To begin with, let me make it unquestionably clear that I solidly believe that certain~particular things that we put into our bodies can be beneficial to our health. So, I’m definitely not against taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but take them myself. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I’d like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I appreciate drinking a glass of red wine. The notion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that’s like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine’s ability to actually reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease goes, I believe that if that were generally the case, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.

Let’s take a deep breath and reflect on a few of things, however, before deciding to add more caffeine to your morning grind, increase the red wine you may imbibe in the evening, or before you consider selling the family heirlooms in order to afford high-priced minerals and herbs that promise to extend your life indefinitely.

Let us think about the fact, for example, that we have not been locked up in a cage all of our life, and none of us has been induced, by artificial means, to acquire the age-related diseases that lab animals do, enfeeblement that is then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic mineral or plant. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to vigorously engage with life.

Furthermore, we are far more than the sum total of our parts. We are dynamic and biological, not “mechanical, conscienceless devices.” We are biologically individual, which is to say, we respond in a unique variety of ways to internal irritation factors and external environmental influences. Case in point, though smoking cigarettes is commonly unhealthy, there are a few people who are able to smoke, so it seems, and live to a ripe old age without any apparently-related problems.

Scientific research relies upon tests done through the isolation of a variable in order to achieve a legitimate result. This type of testing gives scientific research its integrity. Added to that specificity is the fact that testing related to human health issues, such as aging, is done on lab animals, does not necessarily translate to human beings. What may be effective when isolated and artificially induced may, in fact, be ineffective otherwise. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what may work for some of the people all of the time, won’t work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won’t work at all!).

Each day you make deliberate decisions about what you’ll eat and how much activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you know what “feels” nutritious for your individual system by the way your body responds, not all the choices you make may be beneficial for your health and longevity. In fact, perhaps few of the choices you’ve been making lately are actually healthy ones.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful thinking!

Your human body is an elegantly complex, homeostatic system. In other words, every operation is interdependent and sensitively balanced. When you choose an unhealthy lifestyle, your fastidiously-responsive system gets “off balance.” Sooner or later, the imbalances created by choosing unhealthily, result in diseases and a shortened lifespan.

As a chiropractor, I advise that you supplement if you need it. Pour that added cup of coffee if it feels right. And, have a little more red wine if it genuinely feels beneficial for your individual system. But all the while remember, the only truly reliable way that we, humans, can avoid or reverse age-related health issues is by changing our unhealthy lifestyle. Good health has nothing do with luck. And, there is no “magic potion” when it comes to health and longevity.

Dr. Jamie Phillips, is a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic internet marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She also teaches chiropractors in Tampa and across the country how to market their chiropractic practices online. She can be reached at (805) 882-1956.

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The findings were based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a regularly conducted government health survey. Researchers focused on surveys conducted between 1988 and 1994 and between 2001 and 2006, which together included more than 15,000 Americans between the ages of 40 and 74. They looked at rates of five lifestyle factors involved in preventing a range of health risks: maintaining a normal weight, getting regular exercise, eating enough fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol.

Though the study cannot tell us why healthy lifestyle habits are on the decline, lead researcher, Dr. Dana E. King, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said that one reason may be that these changes are just difficult to make. “People’s increasingly hectic lives may be making it hard to fit in regular exercise, or to sit down to healthier, home-cooked meals rather than eating take-out.” He suggested some simple steps can make a difference. “It’s not hard, for example, to take some fruit to work with you, instead of going to the vending machine.” (Parking a little farther away from your destination and walking a bit can help, too.) Most importantly, Dr. King stressed that “it’s never too late” for middle-aged and older adults to make lifestyle changes for the better. In fact, in an earlier study, King and his colleagues found that when middle-aged adults newly adopted a healthier lifestyle — including regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables — their risk of developing cardiovascular disease or dying over the next several years fell by as much as 40 percent.

If you think about it, there aren’t many things in life that carry an “it’s never too late” guarantee. So, why not start today, no matter what your age may be? Your healthy future is depending on you!

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