Denver Chiropractic Center Weekly Health News For You

Have you ever noticed that you seem to drag during November and December? Well, there’s a reason for this. As the days get shorter and you get less time in the sun, your brain produces less Serotonin, the feel good brain chemical. The result is usually a little fatigue, less energy than normal, and the annoying urge to eat sugar. This is why many of us gain weight this time of year.

The best defense is to essentially go with the flow. Cut yourself some slack, try not to totally cave in to it, and know that soon the days will start getting longer (December 22). Try to get outside for a walk or run at least 3 times a week, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. Try getting to the slopes or going out for some Nordic fun – snowshoeing or cross country. Open up those blinds and let the daylight in. It’ll help.

Mental Attitude: Commuting To Work Is Bad For Your Health! Spending hours each day behind the wheel or crammed in a public train or bus, commuting to and from work is bad for your health. Those who commuted reported more everyday stress, exhaustion, missed work days and generally poorer health. Those with longer commutes reported even worse health. Duke University, Oct 2011

Health Alert: Under Construction! Nearly all construction workers will experience one or more work-related injury or illness over a lifetime, plus a greater risk of premature death. Over a 45-year career, a construction worker has a 75% chance of a disabling injury, and a one in 200 chance of being fatally injured on the job. An individual who begins construction work at the age of 20 has a 15% chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and an 11% chance of developing dust-related parenchymal chest X-ray changes. Center for Construction Research and Training, Oct 2011

Diet: Strawberries & Stomach Ulcers. Scientists discovered strawberry consumption might help reduce and or slow the formation of stomach ulcers caused by alcohol consumption, viral infections and nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory medications, like aspirin and ibuprofen. Plos One, Oct 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise helps speed recovery from chemotherapy treatments, increases the ability to supply blood to the skin for cooling and increases the thickness of the cartilage in your joints. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Wellness/Prevention: Cranberry Juice vs. Cranberry Extracts. Cranberries have been recognized for their health benefits for years, especially in preventing urinary tract infections. However, it was found that drinking actual cranberry juice is much more effective in preventing a Urinary Tract Infection than simply consuming cranberry extracts. Food Science and Biotechnology, Oct 2011

Active Release: Posture and mobility. Do you ever catch yourself all hunched over, briefly horrified by your won bad posture? Recent research by Gray Cook from Functional Movement Screens points to poor posture and mobility of the thoracic spine as a contributing source of many problems- from hamstring injuries to back pain to headaches. We can help you with that. Active Release, spinal adjusting and rehab can all be used to improve posture and spinal mobility. If you have chronic back pain, we can help you. Give us a call: 303.300.0424

Thanks For Reading!

Denver Chiropractic Center

303.300.0424

Dr. Glenn Hyman

Dr. Jeff Stripling