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A Balanced Lifestyle Is The Key to Good Health and LongevityJust the other day I saw an article on sciencedaily.com about a study done on aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the benefits of caffeine in decreasing memory loss. The article began with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.” It went on to report on coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that showed that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease. However, before you opt to add another cuppa to your daily intake, let me, Dr. Jamie Phillips add that also on the website, under “Related Stories,” were at least two articles about studies that professed to prove the not-so-healthy effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.” It seems to me that there are conceivably many studies that will affirm, or at least support, nearly any view point, especially when it is about health and longevity. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, by any means, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to pondering about the reasonableness that there will never be any “one thing” that will irrefutably help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological beings. We are free to participate in life. We’re not bred in a cage! And, furthermore, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously no one has been “singled out to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t absolutely the “one thing” that is going to reverse or prevent it. The human body is an exquisite, involved system that is based on homeostasis, that is to say, balance. It makes sense, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced way of living, rather than our being blindly convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one particular thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and unhealthy things we do to our bodies. As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, it is my belief that every single day we have an opportunity to make healthy choices for our body, to decide what will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. We know what truly “feels” beneficial and what doesn’t when it comes to what is good for us. So, I just wanted to offer some thoughts for you to keep in mind the next time you consider having that extra cup of coffee or second glass of red wine. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.
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