In this 10‑minute daily health update, Dr. David Koivuranta of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic shares six recent research‑based health insights and practical lifestyle take‑aways. He begins by noting the disclaimer that the video is informational, not a medical diagnosis. The first segment highlights a March 2021 Menopause journal study linking early‑onset type 1 diabetes to an earlier natural menopause, a shortened reproductive lifespan, and heightened risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and early mortality, emphasizing the need for stricter lifestyle maintenance. The second segment cites a March 2021 Alzheimer’s & Dementia report that persistent mid‑life loneliness can raise Alzheimer’s risk by up to 91%, urging social engagement as a preventive measure. The third segment reviews Mayo Clinic News Network guidance on non‑pharmacologic blood‑pressure control—weight loss, exercise, diet, sodium reduction, alcohol moderation, smoking cessation, caffeine reduction, stress management, home monitoring, and regular medical follow‑up—presented as incremental, habit‑building steps. The fourth segment references a January 2021 Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases literature review identifying foods (tomatoes, flaxseeds, soy protein, almonds, avocados, turmeric, pulses, hazelnuts, walnuts, whole grains, green tea) that lower LDL cholesterol. The fifth segment mentions a Diabetologica March 2021 article showing regular exercise can mitigate the health impacts of air pollution. The final segment reports a February 2021 Childhood Obesity review finding a positive association between higher BMI and spinal pain in children and adolescents, suggesting mechanical and hormonal mechanisms. Dr. Koivuranta wraps up by encouraging viewers to stay informed, apply one lifestyle change at a time, and tune in for the next daily update.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, enjoying your week. You've made it to Wednesday. Congratulations, middle of the week. Happy you could share it with me if you are. Coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update. It's Wednesday, April 7th, 2021. Gonna look at 6 areas of health and wellness. Somewhere around this video you can read through all 6 areas. If you would like a copy, you can DM us on social, call us here at the clinic, or send us an email. We'll be sure to get that in your hands. I'm not gonna treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any illness or disease with our time together today. However, getting into some good health information based on the research and literature that's up to date and current is just an interesting and fun thing to do, eh, if but for a brief part of your day. Maybe not all day and maybe not every day, but as often as you can. If you listen to, read, and/or, um, get involved with what's going on in the health and wellness world, it just tends to change your thinking about your health and wellness and some of the choices you've been making. And the actions you take every day for your own health and wellness. And that's always a positive thing 'cause it should be front of mind every day to take good care of yourself and good care of those around you. So here's what we have for you today. The journal Menopause has a very interesting reflection on a study or some research that was done. It was printed in March 2021. And it talks about women who have an, early onset or onset of type 1 diabetes earlier on in life could shorten their reproductive years. And because of that, um, they have a shorter reproductive lifespan, which in and of itself might be interesting to someone who is diabetic or has a likelihood of having type 1 diabetes because it may run in the family, etc. However, the interesting part of the study for me in terms of lifestyle and reminding us to take good care of ourselves regardless of the other factors is that because of the early natural menopause that comes with type 1 diabetes, they're at, these women are also at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even early mortality. So knowing that, sometimes we have to up our game. Sometimes our level of maintenance is even higher than maybe somebody else's because that's just our journey. And because of the state of function of our body, the level of health that it's able to attain, and for whatever reason, genetics, familial, environmental, environmental, the choices we made, and where we're at in life now, that is different for most people. But the factors that you can rely on, the fundamentals to help improve that for you and each individual, are similar. And it comes down to lifestyle. So eating well, staying fit and active, or getting your body moving, getting enough sleep, managing and understanding what stress is, and anything else you can do to keep a smile on your face and enjoy the journey as you're going along is of benefit. So the research is unique in and of itself to those people who might fall into that category with type 1 diabetes, but the message and the lesson, uh, again, is very powerful for all of us to continue taking good care of ourselves. You will not go wrong. Along those lines, we often talk about Alzheimer's and dementia on the Daily Health Update because our cognitive function is very important. Our body relies on that cognitive function, and so do we, to have those great experiences we want every day in life. And in March 2021, the Alzheimer's and Dementia a report came out saying that loneliness could be linked to Alzheimer's. New research suggests that persistent loneliness at midlife can increase an individual's risk for Alzheimer's disease later in life by up to 91%. So a challenging thing because there isn't necessarily a solution other than someone who might realize that they're a bit lonely can find ways to hopefully engage and get out and meet people, join certain groups. And get out and enjoy what life has to offer in our society. And/or for those of us who might notice that someone may need some company, for us to be able to reach out and encourage them to spend some time with us would be a positive, helpful, and amazing thing to do for another human being. All right. And we're just more likely to keep our cognitive function when we do that. So tough times right now with the pandemic to be able to do that for many people, but we can make an effort to see if we can continue doing that. Some long topics on today's daily health update. The next one has to deal with high blood pressure, and according to the Mayo Clinic News Network, they looked at controlling high blood pressure without medication. Now, that's not saying that medication doesn't have a role, is not important, and you should always talk to your medical health provider, your family doctor, about that. Um, but according to this, there are the changes that you can make to help lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease, whether you're on medication or not. These are smart things to do. It goes back to lifestyle concerns. So if you have any extra weight you want to lose, that's a good idea. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, reduce sodium in your diet, limit the amount of alcohol you drink, quit smoking, cut back on caffeine, reduce your stress, monitor your blood pressure at home, see your doctor regularly, and get support from your family and friends. Such a good list, and it might be challenging for us to do all of that all at once. If we know that there are some changes we would like to make, we should just pick one and seek out some help or guidance. Do a lot of research on our own and make that one improvement first. And interestingly, people have found that when they put the effort into making that one change or improvement, the next or subsequent change and, and/or other improvements over time become easier because they build on that first one. It's just a matter of getting it started. You don't have to get it perfect, you just want to get going on it. So hopefully we're encouraging you today to remember the importance of these fundamentals when it comes to your health and to be able to engage in taking action each day based on your decisions to live a healthy life for yourself so you can have those great experiences you're looking for every— each and every day. So go along with those diet changes to help with the blood pressure. There's also foods that reduce bad cholesterol. According to the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases Report, January 2021, a high concentration in the blood— at high concentration in the blood, low-density lipoproteins, LDL, or the bad cholesterol, can build up in the arteries and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. A literature review found that consumption of the following foods is associated with lower LDL serum levels: tomatoes, flaxseeds, soy protein, almonds, avocados, turmeric, pulses, hazelnuts, walnuts, whole grains, and green tea. So some healthy things to have some variety in your diet in moderation throughout the week can help support some good cardiovascular function by maintaining healthy levels of the, of the the different types of fats in our body, including those cholesterol levels. Some of that bad or LDL cholesterol we need, we just don't want it in excess. We want everything just right for our bodies, and that's one way to do it, is to eat those healthy related foods. Regular exercise can protect against air pollution, according to the journal Diabetologica, March 2021, and Childhood Obesity in February 2021. 21 reported that BMI is related to spinal pain in kids and teens. They looked at data from 12 studies and they identified a relationship between a higher body mass index and spinal pain in children and adolescents. Researchers suspect that mechanical loading and hormonal metabolic activity may be contributing factors for spinal pain in children. So some interesting news there today. We're running a bit long. I don't want to keep you, but it just goes to show you how much, uh, new and great information is coming out every month to support us in choices we make with our health and wellness. And it's great that you can stay tapped in, tuned in, and turned on to that information here with us. And guess what? We'll be back tomorrow, Thursday, with your next video update. We'll look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, keep up the good work and be well.
