So if you recall in this healthy tip series we talked about the anti-inflammation diet.  We talked about how scientists have found that chronic inflammation is linked to chronic diseases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, depression, cancer, asthma and more.  Chronic inflammation is exacerbated by lifestyle factors: a diet with unhealthy fats and processed foods (packaged and canned meals), pastas/starches/sugars, lack of exercise and poor dental hygiene or gum disease.  The food we eat causes certain bacteria in our gut to populate and it either curbs or increases our systemic inflammation. Before going further, if you’d like to watch a video for this topic instead of read, follow this link to view it on our YouTube page: https://youtu.be/DPlFedNlgjw One of the quickest things you can do to decrease systemic inflammation is stop eating foods that are processed or laden with unhealthy fats– those quick packaged meals or fast foods.  And avoid lots of starches and artificial sugars.  Those foods increase the gut bacteria that promotes more systemic inflammation!  No one needs more inflammation in their body!  And remember to floss your teeth every day to keep that bacteria from traveling to your gut and creating more systemic inflammation! The next best thing to do to decrease system inflammation is getting half your plate full of veggies and fruits at every meal.  Whoa!  Do you have time for that?  Do you have the money for that?  It is not easy or quick nor is it cheap to buy organic fruits and veggies.  And why organic? … Read More

You can read my blog or watch my you tube channel on today’s topic of screen time and vision.  Click here for the you tube version. Most patients that I help are40+ and trying to be active and enjoy life. I am also in that category. Besides physical and mental function, I also want to have my vision intact for next 20-30 years plus. I am willing to bet that even if you are ok with most aging processes that you don’t want to have permanent vision loss in your 60s-70s? So today I’m going to tackle the issue of aging macular degeneration (AMD). Why is a physical therapist talking about AMD? Well, many of my patients come to see me for neck and back pain from sitting and using laptops, tablets,and smart phones. We do see more people with degenerative changes in their spines due to the amount of sitting and the increased neck bending/flexion from holding devices and looking down for prolonged periods. American adults spend an average of 11 hours a day on screen time. These devices give off blue light that has been found to damage the cells in the back of the retina leading to permanent vision loss from AMD. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss. It affects more than 10 million people. It’s mainly associated with aging, but some forms of macular degeneration affect younger people as well. I don’t know about you, but as someone who must use a computer… Read More

  Within the past few decades, scientists hit upon the discovery that many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, arthritis, depression, and long-lasting respiratory problems such as asthma, share a common element – chronic inflammation. Scientists suggest that many factors contribute to chronic inflammation, including genetics and exposure to toxic contaminants in the environment. Chronic inflammation also might be exacerbated by lifestyle factors, including a diet laden with unhealthy fats and processed foods, lack of exercise, and poor dental hygiene/gum disease.If we just followed what our parents and grandparents said “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “finish your veggies” we likely would have less diseases linked to chronic inflammation. Our diets play an important role in chronic inflammation because our digestive bacteria release chemicals that may spur or suppress inflammation. The types of bacteria that populate our gut and their chemical byproducts vary according to the foods we eat. Some foods encourage the growth of populations of bacteria that stimulate inflammation, while others promote the growth of bacteria that suppress it. Hopefully you are probably already enjoying many of the foods and beverages that have been linked to reductions in inflammation and chronic disease. Anti-inflammatory foods are those that any nutrition expert would encourage you to eat. They include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like beans and nuts), fatty fish, and fresh herbs and spices. Fruits and veggies: Go for variety and lots of color; reds, oranges, yellows,… Read More

  I have patients tell me all the time “don’t get old” with a laugh. But at the same time it is no laughing matter. I do really want my patients to feel their best for as long as possible. (I also want this for myself). As a health provider who specializes in improving performance of the aging human body, I wanted to find more ways to deliver more life and energy naturally. So over the course of the next several weeks I am going to talk about how you can enjoy life with more energy and feel younger again naturally. Where do we get our energy? Remember back in school when you learned in science that our food gives us energy? When our blood sugar drops and we feel sluggish we know to go eat something. However, what is that “something”? Does it really provide key nutrients to help us with energy and feeling younger again? I think most of us know that nutritional research states we should be eating 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2.5-3 cups of vegetables a day. The literature is clear that eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to diets, reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight when consumed in place of more energy-dense foods. What is even more interesting in the last decade is finding that our nutrients can actually cause “youthful gene expression”. This is called the study of epigenetics. I am not saying… Read More