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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Can psychedelics help you drink less alcohol? Our new study aims to find out

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Psychhedels reminiscent of LSD and psilocybina (Active ingredient in magical mushrooms) is gaining increasingly more attention in psychiatry. Research suggests They can offer therapeutic advantages in conditions reminiscent of depression, anxiety, obsessive and compulsive disorders, dietary disorders and addiction.

Our research team Study whether N, N-Dimetytryptamine (DMT)Quickly acting psychedelic, can help people reduce alcohol consumption.

Alcohol is most frequently Incorrectly used substance in Great Britainpartly since it is legal, widely available and deeply rooted in social culture. While many individuals can enjoy alcohol sparselyIN significant number Fight to control their drinking. For these people, Excessive alcohol consumption It can lead to serious physical, mental and social consequences.

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Traditional treatments don’t work for everybody, which is why we examine alternatives reminiscent of psychedelics, which may allow people to change their behavior in a single transformational experience.



DMT is Metabolized quickly within the body. When administered intravenousThe effects start almost immediately, often in a single to two minutes. However, these effects are short -lived, lasting only ten to 20 minutes.

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Despite the short duration of many users, they describe this experience as very deep. They often report live visions, complex patterns and feeling in one other reality. In some cases, experience leads to a whole change in how they think, feel and perceive the world. For many, this experience is deeply significant and transformational.

But what happens within the brain presently and the way can it affect long -term behavior, reminiscent of a discount in alcohol consumption?



Neuroplasticity and addiction

Our team He is especially all for how psychedelics reminiscent of DMT can help within the context of addiction. One theory is that psychedelics can temporarily increase neuroplasticityBrain ability to create new neural connections. This temporary reinforcement can open a window of flexibility, enabling some people more open to change.

For someone who got stuck in a heavy drinking cycle, this increased plasticity can help them break the old habits and develop healthier behavior. Basically, it might probably offer the brain Opportunity for “again” Sam and disturbing unhealthy patterns underlying addiction.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9fbb19ws0

We also deal with reward and brain motivation systems, which play a key role in addiction. These systems affect the behavior related to pleasure, including food, sex and alcohol.

In individuals with Alcohol consumption disorderThese systems turn out to be hypersensitive to alcohol guidelines, often on the expense of other satisfying experiences. Some early studies He suggests that psychedelics can help “reset” these paths. We test this theory to see if DMT can reduce alcohol consumption by re -calibrating the brain prize system.

To examine these possibilities, we designed a study with drinking heavy, who’re motivated to reduce alcohol consumption. Each participant undergoes a radical screening test to be sure that they’re suitable for testing, and all sessions are conducted in a highly controlled, clinical environment with doctors and experienced researchers supervising this process.

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The study includes three visits to our UCL laboratory. We use through the first and third visit Functional imaging of magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to measure brain activity and observe how different areas of the brain interact.

During scans, participants watch emotionally engaging movies that provide a more natural way of testing brain response compared to abstract tasks. This helps us assess how DMT can affect the brain function in real, emotionally charged situations.

During the second visit, the participants are randomly assigned to receive DMT, placebo or non -pryshedel medicine (D-CykLoserina Or Lisers). It is believed that these subszymical substances are believed Promote neuroplasticity Without inducing full psychedelic effects of DMT.

. The test is double blind – Neither participants nor scientists know which substance is run. This helps to eliminate bias and ensures that the outcomes are as reliable as possible.

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In addition, we measure changes in brain activity during infusion of the drug with electroencephalography (EEG). EEG tracks the brain electrical signals and may help us predict which participants will almost certainly use DMT.

Participants also perform various psychological assessments, including questionnaires and tasks that measure memory, attention, mood and decision making. These data will help us understand how changes in brain function can relate to changes in behavior related to drinking.

What can we hope to discover

We are still within the technique of collecting data, but we’re excited whether DMT can lead to a major reduction in alcohol consumption. As scientists, it’s crucial for us to remain objective and permit the evidence to conduct our conclusions. By maintaining a “blind” test, until all results can be found, we be sure that our arrangements are objective and reliable.

If DMT proves to be effective in helping people to reduce alcohol consumption, especially for many who struggled with other treatments, it might probably pave the best way to a new approach to addiction therapy. Even if the outcomes are ambiguous, they may proceed to provide precious insight into the potential role of psychedels within the treatment of addiction and open new possibilities of future research.

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It is very important to emphasize that these research takes place in a protected, controlled environment. Psychhedels are strong substances, and their effects could be unpredictable, especially outside the clinical settings. They usually are not a “magic ball” and usually are not suitable for everybody. The controlled setting allows us to examine our effects, while minimizing the chance for participants.

Having said that, we imagine in psychhedels offer a special opportunity To higher understand the brain and its ability to change. By examining how transformational experiences can affect behavior, we hope to contribute to the event of simpler treatment of addiction and other mental health conditions.

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

Tina Knowles reveals the diagnosis of breast cancer and reminds people not to “bend over mammograms”

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Tina Knowles reveals the diagnosis of breast cancer and reminds people not to

Ghettos

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Tina Knowles revealed that she was fighting breast cancer. The 71-year-old learned that she had cancer in stage 1 in July 2024. She learned about her diagnosis at a time when she launched the Cécred hair care line along with her daughter Beyoncé.

“It is important not to slow down to your mammograms,” she said during an interview with people. The creator also revealed that she missed mammography. Task group of American preventive services recommended That women aged 40 to 74, who’re exposed to the average risk of breast cancer, receive mammography every 2 years, but you may also get one yr.

“I forgot that I did not go to the test for two years before I thought I did it,” she said – “Because Covid came, they called me and canceled and said, we would call you when we started testing again. I just thought that I did it. So you can’t play with it.”

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Tina revealed a message about her meeting with breast cancer in her diary, which he published on April 22.

“I fought with whether I would share this journey [in the book] Because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think these are many lessons for other women – he says. “And I believe that as women sometimes we’re so busy and we’re so wrapped and running, but you’ve got to go to the test. Because if I did not get the test early, I mean, fascinated with what could occur to me.”

While the news of a loved one could be devastating, Knowles said that her daughters had a realistic response to listening to her diagnosis.

She said that Beyoncé “took it well, remaining positive, and I already felt her mind racing, focusing on this as a task with precision.” Tiny’s second child, Solange said: “Mom, we’ll deal with it.” Additionally, Kelly Rowland who’s close to the matriarch, and her niece Angie Beyinka was also at her side. “My girls have become my team,” she wrote in a newly published book.

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Fortunately, the dressmaker underwent surgery last yr to remove the tumor, and also obtained breast reduction.

“I’m great,” she said. “Without cancer and incredibly blessed that God let me find him early.”

Knowles wants women to remember about regular research – key detection is essential.

“I didn’t know that there was stage 0. I could catch it at stage 0 if I didn’t miss my mammogram,” she said.

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Mama Super Gwiazda also wants people to know you can undergo the difficult terror of health and proceed to go to the top: “I want to show people that you can go and continue to fly.”

Nowadays, the 71-year-old is doing and feels good.

“I’m healthier, I eat better, I lost weight,” she told people.

“I want to give people hope,” Knowles added. “What scares me now is not the best to use every day that I left in this life.”

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

President of HBCU will submit a request for a donor of organs in graduation

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Livingstone College, organ Donation, kidney


President HBCU prays that a member of his school community may also help him find an organ donor.

Dr. Anthony J. Davis, president of Livingstone College, has been fighting kidney failure for almost two years. Since the diagnosis, Davis has undergone almost 10 hours of dialysis treatment at night, and was also juggling the duties of institutions. During the last ceremony of starting Livingstone, May 3 revealed his tragic request for a donor of organs.

“When the Lord is a blessing, the enemy begins to play”, he shared Graduate class, on.

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Davis stays involved in lifting the college and her body, despite his medical failures. He remains to be working on increasing registration and recruitment, remaining at the highest of his goals to lift Livingstone. His term also recorded a donation of two anonymous gifts price $ 10 million per school.

Describing his health journey, he also noticed that none of his members of the family was entitled to a match because of their different blood groups.

“I said, my children, what is happiness? They have a good mother’s appearance and her blood group,” he shared the group’s laughter.

His emotional speech also inspired graduates to beat obstacles that they might encounter in their lives. Davis also began the “Be my match” campaign to assist search. The “Be My Match” initiative encourages those in the HBCU Livcustone community and out of doors of it to get to know a living donor. Davis expressed the hope and faith that his public declaration concerning the need for a donor would cause his community to seek out a match.

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Blacks are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. According to the National Institute of Health, the 2023 annual report showed that this demographic group Accounts 30% of all individuals with final kidney disease (ESKD). Black are also 4 times more exposed to death because of their ECOD than their white counterparts, because of which their ability to seek out a match is more essential than ever.

Bearing in mind these numbers, Davis hopes that his network will strengthen this campaign to the masses to assist the educator and supporter of HBCu save his life. When he finished his powerful and key message, the category of 2025 and Davis hope that in the subsequent era of their lives with latest prosperity.

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This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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