How I spent my Sunday at Ironman Boulder and this week’s 1-Page Health News
by Dr. Glenn Hyman’s Denver Chiropractic Center:
My oldest son Andrew and I spent this Sunday volunteering at the Ironman Triathlon. We were a part of my triathlon club, Altitude Multisport Club’s aid station on the bike. Andrew and I were sent down the road to warn athletes on the bike about bumps on the railroad tracks. We had a great time yelling “Bump ahead!” for hours on end. Congratulations to our many patients who did the race!
Andrew and I out on the course.
And here’s the 1-Page Health News.
Exercise: Cardio & Motor Fitness Skills Improve Academic Performance.
Most would agree that being physically active during childhood offers many benefits to mental and physical health. A new study indicates that cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability have a strong influence on brain health and academic performance. The study involved 2,038 children and collected data on physical fitness, body composition, and academic performance. The findings suggest that efforts should be made to promote physical activity that encourages children to exercise aerobically and engage in motor tasks that develop physical speed, agility, and coordination.
The Journal of Pediatrics, June 2014
Chiropractic: Farming is Hard on the Body.
Agricultural workers often compromise their musculoskeletal health due to ergonomic risks associated with their jobs. Using a sample of data from the National Health Interview Survey that’s believed to represent the two-million agricultural workers in the United States, researchers estimate that 24% of farm workers experienced back pain and 10.5% experienced neck pain during the previous 90 days.
Journal of Agromedicine, June 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Cocoa Extract Could Prevent Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease is predicted to affect nearly 16 million Americans by 2050. Researchers are hopeful that cocoa extract could be a possible preventative treatment. Lavado, an extract from cocoa, may reduce or block damage to nerve pathways in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, thus reducing symptoms such as cognitive decline. According to the researchers, lavado cocoa extract could pave the way for new treatments, but further studies are needed to better understand how the extract works in the human brain.
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, June 2014
Exercise: Bicycling Leads to Good Feelings.
Compared with all modes of transportation, people who ride their bicycles are the happiest, followed by automobile passengers and drivers.
Transportation, May 2014
Chiropractic: Heavy Physical Work and Low Back Pain.
Among Brazil’s urban cleaning workers (drivers, trash collectors, maintenance workers, etc.), musculoskeletal pain — and low back pain in particular — is a major public health issue. Researchers interviewed 657 workers and found that 37% have experienced back pain lasting more than one week during the previous year, and of that group, 62.8% experienced back pain within the last seven days. Workers who described bending over and twisting as part of their job functions were much more likely to experience pain in one or more anatomical regions, as were workers who frequently worked overtime. Of note, workers who performed more dynamic and fewer repetitive movements on the job were less likely to experience back pain.
Brazilian Journal of Epidemiology, March 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Elevated Blood Pressure Number Determines Risks.
New research points to the type of heart risk individuals face based on which number of their blood pressure reading is high. Researchers found that an elevated systolic blood pressure (top number) was associated with an increased risk of bleeding strokes and stable angina while those with a higher diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) were more likely to be diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Lead investigator Dr. Eleni Rapsomaniki writes, “Our estimates provide vital new information that can be used to improve patient counseling and decision-making for people with hypertension, which are currently based mainly on the risks of heart attack and stroke, and will help to focus guidelines and doctors to the cardiovascular conditions that might be more common, and in which screening and treatments are more likely to have an effect.”
The Lancet, May 2014