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Lack of sleep can make you fat

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Finding it hard to lose weight? Although many factors can hinder weight loss, one of the sneakier is sleep deprivation. Research shows people who regularly sleep five hours or less a night can gain as much as two pounds in a week. One study showed women who slept five or fewer hours were more likely to gain about 30 pounds over time compared to women who slept at least seven hours per night.

Lack of sleep increases snacking on starchy foods

Lack of sleep increases cravings so people snack more frequently, particularly at night—eating on average an extra 300 calories a day. The sleep-deprived also tend to eat a small breakfast and choose high-carbohydrate snacks, undoubtedly for that quick energy fix, both of which lead to blood sugar imbalances and weight gain.

As one would expect, study subjects who sleep seven or more hours per night also exercise more, and thus burn more calories, while sleep deprivation prevents you from burning calories efficiently. One study of men showed sleep-deprivation reduced general energy expenditure by 5 percent, and reduced energy expenditure after meals by 20 percent. In other words, being tired slows your body’s metabolism down.

Sleep deprivation increases hunger and promotes fat storage

One of the more profound ways lack of sleep promotes weight gain is by influencing the hormones that control hunger and satiety. For instance, chronic sleep deprivation raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol tells the body it needs more energy to meet the demands of stress, which causes an increase of hunger and cravings.

Lack of sleep also increases grehlin, a hormone that promotes hunger and fat storage. In fact, one study showed that although dieters could lose weight while sleep deprived, they lost about a third of the weight compared to the healthy sleepers. Researchers believe this is due to grehlin’s fat storing actions.

Sleep deprivation also decreases leptin, the satiety hormone that tells you when you’ve had enough to eat. So in a double whammy, lack of sleep both increases hunger and inhibits the ability to feel full. The result is a natural inclination to eat more, and more frequently. Adding insult to injury is that the body burns most of its calories during REM, the deeply restful stage of sleep when you dream. Unfortunately, weight gain due to sleep deprivation doesn’t only happen slowly over time. Research shows just a few nights of sleep deprivation can pack on pounds.

Lack of sleep promotes insulin resistance

Sleep deprivation makes fat cells less sensitive to insulin, the hormone that ushers glucose into cells so they can produce energy. In effect, it makes a person more insulin resistant, which is a stepping-stone to obesity and diabetes. After depriving subjects in their twenties of sleep, researchers said their fat cells behaved like those of someone 20 years older.

Sleep deprivation promotes weight gain in people of all ages, including children. Although sleeping more may not necessarily cause you to lose unwanted pounds, getting adequate sleep is a vital component to any weight loss program.

 

Keeogo for Hip Osteoarthritis

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Hip osteoarthritis is a chronic disease affecting the joint and surrounding musculature resulting in structural and functional failure of the hip joint and causing pain, disability, and reduced quality of life.

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability. A recent Global Burden of Diseases study, published in The Lancet in 2012, found that, of the musculoskeletal conditions, the burden associated with osteoarthritis is amongst the most rapidly increasing. Hip osteoarthritis is extremely debilitating for affected individuals. Pain is a dominant symptom, becoming persistent and more limiting as disease progresses. Patients with hip osteoarthritis also report difficulty with functional activities such as walking, driving, stair-climbing, gardening, and housekeeping as well as higher levels of anxiety and depression. Work productivity is affected with greater absenteeism, while fatigue and sleep problems are common. Furthermore, people with osteoarthritis typically suffer from a range of co-morbid diseases that further increases their likelihood of poor physical function.

Hip osteoarthritis also imposes a substantial economic burden, with most costs related to a range of conservative and surgical treatments, lost productivity, and substantial loss of quality of life. In particular, rates of costly hip joint replacement surgery for advanced disease are increasing including a shift in the demographic of recipients to younger patients. Clearly hip osteoarthritis is associated with considerable individual and societal burden and, given that there is currently no cure for the disease, treatments that reduce symptoms and slow functional decline are needed.

A recent technological breakthrough has allowed patients with hip osteoarthritis to achieve a remarkable improvement in their lifestyle and improve voluntary coordination of muscle movements. Without the KeegoTM device, patients had a difficult time moving their legs, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. Same patients wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve healthy movement patterns during several clinical trials. These same patients were able to walk about quicker, had no trouble walking up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.

If you have been affected by Hip Ostearthritis, please see a specialist at the PRI clinic. This multi-disciplinary team is specifically trained to properly introduce your body to the KeegoTM device, which will allow your body to achieve a remarkable improvement in your lifestyle.

 

Chiropractic approach to ear infections

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Ear problems can be excruciatingly painful, especially in children. With 10 million new cases every year, ear infections (otitis media) are the most common illness affecting babies and young children and the number one reason for visits to the pediatrician—accounting for more than 35 percent of all pediatric visits.

Almost half of all children will have at least one middle ear infection before they’re a year old, and two-thirds of them will have had at least one such infection by age 3. The symptoms can include ear pain, fever, and irritability. Otitis media can be either bacterial or viral in origin, and frequently results from another illness such as a cold. For many children, it can become a chronic problem, requiring treatment year after year, and putting the child at risk of permanent hearing damage and associated speech and developmental problems.

Standard treatment for most cases of otitis media is with antibiotics, which can be effective if the culprit is bacterial (antibiotics, of course, do nothing to fight off viruses). But, according to many research studies, antibiotics are often not much more effective than the body’s own immune system. And repeated doses of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria that scoff at the drugs, while leaving the child screaming in pain.

Frequent ear infections are also the second most common reason for surgery in children under 2 (with circumcision being the first). In severe cases—for example, when fluids from an ear infection haven’t cleared from the ear after several months, and hearing is affected—specialists sometimes prescribe myringotomy and tympanostomy, more commonly known as “ear tubes.” During the surgical procedure, a small opening is made in the eardrum to place a tube inside. The tube relieves pressure in the ear and prevents repeated fluid buildup with the continuous venting of fresh air. In most cases, the membrane pushes the tube out after a couple of months and the hole in the eardrum closes. Although the treatment is effective, it has to be repeated in some 20 to 30 percent of cases. And this kind of surgery requires general anesthesia, never a minor thing in a small child. If the infection persists even after tube placement and removal, children sometimes undergo adenoidectomy (surgical removal of the adenoids)—an option that is effective mostly through the first year after surgery.

Before yet another round of “maybe-they’ll-work-and-maybe-they-won’t” antibiotics or the drastic step of surgery, more parents are considering chiropractic to help children with chronic ear infections. Dr. Joan Fallon, a chiropractor who practices in Yonkers, New York, has published research showing that, after receiving a series of chiropractic adjustments, nearly 80 percent of the children treated were free of ear infections for at least the six-month period following their initial visits (a period that also included maintenance treatments every four to six weeks).

“Chiropractic mobilizes drainage of the ear in children, and if they can continue to drain without a buildup of fluid and subsequent infection, they build up their own antibodies and recover more quickly,” explains Dr. Fallon. She’d like to see her pilot study used as a basis for larger-scale trials of chiropractic as a therapeutic modality for otitis media.

Dr. Fallon used primarily upper-cervical manipulation on children with otitis media, focusing particularly on the occiput, or back of the skull, and atlas, or the first vertebra in the neck. “Adjusting the occiput, in particular, will get the middle ear to drain. Depending on how chronic it’s been and on where they are in their cycle of antibiotics, children generally need to get through one bout of fluid and fight it off themselves.” That means, for the average child, between six and eight treatments. If a child’s case is acute, Dr. Fallon will check the ear every day, using a tympanogram to measure the ear and track the movement of the eardrum to make sure that it’s draining. “I’ll do adjustments every day or every other day for a couple of days if they’re acute, and then decrease frequency over time.”

Dr. Fallon, whose research garnered her acclaim of childrearing magazines like Parenting and Baby Talk, often sees great success when she treats a child for otitis media. “Once they fight it themselves, my kids tend to do very well and stay away from ear infections completely. Unless there are environmental factors like smoking in the house, an abnormally shaped Eustachian tube, or something like that, they do very well,” she says.

“I have two large pediatric groups that refer to me on a regular basis. In the winter, when otitis is most prevalent, I see five or six new children each week from each group,” says Dr. Fallon. “It’s safe and effective and something that parents should try, certainly before inserting tubes in their children’s ears.”

Chiropractic Care Can Help…

Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about your child’s ear infections. Doctors of chiropractic are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all ages and will use a gentler type of treatment for children.

Hey Desk Jockeys: Get Vertical!

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This month’s theme — “Get Vertical” — focuses on getting off the couch or out of the office chair, and standing or moving more each day.

Most people nowadays know someone with joint pain, and joint replacement surgery—particularly involving hips and knees—is commonplace. What many do not know is that simple lifestyle changes can in some cases help prevent the need for this type of surgery and keep joints healthier longer.

“Remaining physically active and pain-free is an important measure of the quality of someone’s life, and chiropractic physicians can help by providing exercise and lifestyle recommendations, nutritional advice, and natural approaches to managing aches and pains,” said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. “Just a few healthy lifestyle changes, over time, can potentially mean the difference between being scheduled for joint replacement surgery or remaining active and pain-free well into one’s golden years.”

American Chiropractic Association offers these tips to help you get vertical and stay pain-free:

• Stand up: Office dwellers can look into using standing desks or treadmill desks; but if you’re stuck sitting all day, you can still stretch your legs with a short walk about every 20 to 30 minutes.

• Take micro-breaks: Frequently stretch your neck, arms and wrists, back, and legs. Simple stretches include neck rotations, fist clenches, arm dangles, and shoulder shrugs. One of the things we teach at PRI office, are McGill’s micro-breaks, which help you achieve this efficiently.

• Get moving: You don’t have to work out like a pro-athlete, just aim for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise three to five days a week.

• Eat right: A healthy diet—rich in fruits, vegetables and healthy fats—can help reduce inflammation and joint pain. Also limit red meat, refined sugar and white flour. Just a few simple changes can help maintain a healthy weight and have a positive impact on your overall health.

Intramuscular Stimulation

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IMS is used to treat neuropathic pain which is caused by irritation and/or pressure on the nerves causing specific muscles to become shortened and hypersensitive. Many chronic pain conditions are caused by neuropathic pain and can occur in the absence of significant inflammation or tissue damage. Since neuropathic pain can exist without ongoing inflammation or tissue damage, painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications may provide only temporary relief or have no effect at all. In addition, x-rays, CT’s, MRI’s and other diagnostic tests may not show any visible signs of injury.

HOW IMS WORKS

IMS is able to treat this neuropathic pain by desensitizing affected nerves and muscles using acupuncture needles. It is important to note that there is no use of electricity with IMS, rather it is the mechanical simulation of the insertion of the needle into the affected muscles that provides the therapeutic effect. The needle activates a reflex causing the muscle to release and in doing so, eases the pain. Inserting the needle also creates a minor therapeutic injury to the area, stimulating the body to increase local circulation and activate its healing systems. The technique is particularly effective for deep muscles that can be difficult or impossible to reach with other forms of treatment. For example, there are some muscles around the spine and pelvis that are too deep to be treated with massage, and can only be addressed with a needle.

Length of treatment is approximately: 30min

Treatment Frequency: 1 treatment per week for 4-8 weeks for most cases

CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE TREATED BY IMS

A broad range of musculoskeletal/orthopedic problems are successfully treated using the relatively new technique of Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). We can treat a variety of ailments using IMS including:

• Chronic Tendonitis or Bursitis
• Low back pain
• Neck pain and whiplash
• Plantar fasciitis
• Repetitive Stain Injuries
• Shin splints
• Spinal disc problems
• TMJ pain
• Arthritic conditions
• Headaches
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Patellofemoral syndrome
• Recurrent or Persistent Injuries (including sports injuries)
• Sciatica/piriformis syndrome
• Shoulder injuries (including frozen shoulder)
• Tennis/Golfers elbow
• Torticollis

It is important to note that IMS is NOT EFFECTIVE for non-musculoskeletal based pain, such as the following:

• Chronic inflammatory pain (active arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis)

• Pain related to cancer

• Metabolic neuropathies (diabetes)

• Degenerative neurological conditions (Lou Gehrigs’s disease, Parkinson’s disease)

If you have one of these conditions, it is unlikely that IMS will be recommended as your best treatment option.

Stay Healthy During Summer

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Staying healthy during the summer months requires more than just eating the right foods. Here is a partial list of things to do that will help you stay cool and healthy during the hot summer months:

1. Drink plenty of water. It is very important to drink water. Your body needs water to prevent dehydration during warm summer days. Take special care to make sure infants and toddlers drink enough water. They can become dehydrated much more easily than adults.

2. If you have asthma or other respiratory problems, keep a careful watch on the daily air quality reports. Also, don’t forget to take your inhaler or other medication with you when you go out.

3. Take a rest or nap. Don’t push yourself beyond your physical limits.

4. Wear Sunscreen. Sunburn is painful and unhealthy. Use a sunscreen that is right for your skin.

5. Stay Cool. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing to help you stay cooler.

6. Wear Sunglasses. Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays.

7. Maintain your energy levels by limiting your intake of fat and sugar; focus on carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

8. Before leaving for vacation pack a few items (calamine lotion, baking soda) that will help with itchy or painful insect bites.

9. If you have allergies and plan to be traveling/vacationing, find out which plants will be pollinating in your vacation spot.

10. Know your body. If you are feeling ill, see a doctor. An average of 120 people dies in Toronto each year due to extreme heat.

Also, seeing a Chiropractor regularly during the summer months can also help boost your immune system.

Can your brain breathe?

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Even though you can breathe normally your brain may not be getting enough oxygen. Lack of oxygen in the brain is not something the average person can recognize. However it can cause poor brain function and increase the risk of vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s. The brain can be hungry for oxygen years or decades before dementia sets in. Risk factors include high or low blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, alcoholism, and high cholesterol.

By learning to recognize symptoms you can take action to increase oxygenation of your brain, improve brain function, and reduce your risk of vascular dementia.

How to tell whether your brain can breathe

The brain contains one of the body’s most dense networks of blood vessels, which carry oxygen. It is very susceptible to any hindrances in blood flow. When the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain is hindered, brain cells die and the brain degenerates.

Many conditions can affect blood flow to the brain, things not normally associated with brain function. They include:

• Smoking

• Chronic inflammation (such as chronic pain, an autoimmune disease, or other inflammatory disorder)

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

• High blood sugar (insulin resistance)

• Hypothyroidism

• Diabetes

• Anemia

• Chronic stress

• Aging

Symptoms that may alert you to poor flow of blood and oxygen to the brain include cold hands and feet, becoming easily fatigued, brain fog, erectile dysfunction, and chronic toenail and fingernail fungus.

How to help your brain breathe better

Two of the most effective ways to oxygenate the brain are to lower inflammation and stabilize blood sugar. An anti-inflammatory diet is designed to lower overall inflammation in the body, which can boost blood flow to the brain. Be sure to eat a hearty breakfast with protein, eat regularly enough to avoid blood sugar lows (but avoid overeating), and avoid foods that spike your blood sugar, such as sweets or refined carbohydrates. Just focusing on an anti-inflammatory whole foods diet can go a long way to improving blood flow to the brain.

Certain herbs improve oxygenation to the brain. They include Ginkgo biloba, vinpocetine, and Butcher’s broom.

How to exercise to improve blood flow to the brain

Exercise is a great way to improve overall blood flow. High-intensity interval training in particular dilates blood vessels, lowers inflammation, and improves blood flow to the brain. This involves reaching your maximum heart rate with just a short but vigorous burst of exercise, resting, and repeating. It’s important, however, to work within your ability and avoid overtraining or you’ll negate the benefits. Even just a few minutes of high-intensity exercise can improve blood flow in the brain.

Improving blood flow to the brain may also include managing hypothyroidism, anemia, or other conditions. The book Why Isn’t My Brain Working? by Datis Kharrazian covers the topic of brain oxygenation. Ask my office for advice on improving brain health.

PRI Nutrition Plans and Physiotherapy Guided Exercises Programs provide cutting-edge techniques designed to maintain your brain healthy and reverse disease.

Keeogo for Multiple Sclerosis

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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent chronic inflammatory disease in the central nervous system. According to date, it affects more than 2 million people worldwide, including over 500,000 in North America. It is punctuated by fully or partially reversible episodes of neurologic disability, typically lasting days or weeks. Typical symptoms at presentation include but are not limited to:

1. Monocular visual loss due to optic neuritis
2. Limb weakness or sensory loss due to transverse myelitis
3. Double vision due to brain-stem dysfunction
4. Lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including gait abnormality due to a cerebella lesion.

After typically 10 to 20 years, a progressive clinical course develops in many of the persons affected, eventually leading to impaired mobility and cognition. Approximately 15% of patients have a progressive course from onset.

More than a dozen or so medications are currently made available to reduce the frequency of transient episodes of neurological disability, yet as of today, no medication fully prevents or reverses neurological deterioration in patients.

Although this conditions cannot yet be fully treated, a recent technological breakthrough has allowed patients with MS to achieve a remarkable improvement in their lifestyle and improve voluntary coordination of muscle movements. Without the KeegoTM device, patients had a difficult time moving their legs, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. Same patients wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve healthy movement patterns during several clinical trials. These same patients were able to walk about quicker, had no trouble walking up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.

If you have been affected by Multiple Sclerosis, please see a specialist at the PRI clinic. This multi-disciplinary team is specifically trained to properly introduce your body to the KeegoTM device, which will allow your body to achieve a remarkable improvement in your lifestyle.

Five ways to strengthen your immune system

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So, what can you and your family do to stay well this year? It’s simple: strengthen your immune system from the inside out. Here are 5 ways to do it:

1. Avoid sugar.

Nancy Appleton, author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit gives 76 ways sugar can affect your health according to 111 studies. Here are a few:

• Sugar suppresses your immune system and impairs your defenses against infectious disease.
• Sugar can contribute autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and Multiple Sclerosis.
• Sugar contributes to irregular and uncomfortable bowel movements.
• Sugar can contribute to hemorrhoids and varicose veins.

2. If your immune defenses get triggered, don’t rely on cold medications.

When you get sick, the fever, cough, and runny nose are there for a reason — to help you fight and eliminate the illness. If you always rely on cold medications, you may be affecting your immune system’s strength. A study at the University of Maryland showed that people who break their fever when they get a cold or the flu stay sick 3.5 days longer than people who let the fever run its course. Before taking your cold medication, please consult with your MD, to see if it’s necessary.

3. Get adjusted.

One of the most beneficial things you can do for your immune system is to get spinal adjustments. Studies show that every time you get adjusted, your Interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels go up immediately. IL-2 is what your body uses to kill viral and bacterial assaults. Chiropractic adjustments reduce nerve pressure and have been shown to help increase white blood cells throughout the body. Our white blood cells are what help destroy invaders like bacteria and viruses and remove them from the body.

4. Learn how to distress naturally.

Anxiety and stress contribute to a weaker immune system. When you are stressed or anxious, find an activity that will calm your nerves like yoga, reading, or meditating. When you do activities that relax you, you’ll be able to believe in yourself to change your negative thoughts into positive ones.

5. Regular exercise is a proven immune system booster.

Exercise helps to reduce stress, boost the circulation of white blood cells, and increase oxygen carrying capacity. Exercising at a high intensity for 12 minutes a day can help you save time as well as burn fat and build lean muscle and allow your body to have the energy it needs to function at a high level. Getting proper sleep every night and allowing your body to heal is one of the most important aspects to building a strong immune system. When sleep deprived, your body doesn’t have enough time to heal.

Heart Attacks and Sodas

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Sodas have been getting a bad rap in the news for a while now, and for good reason. Read on to learn how drinking sugary sodas directly harm your health.

Sugary drinks such as soda are a well-known cause of weight gain and obesity. New research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation investigated the link between these beverages and the development of premature heart attacks and death. The study followed 42,833 men’s diet, weight, smoking, and exercise patterns for an average of 22 years. The primary finding of the study was men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had a 20 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack.

Independent Risk Factor Found

Large fluctuations in insulin levels occur when you continually consume high amounts of processed sugar. Erratic fluctuation in insulin has been linked to the increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and weight loss resistance.

Sugary-beverage consumption “appears to be an independent risk factor for heart disease,” says lead author Frank Hu, M.D., a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The consumption of sugary beverages has now been linked to several other risk factors that will contribute to heart disease as well. High triglyceride levels and low “good” HDL result from soda consumption. Both of these increase the risk of suffering a heart attack.

Dietary Habits Linked

Obesity and genetics were once classified as the primary causes of heart disease, but the findings of the study suggest that it’s more related to the consumption of sugar and other dietary habits.

Sugary beverages have also been found to produce inflammation – a major cause of chronic health conditions. It produces internal visceral fat storage that strains blood circulation and overall organ function.

Additional lab tests in the study confirmed elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin. C-reactive protein is the most accurate lab test that measures inflammation levels throughout the body. Leptin is a hormone that helps regulate your metabolism.

Unable to Burn Fat

Leptin is less well-known but is a very important lab test. This hormone tells your brain to burn fat. When you drink sugary beverages, the leptin receptors become less active. This decreased activity level will inhibit the body’s ability to burn fat. Weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease can result.

Consuming soda has also been linked to the following:

• Drinking two sodas per week increases risk of pancreatic cancer by 87 percent.
• Drinking one soda per day increases risk of metabolic syndrome by 44 percent and a child’s risk of becoming obese by 60 percent.
• Drinking two sodas per day increases the risk of gout by 85 percent.

Reverse the Damage

Your body weight is approximately 60 percent water. Water is used in all of the cells, organs, and tissues in the body. Hydration is one of the best ways to remove toxins and harmful substances like sugary beverages. Studies suggest that, to counteract the effects of one soda, one must drink up to 32 glasses of water.

• To determine if you are dehydrated, look at your urine. If it’s clear, you’re in good shape. If it’s dark, you’re probably dehydrated.
• Eating a diet high in vegetables is another rehydration method.
• Limit caffeine — it’s a diuretic and can cause dehydration.

PRI Nutrition Plans provide cutting-edge nutritional programs designed to maintain health and reverse disease. We target the root cause of weight loss resistance, leptin dysfunction, and inflammation and introduce a plan to maintain your body weight and reduce toxicity for a lifetime.

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