Tag Archive for: Denver Back pain

Dr. Glenn Hyman’s Crossfit Gym & this week’s 1-Page Health News

People are always asking me (Glenn) where I workout. Meredith and I train using a blend of Crossfit and Crossfit Endurance in exactly 91 sq ft of our basement (plus the outside stuff of course). You’d be surprised how much you can do in 91 sq ft with kettlebells, a barbell bumper set, a pull up bar and some imagination. (Secret hint for our loyal blog readers- Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement regarding Crossfit, Dr. Stripling & myself – it’s gonna be a biggie!) Anyway, here’s my present Cossfit Gym:

Speaking of Dr. Stripling, his popular video series is back this week. This time around, Dr. Stripling shows you some quick and easy self-help strategies for the low back.The  link is at the bottom of this email.

Health Alert: Childhood Obesity Rates Falling! During the first decade of the 21st century, childhood obesity rates among children in lower income families in the United States have decreased (14.94% in 2010 vs. 15.21% in 2003). The Journal of the American Medical Association, December 2012

Diet: Red Wine and Cancer. Resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, is thought to help prevent cancer. Lab models designed to identify any benefits from consuming the amount of resveratrol in 2 daily glasses of wine found a reduction in the rate of bowel tumors by around 50%.(Note-Yay!) University of Leicester, December 2012

Exercise: Good Vibrations. Within 7 months of starting a poor diet, normal mice became obese, with significant damage to their immune and skeletal systems. Daily 15-minute treatments of low-intensity vibration, barely perceptible to human touch, helped restore the immune and skeletal systems of the mice towards those of mice fed a regular diet. If this effect translates to humans, it could have benefits for obese people suffering from immune problems related to their obesity. The FASEB Journal, December 2012

Chiropractic: Quit Smoking! Smokers suffering from spinal disorders and related back pain reported greater discomfort than those who stopped smoking during an 8 month treatment period. Patients who had never smoked and prior smokers reported significantly less back pain than current smokers and those who had quit smoking during their care. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, December 2012

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep and Pain? In a recent study, participants who slept 1.8 hours more per night had increased daytime alertness and less pain sensitivity than those who slept their normal amount. Sleep, December 2012

Quote: “What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Low Back Pain, Balance, and Foot Orthotics

Low back pain (LBP) can result from many causes, and sometimes it just occurs for reasons that are not clear, such as the accumulation of stresses that occur over time. Many causes of low back pain have been described such as bending over “wrong,” combined bending and twisting, lifting, over reaching, climbing, sitting too long, repetitious activities at home or work, sports injuries, being out of shape, and so on. But what about balance? Because poor balance leads to falling, which is the #1 cause of injuries in the elderly, ANYTHING that we can do to improve our balance should help prevent falls and hence low back injuries. Let’s look at strategies to improve our balance…

First, let’s measure our ability to balance by using a simple test you can do yourself. Stand on one leg in the corner of a room or in a doorway where you can easily grab onto something if you feel like you’re going to fall. Try to do this without holding on to anything, first with your eyes open and a second time with your eyes closed. If you have a stopwatch, click it when you start and stop (when you put your foot down). Otherwise, count, “…1001, 1002, 1003, etc.” Studies have shown that for those under 60 years old, you’re “normal” if you can balance on one leg with your eyes open for 30 seconds and 25 seconds with your eyes closed. Between ages 60-69, normal is 23 sec. (eyes open) and 10 sec. (eyes closed) is normal. If you’re 70-79 years old, normal is 14 seconds (eyes open) and 4 seconds (eyes closed). Give it a try! Notice how “normal” drops as we age. From 25 sec. to 4 sec. between age 59 and 70 is pretty dramatic! No wonder falling is so common among the elderly!

So, now that you’ve tested yourself, I’m guessing you aren’t too impressed with your balance skills. The question now is, how can we improve our balance? Performing balance exercises with a rocker, wobble board or cushion is VERY EFFECTIVE! You’ll be surprised that if you use this for 10 minutes a day, the improvement in balance is significant in just 2 weeks. Another method takes no effort at all on your part, and that is the use of  made foot orthotics. Simply known as arch supports, foot orthotics (the good “prescription” kind) correct the rolling in or out of the heel bone, referred to as pronation (rolling in = most common) or supination (rolling out) by wedging the heel of the orthotic/arch support. This stabilizes the ankle joint, reduces the inward or outward shift at the knee and hip joints, and as a result, improves our balance.

Results of a recent study proved this to be the case. Researchers studied 13 subjects over 65 years of age who reported at least 1 unexpected fall in the past 12 months and measured their balance skills using a similar test as the one you just tried as well as 3 other tests (tandem stance, tandem gait, and alternating step tests) twice before and twice after starting use of  foot orthotic intervention (immediately after and 2 weeks later). In each of the 4 balance tests, improvement was statistically significant in the post-tests and 2-week later follow-up tests PROVING that balance is effectively improved when wearing foot orthotics. We recommend doing BOTH the exercises and the use of  foot orthotics to obtain even better results. Since falling is such a common occurrence at any age, especially in those over 60-65 years old, these simple strategies seem like a “no-brainer” to implement into a treatment program, especially for people with poor bone density at high risk for fractures.

At Denver Chiropractic Center we offer the-semi-custom Aline Foot Suspension system. In our opinion these are better than rigid orthotics because they allow your foot’s natural arches to function while providing a moderate amount of support. This allows your foot to naturally strengthen its intrinsic muscles. Call us for your more info 303.300.0424.

Dr. Glenn gets beaten up (for real) & this week’s 1-page health news

My wife Meredith and I spent this past Saturday in a “Be Your Own Bodyguard” class taught by personal defense guru Tony Blauer at Crossfit Verve. This class is going to be re-branded as CrossFit Defense, and I can’t recommend it enough, especially for women.  If you don’t mind foul language, google Tony Blauer and the SPEAR system for more info.

Meredith got a lot of hands-on practice, and after 10 years of marriage finally got a chance to give the 8-hour beating I probably deserve.

Next week is Thanksgiving week, as you know. We’ll be closing at noon on Wednesday the 21st and re-opening on Monday the 26th. This week is already nearly full, so if you need to get in and see us, call sooner rather than later.

Mental Attitude: Chew On This! People who maintain the ability to chew are less likely to develop dementia. This study shows a link between having no teeth and losing cognitive function more rapidly. The action of chewing makes more blood flow to the brain. People with few or no teeth will chew less, resulting in less blood flow to the brain. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, October 2012

Health Alert: Younger Adults and Strokes? Stroke is becoming more common in younger adults. The reason may be an increase in risk factors like diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. Strokes among those under age 55 grew from around 13% in 1994 to 19% in 2005. Neurology, October 2012

Diet: Omega-3 Intake & Young Adults. For the first time, scientists have studied the effects of Omega-3 supplementation on young adults (ages 18-25). After 6 months of supplementation, subjects were able to improve their working memory (used for reason and comprehension) despite the belief that, at their age, they were operating at their cognitive best. PLoS One, October 2012

Exercise: Take A Hike For Your Heart! Going for a hike, a jog, or taking a brisk walk every day could reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke by 50%. Researchers found that people who jog or who walk briskly have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who lead more sedentary lives, or who walk at slower speeds. British Heart Foundation, October 2012

Chiropractic: Pregnancy and Back Pain. Approximately 60% of pregnant women suffer from back pain; however, only about 30% report symptoms to their prenatal provider and only 25% of providers recommend treatment. A review of 17 pregnant women who sought chiropractic care for back pain found 16 of 17 women demonstrated clinically important pain improvement within 4.5 days of seeking care, with no adverse side effects. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, January-February 2006

Wellness/Prevention: What Can I Do? According to Leon Chaitow, ND, DO, “Even if conventional medicine tells you that your condition is incurable or that your only option is to live a life dependent on drugs with troublesome side effects, there is hope for improving or reversing your condition.” There are many things we can do to stay healthy and overcome illness once we become ill. The benefits of an excellent diet, a strong exercise program, getting proper rest, and a strong mental attitude (which includes stress reduction) have been studied endlessly with positive results. Being healthy almost always improves your overall body function and decreases your risk of becoming ill.

Quote: “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” ~ Voltaire

A spicy election day & this week’s 1-page health news

Giving your spice rack a work-out is just as brilliant as eating fruit and veggies. Take oregano. Prized in Italian and Greek cuisine, these tasty little leaves boast 30 times more polyphenols than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges, and 4 times more than blueberries. You’d never munch a bunch of oregano that’s as big as a potato, but even a pinch packs a wallop. A tablespoon of fresh oregano’s got as much antioxidant power as a medium-sized apple!

Here’s the lowdown on herbs and spices that punch up the flavor of popular ethnic cuisine, along with ways you can use them to get healthier as you spice up whatever you’re cooking tonight.

Turmeric: The compound curcumin, found in yellow mustard (not so much in brown mustard, as that has real mustard seed.. but there’s true value in its less expensive yellow imitation). Turmeric and curry powder have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, and may offer protection from cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. It is a premiere flavor in Indian cuisine and you can use it on veggies, sautéed chicken, or salad dressing.

Garlic: Munching a clove a day could help lower your cholesterol by as much as 9%. Garlic contains tons of tangy compounds that may help protect against cancers of the breast, stomach, colon, esophagus, and pancreas — and soothe high blood pressure a bit, too. Garlic’s a favorite from Scandinavia to Spain and China. Use it to spice up veggies, fish, and your next pan of brown rice. It seems to make everything taste better (you could even try it on fruit and all veggies).

Rosemary: A top seasoning in Mediterranean cooking (the French roast it with almonds, the Italians add it to herb mixes), rosemary’s antioxidant capabilities make it a must for 21st-century grill masters. Adding this herb to meat, fish, and veggie marinades before grilling reduces cancer-causing compounds, called heterocyclic amines, by up to 80%

Cinnamon: A compound in this tasty spice called hydroxychalcone makes receptors on cells work better, so your body absorbs blood sugar more easily. Getting ½ to 1 teaspoon a day, sprinkled on food, could lower blood sugar 10 points. It’s a favorite in German baked goods and Greek main dishes like hearty moussaka. Cinnamon is also delicious on oatmeal, in hot cocoa, and sprinkled on fresh fruit, like apples and bananas.

Ginger: This popular flavor in Thai cuisine may also cut your odds for inflammatory diseases like arthritis, as well as cancer and migraine headaches. You can also eat some if you’re prone to motion sickness or are nauseous, too. Try grated fresh ginger in salad dressings and shake powdered ginger into whole-grain muffins.

Here is this week’s 1-Page Health News:

Mental Attitude: What Is Dementia? Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s a term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the 2nd most common type of dementia. At least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia: memory, communication and language, ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgment, and visual perception. Alzheimer’s Association

Diet: Tomatoes! Men who eat lots of tomatoes and tomato-based products may have a lower risk for stroke. Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene. Men who had the highest levels of lycopene in their blood (compared to their peers with the lowest levels) were 55% less likely to have a stroke and 59% less likely to have an ischemic stroke. Neurology, October 2012

Exercise: Move It! Even 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week (20 minutes 3 times a week for vigorous exercise, such as jogging) can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. You don’t have to exercise for 30 minutes straight; you can break it up into 10-minute increments. (Note- check out crossfit.com and crossfitendurance.com for daily workouts that are almost always under 30 minutes) American Council on Exercise, October 2012

Active Release Technique: How Important Is Motion? After soft tissue injuries to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia that result in motion restriction, a high incidence of osteoarthritis (degeneration) can be seen on x-ray within 5 years. (Note-This is why it’s so important to get ART work to improve joint mobility. Stiff backs become arthritic) American Journal of Medicine, 2001

Wellness/Prevention: Safety For Your Children. 37% of all children under 16 years old are incorrectly restrained in the car. 23% are so poorly restrained that a collision would have very serious consequences. With the correct use of safety equipment, fewer children will be injured and killed in traffic accidents. Safety errors are highest in children aged 4-7 years. The 5 most common mistakes are misplaced seat belts, twisted belts, loose straps, belt under the arm instead of over the shoulder, and young children (<135 cm or <4.5 feet) sitting in a seat without side support. (Note- While you’re at it, consider restraining your dog, too. We’ve seen many car accidents that cause a dog to go flying through the car, injuring both the dog and people in the car) Norwegian Institute of Public Health, October 2012

Quote: “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~ Ben Franklin

Denver’s only Active Release Techniques Instructor teaches in Minnesota

This past weekend I was teaching at the Active Release Techniques seminar in Minneapolis (technically Bloomington, MN). The hotel was about 1 mile from Northwestern Health Sciences University, where I went to chiropractic school.

Anyway, about ½ mile from the hotel was a really nice lake with a 2-mile running loop. There were tons of trees, lots of wildlife, and the setting was amazing. For a second, I thought to myself, “I could live here.”

On Thursday and Friday I ran after the seminar, about 6 miles each night. As I was running at around 5:15, the park was busy. I did what I always do when I run in Colorado- I said “hi” to people that I passed.

And these people looked at me like I was some sort of criminal. No one said “hi” back. Not one person. So, of course, I kept trying. Nothing. I even looked down to see if I was wearing some sort of weird shirt. I wasn’t.

This is why I love living in Colorado. The people are great. Everyone always says hi or at least nods back when I’m out on a ride or a run. Of course, some super-serious road bikers are so totally focused on their awesomeness that they can’t be bothered, but the majority of people are here are just great. So, no I would never move back to Minnesota. But it was an OK place to spend a weekend teaching for ART.

Mental Attitude: Positive Emotion. Older adults display more positive emotions and are quicker to regulate out of negative emotional states than younger adults. Older adults may be better at regulating emotion because they tend to direct their eyes away from negative material or toward positive material. Current Directions in Psychological Science, August 2012

Health Alert: Alzheimer’s Research. The global market for Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics could soar to $8 billion once therapies are approved that actually change the course of the disease. The current therapeutic market is valued at $3-4 billion and is shared among drugs that temporarily delay disease progression or address the symptoms but do not alter the underlying disease. Despite all the research on amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, there is still a debate on whether these biological phenomena are causative or symptomatic of Alzheimer’s. Once scientists can clearly and unequivocally define key factors related to the actual biology of the disease itself, therapeutic advances could take place much more quickly.

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, August 2012

Diet: Summer Time Blues! Barbequed hot dogs and sausages are common summer time treats, but are they the right choice for your diet? It’s not just the high levels of fat or calories that are cause for concern, most hot dogs, bratwurst, and other sausages are also very high in sodium. The average hot dog contains 280 calories, 15 grams of fat,  and 1,250 mg of sodium.

American Heart Association

Exercise: Micronutrients and Physical Fitness. Adolescents’ blood levels of micronutrients are correlated with how well they perform in physical fitness tests. For cardio-respiratory fitness, concentrations of hemoglobin, retinol, and vitamin C in males and beta-carotene and vitamin D in females was positively associated with VO2 max (peak oxygen uptake).

Journal of Applied Physiology, Aug 2012

Active Release Technique: Restoring Motion. As  early as 1933, a study showed lack of proper joint motion can cause Degenerative Joint Disease (osteoarthritis). An immobilized joint will develop cartilage changes similar to those of osteoarthritis. Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics, 1933.

Wellness/Prevention: Nutrition and IQ. Children fed healthy diets at a young age may have a higher IQ when tested at eight years old. A study looked at the link between the eating habits of children at six months, 15 months and two years, and their IQ at eight years of age. Children breastfed at six months and who had a healthy diet regularly including foods such as legumes, cheese, fruit and vegetables at 15 and 24 months, had an IQ up to two points higher by age eight. Those children who had a diet regularly involving biscuits, chocolate, sweets, soft drinks and chips in the first two years of life had IQs up to two points lower by age eight. University of Adelaide, Aug 2012

An update on Miss Keri (after the bike crash) and this week’s 1-Page Health News from your Denver Active Release Providers at Denver Chiropractic Center

Miss Keri here at the office wanted to say thanks to everyone for the concern after her “meeting” with the concrete wall while on her bike last week. Her nasty injury required a little attention from a wound care nurse to make sure it doesn’t leave a scar, but she’s on the mend. Once again thanks for your concern.

That last email about her bike crash received the highest open response of any email we’ve ever sent. And here’s this week’s 1-page health news.

Mental Attitude: Meditation. Adults with memory impairment and memory loss may benefit from mantra-based meditation (12 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks). Mantra-based meditation has demonstrated a positive effect on patients’ emotional responses to stress, fatigue and anxiety. Findings revealed a substantial increase in cerebral blood flow in the patients’ prefrontal, superior frontal, and superior parietal cortices, and also better cognitive function. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, March 2012

Health Alert: Diabetics And Stroke. 26 million Americans have diabetes, and more than half are younger than 65. The longer you have diabetes, the higher your risk for stroke. Compared to people without diabetes (after considering other factors such as age, smoking history, physical activity, history of heart disease, blood pressure and cholesterol), the risk of stroke increased 70% in people with diabetes for less than 5 years, 80% in people with diabetes for 5-10 years and three-fold in people with diabetes for 10 years or more. American Heart Association, March 2012

Diet: Seeing Things? Hungry people see food-related words more clearly than people who’ve just eaten. This change in vision happens at the earliest perceptual stages, before higher parts of the brain have a chance to change the messages coming from the eyes. Psychological Science, March 2012 Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise helps to alleviate low-back pain, helps to reduce the amount of insulin required to control blood sugar levels in Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetics and improves mental alertness. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Hold Your Head Up! “Head in forward posture can add up to thirty pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine. This can pull the entire spine out of alignment. Forward head posture (FHP) may result in the loss of 30% of vital lung capacity. These breath-related effects are primarily due to the loss of the cervical lordosis, which blocks the action of the hyoid muscles, especially the inferior hyoid responsible for helping lift the first rib during inhalation.” ~Rene Cailliet M.D., famous medical author and former Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Southern California

Wellness/Prevention: Avoid Absenteeism. The US is losing $226 billion per year due to employee absenteeism. A worker is less likely to take sick leave if their supervisor offers support (lightened work load or stress management training) when an employee is experiencing psychosomatic stress symptoms. The worker feels inclined to reciprocate the supportive treatment by keeping their work effort high. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, January 2012

Quote: “Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90% chance or a 50% chance or a 1% chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight.” ~ Lance Armstrong