Monday, July 11, 2011

Back Health

Four Steps for a Healthy Back

Step 1: Exercise Regularly. Physical activity helps keep your back muscles sturdy, and exercises that increase balance and strength (like Yoga or TaiChi) can lower your risk of falling and injuring your back.

Step 2: Eating Habits. Try foods that help keep your spine and other bones strong, like dairy products and green leafy veggies that are high in calcium and vitamin D.

Step 3: Maintain or Lose Weight. Having a healthy weight helps avoid putting unnecessary stress and strain on your back.

Step 4: Practice Good Posture. Stand up straight and support your back properly. Do this when you lift something, too. Don't bend over to lift; use your legs and hips to help support the object's weight.

Back Up Your Back

Whether you do daily heavy lifting or lift something occasionally, good techniques can be all that stands between you and a serious back injury. Try these basic lifting rules.

Squat to lift and lower objects. Don't bend at your waist.
Keep your low back tucked forward while bending over.
Hold the object as close to you as possible.
Bow you back in and rise up with your head first.
If you must turn, do so with your feet, not your body.
Avoid jerking or twisting.
Put the object down by keeping your low back bowed in.
Keep your feet apart and staggered rather than side-by-side.
Wear shoes with non-slip soles.

Help Your Back by Reducing Stress

When you are under stress, your muscles tense up, and this can increase your chance of a back injury. Plus, the more stressed out you become, the lower your pain tolerance becomes, so you can really begin to feel the effects. Try to lower your stress, both on the job and at home. Look for ways to relieve tension, like deep breathing exercises or walking during your breaks at work.

Sources: Mayo Clinic; Office of Environmental Health & Safety; and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Maintaining Your Brain

Linda B. White, M.D., the coauthor of The Herbal Drugstore (Rodale, 2003) and a visiting assistant professor in the Integrative Therapies Program at Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Defining Dementia

Many people wonder whether mislaying the keys or blanking on the names of acquaintances at cocktail parties telegraph an insidious downslide into dementia. Taken alone, minor episodes of forgetfulness are normal. People with dementia don’t just forget a friend’s name, but much of their shared history. It becomes difficult to interact with other people, think abstractly, solve problems, speak, write, and comprehend printed and spoken words. This chronic, progressive condition can eventually erode the ability to perform simple tasks as basic as getting dressed in the morning.
There are more than 60 types of dementia. The most common type is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which afflicts more than 35 million people worldwide and 5.5 million Americans. This is followed by vascular dementia (also called multi-infarct dementia) and Parkinson’s disease (a disease that impairs muscle control).
Unfortunately, dementia lacks a cure. Drugs such as Aricept and Namenda can produce modest improvements, but do not stop the course of the disease.

Drinking green tea (Camellia sinensis) can help reduce your risk for both dementia and cardiovascular disease.

Reducing Risks

Research has yet to prove that changing one’s lifestyle reduces the risk of dementia. However, several strategies have at least preliminary support.
Diet matters. What you eat influences the composition of your brain; provides nutrients that protect against oxidative stress and inflammation; contributes raw materials to make neurotransmitters; and keeps the arteries to the brain healthy. Whereas diets high in saturated fat (which comes mainly from meat and dairy) increase dementia risk, those replete with vegetables and fish lower it. The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and olive oil, seems to protect against AD and slow the rate of age-related cognitive decline.
The type of fish consumed may be important. People who eat cold-water fish, which is rich in the brain-friendly fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), reduce their dementia risk. Fatty fish is also a food source of vitamin D, which promotes good brain function and nerve protection. Many Americans have insufficient blood levels of this vitamin, and low levels correlate with dementia.
Stay active. In an exciting new study of 120 older adults, an aerobic training program increased the size of the hippocampus (a brain region that shrinks some with advancing age and more dramatically in AD) and improved spatial memory. Earlier research has supported the notion that physical exercise promotes brain health.
Use it or lose it. Higher educational attainment, spending more time on intellectual activities and working are associated with a reduced probability of AD. Perhaps people build their brain reserves and can lose more neurons before impairment shows. Or perhaps people continue solving Sudoku puzzles because they don’t have dementia. Nevertheless, some research shows that memory exercises and less-structured intellectual pursuits can yield benefits for healthy older adults and those beginning to lose their mental edge.
Your best bets to maintain your brain are to eat a plant-based diet rich in berries, red grapes and curried food, drink green tea, regularly participate in an exercise that makes you smile and that you can do with friends, take time to relax, and keep learning. If you’ve entered the autumn of your life, should you take any herbs? Research hasn’t answered that question. In the meantime, Dr. Jerry Cott and I are both taking our daily doses of bacopa and ginkgo.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

CG-MBS Next Meeting

People's Church Community Group MBS Next Meeting will be June 13, 2011 @ 5:45 pm.
Be Excited we will have a Guest Speaker: Alicia D. Smith, MPH,
Tobacco Use Prevention Outreach Coordinator, Public Health Promotion.
To check it out <http://www.occhd.org/community/tobacco-use-prevention>Public
Please inform your friends and loved ones about this health talk.
We hope to see everyone there for this informative talk on health.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

List of Power Thoughts

Courtesy of Joyce Meyer

I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ.

God loves me unconditionally!

I will not live in fear.

I am difficult to offend.

I love people and I enjoy helping them.

I trust God completely; there is no need to worry!

I am content and emotionally stable.

God meets all my needs abundantly.

I pursue peace with God, myself, and others.

I live in the present and enjoy each moment.

I put God first in my life.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Turmeric - Health Benefits

Herb to Know: Turmeric

By Gina DeBacker, assistant editor
Turmeric
• Genus: Curcuma longa
• Also known as the golden spice or Indian saffron
• Zones 7 to 10
• Try These: Treat Arthritis With These Products
Many Indian brides anoint their skin with a sacred golden spice the night before their wedding to capture a natural glow. This treasured spice is the herbaceous turmeric, well-known for its vibrant color and abundant healing powers.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa), a member of the gingerroot, or Zingiberaceae, family, thrives in hot, moist climates such as China, South Africa and India, and grows 3 to 5 feet high. It’s a perennial plant with orange-red blossoms resembling lilies.
Although its flowers are stunning, its rhizome, or underground stem, is what attracts the most attention. When dried and ground, its rhizome yields a sharp yellow powder known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and astringent properties. It is also used in an array of Indian dishes, curry being the most popular. It is not as pungent as ginger but emits a sweet aromatic note.

Health Benefits

Call turmeric a jack-of-all-trades—it’s one of the most versatile of all herbal healers. “It’s my favorite herb,” says K.P. Khalsa, the formulating herbalist for Yogi Tea. Khalsa describes it as a medium-strength herb with virtually no side effects. It is a popular stomach soother; an excellent skin food, treating myriad skin conditions, such as acne, dermatitis and psoriasis; tames oxidation; and relieves pain. In fact, as little as 1/4 teaspoon a day has measurable healing effects. Just be cautious that it doesn’t stain your hands yellow with its strong dyeing effects.
Many herbal experts consider turmeric to be the most useful herb in the world, according to Prashanti de Jager, author of Turmeric: The Ayurvedic Spice of Life (Pioneer Imprints, 2010). Although it is most commonly used in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, modern research is fascinated with its healing properties. A search for turmeric on PubMed, the database of the National Institutes of Health, produces 1,755 studies.
Most recently, researchers have been analyzing its anti-cancer effects. Results are still early, but evidence suggests that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, may help prevent, control or kill several types of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate and skin. One 2009 study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, showed that curcumin starts to kill esophageal cancer cells within only 24 hours of treatment.
Curcumin may also prevent the onset of dementia. Studies suggest that people who eat curry two to three times a week have a lower risk. It may protect the brain against beta-amyloid, a protein that is toxic to brain cells. Clinical trials are still underway, so be on the lookout for more information.
To benefit from turmeric’s healing effects, incorporate this aromatic spice in your cooking; use 1 gram per day in capsule form; or try a standardized extract. Talk to your health-care provider before taking any herbs or supplements.

Try This!

Treat arthritis with this traditional Ayurvedic drink known as Golden Milk. Mix 1⁄4 cup turmeric powder with 1⁄2 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until a thick paste is formed, then store in the refrigerator. To make the drink, mix 1 cup milk with 1 teaspoon almond oil, 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric paste and honey to taste. Stir on low heat and bring just to a boil. Blend to make a foamy beverage.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

The Power to End Strokes

Take 2 to Save 2 is a great new initiative from the American Stroke Association and Power To End Stroke. It's simple, take two minutes to learn life saving information and share it with others. I wanted to share it with you because I care about you and want to make sure you are aware of the devastating effects of heart disease and stroke. Visit www.powertoendstroke.org/take2 to learn more, and then send special health messages to people you care about.
It just might save their lives. You have the Power.

Have a Powerful Day

Information provided by

Nancy Mathea Grayson, Ph.D.

Senior Regional Director of Health Equity

American Heart Association SouthWest Affiliate 2227 E. Skelly Drive
Tulsa, OK 74105
918.712.4013
918.745.2043 nancy.grayson@heart.org