Useful stuff you ought to know but no one ever told you...

• Tanning is an addictive behavior.  Frequent exposure to UV light stimulates areas of the brain associated with reward.  This explains why people keep tanning even though they are aware it increases the risk of skin cancer, premature aging and wrinkles. 

• Exercise is great!  It increases your energy levels and encourages production of seretonin in the brain which results in clearer thinking.  It acts as a stress buster helping you to relax thus improving relationships with your family and co-workers.  The more you engage in exercise the more efficient your body becomes at burning fat rather than storing it.  Regular exercise has been linked to better sex (as you have improved body image, energy levels and self esteem).  Exercise can lift your mood.  It reduces the symptoms of PMS. It also helps protect against the catalysts of disease e.g. high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, high cholesterol, type II diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and reduction of muscle mass. 

• 4 vitamins have been linked with higher cognitive functioning - these are vitamin B, vitamin C, Vitamin D and (I’ve mentioned them before and you can be pretty sure I’ll mention them again) Omega 3 fatty acids! They have been linked to higher amounts of healthy blood vessels in the brain and better cognitive functioning. Ingesting high levels of trans fat impairs mental ability and results in a smaller brain volume. 

• When you’ve had a pee take a look.  Urine can tell you a lot about your current state of health.  It can provide clues to a host of different problems including infections, kidney disease, bladder cancer, diabetes, toxins and excessive or insufficient fluid intake.  Pay attention to odor (ignore if you’ve recently consumed asparagus or coffee).  Sweet smells can indicate diabetes.  An unpleasant odor can indicate an infection.  Urine should be clear and pale yellow.  If there’s blood there and it doesn’t go away check with your doctor for kidney disease or cancer.  If it’s dark you’re probably dehydrated. Drink water immediately.  Consistent dark urine is a symptom of hepatitis and liver disease. Seek medical help immediately.  However bear in mind beets stain your urine red, fava beans make it tea colored, asparagus and B vitamins can make it green and high doses of vitamin C and carrot juice can turn it orange. 

• They’ve proved it!  Neck pain is more effectively alleviated with chiropractic manipulation and light exercise than pain medication long term.  Patients feel empowered because they are in control of their own care.  The exercises are easy and effective and don’t have the gastrointestinal complications caused by long term use of medication.  A demonstration of the exercises can be found at www.annals.org.