Ever get really upset or nervous and get butterflies in you stomach?  That’s an example of the Gut Brain connection. This connection works both ways.

A recent study adds more information to the connection between the brain and your stomach.

Your gut is directly connected to your brain, by a newly discovered neuron circuit.

The human gut is lined with more than 100 million nerve cells—it’s practically a brain unto itself. And indeed, the gut actually talks to the brain, releasing hormones into the bloodstream that, over the course of about 10 minutes, tell us how hungry it is, or that we shouldn’t have eaten an entire pizza. But a new study reveals the gut has a much more direct connection to the brain through a neural circuit that allows it to transmit signals in mere seconds. The findings could lead to new treatments for obesity, eating disorders, and even depression and autism—all of which have been linked to a malfunctioning gut.

The brain can effect your stomach and stomach can effect your brain.   One can effect the other.   Here are  some symptoms of an impaired gut-brain axis:

• Difficulty digesting foods
• constipation or irregular bowel movements
• increased bloating and gas
• distention after meals
• intolerance to food types such as proteins, starches and/or fats
• frequent abdominal discomfort after eating

I will be posting more information about this topic in the future.   So for now please eat your vegetables and cut all junk food.  This will help your stomach and your brain.

\https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/your-gut-directly-connected-your-brain-newly-discovered-neuron-circuit

For the past 75 years, The Study of Adult Development, run out of Harvard, has been tracking the physical and emotional well-being of over 700 men who grew up in Boston in the 1930’s and 1940’s. It is one of the longest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies of its kind, closely following subjects from their late teens and early twenties all the way into their eighties and nineties.

Many of the findings are what you’d expect: don’t drink too much; don’t smoke; exercise often; eat a nutritious diet; maintain a healthy body weight; keep on learning. The final finding is love.

The Study of Adult Development shows that the quality of one’s relationships has an enormous impact on the quality of one’s life. The more and deeper the love, the better.

I guess from now on I have to add love/meaningful relationships to my list of things to live a healthy life.  Here it goes.

Dr. Steve’s big four health tips to live a healthier life: eat healthy, exercise, get adjusted and have meaningful relationships to live a long healthy life.

http://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the cornerstone of pain management in patients with osteoarthritis.

The results of a study presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2018) suggest that over two thirds of the increased cardiovascular risk associated with osteoarthritis is linked to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Results of the study demonstrate that people with osteoarthritis had a 23% higher risk of developing CVD. The increased risk of congestive heart failure (CHF), ischemic heart disease (IHD), and stroke was 42%, 17% and 14% respectively. Investigators then calculated the impact of NSAID use on the increased risk and found that 68% of the total effect of osteoarthritis on CVD risk was due to NSAID use. The proportion of the increased risk due to NSAIDs seen in CHF was calculated at 45% and more than 90% for IHD and stroke respectively.

Come see Dr. Steve for safe, effective chiropractic care!

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180613/NSAIDs-use-may-increase-cardiovascular-risk-associated-with-osteoarthritis.aspx

Most people have a desire to live life to the fullest with a combination of quantity and quality.

There are many parameters that may determine how long you live, however this short article presents the findings of five researchers who identified three simple tests you can do at home to measure your ability to increase years to your life.

The medical paper published in the British Medical Journal in 2014 revealed a 13 year study where they took 1,355 men and 1,411 women in 1999 when they were 53 years old and then checked to see who was alive and well 13 year later in 2012.

The following are the three tests that were evaluated:

1.  Standing on one leg with your eyes closed for 10 seconds or longer
2.  Having a strong grip,
3.  Being able to stand up and sit back down in a chair many times in a minute.

Let’s break this down a little:

1. This one is a no brainer.  The better your balance is, the less likely you will fall.
2. The more active you are the more you will be using your hands. Video games and phone use don’t count.
3. The squat (getting up from a chair): the stronger your legs are, the more you’ll be able to stop your self from falling if you did trip/stumble.  Going up and down stairs require strength as do most actives around the house (pushing a lawn mower and carrying heavy objects).  The stronger your legs are the easier actives will be. If you want to learn how to squat safely call Dr. Steve and he can teach you how.

Once again, Dr. Steve’s big three health tips: to live a healthier life, eat healthy, exercise and get adjusted to live a long healthy life.

Cooper R1, Strand BH, Hardy R, Patel KV, Kuh D.Physical capability in mid-life and survival over 13 years of follow-up: British birth cohort study. BMJ. 2014 Apr 29;348:g2219

Obesity is an ever-growing health problem. As the number of overweight and obese Americans rises so does the number who are severely or morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is a serious health condition that results from an abnormally high body mass index.

A person with morbid obesity may have difficulty performing daily functions, such as walking and breathing, and is at increased risk for many serious health problems.

In theory, anyone can become morbidly obese. For someone to gain weight and become morbidly obese, they must consume more calories than their body can burn and use. The body stores the unnecessary calories as fat.

As more and more calories are consumed, the fat stores grow larger, leading to obesity or, as a worst case, morbid obesity.

Fast facts on morbid obesity:

• The condition is characterized by having an extreme amount of excess body fat.
• A doctor diagnoses it with a physical exam plus some basic questions.
• For most people, morbid obesity is preventable and can be reversed.

What is morbid obesity?
Those who are morbidly obese are at an increased risk of developing serious health problems.

Morbid obesity is when a person has extreme amounts of excess body fat and a body mass index or BMI greater than 35.

BMI is a scale that helps doctors and other medical professionals determine if a person is within a healthy weight range.

Some doctors also consider a person to be morbidly obese if their BMI is not over 35, but they are more than 100 pounds overweight.

BMI is broken down as follows:

• Normal: 19.0–24.9
• Overweight: 25.0–29.9
• Obese stage 1: 30.0–34.9
• Obese stage 2: 35.0–39.9
• Morbidly obese stage 3: 40.0 or greater

How does morbid obesity differ from obesity?

• A person can be obese without being considered morbidly obese. A person who is obese has a BMI of 30 or above.
• When a person is morbidly obese, they are at greater risk of heart disease, certain illnesses, and conditions that directly affect their quality of life such as:
  • diabetes
  • stroke
  • heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • arthritis
  • some cancers

These conditions are often referred to as comorbidities and are responsible for causing disabilities or even death.

Morbid obesity occurs when a person reaches a level of obesity that greatly increases the chances of developing one of these conditions.

The best way to prevent obesity is through diet and exercise. A healthful diet combined with regular, moderately intense exercise is ideal.

A person should look to eat:

• fresh, non-processed fruits
• green, leafy vegetables
• limited amounts of sugar
• reduced number of calories
• smaller, more frequent meals

A person may want to consider regularly doing some of the following exercises for 30 minutes, up to five times a week:

• walking
• running
• jogging
• jumping rope
• riding a bike
• swimming
• rowing
• yoga or other fitness classes

If you need help call Dr. Steve or stop into his office.  He could start you on a diet and exercise program that could help you reach your health and fitness goals!