Top Chiropractor in San Leandro, CA

San Leandro Chiropractor

8 Tips For Stress Management

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STRESSThere are different types of stress that an individual is exposed to on a regular bases. It could be a relationship stress, poor health, school stress, financial stress or work stress. Stress can also be a combination of several causes described above. Many people find it almost impossible to deal with everyday’s stress and expectations. Many scream for help.

It is extremely important to deal with stress the right way, otherwise it might cause anxiety and even depression. Everyone must learn stress relief techniques which help to deal with stress and anxiety positively.

How Can One Deal With Stress Effectively?

Here are 7 stress relief techniques that you can use now. Hope you find this information useful and apply these techniques when necessary.

1. One must be positive and must be thinking positive. Do not let certain things to eat you up from inside out – you know what I mean. Keep your mind clear, it is one of the most important tools that anyone can have when it comes to dealing with stress on a day to day bases. The key is focusing your mind on positive and optimistic part of your life all the time, with positive words and affirmations. This practice will improve your morale and confidence, and improve the overall state of mind.

2. Laugh Out Loud. Laughing is the best medicine when life seems to weigh you down with unexpected life events and toils. Just remembering something funny at work or at home will relieve your mind. Go to a comedy club or see a funny movie. Perhaps it is a time to visit your old friend who was always a comedian back in days. Just find something that will help you to stretch the facial muscles.

3. Try to Prioritize and Organize things in your life. Priorities in Activities of Daily Living will help to reduce the daily stress. Do not leave things to the last minute, this will only cause unnecessary stress and frustration.

4. Communicate. Inform your friends and family about the problems that you have. When you are expressing your thoughts and emotions, you are helping to cope with the stress in a healthier way.

5. Learn to relax. There are so many things that you can do to relax and unwind when you are stressed like take a bath, listen to the music, dance, practice yoga, meditation or go out with your friends.

6. Do not postpone a solution to your problem. Delaying the solution to the issues will only make things worse in the long term. Learning how to deal with problems when they arise will help you to cope better.

7. Exercise. 30 minutes of intense cardiovascular training will clear your mind. Try exercising in the morning if you can.  If aerobic training is not your cup of tea, a good stretch and lifting light weights will do the job as well.  Physical activities will keep your body in tone and your  mind fresh and stress free.

8. Chiropractors work primarily with the spine, the root of the nervous system through which nerve impulses travel from the brain to the rest of the body. One effect of chronic stress is prolonged muscle tension and contraction. This muscle tension creates uneven pressures on the bony structures of the body, often leading the misalignment of the spinal column, known as subluxations. Chronic stress also leads to nerve irritation. The adjustments of a chiropractor release muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes may be enough, in many cases, to convince the brain to turn off the fight or flight response, beginning the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress.

Apply these techniques to life and it will help you live a happier stress free lifestyle.


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High Fructose Corn Syrup and Your Health

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HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUPHigh Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has been around only for a little bit over 50 years. Before that everyone used a regular sugar for household consumption and food production. What has happened in the last fifty years? Why the consumption of HFCS is growing despite the health risk such a nationwide obesity factor? I will try to cover as much as I can in one post.

HFCS got its name from isomerization of glucose, which is the process when natural glucose in corn syrup is converted to fructose. The percentage of fructose in this new product is much higher and therefore it is sweeter, thus is the name High-Fructose Corn Syrup. This scientific discovery coincides with 1997 new tariffs and sugar quotas and increased consumption by companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The production of HFCS jumped from 3 million tons in 1980 to 8 million tons to 1995.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is genetically altered product. Our body does not react to this product as a natural food item. Our pancreas produces insulin during carbohydrate consumption. However, when a person consumes HFCS our pancreas does not produce insulin. Natural carbohydrate is digested by normal pathways but HFCS goes directly to the liver, where it is treated like a chemical and turned into a fat. Another concern with HFCS is a level of mercury in this product – which is a known neurotoxin.

Recent study from Princeton University provides evidence that HCFS causes more weight gain in experiment on laboratory animals. However, it does not mean that we have to substitute High Fructose Corn Syrup with cane sugar. Too much of both evil will cause the weight gain. The key is the moderation. Consider substituting HFCS with honey and natural gems which can be prepared from any fruit. This will provide necessary nutrients for your body and a healthy dose of sweet carbohydrates. Make sure to read the labels each and every time you go to the store.

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Flu, Cold, Nasty Symptoms and Natural Remedy

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FLU VIRUS
Flu Virus

We have entered an official cold and flu season. In Northern California it rains none stop this time of the year and some northern parts of the country it snows none stop. The only people who have fun this time of the year are residents of Hawaii and Puerto Rico. I guess they have fun all year long because of the abundance of sunny days. Many families get seasonal flu or cold symptoms. Some have to skip days of work and some can coop with symptoms and move on. The strength of the symptoms will depend on how strong the immune system of the individual is. Many factors will contribute to the strength of the immune system; nutrition, physical shape, well functioning nervous system and level of stress environment.

Flu symptoms are viral in nature. Please do not ask your Primary Care Physician for antibiotics if you have a flu. They will only make your symptoms worse as they will kill your good bacteria resides in our intestine. These little guys are responsible for your general health. If the are destroyed with antibiotics one might develop  additional symptoms. It takes about a week for our body to destroys the virus inside our body. If the immune system is week it might take much longer with more severe symptoms.

Our son brought as we call in our household a “bug” from preschool. He was the first one who got fever and vomited several times. I was next and my wife followed. During this time we did not take any antibiotics or syrups from Walgreens or other pharmacy department stores. Our daily diet included lots of hot liquids – green tea with lemon, Ginger and a table spoon of honey – yum. Daily food intake always contained fresh garlic in it. 100,000 I.U. Of vitamin A with Zinc has provided a necessary additional boost for the immune system. Our little one was the only who had severe symptoms and continues to have slight cough. As of this writing Saturday 12/18/2010 my symptoms are completely gone and the first time I began to experience themwas last Friday. My wife still has occasional sneezing problem but nothing major. As you can see the body will find the way to fight the “bug” aka viral infection. Even if you have fever that is a sign that your body fights the infection. By raising body T our immune system can easily destroy the protein membrane of the virus. Lay down in your bed and sweat it out. You will feel much better in the morning. However, if fever reaches a critical point and it does not go down call 911.

Symptoms Cold Flu
Fever Rare Characteristic, high
(100-102 degrees F); lasts three to four days
Headache Rare Prominent
General Aches, Pains Slight Usual; often severe
Fatigue, Weakness Quite mild Can last up to two to three weeks
Extreme Exhaustion Never Early and prominent
Stuffy Nose Common Sometimes
Sneezing Usual Sometimes
Sore Throat Common Sometimes
Chest Discomfort,
Cough		 Mild to moderate;
hacking cough		 Common; can become severe
Complications Sinus congestion
or earache		 Bronchitis, pneumonia;
can be life-threatening

Your Health, Sponge, Vacuum, Pillow, Meat, Windows and TV

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houseThere is a saying: “Nothing is Like a Home.”  This home could also be a collector of colds and food born illnesses that people contract. Short and long term health outcome depends on the things we do around the house. Below is the list of six activities that might be making you and your children sick.

1. Your Sponge is a Jungle of Microorganisms which are Bad for Your Health

The only place in the house that never gets 100% cleaned up is the kitchen. Cleaning fish, preparing raw meet on our countertops and throwing waste in a sink will cause a breading backyard for all sorts of microorganisms. To name a few: E. Coli, salmonella and variety of viruses and bacteria.

Sponge is the most frequently used tool for cleaning kitchen’s countertop. Sponge can contain E. Coli and Fecal Bacteria and many other microbes. The second dirtiest item in your kitchen is dishrag.

The more frequently one uses the sponge the more one spreads the germs all over the countertop’s surface. One will also contaminate other appliances in the kitchen if the same sponge is applied for cleaning purposes.

How to Solve This Problem: Mixture of a bleach and water is a great solution for sterilizing a sponge. Air-drying will kill most of the germs in a sponge. Using microwave every week or even couple of times a week will keep your sponge germ free as well.

2. Vacuum Cleaning

Many vacuum cleaners do not do a good job at picking up small particles of dust. Most of these tiny dust particles escape through porous vacuum bags. They are the cause of the allergies that people get. A good alternative to a conventional vacuum cleaner would be a Rainbow vacuum cleaner. This unit has water reservoir instead of paper or plastic bag.

Small dust particles contain the highest amount  of heavy metals, lead, pesticides, and other chemicals. The everyday habit of cleaning with a conventional vacuum cleaner results in a burst of particles in the air and then they settle back down over the course of hours.

3. Sleeping With Pillows and a Mattress

Human body sheds about 1.5 million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart every day. These skin cells accumulate in our mattresses and pillows and provide and breeding farm for dust mites to grow and settle. Every ten years the mass of the mattress doubles due to the accumulation of insect parts, dust mites, fibers, lint, dust, chemicals, bacteria, spores, fungal mold, dander, animal hair, bodily secretions, human hair, and dust mites feces. After five years, ten percent of the pillow’s weight is dust mites. This is what we inhaling while sleeping.

Solution: Cover your mattress, box springs, and pillows with impervious outer covers.

Allergy-proof coverings seal the mattress and pillow, preventing anything from getting in or out, which protects you. Wash your sheets weekly in hot water. Make sure the temperature range of the water is between 130 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

4. Grilling Meat

Reduce barbecuing frequency during nice summer days. BBQ meat creates cancer-causing compunds polycyclic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Solution: Try to use tin foil when BBQ your meat. This will prevent fat to drip off, and will help to reduce the amount of fat that hits the flames and sticks on your BBQ meat. Microwaving your meat first will help to reduce the amount of fat.

5. Opening Your House Windows

The amount of seasonal allergies and poor air quality in metropolitan areas of the USA will not do you any good. More than 50% of the US population breathes unhealthy air. Also the pollution inside of our home is much worse than outside. Poor indoor air quality is the fourth largest environmental threat in our country.

Solution: Use Air-conditioning system in your house. The filters will eliminate the exposure to bacteria, molds, mildew, tobacco smoke, viruses, animals dander, house dust mites and pollen.

home6. Prolonged Sitting in Front of the TV

Millions turn into couch potatoes in the USA. Watching TV is one of the leading causes of obesity in this country. Obesity and overweight is the leading cause for heart disease, arthritis, and many other health related problems.

Solution: Go for a walk or a bike ride. Hide the remote control so it won’t be tempting to turn the TV on.

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