To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what
is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.

Mary Oliver   

The infrastructure of the human body that allows us to perform our daily activities from standing, to sitting, to walking, or even climbing is our skeletal system.  The major pillar or beam in the skeletal system is the vertebral column (spinal column).  This bone structure allows us to bend, stand upright, twist, to dancing up a storm down are happy trail of life, if taken care of properly.  If not, you may not be considering your life a happy tune, during that time of injury that can be a short or long haul before resolved, if ever.  This infrastructure is so vital in our activities of our daily life.  Many of us don’t realize that until the injury or damage sets in.  There is one way you can bypass this disaster, not have it become a part of your life which is taking preventative measures; especially if you do heavy lifting in your life.  One major ingredient to preventative measures is proper body mechanics but the trick here is never lift heavy items from below your waist level without bending your legs or even better without a second person helping you or some form of support but there is more to it than just that.  There are more factors involved in helping you keep your back with all other bones strong.  That would be healthy dieting, maintaining a good weight for your height (body mass index), and good exercise (not necessarily work out but if that is what you enjoy doing, it’s even better and don’t stop).  All these ingredients to a better development and maintenance of your skeletal system=HEALTHY HABITS.  A plus and benefit that many choose to do is going regularly to a chiropractor who can keep your spine in alignment (see one before injury starts).  Recommended in Rockland County, NY is Dr. Diane Gregory, who I go to for my back and who has done both prevention & Rx;  www.gregorychiropractic.com.   

The key is to be living a healthy life.  This consists of diet, exercise, activity and healthy habits learned and practiced in your routine daily living that will help prevent or assist you in treating bone and back injuries; even problems caused by the inactivity with doing heavy lifting (Ex. lack of any muscle tone or muscle knots), which can inflict bone or back injuries.  The better we treat ourselves EVERYDAY regarding health the higher the odds we will live a longer life.

One common problem in America that can occur if not living healthy and/or using improper body mechanics with heavy lifting, especially frequently, can increase the risk of sciatica nerve damage.  The pain of sciatica is typically felt from the low back (lumbar area) to behind the thigh and radiating down below the knee.  The sciatica nerve is the largest nerve in the body that begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the low back and extends through the buttock to send the nerve ending down the lower limb to the foot.  Depending on the precise cause of the sciatica symptoms with the duration, the outlook for recovery from sciatica ranges from excellent to having long term chronic symptoms.  This can be prevented to some extent by avoiding low back trauma injuries. Thinking before lifting is the one of the best ideas.  Osteoporosis is a common bone problem that is a abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium, most common in postmenopausal women.  This progressive bone disease that’s characterized by a decrease in bone mass and density leads to an increased risk of a fracture.        The causes of this disease that are modifiable (can be  changed) would be: Vitamin D deficiency, menopause, excess alcohol, tobacco smoking, malnutrition (identified risk factors include low dietary calcium and/or phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, fluoride, copper, vitamins A,K,E, and C; also D where skin exposure to sunlight provides an inadequate supply.  Excess sodium is a risk factor.  High blood acidity may be diet related, and is a known antagonist to the bone.  Some have identified low protein intake as associated with lower peak bone mass during adolescence and lower bone mineral density in elderly populations.  Other risk factors are inactive, underweight, heavy leads-a strong association between cadmium and lead with bone disease has been established. Low-level exposure to cadmium is associated with an increased loss of bone mineral density readily in both genders.  Some studies even show soft drinks can increase the risk of osteoporosis related to high phosphoric acid.  Others suggest soft drinks may displace calcium containing drinks from the diet rather than causing osteoporosis.    Another bone disorder is osteomalacia that is a softening of the bones caused by defective bone mineralization secondary to inadequate amounts of available phosphorus and calcium. The most common cause of the disease is a deficiency in vitamin D, which is normally obtained from the diet and/or from sunlight exposure.

We can help our bones in many ways.  There is not just one food to eat or one type of exercise to do or one healthy habit to practice to keep you healthy with strong bones, there are choices.  Come to my website for no fee, no charge, no hacking, just letting you check us out to look further in understanding how to take a healthier shape for your life with Dr. Anderson and even myself as your health coach.  We can help you learn what healthy habits &/or diet changes that you feel you need and want in your daily living for a healthier way of life.  It allows you to make all the decisions in what you want to do regarding what to eat (diet), what exercise/activity, and what healthy habits you want to add in your daily routine life.  We just provide the information and healthy foods in your diet through information to broaden your knowledge with even a catalog on diet foods, if you desire.  You make all the choices.  Wouldn’t you want less risk of bone or back injury or disease for yourself and for others throughout the nation including the future generations?  Than join me and others.  Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction to how we can help you get healthier and make a healthier USA.  Click onto heathyusa.tsfl.com and I hope to hear from you soon.  If you like what you see spread the good cheer.   Let’s build a stronger foundation regarding HEALTH in America.

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.                 Alexander Graham Bell

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There are 2 types of strokes:

1-Hemmoragic-a blood vessel that bursts in the brain causing lack of oxygen to be supplied to the area of the brain (a lobe) where the vessel ruptured.  Lack of oxygen to any area of the body tissue=starvation to the tissue; where in this case is the brain=a stroke.

2-Blockages-These blockages caused by the following: blood clots, athero-sclerosis, a common disorder, it happens due to fat, cholesterol, with even tar from smoking, or other substances that build up in the walls of the arteries forming hard structures called plaque and in time creating a blockage in the vessel interfering with blood supply providing oxygen to tissue and if blocked in the brain=high probability of a stroke occurring if not taken care of.   “Recommended related to Heart Disease” by Web MD which states that atherosclerosis is the key cause of heart attacks & strokes including it’s the number one killer in the United States.  Risk Factors for atherosclerosis include high blood pressure (b/p)=arteriosclerosis, blood level of high bad cholesterol (LDL), blood level of low good cholesterol (HDL), smoking, diabetes, and history of heart attacks in your nuclear family.  Definitely a healthy diet, having exercise in your life, and your weight within the therapeutic body mass index level will help prevent, if not treat, atherosclerosis.

 The Risk Factors of this disease, especially diet & sedentary lifestyle:

1. High Blood Pressure (b/p)-This is also known as the diagnosis hypertension.  In understanding how hypertension works let’s use a metaphor:  Think of a blood vessel as a long thin balloon and if we stand on it the pressure will increase inside the balloon causing the diameter of the balloon to swell up.  If you continue to step on the balloon adding additional pressure this causes it to finally reach it’s total amount of pressure or when you exceed the total level of pressure this results in popping the balloon.  Similar concept with high b/p, that’s if the pressure keeps rising in our blood vessels due to blockage or vasoconstriction (which is making the vessels diameter more narrow=increased pressure in the vessels) sooner or later a vessel bursts somewhere in the body due to the b/p passing it’s total level in the amount of pressure that it can handle in the circulatory system which can result into a burst of an artery, like in the brain causing a stroke or in a vessel near the heart causing a myocardial infarction (but this is another topic some other day).  Think of food,  a human being not eating leads into starvation, well for blood cells lack of oxygen=starvation to the cells.  This causes in both situations or cases a lack of nutrition (the tissue is lacking oxygen).  With a stroke, not enough oxygen is getting to the brain resulting from either a hemorrhage (loosing too much blood=loosing to many cells=oxygen (food for tissue) or a blockage preventing 02 getting to the area.  Though many people have increased b/p due to only 2 things diet leading them to obesity, and lack of exercise due to a sedentary lifestyle, which could be changed and resolve the problem in most cases.  Increased b/p can also be due noncompliance- like continuing to smoke, or not following the healthy regimen the M.D. ordered for you as a patient.  The overall healthy regimen for a person with hypertension would be a low sodium diet (preventing further vasoconstriction), even low in cholesterol/fat/1800-2000 calories a day (preventing obesity or further weight gain), balancing rest with exercise and the b/p medications taken as prescribed, by their M.D.    So for many Americans hypertension can be controlled just by diet with balancing exercise with rest.  For others it might take a little more like doing which is what I just mentioned with following your medication regimen as ordered and going to your doctor having your b/p monitored, as your M.D. prescribes. ________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                                                                            2. 2. Smoking-For starters, this unhealthy habit puts you at risk for high blood pressure since it causes vasoconstriction (narrowing) of the vessels in our body due to the nicotine.  The answer to this risk factor is simply quit this unhealthy habit.  Smoking adds to the plaque building up in the vessels.  Centers for Disease state that in 2010 the leading cause of death was heart disease followed by cancer than to chronic respiratory disease and lastly stroke.  Over time a healthy diet balanced with exercise daily or every 2 days for 30minutes would help decrease the cardiac disease and stroke.  The American Lung Association states that smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths.

• Among adults who have ever smoked, 70% started smoking regularly at age 18 or younger, and 86% at age 21 or younger.³
• Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and is a main cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema). It is also a cause of coronary heart disease (CAD), stroke and a host of other cancers and diseases.

So let’s take a car for instance, if the transmission is bad and not repaired by a mechanic the engine will be effected and soon fail completely.  Now let’s take the lungs, if they are bad and you don’t go to a doctor to help treat the problem the heart will be effected at some point to failure in function and vice versa.  If a smoker doesn’t quit it causes COPD=Emphysema (this does take over years) and it will affect the heart in time to not function as effectively with someone who has healthy lungs.  Worse, if you don’t quit smoking you increase the risk of getting CAD (coronary artery disease) and add to the problem atherosclerosis if you already have the diagnosis which is caused by fatty materials (lipids), fibrous tissue with tar (from the smoking) causing blockages in the vessels.  You also have a risk at lung cancer.

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3. High Cholesterol-The National Stroke Association states the following about cholesterol:
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy fat (lipid) that is made by the body. It is found in the bloodstream and in all of your body’s cells. The body needs cholesterol to form cell membranes, some hormones and vitamin D.

Cholesterol is also found in some foods, such as seafood, eggs, meats and dairy products.

Because cholesterol does not dissolve in the blood on its own, it must be carried to and from cells by particles called lipoproteins. There are two main types of lipoproteins: low-density lipoproteins (LDL)=the bad cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins=the good cholesterol (HDL).

LDL can cause plaque build-up. Plaque is a thick, hard substance that can clog arteries. Recent studies show that high levels of LDL and triglycerides (blood fats) raise the risk of ischemic stroke. Plaque can also increase risk of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) where stroke symptoms go away within 24 hours.  Stroke verses TIA=Nonreversible verses Reversible. Stroke is scarring to the brain where TIA doesn’t.  Like Heart Attack verses Angina, Heart Attack is scarring to the heart verses no scarring to the heart with Angina. Both Angina and TIA are just lack of oxygen to the heart and the brain, causing the symptoms due to lack of oxygen=ischemia.  Both heart attack and stroke are both a lot worse than just ischemia.  They both get to the point where there in no oxygen causing actual permanent damage to the organ since the problem never reversed=scarring to the heart and brain.

The second main type of cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often called the “good” cholesterol. High levels of HDL may reduce stroke risk.

High cholesterol levels or plaque build-up in the arteries can block normal blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke. High cholesterol may also increase the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis, which are both risk factors for stroke.

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Many things can affect the b/p levels & cholesterol levels. Some can be changed and some cannot.   We can change 3 things.  You can change, anyone can change, it’s up to you in deciding whether to do it or not and being able to discipline yourself with having the power to do it. They are:

1-Diet — Foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can increase cholesterol levels. 

2-Weight — Being overweight can increase your cholesterol levels.

3-Exercise — People who are not active tend to have higher cholesterol levels.   

These 3 things can prone you to high blood pressure (B/P), a stroke, & cardiac disease and even other diseases.  I just had a dear friend who I’ve known almost 35 years that survived coronary artery bypass surgery over 55 y/o, with 5 blockages (2 100% blocked and 3 at least 80% blocked).  That was a set up for a silent heart attack if he didn’t have the surgery but he was lucky in getting symptoms of chest pain and fatigue/lethargy due to these blockages.  This made him go the doctor.  He stopped smoking the day before the surgery.   His life had taken a 360 turn and stopped in his daily routine and life schedule.  It had begun all over again at almost 60.   Without controlling your blood pressure therapeutically or ending your smoking or eating healthy with living healthy habits the heart at first will be able to compensate with living unhealthy habits but over time the heart may find it so hard to function or work that the heart starts to fail in doing its job effectively (it decompensates causing failure if no changes are made).  Again let’s take the car, you do maintenance to the vehicle it will operate and last longer, well the exact principle with the human body.  Pretty simple isn’t it.

If you don’t eat a healthy diet, keep your weight in a therapeutic range, properly exercise than expect a high odds they will be leaning more towards a shortening of your life span.  You can control your diet, weight and your exercise the right way with a little direction.  We are here for just direction in helping you maintain a good diet including weight and giving you guidance through Dr. Anderson’s book called Dr. A’s healthy habits in giving you knowledge about routine exercise, all 4 food groups and how to eat them in healthy proportions.  It explains how the metabolism works with 3 meals as opposed to 6 meals with how the body works regarding the foods you eat.  It tells you so much more.   It allows you to know the information for changes that you may need to take to lessen risks of certain diseases occurring in your life through modification with diet and healthy habits.  This allows you to make the choice on your life where you can make it more enjoyable and less restricted now and at retirement by sticking to a good health diet and healthy habits, not for 3 or 6 months but for life.  You make all the decisions in what you want to do with your body with what’s acceptable.  Join me in living a healthier life with starting a spread throughout America for a healthier country.  Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com. and take a peek it doesn’t cost a dime.

Love and compassion are
necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.  Dalai Lama

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but
because of the people who don’t do anything about it.                                                   Albert Einstein_______________________________

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. President Ronald Reagan______________

The foods we eat that contain starches, carbohydrates, calories are made up of sugar. When food reaches our stomach in time digestion starts to take place where these foods are broken down in the stomach into individual or complex sugar molecules ( glucose being one of the most common and important ones). The glucose then passes from our stomach into our bloodstream when it reaches the liver 60 to 80 % of the glucose gets stored in that organ turning glucose into inactive glucose that’s converted to glycogen. The purpose for glycogen is when our glucose is low and our body needing energy we have this extra stored sugar, glycogen, to rely on. This is done by the liver which allows the sugar to be stored and released back into the bloodstream if we need it=energy, since nothing is in our stomach at that time, in that case scenario). When glucose=an active sugar, it is our energy for our cells and tissues and is a sugar ready to be utilized by the body where it is needed, by many organs. Think of a car for one moment, and what makes it run? That would be gas/fuel for it to function. The same principle with glucose in your bloodstream=fuel for the human body so we can function, for without it we wouldn’t survive. That is the problem with a person that has diabetes. They eat, they break the food down, the glucose gets in the blood but the glucose fuel can’t be used due to lack of or NO insulin at all. Insulin allows glucose to pass into our cells and tissues to be used as energy/fuel for the body parts to work. Glucose is used as the principle source of energy (It is used by the brain for energy, the muscles for both energy and some storage, liver for more glucose storage=that is where glucose is converted to glycogen, and even stored in fat tissue using it for triglyceride production). Glucose does get sent to other organs for more storage, as well. Insulin plays that vital role in allowing glucose to be distributed throughout the body. Without insulin the glucose has nowhere to go. So lets review this, when digestion occurs a process happens = Breakdown of the sugars that release into the circulatory system gives you free floating active glucose in the blood, than the pancreas senses that and releases insulin in the blood, the insulin allows sugar to pass into the blood cells & to be stored somewhere or utilized by the body (without this process hyperglycemia would occur, like in a diabetic=high sugar levels). When the glucose in the blood reaches the liver a cell sensor picks it up and allows the glucose to go into this organ where glucose is stored as glycogen=inactive glucose. Insulin plays a key role in multiple parts of your metabolism. Insulin allows the building up of many sources in the body that is called SYNTHESIS. Insulin allows protein synthesis, fat synthesis and cell growth to occur in the body. Now understanding how the body works with insulin and glucose lets understand how this has anything to do with controlling obesity.
When you eat a meal let’s say breakfast (fasting from the night before) your sugar level in a normal person is about 80 that time of the day. After the meal in 1hr the sugar level starts peaking as soon as the pancreas senses glucose it starts releasing insulin that does its storage in the different ways previously discussed. Within a few hours after the meal the glucose level is down again, if eating several small meals a day and healthy. People eating 3 large hyperglycemic meals a day cause spikes in their glucose levels and are turning on insulin to be released in the bloodstream, by the pancreas organ, which stimulates up your FAT STORAGE system. You need to make a change in that diet by eating 6 small low glycemic meals a day (have one meal every 3 hours). This shuts down your fat storage. When eating low glycemic foods like lentils they raise sugar in the body 28% (slightly) as opposed to high glycemic (sugar) foods like pizza, soda, bread, cornflakes. Your body can handle high glycemic foods occasionally but not daily since it will allow constant high levels of glucose with the pancreas stimulated to frequently releasing insulin into the bloodstream and this turns on fat storage and converts all extra energy=glucose to FAT. Do that eating pattern routinely and you’ll see higher risk of putting weight on. This extra energy=glucose is because the meal was high in glucose and what the body needed was used but the excess glucose from the high glycemic meals goes to FAT storage. So what’s the key resolution to weight loss eat 6 low glycemic meals a day= low fat, low carbohydrates, low sugar keeping your baseline glucose at a steady and low sugar level on a regular basis with still treating yourself to occasional high glycemic meals. Follow this plan and in the first week eating like this I lost 5lbs or more and in the second week another 5lbs and since 1 to 2 lbs. per week . Remember don’t start occasional high glycemic meals till you reach your ideal weight that you want to be at. If you don’t, you put your diet 3 days back. To learn more about healthy habits in your life with diet, some exercise, and how to reach your ideal weight like I am doing come to my website healthyusa.tsfl.com . I lost 22lbs already and I’m not obese by the body mass index. Join me and go to healthyusa.tsfl.com. No charge, fee, gimmick, donations and no hacker. It’s just obtaining information about how to live your life healthier, even your family or friends (if interested) get involved in being healthier with possibly spreading this great news to make a healthier USA for ALL age groups. Thank you for your time and I hope I have spread some light on someone. When I made this a routine in my life it got so EASY since I put health before my taste buds desires. It took time for not cheating but it worked.

Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.
MichaelJordan_______________________________