Oblogatory Anecdotes » health and wellness

More Than a Pretty Face

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:47:04 +0000

I met my wife in chiropractic college. I used to borrow her notes and we’d cram for finals together. I can admit, now, what was so obvious then. She was smarter then me and, in some ways, more educated. I suspected that the good feeling I had whenever I was around her was good for my health, mentally and physically. Now there is scientific proof to back up my suspicions. In a new study, researchers found that a woman’s education was a stronger factor in her husband’s risk of dying over the next decade or so than a man’s own level of education.

The study, conducted by Drs. Robert Erikson and Jenny Torssander of the Swedish Institute for Social Research in Stockholm, revealed (in part) that men who hadn’t reached high school were 1.1 times more likely to die during follow-up than men who’d finished college. But the education of a man’s partner had a stronger effect than his own schooling; men living with a woman without any high school education were 1.25 times more likely to die than men living with a college graduate.

“We can assume that more highly educated women have better possibilities to find the important health messages that are around,” Erikson said, “There are lots of health messages in the media and I think some of them are important and some are just misleading.”

The full article contains more about the study and includes sources: reuters.com

Technorati Tags: education and longevity, mens health

The "F" Word

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:24:15 +0000

No one over five-years-old, or guys in a bar, thinks it funny or wants to talk about it. But, since it happens to everyone once in a while and to most of us more often as we age, if we can get the subject out in the open, there’s much to be learned about how to avoid the problem or at least decrease its occurrence. As a chiropractor, believe me, I run into the problem a lot. When I give someone a chiropractic adjustment, often the pain relief experienced in one area of the body is expressed with an audible or silent-but-deadly expression of relief in another. So, let’s talk openly for a moment about gas, flatulence, farting.

Though gas and the resulting flatulence is normal on occasion, there are ways that we can avoid it in excess. Though beans are the list topper of gas creators in most people’s mind, beans will not, as a rule, create as much gas if you eat beans prepared from dry rather than beans from a can. You’ll need to soak the dry beans overnight in water, and then in the morning remove any beans that are left floating on top. These are the culprits that contain the most air and, therefore, create the most gas. Swallowing air is a major cause of gas and it can happen in several ways that can easily be avoided: drinking through a straw, chewing gum, smoking, and eating too quickly are a few of the ways. You can also reduce gas buildup by doing mild exercise after meals, which helps to move air through the body and also aids in digestion.

If, however, you still find that you have gas buildup and feel bloated or have gas pains, there are several home remedies to may ease the problem. You can drink: tea containing peppermint, fennel, chamomile or anise; a teaspoon of lime juice mixed with a teaspoon of ground ginger; water in which you’ve blanched lemon verbena leaves or parsley; or just drink plenty of water. Also, lying on your back and pulling your legs up to your chest will help relieve pressure.

Technorati Tags: bloating, farting, flatulence, gas, gas pains

Aaah, The Sweet Smell of…Pesticides?!

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:20:11 +0000

According to entomologist, Murray Isman, of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, the next generation of pesticides might smell as sweet as rosemary, cinnamon and thyme because these spices, among others, are proving to be potent insect-fighters that are gentle on the environment and safe for humans. As a Seattle chiropractor, I have been concerned for years, like all chiropractors and I’m sure many of you as well, about the dangers of pesticides to human beings and the environment. However, it’s no surprise that, just as there seems to be so many “natural” solutions to health problems if we are willing to look for and give alternative solutions a try, now there appears to be a natural solution to pest control, as well.

Scientists are finally figuring out how pungent plants and their essential oils, used by people for centuries to protect their foods, might be harnessed by modern man for pest control. “There was some magic in how nature has gone about doing this,” said Isman, speaking yesterday at a meeting, held in Washington, D.C., of the American Chemical Society. “Our research is trying to figure out which essential oils work best for which applications.”

The strong odors from spice plants consist, chemically, of small molecules that evaporate easily. Their chemical structure allows spice extracts to easily penetrate cell membranes in places like the brains of bugs. People, pets and other animals don’t have the same messenger molecules in their brains, making extracts that harm insects safe for us. In addition, over time insects are less likely to develop resistance to spice extracts than conventional chemicals, Isman said.

Hopefully, the research will continue on this “natural” path and not detour (as usual) down that all-too-familiar road toward the artificial synthesis of these organic potentialities. As Isman pointed out, “There is some internal magic to that mixture of compounds that defies trying to tease them apart. There is some benefit to using the natural mixtures as they come out of the plant.”

So, for we organically-minded folks, the future of pest control is not only looking more natural, but it’s smelling a whole lot sweeter, too!

Full article at: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/17/killer-spices-02.html

Technorati Tags: chiropractor, environment, pesticides, spices