LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Stress

LONG TERM EFFECTS OF STRESS REDUCTION ON MORTALITY – (05-16-05)

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Long-Term Effects of Stress Reduction on Mortality in Persons 55 Years of Age With Systemic Hypertension

So stress reduction makes you healthier and lowers your risk of dying from many diseases.  Big deal.  But a 49% decrease in risk of cancer in participants performing meditation?  Holy anti-carcinogens, Batman!!  That is cutting your risk of cancer in half from meditation alone.  There was also a 23% reduction in all cause mortality and 30% reduction in cardiovascular mortality.  These numbers are staggering.

 Read article here.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DYSPEPSIA – VIT C, STRESS – (10-29-07)

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Initial Poor Quality of Life and New Onset Dyspepsia

Given that digestive problems are strongly related to lifestyle, the results of this study are not surprising. We know that probiotics help with H. pylori infection and it is likely that destruction of normal flora sets up the H. pylori infection in the first place. Lower levels of Vit C contribute. Stress greatly contributes. All these factors that can contribute to dyspepsia would also contribute to other health related problems.

That doesn’t even take into account what happens when we suppress gastric acid production with drugs. The bottom line is that dyspepsia needs to be addressed w/ lifestyle changes for the best results.

Read entire article here

A PARADIGM OF GENOME STABILITY – (09-17-07)

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Circadian tempo: A paradigm for genome stability?

Wow!! What a concept. Our body’s ability to repair damaged DNA does not occur evenly throughout the day, but seems to be at its peak at the time of day when the DNA is most likely to be exposed to higher levels of DNA damage.

So, if this holds true, then what about patients that have problems sleeping, work night shifts or are stressed? Might this be another mechanism by which these conditions lead to cancer?

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STRESS HAS MAJOR NEGATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS – (02-11-07)

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Phenotypic changes in colonocytes following acute stress or activation of mast cells in mice: implications for delayed epithelial barrier dysfunction

While this is a mouse study, the implications confirm what we already know–stress has major negative physiological effects.  This study found that there was an increase in the permeability of the GI tract under stress.  This would create a condition called “leaky gut” where molecules and proteins are getting absorbed into the body that were never supposed to make it in. Since blood flows directly from the GI tract to the liver, this then overburdens the liver and sets up a whole other set of issues.  Bottom line?  Stress kills.  Just in more ways then we used to think…  And it’s not a pretty death.

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NF-KAPPA-B IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF INFLAMMATION – (02-04-08)

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Anthocyanins Inhibit Nuclear Factor-kappaB Activation in Monocytes and Reduce Plasma Concentrations of Pro-Inflammatory Mediators in Healthy Adults

Don’t let the long title scare you off. NF-kappa-B is the holy grail of inflammation. It is the molecule that turns on DNA to produce inflammatory chemicals like TNF-alpha and IL-8 and start the cascade of inflammation. Lower activity of NF-kappa-B and you can greatly stem inflammation. The REAL answer is to address all the factors that kick off NFKB in the first place (lower EFAs, stress, food allergies, poor nutrient intake, insulin resistance…), but Mother Nature provides many compounds that assist in the process.

This particular study looks at protective compounds from bilberry and black currant and finds that they have a pretty strong ability to lower NFKB activation.

Read entire article here

IMPAIRED GLUTATHIONE SYNTHESIS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA – (03-17-08)

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Impaired glutathione synthesis in schizophrenia: Convergent genetic and functional evidence

A friend had taken a class for her masters degree on psycopharmacology. One of the instructors staunchly believed that the ONLY answer for schizophrenia was pharmacology. Unfortunately, the research doesn’t support this notion, and this professor will only perpetuate dogma, leaving patients suffering with this condition that may be able to be greatly helped.

In this ex-vivo study, researchers determined that the cells of patients with schizophrenia may not deal with oxidative stress effectively, leaving the nervous system susceptible to damage. This could then correlate with lifestyle factors that increase oxidative stress such as lower phytonutrient diet, stress and environmental exposures to produce schizophrenia.

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L-CARNITINE TREATMENT REDUCES SEVERITY OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FATIGUE – (05-26-08)

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L-carnitine treatment reduces severity of physical and mental fatigue and increased cognitive functions in centenarians

L-carnitine is a substance that helps shuttle fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane to allow them to be used for fuel. Anything that supports the function of the mitochondria is going to have positive benefits on a variety of conditions, most notably in those cell types that require high amounts of energy such as the neurons.

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ARE YOU AWARE OF THE BENEFITS OF DARK CHOCOLATE? – (05-26-08)

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Dark Chocolate Improves Coronary Vasomotion and Reduces Platelet Reactivity

Some people are still not aware of the benefits of dark chocolate. It contains high levels of flavonoids, which puts it in the same category as tea, wine and many fruits. The key here is DARK chocolate, which has a much higher cocoa content. As a family, we always keep some high cocoa content dark chocolate around the house, usually mixed with some type of almonds, berries or hazelnuts.

Interestingly, in this study, the benefits were quite broad as it relates to the health of the blood vessels, improving several markers of coronary artery health, making the blood less likely to clot and lowering oxidative stress markers. Wash it down with some grapes, tea or red wine, and you’re good to go.

Read entire article here