WHERE CAN I TURN FOR HELP?
QA &
with SOPHIA BONG
Question: I am ready to make some physical changes in my life, but I am busy so I need to be efficient with my efforts. What burns more calories: cardio or weight training? – F. A., Flint SOPHIA ANSWERS: This is a common question when people want
to get the most bang for their efforts in the shortest amount of time. Although visually you see the sweat dripping off your body after cardio, and assume that counts for something, the answer to your question is weight training burns more calories. To compare apples to apples, we have to keep the variable time as a constant, like 30 minutes of exercise, doing“ metabolic resistance” training vs. high-intensity interval training, which burns more calories than straight cardio. Strength training gives your metabolism a boost due to the energy required to repair the tiny tears that occur in the muscles during your workout. Also, the lean muscle you build will continue burning more calories as you go through life.
QUESTION: Is Ditropan linked with dementia? – L. B., Pontiac SOPHIA ANSWERS: This question was raised in a letter from a
reader who has been taking Ditropan for 30 years. It is a bladder-control medication commonly used by people with spinal cord injuries.
There is in fact a study that has linked anticholinergic use with dementia. What I suggest to my clients at STAR Rehab is to speak to their urologists about different options that don’ t have the side effects of short-term memory loss.
An alternative option is Botox. The procedure lasts between six to eight months, before having to be repeated. It may take a few times before reaching its maximum effects. It can be done in a doctor’ s office using a cystoscope.
A catheter rigged with a mini-camera and tiny syringe is passed through the urethra and 30 to 40 injections are spaced around the bladder wall. Within a week, spasms are blocked, created by a flaccid bladder. Those individuals susceptible to autonomic dysreflexia might have to have the brief procedure done in a hospital setting.
QUESTION: I have a client who gets phantom pain in his residual limb. He has tried various medications but wants to try a more holistic approach since the medications don’ t seem to help. D. L. of Walled Lake asks: What are some of the things you have suggested to the clients in your rehab clinic to minimize this issue? SOPHIA ANSWERS: Well, first of all let’ s address the word
“ phantom.” Phantom limb pain( PLP) refers to ongoing painful sensations that seem to be coming from the part of the limb that is no longer there. Although the limb is gone, the pain is REAL!
Unlike pain that is caused by trauma directly to a limb, PLP is caused by mixed signals from the brain / spinal cord. Although the person’ s limb was amputated, the signal traveling to / from the limb to the brain is still attached on the other end, and still travels the body to the residual area. It is believed that nearly 80 percent of the amputee population has experienced this kind of pain.
Some non-medication treatments for PLP are acupuncture, biofeedback, frequent massage of the residual limb, use of a shrinker( sock or wrap), mirror-box therapy( artificial visual feedback), TENS( Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) units and plenty of hydration.
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Submit your questions for next issue of Innovative Health Magazine, and all issues following! E-mail to Sophia Bong at Sophia @ innovativehealthmag. com.
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Innovative Health- Winter 2017