WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE
Thursday, April 2nd , 2020
Courtesy of: Michael Ellis D.C.
Health Alert: Few Have Fast Access to Vital Stroke Care. Access to endovascular thrombectomy is important to stroke survival when it’s performed soon after a stroke, but only one in five Americans have quick access (a 15- minute ambulance ride) to medical centers that can perform this procedure for removing blood clots. Researchers are evaluating strategies to increase access to the procedure such as increasing the number of hospitals equipped with the device and taking patients directly to such hospitals instead of the nearest facility when a blood clot is suspected. Stroke, March 2020 Diet: Citrus Peels and Obesity, Heart Disease, and Diabetes Prevention. Nobiletin is a flavonoid found in citrus peels with potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor/cancer, and antiangiogenic properties. In this study, mice that consumed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet plus a nobiletin supplement had better blood lipid readings, less insulin resistance, and were leaner than mice fed the same diet without the addition of nobiletin. Further research is needed to determine if nobiletin may benefit humans in the same manner. Journal of Lipid Research, March 2020 Exercise: Exercising Benefits Cancer Reduction Among Older Women. Researchers tracked the health and activity of over 6,300 women, aged 63 to 99, and found that those who engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for an average of 80 minutes a day had a 34% reduced risk for cancer than women who exercised less than 20 minutes a day. British Journal of Cancer, March 2020 Chiropractic: Back Pain in American Children & Adolescents. Questionnaires completed by nearly 4,000 children and teens (aged 10-18 years) in the United States revealed that 33.7% experienced an episode of back pain during the last year with 8.9% characterizing their back pain as severe. Spine, February 2020 Mental Attitude: Common Knee Surgery May Affect Your Brain. An examination of MRI brain scans of ten patients who had undergone surgery to repair their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) revealed deterioration in the corticospinal tract, a region of the brain that relays messages to muscles. The researchers suspect this finding may help to explain why some patients experience a slower recovery, performance deficits, and a greater risk for reinjury. NeuroImage: Clinical, January 2020 Wellness/Prevention: Low Vitamin D Levels Could Lead to Stress Fractures. Blood tests of 118 NCAA Division I athletes revealed that nearly half had insufficient/deficient vitamin D status. Further analysis showed that those who continued to have low vitamin D levels had an elevated risk for stress fracture. However, the risk was dramatically reduced among those who improved their vitamin D levels via supplementation. Orthopedic Research and Reviews, February 2020 Quote: “A good half of the art of living is resilience.” ~ Alain de Botton