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Sitting On THIS Reduced Back Pain By 58% In Teens

17 Mar

Sometimes the simple things work the best. At least, that’s what it seems like according to the results of a recent back pain study. In the study, 97 teenaged students (most with back pain) took part in a four week study. 51 students sat on a hard foam wedge for three weeks in almost all of their classes, 46 students did not.

Results: Both groups were the same after the first week, but after that, the wedge users started reporting improvements in pain.

Both groups had increased pain at night as compared with the morning, but the wedge users had a significantly lower increase.

Researchers believe the wedge increased the forward tilt of the pelvis, taking pressure off the joints and disks.

Even though this study is relatively small, it accentuates a very big point in back pain. Many experts believe POSTURE is one of the biggest causes of back pain and neck pain.

If bad posture can affect resilient teenagers, imagine what it can do to a middle-aged spine?

Too many people think back and neck pain comes from ONE BIG INJURY like a slip and fall, sports injury, car accident or something similar. Many cases of back and neck pain DO come from such traumas, but MANY cases of back and neck pain come from very small stresses placed on the body and spine over long periods of time.

These stresses are called “micro-traumas” and are often not felt for YEARS. If you have ever simply bent over to pick up a pen or piece of paper and had your back “go out,” then this is what might have happened to you.

A healthy, strong spine doesn’t just go bad all of a sudden. Just like a cavity in your tooth, it slowly breaks down over time. You usually have symptoms years after the damage started to accumulate.

That’s why it is important to try to minimize the bad stress on your back, neck, and spine. Have good posture, exercise, eat right, limit stress, and get a Chiropractic check-up to stay tuned-up. 

Want To Feel More Full While Eating Less?

14 Mar

Do you want to feel full while eating less? Everyone does because it allows you to lose weight without being hungry. Well, researchers have just discovered that eating a meal with a low GI (glycaemic index) increases gut hormone production which leads to suppression of appetite and the feeling of fullness. Many people already know that low GI meals make you feel fuller, but now researchers have discovered WHY. The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those that are rapidly digested and absorbed, and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health.

In a new study, author Dr. Reza Noroury concluded, “Our results show for the first time the direct effect of a single GI meal on gut hormone levels. We already know that the hormone GLP-1 and a low GI meal independently lead to suppression of appetite. This study builds on these findings by providing a physiological mechanism to explain how a low GI meal makes you feel fuller than a high GI meal. GLP-1 is one of the most potent hormones for suppressing appetite. Our results suggest that low GI meals lead to a feeling of fullness because of increased levels of GLP-1 in the bloodstream. This is an exciting result [that] provides further clues about how our appetite is regulated, and offers an insight into how a low GI diet produces satiety. This is a preliminary study that only involved a small number of people. We now need to expand these findings and look at the effects of low versus high GI meals in a larger cohort of people.”

Do You Feel Less Hungry Because You Think You Ate More Than You Actually Did?

New research done by the Nutrition and Behaviour Unit, School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, has come to a surprising and possible useful conclusion. In the study, subjects had the amount of soup they ate secretly altered through a special pump hooked up to their soup bowl during lunch. Basically, one group thought they ate more than they actually did.

According to the study, immediately after lunch, participants reported the degree to which they were still hungry. Their scores aligned with the actual amount of soup they ate, not the perceived amount. However, 2-3 hours later, the opposite was true and hunger scores correlated with how much soup they perceived they ate. Researchers believe this may prove memory is an important and independent part of satiety.

A very wise man once said, “Thoughts become things.” It sounds like he was somewhat correct, at least for hunger.

Sick? Flu? Should You Exercise Or Stay In Bed?

12 Mar

Starve a cold, feed a fever. Just go “sweat it out.” Yes, there are many urban legends on how to defeat the common cold, and even the flu. But what do the experts have to say about all this?

It depends.

Depending on what is going on with your specific condition, exercise can be a good thing… or a bad thing.

Exercise is a good thing at the right time. But sometimes your body needs a break and you have to learn to listen to it.

According to Keith Veselik, M.D., Director of Primary Care at Loyola University Health System, whether or not you should exercise can depend on your specific disease. When you’re sick, your body is fighting an illness and that takes energy. The added stress to the body can be dangerous for people with heart conditions. If you have diabetes, you may need to monitor your blood glucose levels more often. If you have a medical condition and you’re not sure if it’s safe to exercise, consult with your doctor.

Still, Veselik says a general rule is that it’s okay to exercise if your symptoms are “above the neck, such as a sore throat or runny nose.”

It is also important to understand that you should not exercise at the same level when you are sick as when you are healthy. A little exercise at the right time can help you feel better and fight sickness. Too much can break your body down and make things much worse.

The difference between exercise helping and hurting can be a very fine line. When in doubt, err on the “exercise light” side.

It may be dangerous to exercise if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath or chest congestion
  • Body aches
  • Diarrhea or vomiting
  • If you feel dizzy or light-headed when you stand up.

If You Have Knee Arthritis, Is There Anything You Can Do About It?

11 Mar

Knee arthritis is not only common, it can be life-changing. Studies show that nearly 1 in 2 people may develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis by age 85.

What Is Osteoarthritis Of The Knee?

Osteoarthritis or “OA” is the most common form of arthritis. OA is a condition where the cartilage between joints wears away, causing pain.

Then, when enough synovial fluid (a naturally occurring lubricant found in the knee) andcartilageisgone,thepaincanbeunbearable and require total knee replacement.

If You Have Knee Arthritis, Is There Anything You Can Do About It?

According to researcher, Dr. Tatyana Shamliyan, “Several guidelines recommend non- drug treatment, including exercise, electrical stimulation, tai chi and esthetics.” Her team analyzed the evidence and came up with results that were sometimes at odds with those guidelines. They looked at how the therapies affected pain, functioning, and disability. “Based on the analysis, we can’t conclude sustained benefit with tai chi, manual therapy or massage, or transcutaneous electrical [nerve] stimulation.”

Dr. Shamliyan’s team reviewed nearly 200 studies and found there was evidence that low impact aerobic exercise and water exercise improved function and decreased disability. Aerobic exercise, strength training and therapeutic ultrasound reduced pain and increased mobility. However, the best outcomes came when patients stuck to their exercise program. This is particularly important as exercise can increase knee pain in the short-term.

It should be noted that the study did not show that intense exercise was any better than moderate exercise.

The take home message here is that it looks like certain moderate exercise can help some of the symptoms associated with knee OA.

But this does not mean you should take it upon yourself to “just go exercise.”

If you suffer with knee OA, you should see a qualified physician. They will be able to determine the best treatment program for your individual case.

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Can Eating Cherries Lower Gout Risk?

7 Mar

If you suffer from gout, you are going to like this information. Gout is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation. Chronic gout is repeated episodes of pain and inflammation which may involve more than one joint. If too much uric acid builds up in the fluid around the joints (synovial fluid), uric acid crystals form. These crystals cause the joint to swell up and can be extremely painful. That’s why the findings of a new study published by the American College of Rheumatology are so promising. The lead author, Dr. Yuqing Zhang, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University and colleagues, recruited 633 gout patients who were followed online for one year. Participants were asked about the date of gout onset, symptoms, medications, and risk factors. Researchers also asked about cherry and cherry extract intake in the two days prior to a gout attack. A cherry serving was one half cup or 10 to 12 cherries. According to the study, “Cherry intake over a 2-day period was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared with no intake.”

New research shows our ancient ancestors were eating meat 1.5 million years ago!

7 Mar

There is a debate raging in the diet and nutrition world. Some claim eating meat is healthy and others say it is not. The purpose of this information is to inform you and not to make a decision for you. According to a study that was published October 3 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, “Meat-eating was an important factor affecting early hominin brain expansion, social organization and geographic movement.”

Researchers used skull fragments found by anthropologists in Tanzania to show that our ancient ancestors were eating meat at least 1.5 million years ago. “Meat eating has always been considered one of the things that made us human, with the protein contributing to the growth of our brains,” said Charles Musiba, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Denver, who helped make the discovery. “Our work shows that 1.5 million years ago we were not opportunistic meat eaters, we were actively hunting and eating meat.” Authors of the study also noted, “This discovery highlights that by at least 1.5 million years ago, early human physiology was already adapted to a diet that included the regular consumption of meat.”

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