Articles in the Featured Category
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I get asked this question a lot. And until recently, I thought it made a bit of difference, but if you had good strength and sufficient joint mobility carrying a few extra kilos probably wouldn’t be that big a deal. For your joints at least. Being overweight is associated with all kinds of other health problems, so maintaining a healthy weight is in your best interested regardless.
But now we know exactly how much pressure your joints take on when you take on extra weight. According to a study of overweight …
Featured, Pain »
I saw an interesting article recently which I thought I would share with you all. In the article, 5 experts were asked whether they thought it was safe and advisable to give painkilling medications to children. The people asked included a paediatrician, pain specialist, pharmacist and anaesthetist.
They mostly agreed that it was but had certain contingencies on that.
Some choice quotes:
Caregivers have to ensure, however, the child is carefully monitored and dosage is very carefully calculated and delivered safely. A child in pain is no less than an adult in pain, …
Exercise, Featured »
A recent analysis of the impact of falls has revealed some pretty scary statistics. According to the review, 5% of people who break their hip in a fall die when in hospital, and 25% die within a year as a result of the disability it causes.
Further to this, more than 10% go on to be admitted to aged care facilities. And you don’t need to be old to suffer these effects; the study found that more than a third of people aged 50 never regain their full mobility. One quote …
Featured, Miscellaneous »
You probably heard the reports last week that are being described as the biggest breakthrough for pregnancy nutrition since folate. I found a very informative summary of the latest news on the ABC health website which I thought I would share. Here are the key findings and a link to the article:
What defects does the study propose can be avoided by boosting your B3 intake?
The study found that multiple miscarriages, heart, kidney and spinal defects could be avoided by boosting vitamin B3.
Does this mean older women may be able to fall pregnant …
Featured, Pain »
Might need to think again. An article in The New York Times has cast uncertainty over the therapeutic value of spinal steroid injections. In a recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine no less, patients were given a plain anaesthetic injection, or the anaesthetic combined with the steroid. Here are a few quotes that summarise the results:
“the study, the largest randomized trial evaluating the treatment, found that patients receiving a standard stenosis injection — which combine a steroid and a local anesthetic — had no less pain and virtually …
Exercise, Featured, Pain »
Pictured is the Astronaut Position, which is a great way to relieve back pain. In this post I’m going to discuss the results of a study which has found that when you suffer a back injury you are better off staying active than resting.
Now, it may not seem terribly important, I mean, how bad could a couple of days on the couch be? Well, here are the stats: “more than three quarters of individuals will have a recurrence of their symptoms within a year from the initial onset, and up …
Featured, Miscellaneous »
For those of you who aren’t already aware, GP’s can refer you to see an Osteopath under a Medicare scheme covering allied health practitioners. It’s called the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Scheme and it covers up to 5 treatments per year and refunds you approximately $45-50 of the treatment cost. If you have a “chronic” condition, meaning you have had an injury for a couple of months or more, your GP can refer you under this scheme.
That’s your tax dollars hard at work people – take advantage of it!
If you …
Exercise, Featured, Pain »
A new study has come out saying that the best treatment for arthritis is exercise. This makes sense and is something I’ve long believed and I may even have posted about it once before with respect to knee arthritis and tai chi.
The pain associated with arthritis comes from things like the muscles tightening up around the joint (to try to stabilise it), the joint losing mobility and there being less fluid in the joint.
It would make sense then, that exercise would help. Exercise increase your flexibility, your balance, promotes blood flow …
Featured, Nutrition, Recipes »
I asked my colleague, the legendary Deb Cooper, Naturopath at Health & Fertility Matters, Maroubra Junction and my old stomping ground The Wholistic Medical Centre, Surry Hills, to give us all some advice leading into the dreaded cold and flu season. God love her, here’s what she’s come up with.
Simple Measures for Common Colds
Generally a cold takes 3 days to come on, 3 days with you and 3 days to go. You may not prevent it but you can ease the symptoms and prevent it worsening. The best treatment is echinacea …