Neck Pain – The MOST Important Exercises (Part 1)

23 Jun

Neck pain can occur for many different reasons, but what can you do about it? That’s the BIG question! As discussed last month, exercise training is an important part of the chiropractic management process. Let’s take a close look at which exercises are MOST important with respect to self-management strategies. There are several goals or reasons to perform neck exercises. We will break these down into four main categories: Posture, stretch, strengthening, and coordination.

POSTURE: The biggest culprit in this category is the forward head carriage. If you look around a crowded airport, bus stop, train station, or mall, you can see MANY examples of this. If fact, this faulty posture is estimated to occur in 66-90% of the population! Also, forward head posture is STRONGLY associated with decreased respiratory muscle strength, which can reduce lung capacity and our ability to breath by as much as 30%! It’s also linked to tension headaches, altered eye and ear function, high blood pressure, and over time it can lead to arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves, and more. The “classic” appearance is the position of the head is too far forward, the shoulders roll forwards and the upper back sticks out. Did you know that for every inch the head glides forwards from the proper position, there is a 10 lbs (~4.5 kg) increase of weight that the neck and upper back muscles have to hold up? Using an average 12 lbs (~5.4 kg) head, a 5 inch (~12.7 cm) forward head carriage places an extra 50 lbs (~23 kg) of weight on the upper back/neck muscles for a 62 lbs (~28 kg) total! So, LET’S FIX IT!

Here is one exercise that may help your posture: Look straight ahead and 1) Tighten your core by performing an abdominal brace. This is done by contracting your belly muscles so that when you poke your thumbs into your sides and front, you feel a firm abdominal muscle wall. You don’t have to “brace” at a 100% of maximum, shoot for 25-50% or just enough to feel the muscles contract. Relax and contract several times so you’re sure you can feel the muscles tighten up. Keep a curve in your lower back when you do this (don’t slouch). 2) Lift your chest – don’t just tuck you head back! This will improve the rounded shoulders and slouched upper back posture. Think of lifting your chest towards the ceiling more than just sticking it out. Notice in a mirror how much improvement occurs already! 3) Perform chin retractions – do 10 retractions every hour (set the timer on your cell phone to remind you)! Do this gently, slowly, and to a firm end-point of movement. If you feel like you are creating a “double or triple chin,” you are doing it right! If you do the ten reps every hour, then in an eight hour work day, you’ll have done 80 posture corrections! This a GREAT way to “re-program” your nervous system and when you find yourself doing this WITHOUT THINKING, it will have become a new (and good) habit! Stay tuned next several months for more neck exercises focused on STRETCH, STRENGTHEN, and COORDINATION training!

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 neck pain or headaches, we would be honored to render our services.

Fibromyalgia and HOW TO IMPROVE SLEEP!

22 Jun

Last month, we reported some exciting news about the link between fibromyalgia (FM) and the importance of sleep, particularly getting to the deep sleep stage. However, we did not discuss the various strategies that YOU can use to improve your quality of sleep. Let’s take a look!

Establishing a consistent and better sleep pattern is essential in managing the complex symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (FM). By doing so, you may experience reductions in pain, fatigue, and “fibro fog.” Think of a flashlight. As the batteries wear down, the light becomes progressively dimmer and soon goes out. To recharge our batteries, we must sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60% of adults report having problems sleeping a few nights per week or more. Also, more than 40% of adults have daytime sleepiness that interferes with activities of daily living, and nearly 70% of children in a study reported they had problems sleeping at least one night a week. The “bottom line” is WE MUST SLEEP to be healthy!

SLEEP STRATEGIES: 1) Sleep ONLY as much as you need to feel refreshed the next day. Limiting the time seems to improve sleep quality while excessive sleep leads to fragmented and shallow / poor quality sleep. 2) Keep a sleep diary and write down how you slept each night as well as any triggers that interfered with your sleep. Review the notes from time-to-time to remind you of strategies that worked in the past. 3) Keep a strict sleep schedule when possible. Get to bed, and more importantly, wake up at a regular time each morning. A regular arousal time strengthens our circadian cycle and leads to a more consistent time of sleep onset at night. 4) Use relaxation therapies such as gentle massage, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and more, all of which can boost sleep quality. 5) Cut down on noise, particularly sudden loud noise (trains, planes, automobiles, etc.) by soundproofing the room or using a noise machine. Your sleep can be disturbed without you waking up or having memory of it in the morning. 6) Avoid long daytime naps as these interfere with nighttime sleep. 7) Keep the room temperature cool. 8) Hunger can be also disturb sleep, so a light snack of carbohydrates at night can help in this regard. 9) Avoid caffeine or alcohol in the evenings as both disturb sleep. 10) Consider herbs/vitamins/supplements such as 5-HTP, Melatonin, St. John’s Wart, SAM-e, L-Carnitine, Probiotics, and more.

Remember, the goal is to get at least four hours of continuous sleep in order to reach the deep sleep stage. If this is not accomplished over time, the intensity of the FM symptoms can increase.

The management of FM is best when approached from multiple directions: nutrition, exercise (especially aerobic), many of the 10 “tips” described above, and care rendered by a “team” of healthcare providers from disciplines such as chiropractic, massage therapy, and primary care. Because FM is complex with no single cause, a multi-directed treatment approach seems to work best. Remember, doctors of chiropractic focus on structure, exercise, nutrition, and whole-body health. They also work with other health professionals on a regular basis when managing the needs of their patients.

If you, a friend or family member requires care for Fibromyalgia, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services!

The Most Important Principles for Staying Young: You Can Snack Healthy Too!

18 Jun

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you, and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the quality and length of your life.

Q) I’m afraid my hubby and I, while pretty good at avoiding the Five Food Felons of your book when we eat at home, and aren’t horrible at restaurants — we get fish or skinless chicken, no added sugars anywhere, and whole grains only — but are horrible with snacks, and it seems we are eating more snacks and bar foods as meals.  And then we are still hungry when we get home and snack more.   What can we do? – Dottie in Indian Wells, CA.

A. You are right, North America is under a snack attack and the snacks are winning! It seems more and more of you are substituting grab-and-go foods for real meals. Finding healthy snack or bar foods can be tough. It’s one reason Americans end up spending $48 billion a year on salty or sugary munchables (three times more than we spend on fruits and vegetables). That’s a lot of buck for very little nutritional bang! So, here are my suggestions:

Prepare for What’s Coming and Snack Early: Nothing replaces the nutritional–and emotional—benefits of a sit down meal with the family, but my first tip is to snack on healthy foods before you go out so you are not tempted to have unhealthy foods. That means you should eat or carry snacks that are healthy with you in the car. Stock your fridge and pantry with easy grab-n-go foods. Keep unsalted nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew) on hand. In the fridge, stock the seasonal fruits and veggies you love along with oil-free hummus, and whole-grain bread or small whole-grain pitas or tortilla wraps. My favorites for the car are walnuts and apples, because they make me smarter (see below).

 Prepare for What’s Coming and Snack Healthy After: Stock your freezer and with easy grab-n-go foods like frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, and mango chunks) and veggies (bags of frozen green beans, edamame, and peas). Keep counter-top goodies like ground flax seeds, roasted sunflower or sesame seeds, bananas, apples, tomatoes, and avocado handy, too.
If you eat in the same bars or other consistent places, ask them to serve healthier foods or modify the recipe for you. For example, ask for guacamole with just avocados, tomatoes, onions, and spices with no sour cream, for example.  Or hummus without oil served with whole grain pitas.
Turn over…

Breakfast snacking: For a quick breakfast, whirl up a quick smoothie. Combine fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt, greens of any kind (celery, spinach, whatever looks green to you), unsweetened almond or soymilk,  and a few chia seeds. Or spread almond butter on a whole-grain tortilla, top it with banana slices, sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, and then roll it up and go!
Lunch snacking: Put an easy-open pouch of tuna in water, pre-washed greens, avocado chunks, and a drizzle of dressing made from olive oil and lemon juice into a tightly sealed container. Or mash beans on a tortilla, top with tomato, avocado, fold it up, and tuck into a sandwich bag. Toss eat-and-run sides into your lunch bag, too — like fresh fruit, baby carrots, red pepper and zucchini strips (cut in advance and keep in your fridge).
Just want a car snack before you go out? Walnuts and apples are my favorite. Favorite because I like the taste, favorite because they are easy to carry, favorite because they are easy to eat, and favorite because they make me younger and keep me from losing all my marbles.  Experiment with toasting walnuts for a taste you love.  I frequently toast ‘em at 275 degrees Fahrenheit (~135 degrees Celsius) in a toaster oven for ten minutes. Two recent studies found that just 6-18 walnut halves a day (different amounts in different studies) were associated with six-year younger brain function in large numbers of humans in the National Health and Nutrition studies.  That equivalent amount given to mice predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease reduced it by 50%.
Thanks for reading. And feel free to send questions—to youdocs@gmail.com, and some of them we may know enough to answer (we’ll try to get answers for you if we do not know).

-Young Dr. Mike Roizen (aka, The Enforcer)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

16 Jun

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) develops from a nerve problem in the wrist (the median nerve) and is NOT a “muscle problem” like some people believe. That is not to say the median nerve cannot be trapped and pinched by muscles. When this occurs, the condition is labeled with a different name, depending on which muscle(s) are pinching the nerve or where the entrapment is located. Here are some more FACTS about CTS that you need to know:

SYMPTOMS: CTS complaints include numbness, pain, tingling, and/or weakness of the hand (especially fingers two, three, and four), and while this can be constant, it usually comes and goes.

ONSET: CTS usually comes on gradually. However, the length of time over which it progresses can be HIGHLY VARIABLE. It can take weeks, months, or even years before the patient consults with their chiropractor or family doctor.

CAUSE: There are MANY reported causes of CTS, but it is not completely known how the process starts out or how it evolves for different people. Risk factors include age greater than 50, obesity, genetics (family history of CTS), gender (as it favors females over males), work type (highly-repetitive, hand-intensive work), pregnancy, birth control pill usage, thyroid disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. In general, swelling is the culprit that results in pressure on the median nerve. This most commonly occurs from overuse of the hands and fingers. Playing musical instruments, sewing, crocheting, basket weaving, assembly/line work, meat processing work, typing/computer work, and waitressing are common over-use activities.

CLINICAL COURSE: Early into the disorder, CTS is usually easily managed and reversible. However, if the amount of pressure on the nerve is too much, the symptoms can become permanent. Think of a wire and how wearing away the plastic coating will “short” the wire. There are multiple layers to our nerves and the wearing away of the outer layers over time can become a problem resulting in permanent numbness and/or weakness.

BIGGEST MISTAKE: Don’t wait until your symptoms are terrible! If you feel periodic numbness and tingling and you find yourself shaking your hand and “flicking” your fingers in attempt to “wake them up,” NOW IS THE TIME TO COME VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR before nerve damage occurs and the risk of permanency increases.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC HELPS: Treatment guidelines for CTS recommend a non-surgical approach, and this is where chiropractic comes in! A wrist night splint is typically recommended since sleep interruption due to numbness is VERY common as we cannot control our wrist position when we sleep. Ice (not heat) is best as it reduces swelling (see #3 above). Rubbing an ice cube (or Dixie cup of ice) over the palm-side of the wrist works well. First, you will feel COLD followed by BURNING, then ACHING, and finally NUMBNESS (“C-BAN”). At this point STOP, as the next stage of cooling is frost bite! Do this three times a day or as directed. Your doctor of chiropractic will also talk to you about taking “mini-breaks” at home and/or at work and teach you exercises or stretches that can be performed during these breaks! A work station assessment is often very helpful as sometimes a simple change in work position or method can reduce wrist strain considerably. Your doctor of chiropractic may also perform manipulation to the small joints of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck as indicated in each specific case. He or she may also perform soft tissue release techniques to the muscles and soft tissues of the forearm, shoulder, and neck regions as needed. Surgery should be the LAST step in the treatment process, used only if all other non-surgical options have been tried without success.

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.

Spinal Manipulation AFTER Surgery HELPS!

15 Jun

Unfortunately, low back pain (LBP) is something MOST of us cannot avoid. There is solid evidence that chiropractic care is one of the most effective methods of treating LBP, but there are times when a referral for surgery is needed. What about manipulative therapy (MT) AFTER surgery? Is this a good idea? Does it help?

In March 2015, an article published in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation discussed the pros and cons of MT after lumbar open laser microdiscectomy, a common surgical technique used to treat patients with a pinched nerve due to a herniated lumbar disk. Unfortunately, patients who undergo this procedure can experience early post-surgical physical disability that reduces their ability to perform required daily activities. For this reason, the objective of this study was to look at whether early individualized spinal manipulation would reduce the occurrence of post-surgical disability. To do this, 21 patients (aged 25-69) who had a microdiscectomy were randomly placed into either a spinal manipulation or an active control group. Manipulation was performed two to three weeks after surgery, at two times a week for four weeks.  The researchers found patients in the MT group experienced a 55% reduction in disability while those in the control group reported a 5% increase in disability! Also, leg pain was reduced by 55% in the MT group compared with only 9% in the control group. This pilot study concluded that while a larger-scale study is recommended, the findings indicate that manipulation “…may be an important option for post-operative management after spinal surgery.”

This is yet another testimony that spinal manipulation can not only help many people avoid surgery, but it can also significantly reduce or eliminate back pain and disability AFTER surgery! Spinal manipulation is the most common treatment approach performed routinely by chiropractors. And although other healthcare professionals are showing an increasingly greater interest in learning this skill, manipulation must be performed on a regular, concentrated basis in order to obtain the best outcomes or therapeutic results for patients. So, regardless if you have or have not had surgery for LBP, the benefits of chiropractic and spinal manipulation are recognized as a recommended course of treatment!

 

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.

New Study Claims Adolescent Drinking Alters Adult Behavior

11 Jun

Here is the shocking first sentence of a recent study abstract:  “Binge drinking is common during adolescence and can lead to the development of psychiatric disorders.”

Furthermore, binge drinking during adolescence may alter brain development during this important time, leaving lasting effects on genes and behavior that will continue into adulthood. In a recently published study in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine provided alcohol to rat subjects on-and-off in two day increments during their adolescence. Then, they observed them during adulthood. The rats given alcohol displayed much higher levels of anxiety than the control rats who were not given alcohol during development. Also, when given the choice between alcohol and water during adulthood, the rats given alcohol during adolescence drank more alcohol than the rats in the control group.

When researchers looked at the brains of the rats in the study, they found the rats in the alcohol group had higher levels of a protein called HDAC2 in the part of the brain called the amygdala. Previous studies have linked elevated levels of HDAC2 in the amygdala to higher levels of anxiety and alcohol-drinking behavior. This suggests that alcohol exposure during adolescence activates the gene/s responsible for increased HDAC2 expression.

Lead study author Dr. Subhash Pandey, a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Neuroscience Alcoholism Research at UIC writes, “This may be the mechanism through which adolescent binge drinking increases the risk for psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism in adulthood… On-and-off exposure to alcohol during adolescence altered the activity of genes needed for normal brain maturation… [The gene alterations] increased anxiety-like behaviors and preference for alcohol in adulthood.”

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