Welcome to the June newsletter. This newsletter aims to provide information and analysis of timely topics from recent articles published in the medical literature. I hope you find this information useful and helpful in your health journey. If you have comments or questions, please let us know!
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Aging is linked to a progressive decline in function. This manifests with more difficulty with endurance, strength, and flexibility. But there is a forgotten aspect to maintaining function; balance. We often think about elderly people falling but perhaps there is a bigger link than we know to our health. The first article this month discusses a study that found that the outcome of a 10-second test could be a huge difference in our mortality.
Getting in daily physical activity can be hard at times. Hopefully, many of us have a routine to work activity into our days. Is there a better time of day to exercise? Some of us are early birds, others are night owls. Does the time we choose to exercise affect the results of our efforts? The second study potentially sheds some light on this.
The pandemic sent many of us to our screens even more during our downtime. We are spending more time than ever staring at our phones (and other screens). I know I am often shocked when my weekly screen time pops up on my phone. What effects does this have on our kids and especially their activity levels? The third study has some very interesting findings.
I hope you enjoy these articles!
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More than 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests or an abrupt loss of heart function occur outside of the hospital each year in the United States. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. A recent survey by the American Heart Association found that only 6 out of 10 adults felt comfortable giving CPR. Only 1 in 4 said they would always perform CPR to aid someone. The biggest barrier cited was a lack of training or knowledge on how to perform CPR. The American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR campaign has encouraged and taught people the two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR: when you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 9-1-1 and press hard and fast in the center of the chest. No mouth-to-mouth is needed. If you have a chance to learn CPR, I hope you will participate. Even if you never learned CPR before, the Hands-Only CPR technique can help you save a life.
