Exercising During Pregnancy is Good For Your Baby’s Heart

Babies of mothers who exercised during pregnancy appear to have stronger hearts than babies of sedentary mothers. These findings were presented this week at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in Washington, DC.

“It is my hope that these findings will show that efforts focused on improving health need to start during pregnancy rather than in childhood,” says lead author, Linda E. May.

“Most of the focus today is on school-age children, but interventions should be focused long before that.”

In a previous study, May and her colleagues found that pregnant women who exercised at least 30 minutes three times a week had fetuses with lower heart rates — a sign of heart health — during the final weeks of development.

Now the team has revealed that the fetuses’ improved cardiovascular heart control is maintained one month after pregnancy, which indicates that mothers’ efforts to stay active have lasting effects.

The study, which comprised 61 moms-to-be, monitored maternal-fetal and infant heart function. The women’s aerobic activity levels ranged from power walking to running. Some of the more active participants also lifted weights and practiced yoga.

“The system that controls heart function is known to improve with regular aerobic exercise,” May explains. “And improved heart control function is evidence of a healthy cardiovascular system and overall health. Not only did the mothers’ exercise help maintain and improve their own health, but it set their babies up for a healthier start.”

Experimental Biology – April 12, 2011.

A multivitamin a day may keep heart attacks away

In an effort to guard against heart disease, you may consider adding a multivitamin supplement to your menu of fatty fish, nuts and oat bran.

According to new a study published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who took a one-a-day supplement were 40 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack than their peers who didn’t use multivitamins.

The current study included 33,933 Swedish women aged 49 to 83 years, the vast majority (93 per cent) having no history of heart disease. After 10 years of follow up, 1201 women had suffered a heart attack.

Among women who were free of heart disease upon enrolling in the study, taking a daily multivitamin reduced the risk of heart attack by 27 per cent. The protective effect was stronger among women who used multivitamins for at least five years. Compared with women who didn’t take supplements, those who took multivitamins for five years or longer were 40 per cent less likely to have a heart attack.

There are a number of ways in which a multivitamin may defend against heart disease. Multivitamins contain antioxidant nutrients – vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, selenium – that could lessen artery damage caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are produced naturally when we breathe, but ultraviolet light, cigarette smoking, and the consumption of alcohol are other sources. In high amounts, free radicals contribute to the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries that, if ruptured, can cause a heart attack.

Multivitamins also contain the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12, which have been shown to lower blood homocysteine, an amino acid made by the body during normal metabolism. High homocysteine is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of heart disease.

You can continue reading the full article here.

Fast food breakfast? Think twice about having that coffee

If your morning commute usually includes a greasy breakfast sandwich and a stiff cup of joe, here’s another reason to trade it all in for a fruit cup.

new study from the University of Guelph found that chugging a coffee after a fatty meal of fast food can spike blood sugar in a healthy person to a level similar to those at risk of diabetes. Eating a greasy meal, we already knew, caused spikes in blood sugar. But the dangerous cocktail of caffeine and grease doubles the impact.

Researchers at the University of Guelph say that eating saturated fat makes it harder for the body to clear sugar from the blood – drinking coffee, even a couple of hours later, only makes that job harder.

“This shows that the effect of a high-fat meal can last for hours,” said Marie-Soleil Beaudoin, a PhD student who conducted the study with University of Guelph professors Lindsay Robinson and Terry Graham.

In the study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, participants were given a special fat beverage, and then asked to eat a meal with a sugar drink six hours later. Typically, the body should produce insulin to remove sugar from the blood. (People with diabetes do not produce enough insulin.)

But with the high-fat beverage in their system, the blood sugar levels in participants were 32 per cent higher than those who had not consumed any fat.

And in the second part of the experiment, when participants were also asked to drink two cups of coffee five hours after the fatty drink and then down a sugar beverage, blood sugar levels were 65 per cent higher than the control group.

“Having sugar remain in our blood for long periods is unhealthy because it can take a toll on our organs,” said Ms. Beaudoin, in a release from the university.

Original Article

Top soccer star credits chiropractic for recovery

2010 was a difficult year for soccer player Mark Molesley, of the AFC Bournemouth team in England. As his teammates progressed towards the top of the rankings in their NPower League One, the London-born midfielder had to cheer from the stands as he recovered from an injury that has sidelined him since October 2009.

It was back then that he started having pain in his foot, which — according to Molesley — “started off feeling like nothing other than a muscle pull but has developed into a nightmare. I was running in training one day and I felt a sensation like my foot had ‘locked’.”

He played the next game drugged up with painkillers but afterwards couldn’t put weight on the foot at all. When the pain remained a few weeks later, the club physiotherapist ordered an x-ray, which revealed a number of stress fractures in his foot. He underwent an injection under general anesthetic into the joint around his navicular bone but it didn’t help.

Even after six weeks in an “air boot” and talonavicular joint cleansing surgery, the problem persisted and he eventually had the injured bone removed and a screw inserted in its place. “For the third time, I was on crutches and in the air boot and didn’t come out of that until mid-July,” he recounted. “It was a case of learning to walk properly again after that and strengthening my foot, my leg, etc., post surgery.”

As with most professional athletes, the most difficult part of Molesley’s injury was uncertainty over when, or even if he would return to action. “The physiological side of things is definitely the hardest thing,” he admitted. “Luckily I’ve got a fantastic family around me though, who have been great through all of this. When I first got injured, it coincided with the birth of my baby girl, which helped boost my spirits and get everything in perspective too. I’ve learnt a lot about myself during the injury layoff too for sure. My teammates and my manager have been fantastic through this tough time for me. I obviously haven’t been seeing my teammates much, but when I have they always have nice things to say. Eddie Howe (the AFC Bournemouth Manager) has been especially good, checking on my progress and not putting any pressure on me in terms of setting a comeback date. He had some bad injuries during his career, so I think he appreciates what I’m going through. He also knows me well as an individual and how to treat me.”

Over the summer, Molesley’s club physiotherapist Steve Hard recommended that he visit the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic’s (AECC) multi-purpose Clinic in Boscombe, England. “They have a specialist sports injuries rehabilitation centre,” Molesley explained. “I go there twice a week and gain from one-on-one attention while I’m there, which is great. My chiropractor Andrew Vitiello (Clinical Tutor) and intern student Jon Arnar Magnusson have helped me do the basics, like getting back on bike to cycle, building my strength and regaining my balance. The progress I’ve made with them is phenomenal.

“I have a history of back problems, which the AECC has also helped to address. As a result of surgery, walking on crutches, etc., my back had been feeling stiff and in pain. I had chiropractic treatment at the AECC to address this and it’s worked wonders for me.

He added: “The clinical staff at the AECC are very hands on and also very methodical. Everything they do is for a reason and they are always keeping a close eye on my progress. They’ve covered every possible aspect to help my recovery, from looking at kicking technique to re-building muscles, even sending me to their in-house physiologist to deal with the issues that surround a lengthy spell on the sidelines. I’m indebted to the work that everyone at the AECC has done for me and I’d like to say a massive thanks to them.”

So, when does Molesley expect to be playing again? “I’m not putting a date on my return,” he replied. “I’m just taking everything a week at a time. I’m feeling good and hopefully my injury nightmare will be behind me sooner rather than later. It’s been hard for me watching on over the last year, seeing the club doing so well without me. I’m obviously delighted they’ve done as well as they have, but of course there’s a part of me that hurts because I haven’t been involved. Watching them certainly spurs you on to want to get back out there though. I know I have to play as well as ever to regain my place in the side and that will be a massive challenge in itself when I’m fit.”

In November, Molesley showed his gratitude by being the official starter of the AECC’s annual 10K Charity Road Race, the AECC DASH BACK.

Original Article

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Promotes Chiropractic

Arnold has been a supporter of chiropractic care throughout his career. Here’s a quote from him:

“We’ve got to let the people know that there is a necessity, it’s not even an option, it’s a necessity to have a chiropractor. As much as it is a necessity to have a dentist, if you have a dentist for the family, you should have your chiropractor for the family.”

Chiropractic helps colic babies

By some estimates, 40 percent of infants develop colic. In some cases, the daily bouts of crying can persist for over a year.

Brooks said in many cases, she believes colic is caused by pain from skull bones that aren’t quite in the right place, perhaps misaligned in childbirth.

“That creates an increase in pressure, which gives them what I tell moms is almost like a big headache,” Brooks said. “And, that really all stems from the cranial bones not being where they need to be and sometimes the cervical spine not being in proper alignment.”

Using just her thumbs, Brooks uses extremely gentle pressure to guide the bones back to where they belong. It’s called craniolsacral therapy. It’ snot a one-time treatment, though some patients experience relief quickly.

“I usually see babies twice a week for two to four weeks, and then once a week until they’re done,” Brooks said.

Pediatricians, parents warned on energy drink dangers

They claim to give you that extra boost, but recent studies have shown that energy drinks containing large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, can actually cause major health problems in children, teens and young adults. In fact, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, of the 5,448 U.S. caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46% occurred in those younger than 19 years. Now a new report in the journal of Pediatrics warns parents, and doctors that these drinks could be especially dangerous to children with ADHD, diabetes, sleep issues and eating disorders.

Original Article

Want to the best way to boost your energy? Drink water, reverse osmosis water. Chiropractic is all about maximizing your body’s internal power, and water is what your body needs. When you are truly healthy, your body will provide you with all the energy you need.