Acupuncture Really Does Help Relieve Pain: Study

TUESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture alters the way that the brain perceives and processes pain, a finding that suggests the traditional Chinese treatment can effectively relieve pain, according to a new study.

German researchers used functional MRI scans to measure brain activity in 18 people who received painful electrical currents from a device fitted to their left ankle. The researchers then placed acupuncture needles on the participants' right side -- including between the toes, below the knee and near the thumb -- and again inflicted pain in the left ankle.

Without acupuncture, there was major activation of pain-processing areas of the brain. Activation in these areas was significantly reduced when the volunteers received acupuncture.

The researchers also found that acupuncture reduced activation in areas of the brain that control expectations of pain.

The study was to be presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, in Chicago.

"Acupuncture is supposed to act through at least two mechanisms, nonspecific expectancy-based effects and specific modulation of the incoming pain signal," lead author Dr. Nina Theysohn of University Hospital in Essen, Germany, said in a news release from the society. "Our findings support that both these nonspecific and specific mechanisms exist, suggesting that acupuncture can help relieve pain."

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/646589.html

Chiropractic For Stress

Everybody knows that stress is bad for you, and everybody knows chiropractic helps with spinal pain, but not everybody knows that chiropractic also helps the body recover from and deal with stress.

A study done by the University of Conneticut showed that those individuals who had chiropractic care had improved immune respone, likely due to a reduction in the stress response.

As the body is put under stress, the immune system is depressed. This goes for mental or physical stress; the origin doesn't matter.

Chiropractic care relieves the physical stresses that can cause a decrease in the effectiveness of the immune system and restores the body to proper functioning.

The Skinny on Holiday Weight Gain

Reports of your holiday weight gain have been greatly exaggerated. Media stories often suggest that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And in surveys, people say they gain, on average, about five pounds this time of year.

But several studies now show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is just one pound.

The news isn’t all good. Most people don’t ever lose the pound of weight they put on during the holidays, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine. Since the average weight gain during adulthood is about one to two pounds a year, that means much of midlife weight gain can be explained by holiday eating.

For people who are already overweight, the holiday weight news is worse. Although the average gain is only one pound, people who are already overweight tend to gain a lot more. One study found that overweight people gained five pounds or more during the holidays.

And we start packing on that extra pound of holiday weight early in life. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma studied holiday weight gain among college students during the Thanksgiving break. The students were weighed the day before Thanksgiving, then weighed again about two weeks later. The average weight gain for the 94 students was about one pound. Students who were of normal weight gained about a half a pound during the period. Students who were overweight, meaning their body mass index was 25 or more, gained about two pounds.

Holly Hull, the lead researcher on the Oklahoma study, says Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a “high risk” time for the overweight. “I think the number of people who only overeat at the Thanksgiving meal is slim to none,” said Dr. Hull. “The holiday season doesn’t represent one day of overeating. You have this period that extends through the new year where there’s more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods and appetizers that are energy dense.”

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/the-skinny-on-holiday-weight-gain/

Free Radical Damage

A lot of people have heard of free radicals, but not a lot of people know that they are related to the aging process.

Free radicals are charged particles that cause a lot of damage on the molecular level to basically anything they touch. They have this property due to the fact that they are missing an electron, which makes them highly reactive.

As free radicals contact the surface of various objects, they strip away an electron and destabilize that other molecule. So, in bits and pieces, free radicals tear down the fabric of whatever material they come into contact with.

This is a problem when that material is you. Free radical damage will break down and damage whatever cells they come into contact with, eventually leading to a loss of function. This gradual decline due to free radical damage is one of the major causes of aging.

That's why antioxidants are so popular... they protect you from the effects of free radicals by absorbing them before they can hurt you.

Source: How To Live Longer

Green Tea

Green tea has been known as a healthy beverage for centuries, and a recent scientific article backs up traditional knowledge. Japanese researchers reviewed a large amount of data from many different sources and summarized several conclusions.

Most of their findings were centered around the antioxidant properties of green tea. These are pretty well known, and help increase health and vitality throughout the body, but especially in the blood vessels (it helps keep them elastic).

There's more to it than that, though. Green tea also helps to mineralize (strengthen) the bones, help combat obesity, and even has some anti-viral and anti-fungal properties as well.

Add some green tea in to your daily routine to promote some wellness!

Source article: Health Benefits of Green Tea

Garlic Oil Helps Your Heart

Some new research has shown how garlic helps with keeping the heart and cardiovascular system healthy.

While garlic has been advised for a long time to aid in this sort of health, it's only recently that science has been able to figure out why it's so helpful. It turns out, the antioxidants in garlic are strongly protective to damage caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are damaging, toxic chemicals that are found both in the environment and inside of the body. On contact with body tissues, they chip away at them and make them weaker slowly over time. This is particularly true with heart tissue and the lining of blood vessels.

Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals by essentially absorbing and neutralizing them. Garlic, in particular, has powerful antioxidants that seem particularly effective in protecting the body against the specific free radicals that damage heart muscle versus other kinds of tissue.

So don't skimp out on the garlic! Your heart will thank you!

Source article: Garlic Heart Health

Exercise Increases Growth Hormone

One benefit of exercise you may not have been aware of is that it increases the level of growth hormone circulating throughout human body. Growth hormone is a vital component of the body's endocrine system that essentially keeps your body young and vibrant.

The effects of increased growth hormone include:

-increased protein synthesis
-increased immune response
-increased muscle mass
-decreased body fat
-increased calcium retention in bone

While growth hormone is occasionally used by athletes looking to gain a competitive edge (this is illegal, by the way), your body naturally secretes it from the pituatary gland, located at the base of the brain. GH levels start to decline around age 30 to 35, and slowly diminish as the years go by.

However, intense exercise has been shown to boost the levels of this hormone, which really does make exercise an anti-aging therapy! Especially helpful are exercises like the leg lunge, a multi-joint body weight leg exercise. For more information on the topic, stop in the office and ask to talk to our personal trainer Ann!

FDA bans sketchy weight loss supplement

Another one bites the dust. In the latest in a long string of supplements banned by the FDA, a product called "Slimming Beauty" has been found to contain a dangerous, prescription-only stimulant that isn't even available for use in the United States.

This product is sold over the internet by a company called Beautiful Health, and contains sibutramine, which is a prescription stimulant that has been found to cause cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, and death.

People need to stop trying to find shortcuts to weight loss, which only leads to unwanted and potentially disastrous side effects. The best way to lose body fat will always be fixing your diet and exercise habits. There really is no other safe way to do it.

If you're feeling like you need some guidance in this area, Triune has professionals that can help you with your diet and exercise program. Simply contact the office and we can arrange for a consultation.

Source article: Dangerous Weight Loss Supplement

Scientific Proof Massage Reduces Stress

A recent study proves that massage really does reduce the biochemical effects of stress. Namely, it reduces the levels of a stress hormone called cortisol, which does a great deal of damage to the body in chronic doses.

Your body normally produces cortisol in response to stress, which is not a problem in small doses. However, long term exposure to cortisol causes damage to the body; in fact, a lot of chronic diseases are being linked to coritsol.

In this scientific study, subjects had their blood tested before and after a massage. The researchers found that levels of cortisol were lower in the Swedish massage group of subjects. In other words, massage really does have a biochemical effect on your stress levels!

So don't call that massage a luxury. Stress is a killer and health is wealth, so take care of yourself and get regular massage to reverse the effects of a stressful life!

Source article here: Proof of Massage and Stress Reduction

Glucosamine Sulfate

A recent study in the British Medical Journal casts doubt on whether or not glucosamine sulfate actually is effective for joint pain. However, most of the studies on this supplement are flawed because they don't have their subjects use the supplement properly.

In my experience, about half of the people who try glucosamine see results. However, there's a few guidelines you need to follow in order to have any chance at all.

First off, you have to take it consistently. This means every day, and don't miss a dose. Then, you have to give it time. Generally speaking, you'll need to take glucosamine consistently for six to eight weeks minimum in order to find out if it's going to do you any good.

The other part that's usually missed when it comes to glucosamine supplements is that a little exercise is necessary to make it work right. Light and mild exercise will actually promote the creation of cartilage, which is what you want when you're taking glucosamine.

By placing a little bit of stress on the joint with that exercise, you will tell the body to build that joint back up, and then your body will utilize the building blocks (in the form of glucosamine) that you've been taking. Just don't overdo it! Too much exercise will continue the process of breaking the joint down.

Basically speaking, if you can do the exercise pain-free, you're not going to cause any problems. If you have discomfort, don't do it. Try to pick non-impact exercises like walking or swimming.

This is the "hidden" secret to using glucosamine properly: make sure you have a mild bit of exercise along with it to encourage the body to actually put the supplement to good use.

Source: Does Glucosamine Work?

Why Take A Multivitamin?

Since we here at Triune recently started carrying a new line of whole food-based supplements, I've been getting a lot of questions about exactly why someone would take a multivitamin in the first place.

It's a fair question. After all, shouldn't we be able to get everything we need from our diet?

The answer to that is, yes and no. First off, are you really eating that healthy of a diet? Most Americans are not. We eat a lot of packaged, processed foods which, although convenient and inexpensive, aren't very good for us. Lots of these foods have had most of the nutrients taken out of them by the refining process.

So that's the first place a multivitamin can help... by filling some gaps left by a diet that might be less than indeal. But even if you're eating the right things, you can still run into problems.

Government studies have shown a disturbing trend with fruits and vegetables; namely, that they don't have as much of the vitamins and minerals in them that they used to. This is likely due to overfarming and industrial food practices, but the end result is, you might not be getting what you think you're getting in your food... even if you do make the right choices. So there's another place a multivitamin can help fill gaps: making up for the potential lack of nutrients in supposedly healthy foods.

Finally, there just may be gaps caused by the random assortment of foods you happened to pick that day. Who's going to research and plan out every bit of food they eat every day to make sure all of the possible vitamins and minerals are covered? So there's another reason to take a multivitamin... because you just never know what you might have missed.

Essentially, multivitamins function best as insurance against potential gaps in nutrition. The good news is, they're quite inexpensive. Ask us about Catalyn, the new all-natural, whole foods-based multivitamin, and you'll be surprised at how inexpensive it is and what it has to offer!

Ab Workouts for Mom

Moms face an extra difficult challenge when it comes to their ab workout. Not only are they dealing with the weight gain and body changes associated with a recent pregnancy, but also the demands of caring for their children make it harder for them to actually get their training in.

In this article, I hope to give you some quick information that will make it easier for you moms to bounce back as quickly as possible. The good news is, abs training is cheap and relatively easy. You don’t have to belong to a gym and the two pieces of equipment I usually recommend (stability ball and medicine ball) cost around twenty bucks each.

Plus, you can do it in your home and sneak it in pretty quickly. You first have to make up your mind that you can do it, though. Once you try it out a few times, you’ll see that even with a mom’s crazy schedule, you too can fit in some effective abs training.

First off, avoid heavy resistance. You don’t need to mess with any heavy dumbbells or gym equipment… in fact, I suggest you avoid all that. Heavy resistance training builds bulk and you don’t want that. Stick with very light resistance or body weight based exercises.

Next, split up your training. What I mean by that is, remember that you have front abs, side abs, and what I like to call the “rear abs” or lower back extensors that make up your core. Each needs to be trained… but they don’t all have to be done at one. You can more easily sneak in your front abs training alone, then come back later to side abs, then later still for the extensors, much more easily than trying to find the time to do them all together.

By separating them out, now you only need a few spare minutes here and there to get your training in. It’s MUCH easier to fit in, say, five minutes of exercise three different times, than fifteen minutes straight. Make things easier for yourself.

Finally, target your lower front abs and tranversus (that’s a deep muscle that goes around your stomach like a girdle). These are usually the problem areas for moms, and here’s a great exercise to handle them.

It’s called the ball transfer and it’s what it sounds like. Lie on your back with legs flat and arms overhead holding a medicine ball or exercise ball (your choice). Lift up your legs and put the ball in between your lower legs and squeeze to hold it there. Lower your arms and legs to the floor (the ball is still between your legs). Lift them back up and take the ball from between your legs and hold it in your hands. Lower your arms and legs to the floor. Now you’re right back where you started, so just repeat. You’ll feel it soon enough.

While you do the exercise, visualize pressing your belly button to your spine (or sucking your gut in, whichever image works). This will engage that deep transversus muscle.

For more information on this or any other fitness training, come in and talk to our fitness instructor, Ann. She offers free introductory sessions!

Source: Ab workout information for moms

Can You Use Theanine As An Autism Supplement?

Autism is a developmental condition that can be difficult to deal with and is surprisingly common as well. It is a neurological developmental disorder, characterized by problems with social development and communication, and children with autism often perform repetitive or compulsive tasks.

Widely believed to be genetic in nature, cues or stresses from the environment can trigger or worsen these sorts of conditions. You've may have heard some of the controversial arguments about the possible link of certain vaccines and autism- we're not going to get into that in this article. Rather, I'd like to discuss a supplement called theanine and it's potential for helping those with autism.

Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in tea and also available as a supplement. One of the interesting properties of theanine is that it can cross the blood-brain barrier.
Your brain does not use blood for nourishment like the rest of your body. Rather, the central nervous system is supplied by a filtrate of blood called cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). This is the fluid drawn off and tested in a "spinal tap".

Most substances including medications cannot pass this barrier and get filtered out. Some thing can make it through, and therefore can have an effect on the brain, like theanine.
Studies suggest theanine can affect levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. More importantly, theanine has been shown to increase alpha wave activity in the brain.

Alpha waves are brain patterns which are typically referred to as "wakeful relaxation". Think of being awake and alert but with your eyes closed and being very calm. That's an alpha wave state.

Some believe that by encouraging the alpha wave state in the brain, some of the symptoms of autism could be alleviated. While there are no studies specifically on this, it does seem to make some sense physiologically. It's certainly not a cure, but it is possible that it may help.
If you're wondering if theanine really promotes alpha waves and calm, our very own Rita swears by it to calm herself down for the dentist!

There isn't any reason not to try it. Theanine is extremely safe and has been shown to be safe even at high doses.

Source article: Theaninie Autism Supplement?

Red Meat Not Bad For You After All

Good news for steak lovers. New research shows that the long-standing theory that red meat is a big part of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic ailments isn't correct after all.

Instead, the main issue appears to be with PROCESSED meats. It appears that in previous research, the researchers simply lumped all forms of red meat together, whether or not it was processed. So, people eating grass-fed steak (a healthy variety of red meat) got lumped in the same category as somebody eating a ketchup-covered hamburger with a side of french fries.

Since most of the red meat in this country is processed, this creates the appearance that ALL red meat is bad for you. However, once you seperate out the actual true physiological cause of chronic heart disease and other complaints, it becomes evident that the real problem is in the processing of the meat, and also, what is consumed along with it.

People rarely eat hamburgers without a soda and fries, right? And so if I'm a researcher and I see that everybody eating hamburgers is fat and has heart disease, I might assume it's become of the red meat, not the fact that the people involved are also eating tons of fried, salty potatoes and sugar-rich soda.

There's actually nothing wrong with red meat. In fact, grass-fed cattle produce a very healthy meat balanced in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids (I've posted articles before on this in relation to fish oils). So don't run away from a nice, grass-fed steak... just don't smother it in sugary barbeque sauce and eat a pile of french fries with it!

Source file: Red Meat Bad for You?

How Sugar Makes You Fat

Have you heard of terms like “glycemic index”? How about just “low carb diets”? There’s a ton of buzz out there about sugar and sugary foods and how they make you fat, but not a lot of people know just how that whole thing works.

It’s not magic. It’s actually a pretty straightforward mechanism.

It’s all about insulin, a hormone that your body uses to remove sugar from the bloodstream. When sugar is released into the blood by digestion, the body releases insulin to clear it out.

When sugar levels rise slowly, there’s no problem. The problem arises when blood sugar levels spike from consuming high-glycemic (sugary carbs) food.

When that happens, your body also will spike your insulin levels to meet with the sugar demand. This is where we start running into problems.

High levels of insulin tell the body to store and keep fat. In fact, with high insulin levels, you’ll keep fat even if you’ve cut your calories down and feel like you’re starving.

In addition, insulin blocks the action of glucagon, the hormone that your body uses to use up fat as a fuel source, so it turns into a double-barrel problem.

Make that triple! Insulin also blocks the action of growth hormone, which also burns up fat and also is involved with the creation of new muscle growth. So, high levels of insulin have a multi-pronged effect on your body. Think of it as the Triple Threat of Fatness.

As your blood sugar levels start to drop due to the action of insulin,that signals your body to start feeling hungry. So, not only does insulin keep you fat, it makes you want to eat more! And especially, it makes you want to eat more carbs!

So, it shouldn’t seem too surprising that high-carb, high-sugar diets make us fat. With insulin levels jumping all over the place, making us fat and hungry at the same time, it’s a recipe for disaster!
If you’ve got a little extra jiggle around the middle that you’ve been meaning to get rid of, stop in Triune and ask about our new personal trainer, Ann Gruber. She’s a fitness competitor and offers free trial sessions, so there’s nothing to lose but inches!

Dangerous Weight Loss Drug Pulled From Market

A very dangerous weight loss supplement called Que She was recently pulled from the market by the Food and Drug Adminstration, and for good reason. It contains various prescription medications, including one of the two drugs in the Fen-Phen combo that was outlawed in 1997.

This particular drug created a lot of heart problems for those taking it, in particular, issues with damage to the valves of the heart. When the one-way heart valves are damaged, blood can back up and leak back into the heart, making it harder for circulation to proceed normally. This is the cause of what many people refer to as a "heart murmur". A lot of people ended up having these kinds of problems from taking this weight loss medication, and as a result, Fen-Phen was pulled from the market and a whole lot of lawsuit began to fly.

There were several other prescription medications found in Que She, all of which have the potential to create or worsen various cardiovascular conditions.

The most important thing to take away from this is to recognize that short cuts just don't work with weight loss. The only true way to lose weight and get fit is to fix your diet and get the right kind of exercise.

That can be difficult, but you do have resources to help you. Here at Triune, we recently brough on board an excellent personal trainer named Ann Gruber. Ann is a fitness competitor with ten years of experience in the fitness industry. She offers one free training session to Triune members, so ask us about it on your next visit and give her a try!

But skip the crazy, dangerous supplements!

Fish Oils and Breast Cancer Risk

Breast cancer is a devastating disease with a tremendous amount of impact on our society, so it's always good news when any forward strides on dealing with this menace are found. Recently, scientific study examined the relationship of fish oil supplements with the incidence of breast cancer, and found some surprising results.

The study itself was massive... over 30,000 women were interviewed and followed over the course of six years. It's always incredible to me when I read about long-term studies of that magnitude, and try to realize the scope of effort required to track that many people for that long of a time.

In this case, the payoff was worth it. Those women who reported that they were taking fish oil supplements also had a significantly lower incidence of breast cancer.

How much lower? Over 30% lower! Talk about a big difference!

This is big news for women who have a family history of this type of cancer, of course, and the best part of it is, fish oils are a natural substance that have significant health benefits in many other areas, especially inflammation. So, now there's another very big reason to consider adding fish oils as a supplement to a healthy diet and wellness lifestyle!

Source: Fish Oil and Breast Cancer Risk

Caffeinate Your Workout
By Ann Gruber Triunes Personal Trainer and Nutrition Consultant

I am proud to announce that I am a Starbucks Gold Card holder! The day I received my Gold Card in the mail was a very exciting day. My loved ones (my boyfriend) scoffed at my Gold Card out of mere jealousy and tried to claim his alleged “VIP” status at the Vitamin Shoppe was better, but I’m the one getting free coffees and refills at Starbucks! I frequently hear people telling me they proudly abstain from coffee and caffeine for health purposes; however, research has shown that caffeine provides so many benefits, especially for those who are looking to maximize their time in the gym.

Several studies have shown the benefits of working out while caffeinated. Such benefits include increased strength and endurance, better fat burning and improved recovery. If that is not enough to convince you, then maybe this will. Research has shown that individuals who drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day have 25% less chance of acquiring type-2 diabetes. Furthermore, studies that have looked at coffee’s effect on prostate health found that male participants who drank the most coffee had a 60% lower incidence of prostate cancer. One of coffee’s many polyphenols is likely responsible for this. Coffee contains many polyphenols which are potent plant chemicals and are, most likely, the root of many of the health benefits attributed to coffee.

If you are convinced now, then try supplementing with 200-400 mg of caffeine capsules about one hour before you work out. Eight ounces of coffee generally contains between 60-135 mg of caffeine. Other healthy sources of caffeine include espresso, black tea and green tea. I, personally, consume green tea extract before my cardio sessions. The downside of caffeine, unfortunately, is that it can be addictive. I have been drinking coffee ritually in the mornings for years, and when I have been forced to miss my morning coffee, the pounding headache I have by the afternoon is enough to make me sick. This may not sound appealing at all, but moderation is the key to life! With that being said, some key points to remember when embarking on a program of caffeine supplementation: 1) it is most effective when ingested prior to your workout, 2) stick with healthy caffeine sources such as coffee and green tea, and 3) don’t buy the Dunkin Donuts Box O’ Joe, unless you have 10 friends you want to share it with, or else you are asking for a headache.

Ann Gruber is an NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant at Triune. Contact Triune today to set an initial complimentary personal training session with Ann.

Wow! Chocolate can help your heart!

Good news for you chocolate lovers. Turns out your dark master, the cocoa bean, can actually help with your cardiovascular health.

A new study shows that a supplement high in flavanols- the antioxidant in chocolate- can increase the levels of Circulating Angiogenic Cells (CACs), which are cells that float through the bloodstream and fix and maintain blood vessels. They also help create new blood vessels, but in this case, we're mostly interested in that they fix the regular wear and tear that occurs on a day to day basis in your vascular system.

Like any other part of your body, the blood vessels suffer micro damage on a daily basis, like scuff marks on drywall. The CACs float around, note that damage, and fill on the hole and repair it like spackle in drywall.

When that does NOT happen, those holes and pockmarks get worse and worse, and the damaged arteries begin to fill up with plaque deposits made up of cholesterol, eventually leading to blockage of the artery. You've probably heard of this before in connection with people suffering from heart attacks- their cornonary (heart) arteries get blocked up to the point where the heart doesn't get enough blood supply and begins to suffer damage as a result.

So, flavanols in chocolate will help keep your arteries maintained and healthy, so that this process doesn't occur. Now, don't go overboard, or the calories will end up making you chubby, and look for the darkest chocolate you can find. The darker the chocolate, the more flavanols are contained within.

Source article: Chocolate for a Healthy Heart

What's a TENS unit?

In our office, we address neck pain, low back pain, and related spinal complaints mostly by two methods. First and foremost, we deal with the neurological cause of the symptoms through the chiropractic adjustments.

Secondly, we address the muscle spasm that goes along with it by using electric muscle stimulation (EMS), or stim for short. Stim blocks pain messages and helps to reduce the levels of muscle spasm through direct electrical action. Four pads transmit the energy, which feels like an electrical tickle at low levels, and more like an electrical massage at more intense levels.

Many patient find a lot of relief from the EMS therapy, which is why we use it so often. Some people like it so much, they ask us how much one of our EMS machines cost.

The short answer is, too much for the individual to buy just for their home. But, there is a portable version called a TENS unit, which is a battery-operated version about the size of a large cell phone.

They don't have the power or options of the big, permenant devices, but they do a good job of providing temporary relief for people who have chronic pain or problems between chiropractic visits.

For patients who could use that sort of portable relief, we can arrange for a TENS unit for you. A lot of times, these are covered by insurance. Ask us on your next visit and we'll fill you in on the details.