January 5, 2017
We’ve all secretly wondered if Rover loved us for the patting and the praise or if he was just after that juicy bone we keep in the fridge. Since Pavlov first started tinkering around in the canine brain there’s been a group of neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who have pretty much been hell bent on working out what goes on behind their furry craniums. The question du jour is do dogs prefer praise or a hot dinner? A new study recently published in Oxford University Press1 is one of the first to combine brain-imaging data with behavioural […]
January 5, 2017
There’s always some new fad that seems to hit our shelves. Bone broth has been the hipster drink de jour for the last couple of years. Given up caffeine? Bone broth. Trying to get healthy? Bone broth. The Brooklyn hipsters have been carrying around this meaty bone soup in lieu of a super sized Starbucks coffee like it’s going out of fashion. Except it isn’t. Going out of fashion that is. Instead, this age old recipe is going mainstream. And much like encouraging people to exercise more or get a good nights sleep, this wonder liquid may well be the […]
January 3, 2017
People suffering from anxiety and depression have become well versed in the affects of serotonin on the brain. We are all familiar with this neurotransmitter that is affectionately referred to as the happy hormone. Anti-depressant drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). These drugs work by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain. It does this by by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin, so that more serotonin is available. It’s a clever little trick. In fact it’s the same trick we use by consuming substances of addiction. What we don’t hear a lot about is dopamine. Research has found […]
December 16, 2016
Story at a Glance. Negative input from the dura primes the brain to be too sensitive to triggers that are normally not a problem. It appears that nociceptive input from the meninges causes sensitisation of the dural nociceptive system, and that this dura-nociceptive input and sensitisation causes neuroplasticity and may contribute to migraines. This brings relevance to chiropractic techniques that assess and affect the meninges, and their effect on the brain and its neuroplasticity. Abstract – Migraine is one of the most common and most disabling disorders. Between attacks, migraine patients are otherwise normal but are sensitized to nonnoxious events […]
December 15, 2016
Spinal Research is proud to announce three new appointees to our Board following last month’s Annual General Meeting. The names are likely to be familiar to you, as all are passionate voices for chiropractic, renowned international speakers and long-term friends of the Foundation. Chiropractic trainer and leadership coach Brandi MacDonald joins chiropractic champions Dr’s Gilles LaMarche and Shawn Dill to add their voices to our Foundation. Board President Dr. Craig Foote welcomes the appointments, stating, “This is an opportunity for Spinal Research to further advance our research agenda by adding three strong, international voices to an already outstanding group. Our […]
December 15, 2016
The Organisational Result of Intelligence Humanity is now entering a period of radical transformation, and recent advancements in technology are providing generative conditions. However, within one generation, we have become disconnected from ourselves through the use of artificial intelligence. As a result, we have disconnected from our own inborn intelligence. The answer to solving this emerging problem will come from philosophy. Over the past twenty years, wireless technologies and the internet have become ubiquitous, affordable, and available to almost everyone. Right now a Masai warrior in Africa has better mobile phone capabilities than the president of the United States […]
December 13, 2016
Probiotics are linked to improved microbia in the gut. These microbia are directly linked to the physical, mental and emotional health of your body. Fermented foods are a natural powerhouse of various strains of probiotics that are essential to good gut health. But what are fermented foods? And what’s so darn good about them?
December 12, 2016
We’ve all been there, caught up in our anxious thoughts or lying in bed awake at night worrying. But new research suggests1 the smarter you are, the more likely you are to suffer from anxiety, or as they refer to it in scientific circles – psychopathology. This link between intelligence and a predisposition towards worrying has been closely studied over the years. According to Catheline-Antipoff and Poinso2, “The higher the IQ, the greater the psychological fragility.” Research suggest that intelligence and worry may have co-evolved with humans for the purpose of survival. Findings published in The Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience […]
December 8, 2016
Accents. Ever notice how easy it is for some people to pick them up? Ten minutes in New York and an Australian voice is already adopting the American drawl. Or traipsing around London and you find yourself starting to articulate the ends of your words in a more precise way? It’s called The Chameleon Effect; it’s when we subconsciously copy someone else. Human beings are constantly imitating each other, copying everything from each other’s facial expressions, mannerisms, even our postures. Researchers at The University of California, Riverside, found we also imitate speech patters and inflections. That is we have the […]
December 6, 2016
“What’s With Wheat?” It’s a question many have asked as a growing prevalence of Coeliac’s Disease and Non-Coeliac wheat intolerance seems to have swept the Western World. It was this topic that Australian nutritionist Cyndi O’Meara examined in a documentary of the same name. Launched in July of this year, What’s With Wheat brought together world-renowned researchers and authors to scour the rise of wheat into the pervasive pantry staple that it is today. O’Meara is joined by best-selling author and researcher David Perlmutter (of Grain Brain fame), leading researcher Dr. Terry Wahls, and twelve other experts in fields ranging […]
December 6, 2016
In Chiropractic care, every one of your gestures makes an impression on those you interact with. From your first smile hello, the way you welcome someone to enter the room and of course through your hands and your adjustments. Combine your personal interactions and your physical environment and you have a holistic experience that creates the environment for deep relationships to develop. Architects have long studied and practiced the creation of space that aims to shape and enhance the human experience. The philosophy and practice of theories such as phenomenology in architectural design (study of how space is experienced) […]
November 29, 2016
Ritalin (methylphenidate) and dexamphetamine are classed as schedule 8 drugs. In the US, these drugs are prescribed to at least 6 million children for what we have come to understand as Learning Disorders (LD), which includes Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These psychiatric labels are given to children who we are told have chemical imbalances in their brains, a medical problem, a brain disease, that requires sustained, long term medication to right the body’s incorrect auto-regulation. One source states “The stimulant prescription rate for Australian children increased 34-fold in the past two decades. In addition […]
November 29, 2016
You love it. You hate it. It’s like watching a train crash, sometimes you just have to even though you know you shouldn’t. It’s like a New Years Resolution you can only keep for a week. Facebook, let’s face it, is hard to break up with. Researchers from Cornwell University1 have been exploring why it’s so hard for us to quit Facebook and why some of us eventually return. Like any love hate relationship, it’s complicated. Individuals were asked to abstain from Facebook for 99 days. During that period some of the participants returned to Facebook before their allotted time had expired. The researchers […]
November 24, 2016
Rejection hurts. But it doesn’t just hurt emotionally, it hurts physically. We refer to hurt and pain when we refer to our emotional status. Interestingly, they’re the same adjectives we use to describe physical pain. When we break up with a lover, or feel ridiculed or rejected by our peers we feel ‘hurt’. And it’s not just poets that know that a lover’s quarrel or parting can cause ‘pain’. But why is that? As it turns out, it’s because of the way our brains are wired. Researchers from Michigan University’s, Department of Psychology, have been studying the pain of rejection and the results […]
November 24, 2016
Turns out a person’s swagger isn’t just about the way they walk into a room, it’s in an integral part and parcel of a person’s personality. In a new explorative study from the University of Portsmouth in England, has found that exaggerated movement of both the upper and lower body indicate aggression. The lead researcher of the study Liam Satchell said, “People are generally aware that there is a relationship between swagger and psychology. Our research provides empirical evidence to confirm that personality is indeed manifest in the way we walk.” The researchers from the Department of Psychology ran 29 […]
November 24, 2016
Dr. Don MacDonald, chiropractor and Spinal Research advocate, has released his first book. Upon its release in July, The Underdog Curse reached international best-seller status, attaining top rankings in Amazon’s stress management, happiness, personal health, personal development and self-esteem categories in the US and a number of other countries. The Underdog Curse takes a critical look at the personality traits that propel us to our first victories, but reveals how those same traits can hold us back from true and lasting success. When it comes to the plight of the underdog, most of us would have to admit carrying a […]
November 18, 2016
Story at a Glance. Spanish researchers in a new study looked at aggressive behaviour in boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 10. Over the two year period they reviewed if there was a link between aggressive behaviour and an increase in the children’s hormonal levels. Subjects who showed the highest levels of aggression also displayed the highest increase in cortisol. It’s not easy being an adolescent, all those hormones flying around wreaking havoc. But new research has found it may not be all that easy being a kid either. Particularly kids who are inclined towards aggressive behaviour. […]
November 16, 2016
In our last article we looked at why we need to build resiliency in our working lives. So what can we do to build resiliency? Fundamentally the difference between a resilient person and a person who feels weak and fearful is the way the two people view the situation. Some call this optimism. But it could just as well be called learned optimism. In psychological circles they call it cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). When something bad happens instead of seeing it as something to be ashamed/scared /humiliated by you turn the thought around to see the event as something to learn and grow from. Now […]