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The One Place You Should Not Conserve Water

7/26/2014

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by Bruce

    Unless you’ve been under a rock- a dry one- you certainly know that we are now in Stage 2 drought conditions here in Santa Barbara. The signs are everywhere: brown lawns, withering bushes, dying trees, empty fountains. Kind of depressing, so I won’t go on. We all want things to change, we hope rain is coming, but in the meantime we’re all doing our part by cutting back on water use everywhere we can.

     But drought or not, the one thing you need to keep hydrated is…your body, of course. There are theories about how much water is enough, how much is too much, and you see people walking down the street with those mesh sling things holding a water bottle. A good rule of thumb is to simply stay “comfortable” with it, meaning if you feel thirsty (uncomfortable), you’re probably already slightly dehydrated. Your skin is a major area of water loss from your body, and when it’s hot (and dry) you’ll lose more that way than you might be aware of, even if you’re not visibly perspiring.     

   I encourage everyone to keep a good source of drinking water stashed in all your daily places, like in your car, at your desk, and by your bed. If you make it inconvenient for yourself to get a sip of water, or make yourself have to take a detour, you might just put it off, and that’s when dehydration gets going. You’d be surprised how many people just grow accustomed to being slightly “dry” and they think the mild headache, drowsiness, or difficulty concentrating is “normal.” It’s not. Try it and see: when that afternoon slump hits, take a few good swigs of cool water, and you’ll almost certainly see a bounce. Ice water is okay, too, but merely cool is actually best.

   Yes, drinking boring old water over and over again can seem like a chore, so use other sources of valuable moisture as well: watermelon (90% water) is great, so is pineapple. Celery, cucumbers, tomatoes: all good. Oranges and grapefruit are fine too, but they add citric acid to your digestive system, so moderate those. Coffee and tea, once considered dehydrating, are now believed to add more moisture than they eliminate. The one no-no we still are clear about is alcohol. Beer, wine, and the harder stuff are all dehydrating.

   I’ve been hitting the hiking trails lately, so maybe that’s why I thought I’d visit this subject of hydration in this edition of my blog. The exercise is great, those views from the top are awesome as ever, but you’ve got to take your water. And for those of you, like me, who might have your dog along, don’t forget your best friend needs a drink as much as you! There are some cool lightweight doggy back-packs you can buy that let your pooch tote his own supply of H2O.

 That’s all for now...see you at the clinic, and let’s all keep our fingers crossed for an early and rainy winter.   

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What is Arthritis?

7/26/2014

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by Bruce

  Happy summer everybody! I hope all my patients and friends are enjoying the outdoors and maybe a vacation? It’s a season when a lot of us are spending more time in recreational activities: hiking, swimming, (and one of my favorites, stand-up paddling). We live in a paradise, be happy!

Here at the clinic, it’s also a time when we start seeing more complaints about joint pain either during or after exercise. We take an x-ray, and no surprise, the blame often goes to arthritis. So what’s the low-down on this condition? What’s the best way to treat it? One of the main causes of arthritis is good old wear-and-tear. As you use your bones and cartilage, over time they tend to wear down, creating pain and stiffness in joints. Certain injuries might seem like they get better and the pain goes away…then later arthritis will appear in the joint where the original injury occurred.   

Other causes can be obesity, infections, allergies, certain foods, autoimmune disease, even a physically demanding job. You’ve got a lot of company: statistics show about 1 in 5 adults have arthritis. It affects some younger people, too, even children. It’s also not a single disease; there are over 100 medical conditions classified as arthritis.

Okay, you’re saying, got it, Brad. So what can we do about it? Physical therapy (like chiropractic adjustments and deep tissue massage) is often effective in restoring some mobility and lessening pain. Studies have also shown that early use of physical therapy can delay the need for invasive treatments (like surgery) in more severe cases of arthritis. Every year more people are choosing to have hip replacements, knee replacements, and ankle replacements. These now have a pretty good record of success, but the recovery time can be long and painful, with severely reduced mobility. The “bionic” joints have their own set of problems, including not lasting forever. All moving parts, whether human or mechanical, eventually wear out. When you come in to see me, I can show you your x-rays and discuss exactly where your arthritis is and what the outlook could be. It really helps to be informed, and to understand how reducing your risk, along with following the best treatment methods, will have you feeling a lot less pain and moving more freely. Have a great summer!
  


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    Dr. Bruce Yong

    Bruce is a long-time Doctor of Chiropractic in the Santa Barbara area. On this blog, our hundreds of patients and friends can get the latest news about what's going on here at the clinic, new healthcare  and treatment options, and some personal details about what we've been up to!

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    Dr. Bruce Yong

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