google-site-verification=cXrcMGa94PjI5BEhkIFIyc9eZiIwZzNJc4mTXSXtGRM Elon Musk claims that “disk replacement” worked for him. However, there is a lack of evidence that this surgery helps treat chronic pain - 360WISE MEDIA
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Elon Musk claims that “disk replacement” worked for him. However, there is a lack of evidence that this surgery helps treat chronic pain

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Last week, in a post on X, the owner of the platform, Elon Musk Recommended people consider disc alternative in the event that they experience severe neck or back pain.

According to the billionaire’s biography, he suffered from chronic back and neck pain since he tried “judo throw” The 350-pound sumo wrestler was at a Japanese-themed event celebrating his forty second birthday in 2013 and blew out a disc at the bottom of his neck.

In the comments below the post, Musk said the surgery was a “game changer” and significantly reduced his pain.

Musk’s original post has to date had over 50 million views and was generated dispute. So what is disk alternative surgery and what does the evidence tell us about its advantages and harms?

What does disk alternative involve?

Disc alternative is a type of surgery wherein a number of of the spinal discs (the cushion between the bones of the spine, also called vertebrae) are removed and replaced with a man-made disc to keep up movement between the vertebrae. Artificial discs are made of metal or combination made of metal and plastic.

Disk alternative could be performed in case many reasonsincluding slipped discs within the neck, as appears to be the case with Musk.

Disk alternative is possible major surgery. It requires general anesthesia and the surgery often takes 2-4 hours. Most people stay within the hospital for 2-7 days. After surgery, patients can walk, but must avoid physical exercise and driving for 3-6 weeks. You might have to wear a neck brace (after neck surgery) or a back brace (after spine surgery) for about 6 weeks.



Costs vary depending on whether you might have surgery in the general public or private health care system, whether you might have private medical insurance, and in your level of coverage, if that’s the case. In Australia, even when you might have medical insurance, disc alternative surgery can leave you with over A$12,000 out of pocket.

Disc alternative surgery is not performed as often as other spine surgeries (spinal fusion, for example), but its use is increasing.

IN New South Wales for example, privately funded disc alternative rates increased sixfold from 6.2 per million people in 2010–2011 to 38.4 per million in 2019–2020.

What are the advantages and harms?

People considering surgery often consider this option before not having surgery. However, only a few studies have been conducted comparing disc alternative surgery with non-surgical treatment.

Clinical trials are the most effective strategy to check whether treatment is effective. You first want to point out that the brand new treatment is higher than doing nothing, before you begin comparing it with other treatments. In the case of surgical procedures, the following step could also be to check the procedure with non-surgical alternatives.

Unfortunately, these crucial first research steps have been largely missed in disc alternative surgery for neck and back pain. As a result, there is great uncertainty about treatment.

We usually are not aware of any clinical trials examining whether disc alternative is effective in treating neck pain in comparison with nothing or in comparison with non-surgical treatment.

For low back pain, the one clinical trial to our knowledge comparing disc alternative with a non-surgical alternative found that disc alternative surgery was barely simpler than an intensive rehabilitation program after two years AND eight years.

Many people experience chronic pain.
Yan Krukau/Pexels

Complications usually are not unusual and may contain artificial disc dislocation, artificial disc fracture (rupture) and infection.

In the above-mentioned clinical study 26 of 77 patients undergoing surgery a complication occurred inside two years of the follow-up visit, including one one who underwent revision surgery, which resulted in damage to an artery resulting in the necessity to amputate the leg. Revision surgery means redoing the unique surgery if something needs repairing.

Are there effective alternatives?

The very first thing to think about is whether surgery is mandatory. searching second opinion can aid you feel higher informed about your options.

Many surgeons view disc alternative as an alternative choice to spinal fusion, and that is the selection often presented to patients. Indeed, the research evidence used to support disk alternative comes primarily from comparative studies disk alternative Down spinal fusion. These studies show that individuals with neck pain can get better and return to work more quickly after a disc alternative in comparison with a spinal fusion procedure, and that individuals with back pain may get barely more pain relief after a disc alternative than after a spinal fusion procedure.

However, spinal fusion is also not well supported by evidence comparing it to non-surgical alternatives and, like disc alternative, is also expensive and carries a significant risk of harm.

Fortunately, latest, non-surgical treatments can be found to patients neck and back pain, which evidence shows are effective – and less expensive than surgery. These include therapies that address each physical and psychological aspects that contribute to a person’s pain, similar to cognitive-functional therapy.



Although Musk reported good immediate results from disk alternative surgery, given the evidence – or lack thereof – we advise caution when considering this surgery. And for those who’re faced with a selection between disc alternative and spinal fusion, you could want to think about a third alternative: no surgery in any respect.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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10 ways to drink water and go about your business

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Water.

We all need it – and need it – for optimal health and well-being, but a shocking number of individuals go about their every day lives (and those working hours) adequately hydrated, and actually not adequately hydrated. One report based on medical opinion revealed that as many as 75% of Americans can do it suffer from chronic dehydration.

“Over time, not drinking enough water can contribute to a range of medical complications, from fatigue, joint pain and weight gain to headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure and kidney disease,” the report said.

Apparently that is the tip of the iceberg of the proverbial dehydration disease.

“During a normal day, we lose about two liters of water just through breathing, sweating and other body functions,” notes board-certified internist Dr. Blanca Lizaola-Mayo. “Even while sleeping, we can lose over a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water weight not only through sweating but also through breathing. Even air conditioning causes our body to dry out. The health consequences of dehydration are enormous and can range from mild to severe, including problems with the heart, blood pressure and breathing, headaches and cognitive problems such as concentration… just to name a few. Those who feel the “afternoon slump” should know that dehydration is the main cause of fatigue during the day. It’s important to understand that when we first feel thirsty, we are already close to 2% dehydrated.”

For all its importance, proper hydration is a fragile balance that should be maintained. Institute of Medicine the report indicated the weakness of maintaining adequate body hydration, noting: “Body water deficiency may occur within hours due to reduced water intake or increased water loss due to physical activity and exposure to environmental factors (e.g. heat).” So a superbly hydrated body can turn the scales right into a state of dehydration in a reasonably short time period, either actively (as in exercise) or passively (as in respiratory).

Here are some insights and suggestions from distinguished health experts to assist you to stay happily hydrated:

How much water do you would like?

According to Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics“Many factors influence how much water you need, including age, gender, activity level and overall health. For women, the total amount of water is about 11.5 cups per day and for men, about 15.5 cups. However, these estimates include fluids consumed from both food and beverages, including water. You usually get about 20% of the water you need from the food you eat. With this in mind, women need about nine glasses of fluid a day and men need about 12.5 cups to replace the amount of water lost.”

What are probably the most common causes of dehydration?

According to Mayonnaise clinic“Sometimes dehydration happens for simple reasons: you don’t drink enough because you’re sick or busy, or because you don’t have access to safe drinking water while traveling, hiking or camping.” While that is actually not exhaustive, known causes of dehydration may include sweating during exercise and sports; air travel; traveling in excessively hot, humid, cold or windy weather; drinking an excessive amount of coffee and other diuretic drinks; recovering from a hangover; and a litany of other relatively common every day activities.

Do all fluids hydrate the body?

NO Cleveland Clinic may be very clear in its suggestion that “Some drinks are better than others at preventing dehydration” and that “alcoholic and caffeinated beverages equivalent to coffee, tea and cola are usually not beneficial for optimal hydration. These fluids tend to draw water from the body and promote dehydration. Fruit juices and fruit drinks may contain too many carbohydrates, too little sodium and may cause stomach upset. Proper hydration will make your summer activities safer and way more enjoyable.

What are the advantages of proper hydration?

While the advantages of a properly hydrated body are many, CDC highlights several key health advantages, including maintaining a standard temperature; lubrication and cushioning of joints, protection of the spinal cord and other sensitive tissues; and removal of waste through urination, sweating, and bowel movements. Healthline also offers a spread of evidence-based health advantages of drinking loads of water, which include maximizing physical performance; optimized energy levels and mood; and supporting digestion and excretion.

However, make sure to drink water, as Dr. Lizaola-Mayo warns: “Drinking too much water or fluids can lead to hyponatremia, which causes dilution and too low sodium levels in cells, which can be dangerous and even life-threatening. – if it is not treated.”

What are the signs of early or mild dehydration?

The nonprofit Rehydration Project states that “the severity of dehydration is assessed by signs and symptoms that reflect the amount of fluid lost. In the early stages of dehydration, there are no symptoms. Early symptoms are difficult to detect but include dry mouth and thirst. As dehydration increases, signs and symptoms appear.”

What are the signs of moderate or severe dehydration?

Who is most prone to dehydration?

No one is immune to the condition of dehydration, but some populations are at greater risk. The (*10*)Mayonnaise clinic indicates infants and children, the elderly, people affected by chronic diseases and people working or exercising outdoors.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is time to call your doctor should you or a loved one “has had diarrhea for twenty-four hours or more; is irritable or confused and way more sleepy or less energetic than usual; I can not keep fluids down; and/or has bloody or black stools.”

How to develop into a water conscious customer?

The USDA recommends consumers to make smart purchases. “Use the nutrition label when selecting drinks on the food market. The food label and ingredient list includes information about added sugars, saturated fat, sodium and calories to assist you to make higher decisions.

There are also highly effective and cost-effective dehydration prevention and treatment innovations that could be integrated into your lifestyle and used every day. Experts from SOS hydration explains that its medical-grade powder formula accelerates hydration comparable to an intravenous drip, ensuring your body is fully hydrated 3 times faster than drinking water alone. This product’s enhanced hydration process utilizes the body’s digestive “sodium-glucose co-transport system” – oral rehydration therapy (ORT) approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

Can Food Help Stay Hydrated?

Yes, the body gets hydration not only from water and other fluids, but in addition from food – some contain as much as 90% water. According to Academy of Nutrition and Dieteticsthose with 90-100% water content include fruits equivalent to cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon; in addition to vegetables equivalent to lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach and cooked pumpkin. Options with 70% to 89% water content include fruits equivalent to bananas, grapes, oranges, pears and pineapples; vegetables equivalent to carrots, cooked broccoli and avocado; and dairy products equivalent to yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese.

For beverages, EatRight.org recommends specializing in unsweetened beverages, equivalent to water, to limit calories from added sugars, and using strategies to increase water intake, equivalent to adding a flavor enhancer.

Can sports drinks really worsen hydration?

Yes. Why pay extra cash for excess sugar once you really want electrolytes?

“In fact, only a very small amount of sugar is needed to transport electrolytes and water into cells as part of the sodium-glucose co-transport system,” says Dr. Lizaola-Mayo. “In fact, this method is effective when it uses a mixture of 1 sugar molecule and one sodium molecule, which helps create the fastest and most effective way to transport water to cells for hydration. Even water rehydration and other beverages that really use the sodium-glucose co-transport system have been like this shown contain excess sugar to improve taste, apparently ignoring the incontrovertible fact that this added sugar proportionally increases the calorie count and it does undermines H2O absorption by the cell.

“If there is excess sugar in a drink, even one formulated as a rehydration solution, reverse osmosis can be caused,” the doctor continues. This process occurs when there’s an abnormal sugar to sodium balance. Sodium all the time follows sugar and water all the time follows sodium. In a properly balanced drink (using the sodium and glucose co-transport system), water and electrolytes optimally flow to the cells. This is the case in high-sugar “hydration” drinks an excessive amount of sugar due to the quantity of sodium and as such sodium and then water is definitely flushed out of the cells and excreted from the body as urine. This can actually cause dehydration – the alternative effect of a hydration drink or sports drink that somebody has spent their hard-earned money on.”

Whether you are indoors or outdoors, energetic or resting, affected by an illness or completely healthy, one thing is evident: keeping sources of water readily available and consuming it frequently (and consistently) can have a hugely useful effect on your health and well-being.

It is easy and easily accessible help for a lot of diseases.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Delicious wines and cocktails to drink in May depending on your zodiac sign

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Another month on the horizon means one other probability to drink a brand new cocktail or finally give a wine you have been eyeing up a probability. And what higher way to select a cocktail than based on your zodiac sign?

“A person’s choice of drink reveals more than just their personality,” says Diego de la Vega Fernandez, co-founder of the corporate Zomoz Mezcal. In short, it’s a window into whether or not they are party enthusiasts, bohemian spirits, hipsters or just connoisseurs of refined tastes.

Between Cinco de Mayo and the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, there is no shortage of opportunities to enjoy a bottle or place an order on the bar. Check out our beneficial libations for a toast.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

To tackle gender-based violence, we also need to look at drugs, trauma and mental health

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Following several highly publicized alleged murders of ladies in Australia, the Albanian government made such a commitment this week over AUD 925 million over five years to address men’s violence against women. This includes up to $5,000 to support people escaping violent relationships.

However, to reduce and prevent gender-based and intimate partner violence, we also need to address the basis causes and perpetrators. These include alcohol and other drugs, trauma and mental health problems.

Why is this significant?

World Health Organization estimates 30% women world wide have experienced intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, or each. In Australia, 27% women you might have experienced intimate partner violence from a cohabiting partner; almost 40% Australian children are at risk of domestic violence.

By gender-based violence we mean violence or intentionally harmful behavior directed against an individual due to their gender. However, intimate partner violence specifically refers to violence and harassment that happens between current (or former) romantic partners. Domestic violence can extend beyond intimate partners to other relations.

These statistics underscore the urgent need to address not only the implications of such violence, but also its roots, including the experiences and behaviors of perpetrators.

What is the reference to mental health, trauma and drugs?

The links between mental illness, drug use, trauma and violence are complex.

When we look specifically at the link between mental illness and violence, most individuals with mental illness won’t change into violent. However, there’s evidence that individuals with serious mental illness could also be more likely to use violence.

Using alcohol and other drugs also increases the chance of domestic violence, including intimate partner violence.

ABOUT one in three incidents of intimate partner violence in a conjugal relationship are related to alcohol. They are more likely to end in physical harm and hospitalization. The risk of committing violence is even greater for individuals who also suffer from mental illness using alcohol or other drugs.

It is also vital to consider traumatic experiences. Most individuals who have experienced trauma don’t commit acts of violence, but such cases do occur high stakes trauma in individuals who change into aggressive.

For example, experiences of childhood trauma (reminiscent of witnessing physical abuse) may increase the chance committing domestic violence in maturity.

Childhood trauma can leave a mark on adult life years later.
Roman Januszewski/Shutterstock

Early traumatic experiences can affect the brain and body response to stress, which leads to increased fear and threat perception and difficulty regulating emotions. This may end up in aggressive reactions when faced with conflict or stress.

This stress response increases your risk problems with alcohol and drugsdeveloping Post-traumatic stress disorder (post-traumatic stress disorder) and increases the chance committing violence by a partner.

How can we solve these overlapping problems?

We can reduce intimate partner violence by addressing these overlapping issues and eliminating the basis causes and contributing aspects to violence.

Early intervention and treatment mental illness, injury (including post-traumatic stress disorder) and using alcohol and other drugs, could help reduce violence. Therefore, additional investments are needed. We also need more investment prevent mental health problemsand, above all, stopping the event of alcohol and drug use disorders.

A female psychologist or counselor talks to a male patient
Early intervention and treatment for mental illness, trauma and drug use is significant.
Okrasiuka/Shutterstock

Trauma prevention from coming forward and supporting vulnerable people is crucial to ending what can often change into a vicious cycle of intergenerational trauma and violence.
Safe and supportive environments and relationships can protect children from mental health problems or further violence as they grow up and form their very own intimate relationships.

We also have to acknowledge that that is common impact of trauma and its impact on mental health, drug use and violence. This needs to be incorporated into policies and practices to reduce the variety of people who find themselves re-traumatized.

What about programs for perpetrators?

Most existing standard intervention programs for perpetrators not be taken under consideration links between trauma, mental health and intimate partner violence. Such programs normally have small Or mixed effects in regards to the perpetrators’ behavior.

But we could improve these programs with coordinated approach including concurrent treatment of mental illness, drug use and trauma.

Such “multiple” programs promise to significantly reduce violent behavior. However, we need more rigorous and large-scale evaluations of their effectiveness.

What needs to occur next?

It is crucial to each support surviving victims and improve interventions for perpetrators. However, intervention when violence occurs might be too late.

We must shift our efforts towards a broader, holistic approach to stopping and reducing intimate partner violence, including addressing the foremost perpetrators of violence we have described.

We also need to take a broader look at stopping intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.

We need developmentally appropriate education and skills-based programs for adolescents to prevent unhealthy relationship patterns from emerging before they change into established.

We also need to address social determinants of health that contribute to violence. This includes improving access to reasonably priced housing, employment opportunities and available health care support and treatment options.

All of this will likely be crucial if we are to break the cycle of intimate partner violence and improve outcomes for victims.


This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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