Researcher Mark Hyman, MD found that Massage Therapy increased levels of vasopressin and cortisol, leading to decreased brain activation of stress hormones; via decreased activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) activity) and enhanced immune system function.

Study Conclusion

Preliminary data suggest that a single session of Swedish Massage Therapy produces measurable biologic effects. If replicated, these findings may have implications for managing inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

Study Source: Hyman, M. A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage on Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal and Immune Function in Normal Individuals The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Ahead of Print 2010.

Low level physical activity and poor food choices last YEARS. Read this interesting article discussing a 4 week splurge of bad food and how it’s detrimental effects lasted for up to 2 years!!!

Study: A group of Swedish researchers restricted exercise and increase food intake in 18 subjects for 4 weeks.

Results: study group gained more than 12 pounds in the 4 weeks of the study, some of which was lost after the study. BUT even 2 years after the study the subjects had increased fat-mass compared to their starting levels and the controls.

Conclusion: “short period of excessive eating and a lack of exercise can potentially change an individual’s physiology, causing it to be harder to lose and keep off weight. Ernersson summarised, “The change of fat mass was larger than expected when compared to the controls, it suggests that even short-term behavioural changes may have prolonged effects on health.”

Source: Science Daily

“The long term difference in body weight in the intervention and control groups suggests that there is an extended effect on fat mass after a short period of large food consumption and minimal exercise.”

High Intensity, Short Duration Exercise is KEY

How can exercise decrease inflammation?

High intensity exercise movements cause your muscles to release chemical mediators called Myokines; which are involved in the health benefits of exercise, due to their ability to decreased inflammation (1). Consider the inflammation characteristic of heart disease and atherosclerosis, ” regular exercise, which offers protection against atherosclerosis, indirectly offers protection against vascular inflammation and hence systemic low-grade inflammation……regular exercise protects against diseases associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation”. This long-term effect of exercise may be ascribed to the anti-inflammatory response elicited by an acute bout of exercise” (1).

Consider the inflammatory autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) characterized  by progressive damage to the musculoskeletal system leading to pain, stiffness, joint damage, bone density loss, muscle weakness and increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (2). A  21-week clinical study examining the beneficial effects of both strength and endurances training in 23 women with the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) noted decreased levels of inflammatory cytokins, increased lean muscle mass and decreased subcutaneous body fat (4).

Another study published in the journal Cell Biology and Function noted, “Chronic exercise is able to counterbalance the collagen induced arthritis (associated with RA)” and the benefits are not just limited to increase aerobic capacity and/or strength. The conclusion is that exercise prevents activation of immune system cells and alters hormonal levels, leading to decreased inflammation (3).

” High intensity short duration movement that is tailored to the individual, uses short rest periods, and engages the whole body may be the chief means of attaining anti-inflammatory effects from exercise’, says Dr. Jade Teta, creator of The Metabolic Effect. www.metaboliceffect.com

References:

1) Peterson, A. The anti-inflammatory effect of exercise. Journal of Applied of Physiology. Vol. 98. 2005. Link h
2) Metsios, G. Rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and physical exercise: a systematic review. Rheumatology 2008 47(3):239-248
3) Navarro, F. Exercise prevents the effects of experimental arthritis on the metabolism and function of immune cells. Cell Biology and Function. Vol. 28 (4). 2010.
4) Hakkinen Et. Al. (2005) Effects of prolonged combined strength and endurance training on physical fitness, body composition and serum hormones in women with rheumatoid arthritis and in healthy controls. Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 23(4):505-12.

Heart disease includes high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, coronary artery obstruction, angina, and heart attacks. Most of these conditions represent a chain of events. Left untreated, of course, high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

Most cases of diabetes develop from a pre-diabetic state which is also known as insulin resistance. Insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas – is necessary for cells to be able to absorb glucose from the bloodstream and use the glucose for energy. If cells become insulin resistant, glucose stays in the bloodstream, leading to a pre-diabetic condition.

Left untreated, pre-diabetes likely advances to diabetes, in which insulin resistance is combined with insulin depletion, as the pancreas loses its ability to produce this important hormone. Diabetes may lead to many severe problems, including kidney failure, and is a leading cause of death from heart failure.²

Cancer is now being recognized as a chronic disease.³ Rather than being a mysterious disorder that occurs randomly, many cancers are now understood to have many elements in common with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Physical Activity and Chronic Disease

In recent years, study after study has shown that physical activity is one of the top factors in lowering the risk of developing chronic disease. Risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer are lowered by consistent, moderate exercise.

These remarkable findings have profound implications. Exercise now becomes much more than a quick fix to get yourself ready for the summer and summer clothes. Exercise is now known to be a critically important life-prolonging activity.

If you’re concerned about diabetes – exercise. If you’re concerned about heart disease – exercise. If you’re concerned about cancer – exercise. Exercise is not all there is to do, of course, but if you’re not exercising, you’re missing a key factor in maintaining good health.

Of course, no one is going to start exercising because they think they “should”. Exercise is always a choice. Federal guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. These 30 minutes may be spread out over the course of the day, if needed. If we choose to be healthy, we can do this.

Pain is a common element to chronic disease. Affected persons often take daily pain medications. Most people become tolerant to their medication and require increasingly stronger doses. The pain of chronic disease is notoriously difficult to treat.

In recent years a holistic approach has been successfully applied in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Chiropractic care is an important component of the holistic approach.

Chiropractic care helps restore more normal biomechanical function to the spine, which in turn improves the ability of the nerve system to effectively communicate with the rest of the body. Important benefits of this restored function may be an improvement in the body’s ability to repair damaged tissues, a strengthened immune system, and reduced levels of musculoskeletal pain. Such improvements may help lead to improved daily functioning. As levels of pain decrease, a person may be able to engage in more physical activity. Multiple benefits follow.

Chiropractic care is a key part of an integrative approach to the management of the pain of chronic disease. Your local chiropractor will be glad to help you determine whether chiropractic care is right for you.

¹“An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease”. Santa Monica, CA, Milken Institute, 2007
²Eddy DM, et al: The metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk: implications for clinical practice. Int J Obes 32(Suppl 2):S5-S10, 2008
³“Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer”. Washington, DC, American Institute for Cancer Research, 2007

The real question for most of us is how to find the time to exercise regularly and consistently. All we have is 24 hours each day to get done all the things we need to get done. Exercising often takes a back seat to work, shopping, cooking, cleaning, getting the kids ready for school and ready for bed, and all the other million-and-one little details that demand our attention every day.Most of us have the motivation to exercise2 – we want to do it and we know it’s important and good for us.3 But when to fit it in? A few hardy souls bite the bullet and get up at 5:00AM – making more time in the day by getting less sleep. Others exercise at the end of a long day, but sometimes that’s stressful and counterproductive. However they do it, many people make real efforts to exercise a few times each week.

Most likely – over time – our good intentions get stymied by our daily concerns. Deadlines and scheduling take precedence and the most easy-to-jettison item on our to-do list – exercise – gets lost in the process. And sooner rather than later we’re back to not exercising at all. Public health experts and policy makers have been struggling, too, with this apparent no-win situation. The outcome is brand-new recommendations relating to short bursts of activity during the day. These three- to five-minute bursts have been studied and shown to provide real health benefits to real people under real-world circumstances.

Lean Muscle Mass
We often hear that building “lean muscle mass” is one of the key benefits of strenuous exercise. The human body adapts to environmental stresses, and building lean muscle mass is an important adaptation. Lean muscle mass is a metabolic furnace – muscle cells are high-energy cells that actually burn calories when your body is at rest.

Your internal thermostat is turned up owing to your increased amount of lean muscle mass, and so you burn fat to fulfill these increased energy needs.

Lean muscle mass is not only energy efficient, it is also much more shapely than the pounds of fat it replaces.

Lean muscle mass creates long lines, outlines, and bulk along your arms, torso, and legs. The result is a supple, shapely body, filled with energy and purpose.

Instead of taking coffee breaks at work, people are beginning to take activity breaks. Three to five minutes of climbing office building stairs or brisk walking outside the building or a quick series of calisthenics are all it takes. Six to ten such breaks fulfills the daily requirement of 30 minutes of exercise. No separately scheduled exercise time is necessary. You’re already at work, you’re already taking breaks. So the breaks become exercise breaks. And you get your exercise done. And you feel great for the entire day, due to bursts of endorphins occurring throughout the day.

These bursts of activity are also ideal for people working at home, as well as for school children. Studies in schools are showing increased attention spans and increased learning as a result of short bursts of intense physical activity.
Everyone can do this. And finally, everyone can have a workable system for getting the exercise they need. Your chiropractor is a fitness expert and will be glad to help you design an exercise program that works for you.

¹U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC, DHHS, 2008.
²Vallance JK, et al: Maintenance of physical activity in breast cancer survivors after a randomized trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40(1):173-180, 2008
³Heckman GE, McKelvie RS: Cardiovascular aging and exercise in healthy older adults. Clin J Sport Med 18(6):479-485, 2008