Health Archives - Advanced Chiropractic of South Carolina

Jan 21 2021

Tips for Reducing the Risk of Stroke

According to the CDC, nearly 800,000 Americans suffer from a stroke every year, and of these cases, almost 130,000 of them result in death. There are many lifestyle habits that contribute to the likelihood of a stroke, and the odds of having one only increase with age. With a few changes, however, minimizing the risk of a stroke is easily within reach.

Stop Smoking
A regular smoker is much more likely to have a stroke than someone who abstains. Refraining from smoking cigarettes and cigars comes with a number of health benefits, including lowered chance of heart disease, but it’s also one of the most important aspects of lowering the chance of having a stroke.

Exercise Regularly
It doesn’t take the lifestyle of a professional athlete to reduce the likelihood of having a stroke. Even moderate aerobic activity 30 minutes a day, five times a week plays a huge role in staving off strokes. Activities like brisk walking, jogging or bike riding are all that’s needed to lower the risk of a stroke.

Limit Alcohol Consumption
Like smoking, alcohol is an extremely dangerous activity for those at risk for a stroke. Heavy alcohol intake ultimately leads to increase blood pressure, which is one of the main causes of a stroke. If drinking does occur, limit the amount to no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women.

Get Proper Rest
Don’t underestimate the importance of a full night’s sleep when it comes to reducing the risk of a stroke. No one who regularly gets an insufficient amount of sleep is in optimal health, and any health risk only adds to the likelihood of a stroke occurring. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night to achieve a proper restfulness.

Monitor Cholesterol Levels
Like high blood pressure, a high cholesterol level greatly increases the chance of a stroke. Watch the cholesterol level closely and make necessary adjustments as needed. Resort to medication if necessary, but living an active lifestyle and eating healthy foods is a great way to ensure the cholesterol levels don’t get too high.

Take Aspirin
Although not everyone is safe taking aspirin daily, it does help to prevent blood clots by thinning the blood. Check with a doctor first, but if given clearance, regularly taking aspirin can be an excellent method of lowering the chance of a stroke.

Cigarette smoking by Paolo Neo

Jan 21 2021

The Science Behind Laughter

It doesn’t matter where in the world you live, humans laugh. It is a universal behavior. We are born with the ability to laugh.

The funny thing about laughter is we don’t know why we do it. Sometimes we do, but it sounds fake. That’s why it is difficult to laugh when you don’t mean it or you don’t get the joke. Laughter usually occurs unconsciously.

Not much is actually known about how the brain triggers us to laugh, but we do know it is triggered by sensations, by thoughts, and when we laugh many parts of our bodies are triggered. Our facial expressions change, we make sounds through our mouth and nose. With truly great laughter, we use muscles in our arms, legs, even our core.

I once knew someone who laughed so hard he actually cracked a rib. That’s some pretty significant muscle triggering there.

Laughter is usually a social activity. There are times when we laugh when we are alone, but we are much more likely to talk to ourselves than we are to laugh when we are alone.

Much like yawning, laughter is contagious. When we hear someone laugh, we are more likely to laugh ourselves. That’s why comedy clubs work. All they need are a couple of people who really get the comedian’s jokes and the whole house will begin laughing.

As babies, we begin to laugh when we are between three and four months old. It is a method of communication that precedes the ability to talk. It is a way for a nonverbal infant to interact with mom, dad, and other family members.

Laughter is thought be driven by humor. But that really isn’t the case. It is more about relationships between people. Sure, we can laugh at a joke, but have you noticed that people are just as likely to laugh when a basic statement is made, like: “Can I borrow your lawn mower?” Sure, that might be funny, but the laughter that results doesn’t happen because of a decision anyone made.

Our brains decide when we should laugh. It typically communicates playful intent, but it has a more important purpose. It bonds individuals within a group.

Usually, it is a positive force, but it can be negative as well, hence the “laughing with you not at you” statement. People who laugh at another person are trying to get them to conform or to socially exclude them from a group.

Because they tend to be more playful, children tend to laugh the most of all age groups. Adults, again because they play less, are less likely to laugh. There is more to be learned about this human behavior called laughter.

Happy Child by Anna Langova

Jan 21 2021

Foods You Should Freeze for Future Use

Not only is it more economical to run a freezer full of food, it’s also an excellent reason to freeze foods that you find on sale. When I can find things that I love to eat, they’re in season, fresh, and a good price, then I buy a lot more than I can easily eat in a short time frame because I know I can store them in the freezer for future use.

All you need are freezer bags or freezer containers and a way to label the bag or container with the contents and the date they were frozen and a “use by” date.

Please don’t skip this step. I have a couple of times, and once something has been frozen for a little while, you may (will) forget what was in the container, how long it has been there, and how you might want to use it. I once froze two mouthwatering pieces of filet mignon but didn’t label them. I figured that we never have something that wonderful in the freezer. I couldn’t possibly forget.

But I did. And when I did finally thaw them out, they had been pushed to the back of the freezer, unnoticed for over a year. I tried to cook them, but they were horrible. Since that time, I have never forgotten to label my packages going into the freezer.

Here are a few things you can freeze that you might have otherwise overlooked:

1. Fresh Corn on the Cob. No need to even husk the stuff, just break off most of the stalk end, place in airtight freezer bags and prepare for some delicious corn mid-winter when your palate will really appreciate it. When it comes to room temperature, cut about an inch off the stalk end, then pull the top of the husk off and all the corn silk should come off at the same time. Fresh from the farm corn lasts nearly a year in the freezer.

2. Avocados. You read that right. Yes, you can freeze avocados. But, they will be in better shape for something like guacamole than cubes for a fresh salad. Freezing avocados does change the texture just a little bit, but as guacamole, it is fabulous. Prepare avocados as if making guacamole by pitting and peeling. I like processing a whole bunch up in the food processor with some fresh lemon juice. Then package them in the smallest freezer bags you can find so that you don’t thaw more than you can use at one meal. Fill the bags, be sure to squeeze all the air out, then freeze flat. After they are frozen, they will stack nicely in a bin that you can label if you don’t want to label all the individual bags. You can store these for up to six months this way.

3. Hummus. While hummus is really easy to make, it is even easier to make a big batch all at once and then freeze what you don’t eat. This way you only have to prepare hummus a couple of times a year, package it in freezer bags. Again, use small bags. I like to have hummus ready to throw in a lunch bag, so I try to do single servings for the freezer. Drizzle just a little bit of olive oil before removing all the air from the bag, press flat as you did with the avocados and once frozen store in a bin or box that is labeled.

4. Buttermilk. I can’t count how many times I’ve gotten a quart of buttermilk to make pancakes or biscuits and then put it at the back of my refrigerator only to discover it a couple months later turning into a science experiment. Once I learned to freeze my leftover buttermilk, I have never wasted a drop. Once frozen, buttermilk doesn’t taste quite the same if you want to drink it, but for cooking and baking, it is perfect. It lasts about 3 months in your refrigerator freezer, and about six months in a deep freeze.

5. Flour and nuts. Unless you go through things like flour and nuts very quickly, it is always best to store any extra in the freezer. Nuts tend to turn rancid when it is warm and flour can become rancid or develop meal worms. They will last indefinitely in the freezer.

Fresh Corn Detail by Petr Kratochvil

Dec 27 2020

Skipping Meals – What Really Happens

I’m not a big fan of eating breakfast.

I know. A lot of you out there are already saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

And I know you’re right. But I can’t get seriously excited about food until about 10 in the morning.

Breakfast is “breaking” a “fast” from our last meal the night before. And I don’t skip an early breakfast because I’m trying to lose weight. I just listen to my body and try to do what works for it.

But what happens when you skip meals for an extended period of time? There are any number of fasts out there that are suppose to “cleanse” our bodies of toxins. What happens to our bodies when we go without solid food and nothing but water or lemon water for several days?

A research study in Denmark tested eight healthy men for body changes that occurred to them during a 72 hour fast. That means they went three full days without eating. They found that a key regulator of muscle cell growth mTOR was decreased by 50%. When this happens, muscle wasting begins to occur.

This sounds bad, but there are rodent studies that suggest that blocking mTOR triggers “cell survival responses” that might even prolong our life.

Young healthy people who go without eating may experience a weakness that we see in a much older population. But, conversely, there is some evidence that temporary periods of fasting might actually help people live longer.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Without muscles, we wouldn’t be able to move. And muscle wasting is a serious problem in seniors who have lost their appetites and experience profound muscle wasting. The research study demonstrates why the muscle wasting occurs. And periodic fasting might offer some benefits to younger people. But there are still a lot of questions about the physiologic effects of periodic fasting.

A problem with muscle loss for most people is that muscle burns more fuel. That means the more muscle we lose, the less fuel we burn. That translates into far fewer calories we can eat to satisfy the needs of our bodies.

As we age, beginning as early as our late 20s to early 30s we can lose as much as a half a pound of muscle per year. It would appear that maintaining our muscle mass seems to be an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight. Yet the study seemed to indicate that losing a certain amount of muscle could contribute to longevity as well.

The truth is, there are no hard and fast rules just yet. Research is still being done on the benefits and disadvantages of fasting. It still sounds as if doing things in moderation is still a good approach to life.

Croissant Newspaper And Tea by Petr Kratochvil

Dec 26 2020

Leftovers

We have a standing joke in our family that helps us to laugh off what would otherwise be a very dangerous situation.

My mother is a saver. She saves rubber bands, paper, string, paper clips, plastic bags, etc. You get the picture. And any chance she gets, she makes sure to reuse these items in some way.

She is clearly on board the reduce, recycle, reuse bandwagon. And I, for one, am very proud of her.

Until she appeared at my house one day with a big garbage sack filled with styrofoam containers she has been saving from her hamburger and chicken purchases.

“Look what I brought you!” she exclaimed as she separated the styrofoam platters by color, yellow, pink, and blue.

I knew exactly what they were, but I didn’t know she’d been saving them.

“I brought them so that after our big family gathering today, everyone can take home leftovers.”

My face tried to smile, but my stomach lurched and I’m sure I turned a little green. You see, I studied microbiology in college. I know what goes on just beyond our ability to see with the naked eye. And while styrofoam is an excellent primary choice for packaging our raw meat to get it home from the supermarket, it cannot be sterilized.

I repeat, it cannot be sterilized.

That means that those piles of styrofoam containers now gracing my kitchen counter were teeming with invisible but potentially deadly pathogens that my mother wanted to send home with my brothers and sisters, their spouses, and their sweet children.

Just to be sure, I quickly got on my computer and fortunately the University of Illinois had recommended against the re-use of styrofoam meat packaging trays because they are filled with tiny bubbles that harbor those ugly little microbes.

I thanked my mother and put all the trays back in her garbage bag and then sterilized my counter in order to get our big family pot-luck going. I also quietly passed the word from one sibling to the next.

Soon I saw one of my nephews get up and quietly go out the front door. When he returned he had big bags of to-go containers he had just purchased at the store. His timing was perfect. We managed to put all leftovers that my family wanted to take home with them into the new containers that could be washed and sterilized.

After everyone was gone, I explained to my mother the problem with saving meat trays and using them for food storage later. I’m glad I didn’t embarrass her in front of all my siblings because she was very upset at the thought of poisoning her grandchildren. I’m sure she figured my siblings and I had lived this long, she doesn’t have to worry about us.

But please, if you know anyone who tries to be similarly environmentally conscientious pass the word on about styrofoam.

Image: The Weather Up Here: Thanksgiving Leftovers (all neat and tidied up!!!)

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