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May 5, 2011  In This Issue... - Shocking Confessions of a Drug Company Insider
- Desk Chairs That Make You Healthier
- Scientific Breakthrough That Flips 'ON' Your 'Success Switch'
- When Is It Safe to Drive After a Stroke?
- Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days
Shocking Confessions of a Drug Company Insider In this exposé, a top executive of a major pharmaceutical company spills the naked truth about the drugs you and your family take... which drugs heal, and which ones KILL... what doctors turn to when they don’t know the cure... what they do when they themselves or their loved ones are stricken with disease or illness... what life-saving resource they insist should be in every home. Watch this must-see video now because your life -- or the life of your loved ones -- may depend on it.
Desk Chairs That Make You Healthier I met with a wellness consultant last month who "walks the walk," as they say. He had just bought himself a desk chair that incorporates built-in exercise equipment! He’s an energetic, fit man who’s pretty active already and the kind of guy who enjoys gadgets. The chair was rather odd, but when I tried it, I actually liked it. It was quite comfortable and kind of fun -- and what’s not to love about a desk chair that can make you stronger and healthier? As it turns out, there are quite a few intriguing seating options. Some chairs are designed to improve your posture... some put exercise equipment at your fingertips... and some are designed to encourage subtle, ongoing movement. I collected information on a bunch of these health-oriented desk chairs and made a call to Steven Weiniger, DC, a continuing education instructor at the Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis and author of Stand Taller-Live Longer (you may recall our recent story on his book in the January 10, 2011, issue of Daily Health News) to get his expert input on some of these interesting seating choices. Folding Chair Plus Exercise Cables The VQ ActionCare Chair has a molded vinyl seat and back and is built on a simple metal frame. It looks something like a classic folding chair -- and it actually does fold up for storage. It incorporates exercise cables attached at both the bottom of the frame and shoulder height. It is marketed as a fitness tool, since you can use the resistance cables periodically throughout the day... and as something that is useful for senior citizens who want to add more movement to their day. Though he acknowledges it to be convenient, Dr. Weiniger was unimpressed, especially given its price -- he suggested that as long as you aren’t chair-bound because of illness or injury, you could get better results by buying a set of resistance bands and an exercise ball for less money and more functionality. Dr. Weiniger points out that sitting all day and just adding some upper-body exercise is not the solution. The lack of motion in sitting is the problem... training some muscles to be stronger is not stretching the muscles and joints, which get tight during long durations of sitting. Like Sitting on an Exercise Ball The Gaiam Balance Ball Chair combines an exercise ball and the same type of resistance cables mentioned above, and it can be really fun to sit on. Picture a black plastic frame that looks like a modern sculptor’s vision of a chair... but with an exercise ball firmly planted in the seat area... exercise cables with handles attached to the bottom (to be used for bicep curls, shoulder presses and other strength-training moves)... and locking casters on its feet. Even though the casters do lock, Dr. Weiniger warns that these chairs can be unstable. The balance ball itself is removable for separate exercise, and the unit comes with a resistance cord, toning band and 105-minute workout DVD. The ball is also available in a variety of interesting colors, including sage and plum. Dr. Weiniger had some concerns about whether a person could sit comfortably for long periods in this chair. "Though the model in the advertisement is sitting straight, there’s no way that she won’t slump after a while," he said, adding that as core muscles tire, the pelvis will tend to rock back. He also noted that since the ball is fixed in place in the chair, it’s not able to roll. "That’s the goal of sitting on an exercise ball in the first place," he noted, explaining that a rolling ball forces a reflex stabilization of deep muscles -- while a stationary ball does not. You would do better simply sitting on an exercise ball, since it requires small muscle adjustments. (See Daily Health News June 3, 2004, for more on exercise balls as desk chairs.) Kneeling Chairs Kneeling chairs first became popular in the 1970s. They have no backs, and the seats are angled somewhat down, putting the sitter in a modified kneeling position. The idea is that this chair encourages better posture by distributing the weight evenly between the knees and pelvis, sliding the hips slightly forward and aligning the neck, shoulders and back. Proponents observe that a forward-angled seat promotes a more natural curve to the spine. It is also believed that the kneeling position reduces spinal compression and increases blood flow throughout the body. Dr. Weiniger’s opinion? "The biomechanical idea behind this is very intelligent, but some people -- those who are overweight, for example -- have knee problems. This posture can create extra pressure, straining the knees." And the chair doesn’t allow you to shift positions, so Dr. Weiniger says it may not be a good choice for people who sit at their desks for long hours. Available from various manufacturers and online for $89 to $379, depending on materials used. Saddle Chairs Picture a small horse saddle on a post -- like a bar stool -- and you’ve got an idea of what a saddle chair looks like. Many manufacturers make these chairs. Their selling point is that you’ll sit in a position that’s halfway between standing and sitting, something akin to horseback riding. This position allows the legs to drop and spread in a very natural way. I can tell you, though, that you wouldn’t want to try to sit in one if you’re wearing a pencil skirt! Dr. Weiniger said that putting the sitter in a position that lets the pelvis roll forward reduces stress and facilitates motion in the low back -- and added, "This is a very comfortable position that allows for easy control of your body." Made by many companies and available in office-supply stores, and online, including Amazon.com and Staples, $149 to $199. Shopping Smarts Dr. Weiniger had a few shopping tips for anyone and everyone in the desk chair marketplace -- even those looking for more traditional chairs... - Any desk chair you buy should allow you to easily change your sitting position, because locking into one position is often a problem. After our review, however, it is clear that few do. That is why after sitting for a while you need to stand up and stretch. Your work habits should include changing your position in the chair during the day. This helps to distribute stress over more muscle fibers and joints and leaves you much less tense.
- Choose a chair that allows you to sit with your back straight and shoulders wide -- meaning not pressed together across the front of the body, but open. Dr. Weiniger explained that most people tend to sit in a "folded-in position" which, done for long periods, actually causes your chest muscles to shorten.
- Look for a chair that has an adjustment allowing you to tilt the seat forward. "This lets you roll your pelvis forward, and forces you to lean back and engage the spinal extensor muscles as well as strengthening the lumbar curvature," Dr. Weiniger said. "Your head will be more on top of your shoulders and your torso will be on top of your pelvis, all of which makes for better body alignment."
Dr. Weiniger pointed out that "most of us know it’s smart to invest in a good mattress, but the reality is many of us spend more time sitting at our desks than sleeping." It makes sense to put some thought -- and even invest some money -- in the chair where you spend so many of your waking hours. Source(s): Steven Weiniger, DC, managing partner, BodyZone.com, Alpharetta, Georgia, and author of Stand Taller-Live Longer (BodyZone.com). He is a continuing education instructor for the Logan College of Chiropractic, St. Louis, and has served on the White House Conference on Aging.
Scientific Breakthrough That Flips 'ON' Your 'Success Switch' A special video has been created that covers a Powerful New Scientific Breakthrough that Gives You the Power to Create Your Ultimate Life... JUST by Turning Your brain’s "Success Switch" ON! In this brand new exclusive video, you’ll be learning from Paul Scheele, one of the foremost learning and teaching strategist in the world and Paul Hoffman, one of the top branding and thought leaders in the world. When you watch this video, you’ll learn how to get more done with MORE time and MORE energy left over, The science behind your "Success Switch" and why most people who want more in life actually have this switch turn OFF by total accident and other life-changing information. If you delay in watching this, this special video might be taken down and you’ll have missed out. But spend a few minutes watching this now and you’ll be ready to have a great day, every day! Watch this Life Changing Video Now!
When Is It Safe to Drive After a Stroke? How high on the list of difficult conversations is this one: You’re an adult having to tell your mother or father that he/she shouldn’t drive anymore... or a spouse having to give your wife or hubby the same message. This is often the case after someone has had a stroke... which doesn’t make the conversation (or the decision about whether continued driving is safe) any easier. But I’ve come across an interesting new study that I think may offer some real practical help in easing you through that tough conversation. Belgian researchers have identified a series of three relatively simple tests -- soon to be available in the US. Once that happens, taking them should be quite easy. The estimated time needed is only 15 minutes. The tests can identify who would and who wouldn’t be likely to pass a typical driving road test -- a good (but not perfect) indication of who would be a safe driver after a stroke. Besides sparing you from a wrenching argument with a hurt, defensive and very possibly angry parent or spouse, this might also spare the stroke survivor from having to try to prepare for and get through an official road test -- as they may be required to do after a stroke -- and ultimately fail it. How Serious Was the Stroke? Before we get to these simple new tests, the first thing to know is that for many people, driving is still safe after a stroke -- depending, of course, on the amount and type of damage done and the success of rehabilitation therapy. To find out more, I checked with the lead author of the study, Hannes Devos, PhD, PT, in the department of rehabilitation sciences at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. "Much depends on the area of the brain that’s affected," he explained. If the stroke took place in the temporal lobes, which are key to the ability to perceive and understand information, a stroke survivor might see a street sign and be able to read the words... yet not know what they mean. If it’s the occipital lobes, which receive and organize input from the eyes, that are affected, then vision might be impaired. And if the stroke occurred in the frontal lobes, where higher organizational function is maintained, then judgment, problem solving ability and motor skills -- all obviously vital to safe driving -- might be lacking. Making things even more difficult is the fact that some stroke patients are not aware, or not fully aware, of their deficits, Dr. Devos added. "For example, they may think that nothing serious is wrong with the way their body works even when muscles on one side of the body are barely working at all, so they don’t comprehend what’s dangerous or what must be avoided," he said. Unfortunately, strokes can be cruel that way... so what I wondered about the new study was, how could all of this -- the physical and the psychological -- be sorted out in just 15 minutes and tell us who should and who shouldn’t be driving? How the Tests Work Out of the 1,728 people studied, 54% passed their road tests, the best determinants of success being the following three tests... - The road sign recognition test. In this segment, the person being tested is asked to match 12 road signs, where their meaning must be recognized and matched to cards showing particular driving situations -- for example, they might have to match a road sign indicating construction ahead with a card "depicting" men repairing a road.
- The compass test. This is a test of perception, attention and mental speed that involves placing cards with "vehicles" on them so that the vehicles are lined up properly according to the directions indicated on a second card -- a compass with an arrow showing various directions. This tests the ability to understand directions consistently and under pressure.
- The trail making test part B (TMT B). In this segment, participants are asked to quickly connect circles containing numbers or combinations of the numbers one to 12 and the letters A to L, as in 1-A, 2-B, 3-C. What’s measured here are visual motor abilities and the ability to shift one’s attention.
The tests aren’t perfect, but the authors of the study say that they can correctly identify 80% to 85% of those tested who would make unsafe drivers. Importantly, the tests failed to identify 15% to 20% of unsafe drivers -- and researchers point out that they may also fail to identify some safe drivers, as well. But post-stroke road tests could make up these gaps. For families who are sure or fairly sure that driving should no longer be an activity for a loved one, these tests can be a big help in terms of satisfying everyone involved that getting behind the wheel is just no longer a good idea. Dr. Devos says the tests will be available in the US in the very near future and that physicians, neuropsychologists and occupational therapists will be able to help obtain and administer them. I’ll keep my eye out for them. Source(s):
Hannes Devos, PhD, PT, department of rehabilitation science, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days The big drug companies don't want you to know about the alternative cures that can make their drugs obsolete. The alternative medicine believers think drugs and surgery are bad ideas. Guess what? They're both dead wrong. Finally, a maverick M.D. has dared to identify the world's best cures from both sides of the medical aisle. These are the real forbidden cures you want... Read on...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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