Dr. David Koivuranta covers six research findings: pregnant women who wear proper shoes and stay active reduce fall risk; a 30-minute walk after meals improves blood sugar; eating carotenoid-rich vegetables lowers depression risk in students; each 30g of weekly fish during pregnancy cuts child eczema risk by 4%; and workplace stretching cuts musculoskeletal pain.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, enjoying your week. You made it to Wednesday, congratulations! Middle of the week, it's all good times from here until the weekend. Coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update for Wednesday, July 7th, 2021. I'm gonna look at 6 areas of health and wellness today. Somewhere around this video you can read through all 6 areas if you would like a copy of those 6 different points we're going to discuss, and/or you have any questions, you're welcome to reach out, DM us on social, give us a call here at the the clinic or send us an email. Always happy to lend a hand where and when we can. Not going to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any illness or disease with our time together today. However, the information we share with you may stimulate your own thinking about your thoughts, choices, and actions throughout the day when it comes to your own health and wellness, in which case, mission accomplished. If you keep your health and wellness at the forefront of your mind throughout the day, you might help steer it in the direction you'd like it to go, create those great experiences you're trying to live every day. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, June 2021, looked at risk factors, uh, for serious falls during pregnancy. Falls during pregnancy can cause serious harm to both mother and child. A systemic review that included 14 studies identified the following modifiable risk factors for serious falls during pregnancy: inappropriate shoes, sedentary lifestyle, gestational diabetes, ankle stiffness, and low back pain. So good comfy shoes with stability and support as well as cushioning is a good idea during pregnancy to stay active. And if you weren't that active before getting pregnant, you can increase your activity level to somewhat. It will help, but don't overdo it. And if you are already active, try to maintain that activity as long as you can in a healthy way throughout that pregnancy. Watch what you're eating to help support the risk of this gestational diabetes, and the fitness or the activity will help with that as well. And if you notice sore joints, stiff joints, achy joints,, any discomfort like low back pain, uh, please do go get it checked and treated. The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, May 2021, looked at healthy eating habits and how those should begin as early as possible in life. They found that when healthcare providers promote healthy infant feeding practices to their pregnant patients, their children eat less fat and carbohydrates at age 3 and have less body fat at age 6. The authors note that the first year after birth is a critical window for the establishment of habits that will influence health patterns throughout lifetime. The message worldwide is that to avoid obesity later in life, you cannot start too early to help mothers feed their children well. There's a lot of discrepancy perhaps on what strategy is best, but certainly there are some things that these infants into toddlers and beyond should not be eating. They should not know some of these things exist. Keep them away from them and try to eat as healthy and natural as possible. But always good to seek out the health and guidance of a good pediatrician and/or naturopath and/or holistic nutritionist. The Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, July 2021, says to take a walk after eating. New research suggests that taking a 30-minute walk within 15 minutes of finishing your meal can help to improve blood glucose levels, which are often elevated after eating. Good little tip, especially now in the summer and into the fall. Get outside after eating. Sleep and Breathing report from July 2021, uh, talks about colorful fruits and veggies and how those can help with mental health. Carotenoids are compounds with antioxidant properties that give yellow, orange, and red fruit and vegetables their color. Questionnaires completed by 368 university students revealed an association between a higher carotenoid intake and a lower risk for depression. So good food makes you feel good. And make sure you're getting enough each day, especially those fruits and vegetables. Critical reviews in Food and Science and Nutrition, June 2021, look at fish intake during pregnancy and eczema risk in children. A systemic review of 31 studies found that for every 30 grams of fish a woman consumes each week during pregnancy, the risk for eczema in her child falls by 4%. Just make sure it's not raw fish. I think that's contraindicated when you are pregnant.. But some healthy fish with some good oils will be passed on to the fetus as well as the baby once it's born and will hopefully be part of what decreases that eczema risk. Finally, the British Medical Journal Open, May 2021, looks at stretching and how it helps office workers. For all of you desk and computer workers out there, spending long periods of time working at a desk has been observed to increase the risk for neck pain, back pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. A 12-week study that included 252 office workers found that participating in a work-based stretching program could reduce the risk of musculoskeletal pain in the neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back, and feet. So take those breaks, get up and move. And it's what you do while you take those breaks that can make all the difference. And getting as much of you moving in different ways to remind your body what it can do other than that sedentary repetitive task you've been doing all day is very healthy for it. It will make you feel better, put hopefully a smile on your face during that challenging— those challenging tasks you have to carry out during the day. All right, some good information again today for Wednesday from the Daily Health Update. Things to motivate, inspire you when it comes to your own health and wellness. Hopefully you enjoyed it. We'll be back tomorrow, Thursday, with another video Daily Health Update for you. We look forward to chatting with you then. In the meantime, take care, be well, keep smiling, and we'll see you soon.
