In this concise video, Dr. David Koivuranta of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic delivers a daily health update covering six recent research findings. He reports that 88% of adults over 75 experience chronic musculoskeletal pain, highlights a study linking high consumption of sugar‑sweetened drinks to increased asthma risk, notes that CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea patients leads to higher levels of moderate‑to‑vigorous physical activity, discusses evidence that cognitive‑behavioral or psychodynamic therapy can alleviate panic disorder, shares Mayo Clinic lifestyle tips for managing acid reflux, and reveals that over half of string and wind musicians suffer from temporomandibular disorder. Throughout, Dr. Dave emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and proactive health habits while maintaining a friendly, conversational tone.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, enjoying the start of your week, and looking forward to a good Wednesday, which it is today. So congratulations, you made it! Coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update. It is Wednesday, March 24th, 2021. Gonna share with you 6 areas of health and wellness news from the research and literature today. Somewhere around this video you can read through all 6 areas. If you'd like a copy, DM us on social, send us an email at the clinic, or give us a call. We'll be sure to get that to you. Otherwise, you can check us out here, video format Monday through Thursday, and a written format on Fridays. The weekends we let you think about your own health and wellness, and then we rinse and repeat the following week. 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 and how good your experiences can be when you start focusing on your health and wellness. It is time and effort and money well spent. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, January 2021, pain affects most older adults. 825 adults over the age of 75 revealed that most of them, 88%, had musculoskeletal pain in at least one region of their body lasting for longer than 3 months, most often in the lower legs and the lower back. 34+ percent reported they experienced pain daily, and over 13% rated their pain intensity as high. Hi, so it is not uncommon to have challenges in life. No one apparently makes it through unscathed, and that includes some aches and pains. So when and if they do happen, be sure you treat them to your satisfaction. It's not only good in the moment to feel better, which you should do, but also a good way to ensure some quality of life later on. And if you do feel good now, like so many other health problems, those aches and pains can also appear out of the blue because dysfunction can be building up that you don't notice. So preventatively, if you wanted to, to ensure some quality down the road, to try and stack that deck in your favor, you could also get some treatment or get some things checked out just to make sure you are as good as you feel so that it stays that way. All right, it does happen based on the research and literature. The Journal of Asthma, February 2021, talks about a connection between sugar-sweetened drinks and asthma. So heavy consumption, is there a connection? You can probably guess, but if you wanna check that out, you can read that somewhere around the written format and maybe check out the Journal of Asthma for more information if you'd like. Further with breathing, if you know someone who may be having challenges with breathing, like sleep apnea when they sleep, the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, February 2021, says that CPAP therapy can help boost activity levels. So the continuous positive airway pressure therapy is used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea. And when they did a study with 2,600 of those people for 4 years, they found that they were more likely to engage in moderate-intense physical activity and to meet federal exercise guidelines of 150 more minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per week than those who were not users. So, uh, good again to get a good diagnosis, proper support treatment, and learn how to maintain your lifestyle. Because that will also stack the deck in your favor. A diagnosis does not have to be a sentence. In fact, sometimes it's a blessing, uh, when we see the contrast in taking what may be happening and what we don't like and turning it into something that we do like. And that is always possible with some effort and focus. Therapy can ease panic disorders, according to the Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics report, November 2020. If you have panic disorders or know someone who does, apparently cognitive behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapy can be a benefit. You may want to look into that. If you or someone you know suffers from acid reflux or heartburn, the Mayo Clinic, February 2021, has these tips: maintain a healthy weight, stop smoking, elevate the head of your bed while sleeping, don't lie down after a meal, eat food slowly, chew thoroughly, and avoid tight-fitting clothing. I love food. I do not eat slowly. I do not chew thoroughly, um, but I'm going to try. That's my lesson from today's daily health update— going to improve that, um, because it's not only good for acid reflux but a better way to eat overall, probably better in terms of your body's ability to digest, break down, and absorb some of those nutrients. But it's also just a peaceful, better way to approach the whole eating process. Finally, the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, January 2021, for all you musicians out there that may or may not be suffering from joint pain, temporomandibular disorder. They looked at findings from 13 studies and they found that 53.9% of string and wind instrument musicians experience some degree of jaw pain and dysfunction. The findings suggest that temporomandibular disorders are common complaint among musicians, especially those who practice daily and who do so for extended periods of time. And of course, there are paramedical providers as well as dentists and some oral maxillofacial specialists who can help with, uh, some of that temporomandibular disorder. So good to go get checked out, get, uh, different treatments, a good assessment, follow a, a plan and stick to it. You can have some improvement cuz I imagine it's hard to enjoy the practice of what you love being a musician if you have some discomfort, especially in the part of you that interacts with that instrument. Which you are actually part of that and are an instrument in and of yourself, probably. So good to keep all those parts healthy and well. All right, so that's your daily health update for Wednesday. Some good information today, as we try to have for you every day. And even if it doesn't apply, just the habit of plugging in, tapping in, tuning in, and turning on some of that thinking with your health and wellness is always good for you every day. So we'll be back tomorrow, Thursday, with your next Daily Health Update for that very reason. We'll look forward to chatting with you then. Have a super rest of your day. Take care.
