Naturopathy

The bones of people long dead could be the key to healing chronic back pain, says a new research. It is combining the latest computer modelling techniques with archaeology and anthropology.Researchers there are analysing spines from up to 40 skeletons kept in museums and anatomy collections, according to a Leeds and Bristol statement.


The data will help develop innovative computer models and open up new ways of treating back pain and evaluating new implants. Ultimately, it will also be possible to use the models to pinpoint the type of treatment best suited to an individual patient.

"The idea is that a company will be able to come in with a design for a new product and we will simulate how it would work on different spines," says Ruth Wilcox of the University of Leeds, who is leading the project.
"The wider the pool of spinal data at our disposal, the more effective the computer models will be in terms of demonstrating the impact of treatments on different back conditions and back types

A new study has shown that compared to people in employment, men and women who are unemployed suffer more often and longer from both physical and emotional complaints.


The study was carried out in 2008-2009 by the Institute. The results showed that unemployed people between the ages of 30 and 59 years are especially often affected by physical, emotional, and functional impairments such as sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance addictions. As a result, the unemployed make more use of the health care system.

The health consequences of unemployment result from loss of income, loss of so-cial contacts in the workplace, or loss of social reputation. Unemployed men and women who are supported by their partners, family members, or friends are less frequently affected by these complaints.

A new review of studies has found that reducing the amount of salt in diabetics' daily diet is key to warding off serious threats to their health. In the Cochrane review, the authors evaluated 13 studies with 254 adults who had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For an average duration of one week, participants were restricted to large reduction in their daily salt intake to see how the change would affect their blood pressure.

"We were surprised to find so few studies of modest, practical salt reduction in diabetes where patients are at high cardiovascular risk and stand much to gain from interventions that reduce blood pressure," said lead reviewer Rebecca Suckling. "However, despite this, there was a consistent reduction in blood pressure when salt intake was reduced."

High salt intake is a major cause for increased blood pressure and, in those with diabetes, elevated blood pressure can lead to more serious health problems, including stroke, heart attack and diabetic kidney disease. In the Cochrane review, the participants' average salt intake was restricted by 11.9 grams a day for those with type 1 diabetes and by 7.3 grams a day for those with type 2. The reviewers wrote that reducing salt intake by 8.5 grams a day could lower patients' blood pressure by 7/3 mmHg. This was true for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The reviewers noted that this reduction in blood pressure is similar to that found from taking blood pressure medication. Suckling acknowledged that studies in the review only lasted for a week and that the type of salt restriction probably would not be manageable for longer periods. However, Suckling said, the review also found that in studies greater than two weeks, where salt was reduced by a more achievable and sustainable amount of 4.5 grams a day, blood pressure was reduced by 6/4 mmHg.