By Carla Lord

They sting, they bite, and, well, they just creep a lot of us out! But sometimes, insects and other critters can be beneficial to our health and lives, and even fashion (after all, we’d have no silk without silkworms). Test your wits on these helpful creepy-crawlies in medicine.

1. Maggot – What larvae have been found to be helpful in removing gangrene? The fly larvae, or maggots, can actually kill harmful bacteria. As we know, they eat dead tissue, and even field doctors during the Civil War used them to treat wounds.

   In fact, a study started in the late 1980s showed that maggots cleaned infected wounds better than other nonsurgical treatments. And, to top it all off, the maggot treatment appears to help the wounds heal faster, too! There’s even a more clinical name for the maggot treatment—maggot debridement therapy, or MDT.

2. What insect’s sting is being studied for purportedly relieving symptoms of arthritis and multiple sclerosis? The bee (honeybees in particular). Apitherapy (the medical use of honey bee products) is still primarily considered more anecdotal than scientific. From pollination to beeswax to royal jelly to delicious honey, bees are truly man’s best friend in the insect world. That’s why their recent mysterious disappearances have rung a global alarm. The main active “ingredient” in bee venom is mellitin, which is an anti-inflammatory agent that’s considered to be 100 times more powerful than hydrocortisone. Before you run out to get bee-sting therapy, however, make sure you’re not allergic first!
3. Leeches – Which parasitic creature, once used quite popularly, is still being used in medicine? The leech. History shows that the first usage of leeches in medicine occurred about 2,500 years ago in Egypt; since medieval times, people have used leeches for everything from stomachaches to headaches to draining “impure blood” and curing illnesses. Nowadays, they’re making a resurgence: they reduce blood coagulation (which can help prevent strokes and heart attacks) and stimulate circulation (helpful after reattachment surgeries and in the distribution of local anesthetics in the bloodstream), and are even being used to treat varicose conditions.
4. What creature’s venom is being tested for possibly slowing the growth of cancerous tumors? Snakes . . . Why did it have to be snakes? They may be no friends to Indiana Jones, but recent studies have shown that there’s a compound in snake venom that causes certain types of cells to separate from each other, and when they do, they die—which can be very beneficial when applied to cancerous cells. And, of course, snake venom is also used to create antivenom, which helps save the lives of snakebite victims.
5. Fruit Fly – Which insect is one of the most commonly used “model organisms”? Drosophilia melanogaster, or the common fruit fly. A model organism is a species that’s widely used in research on the causes and treatments of diseases that affect other species, particularly humans. The fruit fly has been helpful in studies in genetics and heredity, physiology, and even life history evolution! Thomas Hunt Morgan won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discoveries in the relationship between chromosomes and genes with the help of these winged creatures. Recent research at Queen’s University in Canada has shown the fruit fly to be helpful in the way birth defects are studied.

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A new study is showing that women should continue to exercise the pelvic floor muscles for better overall health. Many women have done these types of workouts without really thinking about it for many years.

The pelvic floor consists of the muscles that connect the pubic and tail bones. These muscles have to be strong in order to make sure that women can maintain normal sexual function. This also helps them to control bladder functions and supports the action that the legs and the spine perform.

Whether a woman is going to give birth or she is going to run a marathon the pelvic floor muscles have to be healthy in order to support these activities. An unhealthy pelvic floor can mean incontinence and/or pain.

According to Sheila Dugan, M.D., FACSM and an expert at American College of Sports Medicines, here are some exercises that women can do to promote healthy pelvic floor muscles for better health:

Start with deep breathing and concentrate on the pelvic floor muscles “dropping away” from the body. This should be done slowly and at least 5 minutes a day. It is a good idea to practice this if you get stressed or are feeling tense.

Next step is to lie on your back and put the bottoms of your feet together. Drop your knees to your side. This is a great way to relax your pelvic floor muscles and your groin since they usually work together. Stay in this position for about 5 minutes.

Still laying on your back, draw your lower belly muscles towards you like you are wearing a girdle. Hold it in this position for a count of five and then release them slowly. Try to do this at least 10 times a day as often as you think about it during the day.

Now, lift your pelvic muscles up for that count of 5 — still on your back — hold them in this position and then slowly lower them back down. You can think of five up, hold, five down, repeat. Do this as often as you can during the day.

If you enjoy your job, you don’t have to worry about being absent because your health is probably pretty good. If you are someone who doesn’t like your job or who tends to be sick a lot it may mean that you will have to do a little more exercise.

There are several studies that show that workers who are fit are more prone to stay on the job longer and they are more productive. If you are working in your own business the same will apply because you cannot work at peak performance if you are not feeling well.

A new organization called the International Association for Worksite Health Promotion (IAWHP) has been created to bring information to employers, about employee health. What they have found is that most people who have problems with absenteeism and who make insurance claims have these health problems because of their lifestyle choices. When employers choose to have healthcare programs and encourage employees to do them the employees become more aware of what they need to do to have lifestyle change.

Many employers are attempting to make health programs available to their workers and according to the IAWHP they do not have to be expensive. We can think of a great way for workers to have a better lifestyle and that is to start with a home gym.

At home you can buy just a few pieces of equipment and you can start a great workout. You can purchase a workout program like any of the ChaLEAN extreme programs that come with some workout equipment. You can also try one of the Turbo Jam programs because they will get you up and moving easily.

Whatever you chose to do a home gym can be very simple or very elaborate depending on your tastes. The good news is that it won’t have a monthly cost and you can use your home gym any time you want. You can also establish an easier routine.

Studies show that when you exercise on a regular basis you can be sure that you are at work more often and showing your best effort.

After hip and knee replacement therapy it can be difficult for people to get up and moving because of the pain. In most cases, a person has to go to rehabilitation for a short amount of time and then they are supposed to keep the activity going as they move forward on their own.

Many people have a problem with doing activity because it is still painful so they have a tendency to be more sedentary. Although it may seem like only older people have hip and knee replacements this can happen in younger athletes as well.

In order to combat this situation, Yorkshire-based Activ4Life®, has created the cutting edge ProV3.8 system that monitors patients at the pre and post operative stages. This gives the physician more information about the individual’s lifestyle and allows them to create an exercise program that is better suited for the individual.

With this new information doctors will be able to help their patients create better lifestyle choices when it comes to treatment options, exercise routines, the best use of hospital care and more. This is the only system of its kind that can provide this type of information.

If you are someone who has had knee or hip replacements you probably have also had to go to rehabilitation. With this new method it could be interesting to see whether a home gym system could be put in place by your doctor after the initial rehabilitation. It seems that the reason that many people have a problem getting going is because of the pain but also because they have to go outside their homes.

Perhaps doctors could support their patients to do strength training using resistance bands or the fitness ball at home. Both of these methods used with a videotape or DVD could help a patient’s recovery time. Doctors could actually have the physical therapist work on exercise routines the individual could use at home. This may help them improve their exercise lifestyle easier. Coupled with a better eating plan it could mean a healthier and fitter patient, to insure better recovery time.

As an athlete and a runner you probably think that your legs are what get you moving and help you to win the race. Of course, things like proper nutrition and the pace that you move within, will also be elements that will help you win any race. However, there is another aspect of running that researchers have discovered and that is the core of your being that actually makes sure that your body gets you where you need to go.

The American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition discussed a new method of running called Chi running. This process will activate the core area of the body, so that you can run efficiently. This also means that your arms and legs will move more freely because your spine and trunk are providing the stability for the entire body; combine this with forward lean and the body becomes a power house. Chi running provides a more relaxed way of running and gets your core started.

Many people concentrate on the core as an area to exercise because the stronger it is, the faster the body can move. It can also move for a longer time when the core is strong. No matter what sport you undertake the core will need to be strong in order for you to do well in it.

There are many exercises to strengthen the core that you can undertake and a home gym is a perfect place to practice them. A fitness ball workout is perfect for core strength training and there are a variety of videos/DVDs and full fitness programs that can help. The P90X series is a great way to shape up the entire body but it also has exercises for the core.

Yoga is another way to build core strength. There are a number of moves within yoga that will automatically strengthen your back, spine, hips and shoulders. As you stretch your muscles and realign your body as you go through these movements the muscles will follow; you will be surprised at how quickly they strengthen for good.