Back pain is very common. In fact, it has been estimated that up to 80% of people will suffer from back pain in their lifetime. It is easy to search for that stat on the web but finding a solution for back pain has proven much more difficult.

For a long time, rest was the “treatment” of choice. In many cases, bed rest. In recent years, experts have prescribed a more active approach. Physical therapy and specific therapeutic exercises came to the forefront of many back pain treatments. Now, results from new research are hinting at a different approach, an approach where both (rest and exercise) are right… and wrong.

Here’s what this is all about: A study published February 29, 2012 in BMC Medicine compared rest vs. active treatment with low back patients with modic changes (MC). Modic changes have been described as early disk degenerative changes only seen on an MRI.

Results: In total, 100 patients were included in the study. Data was available on 87 patients at 10 weeks and 96 patients at one-year follow-up and used in the intention-to-treat analysis.

Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were found between the two treatment approaches (rest vs. active treatment) in patients with persistent LBP and modic changes.

What does all this mean? According to the study’s lead author, Rikke K. Jensen, MSc, “The results do not suggest that patients with MCs should not exercise… But I think clinicians should be careful; when patients come back and say this treatment didn’t work, it’s not because they did it the wrong way or they didn’t do it enough. It’s very possible that this treatment is just not very effective for this group of patients.”

In other words – THERE IS NO ONE APPROACH THAT WORKS BEST FOR ALL PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN.

It is estimated that 40% of low back pain sufferers have modic changes. This means exercise may not be the best treatment protocol for 4 out of 10 sufferers. The cause of modic changes is unknown. Jensen said, “We know that they are part of the degeneration process but we still don’t know what causes them.”

It is theorized they may be caused by mechanical stress. Mechanical stress can cause excessive loading, micro fractures and inflammation of the vertebral endplate and bone marrow.

“When you’re jumping up and down on micro fractures, they tend not to get better,” said Jensen. “It was important for us to test the hypothesis that people don’t improve with exercise if they have these MCs, and there are other treatment options that could prove to be more effective.”

Here’s something interesting: One Chiropractic theory is that malfunctioning spinal joints cause abnormal mechanical stress. Over time, this can cause degenerative changes. So, is it possible that exercising on a spine with malfunctioning joints is doing more harm than good?

Some Chiropractors have theorized that these spinal malfunctions should be corrected BEFORE an exercise program is started. More research needs to be done but it seems like there is no one answer when it comes to helping back pain sufferers. Every case is individual and no one way is the ultimate solution.

The most powerful machines are also the most destructive, a rule that applies even in the confines of the body’s cells. Mitochondria, the cell’s energy powerhouses, can fuel the development of many chronic and poorly understood conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The disease process starts when environmental factors such as polluted drinking water or cigarette smoke perturb mitochondria, causing cellular levels of high-energy molecules called reactive oxygen species to spike.

Until now it has been unclear exactly how destructive cascade unfolds. But researchers have developed an imaging technique that shows how diseases work in rela time, what happens when things go awry – a tool that could help doctors diagnose mitochondrial injuries before they have the chance to do serious cellular damage.

Scientists have long assumed that wounded mitochondria release reactive oxygen molecules, which then damage DNA and proteins, increasing disease risk. But some of the environmental chemicals that harm mitochondria produce these dangerous molecules themselves, prompting a “cause-and-effect question”, explains James M. Samet, a toxicologist at the National Health and environmental Effects Research laboratory in Chapel Hill, NC. who has co-authored a study on the new technique in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Are these reactive molecules just injury by-products, or do they cause mitochondrial damage instead? “the only way you are going to make heads or tails of this question is to actually observe, in real time, in living cells, these events as they unfold,” Samet says.

To do this, the researchers coaxed three fluorescent molecules into the motichondria of living human skin cells. One lit up in the presence of hytrogen peroxide, a prominent reactive oxygen species, whereas the other two acted as mitochondrial injury sensors. Next they exposed the cells to a mitochondrial toxicant. The damage sensors lit up first, with the hydrogen peroxide marker following moments later, suggesting that the reactive oxygen molecules are indeed a sign, and not a cause, of injury.
Although more validation is necessary, Samet is confident that the development could help researchers understand the genesis of many chronic diseases.

There are several diseases that can affect your eyes, and possibly, your eyesight. It might be a good idea to take a look at a few of the common ailments and some of the less frequent, more serious health conditions, so that you can protect your eyes as much as possible.

Conjunctivitis
- Also known as “pink eye,” this disease is by far the most common in American culture. It can be caused by allergies, viral or bacterial infections, or exposure to chemicals. Symptoms include extremely bloodshot “whites” of the eyes and eyelids, excessive tearing and itching, and it may produce a gooey discharge. The best preventative measure is to refrain from rubbing your eyes or thoroughly washing your hands before doing so.

Hordeolum
- Otherwise known as a stye, this is a painful infection of the glands on the eyelids at the base of the eyelashes, and is a type of a staph infection. Styes can develop on either the lower or upper eyelash, and appears as a red bump on the outside or inside of the eyelid. Usually, styes can be treated with warm compresses, antibiotics in more severe cases, and surgery as a last resort. Makeup and lotions should not be used around the affected area. As with pink eye, the best way to prevent styes from forming is to wash your hands regularly and avoid rubbing your eyes.

Cataracts
- Most commonly found in older adults, it is characterized by increasing opacity of the lens. Many adults with cataracts endured exposure to radiation, or it could be a result of diabetes. Normally the lens is clear, and over time, vision becomes foggier and less clear until, without treatment, the subject loses powers of sight altogether. While there is little that can be done to prevent the condition, a simple eye surgery can correct most cases.

Diabetic Retinopathy
- This disease affects around 40% of all Type I and Type II diabetics. Blood vessels at the back of the eye (near the retina) burst and allow blood to leak, blurring a person’s vision with speck-like floaters that go away in a few hours. As time goes on, those specks will become bigger and may not disappear, causing complete blindness. Treatments include injections, laser surgery and more invasive eye surgery or lasik eye surgery, but the key to maintaining sight is early detection through regular eye exams.