Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Youth Volunteering, Aging Muscles, and NFL CTE Concerns

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Youth Volunteering, Aging Muscles, and NFL CTE Concerns · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

• 0:00
  Welcome to Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow, your daily dose of the latest medical and health news from around the world, brought to
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  you by artificial intelligence.
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  I'm your host, Dr.
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  Chi-Ming Chow.
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  Today, we're diving into a heartwarming story from Saskatoon, Canada, where a couple of
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  physical therapy students have taken a unique approach to help seniors stay active.
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  Two students from the University of Saskatchewan, Levi Osterwalder and Valerie
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  Kerr, started a volunteer program at a care home in Saskatoon to encourage seniors to walk
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  regularly.
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  This initiative was born out of a practicum they completed at Stensrud Lodge, a long-term
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  care home, where they witnessed firsthand the challenges residents face in maintaining
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  mobility.
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  During their five-week placement, they were inspired by the progress of a resident who
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  initially struggled to walk just 10 steps.
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  By the end of the program, this resident could walk approximately 100 meters with minimal
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  breaks.
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  This remarkable improvement motivated Kerr and Osterwalder to continue their efforts even
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  after their practicum ended.
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  The volunteer program they established is designed to be simple and accessible.
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  Volunteers can contribute just one hour a month, which can significantly enhance the
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  residents' walking time.
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  The program involves knocking on residents' doors and inviting them to walk a loop around
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  the building.
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  Over the course of the five weeks, many residents reported feeling stronger and more
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  enthusiastic about walking.
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  Shelley Turk, a certified functional aging specialist in Saskatoon, explains the
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  importance of maintaining muscle as we age.
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  She mentions a condition known as sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, which begins in our
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  30s and accelerates after age 60.
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  Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for longevity and independence, and simple daily
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  exercises can make a big difference.
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  Turk advises starting with basic exercises like a 10-minute walk after meals, wall push-ups,
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  and shallow squats.
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  The key is consistency, much like practicing a musical instrument.
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  This approach to exercise helps bridge the gap between sedentary and active older adults,
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  allowing them to enjoy a more fulfilling lifestyle.
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  In a recent study, researchers have uncovered a concerning finding regarding former National
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  Football League players.
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  It appears that at least one in four professional players who passed away between
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  2016 and 2021 were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a progressive
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  brain disorder.
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  This is a significant revelation, as CTE is associated with repeated head impacts, a common
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  occurrence in contact sports like football.
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  The study, led by Daniel Daneshvar, MD, PhD, at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzed data
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  from former players who died from 2008 to 2021.
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  The findings suggested that the prevalence of CTE among these athletes could range from as
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  low as 18.5% to as high as 98.7%.
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  This range indicates a wide scope of potential impact, highlighting the need for further
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  investigation into the long-term effects of head injuries sustained in sports.
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  Particularly, the study focused on the subset of players who died between 2016 and 2021, a
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  period when brain donation was more frequent.
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  Among these individuals, the possible prevalence of CTE ranged between 24.5% and
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  97.7%, suggesting a significant presence of the disease within this group.
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  One of the critical observations of the study was the link between severe CTE, known as stage
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  IV, and symptoms of dementia.
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  The researchers found that stage IV CTE pathology was associated with a noticeable
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  increase in dementia symptoms.
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  This correlation raises concerns about the potential long-term cognitive impacts on former
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  players.
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  CTE can only be definitively diagnosed postmortem, making it challenging to identify
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  and address during a player's lifetime.
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  The study's findings underscore the importance of monitoring and researching brain health
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  among contact sport athletes, not only for their immediate well-being but also for their
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  long-term health.
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  The editorial accompanying the study, authored by Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD, and Richard Riley,
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  PhD, pointed out that brain donation is often not random.
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  Players who experienced neurological symptoms during their lives might be more inclined to
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  donate their brains for research.
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  This factor can introduce a selection bias, which the researchers acknowledge and attempt
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  to account for in their analysis.
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  Despite these limitations, the research provides valuable insights into the prevalence
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  of CTE among former National Football League players and emphasizes the urgent need for
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  further studies.
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  The goal is to better understand the effects of repetitive head impacts and to inform future
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  policy recommendations that could protect athletes from such debilitating conditions.
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  Our final story today brings us to a significant review that highlights the
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  effectiveness of nicotine vapes as a tool for quitting smoking.
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  According to a comprehensive analysis by the Cochrane team, involving 80 major trials and
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  nearly 30,000 participants, nicotine e-cigarettes have proven to be more successful
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  than traditional cessation aids like patches, gum, and support plans.
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  The review found that nicotine vapes increased the success rate of quitting smoking by about
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  60%, from roughly six in every 100 individuals managing to quit to one in every 10.
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  Interestingly, nicotine vapes also outperformed their non-nicotine counterparts, although
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  researchers suggest that transitioning to non-nicotine vapes might assist in gradually
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  reducing nicotine dependency.
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  Furthermore, the study suggests that nicotine vapes could potentially be more effective than
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  the new anti-smoking pill, cytisine, which the National Health Service has recently started to
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  offer.
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  However, more research is needed in this area to confirm these findings.
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  While vaping is not entirely risk-free, experts maintain that it is significantly safer than
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  smoking.
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  In the United Kingdom, recent data shows more individuals over the age of 16 are using vapes
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  or e-cigarettes than smoking traditional cigarettes.
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  Approximately 5.3 million adults smoke, while around 5.4 million use vapes either daily or
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  occasionally.
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  The review emphasizes the importance of using regulated vapes that comply with strict safety
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  laws, as unregulated devices can contain dangerous substances like unstable batteries
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  and harmful chemicals.
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  Dr.
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  Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, one of the report's authors, advises that anyone seeking to quit
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  smoking using e-cigarettes should only purchase devices that have been tested and approved by
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  their country's regulatory body.
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  The review found no evidence of an increased risk of serious harm from using e-cigarettes to
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  quit smoking.
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  However, the long-term risks of vaping remain unclear, and the National Health Service
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  advises that children and non-smokers should never vape.
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  Doctors express concern that vaping could lead to health issues in children and advocate for
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  making vapes less appealing to them.
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  Smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death, responsible for
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  over seven million deaths annually worldwide.
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  Quitting smoking dramatically reduces the risk of serious illnesses such as heart disease,
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  lung cancer, and stroke.
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  Almost every local National Health Service stop smoking service offers vapes or other support
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  to help individuals quit smoking.
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  This review offers a glimmer of hope for those looking to quit smoking, providing evidence
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  that nicotine vapes might be the most effective tool available today.
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  As always, it's crucial to consult healthcare professionals when considering smoking
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  cessation options.
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  That wraps up today's episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  Thank you for joining me as we explored these important health topics.
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  Remember, staying informed is a vital part of maintaining your health.
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  Until next time, take care and stay healthy.