VOLUME 28 - 9 Advancing Without Aging!

New Doctor on Staff
Dr. Robert E. Morrow, one on the area's leading orthopedic surgeons has joined the staff of The Personal Injury Clinic. He is avilable for orthopedic consultations as well as many other procedures regarding cardiovascular and orthopedic health. Click on his name to review his credentials. Call the office if you would like to meet him.

Health Tips

Key to Senior Fitness: Chiropractic Care, Healthy Lifestyle

Over the hill at age 65? Ready for the rocker at 70? Not these days. Americans are living longer and making more of their later years. One key is exercise.

"Perhaps the most debilitating influence in people's health as they age is a sedentary life,"

"Exercise of some type is all but mandatory." Otherwise, an individual may set him or herself up for broken bones, circulation problems caused by atrophying blood vessels, and a myriad of other physical problems associated with aging.

"Exercise, however, can improve a person's mobility, digestive processes and circulation. It can also reduce anxiety. Add proper nutrition and you have the makings of a naturally healthy lifestyle."

"Following a healthy diet is another way of extending your golden years as long as possible."

We suggest the following tips to help seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle:

Walking

• Walking improves elasticity in blood vessels, which makes them less susceptible to formation of aneurysms or rupture.
• Start with one-third of a mile per day - one-sixth out and one-sixth back. (Measure the distance with your car.) Do that three days a week for a month, then double the distance, working gradually up to at least one mile a day, three days a week.
• Expect a little soreness in the thighs and calves for the first week or two. If you experience more than soreness, check with your chiropractor.

Stretching

• The average person should stretch to prevent the bowing or stoop caused by shortening of ligaments. A stoop can inhibit normal breathing.
• Stretch the groin muscles by sitting on the floor and bending one leg to the side and back as far as possible. Or sit Indian fashion on a cushion and watch television. A relaxed stretch is the goal.
• Stretch the back leg muscles by putting your hands on a wall, one foot flat on the floor behind you. Then lean into the wall. Or stand up straight and bend over. Or sit with one foot on an ottoman and bend forward.

Eating Right

• Make sure you have a properly balanced diet.
• If you take vitamins, take them with a meal.
• Drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day to help keep the kidneys active, dilute and remove toxins from the body, and replace lost fluids. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics. Don't substitute them for water.)

Our Patients Get Results
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Related Research

Exercise Training May Lower Diastolic, But Not Systolic, Blood Pressure in Older Patients

Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:756-762

Six months of aerobic and resistance training lowers diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure (BP) in older patients with mild hypertension (HTN), according to the results of a randomized trial study published in the April 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The benefit seemed to be related to changes in body composition rather than in fitness.

"Because of age-related differences in the cause of hypertension, it is uncertain whether current exercise guidelines for reducing BP are applicable to older persons," write Kerry J. Stewart, EdD, from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore , Maryland , and colleagues. "Few exercise studies in older persons have evaluated BP changes in relation to changes in body composition or fitness."

In the Senior Hypertension and Physical Exercise (SHAPE) study, participants were randomized to a six-month supervised program of combined aerobic and resistance training or to usual care physical activity and diet advice. At baseline, age was 55 to 75 years old, and participants had untreated systolic BP (SBP) of 130 to 159 mm Hg or diastolic BP (DBP) of 85 to 99 mm Hg.

Compared with 53 control subjects who completed the trial, 51 exercisers who completed the trial had significant improvements in aerobic and strength fitness, increased lean mass, and reduced general and abdominal obesity. Mean decreases in SBP and DBP, respectively, were 5.3 and 3.7 mm Hg in exercisers and 4.5 and 1.5 mm Hg in the control group.

Mean SBP change from baseline was similar in both groups, whereas the mean reduction in DBP was greater in the exercisers. Aortic stiffness, reflected in aortofemoral pulse-wave velocity, did not change in either group. Improvements in body composition accounted for 8% of the SBP reduction and for 17% of the DBP reduction.

There were no sex differences in BP reductions, and the only significant sex differences were greater gains in strength and a greater reduction in abdominal visceral fat in men.

Study limitations include lack of a true control group, possible contributions to BP reduction from the ongoing monitoring inherent to a clinical trial, and reduced power to ascertain exercise-induced BP changes.

Are the 'hard' martial arts, such as the Korean martial art, TaeKwon-Do, of benefit to senior citizens?

Med Hypotheses.  2002; 59(4):485-91

Brudnak MA ; Dundero D ; Van Hecke FM

Falls are a leading cause of death in the elderly. Associated with aging is a loss of muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination. Regular exercise is widely believed to be of benefit for the elderly. To this end, various exercise regimes have been employed to battle the associated problems of aging. One such has been the Chinese martial art, Tai Chi Chuan (TC). TC as an exercise system uses slow smooth movements to train the body in balance, endurance, and strength. For this reason, it is known as a 'soft' martial art, in that it is very non-impact oriented. There have been a variety of studies in the West examining the beneficial effects of TC. However, to date, there have been no studies with senior citizens using other martial arts, of which, TC is but one. The present study was designed to examine the appropriateness and effects of a Korean martial art known as TaeKwon-Do (TKD), a 'hard' martial art, on an elderly population measuring similar parameters reported for TC.

Of those participants that attended >85% of classes, an increase was observed in the average number of push-ups, trunk flexion, and balance time on each foot. TKD proved effective at increasing one-leg balance in the population examined. Additionally, the overall dropout rate was extremely low suggesting both that the elderly are capable of participating in a hard martial art and that they have an interest in it as a viable alternative to other forms of exercise. The present study suggests that TKD as a form of exercise for an elderly population is both viable and potentially popular and warrants further study.

The Rear End Collision

These are becoming more frequent now and you need to know what to do if you are hit from behind or slip into someonw else. Follow these simple rules if you are involved in a car accident and are not hospitalized:

• Stay calm and reduce movements of the spine
• Ice packs on the spine and neck for 5 minutes per hour will help for the first few days
• See your chiropractic physiciain right away - He is the only provider trained to evlauate spinal subluxations

For more information, click here!

THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL OFFERS

Spinal Decompression Study: Enroll now if you have arm or leg pain, numbness or loss of strength.

Family Vouchers are now avilable on request. Give any family member or close freind a voucher for a compimentary consultation and spinal examination, spinal screening, blood pressure screen, or body composition screen. Click Here and ask for a family voucher to be sent to you.

We have a new exercise program sheets for all parts of the body. These protocols range from simple stretching for increased range of motion to resistive movements for strength and rehabilitation. We can print simple descriptions for you at your next visit. Arth Aid - Detox now at bulk rates. Many people are requesting several pouches at a time for consistent relief. We have a bulk rate. Call to ask how you can save.

SUBSCRIPTIONS
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MONTHLY REMINDER PLAN
Sign up today for our monthly telephone reminder. Our automated telephone system will call you the day before your regular monthly appointment and remind you. Monthly chiropractic adjustments have shown to improve health and reduce aches and pains. A reduced fee is available to all who join. To join, email curtis@piclinic.com

OUR STAFF
Dr. Bruce Gundersen - Chiropractic Orthopedics
Dr. Josh Christensen - Chiropractic Pediatrics and Homeopathy
Dr. Robert Morrow - Orthopedic Surgeon
Curtis Gundersen - Chief Programmer
Mandy Belnap - Massage Therapy

To Schedule an appointment, Curtis@piclinic.com or call 801-272-8471.

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Thank you.