Understanding Joint Inflammation

Years ago, doctors hardly ever told rheumatoid arthritis patients to “go take a hike” or “go for a swim.” Arthritis was considered an inherent part of the aging process and a signal to a patient that it’s time to slow down. But not so anymore. Recent research and clinical findings show that there is much more to life for arthritis patients than the traditional recommendation of bed rest and drug therapy.

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

The word “arthritis” means “joint inflammation” and is often used in reference to rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic diseases include more than 100 conditions, including gout, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and many more. Rheumatoid arthritis is also a rheumatic diseases, affecting about 1 percent of the U.S. population (about 2.1 million people.) Although rheumatoid arthritis often begins in middle age and is more frequent in the older generation, it can also start at a young age.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. Several features distinguish it from other kinds of arthritis:

• Tender, warm, and swollen joints.
• Fatigue, sometimes fever, and a general sense of not feeling well.
• Pain and stiffness lasts for more than 30 minutes after a long rest.
• The condition is symmetrical. If one hand is affected, the other one is, too.
• The wrist and finger joints closest to the hand are most frequently affected. Neck, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle, and feet joints can also be affected.
• The disease can last for years and can affect other parts of the body, not only the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis is highly individual. Some people suffer from mild arthritis that lasts from a few months to a few years and then goes away. Mild or moderate arthritis have periods of worsening symptoms (flares) and periods of remissions, when the patient feels better. People with severe arthritis feel pain most of the time. The pain lasts for many years and can cause serious joint damage and disability.

Should Arthritis Patients Exercise?

Exercise is critical in successful arthritis management. It helps maintain healthy and strong muscles, joint mobility, flexibility, endurance, and helps control weight. Rest, on the other hand, helps to decrease active joint inflammation, pain, and fatigue. For best results, arthritis patients need a good balance between the two: more rest during the active phase of arthritis, and more exercise during remission.2 During acute systematic flares or local joint flares, patients should put joints gently through their full range of motion once a day, with periods of rest. To see how much rest is best during flares, patients should talk to their health care providers.

The following exercises are most frequently recommended for patients with arthritis:*

Type of Exercise	Benefits	Frequency of Exercise
Range-of-motion exercises, e.g. stretching and dance	Help maintain normal joint movement and increase joint flexibility.	Can be done daily and should be done at least every other day.
Strengthening exercises, e.g. weight lifting	Help improve muscle strength, which is important to support and protect joints affected by arthritis.	Should be done every other day, unless pain and swelling are severe.
Aerobic or endurance exercises, e.g. walking, bicycle riding, and swimming	Help improve the cardiovascular system and muscle tone and control weight. Swimming is especially valuable because of its minimal risk of stress injuries and low impact on the body.	Should be done for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week unless pain and swelling are severe.

Range-of-motion exercises

For example, stretching and dance help maintain normal joint movement and increase joint flexibility. Can be done daily and should be done at least every other day. Strengthening exercises, e.g. weight lifting Help improve muscle strength, which is important to support and protect joints affected by arthritis. Should be done every other day, unless pain and swelling are severe. Aerobic or endurance exercises, e.g. walking, bicycle riding, and swimming Help improve the cardiovascular system and muscle tone and control weight. Swimming is especially valuable because of its minimal risk of stress injuries and low impact on the body. Should be done for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week unless pain and swelling are severe.

*Adapted from Questions and Answers about Arthritis and Exercise.

If patients experience

• Unusual or persistent fatigue,
• Increased weakness,
• Decreased range of motion,
• Increased joint swelling, or
• Pain that lasts more than one hour after exercising,

they need to talk to their health care provider.3 Doctors of chiropractic will help arthritis patients develop or adjust their exercise programs to achieve maximum health benefits with minimal discomfort and will identify the activities that are off limits for this particular arthritis patient.

Nutrition for the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient

Arthritis medications help suppress the immune system and slow the progression of the disease. But for those who prefer an alternative approach, nutrition may provide complementary support. Some evidence shows that nutrition can play a role in controlling the inflammation, and possibly also in slowing the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

Some foods and nutritional supplements can be helpful in managing arthritis:

• Fatty-acid supplements: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Several studies point to the effectiveness of these fatty acid supplements in reducing joint pain and swelling, and lessening reliance on corticosteroids. 4,5
• Deep-sea fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, and halibut, are sources of EPA and DHA. GLA is found in very few food sources, such as black currants and borage seed.
• Turmeric, a spice that’s used to make curry dishes, may also be helpful. A 95 percent curcuminoid extract has been shown to significantly inhibit the inflammatory cascade and provide relief of joint inflammation and pain.
• Ginger extract has been shown to be beneficial in terms of inflammation.
• Nettle leaf extract may inhibit some inflammatory pathways.
• A vegetarian or low-allergen diet can help with the management of rheumatoid arthritis as well.

The benefits and risks of most of these agents are being researched. Before taking any dietary supplement, especially if you are using medication to control your condition, consult with your health care provider.

What Can Your Doctor of Chiropractic Do?

If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, as your chiropractor we can help you plan an individualized exercise program that will:

• Help you restore the lost range of motion to your joints.
• Improve your flexibility and endurance.
• Increase your muscle tone and strength.

Doctors of chiropractic can also give you nutrition and supplementation advice that can be helpful in controlling and reducing joint inflammation.

References

1. Questions and Answers about Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. February 2002. Available fromhttp://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/artrheu.htm.
2. Handout on Health: Rheumatoid Arthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Jan. 1998, revised Nov. 1999. Available fromhttp://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/rahandout.htm.
3. Questions and Answers about Arthritis and Exercise. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. May 2001. Available from http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/arthritis/arthexfs.htm.
4. Fortin Paul R., et al. Validation of a meta-analysis: the effects of fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Epidemiol, Vol. 48, 1995, pp. 1379-90.
5. Navarro Elisabet, et al. Abnormal fatty acid pattern in rheumatoid arthritis – A rationale for treatment with marine and botanical lipids. J Rheum, Vol. 27, February 2000, pp. 298-303.

How Stress Affects You

Stress that is short-lived can be beneficial in that it serves to focus our attention on important matters. However, when stress becomes ongoing and chronic, it can cause immense problems for the sufferer and may end up in depression. It can adversely affect our performance at work and elsewhere, and it can lead to a host of physical ailments, including cancer and heart disease, as it degrades our immune system and stresses our bodily functions. It can also provoke other psychological side-effects such as substance abuse.

Stress can be caused by a huge variety of incidents, both personal and professional. In most cases, though, it is the result of the difference between what we would like to happen in our lives, and what is really happening, or what we believe is happening.

How Chronic Stress affects us:

Stress causes the body to undergo certain reactions: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. It is not just “in the mind”; it causes genuine physical reactions, including the release of epinephrine, or adrenaline, which is our “fight or flight” hormone. It also triggers the release of glucocorticoid cortisol, or hydrocortisone, which has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects. Excessive levels of this can retard growth and healing, and increase the chance of infection. Chronic symptoms lead to anxiety, hopelessness and then depression.

Psychological problems often lead to pain, which research shows can be worse than that caused by strenuous physical activity or repetitive motion. Low-back pain and headaches are particularly common, and persistent pain only exacerbates the psychological problems, such as trouble sleeping. A vicious cycle soon emerges where the stress fuels the physical which fuels the stress and so on.

Stress is a highly personal experience, dependent on our coping mechanisms and predisposition to emotional fatigue. Some people, for example, are able to release stress by venting their aggression verbally or physically, but this is only a temporary fix. Gender also has an effect on stress levels in terms of the types of trigger that affect the person. Women tend to be affected more by interpersonal problems, and illness in others, whereas men are more prone to work-related stress.

Work Stress:

Work is a major cause of stress, and is especially prevalent since the economic crisis took hold. The risk of high blood pressure and heart disease is just one of the effects. Research has demonstrated, however, that it is often our perception of the demands placed on us that affects us more than the reality of the situation. In other words, our attitude is key. If we can control our reactions, we can reduce our stress levels and the physical effects of stress. For example, stressed individuals who react angrily at work have markedly higher levels of morning cortisol and are prone to higher blood pressure.

Stress Relief:

With stress being so potentially damaging to our mental and physical health, our goal must be to find ways to ease the stress however we can, and if we cannot remove the triggers, we have to change our reaction to those triggers.

Kids Under Chiro Care

How often chiropractors have encountered parents who appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their child's teeth, hearing, eyes and ears, but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal checkup. In fact, a spinal checkup could be one of the most important checkups your child will ever have. Your child's spine is his/her lifeline because running through it is the spinal cord, containing billions of nerve fibers that send messages and energy from the brain to every part of their body. Spinal problems can start earlier than you might think -- much earlier. In fact, the birthing process itself has been shown to wreak havoc on a baby's spine.

And if you've ever watched a toddler struggling to master the art of walking.... lots of stumbles and falls. Older children are also at risk of spinal trauma. Sports activities, poor posture ("slouching"), improper backpack use, and working at an improperly sized desk all take a toll.

It's no wonder that many youngsters develop a spinal condition called vertebral subluxation. This condition occurs when spinal movement is restricted or bones (vertebrae) are out of alignment.

Vertebral subluxation is linked with a myriad of childhood ailments, such as colic, asthma, ear infection, and attention deficit disorders. As children grow older, uncorrected vertebral subluxations may also spark headaches, back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Properly trained chiropractors work to correct these subluxations before the onset of symptoms -- and to prevent new ones from forming. This is accomplished with safe and effective maneuvers called chiropractic adjustments. These are extremely gentle, modified adjusting techniques to alleviate spinal problems in pediatric patients.

Strengthening Your Child's Immune System

The key to a healthy child is a strong immune system

When functioning properly, the immune system fights diseaseproducing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. All children are continuously exposed to these pathogens, but exposure does not mean a child will get sick. A strong immune system provides a child with powerful natural defenses against disease. Conversely, a child with a weakened immune system is vulnerable or more susceptible to colds, flu, and more serious illnesses.

It is virtually impossible to germproof your child. Germs are abundant everywhere, especially in situations such as daycare or preschool. Being exposed to germs is a part of life, and not necessarily unfavorable. Exposure to different viruses and bacteria can actually strengthen a child’s immune system. Furthermore, acquiring innocuous childhood diseases such as chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella can help to build immunity and give your child lifetime protection against these diseases. Lifetime immunity is important since these diseases can have serious negative effects if acquired as an adult.

If your child is overly susceptible to illness, you may want to take steps to enhance his or her immune system and make it as strong as possible. Prevention is the way to avoid subjecting your child to continuing cycles of antibiotics or other medications. The powerful tools of prevention include breastfeeding, good nutrition, nutritional supplements, a healthy mental attitude and emotional well-being, a nontoxic environment, chiropractic care, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and vaccines, low stress, and plenty of rest and exercise.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding for as long as possible is crucial to developing a strong immune system. Breastmilk supplies the factors necessary to protect your baby against disease, as well as all the nutrition he or she needs, including the essential fatty acids. Breastfed babies experience fewer infections than babies that are bottle-fed. Feeding a baby artificial milk (formula) deprives him or her of receiving the crucial protection that breastmilk provides.

Nutrition & Nutritional Supplements

Good nutrition is essential to developing and keeping the immune system healthy and strong. Nutritional deficiencies may be responsible for chronic immune problems as it is easier for bacteria or viruses to take hold when important nutrients are missing. Critical nutrients that stimulate a strong immune system include vitamins A, C, E and essential fatty acids. The most important minerals include manganese, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, sulfur, magnesium and germanium. These nutrients can be obtained from an organic wholefoods diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Unfortunately, most of our food supply is artificially manipulated and processed with many ingredients and additives that contribute to poor nutrition. Processed foods, sugar, and soda can weaken the immune system. These “foods” add nothing in the way of nutrition, and if your children fill up on a lot of them, they are not likely to eat healthy foods with essential nutrients. This can lead to a weak immune system. You may want to consult a qualified nutritionist or naturopathic physician to find out if your child has any deficiencies.

Dietary fats can either enhance or impair immune function, depending on the type of fat. The wrong types of fats (hydrogenated oils found in deep fried foods, margarine and baked goods) can predispose a child to recurrent infections and inflammatory conditions. Essential fatty acids (the good fats) are essential to normal immune and nervous system function. They are found in flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, hemp seed oil, borage seed oil, and fish oil. Cod liver oil is a great way for kids to receive essential fatty acids.

Sugar has been shown to reduce white blood cell count, an indicator of immune strength. The function of white blood cells is to fight and destroy germs that can cause disease. This is why many kids get sick after birthday parties or Halloween. Their resistance is lowered due to excess sugar. Giving your child extra vitamin C and the herb echinacea for a few days before and a few days after these events may help to prevent the onset of an infection.

You may want to consider probiotic supplementation if your child has a history of antibiotic use, ear infections, oral thrush, diarrhea, constipation, colic, food allergies, eczema, intestinal viral infections, candidiasis or is bottle-fed. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract that keep the “bad” bacteria from taking over. This bacterium is essential for healthy immunity. Acidolphilus is the probiotic supplement suggested for children over age seven and bifidus for children seven or under. You can find these supplements at your local health food store.

Herbs have been used safely all around the world since ancient times to prevent and treat disease.

Using herbs to strengthen a child’s constitution can make them more resistant to illness. Certain herbs, including echinacea, astragalus, and garlic, have been found to have remarkable immunological effects. These herbs support the body’s own process to stay at the peak of vitality and prevent development of disease.

Nontoxic Environment

More than 75,000 chemicals are permeating our environment. Chemical exposures can damage the immune system, decreasing the ability to fight off common infections and serious diseases such as cancer. Poor indoor and outdoor air quality, contaminated food and water, and constant, cumulative pesticide exposure all contribute to decreased immunity in children. Environmental toxins are everywhere, but there is much you can do to avoid unnecessary exposures and reduce the overall amount of chemicals your children take in to their bodies. There are affordable, nontoxic alternatives to all lawn and garden pesticides, toxic household cleaners and personal care products. Buying organic foods will greatly decrease your child’s overall exposure to pesticides and help to create a healthier environment for all children.

Avoid Unnecessary Antibiotics and Vaccines

Antibiotics are excessively prescribed to children. Antibiotic resistance and decreased immunity are some of the consequences of excessive, unnecessary antibiotic use.

Increasing evidence suggests that injecting a child with nearly threedozen doses of 10 different viral and bacterial vaccines before the age of five, while the immune system is still developing, can cause chronic immune dysfunction. The most that vaccines can do is lead to an increase in antibodies to a specific disease. They do not provide true immunity against disease; nor do they create healthier children. In fact, the risks of vaccinations can be very high and parents need to become informed before considering having their children injected with toxic vaccines.

I have seen many anecdotal reports from parents that express unequivocally how incredibly strong their unvaccinated children’s immune systems are. My own unvaccinated daughter is remarkably healthy. She’s been “immunized” with four years of breastmilk, an organic whole foods diet, and plenty of love and attention. She has never needed an antibiotic. I know her immune system is strong enough to fight the so-called “deadly” diseases that kids are vaccinated against. If she does get a serious infection, I am confident her strong immune system will respond quickly to treatment.

Chiropractic for Creating Strong Immunity

The nervous system affects the immune system and plays an important role in the immune response. Subtle misalignment of the bones, with tightened muscles and ligaments can lead to irritation of the nerve system and can alter the ability of the nerves to supply the tissues, organs and cells of the body with vital communication from the brain. The scientific study of neuroimmunology (the link between the nervous system and the immune system) clearly indicates that nerve system stress can cause decreased immunity and may increase susceptibility to disease.

Spinal misalignments can occur during childbirth, from tumbles or falls, or from any other normal childhood activity. A chiropractor can detect spinal misalignments and correct them by properly adjusting the spine. With proper nerve supply, the immune system can function at fuller capacity, allowing the body to naturally defend itself against disease.

Mental and Emotional Well-Being

The best nutrition for the immune system is love and attention. Children need to be held, hugged, rocked, massaged, nursed, touched and kissed regularly. When they feel loved and sense that the people around them love each other, they are secure and happy. There have been many studies done that show that laughter and positive thoughts and feelings stimulate the cells of the immune system. The more children laugh and enjoy life, the better their immune function and the healthier they will be.

Emotional stress and unhappiness may deplete the immune system and lower a child’s resistance to disease. An important way to guard against emotional stress and promote positive feelings in an infant or toddler is by frequent and extended breastfeeding. The comfort they receive from this reassures them and can ease the sometimes-stressful situation of being a little person in a big world.

Giving your child a massage is another wonderful way to relieve stress and stimulate the immune system. You can easily learn to massage your baby or child. Find a class in your area or get the book, Infant Massage, A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala Schneider McClure.

Plenty of sleep is also essential. Your child’s body regenerates and renews itself while sleeping. In addition, it is important to include “quiet time” as part of your child’s day. Kids can easily be taught to practice yoga and meditation. A great yoga video for kids is YogaKids by Living Arts. (800-2-LIVING).

Plenty of fresh air and exercise can make a big difference in the health of your children. Spending a lot of time inside, breathing stale, recirculated air, can be a hazard to your child’s immune function. Go for walks, play in the woods and let your children climb, jump, run, and dance. Let them hug trees and run barefoot in the grass. Mother Nature can be an excellent immune stimulator.

Resource: ICPA

10 Ways To Decrease Inflammation

1. Ready. Set. GO!

In addition to naturally lowering inflammation throughout the body, exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, while lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and improving mood and anxiety (lowering the risk of depression) and improving blood sugar levels, helping to optimize body weight, while reducing fat. If you’re not accustomed to exercising, start slowly by simply walking every day. Yoga and water aerobics are my two favorite low-impact forms of exercise—as you build more stamina and strength, you can begin to incorporate more into your life. An important point to drive home is this: exercise need not be stuffing yourself into a gym. Gardening, cleaning, walking, biking, and other forms of physical activity is something we all require, so simply moving every day, in conjunction with eating a healthy diet, are the two most important thing you can do for your body.

2. Redefine Your Sweet Tooth

Simple sugars, such as those found in most processed foods, wreak havoc on our bodies, causing an abrupt spike in our blood sugar levels, while raising insulin levels to counterbalance the spike. This leads to lowered immune system function, promotion of obesity, and a rise in inflammation, increasing the levels of C-Reactive Protein, a marker of inflammation in the body. Eating complex carbohydrates, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and healthy sources of protein can help balance blood sugar levels while improving satiety and decreasing inflammatory processes in the body. As a general rule, the more natural and unprocessed the food source, the more regulated your blood sugar levels will become.

3. Trim the FAT

Excess fat stored in fat cells (adipose tissue), by itself, causes inflammation and inflammatory process to occur in the body. In fact, these very inflammatory processes can lead to insulin resistant type II diabetes as well as resistance to cortisol, making it even more difficult to lose weight in those suffering from obesity. Diet modification, regular daily exercise, food portion control, chewing your food twice as long as you normally would (while eating at a slower pace), and having the support of family and friends can help overcome obesity once and for all, helping to avoid the many health conditions associated with obesity.

4. Break the Habit

Aside from smoking being the number one cause of preventable disease and premature death, smoking has also been linked with causing inflammation and raising C-reactive protein inflammatory markers, contributing to heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and atherosclerosis. From a chiropractic perspective, patients who smoke have altered healing times, so a bone fracture can take considerably longer to heal for a smoker in comparison to non-smokers. The body has a tremendous ability to heal itself and quitting smoking today can greatly improve the chances of avoiding the harmful and potentially life-threatening effects smokers face.

5. Tea Time

The beneficial effects of tea, especially green and white tea, has become well known in popular culture, but it’s worth highlighting the many benefits of tea, stemming primarily from the polyphenol compounds they contain—helping to hold inflammation at bay through the powerful antioxidants they contain. Tea has been shown clinically to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, bowel disease, and liver disease (to name a few), while helping with weight loss and the effects of arthritis (and other inflammatory diseases). When choosing a tea, make sure it’s organic. Also, realize that all non-herbal teas contains these beneficial polyphenol compounds, from green tea to black tea, but the darker the tea, the more fermentation and processing has taken place and the more caffeine is present, so choosing a white tea or green tea will give you more of these beneficial compounds.

6. Find Your Inner Peace

Stress is an absolute killer—that much is known to us, yet the degree to which stress kills is remarkable. Stress has been linked with heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, depression, diabetes, colds, kidney disease, asthma, ulcers, and cancer (to name a few) and has been shown to raise C-reactive protein, driving inflammation in the body. Finding ways to curb stress in your life is of the utmost importance. Some stress reducing methods include: daily exercise, meditation and prayer to clear the mind, talking it out with loved ones or a therapist, yoga and tai chi (or qi gong), taking time to spend with family and friends, laughing daily, and, as Dr. Mercola always suggests, emotional freedom technique. In chiropractic, we find many people carry stress in their neck, shoulders, and low back and much of the pain our patients experience can be attributed to stress. We have found that regular adjustments in our clinic have helped our patients deal with the side-effects of stress, aiding in stress management.

7. The Good Fat

As the name suggests, essential fatty acids are fats that are essential to our survival—our bodies are unable to make them, so we must obtain these fats from our diets. Unfortunately, the standard American diet contains 14 to 25 times more omega-6 fats than omega-3; this despite the fact that the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 should be closer to 1:1. There are innumerable conditions associated with inadequate omega-3 fat consumption, ranging from heart disease to mood disorders like ADHD and schizophrenia to rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The bottom line is that we need to make a conscious effort daily to ensure we are getting our omega-3 fats to help drive down inflammation in the body and protect our brain, heart, and neural tissue. Good sources of omega-3 fats can be found in many seeds and nuts, like walnuts and flax seeds, as well as wild caught varieties of fish, especially wild caught salmon and krill or cod liver oil, and eggs that are of the free-range (or cage-free) variety. It is important to make the distinction between farm-raised salmon and wild caught salmon—they are not the same and contain vastly different levels of the nutrients our bodies need. Also, with increased pollution, it has become very important to make sure to buy fish that contains the lowest levels of heavy metals, like mercury.

8. Healthy Herbs (and Spices!)

Cox-II inhibitors are prevalent in many of our prescription pain medications and were present in Vioxx, the drug that was eventually pulled from the market for its link to heart attack and stroke. Cox-II inhibitors are also naturally present in many herbs, to a much lesser potency than prescription drugs and with fewer side effects, working to decrease inflammation present in the body. Many herbs were used to model drugs we use today, and in the case of aspirin, it was originally modeled after white willow bark which contains salicin (similar to, but less potent than the synthetic acetylsalicylic acid in aspirin). Herbs like turmeric (curcumin), white willow bark, ginger, devil’s claw, boswellia, and hops have all been proven to decrease inflammation naturally, providing benefits especially with people suffering from arthritis. While not an herb, Bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme found in pineapple, has also proven effective with inflammation, as well as treating injury to the body. Consider cooking more meals at home using fresh, organic herbs and spices, as many contain beneficial compounds that boost our body’s innate ability to heal itself naturally.

9. Chemical-Free

The Environmental Working Group and the President’s Cancer Panel have both issued reports this year detailing the hazards of certain chemicals, toxins, and pollutants which pose particular risks to our health. Conditions affiliated with environmental pollutants and toxins are vast, but typically include: endocrine and nervous system defects, asthma, cancer, skin, eye, and lung irritation, ADHD, and a weakened immune system. These reports were in agreement that people should buy organically whenever possible, that they should drink filtered water, be aware of environmental pollutants (such as radon), and that they should make efforts to avoid certain household chemicals.

10. Take Your Taste Buds on a Trip to the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Diet has long proven effective in helping to curb heart disease, cancer, Alzeheimer’s disease, obesity and type-II diabetes, among the multitude of other health benefits it promotes. The diet centers on eating plenty of fresh, preferably locally-grown fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, whole grains, and heart-healthy oils (like olive oil) on a daily basis, while incorporating herbs and spices into your meals in the place of salt. Red meat is consumed sparingly in favor of fish, chicken, and eggs—all of which are consumed in vastly fewer quantities than what we typically consume in the standard American diet. When considering your diet, take into account the trends around us, noting that the way we do things now is not how we’ve always done things, and that obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the like are on the rise. In 1950, Americans consumed (on average) 144 pounds of meat per person, per year. Jump ahead to 2007 and we see that the average American now eats close to 222 pounds of meat per year—an astounding 78 pounds more meat annually per person in the course of only 57 years! The change begins with you.