oxygenmagAU Jan/Feb 2018 37
A study of more than
65,000 post-menopaus-
al women suggests a link
between gum disease and
certain cancers, adding
to what researchers are
learning about how poor
gum health might lead
to chronic inflammation.
Women with a history of
periodontal disease had a
14 per cent increased risk
of cancer overall, wroteChew on this
Concurrent trainers, take note: an inadequate recovery period after resistance training
can inhibit your endurance development, the authors of a paper published in the Journal
of Sports Medicine concluded. Twenty-four hours is long enough for most people to fully
recover after endurance exercise such as running or biking, but a longer rest period might be
necessary to recover after a single 40- to 60-minute resistance-training session, researchers at
James Cook University in Australia wrote in their review of concurrent training research. In
the short term, endurance trainers had to expend more energy, didn’t move as efficiently, and
had reduced muscle glycogen levels and more muscle soreness after just one 40- to 60-minute
training session. Over time, resistance fatigue could negatively affect your endurance devel-
opment. There’s no magic prescription for optimal recovery time, the authors wrote: how
much you need depends on many factors, including the intensity of the resistance session
and where you are in your training. But a good rule of thumb is a couple of days’ rest between
a strength workout and a hard running workout, says Sean Meissner, an endurance trainer
with Sharman Ultra Endurance Coaching.Recover to
endurethe authors of the study
published in the jour-
nal Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Preven-
tion. The risk was highest
for esophageal cancer
and cancer of the gall
bladder, they found. Can-
cer of the esophagus is
particularly deadly, they
point out, so make sure
to see your dentist regu-
larly to keep your gums
healthy.Mind-body
strategies to
tackle pain
Just 15 minutes of mindfulness,
hypnosis and education about
pain management reduced pain in
hospital patients, researchers at the
University of Utah in Salt Lake City
found. In the study of 244 people
experiencing acute pain, mindful-
ness helped reduce their pain by
23 per cent, and hypnosis proved
even more helpful, reducing it by
29 per cent. “Hypnosis may work
by using imagery and suggestions
to overlay pleasant sensations on
to the painful bodypart,” says lead
author Dr Eric Garland, professor
and associate dean for research
at the University of Utah. Overall,
patients felt more pleasant body
sensations, felt less need for opioids
and felt less anxiety after the mind-
body interventions. To use mind-
fulness to pulverise pain, “instead
of thinking of low-back pain as a
terrible, awful experience...focus on
the sensation of heat, tightness and
tingling in the back,” Dr Garland
advises. This might help you feel
like the actual spot of pain is small-
er than you thought, he says.Free thinking
Tap into the mind- and body-heal-
ing power of mindfulness with
Insight Timer (insighttimer.com), a
popular free
app that offers
more than
4000 guided
meditations.
Or set the timer
and listen to
bells or calm-
ing, ambient
sounds during
your practice.By Virginia Pelley