Back Packs vs Holdalls - Who Wins?
Let's face it - Why are we even asking the question, I mean it's obvious isn't it?
If we look at school children between 6 and 8 years of age we see the child with the back pack, all the weight evenly spread across their back and their posture looking good
And then we see the child with the Holdall, all weighed down on one side, one shoulder higher than the other and their posture all out of kilter. So, there's your answer . . . No?
Well, no actually. Because what happens when that Back Pack becomes so laden with books, change of clothes for Physical Training classes, a pair of training shoes, packed lunch, it goes on and on until that Back Pack becomes so heavy that the child's posture isn't so good after all. In fact when you observe from the side the child's head is almost at a 30 degree angle to their hips - not so good after all.
But wait! Someone has come up with a new idea and a good one at that. In fact we can't believe that we didn't think of it before, what is it? A trolley Holdall, just like the ones we all take to airports for a week-end away trip - it makes perfect sense doesn't it?
Of course it does - let's have all our children use trolley Luggage to take everything they need to school. Great, another problem solved . . . Until someone decided to test it.
In Germany they tested 34 children aged between 6 and 8 years and without going into the details of their findings the result was that the Back Pack still comes out on top. Just as long as parents and the children using the Back Pack remember one very, very important thing. What is that thing?
Don't overweigh the Back Pack - it's really that simple. Seems obvious doesn't it, but it is so, so important. As soon as you see your child starting to lean forward because the weight of their Back Pack is too much then get some of that weight out of that Back Pack.
It would be nice to be able to give you some recommended limits of weight but it really depends on the size, age and build of your child. Just remember - Your child's spine is precious, oh so precious, don't weigh it down unnecessarily.
If you would like to see the original article giving you the exact measurements and findings of the research then please go to:
http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/ABSTRACTS/Comparison_of_the_Posture.shtml
Pregnancy, Birth and Chiropractic — A Life Changing Combination
Chiropractors and families across the globe recognise the benefits of adjusting mums (and dads) preconception, prenatally and postnatally.
Women report a remarkable difference in their pregnancy and birth outcomes when they have had chiropractic care. Enhancing the health and wellbeing of the parents naturally assists the developing baby. Adjustments ensuring maternal pelvic, spinal, cranial, neurological and biochemical balance (and comfort) contribute to a better birth outcome. Infant adjustments post delivery ensures balance of the cranial dural system and integrity of the nervous system as the baby continues to grow and develop.
How we come into the world and how we bond profoundly influences the architecture of our brain, dramatically impacts our relationships and influences us for the rest of our lives. Birth practices and the birth experiences also influence how well breastfeeding is established. Breastfeeding, a key component of bonding, is also essential for immune development and function and impacts cognitive development. The results of research evaluating the effects on babies whose mothers had or had not received epidural analgesia during labor will come as no surprise to chiropractors. When neurobehaviour was evaluated in the infants from both groups, results indicated that the higher the neurobehavioural functioning of the baby, the higher the breastfeeding behaviour score. The conclusion states: ―When determining physiologically what is important for the infant to successfully latch on and feed, it appears that an intact and functioning central nervous system may be one of the crucial elements.
Chiropractors influence the functioning of the central nervous system, assisting not only in the health, wellbeing and neurological development of a baby, but also in establishing breastfeeding, particularly when there has been cranial, temporomandibular or cervical dysfunction. This extends to calming unsettled and colicky babies.
To continue to influence the next generation, a new Facebook site has been established, the Chiropractic Community for Birth Centres (Aust). (CCBCA). The aim of this group is to link like-minded, passionate chiropractors and chiropractic advocates who would love to play an integral role in seeing pregnant mums and babies have the option of chiropractic adjustments throughout pregnancy and labour in Birth Centres Australia wide.
The Friends of the Birth Centre Sunshine Coast (FBCSC) is a consumer group dedicated to lobbying on behalf of those dedicated to better birth choices. This group is comprised of midwifes, passionate mothers (and fathers), chiropractors and other health professionals interested in changing the way we bring children into the world. Feedback from this community group has been sought and continues to inform the decision- making process in developing a Birth Centre at the soon-to-be built Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH).
The SCUH organising committee is very open to chiropractors attending the Birth Centre to adjust pregnant mums, brand new mums and newborns. In principle, chiropractors will be welcome in the birth suites and a dedicated room is under consideration.
This is a very exciting time in our profession. In joining with midwives, other health practitioners and parents committed to natural birth choices, we have the great opportunity to powerfully influence the lives of so many.
By Rosemary Keating B App Sc (Chiro) M Chiro Sc (Paeds)
Pain 'should be viewed as a disease in its own right'
Chronic pain needs to be recognised as a disease in its own right, experts say.
The hospital doctors and academics argue this would lead to more momentum for official strategies and funding to help patients.
Nearly 8m people in the UK are suffering ongoing problems with pain. But only 2% of them end up seeing specialists - and a quarter believe their doctors do not know how to treat their pain, research shows.
Prescriptions worth a total of £584m are written every year for painkillers. And pain - including back problems - is the second most common reason cited by incapacity benefit claimants for not working.
Dr Beverly Collett, a consultant in pain medicine from University Hospitals of Leicester and chairman of the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition campaign group , said: "This problem has huge ramifications for society as a whole. Pain is difficult to treat.
"Many patients are seeking reasons for what is behind the pain - but in the vast majority of cases, you can't find one. We are trying to get it taken more seriously - and there's a push, particularly in Europe, to say it is a disease in its own right."
Researchers are examining the idea that changes in the spinal cord and brain have the effect of maintaining pain in sufferers, making it an ongoing problem that can lead to depression or anxiety.
Experts believe more training would help GPs in assessing the severity of patients' pain.
Distraction
Non-medical interventions such as physiotherapy and encouraging patients to stay active can also play a role, with some work showing that distraction can help patients avoid feeling pain.
Professor Steve McMahon, from the Wolfson Centre of Age Related Diseases at King's College London, said the number of new drugs developed to treat pain in the past decade was "very small".
But he said there was interest in the latest trials of a drug called Tanezumab, which might help treat knee and hip pain resulting from osteoarthritis.
Another expert, Irene Tracey, Nuffield professor of anaesthetic science at Oxford University, said: "There is a cultural problem where it's thought that there is a benefit from suffering. We have to get over this. It's not acceptable for people to suffer significant pain in the 21st century."
By Jane Dreaper, Health correspondent, BBC News
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