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Fitness-Exercise-Data

The Top Big Data Issues – and How Wellness Can Do Them Better

/21 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Big data is here to stay within the healthcare profession.  More and more engineers and data programmers are being hired to sift through the myriad of data that consumes the field.  Of concern to executives at the top are certain attributes of healthcare that may need “fixing”.  The aspects of this report are to highlight what are perceived as the biggest concerns in healthcare, and how the wellness industry – if they can stay on track – can supersede all of these types of issues as they transition to the data analytics side of their health offerings.  

#1 – In network utilization.  

This is a very big concern for hospital systems and physician network groups, as patients have a tendency to switch providers if they think they will get better service, better medicine, or better prices.  One of the reasons is that most patient contracts don’t require patients to stay in a network – which puts the responsibility of good care, competitive prices, and follow ups squarely on the doctors.   If patients are unhappy with their doctor or practice for any reason, they can leave.  Now that these organizations are getting bigger and more complex – it’s easier to see why patients may become disgruntled, and try to find a better solution in a private practice, or smaller group or hospital practice. 

From the wellness side – it’s not uncommon for health club members to stay at their club or studio for years.  Prices don’t change that much, and most members have a very personal relationship with their instructors and club owners.  They have group classes, personal exercise programs, child care, plenty of free parking, and clean facilities that provide some of the latest in technology every few years.  So – should healthcare systems look to health clubs to see why people stay in clubs longer?  Perhaps they should be partnering with these health clubs for specific programs for their patients.

#2 – Customer satisfaction.  

This is a priority in most businesses.  Hospitals and physician practices are no exception.  However, most people still associate going to the doctors with being sick.  So there is already an inherent negative connotation to the doctor’s office.  Therefore physicians need more than a lab coat and a prescription to make sure patients are getting what they need.  They need a team-orientated approach that can help with the issue NOW, and use the team to follow up with the patient to make sure the situation and health concerns are taken care of over time.

Again – the health and fitness industry is concerned about customer satisfaction.  With cut-rate gym memberships, and a new club coming into communities almost every month, clubs and owners need to offer clean facilities, professional trainers and instructors, and technologically advanced equipment that doesn’t break down and that is easy for members to take advantage of.  The issue between the two programs – is that although some exercise programs push the body and may be painful – it’s a good pain and the rewards of long term participation should be better health and less risk of using the healthcare system over time.  It’s the old adage of “pay me now, or pay me later” axiom, and more people are willing to put their trust in health clubs – and the risk of injury or illness or death is extremely low compared to even trips to the doctor’s office. 

#3 – Looking at the mounting data to convene the best possible approach to patient care.  

Again – this is a huge concern in healthcare – that doctors can’t read the thousands of new studies that come out in their field each month, so they rely more and more on their clinical experience (which may be a good thing), but they will stick to the tried and true methods they have always been using, and may not prescribe the most effective type of treatment for their patients.  Big data in many instances can do two things – one is look over millions of studies in a particular field, and two – through machine learning, hone in on what may be the best type of treatment plan for a particular patient, based on their age, severity of disease, family history, weight, and other factors.  This is a powerful tool to help doctors prescribe and treat better.

However, it’s still the same paradigm.  They are looking over medical studies, many of which may not be in the best interest of the patient.  One of the most cited studies in medicine came in 2005 when Stanford epidemiologist John Ionnidis reported that the majority of medical research finding are false, because they have inherent bias from their authors, their findings are not statistically significant, they were published by industry officials, and are not relevant, and conclusions may not match the actual results of these very papers.  Ionnidis opened the floodgates for many professionals who have gone after medical research and institutions for publishing false studies.  It is estimated that almost 40% of medical research studies are false, in that their findings do not hold relevance regarding the enhancement of patient care.

In contrast, sports medicine has been methodological in its research for a century – from the basis of treadmill cardiac and performance testing in the 1930s, to the onset of physical activity studies in the 1950s and 60s, to cardiac rehab and exercise safety studies in the 1980s, to the onset of exercise for special population groups in the 1990s.  There are very few reports on sports medicine research fraud, and the foundation of this research usually shows some level of benefit to those who participate.  In almost all cases, no harm is done to subjects while performing these studies.  This has now transitioned into many successful clinical health club programs for persons with cancer (Sunflower Wellness, Cancer Well-fit, Fast Trac Cancer Program), spinal cord injury (Claremont Club), multiple sclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, weight management, bariatric recovery, and medical fitness in general. 

#4 – Cost savings. 

 One of the biggest attributes of big data and population health is to drive policymakers and physicians to deliver the highest quality care at the most competitive prices.  In many opinions, this is a misnomer of sorts, and medicine is continually advancing technology, which is very expensive, and works through a third party reimbursement system — which is many times more expensive than if they offered the service or procedure or product at market value.  Many hospitals are undergoing facelifts (no pun intended) and look more like five-star hotels than medical centers.  All of these amenities cost the patient and insurance pool more money.  This is why healthcare costs usually rise at more than twice the rate of inflation, and have some of the highest costs of any industrialized business model.

As far as health and fitness, the rate of price changes for the average health club has held steady at just below inflation for years.  The prices for café food, personal training, specialty exercise, or apparel has also held steady.  Even with the rush of new technologies for equipment and personal monitoring devices (such as FitBit), prices have remained constant. 

Big data in the health and fitness setting should be concentrated on health outcomes.  There are many software programs in the industry now that look at finances, front desk management, club administration, and human resources.  They do their functions well.

If big data is going to continue to look at all aspects of healthcare, and continue to miss the boat regarding improved patient health and well-being, then no amount of data can help repair the continual dysfunction that exists between an over-burdened and (in many opinions) under caring system, and the continued increase in poor health in the US.  Prescribing more pain meds, vaccines, or antibiotics will not help improve health – and in many cases is making health worse. 

The health and fitness profession is on the mark moving into the realm of special populations at every level.  As the amount of population health and data analytics becomes a more ingrained part of wellness, we will see at many levels how these types of interventions improve health, reduce costs, and vastly improve patient satisfaction and retention to their favorite health club, exercise program, or personal trainer. 

Eric Durak is President of MedHealthFit – a health care education and consulting company in Santa Barbara, CA. A 25 year veteran of the health and fitness industry, he has worked in health clubs, medical research, continuing education, and business development. Among his programs include The Cancer Fit-CARE Program, Exercise Medicine, The Insurance Reimbursement Guide, and Wellness @ Home Series for home care wellness.

 

References

https://www.optum.com/content/dam/optum3/optum/en/resources/gated/Optum_NYUPN_Topic_Spotlight.pdf

Ionnidis, JPA.  Why most published research findings are false.  2005.  PLoS Medicine.  Aug. 30. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124

 

foot-pain

Why Do My Feet Hurt?

/20 October 2021/ All MFN blog/


Many of you reading this are going to experience a foot problem at some point in your lifetime. Some of you are even going to develop a chronic condition that will introduce your body to a new level of suffering. Ever heard the old saying – “when your feet hurt, you hurt all over”?

The tendency for most of you will be to try to figure out what is wrong, and find a way to alleviate your discomfort. You may self-treat with over the counter products such as insoles, anti-inflammatory or pain medicine. Some of you will seek professional advice from your primary doctor or a specialist. A lot of you will look for answers online, to determine a diagnosis.

After doing this you may think that you’re going to get to the solution you’re after, but in actuality there’s something that should be looked at long before pursuing any of the steps mentioned above. From the 22 years I’ve been taking care of people’s feet, I can tell you that there is a key piece of information many never find. It’s honestly something few know about, but it’s much more likely to be causing your foot troubles.

The fit of your shoes

Yes, the commonly accepted shape of shoes and the method of assigning your feet a number and letter, based upon measurements with the Brannock device, are the most likely reasons for your foot pain. Why? Having your feet measured in this way ignores the natural shape of your feet, and guarantees that you will change this natural shape and inhibit proper function. For many of you this started in infancy, but because of the amazing compensatory abilities of your feet you are likely able to function fairly well in unnatural alignment. For a while, that is.

Picture from CorrectToes

Studies show that about 75% of people in the United States have foot pain at some point in their lives. When that day comes for you to experience your own personal suffering; instead of resorting to the means mentioned above, perform a free and simple in home test to show yourself the most likely reason for your pain.

We perform this test on every patient that comes in to our clinic, and the majority of their feet spread beyond the sock liner. This ensures that their feet are going to be misaligned, because the upper part of the shoe is the same shape as the sock liner.

This goes for you men as well. Even in athletic shoes.

So when your feet begin to hurt – resist the temptation to self-medicate, seek professional advice or try to figure out your diagnosis, until you have checked the fit of your shoes.

Be skeptical of any advice or treatment of your foot pain that does not include aligning your feet naturally. Your feet are designed to be widest at the ends of the toes, so be wary of any professional who ascribes your foot pain to genetics, biomechanics or overuse, but fails to ensure that your feet are aligned as they are naturally designed to be. It is impossible to achieve lifelong foot health and ignore this basic anatomic fact.

Originally printed on the Correct Toes blog. Reprinted with permission.

Dr. Ray McClanahan’s practice, Northwest Foot & Ankle in Portland, Oregon, allows him to care for those who find their highest joy when in motion. In his 18 years as a podiatrist, he has learned that most foot problems can be corrected by restoring natural foot function. He is also the inventor of Correct Toes, silicone toe spacers. His professional goal is to provide quality natural foot health services with an emphasis on sports medicine, preventative and conservative options as well as education on proper footwear.

Dr. McClanahan is an active runner and athlete. In 1999, he finished 14th in the U.S. National Men’s Cross-Country Championships and had a near Olympic Trials qualifying 5,000 meter mark of 13:56 in 2000. He then qualified for the World Duathlon Championships in 2001.”

senior-couple-walking

Key Exercises and Training for Aging Successfully and Living Your Best Life

/14 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

As the years roll by, nothing has become clearer to me than the fact that aging successfully requires a lot of work. When it comes to our bodies, nothing rings truer than, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” This is particularly true not only when it comes to preventing declines arising from disuse, but also when trying to slow down the normal impacts of aging. 

The function of our bodily systems peaks at around age 25 and declines over time. As a result, your maximal aerobic capacity decreases, even with constant training, reflective of declines in maximal heart rate. In addition, your balance ability gets worse (particularly after age 40), bones get thinner, muscles atrophy, reflexes get slower, and recovery from workouts takes longer. Aging is not for sissies, but it beats the alternative!

The good news is that it is possible to slow the rapid decline of these systems by changing how you live your life. By including regular physical training, better nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress management, you can delay or prevent a lot of normal aging and reverse decrements caused by inactivity, neglect, disuse, and abuse of our bodies. The only caveat is that we can’t control or reverse neurological decline.

It starts to seem like preventing additional declines from inactivity or inadequate training gets to be a full-time job as you get older and you have to keep adding in additional exercises, stretches, and activities. A fitness instructor recently confirmed that it’s a bit like playing whack-a-mole: fix one weak area or physical problem and another one pops up. Welcome to aging!

So what can you do to live your best life both physically and mentally? I would suggest adding at least these (and many other) critical exercises to your weekly routine:

Cardiorespiratory fitness: Cardio workouts with faster training intervals

In addition to doing regular cardio activities like walking, cycling, and swimming, add in some faster intervals into any workout, such as walking faster for 10 to 60 seconds at a time during your normal walk or doing a hill profile on a cardio training machine. Doing so will increase your fitness more and improve insulin sensitivity for longer. It’s also fine to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) at least once a week, but start out slowly and progress slowly to prevent injuries and demotivation. Not all your workouts should be equally intense, and varying your aerobic activities also lowers the risk of getting injured.

Muscular strength and endurance: Resistance training exercises

It is easy to work on your muscle strength and muscle endurance by doing a series of resistance exercises targeting your major muscle groups (in the upper body, lower body, and core areas). Pick at least 8 to 10 exercises that cover all these areas and do them at least two to three days per week. It’s fine to use your own body weight, household items (like full water bottles), hand weights, or resistance bands as resistance—you don’t have to have access to a gym or leave home. Adding in these exercises to your weekly routine is critical to aging well and being able to live independently throughout your entire lifespan.

Balance ability: Standing on one leg at a time (and other balance exercises)

This simple exercise involves standing on one leg for a minute, switching to the other leg, and repeating. Have something you can grab onto nearby, such as the back of a chair. You can hold on with both hands, one hand, one finger, or nothing as you get better at balancing. To challenge yourself, move your free leg in different directions (e.g., out front, to the side, behind you) while standing on the other one, or practice standing on uneven surfaces, such as a cushion. If your balance ability is really getting to be an issue, include other balance training activities each week as well.

Joint mobility and cartilage health: Stretches for all your joints

Do a series of flexibility exercises that stretch your joints in all their normal directions to maintain and increase their range of motion. With aging, we are all losing flexibility and diabetes can accelerate this loss when extra glucose sticks to joint surfaces (cartilage) over time and makes them more brittle. Try to stretch at least two to three days per week. The older you get, the longer you should hold each stretch (up to a minute on each one), and you may need to add in specialized stretches (such as for your calves or hips) to really work tighter joints to enhance your mobility and balance ability.

Bone strength: Weight-bearing activities and/or resistance training exercises

Your bones stay stronger when you put normal stress on them regularly, such as carrying your own body weight around when walking or jogging or doing resistance exercises with your upper body or carrying grocery bags. If you stay sedentary, your bones will lose minerals faster and get thinned out more quickly, and non-weight-bearing activities like swimming and cycling just don’t have the ability to build bone as much as weight-bearing ones. Try to adequately stress your bones to stimulate the bone mineral density to stay higher—at least two to three days per week.

Basic mobility and self-care: Wall sits and/or sit-to-stand exercise

Until you start to get older, you seldom think about how difficult it can be to get up out of a chair or off the sofa. Many older people get heavier and weaker and start to have trouble doing these basic maneuvers, which are critical to living well independently. To improve your ability, practice doing wall sits, which involves sitting against a wall with your hips and knees at 90 degree angles and your feet straight below your knees for as long as you can. This exercise will also help prevent knee pain and problems. Alternatively, you can do sit-to-stand exercises where you sit on the edge of an armless chair and practice getting up without using your arms. (This is also often called the “getting up from the toilet” exercise.)

Sexual enjoyment (and incontinence): Kegel exercises

Also known as pelvic floor muscle training, Kegel exercises can help with stress incontinence (i.e., urinating a little when sneezing or laughing) and normal incontinence (both urinary or fecal), and they may enhance your sexual pleasure to boot. The easiest way to identify the pelvic floor muscles is to stop your urine flow while urinating or tighten the muscles that keep you from passing gas. To do Kegels, imagine you are sitting on a marble and pretend you’re lifting it up by tightening your pelvic muscles and holding them contracted for as long as you can; do this a few times in a row. When your muscles get stronger, you can do these exercises while sitting, standing, or walking. Both men and women can and should do Kegel exercises regularly.

Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, is the author of The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes: Expert Advice for 165 Sports and Activities (the newest edition of Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook). She is also the author of Diabetes & Keeping Fit for Dummies, co-published by Wiley and the ADA. A professor emerita of exercise science from Old Dominion University and an internationally recognized diabetes motion expert, she is the author of 12 books, 34 book chapters, and over 420 articles. She was honored with the 2016 American Diabetes Association Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Contact her via her websites (SheriColberg.com and DiabetesMotion.com).

Young woman having knee pain

Women Are More Susceptible To ACL Injuries: 5 Essential Exercises To Minimize The Risk

/7 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Women have different biomechanics due to a slightly wider pelvis, which means their knees buckle more easily when landing from a jump. Women have looser joints, which is a risk factor for knee problems, and muscular, strength and hormonal issues also play a part.

The ACL provides the knee joint with stability and rotational control during movement. When an ACL tear happens, hearing or feeling a ‘pop’ at the time of injury is common. This is followed by localized swelling at the knee joint.

An ACL injury can occur in several ways:

  • Rapid change of direction
  • Sudden stop
  • Sudden deceleration while running
  • Landing incorrectly after a jump
  • Hyperextension of the knee
  • Direct contact or collision while playing a sport

If you experience any sharp or sudden pain at the knee, especially during sports or from a fall, follow the First Aid RICE protocol immediately — Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate — and seek medical attention immediately.

There isn’t much you can do once the injury happens, but there are ways to minimize the chance of it happening in the first place. Prevention is better than cure so focus on strengthening the kinetic chain and muscles around the knee. If you do lots of sport with plyometric movements, ensure your technique and form is correct, and include agility drills for neuromuscular control.

Here are 5 essential exercises to help stabilize and strengthen your knees, hips and glutes, which in turn will help prevent an ACL injury.

Single Leg Deadlift

Ensure that your knee doesn’t buckle and aim to keep your hips level. Keep your spine neutral and braced throughout the entire movement while maintaining balance.

Elevated Hip Raise

This exercise targets the hamstrings and calves. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the range of movements.

Walking Leg Lunges with Torso Rotation

Maintain an upright torso with your hips squared. If you feel a sharp pain in your knee at any time during this exercise, stop and seek advice from a qualified trainer.

Lateral Squats

Begin by placing your feet wide apart, then shift your weight from left to right while placing most of your body weight on the heels of your feet. If you feel a sharp pain in your knee at any time during this exercise, stop and seek advice from a qualified trainer.

 

Reprinted with permission from www.purelyb.com

Ke Wynn Lee is an author and an international award-winning corrective exercise specialist who currently owns and operates a private Medical Fitness Center in Penang. Apart from coaching, he also conducts workshops and actively contributes articles related to corrective exercise, fitness & health to online media and local magazines.

heart-illustration

Cholesterol and Heart Disease | Fact Sheet from PCRM

/1 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease daily, with an average of one death occurring every 37 seconds. In 2018, roughly one out of every 10 Americans over the age of 20 had some type of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease, heart failure, and/or stroke), and one out of every seven deaths in the United States was due to coronary heart disease alone.

pumpkins

Roasted Mini Pumpkins filled with Ice Cream

/30 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

Roasted mini pumpkins make the perfect fall dessert vessel. The entire pumpkin is edible and packed with anti-aging phytonutrients. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring “fountain of youth” and pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources. When you’re preparing your pumpkin bowls don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting.

Pumpkin Bowls

  • 4 mini pumpkins
  • 2 tbls coconut oil or vegan butter
  • 1 tbls coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp pink salt
  • 2 drops of vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill roasting pan with ¼” water. Wash and dry pumpkins and shave a little off the bottom of each to create a stable base. Cut off top, clean out seeds and pulp. Pat the inside dry with paper towels. Warm oil, cinnamon, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Brush the prepared pumpkins inside and out with cinnamon mixture. Place pumpkins into water bath and top with lids. Roast until tender and caramelized. The aroma fills your home with holiday spirit.

Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5-7 minutes. Place each one onto a dessert plate and fill with your favorite ice cream. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I like a little orange zest, too.

Phyte Facts

Say hello to the real “fountain of youth” — hyaluronic acid (HA) is just that, says the latest research. Three nutrients have to be present for the body to assimilate and benefit from HA. Pumpkin has it all going on: Magnesium, Phytoestrogen, and the phytoflavanoid, Naringenin. Vitamin C and Zinc are big players here, too. HA affects every part of our bodies and super-agers have shown to have it in abundance. Pumpkin seeds are the number one source of quality HA in the seed world. Seeds contain a much higher source of HA than nuts.

The bright orange color shows us the presence of beta-carotene and supports the health of our skin, eyes and immune function. Beta-carotene becomes Vitamin A and Vitamin A becomes Abscisic Acid: a powerful cancer killer. That’s another thing our orange fruit and veggie friends do for us: they check the health of our cells and prevent mutation of cancer cells. The humble sweet potato has the best tracking system of all. Nature is so amazing!

Get more great recipes from Tina Martini — her book, Delicious Medicine: The Healing Power of Food is available to purchase on Amazon. More than a cookbook, combining 20+ years of experience, along with her love of coaching, cooking and teaching, Tina offers unexpected insights into the history and healing power of clean eating, along with recipes to help reduce your risk of disease and improve overall wellness so you can enjoy life!

Affectionately referred to as The Walking Encyclopedia of Human Wellness, Fitness Coach, Strength Competitor and Powerlifting pioneer, Tina “The Medicine Chef” Martini is an internationally recognized Naturopathic Chef and star of the cooking show, Tina’s Ageless Kitchen. Tina’s cooking and lifestyle show has reached millions of food and fitness lovers all over the globe. Over the last 30 years, Tina has assisted celebrities, gold-medal athletes and over-scheduled executives naturally achieve radiant health using The Pyramid of Power: balancing Healthy Nutrition and the healing power of food, with Active Fitness and Body Alignment techniques. Working with those who have late-stage cancer, advanced diabetes, cardiovascular and other illnesses, Tina’s clients are astounded at the ease and speed with which they are able to restore their radiant health. Tina believes that maintaining balance in our diet, physical activity, and in our work and spiritual life is the key to our good health, happiness and overall well being. Visit her website, themedicinechef.com