Week of July 4th- Sitting All Day.
Sitting too long, whether it's at your desk or driving long periods of time, can shorten and tighten your hamstrings and the muscles in the front of your hips.  How can this hurt your back?  When you stand, these muscles tug on the ligaments around your pelvis, which can alter the natural curve of your low back.  Hence, placing more stress and irritation on the soft tissues, joints, and nerves of the lower back.

How to protect yourself: Keep your hamstrings and hip flexors loose by standing and moving around every hour.  And stretch your legs under your desk at least that often.
-Source:  Dr. Jeffery Young, M.D., associate director of spine and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

Health Tip for the week of July 11th- Migraine Headaches.
Those who suffer from migraine headaches are usually in for a lifetime of medication.  The ferocity of the migraine headache and, from the medical point of view, drugs being the only possibility, the migraine sufferer is doomed to a life of prescription drugs.

Can chiropractic help?  In a recent research trial, four migraine sufferers were given spinal adjustments and responded dramatically, with numerous self-reported symptoms either eliminated or substantially reduced. Migraine episodes were reduced on average by 90% and the duration of each migraine attack reduced on average 38%, while the use of medication was
dramatically reduced by 94%.  Nausea, vomiting, aversion to light, and aversion to sound were also substantially reduced.  So there is hope for the migraine sufferer through chiropractic care.
-Source:  R. E. Ferner and D. K. Scott, British Medical Journal, Dec. 24, 1994, v.309, p 1734.  Chiropractic Research, May 1998, vol. 1, No. 2, p 2

Health Tip for the week of July 18th- Stay active and stay out of the hospital.
According to a study in Finland, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle experience more days in the hospital than those who are active during their leisure time.  Inactive females stayed in the hospital 23% longer than the active ladies did, while stationary males stayed 36% longer than the active men.

So, not only for your health, but shorter hospital visits, exercise can be an incredible asset to you and your lifestyle.  This doesn't mean one needs to go and join a gym or fitness club today, but rather take up the most
popular type of exercise most people are enjoying, walking.  You will not only feel better today, but in the future as well.

-Source:  American Journal of Public Health, Haapanen-Niemi N, Miilunpalo S, Pasanen M, Oja P.  The impact of smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity on use of hospital services.

Health Tip for the week of July 25th- False sense of security with sunscreens.
Another bit of research is suggesting that sunscreens may not be doing the job people think. In fact, this piece published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute 13 suggests that sunscreen use may actually lead to skin cancer. This study used the number of moles developing on children as a gauge of cancer risk. Over 600 children (ages 6 and 7) participated in the study.

In geographical areas where the sun's intensity was relatively high, children whose parents slathered them with sunscreens developed twice as many moles as those that never used the lotions. Researchers suspect that sunscreens offer a false sense of security, encouraging people to stay in the sun longer. An earlier study suggests that wavelengths that trigger many skin cancers are not filtered by most sunscreens.

-Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, December 1998