Health News

REPORTING POINT EXPRESS 03-02

AEROMEDICAL NEWS

“Live healthy...live well”

HEALTH NEWS

by Larry Kline

SWAPA Voice Mailbox 511/email: skyguy737@cox.net

BACK-PAIN THERAPIES - Fully 80 percent of all Americans will experience back pain at some point. The last decade has brought about a revolution in back care, including a shift in how experts try to explain, diagnose, and treat back pain. Traditionally, conventional medicine would attribute back pain to intervertebral discs, shock absorbers that sit between the vertebrae, preventing them from grinding together and allowing the spine to bend. These discs become ruptured, herniated, or slipped (all meaning the same thing), and start pushing into nearby tissues or nerves. Surgical correction was the conventional treatment for this condition. Now there are alternative therapies that can be offered to treat back-pain conditions:

SELF-CARE - for mild back irritation, try an over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen. Then ice the area that hurts for 15 minutes at a time, three to five times per day. A bag of frozen peas makes a great ice pack. If the pain persists more than a few days, many experts say you should substitute a heating pad for those 15-minute periods. In the meantime, remain as active as you can. The pros say staying in bed for more than a day or two will only make things worse. Many experts believe such simple steps work just as well as more complicated - and costly treatment options.

To prevent further flare-ups, try to make your environment more back friendly. Sleep on a firm mattress, and curl up on your side with a pillow between your knees. Choose chairs that support your lower back.

EXERCISE - many experts believe that regular exercise may be the best thing you can do for back pain. Studies show that people who are the most active are the ones who recover from back pain the quickest. Many consistent exercisers find that if they don’t exercise for several days, they may experience a flare-up of back pain. Weight training, aerobic exercise, and stretching all contribute to preventing recurring bouts of back pain.

Most experts agree that no single workout will erase back pain, but two categories are important: aerobic activities like brisk walking and exercises like crunches and back extensions that strengthen the back and stomach muscles. A trainer at a gym can show you moves that will be right for you.


RELAXATION TECHNIQUES - stress and anxiety can cause your body to tense up, worsening back pain. Relaxation techniques aim to break this cycle by helping you relax and focus your attention inward, letting go of tensions that might be triggering pain. In a 1995 report, a panel of multi disciplinary experts assembled by the National Institutes of Health concluded that techniques like meditation and hypnosis can ease chronic pain. Scientists say that these activities seem to mellow out the nervous system, which appears to blunt the body’s sensitivity to pain.

Some relaxation techniques like yoga and tai chi have the added benefit of including exercise, but the key is to focus your attention on the area that is causing your pain. For this reason, yoga varieties that emphasize meditative breathing and relaxation may work best.

MASSAGE - a massage therapist can target both the back and surrounding areas. For some people, the results are immediate. The rubbing, pushing, and kneading seem to work by increasing circulation to the back and by relaxing tense muscles.

There are many different types of massage - a recent study suggests that neuromuscular massage therapy - a vigorous technique that targets specific pressure points - is especially effective for back pain, but any technique that make you feel good may offer relief.

ACUPUNCTURE - recently an NIH panel concluded that acupuncture is helpful for treating low back pain. The World Health Organization has endorsed it as well. Research suggests that acupuncture spurs the release of the body’s natural painkillers and may speed the flow of these substances to the spots that hurt. Medical acupuncturists have reported that about two-thirds of their patients have responded positively to this therapy - most feel some results after the first visit. If there is no relief by the fifth or sixth visit, this technique may not be effective for pain being treated.

PHYSICAL THERAPY - physical therapy’s goal is to decrease discomfort, restore and maintain normal movement, and prevent pain through exercise and hands-on treatment. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to eliminate alignment problems or muscle weaknesses and imbalances that might be aggravating the pain. The therapist can also show you kinder, gentler way to do movements like lifting and bending. Recent research suggests that all this stretching and strengthening works and speeds up employee’s return to work after a back injury.

CHIROPRACTIC - a number of studies suggest that manipulations, whether done by a chiropractor or a doctor of osteopathy, can bring relief for chronic back pain.

Chiropractors and osteopaths say that swelling, joint irregularities, or muscle spasms can immobilize the back joints, limiting the range of motion and causing chronic pain. By moving these joints with their hands, they can relieve tension and allow them to move again. “It’s like a concentrated exercise in the joint,” says chiropractor Daniel Hansen at the Texas Back Institute. Hansen says that manipulations can also stimulate your body to release endorphin and other natural painkillers.

The first thing a chiropractor or osteopath will do is to take your medical history and perform a brief physical exam. Then if it is appropriate, the practitioner will proceed to the manipulations. While you lie on a table, the practitioner will gently maneuver your spine with his hands, and then make some harder thrusts. According to Hansen, it is a little like cracking a big knuckle, and it is normal to hear and feel a pop during the process.


SURGERY - the United States has back surgeries rate that are double to eight times the rate of other developed countries. Most experts believe the majority of these surgeries are unnecessary. There are only four reasons to consider surgery: a herniated disc that has been causing pain below your knee for a month; a spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal); a vertebra that is displaced, a condition called spondylolisthesis; or a tumor or other life-threatening problem. Only about 2 percent of all back-pain patients are appropriate candidates for surgery. New surgical procedures are being touted often, but in the long term most of these procedures offer no better relief than other non-invasive therapies. Be sure to get a second opinion if your doctor insists upon surgery, also be sure you are clear on what kind of recovery and long-term outcome you can expect. Health 3/01.

TUNA PRIMER - albacore tuna, firm and light-colored, is the most prized variety of tuna, and it is the only one that can be identified as “white” on the can. Bonito albacore is a gourmet item. Skipjack, bluefin, and yellowfin tuna are also popular, usually packaged as “chunk light” or “solid light.” Tongol may also be packaged as “chunk light” - it is a small tuna from the waters of Thailand and the western Pacific with very white flesh and a less fishy flavor than larger fish. Usually packed in water, it is sold in health-food stores. “Solid” on the label means larger pieces; “chunk,” smaller. Chunk is usually cheaper. Oil-packed chunk tuna absorbs more of the oil than solid white.

The fat in fish is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids called omega-3s. These reduce blood clotting and may lower the risk of coronary artery disease and fatal heart attacks. They may also be beneficial against rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, and possibly reduce the risk of macular degeneration (a cause of blindness). There is no U.S. government recommendation for omega-3 intake, but you should include some in your diet (food is the best source, not pills). To get omega-3s, the American Heart Association advises eating at least two servings of fish weekly. Like fresh tuna, canned tuna (particularly albacore) is a good source of omega-3s. These fats are not listed on the label. One reason to choose tuna packed in water rather than oil is that you can drain the water without losing any omega-3s, but draining off the oil takes about one-fourth of the fish’s omega-3s with it.

As far as nutrition goes, most tuna is similar in value. Albacore does have slightly more omega-3s than other types, and water-packed is almost always lower in fat and calories than oil-packed, even when you drain off the oil.

Most surface tuna is canned in oil - soy, canola, or olive - because these fish have a lower fat content and a drier texture. Deepwater tuna, such as albacore, are smaller and have more fat, and they are often packed in water.

Mercury gets into the ocean via pollution - and it is also there naturally. Nearly all fish contain a little mercury; large, long-lived fish that feed on other fish have more. But this should not be a worry with tuna - the levels are generally quite low. Pregnant and nursing women (or those who might become pregnant) should be concerned about mercury in fish, but tuna is not on the “don’t eat” list. (Tilefish, king mackerel, swordfish, and shark may contain enough mercury to harm a fetus, so pregnant women should avoid them.) Still, it is a good idea to vary your fish intake, whether you are pregnant or not.


Yellowfin tuna of the Eastern Tropical Pacific tend to swim below schools of dolphins, and huge nets can encircle them all, resulting in injury or death for the dolphins. Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, and StarKist are committed to a dolphin-safe policy: they won’t buy tuna caught with dolphins. Tuna sold fresh are caught by other means, such as long lines. The claim “dolphin safe” must be verified by the National Marine Fisheries, which inspects the fishing vessels. Some companies put the label on all their canned tuna, even albacore - which don’t swim with dolphins. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 9/01.

HOW’S YOUR RECOVERY TIME? - after a stress test, ask about your heart-rate recovery - it is a more accurate predictor of cardiac health than an EKG. A study of more than 10,000 patients, those whose heart rates dropped slowly were four times more likely to die during the 5-year follow-up period than those whose pulse quickly returned to normal.

Check your own recovery rate by taking your pulse for 30 seconds immediately after a workout, and then taking it again 2 minutes later. The faster it goes back to normal - less than 3 minutes is ideal - the better your overall health. Men’s Health 3/01.

STARBUCKS WARNING - plain coffee is virtually free of fat and calories, but add lots of whole milk or cream and it is very different. A caffe mocha “grande” (16 ounces) made with whole milk at Starbucks has almost 420 calories and 23 grams of mostly saturated fat. Even a merely “tall” caffe latte (12 ounces) containing whole milk has 200 calories and 10 grams of fat. Ask for nonfat milk, though, and you will get just 1 gram of fat and avoid about 100 calories. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/01.

SMART VIRUS - phase 2 testing of a virus that destroys prostate-cancer cells is under way at Johns Hopkins University. The new virus, called CN787, kills cancer cells, but has no effect on regular cells. Men’s Health 3/01.

TYLENOL + ALCOHOL = TROUBLE - don’t mix alcohol and acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), and don’t exceed the dosage limits on the label. While it does not produce gastrointestinal bleeding, as aspirin can, this pain reliever can cause liver damage in high doses over the long term, especially in moderate to heavy drinkers. One study of more than 300 cases of acute liver failure in Texas found that 38% were caused by excessive acetaminophen use. Many cold and flu remedies, as well as some prescription pain relievers also contain acetaminophen. Do not take acetaminophen for a hangover; it is risky even if you haven’t had a drink in 10 hours. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/01.

HELP FOR CHRONIC SMOKERS - there is a reason some people cannot quit smoking, even with nicotine patches and gum. It is possible their bodies may produce a faulty liver enzyme, called CYP2A6, that feeds their addiction by breaking down nicotine so quickly that they may actually need to light up again within hours to avoid withdrawl symptoms. Instead of going cold turkey, these chronic smokers may be helped by a drug called methoxsalen, which locks production of CYP2A6. When patients take methoxsalen, blood nicotine levels stay higher longer, and smokers light up fewer cigarettes. Men’s Health 7/01.