In this short, solo video Dr. David Koivuranta of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic delivers a Monday‑morning health update covering six recent research findings and practical wellness tips. He first notes a disclaimer that the content is informational only and invites viewers to request a written summary. The six topics are: (1) a Frontiers in Nutrition (Mar 2021) study linking low vitamin D status to higher risk of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, prompting a recommendation to check vitamin D especially in type‑2 diabetes; (2) a Scientific Reports (Feb 2021) trial where 12‑week cocoa flavanol supplementation improved memory list‑learning in 211 healthy middle‑aged and older adults; (3) a Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (Feb 2021) report showing exercise reduces anxiety and depression in prostate‑cancer patients undergoing androgen‑deprivation therapy; (4) a Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Feb 2021) article on the relationship between ADHD and academic performance; (5) an American Bone Health (Mar 2021) guide on winter fall‑prevention, emphasizing proper footwear, warm clothing, careful egress from vehicles, vigilance for black ice, and minimizing distractions; and (6) a Journal of Pakistan Medical Association (Jan 2021) study indicating that combined manual therapy and physiotherapy yields greater pain‑disability improvement for neck‑pain patients than physiotherapy alone. Dr. Koivuranta wraps up with a motivational call to prioritize self‑care, posture, and ergonomics, encouraging viewers to stay active, safe, and smiling throughout the week.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, you had a nice weekend. Happy Monday to you all, coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update. It's April 26th, 2021. To start your week, I'm gonna look at 6 areas of health and wellness. Somewhere around this video you can read through all 6 areas for your reading pleasure, and if you'd like a copy, DM us on social, send us an email, get Give us a call here at the clinic, we'll be sure to get that to you. Not gonna treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any disease, illness, et cetera, with our time together today. However, we will share with you some information based on the health and wellness literature and what's going on in the health and wellness world, and it may just stimulate your own thinking about your health and wellness or the health and wellness of those around you. And it's always good to keep your health and wellness on the front of your mind, so that's why we're here Monday through Thursday with this fun little short video. Frontiers in Nutrition, March 2021, looked at painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy and low vitamin D. So again, another correlation between a condition and that vitamin D status. So during your yearly physicals, if, uh, need be, depending if you've never had it especially, or what your previous levels were like, might be a good idea to get that vitamin D status checked, especially, uh, if you have diabetes, in this case type 2 diabetes. They found that if you had low status, you might be at greater risk for that peripheral neuropathy, which is a side effect of diabetes that we don't want to see happen. Scientific Reports, February 2021, looked at cocoa and the flavanols in cocoa and how they might boost memory. They looked at 211 healthy middle-aged and older adults, and those who were given a cocoa supplement for 12 weeks performed better on list learning tasks than than members of a placebo group. In the study here, in my print version, it says cocoa. I'm not sure how that compares to cacao. Excuse me. I think they have separate benefits, but in this case, it's the cocoa that was helpful. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases Report, February 2021, says that exercise provides mental health benefits for those with prostate cancer. So it's helpful in reducing anxiety and depression in prostate cancer patients. And undergoing androgen deprivation therapy as part of the treatment for that. So again, a good role for fitness in our lifestyle. And if you go into those conditions already with a healthy, uh, activity or fitness-based profile, then, uh, you may be more likely to get through treatments in a healthier way as well. So don't wait for things to happen, just add it into your routine now. Uh, there's a report here on the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, February 2021, that again looks at academic performance and ADHD. Something you can read through if it pertains to you or is of interest. And a little bit late on the roll here with the American Bone Health Report, March 2021, on how to prevent falls in the winter months. But just in case you're in an area where this applies, or if it's just good thought process in general, you want to be careful and wear shoes with good traction, dress warm in the winter, be careful getting out of your car, don't rush, pay attention to surfaces, stay alert for black ice, and keep your driveway and walkways clear Now, some aspects of that, of course, apply all year round, but check and watch out for those uneven surfaces and/or objects. Pay attention to where you're going as best you can. These days, especially with cell phones and technology, it's easy to get distracted and not see where you're going, which could end up being a problem if you happen to misstep. And we don't want to see any side effects from that, especially any broken bones. Finally, the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, January 2021, talked about manual therapy in managing neck pain. 60 patients they looked at with neck pain. Those treated with a combination of manual therapies and physiotherapy modalities experienced greater improvements in pain and disability than patients treated with physiotherapy alone. So adding in that manual therapy, again, more research to support there is a benefit. And, uh, with a proper diagnosis and assessment and some personalization and individualization relation to, uh, whoever may have the neck pain, you could see some good positive results. So keep that in mind for yourself, for those around you, especially now with technology and how we're looking down or inappropriate things with ergonomics and just our posture in general. But many other causes of neck pain as well. But there's no need to suffer, uh, just get that neck checked and consider getting some manual therapy. So that's your daily health update for Monday. Hope you have a great week. Take care of yourself. Keep yourself at the top of your list so that you're able to have those great experiences you're looking for every day. And by taking care of yourself, uh, you'll be able to help those around you have a great experience as well. All right, so keep a smile on your face and, uh, enjoy yourself. We'll catch up with you tomorrow. All the best.
