Month: January 2023

3 Minutes a Day

To Your Health
January, 2023 (Vol. 17, Issue 01)

By Editorial Staff

If you struggle to find time and/or inspiration to reach your daily, weekly – and plain old anytime – physical activity goals, listen up: It doesn’t have to take as much time and effort as you think to make a big difference.

The difference we’re talking about: living longer and healthier. The time and effort required: as few as three minutes a day.

New research suggests short bursts of activity throughout the day matter; in fact, as few as three minutes daily can reduce mortality risk by a whopping 40 percent, even if that’s the extent of your physical exertion. Researchers tracked 25,000+ adults (average age: 62 years at the start of the study) for approximately seven years, using wearable sensors to assess how “brief bursts of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” correlated with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality. All participants were classified as “non-exercisers,” meaning they did not get any leisure-time physical activity outside of the short bursts (three 1-2 minute bouts daily) dictated by the study.

Compared with people who did not participate in any activity bursts, those who did (average time spent daily: 4.4 minutes) reduced their risk of all-cause and cancer mortality risk by 38-40 percent, with a 48-49 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality risk. Findings appear in Nature Medicine. A separate sample of “exercisers” achieved similar results in terms of mortality / disease risk, suggesting the benefits apply to everyone, regardless of their physical activity habits.

It’s important to point out that study participants’ activity wasn’t what you might think (and dread doing yourself), such as slaving away on a treadmill or hitting the gym to lift weights. They performed “brief bursts of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” – things like walking fast from the parking lot to work; or jogging up stairs instead of just walking. Talk to your doctor for more ways you can incorporate physical activity into your day – as few as three minutes – and reap the profound health benefits.

Headache Got You Down? Try Chiropractic

To Your Health
February, 2019 (Vol. 13, Issue 02)

By Editorial Staff

Anyone who’s experienced a headache (an estimated 90 percent of Americans) knows it can be a real downer, to say the least. Depending on the type, how long it lasts and the severity, a headache can complicate your day or ruin it altogether. Too many people take over-the-counter pain-relief medication for their headaches, and too few make an appointment to a doctor of chiropractic.

How can chiropractic help? According to the American Chiropractic Association, a national association for chiropractors, primary headaches are frequently associated with muscle tension in the neck. That means chiropractic spinal manipulation that helps relieve neck pain and tension can also relieve headache pain. Chiropractors can also provide advice on posture, which can often cause the neck pain / tension and thus contribute to your headaches.

In a recent case study reported in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, a female schoolteacher “experienced long-term relief from tension-type headache (TTH) and major depression following chiropractic treatment.” (Depression is a potential consequence of long-term pain.) The woman, who had been experiencing “disabling” daily headaches of varying intensity for two years, received chiropractic spinal manipulation to spastic lower neck and upper back muscles, along with other nondrug treatments commonly performed by chiropractors, for several months. The woman eventually eliminated all use of pain medication and has now been headache-free for more than six years.

Here are some other natural ways your chiropractor may help you prevent headaches and reduce headache-related pain, per the ACA. Discuss them on your next visit:

• Take breaks and stretch your head / neck through a comfortable range of motion throughout the day, especially if you have a desk job that keeps you in a fixed position.
• Perform low-impact exercise such as walking an low-impact aerobics to help relieve headache pain.
• Avoid teeth clenching, which can stress the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), which connect your jaw to your skull and can lead to headaches.
• Drink adequate water every day to help avoid dehydration, which has been associated with headaches.

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