NZ Chiropractors Urge Kiwis To Battle The Epidemic Of Inactivity

The New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA) is calling on kiwis to get active and look after their mental health and physical wellbeing as the world suffers an epidemic of inactivity made worse by Covid-19 restrictions.

According to the NZCA a plethora of new research findings are reinforcing the importance of exercise and spinal function in protecting health longer term. A paper recently published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA) warns that a growing worldwide epidemic of physical inactivity is accelerating the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases among aging populations[1] and finds that `extended human health spans and lifespans are both a cause and an effect of habitual physical activity, helping explain why the lack of lifelong physical activity in humans can increase disease risk and reduce longevity’.

NZCA spokesperson Dr Jenna Duehr, chiropractor explains: `We don’t even have to do that much exercise to make a difference. A new study in the Journal of the American Medicine Association Internal Medicine[2] shows that If most people added just 10 extra minutes of walking, or some other kind of moderate physical activity every day we could help prevent thousands of deaths each year’.

Dr Duehr pointed out new research just published in the British Medical Journal shows that just an extra 20 minutes of physical activity a day among older people halves their risk of heart disease[3].

Further research confirms that increased exercise improves the outcomes of other healthcare interventions by improving the body’s ability to repair itself. A paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looking at cancer patients who underwent a structured "prehabilitation" exercise program while they were undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed tumor shrinkage[4] compared to a control group of patients who did not exercise.

Dr Duehr noted that exercise is enhancing appropriate immunological responses and down-regulating inflammatory pathways. She adds: `When we have these Covid-19 lockdowns we know they will trigger upsurges across a wide range of health concerns, particularly heightened levels of mental health concerns such as anxiety, sleeping difficulties, depression and stress related disorders as well as spinal complaints, posture, certain neurological issues and chronic pain. While we cannot help with hands on assistance[5], there are steps that people can take to help themselves.’

The Straighten Up NZ site https://www.straightenup.org.nz/ has a range of exercises, which can be done at home. Dr Duehr also recommends boosting vitamin D levels by getting outside, supporting the immune system with quality vitamin C and zinc supplements, maintaining good hydration, staying positive and by exercising so that the heart rate is raised and endorphins are generated.

Dr Duehr adds: ‘The pandemic has upended life, changing how we live and how we work, indefinitely. We have developed hybrid work patterns with some employees working exclusively from home and others mixing remote work with on-site shifts. We might win with a reduction in the stress of commuting and more time spent with family, but these do not come without a cost to other aspects of our mental health and physical wellbeing.’

Chiropractors are regulated primary health care professionals registered under the HPCA Act with close to 700 annual practicing certificate holders working in solo, group, and multidisciplinary clinics around New Zealand. New Zealand chiropractors have significant training (a minimum 5-year tertiary degree) and a broad yet highly skilled scope of practice and clinical expertise.

New Zealand’s chiropractors are taking the lead to inform and inspire people to improve their health and prevent pain and disability by educating the public to have a greater understanding of the relationship between their spine and nervous system and how this affects their function and overall well-being.

[1] https://www.pnas.org/content/118/50/e2107621118

[2] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2788473

[3] https://heart.bmj.com/content/early/2022/01/16/heartjnl-2021-320013

[4] https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/01/25/bjsports-2021-104243

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7293486/

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