By DrTucker
28 Sep, 2010
Blog, Low Back Pain, Posture
adolescents, computers, Headaches, low back pain and computers, Neck pain, Posture, screens and computers, www.DrJeffreyTucker.com
This study included 31,022 teens from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and Norway who were part of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study. Teens reported how much time they spent playing computer-based or television-based games, how much time they spent on the computer and how much time they spent watching TV. They were also asked about the frequency of headaches, backaches and bouts of feeling low.
Researchers found a consistent but weak link between boys who reported having backaches weekly and those who said they spent more time using computers, watching television and playing computer games. For girls, a link was found between those who had headaches and who also said they spent more time on the computer and watching TV. The results held even when the researchers adjusted for levels of physical activity.
The study’s authors think that the link between back and head pain and screen time might not be related to the kind of screen activity the teens were engaged in, but to the amount of time they spent doing it and how they sat or stood while screen-engaged.
Over my 28 years in practice I have seen more back pain, neck aches, neck-shoulder pain and headache in the adolescent population.
Excess amounts of screen time have also been associated with obesity in young people.
The study was published in the journal BMC Public Health
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By DrTucker
07 Sep, 2010
Blog, Conditions, Treatment
Arthritis, back pain, diet, Headaches, Nutrition and Chiropractor, pain, stomach problems, www.DrJeffreyTucker.com
Your medical doctor can prescribe the latest pain relievers (with side effects!). But many of my patients are getting better long-term results by eating the right FOODS and taking the right SUPPLEMENTS and learning proper EXERCISES. The nutritional and exercise work I am doing with patients is exciting and involves educating patients to the proper diet and which supplements to take. Keep reading through the website and you will see many articles and posts that can help you decide if this approach is right for you. Call me at 310-473-2911 for specific questions regarding your individual case.
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By DrTucker
31 Aug, 2010
Conditions, Newsletter, Nutrition
B-complex, EPA-DHA 720, fish oils, Headaches, Magnesium, migraine headaches, omega-3 fatty acids, riboflavin, sugar, tension headache, www.DrJeffreyTucker.meta-ehealth.com
Often people who get headaches have habits that are causing the headaches, but have not made the connection between their lifestyle and their symptoms. One obvious thing that can be done is to quit eating refined sugar and to eat regular meals. Some people that suffer from migraine headaches have blood sugar level problems (reactive hypoglycemia). A diet free of sugar, and eating six small meals per day is one strategy to improves headaches.
The kinds of fats in the diet can also play a role in headaches. Migraines may be linked to blood lipids, much the same way that cardiovascular disease is. Supplementation with fish oil reduced the frequency and severity of migraine headaches. Indeed, many research articles have shown the value of omega-3 fatty acids for pain and inflammation.
EPA-DHA 720 by Metagenicsis a very pure source of omega-3 fatty acids, free of dioxins and mercury.
B-vitamins may be of value for migraine patients in the same way that bringing blood sugar under control is helpful. Also, there is some research to show that a high dose of riboflavin can help migraine patients. Taking 400 mg/day of riboflavin helped subjects with migraine headaches. Compared to taking aspirin, they did no better than the group receiving ribof lavin alone. Riboflavin also reduced the frequency of headaches and use of medication. Metagenics has a great B-complex vitamin that has extra riboflavin in the more biologically available phosphorylated form.
Research has shown that patients with both migraine and tension headaches had lower salivary and serum magnesium levels than age-matched controls. In addition, serum magnesium tended to be even lower during migraine attacks. Magnesium, may also help relieve symptoms like nausea and photophobia. (Look for 100 mg of magnesium per tablet).
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