I (Glenn) want to apologize for being unavailable last week from Monday through Wednesday. I had surgery on Monday and was required to take a few days to recover before going back to work. (I actually went back Thursday before I was supposed to. Don’t tell.) I’ll have more to say about this in the near future, but for now, just know that I am back and ready to help you.

Best Halloween idea I’ve ever heard of:

I got this one from a patient years ago: The Halloween Goblin. In order to cut down on how much junk the kids get in relation to Halloween, we offer them the opportunity to pick out a few pieces from their Halloween bounty, and then trade the rest to the Halloween Goblin for a toy. They simply leave the candy on the porch, and the toys magically appear the next day. We’ve been doing this for 5 years now and it works great. I don’t have a problem with the candy per se, but it’s the way it tends to hang around the house that I don’t like. The Halloween Goblin takes care of that. The key is giving the kids the option to participate instead of forcing it on them.

And here is this week’s 1-Page Health News.

Mental Attitude: Benefits of Green Tea. Previous studies have shown that green tea consumption aids in both weight loss and lowering cholesterol levels. Green tea is full of anti-oxidants and has also been known to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, depression symptoms, wrinkles, the risk of high blood pressure. Green tea also benefits diabetics because it slows the rise of blood sugar after eating. A new study reveals that it may also benefit memory and spatial awareness. (Note: Green tea decaffeinated with CO2 retains as much as 95% of the original anti-oxidant levels. If the ethyl acetate process was used, only about 30% of the anti-oxidants will be retained.) Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, September 2012

Health Alert: $750 Billion Lost A Year! America’s health care system is inefficient, suffers from data overload, and is both complex and costly. Each year, $750 billion (roughly $.35 per dollar spent) is wasted nationwide on inflated administration costs, fraud, and pointless services. These problems can also result in needless patient suffering and deaths. Institute of Medicine. September 2012

Diet: Anorexia. Patients with anorexia have trouble accurately judging their own body size, but not the bodies of others. In a test, when asked if they could pass through a doorway, anorexic patients felt they could not pass through the door even when it was easily wide enough. However, anorexic patients were more accurate at judging others’ ability to pass through the doorway than their own. The study also found a correlation between the perception of the patients’ own ability to pass through the aperture and their body size prior to becoming anorexic, suggesting that the patients may still think of themselves as their previous size. PLOS ONE, August 2012

Exercise: The Elderly. The benefits of exercise are positive for all seniors, including those who are considered frail. The advantages appeared after just three months and included increased cognitive and physical abilities, as well as increased quality of life. Journals of Gerontology, August 2012

Active Rlease Technique / Chiropractic: Lack of Motion. A joint that is not mechanically stimulated will atrophy, leading to degeneration. However, even passive motion (ex: someone else bending your leg for you) is beneficial to cartilage regeneration. (Our work at Denver Chiropractic Center is all about improving joint mobility). Arthritis Care and Research, 2006

Wellness/Prevention: Coconut Oil and Tooth Decay. Digested coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause toothdecay. The study found that enzyme-modified coconut oil strongly inhibits the growth of most strains of Streptococcus bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans (an acid-producing bacterium that is a major cause of tooth decay). Society for General Microbiology, September 2012

Quote: “Ouch.” ~ Glenn Hyman, after surgery.