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February 7, 2006 [Volume 7, Issue 4]
In this issue of To Your Health:
- Low Back Pain Makes You Less Fit
- Delay Heart Problems With a Good
Diet
- Preserving Your Brain Through
Meditation
Low Back Pain
Makes You Less Fit
 It's
a generally accepted theory that people who have chronic low back
pain are less physically fit than people who don't have low back
pain. There are several reasons for this theory. In some people,
for instance, the pain may be too great to exercise; other people
may be afraid that strenuous activity might lead to an injury,
causing even further pain. A recent study has found that while
people with chronic low back pain are indeed less physically fit
than people who are pain free, the reasons for being less fit
aren't as clear as you might think.
In the study, 108
people with chronic low back pain completed a series of
questionnaires and performed a modified cycling test to measure
heart rate and oxygen consumption. Results of the tests were then
compared to a group of healthy people who were similar in age and
activity levels.
Only 84 patients
with low back pain were able to complete the cycling test; 86
percent who did complete the test had lower aerobic fitness levels
compared to the healthy group. While the authors of the study
believed their research provided evidence of a link between low
back pain and reduced fitness levels, none of the "usual suspects"
associated with the theory, such as fear of injury, pain and low
activity levels, seemed to support the link.
If you suffer from
low back pain, it doesn't necessarily mean you will become less
physically fit. Talk with your doctor of chiropractic about
creating an exercise program that will keep you in shape without
injuring your back or causing any undue pain.
Smeets RJEM,
Wittink H, Hidding A, et al. Do patients with chronic low back
pain have a lower level of aerobic fitness than healthy controls?
Spine 2006;31(1):90-97.
Delay Heart
Problems With a Good Diet
 As
we age, our hearts don't function as well as they used to. Studies
conducted on animals have shown that reducing caloric intake can
help them live longer. Reducing calories has also been shown to
lower the risk of atherosclerosis in humans. A new study shows
that while reducing the amount of calories you consume may help
your heart continue to function normally with age, it is just as
important that you consume a balanced diet.
In this study,
scientists examined heart function in two groups of people. One
group consumer a "typical Western diet" that averaged 2,445
calories per day, with 31 percent of the calories derived from
fat. A similar group at a "nutritionally balanced" diet that
averaged 1,671 calories per day, with approximately 28 percent of
the calories derived from fat. People who consumed the
reduced-calorie diet had significantly lower levels of certain
inflammation markers in the blood. In addition, their hearts
appeared to show greater elasticity and less stiffness than
patients who consumed the Western diet.
The point of this
study? Eating less alone won't reduce your risk of certain heart
problems; you also need to make sure the food you eat is high in
vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Doctors of chiropractic
are well-versed in nutrition, and can provide you with a wealth of
information on choosing a diet that is low in calories, yet
extremely nutritious.
Meyer TE, Kovacs SJ,
Ehsani AA, et al. Long-term caloric restriction ameliorates the
decline in diastolic function in humans. Journal of the
American College of Cardiology 2006;47(2):398-402.
Preserving Your
Brain Through Meditation
Meditation has been
practiced for centuries as a way of helping to balance a person's
physical, mental and emotional states. Research has shown that
meditation can produce significant positive changes in the brain.
However, the bulk of this research has been conducted on people
who make meditation a central focus of their lives, or who
practice it for significant periods of time each day. What about
the effect of meditation on the general population?
To answer this
question, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to compare
the brains of 20 meditation practitioners and 15 people who had no
experience with meditation or yoga. The meditation practitioners
all practiced a type of meditation called Insight an average of
six hours per week, and had practiced Insight an average of 9.1
years.
The MRI scans
showed that certain regions of the brain associated with sight,
hearing, emotional processing and cognitive function were
significantly thicker in the meditation group compared to the
control group. The thickness was more pronounced in older, more
experienced meditation practitioners, which suggested that
meditation could help reduce thinning of the frontal cortex, which
occurs as people age.
There are literally
dozens of meditation techniques that can be practiced. Some are
quite simple and can be picked up with only a little practice;
others may require months or even years to master. If you would
like to learn more about meditation, talk to your doctor about
some of the different methods available.
Lazar SW, Kerr CE,
Wasserman RH, et al. Meditation experience is associated with
increased cortical thickness. NeuroReport Nov. 28,
2005;16(17):1893-1897.
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