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February 21, 2006 [Volume 7, Issue 5]
In this issue of To Your Health:
- The Rehabilitation of Low Back
Pain: What Works Best
- A Grapefruit a Day Keeps Heart
Disease at Bay
- Here's the Dish on Candy
The Rehabilitation of Low Back
Pain: What Works Best
 Back pain
is an extremely common condition; by most estimates, 80 percent of
all people experience it at some point in their lives. Chronic low
back pain is an especially common disorder. Evidence suggests that
using rehabilitation techniques to treat low back pain patients is
more effective than doing nothing. The question is, which types of
rehabilitation work best?
In this randomized, controlled
trial, 212 people with chronic low back pain were assigned to one
of four groups: active physical exercise, cognitive behavioral
therapy, a combination of the two therapies, or no treatment.
Patients undergoing active physical exercise rode a bicycle and
performed back exercises to improve fitness levels and increase
back strength, while patients used cognitive behavioral therapy to
help them cope with the pain and overcome their reluctance to
perform physical activities.
At the end of the trial, patients
in all of the treatment groups saw an improvement in function and
a reduction in pain levels compared to the group that received no
treatment. In addition, the ability to perform certain physical
tasks improved in patients who received active physical exercise
or combined therapy, but not cognitive behavioral therapy.
While exercise and cognitive
therapy appear effective in helping to rehabilitate people with
low back pain, they are by no means the only therapies available.
Your doctor of chiropractic can draw up a treatment program that
combines chiropractic adjustments with techniques such as those
listed above to provide a safe, effective form of rehabilitation.
Smeets RJEM, Vlaeyen JWS, Hidding
A, et al. Active rehabilitation for chronic low back pain:
cognitive-behavioral, physical, or both? First direct
post-treatment results from a randomized controlled trial.
Musculoskeletal Disorders Jan. 20, 2006;7:5.
A Grapefruit a Day Keeps Heart
Disease at Bay
 Consider
the grapefruit. While most people know grapefruit is good for you,
they still prefer to eat other citrus fruits because of
grapefruit's bitter taste. A new study published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry has elevated the status of the
lowly grapefruit to new heights by showing that it can reduce
cholesterol levels in the blood significantly, which helps to
lower the risk of other conditions that could lead to heart
disease.
The study involved 57 postoperative
heart bypass patients who had high levels of triglycerides in the
blood. The patients were divided into three groups. All three
groups followed a standard anti-atherosclerosis diet for 30
consecutive days. In two of the groups, patients also consumed one
white or red grapefruit each day. The third group did not receive
any grapefruit and served as a control population.
While eating either kind of
grapefruit appeared to reduce cholesterol levels, the
cholesterol-lowering effects were much greater among patients who
consumed red grapefruit. In red grapefruit patients, total
cholesterol levels were reduced 15.5 percent compared to the
control patients, and total triglyceride levels were reduced more
than 17 percent.
There are a number of ways to
reduce your risk of heart disease. One of the easiest ways is eat
a diet high in grapefruit and other foods that are high in
antioxidants, which can lower cholesterol levels and provide other
benefits that will keep your heart healthy. Make sure to talk to
your doctor of chiropractic about antioxidant-rich foods as part
of a balanced diet.
Gorinstein S, Caspi A, Libman I, et
al. Red grapefruit positively influences serum triglyceride levels
in patients suffering from coronary atherosclerosis: studies in
vitro and in humans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
ASAP article (doi:10.1021/jf058171g), published online Feb. 3,
2006.
Here's the Dish on Candy
"Out of sight, out of mind." It's
an old phrase that can apply to a lot of situations. A recent
study shows that this phrase can easily be applied to the number
of candies a person eats at work, with people being more likely to
consume more candy per day when it's in plain sight and within
easy reach.
In the study, 40 adult workers (all
female) volunteered to take part in a four-week study of chocolate
consumption from an office candy dish. In one phase of the study,
30 Hershey's chocolate kisses were placed either on the
volunteer's desk, or 6.5 feet away (but clearly visible). In the
second phase, the candies were placed in covered bowls that were
either clear or opaque, again on the volunteer's desk or 6.5 feet
away.
People ate an average of 2.2 more
candies each day when they were visible compared to being hidden,
and 1.8 candies more per day when they were on the person's desk
compared to 6.5 feet away. While this may not seem like much,
consider that one Hershey's kiss contains approximately 25
calories. Over a five-day work week, this could add up to 275
extra calories to a person's diet, not to mention the extra sugar
and fat due to candy consumption.
While the results of this study
don't mean the end of the workplace candy dish, they do mean that
the closer and more visible food is, the more likely a person is
to eat a lot of it. If you're going to eat snacks at work, why not
snack on healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, or items
that have fewer calories and are low in fat and sugar?
Wansink B, Painter JE, Lee Y-K. The
office candy dish: proximity's influence on estimated and actual
consumption. International Journal of Obesity, advance
online publication (doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803217), published Jan.
17, 2006.
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