Reducing Stress On Your Commute

About 8 percent of American workers commute an hour or more each way, to and from work. There can be many challenges and stressors to overcome when you are commuting to work.  Some of these challenges include a lack of control, being in a cramped position, time anxiety, isolation, sense of helplessness, negative inputs and road rage. 

When commuting there is a lack of control with slow or stopped traffic, bad weather or unavoidable obstacles, such as construction. Sitting in cramped position for an extended period of time can also cause additional stress. Commuters often worry about being late or being caught in heavy traffic and this causes anxiety. This anxiety can make you worry about missing important meetings or even losing your job. Long hours on the road can also create stress over missed or limited time with loved ones.  Avoiding negative inputs like angry music or talk radio can help decrease stress and relax any heated emotions.  Refraining from road rage as this can put your mind in an irrational state where any little thing can seem offensive is useful when commuting. 

One way to better combat these challenges is to try and set a positive intention when you leave the house.  Be mindful of any anger and acknowledge that it is okay to observe your thoughts without judging your emotions.  Try doing some deep breathing or shoulder rolls to help ease some tension or listen to calming music. You can even explore other routes that help avoid major traffic or take public transportation if you don’t like driving. When you finally arrive at work take the stairs so you can get your blood flowing again after the long commute.  To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/the-long-commute/

The Benefits of a Massage

Massage therapy is much more than just relaxation – it can be very beneficial for a number of different conditions! Seeing a massage therapist on a regular schedule can produce long term results and help with a variety of issues.  Massage therapy can:

• Stretch and work out tight or weak muscles.
• Reduce stretch marks and scar tissue by promoting tissue regeneration.
• Improve range of motion and low-back pain.
• Help alleviate spasms and cramping of the muscles.
• Reduce migraine intensity.
• Help lessen the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Improve joint flexibility.

Massage can bring excellent benefits to your overall health, and can be a great addition to your regular healthcare routine.  

To learn more about massage therapy at Oxboro Family Chiropractic click here!

 Or visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com

Fruits and Sugar

We were always told that we could eat as much fruit as we wanted. Experts now suggest to limit our fruit intake because of the natural sugar fructose. We have a lining in our stomachs that absorbs nutrients and if you leave unprocessed fructose in your gut for too long it can cause some uncomfortable symptoms like bloating and cramps to diarrhea. Fructose can do the same things to your body whether it comes naturally from fruits or if it comes from processed foods. 

One study done by Mayo clinic found that eating an over abundance of fruit has the same effect on the brain as eating processed carbohydrates. This is because it can cause metabolic and cognitive derangements. The study found that there is an inverse relationship between fruit intake and the volume of the cortex, or brain, that causes these reactions. Fruit certainly contains a lot of nutrients that are valuable in your diet, but the study states that eating too much fruit can have a negative effect because we have such an abundance of fruit year round we consume too much fructose. In a time before we had this overabundance of fruit available to consume, it is thought that our ancestors developed red-green color vision for the purpose of differentiating between rip, red fruit from a green background. We would eat fruit to ready our bodies for winter and use the sugar for energy, but now that winter never seems to come because we consume so much fruit. 

Low sugar fruits contain the most concentrated sources of the nutrients and are the most beneficial to eat. Some examples of these fruits include avocado, coconut, olives and  cacao. No, chocolate is not considered a fruit however, dark chocolate has a myriad of brain benefits and is considered a genius food. Berries are a good fruit because they are very low in sugar and are high in antioxidants for memory boosting and reducing inflammation. A nurses' health study did a long dietary survey of 120,000 female nurses and found those who ate a high amount of berries had brains that looked 2.5 years younger on scans. There was no association with fruit intake and the reduced dementia risk except with berry consumption. So if you like fruit try to eat mostly berries and only eat high sugar fruits in moderation. To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Source : https://experiencelife.com/article/genius-foods/

Migraines

Migraines are one of the world's most pervasive neurological disorders. Billions of people suffer from them worldwide, including 13% of US adults. 90% of the 38 million Americans who suffer from migraines each year say that migraines compromise their ability to work or even function normally. Migraines are diagnosed based on symptoms and medical history.  The root cause of this disease is very challenging pin point. 

In prior years migraine sufferers relied solely on rescue drugs that they could take once symptoms were already in place. These kinds of treatments were often only a temporary fix. Studies indicate that migraines are often triggered by pollutants, toxins, pollen or other allergens, even certain foods; different things can be a trigger for different people. Today there are things people can do to prevent migraines. Experts recommend keeping a diary to try and pin point what triggers your migraines. Focusing on lifestyle changes are also very helpful, although we cannot eliminate all triggers, this is a good place to start. Two of the most common things research says to do is stay hydrated and get rest. 

An addition to lifestyle changes to help prevent or reduce migraines is yoga. Yoga can help you relax and relieve some stress which can also contribute to migraines. Some studies also have shown that acupuncture another alternative to help give relief to these types of headaches. Another alternative form medicine to help prevent migraines is chiropractic care. Recent studies have shown chiropractic care to help relieve migraine intensity as well as frequency. One study found that 22 percent of people who had chiropractic treatment reported experiencing 90 percent less headaches. That same study found that 49 percent of participants had a reduction in pain intensity. 

To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Sources:

http://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-facts/

https://migraine.newlifeoutlook.com/chiropractic-migraines/

https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-prevent-migraines/

Healthy Drinks For The Summer

It's getting warmer again and the sun is getting hotter.  We all know that when the temperatures go up we have to stay hydrate and drink more liquids.  Yet not all drinks are created equal and some actually do you more harm than good.  So to stay cool and hydrated this summer, we've created a list of some of the most popular drinks, their risks, and their benefits.

Water

Our bodies are 60% water, so it's important to replenish our water by drinking water.  While this may seem like a simple fact, it's harder than most people think.  We lose water with every breathe we take, every time we sweat, and each time we use the bathroom.  All health professionals agree that drinking plenty of water is essential to health, but the recommend amount varies between sources.  Currently, the most clinically supported recommendation is about 9-13 cups daily (2.2-3L). 

So when you're out and about this spring and summer, make sure you pack a water bottle or two to keep hydrated and healthy.

Juice

Natural fruit juices are a great alternative to water when they are in their purest form.  Things like watermelon (which is 90% water), oranges, grapefruit, and other melons can all help to keep us hydrated.  The negative of drinking juice is the added sugar to make them sweet.  Sugar is linked to obesity and other health risks when consumed in large quantities.  If you were to consume 9-13 cups of juice in replacement of water, you would be consuming 207-299g of sugar based on an average of 23 g of sugar per cup of juice.  The recommended daily sugar intake is roughly 25g, making this a very unhealthy way to stay hydrated.

We recommend that if juice is the way you want to keep cool, try to limit your consumption to 100% pure fruit juice without added sugar.  This will help to replenish your body without a huge sugar rush.

Soda

A study performed by Harvard School of Public Health has reported that consuming pop not only has little nutritional value, but can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and chronic health conditions.  They found that diabetes and heart attack risk increased by 20-26% in people who drank 1 to 2 cans of pop a day.  Another study found that men and women who regularly drink a can of pop a day increased their risk of autoimmune conditions like gout by 75%.  Other health concerns with drinking soda pop is the high levels of phosphates, which can have a negative effect on bones both in adults and in growing children.

Overall, knowing the health risks that come with these sugary drinks and that it does little to keep you hydrated compared to water and natural fruit juices, it is not a recommended regular beverage to keep you cool during the long summer days.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks are great at replenishing our electrolytes and keeping us hydrated, especially when exercising or being active.  It is often the drink of choice when doing work out in the sun, playing sports, or being otherwise active.  Still, for those of us that enjoy the outdoors via a lawn chair or floating in the pool these drinks and their added perks aren't any more beneficial than water.  Still, they are great for hydration after a hard sweat.

Energy Drinks

Caffeine has had a bad rep as a dehydrator in popular culture.  The belief was that because caffeine acts as a diuretic, which increases urination, it dehydrates you more than it hydrates.  That is long since been found to be clinically false, making energy drinks okay to drink on a long, hot day.  Like juice, due to the size of most energy drinks, their caffeine content, and added sugars it is not recommended solely drink energy drinks to stay hydrated this summer.  It is best to have one or two of these a day, drinking water to replenish your body the rest of the way. 

Alcohol

Alcohol dehydrates.  It's as simple as that.  While there are plenty of fun summer drinks that contain alcohol, it is best to limit your consumption.  If you are going to be out in the sun and drinking, it is recommended to have one cup of water for every alcoholic drink you consume to replace the water you are losing. 

For more information on this and other health and wellness tips visit our website at:

www.oxborochiro.com

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/healthy-beverages
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/soft-drinks-and-disease/

Exercise Your Brain

Did you know that when you exercise it isn’t just good for your body,  it is the brain that benefits from it as well. The reason we feel so good while working out is because we get our blood pumping and with that the brain functions at its best. Exercise can help with alertness and how we perceives things. When exercising the brain releases serotonin which is what influences our mood, impulse, anger and even aggression. It also releases dopamine which is what we use for attention and learning.

Our brains are more active when our bodies are more active; this makes the neurons fire in unison which creates our brain waves. Keeping active and exercising can help your brain with memory and even help with creativity and imagination. Studies show that people who have mental illness and who exercise can manage it without medications. Even though taking a run can be like taking a bit of Prozac, not everyone can benefit from this type of mental health help. Exercise can also help the brain balance hormones. MRI scans have shown that while someone is doing a stationary bike ride it can make your glutamate and game-aminobutyric acid swell and that will help with your mood. So if you keep up the exercising you should be able to keep your brain young, happy and healthy. Learning new motor skills is another way to keep our brain sharp. So if you are learning more complicated motor skills; it will challenge the brain.To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/this-is-your-brain-on-exercise/

Good Body Mechanics For Gardening

If you plan on gardening this spring here are some little things to keep in mind with your body mechanics. 

Gardening can be very physically and mentally therapeutic. Physically it can burn up to 340 calories an hour while also mentally unwinding. It is very important to use proper body mechanics when you are doing gardening tasks. Lifting and pulling weeds can really cause damage to the body if not done properly. Using good body mechanics can reduce the risk of injury. So I will give some insight on some things that you can do to reduce the risk and make gardening a delightful experience. You should take 5-10 minutes to stretch and warm up muscles especially the hamstrings,quadriceps, back and the shoulders. Try not to do too many repetive moves such as bending and twisting which can increase strains on the muscles and joints. If you can use a knee pad when kneeling that also helps to reduce risk of injury. Make sure to drink lots of water while you are you gardening. Always make sure you take the time to enjoy being outside in the sunshine and fresh air as that will help with your mind body and soul. If you use these tips you will have less injuries and have a beautiful garden. At any point while doing this if you feel too stressed or winded you should take a short break so insure you don't do any real damage to your muscles. Otherwise enjoy your gardening in the spring. To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

http://physicaltherapyptc.com/good-body-mechanics-with-gardening

Intelligence and Emotions

Erin Gabriel writes in her article titled “Can you Improve Your Emotional Intelligence?” about the importance of being able to sense and manage feelings and emotions in ourselves and others. Having emotional intelligence allows someone to understand, express, and manage emotions. Many people tend to overestimate their emotional intelligence according to the director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Marc Brackett. Emotional intelligence can predict things such as health, happiness, and success. In 1990, the theory of emotional intelligence was developed at Yale and University of New Hampshire. Robin Stern, the associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, explains that emotional intelligence is being informed about your feelings, how to use emotions to inform thinking and using your thinking to inform your emotions. Some personality traits for those with emotional intelligence include empathy, seeing others viewpoints, being resilient, and pursuing goals even with challenges. Brackett states that people who possess emotional intelligence are typically healthier, happier, and more effective. Emotional intelligence has actually been proven to be a better indicator of success in careers than a high IQ score or an impressive resume. Emotional intelligence can be measured using self-assessment tools. 

There are several ways to increase emotional intelligence. Children can develop emotional intelligence at an early age by recognizing their emotions, figuring out what they mean, and label them so they can manage them themselves. For adults, an action plan can be implemented in order to improve emotional intelligence. If you want to learn to control your anger some activities that may be useful are yoga, meditation, or boxing. It is important to learn new perspectives through being around others who have different thoughts than you. This can be done by taking active steps to be around new people. When facing a challenging situation, it can be beneficial to pause, slow down, and take a deep breath in order to gain greater control. Positive self-talk is another important strategy for gaining greater emotional intelligence because it can assist with our health. Oftentimes, we would never talk to others the way that we speak to ourselves. Emotional intelligence can assist people in becoming healthier in their emotions and when working with others. To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/health/improve-emotional-intelligence/index.html