health issues •

Should You Buy A Sit-Stand Desk?

March 18, 2016 By Angelina Stapp

A new health study shows that there is no significant difference between conventional desks and sit stand desks.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – When it comes to pulling long shifts at the desk, perhaps the most important aspect while working is your position. A new study asks the following question: health-wise, what is your best bet? Should you buy a sit-stand desk or just use a regular desk with a comfy chair?

While in college, most student dreams that one day they will be able to get a desk job. The perspective alone sounds fine, but, according to the doctors, such a job can take its toll on our health.

More specifically, the medical researchers have discovered that sitting in a chair for many hours can put a lot of strain on our spinal cord. Moreover, people working desk jobs are more likely to develop cardiovascular issues and to gain weight faster than other.

For this reason, the doctors often said that it’s important to know how to sit in a chair and how long to sit. Usually, doctors recommend their patients that after two hours of work, to take a little break and walk around for 10 to 15 minutes.

The study at hand goes far beyond recapitulating the correct body postures when working 9-to-5 desk jobs. An international team of medical researchers wanted to ascertain if interventions such as sit-stand desks or other devices could, in fact, reduce the risks associated with desk jobs.

For this reason, the team focused their attention on the sit-stand desk, a device that allows the user to sit in an upright position. It may seem pretty uncomfortable, but the team has its reasons to believe that working while standing is not at all related to additional health risks such as musculoskeletal pain or varicose veins.

Moreover, based on their assessment the design of a desk hardly influences productivity. In order to see how sit-stand desks fare in comparison to regular desks, the team of international scientists had to do additional research.

And so, the team consulted approximately 20 sit-stand desks-related articles, as well as other literature on how to improve working conditions. All in all, the study included nearly 2200 patients from around the world.

The team found out that people using sit-stand desks would sit 30 to 2 hours less at the desks working than people who use a regular desk.

Unfortunately, the study pointed out that in term of health benefits, the two desks sit out as equals. Furthermore, the team said that these intervention methods are designed to alleviate some of the symptoms attributed to a sedentary way of life only on a short-terms and that the best way to get rid of those extra pounds or to avoid developing back issues it to exercise regularly.

Photo credits:youtube

Obesity May Lead to Memory Issues

February 27, 2016 By Clayton Meason

According to a new study, obesity may affect our short and long-term memory.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Once again we are regaled with another tale about the dangers of obesity. And this time, the tale as old as time is told by a small team of British scientists. According to the plot of this story, obesity may lead to memory issues among other things such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

So, how’s this study any different than the others? Well, for starters, it addresses another aspect of obesity, one that has been overlooked: memory and brain power. According to the team of British scientists, obese individuals, or people who have a high score on the BMI scale, tend to be more forgetful than those with lower BMI.

Basically, what they are saying is that people with weight issues have the tendency of not being able to recall the little things, such as the gargantuan Subway tuna sandwich they just ate, or if they settled or not for another side of greasy French fries for dinner.

Bottom line idea is that the more pounds you have, the less likely it is for you to recall past events. Or so the study says. Picture this scenario: Saturday morning, sunny day, birds are chirping and you wake up feeling rested and refreshed.

Wouldn’t it be great to do something really healthy today like taking a few laps around the block or maybe quick stroll downtown? Well, no quite. Not as long as your fridge is filled with culinary delights such as leftover pound cake or pop-tarts or some pizza. Add a Coke and some cookies, and you already ate more calories than you can burn off in a single day.

That’s not a biggie for those with a fast metabolism, but it’s bad news for those who are already overweight.

According to this new study, which was published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Phycology, those who indulge in sugary and fatty treats are more likely to have short-term memory issues. And we are not talking about misplaced car keys or forgetting to turn off the light in the bathroom. We are talking about severe issues like forgetting what you had for lunch or dinner.

How was this study conducted? On a voluntary basis, of course. The team asked the help of approximately 50 volunteers, with ages between 18 and 35 years old. As we expected, some of them had a low BMI, while the others were overweight. Each of the volunteers received a quick memory test in order to assess the condition of their short-term and long-term memory.

And lo, and behold, those who were not overweight had a high score in comparison with those who had a higher BMI. Of course, the leading author of the study, by the name of Doctor Lucy Cheke, said that we shouldn’t take the results for granted.

Even though the initial results of the study pointed out that those extra pounds may impose on our capacity of remembering small stuff like not to eat more after a hefty meal, the results may or may not be subjected to generalization.

In conclusion, obesity may lead to memory issues, when the hypothesis is tested on a small group of participants.

Photo credits:www.youtube.com

Heart Attacks are more common among Women than Men

February 13, 2016 By Clayton Meason

Approximately 40 percent of patients who die due to a sudden heart attacks are women.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – According to a recent study, it would seem the risk of suffering from a deadly heart attack is higher in women than in more. Moreover, the reason why heart attacks are more common among women than men is because female patients often choose to ignore their symptoms.

The study in question has been performed by Doctor Laxmi Mehta, a researcher working at the Ohio University who is also the director of the WCHP (Woman’s Cardiovascular Health Program). Following closely the latest research of the American Heart Association, the doctor and her team of scientists focus on the aspectual relation of heart attacks in women.

According to the AHA, approximately 53.000 women die each year due to violent heart attacks. The same institution explains that the reason behind this development is that women pay less attention to heart-related symptoms than men.

Moreover, over the years, all the awareness campaigns were mainly focused on the male patients and less on female patients. Doctor Mehta said that even if the symptoms of heart attacks are slightly different in women than in men, a lot of female patients do not seek medical advice in time.

In fact, according to the study’s estimations, it would seem that approximately 26 percent of women die in the year following their first attacks. The percentage can be called quite significant compared to the death rate of male patients (19 percent).

Also, the study points out the fact that statewide, the problem is much more severe. Approximately 40 percent of individuals who perish due to heart attacks are women.

Although the symptoms are slightly in female patients than in male patients, there are a couple general signs which indicated if someone is going to have a heart attack. The most common symptoms associated with the imminence of a heart attack are shortness of breath, chest pains, a discomfort in the chest area and pains in the upper part of your left arm.

The main cause of heart attacks is clogged arteries. Although the phenomenon is similar for both genders, the medical researchers have discovered that, in the case of female patients, this blockage has an increased chance of thinning out the artery’s wall thus damaging it.

Moreover, a female patient can exhibit additional symptoms before the actual heart attack such as nausea, vomiting, a feeling of uneasiness, back pains or jaw pains.

The team also managed to discover that the incidence of heart attacks is even higher among African-American women.

Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org

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