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  • Meditation May Help Ease Veterans’ PTSD Symptoms

    Meditation May Help Ease Veterans’ PTSD Symptoms

    Some veterans may experience a sharper decline in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with meditation-based therapy than with other forms of treatment, a recent study suggests.

    Researchers randomly assigned 203 veterans with PTSD related to active military service to receive 12 weekly sessions of treatments based on meditation, or 12 weeks of sessions involving exposure to trauma, or to a control group that received only mental health education.

    Researchers focused on what’s known as transcendental meditation, which involves closing the eyes and thinking of a mantra to help conjure a state of restful alertness that can help people feel calm and less stressed.

    After the three months of treatment, 61 percent of the veterans in the meditation group experienced a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms, compared with 42 percent in the exposure therapy group and 32 percent in the health education group.

    These results suggest that transcendental meditation should be among the treatment options offered to veterans, particularly if they don’t want to relive traumatic experiences as part of therapy, said lead study author Sanford Nidich of the Maharishi University of Management Research Institute in Fairfield, Iowa.

    “Those who are concerned with having to relive their trauma experiences during therapy and as part of their “homework” may want to consider other evidence-based options,” Nidich said by email. “Transcendental meditation may be a viable option for patients who do not respond to exposure therapy or avoid trauma-focused treatment altogether.”

    PTSD is a complex and difficult-to-treat disorder, affecting up to one in five military veterans, researchers note in Lancet Psychiatry. Previous research has raised the question of whether a non-trauma-focused treatment can be as effective as trauma exposure therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms.

    Most of the veterans in the current study had very severe PTSD symptoms, predominantly from combat-related trauma. Slightly more than two-thirds of them continued to take medication for PTSD during the study.

    Participants received group sessions for transcendental meditation and health education and individual sessions for trauma exposure therapy. Treatment also included daily exercises for veterans to do at home.

    Other trials have found stronger results for trauma exposure therapy than participants experienced in the current study, the authors note.

    One limitation of the study is that researchers only followed veterans for three months while they were in treatment, and it’s unclear whether results would be different with longer follow-up.

    Even so, the results offer fresh evidence of the potential for veterans with PTSD to experience symptom relief without going through exposure therapy, said author of an accompanying editorial Vernon Anthony Barnes of Augusta University in Georgia.

    “Exposure therapy does not work well for everyone and many find it difficult to purposely recall traumatic events, confront emotions, and let go of fears triggered by painful memories,” Barnes said by email.

    While retelling traumatic experiences to a therapist may be stressful, it might help some veterans to develop coping skills that serve them well over time, Barnes noted.

    “Prolonged exposure therapy instills confidence and a sense of mastery, and may improve aspects of daily functioning, increase the ability to cope with courage when facing stress, and improve the ability to discriminate safe and unsafe situations,” Barnes said.

    SOURCE:  Lancet Psychiatry, online November 15, 2018.JTNDc3R5bGUlM0UlMEEucG9zdC1mb290ZXItZGV0YWlscyU3QmRpc3BsYXklM0Fub25lJTdEJTBBJTNDJTJGc3R5bGUlM0U=

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  • Fast Food Choices Influence Kids Soda and Calorie Consumption

    Fast Food Choices Influence Kids Soda and Calorie Consumption

    Children who order a combination meal at fast-food restaurants are more likely to get a sugary drink that ups the meal’s total calories, according to a new study. Researchers found those beverages such as soft drinks, sweet tea and flavored milk add about 179 more calories to meals. “Sugar-sweetened beverages are increasingly linked to health

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  • Why Do I Get Sore Days After I’ve Worked Out?

    Why Do I Get Sore Days After I’ve Worked Out?

    You crush your morning workout — running farther, lifting heavier or getting in one more round of that circuit. But that sweet satisfaction can quickly turn to regret the next morning when you’re too sore to swing your legs out of bed. Many of us have experienced the burning, aching, jelly-leg feeling that begins hours,

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  • How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Fibromyalgia

    How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Fibromyalgia

    Those who suffer from fibromyalgia often do so quietly and without much support; usually do to the fact that their ailment has gone undiagnosed. The symptoms of this confusing, often under-reported, disease has debilitating effects on its sufferers though it took the medical community decades to even recognize it as a true illness. Until its

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  • Study: Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly

    Study: Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly

    A research review by the University Health Network in Canada, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that daily sitting for long periods increases your risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and death. This risk increases independent of other health factors, including both negative factors like obesity and positive factors like exercise.

    The average American sits for roughly 9.3 hours a day, more than half of the time spent awake. Researchers found that even exercising daily for 30 minutes to an hour doesn’t significantly counteract the health repercussions of sitting for long periods.

    Dr. David A. Alter and doctoral candidate Aviroop Biswas analyzed 47 studies that compared inactivity and mortality. The result: People who sit for long periods in a day are 24 percent more likely to die from health problems, even if they exercise regularly.

    While the time spent sitting varied slightly among the studies analyzed, Biswas estimated that sitting for more than 8 hours a day results in the most negative health effects.

    Negative Health Effects Associated with Sitting for Long Periods

    This research analysis is the latest in a growing number of studies linking lack of physical activity with negative health effects. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, many cases of cancer are linked to daily lack of activity, including 43,000 cases of colon cancer and 49,000 cases of breast cancer.

    Long-term sitting is linked to higher rates of disability after age 60. According to a study at Northwestern University led by Dorothy Dunlop, for people over 60, every additional hour of sitting per day increases risk of disability by 46 percent. According to Dunlop’s findings, that risk increases regardless of how much time seniors spend exercising.

    Analysis of data collected in an ongoing study conducted on about 12,000 Australians estimates that spending 6 or more hours in front of the television on a daily basis decreases life span by approximately 4.8 years. Dr. J. Lennert Veerman analyzed data from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study and found that every hour spent in front of the TV decreases life expectancy by 21 minutes. By contrast, a cigarette decreases life expectancy by about 11 minutes.

    Another review published in Diabetologia analyzed 18 studies. Dr. Emma Wilmot led the study, which found that those who sat the most hours on a daily basis had a 112 percent increase in relative chances of developing diabetes, 147 percent increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, and 49 percent increase in risk of premature death.

    Research continues to show that sitting for long hours is linked to increased risk of developing several major, potentially fatal health problems.

    Don’t Give up on Exercise

    While sitting for long periods of time does increase risk regardless of exercise, those who sat for long periods of time and who exercised regularly experienced a third less risk of dying (during the studies analyzed) than those who did not exercise.

    Also interesting is that other health risks such as obesity, smoking, and age were not a direct factor in heightening health risks. A person at a healthy weight, for instance, is still at a higher risk of dying from health problems if they sit for more than 8 hours a day.

    Researchers across several studies agree: Daily, vigorous exercise for about 30 minutes a day and breaking up long periods of sitting with one- or two-minute breaks to stretch and move can reduce your risk of developing severe or fatal health problems.

    Reducing Time Spent Sitting

    Breaking up long periods of sitting can be difficult, especially if you are dealing with work restrictions. Dr. Alter and other researchers offered these tips to reduce your risk of increased health problems:

    Get up and move around for 2 or 3 minutes every half-hour or so of work

    If your workplace permits, try to stand for a few hours during the work day to cut back on sitting time

    Walk to a colleague’s office to deliver a message instead of sending an email, pace during phone conversations, and walk to a separate location to get lunch

    Cut TV time, which is the biggest culprit for sedentary time outside of working hours

    When you do watch TV, get up and move during commercial breaks

    Track how many hours a day you spend sitting, and make a plan to reduce that by at least 2 or 3 hours

    If you sit for long periods with no alternative and do not exercise, pick up regular, vigorous exercise, which can still increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life

    At The ChiroDōjō, we often treat patients with pain resulting, in large part, from a sedentary lifestyle. While sitting in a work environment is often unavoidable, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to sit less and exercise more. Taking short, frequent breaks during your workday can have a long-term, positive impact on your health and even extend your life.JTNDc3R5bGUlM0UlMEElMEF1bC5wb3N0LWZvb3Rlci1kZXRhaWxzJTdCZGlzcGxheSUzQW5vbmUlM0IlN0QlMEElM0MlMkZzdHlsZSUzRSUwQQ==

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  • Hip Muscle Weakness Contributes to Back Pain

    Hip Muscle Weakness Contributes to Back Pain

    Weakness of the hip stabilizer leads to knee internal rotation and excessive pelvis rotation during walking.  The longer you walk the more strain is placed on the ligaments and joints in the low back. In fact, a research study showed it could predict when you would experience low back pain based on how quickly your

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  • Massage: Before or After a Chiropractic Adjustment?

    Massage: Before or After a Chiropractic Adjustment?

    Millions of Americans live with discomfort or pain from spinal dysfunction and muscle tension. Spinal dysfunction is a condition of the hard tissues, or bones. Muscle tension affects the soft tissues. Unfortunately, these two systems can create and prolong issues in each other. For example, a pulled muscle can change the way you move, which then

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  • The Best Back Exercises for Preventing Injury and Reducing Pain

    The Best Back Exercises for Preventing Injury and Reducing Pain

    A healthy back is important not just for exercising and playing sports but also for performing everyday tasks, from tying your shoes to cleaning the house. Certain exercises can help prevent back injuries, but it’s important to know which ones will help you and which ones could actually lead to injury.

    There is a lot of information out there on back exercises, and some tips are more useful and accurate than others. At Live Science, we’ve done the research, looking at studies and talking to top experts. So, when it comes to figuring out the best ways to exercise your back, we’ve got your… well, you know.

    Having a “healthy back” means more than just having strong back muscles; the muscles need to be able to work together properly to stabilize your spine, said Stuart M. McGill, director of the Spine Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and author of “Back Mechanic” (Backfitpro Inc, 2015).

    “It’s not always about strength; it’s about the coordination and control of all of those muscles,” McGill told Live Science. In fact, people who perform exercises to strengthen specific back muscles, in isolation, actually tend to get hurt sooner than those who perform exercises to strengthen all of their back and core muscles, McGill said.

    Another important factor is muscle endurance, or the ability of the muscles to contract for long periods without getting tiered, McGill said. If your back muscles get tired easily, it will cause you to “break form” when you’re exercising, or move in a way that increases your risk of injury, he said.

    As such, some of the best exercises for the average person are ones aimed at boosting muscle endurance and teaching your muscles to move in the right way to stabilize your spine, McGill said.

    Over years of research, McGill and colleagues have identified the three best beginner back exercises for the average person. Their research shows that these exercises challenge the core muscles in the front, side and back of the body, and ensure stability of the spine but, at the same time, do not place high loads of force on the spine, McGill said. Studies of these exercises showed that they can both help prevent back injuries and reduce back pain, he said.

    These exercises are also safe for most people to perform because they keep the spine in a so-called “neutral” position — one that preserves the natural curves of the spine (which you have when you stand upright), rather than bending the spine. Exercises that bend the spine can squeeze the discs between the vertebrae, which pushes on the gel-like substance inside the discs and increases the risk for disc herniation (or a “slipped disc”), said Michael Bracko, a sports physiologist based in Calgary, Alberta, who was not involved in McGill’s research but who also recommends these exercises.

    It’s important to note, however, that the “best” back exercises will vary from person to person, depending on the person’s body type, history of back problems and other factors. The following exercises — dubbed the “big three” — are based on what works well for people on average.

    Bird dog:

    Start on all fours, with your spine in a neutral position (not arching upward or downward). Make sure your hands are in line with your shoulders and your knees are in line with your hips.

    Contract your ab muscles.

    Lift one arm upward and straight forward, until it’s fully straightened parallel to the floor, and lift the opposite leg straight back so it’s also straight and parallel to the floor.

    Try to keep your back and head still while moving from your hips and shoulders.

    Hold for about 10 seconds. (Do not hold for more than 10 seconds if you have a history of back pain.)

    Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.

    Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

    This exercise works most of the muscles in your back, including the erector spinae (which is the group of muscles that runs vertically down the back, close to the spine) and the rhomboid muscles (which run from the spine outward toward the shoulder blades), Bracko said. It even works the gluteus maximus (or glutes) in the butt, which are also important for core strength.

    Exactly how many repetitions you do for each of the “big three” exercises will depend on your physical shape and whether you have a history of back pain. But you should aim to do the same number of sets and repetitions for each of these three exercises, so that you work the muscles in the side, back and front of your core equally, McGill said. For people with back pain,McGill recommends performing the exercises in what’s called a “Russian descending pyramid.” An example of this pyramid would be performing five repetitions on one side and then five repetitions on the other side, with 10 seconds of rest in between. Then, do another set of three repetitions on each side (resting in between), and a final set of one repetitions on each side.

    Side plank

    Lie on your side, with your elbow and forearm flat on the floor (with your elbow in line with your shoulder, and bent at a 90-degree angle).

    Bend your knees.

    Lift yourself up by your hips, so that your upper body forms a straight line down to your knees.

    Hold this position for 10 seconds, and switch to the other side.

    To make this exercise harder, do the same exercise, but keep your legs straight instead of bending them.

    Modified curl-up

    Lie on your back, with one leg straight along the floor, and one knee bent.

    Put your hands beneath your lower back, with your palms down (so that your hands are between your back and the floor).

    Lift your head and shoulders slightly (about a half inch) off the ground.

    Hold for about 10 seconds, and bring your head back to the floor.

    Exercise don’ts

    As we mentioned earlier, exercises that bend the spine can increase the risk of injury to the spinal discs. For this reason, exercises that take the spine out of the neutral position are generally not recommended, Bracko said. That means you should avoid doing traditional sit-ups/crunches, and the “Superman” exercise, in which you lie on your stomach on the floor and then raise your arms and legs so that your body forms a “U” shape, Bracko said.JTNDc3R5bGUlM0UlMEElMEF1bC5wb3N0LWZvb3Rlci1kZXRhaWxzJTdCZGlzcGxheSUzQW5vbmUlM0IlN0QlMEElM0MlMkZzdHlsZSUzRSUwQQ==

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  • Meet Your Muscles: 6 Remarkable Human Muscles

    Meet Your Muscles: 6 Remarkable Human Muscles

    The human body has more than 600 muscles, which help people walk, run, eat and even smile. Some muscles have garnered more fame than others, however. Here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting muscles in the body. Biggest muscle The biggest muscle in the human body is the gluteus maximus, or the buttock

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