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Updates from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics

Nancy Clark, RD/1 December 2017/ All MFN blog/

Nutrition misinformation and food confusion surrounds today’s health-conscious athletes. To arm myself with knowledge to better educate my clients, I (along with 10,000 other registered dietitians) attended the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics annual convention to learn the latest food and nutrition updates. Here is some information that might help you on your health journey.

Stress fractures are a common sports injury. Among 42 Division-1 cross-country runners, 35% of the male and 41% of the female runners reported having had a stress fracture. Inadequate nutrition could have contributed to the problem. Their diets tended to be low in calories, calcium and/or vitamin D. If you are going to push your body to the limits, at least fuel it optimally!

If intestinal distress sidetracks you during exercise, try reducing your intake of apples, onion, garlic and broccoli —particularly for 2 to 3 days before a competitive event.These are just a few commonly eaten foods that are high in fermentable (gas-producing) carbohydrates; they might contribute to undesired pit stops. You could also meet with a sports dietitian to help you systematically discover triggering foods. The referral network at www.SCANdpg.org can help you find your local sports food expert.

Exercise increases harmful free radicals within muscles that can lead to oxidative damage and inflammation. Should athletes supplement with anti-oxidants to counter this? No. The better bet is to let the body adapt to these higher levels (and eat abundant anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables). Adaptation creates a change for the better in an athlete’s physiology.

Alcohol contributes to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) by suppressing the release of glucose from the liver into the blood stream. If an athlete hasn’t eaten much food (as can easily happen after an event), alcohol in an empty stomach can easily lead to hypoglycemia (a lack of glucose for the brain) and a drunken stupor. The same happens when a person with diabetes has low blood glucose; he or she can get mistaken for being drunk (when the brain just needs food).

In contrast to recreational marijuana, which is used with the intent to impair normal functioning, medical marijuana (MM) is used to relieve pain, reduce nausea and vomiting, and to overcome loss of appetite (as with cancer). If you have parents or friends who are new to using MM, caution them about using edibles. When MM is eaten, its pain relieving benefits are delayed for 30 to 120 minutes, as opposed to smoked MM, which offers immediate benefits. The problem with the delayed response with edibles is that a patient can easily overdose while waiting to feel an effect…

Meal timing affects circadian rhythms —as well as weight management. A study (Garaulet, 2013)with 420 subjects who ate an early lunch or a later lunch reports the early lunch eaters lost more weight, despite consuming the same number of calories and getting the same amount of sleep. Your best bet is to eat more food earlier in the day. As you have undoubtedly heard before: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.

We compromise our well-being every time we have a mismatch between the environment and our internal biological clock. (Think jet lag, shift work, sleep apnea, and watching late-night TV.) Every cell has a biological clock; all these cellular clocks need to be synchronized. If not, bodies become unhealthy. For example, shift workers experience more high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes than people who work 9:00 to 5:00. For athletes, jet lag means poorer performance.

Sleep is restorative and helps synchronize cell’s biorhythms. If you have trouble sleeping well:

avoid caffeine at least 4 hours before bedtime and limit it to 2 mugs (400 mg. caffeine) a day.
turn off your computer screen/TV an hour before bed.

Consumers are self-defining “healthy food.” It needs to be organic, natural, non-GMO, free of dyes/additives/ colors, and have a “clean” label with no strange words. Will this trendy definition lead to unintended health consequences as food producers try to meet consumers’ demands? Likely yes.

If you make your food decisions based on trends rather than science, you might want to take a step back and look at the whole picture. For example, enriched foods offer added nutrients that can make a label look “dirty” but the extra ingredients are good for your health. Added iron reduces your risk of becoming anemic; folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects; iodine reduces the risk of goiter. Preservatives that have been generally regarded as safe help bread stay fresh for longer, reduce the growth of mold on cheese, and reduce the amount of food you waste. These ingredients can be beneficial for you and for the environment.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the biggest source of dietary sugar in the US diet. Hence, research on sugar and health has focused on soft drinks. The question remains unanswered: Is sugar added to nourishing foods a health hazard? That is, is sugar added to spaghetti sauce (to make it less acidic) bad for you? What about the sugar added to bread (to help make the dough rise) — Is that a cause for concern?

Doubtful. Yet, too many consumers freak out when a product lists sugar on the food label. Please note: sugar is just one of many nutrients listed on the label. Please look at the whole nutrient package. For example, chocolate milk has sugar (that refuels muscles) but it also offers protein (to repair muscles), sodium (to replace sweat loss), calcium & vitamin D to enhance bone health. Dietary guidelines say 10% of total calories can come from added sugar. That’s 200 to 300 calories a day for athletes. Do you really need to freak out about a little sugar that makes that spaghetti sauce taste better? I think you can find bigger things to worry about.

Reprinted with permission from Nancy Clark.

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD has a private practice in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875), where she counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes, teaching them how to eat to win. Her popular Sports Nutrition Guidebook, and food guides for marathoners, cyclists and soccer are available at nancyclarkrd.com. For online workshops, see NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.

Walking Can Improve Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Joe Fleming/30 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

Fibromyalgia is a chronic medical condition characterized by widespread pain that can sometimes include symptoms such as fatigue, memory problems, sleep disturbances and mood changes. It is believed that fibromyalgia affects the way your brain receives pain signals and causes pain sensations to be increased above normal levels. There is currently no cure for fibromyalgia and doctors are only able to try to treat the symptoms caused by fibromyalgia. Medications and lifestyle changes can help to improve the quality of life of those people affected by this condition. Walking is considered by many experts to be one of the best ways to manage many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Let’s start by taking a look at the symptoms of fibromyalgia and then discuss how walking can help.

Symptoms

Symptoms of fibromyalgia can include:

Chronic widespread pain
Tender points throughout the body
Chronic fatigue
Memory impairment
Sleep disturbances including insomnia
Tingling and swelling in the hands and feet
Frequent headaches and migraines
Stiffness upon rising
Anxiety and depression
Reproductive issues
Irritable bowel syndrome

As you can see above many of the symptoms that accompany fibromyalgia make it difficult for sufferers to have a desire to do any physical activity-even if it is just walking. However, experts agree that including some type of exercise in a patient’s treatment plan will be very useful in symptom management. When exercise is included with other treatments such as medication, physical therapy, dietary changes, and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage, there can be a significant improvement in the quality of life.

Starting your walking routine

Walking is considered to be one of the best low-intensity workouts for people with fibromyalgia. It is one of the easiest exercises for people to start with when trying to increase physical activity. Before starting any exercise program, you should talk to your doctor or physical therapist. They may be able to help you come up with an exercise plan that is tailored to your needs. A custom plan may help you be more successful at sticking to the program in the long term.

First, you will want to make sure that you have a good pair of shoes. They don’t have to be super expensive, just quality shoes that will protect your feet and joints while walking. A good pair of shoes will help prevent painful blisters and calluses. Consider where you will be doing most of your walking. Will you be hitting the pavement or walking on trails in the woods? There are different shoes for different surfaces, so make sure you pick the right one. You will want a shoe that has light to medium flexibility and good arch support. Try on several different shoes that fit your needs to see which one provides the best overall fit. Your feet may still be sore and swollen the first few times you go out, but you can always use ice packs for feet to help get relief.

One of the most important things to remember is to start off slow. If you haven’t been physically active for awhile because of your pain and other symptoms, it will be easy to overdo things and cause more pain than when you started. Don’t rush into anything. You can always increase your activity level as you become more comfortable. It’s probably best to start off with short walks of approximately 10 minutes, three times a week. You want to get your heart rate up, but don’t walk so quickly that you feel out of breath. The next week you can try increasing your time out to 15 minutes and go up 5 minutes each week for the first month. Starting in the second month you will want to keep walking for 30 minutes, but increase the frequency to five times a week. It may not seem like a lot of physical activity, but it does help you keep a routine, and you can always increase the duration or intensity of your walks later.

Benefits of walking

Walking has many benefits for fibromyalgia sufferers. It has been shown in recent research to have the same pain relieving benefits as non-opioid pain relievers in controlling pain. Getting regular physical exercise may take more time for pain relief to kick in, but it is much better for you than taking medication. Exercise helps increase the levels of serotonin in your brain which are decreased in fibromyalgia patients. Walking will also help loosen and condition your muscles which can improve ease of movement.

Cortisol is a hormone in your body that is released when your body feels as if it is being threatened. The chronic pain and stress that fibromyalgia sufferers undergo cause cortisol levels to rise which can help lead to a host of medical symptoms which are very similar to the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Regular physical exercise can help lower cortisol levels, which in turn may help you to lose weight. You may also notice that you are sleeping better once you get into a walking routine.

While walking will not cure your fibromyalgia it may help you in more ways then you can even imagine. The feeling of accomplishment that you will have will make you feel better about yourself. That alone is worth putting on your shoes and getting into the great outdoors.

Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Interested in all things related to living a healthy lifestyle, he enjoys sharing and expressing his passion through writing. Working to motivate others and defeat aging stereotypes, Joe uses his writing to help all people overcome the obstacles of life. Covering topics that range from physical health, wellness, and aging all the way to social, news, and inspirational pieces…the goal is help others “rebel against age”.

Member Spotlight: Physical Therapy Assistant and Functional Trainer in Albuquerque, NM

MFN/29 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

I am a 100% mobile trainer, working with clients in their homes to advance their strength, mobility, and balance. We have fun and we improve functional outcomes to enhance independence.

5 Food to Help You Shed Weight Faster, Smarter

Evie Harrison/27 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

Life has become so fast that most of us don’t find the time to hit the gym regularly and end up feeling helpless as we watch our waistlines grow. This increased weight then begins to affect our self-esteem as well as health, and consequently we end up resorting to fad and restrictive diets to lose weight quickly.

These commercialized weight loss tactics place considerable burden on the human body as they eliminate entire food groups that are essential for its optimum functioning. So, what happens next?

We feel low on energy as well as morale and eventually succumb to the cravings that these restrictive diets cause. It is important here to understand that for getting leaner, healthier and more attractive, you need to ensure that you shed the right type of weight. For instance, you want to lower fat levels while holding on to lean muscle mass.

So, to lose weight in a smart yet swift manner, you need to make clever adjustments to your overall diet. You can do so by incorporating foods in your diet that alter your body’s functions such that you churn weight more readily whilst providing your body with ample nutrition at the same time.

Here we have outlined 5 of the most beneficial foods for smart and quick weight loss.

1. Fruits

Astonishing is the thought that something as delectable and satiating as a sweet and ripe fruit can become the crowning jewel in a weight loss regime. This, however, stands completely true as fruits are not only packed with essential nutrients, they have actually also been found to modify bodily functions such that you are able to churn fat much more easily.

The best fruits that can catapult your weight loss efforts include:

Apples

Apples are a worthy addition to your weight loss diet as they are a potent source of a dietary fibre called pectin which inhibits the amount of fat absorbed by your cells. Moreover, they have a high water, antioxidant and vitamin A content that make them ideal for curbing hunger without loading up on calories.

Avocados

Hailed for their superfruit qualities, avocados are the best fruit for weight loss. This is because they are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats such as the omega-9 fatty acids that speed up your metabolism thus allowing you to burn fat more readily. It is also high in fibre content (a quarter avocado contains 3.4 grams) which is satiating and enable us to reduce our overall food intake. Moreover, it also improves your digestion; thus allowing you to process food more efficiently

Grapefruit

Studies have shown that grapefruit facilitates weight loss by preventing spikes in insulin. It is also a delicious addition to your dietary regime that can keep you motivated to achieve your weight loss targets

Strawberries

Strawberries are recommended as they possess polyphenols that help regulate blood sugar and inhibit the storage of fat.

Blueberries

Blueberries should be consumed as they have been found to disrupt the storage of fat by nearly 73%.

2. Lean meats

If your goal is not just to lose pounds but to lose them in a smart manner, be sure to incorporate lean meats in your diet. This is because lean meats possess fat burning properties whilst containing bucket loads of body essential nutrients.

They are also high in protein which has thermogenic properties and therefore prompt your body to burn calories more readily. This thermogenic effect of lean meats is greatest in chicken and turkey that have a relatively low fat content.

Other lean meats like salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, on the other hand, facilitate weight loss owing to the presence of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids prompt the breakdown of fat by influencing the leptin hormone such that your body begins to store less amount of fat and begins to breakdown its existing fat reserve to produce energy. Moreover, lean meats suppress your appetite and reduce stress as well, enabling you to enjoy your journey to a leaner and healthier you.

3. Leafy and starch free vegetables

Vegetables are a hallmark of healthy eating. However, when you’re aiming to shed unwanted pounds it is best to incorporate particular categories of vegetables such as dark leafy greens and starch-free varieties to your everyday diet.

Here are the most potent vegetables for weight loss.

Onions

Onions contain a high amount of the element chromium which helps your body manage its blood-sugar levels. This, in other words, means that your body is able to avoid sudden slumps in energy that have you reaching for unhealthy snacks. Moreover, they also contain a type of flavonoid called quercetin that prevents inflammation.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a dietician’s favourite as it contains healthy amounts of fibre (2.4 grams per 100 grams) such that it makes you feel full for longer spans of time and also works to improve your overall digestion.

Spinach

Spinach contains loads of manganese which is an essential nutrient required by our body. It also helps in the breakdown of fat reserves, therefore, allowing you to shed pounds easily.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes belong to the category of low-GI foods that facilitate weight loss by avoiding spikes in blood sugar levels.

4. Legumes

Perhaps the most under-appreciated weight loss food, legumes have been found to be more filing than lean meats. Here are the most effective legumes for weight loss:

Lentils

Lentils contain generous amounts of both soluble and insoluble fibre that assist in the lowering of cholesterol levels and improve digestion.

Flageolet beans

Flageolet beans are recommended as they assist in the absorption of fat and sugar and contain appetite reducing antioxidants. They, however, should not be consumed by people with irritable bowel syndrome as it leads to bloating.

5. Herbs and spices

In addition to breathing flavour into cuisine worldwide, herbs and spices have been proven by realms of research to help the body churn unwanted fat.

Some of the most ideal varieties that can magnify the potency of your weight loss regime include:

Green tea

The tea-lovers favourite, green tea contains mounds of catechins that help boost metabolism and consequently are ideal for weight loss. They do so by lowering the levels of the catechol-O-methyltranferase enzyme which in turn leads to the degradation of norepinephrine; the hormone that burns body fat. However, to see visible results, it is recommended that you consume 2 – 3 cups of green tea every day.

It is best to opt for green-tea brands like Buddha’s Herbs that have been tried and tested to offer the best results for weight loss.

Turmeric

Turmeric has been found to facilitate weight loss by warming up your body and consequently increasing your metabolic rate. It can be added directly to meals or can be consumed in the form of turmeric tea that is all the rage these days.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon possess cinnamaldehyde; a compound that not only gives cinnamon its unique flavour but also causes the breakdown of fat reserves so that it may be converted in to energy.

Cayenne

Owing to the unforgiving intensity of this spice, it is seldom a part of our everyday meals. However, research has found that this spice, when added to meals, allows us to churn up to 100 calories which can take you leaps and bound ahead in your weight loss journey.

Black Pepper

Black pepper sets itself apart from other weight loss foods by inhibiting the formation of new fat cells. So, as you attempt to lose smart, be sure to add some of this pepper to your meals to ensure that you do not build any new fat reserves.

All the foods mentioned above can always be mixed and matched to develop a wide range of menus that can be delicious and healthy at the same time.

Evie Harrison is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs. Find her on Twitter:@iamevieharrison

Why Mobile Health Apps FAIL

Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk/24 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

What went wrong? Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk reacts to a mobile health app that failed to gain adoption in this recent trial…

My heart stopped.

No way… Is this true? Is this even possible?

Have I missed something in my work? Is mobile health off base?

I read the title of the research paper again and again…

“Lack of Adoption of a Mobile App … Analysis of Staff and Patients in a Failed Randomized Trial.”

Oh my God… If this could apply to things I have worked on all these years this could really mean trouble.

I had to read on….

The authors did a great job setting the stage for this paper. “Thousands of mobile health (mHealth) apps … effectiveness of many apps remains unclear.”

Alright, this makes sense, but does this include the technology I am working on?

As I continued to read on I started to see where this was going. The authors summarized mHealth apps as having failed “to balance the system demands of the app with the needs, interests, or resources of the end users…”

…failure to balance the system demands of the app with the needs, interests, or resources of the end users can undermine consumers’ adoption of these technologies

Now that was it… a failure to focus on the end users… Whew! That’s the exact opposite of everything I have worked on during my 30 years in the health and prevention industry.

This research didn’t reject my work. It actually supports it!

After further analysis of the entire article and a focus on the methodology and results, it became increasingly clear that it was not mHealth that was the “failure”, but instead, this particular app and platform failed because it was a “poor fit between the app, end users, and the recruitment and treatment approaches…”

In other words, the biggest reason for the breakdown of this particular mHealth app and platform was because it was complex, and lacked effective implementation training.

As this all sunk in my heart jerked back into rhythm. My beliefs and philosophy intact, I felt vindicated.

You see, if you truly want to leverage the abilities of a health professional and help patients achieve optimal health and wellbeing, technology must be designed and implemented properly.

To accomplish this, you MUST find and integrate mHealth apps and platforms that are simple, efficient, impactful, and provide a truly positive experience from both the end-user and the medical professional.

Unfortunately, the absence of these key factors will always result in failure.

So as I sit here, still steadying my nerves from the shock of feeling like my life’s work was being derailed, I’m realizing again the absolute necessity of two of the core design principles I value most…

Simplicity isn’t optional.

You must remove every unnecessary complication to keep the patient engaged. In the word’s of the Nudge Design Principles, “Simplicity reduces choice while maximizing utility.”

Simplicity reduces choice while maximizing utility.

Empathy isn’t optional.

You must understand and build a solution starting first from the patient’s needs, with no ulterior motives. In the words of the Nudge Communication Principles we must always endeavor to “speak to each user where they are.”

Speak to each user where they are.

If you’re hoping to launch an effective program that incorporates mobile health technology, an engagement strategy isn’t optional.

Reprinted with permission from Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk.

Steve Feyrer-Melk, MEd, PhD, is a powerful, passionate, and trusted authority in Lifestyle Medicine who is bringing an innovative, refreshing, and successful approach to proactive health care. Dr. Steve co-founded the Optimal Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention Center where he crafts and hones real-world programs for immediate impact. Dr. Steve also serves as the Chief Science Officer of Nudge, LLC, a lifestyle medical technology company.

Anti-inflammatory Nutrition: Diet for Arthritis

Kristy Richardson/22 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

Did you know that eating certain foods can decrease inflammation in the body? As a result, tweaking your diet may relieve some of the inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. Here are some of the foods you can add and others you can limit to benefit from what we know today about anti-inflammatory nutrition.

Glucometer, sport shoes, fresh apple and accessories for fitness

What You Need to Know about Exercise and Diabetes

Sheri Colberg, Ph.D./21 November 2017/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

Do you have type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or prediabetes? Then you need to know that exercise is a cornerstone in the management of all of these conditions, and it can benefit your health in so many ways.

diabetes old Sometimes, being active can actually make it more challenging for you to manage your blood glucose (“blood sugar”) levels, unless you learn more about its effects. I have always known at some level that exercise generally did good things for my blood glucose, even before I had my first blood glucose meter (after going 18 years without access to one). How could I tell without a blood glucose meter?

Being active always made me feel better, physically and emotionally, so much so that I earned a PhD in Exercise Physiology to understand why. You don’t need to go that far with your education, but there are some basics about being physically active with diabetes or prediabetes that you really need to know.

Here are some things that I know about exercise now that I wish someone had told me years ago.

#1: Exercise can help erase your blood glucose “mistakes”

Exercise acts kind of like an extra dose of insulin.
At rest, insulin is the main mechanism your body has to get glucose into muscle cells.
During exercise, glucose goes your muscles without needing any insulin (via muscle contractions)
Being regularly active makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin, so it takes less to have the same effect when you eat during or after exercise.
What better way to help erase a little overeating of carbs (or some insulin resistance) than a moderate dose of exercise to lower your blood glucose?

#2: Exercise doesn’t always make your blood glucose go down

It doesn’t always make your blood glucose come down, at least not right away.
During intense exercise, the excess glucose-raising hormones your body releases can raise your blood glucose.
Over a longer period of time (2-3 hours), it usually comes back down, but who wants to wait that long?
If you take insulin, you’ll need to take less than normal to correct a post-workout high or your blood glucose will likely be crashing low a few hours later.
A cool-down of less intense exercise (like walking) can help bring it back to normal, so do an easy, active cool-down after intense workouts or activities.

#3: Your muscles are critical to managing your blood glucose levels

Exercise also helps you build and retain your muscle mass.
Muscles are the main place you store carbs after you eat them—like a gas tank.
Exercising helps use up stored carbs, but can also increase the size of the tank.
When you eat carbs post-exercise, they can easily go into storage with a little insulin.
Being sedentary keeps the tank full and makes you resistant to insulin.
Aging alone can cause you to lose muscle mass over time, but you can combat it to a certain extent by recruiting all of your muscle fibers regularly.
Resistance training and/or high-intensity intervals build muscle more because they recruit the faster fibers that you don’t use when walking or doing easier activities.

#4: Exercise is the best medicine there is

Use exercise to control stress and to stave off depression—with no bad side-effects!
It’s a natural antioxidant—more effective and better than supplements!
Being regularly active prevents all sorts of cancers.
If you’re active, you’ll likely feel better and look younger than you are (as long as you don’t exercise too much).
You’ll be even less likely to catch a cold if you exercise moderately and regularly.
Standing more, taking extra steps, and fidgeting even help—be active all day long, and don’t forget your daily dose of the best medicine there is!

For other tips on exercise and more, visit www.diabetesmotion.com or www.shericolberg.com. You can also find some exercise programs geared towards people with diabetes by visiting Diabetes Motion Academy (www.DMAcademy.com).

Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM, is a Professor Emerita of Exercise Science at Old Dominion University and a former Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She is an internationally recognized authority on diabetes and exercise.

How Boxing Can Help You Be a Parkinson’s Fighter

Carisa Campanella/20 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

Media coverage on the power of boxing to combat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease has been a hot topic in the Parkinson’s community. Rock Steady Boxing, a national program that initiated Parkinson’s specific, non-contact boxing programs with certified coaches, has inspired local boxing gyms in our area to begin offering boxing training to our local community. So, is boxing your way to better health an option for you? More importantly, what are the benefits of this fun and energizing fitness trend?

Learning how to box and executing the six common punches – jab, straight right, left hook, right hook, left uppercut and right uppercut – is a powerful way to develop your skill-related fitness. Skill-related fitness includes agility, balance, power, speed, coordination and reaction time. All these components are of particular importance to someone with Parkinson’s who may be experiencing a decline in several of these areas. Shadow boxing (punching the hands of a trainer in front of you in a sequence) helps improve speed, coordination and reaction time. Taking lateral steps around a boxing ring helps reinforce balance and agility. Putting your body into a split stance to throw your punches helps to strengthen your lower body and make you more stable.

Another excellent advantage to boxing is it enhances your cognitive fitness. Many people with Parkinson’s experience some challenges with clarity of thought, memory, and ability to do certain tasks. Learning boxing punches in sequence and repeating them helps to create new neural pathways which help to strengthen your brain and your functionality. Being exposed to and learning this new activity also helps improve your cognitive abilities.

What may be the most important reason to take up boxing is the feeling of strength and empowerment you will feel as you literally “fight” this disease. Punching a boxing bag can help relieve stress, make you feel in control, and give you an incredibly productive outlet. Boxing is fun, it’s invigorating, and it’s energizing.

In order to participate safely, be sure to get your physician’s clearance before beginning a boxing or exercise program, and always adhere to the safety precautions outlined by your instructor.

Carisa Campanella, BA, AS, is an ACE Health Coach and ACSM Personal Trainer. She is the Program Manager at the Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s. Neuro Challenge provides ongoing monthly support groups and educational programs, individualized care advising and community resource referrals to help empower people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers.

Rebounding and Lymphedema

Doreen Puglisi/16 November 2017/ All MFN blog/

Rebounding is a complete cellular exercise, stimulating the activity of the lymphatic system (a critical part of the immune system). Rebounding 3-5 times per week at a minimum of 10-15 minutes at a time is highly beneficial.* It is effective at a minimal bounce, using acceleration and deceleration, with each bounce, to open and close the one-way valves between the lymphatic system and the cells. Lymphatic fluid surrounds all of the cells of the body. While bounding toxins, poisons, and metabolic waste are pulled out of the cells into the lymph fluid, while oxygen and nutrients (transferred previously at the capillaries, from the blood) are pulled in the cells from the lymph fluid. Within the lymph system are lymphocytes, for example- white blood cells, which consume metabolic waste, bacteria, and dead cells. Rebounding keeps the lymph system moving and unplugged, so lymphocytes have free reign to do their job. More importantly, bounding does this without stressing the hips, knees, or ankles, or creating shin-splints. It can be done on a daily basis or multiple times per day without creating overuse injury.

What is the Lymph System and how does it help me?

The lymphatic system acts as a secondary circulatory system, except that it collaborates with white blood cells in lymph nodes to protect the body from being infected by cancer cells, fungi, viruses or bacteria.

The lymphatic system is a system of thin tubes that runs throughout the body. These tubes are called ‘lymph vessels’.

Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system is not closed and has no central pump. It is not under pressure and only moves because of exercise or muscle contraction.

When the lymphatic system is congested, the cells become deprived of oxygen, affecting the body’s ability to rid itself of its own waste material. Over time, other body systems that rely on the lymphatic

It takes only two minutes of rebounding to flush the entire lymphatic system, while cleansing and strengthening cells and lymph nodes. A further benefit to the body is that during this brief time span the white blood cells of the immune system triple in number and remain elevated for an hour. These specialized cells play a major role in the body’s defense against illness and disease.

When beginning a program of regular rebounding it’s best to gradually increase time and intensity as the body – including bones and internal organs – adjusts to the increased gravitational load and becomes stronger.

12 Reasons to Jump for your Health & Fitness

Rebounding provides an increased G-force (gravitational load), which strengthens the musculoskeletal systems.
Rebounding aids lymphatic circulation by stimulating the millions of one-way valves in the lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system acts as your body’s internal vacuum cleaner.
Rebounding circulates more oxygen to the tissues- and where the is oxygen there cannot be disease.
Rebounding establishes a better equilibrium between the oxygen required by the tissues and the oxygen made available.
Rebounding increases capacity for respiration
Rebounding increases the functional activity of the red bone marrow in the production of red blood cells.
Rebounding improves resting metabolic rate so that more calories are burned for hours after exercise.
Rebounding improves circulation. It encourages collateral circulation (the formation of new branch blood vessels that distribute blood to the heart) by increasing the capillary count in the muscles and decreasing the distance between the capillaries and the target cells.
Rebounding strengthens the heart and other muscles in the body so that they work more efficiently.
Rebounding improves coordination between the proprioceptors in the joints, the transmission of nerve impulses to and from the brain, transmission of nerve impulses and responsiveness of the muscle fibers.
Rebounding improves the brain’s responsiveness to the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear, thus improving balance.
Rebounding for longer than 20 minutes at a moderate intensity increases the mitochondria count within the muscle cells, essential for endurance.
As our planet has become dangerously congested with debris so does our body. We are neither helpless nor hopeless in this dire state; we can also take measures to reduce, eliminate and cleanse toxins from the blood, tissues and organs of our bodies. One of several effective methods of detoxification is through lymphatic cleansing.

Among the various functions of the lymphatic system is its ability to carry waste away from the cells and bloodstream to the body’s organs of elimination. The system consists of veins and capillaries, with one-way valves, that contain a clear fluid called lymph. This fluid also surrounds cells throughout the body and collects cellular debris before draining it into the lymphatic system. Lymph carries the waste on a one-way path toward the heart and passes through many filters (lymph nodes) where special white blood cells attack and eliminate foreign molecules.

Once the lymph fluid approaches the heart it is returned to circulation and makes its way for further cleansing of toxins by the liver and kidneys. The lymphatic vessels are not connected to the blood circulatory system, and unlike blood which is pumped by the heart, lymph fluid relies on bodily movement and exercise to drive it through the lymphatic system. Forceful flushing of the system cleanses lymph nodes, contributes to healthy, clear lymph fluid, and boosts the immune system. Stagnant, slow-moving and thick lymph fluid is due to a lethargic, toxic body and weakened immune system.

When the lymph fluid remains sluggish the lymph nodes become clogged and lose their filtering ability. Without routine flushing of the lymph, debris becomes trapped in the body, creating a toxic overload and contributing to the onset of disease.

At this point another two-minute rebound session would increase the demand for white blood cells as the process of cleansing, strengthening, and the flushing away of spent cells and other cancerous debris is repeated.. Therapeutic rebounding has been shown to reduce cancerous tumors and improve or heal a host of other ailments (3).

Doreen Puglisi, MS is the Founder and Executive Director of Pink Ribbon Program. The Pink Ribbon program works to give every woman the ability to regain a sense of well-being that had been lost from diagnosis through surgery into recovery.

References:

Brooks, Linda: Rebounding and Your Immune System. Urbana, OH: Vitally Yours Press, 29; 33-46, 2003
Brooks, Linda: Cancer – A Simple Approach. Urbana, OH: Vitally Yours Press, 33-6, 2002
Brooks, Linda: Rebounding to Better Health. Sixth Printing, KE Publishing, 51-2; 39-56; 71-6, 2006