WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE Week of: Monday, March 25th Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

Mental Attitude: Happiness and Age? Psychological well-being is linked to important life outcomes such as career success, relationship satisfaction, and health. Well-being tends to increase with age; however, when you were born can have a lasting impact on your overall sense of well-being. For example, people who grew up during the Great Depression started off with lower levels of overall well-being than their children who grew up during more prosperous times. As they aged, their overall sense of well-being increased but stayed below the following generation's levels at similar ages. Based on this data, researchers warn that people growing up in today's more challenging economic environment may experience similar long-lasting effects to their overall sense of well-being. Psychological Science, February 2013

Health Alert: Alcohol On The Brain? Excessive alcohol use accounts for 4% of the global burden of disease, and binge drinking is a growing health issue. Functional signs of brain damage from alcohol misuse in young people include deficits in visual learning, memory, and executive functions. Structural signs of alcohol misuse in young people include shrinking of the brain and significant changes to white matter tracts. Cortex, February 2013

Diet: Obesity Causes Vitamin D Deficiency? Researchers have observed a 4.2% drop in Vitamin D levels for each 10% increase in BMI. Vitamin D is important because it aids bone health and decreases risk of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and early death. PLoS Medicine, February 2013

Exercise: Reduce Risk of Dementia. People who exercise and have higher physical fitness levels during middle age have a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia later in life. Annals of Internal Medicine, February 2013

Chiropractic: Osteoarthritis and Injuries From Early Adulthood. Young adults who had injuries to the knee and/or hip were 3x-5x as likely to suffer from osteoarthritis in the knee and/or hip later in life than young adults who suffered no such injuries. Annals of Internal Medicine, September 2000

Wellness/Prevention: Osteoporosis Risk. Risk factors for osteoporosis include: inadequate dietary calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency, lack of regular weight-bearing exercise, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Medical Journal of Australia, February 2013

Quote: “I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.”~ Thomas A. Edison