A Surprising & Simple Tip That Will Improve Your Posture Immediately

BY JONATHAN FITZGORDON | APRIL 11, 2014 4:18 AM EDT

Hyperextension is the ability to move a joint past its normal range of motion. Among many postural imbalances that people tend to enjoy, hyperextension of the knees might have the most far-reaching consequences.

My own predilection for hyperextension led me down a painful path, resulting in three surgeries to repair the meniscus — the cartilage between the thigh and shin that is meant to act as a shock absorber. It wasn’t until I learned to use my legs correctly that I stopped getting injured and suffering from back pain.

In the human body, the bones hold us up and the muscles move us. To take that one step further, the nerves tell the muscles to move the bones. If we don’t have good skeletal alignment, the nerves can’t flow freely and the muscles can’t receive the impulses to move the bones as well as they might.

Not everybody has the ability to hyperextend their joints, and some can do this in some joints and not others. Ligaments connect bones to other bones, and ligaments are meant to be extremely taught to prevent hyperextension. But for numerous reasons, many people have loose ligaments, which leads to less than stable joints.

If you can hyperextend your knees, the ability to do this will never go away. You simply have to stop doing it, which is easier said than done. If you are like me and hyperextended your knees for almost 40 years before trying to stop, actually straightening the leg might feel like you're bending it.

It took a good while for my brain to catch up to the fact that a leg with a hyperextended knee wasn’t straight. Now, about 10 years later, I tell my clients that where I used to hyperextend 90% of the time and have a straight leg 10%, I've switched that ratio and now employ my legs straight 90% of the time and hyperextend 10%.

I credit my current lack of back pain and injury to stopping this unfortunate locking of the knee backward. And since I began teaching other people to stop, their back pain has diminished, as well as neck and shoulder pain. Stopping hyperextension of the knees has also led to relief from chronic headaches for a number of my clients.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13330/a-surprising-simple-tip-that-will-improve-your-posture-immediately.html

Need Stress Relief?

Stress has become a fact of life, and for some, the daily norm. Although occasional stress can help improve our focus and performance, living with chronic stress can backfire by causing anxiety, depression, and serious health problems.

Understanding who we are, knowing our major struggles, putting them in perspective, and taking action can help us deal with stress. The following strategies can also improve stress tolerance and help lessen the effects of stress on our health.

Think Positively

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into positive,” said Hans Selye, author of the groundbreaking work around stress theory. When optimism is hard to muster, cognitive-behavioral therapy, which trains people to recognize negative thinking patterns and replace them with more constructive ones, can also help reduce the risk of chronic stress and depression.

Get Out and Enjoy Nature

While modern civilization has made our lives more convenient, it has deprived us of an essential source of stress relief—connection with nature. Studies show that interacting with nature can help lessen the effects of stress on the nervous system, reduce attention deficits, decrease aggression, and enhance spiritual well-being.

“Smell the Roses” for Better Mood

Aromatherapy, or smelling essential plant oils, recognized worldwide as a complementary therapy for managing chronic pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related disorders, can help you unwind. Orange and lavender scents, in particular, have been shown to enhance relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Relax with a Cup of Tea

During stressful times, coffee helps us keep going. To give yourself a break, however, consider drinking tea. Research shows that drinking tea for 6 weeks helps lower post-stress cortisol and increase relaxation. Habitual tea drinking may also reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting your heart health.

Laugh It Off

Humor relieves stress and anxiety and prevents depression, helping put our troubles in perspective. Laughter can help boost the immune system, increase pain tolerance, enhance mood and creativity, and lower blood pressure, potentially improving treatment outcomes for many health problems, including cancer and HIV. Humor may also be related to happiness, which has been linked to high self-esteem, extroversion, and feeling in control.

Build a Support System

Relationships are also key to health and happiness, especially for women. Women with low social support, for example, are more likely to increase blood pressure under stress. Loneliness may also contribute to stress in both men and women, also leading to poorer outcomes after a stroke or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, active and socially involved seniors are at lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Social support also helps cancer patients to boost the immune system and maintain a higher quality of life.

Employ the Relaxing Power of Music

Music, especially classical, can also serve as a powerful stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while preparing a public speech helps avoid anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure, which usually accompany public speaking.

Singing and listening to music can also relieve pain and reduce anxiety and depression caused by lowback pain. Group drumming also showed positive effects on stress relief and the immune system. Music therapy can also elevate mood and positively affect the immune system in cancer patients and reduce fatigue and improve self-acceptance in people with multiple sclerosis.

To help people deal with stressful medical procedures, music can help reduce anxiety before surgery. When played during surgery, it can decrease the patient’s post-operative pain. Aiding recovery, a dose of calming music may lower anxiety, pain, and the need for painkillers.

Calm Your Mind

In recent decades, many forms of meditation have gained popularity as relaxation and pain relief tools. Focusing on our breath, looking at a candle, or practicing a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and actions can help tune out distractions, reduce anxiety and depression, and accept our circumstances. In cancer patients, meditation-based stress reduction enhances quality of life, lowers stress symptoms, and potentially benefits the immune system.

Guided imagery, such as visualizing pictures prompted by an audiotape recording, also shows promise in stress relief and pain reduction. Based on the idea that the mind can affect the body, guided imagery can be a useful adjunct to cancer therapy, focusing patients on positive images to help heal their bodies.

Enjoy the Warmth of Human Touch

Just as the mind can affect the body, the body can influence the mind. Virginia Satir, a famous American psychotherapist, once said that people need 4 hugs a day to help prevent depression, 8 for psychological stability, and 12 for growth. While asking for hugs may not work for some, massage can help us relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Massage has also been shown to reduce aggression and hostility in violent adolescents, to improve mood and behavior in students with ADHD, and to lead to better sleep and behavior in children with autism.

Massage has other therapeutic properties, as well. Regular massage may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lead to less pain, depression, and anxiety and better sleep in patients with chronic low-back pain. Compared to relaxation, massage therapy also causes greater reduction in depression and anger, and more significant effects on the immune system in breast cancer patients.

Give Exercise a Shot

To get the best of both worlds, affecting the mind through the body while getting into good physical shape, try exercise. In one study, a group of lung cancer patients increased their hope due to exercise. Exercise can also reduce depression and improve wound healing in the elderly. Tai chi, which works for people of all ages, may enhance heart and lung function, improve balance and posture, and prevent falls, while reducing stress.

No matter what stress-relief methods you choose, make it a habit to use them—especially if you feel too stressed out to do it. As someone once said, the time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. For more information on what stress is and how it affects us while on the job, click here.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2203

What You Need To Know About Teeth Grinding + How To Stop

BY KENNETH B. MAK | MARCH 28, 2014 4:00 AM EDT

Stress affects people of all ages in all walks of life — there’s no getting around it. To cope, we all form certain habits, many of which are unconscious. Some people’s habits are fairly harmless, like nail biting or fidgeting. Many stress-coping mechanisms, however, can be very harmful to your health.

More people than you might realize end up dealing with stress while they sleep. Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is a very common side effect of stress.

The most serious problem caused by teeth grinding is the constant wearing down of tooth enamel, which is critical to your teeth’s strength. Once enamel has been worn away, it’s impossible to get back, which is why it’s so important to stop grinding in its tracks.

Loss of enamel, unfortunately, is not the only negative consequence of bruxism. A recent study linked bruxism to other sleeping disorders, such as sleep apnea, which can be both the cause and effect of several secondary health problems.

Sleep disorders like these cause people to suffer jaw soreness and exhaustion during the day. Being tired and in pain all day can significantly impact your performance at work and your daily happiness, in addition to your long-term health.

So, the question is: How do you stop grinding your teeth?

1. Understand bruxism.

Because bruxism affects people in very different ways, it’s important to do your homework and have your particular case examined by a dentist before jumping to conclusions and seeking treatment on your own.

Just because you’re tired during the day or experience frequent headaches doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re grinding your teeth — these issues could be the result of several other conditions. This’s why you should have a doctor confirm the signs as soon as you suspect there may be a problem.

Signs of teeth grinding:

• Dull, constant headache
• Sore jaw
• Audible teeth grinding at night
• Cheek cuts

2. Reduce stress.

Your body can’t fight off stress forever without suffering consequences. Try your best to set and stick to a regular sleep schedule, and relax for at least 30 minutes before you fall asleep. Go a step further and add meditation to your routine when you wake up and before you go to bed.

A healthy diet can also help remove stress, especially if your current diet is currently less than ideal. The first step is to cut out or reduce coffee and alcohol, both of which negatively affect your brain when trying to relax, fall asleep and stay sleeping.

Finally, stop chewing on things that aren’t supposed to be eaten! If you often find yourself gnawing on a pen, gum, ice or your own nails, cut these habits out. Constantly working your jaw this way will only exacerbate any existing pain.

3. Seek medical help.

If you’ve tried some of these simpler tips and find that they aren’t helping the problem, you should contact a dental expert. The last thing you want is to end up having to pay for crowns, bridges, root canals caused by years of grinding. Here are a few treatment options you can expect your dentist to recommend.

Muscle relaxants: For some, a light muscle relaxant may be prescribed to relax the set of your jaw before bed. We suggest that you try to fix the problem naturally before seeking out a prescription.

Mouth guard: Sleeping with a mouth guard may be a bit annoying, but it’s far less annoying than the consequences of grinding. Nighttime mouth guards can be bought at the drugstore, but it’s best to have one made especially for your mouth to ensure proper fit. While the guard won’t necessarily completely stop you from grinding your teeth, it’ll redistribute the force so as not to cause damage to your teeth.

Surgery: As a last resort, in very severe cases, surgery may be done to help shape your teeth and jaw to facilitate a better fit between the bottom and top teeth. This would never be considered without a significant exploration of other treatments.

Don’t expect stress to go away any time soon — modern, active adults encounter a wide variety of stress-inducing situations every single day. You can’t quit your job, cut down your commute time or solve all family disputes, but you can learn healthy coping mechanisms that lower stress’s impact on your mind and body.

If bruxism is a problem for you, the first step is to examine your daily life and try to find ways to squeeze in a bit more relaxation and fun to offset daily pressures and tensions. For some, this alone may do the trick. Otherwise, share your concerns with your dentist. Together, you’ll be able to find the best course of action for you.

The bottom line is, don’t delay. Some simple fixes now will help prevent more serious problems down the line.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13133/what-you-need-to-know-about-teeth-grinding-how-to-stop.html

Yes, You CAN Do A Marathon! Here's How

BY NICOLE PLOSS | MARCH 21, 2014 4:34 AM EDT

One of the most legendary distances in endurance events is the 26.2-mile marathon. Running for that long without stopping sounds crazy to many people, and that’s because it is!

Some endurance junkies run marathons once a month, while others do it just once, as a bucket list activity or for a cause that is dear to the heart. If you're a runner but feel a distance this long is only a dream, here are some tips to help you become a marathoner.

1. Be choosy when picking your race.

It is crucial to find a well-supported race with a good route for your first marathon. You want to look up course maps to make sure that you know exactly what you'll be running on race day. Long-distance races with loops can become monotonous and boring, whereas routes that do not cover the same area twice provide fresh scenery, making your progress more apparent. It is also important to consider topography and whether you need to prepare for a hilly or flat course. Another thing to consider is the race support. You want to find a race with lots of aid stations that pass out water, sports drinks, and energy gels so that you don’t have to carry all of this with you as you run.

2. Find a racing buddy.

Some people love to run with friends while others enjoy running alone. When it comes to a race like the marathon, having someone to train with is the best insurance policy you can have. At some point, you may lose the zealous spirit you had when you first signed up for the race, so knowing that someone else is depending on you for company during those long runs might be the only thing that gets you out the door on some days. Having a running buddy isn’t only good for motivation, but it also provides some entertainment. A three-hour run goes by a lot faster when you have a friend to chat with, so lose the headphones and find someone to go on this journey with you!

3. Invest in running shoes.

Having suffered a knee injury myself, I cannot emphasize enough how important this one is. Shoes really do matter, especially when your weekly mileage is high. If you live near a big city, find a running store and get someone to analyze your stride to help you find the best shoe for your needs. If you do not live near a running store, try out different specialized running shoes to see what works best for you. Make sure you have this figured out and your shoes broken in well before race day rolls around.

4. Educate yourself on endurance nutrition.

Your body is not designed to run 26.2 miles without refueling and rehydrating. Make sure to have a nutrition plan that you have tested out during long runs. Look at where the aid stations will be ahead of time, and map out how much you need to drink at each of them to make sure you're getting adequate hydration. You need around 16 ounces of fluid per hour for an endurance event. You also need to plan when you will take energy gels or solid foods and how you will carry them if they are not passed out along the course. Start hydrating a day or two before the race by avoiding alcohol and taking in a lot of water. Lastly, eat a large but healthy breakfast about 2 hours before the beginning of the race. Foods like oatmeal, bananas, bagels, and peanut butter will give you the energy you need to succeed.

5. Have confidence and enjoy it.

Many marathon rookies waste a lot of energy on anxiety in the days leading up to the race, but once your race starts all of your doubts will evaporate. Have faith in your training and know that your body really will come through and perform. Once you find that trust, everything will fall in to place. Your body will find its rhythm and perform like the amazing machine that it is. Set a realistic goal for yourself, and know that no matter what your time is, it will be a personal record!

No matter where your fitness journey takes you, your first marathon is a big moment. After enduring hours of running and crossing the finish line, there are really no words to capture the sense of accomplishment and pride that you will feel.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13030/yes-you-can-do-a-marathon-heres-how.html

What Is Kinesiology Taping?

Developed by Kenzo Kase, DC, kinesiology taping is a therapeutic taping method that utilizes a latex-free elastic tape. Whereas most athletic tape is stiff and is used to hold muscles or joints in one position, kinesiology tape is stretchy—to serve as a gentle reminder to your body to hold your shoulder in a certain way or to keep a kneecap in line while biking or running.
There are four main functions of kinesiology tape:

1. Correcting muscle function. Kinesiology tape supports muscles during movement, and research has shown that it can provide a bit more stamina than the muscle alone.
2. Improving circulation of blood and lymph. Studies show that the tape increases the flow of both blood and lymph, which can help in the treatment of lymphedema, mastectomy recovery, and swelling, to name a few.
3. Correcting joint movement. The tape can be used to keep a joint, such as a knee, gliding and tracking smoothly while in use.
4. Relieving pain. The tape has an analgesic effect, similar to what has been described as the “mother’s hand effect.”

Because of its many functions, kinesiology tape can be worn both during and after activity. Kerri Walsh, the gold medalist in women’s beach volleyball at the Summer 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, wore the tape on her shoulder during her matches, and Lance Armstrong wore kinesiology tape on his knee during the Tour de France.

Using Kinesiology Tape
Tape worn during competition is applied in the same way as tape used during everyday activities. Additionally, kinesiology tape can be left on for several days at a time and can even be worn in the water, as it’s water resistant. Tape should stay on pediatric and geriatric patients for about one day, but can remain on middle-aged people for four to five days.

While kinesiology tape is very effective, it shouldn’t be relied on permanently. Experts agree that the tape isn’t a cure. Instead, it should be seen as a component of the rehabilitation process; it is not meant to replace a brace or a cast.
Some companies sell kinesiology tape in a roll, and others offer pre-cut selections to fit on the shoulder, the knee, or the back. The most common pre-cuts are “I” strips and “Y” strips, named for their resemblance to those letters. Oftentimes, the strips will be sold in kits designed to fit on a certain body part or for a specific injury.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=5288

What Is Causing the Asthma Epidemic?

In the United States, asthma cases have increased by more than 60 percent since the early 1980s, and asthma-related deaths have doubled to 5,000 a year. What is causing the asthma epidemic and what can we do to stem the tide? A recent series of articles in the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association (JACA) delves into this question and offers advice from doctors of chiropractic and allergists who have helped control asthma symptoms in many patients.

People in their 30s and older can remember that when they were young, it was very unusual for even one child in school to have asthma. Schoolchildren now often know several kids with asthma in a single class. The rapid increase in the number of young people with asthma was brought home to Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) Council on Occupational Health, when he went to a football game with his 13-year-old son: "Someone on the field had a breathing problem. It was hard to see whose son it was, and 15 parents ran to the field with inhalers."

So far, researchers don't know why cases of asthma are increasing at such an alarming rate. They hypothesize that a combination of genetics and some non-hereditary factors — such as increased environmental exposure to potential allergens — play a role. "Thirty years ago, Windex was the only cleaning solvent used by a few people. Now, we have a special cleaning solvent for every object," says Dr. Bautch. "In addition, furniture and carpets are produced with formaldehyde as a preservative, and people breathe it," he says.

Decreased air quality is coupled with the allergy-friendly modern house design, says Dr. William E. Walsh, MD, FACC, an allergist practicing in Minnesota: "Fifty years ago we lived in old, drafty houses, and the breeze dried and freshened the air, and cleared out mold and other allergens. Nowadays, our super-insulated houses don't breathe adequately. Making basements into a living space increases mold exposure because mold grows in any basement."

Food has become another source of exposure to allergens. "Food manufacturers put more preservatives in foods now to store them longer," says Dr. Bautch. Researchers hypothesize that an increase in vaccinations, cesarean births, and antibiotic intake may be playing a role, too.

Asthma is a chronic disease; it can't be cured—only controlled. For best treatment results, both the primary care physician and an asthma specialist, such as an allergist or pulmonologist, should be involved. According to experts interviewed for the article, the treatment program, in addition to medication intake, should include reducing exposure to the substances that induce acute episodes and identifying specific allergens that affect the patient.

Allergens aren't the only culprit. Stress factors—such as moving to a new home, or changing jobs—may induce or aggravate asthma attacks. Even emotional expressions such as fear, anger, frustration, hard crying, or laughing can cause an attack as well. To reduce the patient's stress level and improve the patient's quality of life, alternative treatments should be incorporated into the treatment program. Various relaxation techniques, such as biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and stress management, as well as massage, chiropractic manipulation, breathing exercises, and acupuncture can be helpful.

A multi-site clinical trial on chiropractic management of asthma is underway in Australia. "The preliminary data are very encouraging. Chiropractic patients are showing decreases in physical asthma symptoms and cortisol levels," says Dr. Anthony Rosner, former director of education and research for the Foundation of Chiropractic Education and Research.

"Doctors of chiropractic can give a full-scale evaluation to asthma patients; assess their physical and neurological status, their lifestyle, diet, and stressors; and help the patients increase motor coordination, and improve the work of respiratory and gut muscles to increase the quality of life," says Dr. Gail Henry, a chiropractic neurologist, who practices in Houston, Texas. "Doctors of chiropractic can be a great addition to the healthcare team treating the asthma patient."

Asthma experts offer the following tips for asthma patients:

• Use air filters to help clean air in your home.
• Cover mattresses and pillows with dust covers and use hypoallergenic bed clothing to reduce exposure to dust mites.
• If your condition is getting worse, get checked for viral respiratory infections and different medical conditions, such as flu, rhinitis, sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux. When those are treated and eliminated, asthma symptoms improve. Endocrine factors, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and thyroid disease, may exacerbate asthma, as well.
• Some medications—aspirin; beta-blockers, including eye drops; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.—can also precipitate or aggravate asthma symptoms.
• If your asthma is exercise-induced, an individually prescribed exercise program carefully chosen under the guidance of your primary health care provider or doctor of chiropractic should be incorporated into the treatment plan.
• Avoid sulfites or monosodium glutamate (MSG) in foods. Since both additives are used in a wide variety of foods, carefully read processed food labels and choose MSG-free foods when eating out.
• Choose a more vegetarian-type diet. Animal proteins found in meat include arachidonic acid—a precursor for inflammation.
• Include foods with omega-3 fatty acids in the diet—such as fish or fish oil.
• Supplement with vitamin C, which helps reduce allergic reactions and wheezing symptoms.
• To reduce stress in your children, spend quality time with them and limit their exposure to TV programs that include violence.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=63

Questions About Neck Manipulation?

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain of the arms or legs, headaches, and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints.

Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching (similar to what they experience after some forms of exercise), headaches and tiredness.

Some articles in the media have linked one of the therapies that doctors of chiropractic, osteopaths and physical therapists provide--neck manipulation (also known as cervical manipulation)—with a certain rare type of stroke that results from a vertebral artery dissection (a tear in one of the arteries located at the base of the skull). A neck adjustment is a precise procedure, usually applied by hand, to the joints of the neck--your doctor of chiropractic has received extensive training to perform this procedure. It is important for health care consumers to understand  that the largest research study on this issueshows there is no cause-and-effect relation between neck manipulation and stroke, and that patients visiting a doctor of chiropractic are no more likely to experience a stroke compared with patients visiting their primary care medical doctor.

While we don’t know the actual incidence of stroke associated with high-velocity upper neck manipulation, the occurrence does appear to be extremely rare, and on the order of one incident in several million treatments, based upon clinical reports and scientific studies.

If you are visiting your doctor of chiropractic with upper-neck pain or headache, be very specific about your symptoms, so that he or she can provide the safest and most effective treatment, even if it involves referral to another health care provider. Doctors of chiropractic are trained in a wide variety of treatment methods, and depending on your clinical condition, joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise, soft-tissue techniques, and other therapies  maybe recommended. If the issue of stroke concerns you, do not hesitate to discuss it with your doctor of chiropractic.

Benefits and Risks of Neck Pain Treatments

Neck pain will affect about 70% of the population at some point in their lives and is a common reason many individuals seek help from a health care professional. A particular episode of neck-related problems can be mildly irritating, or it could be seriously debilitating.

While recent scientific studies have found that there are useful treatments for many neck-related problems, no one treatment has been shown to be effective in all cases. Commonly used physical treatments for neck pain include spinal manipulation, mobilization, massage, and therapeutic exercises. Common pharmaceutical treatments include acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxant medications, and narcotic (opioid) pain medications.

All of the commonly used neck pain treatments carry some risk. Most of these risks are mild, but some can be serious. Click here for more information about the benefits and risks of common neck pain treatments, including neck manipulation.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=5381

Injury Prevention Is An ART

• By Mackenzie Lobby
• Published Jan. 3, 2014
• • 
    
  • The treatment of soft tissue injuries will never be the same.
    Endurance athletes are among the healthiest human beings on the planet. You eat right, exercise, and work hard to get adequate rest. Despite the fact that your cardiovascular system may be in top-notch condition, your muscles are well toned, and body fat is minimal, injuries still accrue. Over months and years, intense training is bound to cause underlying injuries, especially in the soft tissues. Although you may be doing your body good by exercising year-round, small micro-tears and adhesions occur, which, over time, can become an athlete’s Achilles heel.
    This is where active release technique (ART) comes in. A movement-based treatment for the soft tissues, this technique began to gain in popularity in the elite running and triathlon crowds in the early aughts. Dr. Scott Duke, a chiropractor and ART expert based in New York City, explains the therapy more specifically, saying, “ART involves a manipulation of the muscles, ligaments, fascia, tendons and nerves using a manual contact for tension and motion of the affected tissues to produce changes in their texture, tension, movement and function.”
    As a result of the scar tissue that builds up over time through the repetitive stress of training, injuries and performance deficits often occur. ART helps to break up that scar tissue and restore normal function. “By allowing the muscles to function more efficiently, the athlete becomes more limber,” explains Duke. Indeed, ART has become a staple for the elite and sub-elite runners toeing the line at the New York City Marathon. Even if they aren’t injured, many of them rely on the technique to improve performance.
    It is the specific contact and active motion of the athlete that distinguishes ART from other therapies. Usually performed by chiropractic sports physicians, it involves manual pressure applied by the practitioner to work out underlying adhesions. If a nagging IT band is the main issue, the athlete will lay on her side as the practitioner works up the quad to examine the flexibility and texture of the soft tissues. When an abnormality is detected, the athlete is instructed to move the leg in a running motion while the practitioner manually breaks up the scar tissue.
    As the technique has quickly gained notoriety, says Duke, competitive and recreational athletes alike are clamoring for ART availability at events across the country. “From the New York City Marathon to Ironman Hawaii, all kinds of events are asking for volunteers trained in ART to come to their events,” says Dr. Duke.
    Since endurance athletes hate to be slowed down, regular physical maintenance and injury prevention is an important aspect of the lifestyle. “ART is definitely preventative medicine,” says Duke. He explains that along with the technique, a dynamic movement plan and regular post-run stretching will keep you up and running. “By having a monthly plan that includes ART and these other measures, you’re taking good care of yourself and staying healthy.”
    
    Read more at http://running.competitor.com/2014/01/injury-prevention/injury-prevention-is-an-art_46294#hwqRU5cdW3w6J0kG.99

What Running Can Do for the Heart

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

An ingenious new study of marathon runners and their non-running spouses should reassure anyone headed for a spring marathon that prolonged training doesn’t damage the heart, a concern that has been raised in previous research. At the same time, becoming fit as a marathoner doesn’t seem to protect the heart to the extent you might expect, although it may have unexpected benefits for your spouse.

While we all know that exercise is healthy, some research has begun to raise questions about whether it’s possible to overdo a good thing. A few studies have found that long-time endurance athletes can have a heightened risk for abnormal heartbeats, andeven for scarring of the heart muscle. Likewise, experiments with lab animals have found possible links between prolonged, extremely strenuous running and undesirable changes in the structure and function of the heart.

But the actual incidence of runners having a heart attack during a marathon race is vanishingly small, a finding that seems to suggest that marathon training can’t be excessively hard on hearts or there would be greater, obvious consequences.

Such inconsistencies in the data about prolonged endurance exercise and heart health prompted researchers to wonder if perhaps past studies had been too imprecise. It’s difficult to isolate the risks associated with strenuous exercise from other lifestyle factors, said Beth Taylor, an assistant professor in the health sciences department at the University of Hartford who led the new study, which was published last month in BMJ Open. Runners whose hearts seemed to have been affected by their exercise habits might also have smoked, gorged on junk food or otherwise imperiled their hearts, separately from how much they worked out.

So Dr. Taylor and her colleagues decided to better control for such factors by studying marathon runners along with their domestic partners, who presumably would be sharing their lifestyles if not their physical exertions. If cardiac health differed among these couples, the scientists felt, they could reasonably conclude that training had played a role, since so many lifestyle factors would be the same.

With that idea in mind, Dr. Taylor and her colleagues contacted a slew of runners who had qualified and signed up for the 2012 Boston Marathon, inquired if they had non-running spouses or partners, and asked if both would be willing to have their hearts scanned and cardiovascular disease risk assessed.

Forty-two of the runners said yes, along with their spouses or partners. Half of the runners were women. Their ages ranged from 33 to 59, although most were in their mid- to late 40s. Their partners were around the same age but considerably less active, averaging fewer than two sessions of moderate exercise per week. Many did not formally exercise at all, although most reported frequently walking, gardening or undertaking other types of moderate activity.

The day before the 2012 race, the racers and their partners visited a makeshift lab next door to the race expo, where they filled out questionnaires about their exercise and health histories. Scientists then drew blood to determine the volunteers’ cholesterol and triglyceride profiles and measured their height, weight, pulse rate, blood pressure and other vital signs. Finally, each volunteer underwent a noninvasive heart scan to reveal the buildup of arterial plaques, an indication of heart disease.

Not surprisingly, the marathon runners were significantly thinner than their partners, although few of the partners were overweight. The runners also generally had lower blood pressure, heart rates, bad cholesterol and other indicators of cardiac health.

But running did not insulate the racers altogether from heart disease, the scientists found. Some of the racers, particularly the oldest ones, carried large deposits of plaques in their arteries, a worrying sign. These older racers also tended to have the highest tallies on a numerical assessment of heart attack risk called theFramingham risk score, which considers medical and lifestyle factors that, along with genetics, can contribute to the development of atherosclerotic plaques.

In essence, the scans showed that marathon training did not cancel out the depredations of age, longstanding bad health habits or a family history of cardiac problems, Dr. Taylor said.

On the other hand, the scientists found no relationship between the number of hours the runners trained or how fast they ran and the levels of plaque in their arteries, indicating that marathon training had not directly damaged any of these racers’ hearts.

Over all, Dr. Taylor said, the study’s data suggests that if you’re training for a marathon or otherwise doing frequent and prolonged endurance exercise, you’re probably not hurting your heart and are likely strengthening it. But you should be aware of your past health habits and family history and monitor any symptoms, such as shortness of breath, that could be a sign of potential heart troubles.

Perhaps the more surprising takeaway of the study, Dr. Taylor said, is that marathon training’s cardiac benefits may be transferable. “The spouses of the runners were quite healthy, too,” she pointed out. More so than many people, they walked and moved around frequently, and had generally robust cardiac risk profiles. Dr. Taylor’s conclusion: if you want improved heart health but can’t be a runner, marry one.

SOURCE: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/what-running-can-do-for-the-heart/

Trainers, Doctors Share Importance of Staying Active While Aging

aMarch 17, 2014 10:40 am by Marissa Harshman

David Williams has always been an active guy. But when the 61-year-old could no longer hike on hunting trips without huffing and puffing and stopping to rest, Williams realized he had let his physical fitness slip away.

"If I want to enjoy the things I really enjoy, I have to be in the physical condition to do so," Williams said. "Otherwise, I can watch, but I can't participate."

If Williams wanted to enjoy hunting or alpine skiing, if he wanted to be able to keep up with his active, teenage godchildren, he had to make his physical fitness more of a priority. So about three years ago, Williams started going to the gym and working out with Brian Stecker, a personal trainer who specializes in fitness for baby boomers.

About a year ago, Williams began a weight-loss program that required a diet overhaul and gym dedication. Since then, Williams has lost more than 100 pounds, going from about 320 pounds to 216 pounds. Now, he's wearing the same size pants he wore as a junior in high school, and he's keeping up with the younger guys and gals.

"There's absolutely no comparison to then and now," said Williams, who lives in Hockinson.

Staying physically active isn't always a priority as people age. But, health experts argue, it should be.

As people grow older, their bodies change. Their functional ability declines, and body fat increases, said Dr. James Tan, a family physician at the Kaiser Permanente Orchards Medical Clinic.

In addition, women begin to lose muscle mass and their metabolism slows. For men, declining testosterone levels lead to a loss of lean tissue, said Stecker of Boomer Fitness.

"Exercise slows down all those things," Stecker said. "It's the fountain of youth."

Exercise has been proven to increase basic metabolic rate, bone mineral content, good cholesterol and cognitive function. Exercise also improves the cardiovascular system and leads to more lean body mass and fewer fat deposits, Tan said.

The hormone boosts people get from exercising will also improve mood, and active lifestyles can help prevent chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, Stecker said.

But jumping into a fitness routine shouldn't be done with haste. People who live largely sedentary lives should consult with their physician before beginning an exercise regime, Tan said.

"Most physical activity is quite safe, except when you've been a couch potato for years," he said.

Tan recommends people ease into their routine and listen to their body. The first few days of exercising, the body will likely ache. But if the ache or pain persists, listen to the body and make changes, he said.

Stecker encourages people to start with vigorous walking and daily stretching to build the range of motion needed to exercise. From there, they can add in more challenging activities, he said.

Ultimately, Stecker recommends at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity six days a week. In addition, he suggests 30 to 50 minutes of strength training three or four days per week and daily stretching.

"Long-term sustainable health comes from exercising six says a week," Stecker said.

Like Williams, many of the baby boomers Stecker trains are trying to achieve long-term health after realizing they can't enjoy the things they used to. After focusing on careers and families, they realized they've let their own health slide, Stecker said. Some are watching their parents struggle with various ailments and medications and want better for themselves, he said.

"They're starting to see the reality of the aging process and saying, 'I need to make a change,'" Stecker said.

What began as a necessary lifestyle change for Williams has turned into a passion.

"I'm addicted," Williams said. "If I don't go to the gym, if I don't work out, I kind of suffer from withdrawals. I get anxious."

And Williams has noticed more and more older people making the gym a priority.

"It's fun," he said. "Going to the gym, there's a lot of old boys that go to the gym, guys in their 70s and 80s. ... When I was a kid, they went to the coffee shop."

That's exactly what advocates for active aging want to see.

"You're never too old to get started," Tan said. ___

(c)2014 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)

Read more: http://medcitynews.com/2014/03/trainers-doctors-share-importance-staying-active-aging/#ixzz2wMfwACPi

Pull Your Weeds, Not Your Back, When Gardening

As springtime approaches, weather warms up and leaves turn green, many people will spend more time outside planting bulbs, mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body may not be ready for exercise of the garden variety.

Gardening can be enjoyable, but it is important to stretch your muscles before reaching for your gardening tools. The back, upper legs, shoulders, and wrists are all major muscle groups affected when using your green thumb.

A warm-up and cool-down period is as important in gardening as it is for any other physical activity," said Dr. Scott Bautch of the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. "Performing simple stretches during these periods will help alleviate injuries, pain and stiffness."

To make gardening as fun and enjoyable as possible, it is important to prepare your body for this type of physical activity. The following stretches will help to alleviate muscle pain after a day spent in your garden.

Garden Fitness Stretches

• Before stretching for any activity, breathe in and out, slowly and rythmically; do not bounce or jerk your body, and stretch as far and as comfortably as you can. Do not follow the no pain, no gain rule. Stretching should not be painful. While sitting, prop your heel on a stool or step, keeping the knees straight. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, or the hamstring muscle. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Do this once more and repeat with the other leg.
• Stand up, balance yourself, and grab the front of your ankle from behind. Pull your heel towards your buttocks and hold the position for 15 seconds. Do this again and repeat with the other leg.
• While standing, weave your fingers together above your head with the palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds, then to the other. Repeat this stretch three times.
• Do the "Hug your best friend." Wrap your arms around yourself and rotate to one side, stretching as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10 seconds and reverse. Repeat two or three times.

Finally, be aware of your body technique, body form and correct posture while gardening. Kneel, don't bend, and alternate your stance and movements as often as possible to keep the muscles and body balanced.

When the Bulbs Are Planted...
If you already feel muscle aches and pains and did not complete the warm-up and cool-down stretches, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Apply a cold pack on the area of pain for the first 48 hours or apply a heat pack after 48 hours, and consider chiropractic care.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=70

Is Chiropractic care too expensive?

In our office, we believe in prescribing a 3(4) step treatment plan for patients experiencing pain symptoms.  Step one is relief.  This phase is to help the patient get RELIEF from the symptoms that brought them in to begin with.  Step two is CORRECT.  While the symptoms you are experiencing are your main concern, we must make sure we fix the underlying problem that is CAUSING the symptoms.  In phase three, we aim to STABILIZE the problem.  This is so that we will get longer lasting results.  Once these phases are complete, comes a phase of care that is just as important if not more important, MAINTENANCE.  This phase usually requires monthly visits to our office.  It allows us to monitor your spine health, maintain all the efforts of the first 3 phases, catch problems at their onset, and helps prevent future problems of pain and immobility.

We do it this way because IT WORKS, and because we believe in laying it all out for the patient to see so that they know exactly what to expect.  Because of this, you likely will see a plan lasting as long as 12 months, and also see the total investment of you, your insurance, or a combination of the two.  Typically, these visits are going to range from $0 (awesome insurance) to $50 per visit.  While I understand that these numbers can add up quickly, and many people are working on a tight budget, I have a hard time sometimes helping patients realize what a great investment this is to your body.

If you don't address pain symptoms or take care of your spine now, you will likely have worse problems later.  That's not a scare tactic, it's a fact.  Another fun fact; the longer you wait, the longer it will take to fix the problem!  A problem that started 6 months ago takes a fraction of the time to fix than one that started 20 years ago.  And the long term financial costs of addressing pain without actually fixing it can add up too:  doctors visits (only to get a prescription that will mask the pain but not fix it), prescription costs, sick days from work due to pain, expensive injections, god-forbid a surgery, and even the opportunity cost of losing out on life events due to not feeling up to it.

Which brings me to the point of today's blog, Is Chiropractic care too expensive?  Absolutely not.  It baffles my mind the way some people prioritize expenses.  The same lady that has a brand new manicure and designer purse, balks at the idea of spending a $30 copay on maintaining her spine and decreasing pain.  The same guy who goes to crossfit multiple times per week (upwards of $150/month) to maintain muscle mass, does not understand why A) the pains he is getting from crossfit are due to his spinal misalignment and pelvic imbalance, and B) why it would be equally important to make sure his spine is strong and balanced to get the best workout without pain. 

Bottom line, it is an investment in your body, one that will payoff both short term and long term.  Don't put off what you need to do, prioritize your body and health so you can reap the return on investment later!!

Yours in health and wellness,

Dr. Taylor

Stop Dreaming About Quality Sleep and Do Something!

An old Chinese proverb states, "Only when one cannot sleep does one know how long the night is." Anyone who's ever experienced an occasional bout with insomnia—and that's most of us—can relate to this all too well.

In fact, surveys have shown that between 40 and 60 percent of the general population has trouble sleeping. Daily stress and worries, pressures from job and family, body aches and pains caused by uncomfortable beds or pillows, and a host of other issues can keep a person from getting enough quality sleep.

Sleep is critical to good health and functioning, so lack of it is a serious matter. "Sleep is one of the most important functions of the brain," says Frederick R. Carrick, DC, PhD, president of the American Chiropractic Association's Council on Neurology. Through it, our bodies recharge and renew for the next day's challenges.

As wellness experts, doctors of chiropractic can provide patients with a different approach to their sleeping problems— without the use of sleeping pills, which leave many people in a mental haze the next morning. To start, here are a few helpful tips they would recommend for the sleepless in Seattle (or any city, for that matter):

• Exercise regularly. Exercising in the morning is best, but if you must exercise in the evening, do so at least two or three hours before bedtime. Any later, and your increased heart rate can interfere with your sleep.
• Limit your intake of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, colas and tea—try to avoid them altogether late in the day and near bedtime. In addition, for each cup of caffeinated beverages you drink each day, drink an equal amount of water.
• If you have trouble sleeping and then get thirsty, drink tap water at room temperature (cold water may disturb the digestive system).
• Eat an early dinner. Eating after 6 p.m. may interfere with sleep as your body works to digest the food you’ve eaten.
• Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. The routine will help your body know when it is time to rest.
• Keep your bedroom at a cool, comfortable temperature and try to make it as dark as possible when you’re ready for bed.

Creating a comfortable place to sleep by choosing the correct mattress and pillow is also essential to getting the quality sleep that your body needs to function at its best.

A mattress, for instance, should support the body’s weight evenly and allow the spine to stay in its natural alignment. Choosing the right one is a personal matter.

“There are a wide variety of comfort preferences. It’s very subjective,” says Brian Darcy, operations manager for Springwall, the manufacturer of premium-quality Chiropractic® sleep sets that ACA has endorsed for the past 38 years.

But regardless of whether you like your mattress firm or soft, give it a good trial run before you buy. Darcy recommends lying down on a mattress for a minimum of three to five minutes to get a good feel. Sitting on it simply won’t do.

Useful mattress facts...

• A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you're not getting the full support that you need.
• If you do have back pain and your mattress is too soft, you might want to firm up the support of your mattress by placing a board underneath it. But do this just until the pain goes away; such firmness is not good for "routine" sleeping.
• Every few months, turn your mattress clockwise, or upside down, so that body indentations are kept to a minimum. It's also good to rotate the mattress frame every so often to reduce wear and tear.
• If you're waking up uncomfortable, it may be time for a new mattress. There is no standard life span for a mattress; it all depends on the kind of usage it gets.
• Be aware that changes in your life can signal the need for a new mattress. For example, if you've lost or gained a lot of weight, if a medical condition has changed the way you sleep, or even if you have changed partners, it could mean that it's time to find a new mattress that will accommodate those changes and help you sleep more soundly.
• If you're not in the market for a new mattress, and your current mattress is too firm, you can soften it up by putting a 1- to 2-inch-thick padding on top of it - usually available at mattress and bedding stores.

Next, pillow talk...
After investing in a quality mattress, don't forget to choose an equally supportive pillow, advises Peter Mckay, DC, who is in private practice in San Diego and also works as a consultant for Innovative Choices, the maker of the Therapeutica Pillow-another ACA-endorsed product. "People will spend thousands of dollars on a mattress and then skimp on a pillow that doesn't support their head and neck properly," he observes. A good pillow will keep the cervical (neck) section of the spine aligned with the thoracic and lumbar (chest and lower back) sections. "[The sections] move together and should be supported together."

• When choosing a pillow, be selective. When lying on your side, your head and neck should remain level with your mid and lower spine. When lying on your back, your head and neck should remain level with your upper back and spine. In other words, your pillow should not be so thick that it causes your head and neck to be propped up or angled sharply away from your body.
• Be wary of pillows that are made out of mushy foam materials. The weight of your head can displace this kind of foam, leaving little support. Choose firmer foam and materials that press back and support the head.
• If you find yourself sleeping on your side with one hand propped under your pillow, that's a clue that you're not getting the support you need from that pillow.
• There is no such thing as a universal fit when it comes to pillows. Find one that is consistent with the shape and size of your body.

Chiropractic Care Can Help...
If you continue to experience pain and discomfort at night or have difficulty falling asleep, visit your doctor of chiropractic. Doctors of chiropractic are trained to treat spinal problems that can interfere with a restful night's sleep. They can also offer nutritional and ergonomic advice that can help improve the quality of your sleep.

Download the Better Sleep GuideThe Better Sleep Council's Better Sleep Guide provides simple solutions that can help improve the quality of your life by improving the quality of your sleep. Find out why you should make sleep a health priority, how much sleep your body needs and how your bedroom and mattress affect the quality of your sleep. Click here to download a PDF copy of the booklet.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=88

It's Sleep Awareness Week 2014

Sleep Awareness Week™, which takes place March 2-9, 2014, is an annual public education and awareness campaign to promote the importance of sleep. 

The week begins with the announcement of the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep in America poll results and ends with the clock change to Daylight Saving Time, where Americans lose one hour of sleep. 

The Foundation's Sleep Care Center members host events in their local communities throughout the week, providing sleep education and screening to the public. 

Read more: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/primary-links/how-sleep-works

CHIROPRACTIC IN ABOUT 100 WORDS

Aches and pains are signs that your body isn't working correctly. Your brain, spinal cord, and nerves (your nervous system) control and coordinate EVERYTHING in your body. Physical, chemical or emotional stress can cause problems in the spine or other joints of the body. Muscles contract, locking spinal joints that can pinch and/or irritate nearby nerves and cause pain or dysfunction throughout the body. This sets the stage for chronic pain, disease and ill health. A thorough examination helps chiropractors find these problems in the spine called subluxations. By applying a precise force to misaligned spinal joints, it removes the dysfunction from the nervous system. Repeated visits restore your nervous system integrity, allowing your body to function at its optimal potential.

 SOURCE: http://www.crossroads-chiropractic.net/Home/What-Is-Chiropractic.html

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