WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Tuesday, December 10th, 2019
Courtesy of: Michael Ellis D.C.
Mental Attitude: Parents Often Struggle to Spot Depression in Their Teen. A poll of 819 parents with at least one child in middle school or high school found that only one-third of parents were confident they could detect depression in their child, while two-thirds said that they had trouble doing so because their child is good at hiding feelings and/or it’s difficult to differentiate between their child's normal mood swings and signs of depression. Poll co-director Dr. Sarah Clark writes, “In many families, the preteen and teen years bring dramatic changes both in youth behavior and in the dynamic between parents and children… These transitions can make it particularly challenging to get a read on children's emotional state and whether there is possible depression.” University of Michigan, November 2019 Health Alert: Frequent Marijuana Smokers at Greater Risk of Stroke. A review of data concerning more than 43,000 adults, aged 18 to 44, revealed that those who used marijuana more than ten days a month may have up to double the risk for stroke compared to non-users. Electrophysiologist Dr. Ranjit Suri notes, “[This finding is] thought provoking at a time when there is a great push to legalize marijuana, and the herb and its metabolites are being promoted as a cure-all for a myriad of medical conditions and ailments.” American Heart Association, November 2019 Diet: Vitamin D Key to Muscle Strength in Seniors. Among a group of 4,100 older adults, researchers found that those with deficient vitamin D levels were nearly twice as likely to have muscle weakness. Researcher Dr. Maria O'Sullivan adds, “Maintaining muscle function is incredibly important, and often overlooked, in promoting healthy aging… Addressing this through multimodal approaches that incorporate physical activity, reversing vitamin D deficiency and other modifiable diet and lifestyle components require further investigation.” Clinical Interventions in Ageing, November 2019 Exercise: Kids Are Less Active When the Weather Is Bad. According to a new study in which researchers monitored the daily step counts of fifth graders from 60 different schools across Canada, students are 10-20% less active on days characterized by bad weather, especially on non-schooldays. The findings suggest that communities would benefit by creating more indoor active spaces for families so kids can get more exercise during the colder and wetter months. Canadian Journal of Public Health, November 2019 Chiropractic: Smartphone Addiction and Musculoskeletal Pain. Questionnaires completed by students from one medical school revealed that 60.3% met the criteria for smartphone addiction, and these future doctors were also more likely to report neck pain, low back pain, and shoulder pain. Journal of Family Medicine, September 2019 Wellness/Prevention: More Can Be Done to Prevent and Treat Lung Cancer. The American Lung Association reports that lung cancer has one of the lowest five-year survival rates at 21.7% nationally, and nearly half of all cases are identified at a late stage when the cancer has already spread. Because only 4.2% of individuals believed to be at risk for lung cancer are routinely screened, researchers estimate that expanding screening to all those at risk could save about 48,000 lives a year. American Lung Association, November 2019 Quote: “In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.” ~ Lucille Ball