DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Friday, September 27, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ~ Søren Kierkegaard

Mental Attitude: Alcohol and Depression. A seven-year Spanish study analyzed 2,683 men and 2,822 women with no prior history of depression or alcohol-related problems. The researchers found that individuals who drank moderate amounts of wine (two to seven small glasses per week) were less likely to suffer from symptoms of depression than non-drinkers. However, wine consumption greater than seven glasses per week was linked to a greater risk of depression.   BMC Medicine, August 2013

Health Alert: Air Pollution Contributes to Early Deaths. Recently, scientists used data from the Environmental Protection Agency to ascertain how many early deaths resulted from air pollution. They evaluated six different sources of pollution including electric power, industry, road transportation, marine transportation, rail transportation, and other commercial/ residential sources. Their results showed that air pollution causes about 200,000 premature deaths each year. The greatest number of early deaths came from road transportation at 53,000 per year.   Atmospheric Environment, September 2013

Diet: Inadequate Gut Bacteria. A Danish study found that individuals with the lowest and least diverse populations of intestinal bacteria are more at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation. Nature, August 2013

Exercise: Every Minute Counts. Scientists have found that even brief bouts of intense exercise have the same effect for preventing weight gain as exercising for 10 or more minutes at a time. The data showed that just one minute of high intensity exercise daily lowered the chances of obesity by 5% for women and 2% for men. The study's lead author, Dr. Jessie X. Fan stated, "What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration."   American Journal of Health Promotion, September 2013

Chiropractic: Rehabilitation for Scoliosis Effective. Twenty-eight patients with scoliosis received the same chiropractic rehabilitation program for six weeks. At the end of the treatment, improvements were recorded. Twenty-four months later, radiographs revealed the patients' bodies maintained the improvements. This is the first report to demonstrate sustained radiographic, self-rated, and physiological benefits after treatment concluded.  Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. September 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Stop Smoking. Smoking is a significant risk factor for heart disease due to coronary artery damage. A recent study found that even though quitting smoking does not reverse the damage inflicted on the coronary arteries, it does eventually reduce the former smoker's risk of heart attack and death to the same levels as those who have never smoked.  European Society of Cardiology Conference, September 2013