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A Balanced Lifestyle Is The Key to Good Health and LongevityJust the other day I found an article on sciencedaily.com how caffeine improved memory loss in aged mice induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The article lead with the suggestion that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.” It continued by discussing coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that demonstrated that caffeine significantly 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 make a decision to add another cuppa to your morning ritual, let me, Dr. Jamie Phillips warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were at least two articles reporting on studies that demonstrated the non-beneficial 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 probably studies that will affirm, or at least support, any angle of thought, particularly when it has to do with age-related health issues. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine naturally aren’t, by any means, the only ones. But, it did get me to pondering about the likelihood that there will never be simply “one thing” that will irrefutably assist we, humans, in living longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t bred in unnatural confinement We are free to make choices in life. And, furthermore, though Alzheimer’s disease is likely on the rise, obviously no one has been “singled out to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that is going to prevent or reverse it. Our body is an elegant, intricate system that is based on homeostasis or balance. Consequently good health is about a healthy, balanced approach to living, as opposed to our being briefly convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one particular thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other over-indulgent and harmful things we do to our bodies. As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, I believe that every single day we have an opportunity to choose healthfully for our body, to decide what will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. When it comes to what is good for us, we know what genuinely “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll keep this in mind. Neither one of those things is the “one thing” that will do “everything” for your good health.
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