• *These fields are required.

    Powered by Salesforce CRM
Tag: Health

Use of Alternative Medicine and Chiropractic Treatment Rising

graph of age-adjusted percent of adults who ha...

Image via Wikipedia

Use of Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic Rising in Both the United States and Canada

Two recent surveys point to widespread and growing use of alternative forms of medical treatment in both the United States and in Canada. In the US, more that 37% of households regularly turn to alterative treatments over those provided only by a medical doctor and drugs. In Canada, the figure is over 50%.

The US survey involved 23,000 adults and was conducted by Thompson Medstat in 2006. Findings included 37% of US households seeking out alternative treatments, including Chiropractic, for everything from headaches to control of diabetes. Herbal supplements, Chiropractic and massage were the highest ranked items used among respondents.

“Alternative medicine use has become so widespread that it is now critical for traditional Western physicians to factor a whole new set of potential interactions into treatment decisions,” said Dr. David Schutt, associate medical director at Thompson Medstat. “Knowing the statistics behind alternative medicine use is a good start, but further study of this area is necessary.”

To the North, over one half of all Canadians are using some form of alternative medicine according to a survey conducted in 2006 by The Fraser Institute which has, just now been released. Interestingly, in the last 6 months of the survey over 3.6 million Canadians visited a chiropractor. That converts to 13% of all Canadians!

“This increased use of alternative therapies is another indicator of Canadians’ desire to have more choice and control over their healthcare options,” said Nadeem Esmail, the director of Health System Performance at The Frasier Institute and the author of the report.

A note of interest pointed out in the findings was that most alternative treatment options are not covered by the government health insurance plans in Canada. “When it comes to health and well-being, a significant number of Canadians are willing to spend their own money,” said Dr. Esmail.

No Comments by Laurie Puckett on February 16, 2011
filed in Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic
tagged , , ,

Watermelon may reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Seedless watermelon Purchased Feb. 2005 in Atl...

Image via Wikipedia

Volume 14 Issue 120

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S. If you or someone you know has CVD, or has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, or any of the other factors that could lead to CVD, you have probably been told to exercise, reduce stress levels and avoid certain foods like sugar, white flours and junk food. Or you may have been prescribed drugs like statins. However, there are certain foods — known as ‘functional foods’ — that, in addition to the nutrients they supply, also specifically promote health or prevent disease in a certain part of the body. In the case of CVD, you still want to exercise and eat well, but there are also functional foods that may help prevent it, and may even help you avoid drugs.

Let’s just take one of the CVD risk factors: hypertension, high blood pressure.

Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 or below. High blood pressure starts at 140/90. Between those you have a rating called prehypertension, which basically means that if you don’t do something to lower your blood pressure you could end up with full-blown hypertension — something you really want to avoid.

The risk level is much higher with hypertension than prehypertension, so getting your blood pressure under control now is a smart health move.

What functional foods help prehypertension? According to a recent study conducted at Florida State University, watermelon might be just what you need.

The study, though small, is very promising and is the first on human subjects. While the participants didn’t actually eat watermelon, they were given six grams daily of the amino acid L-citrulline/L-arginine from watermelon extract for six weeks. There were four men and five women, ages 51 to 57, and each were prehypertensive. All participants had positive results: improved arterial function and lowered blood pressure.

The real ‘active” ingredient, the one that’s making the difference, is the amino acid L-arginine. However, L-arginine taken on its own can be hard on the gastrointestinal system. The better option is another amino acid, L-citrulline, which converts to L-arginine once in the body.

Watermelon is loaded with L-citrulline, is well tolerated, has no side effects, and provides the added benefits of Vitamins A, B6 and C along with fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.

If you’re looking for natural solutions to protect your heart, give watermelon extract a try. It is available at local health food stores and online!

No Comments by Laurie Puckett on February 10, 2011
filed in Heart Health
tagged , , ,

CHIROPRACTIC CARE ENHANCES TREATMENT AT MAJOR CANCER CARE HOSPITAL

Chiropractic

Image via Wikipedia

CHIROPRACTIC CARE ENHANCES TREATMENT AT MAJOR CANCER CARE HOSPITAL

Volume 14 Issue 111

Chiropractic care has become a valued asset for patients at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA).

The hospital’s whole-patient approach to cancer treatment involves integrated medical teams that include not only the usual medical oncologists, surgeons and oncology radiologists, but also naturopaths, acupuncturists, nutritionists and chiropractors.

The holistic approach is intended to help cancer patients achieve the most benefit from their cancer treatments, while reducing any negative effects. And Chiropractic is playing an important role in that approach.

Chiropractic is used to treat pre-existing musculoskeletal problems that are adding to a patient’s stress. But Chiropractic is also a valuable adjunctive therapy frequently called on to relieve the pain and discomfort associated with cancer and with the cancer treatments themselves.

In a recent article in Dynamic Chiropractic magazine, Dr. Jeff Sklar, DC, discusses the exciting and incredibly gratifying experience of working with cancer patients alongside a full gamut of integrated care practitioners at CTCA’s Eastern Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia.

The Palmer College graduate recently accepted a position with the hospital, and now is Director of Chiropractic Services at the facility.

Dr. Sklar explained that there are a number of side effects to cancer treatments. Chemotherapy, radiation, and the stress and worry of being a cancer patient, each present a list of side effects for which Chiropractic can be extremely helpful.

For example, chemotherapy can lead to what is called “chemo-induced neuropathy”, which can be a tingling or numbness and other sensory nerve sensations. Gait imbalance and muscular weakness are also side effects of chemo treatments that can be treated with Chiropractic.

Radiation treatments can lead to tissue fibrosis, the formation of scar-like structures that cause tissues to harden and reduce fluid flow. Chiropractic is called upon to help alleviate the effects of fibrosis.

“The stress and anxiety that goes along with a diagnosis of cancer and its treatment,” Dr. Sklar said, “can create severe musculoskeletal tension and pain. Many patients have a combination of all the above and are very grateful that CTCA makes Chiropractic services available,” he added.

Having a team of naturopaths and acupuncturists to consult about different cases enhances the level and quality of care and treatment that patients receive, the doctor said. The different departments do the best they can to communicate with each other and to the patient so the patient will receive everything they can to improve their current situation. Whether it be a different supplement, an herb, Acupuncture or a Chiropractic adjustment, patients have an opportunity to receive any and all services that are indicated for their condition.

Those of us who look favorably on alternative and holistic treatment modalities can only hope that the example provided at CTCA will be followed by healthcare centers everywhere.

SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic, Vol. 28, No. 21, Oct. 2010,

No Comments by Laurie Puckett on February 3, 2011
filed in Chiropractic
tagged , , ,

Rising Obesity and Rising Costs

Silhouettes and waist circumferences represent...
Image via Wikipedia

Do you want to hear something really scary?  In 10 years, a full 75 percent of Americans will be overweight, making it the fattest country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

Citizens of the world’s richest countries are getting fatter and fatter and the United States is leading the charge, an organization of leading economies said Thursday in its first ever obesity forecast.

“Food is much cheaper than in the past, in particular food that is not particularly healthy, and people are changing their lifestyles, they have less time to prepare meals and are eating out more in restaurants,” said Sassi, a former London School of Economics lecturer who worked on the report for three years.

That plus the fact that people are much less physically active than in the past means that the ranks of the overweight  have swelled to 67 percent in the U.S. this year from well under 50 percent in 1980, according to the OECD.

 This means that disease rates and health care spending will balloon, unless governments, individuals and industry cooperate on a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic. 

So, what are the costs associated with obesity?  Higher medical bills are the most obvious cost, but that’s only a portion of the real-life costs.

George Washington University researchers added in things like employee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline, and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.

That’s far more than the cost of being merely overweight, $524 for women and $432 for men, concluded the report being released Tuesday, which analyzed previously published studies to come up with a total.

Why the difference between the sexes? Studies suggest larger women earn less than skinnier women, while wages don’t differ when men pack on the pounds. That was a big surprise, said study co-author and health policy professor Christine Ferguson.

Researchers had expected everybody’s wages to suffer with obesity, but “this indicates you’re not that disadvantaged as a guy, from a wage perspective,” said Ferguson, who plans to study why.

Then consider that obesity is linked to earlier death. While that’s not something people usually consider a pocketbook issue, the report did average in the economic value of lost life. That brought women’s annual obesity costs up to $8,365, and men’s to $6,518.

A major study published last year found medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for the obese than normal-weight people. Tuesday’s report added mostly work-related costs, things like sick days and disability claims, related to those health problems.

It also included an unusual finding, a study that calculated nearly 1 billion additional gallons of gasoline are used every year because of increases in car passengers’ weight since 1960.

And the thing is, nobody is doing anything to stop this trend.  Americans have a lazy, herd of sheep mentality and will continue to eat unhealthily, will continue to sit in front of the television or computer or video game rather than exercise, and will continue to think it is acceptable to take pill to counteract their poor choices.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again …  we don’t have a healthcare crisis in America, we have a culture crisis. It is time to change the way we think, act and behave. Taking a pill isn’t going to make everything all better. There are ways to get healthy and lose weight, and we can help, but you have to make a decision… and the decision that needs to be made is to be an active participant in your health.  When you have made that decision, call us at Remmel Wellness Center and find out just how healthy you can be when you take responsibility for your health.

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service wellness and chiropractic center located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on September 27, 2010
filed in Heart Health, Weight Loss, Wellness
tagged , , , , , ,

Secrets From 5 Experts To Look Younger Than You Are

Let’s face it … I don’t have a fairy godmother who can waive a magic wand and put me in the most amazing clothes, and do my hair and make-up.  I have to rely upon myself, and that’s not saying much!  You might feel the same way.  So, if you don’t have the top stylists, hair dressers and make-up artists to help you look fabulous every time you walk through the door and you don’t have a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle, what can you do to look younger than your years?  Follow these tips from 5 experts in their respective fields and proudly proclaim your age (minus a few years)!!

THE COSMETIC DERMATOLOGIST

Who: Heidi Waldorf, MD, associate clinical professor at Mount Sinai Hospital’s department of dermatology in New York.

Top Secret: Diligently apply sun protection. (You knew that was coming.)  “Most women miss the jawline, neck, chest, and hands, and they’re all very telling of aging skin,” says Waldorf. Beyond that, if you’re not planning to get pregnant, use topical retinoids a few times a week. You can get them in OTC products or in higher concentrations from a dermatologist. “Studies show they help aged skin look more normal microscopically,” Waldorf says.

This tip really has me thinking … I put sunscreen on my face, but I’m not as good about protecting my hands, neck and chest unless I am planning on spending time in the sun.  But my hands do look older than I would like for them to!

Next Best Tips: Once you hit 40, regular, gentle exfoliation helps keep the complexion lustrous. Of all the anti-aging products on drugstore shelves, Waldorf recommends RoC Deep Retinol Correxion Wrinkle Serum and SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum, which she calls, “chicken soup for the skin.”

I do a gentle exfoliation on a regular basis, and it really does keep my skin glowing, but I think I’ll go get me some RoC Deep Retinol Correxion Wrinkle Serum on my way home tonight!
THE IMAGE CONSULTANT

Who: Kelly Machbitz, certified image consultant in Tampa, Florida, and author of All About Face.

Top Secret: Soften the eyeliner. “Women tend to go too heavy, which drags the eyes down and makes them look older,” says Machbitz Instead of black, try a slate or grey. “Then, with your pencil or brush, just dot along the rim where your lashes are, and lightly connect the dots without drawing a harsh line straight across.” 

Huh…. I must be psychic!  I never have been one to use a heavy eyeliner, but just about a week ago I started to really go more minimal on the eyeliner, and it has brightened and opened up by eyes, and I think it does give me a fresher, more youthful look.  Try it yourself.

Next Best Tips: Lose the dark-outline lip trick. “You can create a much fresher look by using a nude lip liner to define the shape, and then filling in with a clear or subtle gloss,” says Machbitz. And when it comes to choosing the right foundation it’s worth a one-time splurge at the makeup counter to have a specialist help you pick the right foundation so it looks like you’re not wearing anything. Before buying, let the product dry on your skin (the color can darken) and check it outside in the daylight. Once you have the perfect shade, you can always match it with a less pricey product.

This is one of my favorite current fashion trends.  I love the subtlety of the natural look with a light lip gloss.  It is youthful and confident without looking contrived.

THE DATING COACH
Who: Rachel Canis, professional matchmaker and president of Best Foot Forward, a Chicago dating service.

Top Secret: Downplay. “Make sure you’re not going into dead-on cougar attire,” says Canis. “I’m talking about wearing really tight clothes that show it all. I don’t care how great your body is. After a certain age, it looks like you’re trying too hard, and you just come off older.”  Then again, she says, “dressing super corporate can age you too.” Young women have a sense of feeling comfortable with themselves, which is why Canis recommends mixing in some softer fabrics. “Try a structured piece with a flowy piece, or a tight tank top with a fuller jacket,” she says. “I always seem to meet people when I’m wearing a cocktail dress and a pair of funky flip-flops.”

If I left my house in “dead-on cougar attire” I would be too embarrassed to get out of the car!  But I do see a lot of absolutely beautiful women with amazing bodies, who are my age or older, and there comes a time when it just isn’t appropriate any more.  …. Just sayin’ …..

Next Best Tips: Err on the side of less makeup, versus more. Peachy colors and a little shimmer are all you need for a young and dewy appeal, says Canis. Also trendy can be tricky. “The short, sculpted hairdos are great in your twenties, but when you’re older, they frumpify you. And at a certain age, you really don’t want to be doing green nails.”    

When more than one expert includes the same tips, you really need to pay attention!
THE PHOTO DIRECTOR

Who: Katherine Schad, director of photography at O, the Oprah Magazine.

Top Secret: If you’re posing for a photo, “black and white film is more forgiving than color,” says Schad. “And shoot outdoors—an interior flash can be glaring if the photographer isn’t a pro.” The key to projecting “young”, she says, is being relaxed. One tried-and-true trick: Look away from the camera and then turn back so the “click” will capture your spontaneous energy.

I do like black and white photos from an artistic perspective but I have never been very comfortable in front of a camera.  Hmmm … I guess if I want to take over Oprah’s spot on TV when she retires, I’ll have to get used to it!  (In the mean time, listen to my radio show: Live, Laugh & Love with Laurie every Monday at 2:00pm Eastern on www.LifeImprovementRadio.com - I don’t have to worry about cameras when I am on the radio!)

Next Best Tips: Schad, who often shoots real women for her magazine’s makeovers, re-dresses her subjects in a classic look with a fun little twist: “Maybe a cute black dress with a pair of great red shoes, or jeans and a crisp, white shirt, with an unusual appliquéd jacket,” she explains. As for hair? Overly-fussy updos are a little dated, she adds. When in doubt, get a blowout.

I think I’ve got this tip down … but maybe not?  Let me know!

THE “REAL AGE” DOCTOR

Who: Micheal Roizen, MD, author of RealAge: Are you as young as you can be? and coauthor, with Mehmet Oz, MD, of YOU: Staying Young.

Top Secret: Above and beyond everything else, the No. 1 key to looking younger is a healthy attitude, says Roizen, who chairs the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “And the trick to that is re-focusing on how fortunate you are. Instead of griping, that jerk cut me off, you want to be thinking, At least I’m not as obnoxious as he is—or, in as much of a hurry.”

Thank you, very much!!!  A positive attitude can make all the difference and your demeanor and how people perceive you.  When you are relaxed and have a smile on your face, you probably also look and act younger than your years.  I try to live my life this way, and I think it works!

Next Best Tips: Number 2 on the list (take Roizen’s test to determine your “real age”) is avoiding cigarettes, including second-hand smoke, which is “amazingly detrimental to your skin and health.” Number three is exercise. To get maximum youth benefit for minimum sweat, find 30 minutes each day to walk, and every week do the following: a half-hour of resistance training plus three 21-minute bouts of cardio in which you go as fast as you can for the 10th and 21st minute. Not only will these interval blasts boost your metabolism, says Roizen, “but they’ll increase the size of your hippocampus, which will keep you remembering long into the future.”

 Check and check!  I don’t smoke.  Never have, never will.  And I make an effort to exercise on a regular basis.  If you need help in this arena, call us at Remmel Wellness Center.  Our mental health counselor can help you with a smoking cessation program.  If you want to enter into an exercise program, we have partnerships with gyms and trainers and can make recommendations to help you fit exercise into your lifestyle.

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service wellness and chiropractic facility located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on September 25, 2010
filed in Beauty, Wellness
tagged , , , , , ,

Did They REALLY Serve That?

As if the food they serve up at the State Fair isn’t bad enough, at least it is only available for a very short period of time.  However, the restaurant industry has decided to enter into an unholy competition to see who can come up with the most disgusting, artery-clogging, calorie-busting fiasco ever to grace a plate. 

If you’ve never picked up a copy of “Eat This, Not That” you really should browse through the lastest edition.  Honestly, it will help you make better choices when dining out.  Some foods are actually totally unhealthy, but disguised as “good for you” and those you need to watch out for.  But here, for your reading enjoyment, are the top 5 scariest restaurant foods:

See, even the most well-established restaurant chains can’t rest on their laurels, serving the same old standbys that we’ve loved since we were kids. They have to keep us interested and attracted with shiny new bells and whistles. And since no one has invented, say, a new kind of vegetable, they’ve got to go with the next best thing: gimmicky entrees with terrifyingly obsene nutritional content and rapidly expanding serving sizes. It wasn’t enough that pizza makers started putting cheese inside the crust! Kentucky Fried Chicken saw that and ramped up its own destructive powers, by making a sandwich in which the bread is replaced by slabs of fried chicken.  Seriously … do people really that this is is a GOOD idea?  Then a few major league ballparks started serving their burgers on doughnuts instead of buns.  I’m afraid to find out what will come next.

Scary Meal #5
Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt with wavy fries and marinara
1,260 calories
63 g fat (21 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,010 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 18 T.G.I. Friday’s Frozen Cheddar & Bacon Potato Skins

Apparently, Denny’s deemed the classic grilled cheese too boring for our novelty seeking taste buds, so they fixed it by driving four deep-fried cheese sticks into the core of the sandwich. So what you end up with are cheese sticks with extra cheese between slabs of buttered bread and a pile of fried potatoes on the side. If Denny’s was serious about improving the grilled cheese, they would have skipped the novelty and brought in big-flavor ingredients like sautéedmushrooms or sliced figs. But, of course, if they did that, they might not be able to sell this entire meal for $4. Here’s to cheap food and expensive health care!

Eat This Instead!
Denny’s BLT with Hash Browns
730 calories
47 g fat (10.5 g saturated)
1,270 mg sodium

Scary Meal #4
IHOP New York Cheesecake Pancakes
1,270 calories

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 28 McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets

Further blurring the line between dessert and breakfast, IHOP has infused their fluffy flapjacks with gooey hunks of cheesecake. Next thing you know they’ll be serving breakfast with big scoops of ice cream and chocolate syrup. The best breakfast is one with protein and fresh fruit, but if you’re going to go for the carb-heavy indulgence, there’s a better way to do it. Don’t make it a habit, but IHOP’s Chocolate Chip Pancakes will save you 660 calories.  And it sounds better to me, anyway.  But then, I think most of you already know how I feel about chocolate!!

Eat This Instead!
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
610 calories

Scary Meal #3
Friendly’s Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt
1,500 calories
97 g fat (38 g saturated)
2,090 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 15 Snickers Kudos Granola Bars

Is this a joke? Because it should be. Where a normal hamburger has buns, this one has grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, that’s two grilled-cheese sandwiches with one hunk of ground beef wedged between them. Other iterations of this sandwich have been dubbed “fatty melts”—for obvious reasons. They have twice as much cheese and bread as a regular cheeseburger.  This is just plain GROSS.

Eat This Instead!
Grilled Cheese
790 calories
37 g fat (12 g saturated
1,280 mg sodium

Scary Meal #2
Uno Chicago Grill Lobster BLT Thin Crust Pizza
1,530 calories
87 g fat (30 g saturated)
3,480 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 51 Nabisco Ginger Snap Cookies

On its own, lobster is sweet, healthy, and loaded with lean protein. Yet, for some reason, restaurants never seem to know what to do with it. Case in point: Lobster BLT Pizza, an amalgam of foods that don’t quite fit together: One is seafood, one is diner grub, and one is an Italian-American hybrid. We’re all for trying new things, but not when the toll is 75 percent of your day’s calories and 1½ day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat.

Eat This Instead!
Lobster Wrap with side of roasted vegetables  (YUMMY!!!!)
570 calories
30.5 g fat (4 g saturated)
1,660 mg sodium

DRUM ROLL PLEASE ………………………

Scary Meal #1
Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine
1,550 calories
97 g fat (46 g saturated)
3,910 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 148 Whoppers Malted Milk Balls

Yes, America has a cheese fetish, but this is just excessive. Cheese-filled meatballs? It’s like a beef-based Gusher, a sort of meaty water balloon of fat. Especially problematic is the fact that said meatballs are served on a bed of fettuccine Alfredo, which is basically flat noodles basting in oil, butter, and—yes—cheese. Cut more than a thousand calories by switching dishes. A smart swap like this one (and the hundreds of others in Eat This, Not That!)  a couple times a week and you can lose 2½ pounds a month without ever dieting! 

Eat This Instead!
Spicy Shrimp Diavolo
500 calories
10 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
1,910 mg sodium

Lucky for me, nothing in the top 5 even remotely sounded tasty to me … but several of the “Eat This Instead!” options did sound good and were reasonable in the total calories, fat and sodium.  This is just the tip of the dining out iceberg, and there are so many more items and options in the book.  From time to time I will share more in my blogs and on our website to help you become smarter, savvier and slimmer diners!  It will be an uphill battle, but if people don’t order this crap, restaurants won’t serve it!  It’s almost like eating your last meal, because any one of these could just place another nail in your coffin.  Sorry to be such a downer, but I’m not the one cooking this stuff, I’m not the selling it, and I’m not the one eating it … Just sayin’….

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service wellness and chiropractic center located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Be sure to listen to my weekly radio show beginning Monday, September 10th at 2:00 pm Eastern Time at www.LifeImprovementRadio.com for more health and wellness information and to chat with me on the topics I cover.

Enhanced by Zemanta
1 Comment by Laurie Puckett on August 30, 2010
filed in Heart Health, Weight Loss, Wellness
tagged , , , , ,

Being Heart Smart

Do you know what your risk is for heart disease?  What are you doing to lower your risk? Sadly, Americans have become lazy and apathetic about their health.  They figure they can just take a pill and keep on doing what they are doing … which is why they are now taking a pill.  But statin drugs come with side effects, and they aren’t always benign.  So, what can you do naturally to lower your risk for heart disease? 

Heart disease may be the number one killer in America, but there are things you can do to stay heart healthy.

Can you sit on the floor, stretch your legs out, and touch your toes?

If you can, a new study says that means the arteries around your heart are also flexible, lessening the odds of having a heart attack.

Other ways to stay out of the danger zone:

Skip meat once a week to trim saturated fat intake by 15 percent.

Eat nuts instead.

Ten walnuts every day for a month can reduce bad cholesterol by nearly 10 percent without weight gain.

Listen to music.

One study says women who spend a half hour doing that increased their blood vessel diameter by 26 percent – that’s about the same benefit aerobic exercise offers.

Also remember, 80 percent of heart attacks occur in women who don’t exercise.

Lowering your bad cholesterol by 60 milligrams will also significantly decrease that risk.

These tips are brought to you courtesy of me and Bay News 9, and I can register success on all of these suggestions except being able to sit on the floor and touch my toes.  Flexibility has never been my strong suit, but I will work on it!  Will you?

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service chiropractic and wellness facility located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on August 17, 2010
filed in Heart Health, Wellness
tagged , , , ,

Does Your Teen Get Enough Sleep?

As kids get ready for the start of a new school year, this topic seemed to be pretty timely.  Everyone knows that teens need more sleep than most of them get.  We also know that teens stay up later and sleep in later – or at least they want to, and routinely do on the weekends.  Just think back to your teenage years … going to bed well after midnight and sleeping until noon or later … come on, you know you did! :)  

So here is the article I found on Bay News 9:

It’s tough to get a teen out of bed, especially on a school day.

Now, a new study finds that a few extra minutes of shut-eye can make the difference in a young adult’s day.

According to the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a short delay in school start times may improve a child’s mood, health, and attention in class.

The study looked at 201 students in grades 9 through 12, and all of them attended the same high school.

For the purpose of the study, researchers delayed the school start time from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

The students were then given a sleep survey after the change.

Researchers found that when school was delayed, students reported more satisfaction with sleep, improved motivation, and less daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depressed moods.

Experts say that during the onset of puberty, young people go to bed later and sleep later.

The optimal sleep needs for teenagers is about 9 to 9 and ¼ hours per night.

So any additional sleep seems to make a difference.

*******

Wow … high school starting at 8:30???  The kids here in Pinellas County, Florida would be overjoyed!  With start times around 7:00 am, is it any wonder that teens are half asleep during class.  Not everyone can be a morning person, but every teen should make an effort to at least get an adequate amount of sleep.  Parents and teens alike should consider it to be just as important as doing homework.

That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service chiropractic and wellness facility located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on August 16, 2010
filed in Wellness
tagged , , , , , , , ,

Family Fitness is Fun

Children dancing, International Peace Day 2009...
Image via Wikipedia

With obesity rates in kids on the rise, it isn’t surprising that health clubs are now creating family friendly fitness classes where children can work out with their mom or dad.    Tampa Bay Online (tbo.com) reports:

Kids across the country grow up going to the gym with Mom and Dad.

Ironically, as their parents head to spin class or the weight machines, most kids end up watching TV, playing video games or just hanging out in a designated, supervised kids-only zone.

That’s because fitness centers historically are adult-only playgrounds. Moms don’t get nagged or distracted by the rugrats, and trainers don’t have to watch out for 10-year-olds unable to fully navigate a treadmill’s speed control.

Facilities such as the YMCA and Lifestyle Family Fitness are passionate about exercise for children, but offerings usually segregate kids, teens and adults from one another. The generations simply don’t interact.

Megan Kullman and Audrey Engelberger don’t much like that idea. The St. Petersburg girls, ages 8 and 6, both have pleaded to join their mothers in classes at the St. Petersburg Lifestyle Family Fitness center they frequent. They hear the loud, rhythmic dance music and see a frenzied blur of activity, and ask why they can’t play, too.

A few months ago, Lifestyle decided it wanted to deviate from the old school of thought and launched family-friendly group exercise classes for adults and their children. Five of the 18 Tampa Bay-area Lifestyle locations offer at least one hour long Family Fit class each week.

Audrey, Megan and Megan’s younger brother, Adam, 5, are among the first kids attempting the “Body Attack” class. Megan and Adam’s mom, Katie Kullman, says it shows the kids how seriously she takes her exercise.

“It’s nice for them to see how hard it is. It’s not just bouncing around,” she says.

Body Attack instructor Susan Lyens says she doesn’t modify the high-intensity cardio workout because kids are there. Instead, she treats all students the same, pushing them all to keep stretching, squatting, jumping and leaping around the large studio. She does use the fact that kids are in the room to make sure adults – including about a dozen non-parents – keep going.

Most of the children in the class (usually about 10) remain for the entire hour. Older tweens and teens have a harder time staying focused. Audrey’s mom holds her 6-year-old’s hand whenever she struggles to keep the fast pace.

“I was impressed she made it all the way through the class,” Judy Engelberger says.

Younger children, up to age 10, need more water breaks than the adults, but they seem fascinated by the music and exercises with names such as Superman. Instructor Lyens, the mother of a 2-year-old, says Family Fit really works best with kids ages 4 and older.

Lifestyle traditionally requires kids to be 12 to sign up for a group fitness class, the most popular part of the national chain’s fitness programming. And it has had a lot of success with an annual teen fitness pass that gives youths 13 and older free access to the gym during the summer.

Carlene Childress, the center’s group fitness manager, says the fitness industry forgot how important it is to catch a child’s interest early, especially at a time when obesity is so prevalent. And like having a play place where parents can safely leave the kids, the family fitness idea is also good business.

“It takes care of us in the future,” she says. “If they love it as a kid, they will be our customer in the future.

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service wellness and chiropractic facility in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on August 13, 2010
filed in Weight Loss, Wellness
tagged , , , , , , ,

Can You Get Too Much Sleep?

A child sleeping.
Image via Wikipedia

How much sleep do you get on average each night?  Do you sleep 4-5 hours?  Or, are you more like your typical teenager, sleeping 10-12 hours a night (at least on the weekends)?  Believe it or not, getting too much sleep is just as bad for you as not getting enough sleep.  What about me?  I get about 7 hours of sleep a night, but I know my body really needs 8.  And, since I can’t boost my energy levels artificially with caffeine, some days I am really dragging!

No one can dispute the restorative value of sleep, but not only is a lack of sleep detrimental, so is getting too much of it.  In fact, studies have conclusively shown a link between long and short sleep duration and both diabetes and hypertension.

No one can dispute the restorative value of sleep, but not only is a lack of sleep detrimental, so is getting too much of it. In fact, studies have conclusively shown a link between long and short sleep duration and both diabetes and hypertension.

Now, a new study conducted by the West Virginia school of Medicine shows that sleep duration has an impact on cardiovascular health.  Dr. Anoop Shankar, associate professor in the Department of Community Medicine led the team which discovered the association.

Study Details

The team looked at data collected in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey; more than 30,000 adults over the age of 18 were analyzed. 

According to the journal Sleep, which is currently publishing the study, 2,146 of the participants had cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke.   Eight percent of them claimed to get 5 hours of sleep or less per night, while 9% got more than 9 hours.

The researchers found that those who slept more than 9 hours per night were 1.5 times more likely to experience heart attack and stroke, while adults under the age of 60 who slept only 5 hours had a threefold increased risk over those who consistently got 7 hours per night.
 
In the study abstract, the team concludes, “Compared with sleep duration of 7h, there was a positive association between both shorter and longer sleep durations and CVD in a represetative sample of US adults.  These results suggest that sleep duration may be an important marker of CVD.

Sleep Statistics

According to the Sleep Research Society’s Spring 2010 bulletin, there significant differences between varying ethnic groups when it comes to sleep.  The National Sleep Foundation
 conducted a poll in March of 2010 among Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics and Whites; here’s some of what they discovered:

*Asians report getting the “best” sleep
*African-Americans get the least amount of sleep, but also say they don’t need as much
*Hispanics are most likely to lose sleep over financial worries and personal/relationship problems
*Whites are more likely than other ethnic groups to sleep with a pet.

Interesting, huh?  I though so, too. 

Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service chiropractic and wellness facility in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Enhanced by Zemanta
No Comments by Laurie Puckett on August 7, 2010
filed in Diabetes, Heart Health, Wellness
tagged , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Call Today: (727) 525-1141 Visit Us: 6416 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street N. Saint Petersburg, FL 33702