Ken (a very spry 70 year old) asked me, “How does strength training increase bone density?”

Well, the basic mechanism is very simple: Think of your skeleton as the framework of the body, the base upon which the body is built. Load up that framework with weight, and the body, being that dynamic organism it is, makes the framework stronger. Certainly an explanation you’ve heard before from your doctor, your trainer, or your media talking head of choice.

Here’s the implied but rarely mentioned “twist” that makes this all possible: Your bones are alive.

Not in a Night of the Living Dead creepy sort of way, but alive just like the rest of your body’s cells are (save hair and some skin cells). Bone isn’t some inorganic matter like the 2 X 4s in your bed frame or the piping under your kitchen sink. It’s a dynamic, ever-changing organ, constantly building and breaking itself down.

Cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts work 24-7 at reshaping and remodeling your bone structure (even after you reach full adulthood). Load a bone with a heavy weight, and osteoblasts lay down new bone tissue to reinforce the points of stress, much like a young beach-going lad would add more sand and water to reinforce a wall of his sand castle. Repetitively load a bone in the same way, and you make that bone stronger by stimulating osteoblast activity, over and over again. Over time, these osteoblasts lay down so much new bone tissue that they trap themselves in it, becoming osteocytes (which always remind me of this). Not to worry for our osteocytes, however; they continue to chug away and do their job of reinforcing bone in a less…mobile…fashion.

Osteoclasts have a less celebrated but equally important role: They break down bone tissue by acidifying the bone matrix, releasing its constituent minerals into the bloodstream. Now, why would a fine, upstanding cell like an osteoclast want to do something like break down bone tissue? Well, low levels of calcium ions (one of the main minerals in bone) would be one reason. Calcium ions feature heavily in intracellular function, from DNA transcription, neurotransmitter release, and (most importantly for our discussion) muscular contraction. If you don’t have enough calcium available, the body simply draws from its calcium stores, and the largest calcium stores in the body? You guessed it: Bone.

(Aside: Why are osteoclasts always depicted in mechanism diagrams as goofy-looking Metroids?)

Without going into the ridiculously complex and numerous mechanisms for osteoporosis, let’s just say for brevity’s sake that you want to stimulate osteoblast activity, not osteoclast activity. And strength training just happens to be a fantastic tool for doing just that.

And now, you know why.

Summer Safety and your Breastfed Baby

Got this today from the NAHU:

Health consulting firms help coordinate healthcare services for individuals.

The Boston Globe (6/23, Wertheimer) reported, “During the last six years, a number of personal health advising firms and solo consultants have opened shop, catering to people willing to pay fees ranging from $150 an hour to $100,000 a year for advice on the best doctors and treatments for their maladies.” The advisors “are trying to fill a gap in healthcare created by overworked primary care doctors who have less time to coordinate patient care, while also catering to the desire of a growing number of patients to take charge of their healthcare.” The consultants “help clients find specialists and also will make calls to ensure that a patient’s various doctors are communicating with each other.” Although several of these consultants cater to the wealthy, others “see themselves as performing more of a neighborly service for clients, who tend to be more middle- than high-income, and need immediate help with a health dilemma.”

“[H]elping patients navigate the medical system used to be the role of the primary care doctor,” notes Jacob Goldstein in the Wall Street Journal’s (6/23) Health Blog. “But as primary care docs have grown busier and the system has grown more complicated, patients often find themselves on their own — creating a market for” health advising firms.

Not a bad idea given the demand for accurate and comprehensive medical expertise. I wish more family doctors, internists, generalists treated their practice like a “health advising firm.”

A little news I thought might be worth mentioning:

The Loudoun SBDC is putting on an event this coming Tuesday, April 29th, from 6:00 to 8:30pm, titled “Health-Care Options for Small Businesses” (Full info here). There will be various representatives from the health field (yours truly included) talking about how Small Businesses can best contain risks and Health-Care costs for their companies and employees.

SO please:

a) attend (IT’S FREE!), but register ahead of time.
b) forward this along to your respective networking groups, organizations, committees, etc, so that all those seeking an education on this topic will have the opportunity.

Any questions about the event, please direct to the Loudoun SBDC.

April is Autism Awareness Month. During the month of April we are raising money for the Aurora School which is a private non-profit school that is designed for students who are unable to reach their full potential in a public school setting or in a traditional classroom. The Aurora School will be relocating to the Paxton property in Leesburg once renovations are complete. Please stop by Leesburg Pharmacy and purchase an autism magnet or tee shirt or a chance to win a wonderful gift basket. Proceeds will be donated to the Aurora School.

For Leesburg Pharmacy another big part of Autism Awareness Month is educating the public about Autism and its treatments. Autism or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 150 children. Autistic Spectrum Disorder is characterized by difficulty in communicating and relating socially. Children with ASD often have repetitive behaviors or movements and sensory dysfunction. Therapies for ASD involve multiple approaches. Often patients benefit from diets that eliminate food sensitivities such as gluten and casein. Medical supplements are also a big part of the therapies used for Autism. Vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as probiotics and detoxification supplements are often helpful.

Leesburg Pharmacy carries a wide variety of supplements used in the treatment of ASD. In our Compounding Center we can compound medications with the autistic patient in mind. We make customized preparations to meet the unique needs of each child.

• Medications that are free of gluten, casein, sugars, dyes, lactose, alcohol and preservatives.
• Individualized dosing and alternate dosage forms such as suspensions and transdermal gels.

According to the CDC, between 1994 and 2006 the number of children with ASD enrolled in public special education classes has grown from 22,664 to 211,610. These growing numbers make Autism Awareness even more important. We appreciate everyone’s efforts in supporting this worthy cause.

Leesburg Pharmacy Supports Autism Awareness

Here’s a grand example of how Congress can talk out of both sides of its mouth. On one side they are concerned about making Health Insurance more affordable; and on the other, they want to make it just a little more difficult for us to manage our own healthcare. First of all, this story does not mean that HSAs really lose any of their benefits, but it is simply the Congress trying to “save” tax dollars by making it more bureaucratic to save money in an HSA. It’s complete nonsense and is further evidence that those in Congress that talk about Health Care “affordability” only want that affordability to exist within the framework of Socialized medicine:

This week, the House passed legislation that included a provision to require every HSA transaction be reviewed and verified as a legitimate medical expense. Democrats say this is to ensure that consumers are using their tax-free withdrawals for a knee replacement, rather than a new iPod. In reality it adds a layer of bureaucracy that could sharply reduce the appeal and cost savings of HSAs.

A key player here is Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark, whose main purpose in politics is to give the U.S. a government-run health-care system. He is a known opponent of HSAs – once comparing them to “weapons of mass destruction” – because they introduce more individual choice into the health-care marketplace.

Pushing for the provision was a company called Evolution Benefits, which has patented a system for the substantiation of health-care expenses. Evolution’s lobbyist, John McManus, was the former staff director of the Health Subcommittee under Republican Bill Thomas. The company first lobbied for the HSA provision, then withdrew its support when Republicans began to focus on its role. But Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel helped make sure the provision was in the bill, which passed largely on partisan lines.[emphasis mine]

But hey…we want to keep “Special Interests” out of Washington, right? If we as health-care consumers want to continue to have control over our health-care without the Government making it difficult for us, we need to make sure this provision does not pass. Call YOUR Senator, and while you’re at it, call the three that are running for President, and make sure this bill is stopped.

Choosing the Right Rollator

ARE YOU A BOILED FROG???

I’ve been told that if you want to boil a frog (you would have to be pretty hungry to try this) that you must first put him in cool water, and slowly turn the heat up.  You see, if you put the frog in hot water, it will jump out when if feels the heat.  If you start with cool water and slowly turn up the heat, the change in temperature is gradual, and therefore, the frog doesn’t realize what is happening until it is too late!!  I have found that many of us are suffering this same fate.

It happens like this.  One day you wake up, and you can’t believe how bad your health has become.  You feel and possibly look much older than you are.  You are unable to enjoy life the way God intended.  Medications don’t seem to work as well as they did when you first started taking them.  Hobbies, sports, work, and family activities are not as enjoyable as they once were because you don’t have the energy, or it is too painful to do them anymore. You feel as if you are aging at warp speed.  You don’t understand how you got into this mess.  This is the “Boiled Frog Syndrome.”—the heat was turned up, and you didn’t even notice.

Health, whether good or bad is a process, not an event.  When we stop doing the things that are good for us, or we are overwhelmed by physical, chemical, or emotional stresses, we begin to lose optimal function.  Over time this leads to poor health and eventually symptoms.  You can’t develop symptoms or abnormal physiology until after you have lost your health!  This process takes time, unless the body is subjected to a large trauma (car accidents, falls, sports injuries, etc.).

Most of the people I work with fall into the “Boiled Frog Syndrome.”  They tell me that they have either felt bad for a long time or performed some minor/repetitive activity such as:  bending over to pick up a pencil, folding laundry, making the bed, vacuuming the carpet, or using the computer.   Good health or bad health is a process, not an event.

Many of us in the United States have become pill poppers.  This is due to the fact that pills/drugs/medications will typically cover up symptoms quickly.  This “quick fix” mentality comes at a high cost, both physically and financially.  Covering up symptoms without correcting the underlying cause allows the problem to get worse, leading us to the “Boiled Frog Syndrome”, and thus, declining health.  The worse our health becomes, the longer it takes to get it back, and the more it costs us in life enjoyment.

I would encourage you to continue or begin your chiropractic corrective or wellness care plan and continue other healthy activities such as:  exercise, proper nutrition, stress reduction techniques, and quality rest.  A healthy lifestyle should still continue even after you feel better.  Symptoms will often go away long before the spine is fully corrected.  The choices you make today will affect the quality of your life tomorrow.  So, choose wisely, and don’t become “A Boiled Frog!”
           

Sonak Family Chiropractic
Sterling, Virginia 20164
703-406-0200
www.drwill.net

Kym and Krysten Norris of the locally owned “n2Design” have been selected as part of the national team to spread the word about autism:

ASA Launches “Bounce for Autism” this April!
New Nationwide Event to Raise Awareness, Support Families Affected by Autism

ASA and Pump It Up, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing franchise of giant indoor inflatable playgrounds for private parties, are pleased to announce the launch of “Bounce for Autism,” a new nationwide, community-based fundraising event that combines family fun with raising awareness and support for autism.

Kids, families and friends of all ages can “bounce” at a Pump It Up location, and all proceeds raise funds to support autism. Participants form a “Sock Squad” - their team of bouncers committed to raising funds to help improve the lives of all affected by autism. They ask friends, family and community members to support the cause by giving a donation to sponsor them. Best of all, “Bounce for Autism” gives people on the autism spectrum the chance to support their own cause and head their own teams in a safe, supportive and fun environment. Learn more about how it works at:

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=bounce_about_how

Check out the ASA website for their full national calendar in April, and for more information on how you can help here locally contact:

Kym and Krysten Norris of n2design.

Here is another example of how something we thought we knew and were sure of really might not be the case.

What if bad fat isn’t so bad? No one’s ever proved that saturated fat clogs arteries, causes heart disease–By Nina Teicholz.

Mens Health–updated 12:54 p.m. ET, Thurs., Dec. 13, 2007–Suppose you were forced to live on a diet of red meat and whole milk. A diet that, all told, was at least 60 percent fat — about half of it saturated. If your first thoughts are of statins and stents, you may want to consider the curious case of the Masai, a nomadic tribe in Kenya and Tanzania.

In the 1960s, a Vanderbilt University scientist named George Mann, M.D., found that Masai men consumed this very diet (supplemented with blood from the cattle they herded). Yet these nomads, who were also very lean, had some of the lowest levels of cholesterol ever measured and were virtually free of heart disease. Scientists, confused by the finding, argued that the tribe must have certain genetic protections against developing high cholesterol. But when British researchers monitored a group of Masai men who moved to Nairobi and began consuming a more modern diet, they discovered that the men’s cholesterol subsequently skyrocketed. (more…)