Mental Attitude: Do Wood Burning Stoves Increase Dementia Risk? Swedish researchers monitored the health status
of 1,806 individuals for nearly twenty years and found that participants who lived in areas with a higher utilization of
wood burning stoves had an elevated risk for dementia. Though further research is necessary, the results suggest that
exposure to air pollution from wood burning stoves may be an independent risk factor for dementia.
PLOS ONE, June 2018
Health Alert: Lack of Quality Care Leads to Millions of Deaths Worldwide. An analysis of diseases in 130 low- and
middle-income countries that lack quality healthcare showed that 8 million people die needlessly each year, costing those
countries a total of about $6 trillion economically. Experts say it’s important to attach a monetary cost to the loss of
human life, because those numbers can provide economic incentives that spur changes in policy and healthcare investment
aimed at saving lives. Health Affairs, June 2018
Diet: Soda Consumption and Sleep… Regular soda intake by kids may affect sleep duration. An analysis of data
concerning 5,873 children from around the world found that kids who consume at least one soft drink per day sleep about
twelve fewer minutes per night. Public Health Nutrition, April 2018
Exercise: Get More Active at Work. Prolonged sitting at work can cause poor posture, low back pain, and increased risk
for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. To combat the negative effects of long periods of sitting, the American Council
on Exercise recommends the following: standing for a few minutes every hour; sitting on a gym ball for half an hour per
day to activate your core muscles; participating in walking meetings; doing some wall push-ups, squats, and calf raises
throughout the day; working out or taking a walk during your lunch hour; biking or walking to work; and practicing yoga
or meditation to help reduce stress. American Council on Exercise, May 2018
Chiropractic: Looking Down May Increase the Risk for Neck Pain… Among a group of 38 young adults with no
history of neck, shoulder, or back pain, researchers found that engaging in just ten minutes of static neck flexion (looking
downward at a smartphone, for example) resulted in potentially harmful changes in cervical sensory motor control. More
specifically, the research team observed that prolonged neck flexion led to impairments in both the participants’s ability to
return their head to a neutral position and to quickly make adjustments to compensate for movement elsewhere in the
body. The research team concludes, “These changes in sensory-motor control may be a risk factor for neck pain and
injury.” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, April 2018
Wellness/Prevention: Sunscreen Tips. The American Academy of Dermatology offers the following information about
sunscreen: broad spectrum sunscreen means it can protect you from both UVA and UVB sun rays, which helps prevent
skin cancer, early skin aging, and sunburn; sunburn protection factor (SPF) defines how protective the sunscreen is, the
higher the number, the greater the level of protection; no sunscreen is waterproof, but some are water-resistant for 40 to
80 minutes; sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours; and a chemical sunscreen absorbs the sun’s rays, while a
physical sunscreen protects you by deflecting the sun’s rays. American Academy of Dermatology, June 2018
Quote: “It’s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

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