Archive for the ‘Health Tips’ Category

Cancer-fighting properties of papaya

March 10th, 2010 Von

(AFP) – Researchers said Tuesday that papaya leaf extract and its tea have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumors, backing a belief held in a number of folk traditions.

University of Florida researcher Nam Dang and colleagues in Japan, in a report published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, documented papaya’s anticancer effect against tumors of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.

The researchers used an extract made from dried papaya leaves, and the effects were stronger when cells received larger doses of papaya leaf tea.

Dang and the other scientists showed that papaya leaf extract boosts the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines, which help regulate the immune system.

This could lead to therapeutic treatments that use the immune system to fight cancers, they said in the February issue of the journal and released Tuesday by the university.

Papaya has been used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments in many parts of the world, especially Asia.

Deng said the results are consistent with reports from indigenous populations in Australia and his native Vietnam.

The researchers said papaya extract did not have any toxic effects on normal cells, avoiding a common side effect of many cancer treatments.

Researchers exposed 10 different types of cancer cell cultures to four strengths of papaya leaf extract and measured the effect after 24 hours. Papaya slowed the growth of tumors in all the cultures.

Dang and a colleague have applied to patent the process to distill the papaya extract through the University of Tokyo.

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What’s new in bypass vs. stent

February 23rd, 2010 Von

By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.

When cholesterol-filled plaque severely narrows a coronary artery and causes chest pain or other symptoms, there are two ways to immediately improve blood flow — angioplasty, usually with the placement of a wire-mesh stent, or bypass artery surgery (see illustration). If the blockage is simple and confined to a single artery, angioplasty is often a good choice. It is quick and effective, and since it doesn’t require opening the chest, the recovery time is short. For more severe or complicated problems, doctors have traditionally relied on bypass surgery. This has long been the approach taken for the left main coronary artery before it divides into two branches (see illustration). This is a serious problem because the left main coronary artery nourishes such a wide expanse of heart muscle. Bypass surgery has also traditionally been performed for three-vessel disease, which covers simultaneous blockages in the left anterior descending artery, the circumflex artery, and the right coronary artery.

Advances in angioplasty, especially in stent design, have prompted interventional cardiologists (the doctors who do angioplasty) to push the envelope in the types of coronary disease (CAD) they tackle. Some have been using angioplasty and stents for left main coronary artery disease and three-vessel disease. How well angioplasty works in these situations is controversial. Earlier trials suggested that bypass surgery was superior for these complex cases, but most of the trials were done before the advent of the latest generation of artery-opening stents. That gap has been temporarily plugged by the Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial. (Percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI is medicalese for angioplasty, with percutaneous meaning through the skin.) Results of the SYNTAX trial were published in the March 5, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

You Have A Choice

The study concluded that surgery was still the standard of care for patients with three blocked coronary arteries or left main coronary artery disease. The main lesson from SYNTAX, however, is not that surgery or stenting is better for left main or three-vessel coronary artery disease. Instead, it is that you have a choice, depending on the anatomy of your heart, the number and location of your blockages, and your other health issues.

“There are certain patients who would be better served by stents and others who do better with surgery,” says Joseph Sabik, MD, chairman of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. “What has to happen is patients have to be informed of the risks and benefits of each procedure so they can make an informed decision.”

Do You Need Revascularization?

In January 2009, a panel of experts unveiled the criteria for using revascularization (angioplasty or bypass). Among these are:

• Revascularization is appropriate if the expected improvement in survival, symptoms, function, and/or quality of life outweigh the potential risks.

• Revascularization would be inappropriate in a patient with plaque accumulation in one or two arteries and little muscle at risk, who experienced symptoms only during strenuous exercise, and was not taking medications.

• Conversely, revascularization would be appropriate if a similar patient had severe symptoms despite taking the best available heart medication.

If you’re considering revascularization, here are some questions to ask your cardiologist or surgeon:

• Which coronary artery is blocked, and is the location of the blockage more suitable for stenting or surgery?

• Will this procedure help me feel better? Live longer?

• Is medical therapy as effective in terms of helping me feel better and live longer?

• If I have a stent implanted, will I need bypass surgery three to five years from now?

• If I choose surgery, which bypass grafts are you going to use? (Arteries from the chest and the radial artery in the arm may last longer than the saphenous veins from the legs.)

• How much experience do you have in my procedure of choice?

Making The Right Choice

Angioplasty is less expensive and allows for a faster recovery, and advances in stent technology have reduced the rate of renarrowing (restenosis) of the blocked arteries. On the downside, angioplasty patients must take medications such as clopidogrel (Plavix), which prevents clots from forming in the stent but also increases the risk of bleeding.

Bypass surgery is painful and requires longer hospital stay and several months of recovery. “The benefit, though, is that it’s our best long-term solution to these problems,” Dr. Sabik says. Bypass surgery is becoming less invasive, he adds, and for many patients, the operation can now be performed through small incisions in the side of the chest rather than requiring the sternum (breastbone) to be split.

Although SYNTAX and other studies suggest that surgery may be best for patients with severe CAD, Dr. Sabik says that may not be the case for every patient, especially those with co-morbid conditions who aren’t healthy enough for surgery. Angioplasty also may be more appropriate for patients with single-vessel CAD, particularly involving the right coronary or circumflex arteries, he adds.

He recommends that patients meet with cardiologists and surgeons to weigh their options and decide on the best course of action. “You have to take each patient and look at them as an individual, look at what you’re trying to accomplish, and make sure the treatment is right for them, considering who they are and what problems they have,” Dr. Sabik elaborates.

Complementary, Not Competitve

The future of revascularization may lie in a combination approach. For instance, surgery might be done to bypass blocked left main coronary artery, while a stent might be used to open a blocked right coronary artery. These hybrid procedures allow people to reap the benefits of both approaches.

“We have to think about these two procedures not so much as competitive anymore but as complementary,” he says. “The best approach might be a combination of what the cardiologists do and what the surgeons do, taking the best of both and treating the patient as an individual.”

• Reference: The Syntax Trial, New England Journal of Medicine, March 5, 2009

• Sources: “Trial renews surgery vs. stent debate,” May 2009

Harvard Health Publications

heart_letter@hms.harvard.edu.

“Which option is best to reopen blocked coronary arteries?”

Cleveland Clinic Health Advisor, July 2009

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Love, sex, and health

February 13th, 2010 Von

Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.

We pay tribute to love on St. Valen-tine’s Day, but is the hoopla really warranted from a health standpoint? After all, love and its libidinous soul mate, passion, have led to countless calamities — some of them spectacularly tragic but most anonymously sad: the unrequited romance, the bad marriage, the ill-fated affair. As a mental state, love really can’t be considered healthy: no one in his or her right — which is to say normal, rational — mind, is ever in love. To be in love is to be madly so. In Civilization and its Discontents, Freud goes out of his way not to stigmatize love as a pathology. Yet, he also describes it as having the pathological quality of blurring the boundary between the ego, the sense of self, and the external world. “Against all the evidence of his senses,” wrote Freud, “a man who is in love declares that ‘I’ and ‘you’ are one, and is prepared to behave as if it were fact.” Harvard psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon quips that “romantic love and adolescence are the only two socially acceptable forms of psychosis.”

“People compose poetry, novels, sitcoms for love,” says Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and something of the Queen Mom of romance research. “Some people live for love, die for love, kill for love. It can be stronger than “the drive to stay alive.”

Sexual Healing

The fact is, love and sex leave their mark, not just on the mind but on the body as well. Researchers have begun to explore their effects on almost every part of the body, from the brain to the heart to the immune system. Studies show that arousal and an active sex life may lead to a longer life, better heart health, an improved ability to ward off pain, a more robust immune system, and even protection against certain cancers, not to mention lower rates of depression.

Here is what doctors and scientists have learned so far about the positive effects of sexual activity on health:

• Heart disease. Lovemaking is good aerobic exercise that improves the circulation and works the heart. Sexually active people tend to suffer from fewer heart attacks, possibly owing to their better fitness.

The act of intercourse burns about 200 calories. During orgasm, both heart rate and blood pressure typically double. It would be logical to conclude that sex, like other aerobic workouts, can protect against heart disease, but studies to support this link have yet to be done.

• Pain control. Endorphins released during orgasm can dull the chronic pain of backaches and arthritis, as well as migraines.

In the 1970s, Dr. Beverly Whipple of Rutgers University, identified the female G spot, the vaginal on-switch for female arousal. Whipple showed that gentle pressure on the G spot raised pain thresholds by 40 percent and that during orgasm, women could tolerate up to 110 percent more pain. But she could not explain the link until the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using fMRI to view the brains of orgasmic women as they climaxed, Whipple found that the midbrain is activated during peak arousal. Signals from this part of the brain instruct the body to release endorphins and corticosteroids, which can temporarily numb the raw nerve endings responsible for everything, from menstrual cramps to arthritis and migraine for several minutes. Activating the region also reduces anxiety and has a calming effect.

• Immunity. Frequent intercourse may boost levels of key immune cells that help fight off colds and other infections.

A trial involving more than 100 college students in 1999 found that the levels of immunoglobulin, a microbe-fighting antibody, in students who engaged in intercourse once or twice a week were 30 percent higher than in those who were abstinent.

• Cancer. Early studies hint that oxytocin, and the hormone DHEA, both released during orgasm, may prevent breast cancer cells from developing into tumors.

In addition, frequent sexual activity has been tied to lower risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men, a relationship that is still not fully understood but may involve some interaction between oxytocin and the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and their roles in cell signaling and cell division.

• Longevity. It’s well known that married folk tend to live longer and suffer less depression than singles do. But is this because of more frequent sex, simple companionship or some benign aspect of personality that lends itself to marriage? Teasing apart such matters is difficult, but sex itself appears to be a factor. A study of 3,500 Scottish men, for example, found a link between frequent intercourse and greater longevity.

Romantic Love

The giddy state of sexual activity is one thing, long-term romantic love is another; surely, the steadier state must be good for us, too. Indeed, married people do enjoy better physical and mental health than unmarried people, according to a wide range of health studies.

But not all married couples live in conjugal bliss, and marital conflict can be a source of tremendous stress, which has a variety of well-documented negative effects filtered by the body’s nervous and hormonal systems. Several years ago, Ohio State University researchers set out to measure the consequences of marital squabbling. They organized a study of 31 older couples whose average age was 67 and who had been married for an average of 42 years. An interviewer led them to and through a discussion of acrimonious issues like in-laws and finances, and then their blood was tested for hormonal and immunological responses. Among the women, these lab-orchestrated spats led to several stress-related hormonal changes and a marked dampening of the immune system. Among the men, only the immune system was affected. The researchers concluded in their 1997 article in Psychosomatic Medicine that abrasive marriages may make some older people more vulnerable to infections and slower to heal.

Social And Emotional Support

In recent years, health researchers have assembled a large body of evidence that argues that older people embedded in social networks of friends, relatives, children, and confidants tend to be healthier and recover faster from many illnesses.

A recent social network study hints that, at least among the elderly, being liked may be more important to health than being loved, which can lead to an intense, but often problematic, relationship. A study of disability among 2,812 elderly residents of New Haven, Connecticut, found that lower risks for disability were not associated with emotional support from children or confidants, the very relationships that seem most likely imbued with love. Instead, emotional support from friends and relatives was the key. The researchers speculated that relationships with friends and relatives promote motivational and coping strategies, such as a sense of control and self-efficacy which help fend off depression, anxiety, and other psychological states that feed into disability. Relationships with children are less discretionary, they noted, and may therefore be associated with both benefits and strains.

Love Medicine

But don’t give up on the health benefits of love as yet. It is possible, and maybe even probable, that it is really love, and not just congeniality, that is circulating through those health-conferring networks of friends and relatives.

Parental love seems to be a very potent preventive medicine. Results of the Harvard Mastery of Stress Study published in 1997 showed that 87 percent of male participants who rated their parents as uncaring had had a major medical illness by the time they reached their mid-50s. Only 25 percent of the men who rated their parents as loving and caring had had a major illness.

And finally, of course, there is sex. We already know that you could fill a truck with studies that have shown that sex is good for your health. Of course, some people have sex without love all the time, but no one has yet invented a better aphrodisiac than falling in love!

Source:philstar.com

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Fortifying your knowledge of vitamins

January 25th, 2010 Von

By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.

Take a multivitamin for insurance.” Until recently, that was the usual advice from physicians, scientists, and other experts. Now, it’s under scrutiny: That’s because if you’re looking for hard evidence that a multivitamin will lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, or other major disease, you may be disappointed. In 2006, the US National Institutes of Health held a State-of-the-Science Conference. Its conclusion: “Evidence is insufficient to prove the presence or absence of benefits.”

“Insufficient” is putting it mildly. By the time the scientists narrowed the field to trials that pitted a multivitamin against a placebo and excluded poorly done studies, they ended up with less than half a dozen — two of them done in China and two in France. The single US study looked only at vision. But it’s one thing to lack proof that multivitamins prevent disease. It’s quite another to find evidence that a multi might cause harm. After all, a handful of recent studies have suggested that people who take multivitamins — or a few of the nutrients they contain — might have a slightly higher risk of cancer. Here’s what to do until scientists sort out the confusion.

How To Read A Multivitamin Label

Please refer to the illustration of a made-up multivitamin label on this page. It lists how much of each vitamin and mineral we need to get every day (from food plus supplements), according to the US National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM). The IOM’s recommendations vary slightly by age and gender. In most cases, what is listed is the highest value for adults, excluding pregnant and breastfeeding women. The label also lists the Daily Value (DV) for each vitamin or mineral. It is the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advice on how much to shoot for each day (from food and supplements combined). The DVs, which haven’t been updated in decades, are still used on multivitamin labels. In some cases, the values date from 1968 and don’t reflect the recent research. Here is the current thinking on these nutrients (please refer to the values as indicated in the label):

• Vitamin A (retinol). The Daily Value (5,000 IU or International Units) is outdated. You need only 3,000 IU a day of vitamin A. Too much retinol (typically listed on labels as vitamin A palmitate or vitamin A acetate) may increase the risk of hip fractures, liver abnormalities, and birth defects. Beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, doesn’t cause those problems, but very high doses (33,000 to 50,000 IU a day) may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Current advice: Don’t get more than 4,000 IU of retinol or 5,000 IU of beta-carotene from your multi (less retinol would even be better). Instead, load up on beta-carotene-rich fruits and vegetables like carrots, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, which may help prevent some cancers.

• Vitamin C. The DV (60 mg) is lower than the IOM’s recommendations (75 mg a day for women and 90 mg a day for men). Roughly 250 to 500 mg saturates the body’s tissues, so more than that is probably excreted in urine. Taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C at one time in a supplement may cause diarrhea.

• Vitamin D. This vitamin helps you absorb calcium and may reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and falls. Some people may get too little vitamin D from sunshine or from their food. The IOM recommends 200 IU a day for adults 50 and under, 400 IU for people 51 to 70, and 600 IU for anyone over 70. Some vitamin D experts though say that everyone should get at least 1,000 IU a day. Those amounts include what you get from the sun, from salmon and other fatty fish, and from fortified foods like milk, breakfast cereals, and some brands of yogurt, margarine, and orange juice. They also include the vitamin D that’s added to many calcium supplements. Most multivitamins have 400 IU of vitamin D (the DV).

• Vitamin E. Doses of 30 to 800 IU a day haven’t protected against heart disease or stroke, and 400 IU a day or more may slightly raise the risk of dying. Studies are underway to see if 400 IU a day prevents prostate cancer. To play safe, stick to no more than 100 IU.

• Vitamin K. The IOM recommends 120 mcg/day, yet most multivitamins have much less than the DV (80 mcg). In recent studies, taking extra vitamin K doesn’t strengthen bones, as earlier studies had suggested. You can get K from leafy green, some calcium supplements, and vitamin K supplements. Vitamin K can interfere with blood-thinning drugs like Coumadin, so people who take them should check with their doctor before taking a multi with vitamin K.

• Thiamine (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B-3), B-6. The higher-than-DV levels in many multivitamins are harmless. Two exceptions: More than 100 mg a day of vitamin B-6 can cause (reversible) neurologic damage. And as little as 50 mg a day of niacin can cause flushing. Super-high doses of niacin (3,000 mg a day or more) may cause liver damage, though you won’t find that much in a multivitamin.

• Folic acid. If you could become pregnant, look for a multi with the DV (400 mcg) to reduce the risk of birth defects. Others should probably take less until studies clarify whether high intakes (roughly 1,000 mcg a day or more from supplements and food combined) raise the risk of cancer. Since most multis have 400 mcg, one option is to take your “daily” multi every other day.

• Vitamin B-12. Most multivitamins have at least 6 mcg (the DV). That’s more than the 2.4 mcg the IOM recommends for adults, but it’s perfectly safe. (So are the higher doses — 600 to 800 mcg — that are found in a few multivitamins.) Ten to 30 percent of older people are unable to absorb the B-12 in the form that’s added to supplements and fortified foods. A B-12 deficiency can cause irreversible nerve damage and may masquerade as Alzheimer’s disease.

• Biotin, panthotenic acid. Ignore. You’d have to eat a bizarre diet to run short.

• Calcium. Calcium may help prevent colon cancer and (with vitamin D) may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Shoot for 1,000 mg a day (if you’re 50 or younger) or 1,200 mg (if you’re over 50). But men should get no more than 200 mg from their multi, since 1,500 mg a day or more may raise prostate cancer risk.

• Iron. Many people, especially premenopausal women, are deficient. But taking too much can cause constipation or iron overload if you’re susceptible. Men and postmenopausal women should look for a multivitamin with no more than 10 mg of iron or should take a multi for premenopausal women every other day. The DV (18 mg) is fine for premenopausal women.

• Phosphorus. Unnecessary to take in a multi. Too much may impair calcium absorption, and we already get more than we need from our food.

• Magnesium. Many people get too little of magnesium from their food (among the best sources: whole grains and beans). A deficiency may increase the risk of diabetes and colon cancer. Look for a multi with at least 100 mg, just for insurance. The IOM recommends 320 mg a day for women and 420 mg for men. More than 350 mg a day from a supplement may cause diarrhea.

• Zinc, copper. Look for 8 mg (women) or 11 mg (men) of zinc and 0.9 mg of copper. There’s no harm in taking a multivitamin with the DVs (15 mg for zinc and 2 mg for copper), but don’t take more than 23 mg zinc. Getting more than 40 mg may make your body lose copper.

• Selenium. Many multis have less than the DV (70 mcg) or the IOM’s recommended level (55 mcg). A large study is under way to see if high doses (200 mcg) can lower the risk of prostate cancer. But a few studies have suggested that taking 200 mcg a day may raise the risk of skin cancer and diabetes, so it’s safest to take no more than about 100 mcg a day.

• Chromium. The IOM recommends only 20 to 25 mcg a day (women) or 30 to 35 mcg a day (men). Many brands have closer to 120 mcg (the DV), which is safe.

• Iodine, magnesium, molybdenum, chloride, boron. Ignore. There’s no evidence that people need more than what they get from their food.

• Potassium. Ignore. The amounts in multis are low. And while the potassium chloride that’s used in supplements may lower blood pressure and the risk of stroke, it won’t help prevent kidney stones and bone loss like the potassium citrate that’s found in fruits and vegetables.

• Nickel, silicon, tin, vanadium. Ignore. It’s not clear that they’re needed.

Source: Philstar

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Sports injuries in seniors

December 7th, 2009 Von

By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.

It won’t make you younger but staying active as you age can go a long way toward maintaining and improving your health. The benefits of regular activity, though, are sometimes blunted by unexpected injury. As a growing number of Filipinos older than 65 have become more active, their rates of sports-related injuries have risen significantly. And as more Filipinos remain physically active in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s, it’s apparent that more of them are experiencing sports-related injuries.

What are some of the more common injuries among older adults, and what can you do to avoid injuries?

Numbers To Consider

Sports injuries among those 65 and older have increased by as much as 50 percent in the last 20 years. And the injuries weren’t just occurring in those close to age 65. Even among people 75 and older, sports-related injuries increased by 29 percent.

Most of the injuries were associated with more active sports, including basketball, biking, tennis, badminton, and others, such as jogging and gym exercises. In less active sports, such as fishing, bowling, and golf, the number of injuries increased only slightly.

Aging’s Effects On The Body

The effects of aging go beyond gray hair and a few wrinkles. The muscles of youth tend to decrease in size as body fat increases. Without exercise, muscle mass typically decreases about one percent each year after age 30.

As such, muscles become more susceptible to injury and need more recovery time if they do become injured. With age, there’s also a decline in the number of nerve cells (neurons) stimulating muscle fibers and an increase in time it takes for reflexes to respond.

Bone density can also decrease. By age 70, most people have lost as much as 10 percent to 15 percent of their peak bone density. And hormones that maintain the body’s soft tissues decline, which may cause tendons and ligaments to lose elasticity. The result may be stiffer joints, reduced range of motion, and more vulnerability to injury.

Common Injuries

Sports-related injuries are possible at any age. Among people 65 and older, injuries are often related to inflammation and simple wear and tear may result in stiffer joints, reduced range of motion, and more vulnerability to injury.

You may also find that exercise is more enjoyable and safer with a partner. Aim for a balanced fitness plan that includes strength training, aerobic activity, and the right preparation and correct equipment can help make your exercise program fun and safe. You may also find that exercise is more enjoyable and safer with a partner. Aim for a balanced fitness plan that includes strength training, aerobic activity, and flexibility exercises.

If you are middle-aged or older, haven’t been physically active, are overweight, may have osteoporosis or have serious medical conditions, check with your doctor first before getting started, to see if your exercise plan suits your situation.

Also check with your doctor if you’re a man over 40 or a woman over 50 and plan to start doing vigorous activities, defined as anything that makes you breathe hard and sweat heavily.

Remember, the attitude of “no pain, no gain” is out of the window. So be sure to:

• Pace yourself. The optimal goal is 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity. A moderate activity level allows you to carry on a conversation while you exercise. Begin your activity with a warm-up of a few minutes of walking, followed by some simple stretches (see illustration). Then continue your physical exercise for 20 minutes or more, followed by a brief cool-down of walking. If you’re just getting started, you may want to break those 30 minutes into 10- or 15-minute blocks two or three times a day.

Another way to gauge a moderate workout is to hit and maintain your target heart rate during your physical exercise or activity. Your target heart rate is calculated by subtracting your age from 220 and then aiming for 60 percent to 70 percent of that number. If you’re on any medication, especially heart medication, talk to your doctor about a heart rate that’s appropriate for you while you’re exercising.

• Use the right equipment and take lessons, if needed. Avoid injury by wearing proper equipment for your activity of choice. If you’re biking, wear a helmet. Make sure your shoes are properly fitted and appropriate for your activity.

Any equipment you use should also be fitted to your needs, whether it’s a bike, tennis racket or at-home exercise equipment. In addition, learning proper technique and form can help you avoid overuse injuries with unfamiliar sports or new exercise equipment.

• Alternate activities. Whether you enjoy brisk walking, swimming, bicycling, gardening, tennis, lifting weights, or golfing, it’s a good idea to alternate activities from one day to the next. Doing so may help avoid overuse injuries.

Treatment

During an acute injury (usually, the first 24 to 48 hours), apply ice immediately to the injured part for 20 to 30 minutes. You may repeat this procedure a few times during the day. After 48 to 72 hours, you may apply warm compress — also for 20 to 30 minutes, to facilitate healing.

If there is any question that the injury may be more than a mild one, you may need to proceed to the nearest emergency room, or consult a physician. In the early stage of treatment, you should be guided by the RICE treatment principle. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. So, rest, ice, compress and elevate the injured part. More serious injuries may require anything from anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy treatments, to even surgery. Fortunately, many of sports-related injuries are minor which can be adequately managed conservatively. But as anything in medicine, an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.

Certainly many seniors can, and should, continue physical activity or exercise.

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