Month: September 2014

Dr Beecher’s September 2014 Monthly Chiropractic Newsletter

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“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.” ~ David Russell

Has Science Fiction Become Science Fact?

Small Study Shows

You Can Influence Your Immune System with Just Your Mind!

 

Also this month:

• Does weather cause low back pain? For decades, many believed that some types of weather could bring on back pain, now science has finally put this theory to the test.
• Which is better, natural birth or C-Section? Study shows natural birth may be better for a baby’s immune system.
• Do you get enough sleep? Even if you get eight hours, you may not even be coming close…
• Want to get better grades in college? Here’s what students with higher GPAs had in common…
• The best story from the World Cup you probably missed! How a player for team Ghana used his talent to change lives…

 

Houston – Have you ever wished you could control your immune system or other parts of your body with just your thoughts?  If so, then you will love this story…

Wim Hoff is a 55-year-old man from the Netherlands who — at the time of this writing — holds 21 Guinness World Records for some pretty amazing physical feats, including:

• Running a full marathon above the Arctic circle wearing only a pair of shorts.
• Running a full marathon in the Namibian desert without drinking water.
• Taking the longest ice bath (1 hour 52 minutes and 42 seconds) submerged up to his neck in ice.

In 2007, he even tried to climb Mt. Everest in just a pair of shorts.  He reached 24,000 feet (~7,300 meters) but was forced to stop due to a foot injury, just 5,000 feet (~1,500 meters) short of reaching the summit.

Wim, also known as “The Iceman,” says he can literally control the temperature of his body, similar to the way you can control the temperature of your house by adjusting the thermostat.

Not only that, Wim says he can teach people how to control their autonomic nervous system to:

• Influence the immune system.
• Influence the mind.
• Improve blood circulation.
• Improve concentration and targeting.
• Increase self-confidence.

These claims are nothing new.  Similar claims have been made by “experts” selling all types of self-help programs for decades.

But is it true?

Can all this really be done simply by altering the way you think?  New research shows that the answer might be, “YES.”

A team of scientists led by Dr. Matthijs Kox of the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands studied his method.

Twelve people were trained in Wim Hof’s method and 12 were not.  Then, all 24 were injected with a strain of bacteria that causes flu-like symptoms.

Results: Dr. Cox writes, “Volunteers who underwent training with the Hof method reported fewer and less intense flu-like symptoms than those who did not.  At the same time, [they] produced smaller amounts of proteins related to inflammation, and higher levels of interleukin-10, an inflammation-fighting protein.”

According to the journal PNAS, where the study was published, “Hitherto, both the autonomic nervous system and innate immune system were regarded as systems that cannot be voluntarily influenced.  The present study demonstrates that, through practicing techniques learned in a short-term training program, the sympathetic nervous system and immune system can indeed be voluntarily influenced.”

This study shows that, to some degree, the immune system can be affected by your thoughts.

The extent that the mind can control your immune system is still unknown.  Considering that not too long ago, this “mind-immune system body-health” connection was viewed as witchcraft by most doctors and scientists, who knows what impact this could eventually have on medicine and the health of the public at large.

Like everything else in medicine and science, more research needs to be done.  But, it probably would not hurt to look into meditation or relaxation techniques that are quick and easy to learn and only take a few minutes a day to accomplish.

Do Certain Weather Conditions

Cause Low Back Pain?

For many years, there has been a commonly held belief that changes in weather – or certain weather – can cause back pain.

In the case of cold weather, it certainly seems plausible since the cold may cause tighter muscles that could create low back pain, or at least exacerbate pre-existing low back pain.

“Many patients believe that weather impacts their pain symptoms,” explains Dr. Daniel Steffens with the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney, Australia.  “However, there are few robust studies investigating weather and pain, specifically research that does not rely on patient recall of the weather.”

Moreso, Dr. Steffens’ team found that “sudden, acute episodes of low back pain are not linked to weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction, and precipitation.” Their findings, published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, indicate that the risk of low back pain slightly increases with higher wind speed or wind gusts, but the change was not clinically significant.

Want Better Grades?  Join a Gym…

A study from Michigan State University indicates that students with gym memberships during their freshman and sophomore years had higher GPAs and stayed in school longer than those who did not.  The question is:  Do gyms create higher GPAs or are students who are disciplined enough to stick to a workout routine more likely to do better in school because of their existing habits?

Do You Get Enough Sleep? 

A new study by researchers at Israel’s Tel Aviv University paints a pretty grim picture for most people when it comes to sleep.  The study found that interrupted sleep can be as physically detrimental as no sleep at all.  The researchers found a link between interrupted sleep and compromised cognitive abilities, shortened attention spans, and negative moods.  They also note that interrupted sleep is equivalent to no more than four consecutive hours of sleep.  One researcher adds, “These night wakings could be relatively short – only five to ten minutes – but they disrupt the natural sleep rhythm.  The impact of such night wakings on an individual’s daytime alertness, mood, and cognitive abilities had never been studied.  Our study is the first to demonstrate seriously deleterious cognitive and emotional effects.” 

The study only shows the effect interrupted sleep has after only one night.  The cumulative effect of days, months, and years can obviously be great.  Care should be taken to get a good, uninterrupted night’s sleep whenever possible.  Sleeping in a dark, quiet, and cool room without distractions — like television — often help sleep patterns.

Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.

Inspirational Story Of The Month

(Names And Details May Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)

 

 

The Best Story From the

World Cup You Probably Missed!

How a player for team Ghana used his talent to change lives…

 

The FIFA World Cup started in 1930 and is now one of the biggest single-event sporting competitions in the world.  It is also is one of the world’s most widely viewed sporting events. An estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, and the 2010 event in South Africa was broadcast to 204 countries on 245 different channels.  In 2010, a total of 3,170,856 spectators attended the 64 matches, with an average attendance of 49,670 per match.

In 2014, the tournament’s popularity exploded.  Perhaps due to the viral nature of social media, even countries that weren’t previously smitten by football caught World Cup fever.

The matches not only lived up to expectations, they exceeded them.  Excitement was everywhere, and teams scored goals in large numbers.

But football and goals were not the biggest and most important story from the 2014 World Cup.  Here’s a much more important story that you probably missed…

Sulley Muntari is a 29-year-old Ghanaian who plays professional soccer in Italy for Milan, and internationally for his home country of Ghana.          During the recent World Cup, Muntari did something incredible that no other players thought of or dared to do.

Muntari got special permission and went into the streets of a poor neighborhood in Brazil and just started handing out money.  He continued to hand out money until the police made him stop because a large crowd had gathered and the officers had safety concerns.

One of the recipients of money named Edivaldo said, “I’ve lived in this poor community behind the Rei Pele Stadium for 40 years but have never seen anything like this before.  Not once has a soccer player come here. Brazil never gave me anything, but Ghana did.  I will support them up to the end.”

“My 80-year-old mother and I received R$350 [Brazilian reals],” said local resident Inês Corrêa, who went to check out the commotion when police surrounded Muntari.  “I believe that he had R$5,000, but unfortunately the police put an end to his good work.  In this area, we only see politicians at election time.”

Who knows how much money Muntari actually gave away, but that is not important.  What’s important is the lives he changed by showing the people that he cares.  That someone cares.  He showed them that someone who made it big in sports did not forget about the many who did not.

It does not matter that the people he gave his gifts to were not from his homeland.  People in Brazil are made of the same flesh and blood as those in Ghana.  They have the same joys and sorrows, feel the same pains, and are lifted by the same message of hope.

What’s really special about Muntari’s actions is he did not hold a press conference to brag.  He did not want anyone to know.  He did it to help people, not for his glory.

One thing is for sure, Muntari certainly gained fans while teaching anyone paying attention a great lesson about altruism.

 

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and

getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!

Don’t be a stranger. You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!

Did You Know?…

 

The Importance of Strength Training!

 

Strength training is an integral part of a well-rounded exercise program, and it is recommended for both sexes of all ages, including children and seniors.  The intensity of your workout can achieve a number of beneficial changes on the molecular, enzymatic, hormonal, and chemical level in your body, which will also help slow down (and in many cases stop) many of the diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

The term “biomarkers of aging” refers to measurements related to aging that you are capable of controlling.  They’re things that tell you how old you would be if you didn’t know how old you were.  These include the following measurements that strength training has a beneficial impact on: strength and muscle mass, body composition, blood lipids, bone density, cardiorespiratory fitness, and gene expression.  Research has shown that strength training by elderly participants reversed oxidative stress and returned gene expression in 179 genes to a more youthful level, making participants 10 years “younger”.

Ideally, you’ll want to include a variety of exercises for a well-rounded fitness regimen, but strength training is an important component, as it’s the number one way for you to remain strong, young, and independent well into old-age.

 

Tip Of The Month

 

Which is Better, Natural Birth or C-Section?

 

Many debate this topic: Which is better, natural birth or cesarian section (c-section)?  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2012, there were 2,650,744 vaginal births and 1,296,070 cesarean deliveries in the United States.  The percentage of ALL deliveries by cesarean was 32.8%.  According to Childbirth Connection, “More recent studies reaffirm earlier World Health Organization recommendations about optimal rates of cesarean section.  The best outcome for women and babies appear to occur with cesarean section rates of 5% to 10%.  Rates above 15% seem to do more harm than good.” 

Moreover, the national cesarean section rate was 4.5% as recently as 1965.  Why there has been such a huge increase in the number of c-sections is just as hotly debated as which method of child delivery is better.  A new study done on mice conducted by scientists from the University of Copenhagen appears to point out a new benefit in favor of natural childbirth. As reported on Science Daily, “Newborns delivered by natural birth are exposed to more bacteria from the mother.  The newborn baby’s immune system in this way learns to distinguish between its own harmless molecules and foreign molecules.  In the experiment, pups delivered by cesarean section showed a lower number of cells of a type that plays an important role in preventing reactive immune cells from responding to molecules from the body itself, from the diet, and from harmless intestinal bacteria.” 

More research needs to be done with humans before any definitive conclusions can be made.  Until then, the debate will rage on… but Mother Nature seems to be building a stronger case.

 

Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal

and maintain the pain free body you deserve.

 

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history. Please call us at 281-286-1300 or e-mail at [email protected].