Courtesy of: Your Napa Chiropractor Dr. Joseph T. Megna

Health Alert: Playing a Wind Instrument May Protect Against Sleep Apnea. Though further research is advised, the current literature suggests that playing a wind instrument can increase blood oxygenation and
reduce the risk for obstructive sleep apnea.                                                    Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology, May 2020

Diet: Veggies Are Good for Blood Pressure. A review of health and dietary data concerning 10,660 middleaged men found that a greater intake of vegetables (especially raw vegetables) is associated with a lower risk for
hypertension.                                                                                                          British Journal of Nutrition, May 2020

Exercise: Even Light Exercise Can Benefit Those with Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions—obesity, high blood pressure, problematic cholesterol, impaired metabolic function, and
excessive waist circumference—that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. A review of data from a twenty-year study revealed that even light exercise is effective for reducing some of the risk associated with metabolic syndrome.                                                              European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, April 2020

Chiropractic: Combination Therapies for Trigger Point Pain. A myofascial trigger point is a hyperirritable spot in skeletal muscle that is associated with chronic pain conditions. In a recent study involving 60 individuals with neck pain and trigger points in the upper trapezius muscles, researchers observed that the combination of muscle energy technique and ischemic compression was more effective at improving both neck pain and muscle tenderness than conventional treatment. Doctors of chiropractic often use these and other manual therapies to treat patients with myofascial trigger points.                                                                                                                      Biomed Research International, March 2020

Mental Attitude: Ask Grandma to Dance. In a study involving 16 grandma-granddaughter pairs who danced for 10-15 minutes once a week, researchers observed that the grandmothers experienced an increase in positive feelings and a better mood, while the granddaughters noted they gained an improved perspective on aging. Additionally, the participants reported the dance sessions strengthened their relationship with one another.
Frontiers in Psychology, April 2020

Wellness/Prevention: Would You Use a “Smart Toilet”? Researchers are developing a “smart toilet” that contains a slew of technologies to detect disease markers in stool and urine, possibly before other symptoms manifest. The Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Brian Rubin explains, “We currently don’t have access to continuous genetic data that’s pouring out of feces and urine… But we do know that a variety of nucleic acids and proteins are secreted in urine and fecal material, and they do provide insight into what’s going on in the human body. It’s the kind of thing that could really take medicine to the next level.”                                                                                                                       Nature Biomedical Engineering, April 2020

Quote: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” ~ John F. Kennedy

Your Napa Chiropractor Dr. Joseph T. Megna