Mental Attitude: Depression Treatment May Reduce Heart Disease Risks. A study that involved 7,550 people has found that effectively treating depression can lower a patient’s risks for cardiovascular disease to the level of those who never had depression, reducing their chances of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and early death. Study author Dr. Heidi May notes, “Our study shows that prompt, effective treatment of depression appears to improve the risk of poor heart health.”
American College of Cardiology Meeting in Chicago, April 2016
Health Alert: Bedbugs Too Common in Low-Income Housing. Among a sample of nearly 2,400 individual low-income apartments in the state of New Jersey, researchers found about 12% of the households in their study had a bedbug infestation and half of those with bedbugs weren’t even aware of it. The researchers add that buildings with high tenant turnover are more likely to have issues with bedbugs. Study author Dr. Changlu Wang hopes the finding will be used to target education and bedbug prevention efforts in vulnerable communities. Journal of Medical Entomology, April 2016
Diet: The Good & Bad News About Higher Calcium Intake. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), men aged 51-70 should consume 1,000 mg of calcium daily, increasing to 1,200 mg at age 71. NIH experts also recommend that women take in 1,200 mg of calcium daily starting at age 51. In a new study, a research team analyzed the calcium intake as well as the heart disease, stroke, and fracture risk of 2,199 men and 2,704 women over 50 years of age. The team found that participants who had a higher calcium intake had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those with a lower calcium intake; however, the analysis found the risk of fracture or stroke did not significantly decrease among those with a higher calcium intake. The Endocrine Society, April 2016
Exercise: Just 75 Minutes of Exercise Per Week Has Benefits! The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, accounting for approximately 3.2 million deaths annually. Past evidence suggests that regular physical activity can lead to risk reductions of at least 20-30% for more than 25 chronic health conditions and premature mortality. However, the ideal amount and intensity of exercise to recommend to the general public is still a topic that’s hotly debated among the experts. Current physical activity guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise per week, but a new review of the published literature indicates that just half this level of activity may still lead to noticeable health benefits. The authors of the review write, “There is compelling evidence that health benefits can be accrued at a lower volume and/or intensity of physical activity. These health benefits are seen in both healthy and clinical populations.”
Canadian Journal of Cardiology, April 2016
Chiropractic: How Does Obesity Increase the Risk of Low Back Pain? Obesity is known to be an independent risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders; however, the mechanism behind the association between obesity and lower back pain is not yet fully understood. In an effort to add to the available research, Nigerian scientists investigated the spinal curvature of 300 individuals of varying body shapes/sizes and found those with both an above-normal body mass index and waist-hip ratio were more likely to have greater curvature in the lumbar spine. This suggests the spines of those who are overweight or obese have an increased curve (“sway back”) to accommodate a greater load which the researchers speculate may increase their risk for developing lower back pain.
Patient Preference and Adherence, March 2016
Wellness/Prevention: Drinking’s Effect on Smoking. Researchers followed 22 men for seven weeks in which they abstained from drinking alcohol but continued to smoke cigarettes. Though the total amount of cigarettes they smoked remained fairly constant during the study, the amount of nicotine their bodies metabolized dropped as time went on. This suggests those looking to quit smoking may have a greater chance of success if they also stopped drinking alcohol at the same time. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, April 2016
Quote: “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. ” ~ William James

I found that Dr. Joe Megna is one of the best chiropractors I have found in the Napa region.

Mental Attitude: Mindfulness Training May Reduce PTSD Symptoms. The mass implementation of mindfulness training may help war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) better manage their disturbing memories and thoughts. In this pilot study, 23 United States veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars practiced either mindfulness mediation or participated in another form of therapy over a four-month period. MRI scans revealed that those who engaged in mindfulness training developed stronger connections in the brain networks associated with both inner, sometimes wandering thoughts and in shifting and directing attention. Study co-leader Dr. Anthony King adds, “The brain findings suggest that mindfulness training may have helped the veterans develop more capacity to shift their attention and get themselves out of being ‘stuck’ in painful cycles of thoughts.”
Depression and Anxiety, April 2016
Health Alert: Waistline May Predict Heart Disease. A new study involving diabetic patients suggests that an increasing waist size is a stronger predictor of serious heart disease than either body weight or body mass index. Researchers evaluated the heart function of study participants and found that left ventricular function progressively worsened as a participant’s waist size expanded, with heart function decline eventually leveling off when the waist reached 45 inches (~114 cm). The left ventricle is the heart’s primary pumping chamber, and abnormal ventricular function is a common cause of heart disease. Dr. Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist at the Heart Hospital at Baylor in Plano, Texas adds, “Abdominal fat produces a wide range of inflammatory substances, and is more highly correlated with heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes than other types of fat. We know that heavier people are more likely to have stiffer hearts, which in turn can predispose to heart failure. This study shows us that fat in the abdominal area is especially harmful to heart function.” American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, Chicago, April 2016
Diet: A Healthy Diet Keeps the Brain Working! Dutch researchers reviewed the health records and available lifestyle data of 2,165 seniors and found those whose diet was richest in fruits, vegetables, and fish were 76% less likely to experience any cognitive impairments. Their finding suggests consuming a healthy diet may prevent or slow the development of mild cognitive impairment, as well as more serious forms of dementia. Journal of Nutrition, Health, & Aging, May 2016
Exercise: Effective Against Hot Flashes. Hot flashes are a common complaint among menopausal women. In this study, 95 menopausal women participated in a six-month exercise program while 64 refrained from regular exercise as part of a control group. During the course of the study, the researchers found the women who exercised experienced improvements in the frequency of their hot flashes, and these improvements continued to persist to some degree up to four years later. This adds to a growing body of research that an active lifestyle can help reduce the impact of hot flashes among women during menopause. Maturitas, June 2016
Chiropractic: Arthritis Increases Risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition often treated by chiropractors. The carpal tunnel is a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand that houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed, generating the symptoms associated with CTS such as numbness, tingling, and loss of grip strength. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of inflammatory and degenerative arthritis on carpal tunnel syndrome has revealed that both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis nearly double an individual’s risk for developing CTS.
Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, March 2016
Wellness/Prevention: Tracking Your Health. Experts say that keeping a health journal can help you better answer your healthcare provider’s questions. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends recording the following information: past illnesses or injuries, hospitalizations, past surgeries, allergies, family medical history, and supplement, vitamin, and medication use.
American Academy of Family Physicians, April 2016
Quote: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

I found that Dr. Joe Megna is one of the best chiropractors I have found in the Napa region.

Mental Attitude: A Happy Marriage & Smart Wife May Prompt Men to Get a Colonoscopy. According to new study, older men are more likely to have a colonoscopy if they’re happily married and have a highly educated wife. The study looked at more than 800 older married couples and found that married men were nearly 20% more likely to have undergone a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer in the past five years than single men. The rate increased to nearly 30% higher among men in happy marriages, and over 40% higher if their wife had a college degree. Study director Dr. William Dale adds, “Women are thought to control the health capital in most households. They act as health gatekeepers, overseeing their husband’s health choices and directing decisions at the margins. Her decisions influence both partners.” University of Chicago, March 2016
Health Alert: Females More Likely to Die from a Severe Heart Attack. Women are up to twice as likely as men to die from the most dangerous type of heart attack called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Researchers analyzed data from more than 700,000 STEMI patients from around the world and found that appropriate treatment is often delayed for women and that the in-hospital death rate for women is double that of men. They also note women are 70% more likely to die at 30 days, six months, and one year post-heart attack. American College of Cardiology Meeting in Chicago, April 2016
Diet: Highly Processed Foods Impact Cancer Risk. Cutting out sugary drinks and processed foods can reduce an individual’s risk of cancer. Researchers examined health data on 3,100 volunteers and found that consuming sugary drinks and eating processed lunch foods more than doubled the chances of developing prostate cancer among men, while eating legumes, fruits, and vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer in women by two-thirds. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), April 2016
Exercise: Exercise May Protect You Against Cancer. Exercise may decrease cancer incidence and slow the rate of tumor growth. A new animal-based study found that mice trained to use an exercise wheel had a lower risk of developing cancer, and those that did develop cancer had tumors that grew at a reduced rate compared with the tumors of sedentary mice. The authors of the study add that the anti-cancer benefits of running are most likely linked to the release of adrenaline that leads to the mobilization of specific immune cells that patrol the body and help fight cancer. Cell Metabolism, March 2016
Chiropractic: Specific Low Back Exercises Reduce Chronic Low Back Pain. Doctors of chiropractic often prescribe exercise to be performed in-office or at home as part of a treatment program for patients with musculoskeletal conditions, like back pain. A recent study examined the role of lumbar extensor muscle strengthening for individuals with chronic low back pain. In the study, individuals with persistent low back pain for a minimum of two years participated in an eleven-week lumbar extensor strength training program once per week. The findings revealed that specific lumbar strengthening resulted in clinically relevant improvements in pain (a 28% decrease) and functional disability (a 23% to 36% decrease) in patients with persistent chronic low back pain. The study shows the importance of the role that specific exercises play in the management of chronic low back pain.
The Journal of Sports Management and Physical Fitness, April 2016
Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D May Reduce Cancer Risk. Researchers suggest that increasing an individual’s serum level of vitamin D could be a key tool for preventing cancer. According to a recent study, women whose 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood levels were 40 ng/ml or higher had a 67% lower risk of developing cancer than women whose vitamin D levels were 20 ng/ml or lower. The researchers did not comment on what the optimum intake of vitamin D should be, nor did they say if it should be achieved by exposure to sunlight, dietary changes, or supplements. They conclude, “Primary prevention of cancer, rather than expanding early detection or improving treatment, will be essential to reversing the current upward trend of cancer incidence worldwide. This analysis suggests that improving vitamin D status is a key prevention tool.” PLOS One, April 2016
Quote: “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

I found that Dr. Joe Megna is one of the best chiropractors I have found in the Napa region.

Mental Attitude: Death and the Very Elderly. Older seniors are often willing to talk about death, but they’re rarely asked about it. British researchers interviewed several dozen people over 95 years of age about their attitudes on death and end-of-life care and noted that most of them felt prepared to die. Study leader Dr. Jane Fleming explains, “Death is clearly a part of life for people who have lived to such an old age, so the older people we interviewed were usually willing to discuss dying, a topic often avoided.” She adds that in order to better support men and women dying at increasingly older ages “we need to understand their priorities as they near the end of life.” PLOS ONE, April 2016
Health Alert: Hearing Loss May Indicate Higher Medical Bills for Some Adults. Hearing loss among late middle-aged adults appears to be associated with higher medical costs. Investigators examined the healthcare use of over 560,000 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 and found that those with hearing loss had 33% higher healthcare costs than those without hearing loss over an 18-month period. Study author Dr. Annie Simpson notes, “This finding indicates that negative health-related effects of hearing loss, a condition that many consider simply an unavoidable result of aging, may manifest earlier than is generally recognized and may affect use of healthcare across the continuum of care.” JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, April 2016
Diet: Oily Fish Consumed During Pregnancy May Reduce Asthma Risk in Kids as They Age. Children of mothers who regularly ate salmon while they were pregnant may be less likely to receive a medical diagnosis of asthma than children whose mother did not eat salmon during their pregnancy. In this study, one group of women ate salmon twice a week from week 19 of their pregnancy through delivery and one group of women refrained from eating salmon during the same time frame. Their children had allergy tests at six months of age and then again two to three years later. The results revealed no difference in the rate of asthma between the two groups of children at six months of age; however, as the children grew, those exposed to salmon while in utero were significantly less likely to be develop asthma when compared with the children of mothers who abstained from salmon during pregnancy.
University of Southampton, April 2016
Exercise: Exercise Improves Blood Vessel Health Among Stressed. Past studies have shown that constant stress is associated with signs of poor blood vessel health and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. A new animal-based study has found that exercise protected blood vessel function in rats regularly subjected to stress. The researchers conclude that exercise training may therefore be an important therapy for promoting greater arterial compliance among chronically stressed individuals.
American Physiological Society (APS), April 2016
Chiropractic: More Chiropractors, Less Opioids. Based on data collected in 2011, a new study has found an association between both a higher per-capita supply of chiropractors and Medicare spending on chiropractic care and lower opioid prescription use among younger, disabled Medicare beneficiaries. Opioids are a type of narcotic pain medication that can have serious side effects and can lead to abuse and dependence. The finding suggests that chiropractic care may help reduce the need for this potentially dangerous class of medication. Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, March 2016
Wellness/Prevention: Earplugs Help Protect Hearing at Loud Concerts. Earplugs can protect concert-goers from the temporary hearing loss that can linger after a high-decibel music concert. In this study, researchers followed 51 participants who attended an outdoor music festival, half of whom used earplugs. The average noise level during the festival was 100 decibels, which is known to pose a threat to hearing. After the event, 42% of those who did not wear earplugs experienced temporary hearing loss, compared with only 8% of those who had used them. Additionally, 40% of those who did not use earplugs reported post-concert tinnitus (ringing in the ears), while only 12% of ear plug users did so. JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, April 2016
Quote: “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”
~ G.K. Chesterton

I found that Dr. Joe Megna is one of the best chiropractors I have found in the Napa region.

Mental Attitude: Sleepless Nights Linked to Changes in the Brain. Chinese researchers report that insomnia may lead to abnormalities in the white matter of the brain, the tissue which carries information between the various parts of the organ. For the study, the researchers recruited 23 patients with primary insomnia and 30 healthy volunteers. The participants completed surveys that allowed investigators to evaluate their mental status and sleep patterns. Using an advanced MRI technique, the research team also looked at the pattern of water movement in white matter to identify any irregularities. They found that participants with insomnia had significantly reduced white matter integrity in several regions of the brain including the thalamus, which regulates consciousness, sleep, and alertness, as well as the corpus callosum, the area that connects the two halves of the brain. Researcher Dr. Shumei Li notes, “Our results can potentially provide the evidence about how the lack of sleep may lead to the impairment of white matter related to emotional or cognitive disorders.” Radiology, April 2016
Health Alert: Diabetes Has Quadrupled Worldwide Since 1980. According to a new report, the number of men and women diagnosed with diabetes around the globe increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, with the most severe increases noted in low- and middle-income countries. Experts say these findings should sound an alarm for large-scale, effective action that focuses on reducing the health and economic impact of diabetes. The Lancet, April 2016
Diet: Daily Fruit Consumption Helps the Heart. Consuming fresh fruit, such as apples and oranges, each day appears to reduce the risk of dying from either a heart attack or stroke by about one-third. Investigators collected data on more than 500,000 adults between 2004 and 2009 and found that fewer than one-in-five ate fruit on a daily basis. However, the researchers found that those who ate about a half cup of fruit a day had a significantly lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Lead researcher Dr. Liming Li reports that participants who ate fruit the most often had lower blood pressure and blood sugar compared to those who ate less fruit, which could explain the reduced risk for heart attacks and stroke. New England Journal of Medicine, April 2016
Exercise: Too Few Children Get 60 Minutes of Exercise Daily. In this study, investigators observed 453 schoolchildren during a one-week period and found that only 15% achieved the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day. Furthermore, compared with normal or underweight children, the researchers report that the overweight and obese children in the study were be less active overall and achieved fewer minutes of MVPA during school, out-of-school, and on weekends. Senior author Dr. Jennifer Sacheck comments, “Clearly, schools need to be aware of this disparity and should focus on increasing all intensities of physical activity equally for all children across the school-day.”
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, March 2016
Chiropractic: Musculoskeletal Pain Common in Veterans. A recent study investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among United States veterans. The study included 5,237,763 former soldiers and found that non-traumatic joint pain (27%), back pain (25%), and osteoarthritis (21%) are the most commonly reported and treated musculoskeletal disorders among those who received Veterans Health Administration care. The findings show that musculoskeletal complaints are highly prevalent, painful, and costly disorders among veterans. Pain, March 2016
Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D Levels Linked to Cardiovascular Disease Risk. New research suggests that the risk of cardiovascular disease could be predicted by measuring levels of total and bioavailable vitamin D in both men and women. The study analyzed the vitamin D levels of 4,200 individuals aged 52-76 and assessed whether vitamin D levels had any effect on future cardiac events. The findings revealed that individuals with low levels of both total vitamin D and bioavailable vitamin D were at the greatest risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and even cardiovascular death. American College of Cardiology, April 2016
Quote: “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.” ~ Robert Frost

I found that Dr. Joe Megna is one of the best chiropractors I have found in the Napa region.