Gradually, through in-depth studies, observations, much trials and error, the medical and allied health team’s thinking and approach on handling injured workers evolved more. They became more specific, and started to think in in-depth practical ideas, assessing and planning in ideas of an injured worker’s ability to carry out real physical job (preferably one of similar in nature to the ones the injured Brand Competitors Analysis worker had prior to injury), in terms of specific postures, movement patterns, weights and resistance, not just in terms of three sets of ten repetitions, but more of as many repetition and as much weight as required as per working day/session. That was the paradigm shift as it evolved from one of simply treating a hurt, to direct strengthening and conditioning, to restoring real job functions.
Here was the new emerging mindset:
“It is not enough to simply heal the injured body part, nor to alleviate pain, nor to strengthen and condition injured workers in generalised conditioning focussed exercises. The healed injured worker must be able to perform the specific job demand(s) under the requisite conditions and set time frame.”
Under this new emergent mindset, rehabilitation process began to adopt work function-oriented assessment, analysis, intervention planning, actual intervention and re-evaluation of the actual rehabilitation. The industrial Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) was developed and utilised to understand the healed injured worker’s capability, Company Analysis function and ability. Later, the Job Analysis (JA) was subsequently developed to determine job requirements, functional requirements and possible risk factors and areas. It was then that Work Conditioning changed from the conventional weights and resistive training to one that includes simulating specific job demands.
This approach brought about better restoration of job capabilities for return to work and reduced re-injury rates. However, another set of problems and issues emerged: Psychosocial aspects of the injured workers.…
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Innovate Your Dairy Products With Functional Ingredients
It is easy to see that the dairy industry represents a large segment of the American food industry. Consumers purchase dairy products because they contain essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin D and protein. Be it milk, cheese, yogurt or ice cream, almost every American consumes dairy products on some sort of regular basis.
In their May 2008 report “Functional Foods” Market Research and Consumer Intelligence Report, the Mintel International Group, Ltd., states that consumer interest in functional or fortified foods has gone up from 2002 to 2007 by 63 percent with dairy foods constituting 75 percent of the total functional foods sales. Dairy food manufacturers seeking to position their dairy products in the market with a higher nutritive value and greater consumer appeal should consider incorporating functional ingredients into their product or product line.
Dairy products that are fortified with functional ingredients such as probiotics, omega 3 fatty acids, additional calcium and Vitamin D are receiving more consumer attention these days. Such products not only augment nutrition but, depending on the functional ingredient added, also play a role in weight management, digestive health, immunity and healthy bone development. Popular functional ingredients include:
“Probiotics” means “for life”. The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Research shows probiotics supports digestive health, but may have wider benefits according to the specific strain of probiotics used. Yogurt has been a popular product for fortification with probiotics.
From 2006 to 2007, probiotics claims on food and beverage products increased by more than 140 percent, according to AC Nielsen (a global marketing research firm) with yogurt being the most popular product for delivery.
Omega 3 fatty acids. Dietary increase of Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is strongly supported by research. Omega 3 fatty acids are believed to provide numerous health benefits including the support of heart health, digestive health, brain health and joint health. These “good” fats are popularly added to milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Consumer awareness of the health benefits of EPA and DHA is wide and the fortification of dairy products with omega 3 fatty acids is predicted to be a hot-seller.
Oligosaccharides are soluble and semi-soluble fiber often used as prebiotics, an important component of digestive healthcare. Synbiotics, the combination of probiotics with prebiotics, help to produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and certain B vitamins. The SCFA protect colon tissue and help to regulate healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They also support normal blood sugar levels and certain immune functions. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) derived from fruits and vegetables help promote the absorption of calcium.
Whey protein derived from milk enhances the protein value of a dairy product. Studies show whey protein helps to improve Industrial Production Investopedia the solubility of minerals and their absorption in the digestive tract. It also helps to promote immune functions.
Protein is a nutrient that dominates the athletic and bodybuilding industries. For a …