DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Mental Attitude: Loving Touch Key to Healthy Sense of Self. Researchers suggest that a loving touch may increase the brain’s ability to develop a sense of body ownership and thus plays a crucial part in creating and maintaining a healthy sense of self. This means the instinctive gesture from a mother to a child or between couples may have lasting implications on a person’s mental wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, October 2013

Health Alert: Air Pollution Linked to Babies with Low Birth Weight. A new study reveals that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can increase the risk of low birth weight, even at levels of pollution that are considered acceptable by air quality standards. Dr. Marie Pedersen of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, Spain, writes, "The widespread exposure of pregnant women worldwide to urban ambient air pollution at similar or even higher concentrations than those assessed in our study provides a clear message to policy makers to improve the quality of the air we all share." The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, October 2013

Diet: 60% Of Herbal Supplements Omit Ingredients and Contain Fillers. Recent research of 44 herbal products sold by 12 companies revealed that 60% of the products contained plants not listed on the label. Product substitution was detected in 32% of samples and greater than 20% of the products included fillers not listed on the packaging. Contamination and substitution of herbal supplements pose a health risk to consumers due to known toxicity, side effects, and/or interaction with medications and other supplements. BMC Medicine, October 2013

Exercise: Elderly Fall Injury Prevention. A review of studies involving over 4,000 elderly patients found that exercise programs designed to prevent falls also reduced the rate of serious injury when falls did occur. The most common form of exercise used in these studies was Tai Chi. British Medical Journal, October 2013

Chiropractic: Respiratory Disease Helped by Hands-On Care. A review of clinical trials on the effects of manual therapy techniques on children and adolescents with respiratory issues concluded that six out of eight studies identified positive results with the use of manual therapy. Improvements were seen in spirometric parameters, salivary cortisol, immune tests, and anxiety levels. Journal Of Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics, January 2013

Wellness/Prevention: Laugh Away Your Pain. Swiss researchers report that laughter and humor can increase pain tolerance and improve quality of life. The study's authors believe that humor leads to the release of endorphins and decreases muscular tension. European Pain Federation (EFIC) Congress, October 2013

(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.)