Fitness

Exercise: Make it Fun and Keep Going.

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Exercise: Make it Fun and Keep Going.

When exercising, it is important to make your routine enjoyable and fun to help ensure that you keep exercising. The American Heart Association suggests the following: wear shoes that are comfortable and fit properly, wear clothing that is appropriate for weather conditions, start slow, stick to a consistent workout time, make expectations reasonable for your health and abilities, include fun activities with family and friends, track you progress, and reward yourself for success. American Heart Association, February 2015

Impact of High-Impact Training on Patellar Cartilage Quality

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The paradigm surrounding high-impact training and its purported deleterious effects on articular cartilage has undergone a paradigm shift, courtesy of a groundbreaking study highlighted in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in February 2015. Contrary to conventional wisdom, which posited that high-impact loading, particularly in the form of jumping exercises, could exacerbate knee osteoarthritis, the study’s findings illuminate a promising avenue for improving patellar cartilage quality in postmenopausal women.

Over the course of twelve months, participants in the study engaged in a meticulously supervised progressive high-impact exercise program encompassing a spectrum of dynamic movements, including jumping and versatile rapid movements. Astonishingly, far from precipitating deterioration, this regimen yielded tangible improvements in the quality of patellar cartilage among postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis.

The implications of these findings are profound, heralding a paradigm shift in the management of knee osteoarthritis and the promotion of musculoskeletal health in aging populations. Rather than shying away from high-impact loading exercises for fear of exacerbating joint degeneration, individuals—especially those grappling with mild knee osteoarthritis—are encouraged to embrace such activities as a means of preserving and enhancing their health and functional capacity.

By challenging preconceived notions and illuminating the therapeutic potential of high-impact training, this study paves the way for a more nuanced and evidence-based approach to exercise prescription in the context of musculoskeletal health. Moving forward, healthcare practitioners and fitness professionals alike are poised to leverage these insights to empower individuals to optimize their physical well-being and defy the constraints imposed by osteoarthritis, fostering a future marked by vitality, resilience, and mobility.

Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes: The Impact of Hypertension Treatment

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Wellness/Prevention: Blood Pressure Program Could Save Millions of Lives Globally.

Experts have sounded a clarion call for action in the battle against uncontrolled high blood pressure, asserting that treating just half of the individuals afflicted could avert a staggering 10 million heart attacks and strokes worldwide within the next decade. In a concerted effort to stem the tide of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization have launched a groundbreaking initiative known as the Global Standardized Hypertension Treatment Project.

This ambitious program aims to mobilize resources and expertise on a global scale, leveraging standardized protocols and best practices to optimize hypertension treatment outcomes across diverse populations. By streamlining approaches to diagnosis, medication adherence, and lifestyle modifications, the project seeks to empower individuals worldwide to take control of their blood pressure and mitigate their risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, emphasizes the urgency of the endeavor, asserting that hypertension represents a formidable foe in the fight against cardiovascular disease. He underscores the imperative for swift and decisive action, stressing that the question is not whether treatment of hypertension should be undertaken on a global scale, but rather how rapidly and effectively effective programs can be established.

As the Lancet highlighted in February 2015, the launch of the Global Standardized Hypertension Treatment Project heralds a new chapter in the global health landscape, one marked by collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to saving lives. By uniting efforts on a global scale, stakeholders stand poised to achieve unprecedented gains in the prevention and control of hypertension, forging a path toward a healthier, more resilient future for generations to come.

Quote: “Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.” ~ Sarah Dessen

The Interplay of Pain and Mobility in Elderly Fall Risk

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Chiropractic: Chronic Pain May Increase Fall Risk for Seniors!

The ramifications of falls among elderly individuals extend far beyond the physical injury itself, often encroaching upon independence and diminishing overall quality of life. Traditionally, impaired motor function has been pinpointed as a primary risk factor for falls among the elderly. However, a recent report published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research in March 2015 has unveiled a startling revelation: older adults with ostensibly normal motor function are not immune to the perils of falls, particularly when grappling with chronic musculoskeletal pain across multiple body sites.

This finding challenges conventional wisdom and underscores the intricate interplay between pain and mobility in the context of fall risk among the elderly. Chronic musculoskeletal pain, pervasive among aging populations, introduces a formidable obstacle to mobility and stability, predisposing individuals to the hazards of falls despite outwardly intact motor function.

The implications of this report reverberate throughout the realms of geriatric healthcare and fall prevention. Healthcare providers must adopt a holistic approach to fall risk assessment, incorporating not only measures of motor function but also comprehensive evaluations of pain and musculoskeletal health. By identifying and addressing chronic pain as a modifiable risk factor, clinicians can mitigate the likelihood of falls and safeguard the independence and well-being of elderly patients.

Furthermore, this research underscores the imperative for multidisciplinary interventions aimed at enhancing mobility, managing pain, and fortifying musculoskeletal health among aging populations. Through targeted strategies encompassing physical therapy, pain management, and lifestyle modifications, healthcare professionals can empower older adults to navigate their golden years with confidence and vitality, minimizing the specter of falls and preserving their autonomy and quality of life.

Health Alert: Chemical Exposure May Drive Earlier Menopause in Women.

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Health Alert: Chemical Exposure May Drive Earlier Menopause in Women.

Researchers have discovered that women exposed to high levels of certain chemicals found in household items, personal care products, plastics, and the environment typically begin to experience menopause two to four years earlier than women with less exposure to these chemicals (which include PCBs, pesticides, phthalates, and furan). Senior study author Dr. Amber Cooper adds, “Many of these chemical exposures are beyond our control because they are in the soil, water, and air. But we can educate ourselves about our day-to-day chemical exposures and become more aware of the plastics and other household products we use.” The research team recommends further research to determine how much exposure is needed to impact female health.

PLOS ONE, January 2015

Diet: Soda Consumption May Prompt Early Puberty in Girls.

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Diet: Soda Consumption May Prompt Early Puberty in Girls.

Harvard researchers report that girls who consume a lot of sugary drinks may enter puberty earlier than girls who do not consume such beverages. The female participants in their study who drank more than 1.5 servings of sugary drinks per day began having periods 2.7 months earlier than those who drank two or less sugary drinks per week. Study author Dr. Jenny Carwile adds, “Starting periods early is a risk factor for depression during adolescence and breast cancer during adulthood. Thus, our findings have implications beyond just starting menstruation early.” While this study does prove that drinking sugary drinks causes early puberty, the researchers add that there is no good reason for anyone to drink sugar-sweetened drinks or sodas regularly at any age. Human Reproduction, January 2015

CranioSacral Technique is especially good at treating headaches.

Health Alert: Many Public Defibrillators Failing Over Past Decade.

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Health Alert: Many Public Defibrillators Failing Over Past Decade.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that there have been 72,000 reports of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) devices failing since 2005. AEDs are portable devices that are usually found in public places that are designed to save lives by automatically detecting potentially deadly heart rhythms and delivering an electrical shock to restore a normal heart rhythm. Based on the findings, the FDA plans to strengthen its approval process by inspecting manufacturing facilities and having manufactures file annual reports on device performance.

Food and Drug Administration, January 2015

Chiropractic: Musculoskeletal Pain Affects School Teachers.

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Chiropractic: Musculoskeletal Pain Affects School Teachers.

An assessment of 486 self-evaluation surveys from female school teachers in Saudi Arabia reveals that musculoskeletal pain is surprisingly prevalent in the profession. Their most common complaint was low back pain, followed by knee pain, heel pain, shoulder pain, upper back pain, hip joint pain, ankle pain, and neck pain. Furthermore, nearly half (46.1%) of the teachers surveyed claimed that their pain affected their teaching performance. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, November 2014

Mental Attitude: Childhood Neglect May Affect Brain Development.

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Mental Attitude: Childhood Neglect May Affect Brain Development.

A new study finds that severe childhood neglect may cause structural changes to the brain, but early intervention may reverse such alterations. Researchers found that children who remained in institutional care exhibited structural changes in certain areas of the brain’s white matter which facilitate communication between different areas of the brain. However, they found that children who had been moved from institutional care to foster care had white matter similar to that of children who had never been in institutional care, suggesting that the movement to foster care reversed the white matter abnormalities. The researchers write, “Our findings have important implications for public health related to early prevention and intervention for children reared in conditions of severe neglect or adverse contexts more generally.” JAMA Pediatrics, January 2015

Chiropractic: Becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic…

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Chiropractic: Becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic…

To become a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic, an aspiring chiropractor must meet stringent academic and professional requirements. Currently, an individual must complete the following steps to become a licensed chiropractor: complete required general college-level studies, obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and complete a clinical internship through an accredited four-year chiropractic college program, pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ and/or other state-required examinations, and satisfy any other individual state-specific requirements for licensure, which include mandatory continuing education credits in all but one state. Additionally, a Doctor of Chiropractic can earn additional certifications in areas such as pediatrics, radiology, neurology, nutrition, spinal trauma, and more. National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, August 2014