Being happy may help you to be healthy...

Many people equate being happy and being healthy, but a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health may show that being happy may help to make you healthy.

image from screenok.com

Harvard researcher Dr. Julia Boehm said that often the research performed looked into negative outcomes from negative emotions, but that she was interested if the opposite was also true. Her research looks at the impact of happiness, optimism and sense of purpose has on cardiovascular health. The research shows that those with positive outlook on life tend to have less heart disease, in fact one statistic shows a 50% reduction of heart problems from the most optimistic people vs least optimistic.

The take home of this study is to remember not to take things too seriously, find the joy in your day wherever you can. It may help you to see each day roll by easier and may help protect your heart from disease. Smile, forgive and pass on something nice today.

Exercise may alter your DNA!!

Everyone knows that an intense workout can leave you tired and possibly sore the next day. But did you know that it may actually affect the DNA in the muscles you used? A recent study in the Journal Cell Metabolism has shown that exercise changes the DNA of the muscles used. After exercise skeletal muscle’s DNA was less methylated. (Methylation is a process your body uses to turn on or off genes in your DNA.)

The decreased methylation after exercise was shown to lead to increased production of certain genes involved in energy production. The study shows that on a genetic and cellular component basis intense exercise changes your skeletal muscle.

Image from Forbes.com

The take home for this is that in addition to the improvement to your fitness, your heart health and mental health, exercise is able to change your body on a deep genetic level. But to achieve these results you need to put in the effort, to get a truly intense workout. 

Until recently, I did not realize how effective it could be to have a fun and intense workout. After working with an exercise physiologist, Buntha Kouy (of BetaOFitness), I have found that I have more success at achieving an intense workout and I have a blast doing it. Working with him I have found that my body can do more than I thought (mostly through him pushing me to succeed), I have more energy and am happier. Even without the idea that I am improving the DNA of my muscles I am excited about my results! I highly recommend looking into working with someone like Mr. Kouy, who is a trained professional at getting your body to do more than you thought you could. 

The danger of relying on medication...

Today I read an editorial from the Lancet, one of the oldest and well respected medical journals in the world, that made me take pause. The article centers on a change  to the definition of depression’s, in the newest version of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Part of the change to the definition of depression's diagnosis is the drastically shortening the exclusion for those who recently had a loved one die (the exclusion shinks from 12 months in the DSM-3, to 2 weeks in the DSM-5). The editorial rails against the notion that a diagnosis of depression should be given without consideration of bereavement, concluding it could become a standard to medicate those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

The author suggests that this change is improper, that attempting to medicate away grief may have unintended consequences. "Medicalising grief, so that treatment is legitimised routinely with antidepressants, for example, is not only dangerously simplistic, but also flawed." The author believes that grief is part of what makes us human, and fears people taking a pill rather than deal with the complex emotions of loss.

To me this speaks of a transition in our society, the 'medicalising' of conditions. Whether it is grief, obesity, or injury recovery, there may be a danger in looking first to medication for a solution. The author of the editorial says "Life cannot, nor should not, continue as normal. In a sense, a new life has to be created, and lived with." At times medication can be a vital component of the transformation of one's life, but should not be the sole component. For those who have lost a loved one they need time to make a new life in the absence of the one they lost. For those who choose to confront their obesity, they must change diet, exercise and often change their social support structure. For those with injury, they must change their activities and focus on healing and adapting to their injury.

As a chiropractor, I know that my care is most effective when the patient has committed to their new life. Transition from the previous life to the new one is often difficult, but is ultimately worth the challenge. Bill Clinton said “Character is a journey, not a destination.” Working through the transition makes the new life both an achievement and healing. My goal is to help support each patients change, nurture the new life and provide what guidance I can.

Sleep to focus and prevent disease.

Recently Dr. Simon, from Harvard, has written about sleep's affect on creativity, memory and problem solving. Dr. Weil has also recently shown that adequate sleep may help prevent Alzheimer disease.

image from pharmaprojects.com

Why is sleep so important? This question seems to plague many of our smartest researchers. Though there isn't any one single reason on why we need to sleep, there is a plethora of examples of the benefits of adequate sleep.

In the Harvard Health Watch, they explore research that shows the benefits of naps, specifically ones that are long enough to allow one to enter deep sleep. This state of deep sleep, known as REM, was shown to be beneficial to creativity and problem solving. The take home from this research is that when confronted with problems, it may be best to "sleep on it". How fun is that statement? Now we have research to back up a desire for a short nap in the afternoon.

In a press release from the American Academy of Neurlogy, they have shown that disrupted sleep leads to a build up of amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer disease. They were able to see more plaques in people who woke 5 or more times per hour, or those who spent less than 85% of their time in bed sleeping. The take home of this is that if you find yourself having difficulty sleeping, it might be the best for your health to seek help.

Refer to my blog post regarding ways to increase your sleep here.

How muscle work affects the body.

For ages we have known that massage feels good. Though not until recently has science shown that in addition to feeling good massage aids in recovery. When we use our muscles, we often have some pain usually experienced as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction, inflammation, as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. It represents the muscles need to change, and is can be sign of muscle growth.

Courtesy Kouy photography

 

Combating this soreness can leave one a bit perplexed, though. Depending on severity, soreness can inhibit further activity, promote sedentary time, or lead to NSAID use (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The problem with these solutions is that they all reduce the effectiveness of training… If you avoid activity during times of soreness your muscles won’t change as fast as they are able, thus prolonging the duration of training. Use of anti-inflammatory drugs can inhibit the natural process of muscle repair but inhibiting the chemical pathways of recovery. These options often lead to ineffective training habits

A recent study has shown that massage not only makes you feel better, it actually helps your muscles to heal faster. Massage causes the body to increase the activity of mitochondria in massaged muscles and naturally decreases inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α), one of the byproducts that causes pain in exercised muscle.

Dr. Bramble using a tool to increase the effectiveness of  muscle work in the upper traps

The take home message is that a massage may be one of the most effective methods to combat muscle soreness. It is a natural way to combat the pain, while not interfering with the natural healing mechanisms of the muscle and actually increases the rate of recovery. As a chiropractor, I have always held a firm belief that muscle work is an important component of treatment, and this study gives credence to that belief.

So next time you have a big workout planned why not schedule a massage or chiropractic and bodywork appointment the next day. You’ll be happy you did.

Getting a good night's sleep...

We all know that a good night sleep does wonders for our health, but sleep can be elusive at times when we need it most. There are many times when we might need sleep, such as before an event like a triathlon or a big test. Others may find that they miss out on a few minutes every night, leading to overall sleep deprivation.

Picture fromhttp://konniehill.blogspot.com/2011/04/sleep.html 

I have complied a few tips for these common sleep ailments.

Pre-event sleep problems
Getting sleep is very important before any competition. Sometimes nerves can affect your sleep, I like to refer to this as the Christmas morning effect. You are so excited about getting up in the morning, it is hard to fall asleep. One of the biggest things to remember before a big event is to get plenty of sleep the night BEFORE the the night before the event, as strange as it sounds. This will lessen the effects of poor sleep the night before your event and ensure you have stores of energy. Another tip is to eat something that is easy to digest for dinner, a bowl of pasta  and vegetables with turkey cutlets would be just about perfect. Avoid caffeinated drinks after noon. Another important tip is not to try to force it, sleep is a passive act most of the time and 'trying' to sleep often fails, so relax and let it happen. If you have the resources, why not get a massage or see an acupuncturist to help you to calm down before your big day.


Sleep Deprivation problems
Long term lack of sleep is a big problem, and affects many aspects of day to day life. Aside from the well known mood alterations, lack of sleep can contribute to poor healing, increase the likelihood of illness, and may play a role in depression. Your brain literally doesn't function the same when you have sleep deprivation. Here are some tips for getting a good night's sleep:
- Pay attention to your sleep position. According to Mercola, The ideal position for sleep is on your back without a pillow or a very thin pillow. If you have pain in the neck or back in this position why not see your chiropractor to help solve this problem so that you can get to sleep.
- Avoid consuming alcohol. There is a common myth that alcohol will help you sleep, and while it may help you to fall asleep, studies have shown that it actually it may cause you to wake more often and earlier than if you didn't drink.
- Pay attention to your light exposure. Many people sleep better in the dark, however there have been studies that show that increasing your exposure to sunlight during the day can intensify the affect of the dark in the evening. So take a walk during lunch and get some sun on your body.
- Use some natural supplements. Two natural substances have been well documented to help the efficacy of sleep, L-Tryptophan and Valerian. Both of these have been shown to help people fall and stay asleep, without the side-effects of prescription sleep medications. Remember when using natural supplements, the effects will take a while to show themselves. For example Valerian root may take a few weeks to really show it's effectiveness.
- Stick to a sleep schedule. Varying the time you go to bed and rise from day to day may actually confuse your body. If you want to try to get more sleep on the weekend try napping in the mid-morning instead of sleeping in and it will play less havoc with your body's daily rhythms.
- Know when to seek help. This is important in any health problem, because not paying attention to your symptoms and avoiding professional help may actually make your problem worse. If you have tried many of the previous suggestions and nothing seems to help you should strongly consider seeing a sleep specialist. Especially if you have the following symptoms:

• Persistent daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Loud snoring accompanied by pauses in breathing
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Frequent morning headaches
• Crawling sensations in your legs or arms at night
• Inability to move while falling asleep or waking up
• Physically acting out dreams during sleep
• Falling asleep at inappropriate times 

As always these suggestions are not comprehensive and should be discussed with your doctor.

In health-

Dr. Bramble

What is chiropractic and who should I see...

What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a branch of healthcare that is focused on diagnosing you using neurological and orthopedic tests, and manually treating the joints of the body using controlled quick shallow impulses. Many people associate chiropractors with back health, though there is more to chiropractic than just back health as we are knowledgeable about much more than the spine. The reason we have a spine is the same reason we have a skull, to protect our nervous system. The motion of your spine directly influences the ability of your nervous system to relay information from the body to the brain and vice versa. The controlled impulses of a chiropractor, often called ‘adjustments’, help the spine to function optimally and thereby help the nervous system to work optimally.

Each chiropractor may have a variation of what they focus on. Some chiropractors focus on wellness, promoting a healthy nervous system by keeping the spine’s motion up. Others are more concerned with injury recovery and increased performance. I enjoy working with people to overcome injuries and enjoy working with arm, leg and foot issues.

Okay, I want be adjusted, how do I know which chiropractor to go to?

This is a great question. I have always believed that the choice of doctor to go to is nearly as important as going to see them in the first place. When choosing any healthcare provider (be they personal trainer, physical therapist, chiropractor, medical doctor, or dentist) I would advise you to pick one that makes you feel listened to, informed and that you trust. Read about them online, call with questions or schedule a consultation to meet with the doctor before you choose who to see.

I was lucky as a child to see a pediatrician, Charles Fuchs, M.D., who always informed me of what he found, what he recommended, and nearly as importantly, why he recommended what he did. This empowerment of my own health, is what has always lead my healthcare choices, and eventually to my career. I never left his office feeling confused or forced into a treatment I didn’t agree with even as a young child.

When choosing whose hands to put your body in, make sure you do a little research first. Any reputable doctor should be able to answer any of your question, you should feel free to decline any proposed treatment, and they should have other options should you decline the proposed treatment. I encourage my patients to ask questions and to take control of their healthcare. Because of this openness I was able to address the mild plantar fasciitis of a patient who originally came in for neck pain.

Chiropractic shouldn’t be painful, unless you want that pain. Yes it is manual care, and there may be moments of discomfort, but it shouldn’t be painful. If you experience pain, let your doctor know, and they should have options for you to decrease or eliminate the pain.

If you have any questions about who to see, you can email me or call me at The Off-Season 978-688-6181

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Dr. Adam Bramble, D.C.