Bad Habits and Back Pain

 As you know by now chiropractic is so much more than back pain. However, I came across this article and thought I would share. Something to remember… A properly working nervous system lends itself to optimal body function. Chiropractic is often sought for and is great in relieving pain. Consider having your spine checked today!

7 Bad Habits That Cause Back Pain

Back pain is often caused by everyday bad habits that stress and strain your anatomy. Relearning how to move and strengthening your entire body can help with back pain prevention or lead to better pain management.

By Kristen Stewart

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

 

 

 

The numbers are astounding: Back pain will affect 80 percent of us at some point in our lives.

Whether it’s a dull ache or a sharp stabbing sensation, back pain comes in all shapes and sizes. If you don’t yet have back pain, you might be surprised to learn that an obvious injury isn’t the only cause. Often it can result from repeated bad habits that stress your body.

If you’re battling back pain now and need better pain management or want to take steps for back pain prevention, make the effort to undo these bad habits:

• Not exercising. “The failure to perform any exercise, particularly abdominal strengthening exercises, may lead to poor posture and increased low back pain,” says Nancy E. Epstein, MD, chief of neurosurgical spine and education at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. and clinical professor of neurological surgery at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

  Good exercises for back pain prevention include Pilates or other trunk or “core” strengthening activities that can increase stability in the back muscles. Cardiovascular exercises such as swimming, walking, and bicycling are also advised along with improving flexibility.

• Bad posture. “Poor posture can add strain to muscles and put stress on the spine,” says Tae M. Shin, MD, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Los Angeles. “Over time, the stress of poor posture can change the anatomical characteristics of the spine, leading to the possibility of constricted blood vessels and nerves, as well as problems with muscles, discs, and joints.”

  To avoid back injuries, try to stand with your knees slightly bent and one foot forward to take pressure off the lower back and reduce back strain. When sitting, Dr. Shin advises sitting with your hips slightly higher than your knees.

• Lifting incorrectly. Often back injuries occur when we try to lift heavy objects and do so incorrectly. Bend your knees and use the power of your legs, keeping the weight close to the body. Also, be sure to avoid twisting.
• Being overweight. Keep your weight under control for back pain prevention. “Being overweight, especially in the mid-section, shifts your entire center of gravity forward and puts additional strain on your back muscles,” says Shin. Try to stay within 10 pounds of your ideal weight to avoid experiencing unnecessary back pain. Exercise and a healthy diet can help toward this goal.
• Smoking. Nicotine restricts the flow of blood to the discs that cushion your vertebrae and increases the rate of degenerative change, says Shin. Cigarette smoking also reduces calcium absorption and prevents new bone growth, leaving smokers with double the risk of an osteoporotic fracture compared with non-smokers.
• Not getting enough calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are essential for bone strength. If you don’t get enough calcium and vitamin D in your daily diet, discuss the possibility of supplements with your doctor.
• Being sedentary. Limiting activity as a means of pain management when you’re experiencing back pain can be counterproductive. Activity increases blood flow to the affected area, decreasing inflammation and reducing muscle tension, says Shin.

---

How Holistic Doctors Handle Their Allergies

Allergies are an equal opportunity annoyer — and even doctors are bothered by them.

While conventionally trained physicians might seek relief from an over-the-counter product or prescription medication, doctors who practice integrative medicine — using both traditional and alternative treatment approaches — may ease their stuffiness and watery eyes without resorting to medicine. They might reach for something in the supplement aisle or use other natural strategies to soothe their seasonal symptoms.

ABC News recently spoke with four integrative physicians to find out what they do when their allergies act up. Here’s what they said.

Helping Her Body to Heal Itself

The doctor: Michelle Bailey, pediatrician and director of education at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, N.C.

The culprit: Ragweed; August and September are her worst months, and her symptoms tend to improve by late October or early November, depending on the pollen counts.

What she does for prevention: In the past, Bailey’s allergies have progressed to the point where she developed severe headaches from the congestion and was prone to sinus infections. To prevent this, she now regularly uses a warm saline solution to rinse out her sinuses, a practice known as nasal irrigation. She puts a commercial or homemade saline solution into either a plastic syringe or a neti pot, a spouted device used to cleans nasal passageways by pouring saltwater into one nostril so that it drains out the other.

To minimize pollen exposure, Bailey also keeps the windows closed in her bedroom and car during allergy season and washes her hands and face regularly throughout the day. And if she’s spent a lot of time outdoors, she changes her clothes.

What she does for treatment: When allergy season is under way and her symptoms emerge, she may do the nasal rinse as often as three to four times a day to help thin mucus and wash it away along with pollen and other irritants. If she’s very stuffed up, she might use aromatherapy. She places a few drops of congestion-busting peppermint or eucalyptus oil on a warm cloth and holds this below her nose, breathing deeply for three to five minutes. Or she might add these oils to a warm bath and inhale the scented steam.

Her bottom line: Before she learned about the benefit of these natural practices, she relied on prescription and over-the-counter antihistamines, or she didn’t treat her symptoms at all and instead, suffered through them all season long. Since doing these strategies regularly, she’s not had any sinus infections and she feels she’s helping her body to heal itself.

A Man With a Plan

The doctor: Daniel Monti, medical director for the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia

The culprit: Grass pollen in mid- to late May until July

What he does for prevention: “When I paid more attention to my overall physiological status, I’ve found my allergies can get better,” Monti said. So instead of treating his allergy like it’s an isolated symptom — a sneeze here or a plugged-up nose there — he uses a whole-body approach.

This lifestyle-based approach finds him paying close attention not only to his sniffles and surroundings, but also to the foods he eats, his stress level, the amount of rest he gets and his exercise program. Allergies are an inflammatory process, he says, and he’s noticed that a wide range of factors — not just grass pollen flying through the air — might prompt his immune system to overreact and trigger an inflammatory response.

Through trial and error he’s discovered that some foods, in his case wheat and milk, seem to set off his symptoms a bit and make him feel more congested. So he tries to eat a mostly plant-based diet, or foods that seem to minimize inflammation. And if he’s not dealing well with the stress in his life, he’s noticed his symptoms seem more bothersome.

What he does for treatment: When his pollen allergy flares up, he takes a homeopathic remedy specially formulated for allergies. This liquid tincture contains extremely dilute concentrations of substances used in homeopathic medicine including Apis mellifica (derived from the honeybee), Nux vomica (which comes from an Asian tree), and Allium sativum (garlic). He’ll also use an air purifier in his home to trap dust mites and mold spores. “Many pollen people are also sensitive to dust and dust mites,” Monti said.

His bottom line: By being in a better physiological state and keeping his body strong when the season approaches, Monti says he likes to think that he has laid the groundwork to make his allergies more bearable. “There’s not a tremendous amount of research that a lifestyle program helps seasonal allergies, but it’s definitely helped me,” he said.

All-Natural Allergy Relief

The doctor: Roberta Lee, medical director for the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City

The culprit: Blooming trees in spring

What she does for prevention: To head off sneezing, congestion and itchy eyes, Lee takes quercetin, a bioflavonoid compound typically found in foods such as apple skins and red onion, and also sold as a supplement. She starts taking 500 milligrams of quercetin twice a day a month before her allergy season begins and continues the preventive remedy throughout the season. This natural product helps stabilizes mast cells, which can release histamines, the chemicals known to trigger an allergic reaction.

What she does for treatment: When her eyes start to itch, Lee places homeopathic eye drops in her irritated peepers. If her nose is blocked, she does a “nasal wash” to eliminate the allergens from being absorbed into her respiratory system. She uses a neti pot to rinse her nose, and typically does this cleansing practice in the morning. She places a pinch of salt into warm boiled water that has been cooled, and adds a dash of baking soda (which takes some of the sting out of saline.)

And when Lee is having symptoms she’ll also take the herb stinging nettle, a remedy used for hay fever. She may take a 300-milligram capsule of the freeze-dried extract three to seven times a day. Or she may seek out acupuncture. This ancient needling technique offers her almost instantaneous relief while the herbs tend to take some time to work.

Her bottom line: Antihistamines make her fall asleep and these alternative treatments are less sedating, more natural and provide her — and her patients — with much relief.

 I had to include this article because i am currently experiencing seasonal allergies. It is often said that even if you have never experienced allergies if you move to Atlanta you will. Well I’ve always lived here and I experience allergy season every year.

The Culprit: Pollen, Ragweed, and Dust

I have found many of the things mentioned work and I practice them. Paying attention to your triggers are important. For example, I realize that even small amounts of exposure to the outside during my allergy season causes itchy eyes and ears as well as fatigue. Therefore I limit my time outside and ride with the windows up when driving. Also, washing my face regularly throughout the day helps. You should also change clothes when you come in to avoid getting any of the elements from outside on surfaces in your home (especially your where you lay your head i.e. pillows, bed, sofa, etc.).

Drinking lots of water is helpful as well. Placing cold witchhazel on two cotton balls and cover your CLOSED eyes with them. This is very soothing. Garlic oil (you can puncture a gel capsule) in ears soothe itchy ears immediately. One major thing NOT mentioned in this particular article is the importance of having -You guessed it- A PROPERLY WORKING NERVOUS SYSTEM. I noticed during my first year of chiropractic school that when I was adjusted regularly my need for a daily antihistamine diminished.  I will post more about the benefits of chiropractic care as it relates to allergies. But for now I recommend you start to take notice of how your body responds (good and bad) during YOUR allergy season. This will enable you to incorporate these holistic approaches to your life.

For the entire article:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AllergiesNews/story?id=5835101&page=1

A Journey through Life…Post Conception and Pregnancy

Awesome, you are pregnant! Now what to do? Well if you have been doing the things discussed earlier in the blog: eliminating bad habits (drinking/smoking), exercise, eating healthy, etc. there is very little that you will need to alter. If, however, you have been , let’s say, less than committed to being in the best of health this would be the time to get serious and kick your health into high gear. Again, your body is the home of your growing baby for at least the next nine months. (By the way 9 months is an average. There is no research that says a baby will be born exactly nine months after conception. We will discuss this later).

As we discussed earlier nutition is a key factor in the health of you and your baby. This is not a time to cut back, thinking you don’t want to gain too much weight. However, it is also not a time to overindulge yourself. Water is essential for your bady during pregnancy. Not only is the human body made of mostly water but your baby will be living in amniotic fluid which is also made of mostly water. The APA states that “The amniotic fluid is part of the baby’s life support system. It protects your baby and aids in the development of muscles, limbs, lungs, and the digestive system”. herefore, it should come as no surprise that the best fluid you can put into your body at this time is water-and plenty of it! 

Nutritionally you will want to eat a balanced diet. It is true that as your hormones begin to change you may begin to “crave” certain things. Luckily when I was pregnant I craved  lots of fruits, vegetables, and water. I did not want meat for the first trimester or seafood (which I absoultely love) the entire pregnancy. Be careful, however. You are providing nutrition for another life. A well balanced diet including protein, fat, carbohydates, vitamins, minerals, etc. IS very important. They are the building blocks of life. The following website has some great information about balanced diets during pregnancy.   http://www.birthingnaturally.net/nutrition/pregnut/balanced.html

Conception continued… A Chiropractic Approach to Infertility

So now that we have talked about the impact of stress, nutrition, environmental factors, and parental activities on the success of conception let’s delve a bit deeper. We would all agree that a parent’s prayer is to have a healthy, happy baby. The good news is that as parents to be we can ensure the health of ourselves and consequently positively influence the health of our children.
Remember the role of the nervous system. It controls and coordinates ALL other systems of the body. Studies have shown that women who may have had difficulty getting pregnant have benefitted from chiropractic care. Imagine if all signals were flowing properly between your brain and your body what state of health you body would be in? That’s right- Ultimate Expression.

A series of research papers published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research found that chiropractic had positive results treating infertility regardless of the woman’s age, number of years infertile, previous medical intervention or health history including miscarriages, blocked fallopian tubes, amenorrhea, colitis, or trauma.

Kristi Long, DC is a chiropractor in Dallas, Tx. In her blog discussing chiropractic and conception she writes the following:

A study authored by Dr. Madeline Behrendt, Chairwoman of the World Chiropractic Alliance Council on Woman’s Health, links chiropractic care and the ability of previously infertile woman to conceive a baby and carry it full term.

Behrendt’s work entitled Insult, Interference and Infertility: An Overview of Chiropractic Research was published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. The study tracked 15 women, ages 22-65, who had a history of fertility problems; some for as long as nine years. Eight of the women had previously undergone unsuccessful fertility treatments.

These 15 woman entered chiropractic care. “Each was determined to close the gap between how her body was designed to function and the reality of how her body was functioning,” stated Dr. Behrendt.

The results were incredible. 14 of the 15 women became pregnant following the start of chiropractic adjustments. The 65-year old woman had ceased having a menstrual cycle at age 18 following a traumatic fall. Then, nearly five decades later and little more than a month after starting chiropractic care, her cycles resumed. Although she did not get pregnant, she was advised to use precautions.

Some of the case studies are remarkable. A 32 year-old woman described in the study had no menstrual cycle for 12 years. She had attempted multiple fertility treatments with no success. After two months of chiropractic care with attention to the lumbar regions menstruation started. And, after four cycles, unassisted pregnancy occurred. Chiropractic is not a specific cure for infertility, but the concept that interference within your nervous system can disrupt normal body functions is an undisputed, scientific fact.

Also detailed was the plight of a 26 year-old woman who suffered from severe scoliosis with a Cobb’s angle of 58 degrees. She too was infertile despite numerous medical treatments to assist conception. After six months of chiropractic care with adjustments applied to the sacrum, lumbar and cervical regions the Cobb’s angle decreased to 47 degrees. One month later, unassisted pregnancy occurred.

The study offers hope to infertile women and an alternative to fertility drugs. There are 40,000 births in the U.S. each year that are achieved using assisted reproductive technologies. There are yet to be studies as to the long-term effects of these drugs nor has there been a uniform tracking of birth defects among children conceived using these methods.

Dr. Behrendt’s research is wonderful news for couples trying to start a family. It also serves as further evidence that regular spinal adjustments can have benefits far beyond those that the public normally associates with chiropractic care.

Your spine is a central highway of nerves. Just as an electrical cord has to be fully plugged in for an appliance to run, your reproductive system will not function properly if the nerves that lead to them are not functioning or are blocked in some way.

A chiropractor will identify pinched or pressed nerves and fix those spinal distortions, which are called subluxations. The distortions can be caused by many things including childhood falls, illnesses, accidents, poor posture, or even stress. Once the subluxations are minimized or eliminated a woman’s menstrual cycle can strengthen, the action that delivers the egg through the fallopian tubes to the uterus can improve, and some cases of endometriosis can begin to reverse.

Holistic websites, chiropractic patients, and chiropractors themselves abound with pregnancy success stories. Some women went to the chiropractor for other reasons only to find themselves pregnant, others have battled infertility for more than 10 years and then suddenly became pregnant within a couple of months or even a couple of visits to the chiropractor. These remarkable results are the same regardless of the technique used by the chiropractor.

Naturally this does not mean that everyone will get pregnant after a visit to the chiropractor only that it has worked for many women. It is certainly an option worth exploring either alone or in conjunction with other infertility treatments particularly if you have ever had an accident or illness.

For more research on chiropractic and infertility please refer to the following abstracts and articles:

Resolution of Infertility in a Female Undergoing Subluxation Based Chiropractic Care: Case Report & Review of Literature Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2008:   Aug 6:   1-6Making Adjustments: Infertility and the Chiropractic Link             Parenting Media’s Preconception.Com Website Fighting Infertility At The Chiropractor             A CBS 2 Special Report Successful Pregnancy Following Diagnosis of Infertility And Miscarriage: A Chiropractic Case Report Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2003 (Dec 2):   1-7 Female Infertility and Chiropractic Wellness Care: A Case Study on the Autonomic Nervous System Response while Under Subluxation Based Chiropractic Care and Subsequent Fertility Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2003 (Nov 2):   1-10 Sacro Occipital Technique Management of a Thirty Four Year Old Woman with Infertility Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2003 (Dec 17):   1-4 Additional websites: http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/media/infertility2004.htm http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/infertilityandchiropractic.html http://www.planetc1.com/search/studies-explore-link-between-chiropractic-care-and-fertility.html

The Very Beginning… Conception

The American Pregnancy Association on their website, www.americanpregnancy.org, states “Pregnancy should not be considered only a nine month journey, but a year long  journey”. The first few weeks of pregnancy are most vital to the health of the unborn child. Therefore, the mother whose body will provide nourishment and shelter for a precious new life, must be healthy and avoid exposure to harmful chemicals and activities prior to AND during pregnancy.

The APA recommend that harmful habits including:

Smoking – Smoking during pregnancy is estimated to account for 20 to 30 percent of low-birth weight babies, up to 14 percent of preterm deliveries, and about 10 percent of all infant deaths according to the American Lung Association.

Drinking Alcohol – There is no safe amount of alcohol to consume while you are pregnant.

Recreational drug use – For example, smoking marijuana during pregnancy can increase the chance of miscarriage, low birth-weight, premature births, developmental delays, and behavioral and learning problems.

Prescription drugs – There are many prescription drugs that are teratogenic (cause birth defects). Talk with your healthcare provider about any and all prescription drugs you are taking.

Hazardous chemicals – There are some chemicals that can also be teratogenic. For example, most studies point out that the greatest risk of exposure to pesticides is during the first three to eight weeks of the first trimester when the neural tube development is occurring. This is often before a woman knows she is pregnant.

Stress – Stress has been linked to delayed or missed periods which can cause difficulty tracking ovulation and getting pregnant. Limit your amount of stress as much as possible.

Herbs – The problem with herbs is that they are not mandated by the FDA, and therefore, there is little or no research on the effect they have on pregnancy. Discuss any herbs with your healthcare provider. (Dr. Henry says -Please note, however, there are herbs that are beneficial for optimal health. Please discuss any specific concerns with your healthcare provider.)

Caffeine - Some studies have shown a link between high levels of caffeine consumption and delayed conception. A few studies have shown that there may be an increase in miscarriages among women who consume more than 300 mg (three 5 oz cups of coffee) a day.

 be replaced with healthy habits such as:

• Exercise – Start exercising now. Set goals for what you want to achieve. Ask yourself if you want to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, or improve lung capacity. Some good exercise options include walking, swimming, bicycling, and aerobics. Yoga is an excellent choice for exercise because it incorporates posture, breathing, and concentration which will be beneficial for you during labor. Talk with your healthcare provider about what is best for you.
• Read – Read books on pregnancy and child birth. It is important that you are educated and prepared.
• Track your menstrual cycle – This is very important. Your doctor will ask you about your menstrual cycle, so you need to be prepared. Keeping track of your cycle will also help you track your ovulation and increase your chance of pregnancy. Products to Help Track Ovulation
• Practice relaxation techniques – Relaxation can help minimize stress, and as you have already read, stress is not a woman’s best friend. Try Yoga or listening to soft relaxing music in a warm bath.
• Get lots of sleep – If you are not receiving 8 hours of sleep a night, you should start. Adequate amounts of sleep can also help relieve stress and tension.
• Eat healthy – Nutrition is vital to your health. The healthier you are the easier pregnancy will be for you. Some people like to take supplements. Order Fertility Supplements

  

The health of the parents is of paramount importance. Bad health habits (smoking, drinking, etc.) not only put your unborn child at risk but they also can lower the chances of successful conception when you are trying to get pregnant. Your body should ideally be in the best shape of your life. After all you are planning to bring a new life into the world. Why should that life start at the highest expression of health possible?

Studies show that diet, exercise and lifestyle changes increase a couple’s chances for conception. Poor diet affects reproductive health in a negative way, because you body needs certain nutrients to maintain the best conditions for conception. Vitamin deficiency can lead to poor sperm and egg quality, which interfere with successful conception. Men and women, who do not eat healthy, may have excessive or otherwise insufficient weight, possibly contributing to infertility.

Stress and sexual dissatisfaction can also play a role in fertility. Stress, including the stress of trying to conceive unsuccessfully, is also linked to fertility problems. While we all deal with minor stresses almost every day, chronic stress can interfere with your plans to get pregnant. During stress, your body produces stress hormones such as cortisol that decreases the release of basic sex hormones, which play an important role in the release of the egg in women and production of sperm in men. This leads to reduced sperm count, ovulation problems and decreased sexual activity. Stressed women have difficulties  detecting when they ovulate, which  further delays conception.

Many couples, who are trying to conceive, are more concerned about calculating the most fertile days than the quality of their sex life. However, specialists say that sexual satisfaction is just as important as timing your fertile window for successful conception. Couples should avoid making love mechanically, because passionate sex is the key to conceiving a baby, scientists claim. Men, who are sexually stimulated during sex, produce up to 50 percent more sperm than usual. For women, sexual satisfaction also means better chances for conception. During orgasm, muscular contractions help sperm swim further to the cervix to fertilize an egg.

There are  tips to help you deal with stress and sexual dissatisfaction. To combat stress these include learning relaxation techniques, practicing yoga, or tai-chi, etc. Try to spice things up in your sex life and focus on sexual pleasure rather than the result. This is especially helpful for couples, who already have fertility problems.

Life’s Journey

As I have said before it is so important to maintain health throughout your lifetime. Health, according to The World Health Organization (WHO) is as follows:

“Health is not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being.”

 

It is important to realize since life begins before birth health should be considered even for a newborn at the point of conception. We will take a journey on this blog: starting at conception of a new life which generally means somewhere around midlife of the child’s parents) through pregnancy and birth, childhood, and beyond tackling some common questions and concerns. Feel free to post comments and join in the conversation.

Is hip Pain Getting on Your Nerve?

 

We have a number of patients that come into  our office seeking relief from sciatic pain. From the pregnant woman whose body is ever-changing during pregnancy, to the employee frequently required to lift, anyone can be affected by this type of pain. Read below some ways to alleviate sciatica.

 

 

Sciatica

The largest nerve in your body has a very devious twist–and when you have a pain in that nerve, it can really get around.

 

Sciatica, pain in the sciatic nerve, can radiate from the buttocks down the back of the leg to the knee, even as far as the big toe. “People with sciatica often say their back pain is bad but their leg pain is worse,” says Loren M. Fishman, M.D., a physiatrist and rehabilitation medicine specialist at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in New York City. Often the hip pain is far more severe on one side than the other.

When you’ve got pain like that, you’ll need a hands-on diagnosis before anything else, Dr. Fishman says. Once the doctor has ruled out a disk problem or fracture, he may be able to find out whether tight buttocks muscles are causing your pain by compressing the sciatic nerve.

If you do have sciatica, the doctor will probably recommend a program of supervised exercises, usually with the aid of a physical therapist. Here are some of the self-care methods that could ease the pressure temporarily and bring you some pain relief.

Pick your own pocket. A bulging billfold in your hip pocket can crimp your sciatic nerve, especially if you sit on the wallet for long periods of time, says Scott Haldeman, M.D., D.C., Ph.D., associate clinical professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine, and adjunct professor at the Los Angeles Chiropractic College. He suggests that you put the wallet in a coat pocket or purse to make sure you don’t put lopsided pressure on one buttock.

When to See the Doctor What seems like sciatic pain may be something else–hence the importance of having a proper diagnosis. You may have a herniated disk pressing against this nerve, an arthritis problem, bursitis, irritable bowel syndrome or some other back problem that requires a doctor-supervised plan of action, says Scott Haldeman, M.D., D.C., Ph.D., associate clinical professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine, and adjunct professor at the Los Angeles Chiropractic College. In fact, exercises for sciatica can actually worsen a disk or arthritis problem. Consider it an emergency if your symptomsinclude weakness or numbness or loss of bladder or bowel control. These problems could be related to the central nervous system and will need immediate diagnosis.

 

Do the exercises below to help relieve sciatic pain:

Stretch your piriformis. One of these spindle-shaped muscles lies deep inside each buttock. The piriformis is the muscle you use when you turn out your hip and raise your leg to the side–and it’s often implicated in sciatic nerve pain.

To stretch the piriformis and help relieve the pain temporarily, here’s what Dr. Fishman suggests.

Lie on your back on the floor and gently pull your right knee up toward your left shoulder. Grasping the instep of the right foot with your left hand, slowly draw the knee and foot across the body toward the left shoulder. Stretch for 30 seconds or more to elongate the piriformis deep in the back of the hip. Then lower your right leg, switch to the left, and repeat.

Partner up for stretches. Even better, if someone can help you with your stretches, is this routine: First lie on the floor or on a firm bed on the side that doesn’t hurt. Lift the uppermost leg (on the side that hurts) and raise your knee to waist level as if you were taking a step. Then slowly drop the knee down toward the floor or bed. Have your partner hold this knee down with one hand while he raises the ankle of the same leg with his other hand. A cautionary note: He should raise the ankle only as far as it will go comfortably and hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

Do a butt press. You can ease sciatic pain by pressing on appropriate acupressure points, says acupressurist Michael Reed Gach, founder of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of The Bum Back Book. First find the center of the depression at the sides of the buttocks. Then press both sides simultaneously and hard, because the acupressure points lie deep below the skin, Gach says. Keep the pressure on for a count of 15, then release.

Give your calves a seat. Assuming a position with hip joints and knees bent is the best way to depress the sciatic nerve and avoid pain, says Dr. Haldeman. Here’s a posture that should help: Lie on your back on the floor and place your lower legs on the seat of a chair for 10 or 15 minutes.
Next: Nutrition and Hip Pain

Sciatica and Nutrition. Is there a link?

What you eat can have a direct impact on your sciatica. For instance, processed and junk foods loaded with sugar and salt will only exacerbate or prolong the sciatica and make the body more susceptible suffering a recurrence. Foods that help fight inflammation include avocados, tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, cayenne pepper, turmeric, almonds, fish,  and walnuts.

Because sciatica almost always involves a mechanical problem with your back, you may need massage or chiropractic adjustment. You might also want to try some natural supplements that can help relieve inflammation and relax spastic muscles.
Helping Your Body Douse Inflammation

The key to drug-free relief is to turn on your body’s natural inflammation-fighting powers, says David Perlmutter, M.D., a neurologist in Naples, Florida, and author of Lifeguide. While drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen work by reducing inflammation and thus reducing the sensation of pain, nutritional supplements can reprogram the chemical process that produces pain signals. Moreover, nutrients influence the complicated inflammation process.

“Obviously, the body must have its own ways of reducing inflammation,” says Dr. Perlmutter. “The entire process of turning inflammation on and off is controlled by a group of hormone-like molecules called prostaglandins.”

According to Dr. Perlmutter, there are basically two groups of prostaglandins. One group is the starter kit that initiates inflammation. The other is a “tone group” that reduces the flare-up.

Dr. Silbert explains that there are four key supplements in nature’s arsenal of inflammation fighters that may help sciatica?bromelain, the bioflavonoid quercetin, essential fatty acids, and the herb turmeric. They inhibit the production of bad prostaglandins that start inflammation, and they promote the production of good prostaglandins that fight it. In other words, they stop the bad guys and help the good guys.

Fight the Flames

Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, is the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to fighting inflammation.

In a study of 146 boxers, researchers showed that bromelain significantly speeded up the healing process when the boxers were injured. Bromelain was given to 74 of the boxers four times a day, while the remaining 72 took an inactive substance (placebo). In 58 of the boxers taking bromelain, all signs of bruising disappeared in four days. In the group taking the placebos, only 10 healed completely in four days.

Quercetin, just one of more than 800 bioflavonoids that have been identified, works best with bromelain to block the inflammation process. Naturopathic doctors believe that bromelain helps your body absorb the quercetin, so they often prescribe the two together, says Dr. Silbert. Quercetin is rich in powerful antioxidants that stop the damaging effects of free radicals, the unstable molecules that damage cells.

When the pain of sciatica strikes, take up to 1,000 milligrams of bromelain and 500 milligrams of quercetin four times a day between meals, says Dr. Silbert. The strength of a particular batch of bromelain is measured in milk clotting units (mcu) or gelatin-dissolving units (gdu). The higher the mcu number, the greater its strength. Look for a supplement with a strength between 1,800 and 2,400 mcu or 1,080 and 1,440 gdu.

Beware of bromelain supplements that merely list weight in milligrams; if the measurement isn?t listed on the label, you can assume that you are getting a cheap, ineffective preparation, cautions Jacob Schor, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Denver and president of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors.

Any type of inflammation responds well to the essential fatty acids found in fish oil, flaxseed oil, and evening primrose oil.

To reprogram your pain process, take one tablespoon of flaxseed oil and 500 milligrams of black currant oil (or three capsules of evening primrose oil) every day, says Dr. Perlmutter. These two supplements are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids that your body needs but cannot make. By adding them to your diet, you can stimulate your body to produce increased levels of good prostaglandins and reduce inflammation.

If you want to use fish oil instead of flaxseed oil, take 1,000 milligrams two to four times a day, says Priscilla Evans, N.D., a naturopathic doctor at the Community Wholistic Health Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Turmeric Time?

During intense flare-ups, add some turmeric. This yellow spice contains one of nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, a chemical called curcumin. The herb has been used for thousands of years in India?s traditional Ayurvedic medicine to treat pain and inflammation.

Several clinical studies show that curcumin has an anti-inflammatory action. Don’t reach into your spice cupboard for relief, however. Instead, opt for capsules of standardized extract that contain 97 percent pure curcumin.

When pain is acute, Dr. Evans advises people to take 250 to 500 milligrams three times a day. But you shouldn’t take turmeric as a remedy if you are pregnant or have severe stomach acid, ulcers, gallstones, or a bile duct obstruction.

If you’re taking natural supplements, you should start to see some improvement in about two weeks. Stick with the dosages to get the desired effect, says Dr. Evans.

“We lose sight of the fact that many nutritional and herbal supplements are more like foods than drugs. Dosages are important because taking just one capsule a day is not going to do much for your symptoms,” she says. “In many cases, you have to take a pretty large dose of fish oil or curcumin to get an effect. Our culture, though, has conditioned us to taking just a pill or two for relief.”

A Recipe for Relaxation

Sometimes, pain and tingling can be due to muscle spasms in the piriformis muscle, a pear-shaped muscle in the buttocks that surrounds the sciatic nerve. Relaxing this muscle can help relieve pain, says Dr. Evans.

Naturopaths often use a mixture of soothing herbs such as valerian, passionflower, and kava kava to promote muscle relaxation. Although valerian has become a staple on drugstore shelves, where it is sold as a sleep aid, its powers of reprieve go beyond sleep.

“Valerian is also great for easing tension and for general pain relief,” says Dr. Evans. It contains substances known as volatile oils that work together to make you sleepy and relax your muscles.

Sometimes, your sciatic nerve is in the grip of a spastic muscle, and that no-win tug-of-war is at the root of the pain. Your doctor will need to confirm if a spastic muscle is the source of your pain. If it is, taking 150 milligrams of valerian three times a day may help, says Dr. Evans.

// // From: http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/128.cfm

Do you have asthma?

What is asthma?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that 20 million people in the US currently have asthma. Not everyone who has asthma knows it, and not everybody who has it seeks treatment.

When you have asthma, two main things are happening in your lungs: the muscles around the airways are constricted and inflamed. Constriction and inflammation narrow your airways, which cause symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. There is increasing evidence that, if left untreated, asthma may cause a long-term decline in lung function. The underlying parts of the disease, especially the inflammation, can be there, even in the absence of symptoms. It is important, therefore, to prevent symptoms from occurring in the first place, rather than waiting until symptoms become serious. For many patients, optimal therapy requires treating both main components of asthma.

Asthma is something that is always with you, even if you are not having symptoms. So, as soon as the symptoms go away, you may stop taking their preventative medications, not realizing that the underlying problems that are causing the symptoms in the first place require daily asthma treatment. And although there are plenty of effective medications, if you don’t think they are helping, and thus don’t take them, then they do absolutely no good. This is a big challenge with the preventative medications we have for asthma.

What causes asthma?

There is really no known cause of asthma. A lot of effort has been put forth to try and understand if there is a genetic basis to this disease. It definitely does run in some families, but currently, there is no consistent genetic profile in people who have it versus those who don’t. We are all exposed to lots of the same things and yet, not all of us have problems. A leading theory is that it is a combination of inherited risks for the disease, as well as interaction with allergens in our environment, that develop into the disease.

There are triggers that most people are aware of, especially if they have any history of allergies. These triggers include hay fever, ragweed, cut grass, and many other things that contain pollen. Triggers that people may not be as aware of are weather conditions such as high humidity, high temperatures, or very cold temperatures. All of these can be triggers for people with asthma. Infections such as the common cold and the flu can also trigger asthma symptoms. And then, finally, there is exercise, which can trigger asthma.

You can minimize some triggers by reducing the dust in your home. You should change sheets and bed linens weekly. Some air filters can be a big help in cutting down on dust in the home. In general, it’s important to avoid exposure to strong fumes, cigarette smoke, and so forth. These can be irritants for people with asthma. The one that’s often most difficult for patients with asthma is having in their home a beloved pet that may be triggering their asthma symptoms. The most effective way to eliminate this trigger is to not have the pet at all. Short of that, keeping your pet out of your bedroom or keeping it outside of the house can help cut down on some of the problems associated with pets.

There is no specific diet that will help improve asthma. It’s important to eat a well-balanced diet and make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals that anyone would need, as well as plenty of rest. That makes sense for everybody, including someone who has asthma.

How can chiropractic help my asthma?

Spinal misalignments cause many health problems because vertebrae pinch important nerves and restrict their effectiveness. Dr. Ray Hayek conducted a trial at 16 treatment centers in Australia, involving 420 patients with an average age of 46, in an effort to find out what effects spinal manipulation has on symptoms such as depression and anxiety, general health status, and the levels of immunity. He tested the concentrations of both an immunoglobulin (IgA) and an immunosuppressant (cortisol) to gauge his results. Dr. Hayek was trying to prove that different forms of manual therapy (including massage) improve symptoms and lower cortisol levels in asthma patients.

Dr. Hayek reported that only the patient group that underwent spinal manipulation displayed significant improvement in asthma symptoms. Conducting only interviews at the treatment centers or being monitored at home did not yield these improvements. In addition, patients actually undergoing spinal manipulation displayed dramatic increases of IgA and decreases of cortisol even after asthma treatment had ceased, suggesting that the treatments affected the patients’ health long term. These patients were expected to ward off subsequent asthmatic attacks.

These changes not only suggest that the effects of spinal manipulation are more far-reaching than commonly believed, but that they may be more long-term as well. The gain in health achieved after spinal manipulations were performed is expected to reduce the incidence and severity of pathogenic invasion of the airways. There would be less of a risk under these circumstances of experiencing the symptoms of asthma.

- from http://chirocommunity.com/asthma.htm-

More resources:

http://www.holisticonline.com/Chiropractic/chiro_asthma.htm

http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Asthma.shtml

http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=43343,

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7728627

Chiropractic Care for Children

Studies show that infants can benefit from chiropractic care following birth. This is because birth can be just as traumatic for babies as for their mothers. As children grow, more and more activities can create even more reasons to continue chiropractic care.

1. 
   Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Ed Garcia
   Chiropractors can help your child grow to her best.

Data

2. According to the Washington Times website, “since 1991, according to survey data released by the American Chiropractic Association, the number of chiropractic patients 16 years of age and younger rose 8.5 percent.” This information makes chiropractic care the most frequent form of unconventional medicine performed on children.

Birth

3. When labor begins, the uterus muscles begin to carry the baby down through the pelvis. This process can last for hours. According to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association-Research Foundation, many mothers have their babies seen by a chiropractor after birth to correct any misalignment due to the process of being pushed through the birth canal.

Baby Issues

4. Once you bring your baby home from the hospital, you may begin to experience some common issues. According to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association-Research Foundation, the , b”resulting irritation to the nerve system caused by spinal and cranial misalignment can be the cause of many newborn health complaints.” These complaints range from colic, breathing issues, difficulty nursing, sleep troubles, persistent infections and allergic reactions. These issues can usually be traced back to nerve system strain.

Growing Babies

5. As your baby grows, she will begin doing all kinds of tricks from holding her head up to rolling over and then sitting up. As your child passes these milestones, her spinal maturity is susceptible to damage. If these injuries happen, her spinal alignment can be negatively affected. Therefore, these are very significant times to have your baby evaluated by a chiropractor, according to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association-Research Foundation.

Injury

6. As your baby develops into a child, you may begin to notice that she gets hurt more often. She may join sports or other activities which may lead to considerable spinal misalignment. Injuries are the number one reason why parents take their children to a chiropractor, according to icpa4kids.org. If these injuries are not corrected, your child may experience serious neck and back problems in the future.

Read more: Chiropractic Care for Children | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5572792_chiropractic-care-children.html#ixzz1CcpklFVB

Other resources:

www.icpa4kids.org

 http://www.chiro.org/pediatrics/ABSTRACTS/Chiropractic_For_Children.shtml

http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=41406