You probably know that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but did you know that “A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories”? As a chiropractor who believes that a healthy lifestyle includes a healthy weight, I believe that the latter equation is just as important as the former when it comes to your health. So does First Lady, Michelle Obama. In announcing a national plan to counter childhood obesity, she indicated that weight loss doesn’t have include an unnatural “minus” intake of food, but slight lifestyle changes, such as replacing soda pop with water or walking to school, are “small changes that add up.” The formula seems simple enough: reducing calorie intake by just 100 calories a day, or burning up that amount, would equal losing a pound every 35 days, or as much as 10 pounds or more a year. And, though individual losses might vary and educating children (and their parents) about nutrition is still very necessary, in my opinion making “small changes” is a healthy place to start for many kids.

Unfortunately, there are those who find such equations “misleading,” like the health blog at NYTimes.com . In it Tara Parker-Pope states that “numerous scientific studies show that small caloric changes have almost no long-term effect on weight. When we skip a cookie or exercise a little more, the body’s biological and behavioral adaptations kick in, significantly reducing the caloric benefits of our effort.”

The question the article poses is “Can small changes in diet and exercise at least keep children from gaining weight?”  And it goes on to say that “While some obesity experts think so, mathematical models suggest otherwise.”

To read the blog in its entirety, click the link above. Then you can reach your own conclusions.

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Let's face it, if you like beer, you're going to look for a good reason to drink it, whether it's a tailgate party, as a pizza accompaniment, or to help built strong and healthy bones. Say what? Up until I heard the recent news reports and read an article that appeared recently on the HealthDay News blog, I wouldn't have listed that last reason on the "pro" side of any health list I was making. But according to a new study published in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture beer, or at least some beer high in barley and hops contain dietary silicon,contributes to bone mineral density. I'm a chiropractor, so naturally anything that helps to build bone density is good in my book. And, though there are foods, such as bananas, that also contain dietary silicon, if you like beer, this study is good news!

Beer for the Bones?

(HealthDay News) — Beer may help keep bones strong because it's a rich source of dietary silicon, which contributes to bone mineral density, a new study reports.

But the amount of silicon apparently varies by the type of beer.

"The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied," study author Charles Bamforth, a professor in the food science and technology department at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The study is published in the journal's February issue.

"We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer," Bamforth said. Wort is liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer.

The researchers tested 100 commercial beers and found that their silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter.

"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," Bamforth said. "Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort, and much of this survives into beer."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about bone health.

SOURCE: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, news release, Feb. 7, 2010

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Presently there is an assortment of treatment options from which you can still decide upon as it pertains to your low back pain and soreness in many parts of your body as a result of arthritic transformations, especially seeing a San Jose chiropractor. All The Same, numerous men and women who are struggling with debilitating arthritis and back pain all the same assume that they must search for a medical doctor as the lowest risk way to discover a remedy for their problems. All the same, you might be surprised to find out that very few medical doctors are able to help individuals get rid of, or by natural means decrease the difficulties of back pain due to arthritis. Rather than being used to discovering and treating the source of the pain you are experiencing, medical doctors perpetually handle just your symptoms, that you could do not just for pain relief, but to genuinely slow down arthritic changes in your body.

Seeing a chiropractor in San Jose is genuinely one of the finest things that you can do to help your arthritis and low back pain. Chiropractors are doctors who concentrate exclusively on working on the musculoskeletal system, and arthritis is a joint problem. Chiropractic assistance has aided many people in decreasing the process of arthritis by getting their joints in motion. mobility is necessary for joint health. A good chiropractor is extremely efficient in the treatment of low back pain, even when it is brought on by arthritis

If you have never gone to a chiropractor previously, you could be somewhat concerned about what will happen once you are in the chiropractic office. It may help to supply a quick picture of what you can anticipate. You may be asked about your medical history, which will quite possibly include a family history of arthritis. The chiropractor will certainly ask about your daily lifestyle and may suggest explicit alterations that will be very useful in lessening the inflammation brought on by arthritis. And, lastly, you will receive a detailed examination. After the testing is complete, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic treatment can help your low back pain, as well as relieve your hurtful arthritic difficulties. visit Then you will be told about the specialized course of action you’ll should have.

A chiropractic adjustment reduces pain safely and naturally, and it is a painless technique. And, the most terrific feature of going to a chiropractor for your back pain and arthritis is that you can feel assured that the cause of your pain is being attended to, and that the ease you experience isn’t hiding the symptom of pain, but truly getting rid of the origin of your malady.

Technorati Tags: arthritis, back pain, chiropractic, chiropractor, joint inflammation

There is a variety of potential treatments from which you are able to select when it comes to your low back pain and discomfort in many parts of your body because of arthritic transformations, particularly seeing a San Jose chiropractor. Even So, lots of men and women who are experiencing painful arthritis and lumbar pain nonetheless imagine that they should always go to a medical doctor as the easiest way to find a cure for their challenge. Nonetheless, you might be amazed to find out that hardly any medical doctors are able to be beneficial men and women remove, or organically reduce the problems of back pain caused by arthritis. In contrast to being used to determining and treating the root of the aching you are feeling, medical doctors normally apply treatment to merely your symptoms, that one could do not just for pain relief, but to genuinely decelerate arthritic changes in your body.

Finding a chiropractor in San Jose is genuinely one of the very best things that you could do to assist your arthritis and lumbar pain. Chiropractors are doctors who concentrate solely on working on the musculoskeletal system, and arthritis is a joint affliction. Chiropractic attention has aided many individuals in slowing the process of arthritis by getting their joints in motion. Movement is necessary for joint health. A good chiropractor is highly experienced in treating low back pain, even when it is the result of arthritis

If you have never gone to a chiropractor before, you might be a little concerned about what is going to take place once you are in the office. It may be beneficial to offer a quick summary of what you can anticipate. You’ll be asked about your medical history, that will frequently include a family background of arthritis. The chiropractor will probably inquire about your day-to-day lifestyle and may offer explicit modifications that will be very useful in decreasing the inflammation brought on by arthritis. And, last of all, you will receive a in depth examination. After the examination is finished, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic care can help your low back pain, as well as ease your painful arthritic discomforts. your Then you’ll learn about the specialized therapy you’ll require.

A chiropractic adjustment reduces pain safely and organically, and it is a painless procedure. And, essentially the most terrific factor of going to a chiropractor for your back pain and arthritis is that you can feel certain that the root of your pain is being treated, and that the comfort you experience isn’t hiding the manifestation of pain, but actually getting rid of the origin of your problem.

Technorati Tags: arthritis, back pain, chiropractic, chiropractor, joint inflammation

Oxnard Chiropractor

Your Chiropractor in Oxnard, Donald Bolt, DC, understands that allergic reactions can make your day-to-day activities  difficult. A walk in the park, a yarn ball toss with Kitty, a shellfish pasta, or just something as small as a nut feasibly can produce such miserable symptoms as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash.

Of course, quite often an individual’s allergic reactions can escalate from simply aggravating to serious and life-threatening as the air passageway starts to constrict and breathing becomes a struggle. This progression of symptoms can readily bring about a state of panic and also a trip to the ER.

Allergies can, indeed, end up as an extremely challenging matter and cause you to feel incapable of participating in everyday activities. Indeed, if you are one of the many sufferers who have allergy symptoms, it might even appear to you that, on occasion, your environment is a surprisingly antagonistic place and that natural environment around you is, actually, out to get you!

You may ponder why it is that other human beings tend to be so unaffected by the very same environmental stresses that send your system into overwhelm. Others appear either unaware of or completely unresponsive to the potential irritants that lurk at every turn, while your system reacts, or rather overreacts, to them. Why you? It is a logical question. The fact is that quite a few folks, like yourself, have a hyperactive immune system that basically “goes into a frenzy” when you come upon ordinary substances like pollen, dander, shellfish, or nut products.

Can your Chiropractor in Oxnard help you in obtaining a lasting reduction in your allergy symptoms? Happily, the answer is a unquestionable “Yes,” and the treatment could perhaps surprise you. A good number of chiropractic patients have noticed that they enjoy freedom from their allergy symptoms after a chiropractic treatment, despite the fact that chiropractic care doesn’t actually directly address allergies, per se. The true reason for the abatement of allergy symptoms is because chiropractic manipulation influences the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system, and that is at the root of your allergic responses. Whenever there is a disturbance in the nervous system, together with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose task it is to assist you to adapt and react properly to your surroundings, has the potential to become under-active or overactive. Where your allergies are concerned, the dysfunction is the latter (it becomes overactive).

Since chiropractic manipulations are intended to lessen or even totally do away with agitations in the nervous system and bring back equilibrium and harmony to the whole body, along with a variety of corrections, the treatments provide homeostasis to the autoimmune system as well. A vigorous immune system reacts properly to so-called allergens in the natural world.

So, as stated previously, your Chiropractor in Oxnard doesn’t necessarily treat allergic reactions, yet that doesn’t indicate your allergies won’t get better or disappear altogether. On the other hand, one could say, instead, that relief from your allergies is simply the “side-effect” of your rebalanced nervous system. If you would like to get back into a happy relationship with your environment as quickly as possible, call Dr. Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, today. He will help you to start living your life again!

Technorati Tags: allergic reactions, allergies, allergy relief, autoimmune system, chiropractic, chiropractor

Osteopathic manipulation is another alternative for back pain relief due to pregnancy. "Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a viable option for improving function related to the low back and reducing back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy because its does not appear to have any negative side effects," said John C. Licciardone, D.O., M.S., M.B.A., the lead author of a study on OMT in the third trimester of pregnancy that was recently published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Results from this study showed that osteopathic manipulative treatment slows or halts the deterioration of back-specific function in the third trimester of pregnancy. To read more about this study, click here.

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80 Ways To Use Twitter As A SMB Owner

It’s pretty common. A small business owner comes to us looking for help promoting his or her business. We suggest using Twitter as a way to find new leads, build relationships and as an overall way to cost effectively market their business. The small business owner then turns around, tilts their head and responds, “Twitter? What can Twitter do for me?”

Well, I’ll tell you. Below are 80 ways a small business owner can use Twitter to build and market their business.

Just like last time, hit print.

Build Credibility

1. Answer common customer questions
2. Share insight and opinion
3. Pass on interesting links/posts
4. Tweet links showing your company featured on other Web sites or mainstream media
5. Tweet often to keep your brand in customer’s top of mind
6. Share high quality content that is relevant to your customers needs
7. Share information about your organization that customers, colleagues and others may be interested to know
8. Promote competitors when they deserve it
9. Tweet links to Slideshare presentations or videos of speaking engagements.
10. Promote upcoming speaking engagements
11. Mention awards you’ve won or accreditations you’ve earned
12. Be the one to break the news in your industry
13. Livetweet events

Market Your Business

1. Talk about company culture and values
2. Let people know the events your company will be attending this year
3. Offer discounts, coupons or special offers to customers who find you via social media
4. Offer discounts on conferences for folks who come to hear you speak
5. Show your human face
6. Talk about what you’re doing
7. Talk about who you are
8. Talk about why you do what you do
9. To get blog subscribers
10. Direct traffic to your site
11. Find referrals
12. Offer referrals
13. Connect vendors to one another
14. Hold contests
15. Highlight employees
16. Publish your Twitter handle on all direct mailings, email newsletters, on your Web site and all other marketing channels. Put it everywhere
17. Promote your latest blog posts and newsletters
18. Share reviews people have left about your site that made you laugh. Or smile
19. Tweet when you do something cool
20. Admit and apologize for flubs to help neutralize the impact
21. Be excited about your week
22. Ask for votes on social media sites (use sparingly)

Grow Ears

1. Track conversations about your brand for online reputation management
2. Track your most important keywords and subscribe to an RSS feed
3. Listen in on conversations about your general industry
4. Do free market research to see what people want/don’t want
5. Conduct Twitter polls to quiz consumer opinion
6. Learn about what’s working/not working for your competitors
7. See how your competitors are interacting with customers
8. Find out who your competitors are talking to and do some competitive intelligence
9. Track conversation patterns for your industry to determine when people are most active online
10. Identify Twitter trends or hot topics related to your industry
11. Find ways to connect what you do with what’s already trending on Twitter
12. Ask people for their opinions. Listen to them
13. Notify customers of any holdups, mishaps or things that may affect business

(Read more…)

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It’s time that we start paying attention to a real problem that has been around for a few years now and will only get worse. Let’s face it, kids who are overweight suffer physically and emotionally. And, statistics have consistently shown that unless there is affective intervention obese kids turn into unhealthy obese adults. Read on…

Experts urge screening for obesity in kids

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, a federal task force recommends.

For children who are found to be obese based on their body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of the relationship between height and weight, the task force also calls for referrals to a comprehensive program that includes dietary advice, physical activity, and behavioral counseling to promote weight loss.

The new recommendations update earlier ones from 2005. Skyrocketing rates of obesity have reached between 12 and 18 percent in 2- to 19-year-olds, increasing up to 6-fold since the 1970s, members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force report in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics. Obesity is linked to the early development of diabetes and high blood pressure.

For their update, the task force reviewed 13 studies of behavioral intervention in 1258 obese children and adolescents.

Moderate- to high-intensity programs, involving more than 25 hours of contact with the child and/or the family over a six-month period, resulted in a decrease in BMI 12 months after the beginning of the intervention.

In addition to dietary and physical activity counseling, effective programs included behavioral-management techniques such as self-monitoring and eating management. However, the programs only worked in children who followed through on treatment. (Read more at Reuters.com)

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Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes.

“While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney.

According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists.

“What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.”

While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.”

Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.”

Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.”

In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.

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Although proper nutrition alone can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t necessarily equal true health or fitness, says a new study in the January issue of the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM, directed 36 overweight (not obese) adults to participate in one of three programs during a six-month intervention: diet alone, diet plus exercise, or a weight-maintenance program (control group). The diet-only and weight maintenance groups were instructed not to change their physical activity regimens during the six-month period.

Although both the diet and diet-plus-exercise groups lost weight during the course of the study – around 10 percent of total body weight – only the exercising individuals improved their internal fitness in addition to their waistlines. Read more at medicalnewstoday.

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