Let the horses out of the paddock

A 9/12 patient was in with me the other day and I asked her if she had been getting any exercise. She said that, because the kids were back in school, she was because she had to take the horses out. It struck me that this is a somewhat common response from people though most of the time it is the dog making them walk. To be honest, I’ve fallen off my exercise routine since September and have been using the dog as an excuse to walk myself, so I’m not always a saint.

This would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. We have gotten so out of touch with our bodies and our genetic make-up that we have forgotten that we need exercise as a matter of course just like the horse, the dog, the hamster on the wheel, or even the goldfish. Now let’s be clear about a few things, going to the grocery store and walking up and down the aisles isn’t really exercise. It’s better than ordering your groceries online but I’ll bet you don’t work up a sweat too often at the grocery store.

So what can we do about it? Remember that we too are in the bodies of animals and that the body we occupy needs to exercise. I’ve owned a number of dogs in my life but I’ve only had one body to call my own. If I fail to exercise my dog, I’ll be no crueler to it than I am to myself for not exercising. Be an animal!! Get up and start exercising. I recommend some form of aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling) along with a type of resistance exercise (weights, stretch bands, etc.). Try to do each type twice a week (total of four) for up to an hour. On the other days, try to get in 20 minutes of walking if possible. Set a goal that is doable so you aren’t setting yourself up for failure. If that means getting up from the computer, putting your coat on, stepping out the door, and then going right back inside, so be it. It’s a start. You can work upwards from there.

How Sweet It Is - Or Not

9 Reasons NOT to Eat Sugar

According to a recent study, many of us eat the equivalent of 53 heaping teaspoons of white refined sugar every day. It finds its way into a wide variety of processed foods these days. A typical 12 ounce mineral contains the equivalent of 9 heaping teaspoons of sugar!
Here are nine reasons to avoid refined (white) sugar in your diet:
1. Sugar contributes to tooth decay because it decreases the effectiveness of a particular type of white blood cell that “eats” bacteria.
2. Sugar causes the body to release more adrenalin, which may explain hyperactivity in young children.
3. Calcium loss in urine occurs when a person consumes a soft drink containing sugar.
4. Ingesting sugar makes the pancreas work harder to produce insulin. Diabetes results when the overworked pancreas’ can no longer eliminate sugar from the blood stream.
5. White refined sugar is bleached with chlorine, which, when it comes into contact with certain organic compounds, converts to dioxin, a lethal compound.
6. Sugar can hinder weight loss because high insulin levels (see # 5 above) cause the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat.
7. Sugar increases the likelihood of chronic fatigue.
8. Sugar increases mood swings, irritability and anxiety.
9. Sugar compromises the immune system because it lowers the efficiency of white blood cells for a minimum of five hours.

Get More Out of Your Walk

A lot of you have heard me talking about core muscles (those around the stomach and low back) and the need to strengthen them in order to protect your spine and prevent injury. Usually I suggest taking a course like Pilates. While classes that help strengthen the core muscles are a good idea, there are a few things you can do while walking to tighten up those all important core muscles.

While out for your walk, breathe in deeply remembering to breathe down into your stomach (not by lifting your shoulders), and then breathe out hard pulling your navel toward your spine. Hold that for a count of five while walking and then release. Do this ten times, take a brief rest, and repeat two more times.

Here’s another one, do lunges while walking. Keep your spine straight and your stomach muscles tight, step forward two to three feet (find what you can do), keep the knee directly over the ankle that has stepped forward, lift the rear foot off the ground and balance on the forward foot for a moment. Do the same with the other foot. You may want to practice that one in the house before you take it out in public ;-)

What Pillow Should I Use

I am regularly asked by patients, “What pillow should I use?” This is a tough question to answer because our body types and postures can be so different and there is very little research available to fall back on (pardon the pun). What is known is that there are a host of waking symptoms (neck pain/stiffness, headaches, shoulder and/or arm pain) that may be eased with the use of a proper pillow.

Before you start looking for a new pillow, make sure you sleep in a position that is not going to hurt your neck or upper back. Sleep on your back or on your side but not on your stomach. Also, make sure your neck and upper back have been evaluated by a chiropractor to insure that the problems you are experiencing are not from something other than your pillow.

A pillow is a pretty personal item but I can offer general guidelines –
• In my clinical experience, the so called ‘cervical pillows’, the ones with the bump, are not that good and most people will discard them
• Memory foam pillows are quite good but you need to make sure it’s the right firmness for you. I personally prefer a softer one. They can be warm.
• A good quality (read expensive), goose down, feather pillow can be quite nice
• Before you shop, decide what’s wrong with your present pillow. Is it too hard or soft? Too low or high? Is it too hot? Does it push into your neck?
• If you stay in a hotel with a comfortable pillow, ask housekeeping if you can buy one from them or where you could get one.
• Buy a pillow where they sell beds and lie on it for 15 minutes. How does it feel?
• If you think your pillow is too flat, fold a towel and put it in your pillow case under your pillow. Does that help?
• A lot of what’s sold is gimmicky. Be careful or you’ll wind up with a closet full of slightly used pillows.

As I said, pillows are quite a personal item. I hope this at least gets you started and good luck on your search..

Save Money, Eat Less Meat

It can be challenging to serve healthy meals on a budget, but with planning you can eat better for less. Many people save money by adding meatless meals to their weekly menus. Meatless meals are built around vegetables, beans and whole grains—instead of meat, which tends to be more expensive. Meatless meals also offer health benefits.
Just eating less meat has a protective effect. A National Cancer Institute (USA) study of 500,000 people found that those who ate 4 ounces, a quarter pound, (114 grams) of red meat or more daily were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause over 10 years than were those who consumed less. Sausage, luncheon meats and other processed meats also increased the risk. Those who ate mostly poultry or fish had a lower risk of death.
The fact is that most Irish get enough protein in their diets. Adults generally need 10 to 35 percent of their total daily calories to come from protein. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, this amounts to about 50 to 175 grams a day. Of course, you can get protein from sources other than meat and studies show that no more than 5% of daily calories should come from animal protein. Non-meat sources of protein are often less expensive
You don't have to go cold turkey (sorry, I love puns). Instead, try easing into meatless meals. Consider going meatless one day a week. If you don't like the idea of a whole day without meat, start with a couple of meatless dinners each week. Plan meals that feature entrees you like that are typically meatless, such as lasagna, soup or pasta salad. Or try substituting the following protein-rich foods for meat in your favorite recipes:
• Beans and legumes — great in casseroles and salads
• Vegetarian re-fried beans — good substitute for meat in burritos and tacos
• Tofu — perfect addition to stir-fry dishes
When your meals include meat, don't overindulge. A serving of protein should be no more than 3 ounces (85 grams)—or about the size of a deck of cards—and should take up no more than a fourth of your dinner plate. Vegetables and fruits should cover half your plate, with whole grains filling in the rest.
If you have any good meatless recipes, why not post them.

Forward Head Posture

For every inch your head moves forwards, it gains 10 pounds in weight, or at least that’s what the muscles in your upper back and neck feel, because they have to work that much harder to keep the head (chin) from dropping onto your chest. This also puts pressure on your nerves. This nerve compression may cause headaches at the base of the skull. This nerve pressure can also mimic sinus (frontal) headaches.

It's not uncommon to observe 2 and even 3 inches of anterior head placement in new patients. Would you be surprised that your neck and shoulders hurt if you had a 20-pound watermelon hanging around your neck? That's what forward head posture (FHP) can do to you. Left uncorrected, FHP will continue to get worse. Chiropractic can be very corrective. Our specialty is in reversing the joint fixations (what we refer to as “subluxations”), restoring normal nerve signals, and in re-invigorating the muscles that normally retract the head.

A head held in proper position will have the ear directly over the shoulder. Take a moment and check your loved ones. To check yourself, stand with your back to a wall, have your heels touching the wall, now bring your head straight back (don’t tip your chin upwards) until your head touches the wall. That is proper posture.

Look After Your Health

Many years ago, dentists taught everyone that the best time to go to the dentist is before your teeth hurt and that routine dental care will help your teeth remain healthy for a long time. The same is true of chiropractic care for your spine. It is important to remember that, just like your teeth, your spine experiences normal wear and tear as you walk, drive, sit, lift, sleep, and bend. Routine chiropractic care can help you feel better, move with more freedom, and stay healthier throughout your lifetime. Although you can enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care even if you receive care for a short time, the real benefits come into play when you make chiropractic care a part of your wellness lifestyle.

Wellness Paradigm

Wellness is a concept or a lens through which to see the world at the core of which is homeostasis (balance) and holism. The body-mind-spirit is an ecosystem. It is self healing and self regulating and therefore always responds in the most appropriate way possible in any given time to any given environment. Illness results when we fail to supply the body-mind-spirit with the resources it requires.

What does this mean for us living in the developed world of the 21^st century?

Let’s first take a look at modern humanity. First, our genetic structure has not changed for 40,000 years. We are genetically designed to be hunter/gatherers, moving almost continuously and eating fresh food, primarily plant, and some animal. We are designed to be members of a tribe, sharing the duties and responsibilities of looking after the tribe. Does this sound like your life at the early part of the 21^st century? It sure doesn’t sound like mine.

Let’s take the simple act of sitting. The earliest evidence I am aware of our having chairs is a 4,500 year old statue of the goddess Inanna sitting in a chair. So we’ll round that off to 5,000 years ago that we first had chairs after 35,000 years of existence. And those chairs were reserved for the deities and royalty. Now fast forward to the present day and we have elevated sitting to an art form. We even have terms for experts at sitting/lying about – couch potatoes. Think about how much any of us sits with driving, work, TV, computers, pubs, and wherever else we get the chance. I think we can agree, we aren’t moving the way we were designed to do.

Let’s look at food. We did not start farming until 10,000 years ago. That means our genes were well established for 30,000 years before we tilled the soil. We ate fresh produce and wild fish and game. That’s it. Now go to any grocery store and look at what’s in peoples’ baskets. How much of it has a label? I’m of the belief that if it has a label it isn’t food, at least not food as would be defined by our bodies. Take a moment to think about that. How many apples have a list of ingredients? Heads of lettuce, tomatoes, fish, or beef? If it has a list of ingredients, it isn’t food, it is factory product. I won’t depress you by rattling off a list of ingredients of some commonly eaten product like biscuits, crisps, chocolate bars, you get the point. I think we can agree, we aren’t eating the way we were designed to do.

Let’s look at our community, at our network of support, sharing of responsibilities, our commitment to the good of our society. No let’s not look at that it’s already getting me down. But you get the idea.

So here we are in the 21^st century and we’re not living the way we were designed to. And guess what. It shows.  Chronic illnesses (heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, vascular disease, depression, etc.) are pandemic in modern society and getting worse. These illnesses and their increase are not the result of bad genes, they are the result of an environment that is toxic and deficient. Our genes have no choice but to adapt to the environment that stimulates them. What can you do about it? Change your personal environment. We’ll talk about that next.

My Intent

The intent of this blog is to provide my patients with information related to wellness and a wellness lifestyle that I have gathered over 30 years of study. I use the term 'wellness' instead of 'health' because the word 'health' has been co-opted and no longer refers to a state of well being in mind and body but more typically to an absence of symptoms. The state of our 'health' in Western society is such that we are becoming more and more ill with chronic diseases at younger ages.

With the economic situation of the past few years there has been a lot of talk about whether or not we are bankrupting future generations trying to get out of the economic mess we're in. That discussion should be had but in the context of what economic burden are we placing on future generations who will be called upon to pay for the 'illness' care of their parents and grandparents. Take a look at the cost of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) on the NHS in the UK (I will often use statistics from other countries simply because the information is readily available). There are approximately 10,000,000 (that's 10 million!) people taking statins in the UK at a cost of about £1,000,000,000 (that's 1 billion GB pounds!!). A healthy sum for the pharmaceutical companies that make them, you say. Add to that the fact that people on statins are having there cholesterol levels monitored, typically twice a year. When you add up the cost of the GP, the blood tests, etc., you are looking at a twice annual cost of £50 for those on the statins. So that £100 times the 10,000,000 people on statins or another £1,000,000,000 for a total of £2,000,000,000 (2 billion GB pounds!!!) And that's for just one area of care delivering a drug whose benefits have not been demonstrated for the vast majority of those taking them! How many nurses would that money pay for? Maybe 50 - 70,000. Or we could build two university style, fully equipped hospitals PER YEAR!!

The diseases that we are suffering from and which are killing us - heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, etc. - are those of lifestyle. We do not have to sit back and become victims of these diseases or burden our children with caring for us but can be pro-active and take responsibility for our own well being.

This blog is meant to help you on your way. I welcome questions and comments and, if I write anything that you know to be untrue, I would ask that you bring it to my attention. But I would also ask that if you do bring mistakes to my attention that you are able to provide your source of information and that it not be from advertising that serves the seller not the public nor what is considered to be 'common knowledge'. 'Common knowledge' is often mythology.

I encourage you to look at my website under "Meet Dr. Chase Riley" is a section called "May I recommend". I'll be keeping a list of books there that I think may help you on your journey.