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Keep the cap on that ibuprofen. Your brain is powerful medicine for back pain, according to a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Back-pain sufferers who had 7 weeks of simulated acupuncture-during which a clinician gently prodded them with toothpicks instead of inserting needles-felt just as much relief as those who underwent real acupuncture. Study author Dan Cherkin, Ph.D., says it's possible that the benefits of acupuncture stem from the patient's belief that the treatment will be helpful-a pill-free placebo effect. Needles make you nervous? Tackle your back pain with the exercises in this month's Muscle Bulletin.

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High blood sugar has an accomplice: elevated triglycerides, which may be a hidden cause of nerve damage in people with diabetes. In a University of Michigan study, diabetic participants whose triglyceride levels were highest had 25 percent more nerve damage after a year than those with lower levels, regardless of either group's glucose levels. "High triglycerides probably leads to oxidative stress, which causes injury to motor and sensory neurons," says study author Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. If your triglycerides are above 150 milligrams per deciliter, swap refined carbohydrates for a daily dose of pistachios.

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SPIKE YOUR WORKOUT
Would you like a quick workout with plenty of gains? We thought you might say yes. The secret in raising your performance by up to 10% on fitness tests lies in all-out sprinting. A study at McMaster University in Ontario discovered that six sessions of four to seven all-out sprints over two weeks will provide that percentage boost to your all-round performance. This improvement is based on increased levels of the enzyme citrate synthase - a marker of your muscle tissue's ability to utilize oxygen which inevitably means you can power through your physical performance. Think about it; 55 push ups instead of 50, 110 sit-ups instead of 100, an extra kilometer on the treadmill. All with the same amount of time used. Now that's progress.

YOU SPEND: RM269.90 Adidas Edge Arriba, track and field

YOU GET: Fancy kicks, an high octane lunch routine and plenty of grip when you take on the asphalt.





CATCH THE UPSWING
Flat-out running not challenging enough for you? Or that trick knee acting up again? Well, if running isn’t your bag, you can still improve your performance in endurance exercise with an equally quick explosive strength training routine. That's right, those athletic nerds at the Research Institute for Olympic Sports at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland say by replacing 20% of their normal distance work with a strength routine, test subjects posted an average speed (over 5km) that was 3% quicker than their previous best. If it's five runs a week you're doing, swap one for a kettle bell circuit which will inevitably impress the women. More importantly, the kettle bell forms part of the cross-fit workout which was used to tone the actors on last year’s movie 300. Wouldn’t you like to be a Spartan?

YOU SPEND: RM440 Pro Series 16kg kettlebell (www.kdtathletics.com)

YOU GET: THIS IS SPAR-TAAAAAA!!!!!

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a new University of Alberta study found that strength training is better than cardio work at relieving lower-back pain. People who hit the weights for 4 months experienced a 63 percent reduction in pain, while those who did only aerobic exercise felt no improvement. The difference may be due to the total-body benefits of lifting. "By adding muscular strength to your whole body, you reduce the fatigue that builds up during the day," explains study author Rob Kell, Ph.D., "and you're better able to maintain good posture, which minimizes stress on your lower back."




Move over MRSA
Of all the ways a hospital stay can make you sick, few worry the staff quite like, well, staph. They know if a patient is infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), it can be diffi cult to beat. But as deadly as MRSA may be, it isn’t the only antibioticresistant bug crawling the halls. Patrick J. Brennan, M.D., an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, explains what to watch out for.

ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII
This bacterial baddie has the ability to survive on surfaces for up to a month.
A. baumannii can cause meningitis or a skin infection that can prove fatal if it spreads.

Your move
Ask your M.D. to roll up those sleeves: In an Israeli study, half of all doctors' uniforms played host to bugs such as Acinetobacter.


VANCOMYCIN-RESISTANT ENTEROCOCCUS
Even one of the most effective antibiotics in existence can't control VRE. The infections often show up in a patient's urinary tract, bloodstream, or an open wound.

Your move
VRE may lurk on hospital privacy curtains; if your physician pulls your curtain closed before examining you, request that he wash his hands


KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE
Plain old pneumonia is bad enough, but if it's caused by K. pneumoniae, your immune system is in for a real fight. If left untreated, it can destroy lung tissue and cause hemorrhaging

Your move
Hands off your patient file. In a Saudi Arabian study, 25 percent of files in a surgical ward carried bacteria, including K. pneumoniae.


CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE
This bug can trigger a myriad of gastrointestinal problems, from severe diarrhea to an inflamed colon. It often lingers on frequently touched surfaces, such as light switches.

Your move
See if yogurt is on the menu. Its "live active cultures" replenish your gut's supply of the good bacteria that help defend against C. difficile.

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recurring anxiety dreams says Deidre Barrett, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard medical school and the author of Trauma and Dreams. Having recurring dreams about failing in class when your college graduation was years ago? That would mean you are afraid of failing at something – a new work project, an upcoming athletic endeavor, or possibly even a romantic relationship. As for why the dream has you back on campus, Barrett says that "college was the last time you took tests that were based on your performance." So take the hint from your subconscious: Step back and identify the prompt of the panic, and start
finding concrete ways to improve your odds of success.




Blasted hearing

Having fun blasting your favorite bands through the headphones? Then we are sorry to be the party-pooper, but you've got to stop! While you were rocking out, the music was wrecking havoc on your ears' cilia, tiny hairs necessary for hearing. Problem is, noise damage to cilia is permanent, meaning hearing loss is, too. To safeguard
the remaining cilia, lower the volume and have a glass of whey protein. Whey helps you build muscle as well as boosts your body's production of glutathione; an antioxidant that University of Buffalo researchers found could limit noise-induced hearing loss in mice. They claim it should have a similar protective effect in humans.

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throat, laryngeal, nose, esophageal, and lung cancers. Even the occasional puffs can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as further breathing trouble if you have asthma, says study authors Carlos Iribarren, M.D, Ph.D. Here's more bad news: Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have discovered that men who chewed 6 milligrams of nicotine in gum form for 40 minutes had 23% weaker erections than those who took a placebo. Scary thing is: your cigar has about 25 times more nicotine than that.



Airing the dirty laundry

If you have heard that the chemicals from dry cleaning may increase cancer risk, don't stop going to your dry cleaners just yet. Though perchloroethylene (perc) has been known to cause cancer in animals, no reliable link has been established in humans. A recent study by Noel Weiss, M.D., Dr.P.H, a cancer researcher and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington showed signs it may cause cancer of the esophogus and bladder, "but the jury is still out." So the next time you collect your clothes, give them a whiff to estimate the amount of perc residual from the dry cleaner's extraction process. If the chemical smell is noticeable, you can try airing out your garments before putting them away, or you can switch to a different dry cleaner.

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that which is required to destroy living cells. It only takes a tenth of a percent of alcohol in your blood before you find yourself intoxicated. But rather than zeroing on one specific region of the brain, alcohol impacts your entire noggin. The result: temporary block of new formation, dulled thinking and reduced muscle control. Your takeaway: as always, drink responsibly.



Mouth to mouth
It turns out that wiping the top of a soda can is just wasted effort. putting mouth to metal won't make you sick: Cold aluminum simply isn't warm, moist enough environment to the germs that makes us sick, especially when refrigeration is involved, says University of Iowa microbiologist Michael Pantella, Ph.D. Even if a few hardy bugs do make it to your lips, they'll be eliminated by the soda acids. Here's what you should be worried about though: A University of Arizona study found saliva traces on the buttons of one out of eight vending machines. So either push the buttons with your elbow or, better yet, stop drinking soda.

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A new Brazilian study found that when people with chronic neck pain underwent weekly acupuncture and physical-therapy sessions, they saw a 21 percent greater reduction in pain than people who received only the physical therapy. Acupuncture may ease the muscle spasms that contribute to neck pain.


The whiz quiz
Can you pass it? A simple urine test can reveal if you're at risk for diabetes, according to new research in the Journal of Hypertension. In the study by French scientists, men with even moderately high urine levels of albumin, a protein that regulates blood volume, had up to a 97 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than men with the lowest levels-even in the absence of common risk factors, such as obesity or cardiovascular disease. While more research needs to be done to understand the connection, the study authors speculate that elevated levels of albumin could cause artery damage, which may in turn lead to insulin resistance. Ask your doctor for an albumin test: Urine levels above 9 milligrams per liter may signal a problem.

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When you're packing for your next getaway, don't forget your tickets, passport, and pine bark. A pine-bark extract called Pycnogenol could help you avoid the worst of jet lag, say Italian researchers. People who took Pycnogenol before and after a 7-to-9-hour flight had half as many jet-lag symptoms as those who didn't take it. The mechanism is unclear, but it's possible that antioxidants in the extract may be at work, helping prevent the brain swelling that could be the cause of the fatigue and headaches associated with international flights. Want to try this supplement? Starting 2 days before your flight, take 50 milligrams of Pycnogenol three times a day for a week.


Check our water meter
One in 27 men are diagnosed with bladder cancer in their lifetimes, and it's the fourth most common malignancy in the country. Fortunately, shielding yourself couldn't be simpler: Drinking water can significantly reduce your risk of bladder cancer, say Harvard researchers. In their study, people who drank six 8-ounce glasses of water a day had a 53 percent lower risk of developing the disease. Extra H2O not only dilutes your urine, reducing the concentration of carcinogens, but also increases your urge to urinate, shortening the time those chemicals are in contact with your bladder.

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A greener Hospital stay

The next time you visit someone in the hospital, skip the flowers and bring a potted plant instead. Researchers at Kansas State University found that when people recovering from appendectomies had plants in their hospital rooms, they needed up to 36% less pain medication than those whose rooms were foliage-free. "Being in an environment with living plants reduces stress, which in turn lowers pain perception," says study author Richard Mattson, Ph.D. While the type or quantity of greenery didn't matter in the study, stick with something hardy, such as a fern or closet plant.

A honey of a cure

Bees may someday take the sting out of sinus infections. In a test tube-study, Canadian researchers discovered that honey is highly effective at killing the bacteria that are sometimes are the root of chronic sinusitis. In fact, honey was such a powerful bug zapper that it outperformed even the most commonly prescribed antibiotic. The next challenge is to identify the active compounds so they can be tested in a nasal spray.

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Weak in the knees

If your knees are being mined by osteoarthritis, shore them up with iron. Australian researchers found that lower-body weight training can reduce knee pain and improve mobility. "Strengthening the muscles around your knee helps stabilize the joint, which could help minimize pain," says study author Angela Lange, Ph.D.(c). If your doctor green-lights it, try split squats. Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps, 2 or 3 times a week, using a weight that's at least 80% of your 1-rep max.

A flu-proof plan.

If you still haven't gotten your flu shot, here's more incentive to roll up your sleeve: The influenza vaccine may help prevent potentially fatal blood clots. French researchers recently found that people who'd been vaccinated were 48% less likely to develop the dangerous blood-clotting condition known as deep-vein thrombosis than those who skipped the injection. Inflammation produced by the viral infection may cause your blood to thicken, increasing the odds of deadly clotting.

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