Posts Tagged ‘age-related health issues’
Balanced Choices Pave the Way to Good Health and Longevity
Recently I saw an article on sciencedaily.com about a study carried out on aged mice induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the benefits of caffeine in reversing memory loss. The article lead with the suggestion that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.” It went on to report on a sequence of studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that showed that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.
However, before you decide to add an extra cuppa to your daily routine, let me, Dr. Jamie Phillips warn you that also on the website, under “Related Stories,” were at least two articles regarding studies that showed the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”
In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are conceivably many studies that will confirm, or at least bolster, any angle of thought, especially when it is about age-related health issues. The “yin-yang” of caffeine benefits-deficits certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. But, it did get me to considering about the probability that there will not ever be just “one thing” that will incontrovertibly assist we, humans, in living longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological creatures. We are free to make choices in life. We’re not bred in a cage! And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously none of us has been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that is going to prevent or reverse it.
Our body is an exquisite, complex system that is designed to function homeostasis (balance). It is likely, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced way of living, rather than our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one particular thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other over-indulgent and harmful things we do to our bodies.
As a doctor of chiropractic in Santa Barbara, I believe that every single day we have an opportunity to choose healthfully for our body, decisions that will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. When it comes to what is good for us, we know what actually “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, the if you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll keep this in mind. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your good health.
Dr. Jamie Phillips
601 E. Arrellaga St. #201
Santa Barbara, CA, 93103
http://www.santabarbarachiropractic.org
This item: Walk Yourself Well: Eliminate Back Pain, Neck, Shoulder, Knee, Hip and Other Structural Pain Forever-Without Surgery or Drugs by Sherry Brourman