DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Tuesday, September 16, 2013 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

"There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."  ~ Nelson Mandela

Mental Attitude: You’re Not a Left or Right Brained Thinker. Researchers claim there's no such thing as a left or right brained thinker. Scientists analyzed the brain activity of over 1,000 individuals and found no relationship that people used their left-brain network or right-brain network more often than the other. PLOS ONE, August 2013

Health Alert: Lyme Disease Cases Under-reported. According to new research, each year about 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease, but only about 10% of the cases are reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These numbers confirm that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem and supports the need for improved treatment and prevention. The CDC advises people to prevent Lyme disease and other tick born diseases by using insect repellant, checking for ticks daily, showering soon after being outdoors, and calling their doctor if they get a fever or rash. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 2013

Diet: Caffeine May Benefit the Liver. A recent study has found that consuming four servings of caffeine per day may prevent and protect against the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Caffeine appears to reduce fat content within the liver, and these findings may lead to further studies on the benefits of caffeine in the human diet.   Hepatology, August 2013

Exercise: Do You Have an Activity Tracker App? Smart phone apps that sync with high-tech wristbands such as the Nike+ Fuelband and the Jawbone UP can act as your virtual fitness coach. These apps track steps, heart rate, calories burned, your mood, sleep quality, and also remind you to move more often.  New York Daily News, August 2013

Chiropractic: Maintenance Care. Maintenance care is a treatment regimen designed to provide for a patient's continued well-being or for maintaining the optimum state of health while minimizing recurrences of the clinical status. Periodic patient visits permit chiropractors to identify joint dysfunction and make corrections with spinal manipulation or other manual procedures. Maintenance care is believed to prevent both neuromusculoskeletal and visceral disease.  Journal of Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics, January 2000

Wellness/Prevention: Flavonoids Kill Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells.  Researchers have discovered that the flavonoids apigenin and luteolin (found in celery, artichokes, and other produce) can interfere with the DNA of human pancreatic cancer cells, ultimately leading to their self-destruction. One of the study's authors stated, "If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables throughout your life, you'll have chronic exposure to these bioactive flavonoids, which would certainly help to reduce the risk of cancer.”  Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, August 2013