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