Can Fish Oil With Omega 3 Help With Neuropathy

Today's post from newswise.com (see link below) looks at the potential benefits of fish oil containing omega 3 fatty acids for people suffering from nerve damage. It has been found that the omega 3 fatty acids improved nerve health in terms of density and sensory signal transmission in rats. Now if these results can be successfully applied to humans then we have a cheap and relatively harmless, easily produced supplement which could really help neuropathy patients restore some normality to their nerve reactions. It's all still at the research stage but the science and potential seem solid. In the meantime, supplementing your diet with fish oil (plus omega 3) is not bad advice anyway unless your diet is already enriched with fish products.

Fish Oil May Help with Diabetic Neuropathy Released: 6-May-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Source Newsroom: American Physiological Society (APS)

Newswise — Bethesda, Md. (May 6, 2015)—Approximately 50 percent of patients with diabetes suffer from nerve damage, or neuropathy. No cure exists, and the most effective treatment, keeping blood sugar in control, only slows neuropathy. A new study in the Journal of Neurophysiology, however, introduces a new alternative, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. The study shows that fish oil supplements can restore the condition of nerves damaged from diabetes in mice.

“Diabetic neuropathy is a very costly and debilitating complication of diabetes. It is the leading cause of foot ulcers and nontrauma-related amputations, and the impact of diabetic neuropathy on the patient and family are unmeasurable,” said Mark Yorek of the VA Medical Center in Iowa City, the study’s lead investigator. Fish oil is an attractive treatment approach because “supplements are considered very safe and could be easily translated into everyday care. Fish oil would be easy to take, like a vitamin, and should have few side effects when combined with other medications,” explained Yorek.

Previous studies of obesity and diabetes have reported better blood sugar handling, liver function and reduced inflammation with omega-3 fatty acids treatment. The health benefits were attributed to protective molecules produced from omega-3 fatty acids, including one type called resolvins. The research group had previously observed that diets enriched with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil improved diabetic neuropathy in rats with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and in this new study they examined why.

Researchers used a mouse model of diabetes to study the effect of fish oil. Diabetic mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated with daily injections of resolvin or given a high-fat diet in which half the fat came from fish oil. The results were compared to healthy, non-diabetic mice.

The researchers found that untreated diabetic mice had diminished sense of touch in their paws that corresponded to fewer nerves in the paw’s skin and slower transmission of signals along the nerves. The eyes of untreated diabetic mice also had fewer nerves. Though dietary fish oil and resolvin did not lower glucose levels closer to healthy range, they improved nerve health in terms of density and sensory signal transmission. The researchers also observed that resolvin stimulated nerve cells to grow.

“Even though a lot more work needs to be done, including clinical trials with human subjects, our animal studies suggest that fish oil can reverse some of the harmful effects of diabetes on the nerves. Our intent is to do more animal studies to demonstrate that fish oil treatment can reverse the harmful effects of diabetes on nerves even after a long period of poorly controlled diabetes. After completion of this work, we hope to begin studies with diabetic patients with neuropathy,” Yorek said.

The article “Effect of enriching the diet with menhaden oil or daily treatment with resolvin D1 on neuropathy in a mouse model of Type 2 diabetes” is published ahead-of-print in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact Maggie Kuo at mkuo@the-aps.org or 301-634-7253.

About the American Physiological Society (APS)
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents more than 11,000 members and publishes 14 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/633928/

3 D Hip Flexor Stretching

The detrimental affects of prolonged sitting, especially in office workers, has been the center of much recent discussion. Some have even considered it the "new smoking." Athletes moonlighting as office workers are scrambling to find solutions to counter-act the forces of sitting.  Standing desks and stability balls have been finding their way onto office floors to provide a solution for the standard office chair.


For runners, the number one affect of prolonged sitting is tight hip flexors.  They originate from the back and attach to the hip. The hip flexors are located a couple inches outside the belly button. Tightness of the hip flexor limits your stride length, and contributes to low back pain, knee pain and even foot pain. For example, if your left hip flexor is tight it will limit the right leg’s ability to reach forward, resulting in a shortened stride or forcing the leg to cross midline.  Since the hip flexors attach to the spine, tightness will pull the spine forward leading to bad alignment. Lastly, it can lead to prolonged pronation of the foot.

Here are 2 different techniques on how to stretch the hip flexors. AND on 3Drunner, I'll show you how to stretch them in all three planes of motion.

Hip flexor stretch  #1

Hip flexor stretch #2

*** The stretches should be felt in the front of the pelvis. If you don't feel a stretch in the front of the hips, tuck your pelvis under your body. Another cue is to contract your glutes.

For each stretch perform 10 -15 movements per plane of motion depending on how tight you  feel.

After stretching, your hip muscles may feel a bit funny, loose and wobbly. This feeling is due to the newly stretched muscles not knowing how to control movement. They have been “sleeping” for some time and need to be retrained. In running, the hip flexor muscles are used eccentrically ( meaning they lengthen) so it’s better to work them eccentrically.

Lunge with overhead reach

Perform 5-10 of each of the lunges.


Here's a bonus video on how to mobilize your hip flexors.
Using a ball to roll on the muscle is like getting a massage. This will enhance the stretches and mobility exercises.

Hip Flexor Roll Out

 

A minimum of 2 minutes per side.

Hope this helps. 

Subscribe to my blog to get notified of the next post. UPCOMING: how sitting impacts the upper back. 

Omega 3 Fatty Acids Promising For Nerve Damage

Today's post from sciencedaily.com (see link below) reinforces the information provided in a post from 2 days ago on this blog and that is that fish oil, reinforced with Omega 3 fatty acids may well be of great benefit to damaged nerves. It has been found that one type of omega 3 fatty acid called resolvins, can restore nerve health in mice. Now we're pretty familiar with studies carried out on long-suffering rodents and can become blasé about yet more potential benefits that haven't been proved in humans. They generally mean that whatever the latest finding may be, it will be years before it reaches our doctor's prescription pad but in this case, taking fish oil supplements to compensate our lack of fish in our diets may not be such a bad idea anyway - if they can also improve our nerve problems in the meantime, until the science proves it beyond doubt, then it's pretty much a win-win situation.

Fish oil may help with diabetic neuropathy
Source:American Physiological Society Date:May 6, 2015 

(APS)Summary:

Approximately 50 percent of patients with diabetes suffer from nerve damage, or neuropathy. No cure exists, and the most effective treatment, keeping blood sugar in control, only slows neuropathy. A new study, however, introduces a new alternative, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. The study shows that fish oil supplements can restore the condition of nerves damaged from diabetes in mice.

"Diabetic neuropathy is a very costly and debilitating complication of diabetes. It is the leading cause of foot ulcers and non-trauma-related amputations, and the impact of diabetic neuropathy on the patient and family are unmeasurable," said Mark Yorek of the VA Medical Center in Iowa City, the study's lead investigator. Fish oil is an attractive treatment approach because "supplements are considered very safe and could be easily translated into everyday care. Fish oil would be easy to take, like a vitamin, and should have few side effects when combined with other medications," explained Yorek.

Previous studies of obesity and diabetes have reported better blood sugar handling, liver function and reduced inflammation with omega-3 fatty acids treatment. The health benefits were attributed to protective molecules produced from omega-3 fatty acids, including one type called resolvins. The research group had previously observed that diets enriched with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil improved diabetic neuropathy in rats with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and in this new study they examined why.

Researchers used a mouse model of diabetes to study the effect of fish oil. Diabetic mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated with daily injections of resolvin or given a high-fat diet in which half the fat came from fish oil. The results were compared to healthy, non-diabetic mice.

The researchers found that untreated diabetic mice had diminished sense of touch in their paws that corresponded to fewer nerves in the paw's skin and slower transmission of signals along the nerves. The eyes of untreated diabetic mice also had fewer nerves. Though dietary fish oil and resolvin did not lower glucose levels closer to healthy range, they improved nerve health in terms of density and sensory signal transmission. The researchers also observed that resolvin stimulated nerve cells to grow.

"Even though a lot more work needs to be done, including clinical trials with human subjects, our animal studies suggest that fish oil can reverse some of the harmful effects of diabetes on the nerves. Our intent is to do more animal studies to demonstrate that fish oil treatment can reverse the harmful effects of diabetes on nerves even after a long period of poorly controlled diabetes. After completion of this work, we hope to begin studies with diabetic patients with neuropathy," Yorek said.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by American Physiological Society (APS). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
Hanna Shevalye, Matthew S Yorek, Lawrence J Coppey, Amey Holmes, Matthew M Harper, Randy H Kardon, Mark A. Yorek. Effect of enriching the diet with menhaden oil or daily treatment with resolvin D1 on neuropathy in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. Journal of Neurophysiology, 2015; jn.00224.2015 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00224.2015

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150506182713.htm

What is 3 dimensional

Our body functions in 3 basic planes of motion- sagittal, frontal and transverse. Sagittal plane is characterized by forward and backward motion, frontal plane is side to side motion and transverse is twisting motion. Our everyday motions are typically composed of one predominate plane with the 2 other planes used in the supporting roles. An example of this is walking. When we move forward we primarily use the sagittal plane, however the frontal and transverse planes are vital to allowing the proper mechanics necessary to achieve the movement of walking. Without the frontal and transverse planes of motion, more stress is created in the sagittal plane, ultimately leading to injury. Lack of training in the other planes of motion leads to limited endurance and causes premature fatigue.

Visualize the way football players, baseball players, soccer players, etc, move during a game. They step to the side, they step and rotate with every pivot, they twist and turn, all in reaction to the game they play.
Next time you participate in activities such as throwing a baseball or gardening take notice of how our body moves throughout all planes of motion. 

So if our body functions in 3-D, why don't we train in 3-D? 

Examples of 3-D "Jumping Jacks"

The key to minimizing injury and improving performance is to find the exercises which facilitate motion in all 3 planes which is specific to your sport.

Below are videos to show "jumping jacks" performed in the 3 planes of motion demonstrating different variations arm and leg patterns.

Did you think there is only one way to perform "jumping jacks"?