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January 10, 2006 [Volume 7, Issue 2]
In this issue of To Your Health:
- For Children, Heavy Backpacks
Are a Real Pain
- Protect Your Vision With
Antioxidants
- Health Information: It's a
Matter of Trust
For Children, Heavy Backpacks
Are a Real Pain
 Almost
every child and teenager uses a backpack to carry his or her books
to and from school. Over the years, there has been much debate as
to whether heavy backpacks may cause back and/or shoulder pain in
children. Understanding how backpacks carry weight (and how
backpacks are worn by children) can help identify the causes of
such pain, which may lead to better backpack design and increased
safety and comfort.
In a recent study, 10 children wore
backpacks loaded to 0%, 10%, 20% or 30% of their body weight for
30 seconds to determine the amount of pressure under the
backpack's shoulder straps. While wearing the backpacks, the
children also reported whether they felt any pain and, if so, how
severe the pain was.
Pressure beneath the shoulder
straps was "significantly increased" when the backpack was loaded
at 10% of the child's body weight or higher. Increased pressure
also was associated with an increase in pain, and the pressures
were higher on the right shoulder than the left shoulder. Over the
long term, the authors noted that uneven backpack loads could
alter the curvature of a child's spine and produce back pain.
Based on the results of the study,
the authors offered four recommendations for children who wear
backpacks:
- Backpacks should be positioned
high on the back.
- Backpack straps should be worn
over both shoulders.
- Weight in the backpacks should
be minimized.
- Backpacks should have wide
shoulder straps.
Doctors of chiropractic who treat
children should advise their patients (and their patients'
parents) about the importance of proper backpack use and keeping
the weight in a child's backpack to a minimum.
Macias BR, Murthy G, Chambers H, et
al. High contact pressure beneath backpack straps of children
contributes to pain. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine, December 2005;159:1186-1187.
Protect Your Vision With
Antioxidants
 In the
United States, a common cause of blindness in the elderly is
age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. While the exact cause of
AMD is unclear, many scientists believe that oxidative stress is a
leading culprit. Previous research has shown that taking
supplements high in antioxidants can slow the progression of AMD,
but less is known about whether antioxidants - particularly those
that come from food - can prevent AMD from occurring in the first
place.
In this study, researchers in the
Netherlands reviewed the dietary habits of more than 4,100
middle-aged people, all of whom completed a series of food
questionnaires. The subjects were tracked for an average of eight
years. During that time, 560 people in the study were diagnosed
with AMD.
Comparison of the food
questionnaires found that people who consumed foods high in four
specific antioxidants - beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and
zinc - were 35 percent less likely to develop AMD over the course
of the follow-up period. On the other end of the scale, people who
ate less than the regular amounts of these four nutrients were 20
percent more likely to develop AMD.
Various foods are high in
antioxidants, including whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs and nuts
(vitamin E); meat, poultry, fish and dairy products (zinc);
carrots, kale and spinach (beta-carotene); and citrus fruits,
fruit juices, green peppers and broccoli (vitamin C). If you are
concerned about developing AMD, talk with your doctor of
chiropractic about drawing up a diet plan containing foods high in
these and other antioxidants.
Van Leeuwen R, Boekhoorn S,
Vingerling JR, et al. Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of
age-related macular degeneration. Journal of the American
Medical Association, Dec. 28, 2005;294(24):3101-3107.
Health Information: It's a
Matter of Trust
Only a decade ago, most people
relied on their local doctor to get the latest health news and
information. Thanks to the Internet, that situation has become a
thing of the past, as health information of every shape and size
is now literally at a person's fingertips. How reliable is that
information, and who do people trust more - their doctor, or the
Internet? That's the question researchers in the United States
recently attempted to answer.
In the study, scientists
interviewed more than 6,300 adults about their use of various
sources (the Internet, radio, television, etc.) for health
information. In addition to rating their level of trust for each
source, they were asked which source they would go to for
information on a specific condition (cancer), and where they
actually went to look for information.
More people reported trusting their
doctor more than any other source; 62.4 percent of the respondents
said they trusted the information provided by physicians "a lot,"
compared to just 23.9 percent of information on the Internet.
However, when they were asked where they went to first for
information on cancer, 48.6 percent reported using the Internet
versus 10.9 percent who reported going to a health care provider.
As this study shows, health care
providers are still the most trusted source of health information
available - but they're not always the primary source of
information. It is important that all health care providers do
what they can to maintain that level of trust with their patients.
Doing so improves communication between doctors and patients,
makes patients feel more empowered about the care they receive,
and makes for a greater relationship for all parties involved.
Hesse BW, Nelson DR, Kreps GL, et
al. Trust and sources of health information. Archives of
Internal Medicine, Dec. 12/26, 2005;165:2618-2624.
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