How to save $900,000

Numerous recent studies show that maintenance and wellness chiropractic care saves patients, employers, and insurers lots of money. Get your own personal savings in our office, and increase your odds for a long, healthy, and happy life.

My wish for you for the New Year!

Design and Build Your Own $39 Treadmill Desk

For several years I've been singing the praises of getting up out of your chair when working at a computer. Recent research shows (see previous posting) that morbidity and mortality greatly increase with sitting more than four hours per day, even with a good exercise routine.

What to do?

Get a treadmill and build yourself a simple desk over it, so that you can walk while you're at your computer. There are $5,000 systems on the market, but here's a way to do it for just $39.

In-Office Alexander Technique Class

In 1973 I began my explorations into the realm of mind-body awareness with a class at the University of Minnesota in the Alexander Technique. It became the basis for everything I learned after that. I highly recommend study of Alexander's discoveries to anyone who would like to learn how to live with more grace in all activities, whether that's singing a song or typing at the computer.

Practice member and long-time teacher of the Alexander Technique, Stacy Gehman, is offering a 4-week session of classes in our office.

The classes will be on 4 Mondays, 7 PM - 8:30 PM, Oct. 17 - Nov. 7, 2011
Tuition: $75.

For details and to register for the classes, contact Stacy at StacyG@drizzle.com

Your Body Becomes More Self-Correcting

One of the promises of Network Care is that over time your ability to self-correct, spontaneously, becomes more and more refined. I see this happening over and over with practice members. One such practice member recently shared this testimonial. "When I first started seeing Dr. Connie I would get neck aches that would last for a few days at times. Through her care, I get fewer aches and when I do I normally just have to go home and stretch and they go away!"

Photo of the Day!

Swimming in September? A rare treat. Swimming on September 29? Never before. But the weather was balmy and I couldn't resist one last dip into Lake Washington. The water was crystal clear, the sun was warm(ish), and the water was about how it had been all summer long, in other words pretty cold! John was reading a book at a picnic table in the shade, in case I had heart attack. A Seattle Times staff photographer got down on his belly on the shoreline to get the shot.

SSRIs & NSAIDs cancel each other out

Dr. Shawn Talbott's latest e-newsletter warrants a full quote:

"Back in April, I wrote on my blog about a new study in the highly-respected scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that showed how common painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can interfere with the effects of antidepressant medications called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, and many others.

"I've received so many followup questions about the links between stress (and depression) and inflammation (and pain), that I thought I would update that original blog article and send the update out to the TALBOTT TIMES Newsletter.

"You can read the abstract of the PNAS study here =http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/04/20/1104836108.abstract

"The new research showed that the anti-depression benefits of SSRI drugs were "cancelled out" when taken along with painkillers (called NSAIDs for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). NSAIDs cancel out SSRIs - sounds like a lot of alphabet soup - but millions and millions of people take BOTH types of drugs everyday - so this is important research.

"We've known for a long time that depression and chronic pain are closely related in many ways. Both conditions share some of the same underlying biochemistry (related to stress hormones such as cortisol and inflammatory compounds such as cytokines) and people with depression tend to experience more episodes of chronic pain (and vice versa). Indeed, physical pain can undoubtedly make psychological pain (depression) worse - likely due to the finding that inflammation is known to worsen and perhaps evencause depression in many people. You might find it interesting to know that cytokines (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals produced in the body)

"Conventional wisdom would suggest that controlling depression might also help to control pain - and that reducing pain would help to alleviate depression. However, the research findings in the PNAS article suggest that painkiller drugs may actually interfere with the activity of antidepressant drugs - potentially making depression worse.

"I have written about the numerous problems with antidepressant drugs HEREand HERE as well as the problems associated with painkillers HERE - and now we have new evidence of further problems when they are used together.

"I also cover the links between inflammation and stress in some detail (full chapters on each) in my upcoming book, The Secret of Vigor - How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy - which will be released on 11/11/11. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon.com here."

Get Up!

A new study from the American Cancer Society shows that your risk of death is dependent on number of hours spent sitting, not just overall activity or inactivity, particularly for women.

• Women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting were 37% more likely to die during the study period than those who sat fewer than three hours a day.
• Men who sat more than six hours daily were 18% more likely to die than those who sat fewer than three hours per day.

When combined with lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94% and 48% more likely, respectively, to die compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Source: "Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total lMortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults." Alpa V Patel, Leslie Bernstein, Anusila Deka, Heather Spencer Feigelson, Peter T Campbell, Susan M Gapstur, Grahm A Colditz, and Michael J Thun. Am J Epid Published online July 22, 2010 9DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwq155) as quoted in the August, 2011, issue of The Chiropractic Journal.

The authors conclude that "public health messages and guidelines should be refined to include reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity."

The Mayo Clinic's N.E.A.T. lab recommends setting up a monitor and keyboard station over a treadmill and then walking at a rate of one mile per hour while working -- better for your body, and you'll think better, too!