Tai Chi and Chronic Pain

Here are some top tips on how to live to 100.  These tips are from Dr Claudia Kawas at the University of California, on of the world's leading scientific researchers into longevity and scientists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the scientists working on the Blue Zone project. Scientists studying lonevity are tyring to answer the question why doesn one person live until they are 94 while another dies at 75.  Dr Claudia Kawas has spent 15 years studying "super-agers" - those who live until into their nineties and beyond while keeping their minds sharp.  By studying the lifestyles of these "super-agers" scientists have discovered some common lifestyle habits and traits including:

1. Drinking two cups of coffee a day
2. Don't over eat
3. Get out and socialise including talking to strangers
4. Drink two glases of wine a day
5. 15 mins of light exercise a day
6. Positive thinking or optimistic outlook in life
7. Resilience when bad things happen
8. Having a purpose/ belief in life
9. Put others including family first
10. Be with the "right" people for you
11. Healthy eating i.e. more plant based diets

References Nature, 2017; 546 (7660); E8; doi: 10.1038/nature22786

We all know we need to maintain good posture, but what exactly is good standing posture? Good standing posture When standing, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
• Pull in your abdomen.
• Keep your feet about hip distance apart.
• Balance your weight evenly on both feet.
• Let your hands hang naturally at your sides.

Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways, and make sure your knees are relaxed — not locked.

Take the wall test

To test your standing posture, take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall, and have your heels about 2 to 4 inches (about 5 to 10 centimeters) away from the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall. Ideally, you'll feel about one hand's thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there's too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten the curve in your back. If there's too little space, arch your back so that your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall while maintaining this posture. Keep it up throughout your daily activities.

Check out your reflection

To see if you're keeping your shoulders straight, stand in front of a mirror. Aim to keep your shoulders square and relaxed.

It all adds up

Although good posture should be natural, you might feel wooden or stiff at first if you've forgotten the sensation of standing up straight. The key is to practice good posture all the time.  Remember its never to late to start practicing good posture.  

Recently a scientific study (see details below) was published which evaluated the physiological anxiety signs and sedation needs of patients in intensive care units in a Turkish hospital.

Title:	Reflexology: It’s effects on Physiological Anxiety Signs and Sedation Needs
Journal:	Holistic Nursing Practioner
Authors:	E. Korhan, L. Khorshid, M Uyar
Reference:	2014; 28 (1);6-23
Study Type:	Randomised Controlled Trial - with control group receiving no treatment

Background It is an accepted medical fact that when it is necessary to mechanically ventilate patients in intensive care units of hospitals, the patients experience stress and anxiety.  It is standard medical practice to relieve anxiety, pain, agitation with sedatives to ensure patient comfort. Sedatives however also have side effects causing high blood pressure, slow heart beat, coma, respiratory depression, muscle weakness and atrophy, increased risk of pneumonia, kidney problems and immunosuppression. It may also prolong the need for ventilation which in turn increases the risk of complications. Method 60 patients were split into two groups one of which was the control group.  Sedation (Propofol) was reduced 30 min before treatment (or no treatment) which resulted in patients with mixed consciousness to which the outcome measure was administered. This was the American Association of critical care nurses sedation assessment scale (AACNSAS) and the vital signs recorded. Reflexology applied to ears, hands and feet bilaterally was given twice a day for a total of 30 minutes per day, over 5 days. The reflexology focussed on the brain, cortex, hypothalamus, hypophysis and subcortex; areas though to influence anxiety, agitation and stress response. No reflexology was given to the control group but the sedation was reduced and all the same measurements were taken. Results The physiological signs of anxiety and stress i.e. blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate were are reduced in the group that received reflexology on each of the 5 days.  In addition there was a reduction in the requirement for sedatives in the group that received reflexology. Conclusions These findings ‘show that reflexology is an effective treatment in reducing the physiological signs of anxiety and stress in patients receiving mechanically ventilated support.’ This study provides scientific evidence to underpin the idea that reflexology has a beneficial effect on anxiety and stress.