Processed and ultra processed foods make up the majority of Americans’ daily caloric consumption and poor nutrition. These foods continued to be studied due to their negative impact on our health. In particular, researchers have noted these are associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, elevated blood sugar, and poor cardiovascular health. A new research study has...
Older adults are at high risk of sacropenia or the loss of muscle mass due to aging. Sacropenia can be driven by different diseases and conditions, but is most commonly due to changes in metabolism and activity levels. The loss of strength and muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of disability in older...
Researchers have estimated the incidence of dementia, and its’ most common form Alzheimer’s disease, will double approximately every 20 years. The CDC estimates 4% of all adults over 65 years old and 13% of those 85 and older will be diagnosed with a form of dementia in their lifespans. Thankfully, consistent with other chronic diseases...
A recent question we received in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices was in regards to nutrition. Are there foods, diets, and supplements that could accelerate their recoveries if used concurrently with Physical Therapy interventions. An area of emerging research is on the relationship of high blood sugar levels, inflammation, cell damage,...
Boulder is the healthiest place I have practiced as a Physical Therapist with a low prevalence of common chronic diagnoses, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, or medication use. In contrast, supplement use is highly prevalent among our fellow Boulder County citizens. A common question we receive in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette...
Chronic or persistent pain is defined by pain that extends beyond 12 weeks or the normal healing time for a given injury/diagnosis despite treatment. Our medical system does a great job treating new or acute pain, but has struggled to be as effective with patients dealing with chronic pain. It is estimated 1 in 4...
Nutrition is a key component of health and recovery from injury and disease. Due to strong evidence on this link health care practitioners, including Physical Therapists, are being to prescribe adequate portions of fruits and vegetables in patients diets. In a previous blog post we described the beneficial effects of a lower processed diet compared...
Nutrition, stress management, and sleep are the overlooked components of a patient’s recovery in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices. These low hanging fruits are often easier to control and improve than the injured tissue’s path to recovery. Inherently we know nutrition is important and food that is fresher is more nutritious...
It is not uncommon to have athletes present to our Boulder Physical Therapy practice who exceed the national guidelines on weekly amounts of moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise (150 and 75 minutes, respectively). Especially among younger athletes, diet and sleep are often overlooked and not given the same focus as their exercise totals. Common expressions...
Consumption of protein rich foods and drinks is common place in our athletes and recreational gym participants due to its’ association with lean muscle tissue, recovery from strenuous workouts, and strength gains. In addition to muscle and bone benefits, plant or animal sources of protein are essential to other body systems for optimal health. At...
