DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Monday, February 24, 2014 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“Before you can think outside the box, you have to be smart enough to know that there is a box.”~ A. Farthingsworth

Mental Attitude: Meditation Benefits. According to an analysis of 47 clinical trials involving over 3,500 patients, meditation offers benefits to people with depression, anxiety, and pain similar to antidepressant medications. The researchers behind the study also note that meditation does not have the potential negative side-effects of antidepressant drugs.  JAMA Internal Medicine, January 2014

Health Alert: Hygiene and Diabetes? Researchers at the University of Helsinki Children's Hospital believe the rise in auto-immune diseases, like type 1 diabetes and allergies, may be linked to a corresponding rise in hygiene standards. The so-called "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that less bacterial exposure during childhood may hinder the development of a child's immune system. The researchers point out that Finland has the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world but neighboring countries with lower hygiene stands have much lower reports of the auto-immune disease. University of Helsinki Children's Hospital, January 2014

Diet: Avocado Please. According to a new study, participants who ate half of a fresh avocado with lunch were 40% less hungry three hours later and 28% less hungry five hours later. Most of the fat content in avocados is monounsaturated fat and studies have shown that regularly consuming this type of fat can reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, as well as reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Nutrition Journal, January 2014

Exercise: A Quick Walk? Walking at a moderate pace for 180 minutes over the course of a week (30 minutes a day for five days or 60 minutes a day for three days) has been demonstrated to significantly improve mild to moderate depression.  Harvard Medical School, November 2005

Chiropractic: Dare to Compare. Patients with chronic (>13 weeks) spinal pain were placed into one of three types of care: acupuncture, medication, or spinal manipulation. After 30 days of treatment, only the manipulation group showed significant reduction in pain intensity and improvements across all outcome measurements.  Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July 1999

Wellness/Prevention: Watch What You Eat! A study involving 224 adolescent females found that the increased consumption of dietary fat was significantly linked to an increase in abdominal fat, regardless of total calorie intake or physical fitness. The accumulation of abdominal fat is harmful as it increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular problems, diabetes mellitus, arterial high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, etc. According to lead researcher Dr. Idoia Labayen, "Until now it was thought that even with an unbalanced diet, you somehow compensated for it if you got plenty of physical exercise. In this study we have shown that this is not the case." Clinical Nutrition, January 2014

For More Information on Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Whiplash, and To Sign Up For Our Daily Health Update Emails, Go To:www.DrJeffAllynBlog.com or our website at:www.berkleychiropracticclinic.com 

(This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.)