January 10, 2006 [Volume 7, Issue 2]

To Your Health is brought to you by:

In this issue of To Your Health:

• For Children, Heavy Backpacks Are a Real Pain
• Protect Your Vision With Antioxidants
• Health Information: It's a Matter of Trust

Almost every child and teenager uses a backpack to carry his or her books to and from school. Over the years, there has been much debate as to whether heavy backpacks may cause back and/or shoulder pain in children. Understanding how backpacks carry weight (and how backpacks are worn by children) can help identify the causes of such pain, which may lead to better backpack design and increased safety and comfort.

In a recent study, 10 children wore backpacks loaded to 0%, 10%, 20% or 30% of their body weight for 30 seconds to determine the amount of pressure under the backpack's shoulder straps. While wearing the backpacks, the children also reported whether they felt any pain and, if so, how severe the pain was.

Pressure beneath the shoulder straps was "significantly increased" when the backpack was loaded at 10% of the child's body weight or higher. Increased pressure also was associated with an increase in pain, and the pressures were higher on the right shoulder than the left shoulder. Over the long term, the authors noted that uneven backpack loads could alter the curvature of a child's spine and produce back pain.

Based on the results of the study, the authors offered four recommendations for children who wear backpacks:

1. Backpacks should be positioned high on the back.
2. Backpack straps should be worn over both shoulders.
3. Weight in the backpacks should be minimized.
4. Backpacks should have wide shoulder straps.

Doctors of chiropractic who treat children should advise their patients (and their patients' parents) about the importance of proper backpack use and keeping the weight in a child's backpack to a minimum. For more information, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/pediatrics.

Macias BR, Murthy G, Chambers H, et al. High contact pressure beneath backpack straps of children contributes to pain. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, December 2005;159:1186-1187.

In the United States, a common cause of blindness in the elderly is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. While the exact cause of AMD is unclear, many scientists believe that oxidative stress is a leading culprit. Previous research has shown that taking supplements high in antioxidants can slow the progression of AMD, but less is known about whether antioxidants - particularly those that come from food - can prevent AMD from occurring in the first place.

In this study, researchers in the Netherlands reviewed the dietary habits of more than 4,100 middle-aged people, all of whom completed a series of food questionnaires. The subjects were tracked for an average of eight years. During that time, 560 people in the study were diagnosed with AMD.

Comparison of the food questionnaires found that people who consumed foods high in four specific antioxidants - beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc - were 35 percent less likely to develop AMD over the course of the follow-up period. On the other end of the scale, people who ate less than the regular amounts of these four nutrients were 20 percent more likely to develop AMD.

Various foods are high in antioxidants, including whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs and nuts (vitamin E); meat, poultry, fish and dairy products (zinc); carrots, kale and spinach (beta-carotene); and citrus fruits, fruit juices, green peppers and broccoli (vitamin C). If you are concerned about developing AMD, talk with your doctor of chiropractic about drawing up a diet plan containing foods high in these and other antioxidants. For more information, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/nutrition.

Van Leeuwen R, Boekhoorn S, Vingerling JR, et al. Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of age-related macular degeneration. Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 28, 2005;294(24):3101-3107.

Only a decade ago, most people relied on their local doctor to get the latest health news and information. Thanks to the Internet, that situation has become a thing of the past, as health information of every shape and size is now literally at a person's fingertips. How reliable is that information, and who do people trust more - their doctor, or the Internet? That's the question researchers in the United States recently attempted to answer.

In the study, scientists interviewed more than 6,300 adults about their use of various sources (the Internet, radio, television, etc.) for health information. In addition to rating their level of trust for each source, they were asked which source they would go to for information on a specific condition (cancer), and where they actually went to look for information.

More people reported trusting their doctor more than any other source; 62.4 percent of the respondents said they trusted the information provided by physicians "a lot," compared to just 23.9 percent of information on the Internet. However, when they were asked where they went to first for information on cancer, 48.6 percent reported using the Internet versus 10.9 percent who reported going to a health care provider.

As this study shows, health care providers are still the most trusted source of health information available - but they're not always the primary source of information. It is important that all health care providers do what they can to maintain that level of trust with their patients. Doing so improves communication between doctors and patients, makes patients feel more empowered about the care they receive, and makes for a greater relationship for all parties involved.

Hesse BW, Nelson DR, Kreps GL, et al. Trust and sources of health information. Archives of Internal Medicine, Dec. 12/26, 2005;165:2618-2624.

MPAmedia offers its condolences to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the relief/recovery effort is encouraged to call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669) or visit www.redcross.org.

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