To Your HealthTYH Archives

July 16, 2002 [Volume 3, Issue 14]

 

To Your Health is brought to you by:

ChiroFind


This issue features a number of articles you will want to share with your family, friends and co-workers. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to them via e-mail. If you have received this e-mail newsletter from someone else, you may subscribe free of charge and begin receiving your own copy by going to:

https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletter/TYH/subscribe.php

 

In this issue of To Your Health:

Back Pain: Rapid Recovery or Long Lasting?

Most back pain research is devoted to identifying risk factors for acute low back pain, or pain that is severe and short-lasting, although long-term back pain is responsible for far more days missed and dollars lost at work. Risk factors for chronic back pain are different than those for acute back pain; chronic cases involve more individual, psychological, and workplace variables. Is it possible to identify which acute back pain cases will progress into costly chronic cases?

The authors of this study, published recently in Spine, examined workers' compensation claims to determine if a variety of factors reported by back pain sufferers at their initial time of injury claim could distinguish those at high risk for chronic pain. Three high-risk groups were assessed: nurses and nurses' aides, manual workers, and drivers.

Of the 24% of claimants still receiving monetary compensation three months after their initial claim, job dissatisfaction and poor workplace relations were not linked to chronic low back pain. Factors associated with progression from acute to chronic back pain were moderate-to-severe disability, severe leg pain, obesity, and no "light" duties available upon returning to work.

If you injure your back on the job, be sure to talk to your doctor of chiropractic about any symptoms that appear after injury, even if they may seem unrelated. By obtaining the most diagnostic information possible, your chiropractor can help get you back on your feet and working again in a short amount of time.

Reference: Fransen M, Woodward M, Norton R, et al. Risk factors associated with the transition from acute to chronic occupational back pain. Spine 2002:27(1), pp. 92-98.

To read more about back pain, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/backpain.html.

Happiness Is... A Filet of Fish

It's no secret that eating fish is good for you. The omega-3 fatty acids found in abundance in cold-water fishes are well-documented to have an association with a lowered risk for heart disease. The best fish for dietary omega-3 include salmon, mackerel, tuna, lake trout, and sardines. The purpose of a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry was to determine if a specific omega-3 acid called "E-EPA" prevents clinical depression.

Twenty people with major depressive disorder were divided into two equal groups and given either two grams per day of an omega-3 supplement or a placebo, along with their current antidepressant drug therapy. The supplement contained 96% pure fish oil. Patients were followed for four weeks; a depression rating scale was administered to evaluate depression.

Significant improvements from adding E-EPA to therapy were observed by the third week of the study. Six of 10 patients taking the fish-oil supplement noted a 50% reduction in their depression levels, while only one of 10 patients taking the placebo saw a similar reduction. The omega-3 supplement reduced depressed moods, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, and insomnia; no side effects were reported.

The authors of the study caution that they are unsure whether E-EPA works independently as an antidepressant, or simply amplifies the effects of antidepressant drugs. Regardless, fish and fish oil containing omega-3 acids have numerous other health benefits, and fish are excellent sources of protein. Learn about additional benefits of eating healthy at https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Reference: Nemets B, Stahl Z, Belmaker RH. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002:159(3), pp. 477-479.

Cough Medicine Results Sickening

Doctors often recommend over-the-counter cough medicine to treat this frustrating symptom of the common cold. Cough medicine sales are rising: In the United Kingdom (U.K.), sales rose 3% between 1998 and 1999. Believe it or not, this type of medicine has gained widespread support despite evidence that it really works. The results of a recent study in the British Medical Journal may surprise you.

To determine whether over-the-counter cough medicines are effective for treating acute cough, the authors of the review searched all studies in the U.K. involving adults with cough for less than three weeks who were administered cough medicine. All studies included placebo groups or no-medicine groups for comparison to the group taking medicine. Fifteen studies involving 2,000 individuals were assessed.

In nine (60%) of the studies, cough medication was deemed "no better than placebo" for treating a cough. In the remaining six studies, the positive results "were of questionable clinical relevance." This was true for multiple forms of medication: antihistamines, antitussives, expectorants, decongestants, and combinations of these types of drugs.

Given the amount of over-the-counter cough medicines available, one would think they possessed some effectiveness. This paper counters such "conventional" thinking. Over-the-counter cough medicines for acute cough may be ineffective for reducing symptoms. Talk to your doctor about other options for treating cough and cold symptoms, and also remember that when it comes to sickness, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Reference: Schroeder K, Fahey T. Systematic review of randomised [sic] controlled trials of over-the-counter cough medicines for acute cough in adults. British Medical Journal 2002:324, pp. 329-331.

For more studies on general health, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general.

Weekly Training Prevents Weakness

As adults get older, preserving muscle strength is necessary to continue an active and independent lifestyle. Exercise helps maintain strength, especially in the elderly, who lose muscle continually as part of the aging process. However, the frequency of exercise necessary to preserve strength is unclear.

In a recent study appearing in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, researchers required 10 elderly men to perform resistance exercises three times per week for 12 weeks. Next, the men were divided into two groups: half returned to a normal lifestyle free of resistance training, while the other half continued to train, but at a frequency of only once per week.

Men in both groups experienced strength gains of about 50% during the initial 12 weeks of training. Six months after this training session, the men who had continued to train only once per week managed to maintain essentially all their muscle size and strength. The men who returned to a normal lifestyle lost 11% of their strength, however, and their muscles were reduced almost to pre-study sizes.

Don't use this study as an excuse to only exercise one day per week. The point is, even if you can only perform a high-intensity workout once per week, it is far more effective than never working out if you want to maintain your strength and mobility. Ideally, seniors should perform mixed aerobic and resistance exercises several times per week to prevent injury and disease.

Reference: Trappe S, Williamson D, Godard M. Maintenance of whole muscle strength and size following resistance training in older men. Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 2002:57A(4), pp. B138-B143.

For more senior health information, check out https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/senior.

 

This edition of the To Your Health newsletter is co-sponsored by:


Thank you for subscribing to To Your Health. If you have received this newsletter in error or wish to unsubscribe, you may remove your name from our e-mail subscription list at https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletter/TYH/unsubscribe.php.

Visit Dynamic Chiropractic's "Ask a Doctor of Chiropractic" forum at https://www.chiroweb.com/find/ask.html, where 15 doctors of chiropractic are waiting to answer any of your health questions.

If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please complete this form at https://www.chiroweb.com/newsletterhelp/TYH.

This newsletter conforms to the requirements set by Bill S 1618 Title III, passed by the 105th U.S. Congress.

To report inappropriate ads,