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Articles
Performance Advantage Newsletter September 2006
by Dennis Buckley
THE PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE Volume 1, September 2006
No Better Health Bargain
Of all the changes Americans can make to improve their health, exercise has been shown to provide the most benefits. Exercise not only preserves weight loss; it also enhances the efficiency of the heart, increases blood flow to the lungs and muscles, and keeps arteries supple and elastic. Exercise reduces blood pressure and cholesterol while it improves blood sugar and blood flow to the brain, reducing the risk of dementia and stroke. Exercise also prevents some cancers.
More and more people are willing to endure a restrictive diet than commit to a daily exercise regimen. Less than half of the population engages in the minimum recommended level of physical activity of 30 minutes of moderate exercise most or all days of the week. So what do you do? Get Real, that you're not exercising enough, and Get Going. There are many books and resources available but the easiest way to get going is to walk. 30 to 45 minutes of walking at a moderate to brisk pace where you can still hold a conversation will be the best investment you can make in yourself.
Light Exercise Goes a Long Way to Slow Dementia
A modest amount of exercise- as few as three times per week- may reduce the risk of dementia in people over 65, new research shows. People who exercised more than three times a week developed dementia at a rate of 13 per 1,000 patient-years compared with 19.7 per 1,000 patient-years for those who exercised less. (A thousand patient-years is the equivalent of 100 patients observed over a period of 10 years) Low levels of exercise cause a 30 to 40 percent reduction in risk for dementia. If someone is starting to decline, it looks like exercise may significantly help.
Health Spending Rises at Blistering Pace
Within a decade $1 out of every $5 spent in the U.S. economy will go for health care. Increased spending on hospital care, home health services, drugs and public health programs will help push total health care spending from its current 16.2% of the economy to 20% in 2015. In the longer term, it's an increasing amount of economic resources going to a part of the economy that may not enhance underlying productivity. Rising health care spending can also push more people into the ranks of the uninsured. The more the system becomes the bigger the gap between the health care haves and have-nots. Consider these figures: The nation will spend $4 trillion on health care -- or about $12,320 per person annually -- by 2015. Hurricane Rita and Katrina sharply increased government spending on public health. The federal government's spending will rise sharply, from 2% last year to 27% this year as the new Medicare drug program takes over payments from state Medicaid programs and from seniors who formerly bought their own. Private insurance premiums rose 6.8% in 205. That slowdown is expected to end by 2007 when premiums will rise faster
Obesity Risks Linger, Study Finds
Middle-age people who are overweight but have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels are kidding themselves if they think their health is just fine, a new study underscores. Being overweight in mid-life substantially increased the risk of dying of heart disease later -- even in people who began the study with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. High blood pressure and cholesterol are strong risk factors for heart disease. Both are common in people who are heavy, and often are thought to explain why overweight people are prone to heart disease. But there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that excess weight alone is an independent risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. The take home message would be pay more attention to your weight even if you do not have an unhealthy risk factor profile yet.
Afternoon Nap Time for Grown-ups
Your internal clock is programmed to make you sleepy twice every 24 hours -- once between midnight and 7 am and again between 1 and 3 pm. Research confirms what many bosses and employees suspect: While in the grip of that mid-afternoon sleepiness, most people lose some mental sharpness and physical dexterity. Productivity can plummet.
Scott Campbell, Ph.D., a sleep expert says that giving in to the urge to nap -- even 15 or 20 minutes -- can boost mental and physical performance as well as mood for the rest of the afternoon. Conventional wisdom cautions that naps can interfere with nighttime sleep, but there is little solid data to support this idea.
Improve Your Posture; Improve Your Life
Is your body relaxed? Are your shoulders back? Chin forward? Hips parallel? Those of you who answered yes are the fortunate few. The rest of us may be tense and twisted. Our energy is being sapped by a sagging spine.
When you pay attention to your posture, your whole world can change. You can breathe better, enjoy more zest, have better digestion and drastically improve your overall appearance. Studies have shown that straightening up increases circulation, flexibility and muscle tone, which can significantly improve our day-to-day health. When you maintain your posture you can have more energy and less stiffness and discomfort. This can give you the ability to do the things that you love to do.
Along with exercise, good eating habits, proper posture, rest and a positive attitude, the care and maintenance of your spine and nervous system, which controls all of your bodily functions, is essential to great health. Invest in yourself and have your spine checked regularly and complete the pillars of health. We thank each and every one of you who have placed your trust in our hands. Let us know how we can help you.
Dennis R. Buckley, DC University Health Center -- Pasadena 1450 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626) 798-7805 dennisbuckley@scuhs.edu
Dr. Buckley is a health care provider on the cutting edge of strategies and information to help you preserve and protect your health. To be successful in health you need to "Get Real & Get Going." This requires self responsibility and the courage to face up to where you are really at and where you may be headed. His information is straightforward and to the point with actions you can take immediately. His patients love him and now he is making his information available to everyone. Go to www.performance-advantage.net to sign up for his free e-zine.
Contact the author, Dennis Buckley
, at dennisbuckley@scuhs.edu
.