DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Thursday, December 19, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“If you care about something you have to protect it – If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” ~ John Irving

Mental Attitude: Male and Female Brains are Different. Brain scans of nearly 1,000 individuals between 8 and 22 years old show remarkable connectivity differences between male and female brains. In men's brains, researchers noted greater connectivity within each brain hemisphere, while scans of female brains showed greater connectivity between hemispheres. The researchers believe these findings may explain gender-related differences such as why women are typically better at multi-tasking and why men generally have better spatial skills. Interestingly, the brain scans of boys and girls under age 13 were fairly similar to each other and the sex-related connectivity differences described previously did not manifest until adolescence. PNAS, November 2013

Health Alert: Higher Risk of Death if You Can’t Sleep. A new study has found that some insomnia symptoms in men are linked to an increased risk of death. Specifically, researchers found that men who have non-restorative sleep and problems falling asleep were at a modest increased risk of death from cardiovascular issues. Senior study author Dr. Xiang Gao adds, "Now we know that not only can poor sleep impact disease risk, but it may also impact our longevity. While further research is necessary to confirm these findings, there is overwhelming evidence that practicing good sleep hygiene and prioritizing sufficient and restful sleep is an often overlooked but important modifiable risk factor in overall health."  Circulation, November 2013

Diet: High Protein Breakfast Curbs Appetite. New research presented at The Obesity Society's annual meeting shows that female study participants who ate a high-protein breakfast felt more full throughout the morning and consumed fewer calories at lunch than women who ate either a low-protein breakfast or skipped the meal altogether.  University of Missouri-Columbia, November 2013

Exercise: Intelligent Training With A Shirt? A fitness shirt will soon be available that can continuously monitor breathing, pulse, and heart stress load. The FitnessSHIRT is more comfortable to wear than a chest belt and can act as a training partner to provide seniors or rehabilitation patients with feedback on their vital signs during exercises and protect them from overexertion. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, November 2013

Chiropractic: Helpful For Asthma. A study involving 36 patients with moderate asthma revealed that combining chiropractic adjustments with medical management substantially improved the patients' quality of life and decreased the severity of their asthma. The results were still present one year after the study concluded.  Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, July 2001

Wellness/Prevention: Lifestyle Changes Reduce Pregnancy Complications. A new report suggests that certain lifestyle changes can decrease the risk of pregnancy complications. These changes include increasing fruit intake, maintaining a healthy weight before and during pregnancy, managing a healthy blood pressure, and avoiding drugs, alcohol, and smoking. BMJ, November 2013

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(This information is solely advisory, and 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.)