In this March 1, 2021 video, Dr. David Koivuranta of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic delivers a concise, research‑backed health briefing covering six distinct wellness areas. He opens with a disclaimer that the segment is informational, not diagnostic, and invites viewers to request written copies of the material. The first topic highlights a Cancer Epidemiology (Jan 2021) analysis linking excessive alcohol intake to roughly 4.8 % of U.S. cancer cases and 3.2 % of cancer deaths, urging moderation. The second topic cites a Nutrition, Exercise and Lifestyle Journal (Feb 2021) study showing that high fruit and vegetable consumption in childhood correlates with stronger bones, encouraging families to boost produce intake. The third segment references a Health Education and Behavior report (Feb 2021) on 866 college students, noting that regular exercise improves sleep timing, sleep quality, and mood while reducing anxiety, anger, and depression, thus advocating early fitness habits. The fourth point draws on a Mayo Clinic (Feb 2021) guide to lowering breast‑cancer risk, emphasizing lifestyle choices such as limiting alcohol. The fifth discussion uses a Psychological Medicine (Jan 2021) analysis of 28,000 mid‑life adults, revealing that about 20 % experience peak psychological distress due to work, family, and caregiving pressures, and suggests proactive lifestyle strategies to mitigate these stresses. The final topic reviews a Journal of Physical Therapy and Science (Dec 2020) article on spondylolysis, explaining how certain lumbar joint orientations—especially in athletes who frequently bend and twist—can predispose to low‑back pain, underscoring the importance of accurate diagnosis for effective treatment. Dr. Koivuranta concludes with a motivational note about influencing health trajectories, invites daily viewership, and provides contact information for further resources.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, you had a wonderful weekend. Welcome to March, another beautiful month for you to enjoy, to be healthy and well. Coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update. It's Monday, March 1st, 2021. Gonna look at 6 areas of health and wellness today to start your month. Somewhere around this video you can of course read through all 6 areas, and if you would like a copy of that to look at on your own, you can DM us on social, give us a call at the clinic, or or send us an email, we'll be sure to get that to you. Not gonna treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any illness or disease with our time together today. However, you just never know what your body is capable of when you support it in a healthy and positive way. So one of the ways to do that is to plug into some good research and literature on a daily basis, even if just for a short period, to keep some healthy momentum going in your life with those thoughts, decisions, choices, and actions of your own when it comes to your health and wellness. So good on you for being here. A Cancer Epidemiology journal, January 2021, talked about alcohol and how it contributes to cancer cases and deaths. They looked at excessive alcohol consumption as a risk factor for several cancers, and a recent study analyzed information from the United States Cancer Statistics Database, and it estimates that alcohol may be the primary driver of 4.8% of cancer cases and 3.2% of cancer deaths, or about 75,000 cases and 19,000 deaths per year in the United States. So of course, enjoying in moderation and having a tasty beverage, never a bad thing. We just want to watch out for that excessive consumption because our body, with a lot of things in excess, has a hard time keeping up with detoxifying, metabolizing, and being able to ensure that those levels don't cause damage in the body. And when we consume certain things in excess, it's hard for our body to keep up, and that's when trouble shows up. So enjoy in moderation. Another thing that we want to get in moderation and maybe even try to aim for some excess these days because the statistics show it's a little bit low are our fruit and vegetable intake. And according to the Nutrition, Exercise and Lifestyle Journal, February 2021, those fruits and veggies are good for children's bones. The current research suggests that there's an association between a high intake of fruits and vegetables during childhood and stronger, healthier bones. So of course, eating well, lots of good benefits, including that skeleton of ours. If you have children who are eating their vegetables and fruits, one day they'll probably head off to college. The Health Education and Behavior Report, February 2021, talked about the exercise-related benefits for college students. They looked at 866 university students, and it revealed that regular exercise may provide the following benefits in young adults. Earlier bedtime, faster bed-to-sleep time, and improved sleep quality, all of which are really important when you're trying to study and learn and have a good time through that exciting period of your life. A positive outlook on life was also a side effect of that fitness or exercise, as well as reduced anxiety, anger, and depression. So some good mood benefits. So let's encourage our children when they're young into their teens to develop some good fitness, exercise, or activity habits so they can maintain that through college and university and enjoy themselves while they are there. You can read about the Mayo Clinic report, February 2021, on how to reduce breast cancer risk. One of the things is to limit alcohol consumption, but you can probably guess the other ones as well. They're related to your healthy lifestyle choices. So when you do that, you're gonna probably decrease many cancer risks, including breast cancer risk. The Psychological Medicine report in January 2021 talked about midlife period and how many adults struggle with mental health problems at that stage of their life. They looked at 28,000 adults in their midlife and they found that about 1 in 5% had their highest levels of psychological distress at that point in their life, such as depression and anxiety. So they looked at the different reasons, of course, could come with decreased leisure time, increased responsibility with work, peak in their career, job-related stress, also a time when the family structure may change. We have empty nesters. We may be looking after parents ourselves and/or still our children, that sandwich generation. So, um, we want to learn some strategies through our lifestyle choices to make sure that once we get to midlife, whatever challenges may come our way, as we would all through our life, be able to better manage them because we're healthy and well. So some good motivation there to keep taking care of yourself. Finally, the Journal of Physical Therapy and Science, December 2020, looked at something called spondylolysis and how the position or the way the joints are facing in the lower back may play a role with some increased likelihood of that condition affecting and causing low back problems in people over time. Those changes, especially in athletes who may end up encountering a position where they're bending backwards and twisted, could cause some damage or bring to surface some problems that already exist. In the lower parts of the spine because of the shape of those joints and could cause this condition. So, knowing that these complicated things may exist when it comes to back pain, if someone you know has been active through their life and they have back pain, this is something that you would want to have looked at to make sure there was a clear understanding of what was causing that back pain because depending on what is causing the back pain may impact the treatment choices and options to not only get relief but to ensure full functionality for the rest of a person's life based based on the appropriate treatment and self-care. And you can read more about that spondylolysis in the written format somewhere again around this video. So that's your daily health update to start March. I hope you have a great month. Spring is on its way, some good weather at some point in time. But although we like to predict it, we can't control it. And although we like to control our health, we can't always predict it. But we can try to influence which way it's headed. And again, that's what the Daily Health Update is helping you do. So we look forward to seeing you here again tomorrow. You can tap in, tune in, and turn on another episode tomorrow, and we'll keep supporting you in a healthy and good direction. Until then, enjoy your day, share some smiles, take care, and I'll catch you tomorrow.
