https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1348

Acid Suppressants Linked to Fracture Risk

Proton-pump inhibitors sound like something right out of Star Wars, but they're actually common - far too common, considering their potential risks - here in the real world.

This class of drugs, which includes Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, among others, is prescribed to treat digestive tract issues such as gastroesophageal reflux, chronic dyspepsia (indigestion) and peptic ulcer disease. These conditions are all characterized by excessive production of stomach acid. The intended mechanism of action of proton-pump inhibitors, as you might expect, is to reduce acid by blocking the gastric proton pump; a decidedly unintended mechanism of action is increased fracture risk.
Following a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of studies, the administration posted a "class labeling change" notice on its Web site alerting health care professionals and consumers that proton-pump inhibitors will now feature a label warning regarding "a possible increased risk of fractures at the hip, wrist and spine" attributable to their use. According to the FDA, people ages 50 or older who had been taking the medication for one year or more, often in high doses, were at the greatest risk.

If your doctor tells you proton-pump inhibitors are in your immediate future, ask about the potential side effects and if you can avoid taking medication altogether.

 

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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3334

Hail the Weekend Warrior

Many people are so busy during the week that the weekend becomes their only real time to exercise. Confining your physical activity primarily to the weekend still helps reduce disease risk, according to research, which means when it comes to health, it's time to hail the weekend warrior!

The study, findings from which appear in the research journal Circulation, a publication of the American Heart Association, tracked nearly 90,000 individuals with wrist accelerometers to gauge total physical activity performed, as well as time spent engaging in specific types of physical activity. After one week, researchers utilized the data to categorize participants as weekend warrior, regular exerciser or non-exerciser (inactive).

Next, the researchers compared physical activity patterns, as categorized above, and the presence of nearly 700 conditions spanning 16 types of diseases (mental health, digestive health, neurological health, and more), tracked for years after the one-week data-collection period. They discovered that both weekend warriors and regular exercisers had substantially lower risks of more than 200 diseases compared with non-exercisers. Among the strongest risk reductions: cardiometabolic conditions (example: high blood pressure) and diabetes.

The most important finding: differences were not significant when comparing weekend warriors with regular exercisers, meaning you reduce your disease risk approximately the same whether you concentrate your physical activity on the weekends or spread it throughout the week. So whenever you find the time, get out there and exercise!

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What to Do About Whiplash

 

Prevention and Treatment Strategies

 

By Dr. Perry Nickelston

Whiplash is the most common injury associated with motor vehicle accidents, affecting up to 83 percent of those involved in collisions, and is a common cause of chronic disability.

The Quebec Task Force (QTF) on Whiplash Associated Disorders defines whiplash as "bony or soft tissue injuries" resulting "from rear-end or side impact, predominantly in motor vehicle accidents, and from other mishaps" as a result of "an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck." It is estimated that as many as four per 1,000 people may experience a whiplash-related injury and associated pain syndromes. The overall economic burden of whiplash injury, including medical care, disability and sick leave, is estimated at a staggering $3.9 billion annually in the U.S. alone.
The mechanism of injury suggests that whiplash may occur as a result of hyperextension (excessive backward bending) of the lower cervical spine (neck) in relation to a hyperflexion (excessive forward bending) of the upper cervical vertebrae, producing a force of impact "whipping" through the body. The result is soft-tissue damage, inflammation and muscle spasm.

Whiplash is associated with a wide variety of clinical symptoms including neck pain, neck stiffness, arm pain, jaw pain, headaches and paresthesias (tingling/numbness), problems with memory and concentration, and psychological distress. Symptoms of whiplash may not present until several weeks after the causative incident. Frequently people experience little pain and discomfort in the early stages. However, after several weeks the body begins to manifest symptoms. It is this delayed onset of symptoms and lack of early treatment intervention which may cause the condition to become chronic and debilitating.

Treatment Options

Whiplash injuries are difficult to treat for many reasons. Complex interactions of psychosocial, legal and physical factors make effective treatment highly variable. However, there are many therapeutic options available to help whiplash related injuries. Initial treatment traditionally includes a soft cervical collar to restrict cervical range of motion and prevent further injury. Overall rest and motion restriction may hinder progress in the long run, so it is best to seek out professional help in resolving symptoms. That's where your chiropractor comes in.

Chiropractic: Chiropractors are the single largest group of practitioners treating whiplash injuries, and they do it well: For example, one study found chiropractors were effective at relieving whiplash pain more than 90 percent of the time. Chiropractic care focuses on relieving soft- tissue spasm, inflammation and pain by restoring proper motion in the spinal column. Due to the force impact of whiplash, the spinal column can misalign and cause pain. By performing manipulation to the spinal column, chiropractic can help restore normal function and movement to the affected areas.

Depending on their treatment style and your specific case, your chiropractor may decide to utilize additional treatment options in addition to chiropractic, either in their office or via a referral. Here are some of those potential treatments, all with the single goal of relieving your pain and managing your whiplash symptoms in the most effective way possible – and without requiring pain-relief medications, which are perhaps the most common "treatment" option for whiplash sufferers, despite the fact that they provide only short-term relief and may create more problems than solutions in terms of the potential side effects.

to read the whole article go to: https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1424&pagenumber=1

 

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https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=3333

 

Sugar and Epigenetic Age

You can't control your chronological age, but evidence supports the relationship between lifestyle behaviors and your epigenetic age – your age in terms of your health. That's why some 70-year-olds are healthier than 40-year-olds despite their dramatic chronological age differences.

One lifestyle variable that affects epigenetic age, for better or worse, is diet; in this case, added sugar intake.

A recent study involving 342 middle-aged (ages 36-43) women examined how their diets impacted their epigenetic age. The investigators specifically looked at the impact of a Mediterranean diet, as well as the impact of added sugar.1
The study included an analysis of female participants in the 1987-1997 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS). The authors based their epigenetic age assessment using GrimAge2, which utilizes "second-generation markers of epigenetic aging that account for clinical and functional biomarkers, and is most notable for its robust associations with human mortality and morbidity risk, including time to death and comorbidity counts."

The women consumed a daily average of 61.5 grams of added sugar each, with a range of 2.7 grams to 316.5 grams. (Sixty grams of sugar is the equivalent of three Snickers candy bars.)

The authors noted that "even in healthy dietary contexts, added sugar still has detrimental associations with epigenetic age. Similarly, despite higher added sugar intake, healthier dietary intakes appear to remain generally associated with younger epigenetic age."

According to their findings, the gains from eating a Mediterranean diet could be offset by consuming 31 grams of added sugar (only 1.5 Snickers bars). The authors suggest that to increase their epigenetic health, individuals need to both optimize the nutrient intake in their diets while reducing their sugar as much as possible.

Everyone's epigenetic clock is ticking. We have the power to speed it up or slow it down. In many cases, our eating habits are based on what we're taught. If you've been taught to eat a diet high in added sugar, ask your doctor for help outlining a sensible long-term plan to reduce added sugar and in so doing, lower your epigenetic age.

Reference
 

1. Chiu DT, Hamlat EJ, Zhang J, et al. Essential nutrients, added sugar intake, and epigenetic age in midlife black and white women: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program. JAMA Netw Open, 2024;7(7):e2422749.