Denver Chiropractic Center’s weekly health update

“I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
~ Woody Allen
Mental Attitude: Hot Chocolate May Prevent Memory Decline.
Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may keep your brain healthier and prevent memory decline. Researchers found that cocoa with high antioxidant flavanols improved blood flow by about 8% to working parts of the brain in older individuals who consumed two cups of hot chocolate a day for 30 days. Memory and thinking skills also improved during the study period.
Neurology, August 2013

Health Alert: Email Apnea?
Tech consultant Linda Stone coined the term “email apnea” to describe the odd behavior of holding one’s breath while reading emails. This chronic breath holding can cause fatigue and increase tension in the body.
Forbes, July 2013

Diet: Young Children Drinking Sugar-Sweetened Beverages More Likely To Be Obese.
Based on a review of data from 9,600 children ages two to five, researchers found that regular consumers of sugary drinks were 43% more likely to be obese. Researchers concluded that parents should keep young children away from sugary drinks and instead offer water as a step toward decreasing excessive weight gain.
Pediatrics, August 2013

Exercise: Walk To Work To Lower Blood Pressure.
A recent study of 20,000 commuters showed that those who walked to work were 17% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who drove.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, August 2013

Chiropractic: Maintenance Adjustments Benefit Chronic Low Back Pain.
Sixty patients with chronic, low back pain (>6 months) were randomized to receive either 12 treatments of sham adjustments over a one-month period; 12 treatments consisting of spinal adjustments over a one-month period; or 12 treatments over a one-month period, including maintenance spinal adjustments every two weeks for the following nine months. Patients were evaluated by pain and disability scores, generic health status, and back-specific patient satisfaction before, during, and after treatments for ten months. The maintenance group showed greater improvement in pain and disability scores at the 10-month evaluation. In the spinal adjustment group without maintenance treatment, the mean pain and disability scores returned to near their pre-treatment levels by the end of the study.
Spine, August 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Eating Garlic May Lower Risk of Lung Cancer.
According to researchers, eating raw garlic twice a week can decrease the risk of developing lung cancer by 44%. Data from individuals with lung cancer, as well as healthy subjects, was compiled through face-to-face interviews regarding information on diet and lifestyle habits, including how often they ate garlic. The study authors write, “Protective association between intake of raw garlic and lung cancer has been observed with a dose-response pattern, suggesting that garlic may potentially serve as a chemo-preventive agent for lung cancer.”
Cancer Prevention Research, May 2013