Wellness Posts by OC_DOC

Newport Beach Chiropractor: BPA Chemicals in Aluminum Water Bottles

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:17:08 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: BPA Chemicals in Aluminum Water Bottles by OC_DOC

According to the Aluminum Association, an industry trade group based in Virginia, sales for aluminum water bottles have sharply spiked in the last few years. This in part due to the country's awareness for the hazards of disposable plastic bottles in landfills and their packaging chemicals leaking into the liquids they contain.

Specifically, that chemical is bisphenol-A (BPA), contained in the polycarbonate plastics- the kind used to make those disposable water bottles. BPA has been found to disrupt human hormone function when it contaminates the liquids in these containers.

What many people might not be aware of is that BPA is also used to create the greener, reusable aluminum bottles. And now, new studies are showing that BPA has been found to contaminate liquids contained in aluminum bottles. In fact, in carefully controlled studies, the aluminum water bottles were found to leak as much as five times the amount of BPA from their epoxy linings than their plastic bottle counterparts. To read more about these aluminating findings, check out this link.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Should Parents Of Obese Children Lose Custody?

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:16:09 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Should Parents Of Obese Children Lose Custody? by OC_DOC

As childhood obesity rates are on the rise, one question is being asked- should the parents of obese children lose their custody rights? One provocative opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) seems to think so. In several child protection cases so far in both the United States and the UK, the child's obesity has been a factor.

"Despite the discomfort posed by state intervention, it may sometimes be necessary to protect a child," says Lindsey Murtagh, a lawyer and a researcher at Harvard's School of Public Health who co-authored the article with Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Children's Hospital Boston.

To read more, check out this article in the LA Daily News.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Predicting Alzheimers From Your Spine

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:15:47 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Predicting Alzheimers From Your Spine by OC_DOC

New research from Germany's Technical University in Munich is showing evidence that scientists can detect Alzheimer's disease in patients early on by identifying elevated levels of a certain protein in the spinal fluid. Detection of this amyloid precursor protein in the fluid of the spine of patients who begin to show preliminary signs of memory loss is proving to be a key diagnostic tool for determining whether or not these patients are in the early stages of Alzheimer's. To read more about the research, check out this article.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Silicone Breast Implants Ruled Safe

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:02:50 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Silicone Breast Implants Ruled Safe by OC_DOC

Good news for many women out there! Recently, the FDA has made its official ruling on breast implants: they are considered safe, but they are also prone to fail with age. Their studies found that women frequently had problems with them over time, and that more and more women were found to undergo surgery to correct problems associated with their implants or remove them completely.

In fact, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, head of the FDA's 'Device Division', said at a recent press conference, "Breast implants are not lifetime devices...The longer a woman has silicone-filled breast implants, the more likely she is to experience complications."

To read more about the FDA's ruling, check out this article!

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Vegan Diet and Regular Chiropractic For Tour de France Rider!

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:02:21 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Vegan Diet and Regular Chiropractic For Tour de France Rider! by OC_DOC

For the Tour de France this year, one American is getting regular chiropractic care and riding the most difficult bike race in the world on a completely vegan diet. Matt Zabriskie, a member of U.S.-based Garmin-Cervélo team, had his blood tested by the team's chiropractor at the beginning of last season to test his sensitivity to certain types of foods. He found that high levels of inflammation were found in his muscles. As a result, he was put on a meat and dairy-free diet to reduce his inflammation and increase his energy.

"I think a lot of people see food in terms of whether it's going to make them fat or make them skinny," Zabriskie says. "I'm seeing food in terms of how it's going to make me think and will it give me clarity." To read more about Zabriskie's story, check out this article in the Wall Street Journal.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Does Your Multi-Vitamin Work?

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:01:45 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Does Your Multi-Vitamin Work? by OC_DOC

As stated in a previous blog, the number of Americans who take supplements is on the rise. According to the CDC, it's around 40% of adults in the U.S. When taken properly-along with a nutritious diet-supplements (or "micronutrients") help aid in the uptake and digestion of essential foods ("macronutrients") such as proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, etc.

But are you really getting what you're paying for from your supplements? There are so many different kinds out there, it's difficult to know which are good and which are, well, fake. An interesting article I read points out one troubling factor: while the FDA does regulate supplements, the companies manufacturing them are not required to prove their effectiveness like the drug companies are.

Recently, consumerlab.com tested a number of high-selling brands' products to see if the chemical breakdown of the supplement matched what the company described was contained in the ingredients. They did this by using a test that analyzes the rate at which the compound dissolves in water, and they found that 13 of the top 38 brands failed the simple test.

To see how your multi-vitamin stacks up against this test, check out this website's analysis.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Can Chiropractors Relieve Your Headaches?

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:01:19 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Can Chiropractors Relieve Your Headaches? by OC_DOC

I read an article recently that says chiropractic care isn't effective in relieving headaches. In fact, in our office, we see many patients suffering from chronic headaches who respond very positively to treatment. In one case, a patient began care complaining of daily debilitating migraines. She cited that she kept pain relief medication with her at all times and would take as many as 12-14 per work day. She had seen multiple specialists all of which couldn't detect a significant neurological problem to pinpoint the source of her headaches. After an examination at our office, we found that in fact her nervous system was severely misaligned, as the result of a long-term manifestation of physical stress on her spine.

Headaches are an all-too-common indication that the cervical part of your spine (the neck region) is misaligned or lacks the proper physiological curvature. But how can this contribute to pain from headaches? There is a direct neurological connection from the upper part of your neck to certain areas in your head. When the muscles surrounding this area are tight, there is interference in the flow of energy from these two regions. Tightness in those muscles from daily physical stress from sitting improperly at a computer or in your car can actually pull your your spine out of alignment and thus create these tension headaches.

Within weeks of treatment, this patient was thrilled to discover that she needed less and less medication to help her through her day, and eventually her headaches disappeared altogether. After weeks of being a-symptomatic, a post x-ray revealed that as a result of her treatment, her spine had completely aligned as was restored to it's proper curvature.

If you are suffering from headaches and are in the Orange County area, call to schedule a consultation at (949) 387-1333, and see for yourself how chiropractic treatment can relieve your symptoms too.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Chiropractors Can Improve Performance

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:52:13 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Chiropractors Can Improve Performance by OC_DOC

In getting your body in to top shape, we all know that there a few principles to follow. We know that exercise and training our muscles everyday is paramount, and that we need to adhere strictly to a nutritious diet so that we can give our bodies the proper fuel it needs to function. We also need to replenish our bodies with lots and lots of water. But we often forget the one thing that controls your entire body- your nervous system. This is what controls your metabolism, your breathing, your heart rate, your muscle function. Keeping your nervous system in top function ensures that there is enough energy flow from your brain to the rest of your body via your spinal cord and nerves. When there is an interference in the flow of energy and information from your spine to any part of your body, there is decreased function and even pain. This is called a subluxation.

Daily stress- be it emotional, chemical or physical, and even poor posture, can contribute to subluxations, which in turn can adversely affect your metabolic function, endurance, and muscle strength. In fact, a study titled Chiropractic Effects on Athletic Ability was published in the Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation, and it found that the subluxation may exist without pain symptoms, yet still decrease the body's ability to perform at full potential.

To be in top physical shape it's important to take care of yourself inside and out- and this is important for everyone- not just athletes. If you are in the Orange County area and would like to get your spine checked out, call to schedule a consultation today at (949) 387-1333.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: Food Allergies Are More Common, More Deadly

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:50:46 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: Food Allergies Are More Common, More Deadly by OC_DOC

A new study published in The American Journal of Pediatrics states that food allergies affect 1 in 13 children- making them more common than ever. The most common food allergies were listed to be peanuts, milk and shellfish. Even more alarming is that a recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that visits to the emergency room at Children's Hospital Boston for allergic reactions more than doubled from 2001 to 2006. Why are these food allergies in children on the rise? Scientists are scrambling to find the answer, but many questions have been posed; Are they not getting exposed to enough bacteria early-on in their immune system development?

One theory is that the typical 'Western' diet is contributing to decreased richness of gut bacteria, which promotes healthy digestion and immune function. Cultures and communities in other parts of the world generally subsist on foods that are only produced locally, and whose diets are more vegetarian. This is much more similar to how humans ate 10,000 years ago.

In Western society, our children consume much more sugar, animal fat and calorie-dense foods. Researchers are suggesting that the result may be a decrease in biodiversity in the organisms/ gut bacteria of American kids. It's important to remember that if you suspect that you or your child may have a food allergy to get tested by a certified allergist and be extra vigilant to read the ingredients for the foods you eat, or to alter your diet to a more traditional, vegetarian approach.

Newport Beach Chiropractor: From The Food Pyramid to MyPlate

support@wellness.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:50:18 Z

Wellness.com - Newport Beach Chiropractor: From The Food Pyramid to MyPlate by OC_DOC

The USDA has unveiled it's official new food guide to replace the decades-old Food Pyramid: MyPlate. It was determined that the food pyramid was found to be too complex to follow, so the more user-friendly guide was introduced. The guide now consists of a symbolic plate divided into parts for fruits, veggies, grains, protein and dairy. Check out information about the new nutritional guideline here, endorsed by First Lady Michelle Obama!