Mountain View Chiropractic

Sand Sculpture
Has to be one of the finest we’ve ever seen.
This art always - makes us a little sad.
To create something so magnificent and for it to literally crumble and collapse within such a short time… feels very painful.
Artist - Fabrizio Galli ❤️

How This One Exercise Can Add Years to Your Life
(From: sharecare.com)

What if there was one activity you could do for two hours each week that helped you live three years longer? Good news: There just might be. Better news: You don’t need fancy machines or expensive personal trainers. All you need to do is run.

Regular running—even just a few minutes a day—will help make your RealAge younger than your calendar age, showing that your body has fewer miles on it than your actual age would suggest.
Pound the pavement, live longer.

A March 2017 study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases analyzed data from more than 55,000 people, as well as the results of other large studies. Researchers concluded that running may offer more longevity benefits than other types of physical activity.

In the study, people who only ran had a 30 percent lower risk of dying early than people who were wholly inactive. Those who were active but did not run had just a 12 percent reduced risk. People who ran and were active in other ways saw the biggest benefit—a 43 percent reduced risk of mortality. The authors concluded that runners could expect to live, on average, 3.2 years longer than non-runners.

The authors also mentioned it was unclear whether excessive amounts of running would be ineffective or unsafe—if too much could actually be detrimental to your health. In this study, however, there was no raised risk of mortality for people who ran the most.

Just minutes per day
Participants in the study ran an average of two hours per week; experts recommend getting at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly. The authors crunched the numbers and determined that one hour of running translates to about seven hours of longer life.

The March 2017 data was based on an older study, published in August 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The JACC study suggested that even 5 or 10 minutes of running per day at a slow pace significantly reduces the risk of dying early of any cause or dying of cardiovascular disease. Of course, runners generally tend to have healthier lifestyles; they don't usually smoke, for example. But even after researchers adjusted for these factors, runners still came out on top in terms of longevity.

Start a running routine
You don’t have to sign up for a marathon to get the benefits of a longer life. If you’re new to running, it’s best to start slowly to avoid injury.
• Invest in a good pair of running shoes. Local athletic stores or running shops can help fit you for the best pair.
• If you haven’t exercised in a while, start with a walk. A daily stroll can still help reduce your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and maybe even cardiovascular diseases. Any exercise is better than none, according to federal health officials. Even a quick two-minute bout of physical activity offers health benefits.
• If you’re ready to run, try intervals. Warm up with a five-minute walk. Then run for one minute and walk for two minutes. Repeat 10 times before cooling down with a walk. Changing your speed may help improve muscle strength and blood pressure.
• As you gain endurance, increase your running intervals beyond one minute by adding 30-second increments each week, while decreasing your rest. Before you know it, you’ll be running a mile without stopping.
Remember: It’s a good idea to speak with a healthcare provider before starting any new exercise regimen. Once you begin, keep tabs on your progress by using a tracking app. One option is Sharecare (available on iOS and Android), which has a built-in steps tracker. Try to go a little bit further and take a few more steps every run.

The Best and Worst Sleep Positions for Your Health
(From: ShareCare.com)

Side Or Fetal Position
The most popular way to sleep is on your side, with your legs and torso straight, or in a fetal position, with your knees a bit more curved. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of adults slumber this way. (We have to wonder if it’s because that’s how we slept as infants.)
Sleeping on one side is a great position for people who snore, since it elongates your spine and helps keep your airways clear. Those with gastroesophageal reflux disease may benefit if they sleep on their left side, as it can reduce reflux.

The side position is especially helpful to pregnant people. Sleeping this way can encourage good blood flow throughout your body and to the growing fetus. It can also keep your uterus from putting pressure on the major blood vessel that returns blood back to your heart.

How to do it: While sleeping on one side, keep your torso and legs straight as you drift off. Every so often, switch sides to prevent one side of your face from getting more wrinkles. To sleep in a fetal position, instead of curling into a tight ball (which could cause backaches and joint soreness), try to keep your body a little bit straighter, and your neck and knees less bent. You can also put a pillow in between your knees if you notice any discomfort in your hips.

Stomach
You may find sleeping on your stomach will make your partner happy because you won’t snore as much, but other than that, there aren’t a lot of benefits to this position. It may put unnecessary pressure on your muscles and joints. It forces your neck to extend backwards, constricting your spine which can cause numbness, tingling and aches, and can aggravate your nerves in those areas.

Back
According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping on your back is the best position for many people. For some, it allows the head, neck, and spine to rest in a neutral spot, minimizing the amount of pressure on those areas and potentially reducing pain.
However, if you have sleep apnea, a disorder where you experience pauses in breathing for at least 10 seconds, resting on your back may make breathing problems worse. This is because the extra body tissue around your neck can weigh down on your airway, making it harder for air to move through to your lungs. If you snore or have back pain, resting on your back may also give you some trouble. People who are pregnant should not sleep on their back either, as it is a risk factor for stillbirth.

How to do it: Your head and neck should be well-supported by your pillow. If you have back pain and find sleeping flat on your back isn’t comfortable, try putting a pillow under your knees to align your spine and relieve pressure.

So, What’s The Best Sleeping Position For You?
The truth is, for most people, the side sleeping position is the healthiest. But varying your form isn’t the worst thing in the world—in fact, it may prevent you from developing problems due to prolonged pressure, like blood flow issues, sores, and pain. For example, when you snooze on your right side, your right shoulder may begin to hurt after awhile, and if you doze on your back, you may notice backaches over time. Worried about how you're going to move positions as you sleep? Good news: Your body likely shifts positioning on its own through the night.

Bottom line?
It’s best to find a sleep position that keeps your spine, neck, and shoulders in proper alignment. If you have pain each morning, you may want to reevaluate your sleep posture.

WATERMELON DAY - from Google search for watermelon day

It's said that watermelon cultivation began in the Nile Valley as early as the second millennium B.C. Watermelon seeds were even found in King Tut's tomb! On August 3, we celebrate this ancient berry in a feast of juicy deliciousness—otherwise known as National Watermelon Day.

Can Diabetes Cause Mood Swings?
(From: HealthLine.com)

People with diabetes may experience mood swings due to blood sugar levels, stress, or a mental health condition.

You may think diabetes just affects your pancreas, but living with this condition often affects your mood and mental health too. For one, you may experience mood swings when your blood glucose levels are too high or low. Stress, depression, and anxiety can also crop up.

Managing diabetes on a daily basis can sometimes feel overwhelming, so it’s important to check in on your emotional well-being every once in a while.

One way to regulate your mood is to understand and follow your diabetes management plan. This will help smooth out the highs and lows in your blood glucose, which can cause mood swings.
You may need to talk with a mental health professional if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, burnout, or anxiety. Managing your mental health is just as important to your overall health as your diabetes treatment plan.

Mood swings and diabetes
Feeling a range of highs and lows is not uncommon if you have diabetes. Your blood sugar impacts how you feel and can contribute to mood swings. Poor management of blood glucose can lead to negative moods and a lower quality of lifeTrusted Source.

How do you know if you have low or high blood glucose? Your diabetes management plan should involve frequent blood sugar readings to help you manage the condition.
According to the American Diabetes Association, your target range for your blood sugar can vary from person to person. Generally, target ranges are:
80 to 130 milligrams per deciliter (ml/dl) before you eat a meal
180 ml/dl or lower a few hours after eating a meal

Numbers below or above your target range could be the source of changing moods.
You may notice that you feel off if your blood sugar is high or low and that getting your level back into the target range instantly improves your outlook.

You might also see a trend in your emotions when your blood glucose is low or high, so it’s important to test your sugar level when you feel a certain way. For instance, low blood glucose levels may make you feel:
confused
nervous
hungry
irritable
shaky
jittery
tired
sweaty

High blood glucose levels may make you feel:
tense
angry
sad
foggy
faint
thirsty
tired
nervous
lethargic

It’s important to keep your blood glucose as stable as possible. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, keep a fast-acting source of carbohydrates with you at all times. This way, if you have low blood glucose, you can bring it back up quickly. If you experience big fluctuations throughout the day, talk with your doctor about a potential change to your treatment regimen.

Stress and diabetes
The stress of a diabetes diagnosis, and the stress of managing diabetes over time, can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and diabetes burnout. Some reasons you may feel stressed include:
You may not be feeling well physically.
You may be concerned about the management plan, including the daily regimen, lifestyle modifications, and costs.
You may feel overwhelmed about lifelong treatment.
You may be exhausted from maintaining your management plan.
Stress can affect diabetes negatively. Stress that lasts for many weeks or months can lead to unstable glucose levels. Your blood glucose levels can rise, and sometimes fall, with stress. These fluctuations can alter your overall mood.

Stress can interfere with managing your condition. When under stress, you may be less motivated to exercise and eat and drink according to your treatment plan.

Don’t let stress interfere with your diabetes management. Talk with your doctor about your stress levels, or reach out to a diabetes educator. Use the American Association of Diabetes Educators website to find an educator near you.

Mental health and diabetes
You may be at risk of developing a mental health condition if you have diabetes. Anxiety is common in people with diabetes, especially women. Between 30 to 40 percentTrusted Source of those with diabetes report having anxiety.
Up to 1 in 4 peopleTrusted Source with diabetes have depression. Women are more prone to depression with diabetes than men.

Some symptoms of depression include:
anger
anxiety
low quality of life
poor lifestyle choices
changes in sleep patterns
weight gain or loss
tiredness or lethargy
difficulty concentrating

It’s important to recognize symptoms of depression and seek help right away. Depression can make it difficult to manage diabetes. The highs and lows you experience with poorly managed diabetes can lead to greater changes in mood and worsening symptoms.
Schedule an appointment with a mental health professional to discuss the possibility of depression or other mental health conditions related to your diabetes.

You can inquire about mental health professionals with your insurance carrier or ask family or friends for recommendations. You can also refer to the National Alliance on Mental Illness to locate a provider.

Tips for coping
There are many ways you can make diabetes management easier and reduce the chances of experiencing mood changes, stress, depression, or another mental health condition. Try these methods for diabetes management:

Follow your diabetes treatment plan
The plan provided by your doctor likely includes daily medications, blood glucose screenings, and lifestyle adjustments.

Check your blood sugar regularly
Watch for high and low readings. Record unusual readings to communicate to your doctor if needed. Try methods to elevate or lower your blood sugar if your readings are outside of an expected zone.
Automate your plan
Put a timer on your smartphone that indicates when to take medications or check your blood sugar. This way, you can avoid forgetting important parts of your plan and keep your blood sugar steady.

Plan your meals
Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is important if you have diabetes. Make a list of your favorite diabetes-friendly meals for the week, and use this list to grocery shop. Prepare food in advance if it makes it easier to follow your meal plan during the busy week.

Seek out help
It may be too difficult to manage a new diabetes management plan on your own, or you may find a life circumstance has made it more difficult to stick to your plan. There are many ways to get back on track:
Ask your doctor for assistance.
Find a diabetes educator.
Sign up for a class about managing diabetes.
Find a support group to attend.
Talk to family and friends about diabetes so they can support your needs.

Dry Eye Triggers and How to Avoid Them
(From: sharecare.com)

Dry eye disease (sometimes called DED) is a condition that occurs when the eyes cannot create enough tears.

Tears are necessary to keep the surface of the eyes smooth and clear and vision working well. When the eyes cannot produce tears—or tears dry up too quickly—the eyes can become dry. This can damage the eyes and cause problems with vision.

Dry eye disease can happen to anyone, but there are certain factors that put a person more at risk. The condition is more common in people over the age of 50, more common among women, more common among people who wear contact lenses, and more common after certain types of laser surgery on the eyes. It is also more prevalent among people who have inflammatory autoimmune conditions, such as lupus, Sjogren syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Sometimes, dry eye disease can be caused by medications (antihistamines, blood pressure medications, antidepressants), other health conditions (such as diabetes and thyroid disease), and environmental factors (such as living in a dry climate).

Dry eye disease can impair vision and also be a frustrating and painful condition to live with—and it’s important to get treatment.
Treatment for dry eye disease typically involves artificial tears in the form of eye drops. More severe cases may require a prescription medication that increases tear production.

Many people with dry eye disease experience dry eye flares—sudden exacerbations of symptoms—and this is another consideration for treatment. Because flare-ups are often caused by environmental triggers, it’s important to try and identify triggers so they can be avoided.

Common dry eye triggers
A trigger is anything that causes symptoms to get worse suddenly. Triggers are common in conditions such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. While triggers can vary from person to person, some common triggers for dry eye disease include:
• Weather (warmer temperatures, dry conditions, and wind)
• Pollen and/or other allergens
• Exposure to smoke and other irritants
• Some medications such as antihistamines or diuretics
• Too much screen time or not blinking often enough while looking at a screen
• Wearing contact lenses
• Vitamin A deficiency

Keeping a symptom journal can help you identify potential triggers. You may also want to take proactive steps to avoid flares and keep your eyes healthy, such as wearing wraparound sunglasses when you’re outside, limiting screen time, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and avoiding smoky areas. You can also use a humidifier inside and eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Talk to your healthcare provider to discuss other ways you can identify triggers and prevent flares.

Be prepared for flares
Even when you take your medications and do your best to avoid triggers, flares can still occur. It’s important to be prepared. The first step is to talk to your healthcare provider about what to do when you experience a dry eye flare.