Archive for October, 2009
Bone Loss, Osteoporosis, Depression, Menopause & Tai Chi
By Bill Douglas ( ezine articles.com)
Emerging medical research indicates that an ancient health therapy may be the prescription for the future. Increasingly the menopausal problems of hormonal imbalance, often resulting in bone loss, are also affected by depression and stress. Change is stressful for all of us, even good changes, like changes of life. Maturity is a good thing, yet the stress of major life changes can result in stress and depression, which according to emerging research may further aggravate the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause. Is there any escape from this catch-22? Yes, although this may seem overwhelming in its scope, there may be great news. An ancient Chinese natural health therapy, known as Tai Chi, may help alleviate many of the aggravating symptoms of menopause in profoundly healthful ways.
Of course only your physician can help you decide what is right for your personal therapy as you enter the menopausal transition. However, you may find that you need to educate your physician regarding the benefits Tai Chi may offer you at this important time in your life. Or, perhaps if you ask around you may find a physician who has already educated himself or herself about the benefits Tai Chi may offer all women, but definitely has much to offer women entering menopause.
Emerging research indicates that Tai Chi can help reduce the incidence of depression, anxiety, and mood disturbance in regular practitioners. In a Prevention Magazine report entitled, “Tai Chi May Relieve Anxiety and Depression,” Donal P. O’Mathuna, Ph.D., a lecturer in Health Care Ethics at the School of Nursing in Dublin City University, Ireland says that, “. . . . evidence there is suggests that the benefits of tai chi extend beyond those of simply exercising. The combination of exercise, meditation, and breathing all may help relieve anxiety and depression. . .” In its article entitled, “Tai chi,” the Mayo Clinic staff at MayoClinic.com stated that preliminary research shows that practicing Tai Chi regularly may not only reduce anxiety and depression, but also increase bone mineral density after menopause. This was echoed by a report in http://www.intelihealth.com by Natural Standard and the Faculty of Harvard Medical School.
This is a very important finding, and begins to make even more sense, when you consider the National Institutes of Mental Health reports that the stress hormones found in depressed women caused bone loss that gave them bones of women nearly twice their age. Exactly why Tai Chi offers such benefit may be explained by a study from Australia’s La Trobe University that found that Tai Chi reduced levels of stress hormones more effectively than some other forms of activity. Details at: www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=6055.
But, no matter how you slice it, research is indicating that Tai Chi may be a “very” effective multi-level beneficial therapy for women. A Chinese study reported in the December 2004 “Physician and Sportsmedicine” found that tai chi could retard bone loss among postmenopausal women significantly. Bone mineral density was measured before and after the study period. Both groups experienced general bone loss, but the rate of bone loss for the Tai Chi group was less than in the control group. In fact, the Tai Chi practicing group of women slowed bone loss by 2.6 to 3.6 times more. The study reported, “Bone loss was 2.6 to 3.6 times slower.
Exercising on a rebounder has several benefits in terms of the body’s bone density and cardiovascular system.
Bones of steel? Well, perhaps not quite but it has been shown that this sort of high impact exercise improves the bone mineral content and therefore the density. This lessens the likelihood of fractures due to osteoporosis. Unlike other forms of high impact exercise such as jogging, the bounciness of the rebounder mat absorbs the down force and won’t cause jarring of the load bearing joints or spine.
Rebounding Increases strength and fitness of the muscles, especially of the legs, helping to lighten the load on the heart when pumping blood around the body.
Most people do not realize that it is when they are young that most knee injuries originate. No matter how old you are, your knees can only take so much pressure. When you are young and healthy you typically think that you can handle a lot more than your knees can really take. So be sure to care for your knees early. Do not go out and do crazy things at the cost of your knees.
The knee is an amazing joint that can handle a lot but there are limits. After you pass the limit your knees can take, you will be battling knee pain for a long time. Eventually most nagging knee pains will need surgery, or at least having to wear a knee brace, and that costs money and typically your recovery will be slow.
Whether you are experiencing knee pain now or you are planning ahead to prevent knee pain, follow the steps for safety and take care of your knees. They are one of the most important parts of your body.
Traumatic brain injury is an especially difficult event to bear, both for the individual and the immediate family. The emotional tension, the fear of death and all the other pressures can put stress on relationships. For the injuries that require a slow, long-term recovery process, the best thing that a family member can do to aid in keeping the victim safe is to be there throughout the process. While being there, a pro-active attitude toward getting the victim back to functional health can do wonders to help.
Make sure your loved one gets physical therapy as soon as possible. The sooner that they are able to work the affected muscle groups, the quicker they will be able to recover. This will lessen the chances of losing complete functionality in those specific muscles. Things like drop foot and other side-effects of brain injury should be dealt with before they become too severe.
Traumatic brain injury can be overcome with hard work and dedication. This allows for a faster transition back to health, even if you are only playing a supportive role.
Arthritis is brought on by many things, some we know about and some we don’t. A couple of the factors that scientists know do contribute to joint stiffness, pain and swelling are:
When using a joint or a set of joints repeatedly in the same way, there’s a greater chance that arthritis will develop in that joint or joints. Tennis elbow is essentially arthritis in the elbow. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when someone uses the joints in the hands and fingers in the same repetitive motion day after day. Knees and ankles are susceptible in people who run, dance or skate.
An injury to a joint increases the odds that you will develop arthritis in that joint.
Cartilage can wear down over time. Bones can break down with age. As you get older, you are more likely to experience joint pain and stiffness, especially osteoarthritis.
An exercise ball is an excellent way to get in shape and tone your body. It is becoming a very popular way to get fit. It also can be used to lose weight and develop coordination and stability. The ball need not be used just for Pilates. it is a highly effective piece of equipment.
First, understand the ball. They are made of highly durable rubber or latex. Good ones are made with thick skins. Thinner ones will cost less but are more likely to break. Some balls have different surface textures to suit different types of workouts: smooth, for light exercises; and patterned, to keep a sweaty body from slipping off. Exercise balls come in different sizes and finding the right size for you is easy. Sit on the ball and if your knees are level or slightly below your hips, that is the right one. Also, check the weight rating. For moderate workouts, select one rated three times as much as your weight. For heavy workouts, find one rated to 400 pounds.
Whether you are a discriminating health food eater or an adventurous gourmet, your digestive system may not always be ready for what your appetite has selected. If you could take a food that would help with joint health, indigestion, heartburn, bloating, belching, acid reflux or gas with natural methods instead of harmful drugs (with all their accompanying side effects) wouldn’t you want to know what that food was? Herbs are a great food choice and are better suited for the treatment of dis-ease processes than chemicals and other substances, which are foreign to the human body, and herbs have little to non side-effects.
The purpose of plant medicine is to stimulate the immune system to bring the body back to a state of homeostasis, or “organic equilibrium.” Herbs can do that because there’s an affinity between us, and the plant world. Through the magic of photosynthesis, plants have the power to take up mineral substances from the soil, through their roots, becoming useful as food and medicine.
Herbs promote the elimination of waste matter and poisons from the system by simply, natural means. Herbs are our safest, most natural foods and medicines, having been with us from the beginning of time. From the roots of traditional folk medicine, the herbal kingdom today offers many useful and effective remedies for minor illnesses including joint pain, joint inflammation and joint swelling. Herbs come in bulk jars, tea bags, capsules and tablets, and liquid extracts.
The leaves of herbal plants are subtle and complement the natural flavors of foods. The bark, roots fruit or berries of herbal plants can give intense flavor to foods. Some herbs known to reduce joint swelling and joint pain are; devil’s claw , capsicum, chicory, fenugreek, ginger, ginseng, pokeweed, slippery elm, tumeric , white oak bark, wintergreen, yucca.
In the case of a Grade 2 ankle sprain, your doctor may recommend that you wear an ankle brace until the sprain heals. You may also be required to use crutches for a short time. When it is deemed a case of a severe sprain, your ankle joint may be unstable. If this is the diagnosis, you may require a cast to immobilize the joint until it heals. You will be referred to an orthopedic specialist for further evaluation.
For some time after you return to normal activity, your doctor may recommend an ankle brace to support the ankle and protect it from re-injury. Recovery time will depend on the seriousness of the sprain. Regardless of the severity, you can speed up the healing process by staying off your feet and resting the injury as much as possible. No matter how sever the injury, unless it is splinted or cast, your doctor will probably tell you to apply ice packs to relieve swelling and pain
It is really important to realize when you start doing exercises to get rid of your chest fat that the whole purpose is to start building muscle in your chest so you can burn fat more effectively there.
In order to effectively build muscle and do a good chest workout, you need to find the right exercises to do and train the right way. Too often people take on an exercise program and really not understand what they’re doing. If you’ve never done any sort of training before, it is recommend you get a personal training session just so they can educate you on the right way to do the exercises.
In the spine, herniated discs can be compared to jelly donuts. There is a gel in the middle of the disc surrounded by annular ligaments. This gel can push out the annular fibers causing direct pressure on the nerves. This will cause pain along the course of the spinal nerves. If the agravated nerve travels down the buttock to the thigh and leg, the symptoms will be in those areas.
When the nerves are agravated, symptoms can range from pain alone to pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in the leg. This is referred to as sciatica, simply meaning pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This can be a very debilitating condition. If the weakness gets severe enough, it can result in what is known as “foot drop”. The person will have difficulty lifting his toes and foot upward, so the foot drags on the floor as he walks. If the condition worsens, he may require a foot drop brace or, maybe, eventually a wheel chair. Sometimes surgery may be effective with foot drop, depending on the severity of nerve damage. This is determined with multiple tests called electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies.