WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Thursday, January 2nd, 2020
Courtesy of: Michael Ellis D.C.
Health Alert: Many Antibiotics Inappropriately Prescribed. Researchers reviewed information from over 130 million doctor visits across the United States in 2015 that resulted in an antibiotic prescription and found that 25% of such prescriptions were inappropriate, while there was insufficient data to determine if antibiotics were warranted in an additional 18% of instances. The findings suggest that up to 43% of antibiotic prescriptions may be unnecessary. Lead researcher Dr. Michael Ray writes, “While there has been a lot of research looking at inappropriate prescribing, our findings suggest that we still may be underestimating the proportion of prescriptions that are inappropriate.” BMJ, December 2019 Diet: Special Labelling Could Lead to Healthier Eating. When food labeling includes information on how many minutes or miles of physical activity are needed to burn off the calories in the food or drink—known and physical activity calorie equivalent, or PACE, labeling—studies suggest that individuals may consume up to 200 fewer calories per day. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, December 2019 Exercise: Should You Run Heel-Toe or Toe-Heel? An analysis of 53 studies that investigated the impact of forefoot, rearfoot, and flatfoot running patterns found no evidence that any of the patterns is associated with either a reduced risk for injury or improved performance. Sports Medicine, December 2019 Chiropractic: Sleep Problems and Chronic Low Back Pain. Following a review of data from the Norwegian HUNT study involving over 6,000 men and women, researchers report that recovery from chronic low back pain can take longer for those who often or always experience sleeplessness. Past research has demonstrated a bi-directional relationship between musculoskeletal pain and sleep difficulty, which underscores the importance of promptly seeking care for painful conditions, like low back pain. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, December 2019 Mental Attitude: Too Much Sleep Linked to Stroke Risk. A review of data on nearly 32,000 older adults showed that those who slept nine or more hours per night were 23% more likely to suffer a stroke compared to individuals who slept the recommended 7-8 hours each night. Neurology, December 2019 Wellness/Prevention: Is Your Makeup Safe for Your Skin? Aurora Health Care offers some skin-safe makeup guidelines to prevent skin and eye irritation: throw away your mascara after three months and liquid products after six months, never use makeup that smells or changes color or texture, choose face products that include zinc oxide and have a 30 SPF rating or higher, check the Breast Cancer Fund's list of chemicals to avoid, and always take makeup off before you go to bed. Aurora Health Care, December 2019 Quote: “Success is the sum of details.” ~ Harvey S. Firestone