CBD Info Archives

What is the age of onset for rheumatoid arthritis?

October 27, 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disorder affecting the joints. RA usually starts between the ages of 25 and 45 years, but it can sometimes present in older people.

RA may cause symptoms throughout the body, including pain, stiffness, and fatigue. The condition is highly variable and affects everyone differently.

About 1.5 million people in the United States, ranging from children to older adults, have RA. Although anyone of any age can develop RA, the age of onset can affect someone’s experience of the disease and the treatment they receive.

In this article, we examine the age of onset for RA and why it matters. We also discuss when an individual should speak with a doctor.

What is the most common age of RA onset?

a person with rheumatoid arthritis is walking outside

The overall likelihood of an individual developing RA increases with age, but it is most common in females aged 25–45 years.

If RA develops in adults aged 65 or younger, doctors refer to it as early onset RA. When RA develops in individuals over the age of 65, doctors refer to it as elderly onset RA (EORA) or late onset RA (LORA).

Why does the onset age matter?

The RA age of onset matters because it can influence an individual’s outlook and treatment.

There are three main risk factors that increase the likelihood of RA being fatal: disease severity, disease activity, and the presence of other health conditions.

The age of onset for RA plays a significant role in determining the severity of the disease and the treatment options. It also affects disease progression and the chance of individuals developing other conditions alongside RA, known as comorbidities.

Additionally, the age of onset affects the sexes differently. RA tends to occur more frequently in females, but EORA may affect males and females at a similar rate.

RA onset in adults

According to the Arthritis Foundation, adults with early stage RA may not have discoloration or swelling of the joints, but they may have tenderness or pain in the affected areas.

Other symptoms of RA include:

pain, swelling, stiffness, or tenderness in multiple joints lasting 6 weeks or more
symptoms first affecting smaller joints, such as the wrist and the joints in the hands and feet
symptoms occurring equally on both sides of the body
morning stiffness lasting for at least 30 minutes

Many people with RA also become exhausted or fatigued and may have a low grade fever.

The symptoms that a person experiences and their intensity may not be consistent. For example, RA symptoms commonly come and go, alternating between flares of significant inflammation and pain and periods of remission.

Risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing RA include:

Age: Although RA can begin at any age, the possibility increases with age.
Sex: Females are two to three times more likely to develop RA than males.
Genetics: Some people inherit specific genes called human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genotypes that confer an increased risk of developing RA and experiencing more severe symptoms. Environmental factors, which include obesity and smoking, further increase these individuals’ risk of RA.
Smoking: Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of developing RA and worsens disease severity.
Early life exposures: Certain early life exposures may increase the risk of RA in adulthood. For example, children who had exposure to cigarette smoke when in the womb are twice as likely to develop RA.
Obesity: Having excess body weight increases the risk of RA, with the risk correlating with the severity of obesity.

People who have breastfed infants may have a reduced risk of developing RA.

RA onset in older adults

EORA occurs in individuals over the age of 65 years. Although early onset RA is more prominent in females, EORA has a more similar distribution between males and females.

Doctors often diagnose EORA earlier in the disease, and although it is frequently acute with symptoms coming on quickly, it is less erosive or damaging to the bones than early onset RA. Additionally, EORA often involves larger joints such as the shoulders rather than the small joints of the hands.

Among those with EORA, fewer individuals may test positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), an immune system protein that may attack healthy tissues. Overall, 80% and 60–70% of individuals with RA test positive for RF and cyclic citrullinated protein (CCP), respectively, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

The treatment for RA and EORA may differ. Treating young adults with RA typically involves disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics. In comparison, doctors commonly treat those with EORA with lower dosages or less potent DMARDs, biologic medications, or both. Generally, they avoid corticosteroids for these individuals due to the long-term side effects.

The various ways that EORA presents can make it challenging for doctors to diagnose, and it requires different clinical and treatment approaches.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the type of arthritis that doctors most commonly diagnose in children and teenagers.

The term idiopathic means unknown, and it signifies a lack of knowledge about why some children develop JIA. Doctors speculate that children with JIA have specific genes that bacteria, viruses, or other external factors activate, but research is ongoing to confirm this theory.

There are seven types of JIA, which doctors distinguish by:

signs
symptoms
number of affected joints
laboratory results
family history

The seven types of JIA are:

Oligoarticular JIA: This type affects four joints or fewer in the initial 6 months of the disease. Children, especially young girls, who test positive for anti-nuclear antibodies are at risk of the inflammatory eye disease uveitis.
Enthesitis-related JIA: This condition commonly affects the hips, knees, and feet, causing tenderness where the bone meets a tendon, ligament, or other connective tissue.
Rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular JIA: Individuals with this type of JIA test negative for RF. It affects five or more joints in the initial 6 months of disease.
Rheumatoid factor-positive polyarticular JIA: This type also affects five or more joints, but affected individuals test positive for RF and CCP.
Systemic JIA: People with systemic JIA may experience joint pain, rash, high fever, and systemic illness lasting 2 weeks or more.
Psoriatic JIA: This condition also involves psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that affects the skin.
Undifferentiated arthritis: Some people’s condition may not fit into one of the above categories. In such cases, doctors will describe it as undifferentiated arthritis.

When to speak with a doctor

Anyone experiencing symptoms of RA should seek medical attention. It is important to receive an accurate diagnosis quickly, as appropriate, timely treatment can limit the effects of RA and their impact on someone’s life.

Rheumatologists are doctors who specialize in RA, and they are the most suitable healthcare professionals to diagnose the condition accurately. They will take the individual’s medical history, perform a physical exam, and request laboratory tests and imaging studies to make a diagnosis.

Summary

RA can develop in people of any age, from children to older adults. The disease appears most commonly in females aged 25–45 years, but it can also affect people at an older age.

Some defining differences between RA and EORA include:

distribution between sexes
disease progression
disease severity
treatment

JIA affects children and teenagers, and the seven subtypes differ by their characteristics.

It is crucial for anyone experiencing symptoms of RA to speak with a doctor. A proper diagnosis and early treatment are essential to prevent the disease from significantly affecting an individual’s life.

By Yoder's Organicsin CBD Info

Some lesser-known culprits for neck and back pain, and what to do about them

October 27, 2021

It might not be your home desk setup. Breathing and sleeping habits, the weight of your bag, and your vitamin D levels also can contribute to neck and back pain.

If you’ve been experiencing more pain in your neck or back recently, you’re not alone. Research has found that changes in behavior during the pandemic, such as more time spent sitting and less time engaged in physical activity, has led to more new-onset back pain as well as more severe chronic back pain. For example, a September 2021 study involving 232 telecommunications company workers found that 39 percent of the participants reported stronger pain in their lower back and 46 percent in their neck and upper back after they shifted to working from home during the pandemic.

The usual suspects are poor ergonomics while working from home, “pandemic posture” (bad habits such as slouching at a desk or table or on the couch), more sedentary physical activity patterns (which leads to deconditioning), not paying attention to how you perform household tasks (such as loading the dishwasher or taking out the trash), weight gain (which places more stress on the spine and throws posture out of its proper alignment) and increased levels of stress (which can lead to muscle tension). “All of that comes together to make a worse milieu for back and neck issues, which are very common,” says Mohamad Bydon, a professor of neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and medical editor of “Back and Neck Health: Mayo Clinic guide to treating and preventing back and neck pain.” “Times of stress are times of increased pain.”

Also, many people are putting in longer hours while working from home — there was an average increase of 49 minutes in the length of the workday early in the pandemic, according to research from Harvard Business School. And there’s no sign of that easing up, experts say. “A lot of people feel like they have to make up for lost time by doing twice as much now because we basically lost 2020,” says Jon Cinkay, a physical therapist and body mechanics coordinator at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

But there are other, lesser-known factors that could be influencing your back pain, such as your breathing, your bag and your vitamin D levels. Here are some essential strategies to help prevent or ease flare-ups of neck and back pain from a variety of sources:

Check your posture during the day. If you’re sitting in a slouched position for hours at a time, your chest and abdominal muscles and your hip flexors will get tight, while your back and shoulder muscles will get stretched out, all of which can trigger back pain and stiffness. “Some people don’t have the muscle memory for good posture — but they can develop that,” says Carol Frey, an orthopedic surgeon and co-director of the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation. Here’s how: Wherever you are sitting, pause periodically and adjust your posture so that your neck is in line with your shoulders, your shoulders are in line with your hips, and your knees are a little lower than your hips. It’s best if you place your feet flat on the floor, adds Naresh C. Rao, an osteopathic primary-care sports medicine physician in New York City. Crossing your legs, he says, throws your pelvis out of its natural alignment, which can lead to low back pain. When loading the dishwasher or taking out the trash, avoid twisting motions for your back’s sake, Cinkay advises: Step toward what you’re picking up or putting down and bend from the knees (not the waist).

Stop looking down at your screen(s). You’ve probably heard it’s important to position your computer screen so that it’s at eye level, even if that means propping it up on books or shoe boxes. The same is true if you’re looking at your cellphone or tablet or even reading a book: It’s best to raise it to eye level, says Cinkay, because bending your neck to look down places increased pressure and strain on the neck and shoulders. You can either hold the device level with your face or prop it up on a stand or against a stack of books.

Tend to your breathing. The pandemic has brought us an unparalleled period of prolonged stress, which may be contributing to people’s neck and back pain. “If someone is stressed, they will have a certain amount of tension in the upper back, neck and shoulders,” Rao says.

But there’s another factor at work, according to Stacey Pierce-Talsma, an osteopathic physician and associate dean of academic affairs at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine: shallow breathing. When stressed, people tend to breathe from the chest (thoracic breathing) rather than from the abdomen (diaphragmatic breathing). Breathing from the chest not only inhibits the proper exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide that would help relieve stress, but it also can place additional strain on the upper back and neck muscles, she adds.

That’s why it’s smart to engage in mindful breathing exercises throughout the day, experts say: Pause what you’re doing for a few minutes, place your hand on your belly, and inhale deeply through your nose so that your belly inflates, then exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly deflate.

Vary your position. During the pandemic, many people have gone from one video meeting to another with hardly a break in between; at the office, they at least had to stand up and walk from one meeting to another. “Being in any one position for long periods of time leads to stress and strain on your muscles and joints,” as Pierce-Talsma noted in an email. She advises frequently shifting between sitting and standing or spending some time sitting on a balance ball, which requires you to maintain balance and engage your core muscles.

Take regular movement breaks. Experts recommend setting a timer on your computer or watch to signal you every one to two hours to get up and move. Walk around your home or outside. Do some gentle stretches for your hip flexors (with lunges or pigeon pose), your back (with child’s pose), your neck (tucking your chin to your chest) and other stiff areas. Strengthen your core, which will help prevent back pain, with planks, abdominal curls and moves such as bird dog and Superman.

Doing a short yoga workout can help, too, according to a study in this month’s issue of the journal Human Factors. When people who switched to telework during the pandemic did a 10-minute daily yoga routine that was made available through an online platform, they experienced significant reductions in their head, neck, and back discomfort and improvements in their moods after a month. To prevent back pain, it’s important to strengthen your core by doing planks, abdominal curls, and moves such as bird dog and Superman, Frey says.

Weigh your bag. If it weighs more than five pounds on a bathroom scale, it’s time to lighten the load. Frey says that carrying an overly heavy purse or other bag causes biomechanical errors — such as leaning to one side or the other — and places excessive pressure on the shoulders and neck, which can lead to pain. If what you need to carry weighs more than five pounds, she recommends wearing a backpack so long as it doesn’t exceed 15 percent of your body weight or 20 pounds, whichever is less. If you need to tote around more than that, she recommends using a bag with wheels.

Get good sleep, and with the right pillow. “During sleep, the body rehabilitates itself and repair processes occur that are fundamental to good pain management,” says Bydon, so get enough shut-eye. It’s also important to consider your sleep position, he says. “If you sleep on your back, use a relatively flat pillow, so that your neck is in a relatively neutral position, not too extended or flexed.” If you tend to sleep on your side, it’s better to have a pillow with a bit more cushion to keep your neck in the optimal position. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended, because it throws your spine out of its natural alignment, which can lead to back or neck pain.

Get enough vitamin D. “We are seeing more vitamin D deficiency, which can weaken bone health and contribute to worsening neck and back pain,” Bydon says. Research has linked low vitamin D with greater pain levels.

Being overweight is another risk factor for back pain, so if you’re both carrying pandemic pounds and deficient in vitamin D, you may have a greater chance of developing back pain. The good news: A study in a 2019 issue of the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology found that when overweight adults with vitamin D deficiency took daily vitamin D supplements for 16 weeks, those with vitamin D levels under 30 nmol/L at baseline experienced greater reductions in their back pain disability after vitamin D supplementation, compared with those who were given a placebo.

If you have back pain, Bydon recommends having your vitamin D level checked and, if it’s low, taking calcium and vitamin D supplements. You can also increase your intake of vitamin D by consuming fortified milk and fatty fish (such as trout and salmon) and by taking a daily walk in the sunlight, which helps the skin synthesize vitamin D.

Stacey Colino is a writer in Chevy Chase, Md., specializing in health and psychology, and an ACE-certified health coach.

By Yoder's Organicsin CBD Info

One Downside to Space Travel: Back Pain

October 27, 2021

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

(HEALTHDAY)

MONDAY, Oct 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — You can ride a rocket into space to escape Earth, but one thing you might not escape is back pain.

Back pain could turn out to be a major problem for the growing number of space travelers, and learning more about it could also benefit Earth-bound back patients, researchers say.

Low gravity, the physical stress of riding in a rocket and nutritional changes may all contribute to back pain among space travelers, according to the Johns Hopkins team that reviewed past research on how space travel affects the spine.

“Insight into back pain in space travelers may provide usable information to treat back pain in other populations,” said study co-author Dr. Steven Cohen, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins and a retired Army colonel.

One study, which analyzed 722 space flights, found that 52% of astronauts had some form of back pain in the first two to five days of space travel. While 86% of those cases were mild, the pain was sufficient to interfere with the ability to complete tasks.

Another study of military helicopter pilots and crew found that nearly half of those who experienced fluctuating gravitational forces reported low back pain. And the pilots were nearly three times more likely to develop an injury to the soft connective cushioning in their lower spine (lumbar disc herniation) than the general population.

Meanwhile, a 2010 study from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration found that astronauts have four times the odds for disc herniation. And the risk is even higher in the first year after they return to Earth.

The S-shaped bend in the human spine enables it to resist gravity, remain flexible and absorb weight and impact, explained lead author Dr. Radostin Penchev, a resident physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

“If reduced gravity allows this curvature to straighten, this not only could be a cause of acute pain in astronauts, but also could affect the stability of their spine when they return to Earth,” he added in a Hopkins news release.

His team also examined past studies on preventing, diagnosing and treating back pain in astronauts.

Further study of these methods — including specific exercises and the use of specialized suits — could provide clues for treating back pain in the estimated 80% of people who experience back pain in their lifetime, according to authors of the study published recently in the journal Anesthesiology.

Resistance exercise such as isometrics, squats, lunges and bench pressing have been central to back pain prevention among astronauts, and space stations are equipped with exercise machines and other resistance training tools.

Along with resistance exercise, other methods used to prevent back pain in astronauts include massage, nutritional supplementation to increase vitamin D and caloric intake, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and negative pressure devices.

Penchev noted that science fiction “has popularized the spinning space station that uses centrifugal force to mimic gravity,” but said specialized suits that provide spinal resistance similar to that experienced under Earth’s gravity may be more realistic and effective.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more on back pain.

SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Medicine, news release, Oct. 21, 2021

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Symptoms of Upper Back Pain

October 19, 2021

Many cases of upper back pain (or mid-back pain) are caused by problems affecting the soft tissues in your spine (eg, muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons). Sprain, strain, and muscle tension are common soft tissue injuries that may cause pain and other symptoms in your upper and middle back. This article describes symptoms of upper back pain, including the red flags you should never ignore.

Most Upper Back Symptoms Relate to Your Spinal Muscles

Because upper pain is closely linked to soft tissue injuries, the most common symptoms affect your spinal muscles:

Stiffness
Spasm
Pain (ranging from dull to sharp)
Tightness
Tenderness when the injured area is touched
Headache

Some people with upper or mid-back pain feel pain when they sneeze or cough. Similarly, you may also feel upper back pain when you take a deep breath because the vertebrae (the spinal bones) in your upper back (also known as the thoracic spine) are connected to the ribs. However, severe pain when breathing may be a sign of a more serious medical condition (you can read more on this below).

Though upper back pain symptoms generally occur anywhere along the spine between the base of the neck (cervical spine) and bottom of the ribs, you may also feel upper back pain in your shoulders and neck. That’s because all your muscles are connected, so if it’s a muscle problem causing your upper back pain, the other muscles in your shoulders and neck can be affected.

Upper back pain symptoms can stem from several causes. Poor body mechanics, twisting movements, poor posture, improper lifting techniques, carrying a heavy load (eg, wearing a heavy backpack), or repetitive movements are common culprits. Traumatic events (eg, a fall or car accident) may also lead to upper back pain. But there are many other possible causes of upper back pain, and your doctor will help determine the underlying cause of your pain to find the solution.

In most cases, upper back pain does not indicate a serious medical problem. However, some symptoms warrant urgent medical care.

What Upper Back Symptoms Warrant a Trip to the Doctor?

Most bouts of upper back pain gradually go away on their own or with conservative at-home treatment (eg, over-the-counter medication). However, some symptoms are more serious than others and require swift medical attention.

Call your doctor if you experience any of the following upper back pain symptoms:

Severe, persistent upper or mid-back pain that develops suddenly
Pain that is progressively worsening
Pain that hasn’t gone away in a week
Pain that is interfering with your daily life (eg, forces you to call in sick to work)
Pain that isn’t responding to conservative treatment (eg, anti-inflammatory medication, ice/heat therapy, and massage)
Neurologic symptoms (eg, numbness, tingling, weakness, loss of bowel/bladder control, and/or electric shock-like pain in your arms and/or legs)

In rare cases, upper back pain is indicative of a serious and/or painful medical problem, including lung cancer, kidney stones, or spinal infection.

Additionally, because the thoracic spine is linked to the ribs, some people with upper back pain report sharp pain when filling their lungs with air to take a deep breath. Though this symptom may be benign, it could also be a sign of a blood clot. If you feel faint, short of breath, or a spike in upper or mid-back pain when you take a deep breath, see your doctor immediately to rule out a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

Finally, it’s especially important to see a doctor after you’ve endured a traumatic injury, such as a fall. Even if you aren’t experiencing any back pain, you should be evaluated by a physician to ensure your spine did not sustain damage (eg, a spinal fracture in your upper back).

Upper Back Symptoms: When in Doubt, See Your Doctor

Because the thoracic spine isn’t as susceptible to certain spinal disorders (namely those that affect the intervertebral discs and spinal joints) as the cervical spine or lumbar spine (low back), some people may think it’s immune to pain or other problems. This certainly isn’t the case.

Common symptoms of upper back pain—like muscle pain, stiffness, and tightness—are often caused by poor body mechanics or spinal injury. But in very rare cases, upper back pain is a sign of a more serious medical issue. If your upper or mid-back pain just won’t go away or if it’s interfering with your daily life, call your doctor. He or she will get to the root of your upper back pain, create a treatment plan for you, and help you learn ways to potentially prevent it in the future.

By Yoder's Organicsin CBD Info

Back Pain: One in a Billion

October 19, 2021

If you have back pain, you’re not alone—far from it. A 2020 study suggests more than a billion people around the world have low back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal disorders. Are you a member of this club?

Back pain can be a real drag, just another sign that you’re getting older. But you’re not alone. You’re like about 1.3 billion other people on the planet. That’s right — more than 17 percent of the 7.5 billion people on Earth suffer from a musculoskeletal disorder. In addition to 1.3 billion worldwide cases of back pain, there were 121,300 deaths as of 2017, according to a 2020 study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

About the Study

This analysis used data from the landmark 2017 Global Burden of Disease study. It is believed to be the first to provide an overview of the global burden of musculoskeletal disorders. The research also calculated the number of years lost due to ill health, disability, or early death — referred to as disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Due to musculoskeletal disorders, the study estimated some 138.7 million DALYs.

The study reports on global musculoskeletal disorders, including:

Low back pain
Neck pain
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Gout

…and other disorders across 195 countries between 1990 and 2017, broken down by age, gender and sociodemographic index.

Low back pain, osteoarthritis (called spondylosis when it’s found in joints in the spine) and neck pain comprise almost three-quarters of all cases globally. The most common cases have not changed much between 1990 and 2017:

Low back pain — 36.8%
Other musculoskeletal disorders — 21.5%
Osteoarthritis — 19.3%
Neck pain — 18.4%
Gout — 2.6%
Rheumatoid arthritis — 1.3%

“Lack of a significant observable decline in musculoskeletal burden suggests that there has been little concerted effort to address the problem,” according to the research. “The present study shows that musculoskeletal disorders continue to impose a remarkable burden of disease on the world’s population with low back pain, neck pain and osteoarthritis contributing the largest burden.”

Who Gets Back Pain?

The burden of these musculoskeletal diseases generally increased with age for both men and women but was more prevalent among females and was higher in developed countries.

Like many chronic diseases, back pain has enormous costs on mental health, the economy, and the healthcare system. A March 2020 study in JAMA found that low back pain and neck pain had the highest amount of health care spending at $134.5 billion in 2016, while other musculoskeletal disorders account for $129.8 billion — the second highest amount.

Back Pain Risk Factors

Back pain is a very broad symptom that can be tied to a wide range of diagnoses, according to Harvey E. Smith, MD., chief of orthopedic spine surgery at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. “If someone has a first-time incidence of back pain that doesn’t travel down the leg, many times it can be managed with exercise, physical therapy and core strengthening,” he said. “Generally, the back is a very ‘lose it or use it’ case—it’s important to stay active.” Pain that travels down the leg is a sign of compression of a nerve in the back, what most people call sciatica.

Other times, symptoms can radiate to the back, Dr. Smith said, with but the source being something else medically, such as ulcers or kidney pain.

“Certain things we call red flags, like pain that is atypical, associated with a serious underlying condition, such as infection,” Dr. Smith said. Back pain that wakes you up from a deep sleep is something that should be evaluated by a clinician, he said, because that’s not typical.

If back pain is not getting better within six weeks, Dr. Smith said it’s a good idea to see a clinician. “Back pain is a symptom of many underlying causes, some treatable with surgery, some that can be treated in a nonoperative manner. The most important thing is to ascertain the source of that back pain. Once you ascertain the source, come up with a treatment strategy,” he said.

The pandemic has likely changed people’s routines to the point that they could be ripe for back pain. People aren’t walking as much, doing aerobic exercise or working core muscles. “Those types of things are great for your back,” Dr. Smith said, while prolonged sitting–whether at an office or at home–puts increased stress on your back.

“Before the pandemic, you’d get up, leave your house, travel to work, within your workplace, you’d move around during the day, then travel home. Just in that process, you’re up, moving around,” Dr. Smith said. “Many people are less active than they were before, and more so than they realize, not even getting the activity of transiting. They’re going from the bedroom to the home office, to the couch, back to the bedroom. Many people are more sedentary than they realize,” he said.

It’s also well known that depression can be associated with increased back pain, according to Dr. Smith, and there’s an increase to some degree in stress from the events of 2020.

Some risk factors for back pain, like aging, can’t be avoided. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intervertebral discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility with age, decreasing their ability to cushion the vertebrae.

Reducing Back Pain

Back pain is actually more common among those who are not physically fit, according to the NIH. Back and abdominal muscles help to properly support the spine but you don’t have to be a Ninja Warrior to improve. Even moderate physical activity on a daily basis, including low-impact aerobic exercise, can help maintain the integrity of intervertebral discs.

Exercising on a regular basis can help keep muscles strong and flexible and the NIH recommends consulting a doctor for low-impact and age-appropriate exercises that specifically target the lower back and abdominal muscles.

Reaching for aspirin can be a shortcut but there are other things that you can do that are within your control to help ease your burden. Lugging around extra pounds adds more stress to your back and can cause lower back pain. Smoking restricts blood flow and oxygen to the lower spine and discs, causing them to degenerate faster. Smoking also increases the risk of osteoporosis and impedes healing. Do you know what else happens with heavy smoking? Coughing, which also can cause back pain on its own.

A nutritious diet can also include sufficient daily doses of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, which can help promote bone growth.

Even simple things can help with back pain, according to the NIH, including wearing comfortable, low-heeled shoes and sleeping on your side in the fetal position. That sleep position helps to open joints in the spine and reduces the curvature of the spine, which relieves pressure.

So remember, even though “People with Back Pain” is one of the least exclusive clubs ever, it’s also one that, for many people, is easy to give up your membership. Most cases of back pain go away on their own within a few weeks. The majority of the rest can often be treated with some of the tips outlined by Dr. Smith, and there are surgical options for many severe cases.

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Nevada first state to allow veterinary CBD treatment

September 20, 2021

Nevada veterinarians are the first in the nation to win permission to treat animals with cannabinoids, including CBD.

A new law taking effect Oct. 1 clears vets to recommend and administer hemp and cannabidiol products below 0.3% THC without fear of sanction from the state licensing board, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported Thursday in its journal.

CBD is commonly sold through veterinary channels in all states. But veterinarians could be sanctioned for administering it because the products haven’t been approved for animal use by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration.

The ban remains in place despite promising research on CBD to treat epilepsy in dogs. The FDA allows doctors to prescribe CBD to treat human epilepsy, but the cannabinoid remains off-limits for veterinarians.

The sponsor of the Nevada measure, Assemblyman Steve Yeager, told the AVMA that he hopes more states clear paths for veterinary cannabinoid use.

“I certainly hope that other states follow Nevada’s lead and provide reassurances to licensed veterinarians that they can administer CBD or talk about it with patients without fear of facing disciplinary proceedings,” he said.

Market analytics giant NielsenIQ, which tracks sales of hemp-derived CBD, predicts that pet CBD sales will be roughly $300 million this year and about $500 million by 2025.

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CA lawmakers approve hemp regulatory bill that divided marijuana sector

September 20, 2021

A long-debated bill to establish new hemp rules in California – but which drew the ire of business owners in both the hemp and marijuana sectors – has gained final approval from state lawmakers.

The measure easily passed both the state Senate and Assembly this week and is now on its way to the governor for his signature.

Among other things, the bill would:

Allow hemp extracts – including CBD – to be added to foods, beverages, cosmetics and pet products.
Establish new rules for hemp farmers and businesses, akin to the regulatory framework for marijuana companies, such as lab testing standards.
Hold out-of-state hemp products imported into California to the new state standards.
Ban the sale of intoxicating THC isomers such as delta-8 THC outside regulated cannabis sales channels.
Permit the sale of smokable hemp, but only once lawmakers agree on a new tax for “inhalable products.” The timing for such a tax is uncertain.

The passage of the bill was the result of years of effort to update industry rules for California’s hemp companies.

Up until its passage, the measure remained a divisive issue among marijuana and hemp industry stakeholders.

The marijuana industry stands to benefit because low-THC hemp products now will be subject to the same regulations, testing and taxing that MJ businesses are subject to. Thus, companies selling low-THC products will have a harder time undercutting marijuana businesses.

According to a state legislative analysis issued Wednesday, supporters of the measure included the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, California Cannabis Industry Association, California Hemp Council, Cannabis Beverage Association and a few marijuana companies such as Canadian producer Canopy Growth.

“These critical changes to California law will drive economic opportunity and boost job growth by providing certainty to farmers, manufacturers, and retailers through a clear roadmap for expansion by providing consumers with a regulated CBD marketplace,” David Culver, Canopy’s vice president of global government relations, said in a news release.

There were vocal opponents, though, including the California Hemp Association, Cannabis Distribution Association and a number of regional MJ cultivation trade groups such as the Origins Council.

Some changed their formal stance to neutral after several last-minute amendments, according to the Los Angeles-based United Cannabis Business Association.

The final version of the bill “finally moves toward establishing a legitimate foundation upon which we can build responsible policies for all cannabinoid products of all origins,” the UCBA said in a release.

California had 479 hemp growers on 17,184 acres in 2020.

– John Schroyer

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Delta-8 is riding high in the legal cannabis market. How long can it keep this up?

September 20, 2021

BY JOE BERKOWITZ – 3 MINUTE READ

The promise of delta-8’s high-dosage THC gummies seems too good to be true, and it may not remain true for much longer.

The idea of legal weed for Americans has long since left the realm of Amsterdam fantasy. Medical marijuana has been readily available in some states for the past 25 years, and in 2012 Colorado and Washington became the first of many to legalize it recreationally. Nowadays, the only thing separating a criminal narcotics offender and a cannabis influencer in America is geography.

Somehow, though, one surprisingly potent form of cannabis has managed to transcend all of the remaining restrictions, and become legally available for purchase at the federal level. Delta-8 is currently riding high in the growing national cannabis market. But how long can it keep this up?

Cannabis contains more than 500 chemical compounds, including its marquee hit, delta-9 THC, which gets people high, and the newly ubiquitous CBD (cannabidiol), which does not. Another one of those compounds is delta-8, a hard-to-extract form of THC that is currently ascendant in popularity. Like CBD, it is legal at the federal level and therefore available for purchase at smoke shops in most states in the U.S. But while CBD has the green power to, at best, make falling asleep slightly easier, delta-8 is more the kind of enhancement that makes watching 2001: A Space Odyssey an experience of profound depth and visual splendor.

Despite being effective enough to earn warnings from both the Center for Disease Control and Federal Drug Administration this week, delta-8 gummies and vape cartridges are still legal enough to get sponsored content posts on the websites of lad mags. How is that possible? It’s because of a legal loophole in the 2018 farm bill, which legalized hemp by categorizing it as any part of the cannabis plant that doesn’t have significant traces of delta-9 in it. In the years since then, crafty cannabis entrepreneurs have borrowed an Air Bud-style “ain’t no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball” ethos to introduce delta-8 products into the legal hemp marketplace.

This context does not yet seem to be widely known. Walk into your average smoke shop in a non-recreational city, and the clerks will likely confirm that delta-8 gummies get you high, without being able to explain, off the top of their heads, why they are available for purchase.

The days of smoke shops functioning as legal speakeasies seem likely doomed, however. Cannabis lovers in non-recreational states have stayed lucky for a while now as delta-8 has largely flown under the radar, like free music lovers during the early days of Napster’s rise. But states have been ramping up efforts to ban the chemical compound from shops that aren’t licensed for marijuana sales, with 16 of them succeeding so far. This week’s official warnings from the CDC and FDA about delta-8’s potency seem like they will only expedite the inevitable closing of the hemp loophole that made its legal existence possible.

There’s a historical precedent for this sort of dance between the wellness industry and the FDA around potentially harmful legal chemicals. The ephedra wars of the 1990s and early aughts, for instance, during which diet supplement companies lobbied to keep their Meth Lite product legal, prove that when it comes to loopholes around chemicals, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. (Or at least it’s more lucrative to do so.) Canny executives know to take advantage of iffy laws for as long as they can, until the jig is up.

Unfortunately, when that happens for delta-8, it will mean the powers that be took the wrong lesson from the chemical’s moment of unlikely legality.

Instead of seeing the loophole as a pesky problem that makes a criminal product pass as legal, they should see it as an exception that makes a mockery of the arbitrary rules around marijuana in the U.S., which are currently keeping some offenders in jail and others in the black.

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The promise of delta-8’s high-dosage THC gummies seems too good to be true, and it may not remain true for much longer.

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