DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Thursday, September 05, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“Everything you can imagine is real.” ~ Pablo Picasso

Mental Attitude: Connections Make Giving Better. People typically feel good when they make a charitable contribution, but they feel even better when they make a donation directly to someone they know or when giving helps create social connections. International Journal of Happiness and Development, August 2013

Health Alert: Diabetes Lifetime Costs Are Huge! A recent report calculated the costs of living with type 2 diabetes over a lifetime. The researchers created a simulation model that could compile the costs of both treating and managing diabetes. The findings revealed that the average type 2 diabetic will spend more than $85,000 over the course of his or her lifetime on both treating the disease and managing complications. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, August 2013

Diet: Vegetarian Athletes. It is possible for athletes to succeed on a plant-based diet, provided they bolster it with certain nutrients more typically found in animal products. Those nutrients include iron, creatine, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium. Acceptable non-animal sources include orange/yellow and leafy vegetables, fruits, fortified breakfast cereals, soy drinks, and nuts. Milk products are also recommended for vegetarians who consume dairy. Institute of Food Technologists, July 2013

Exercise: Vigorous Exercises Good for Health. In 1975, a physician and marathon runner named Dr. Thomas Bassler boldly proclaimed that anyone who can run a marathon is immune to death from coronary heart disease. His claim has since been disproven, and recent research shows the opposite may be true. According to Dr. James O'Keefe, chronic extreme endurance exercise (like running marathons) can actually take a toll on your cardiovascular system and offset some of the health and longevity benefits that result from a moderate exercise routine. Heart, November 2012

Chiropractic: Headaches? Adjustments Help. “The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches… Four weeks after cessation of treatment… the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline* therapy, who reverted to baseline values.” *Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant commonly prescribed to treat tension headaches. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, March 1995

Wellness/Prevention: Drinking Milk After Eating Sugary Cereals May Prevent Cavities. A new study shows that drinking milk after eating a sugary cereal may help prevent damage to tooth enamel by reducing the acidity of dental plaque. The study involved 20 adults eating 20 grams of dry sugary cereal, and then drinking different beverages including whole milk, 100 percent apple juice, or tap water. Study results showed that only milk was able to reduce the acidity of dental plaque, revealing that diet sequencing plays an important role in oral health.  Journal of the American Dental Association, July 2013