WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Wednesday, October 30th, 2019
Courtesy of: Michael Ellis D.C.
Mental Attitude: Being Multilingual May Reduce Risk for Dementia. A long-term study involving 325 nuns revealed that those who spoke four or more languages were five times less likely to develop dementia than monolingual participants. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, October 2019 Health Alert: Pacemakers & Insulin Pumps May Be Hacking Targets. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that medical devices that connect to the Internet may be at risk for being hacked due to vulnerabilities in the operating systems for such devices, as well as in the public and home routers and modems they connect to. The FDA recommends that patients do the following: talk to their healthcare providers to see if their medical device could be affected, keep their hardware and software up to date and secure, and seek help immediately if there is a change in the function of the device. Food and Drug Administration, October 2019 Diet: High-Sugar, High-Fat Diet Bad for the Liver. New research involving mice suggests that consuming a diet high in added-sugars and fat can impair the liver’s ability to metabolize fat, leading to an elevated risk for fatty-liver disease. Metabolism, October 2019 Exercise: Smartphone App May Help You Get Moving. In a first-ever entirely digital clinical trial, researchers set out to determine if it is possible to encourage individuals to get more physically active by using a smartphone app. The app worked by sending out reminders to users, such as walk more or stand up. Among the 500 participants who completed the study, researchers observed a 10% increase in physical activity levels. Lead researcher Dr. Euan Ashley notes, “Sure, we would have rather seen a 300% increase, but with the light-touch interventions that we chose, it was probably never realistic to expect those numbers… But the main takeaway is that at end of the day, we find that there's a real, small positive effect from these interventions.” Lancet Digital Health, October 2019 Chiropractic: Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Cardiovascular Disease? A review of data from twenty published studies found high-quality evidence that people with chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain are nearly twice as likely to also have cardiovascular disease (CVD) as individuals without MSK pain. The authors of the review speculate that having MSK pain may be linked to increased physical inactivity, inflammation, and NSAID use, which are all associated with an elevated risk for CVD. Pain Medicine, October 2019 Wellness/Prevention: Cut Backpack Injury Risk. To reduce the risk for a backpack-related injury, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends the following: always use both shoulder straps; tighten the straps to keep the load closer to the back; organize items so that heavy things are low and toward the bag's center; only carry items that are required for the day; and lift properly by bending at the knees when picking up a backpack. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, September 2019 Quote: “The groundwork of all happiness is health.” ~ Leigh Hunt