Good health begins in the gut

UAlberta scientists and clinicians explore how gut bacteria may be key to a healthy life.

For the germaphobes among us, the mere thought of bacteria can be gut-wrenching. But as it turns out, the bacteria in our guts is a key factor to good health.

Scientists at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry are among Canada’s leading experts on the microbiome—the bacteria residing in our digestive tract. Together they are broadening the understanding of how these micro-organisms in our gut influence our health throughout life, impacting our likelihood of developing allergies, obesity and other serious conditions.

A groundbreaking U of A study shows that babies from families with pets had higher levels of two types of microbes associated with lower risks of allergic disease and obesity.

“There’s definitely a critical window of time when gut immunity and microbes co-develop, and when disruptions to the process result in changes to gut immunity,” said Anita Kozyrskyj, a U of A pediatric epidemiologist and one of the world’s leading researchers on gut microbes.

The study expands on two decades of research that show children who grow up with dogs have lower rates of asthma. According to Kozyrskyj, the findings may one day lead to the pharmaceutical industry creating a “dog in a pill” as a preventative tool for allergies and obesity.

While Kozyrskyj focuses on the early influences affecting gut bacteria in life, other U of A experts like gastroenterologist Dina Kao are making their own mark on the quickly expanding field of microbiome research. Kao’s work focuses on correcting unhealthy gut bacteria.

Could poop be the new scoop?

Kao is one of just a few clinicians across Canada performing fecal transplants to remedy the effects of a compromised microbiome. She has discovered that altered gut bacteria—often caused by the unnecessary use of antibiotics—can lead to serious conditions such as recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Her research has proven that a fecal transplant from a healthy donor can replenish the microbiome of C. difficile patients with healthy bacteria, and is far more effective than conventional treatments.

“Currently no effective conventional therapy exists for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection,” says Kao. “But fecal transplant can provide a permanent cure for over 90 per cent of patients. You can see the changes in them right before your eyes. It is amazing.”

While the study of gut bacteria is still in its infancy, giant strides are being made at the U of A and beyond. And Kao firmly believes the best is yet to come.

“It’s an open book. And it has tremendous potential.”

Learn more about this topic at the Festival of Health

Register here for your free ticket

ECHA 2-490 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Edmonton Clinic Health Academy,
North Campus, University of Alberta

Today’s most critical health topics
delivered in rapid doses
by U of A’s leading health experts
1-2 p.m.

Hands-on Health
Interactive displays
2 - 3 p.m. & 3:45 - 4:45 p.m.

Ask the Doctors
What have you always wanted to know but never dared to ask?
3 - 3:45 p.m.

More information available at  uab.ca/healthfest.

This article originally appeared on ualberta.ca and was written by Ross Neitz.

A Broken Body isn't a Broken Person

Cross-country skier Janine Shepherd hoped for an Olympic medal -- until she was hit by a truck during a training bike ride. She shares a powerful story about the human potential for recovery. Her message: you are not your body, and giving up old dreams can allow new ones to soar.

Outer Elbow Pain? You may have Tennis Elbow.

Could you be suffering from tennis elbow and not realise it?

The most common kind of elbow pain is a condition known as lateral epicondylalgia – or tennis elbow. Ironically, you also don’t need to be a tennis player to get tennis elbow. Many who have suffered from tennis elbow, actually do not play tennis. It’s also important to point out that recovery from tennis elbow requires a proactive approach involving diagnosis, treatment and strengthening. Through rest alone, your recovery will be very slow.

The causes of tennis elbow

This type of problem can occur at any age, but is most common between the ages of 35 and 50. Predictably, it is more common in your dominant arm but can affect both. The biggest misconception about this type of elbow pain is you don’t have to be a tennis player to get this condition. In fact it is just as common in people who repetitively overuse their forearm muscles such as office workers or tradespeople.

Referred Pain
A huge contributing factor to this condition which can be easily forgotten is referred pain from the neck or shoulder. This can either mimic symptoms of tennis elbow, or most commonly there is a combination of elbow and neck, shoulder or thoracic spine issues. You will need to have a thorough examination by a physiotherapist to determine if you have any referred pain from your neck and shoulder or if your elbow pain is isolated. This will assist in a more direct approach to your problem and a speedier recovery.

Tennis elbow and it’s symptoms

Typically, this condition presents as pain at or just below the lateral epicondyle- that is, the pointy part on the outside of your elbow. Generally people experience pain with gripping, lifting or wringing activities which cause tension over the tendon (see above picture). Clinically, we as physiotherapists often find people suffering this condition have weak and/or tight forearm muscles and stiff elbow and wrist joints.

There is a wide variation in the severity of this condition and how long the symptoms may last for. As with any injury, it is best that we see you as soon as possible to start you on an injury management plan. On assessment, your physiotherapist will be able to give you a guide as to how long your injury may last.

6 Steps to treating tennis elbow pain

Initial management of this condition is through pain relieving techniques such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilisations, stretching tight nerves and muscles, dry needling, heat and/or cold therapy and taping. We also sell tennis elbow braces to our clients that are effective in relieving pain in some people. I’ll cover these methods in more detail;:

1. Soft Tissue Massage: A massage therapist can use a range of techniques to release soft tissue, break down tension and realign the fibres. These techniques include myofacial release and transverse friction techniques.

2. Joint mobilisation: this management may include massage around the problem area or gently mobilising the joints of your neck and elbow.

3. Stretching: As soon as your pain allows, start stretching the area. Extension exercises of the wrist will be the most important stretches you can do to improve your range of motion and to increase the amount of load on the tendon.

4. Dry Needling: Dry needling is a technique that is fast gaining appreciation within the physiotherapy world, with many practitioners throughout Australia now trained in the use of acupuncture needles to assist with their client’s pain and rehabilitation. The insertion of needles at varying lengths and points are thought to alter the way pain signals are transmitted by nerve pathways.

5. Hot/Cold therapy: Apply ice to the elbow regularly to reduce the pain and inflammation will be a good start, particularly at the early onset of pain.

6. Kinesio Taping: Kinesio taping may help decrease the pain and can reduce the likelihood of injury aggravation.

Another exercise option is the ‘The Tyler Twist”, where clients are asked to perform an exercise using a FlexBar®. The experiment consisted of a group of 22 subjects who suffered from tennis elbow. These subjects were then split into 2 groups. The first group were asked to perform the FlexBar® exercise as well as receive standard physiotherapy. The control group received physiotherapy alone. It was found after 7 weeks of therapy that the first group had significantly more improvement than the group receiving only standard physio; in particular, the eccentric exercise group improved their pain level 81% vs. 22% in the standard group.

Ongoing management and prevention of tennis elbow.

Of utmost importance in managing this condition is a progressive strengthening program. Tendons require gradual load in order to heal correctly, so it is very important to continue to strengthen your muscles even if your pain is gone. At this phase of your rehabilitation, it is also important to look at contributing factors such as workstation setup and your posture. If you have some referred pain, assessing your pillow may also be necessary to ensure that your whole body is always in optimal alignment.

Sometimes patients are recommended by their GP to consider a cortisone injection into the elbow. The most recent research regarding this shows that it actually makes you worse in the longer term. Cortisone assists in settling inflammation, which may help in the short term, but generally this condition is not an inflammatory condition.

Recovery from tennis elbow pain

Typically, tendon overload injuries such as this can take anywhere between 2 and 24 months to be back to normal. No, this doesn’t mean you will be in pain for that long or that you will necessarily need one on one treatment for that long. It means that the healing process of tendons is longer than any other tissue in the body so you may need to continue with an exercise regime in the longer term- even after you stop seeing your physiotherapist. This will ensure that your pain stays away.

Remember, tennis elbow is not the same as Golfers elbow which we’ll be covering in a later post. If you are experiencing elbow pain, even if you’re not sure if it’s tennis elbow, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible to reduce your recovery time. 

This article originally appeared on sportandspinalphysio.com.au and was written by Craig Honeybrook

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5 Signs You Need a Break + 5 Things to Do About It

Work. Friends. Projects. Errands. Family. Health. Repeat. Life has put a lot on our plates, and it seems to be adding more. It is easy to get caught up in this plight of modern life, but you do not have to. Here are five things that I most typically notice and hear as signs of needing a break, and five ways to remedy them.

Signs It’s Time for a Break

1. You dread the alarm clock. Your alarm clock goes off, no matter the hour or day, and all you want is to stay crawled up in bed.

2. Your fuse is short. No matter what someone says, it is not the right thing. You are constantly triggered for arguably no real reason.

3. You avoid what you know you like. You start making excuses for not going to yoga - to that class you love - or a friend’s house you always enjoy, claiming stress and tiredness.

4. Your diet starts to waver. You start eating foods you know make you feel bad, and other foods you simply know are bad, saying, “just today.”

5. You simply do not care. You start to spend more time surfing the web at work, flipping through channels at home, ignoring messages and invites from friends, and pretending your family does not exist, all in the name of “rest” and silence.

Ways to Give Yourself a Break

1. Get offline. Turn the internet off two hours before bed, and turn your handheld devices off for at least eight hours a day. Let your mind rest, and spare it the endless stream of often unnecessary information. (This one is hard, I know.)

2. Take a local adventure. Take yourself  somewhere new or unfrequented in your city; think neighborhood walk, proper restaurant diner, bikini picnic in the park, or museum wandering. Simply experiencing something new - with different people, air, and vibe - will refresh your mind and body.

3. Plan an escape. Plan a day, week, or weekend holiday within the next six months; anything outside of and away from your day-to-day routine. Something to look forward to will add a skip to your daily step.

4. Laugh. There is really no better remedy. Cures you from the inside out.

5. Do something crazy. Go to a seemingly ridiculous class, plan a one-day escape to the beach, go out for a night on the town, or do something you think you never have time to do, or is simply nuts. The thrill will rejuvenate you.

This article originally appeared on mindbodygreen.com and was written by Lauren Imparato