This week’s 1-page health news…

Dr. Stripling is back this week showing you how to stretch those hamstrings out. Video link is at the bottom of this page.

Mental Attitude: Multiple Media Use. Media use among United States youth has increased 20% in the past decade, and the amount of time spent multitasking with media has spiked 120%. Using multiple forms of media at the same time (ie. playing a computer game while watching TV) has been linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, December 2012

Diet: Rice Bran. The bioactive components in rice bran show anti-cancer activity, including the ability to inhibit cell proliferation, alter cell cycle progression, and initiate the programmed cell death (known as apoptosis) in malignant cells. Bioactive components of rice bran act not only within cancer cells but around the cells to create conditions in the surrounding tissues that promote the function of healthy cells while inhibiting the function of cancer cells. This tissue microenvironment activity includes controlling chronic inflammation, often a precursor for cancer. Rice bran may also promote an anti-cancer immune response and protect against cancer. Advances in Nutrition, December 2012

Exercise: Want A Healthy Brain? Physical exercise is important when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain. Scientists found that Growth Hormone (stimulated by exercise) increases the amount of stem cells that actively generate new nerve cells in the brain. Growth Hormone also slows and can even reverse the decline in new nerve cell formation normally seen as our bodies age. University of Queensland, November 2012

Chiropractic: Bone Spurs? Bone spurs (osteophytes) are bony projections that form off of bones in and along joints, and are often seen with arthritis. Bone spurs can limit joint motion and can cause joint pain. Bone spurs form when the body tries to increase the surface area of the joint to better distribute weight across a joint surface that has been damaged by arthritis. To slow formation and alleviate symptoms, it has been shown that joint motion improves nutrition to the tissue and maintains the health of the joint. Spine, 1977 In our opinion, Active Release Techniques soft tissue work combined with spinal adjusting is the best way to restore or maintain joint mobility.

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep and Insulin Resistance. High levels of insulin resistance can lead to the development of diabetes. Teenagers who normally sleep six hours a night can improve insulin resistance by 9% by simply sleeping one additional hour. This probably extrapolates to adults as well Sleep, October 2012

Quote: “He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” ~ Thomas Carlyle