Mental Attitude
Economic Recessions Linked to Cognitive Decline. New research suggests that lay-offs, lower pay, and downward job mobility during mid-life can increase a person's risk of cognitive decline in their later years.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, November 2013
Health Alert
Laser Toys Can Damage Eyes. During the last year, emergency rooms have reported 14 cases of eye damage caused by high-power blue laser gadgets. According to Dr. J. Fernando Arevalo, a professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, "We fear our experience may mark the beginning of an alarming trend and may portend a growing number of young people suffering serious eye damage as these high-power lasers become more ubiquitous."
Johns Hopkins Medicine, November 2013
Diet
A Healthier Buffet. Putting healthier foods at the start of the buffet table can help diners decrease or pass on the more fattening food choices they encounter later on. This study shows that when healthy foods were presented first, 86% of the diners selected fruit. However, when more fattening foods were positioned first, only 54% of diners added fruit to their plate. Behavioral economist Brian Wansink writes, "There's an easy take-away for us: Always start at the healthier end of the buffet… Two-thirds of your plate will be the good stuff."
Cornell University, November 2013
Exercise
Exercise Boosts Creativity. In an effort to test whether or not physical activity improves creative thought, researchers tested the divergent and convergent thinking skills of both sedentary adults and adults who exercise four or more times per week. Divergent thinking is the ability to conceive multiple solutions to a problem and convergent thinking is the process of finding the one correct answer. Adults who regularly exercise performed better on both tests.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, December 2013
Chiropractic
Safe. “Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain of the arms or legs, headaches, and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise.”
American Chiropractic Association
Wellness/Prevention
Coffee and Cardiovascular Health. Past studies have demonstrated a link between moderate coffee consumption and cardiovascular benefits, but the exact mechanism was a mystery to researchers. A new study from Japan claims that the caffeine present in coffee may be the culprit. Their findings show that caffeine benefits the cardiovascular system by both reducing harmful inflammation and by helping small blood vessels work up to 30% more efficiently. The research team cautions that their results are preliminary and the size of the study was too small to reach any definitive conclusions. American Heart Association, November 2013
Quote
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
~ Helen Keller
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