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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: More “Fun Facts!”

5 May

Did you know that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) can affect anyone? None of us are immune to developing CTS as roughly 1 out of 20 of us will develop CTS in our lifetime! This month, let’s look at some of the risk factors for developing CTS.

1) Race: Caucasians carry the greatest risk of developing CTS.
2) Gender: Women are three times more likely than men to develop CTS. This may be because female wrists are smaller and shaped a little differently than male wrists, but hormonal differences are probably the most important reason for this variance.
3) Pregnancy: Up to 62% of pregnant women develop CTS. This is thought to be due to the excess fluid retention that normally occurs during pregnancy and most likely stems from the elevation in hormone levels that NORMALLY occurs during pregnancy. The prevalence in the first, second, and third trimesters is 11%, 26%, and 63%, respectively, thus supporting the fact that the risk increases with the length of the pregnancy. Though CTS usually resolves after giving birth, symptoms can continue for as long as three years following delivery!
4) Birth Control Pill (BCP): The use of BCPs increases CTS risk due to an increase in hormonal levels similar to the CTS risk increase during pregnancy.
5) Occupational: Workers in highly repetitive, hand-intensive occupations (such as line work, sewing, finishing, meat processing, poultry or fish packing) have a higher rate of developing CTS.
6) Injury to the wrist or hand: An obvious example is a wrist fracture from a slip and fall, sports injury, or blunt trauma like a car accident. When there is a direct pinch on the median nerve, nerve damage can occur quite quickly, and as a result, the onset of symptoms can be very fast. Less obvious injuries, which usually have significantly slower onsets, include repetitive motion injuries, often referred to as “cumulative trauma disorders” and include a group of conditions such as tendonitis, sprain/strain, bursitis, and other types of soft tissue injuries.
7) Certain conditions: Nerve damaging conditions that can cause CTS include diabetes and alcoholism. Other conditions that can contribute and/or cause CTS include menopause, obesity, thyroid disorders, kidney failure, and more.
8) Inflammatory conditions: These include several types of arthritis such as rheumatoid, lupus, and others. Osteoarthritis is technically NOT an “inflammatory” condition but it can cause CTS by compressing the median nerve via a bone spur formed within the carpal tunnel.
9) Faulty work stations: A job site has A LOT to do with whether or not a person develops CTS. Though jobs that require fast, repetitive movements pose the greatest risk (see #5 above), other work-related factors that may be controllable can also significantly contribute to the development of CTS. Some of these include the shape of tools such as screwdriver handles shaped like a gun (pistol) which allow for better alignment of the wrist than a “normal” straight screwdriver handle. Another is a power tool that may have too much vibration or torques too hard at the end of a cycle. A handle that is too cold/hard (e.g., metal handle) or that may be too large for the worker’s hand is an additional factor to consider. Positioning the work so that the wrists can stay straight vs. bent can be VERY helpful. In fact, if some of these “ergonomic” factors are not fixed, CTS can be next to impossible to remedy. Also, poor posture in the back, neck, and the rest of the body can result in compensatory faulty postures elsewhere. Look in a mirror and poke your chin out towards the mirror. Now look at your shoulders. See how they roll forward and feel the strain in your upper back and neck? Keep your chin tucked in, NOT out. This can make a BIG difference in your posture!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

Fight the Common Cold… with Your Stomach!

4 May

No one wants to get sick. In fact, I bet you never want to get the common cold or the flu ever again in your life. While that would be nice, it is impossible. But, new research has shown a way children may get the common cold less often, and shorten the time they have it when they do. This is extremely important because the common cold is responsible for the largest amount of school and work absenteeism and causes a huge economic burden.
A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed during the winter season in Thailand. Children ages 8-13 were given either a two-strain combination probiotic or placebo twice a day for three months.
According to the study, “Children in the probiotics group had significantly lower risk of fever, cough, rhinorrhea, school absence, and school absence related to common cold compared to children in the placebo group. There was no impact on diarrhea and vomiting.”
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are microorganisms that offer some form of health benefit to their host organism and they can be found in various different foods. Probiotics are believed to play very important roles in regulating proper intestinal function and digestion by balancing intestinal microflora. Probiotics are normally consumed in fermented foods with active live cultures, such as yogurt, though they are also available in supplement form as capsules, liquid, and chewables. There are many different strains of probiotics, but the most common strains available today are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Good News About Cherries!

3 May

Did you know that eating cherries could lower inflammation in the body drastically enough to alleviate arthritis symptoms? In at least one study, powdered cherry consumption actually led to a change in the functioning of inflammation-regulating genes in mice.
Like all dark-skinned fruits, cherries are high in antioxidants and other phytochemicals that promote human health in ways that science is only just beginning to understand.
While sweet cherries may be more fun to eat, the most potent inflammation-fighting cherries are the tart variety. In addition to fighting inflammation and arthritis, cherries have also been found to fight gout, reduce body fat, and lower levels of cholesterol. Think it can’t get any better? At least some tart cherries contain high enough levels of the hormone melatonin that they can actually help you fall asleep.

The Tale Of Two Homeless Men Faced with one of the most difficult decisions of his life, this homeless man made the right choice and turned his whole life around…

3 May

Imagine there are two homeless men begging for change on a street corner. A young man stops and makes them an incredible offer.
The young man offers them each two choices: You can have $100 in cash right now or no money and two months of coding lessons. (Coding is a term computer programmers use in regards to writing software programs.)
Now, imagine one homeless man takes the $100 and the other decides to learn to code. What happened to both men? The hypothetical homeless man with a $100 bill would likely spend it and still be on the streets. As for the other man, the one who took the coding lessons, we don’t have to speculate his future because we actually know it.
You see, a 23-year old computer programmer by the name of Patrick McConlogue made this exact offer to a 37-year old homeless man named Leo Grand. Leo chose the programming lessons.
So, McConlogue started by spending one hour a day with Grand before work. After their morning session, McConlogue would go to work and Grand would practice what he learned on a Google Chromebook McConlogue gave him.
Grand would practice his daily lesson until the battery in his Chromebook died. (He found places to charge it overnight while he slept on public benches.)
At the end of the two months, Grand had learned a lot, but both men decided they wanted to do more. That’s when McConlogue’s boss, John Katzman, stepped in.
Katzman allowed McConlogue to teach Grand full-time at the New York office of his company “Noodle.” After five more weeks of full-time work, Grand had completed and released his first app. An App… or application… is a type of software program that allows you to perform specific tasks. Applications for desktop or laptop computers are sometimes called desktop applications, and those for mobile devices are called mobile apps.
Grand is currently researching for his next app and is looking for a full-time job as a computer programmer.
Even better, McConlogue has started a mentorship program for programmers. So far, 150 programmers have signed up to teach someone to code for one hour a day for two months. McConlogue is still figuring out how to run his new mentorship, but the impact he could have on so many lives is incredible.
It’s amazing what a little delayed gratification can do. Grand decided to pass up on the quick and easy $100 now for the possibility to create a wonderful life in the future.
Not only that, you just never know how far one small act of kindness can reach. It would have been much easier for McConlogue to just walk right by Grand or to throw him some spare change. Instead, he took a chance. He opened his heart and gave Grand the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity that meant a lot of dedication and work for both men.
Altruism is rare, but it is clearly not dead.

Low Back “ON-THE-GO” Exercises (Part 2).

1 May

Low back pain (LBP) is a reality in most of our lives at one point or another. It can range from being a “nag” to being totally disabling. Let’s look at some exercises for the low back that can be done from a STANDING position so that they can be: 1) Performed in public (without drawing too much attention) and 2) Repeated every one to two hours with the objective to AVOID LBP from gradually getting out of control (STOP the “vicious cycle” so LBP stays “self-managed”).

RULES: 1) DON’T do any exercise that creates SHARP pain; 2) Stay within “reasonable” pain boundaries; 3) DO these multiple times a day WHEN you feel tight, stiff, sore (take 10-30 sec. every hour rather than 15 min. twice a day).

STANDING LOW BACK EXERCISE OPTIONS:

1) STANDING HAMSTRING / GROIN STRETCH: 1) Place your heel on a chair/bench. 2) Arch your low back until you feel a “draw” or pull in the back of the leg. 3) Bend your ankle towards you – feel the pull in your calf). 4) If needed, bend forwards or bend the support leg knee for additional stretch. 5) Hold for 3-10 seconds or until it feels loose. 6) ROTATE your body to the opposite side until you feel the pull in your groin and hold 3-10 sec. 7) Switch legs!
2) STANDING BACK EXTENSIONS: 1) Place the backs of your hands on your low back. 2) Slowly arch the lower back over your hands – stop if you feel pinch/sharp pain. 3) Release the pressure and re-apply multiple times. 4) Hold for 3-10 seconds or, until it feels loose. 5) REVERSE and bend over to touch your toes and hold until you feel loose.
3) STANDING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH: 1) Stand straddled with one leg behind the other. 2) Rotate your back leg hip forwards (try to line up the left with the right so the pelvis is square). 3) Tuck in your pelvis (flatten the curve in the low back). 4) Bend backwards until the pull in the groin increases. 5) Hold for 3-10 seconds or, until it feels “loose.” 6) REPEAT on the opposite side.

Remember, DO these MANY times a day (at least once every hour). We have many others as well (ask us)!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

Whiplash Recovery.

30 Apr

Exercise is an important part of whiplash treatment and is often overlooked by both patients and doctors. We will focus on several practical and effective exercises over the next several Health Updates. The first of this series can be called “brain exercises.”

The following URL offers you a 37 page PDF of a booklet that contains GREAT information and includes the exercises reviewed below:

http://tinyurl.com/WhiplashExercises

Brain Exercise #1: Eyes Still, Move Head. Hold a pen a comfortable distance in front of your eyes and keep looking at it as you rotate your head from side to side ten times. Stop if you feel dizzy but keep trying after resting. Repeat three times a day.

Brain Exercise #2: Head Still, Move Eyes. Keep your head still (move only your eyes) while you move the pen left to right as far as you can ten times without losing sight of the pen. Stop if you feel dizzy but keep trying later in the day. Repeat three times a day.

Brain Exercise #3: Standing Balance Test. Stand with your feet close together (or, feet shoulder width apart if you feel unsteady). You should feel steady for 30 seconds with your eyes open AND closed. Try it (count to 30)! If you feel unsteady, this exercise should be repeated often until you feel improvement with the eyes closed! A variation is to place one foot in front of the other, switching feet after each test. Notice this one is more difficult. A third position is standing on ONE foot (switch sides after each test) with the eyes open AND again closed. This one is REALLY hard! Stand near a counter or corner of a room to “catch” yourself – don’t fall.

Notice that these exercises are NOT neck specific; there are others exercises for that. Rather, these incorporate eye / head movements, coordination/balance challenges and address symptoms such as dizziness, headache, post-concussion symptoms (memory loss, difficulty concentrating, etc.), and others. These exercises can be very helpful as they “exercise” our neuropathways, or the “wiring” within our nervous system so that information flows freely to and from our brain, spinal cord, and our various body parts. These help us function safer and better in ALL of our desired daily activities! We can train you in these exercises if you feel uncomfortable doing these on your own.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Whiplash, we would be honored to render our services.

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