WHAT VITAMINS DO YOU REALLY NEED?

Popping a pill is a waste of time and money. The best way to get your daily vitamins is to eat them in their natural form via the actual food item. Your body knows how to synthesize the actual food item and not a processed pill.

What vitamins you need and some ways to get them.

Vitamin C: Broccoli, red bell pepper, brussell sprouts, papaya.

Vitamin E: Almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, sunflower oil, peanut butter.

Beta-carotene: Carrots, canned pumpkin, frozen spinach, sweet potato.

Folate (folic acid): Lentils, chick peas, asparagus, black beans, orange juice.

B 6: Potato, banana, chick peas, chicken.

B 12: Clams, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, beef.

However, you can take some Vitamin D as it seems this vitamin may be the panacea for many of our ills.

(Readers Digest, April 2010)

PHYSICAL THERAPY IS WORK

Do not expect one visit of physical therapy to cure you. It took you a long time to get where you are before you had treatment. Physical therapy only works if you work at it. It is not like taking a pill which provides temporary and possibly harmful relief at best.

In fact pills may do you more harm than good aside from the addiction factor. Pills may give you a false sense of security by masking the pain and allowing you to perform activities more vigorously that in the end may cause more pain or damage. Yes, there are times when pain medication is desired and necessary. It should not become a way of life.

Physical therapy allows you to take control of your life without pills. We teach you how to lessen the pain naturally. The pain may never be gone and the strength may never be 100% recovered. If you work with your therapist you will reach 100% maximum of your potential. You will be able to control the pain yourself and strengthen other muscles correctly to compensate for those not working as well as they should. Take control of your life naturally.

(Renee Nafpliotis-Kresker, PTC of Teaneck)

ALZHEIMER’S AND EXERCISE

it seems that by 2030 over 8 million people may develop Alzheimer’s which accounts for 70-80 % of all dementias. Does this statistic have to include you? It also seems that diabetics have a 65% chance of developing Alzheimer’s as well.

How can you beat the odds? Not surprisingly at all, but a healthy lifestyle may help prevent Alzheimer’s as well as diabetes. Exercise and eating healthily are the easiest ways to accomplish this.

Why does exercise help? It encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity. It increases blood-flow to your brain.

It is not difficult to add exercise to your way of life. Get up one hour early every other day and workout. If you want, join a gym, but is it just as easy to exercise at home. Do a routine that involves the following: aerobic exercise such as jogging or dancing;, anaerobic which is performing high-intensity exercise for a short period of time; strength-training to maximize the health benefits to your body; core training to the back, abdomen and pelvis to provide support to your back and prevent back pain. (Please call us for further information.)

Eating healthy is not difficult to do either. Yes, we are all not blessed with chefs who can provide healthy tasty (key-word) meals. Remember the following when preparing meals: keep the food in its natural form as much as possible. Eating food like vegetables and fruit raw is best. Processed is bad as is fast-food like McDonalds and Burger King.

Stick to these principles and Alzheimer’s does not have to be part of your life. (Mercola.com June 14 2010)

ESCAPING ALCOHOL WITH EXERCISE

Did you know that you can replace your need for alcohol with exercise? It seems that alcohol and exercise give you the same thing - the release of dopamine. Dopamine is what you get for rewarding a behavior. Basically, exercising is the buzz you can get from a 6-pack without the detrimental health effects of alcohol.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT REVEALS FIVE WAYS THAT EXERCISE CAN ENHANCE YOUR BRAINPOWER AND MOOD:

1. Exercise reverses the detrimental effects of stress by boosting brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on your aging process.

2. It lifts depression. Sustained, sweat-inducing activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants.

3. It improves learning. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors that help make new brain cells.

4. It builds self-esteem and improves body image. Even simply seeing fitness improvements, like running a faster mile or lifting more weight, can improve your self-esteem and body image.

5. It leaves you feeling euphoric. High-intensity exercise can leave you with a feeling of euphoria. Try running, biking, or swimming as fast as you can for 30 to 40 seconds and then reduce your speed to a gentle pace for five minutes before sprinting again.

Further, a new study by researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago have revealed impressive insights into why exercise is so good for your brain. In short, it appears that exercise lowers the activity of bone-morphogenetic protein or BMP. BMP slows the production of new brain cells. At the same time, exercise increases Noggin, a brain protein that goes against BMP.

According to NYTimes.com:

"The more Noggin in your brain, the less BMP activity exists and the more stem cell divisions and neurogenesis [production of new brain cells] you experience."

What are you waiting for???

STOP TAKING SLEEPING PILLS

Before popping that sleep aid into your mouth be sure you are doing the right thing. Studies have shown that many sleep aids and other medications contain chemicals that stop your brain from working. They are called anticholinergics and block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Such medications include but are not limited to:

                            * Elavil

Long term use may cause dementia. Ironically enough, those who have Alzheimer’s are low in acetylcholine. Is it worth it?

There are may natural and healthy ways to combat sleep deprivation and depression without taking a man-made pill. (Mercola.com)

"It takes 21 days to break a habit and 21 days to make a habit. Stick with it."

Call this center for further information: 201-837-0337.

The information in this newsletter is general in nature. The contents of the articles presented should not be interpreted as prescribed nor be considered as medical recommendations. Every individual is different and therefore should be examined and evaluated individually by his/her own health care practitioner. Personal commentaries by participating physical therapists, physicians, and/or orthopaedic surgeons do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of this center. Photo captions and other materials have been acquired from our own research and development facility and are the property of this center.