My question is that since the above numbers have doubled since the 1980s, and the obesity epidemic has spread, like cellulite, from wealthy nations into poorer countries, is there truly a “master switch” gene that needs to be adjusted or do we, as human beings need something more fulfilling to do with our lives than EAT? Eating nutritious foods in moderate amounts is obviously healthy. And, eating with family and friends can be an enriching experience. But, pouring junk into the body until it bursts at the seams and spreads to other countries is more of a problem with a “master switch” in the human mind that needs to be turned “on,” no medication required!

Technorati Tags: diabetes, enlightenment, fat epidemic, heart disease, master switch gene, obesity, obesity-related diseases

With fast foods so prevalent, and additives adulterating many products, and parents (or caregivers) often choosing convenience or “price value” over “food value,” is it any wonder that children, aged 3 to 5, prefer foods high in sugar, fat and salt? And, with kids watching TV commercials that make “bad food” look not only good, but “fun,” is it any wonder that preschool children exhibited an emerging awareness of brands of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Parents need to carefully consider the types of foods they give to young children at home and in restaurants,” said study co-author T. Bettina Cornwell, a professor of marketing at the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business. Duh!

Technorati Tags: childrens health research, fast food, fats in diets of children, new study food preferences of children, salt, sugar

Our treats, however, are not cheap trinkets, though they are not expensive either. We purchase “lollipops” in bulk from the local health food store and small, inexpensive fitness items like stress balls. That’s why when the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced yesterday the recall of almost 70,000 charm bracelet and rings (for the fourth time this year!), we didn’t have to rush to our storage cabinet to pull carcinogenic items from our shelves. The items in this particular recall batch were distributed at doctor and dentist offices nationwide between June 2005 and March 2010.

Let’s face it, not everything “natural” is good for humans to ingest. Cadmium is a naturally occurring metal but it’s not harmless. As a chiropractor I find it especially disturbing that cadmium, if ingested, can weaken bones and kidneys. Federal regulators were justifiably concerned that small children could be exposed if they were bite and suck on these cadmium-laced trinkets. Any adult who’s been around children knows that almost everything that is put into a child’s hand ends up in a child’s mouth. Health care providers can’t claim ignorance of this universal fact.

I can remember getting a toy from my dentist when I was a kid, but “back in the day” those trinkets, made of plastic, rubber, and even wax, were relatively benign. Today with cheap imports and little regulation, more care needs to be taken by parents and definitely by healthcare providers!

Technorati Tags: cadmium, children's health, children's toys, chiropractor, doctors and dentists, toxic metal

Now, the finding, itself, was based on an 11-year study of 6,000 British civil servants who, on the whole, may not necessarily have “enjoyed” their work. As a chiropractor, I have seen the powerful effects that general happiness has on the health of my patients, including the vitality of their heart function. Though it would be a wonderful world if we could all do what we love and love what we do 24/7, it doesn’t generally happen for most people. But, there is no doubt that a “happy” heart is a healthy heart. The attitude we bring to our activities is an important key to our overall health and well-being. In addition, a balanced lifestyle that includes a good nutritious diet, enjoyable daily exercise and activity, and congenial social engagement can go a long way to keeping stress in check, whether we are “on the clock” or not.

Technorati Tags: heart attack, heart health, stress

The FDA report lists more than 20 manufacturing problems found at the McNeil Consumer Healthcare plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, where the formulas were made. FDA inspectors said the company did not have laboratory facilities to test drug ingredients and failed to follow up on 46 customer complaints (of foreign substances “black or dark specks” in the Tylenol products!). Some of the recalled medicines may have a higher concentration of the active ingredient than listed on the bottle, while still others may contain inactive ingredients that do not meet required standards. In addition to what was “inside” the medicines, inspectors also found pieces of equipment that were covered with thick layers of dust, and others that were held together with duct tape.

Shame on Johnson & Johnson, who has been a trusted name in caring for children. It’s like finding out the Mother Goose is really a gander.

Technorati Tags: children's cold medicines, childrens safety and health, Johnson & Johnson

When you are ready to begin your social media endeavor, but before you start, you will need to make certain that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, which is to say, make sure that your name or your clinic’s name is available so that you can use the identical same name on each and every one of the social channels you want to use. When you’re ready, there’s a service, which is entirely free, that will assist you with your search. That who is knowem.com. This service will check where your name is and/or if it’s available for use or not on a large number of social media sites.

When you have “captured” all of your social media accounts, the next step is to choose where you want to be active. Because you have a clinic to run and patients to see, starting with only a few social media sites is preferable and may well be all you’ll need. That way you won’t get caught up in too many channels. How do decide which sites are best for you? Choose the social media site where the most action is, which are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube

What successful social media activity will do for you is build a real presence in your community. What you should never do “sell” on your social media sites, which is to say don’t sell your chiropractic services, don’t sell products, don’t sell anything! The benefit of social media is for you to have an addition channel through which to network with the community. Sure, let them become aware what you do, but do it by becoming a participant. Social media works the same way as social networking offline. People on social media sites don’t want to be sold to, plain and simply. Social media sites are a lot like a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around chatting about who they are and what they do, and then someone asks you what you do. Or, maybe you start the conversation by (just) stating, “Hello, I’m Dr. ____. The same dynamics apply with social media. Social media sites should be handled the same way you’d “work” offline networking opportunities to promote yourself, i.e., answer the questions and concerns that let people know who you are and gets them interested in the who that’s you!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic marketing, facebook, linkedin, social media, social media marketing, twitter, Youtube

We used to think that the “good news” was that our generation was living longer, well into our eighties, far exceeding the median longevity of our predecessors. But, doesn’t it always seem that good news comes with a codicil containing “bad news”? In this case, the wording of the bad news is exactly like the languaging of the good, with one exception. It goes on to ask the question: Who will care for a generation of mostly ailing bodies that have many more years to live?

By the time all baby boomers are 65, the senior population will have grown from 40 million now to about 72 million. Who will pay their medical bills? It would appear the answer is “no one.” As a society we have been complacent, like grasshoppers fiddling away, our attention focused on our next bigger, better, and more exclusive purchase or extreme experience, and giving no thought to our ailing health care industry. Now that winter is setting in, the forecast is bleak with the number of retirees about to zoom upwards just the way the number of teenagers did in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.  Remember the good ole days when everything we touched turned to gold and every time we marched, we made a difference? Who was interested in taking care of our body, or to rally for a health care system that could one day. Instead, we just held onto our cherished belief that the future would inevitably continue to go our way because, what the heck, that’s the way things had always gone for our generation in the past.

What’s the answer? The sated folks on Capital Hill, with their good salaries and excellent health insurance, don’t seem to be able to pull their hyper-focus away from their personal ideologies in order to reach a compromise on healthcare reform, be they ideologically right or left. Affordable health insurance may never material. And, as the fight goes on, fixing the economy and getting people back to work (whatever their age) sits on the back burner.

As they say, the best defense is a good offense. Perhaps the best we can do for ourselves is to get healthy, boomers, and then stay that way. So, if you’ve been waiting for the right moment to begin that healthy lifestyle you’ve been considering for years, that time is now. Because if things keep going in the direction they seem to be headed, no one is going to be able to take care of your medical bills…including you!

Technorati Tags: baby boomers, economy, health, healthcare costs

Certainly there are plenty of people in the world who are tolerant, and even respectful, of other points of view. That’s why it sometimes surprises me when those otherwise open-minded, balanced folks who are convinced that there is no “single truth” are still looking for some discovery in nature, a supplement, or a drug, or gene therapy that will be THE THING that has the power to prevent or reduce every known cause of mortality.

We are dynamic, biological beings, not “machines,” and just as there isn’t one religion or political ideology that is a one-size-fits-all, there isn’t going to be the same health answer for everyone. We are far more than the sum total of our parts. Our central integrative states differ and, therefore, internal incitement factors and external, environmental influences cause us to react in different ways. Case in point, there are a few individuals who can smoke cigarettes and live to be ninety without any obvious ill effects. Yet, as a habit for most, it is definitely detrimental.

We make conscious choices everyday that have to do with the health of our individual body. We personally decide what we’ll put into our body, and how much activity and rest we’ll get. Not all the decisions we make are beneficial for our health and longevity, even though we “know,” by the way our individual body responds, what if “right” for us.

When we choose an unhealthy lifestyle, our naturally homeostatic system becomes “off balance.” Over time, the imbalances we’ve created by not making healthy choices, result in diseases. We can hope, we can even pray, that one day researchers may uncover a “the single truth” in nature that has the power to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things we do to our body on a regular basis. But, a better solution would be for each us to follow our own natural, individual path to health. If we do, we’ll be live longer, healthier lives.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, healthy lifestyle, tolerance

Are chiropractors “real” doctors? You bet! Chiropractic education is very similar to medical and dental education that demands three to four years of undergraduate studies and an additional four years of post-graduate education. Chiropractic coursework includes anatomy, physiology, orthopedics, neurology, x-ray, nutrition, and philosophy. In the sector of x-ray study, chiropractors , as a matter of fact, have quite a few more hours of education than medical doctors. Chiropractic studies in x-ray consist of x-ray safety, techniques, factors, positioning, and interpretation. In addition, chiropractors have more hours of study in nutrition than students in medical school receive. Chiropractors are sanctioned in all fifty states as doctors.

Is chiropractic safe? Yes, far more safe than surgery and drugs combined. In fact, chiropractic adjustments are considered to be one of the safest therapies for the neck and back. It is not only safe for adults, but for children and even infants. Spinal manipulation is encouraged by many medical doctors prior to a patient being recommended to undergo surgery. It is a natural, drug-free alternative to strong drugs like steroids and painkillers.

Does chiropractic hurt? Pain is subjective of course, but most patients feel immediate pain relief after an adjustment and increasingly more relaxed and comfortable over time. Adults and children, alike, often look forward to their chiropractic treatments.

Hope that this clears up a few misconceptions. If you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, or headaches and migraines, you don’t need to suffer any longer. Chiropractic can help. Call a chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, foot pain, headaches and migraines, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain, shoulder pain

But, a new study by researchers at New York University and Yale University that analyzed fast-food purchases by 1,156 adults at Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s and Wendy’s immediately before and after the rule went into effect has shown that perhaps simply shedding light on the high calorie content of fast food may not be enough to dissuade the majority of fast food consumers, especially in low-income neighborhoods.  The percentage of people aware of the calorie information increased from 16 percent to 54 percent, but the number of calories purchased was slightly higher than before the rule was implemented, researchers found.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the study may have been done too soon after the rule went into effect and before all fast food restaurants were in compliance. But, I think that much more education is necessary to let people know exactly how those particular calories will affect their health and longevity. And, there needs to be more healthy options for lower income families,

Technorati Tags: calories, fast food, health, longevity