Blogging with Lee

R & D Update: Senior Muscle Retention

One of the cool things about writing this blog is that it gives me the opportunity to let you in on what's up-and-coming here at Swanson Health Products. It takes many, many months for new concepts to develop into full-fledged products and then to receive promotional space in our catalogs and online. By the time you see a new product introduction we've put hundreds of hours into it and we've already moved on to our next challenge.

Currently my team and I are working with Ori Hofmekler to develop a nutritional approach to a problem I've been concerned with for years--muscle retention. Remember Ori? I introduced him in an earlier blog post (scroll down to the July 23, 2008 entry). Ori is a physical trainer, nutrition expert and recognized authority on muscle development. Our product should be available early next year.

I'm concerned about muscle retention in seniors for a number or reasons. First of all, it's one of the first physical effects of aging and, once it begins, it influences an array of functions we wouldn't normally think are even related. For instance, with reduction in muscle mass comes reduction in aerobic activity, which translates very quickly into fatigue. So energy, endurance and muscle mass are inextricably linked.

And while loss of muscle mass is a natural part of aging (we lose anywhere from 0.5 to one percent per year after age 50 or so), new research suggests that this loss may actually trigger other processes we associate with aging. So if we can protect against the loss of muscle, if we can prolong our ability to retain as much as possible, perhaps we can protect against other negative effects of aging as well.

Evidence suggests that women have a harder time maintaining muscle mass, likely due in part to the hormonal changes associated with menopause. Ori has been instrumental in helping us understand this issue and develop an appropriate formula, as he has a deep knowledge of the relationships between our hormones and our body composition.

Almost all of the research in this area supports two primary recommendations: engage in regular resistance exercises (light work with weights) and increase the proportion of protein in the diet. There's not much we can do for you on the exercise side--it's up to you to work your muscles at least two to three times each week. But we can help you with the protein. The product we're working on is designed with proteins that are easy for the adult body to digest and use and that deliver the necessary profile of branched-chain amino acids our muscles must have to regenerate.

I know our senior muscle retention supplement will help us all as we strive to remain healthy and active as long as humanly possible, and I look forward to finalizing the formula and making it available to you. Meanwhile, take some advice from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and simply do. This regional insurer has launched an excellent public health campaign with this two-letter title to promote one simple idea: "By grooving your body each day, you can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other illnesses." Click the link to check it out, and don't miss the funny commercials in the multimedia section.

A New Slant on Back Pain Relief

If you’re like me, in late middle age, you’ve probably experienced some back pain at some time in your life. In my case, I injured my back a number of times playing sports in my high school and college years. While the injuries seemed to heal, they came back to haunt me in my early 40s and no matter what I tried—massage therapy, chiropractors, osteopaths and even Rolfing—I continued to experience almost daily back pain, particularly when I sat at my desk for long periods of time.

Then, about 15 years ago I discovered a relatively inexpensive therapy that banished my back pain forever. I met a chiropractor in Utah who recommended that I purchase either a slant board or an inversion table and lie on it daily with my head below my feet for five to ten minutes. I purchased an inversion table, and after only a week of using it my back pain disappeared, never to return.

In a nutshell, people who suffer from back pain and sciatica in the legs find inversion therapy turns gravity upside down, harnessing this natural force to decompress the spine. Inversion therapy works a bit like spinal traction. For example, in a standing position, gravity pulls the spine downward, compressing the disks, vertebral bodies, nerves and other structures. Inversion therapy reverses that physical dynamic to help relieve spinal compression. The result: the spine is temporarily lengthened and pressure on anatomical structures is reduced. In my case, this brought virtually immediate and lasting relief to my back pain.

The great thing about inversion therapy is that it’s not necessary for the body to be positioned completely upside down to experience the benefits. Unlike gravity boots, a slant board or inversion table slanted 45 degrees will usually bring the desired result.

If you’re experiencing back pain, you owe it to yourself to give inversion therapy a try. But please, be careful and follow the instructions and the advice of your healthcare practitioner. People with heart disease, high blood pressure or diseases of the eyes are at higher risk of negative consequences. If you have any of these conditions or are pregnant, do not try inversion therapy without first consulting a healthcare professional.