FAU study reveals a surprising new way to relieve back pain

Florida Atlantic University researchers conducted a pilot study that uncovered a treatment for back pain people may not have considered.

The treatment called Qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”) is a traditional Chinese practice that combines gentle movements, controlled breathing, and meditation to balance the body’s energy.

Researchers studied 31 participants over eight weeks to evaluate the effects of the Qigong in veterans with chronic low back pain.  They assessed how the Qigong impacted physical function, sleep disturbance, PTSD, depression, anxiety, positive affect, and social roles and activities. They then compared the results with those of a control group.

According to researchers, Qigong is easy to learn, does not require specific sites or equipment, and can be practiced individually or collectively in various styles, from slow, flowing exercises to still meditative postures. They found that pain intensity and sleep disturbance decreased significantly in the Qigong group compared to the control group.

“Stretching, loosening, strengthening and balancing techniques of Qigong may release back tension, ease pain and improve flexibility and alignment,” said  Dr. Cheryl Krause-Parello, senior author and FAU associate vice president for research. “Qigong practice can strengthen the musculoskeletal system and improve joint flexibility, motor function and movement coordination.”

The FAU researchers found that Qigong can improve posture and decrease back pain. They published their full findings in the journal Pain Management Nursing.

Top health trends for 2025

This year’s most common health-related resolutions are cutting out processed foods, doing more healthy aging activities, and improving gut health to calm digestive issues, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans by Talker Research.

Of course, there are the usual resolutions as well: working out more, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting outdoors more often.

Talker Research’s survey also reveals most people want to get to bed earlier, with more than 60% admitting they struggle to stay awake during the day.

That mirrors the findings of Apple’s Heart and Movement study, which tracked the sleep of nearly 60,000 Apple Watch users. The study broke down the data by state and found that about 72% of Florida adults slept less than seven hours. That’s fewer hours of sleep than adults in most other states.

Here’s another interesting finding of the Talker Research survey: Americans are loading up on supplements and plan to continue to do so in 2025.

Of those surveyed, 69% regularly take vitamin supplements, 33% take an herbal supplement, and 33% take a probiotic. The average annual spend on supplements is about $600.

Research on the effectiveness of supplements is mixed, but experts say most people take them because of a strong desire to control their health.

4 winter viruses hitting Florida hard

If you feel like everyone around you is sick, it’s not your imagination.

COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and norovirus have created what experts call a “quad-demic” in the U.S. All four viruses are circulating at high levels this winter, including in Florida.

A new weekly report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Florida’s respiratory virus activity level is high. Common cold and flu are hitting hardest, with influenza A the predominant strain.  “I’d wager that we are around peak respiratory season,” wrote Dr. Katelyn Jetelina in her national health newsletter. “Typically, we get two waves of flu — first, the Flu A strain takes over, and then Flu B comes in late winter or early Spring.”

COVID-19 levels in wastewater are rising across the United States. With 23 sites in Florida now monitored, the surveillance shows a moderate level of COVID-19 as of Jan. 11.

Norovirus, also called the stomach bug, continues to have a higher-than-normal season. Florida had the second highest number of confirmed norovirus outbreaks in the United States between Sept. 1, 2023 and Oct. 31, 2024, according to the CDC. You may want to note that hand sanitizer is not effective against norovirus.

Jetelina says washing hands more often and keeping a distance from people who are ill are the best ways to stay healthy this winter.

New generation of high-tech prostate treatment

Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach has acquired the newest version of the HYDROS Robotic System to perform Aquablation on men with enlarged prostates.  Aquablation uses an AI-powered robot with waterjet technology to precisely target and remove obstructive tissue while protecting critical anatomy.

In a written statement, the hospital said the next-generation Aquablation therapy provides significant symptom relief while preserving sexual function and continence across prostates of all shapes and sizes.

“Artificial intelligence integration is becoming the future of innovation, and I am happy to see that this technology is becoming integrated into robotic surgery to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Joshua S. Jue, a Good Samaritan urologic surgeon.

Half of males ages 51-60 have an enlarged prostate and almost all say the condition impacts their quality of life. Symptoms include frequent daytime urination, waking at night to urinate, straining to urinate, slow urinary stream, sensation of incomplete bladder emptying, and urgency to use the restroom quickly.

The hospital said that with the new machine, surgeons can deliver a more accurate and consistent treatment plan for better outcomes.

Clinical trial underway for foot ulcer treatment

A South Florida company has launched a nationwide clinical trial to test its new amniotic membrane-based product for treating non-healing diabetic foot ulcers.

Of the 34 million Americans suffering from diabetes, roughly 20% develop a diabetic foot ulcer at some point in their lifetime, according to BioStem Technologies, manufacturer of Vendaje, the product being tested in the trial.

The clinical trial is taking place across 12 sites in the U.S. and is designed to test the effectiveness of Vendaje, which acts as a protective covering for non-healing foot wounds.

So far, 60 people have been enrolled in the trial.

BioStem said Vendaje is already commercially available, adding that it has launched the trial to show that the product is effective and encourage more people to use it.

Got health tips or comments? Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentionel.com.