Good Posture Equals Good Health

Articles from the British "ResponseSource.com" comes the headline, "Work May Be Hazardous to Your Health."  This article also highlights the dangers of workplace posture and its effect on health.  In this article the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) joined forces with Targus, a leading supplier of mobile computing cases, to conduct the research that showed that a third of office workers make no adjustments to either seating or computer equipment when switching desks. The article noted that the same percentage of office workers say they currently suffer back pain – and experts believe there may be a link.

The American PR Newswire article noted that the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) was declaring May to be "Correct Posture Month" and is using this event to highlight the relationships between posture and health. Spokesperson for the ACA Dr. Jerome  McAndrews stated, "Once established, poor posture creates a chain reaction throughout the body. The digestive and respiratory systems will be affected by poor posture, especially poor sitting posture. And in more serious cases, where poor posture has had major effects on the musculoskeletal system, there can be a resulting negative impact on the vascular system."

In the British article, Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractic Association commented, “Whether at work or at home, computers have begun to dominate our lives, yet what we don’t realize is that they in fact have the ability to damage our health. The nation is suffering from an epidemic of back pain and our working lives could be contributing to this. By taking time to adjust your chair and by taking regular breaks can help protect your spine and prevent the onslaught of back pain”.

Both Chiropractic organizations released a series of recommendations to help deal with the posture issue. Similarly, The International Chiropractors Association also released recommendations related to posture and sitting at work. These include:

When sitting - use a chair with firm low back support. Keep desk or table top elbow high, adjust the chair or use a footrest to keep pressure off the back of the legs, and keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Get up and stretch frequently--every hour if you sit for long periods of time. Do not sit on a fat wallet; it can cause hip imbalance!

When working on a computer - take a one or two minute task break every 20 minutes when you work at a computer screen. Keep the screen 15 degrees below eye level. Place reference materials on a copy stand even with and close to the terminal.

Our World Today

Our world today ... what is wrong with it? Are we drifting, or are we plunging into moral and political decay? Are debt, high prices, and extended credit upsetting our whole economy? Are we headed for an economic breakdown and moral decline worse than the world has ever before known? It can be disturbing to give thought of the future. I believe it's appalling as there seems to be an unknown void facing the young and old alike. What elements are available to give us hope?

We in the United States are supposed to have political and social economic stability equaled by none. We are considered a Judeo-Christian nation, But what about it? Consider all the scandals in Washington over the years, Watergate, Benghazi and the IRS, and all the corruption, without culpability. With the leaders involved, what kind of light is to be shed on the months and years ahead? No wonder doubts, fears, and anxieties are facing each and every one of us. Has anyone, or any party, the vision or hope required to save this great nation? Where there is no vision, "the people perish", says the Bible. Rome had its rise and fall. Other nations have followed suit in time. Is our nation destined to follow the same bleak trail? The situation is enough to give credible concern.

And, what about the moral reaction? How about drug addicts in the young and old? The young because they crave excitement and are facing a destiny that is not encouraging; the old because time is running out, and the younger set is giving them concern. Crime is growing, and often worry is causing nervous breakdowns. Is it not enough to cause concern?

What about medical and hospital services with their high costs and the side effects of drugs and medication that often leave the victim worse than the disease confronting him or her in the first place? No wonder Abby,  Landers, Dr. Phil and others are being pressed for answers in every phase of life, with things that appear to be growing worse.

On a more positive note, there is a light ahead in the healing arts. Have you ever considered Chiropractic as a mode of healing, minus the drugs and needless surgery?

Your body, sometimes called a house of clay, is made up of bones, muscles, glands, organs, blood vessels, and nerves. All of these are arranged in systems that normally maintain health in its many forms without drugs, tranquilizers, and/or pain killers.

Your body is "fearfully and wonderfully made", says Psalm, and so it is. The skeletal system consists of long, short, and irregular shaped bones to which major muscles are attached giving activity and function to the rest of the body.

In this anatomical arrangement, the spinal column is the strength and support of the body, but it has added functions. The spine supports the head that houses the brain. It also encases the spinal cord and provides openings between the vertebrae through which bundles of trunk nerves emit forming a direct medium of contact from brain cells to tissue cells.

Through this medium sensation is flashed to the brain where the message in interpreted, and responding mental impulses direct activity and function in a state of health.

Sometimes however, due to spinal shocks and strains, one or more vertebrae are displaced to a degree so that nerves are "pinched" resulting in dis-ease with it various symptoms.

Natural Sleep Aids

Many people learn to function on just a few hours a night, but often times, lack of sleep catches up with you in a very objective manner. When you are sleep deprived, it's difficult to keep one's sense of humor, your patience, and also your ability to work with others.

What are the options for people who don't want to take prescription sleep medications but crave a good night's sleep?

Natural Sleep Aids: Dietary Supplements

Valerian is a dietary supplement that has been used since ancient times for insomnia and nervousness. Although many people use valerian as a sleep aid, its effectiveness has not been proven. MD's in most cases will not recommend it.

Chamomile, like valerian, is a traditional herbal remedy that has been used since ancient times to fight insomnia and a wide range of other health complaints. Chamomile is sold in the form of tea, extract, and topical ointment. Chamomile is widely available in health food stores and supermarkets. Chamomile's effectiveness as a sleep aid has not been widely researched in humans, but in animal studies it has been shown to be a safe and mild sleep aid.

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin is believed to play a central role in regulating sleep and circadian rhythms. Synthetic melatonin is a popular dietary supplement that is sold as a sleeping aid and antioxidant. There is evidence that melatonin eases circadian rhythm disorders like jet lag and delayed sleep phase disorders, but it hasn't been proven effective in treating insomnia or improving sleep quality in the long term.

While scientific research has not proven the effectiveness of many natural sleep aids, that doesn't mean they won’t help you sleep. People like to feel they are taking something.

A few cautions are in order. In the case of melatonin, for example, it is not advised to give it to children, especially boys, since there is evidence that it can affect testosterone levels. Be sure to consult your physician before you take any dietary supplement. Some supplements can interact with other medications or have unanticipated side effects.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, describes a variety of therapies that modify thought and behavior patterns. CBT has been used to effectively treat other conditions, including depression, phobias, and eating disorders. When used to treat insomnia, CBT helps patients alter thoughts and behaviors that disrupt sleep and trigger insomnia.

Programs for insomnia can include the following techniques:

Sleep hygiene helps patients improve their daily sleep habits by counseling them to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening, monitor nighttime eating, and engage in relaxing activities before bed, for example.

The pineal gland is one of the most important techniques for sleep and stimulus control. Approximately 1 to 2 hours before retiring for the evening, turn off ALL electrical apparatus, including television, computers and dim the lights around you. This allows the pineal gland to "wind down" and develops a calming, sleep-induced rhythm association with sleep. Also, remove televisions and computers from the bedroom; the bed  should be used only for sleep and sex.

Sleep restriction limits the number of hours spent in bed, which helps increase sleep efficiency. Cognitive therapy helps patients understand and counter negative thoughts and misconceptions that keep them awake. Relaxation techniques help people relax with guided imagery, meditation, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation.

For those with serious insomnia problems, a sleep study is recommended.

A Perfect Pattern

What is essential for a perfect fit, a pleasing style, and happy results? The answer is to have an excellent pattern to go by.

In building a house, creating a new invention, or accomplishing anything in life, a good idea and a perfect plan are essential for best results.

This fact holds true in everything. It is especially true in creating your life's pattern or reaching a higher goal, or being your better self which is a worthy ambition that you should always strive to attain.

Of course perfection is seldom reached. But, it is something to shoot for and there is great satisfaction in almost reaching your objective. Anything less than your best is unworthy. You have to think high to rise, and this is very true if you expect to win the prize.

Perhaps you will say your handicap in life is ill health, that you live on aspirins and other drugs you have been prescribed by doctors.

No wonder you have health problems. Can you expect great good from a wrong course? Can there be anything near perfection in a pattern unsound in principle? Drugs merely blind you to effect and actually correct nothing. Perhaps you realize this but continue to rationalize, "What can I do? I must have relief."

Look at it this way. Your body has been called God's masterpiece because of its marvelous design. Consider the dexterity of the hands and fingers. The marvel of sight and hearing, the beauty of form. The miracle of thought and memory, the wonders of digestion which is the changing of common food into living, loving flesh, blood and bones, hair, skin and nails. Also consider the additional fact of the healing of injuries or diseases and the supplying of nourishment when and where needed. These represent perfection to the highest degree. Had you thought of that?

But, you still may continue to protest that your body is out of tune with nature's plan. What can you do about it? The pattern may be perfect, but what about the means of keeping it so? What is it that directs and controls all bodily function? This is done through the nervous system. The nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord plus its bundles of spinal nerves that emit from openings between the vertebrae. In this masterful arrangement the spinal column encases the spinal cord. Through these openings nerve bundles emit before separating into countless tiny fibers that form a direct medium of contact between the brain cells and tissue cells.

Through this medium, all sensation is communicated to the brain where the message in interpreted and responding mental impulses direct and control all bodily activity, in a normal state of health. But sometimes due to spinal strain due to postural difficulties, or from accident related trauma, a vertebrae may be displaced to a degree so that nerves are "pinched". That disturbs function, lowers resistance, and results in dis-ease, with its various symptoms which may induce you to employ pain killers and kindred methods to reduce pain.

There is a better way! Clearly, a natural methodology would be the utilization of chiropractic to restore a more perfect pattern. This is done by hand only, to correct the cause thus opening the way toward better health and a more abundant and higher
quality of life.

High Blood Pressure - Highly Likely

Do you think you're safe from high blood pressure? Think again. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that 90% of Americans may develop hypertension (high blood pressure) in their lives. This health condition potentially leads to heart disease and premature death.

The authors of the study determined lifetime risk for hypertension in 1,300 people aged 55-65 years and hypertension-free at the start of the study. Hypertension was defined as a blood pressure of at least 140/90 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury - the standard measure of blood pressure), or the use of anti-
hypertensive medication.

Lifetime risk for the development of hypertension was 90% in both age groups. In other words, nine out of 10 people in the 22-year study had high blood pressure at some point later in life. Also, 60% of the individuals took anti-hypertensive medication at some point.

Besides detrimental effects on health, hypertension creates a financial burden on society, which will likely increase as the percentage of older Americans increases in the near future. The best ways to prevent high blood pressure are essentially free: Exercise regularly (30 minutes of aerobic exercise, five times per week is ideal) and maintain a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in fats, simple sugars, and sodium.

Reference: Vasan RS, Beiser A, Seshadri S, et al. Residual lifetime risk for developing hypertension in middle-aged women and men: The Framingham Heart Study. Journal of the American Medical Association 2002:287(8), pp. 1003-1010.

Aspirin For Heart Attacks

Dr. Virend Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, was the lead author of a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened. Dr. Somers and his colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night. The reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be strongest in your system.

2. Aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest for years, (when it gets old, it smells like vinegar). Thus, discard the old and purchase new. Something that we can do to help ourselves, and good to know. Also, Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. These would work much faster than the tablets.

Why keep Aspirin by your bedside? It's about Heart Attacks

There are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating; however, these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.

The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:

- Call 911

- Phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by

- Say "heart attack!"

- Say that you have taken 2 Aspirins

- Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and ... DO NOT LIE DOWN!