Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Dream sweet dreams of me. Do you ever have difficulty sleeping? You’re not alone. Over 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60% of us say we have difficulty in the sleep department at least a few nights per week. Lack of sleep can really mess with your mind. Here’s what the experts recommend: Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule, Don’t drink or eat caffeine at least 4-6 hours before bed time and minimize daytime use, Don’t smoke near bedtime or if you wake up, Avoid alcohol or heavy meals before sleep, Get regular exercise, Minimize noise and excessive temperatures where you sleep, Develop a regular bed time and finally Try to wake up without an alarm clock. I hope this helps. Now go to sleep and don’t make me come in there. American Psychological Association August 2009

Health Alert :

Tell me something I don’t know. Insurance companies are not our enemies even if it may feel like it. The following are the top 10 WORST insurance companies in America based on complaints by consumers for denied payment, raising premiums unfairly and refusal of coverage. Ready. 10:  Liberty Mutual 9: Torchmark 8: Unitedhealth 7: Farmers 6: Wellpoint 5: Conseco 4: State Farm 3: AIG 2: Unum and the # 1 scoundral Allstate. Shame,shame,shame. (No one asked me but my list isn’t far from this one) American Association for Justice @ www.justice.org/docs/TenWorstInsuranceCompanies.pdf  Summer 2009

Diet :

Does sitting on this donkey make my ass look fat? The following foods have now been scientifically linked (in a 5 year study) to an increase in circumference of your waist. Pay attention. For men: diets low in fruit and red meat and high in snack foods were associated with waist increase. For women: diets high in potatoes, processed meats, snack foods and poultry caused an increase in waist management. On the other hand women who had high intakes of red meat, fruit, high fat dairy products and vegetables showed a decrease in waist enlargement. Go figure. Journal of the American Dietetic Association August 2009

Exercise :

‘Dat bone sounds funny. Athletes of all groups sometimes break bones. Ouch. New research shows a very effective way of testing a bone to see if it’s broken without using x-rays. Here’s how: Get a 128htz. tuning fork and a stethoscope. Vibrate the tuning fork on the suspected fracture. Put the stethoscope over the bone at the fracture sight. Listen. If you don’t hear the tuning fork sound ‘dat bone be broke. (An 81% probability) You should follow up with an x-ray at this point. If you hear the tuning fork there is a good probability that it ain’t broke (so don’t fix it). Journal of Athletic Training May – June 2009

Chiropractic :

Questions, I get questions. Our friend, Jeff M. asks,” What is the cause of Ankylosing Spondylitis and is there a natural remedy?” Man, another tuff question. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a spinal condition that is in the auto-immune family of arthritis’. We have no clue as to the cause but we think it may be genetic. It causes the spine and hip joints to “melt” and eventually fuse together. Pain and stiffness are the to biggest symptoms and it is diagnosed with a simple blood test for a genetic marker called HLA-B27. A natural approach is considered the best treatment although there is no known cure. First, keep moving. Exercise has been shown to decrease the stiffness and reduce the pain. Second, reduce the inflammation. I would suggest our Pharmaceutical Grade Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Available in our office). Lastly, Chiropractic care will keep the joints involved moving or if they are already fused then it will help keep the rest of the spine freely movable. I’ve had great results with A.S. patients. Surgery isn’t very effective and the high dose pain meds. the M.D.s give all have risky side effects. Hope this helps. Dr. Bell Ask me any question at dr.bell@att.net

Wellness/Prevention :

Hold it between your knees. Birth control pills can kill the user. New research says that some are worse than others. Even with the best B.C. pill, there is a 4x increase in the risk of developing a serious or fatal blood clot. The best ones contain the chemical Levonogestrel with LOW dosage of estrogen. The worst is Desogestrel. The pharmaceutical companies that make these preg-not pills say ” The risks of not taking the pill including pregnancy and the complications of pregnancy may be worse than getting a blood clot.” They are on record as saying the deaths from these womb – broom pills are acceptable risks to them. Pitchforks and torches anyone? British Medical Journal August 14, 2009

Quote :

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. Walt Disney

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Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Can you see the forest? Let’s face it, times is tough. Psychologists say that even in todays economy we can be happy. How, you ask? Well, first start with money can’t buy happiness. They suggest we change our ideas on what it takes to make us happy. Money does matter but it seems we lose focus on the important things such as family and friends in good economic times. The economic downturn has caused us to simplify our lives by turning to those things that money can’t buy. They suggest we keep gratitude journals and record those things we are grateful for. Hope for tomorrow is also important. If your basic needs are met, happiness isn’t about money. American Psychological Association August 5, 2009

Health Alert :

Oops, my bad. Want to stay healthier? Then you had better stay away from hospitals. A new (old) report shows that our hospitals are “accidently” killing over 200,000 people a year through preventable mistakes. Ouch. This study says that this number is way low because “medical errors” usually aren’t reported as the official cause of death. The true number is much, much higher. In 2008 the original report asked congress to do something about reducing these “errors”  (People is errors). Congress immediately went back to sleep and not a damn thing was done. Only 20 states have reporting systems in place as of today (including California).This makes Medical errors the #1 cause of accidental death in the U.S.of A. You’ve been warned. Hearst Investigations August 9, 2009

Diet :

My fat is sick. One reason we eat a good diet is to be healthier. Some of us are eating better to lose excess tonnage. If you fall into the second group then listen to this (The rest of you, at ease). Stress makes you fat. Say Wha’? Stress causes you to release a hormone called cortisol which causes your belly fat to “get sick”. Sick as in growing way out of control. This causes your Omentum to gain momentum and you are more likely to clog arteries, compress internal organs, damage hearts and on and on. Want to lose weight? Then chill, Dammit! Obesity August 2009

Exercise :

Exercise my what? We usually associate exercise with using our muscles. Researchers are now saying we should also exercise our BRAIN to ward off dementia that is associated with aging. How? Reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, card games, board games, playing music or even group discussions all seem to help the ol’ brain exercise enough to chase dementia away. Hey, I can do that (and so can you!) Now drop and give me 20 games of scrabble. Neurology August 4, 2009

Chiropractic :

I’ll take Samuel Clemens for 100, Alex. Our friend Eve Ann asked us this question, “You said in one of your past UPDATES that we should eat foods we don’t like. Can you explain this further?” No. I didn’t say that, it was that eternal jokester Mark Twain. The quote was ” The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.” All I can add is Amen and keep getting adjusted. Question me at drbell@att.net Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

Keep me a breast. Breast cancer is serious stuff. Researchers have made an interesting discovery in prevention of the “Big C” in women. The latest is that women should only diet intermittently to help reduce breast cancer. They took 3 groups of mice (relax it wasn’t Minnie Mouse) One group they let eat whatever they wanted, the second group they put on a permanent diet and the third group the made diet every once in a while. Here are the results: 71% of the eat whatever group developed cancer, 35% of the permanent diet group got it, yet only 9 % of the intermittent group got cancer. Wow. It all has to do with lower levels of insulin. Stay tuned fo’ mo’. Cancer Prevention Research August 2009

Quote :

I never let schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree. Do you have a history of drug abuse, anxiety, depression or alcoholism in your family? If yes, listen up. Researchers have just completed a long term study (29 yrs.) that shows your risk, prognosis and course of the illness if anyone in your immediate family suffers from any of these. The good news is that researchers are using this to become aware if early treatment or intervention may help those who have any of these illnesses in their family. God help us all. Archives of General Psychiatry July 2009

Health Alert :

Egg-xactly. The Food and Drug Administration is laying down the law when it comes to eggs. It seems that 79,000 people a year become sickened after eating undercooked or raw eggs contaminated with Salmonella. Some have egg-spired. The eggs become contaminated on the farm and new laws will require egg ranchers (?) to clean their facilities more often and actually check for Salmonella. Also, the eggs must be refrigerated at a new low temp. of 45 degrees and shipped within 3 days of being laid. I’m not egg-xagerating, I know I’ll sleep better knowing the F.D.A. is on the J.O.B. F.D.A. Press Release July 7, 2009

Diet :

Why they call it the “Boob Tube”. Will it ever end? Researchers have now discovered that both children and adults who watch T.V. that have commercials that showcase snack / junk foods will graze 45% more than those who watched the same show minus the commercials. This adds up to about 10 pounds extra per year. Want to lose weight? Tune out the T.V. (or Tivo). No word yet on what happens to those who watch The Food Channel. Journal of Health Psychology July 2009

Exercise :

The ankle bone is connected to the knee bone. The latest in research proves that people with Chronic Ankle Instability (a damaged weak ankle) tend to lose flexibility and to have “reduced dynamic stability” in the knee on that side. This messes up the entire kinematic (movement) chain, causing worse problems down the road. Chiropractors (myself included) have known this for years. We realign the ankle and the knee returns to normal. Jus’ like dat. Journal of Athletic Training July-August 2009

Chiropractic :

Yakedy – Yak, please talk back. I can write forever about the wonderful benefits of my passion, Chiropractic. However, I was thinkin’ the other day if any of you have questions about Chiropractic that I haven’t covered yet. Well, here’s your chance.  I have a form at the front desk that you can fill out with any question you may have concerning Chiropractic or anything else in the health care world. I will answer 1 question per week and I will definitely answer all questions asked. Stay tuned fo’ mo’. (Questions will remain anonymous unless you want to see your name in print) You can E-mail your questions to drbell@att.net if you wish. Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

This sucks. This just in: cupping helps with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. What the hell is cupping? Cupping is applying external suction to an area and has been used in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Africa for ages. How it works isn’t clear, however, they puncture the skin over the neck 10-15 times and then apply a suction device over the area and viola, the symptoms begin to reduce (for at least a week-so far). This explains why vampires and teenagers rarely have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Journal of Pain July 2009

Quote :

When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first thing to be bought and sold are legislators. P. J.  O’Rourke

WEEK OF : MONDAY December 28, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Attention Death Disorder. In a recent study done on children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) the drugs used to treat the disorder (like Ritalin) are KILLING some of the otherwise healthy children. 2.5 million kids in the U.S.A are on these “medications”. The drug companies aren’t talking on this topic and in some cases denying any causal effects. Dr. Jennifer Anston M.D. of CBS Healthwatch recommends parents do 3 things: 1) Do not stop medications without speaking to a Pediatrician (Who gave your kid the drugs in the first place??) 2) Have a Pediatric Cardiologist perform an E.K.G. on your child to detect any heart damage. (Also recommended by the American Heart Assoc.) 3) Seek Alternative or Complimentary therapies such as Chiropractic and diet changes in place of or in addition to the drugs (These 2 have been shown to help greatly in ADHD). American Journal of Psychiatry June 2009 and CBS Healthwatch June 17, 2009

Health Alert :

We ain’t no dummies. Americans spent 34 BILLION dollars in 2007 on Alternative health care treatments such as Chiropractic, Acupuncture and herbal supplements. Good Lawd dat’s alotta money. Not so fast. This total was only 1.5% of the overall healthcare tab in”07. But it was 1/3 of what we (not me, how ’bout you?) spent on prescription meds. in the same year. This total represents about 11% of out of pocket expenses for healthcare. Pain relief was the #1 reason we sought Alternative care. 38% of adults and 12% of children sought out non-medical care in 2007. Why? It works. ‘Nuff said. CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics July 30, 2009

Exercise :

Rocks in your head. Rock climbing (as an exercise) has increased in popularity in the past 17 years. So have the injuries associated with this vertical workout. There has been a 68% increase in emergency room visits associated with rock climbing. Not surprising, falls were the most common cause of injuries (DUH) at 78% and the 2 most common injuries were fractures (DUH) and sprains/strains (Ditto). What goes up must come down. N. American Journal of Preventative Medicine 2009

Chiropractic :

I got answers. Our friend Mr. Alan M. asks a tough question this week, “Can Chiropractic care actually change the structure of our bones i.e. deterioration of the bone, ossification (hardening of the bone) or misalignment of the bone”? Well, Alan the cold hard facts are this, your bones are only changed by Chiropractic care in it’s alignment with the bones above and below. It can also stop (in some cases reverse) any degenerative changes caused by the misalignment (most degeneration is caused by misalignment!) If you are born with malformed vertebrae no amount of care will fix that however, it will help you adapt to it. Also, Osteoporosis can’t be helped with Chiropractic care, except you can help prevent fractures associated with Osteoporosis by keeping your spine in alignment. Remember this, Chiropractors aren’t so much interested in the spine, EXCEPT it’s relationship with the nerve system. Then we are real interested. Ask away at drbell@att.net Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

I want the blues! You won’t believe this but it’s true. Scientists are using the chemical that dyes M&Ms blue, called Brilliant Blue G (BBG), to treat secondary spinal cord injuries in mice. The chemical stops certain chemicals from being attracted to the injury sight and this stops the paralysis. Human trials begin in Sept. and this looks very promising as a treatment for spinal cord injuries. The mice regained the ability to walk (with a limp but,oh well) and to date the only “side-effect” is that the mice all turn blue in color. Who knew the Smurfs were so ahead of their time. University of Rochester Medical Center July 28, 2009

Quote :

There is no remedy for love but to love more. Henry David Thoreau

WEEK OF : MONDAY December 21, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Dear Friends, Last week I encouraged all of you to submit questions concerning Chiropractic or any question you may have concerning health care in general. I admit, I was apprehensive about the types of questions I might receive. Well, the first question I received was a huge one. It would be impossible to thoroughly answer it in a paragraph so, I have decided to devote the entire Weekly Update to the answering of this one question. I will resume normal communication next week. Thank you in advance for your patience. If you would like to submit a question to our Weekly Update you may do so in person at the office or you may e-mail it to drbell@att.net. Dr. Bell

Question: What benefit do seemingly healthy people derive from Chiropractic care? How would they even know that they need or could benefit from such care? Mark A.

Chiropractic:

Wow. A fantastic question, Mark. I’ll start by repeating my weekly question I wrote on my office whiteboard. How do you see the invisible? The answers are deeply related. To begin, we really need to get to the true heart of what chiropractic is and what it isn’t. First, it isn’t medicine. While Chiropractors care for serious cases like herniated discs and lots of other pain related injuries, it wasn’t designed to be an adjunct of medicine for a lot of reasons. If you have a health problem and go see your family M.D. he/she is going to be concerned with the treatment of your symptoms. So, with a low back pain problem he/she will examine you and discover you have a set of symptoms that may include: pain, muscle spasms, inflammation and limited mobility (movement). He/She will then prescribe a list of medications to remove the symptoms such as : pain pills, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxers and/or physical therapy. In short they overlook the reason you hurt and treat the symptoms. Sure, you may feel better but they overlooked the Big question. WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE? In short, what was the CAUSE? Chiropractors are always looking for the cause of all the symptoms. If we can correct that, the symptoms will go away. So will the cause. If you only treat the symptoms and don’t correct the cause, the problem is still there waiting to rear it’s ugly head again. In a nutshell, M.D.’s treat symptoms while Chiropractors care for the causes.

Webster’s Dictionary defines health as,”100% function of 100% of the body’s parts 100% of the time and not merely the absence of disease or infirmities.” If you went again to your M.D. and asked one simple question, ” Am I healthy?” he/she could do a battery of tests and once the findings are in he/she could only truthfully answer the question by saying we found no diseases in your body. They would have nothing to treat and probably send you home and tell you to come back when you are sick. Chiropractors are concerned with you as a person. We understand that there is ONE CRUCIAL STEP before disease sets in and that is DIS-EASE. Dis-ease can be defined as the body having a part that is not functioning 100%, 100% of the time. The understanding is that everything in your body is under the control of the nerve system and if you damage this vital controlling mechanism (through Subluxation) the organ doesn’t receive the right amount of “control” and begins to not function properly, leading to a state of Dis-ease. Let this go on long enough and eventually the organ quits and you have disease. It makes sense to stop the dis-ease problem before the disease process sets in because once it sets in even Chiropractic care may not be able to stop it in time. I see this all the time.

But, what if you have no symptoms, why see a Chiropractor? We will start with the biggest answer first. Dr. Ron Pero Chief of Cancer Research at the New York Hospital Research Center found that regular Chiropractic adjustments IMPROVE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM BY 200%. SAY WHAT? If your immune system is cranking at 200% you will be less likely to get sick or if you do, you will overcome whatever it is faster. AIDS patients (who essentially have no immune system) in Florida were given regular Chiropractic adjustments and even their immune systems improved by 50%. It was common knowledge during the huge flu epidemic of 1918-1919 that if you were under Chiropractic care you didn’t die. In fact, prior to the advent of the common use of antibiotics, Chiropractic was used to care for infectious diseases. I am not making this up! A recent study done in Canada showed that the Government of Canada could save tremendous amounts of money by simply allowing Chiropractors to be the “Gate-Keepers” for every medical case. In our country, it has been proven that Chiropractic patients are not only more satisfied with their care (than with medical care) but have a reduction of their overall health care costs of 50%. THIS IS HUGE !

Now let’s discuss the lesser important reasons for Chiropractic care if you are asymptomatic. Remember, Chiropractic care is intended to maximize function. Period. So what improves under regular Chiropractic care? Here’s the short list: movement of the joints and overall movement, nerve system function, the very thing controlling everything else (Note: Subluxations have been scientifically proven to reduce nerve flow by 60%), blood flow (also under control of the nerve system), brain function (a reduction of blood flow to the brain causes a condition called appropriately enough, Brain Hibernation), joint damage (A.K.A. osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, spondylosis, or old age) is reverse or at least stopped at where it is, mental attitude ( a reduction of physical stress allows you to cope with emotional stress more effectively), pain control ( initially, a Subluxation can be painless for years before symptoms set in) and one huge reason: YOU WILL NOT BE TAKING MEDICATIONS THAT KILL OVER 400,000 AMERICANS EVERY YEAR. If you throw in such things like improved athletic performance (ask me for a long list of pro athletes who use Chiropractic care to stay on top of their games), improved eyesight, more enjoyable sex life, improved hearing, reduction of asthma symptoms and healthier children and animals the reasons for Chiropractic care start to become more apparent.

So, in the normal process of Chiropractic care it goes like this: Initial Intensive Care to stabilize the Subluxation Complex, Rehabilitation Care (or Strengthening Care) and finally Maintenance Care. It doesn’t work any other way. Once you have healed and strengthened it makes sense to maintain what you have worked so hard to achieve.

So why should a person start Chiropractic Care if they have no symptoms? How do you see the invisible? The answer is….(wait for it) You can’t see the invisible, but, you can see the effects of it and more importantly you can FEEL it. (Think of the wind) Do you remember how you felt at the beginning of your care with Chiropractic and how different you FEEL now? How much more you can do now and how much healthier you are? If you can’t remember I’ll remind you the next time I see you. The benefits of long term Chiropractic Care are even too numerous to list here, but I have given you quite a few to chew on.

Chiropractic Care is so very different than any other health care system out there. We somehow got lumped in with medicine when we agreed to accept insurance companies payments and then got labeled as “low back pain” doctors. We Chiropractors know we are so much more than that, and now so do you. I encourage each one of you to get your loved ones checked for Subluxations, even if they are pain free. Their life, and yours as well, will benefit greatly.

Man, was this long winded or what? It was only a small portion of what your body can do if you remove the thing that prevents it from working as it was intended. Thanks for the question Mark, I hope this answers it sufficiently. Dr. Bell

WEEK OF : MONDAY December 14, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Say what? New research indicates that people who suffer from certain disease processes may develope cognitive impairments. (A cognitive impairment could be classified as not knowing what you already know A.K.A. forgetfulness) Diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, childhood cancers, Hepatitis, Cardiac Disease and certain respiratory diseases all have shown to cause loss of mental cognition. This ’splains a lot, Lucy. The rest of us have no excuse. Monitor on Psychology Vol.40 No.3, 2009

Health Alert :

File this one under DUH. For years it has been common knowledge that those with hypertension (high blood pressure) should reduce their salt (sodium) intake. After all Hypertension can lead to strokes, heart problems and kidney failure. Now, researchers say that a high salt diet even diminishes the effectiveness of Hypertension medication. They found that by lowering your salt intake your medication works better. WOW. How can I get some research dollars to study the effectiveness of Extra-Strength Placebos versus Regular Placebos? What next? Hypertension July 20, 2009

Diet :

Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at suppertime. Too much sugar ain’t good for ya. What else is new? Well, a recent study shows who eats the most sugar in the U.S of A.. Ready… Those who eat the most sugar are the young, undereducated and poor. Among men the African-Americans are highest followed by Caucasians and Native-Americans/Alaskan Natives. Among women it is the African-Americans and Native Americans/ Alaskan-Natives. Asians had the least intake of sugar. So, to reduce your sugar intake you should grow old, go back to school, make some money and maybe move to China. Apologies to Captain Crunch. Journal of the American Dietetic Association August 2009

Exercise :

Time is on my side. For those of ya’ll who hate to exercise because it takes up too much of your time, there is good news. Research indicates that you can get health benefits from as little as 5 minutes of exercise a day. Ten minutes would be better and 30 minutes is the recommended. If all ya got is 5 minutes then it is recommended to work the major ( read: biggest) muscle groups (squatting, reaching overhead). You can get benefits from moving your body. All experts agree the first step is getting your butt off the couch. WebMD Medical News June 26, 2008

Chiropractic :

A horse to water. Our friend Alan M. asked a really great question: How do you get someone in for Chiropractic care when they are resistant to Chiropractic? I recommend a Louisville Slugger with a Barry Bonds Autograph. However, if that doesn’t work then go to plan B. Find out why they are ’scared of Chiropractic and tell them your experience with Chiropractic. Their fear is real to them. Next, you could bring them with you on your next visit so they can see the room we store all the dead bodies in (or to see that I ain’t as bad a goober as they think I is … I need some sugar) and finally, you can tell them that you really care for them and you hate to see them in pain and when they get tired of suffering Dr. Bell will be happy to help them. Keep those questions coming. drbell@att.net Dr.Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

Ya ain’t gonna like this. Those of you (no, not you…You) who take an over the counter (O.T.C.) pain medication to help with the pain of subluxations are really hurting yourselves in the long run. Why? Aspirin and other N.S.A.I.D.s (non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) have been shown to cause an increase in cardiovascular risks (not good for the heart), strokes, bleeding in the stomach, an increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease, kidney damage and 10,000 deaths in the study period (1999-2004). In addition, N.S.A.I.D.s cause a reduction of cartilage formation (cartilage helps you recover from your injury). But Dr. Bell, I don’t take these things, I take medication prescribed by my Medical Doctor, so it must be safe, right. Wrong! Next week, I’ll show you why. Better to get adjusted than injest this junk. S.K. Bergstrom, B.I. Samuelsson, J.R. Vane Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1982

Quote :

For fast acting relief, try slowing down. Lily Tomlin

WEEK OF : MONDAY December 07, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Teach your children well. Everyone wants their children to grow up to be healthy. New research shows that parenting can have a huge impact towards this goal. They found, in a long term study, that children who were taught to focus on finishing a task and who were trained to not react negatively to bad situations and who were helped to overcome shyness were found to be healthier (less illnesses) at age 30 than those children who weren’t taught these skills. It seems to work better for girls than boys.This shows the value of a small effort now can reap huge benefits later. You reap what you sow. Health Psychology Vol.13 No.1

Health Alert :   Where’s the beef?

Are you a carnivore? If you are you won’t like this. The JBS Swift Beef Co. out of Greeley Colo. has recalled all their meat products being sold in California (and 12 other states) due to contamination by the dreaded E-Coli bacteria. Check your freezers. Declare war on these microscopic terrorists. What could possibly be next? You’ve been warned. News Release U.S. Dept. of Agriculture June 25, 2009

Diet :

Fatty’s of the world unite! This will blow your mind. New research now shows that people who are overweight (but not obese) live LONGER than average weight folks. What is overweight? A Body Mass Index of between 25 – 29.9. They found us chubby folks were 17% less likely to die than all other groups. However, Supermodels may want to start chowin’ down a bit more as they found that underweight people were 37% more likely to bite the dust. I’ve always said, “Fat is where it’s at.” Journal of Obesity June 2009

Exercise :

Cryotherapy me a river. Anyone who exercises regularly has developed a muscle strain at some point. Researchers (with nothing else to do) have discovered which type of ice treatment works the best. Hooray. They tested 3 types of ice treatment, wetted ice packs, crushed ice and cubed ice. The winner (and still champion) was …Wait for it… Wetted ice. It reduced surface temperatures better, however, it tied cubed ice for intermuscular temperature reduction. Save the crushed ice for your drinks. Researchers described these findings as “Chilling”. Journal of Athletic Training Mar.- Apr. 2009

Chiropractic :

Bucks Delux. With all the hype over this tough economy, everyone is looking to save a few “Benjamins”. Tell me how, Dr. Bell. In several well published studies, it was found that those of us that use Chiropractic on a long term basis, were less likely to be sick and had a total overall reduction in health care costs of 50% (or more). Have you experienced this yet? Maybe Mr. Obama should look at these studies when he talks about a “healthcare overhaul”. I won’t hold my breath! Spend a little, save a lot. Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

Get off my butt. You ain’t gonna like this one. (I sure don’t.) Studies were done that shows that disposable diapers emit toxic gasses that cause respiratory problems and even asthma in children. Clean disposable diapers were compared to cloth diapers and the disposable diapers lost. Man, I don’t want to hear this. The gasses emitted by “full” diapers were not studied, however, I would describe the gasses as seriously “funky”. Archives of Environmental Health Vol. 54, 1999

Quote :

Never be afraid to do something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic. Anonymous

WEEK OF : MONDAY November 30, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Getting your head on straight. New research now shows that people who are in a state of chronic pain are more likely to suffer from depression also. Why? It appears that pain and depression share the same neural pathways. Two ways to look at this: 1) Medically they want to use antidepression drugs to treat the depression (which also lowers the pain levels) and 2) Holistically, we treat the PAIN which reduces the depression. Do you know anyone who is depressed? Get them in for an adjustment first. Stanford University School of Medicine June, 2009

Health Alert :

DoughBoy of death. Nestle Toll house cookie dough has been placed on the recall list due to contamination by the E-coli bacteria. The company acted swiftly to recall all its products and urges anyone that has this cookie dough at home to NOT use it even if baking will kill the bacteria. Contamination caused by you touching the dough can spread to other surfaces causing more exposure to E-coli. What next? You’ve been warned. F.D.A. Press Release June 19, 2009

Diet :

Yo’ Mama was right. Scientists have recently discovered the brains’ “reward center” and have shown its reaction to foods. Their research shows that if you skip breakfast (as a lot of people do) your brains’ “reward center” causes you to seek out high fat pleasurable foods like chocolate (hopefully not cookie dough) which makes you gain weight. When you eat breakfast, these “reward centers” aren’t activated. Guess what? They are using this info to try to develope a pill that tricks these “reward centers” into going into hibernation allowing us to not crave high calorie foods. Better to just eat breakfast. Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting June 10-13, 2009

Exercise :

Kicking cancer’s ass. About 50% of people believe there is no way to prevent cancer, especially if it runs in the family. WRONG again, honey. The latest is that scientists now believe we can stop 30% of cancers from killing us by doing 3 simple things. 1) Eat a mostly plant based diet, 2) Maintain a healthy weight (?) and EXERCISE REGULARLY. The deal is to have at least 30 minutes of “moderate activity” every day and try to work up to 60 mins. Or, 30 mins. of vigorous exercise daily.That’s a big “can do”. Moderate activity is described as something equivalent to a brisk walk. Now drop and give me 30 (minutes). American Institute for Cancer Research June 3, 2009

Chiropractic :

Numb is Dumb. Have you ever had numbness? It can drive you crazy. Remember this “numb = nerve”. Usually numbness is caused by a compressed nerve. How do you stop the numbness? Decompress the nerve. How? A Chiropractic adjustment to restore normal joint function usually does the trick. If you or someone you know has numbness somewhere in their body let Dr. Bell know. Numb=Nerve=Chiropractic. ‘Nuff said. Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

Move over Rover.  Man’s best friend can be more hazardous to your health than “cookie dough”. Say what? Well, it appears that Fido or Fluffy (dogs ‘n cats) can pass on MRSA (that’s staph infections to us commoners) if they bite or scratch you. These incidences account for 1% of all emergency room treatment and about 20% cause serious staph infections. What do do? Don’t get bit or scratched or if you do wash it like there is no tomorrow. If you see signs of infection get your booty to the E.R. A.S.A.P. “Out damn spot.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases July, 2009

Quote :

If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts. Albert Einstein

WEEK OF : MONDAY November 23, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Good from bad. Do you remember Natasha Richardson? She is the actress who died of a brain hemorrhage after a minor fall while skiing. (The Bad) However, as a result of this unfortunate accident many lives are being saved as the awareness level of what to do in an emergency has risen. (The Good) So, if you receive a blow to the head what do you need to look out for? The obvious: vomiting or loss of consciousness. The not so obvious: Never let the person be alone, you can’t watch them if you’re not there, Watch for behavior changes including: drowsy, irratible, confused, acting drunk,repeating statements or having difficulty walking and be cautious with high risk groups: the elderly, the very young, people on blood thinners or if they are drunk. Blows to the temple region have the capacity to be minor and cause major damage. You’ve been warned. American College of Emergency Physicians June 14, 2009

Health Alert :

Head for the hills. Well, it’s official. The World Health Organization has declared the Swine flu (damn you Miss Piggy, you said you wouldn’t tell anyone) A.K.A. H1N1 has reached critical mass and is now officially a pandemic. The head of WHO, Margaret Chan has rated the severity of the pandemic as “moderately severe.” To date 30,000 people have contracted it and it kills mostly people between 30- 50 who have health problems to begin with. (See previous Updates for details on surviving this) World Health Organization Press Release June 11, 2009

Diet :

Gobble,Gobble. The majority of us take vitamins. Why? For our health, of course. But are you taking what you really need to prevent the over 50 diseases that have been linked to lack of the right vitamin? Who knows? Well, now you can find out. Francesco Visconti, Master Herbalist at Rocklin Natural (2 doors down from our office) now has a scientific way to test YOUR BODY for any defiency. A simple swab test, from your cheek, can test you genetically for any lack you may have. Then you can be sure you are getting what you really need. You can drop in or if you prefer you can call Francesco at (916) 624- 0350. Well worth the investment and if you mention you heard it from Dr. Bell’s Update he will give you a $35.00 discount. Asante’. Dr. Bell

Exercise :

Welcome to the hood. Hey, we have a new neighbor! Bell Chiropractic would like to welcome SYNERGY to our family of healthy neighbors. A husband and wife team, they specialize in Martial Arts ( Kenpo Karate, Kenpo Jujitsu, Sport Karate, Self Defense and Grappling) and Physical Fitness (Group fitness, Pilates, Spin, Personalized Fitness and Boot Camps). Help us support this great new business and stay tuned for more info. Now, drop and give “them” 20. Dr. Bell

Chiropractic :

Health at what cost? Big news these days is Mr. Obama’s attempt at healthcare reform. We wish him luck. But did you know a serious in depth study has already been done on this issue. It’s called the Manga Report. It was commissioned by the Gubment of Ontario, Canada to find serious ways to reduce health care costs. Guess what? Mr. Manga (PhD in Economics) reported that Ontario could save over 50% in costs simply by….(Wait for it)… sending all patients to Chiropractors first. The Gubment of Ontario promptly thanked Mr. Manga and then filed his report in the circular file. Is anyone listening? Ask Dr. Bell to see the official copy of this “landmark” report. It’ll blow your mind. Dr. Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

As real as it gets. What if you could save a young child’s life with minimal effort? Would you? Could you? Now you can. I want each of you to search your hearts and then DO THIS. The U.C. Davis Pediatric Cancer ward has kids that are going to DIE if they don’t find a Bone marrow transplant match. It could be you. All it takes is a simple cheek swab to find out if you could be a child’s savior. 3 ways to do it: 1) Go to Bloodsource’s Roseville location (across from the old Mervyns Store, no appointment needed), 2) Call Bloodsource at 1-866-822-5663 to find other centers or mobile drives, 3) Go online to www. bethematch.org enter the code word BloodSource09 and a kit will be sent to your home. Please, do this. It’s free until June 22, 2009. Save a young childs life. Be a hero. Be my hero… Dr. Bell

Quote :

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

WEEK OF : MONDAY November 16, 2009

Courtesy of:

Dr. GARRY BELL D.C.

(916-632-1665)

Mental Attitude:

Get ‘em while they’re young. (An’ dey yo’s fo’ life) The F.D.A. is pondering whether to allow children to use 3 medications currently used to treat schizophrenia and bi-polar disorders in adults. They are leaning towards yes despite having said that the side effects these drugs have in adults are noticeably worse in children. The worst worries are dystonia, (muscle spasms) high blood pressure, weight gain and sleepiness. Anything for a buck. N.I.M.F.Y. (Not in my front yard) F.D.A. Press Release June 5, 2009

Health Alert :

Burning down the house. Do you take acid suppressive medication for heart burn or gastric reflux? Me neither. However if you do, don’t get sick and have to go to the hospital. Why? Because, if you do, you have a 30% increased odds to get Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia. Nothing to sneeze at. (Certain types of gastric reflux are helped with Chiropractic-Ask me) Journal of the American Medical Association May 27, 2009

Diet :

Over the lips and past the gums… Well, well the debate is over between which is better for you: emulsified fish oil or encapsulated fish oil. The unfortunate winner is (drum roll please)… Emulsified fish oil. (Dang..I had money on encapsulated..) How many of us still have nightmares of standing in your parents kitchen holding your nose and secretly wishing they would drop the spoon of cod liver oil? Well, open wide for best benefits. Journal of the American Dietetic Association June 2009

Exercise :

It’s all how you look at it. Most people don’t exercise ’cause it isn’t fun. So make it fun. How? The following are the top 10 ways to make exercise more fun: 10: Substitute the word “activity” instead of exercise (hiking, biking and walking), 9: Pick a comfortable pace to begin with, 8: Get your groove on by listening to music that “gets you going”, 7: Do your “thing” with friends 6: Focus not on time but try to do a little bit more each day, 5: Double your pleasure. As long as you’re at it add another goal (i.e. weight loss, limit salt ect.) 4: Sneak in healthier food choices when you can, 3: Plan meals as a family, 2: Learn to portion your food intake better and 1: Turn your family into assistant shoppers for a variety of healthy food choices. American Journal of Health Behavior May – June 2009

Chiropractic :

Fear factor. A lot of people are afraid of chiropractors. In fact, I go to Halloween parties dressed up as a chiropractor. Scares the hell out of them. Seriously,we all know people (even our spouses) who are afraid of me. You can help them by telling them your story. How has it helped you? What does it feel like to get adjusted? How much better your life has become since beginning care. Is it worth the time and expense? Where does Dr. Bell store all the dead bodies? Ha-Ha. Together we may just be able to reach those who desperately need my help. Dr.”Feelgood” Bell

Wellness/Prevention :

Fear factor II. Now I’m really scared. The F.D.A (who supposedly researches all drugs) has come out with their list of drugs that they now deem “UNSAFE”. Included are: Chantix (smoking cessation), Nuvigil and Provigil (sleep disorders),Orlistat, Zenical and Alli (weight loss), Detrol (overactive bladder) and Sustiva (AIDS). Most of these drugs caused liver,skin or vision problems, however the F.D.A says that this does not mean they found a “causal” relationship with these drugs and the side-effects. Sure… F.D.A. Press Release June 4, 2009

Quote :

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not. Mark Twain