Ying Yang

Test Yourself Arcade

All of these games are on sites we have tried ourselves. None of them require you to download any new programs onto your computer. Please share these games with others. Give them the link to this page rather than the individual game, so they get the full educational value along with the entertainment. Have fun!

Reaction Time

These games test your ability to respond quickly to a sudden change. This is an ability frequently needed on the road, on the athletic field, and in other real-life situations.

Can you Hit a Fast Ball?

The Exploratorium – a hands-on science museum in San Francisco, hosts this game. You respond to a 90 mph fastball thrown by a simulated major league pitcher. So, what do you think? Are you the home-run hero, or the strikeout kid?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/reactiontime.html

Green Light

The red light turns green. Do you get going right away, or do you sit there wasting gas while you daydream? The University of Washington sponsors this game.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/stopl.html

New Background

The background color on your screen suddenly changes. Don’t panic. Don’t call Dr. Phil. Just click as fast as you can.

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/reactiontest.htm

What Does This Have to Do With Chiropractic?

There have been several studies in which reaction time improves after one or more chiropractic adjustments (see our article, “The Butterfly Effect” in our Jan-Apr 2006 newsletter.

Optimal reaction time requires attention. If your attention drifts, you response will be late. There have been a number of clinical papers indicating that attention is improved under chiropractic care (see our article, “Pain Relief: Safe Behind the Wheel” in our Jan-Apr 2008 newsletter.

Do chiropractic adjustments improve your own reaction time? Try one of the above games, to get the hang of it. Then, on the day of your appointment, record six consecutive reaction times prior to your adjustment. After the adjustment, do another six. Did your reaction time get faster, slower, or remain the same? Let us know!

Short-Term Memory

You’ve just looked up a phone number. Can you dial it or write it down before you forget? Let’s hope so. Short-term memory is an ability we need and use every day. Give this game a try.

Five Seconds to Remember

You are presented with a picture for five seconds. Write down as many items from that picture as you can remember. Then look at the picture again. How many did you get right? How many did you miss? Four versions of this game are offered. This game is hosted by the College of Optometrists in Visual Development. Log on to www.eyecanlearn.com and click on “Visual Memory”. If you are interested, other memory games are offered on this site as well.

What Does This Have to Do With Chiropractic?

In a study published in 2009, 157 children with various forms of developmental delay were given a battery of psychological tests before and after chiropractic care. One of these tests had to do with short-term memory. Improvement was noted in 83% of the children. (Cuthbert SC, Barras M. Developmental Delay Syndromes: Psychometric Testing Before and After Chiropractic Treatment of 157 Children. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2009; 32: 660-669.)

To test the effect of chiropractic adjustments on your own short-term memory, try one of the four memory games to get the hang of it. Then, do a different one right before and another right after your next chiropractic adjustment.
Any improvement? Let us know!

Strategy

From such routine tasks as planning your day to such major undertakings as a presidential debate, we have to develop strategies. If you play any of the classic games, such as checkers, chess, go, or backgammon, you understand how your capacity to formulate and execute strategy can be challenged and developed by such play. The following games are somewhat simpler.

Tic-Tac-Toe

Some sources claim that tic-tac-toe originated in ancient Egypt. As simple as this game seems, it can play out thousands of different ways. Generally speaking, you will not defeat an expert player. The best you can expect against a master is a draw.

In the following game, hosted by the Exploratorium, you are playing against an expert computer program. Log on to The Brain Explorer, then click on Tic-Tac-Toe.

The Last Bean

Several versions of this game have appeared over the years. You have to remove as many coffee beans as possible by “jumping” them. If you play expertly, you will end up with only one bean, and it will be in the center position. This hosted by Colonial Williamsburg. Log on to Colonial Williamsburgs web site and click on Games and Puzzles then click on Coffee Bean Solitaire.

We know of no research on chiropractic and games of strategy, as such. However, there is ample reason to believe that the chiropractic adjustment benefits brain function in general (see “Brain and Empire” in our Jan-Apr 2010 newsletter.

Try a few rounds of either of the two games above before and after a chiropractic adjustment. Alternatively, play your favorite game against an opponent whose ability matches or exceeds yours (or against a computer program, if available) before and after an adjustment.
Notice any improvement? Let us know!

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