stroke Archives - Damron Chiropractic & Wellness

Bad Foods Can Lead to Preventable Deaths

March 15, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Sometimes things are so obvious that we miss it altogether. Like when we look all over the house for our glasses only to look in the mirror and find them sitting right on top of our head. Life has a tendency to keep us very busy, causing the obvious to escape us. Getting caught up in our daily responsibilities can mean overlooking the obvious for the sake of convenience. Yet, we still know the flaws in our thinking. A recent article in the Cincinnati Enquirer highlighted this scenario quite well. Titled, “Too much bacon, not enough nuts lead to deaths,” this article told the reader the obvious. Too much of anything is a bad thing, right?

Bacon is good. So good in fact that we can enjoy bacon ice cream, bacon cupcakes, and even candy. Bacon has become very trendy. But bacon is high in salt, typically cured, and very fatty. Common sense would tell us that something like that is probably not the most beneficial to us nutritionally. So, eating too much bacon is unhealthy. Nuts, on the other hand, are a whole food. Made from nature. Something our body can easily recognize, breakdown, and use to sustain itself.

Essentially, the article broke down food into two groups – good and bad. However, it added American food habits and links to deaths from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. There is a link between bad food and these conditions. Probably not surprising to most, if not all, of us. The kicker is not that we eat bad foods, but the sheer amount that we consume and not eating enough of the good stuff. So, what are the bad foods that we like so much in the U.S.?

Bacon
Bologna
Hot dogs
Steaks
Hamburgers
Sugary drinks

The good foods that are under-eaten include:

Nuts
Seeds
Salmon
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains

We like the bad foods so much that 45% of the deaths from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are attributed towards the overeating of those “bad” foods. Those deaths were preventable. Yes, preventable. Now rather than beat ourselves up because we’ve enjoyed “too much bacon,” we can choose to use this article as a reminder. A reminder of what we already know to be true about what is healthy and what is not. We can change our actions today to affect an outcome tomorrow. Awareness is the first step in moving ourselves in the right direction.

Inflammation Foods

March 2, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Inflammation is a word that makes a person think of a response to an injury or infection. We suspect a problem when we see skin that is red and swollen. This type of inflammation is obvious. However, there is another type of inflammation that we cannot see that is much more problematic and dangerous. It is the inflammation that lies beneath the surface that can create health risks such as heart disease, stroke, and even cancer.

Food is the main contributor to this type of inflammation, specifically the Western Diet.

Sugar (also known as fructose, sucrose, or any word ending in -ose)
Saturated fats (pizza and cheese are the biggest contributors)
Trans fats (fast food restaurants, processed snacks, frozen breakfasts, donuts, crackers and cookies)
Excess omega-6 (most salad dressings, mayonnaise, and oils such as corn, soy, peanut and vegetable)
Refined carbohydrates (white flour products, white rice, and white potatoes)
Mono-sodium glutamate, or MSG (added to some prepared Asian foods, soy sauce, deli meats, and salad dressings)
Gluten and casein (wheat, rye, and barley products; whey products)
Aspartame (sodas, gum, candies, yogurt)
Alcohol

To know if you are suffering from chronic inflammation, your Chiropractor can perform specific testing. But, maybe you’d like to know what to look for first. While these symptoms are not definitive, they do give you a reason to look further:

You’re feeling depressed.
Your stomach is hurting quite often.
Tired is your middle name.

These clues do not mean you are suffering from chronic inflammation, however, they do potentially indicate a problem. Look at what you are eating each day. Is it filled with many of the inflammatory foods listed above? Have you ever done a cleanse? Many times, the first step is realizing there is a problem. Once you know, steps can be taken to remedy it.

Fatty Liver Disease

February 7, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Not many of us think about fatty liver disease. In fact, most of us make the assumption that only alcohol and drugs contribute to this disease. Fatty liver disease is increasing because of the Western diet, which includes highly processed foods, fast food, and sugary drinks. However, a precursor to this disease is an increase in obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and liver inflammation. In 2004, to prove this epidemic, Morgan Spurlock created a highly controversial documentary called Super Size Me. In it, he chronicled his month-long journey, consuming only McDonald’s food and the effect it had on him.

When we choose convenience with food, we typically sacrifice our health. At first, the impact is unnoticeable. Yet, as time goes, on our body becomes less equipped to handle the nutritional deficiencies offered by convenience. Over a period of 30 days, Morgan watched himself change. His body mass increased by 13%, his cholesterol spiked, he experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and a staggering increase in his liver enzymes. All that from convenience food!

Unfortunately, just because food available to purchase it does not mean it is good for you. While it probably tastes very good, that does not make it good for your body. We must stop equating good taste and convenience with healthy. Fast food companies and processed food manufacturers are in business to make money. That means they must sell. To do that means convincing you to purchase the food they make with creative advertising, gimmicky promotions, convenience, and attractive prices. What we choose to eat is up to us.

Most alarming to Morgan and his doctors was the effect this diet had on his liver. Often, fatty liver disease has no symptoms. However, it is common for a person to have insulin resistance, extra weight, and type 2 diabetes. These should be viewed as symptoms. Regular eating of a Western diet increases the likelihood of developing fatty liver disease. Morgan’s diet created an overabundance of fat cells in his liver which then began to leak into his bloodstream. The speed at which this happened to his liver concerned his doctors because many Americans eat a Western diet every day.

It is time to stop making excuses as to why we need that donut or why we need to hit the drive-thru. It should not matter what advertisements say to us or what the latest promotion is. We need to value our health more than we value saving a dollar. The obesity trend can be reversed, but it is up to each individual to do our part.

Has Obesity Made You a Spectator In Life?

November 8, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

No matter what the season, there is always plenty of sports to watch from the professionals to little league. We love being spectators, too. Unless, of course, our team loses. As a result, we somehow believe that as a spectator we can change the outcome of a game. Cheering intensifies in a close game, rally hats come on when our team is down, and booing erupts in an attempt to change a bad call. Even fights erupt between rival fans over something they are powerless to change.

Ironically, there is a parallel between this spectator phenomenon and our approach to health and wellness. The evidence rests in the most recent health statistics from the American Public Health Association:

29.6% of the population is obese
10% of the population has diabetes
there has been a 4% increase in drug deaths

Almost a third of the U.S. population seems to be sitting on the sidelines with obesity as a spectator. This passive approach to life has a domino affect on our life as obesity leads to other health conditions such as heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, and osteoarthritis. However, many cases of obesity are preventable and treatable.

Sitting on the sidelines is like sitting in the passenger seat of a car, because we are simply along for the ride with no control over which direction the car goes, how fast or slow, or its destination. Why would we consciously choose to be a passenger, especially in life? Taking ownership of ourselves means we want a say, that we care about the journey. Having an active role in the game of life elevates our quality of life because we are living on our terms, not limited by external forces. Ironically, these outside forces are something we subject ourselves to voluntarily by:

Eating fast food.
Living a sedentary lifestyle.
Relying on medications to relieve symptoms.
Consuming too many highly processed foods.
Limiting fresh fruit and vegetables in our diet.
Making countless excuses to not exercise regularly.
Not holding ourselves accountable to a healthy weight.

If you are one of the almost 30% who are sitting on the sidelines acting like a spectator to your own life, perhaps it’s time to change that. The first step is deciding to join the game. Commit to yourself.

Why We Need Mobility and Stability as We Age

September 8, 2016 By Pam Rezai

In our youth we take many things for granted – our health, time, money, high metabolism, and there will be food on the table when we get home. We have a sense of immortality, that nothing bad will happen to us. It is the gift of our youth, ignorance. You can tell by how kid behave on the playground this sense of innocence. Climbing, running, swinging, it seems they are showcasing the benefits of their youth. Compare this to those who are living in a nursing home. The sharp contrast in both the mobility and stability between the two groups is obvious.

Mobility implies freedom. The freedom to move from one place to another. The ideal is the ability to move easily and without pain. Stability, on the other hand, implies strength and steadiness. Children manifest both. The older we get, the more we need to work to keep both. However, the reality is that we don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone. According to the most recent statistics published by the CDC, over a third of U.S. adults are obese (11/2015). But it doesn’t stop there. In addition to the extra weight, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers are also connected to obesity. So, what happened? In one word, life happened.

Mobility and stability are not only for the young. Granted, it is easier for our youth to be like that because not enough life has happened yet. However, as we age, keeping our mobility and stability is essential to living well and here’s why. Mobility is freedom. Being mobile allows us to remain active which helps keep us fit. Stability helps to prevent falls. Falls, especially in older people, contribute to broken bones and other injuries. These consequences of falls can affect our mobility which in turn can affect our weight and create further health issues.

At DCW, we help our patients with both mobility and stability through our Rehabilitation Department. We make it a priority to individualize treatment plans to ensure each patient can improve their ability to move without pain. We also incorporate balance exercises to strengthen stability. While we cannot be young again, it doesn’t mean we can’t reverse the effects of time on our body and regain our movement.

Teenagers and Sleep

June 21, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Why is it the older we get the more we crave sleep? And the younger we are the more we think we can get away with little of it? The truth is that sleep is essential to our well being, it allows our body to refuel each day. A lack of sleep is cumulative. One night will not make up for several weeks of inadequate sleep, yet we seem to think that is the case. Just think about how much teenagers sleep.

It’s probably no surprise that a chronic lack of sleep has a severe impact on a person’s health. It has been increasingly documented that not getting enough sleep contributes to an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. But why is this the case? While we are asleep our body has the opportunity to perform necessary repairs that can only happen when the body is quiet. This occurs in our digestive, respiratory, central nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems. Sleep allows our body:

to rest the neurons in our brain so that new pathways can be built.
to build up our immune system defenses to keep us healthy.
to prevent respiratory illnesses like a cold and the flu.
to prevent weight gain.
to control our appetite.
to repair itself.

Now, what about teenagers? Studies are showing that teenagers are more at risk for chronic sleep deprivation. It is not surprising that teenagers are typically sleep deprived, especially during the school year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently published a study that indicates teens who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night are more prone to dangerous behaviors. These behaviors include texting and driving, drinking and driving, riding with someone who has been drinking, or not wearing a seat belt. This is all compared to a teen who gets 9 or more hours of sleep a night.

Encourage enough sleep in your home. Consistency is key. Maintain a routine for bedtime. Be careful with napping, as 20-30 minutes is the ideal, otherwise one might have trouble falling asleep later. Get plenty of exercise each day. 30-60 minutes is a good range. Make healthy food choices. And, lastly, make sure that the bedroom is quiet, dark, and comfortable.

Good night!

Bad Foods Can Lead to Preventable Deaths

Inflammation Foods

Fatty Liver Disease

Has Obesity Made You a Spectator In Life?

Why We Need Mobility and Stability as We Age

Teenagers and Sleep

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Dr. Andrew Damron, Chiropractor

Dr. Greg Washam, Chiropractor

Brooke Snyder, Operations Manager

Nicole Foreman, Licensed Massage Therapist

Erika Pantona, Insurance Specialist

Amy Faris, Patient Care Coordinator

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