Mental Attitude: Harsh Parenting Can Backfire. Parenting that includes frequent yelling, hitting, and threats may bring out the worst in a teen’s behavior. Researchers tracked nearly 1,500 students over nine years and found that seventh graders subjected to harsh parenting tactics are more likely to turn to their peers in unhealthy ways, such as hanging out with friends instead of doing homework or engaging in early sexual behavior. Furthermore, these teens are also more likely to drop out of school. Study co-author Dr. Rochelle Hentges writes, “We’re primed as individuals to pay attention to our environmental cues. If we’re in a situation where there’s a lot of harshness, unpredictability, or danger, we’re more likely to try to capitalize on immediate and short-term rewards…. [On the other hand,] if you’re in a really stable, secure environment, it makes sense to put resources toward a long-range goal, like education.” Child Development, February 2017
Health Alert: Too Many Adults Have High Blood Pressure. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) warn that too many Americans struggle with high blood pressure. Data presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that 29% of Americans (75 million people) have high blood pressure, but only 54% have it under control. AAFP President Dr. John Meigs Jr. writes, “This finding is concerning because we know that high blood pressure and heart attacks or chronic heart failure are so closely related… Get your blood pressure checked. If you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to treat it and lower your risk factors.” American Academy of Family Physicians, February 2017
Diet: Just Two Servings of Produce Per Day Increases Wellbeing. Among a sample of 171 young adults, those who consumed an extra two servings of produce per day for fourteen days reported an increase in psychological wellbeing that did not occur in participants who continued to eat their normal diet. PLOS ONE, February 2017
Exercise: Jump Some Rope. Jumping rope is an excellent way to get your heart pumping and burn some calories. The American Council on Exercise offers the following guidelines for jumping rope: hold the handles near the end of the rope, keeping your grip light; keep your elbows close to your body and relax your shoulders and bend your knees slightly; use your wrist to turn the rope, maintaining a smooth arc as you swing the rope over your head; keep your head up and your back straight, making sure not to round your back or shoulders; and reduce joint impact by jumping low.
American Council on Exercise, February 2017
Chiropractic: Obesity Increases Risk for Spinal Pain. After controlling for factors such as marital status, gender, age, smoking status, household income, health insurance coverage, educational attainment, and the use of health services for other major categories of diseases, an analysis of data concerning 23,048 adults indicates that obesity significantly increases the risk for lower back problems, as well as intervertebral disk disorder.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, February 2017
Wellness/Prevention: Smoking Increases Substance Abuse Relapse Risk. For substance abusers in recovery, those who continue to smoke or start smoking are at least twice as likely to relapse as those who don’t smoke. This suggest incorporating smoking cessation and prevention strategies into substance abuse treatment programs may lead to better outcomes.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, February 2017
Quote: “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will.’ Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.” ~ David Copperfield

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