CROSSFEED 4-94
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by L. Kline
BACK PROBLEMS - back problems are a leading cause of pain and sick leave use. Over 80% of adults will experience back problems some time in their lives.
Here are some suggestions from the Mayo Clinic Health Letter that may help prevent straining and injuring your back:
1. Plan ahead - think through risky movements that may cause the twisting and straining injuries that are likely to occur.
2. Listen to your body - if your back hurts, stop what you are doing and rest. Change sitting or standing positions frequently.
3. Stand tall - good posture (learned from the military as military bearing) aids in supporting the back. Good posture takes a minimal effort to balance the body and maintain the three natural curves in the back. Good posture = tuck in your chin, keep your chest high, your shoulders back and relaxed, your stomach and buttock muscles tight. (Brace mister and sound off!)
4. Sit comfortably - sitting is stressful on the back and hard to avoid in our occupation. To minimize stress, choose a sitting position that allows you to place your feet flat on the floor and at the same time supports the lower back. Another aid is to place a pillow or rolled up towel in the small of the back to maintain the normal curve and support the lumbar area. Adjust the seat to keep the knees and hips level, with the seat forward enough to avoid over-reaching the rudder pedals.
5. Sleep right - good sleeping position allows the back to rest during sleep. When sleeping on your side, support your head with a pillow and place another pillow between your knees. When sleeping on your back, place a pillow under your knees. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
6. Lift with the legs - plant the feet firmly, one foot slightly ahead of the other, bending the knees so the arms are level with the object - then tighten the abdominal muscles when beginning to lift. Keep the back straight and hold the load close to the body. Avoid lifting something over the head, such as
putting objects on high shelves.
FITNESS ON THE DECLINE - in the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans that are committed to physical fitness has declined from 42 percent to only 30 percent. Even those watching their weight has decreased from 52 percent to 49 percent.
Why the decline? Part of the explanation may be that most of the recent research indicates that good health is not a product of fanatical exercise and dieting, but rather moderate exercise with sensible eating habits.
ANOTHER REASON TO EXERCISE - in a comparison of the exercise habits of 794 testicular cancer patients and a equal number of healthy men; those that exercised regularly had a much lower cancer rate. The risk of testicular cancer was 71 percent higher for sedentary types!
GAINING WEIGHT LATELY? - those meals consumed late in the evening prior to evening rest may be partly responsible for weight gain. Studies of obese people show that most get more than half of their calories after six in the evening. The problem with eating late in the day is that the body is more into storing calories (fat) for the least active part of the day. "Instead of being burned up as fuel, the food you eat before bed has more of a chance of going into storage," explains James O. Hill, Ph.D., an obesity researcher at the University of Colorado Center for Human Nutrition.
How to avoid late night munching? Try snacking throughout the day. Eating a big meal just before sleep periods causes the body to produce excess insulin, which helps transport energy into storage (fat). But a series a smaller snacks throughout the day keeps insulin levels lower, resulting in calories being burned by the body more efficiently, even at night. Eating the bigger meals earlier in the day will help fuel the body during the most active part of the duty-day. For AM fliers, a good workout before the evening meal suppresses the appetite, so you'll be less likely to pig out.
NATURAL SOURCES OF VITAMINS - since publishing previous articles on the benefits of the anti-oxidant vitamins, there have been several inquiries as to the best natural sources of these and other important vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A - carrots
Vitamin C - red bell peppers (3 1/2 times more than oranges)
Vitamin E - wheat germ oil
Folic acid - most fortified breakfast cereals
Fiber - high fiber breakfast cereal
Calcium - parmesan cheese (11 times more than skim milk)
(Health 1-2/94)
REDUCING BREAST CANCER RISK - according to a recent study conducted at the University of Southern California which included 1100 subjects, there is a 60% reduction of risk of breast cancer occurring in women who exercise regularly. Professor Leslie Bernstein of USC, stated that regular moderate exercise reduces the production of two hormones that may lead to breast cancer.
A very good predictor of breast cancer is family history; i.e. if a first-degree relative, a sister or mother, who has had the disease, you are more likely than the general population as a whole to develop it. But only 5% of all breast cancer occurs in women with such a genetic disposition.
Besides exercising moderately, reducing risk of the disease includes low-fat diets rich in vegetables, which seem to have an antitumor effect. Excess body fat produces estradiol, an estrogen that is the primary female hormone. Overweight women tend to breakdown estradiol in a dangerous form, whereas thin women tend to have more of the innocuous form.
USE IT OR LOSE IT - muscle that is. Inactive middle-aged folks lose about a pound of muscle mass a year due to aging unless some sort of regular strength training program is undertaken.
IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP - the cumulative effects of three straight nights of only four hours sleep impairs visual attention (reaction times) as much as an entire night without any sleep. (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine - David Dinges, Ph.D.)
TARGETING INDIVIDUAL SYMPTOMS - if one has two illnesses simultaneously, such as a cold and headache, relief will be quicker by treating them with two separate products rather than one that treats both. Combination products provide less pain reliever on average, but are much more expensive. (UC - Berkeley Wellness Letter)
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY - people with large appetites can still lose weight by altering the quality of the diet, not quantity, according to a study at Indiana University. The diets of slim and heavy people who eat the same number of calories indicated that the lean people generally eat more fiber, less fat, and less added sugar than their obese counterparts.
HEALTHY LUNCHEON CHOICE?: caesar salad vs. the "big mac" - the most popular salad in America is worse than the typical "burger biggie". The common caesar salad contains over 500 calories, 40 grams of fat, 215 mg of cholesterol and 1,075 mg of sodium. It's the dressing that turns the salad into the fat bomb - go lightly on dressing and opt for the low-fat/non-fat variety if available.
And speaking of favored luncheon choices, the Texas favorite of chicken-fried steak: dipped in egg yolk, breaded, redipped, deep-fried and topped with cream gravy contains 1,052 calories and over 60 grams of artery-clogging fat! Self 10/94
Food-For-Thought: seatbelt extensions, for our larger customers, are stamped with the initals of the FAA Technical Standards Order -FAA-TSO! (columnist Herb Caen)
[insert Garfield cartoon here]
BREAD QUIZ - what basis do you use to purchase bread? If you, like most health-conscious consumers today, read labels to get the low-fat products you desire, you may not be getting what you think. Ingredients are listed in order of contribution by weight. If the label says "white bread" or just "bread", the loaf's made with refined flour. If it says "enriched", the dough must contain specified amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. A label can say "whole wheat" only if the bread is made from 100 percent whole wheat flour containing everything in the same proportion as in the original wheat kernel. No refined flour allowed. Unless the label says "whole wheat", it is very likely that the bread is made from refined flour.
Between white bread and whole wheat lies a full spectrum of specialty loaves; twelve-grain, potato, rye, and sour dough. Only the ingredients list can give a true idea as to what you're really getting, not the label. Some "oat bran" labelled breads show "wheat flour" as their first ingredient - just another name for white flour - your basic "Wonder Bread", not the high fiber good-for-you bread that you thought you were getting.
The following may help you decipher the labels of your favorite loaves:
Natural - means nothing. The FDA has no regulation defining "natural", although some manufacturers imply no preservatives used in baking.
Reduced calorie - by law, must contain one-third fewer calories than an equivalent non-diet slice.
High-fiber - means nothing. No FDA standard exists for dietary fiber.
Unbleached - not treated with benzoyl peroxide, chlorine, or other bleaches.
Enriched - has FDA specified amounts of iron and three B vitamins.
Wheat flour - white flour
Malted barley flour - barley flour that has been partially germinated, dried and powdered or made into syrup which feeds the yeast that helps the bread rise and brown well.
Corn syrup - a sweetener, but usually added to feed yeast rather than to affect taste.
Wheat bran - the shell of the wheat berry, added back into the bread to increase the fiber content.
Soy flour - added for fiber
Sugar - same as "corn syrup"
Wheat gluten - elastic protein that binds dough and helps bread rise.
Yeast - the fermenting agent without which bread would be unleavened (and very heavy).
Vegetable oil - lubricates the dough to make it expandable and fluffy.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"A HEART-TO-HEART!"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby's article to you this week-LK)
