HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...Live well”
Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.
by Larry Kline
email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
Past issues of “Health News” are available at http://livehealthy-livewell.blogspot.com/. It includes a search engine; just enter a key word to find past articles. LK
DUMBBELLS vs BARBELLS vs MACHINES – when an exerciser uses dumbbells, you have to lift and balance two objects so the smaller stabilizing muscles have to work harder. Machines are at the other end of the exercise spectrum. When you use a machine for a chest press, it keeps the weight steady for you, which makes it possible for you to activate more of your larger muscles and lift many more pounds than you would be able to with free weights. The machine exercise may allow one to bulk up faster. However if you train using only machines, the smaller stabilizers will be neglected and that may lead to injuries. Instead, sculpt your muscles by using all three options. You do not have to do all three options every exercise session, but if you do, always progress from the least (dumbbell) to the most stable (machines). As an example, to work your chest, go from the dumbbell bench press to the barbell bench press, and finish with the machine chest press. Men’s Health 4/11.
PAIN RELIEVERS AND E.D. – men who regularly take pain relievers such as ibuprofen and aspirin may be at increased risk for erectile dysfunction reveals a recent study. Men who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) three times a day for more than three months are at a 22 percent increased risk of erectile dysfunction. More than 30 million people a day take these prescription and OTC pain relievers.
Regular users were about 2.4 times more likely to have erectile dysfunction than men who did not use those drugs regularly or at all. However, NSAID use has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease and has many other proven benefits. The study’s authors say that generally treating someone (with NSAIDs) to improve blood flow should potentially make erections better, but NSAIDs may also hinder other pathways involved in healthy erectile function. Journal of Urology.
ADVICE FOR JOINT PAIN: GET MOVING – doctors increasingly are recommending physical activity to help osteoarthritis patients, overturning the more traditional medical advice for people to take it easy to protect their joints.
The new treatment approach comes as osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease once considered a problem of old age, has begun showing up in more middle-aged and young adults as a result of obesity and sports injuries. Studies have shown that weight loss, combined with exercises aimed at improving joint function and building up muscles that support the joints, can significantly improve patients’ health and quality of life compared with medication alone.
The most dangerous exercise you can do when you have arthritis is none. Since each pound of extra body weight adds the equivalent of four pounds to the knees, even a small loss of weight can cut in half the risk of knee osteoarthritis for women, who are at higher risk than men, studies show.
Osteoarthritis, which can affect knees, hips, feet, hands and other parts of the body, occurs when the cartilage that cushions the spaces between the joints wears away. The disease affects some 27 million Americans and leads to 632,000 surgical joint replacements a year. It is the most common cause of disability for U.S. adults, according to the non-profit Arthritis Foundation. That number is expected to grow as the population ages: One in two adults will develop knee osteoarthritis before age 85, and the risk increases to two in three adults who are obese.
Prescription and over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs help reduce pain, swelling and inflammation, but can cause stomach distress and ulcers – and for some people an increased risk of heart attack. Scientists are working to develop new drugs and treatments to rebuild cartilage and slow the progress of osteoarthritis, but these new therapies could be a decade away.
The CDC says obesity prevention, physical activity programs and self-management education courses in local communities offer the best chances of limiting the damage from osteoarthritis. Self-management programs typically involve classes that instruct people on the best exercises for strengthening muscles that support the joints and for enhancing flexibility to keep joints from regularly seizing up. As important, patients are taught which exercises not to do to avoid exacerbating the problem.
Even mild exercise can be painful for osteoarthritis patients. But with time, doctors say the benefits accumulate as reduced pain and greater mobility. Strengthening the muscles around the knees or hip can help support the joints and take over some of the shock-absorbing functions play by cartilage. Stronger muscles can also hold the joints in the most functional and least painful position. Regular activity can also replenish lubrication to the cartilage of the joint to reduce stiffness and pain. And aerobic activity such as swimming that does not put heavy stress on the hips, knees and spine can reduce inflammation in the joints, as well as improving overall fitness and weight control.
The CDC says self-management education has been shown to help the health of an adult with doctor-diagnosed arthritis by 15 to 30 percent compared to medication alone.
Younger patients are seeking medical care for osteoarthritis because of more obesity and injuries. There appears to be a large rise in injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in the knee, most commonly seen among soccer players. Some 50 to 80 percent of players with an ACL tear go on to develop osteoarthritis. But studies have shown that such injuries can be avoided with training programs that focus on landing and decelerating in a more controlled fashion.
Americans spend about $850 million a year over OTC joint health supplements like glucosamine, a component of cartilage derived from shellfish, and chondroitin, component of connective tissue that in supplements usually comes from cow or pork byproducts.
The largest study of such supplements, the Glucosamine/Chondroiton Arthritis Interventional Trial of 2006, showed statistically significant relief for 22 percent of the participants who suffered from moderate to severe knee pain. But there was no difference in pain relief compared with a placebo among the 78 percent of participants with mild pain. In an ancillary study in 2008, the supplements fared no better than a placebo in slowing loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis of the knee.
The CDC’s surveys show that doctors have lagged behind federal recommendations to counsel osteoarthritis patients on the benefits of exercise and self-management programs. The medical system has been focused on repairing patients and not getting them to manage themselves to avoid disability. Patients may worry that if they exercise the pain is going to get worse.
Exercises recommended to improve joint flexibility include slow stretching and strengthening movements. Some patients experience joint pain initially, but continued exercises does help ease joint pain. Weight loss also aids in achieving a better quality of life for arthritis sufferers. WSJ 4/12/11.
