LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

stress management

Management of Chronic Tension-Type Headache – (05-28-01)

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Management of Chronic Tension-Type Headache

This study compares tricyclic antidepressant medication with stress management and the combination of the two on tension-type headaches. They both proved “modestly effective.” I’m sure there are many chiropractors out there that can blow away the numbers seen in this study. If a patient is willing to listen to the recommendations given (regarding management lifestyle to control cortisol, insulin and other hormones) along with trigger point therapy and manipulative therapy, I can pretty much guarantee 100% resolution of headaches. Just like everything else it’s a multifactorial approach that HAS to have chiropractic to address the musculoskeletal component.

Management of Chronic Tension-Type Headache With Tricyclic Antidepressant Medication, Stress Management Therapy, and Their C

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Your Heart on Vacation; When Was Your Last One?

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Vacations are of critical importance and are not merely a luxury.  They are a requirement.  So when was YOUR last vacation?

I sit here writing this particular post from the airport in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, awaiting my flight home from a week long vacation.  So why is this relevant?

Besides the blog articles and eBooks, I have a busy chiropractic office in Mesa, AZ that takes up a full day.  A typical week ranges anywhere from 50-80 hours.  As a night owl, a typical day ends around midnight or 1 AM when I finish a blog post for the following day (you can usually tell how late I was up writing based on how much I rant..).

I have many patients on salary who put in similar hours and any self-employed person is putting in these hours or more.  And then there are the “40 hourers” who work incredibly hard during the hours they are at work.

The stress level of living a life at this pace is legendary.

This is definitely not the first time I have written about stress and how much it destroys your digestion and your health.  Tools like exercise and meditation are critical to mitigating the havoc that stress wreaks in your life.

Besides these everyday tools, never, ever forget the power of a vacation.  I know full well how important it is for me to disconnect (well—almost disconnect…) from technology and give my mind and body a break.

For me, this week break on the beach (not to mention some high speed ziplining and fantastic fresh Mexican seafood) has done some serious recharging and I’m ready for the office again on Monday.  That is, of course, if the rest of my team didn’t blow it up in my absence.

I try to vacation 3-4 times per year (I could take more, but my boss refuses to pay me for my time off despite how much I complain, gripe and threaten) with a few short weekend trips thrown in for good measure.  But it’s truly the technology poor vacations that suit me the best.

So why does any of this matter?  To get to the point, this particular study looked at the relationship between taking vacations and the risk of both heart disease and death in a large group of middle aged men.  Here’s what they found:

  • Those who took more annual vacations were 17% less likely to die from any cause.
  • Specifically, the risk of dying from a heart attack was 29% lower.
  • There was a hefty 32% lower risk of being diagnosed with heart disease or suffering from a heart attack.

These are some serious numbers.  And let’s face it, taking a vacation is an intervention most people WANT to do, seemingly unlike a healthy diet and exercise.  Of course, money is an issue for many.

I would contend that money is not an issue.  Rather, it is an issue of spending priorities.  Cancel cable and drop Starbucks and you just bought a family vacation.  Smoker?  Quit and go on a cruise for two weeks.

So when was YOUR last vacation?

Lower Stress By Looking At These Pictures

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stress reduction through natureWe live in a world that is disconnected from nature.  I remember being on vacation with a friend on the beach.  As we were relaxing listening to the waves crashing on the shore, my friend let out a laugh.  When queried, he said the laugh was because he had a noise machine at home with wave sounds, but the waves were very rhythmic.  He realized that the real thing, however, while lying on the beach, was anything but rhythmic.

 This is also one of the reasons why I am a big fan of hiking.  It brings you back into touch with nature.  Starting when Keegan was about 6 months old, for the next several years we did weekly hikes with him riding in my backpack.  As he became old enough to communicate effectively, he was very adamant about being the one to say “good morning” to each hiker we passed going the other way.  Contrast this with the guttural “Eh” you get as you nod to the guy walking by you at the gym.  The attitude is just different.

With this in mind, the results of this particular study should come as no surprise.  Researchers looked at what effect real plants as well as posters of nature in the waiting room had on patients’ perceived stress levels while waiting for a procedure.  Patients exposed to these items in the waiting room reported lower levels of experience related stress.

Definitely makes me re-evaluate the paintings and photos in the waiting room here…

 

HOW DOGS CAN HELP HEART PROBLEMS

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As an avid dog owner my entire life, I can attest to the fact that animals have a calming influence on us. Except, that is, when you return home and find your favorite couch in tatters. Many are sure that this calming influence has to be good for our health, but how can dogs help heart problems?

Stress is, without a doubt, one of the most devastating situations that we can put ourselves into. Because of this, anything that can calm our stress levels will likely have long term benefits.

In this particular study, researchers knew that pet owners had greater survival rates than non-pet owners if they already had diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, so they looked at how well the heart functioned in pet owners.

They looked at heart rate variability, a marker used to determine the cardiac health of the patient and found that pet owner’s hearts were much more responsive than non-pet owners.

What more could you ask for??

EFFECT OF COCOA AND TEA ON BLOOD PRESSURE – (12-03-07)

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Effect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure

Let’s face it. Adding dark chocolate to your daily life really isn’t all that painful. Dark chocolate is a regular staple around our house and my 2 year old always gets a small corner of whatever I’m eating. This article is actually a meta-analysis, looking at 5 different studies on cocoa consumption and blood pressure.

The authors concluded that, in a mere 2 wks, that cocoa could drop systolic blood pressure an average of 4.7 mm. Not that may not sound like much, but remember that the best approach to any chronic condition is multifactorial, and in this case increasing intake of dark chocolate is only one intervention that would be used to help manage blood pressure along w/ managing insulin resistance, exercise and stress management.

Read entire article here

A STUDY ON VIT E, EXERCISE, STRESS MANAGEMENT AND “HEALTHY” DIET – (03-17-08)

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Combined Effect of Low-Risk Dietary and Lifestyle Behaviors in Primary Prevention of Myocardial Infarction in Women

One of the things that consistently irritates me about studies on “natural” approaches is that they frequently look at single interventions. A study on Vit E. A study on exercise. A study on stress management. A study on a “healthy” diet. While these interventions usually fair well, this is NEVER the approach from a functional medicine standpoint. Functional medicine involves looking at all aspects of a patient’s lifestyle.

So what happens when you do address more than one factor? How about a staggering 92% reduction in heart attacks in women? And the dietary recommendations, while good, are non-specific. This is the elimination of heart disease. So why, after 6 months, did this study not get picked up by the mainstream press when statins are all over with a mere 4% or so reduction (at the tune of billions of dollars per year)??

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CAN I REALLY CUT MY RISK OF BREAST CANCER IN HALF?

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CAN I REALLY CUT MY RISK OF BREAST CANCER IN HALF?  Of course we realize that the answer is yes, but just thought I’d remind you.  And, before anyone goes and gets all excited, maintaining a lifestyle dominated by vegetables, fruits and soy it only lowered the risk 43%…not quite half…But add some vitamin D, exercise, stress management and even more cruciferous veggies (radish, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, etc..) you should destroy the remaining 57% risk…

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