by Troy Hurst DC, DAAPM

Until now, you may not have thought much about diabetes. You probably know people who have type 2 and they seem to be OK. It makes you wonder, “How serious can it be?”

It’s a killer. How serious is that? While deaths from cancer, heart disease and stroke have declined significantly since 1987, deaths from diabetes increased by 45 percent. And that percentage will grow with each passing year unless individuals begin to take prevention more seriously.

Nearly 24 million Americans already have diabetes. That’s an amazing number, but another 57 million are at risk. They have pre-diabetes and may not realize it.
If you are overweight, don’t exercise and have been feeling pretty tired lately, it’s time to see your doctor for a glucose tolerance test.

Normal fasting glucose is below 100 mg/dl. A person with pre-diabetes has a level between 100 and 125 mg/dl. If the level is above 126, the person has diabetes.

The good news is that even if your glucose level is high, you can keep from getting type 2 diabetes. But you have to get serious about doing it.

* Get 30 minutes a day of regular exercise. You’ll have to do it anyway if you move to type 2, so why not walk or exercise to prevent it?

* Have a better diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer high-fat meats and dairy products. Consume fewer sugars, like regular soda, and fewer simple carbohydrates like those in white flour, doughnuts and rolls.

* Lose a few pounds. If you exercise and eat better, you probably will, but also eat smaller portions of foods. Even a 5 percent weight loss makes a difference, but 10 percent reduces type 2 risk by 58 percent.

In November, the American Diabetes Association asks, “How will you ‘Stop Diabetes?’ The future is in your hands.”

Dining out can be a problem. Some meals at chain restaurants contain two to five days worth of the daily recommended salt limit, so eating in is better than eating out.

by Lisa L Houk, FNP,BC, Nurse Practitioner,
North Texas Family Medicine

Like fuel is to a car’s engine, the quality of our food dictates how well our metabolism and energy support our body.  A lot of fad diets reduce the intake of fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes that deprive the body of essential minerals, vitamins and fiber.  These carbohydrates are critical for a healthy body and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and colorectal and prostate cancer.

In 1980, Dr. David Jenkins, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, published an index of foods showing the rate at which they breakdown and release glucose into the blood stream.  Hence, “glycolic index” was termed.Glycemic index is the speed of which we digest food and convert it to glucose (sugar), our body’s energy source.  The faster the food breaks down, the higher the glysemic index number.  The index sets glucose at 100 and scores all foods against that number.  Some good examples include an orange, set at 44 or an apple at 38, whereas rice is 87 and a potato is 84.

Have you ever eaten Chinese food with one half the plate being rice and later wondered why you were hungry two hours later?  That’s because your body converts the high glysemic food to sugar, which quickly depletes the energy from your blood stream.  Most of us experience the lethargy from this effect.  Other may feel a headache, dizziness, nausea, clammy sweat, and/or mental delay.  The surge of glucose followed by the rapid drain leaves us starved for energy and hungry,

When we eat high glycemic foods, the body’s pancreas, the organ that sit by the stomach, releases the hormone insulin.  Insulin does two things.  One, it reduces the excess energy of sugar into various parts of the body by storing it as fat.  Two, it keeps the body’s current stored fat from breaking back down into sugar to be used at that time.  This explains why low insulin level maintenance is crucial for warding off excess weight leading to diabetes and heart disease.

Protein, fiber and fat slow this conversion.  That is why Peanut-Butter has a low glysemic index.  The protein and fat keep your insulin levels fairly low and thus you stay satisfied longer.  Eating protein at every meal, especially breakfast, is the wisest choice.

The best way to judge a plate of food low in glysemic intake is to visually cut it into parts.  One half the plate should be vegetables, preferably green.  One fourth of the plates should be protein such as chicken or fish.  One fourth of the plate should be fruit, ideally berries, an orange or an apple.  This leaves little room for starches, pasta and bread.  Substituting the quarter section of fruit for bread or starch is okay occasionally, but be prepared to be hungrier later.

For more information seek resources regarding the glysemic index.  Some ideas include The G.I. Diet: The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss by Rick Gallop or websites: the-gi-diet.org, glysemicedge.com, or WebMD.com

When is it time to start controlling aging?  If you think you can wait until later to prevent premature aging, you will miss some of the most important times of your life to do it.

Most people’s muscle mass declines with age and the rate of loss accelerates after age 45.  The amount of muscle you retain, or build, is determined partly by how much the muscles are used. Use them frequently and you maintain their strength. Push them to the limits of their capacity by exercise, and you increase strength no matter how old you are.  Doctors at Tufts University say most middle-aged people’s weight problem is excess body fat coupled with too little muscle.

The fact is as you age, you can lose whole sets of muscles and nerves that work together to make your body go. Between ages 30 and 70, it is estimated that people experience a 20 percent decrease in the strength of the thigh. Landmark studies at Tufts, however, show that muscles do get bigger from strength training such as weight lifting. You can regain muscle mass and strength no matter what shape you’re in when you begin.

How much oxygen your body can process in a given time is an important biomarker called your aerobic capacity. By age 65, it is typically 30 percent to 40 percent less than in young adults. The great news is that people at any age can reverse the trend with aerobic exercise, the kind that makes you huff and puff. And when you build muscle with strength training, you also increase aerobic capacity.  It is only one of the ways to s-l-o-w that ageing process, but an important one.  Couple it with other methods like controlling sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, and hydration and you will decrease the process AND feeling younger too. We have a multitude of youth enhancing possibilities at our fingertips in today’s ‘younger you’ market. Keeping your muscles and body in tune is one of the most natural alternatives around and will give you a younger you and not just a younger looking you.

Many women feel that while they are pregnant they should not be involved in any type of exercise.  This could not be further from the truth.  In 2002, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released an updated version of guidelines to fitness while pregnant.  Not only does it encourage continued exercise for those women already engaging in a regular fitness program, it gives a “big thumbs up” to the women who have not been active to get moving!

Here are just some of the benefits of exercise during pregnancy:
•  Control weight gain    •  Reduce back pain
•  Manage stress    •  Improve sleep patterns
•  Increase energy level

Before you run out the door ready to train for the next marathon here are some guidelines to keep you getting the most for you and your baby out of exercise. Flexibility is not just for gymnasts anymore.  When a muscle is tight a joint can no longer move freely within its range of motion. Therefore it is weak. A gentle stretch program should acknowledge all the large muscles in the legs, work on releasing the back and opening the chest and shoulders.  This will help to insure good posture as your body begins to look like you stuffed a basketball under you shirt.  Keep in mind that due to hormonal changes while pregnant (relaxin) it is easy to over-stretch with your new found flexibility.

Unless you were participating in aerobic type activities prior to becoming pregnant you should keep the exercise in light-moderate intensity.  Walking, swimming, water aerobics, stair machine and treadmill are all excellent aerobic activities.    In hot weather conditions the best place to exercise without a doubt is the water.  Take the last digit off your current weight and that is what you will weigh in the water.   Can you say ahhhhh?

Muscular endurance is also very useful in preparing for labor.  Whether you are planning on natural childbirth or a more medical model delivery, having the ability to move as early labor begins and progresses is a very valuable tool.  Gentle yoga, light resistance training, some pilates, and circuit training are all good for the pregnant body.   You want to make sure you get an all over body workout that addresses all the major muscle groups of the body including your core.  Yes, it is not only possible to continue working the abdominal muscles while that baby is stretching them out, it is a necessity.  Do not wait until junior is 3 before you ask yourself to tighten those ab muscles…the time is now.  There are several safe and effective ways to engage the abdominal core muscles while pregnant.

Work closely with your health care provider before you begin any exercise program.  Every pregnancy has unique conditions surrounding it that will determine your personal fitness needs.  If it is safe, fun, and effective both Mom and baby will surely feel the benefits.

Emily J. Harrington, Body Balance Fitness at 301 N. Locust Street. Emily is a personal trainer, wife and the mother of 2 children.  She specializes in Pre/post natal fitness.

by Troy Hurst DC, DAAPM

The American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society have released a new set of guidelines. They will help doctors and patients classify types of low back pain and plan a course of treatment.

The doctors recommend that a patient think about when and how the pain developed before visiting a physician. At the appointment, a history will be taken that focuses on precipitating circumstances and present symptoms.  There are a few symptoms that can tell you whether your backache is more than the result of too much physical work on the previous day:

•  If there is any loss of sensation or strength in the leg, immediate medical attention
is needed.
•  If there is fever, immediate treatment is required.
•  If pain lasts through the night, you should see a doctor soon.
•  Shooting pain and tingling could be caused by lumbar disc disease.
•  Back pain that intensifies and subsides repeatedly might be caused by a kidney stone.
•  Pain that shoots down one leg to behind the knee is an indication of sciatica.
•  Tender points and pain in the spine, neck, shoulders and hips could be caused
by fibromyalgia.
•  Most back pain can be treated without surgery. Physical therapy and education
on lifting and movement techniques are recommended. To prevent back injuries:
•  Lift with your legs. If you have back problems, don’t lift much at all.
•  Stretch daily to keep the back limber and to improve circulation.
•  Keep abdominal muscles strong. They support your back.

by Dr. Jane Torrie, DC, Bellissima Spa and Wellness Center

Everyone is aware of the benefits of exercise in lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, and achieving and maintaining a healthy, attractive body weight.   How many know how to take care of our hard working feet so that they carry us through exercise without developing knee, hip and back problems as we exercise?  The feet are elegantly designed to offer flexibility, strength, and support.  The bones, muscles, and ligaments join together to form two arches of the foot. It is the job of these arches to function like springs, collapsing somewhat when they bear weight then springing back as the weight is removed, literally energizing our steps!  The arches also distribute the weight of the body to the bony structures of the feet.

Imagine the foot that has weakened muscles or misaligned bones.  As the arches receive the weight of the body and the force of walking, running, or jumping, the arch has less recoil.  Too much collapse occurs.  When I adjust patients, I start from the feet and legs and move up, because if the foundation is crooked or collapsing, every structure above it will be at risk.  This is why ankles, knees, hips, and ultimately the entire spine can suffer when we exercise to get healthier!

So, what is the solution? It is critical to have proper alignment of the bones in the feet for them to function optimally and avoid fatigue.  This is achieved by having your feet adjusted regularly.  Strengthening the muscles of the feet is equally vital.  Both Dr. Lavada Smith, Licensed Massage Therapist of Flower Mound and Alicia McDonald, recreational specialist at Denton’s North Lakes Recreation Center recommend the Vibram 5 Finger shoe for strengthening the muscles of the feet so that they offer the needed flexibility and support.  Alicia wears her shoes while teaching exercise classes, rock climbing, even running on grass.  She notes that her leg muscles were sore for a week or so as her feet learned to function in a better way; now she absolutely loves them.  Walking and exercising barefoot in low impact settings such as yoga
or Pilates and doing exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles will also help.  Exercises to strengthen the feet and ankles include foot circles, heel raises and drops, toe raises, and balancing on one foot at a time.

As the alignment and strength of your feet improve, you will find that ankle, knee, hip and back pain also improve.