How smart are you? Take this quick test to peek inside the power of your brain. Test adapted from the Mensa test by Dr. Abbie Salny and America Mensa Ltd., copyright 1992 and 2004

1. While Bill was ironing his G-string, a person knocked on his door. It was his mother-inlaw's only daughter's husband's son. What relation was this person to Bill?

2. What's the missing number in the series?
1 3 9 __ 81 243

3. Which of the proverbs below best matches the meaning of "All that glitters is not gold"?
a. A penny saved is a penny earned
b. You can't tell a book by its cover
c. A fool and his money are soon parted
d. Just because Boy George wears makeup doesn't mean he can sing

4. Unscramble the letters to reveal this health term.
E E L L O C T O S H R

5. If Britney is 10, Wolfgang Mozart is 20, and Prince and Sting are both 5, but Elvis is 10, how much is Madonna by the same system?

6. After paying for the Cabbage Patch Kid you bought on eBay, you have just $9.60 in your pocket. You have an equal number of quarters, dimes, and nickels, but no other coins. How many of each of the three coins do you have?

7. Which of the following is least like the others?
a. Lungs
b. Ears
c. Brain
d. Legs
e. Groin

8. How many 9s do you pass when you start at 1 and count up to 100?

9. One four-letter word will fit on all three lines below to make new words with the word preceding and the word following (example: IN [DOOR] STOP). The same word must be used for all three lines. What's the word?
BACK _ _ _ _ SOME
FREE _ _ _ _ MADE
FORE _ _ _ _ BAG

10. What is the tree that contains all the vowels: A E I O U (though not in order)?

11. The following is a common proverb in disguise. Put it in its common form.
A finely chosen pomegranate consumed at every eastwardly arrival of sunlight prevents the healer of all bodily malfunctions from knocking at the entrance of your abode.

12. The spy was captured easily, and his message proved to be so simple that the lieutenant saw its importance immediately. Here it is. What does it say?
ALBERT: TOM TRICKS ARETHA'S CUDDLY KITTY, ANSWER TODAY: DO ANOTHER WIGGLE NOW. MARTHA'S OVARIES NOT DANCING. ARE YOU?




Answers to the Brain Test

Excerpted from YOU: The Owner's Manual by Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen

1. His son. Draw a box and label it Bill. Draw another box for his mother-in-law and connect them. Draw a third box for his mother-in-law's only daughter, who has to be Bill's wife. Then a fourth box, who also has to be Bill's son—and very disturbed at his father as well.

2. 27. Each number has three times the value of the number preceding it.

3. B, general knowledge question.

4. Cholesterol

5. Madonna is 15 in a system that awards 5 points for each syllable in the name

6. 24

7. Brain. All others have hair—legs and groin on the skin, while the ears and lungs have tiny hairs called cilia that serve a cleaning function.

8. 20

9. Hand

10. Sequoia

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

12. Attack at dawn Monday. The lieutenant lifted the first letter out of each word and strung the letters together.

SCORE:
11–12: Among the most intelligent people around
8–10: Very intelligent
5–7: Respectable score
4 or below: Chalk it up to a bad d








































































1. His son. Draw a box and label it Bill. Draw another box for his mother-in-law and connect them. Draw a third box for his mother-in-law's only daughter, who has to be Bill's wife. Then a fourth box, who also has to be Bill's son—and very disturbed at his father as well.

2. 27. Each number has three times the value of the number preceding it.

3. B, general knowledge question.

4. Cholesterol

5. Madonna is 15 in a system that awards 5 points for each syllable in the name

6. 24

7. Brain. All others have hair—legs and groin on the skin, while the ears and lungs have tiny hairs called cilia that serve a cleaning function.

8. 20

9. Hand

10. Sequoia

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

12. Attack at dawn Monday. The lieutenant lifted the first letter out of each word and strung the letters together.

SCORE:
11–12: Among the most intelligent people around
8–10: Very intelligent
5–7: Respectable score
4 or below: Chalk it up to a bad day














































































1. His son. Draw a box and label it Bill. Draw another box for his mother-in-law and connect them. Draw a third box for his mother-in-law's only daughter, who has to be Bill's wife. Then a fourth box, who also has to be Bill's son—and very disturbed at his father as well.

2. 27. Each number has three times the value of the number preceding it.

3. B, general knowledge question.

4. Cholesterol

5. Madonna is 15 in a system that awards 5 points for each syllable in the name

6. 24

7. Brain. All others have hair—legs and groin on the skin, while the ears and lungs have tiny hairs called cilia that serve a cleaning function.

8. 20

9. Hand

10. Sequoia

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

12. Attack at dawn Monday. The lieutenant lifted the first letter out of each word and strung the letters together.

SCORE:
11–12: Among the most intelligent people around
8–10: Very intelligent
5–7: Respectable score
4 or below: Chalk it up to a bad day










































































1. His son. Draw a box and label it Bill. Draw another box for his mother-in-law and connect them. Draw a third box for his mother-in-law's only daughter, who has to be Bill's wife. Then a fourth box, who also has to be Bill's son—and very disturbed at his father as well.

2. 27. Each number has three times the value of the number preceding it.

3. B, general knowledge question.

4. Cholesterol

5. Madonna is 15 in a system that awards 5 points for each syllable in the name

6. 24

7. Brain. All others have hair—legs and groin on the skin, while the ears and lungs have tiny hairs called cilia that serve a cleaning function.

8. 20

9. Hand

10. Sequoia

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

12. Attack at dawn Monday. The lieutenant lifted the first letter out of each word and strung the letters together.

SCORE:
11–12: Among the most intelligent people around
8–10: Very intelligent
5–7: Respectable score
4 or below: Chalk it up to a bad day
















































































1. His son. Draw a box and label it Bill. Draw another box for his mother-in-law and connect them. Draw a third box for his mother-in-law's only daughter, who has to be Bill's wife. Then a fourth box, who also has to be Bill's son—and very disturbed at his father as well.

2. 27. Each number has three times the value of the number preceding it.

3. B, general knowledge question.

4. Cholesterol

5. Madonna is 15 in a system that awards 5 points for each syllable in the name

6. 24

7. Brain. All others have hair—legs and groin on the skin, while the ears and lungs have tiny hairs called cilia that serve a cleaning function.

8. 20

9. Hand

10. Sequoia

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

12. Attack at dawn Monday. The lieutenant lifted the first letter out of each word and strung the letters together.

SCORE:
11–12: Among the most intelligent people around
8–10: Very intelligent
5–7: Respectable score
4 or below: Chalk it up to a bad day

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Every year holidays are ruined by a true tragedy. Deaths due to heart attacks seem to increase during the holiday season. A 2004 study published in the journal Circulation examined 53 million death certificates from a nationwide sample, spanning the years 1973-2001. That study showed a 5% increase in heart-related deaths during the holiday season. Most of those happened on Christmas and New Year’s Day, but Thanksgiving also offers a lot of the same stresses.
Before we can decide how to stop this problem, we need to know why the increase in these deaths occurs. Unfortunately there is a lot of debate as to the root of this problem. Researchers have proposed many different theories, but in all likelihood, it is probably a combination of everything that occurs during this period. Stress, diet, exercise and stubbornness are likely the key ingredients though.

As I’m sure most of you know, there is a lot of stress involved with the holidays. Between the rushing around, traveling, shopping and all of the financial stress associated, the holidays are sometimes more hassle than they are worth. If you missed my blog on how stress affects your system check out this re-post: Minimize Stress, Maximize Health. The body is an amazing system, but in today’s environment, it is hard to find the appropriate balance.

Obviously diet plays a HUGE role in our overall health, and especially the health of our hearts. This is a topic that gets continual coverage in every news medium. Of course the reason that it gets press is because it is true. No time is it more true than during the holidays. Not only is there an unlimited supply of food and alcohol, but most of the food is not good for you. By supplying your body with sugar and fats, and chasing it down with alcohol, you are putting yourself into a dangerous situation. The changes in blood pressure and cholesterol alone are scary. When you consider that average weight gain through the holidays can be as high as 7 pounds (not a good average, I know, but it depends on which study you read), your heart, along with the rest of your body, is traumatized. Over time this can be a recipe for a true disaster.

Of course I can’t talk about anything without bringing up exercise. The holidays are infamous for causing a time crunch. What is the first thing that most people cut out when they are more pressed for time? Exercise and sleep are the two that come to my mind first, and unfortunately neither of them is a good choice to eliminate, especially with the increased stress involved with the holidays. This is likely a key contributor to the holiday weight gain.

To throw you a curve-ball, lack of exercise isn’t the only problem during the holidays though. How many of you go out and play a little football on Thanksgiving, or get stuck scooping the driveway during the months of December and January? These are some of the most deadly activities, as people who aren’t in shape for them think they will join in on the fun. In the situations that you’re put in through the holiday season, this is not a good idea.

Finally, stubbornness is something that most researchers agree plays a role in the upswing of heart-related deaths during the holidays. It is theorized that people are less likely to seek medical attention during the holiday season in fear of “ruining the holiday for everyone else.” Don’t think that all of this is machismo though, as heart burn is a common occurrence with big meals and alcohol. Some people don’t recognize that they are having a heart attack, and therefore, don’t take the appropriate actions.

Reading this may put a little damper on your holiday season, as it seems that everything involved is bad for your health. I will never tell you not to enjoy the holidays. They are a celebration, and should be treated as such. By following a couple of guidelines, you may be able to maintain the celebration instead of ruining the mood with tragedy.

1. When you start feeling the associated holiday stress, don’t cut back on exercise or sleep. Exercise and sleep are two of the most important things you can do to decrease your stress level and the effects that it has on your body. Eliminating television, some of the excess cooking, or other “time sucks” from your day will provide you with some of the extra time you need in your schedule, while keeping your stress levels (and the resultant problems) as low as possible.

2. Improve your diet. In last week’s blog I talked about how you can avoid the holiday weight gain. A lot of that revolves around using self-discipline and planning to improve your diet. You DO need to enjoy the holidays, and some over-eating is expected, but limiting that to one or two occasions can pay dividends. Here’s last week’s blog on this topic: Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain.

3. Don’t get involved in activities that you aren’t physically prepared for. This should go without saying. If you can’t handle scooping the driveway, have someone how is capable of it do it. Pay someone if you have to. It is a small price to pay to avoid the potential issues. Machismo has led to the end of many great people.

4. Recognize the signs, and urgency, of heart problems. The following links are what to watch for. Know them well, as it may not be you, but rather a relative that is being stubborn. This could easily save a life. Female Heart Attack Symptoms and Male Heart Attack Symptoms. The sexes do not experience the same symptoms, so it would be wise to know both of them.

I know that this isn’t the most appealing holiday topic, but it is something that you should be aware of. I hope y’all have a happy, safe holiday season and don’t have to deal with these issues. Please celebrate safely.



If you have questions, or would like to discuss this further, please contact me at: 512 293 6822

BAREFOOT RUNNING? I have many people ask me about the new funky looking shoes people are wearing with the toe slots. They ask if this is a better style of running. I tell them to date, there are no studies indicating that running shoes contribute to injury or, conversely, that barefoot running reduces injury or makes you run faster. If you’re thinking about shedding your shoes, consider these guidelines:

1. Barefoot training is not for people who are just starting to run or returning from a long layoff—it’s something to slowly incorporate into an existing running regimen.
2. If you have persistent or serious foot problems, consult your podiatrist first.
3. Ease in slowly. Start with a few minutes on a flat, relatively forgiving surface once a week. Grassy fields, smooth roads, and soft trails qualify. Running on sand might be tempting, but barefooting newbies should stick to wet sand at first as the unstable soft stuff puts a lot of torque on your joints and is much harder to run on.
4. Listen to your body, if it hurts then don't do it.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is the leading cause of liver failure in both the United States and Great Britain. Fifty percent of all acute liver failure in the U.S. is attributed to acetaminophen consumption. If you are in pain, please try NATURAL methods first, it only makes sense.

When any sort of damage occurs to the soft tissues, like a strain or sprain, the body immediately goes into a process of repair. Where the individual fibers have been ruptured, or torn, the body begins to bind the damaged fibers together using a fibrous protein called collagen. Or, as it’s more commonly known, scar tissue!

You see, when a muscle is torn, you would expect that the body would repair that tear with new muscle. In reality, this doesn’t happen. The tear, or rupture, is repaired with scar tissue.

Now this might not sound like a big deal, but if you have ever suffered a soft tissue injury, you’ll know how annoying it is to keep re-injuring that same old injury, over and over again. Untreated scar tissue is the major cause to re-injury, usually months after you thought that injury had fully healed.

How to get rid of it?

So, how do we put the finishing touches on your recovery? How do we get rid of that annoying formation of scar tissue?

Firstly, you must keep active! Don’t listen to anyone who tells you to do nothing. Light activity not only promotes blood circulation, but it will also activates the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is vital in clearing the body of toxins and waste products, which can accumulate in the body following a sports injury. Activity is the only way to activate the lymphatic system.

Before we move on, a quick word of warning. Never, Never, Never do any activity that hurts the injured area. Of course you may feel some discomfort, but NEVER, NEVER push yourself to the point where you’re feeling pain. Listen to your body. Don’t over do it at this stage of the recovery, you’ve come too far.

To complete your recovery and remove most of the unwanted scar tissue, you now need to start two vital treatments. The first primarily involves increasing the blood supply to the injured area. The aim is to increase the amount of oxygen and nutrients to the damaged tissues. We can do this through stimulating the area with Interferential. Second, is to rid the area with Manual therapy or a sports massage to break up the tissue and you are well on your way to recovery, for good!