Disease Prevention Articles

Awareness 101: Ward off Breast Cancer

In support of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American Institute for Cancer Research recently estimated that nearly 40 percent of breast cancer can be prevented if all women would follow these four simple lifestyle changes.

1. Have one alcoholic drink per day, MAX : abstaining is even better although.
2. Get moving for at least 30 minutes per day : besides helping you to keep a healthy weight, exercise will also help boost your immune system and keep your hormones in check.
3. Watch your body weight and keep it down : fat cells produce estrogen which can only fuel some cancers.
4. If you have a baby and breastfeed, try to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months : this in and of itself can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by 60 percent.

Blood Pressure Myths

Did you know that roughly one in three American adults has high blood pressure?  A staggering fact is that having untreated blood pressure can lead to further serious conditions like heart failure, stroke, heart disease and kidney failure.

But do you know the facts about high blood pressure? Or have you fallen victim to believing the many myths out there about blood pressure?

Find out more as we sift through the myths to find the facts!

MYTH : Lower blood pressure is always better.

Low blood pressure could be a concern if it causes symptoms of dizziness, fainting or shock.  But, it is true that sometimes low blood pressure is normal for some people.

MYTH : Nervousness, sweating and lack of sleep are all symptoms.

Actually high blood pressure does not have any symptoms.  Nearly one-third of all adults who have high blood pressure do not even know that they have blood pressure issues at all.

MYTH - If you have high cholesterol, then you have high blood pressure.

While many of the same poor exercise and food choices cause both high cholesterol and high blood pressure, people can have just one or the other : or both.

MYTH : Once you are feeling better you don't need to take your blood pressure medication anymore.

If a doctor has prescribed a blood pressure medication for your high blood pressure, you should follow their exact orders.

Pain Management without Resorting to Pills

Food for Thought

If your most recent workout has left you with a case of aches and pains, you may find yourself reaching for the closest pain medicine that you have in your medicine cabinet.  But if you are looking to manage your pain without taking pills, fortunately there are plenty of other ways that you can do so.

Here are some ways to treat post-workout aches and pains without popping pills:

Go see your chiropractor : Chronic and nagging pain can be alleviated oftentimes by a trip to your chiropractor.  There are many different pain patterns and chiropractors are trained to handle these pain patterns.  They can best determine how to handle your pain from the most invasive to the least invasive way.

Ice bath : An ice bath is perfect for reducing inflammation in your joints and muscles.  The ice bath helps to constrict your blood vessels, pushing your blood to your core and then that blood returns to your muscles after you get out of the ice bath.

Anti-inflammatory diet : Inflammation causes much of the pain that people feel, so by eating an anti-inflammatory diet, with plenty of whole foods, this will help cut down on your discomfort.  Choose lean foods like chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.  By eating “real foods” you are giving your body the nutrients it needs to heal.

Foam rollers - Foam rollers help to smooth out and realign fibers that are damaged in your tissue and promote healthy collagen growth.

Top Reasons You Should Nap More

Healthy Living

Kids hate to take them and parents beg for one, what are they? NAPS!  If you are the type of person that takes a daily nap, then you are definitely already following what new research shows that we should be catching our zzzz's during the day.

Here are some of the top reasons why researchers say you should be taking a nap:

• Napping makes you a more enjoyable person. One researcher said, "Napping is a means to rejuvenate the mind and body and has a positive effect on quality of life. Resting the body for even a short period of time allows the body's systems to rest and rebalance. This translates into more efficient as well as more rewarding work, which in turn makes work more enjoyable."
• Napping increases your productivity on the job. "Napping improves alertness, sharpens memory, and reduces fatigue - all of which makes us more productive"

Napping can reduce stress and anxiety. "In working people who are stressed (physically and/or mentally), their bodies produce substances such as cortisol, catecholamines, and neuropeptides that aid them in getting things accomplished on a short-term basis without harmful effects. However, long-term, unopposed production of such substances can adversely affect the immune system and vital organs, causing many medical conditions - including anxiety, depression, and memory/concentration problems. Napping both decreases the production and negates the effects of these substances and helps prevent them from damaging tissues of the body."