DAILY HEALTH UPDATE: Friday, February 21, 2014 Dr. Jeff Allyn, Berkley Chiropractic Clinic

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”~ W. Somerset Maugham

Mental Attitude: Do Comedians Have Psychotic Traits? The results of an online survey designed to measure psychotic traits in healthy people show that comedians scored significantly above-average for four types of psychotic characteristics. These characteristics include the belief in paranormal events, being easily distracted, avoiding intimacy, and impulsive behavior. According to the lead-author of the study, Dr. Gordon Claridge, "[As] creative people, comedians rate highly on the same personality traits as those regularly observed in other creative individuals." British Journal of Psychiatry, January 2014

Health Alert: Second-Hand Smoke Leads to Hospital Readmission for Kids with Asthma. A new report claims that children with asthma are twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital within a year if they're regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. The authors of the report recommend interventions such as parental counseling and contact with the primary care physician to decrease second-hand exposures from caregivers. They hope these finding will prompt insurance companies to give incentive to parents or guardians to give up smoking.  Pediatrics, January 2014

Diet: Foods that Offer Type 2 Diabetes Protection… According to new research, consuming high levels of flavonoids typically found in dark chocolate, tea, berries, and wine (specifically flavones and anthocyanins) can help protect against the development of type 2 diabetes. These flavonoids were found to help in reducing insulin resistance and improving blood-sugar regulation. The Journal of Nutrition, December 2013

Exercise: Gradual Workouts Good for Patients Recovering from Concussion. For athletes recovering from a concussion, bed rest may be a thing of the past. Researchers assigned concussed patients a low-intensity, gradual workout plan and discovered that patients felt an improvement in their symptoms after three weeks with significant or total improvement after several months. Researcher Dr. Karl Kozlowski writes, “We found that gradual exercise, rather than rest alone, actually helps to restore the balance of the brain's auto-regulation mechanism, which controls the blood pressure and supply to the brain.” Canisius College, January 2014

Chiropractic: Relief for Migraines and Headaches. A systematic literature review of 21 articles suggests that spinal manipulation improves migraine and cervicogenic headaches. The authors of the review recommend the frequency, dosage, and duration of treatment should be based on guideline recommendations and the clinical experience and findings of the treating doctor.   Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, June 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D May Decrease Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Patients. Higher levels of vitamin D appear to protect Parkinson's patients from cognitive decline as well as from depressive symptoms. Previous research shows that 60% of Parkinson's patients suffer from depression and around 30% have some kind of cognitive impairment or dementia. Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, September 2013

For More Information on Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Whiplash, and To Sign Up For Our Daily Health Update Emails, Go To:www.DrJeffAllynBlog.com or our website at:www.berkleychiropracticclinic.com 

(This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.)