Topic of the Week: Back Pain (4 slides)

Topic of the Week: Back Pain (4 slides)

What Doesn t Work for Back Pain: Tylenol Researchers in Australia gave 1650 people with back pain either acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a placebo for 4 weeks Despite being a first line treatment for back pain, acetaminophen was no better than the placebo at reducing pain http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25828856 Acetaminophen does NOT reduce inflammation Acetaminophen use is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19125949

White Willow more effective than drugs for relieving back pain As effective at relieving back pain as a prescription NSAID (Vioxx) - 60% of patients in each group (white willow or Vioxx) saw significant reductions in pain - but white willow is less expensive and has significantly fewer adverse effects In a study of white willow versus other conventional drugs or treatments, 40% of the white willow group was pain free in 4 weeks, while only 18% of the conventional treatment group was pain free 191 patients received low or high dose white willow extract, or placebo, for back pain; 60% of the patients getting white willow were pain free in a month while 6% of the placebo group became pain free; pain reduction for the white willow group was noticed in the first week

More Natural Ways to Stop Back Pain Devil s Claw: 88 patients with low back pain received Devil s claw or the prescription NSAID (Vioxx) 30% more patients in the Devil s claw group reported greater than 50% reduction in pain versus the drug group after 6 weeks Devil s Claw: 118 patients with low back pain received Devil s claw or placebo number of patients pain free after four weeks: 9 of 51 in the Devil s claw group and only 1 of 54 patients in the placebo group Curcumin: Up to a 70% reduction in pain sensitivity (animal model of arthritis) Boswellia : increase of 12% in pain tolerance 2 hours after boswellia use in healthy human volunteers DLPA prevents the breakdown of the brain s natural pain-killing compounds

Ligaments and Tendons Very poor blood supply; healing from injury can take months Discs No blood supply and low cell density; area around the disc can heal but process takes months Recovering from a back injury can be a long, slow process; Be patient and allow time to heal

Mother s Intake of Omega-3 leads to healthier (smarter?) babies (1 slide)

The omega-3/iron connection 110 pregnant mothers; control group received dairy drink with fish oil/dha omega-3, placebo group a dairy drink with no omega-3 Mothers who received DHA omega-3 showed higher iron levels in the placenta Previous research has shown that iron deficiency is associated with lower DHA levels in red blood cells Therefore, supplementing with DHA can help improve a baby s iron levels and promote healthy brain formation Iron deficiency is associated with developmental delays and mental retardation

Magnesium: no longer the forgotten mineral (2 slides)

Magnesium is almost #1 Up to 80% of the US population does not get the daily recommended amount of magnesium, but more people are catching on to its importance SPINs data shows that sales of magnesium products have increased 15% in the last year, and magnesium may soon pass calcium as the number one best-selling mineral Magnesium is required for over 300 different body processes, and is especially critical for: Blood pressure low magnesium levels leads to increased risk of high blood pressure Muscle activity magnesium stabilizes nerve fibers, so low magnesium leads to spasms, twitching and restless leg syndrome

Forms of magnesium Magnesium, as a dietary supplement, is found in many forms Magnesium citrate (magnesium + citric acid) Magnesium oxide (magnesium + oxygen) Magnesium hydroxide ALSO known as Milk of Magnesia These forms of magnesium are poorly absorbed and in fact some of them have laxative effects Magnesium glycinate chelate is bound to an amino acid Very well absorbed No laxative effects

New Research on Ashwagandha (4 slides)

Ashwagandha Used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for over 5,000 years Modern research has verified many of ashwagandha s benefits: Protects the immune system Helps combat the effects of stress Improves learning, memory, and reaction time Reduces anxiety and depression without causing drowsiness Helps reduce brain-cell degeneration Stabilizes blood sugar Offers anti-inflammatory benefits Enhances sexual potency and fertility in both men and women Two new studies on a specific Ashwagandha extract were recently published

Ashwaghanda and sexual function 50 women (ages 21-50) who reported high stress in their lives took 600 mg of ashwagandha (KSM- 66) or placebo for eight weeks As measured by the Female Sexual Function Index, the ashwagandha group experienced a 42% improvement versus a 32% improvement in the placebo group Greatest difference was in the sub scores for satisfaction 38% in the ashwagandha group versus 13% in the placebo group arousal - 38% in the ashwagandha group versus 21% in the placebo group

Maximize Your Exercise with Ashwagandha 57 young men between the ages of 18 and 50; no experience in weight lifting Received placebo or 600 mg of a specialized ashwagandha extract (KSM-66) for 8 weeks Trained with weights 3 days a week (every other day); did as many reps as possible including squats, leg curls, leg extensions, etc. Results: Ashwagandha group had 75% increase in upper body muscle strength 126% decrease in fat percentage 131% increase in testosterone levels

How to use Ashwagandha Can be taken daily as a tonic and for ongoing support of the adrenal glands Take when needed during times of increased stress or illness Pair with the adaptogen Rhodiola for more potent effects 500 1500 mg of the combination daily