiropractor, Where:Oxnard-CA

As a chiropractor, I treat plenty of teenagers (as well as adults) who’ve sustained sports injuries. When it comes to the “weekend warrior” syndrome, it seems that teenagers don’t realize, anymore than their parents and other adults who indulge in sport activities do, just how important getting in shape prior to getting fully involved can be. So I was happy to read the following article and recommendations for high school pitchers and I want to pass it along to you.

High School Pitchers Need To Train Properly Before Season To Avoid Serious Injuries

 High school pitchers who go full-speed the first day or week of spring training may be headed down the road to serious injury.

“A large number of high school athletes take the winter off and just go out and start throwing as hard as they can,” said Matt Holland, a physical therapist with The Methodist Center for Sports Medicine in Houston. “The problem is that their arms are not in baseball shape and they open themselves up to serious shoulder and elbow injuries.”

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that act to stabilize the shoulder especially during the throwing motion. An inflamed rotator cuff (tendonitis) can cause pain when lifting your arm and will most likely dramatically affect a player’s performance on the field. Problems with the rotator cuff can not only damage the rest of the shoulder, but may also lead to elbow and other arm problems that shorten the careers of many pitchers. To read more, go to medicalnewstoday.

Posted via email from chiropracticnews’s posterous

It may be advantageous for you to have some understanding, in advance, regarding the various chiropractic treatment plans your Oxnard Chiropractor may provide for you.

Relief Care is a specific chiropractic approach proposed to those who are struggling with any kind of pain, ache or discomfort, regardless of the cause of the challenge. The purpose of this kind of therapy is to offer prompt pain relief. The length of the treatment phase is likely to fluctuate as the treatment depends entirely on the extent of the injury or dysfunction suffered by the individual and how fast it can be remedied.

Corrective Care is a “more advanced” form of chiropractic treatment. This is for those that have suffered with spinal issues over an extended period of time, which is to say, for those who have a persistent challenge that has developed into a more complicated condition resulting from their having delayed specific intervention. Restorative treatment invariably stretches over a longer time frame. How long treatment is needed is determined by the severity of the progressive injury and how fast the person responds to the treatment.

Maintenance Care, as the name implies, is intended to maintain or preserve any type of procedure already administered to a patient. Often, chiropractic care is extended solely after the initial treatments have been shown to be effective. The purpose of this type of chiropractic care is to avert the potential of the initial dysfunction returning and to discourage degenerative changes in the future.

wellness Care is presented to those that aren’t going through acute pain, but want to strengthen their overall health. Routine chiropractic treatment increases the movement of blood and oxygen in the body, boosts muscle flexibility, helps prevent work and play injury, and increases a person’s overall perception of well-being.

Regardless if you are currently in pain or you wish to increase your overall health, chiropractic care can help. Call Dr. Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, today!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractic care, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, Where:Oxnard-CA

The Healing Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been implemented for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine.  Today, quite a few sufferers all over the world are experiencing relief from their arthritic pain and other health challenges by coming in to see an acupuncturist on a routine basis.  In keeping with traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy, small needles are inserted into the body at specific points that are known to affect multifarious areas of the body.  In traditional therapy, only the needles are used, but on occasion and particularly in recent years, minute electrical currents are sent through the needles into the body, has been found to be an especially effective technique for arthritic pain.  Despite the fact that it may seem though it would hurt, it hardly ever does and, in fact, almost all people experience relaxation and pleasurable sensations during acupuncture treatments.
Chiropractic Treatment Eases Pain and Slows Joint Degeneration

For over a hundred years, chiropractors have been helping people suffering from back pain due to arthritis and other arthritic problems. A chiropractor treats people who are suffering from musculoskeletal and nervous system problems. Arthritis is generally inflammation and degeneration of particular joints within the skeletal system. Chiropractic medicine treats the aberrations of the vertebral column that restrict the activity of the nervous system. These misaligned vertebra, in addition to producing arthritic changes in the spine, can lower resistance and immunity, hence causing new health conditions. A proficient chiropractor has superb observational and diagnostic skills that assist in ascertaining physical aberrations and joint problems. Many chiropractors perform neurological tests and orthopedic examinations. Some will evaluate the posture of a person in order to identify postural deviations and may also study gait to determine faulty movement patterns that may produce new arthritic changes as well as add to current arthritic pain. Chiropractic care non-invasive, drug-free treatment and in addition will offer advice and provide education about the benefits of individual lifestyle changes, such as in exercise and nutrition, that will help to slow down joint degeneration in the body.

So, if you are experiencing arthritis, back pain, headaches, neck pain, hip pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or balance challenges, and you’d like to do more for your body than simply taking medication, chiropractic and acupuncture may be able to help.  One way to find out  for sure is to go in to see a good chiropractor, like Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, or an acupuncturist in the area, and to permit an alternative healthcare professional to clarify for you definitively what these healing methods are going to be able to do for you.  It’s very possible that you will experience some relief from your pain even after only one visit.  With subsequent visits, you will maintain your improvements, and you might just discover that these natural treatments work best to relieve your painful arthritis.

Technorati Tags: acupuncture, arthritic changes, arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, hip pain, joint degeneration, knee pain, neck pain, Where:Oxnard-CA

The answer is the compensatory, “chain-reaction” way in which the musculoskeletal system performs. The entire musculoskeletal system shifts and tilts in order to counterbalance an area of dysfunction.  For example, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain), is frequently the result of imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that connect to and move the patella. These imbalances commonly begin in the lower back, especially in the sacroiliac joint. You may remember the old song, “…the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone…” and so on. Chronic challenges are never isolated because we are whole, organic beings from our head to our toes, or to put it another way, we are one skeletal system from our skull to phalanges. That’s why restricted foot movements due to foot pain, will usually produce painful knee problems, and poor knee tracking will develop as the result of incorrect gait patterns such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead). And, finally, being overweight and the wearing of high heels on a regular basis will eventually create knee pain.

Chiropractic treatment can re-establish proper muscle balance, restore desired motion to the patella and other knee joints, and realign subluxations of the sacroiliac joints and bones of the foot. The tissues of the knee joint, expressly the cartilage, will continue to wear if knee problems are left untreated. If the bones start to rub on one another, bones spurs and other changes can take place.

Musculoskeletal problems, such as knee pain and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), generally increase with age. You may have heard the saying: “Today you are younger than you will ever be.” So, don’t waste time, see Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, as soon as possible. In fact, call him today…for tomorrow’s sake!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, joint degeneration, knee pain, Osteoarthritis, overweight, repetitive stress, Where:Oxnard-CA

There are many causes for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear condition, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can occasionally occur as the aftermath of a head injury or severe cold. In addition this kind of vertigo can be the result of the aging process. The cause, however, frequently is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo may seem like an exceptionally long term, but it describes perfectly this non-progressive condition that is produced by, as its name implies, a quick change in head position. The symptoms are normally unexpected and unpredictable.

To get an idea of what brings about the frequently disabling symptoms of this type of vertigo, it is beneficial to note the function of the inner ear. The brain senses movement and maintains balance through the medium of the fluid contained in the inner ear. The inner ear also contains small calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals will float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the sensitive nerve endings in the inner ear, they cause the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

The good news is that chiropractors, like Dr. Bolt, using a technique known as the Epley Maneuver, can get rid of the symptoms of BPPV, quickly and effectively. Using this technique, he slowly turns the head of a BPPV sufferer into several different positions, allowing gravity to move the calcium carbonate crystals away from the nerve endings and into an area of the inner ear where they won’t generate further dizziness.

Call Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, if you believe that you may be suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Often, with just one treatment the majority of patients no longer suffer from dizziness. Call today and get the help you need!

Technorati Tags: balance problems, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, dizziness, Epley Maneuver technique, vertigo, Where:Oxnard-CA

Excessive weight, in the form of body fat, is hard on the structure of the human body. It was not designed for the added. Only an additional 20 or 30 pounds can put the musculoskeletal system literally on overload. Weight in the belly, for instance, requires that the body compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This creates compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression constricts nerve activity and produces painful inflammation. Weight-bearing stresses can cause a pinched sciatic nerve or create misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves. This is the reason that most overweight individuals suffer from low back pain. Misaligned vertebra can not only create new arthritic changes in the spine, but can continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place over time.

How can chiropractic help? Though a healthy body weight is absolutely indispensible for the ideal performance of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractic treatment relieves nerve restrictions in the spine and helps to restore motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, like in the low back, hips, and knees. And, exercise and physical activity is a lot easier when the spine is in alignment and the joints have healthy motion. Exercise will not only help in weight reduction, but it can actually delay degenerative changes as we age.

It is always best to discuss diet and exercise with a healthcare professional, like Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard. Chiropractors not only help individuals get pain relief from back challenges and joint inflammation due to arthritis but, in addition, they offer expert advice on the type of lifestyle changes that can aid an individual in staying healthier and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility as we get older do not have to be inevitable. The human body was designed for a lifetime of pain-free movement.

So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and all you’ve been getting in return is back and joint pain, Dr. Bolt can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!

Technorati Tags: arthritis, chiropractic, chiropractor, excess weight, obesity, weight loss, Where:Oxnard-CA

Let’s look at arthritis, for instance. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine doesn’t take care of this age-related condition. Why? Because most medical practitioners treat the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic method is to discover the cause of the condition and get rid of the pain at its source. For over a hundred years chiropractors, like Dr. Bolt, have been caring for people suffering from back pain and other conditions caused by arthritic changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Arthritic changes take place as your body ages because, over time, wear of certain joints takes place as the result of repetitive stresses, and years of poor gait, improper posture, and insufficient movement. Chiropractic treatment brings back motion into your joints and decreases pain, and it readjusts any vertebral misalignment that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also lower your resistance and immunity? It’s an authoritative fact, and this could be one of the reasons why it may seem that as you age you develop more health issues and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. According to research done on older individuals, those who received regular chiropractic care stayed healthier. To put it another way, as you get older, chiropractic adjustments are good for what ails you!

When it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors like Dr. Bolt are highly knowledgeable whether it’s the small, growing frame of an infant or the full-grown body of an aging adult. Your Chiropractor in Oxnard understands the aging process and has singular observational and diagnostic skills that assist him in locating spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can frequently reveal certain age-related conditions before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Moreover, Dr. Bolt will evaluate your posture and analyze your gait to identify inappropriate patterns that could generate further arthritic changes.

So, if feeling your age has become a painful experience, make an appointment with Dr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor.  He can help!

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, arthritis, chiropractic, chiropractic care, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, Where:Oxnard-CA