Most seniors want to remain in their homes as long
as possible. For some, pain and/or
soreness in the spine, especially after prolonged standing, make doing so
harder. Normal aging does have
associated aches and pains, but is there any other way to treat these without
prescription drugs?
There may well be another way. UCLA researchers have discovered that a diet enriched
with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice helps to
preserve walking ability in rats that have experienced damage to their spinal
cords. The findings, published June 26,
2012 in the Journal of Neurosurgery:
Spine, suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and
maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck.
“Normal
aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and
injuring tissue,” said principal investigator Dr. Langston Holly, associate
professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “While
surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair
damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary
supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”
The studied
simulated cervical myelopathy — a progressive disorder that often occurs in
people with spine-weakening conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoporosis. Cervical myelopathy is the most common spine-related walking problem
for people over 55, and it can lead to disabling neurological symptoms, such as
difficulty walking, neck and arm pain, hand numbness and weakness of the limbs.
What are
these specific supplements? DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid shown to repair damage
to cell membranes. Curcumin is a compound in turmeric, an Indian curry spice,
and it is a strong antioxidant that previous studies have linked to tissue
repair. Both reduce inflammation. “Our findings suggest that diet can help
minimize disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord,” Dr.
Holly said. The study did not suggest
specific amounts of the supplements.
Ask your
doctor about the possibility of taking these two dietary supplements. Taking these supplements may offer millions of
seniors some relief from cervical myelopathy and other spinal damage.
Rachel
Carson is a Certified Senior Advisor and owner of Home Instead Senior Care,
serving the Lowcountry since 1997.
