DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Monday, September 16, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”
~ Chuck Palahniuk

Mental Attitude: The 9 Risk Factors of Young-Onset Dementia. A 37-year follow-up study found the major risk factors associated with young-onset dementia disease (dementia diagnosed under age 65) included alcohol intoxication, stroke, use of antipsychotics, depression, below average height, father's dementia, drug intoxication, low cognitive function at 18 years of age, and high systolic blood pressure at 18 years of age. Men who had at least two of the nine risk factors and were also in the lowest third of cognitive function at age 18 had a 20-fold increased risk for a dementia diagnosis before age 65. JAMA Internal Medicine, August 2013

Health Alert: Concussions in High School Sports. Between the 1997-98 and 2007-08 school years, concussion rates increased across the board in most high school sports. While football accounts for more than half of all concussions and has the highest incident rate (.6 per 10,000 athletes), girl's soccer had the most concussions among female sports and the 2nd highest incident rate among all sports at .35 per 10,000 athletes.  The American Journal of Sports Medicine, January 2011

Diet: Zinc Deficiency and Old Age. Zinc deficiency may develop with age, leading to low-grade chronic inflammation that has been associated with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Low zinc levels have also been associated with a weakened immune system response. In animal studies, older subjects showed signs of zinc deficiency even though their diets should have provided adequate amounts of the nutrient. The researchers believe the aging process alters the body's ability to efficiently transport zinc to our cells. When the test animals were given more than the recommended daily amount of zinc, biomarkers related to chronic inflammation returned to levels seen in younger subjects.  The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, January 2013

Exercise: More Reasons. Physical fitness helps to maintain an independent lifestyle and reduces the level of abdominal obesity, a significant health-risk factor. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Faster Recovery, Less Money! In a 52-week study of patients with neck pain, manual therapy (spinal mobilization) resulted in faster recovery than physiotherapy (mainly exercise) or general practitioner care (counseling, education, and medication). Costs of the manual therapy were about one-third of the costs of physiotherapy or general practitioner care.  British Medical Journal, April 2003

Wellness/Prevention: Save Your Brain! 50% of Alzheimer's and dementia cases may be preventable! Preventable or treatable risk factors include smoking, physical inactivity, depression, mid-life high blood pressure, diabetes, and mid-life obesity.  The Lancet Neurology, September 2011