Concussions: The Basics Concussions are getting much-needed attention in the press, especially given the short- and long-term cognitive loss, early-onset dementia, physical disability and even death resulting from traumatic brain injury. Read about the facts of this type of injury from the experts. Read More »

Working To The Extreme When sludging through the daily grind at work, keep in mind that in the long-term the number of hours you spend on the job could impact your health, especially your heart. Read what recent research has to say about the impact that long hours of work has on one of your most vital organs. Read More »

Coffee for Good Health? Every day millions of people drink coffee for an energy jolt that will help them get through the day. Coffee has become one of the most popular beverages of choice, but can it be good for your health? Read what recent research has to say about drinking a cup of joe a day and your health. Read More »

Fructose: Is it Safe? Everyone knows that fructose is the sugar found in fruit. If it’s found in fruit it must be safe, right? Wrong. Let’s take a look at the impact of fructose on your body when consumed in large quantities. Read More »

Keep Your Bones Strong As women age, a common problem they face is thinning of the bones – also called osteoporosis. Learn how to prevent fracture risk and bone loss through diet and supplements. Read More »

Source: www.toyourhealth.com

Dr. Sten Ekberg – Wellness For Life Chiropractic; 3502 Old Milton Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30005; http://www.planetc1.com/cgi-bin/n/v.cgi?c=1&id=1296104106

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Pain relief is a side effect. Take a minute to think about this.

If the brain and nervous system regulate all function in the body – which it does, and if pain is a useful signal from your body to you that something isn’t quite right, which it is, then it stands to reason that the only way to create pain relief is to either make the brain and nervous system work better or to make the brain ignorant of the pain signal.

Drugs block the pain signal and thus keep the brain ignorant of the problem, allowing the problem to grow and express itself through other avenues.

Chiropractic also creates pain relief but does not use drugs and does not block the pain signal; consequently chiropractic must achieve its pain relief by making the brain work better.

This kind of chiropractic is called functional neurology and the beauty of what it can accomplish is of course that if the pain relief is merely a side effect or a bonus of making the brain and body work better, then the benefits are not limited to pain relief. That’s just the tip of the ice berg.

Further more, I’m sure you have heard that drugs have side effects and that they warn you from taking pain killers if your liver is compromised. That’s because if you have a weak liver the drugs can finish it off. That is not a good thing even for the healthiest of liver. Chiropractic on the other hand is extremely safe and the side effects are of the kind that are good for you and your liver.

Footnote: If anyone tells you chiropractic is not safe, ask them why it is then that insurance companies, who are in business to make money, will write a malpractice insurance policy for a chiropractor at about one 50th the cost of what they charge a medical doctor.

Back pain, neck pain, knee pain, foot pain – wherever the pain is, it’s a pretty powerful motivator. In fact, depending on the severity of the pain, you may be willing to do just about anything to get rid of it. That’s why so many people rush to the medicine cabinet and pop a few pills at the first sign of pain. Here’s a much better idea: Ask your chiropractor about these simple exercises that can actually help reduce pain caused by common overuse conditions.

You wake up at night with numbness and tingling in your hands. Sleeping through the night is almost an impossible task. You may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition in which nerves from your neck traveling into your hand can become compressed in the wrist.

What you can do: Extend (straighten) your arm out in front of your body with your palm facing up. Straighten your fingers, keeping them close together. Bend your wrist backward and try to point your fingers toward the floor, and with the opposite hand press down on the palm side of your fingers to bend (extend) your wrist slightly further. Hold this stretch for 2 seconds, return the wrist to a straight position, and then repeat the entire movement for 10 repetitions

Do you feel clicking and popping in your knee? Perhaps walking up and down stairs has become a challenge and taking those after-dinner walks is more and more difficult. Knee pain can be a tricky condition because proper motion depends on the functioning of the hips and ankles.

What you can do: Stand on the edge of a step with the balls of your feet. Make sure you have something to hold on to for balance. Keep a slight bend in your knees and let your heels drift downward towards the floor, so your toes are higher than your heels. Sink the heels downward as far as you can and hold for 5 seconds. You can progress to one foot at a time for increased intensity. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.

If you experience sharp pain on the outside of your elbow when trying to twist open a jar or grasping something with your hand, it may be tendonitis of the forearm muscles. This injury became known as tennis elbow because players would get elbow pain after hitting repetitive backswings in tennis.

What you can do: Stand sideways against a wall. Bend your arm 90 degrees at the elbow with the thumb facing up. Place a tennis ball between the top of the forearm and the wall, with the opposite hand press against the inside of your forearm, putting additional pressure into the ball. Move the forearm back and forth in a circular motion on the tennis ball, searching for tender spots. Spend between 30-60 seconds on each tender spot until the pain begins to fade; then search for other tender areas. Do this three to five times per day.

The most important point to remember is that no exercise should make your pain worse. Soreness and discomfort are acceptable and expected; however, increased pain and dysfunction is not. It takes time for an injury to properly heal. Talk to your doctor for more information about what you can do to keep pain away the natural way.

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How Nutrition Can Help Eczema

There are three main objectives in the treatment of eczema: reducing inflammation, relieving itching of the skin, and moisturizing dry patches. As most alternative health practitioners know, certain dietary practices and various supplements can help to accomplish these objectives in many cases of eczema that seem to be resistant to standard medical treatment. The most evidence-based lifestyle, dietary and supplementation strategies shown to improve cases of eczema are as follows:

Dietary and Lifestyle Considerations: Avoid any known dietary or environmental irritants or allergens. Reduce the build-up of the polyunsaturated fat arachidonic acid within skin cells, as it is the direct building block of inflammatory prostaglandin hormones. To accomplish this, reduce the intake of the following foods: high-fat meat and dairy products; corn oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and mixed vegetable oils; alcohol, hydrogenated fats (e.g., margarine, commercial peanut butter, shortenings).

Replace the above foods with the following: chicken, turkey, fish, Cornish hen, 1 percent milk or yogurt, low-fat cheese (3 percent or less milk fat), olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil (for salad dressings, to sauté vegetables or stir fry only).

Important Supplements: Omega-3 fats provide the building block for the production of prostaglandin hormones that reduce the inflammatory activity of skin cells. They also reduce the build-up of arachidonic acid in skin cells by blocking the enzyme that converts linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid to arachidonic acid. Examples of omega-3 fats of importance to skin health include EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). EPA is found in fish and fish oils, and ALA is found primarily in flaxseed oil. Clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fats can be effective in the treatment of eczema.

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has also been shown to help in cases of eczema. Studies reveal that many patients with eczema lack the enzyme to convert linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid. As gamma-linolenic acid is the building block of an important anti-inflammatory prostaglandin hormone, supplementation with an oil that is high in gamma-linolenic acid, such as borage, black currant or evening primrose oil, has been shown to favorably affect cases of eczema.

A number of B vitamins (especially B₆ and niacin) are necessary co-factors to speed up the enzymes that produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins in the skin. Vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc are also required to support various enzymes within skin cells that promote the formation of prostaglandins, which reduce skin inflammatory conditions, including eczema. I recommend a high-potency multivitamin/mineral supplement that contains a B-50 complex along with boosted levels of antioxidants.

In many cases, once specific allergies have been ruled out, the medical profession is at a loss to provide eczema sufferers with any meaningful treatment options. For this subgroup of patients, specific dietary and supplementation practices outlined in this article can provide significant improvement of their condition in many cases. Your doctor can tell you more about the connection between diet and skin health.

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Lower Sugar, Lower Blood Pressure

Sounds pretty simple, right? Except in a society overwhelmed by processed foods loaded with added sugar, keeping your sugar (or blood pressure) in check can be a major challenge.

But let’s leave the topic of limiting sugar consumption from all sources for another day, and instead focus on sugar from a single source: sugar-sweetened beverages. According to a study published in the June 2010 issue of Circulation (a journal of the American Heart Association), a reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption of one serving per day reduced systolic blood pressure in adults by 1.8 mg Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.1 mg Hg over 18 months. (If your blood pressure is 120-75, for example, your systolic blood pressure is 120 and your diastolic blood pressure is 75.) Diet beverage consumption and caffeine intake did not appear to be associated with blood pressure.

Remember, even a small reduction, particularly if all you have to do is drink less sugar-sweetened beverages, can make a big difference. In fact, it might save your life. Your doctor can tell you more – much more – about the considerable dangers of sugar and high blood pressure.

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“You can tell that fall is in the air,” commented one of the staff. “With the cool rainy days, many of our arthritis patients are showing up for their pre-fall tune-ups.”

With the noticeable drop in temperature and increased moisture in the air, the common complaint with these patients is that for months they’ve felt great and now those re-occurring aches and pains are back.

When confronted with the question of why many of us ache worse in cold, damp weather I offer the following answer: “Who the heck knows!”

Researchers are unable to agree that osteoarthritis aches and pains vary with thermal or barometric changes. They often attribute these complaints of winter aches to psychological sequelae of shorter days and grey weather rather than physiologic changes (they obviously haven’t talked to enough of Canada’s snowbirds).

In my humble experiences with hundreds of snowbirds, I’ll fearlessly challenge these researchers, throw caution to the wind and offer a definitive medical opinion.

Cold winter weather bothers some patients physically, some mentally and some not at all. I’ve been told that I’m riding the fence on this issue. At any rate our office certainly gets busy when the weather turns nasty. I’ll share some of our advice to deal with this problem.

Stay active year round. Your body needs to be stretched, strengthened and active 12 months of the year. There will be days when it’s wet and cold and you won’t feel like going outside. Go to the mall and walk, walk on a treadmill, walk up and down some stairs, go to the gym, swim laps at the pool, or better yet, invest in a good raincoat and umbrella and head outside. The fresh air will help to invigorate you as well. If you turn into a couch potato in winter your body will hurt as much or more as a springtime couch potato.

Try to eat whole natural foods focusing on fresh veggies, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds and good cuts of meat and fish. Try to stay away from empty calories in refined breads, pastas, rice and pastries. There is more recent research linking excess refined and poor quality simple and complex carbohydrate intake to increased inflammatory exudates (swollen joints).

Try some of the arthritis supplements on the market if you haven’t already. There is some support for glucosamine sulphate, MSM, a good antioxidant formula, a good calcium/magnesium/vitamin D formula and salmon oil capsules that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Chondroitin sulphate has not done well in recent clinical trials in terms of efficacy so you should probably save your money. Do not take glucosamine or chondroitin if you have sulfa allergies — remember the full compound is glucosamine sulphate. Also, be careful if you have diabetes as the glucose in glucosamine may increase your blood glucose levels temporarily.

If you begin to experience back or joint pain, chiropractic treatment may help. Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to relieve pain in the joints, muscles and nerves along the spinal column. For more information on chiropractic care, preventing and treating back injuries in your family, contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg on 604-886-7080 or find a family chiropractor at: www.bcchiro.com.

[Source: From: Alberni Valley Times; Byline: Dr. James Tilsted, DC, Dr. Brent Manson, DC and Dr. Cobi Bothma, ND]

 The Chiropractors say just as Governments around Canada spend millions of dollars on road safety messages, similar campaigns should be introduced to warn Canadians about general summer safety during traditionally the busiest time of the year for holidaymakers. Hundreds of Canadians may suffer serious neck, back and spinal injuries as a result of careless or negligent behaviour at the beaches, rivers, lagoons and national parks.

 We need a general awareness campaign throughout Canada focused on general summer safety, especially in relation to beach activity, focussed not just on drowning.

 “The harsh conditions of the surf can put a strain on the spinal cord, and can pose long-term health problems if not identified and cared for properly” the chiropractic spokesperson said.

 “Parents often overlook the dangers their children face in the surf, just because they may not stray far from the waters edge. But the reality is the ‘dumping’ action of the waves at low tide is what often causes injuries, and while children readily play within two metres of the beach waterline, they are often in a dangerous region to be ‘dumped’ and injured.”

 “The most important rule for water safety is always, always check the depth first before diving or jumping into the water, even if the water is clear,” the chiropractic spokesperson said.

 Swimmers and surf goers should be mindful of surf conditions and of swimming in between the markers where the surf conditions tend to be less harsh, to help minimise risk in the surf.

 “It is similarly just as important for beach goers to minimize risk outside the surf, and to listen to their bodies when they experience small aches and pains. We see a variety of injuries ranging from simple strains and sprains to more serious injuries. Some surf injuries may initially appear minor, but unless cared for they are more than likely to re-emerge.”

 “The harsh conditions of the surf and summer water activities including water-skiing can put stress on the spine and neck, which can have long-term health implications. Just consider the pressure on your spine must withstand to swim against strong currents – not to mention the implications from a wipe-out! Spinal and neck problems can upset posture and balance, and unless cared for, your risk of re-injury increases.”

 Chiropractic helps to care for these misalignments that may have been a result of surf or water activity, and through regular checks, beach goers can help reduce the likelihood of re-injury.

 For more information on how to treat or prevent injuries, contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg at Gibsons Chiropractic on 604-886-7080 or your family chiropractor.

[Original article source:  http://chiropractors.asn.au/]

With June being Bike Safety Month, I thought I would offer a few tips on how to prevent some of the most common cycling injuries…

Start with Good Cycling Posture

Good cycling posture is very different from good posture while sitting or standing. A posture that is comfortable for sitting still will not necessarily be comfortable while actually riding a bicycle. Correct cycling posture must facilitate the pedaling action, and also must enable the rider to cope with the jolts that result from road irregularities.

Many inexperienced cyclists adopt a posture that allows their upper bodies to be supported entirely by their skeleton. This has the advantage that it requires no muscular effort, but can lead to discomfort or injury when road shocks are transmitted through the rigid bones. This discomfort may affect the back, hands, wrists, shoulders or neck.

Posture faults are primarily found in three places:

The back should be arched, like a bridge, not drooping forward between the hips and the shoulders. If the back is properly arched, spinous processes (SP’s) – the bumps you feel down your back – will cause it to flex slightly in the direction of a bit more arch; this is harmless. If you ride swaybacked, the SP’s will cause the back to bow even farther in the forward direction, which can lead to severe lumbar pain, or even serious injury.

Some back-pain sufferers modify their bicycles with extra-high handlebars so that they can sit bolt upright, with their spines straight. This is actually counterproductive in most cases, because a straight spine has no way to “give” when the bike hits rough road. Road irregularities will jam the vertebrae together, often aggravating existing back problems. The bolt-upright posture is comfortable if you’re sitting stationary on the bike, but is not suitable for riding much faster than a brisk walk. Riders who require such a position should use some form of suspension, a sprung saddle at the very least.

The elbows should be slightly bent, not straight and locked. This allows the arm muscles to act as shock absorbers.

The shoulders should be pushed forward so that the muscles in the front of the chest help carry the weight of the upper body. Many cyclists make the error of letting their upper spine dangle forward, held up by the collarbones. Rolling the shoulders forward counteracts the bending of the arms, resulting in the same general angle of the upper body as a relaxed, bone-supported posture provides, but with the resiliency of muscles providing shock absorption.

If you’ve been letting your bones do all the work, you’ll find that the muscle-supported posture is tiring at first. The harder you pedal, the more of your upper-body weight will be supported by the reaction forces to the pedaling. If you’re not used to riding this way, you’ll find that you can only sustain the muscle-supported posture for a few miles. When you tire, you’ll revert to a bone-supported posture, and problems will ensue. The answer to this is to start with rather short distances and only gradually work up to longer ones. It is true that anybody in normal health can ride a bicycle for 10 miles, but someone who is not accustomed to riding with good posture will find such a ride uncomfortable. It is better to start out with 2- or 3-mile rides and gradually increase the distance. Your ability to adopt a good posture on a given bicycle will depend on correct fitting/adjustment of the bicycle.

Occasionally, neck trouble is due to poor adjustment of a helmet, specifically, a helmet which is too far forward on the head. If the helmet is too low in front, the rider is forced to tilt the head upward to keep the helmet from blocking the view forward (poorly fitting eyeglasses that slip down your nose will also cause this problem). Sharp backward bends in the neck can cause severe problems, so make sure that your helmet is properly fitted for your riding style. Riders with a more aggressive riding position need to wear their helmets farther back than those who sit more upright.

Some Common Cycling Injuries

Wrist pain is often caused by poor upper body posture. It can also be caused by having the saddle angle too low in front: This tends to make you slide forward as you ride, and you wind up using your hands to push yourself back into position.

If the skin of your hands gets sore, cycling gloves can help a great deal. If you ride bare handed, sweat may make your hands slippery, and this can lead you to grip the bars too tightly.

Numbness of the fingers is a potentially dangerous symptom, often related to carpal tunnel syndrome. Like your bottom, the heel of your hand has two bumps, with a sort of valley between. There are important nerves that run through this valley, and it is important to avoid excessive pressure here.One common cause of excess pressure on this “valley” is riding on the top corners of drop bars in such a way that the bar presses here. If you use thick foam handlebar grips, and/or gloves with too much foam/gel padding, the “bumps” that are best able to carry weight will press through the foam, but the foam in the middle will press back at the valley. Thus, as with saddles, too much foam/gel can worsen the problem it was intended to correct!

Numbness of the hands can also be related to poor wrist positioning. Generally, the wrist should be held so that the hand is pretty much in line with the forearm. If your hand is bent upward from the forearm, the nerves can get pinched, causing numbness.

Cyclists who do longer rides in hot weather are at risk for painful chafing on the inner thighs. This is usually the result of an inappropriate saddle. A saddle that is too wide will chafe, and saddles with excessive foam/gel are also likely to cause this sort of problem. The best saddles for preventing chafing are traditional leather saddles. Wearing proper cycling shorts will help, but beware shorts with excessive padding, which can make it worse. Many cyclists find relief by generous application of cornstarch before longer rides.

Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees than many other aerobic activities, since there’s no impact involved. Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, usually as a result of poor technique or position. A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress as the result of using too high a gear.

Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment, particularly if the saddle is too low.

Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that each of their feet prefers to be at; when you walk or ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this angle, and everything is fine. If you use cleated shoes and matching pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats are misadjusted, the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment of the knee joint, and cause serious problems. This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with “float” (limited rotational freedom) in the cleat attachment. Most of the newer clipless pedals offer at least some float.

Also, the longer your cranks are, the farther your knees will have to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different amounts of flexibility in this regard, but riding with longer cranks than you are used to may definitely cause knee problems.

If you have pain in the Achilles tendons, it usually indicates a problem in pedaling technique. Achilles tendon problems often result from “ankling” (having your cleats set too far forward or otherwise pedaling with the toes) during the pedal stroke. This is occasionally related to having the saddle set too high, forcing the cyclist to point the toes excessively to reach the bottom of the pedal swing.

Ankle pain while cycling may also result from being flat-footed, in which case orthotic shoe inserts are a good remedy. Another possible cause of ankle pain is a bent pedal or crank, causing the foot to wobble back and forth as the pedals turn.

Foot discomfort is often the result of inappropriate footwear, specifically shoes with soft soles that concentrate the pedal pressure on isolated parts of the foot. It can also be related to riding in a gear that’s too high, which results in more pressure of the foot against the pedal.

Some cyclists are hypersensitive to having their feet overheat while riding. An excellent solution to this is to wear cycling sandals. Cycling sandals are a fairly new development, and most people’s initial reaction to them is “what a goofy idea.” In practice, however, they are very comfortable in warm weather. For longer rides with sandals, you should wear socks to protect against chafing.

Chiropractic Care Can Help…

If you follow these simple tips, you can enjoy safe, pain-free cycling. If you do experience pain and stress, Doctors of Chiropractic are trained and licensed to diagnose and treat problems of the spine and nervous system.

For more tips and/or information on preventing and treating cycling injuries, contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg at Gibsons Chiropractic (604) 886-7080 or your local family chiropractor.

Avoiding High-Risk Moments for Your Low Back

When it comes to your lower back and injury risk, there are two critical times when you need to be especially careful. One is first thing in the morning. Your back is actually swollen at that time. You are substantially taller, and the discs have extra fluid in them. A careless forward bend or twist first thing in the morning can do substantial damage to your discs or other back structures. It doesn’t seem fair that such a simple thing, bending and twisting, something you have done thousands of times before, can suddenly cause big problems.

The other critical time is after you have been sitting. Long car drives or airplane trips are especially challenging. In this case, the culprit is something called “creep.” This means that your ligaments and tendons lengthen into the position that you have been in. Think of sitting as a bent-forward position, as your legs are forward. The ligaments and tendons do not provide protection properly when they have been lengthened by creep. When you first get up from sitting, you are at risk. The longer you have been sitting, the higher the risk. If you sit more upright, with good lumbar support, you will have somewhat less risk.

Common Events That Can Cause Back Pain

	Scenario #1: You didn’t sleep well last night, perhaps from sleeping in an unfamiliar bed after travel, after sitting too long. You get up, feel stiff, but ignore it. You sit down in a soft chair to enjoy your morning hot drink. You get up and get a sudden sharp stab in the back.
	Scenario #2: You get up from sleeping, and sit at your laptop, and get entranced by a video or article. You end up sitting far longer than you planned. You get up, and can’t completely straighten up.
	Scenario #3: You get up from sleeping, drink your morning coffee, which wakes up your gut, and you go to bathroom to empty your bowel. You are a bit constipated, and have to strain. When you get up from the toilet, your back spasms.
	Overnight sleeping, even a good sleep on your favorite bed, leaves your back somewhat swollen. Swollen may be an exaggeration, but the reality is that there is extra fluid in all of your joints.

Two Ways to Minimize Injury/Pain Risk

Talk to your doctor about these and other high-risk moments for your lower back and what you can do to relieve low back pain or avoid the pain altogether.

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Exercises to Ensure You’re Swimsuit Ready

The dreaded swimsuit season is upon us. It’s time to see just how much our bodies have changed over the course of a long winter, which can be an eye-opening experience. The fitness industry knows how traumatic this can be for you; that’s why every year there are countless new books, diets, videos, and magazines dispensing advice on how to get in shape for summer. Unfortunately, most of these “great” ideas involve quick-fix starvation diets and equipment-intensive workouts that are often difficult to follow. Inevitably, the weight comes back (with a few extra pounds added) because these quick-fix programs lower your metabolic set point, making your body more prone to storing body fat. And that’s the last thing you want to do!

So, what’s the answer? Well, it’s really quite simple and boils down to one simple word: MOVEMENT! Here are some of the best exercises to ensure you’re swimsuit ready this summer – and every month thereafter. It’s a sample program that’s quick, easy and positively invigorating

	3-5 minutes of brisk walking
	30 seconds of bear walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
	30 seconds of spiderman walks, 20 seconds of squats (repeat)
	30 seconds of crab walks, 20 seconds of crunches (repeat) 30 seconds of duck walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
	3-5 minutes of slow walking

Push-Ups: Perform a standard push-up. If too difficult to perform, put your knees on the ground or change your angle by leaning against a wall.

Abdominal Crunches: Lie on your back and raise your legs off the ground. Grasp hands behind the head to cradle the neck, but do not pull the neck. Curl up, bringing the knees toward the chest and contracting your stomach.

Squats: Stand shoulder-width apart with arms extended in front of the body. Bend your knees, going parallel to the ground like you are sitting in a chair. Hold position for one second and return to starting position, being careful not to lock out your knees.

“Animal Movements”: Each animal walk below works different muscles and helps with balance, circulation, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and body toning. Make sure you breathe normally during this and all animal walks.

Spiderman walks: These are great for the hips, legs, back and arms. Start in a crouch position with your feet and your hands on the ground. Bring your right hand forward. Lift up your right leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Make sure you keep your buttocks down; don’t lift them up too much. Now bring your left hand forward. Lift up your left leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Repeat sequence.

Crab walks. These will work your arms, back, and lower body. Begin by sitting on the ground. Put your arms on the ground behind you and lift up your hips. Walk forward on your hands and heels, trying to keep your hips as high as possible. Repeat.

Duck walks. These will work your lower body like you have never felt. Get into a squatting position with your hands at your sides. Step forward with your left foot, then with your right foot. Keep walking like this until you can’t go any farther. Breathe naturally.

Bear walks. Bear walks will work your arms, back, chest and lower body. These will also get you out of breath really quickly! Find a large area to do this exercise. Put all your weight on your hands and feet. Bring your right hand and left foot forward. Then your left hand and right foot. Keep going.

This is a fun, effective workout that will enhance your physique and get you swimsuit ready. With additional movement comes greater flexibility, a leaner physique and more muscle tone. Summer shape-up can finally be an enjoyable time for physical fitness. (Note: It is highly recommended that you get full medical clearance for intense physical activity from your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.) Move smarter. Move better. Look better. Sounds like the perfect combination. See you at the beach.

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The ABCs of BPA – What You Should Know

Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, is a chemical that has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For example, a recent study, results of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that higher urinary BPA concentrations were associated with elevated rates of both conditions.

That’s important to know because it’s been estimated that up to 90 percent of U.S. adults have some level of BPA in their body (as seen from urine samples), which makes sense (unfortunately) if you consider that BPA has been used since the 1960s in many hard plastic bottles and to line food and beverage containers.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, there are certain precautions that can be taken to protect adults, children and infants from the potential hazards of BPA, including the following:

	Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from overuse at high temperatures.
	Polycarbonate containers that contain bisphenol A usually have a #7 on the bottom of the container.
	Reduce your use of canned foods.
	Whenever possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless-steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
	Always use baby bottles that are BPA free.

For more information about BPA, visit www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media and click on “Since You Asked – Bisphenol A” on the left-hand toolbar. Your doctor can also provide information on the dangers of BPA and suggest safer alternatives.

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To Your Health is brought to you by:

From: ChiroACCESS ; Published on April 29, 2010

It is well documented that low back pain is the most common presenting complaint in a chiropractic office.  A growing body of evidence has elevated the importance of the sacroiliac joint in low back pain and suggested a reduction in the role of the lumbar spine as likely the most common cause.  This April 2010 study was supported by the Arthritis Society and conducted at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.  Radiographs of 315 patients ages 18-60 with chronic low back pain greater than 3 months duration were included in the study.  Two radiologists read the films and categorized the SI joint as normal, degenerative or inflammatory.  The authors found that “a significantly large proportion of the cohort (23.8%) had degenerative changes in the SI joint.  Degenerative change in the SI joint has received little attention in prior investigations and is clinically under-recognized…it appears unrelated to concurrent OA in the lumbar spine.”

A clinical review was created for ChiroACCESS that provides great detail related to the prevention, diagnosis and management of SI joint conditions.  That review can be found here http://www.chiroaccess.com/Conditions/Biomechanical-Sacroiliac-Joint-Pain.aspx.

Inflammatory and degenerative sacroiliac joint disease in a primary back pain cohort.

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2010 Apr;62(4):447-54.

O’Shea FD, Boyle E, Salonen DC, Ammendolia C, Peterson C, Hsu W, Inman RD.
Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of sacroiliac (SI) joint abnormalities in a primary low back pain population remains unresolved. The aims of our study were to define the prevalence of SI joint disease in this cohort, and to identify clinical features that might accurately predict radiographic changes in the SI joint and spine.

METHODS: Lumbar spine and anteroposterior pelvis radiographs taken over a 3-year period for the evaluation of back pain at a major chiropractic college were scored for the presence of inflammatory or degenerative features. Data were subsequently extracted by means of a predetermined template from the clinical notes. The outcomes were correlated using Spearman’s correlation coefficients.

RESULTS: We identified 315 patients (173 men, 142 women), ages 18-60 years. Of these, 100 patients (31.7%) demonstrated SI joint abnormalities: 75 (23.8%) degenerative, 25 (7.9%) inflammatory. Sex was strongly associated with type of SI joint pathology; degenerative disease was predominantly found in women (68%), whereas inflammatory disease was predominantly found in men (63%). In women there was no correlation between degenerative SI joint abnormalities and degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Of the clinical descriptors evaluated, none were associated with the radiographic findings with the exception of buttock pain, which was associated with inflammatory sacroiliitis. Neither being overweight nor pregnancy history was associated with degenerative changes in the SI joint.

CONCLUSION: In a primary back pain cohort, degenerative SI joint disease may be an under-recognized clinical entity. It is strongly influenced by sex but is unrelated to degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Currently proposed clinical discriminators performed poorly in correlating with radiographic changes in the SI joint.

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Dr. Stacey: This study proves what I’ve been finding clinically and saying for years – the SI joint is just as, if not more important than the lumbar spine in cases of lower back pain and sciatica! Hence why I utilize the technique that I do!

Sarah A. says: “I am not living my life in blinding pain. Now I can focus on health improvement and becoming fit. I have less pain, more energy, better movement and greater flexibility.”

Get Rid of Neck Pain

In general, there is no one cause of neck pain that applies to every patient. If you have chronic neck pain, you may have received a diagnosis of disc herniation, whiplash, strain, sprain or something else. Regardless, most of these conditions have one thing in common: Certain muscles are affected, and these are the muscles we need to target before progressing to more challenging exercises or activities.

There are certain muscles in the neck that are designed to help us maintain our normal and healthy curve of the spine. In addition, these muscles are designed to hold our head up all day. The technical names of these muscles are the longus capitus and longus colli, more commonly known as the deep neck flexors. They are the muscles that attach to the front of your spine. Because they’re located deep in the front of the neck, we often ignore them.

In people with chronic neck pain, these muscles are often fatigued a lot quicker than in people without neck pain. That means other muscles pick up the slack and begin working harder. The muscles that begin working harder are the ones we generally end up stretching. Have you ever noticed that when you stretch stiff muscles, they feel good for a short period of time, only to get tight again? The thing is, if you don’t address the other muscles, the ones that get fatigued and gradually stop working, then your stretching program will not work as well. All these muscles need to be in “balance.”

The best way to see if your deep neck flexors fatigue is to try and lift your head off the ground when you are lying down. The technique is simple: Simply tuck your chin in to your chest and lift your head off the ground, and then attempt to hold it there for 10 seconds. If the neck begins shaking, or your chin is unable to stay tucked in, your deep flexors are fatigued and need to be addressed. For most people with chronic neck pain, this can be a difficult exercise. That’s why you can begin your exercise program by doing simple chin tucks while sitting or standing.

Simply tucking your chin in and holding it until you fatigue will help reactivate these muscles. You can start with 12 repetitions of this exercise, working your way up to three sets of 12 repetitions each. Ensure you take adequate rest (several minutes) in between each set.

Once you get comfortable with basic sitting/standing chin tucks, you can try doing the exercise lying down. The goal is to be able to do it 12 times, holding each one until you fatigue. The next goal is to work your way up to three sets of 12 repetitions, with rest in between each set. Then work your way to three sets of 15 repetitions and then three sets of 20 repetitions. Remember, this is a marathon, not a race. The goal is to increase the endurance of your muscles rather than their strength. Your neck is designed to carry the weight of your head all day, not to lift trains or buses! That’s why building up endurance should be your first priority.

Neck pain is an all-too-common condition that can prove debilitating if left untreated; fortunately, your chiropractor is the perfect health care professional to help you get rid of the pain.

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The Power of Protein

The word protein is of Greek origin, from the word proteios, which means “of prime importance,” and when it comes to the human diet, protein’s importance cannot be understated. Examples of proteins in our bodies that make life possible are hormones, enzymes, muscles, tendons, cartilage and other types of structural tissues and transport molecules. Proteins are constructed as long chains of amino acids, of which there are eight that must be provided by the food we eat. They are called “essential” because our bodies cannot make them. If our food lacks enough of even one of these eight essential amino acids, then the body will have a harder time making new proteins.

Why does the body need new proteins? Because our body’s protein tissues wear out on a regular basis and must be repaired and replaced. This replacement process is accomplished by eating foods that contain protein. After eating protein, the digestive system breaks it down into a brand new supply of amino acids that become the building blocks that are used in repairing and replacing those that are worn out.

Most animal-based foods can be used very efficiently by our body because they have the right amounts of each essential amino acid, and therefore are often referred to as “high quality.” Among animal foods, the proteins of milk and eggs represent the best amino-acid matches for our body and thus are considered the highest quality. Plant proteins are often referred to as “lower quality” because some individual vegetables may have a low level of one or more of the essential amino acids (although as a group plant-based proteins do contain all eight essential amino acids).

It would be great if the highest quality protein equaled the greatest health, but it doesn’t, and that’s why the term quality is misleading. In fact, compelling research shows that “low-quality” plant-based protein, which allows for slow but steady repair of new body tissues, is the healthiest type of protein. Chronic inflammatory conditions exist in millions of Americans who eat too much dietary animal protein. Just consider the number of allergy-related symptoms attributed to consumption of milk-based protein (milk, cheese, etc.) and the cholesterol- and fat-related conditions caused by consumption of eggs and red meat.

When it comes to protein, don’t fool yourself, “fuel” yourself. Build a protein-based breakfast into your morning breakfast routine and make sure you get protein throughout the day. Remember, don’t overload on animal-based protein; small amounts of lean meat like chicken, turkey or fish are OK (4 ounces a day at most), but make sure plant proteins form the staple of your diet. You’ll look better, feel better and improve your quality of life, all at the same time. Talk to your doctor for more information.

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Backpack Safety Tips

Do you know what’s in your child’s backpack, how much it weighs, or how that weight is affecting their neck, shoulders, back and spine? You need to know, because studies suggest far too many children are carrying far too heavy loads to and from school, and with serious consequences.

For example, a 2003 study in Spine found a significant relationship between the incidence of lower back pain among schoolchildren (ages 12-18) and both the weight of their backpacks and the amount of time the backpacks were used. Some backpacks were inordinately heavy; 18.9 percent of the students surveyed carried backpacks that weighed more than 20 percent of the student’s body weight when full.

In another study, published in the same journal a year earlier, four of five children said their backpacks were heavy, and two-thirds said they felt fatigue when carrying theirs. The study also showed that lifetime prevalence of low back pain was related to the amount of time children carried backpacks on their shoulders.

Not very good news, is it? So, what can you do as a parent to help your children in this regard? Here are a few simple suggestions courtesy of National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Ill.:

	Make sure your child’s backpack weighs no more than 10 percent of their body weight.
	Also ensure that it doesn’t hang more than 4 inches below their waistline.
	Urge your child to wear both shoulder straps. The straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be easily fitted to your child’s body.

Improper backpack use is an important but often-overlooked cause of back pain. Your chiropractor can evaluate your child’s backpack and provide additional suggestions on how to ensure your child goes to and from school every day without putting their spine at risk of injury.

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