Holiday's and Stress: Boost Immunity This Holiday Season

With the holiday season invariably comes the holiday sickness.  We are around lots of people and end up getting the colds, flu, or sinus infections that go with the season.  This, however, doesn't always have to be the case.  If you follow a few simple tips, you can greatly limit your chances of getting sick this holiday season.

Tip #1: Eat Plenty of Fruits and Veggies

Over the holiday season, we tend to overload on carbs and not eat enough of the things that keep us healthy: the fruits and vegetables.  Not only are fruits and vegetables loaded with vitamins and nutrients that are essential to everyday health they are also high in stress and germ fighting anti-oxidants.  These are chemicals that help to rid the body of disease and age causing free radicals.  If you limit the amount of free radicals in the body, you will also limit the possibility of disease.

(Fruits and Vegetables to eat:  dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, berries, citrus fruits, mushrooms, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers)

Tip #2: Get Plenty of Exercise

According to the US government department's website for the National Institute of Health, exercise has a direct link to boosting your immune system.  One of the theories behind this is the link between exercise and lowering cortisol levels in the body.  Cortisol is a hormone that is released from the Adrenal Glands and is in direct connection with levels of stress in the body.  As stress levels rise, so do cortisol levels.  Studies have found that exercise lowers levels of cortisol in the system and therefore decreases stress, giving you less chances of getting sick.  One thing to watch out for is overdoing the exercise while sick.  During infections, one of the best defences your body has is to raise the core temperature and give you a low grade fever.  This speeds up the body's metabolism and creates an environment where white blood cells (the bodies defenders) can work at a faster rate.  Exercise, also raises body temperature.  If you already have a fever and increase the body's temperature even more, you run the risk of passing out or doing other bodily harm.  Exercises while sick should be limited to mild intensity and be performed no more than 15-30 min in session.  If you are not sick, exercise should be done on a daily basis as an overall disease preventative process.

Tip #3: Reduce Your Stress

Just like exercise helps to reduce stress, we also need to do other things to reduce stress.  We all know the holidays can be very stressful.  We need to remember that the holiday's are meant to be a time to be together as friends and family.  Sometimes we get caught up in the stresses of the holiday season; the mad rushes to buy the best gift, worry about finances, and stress over family problems.  All of these will dampen our immunity and ability to fight off disease.  Take a few minutes to yourself this holiday season to just relax and soak up the holiday season.  Most of us take time off work to have a vacation over the holidays but it never really feels like a vacation.  So, let's make it one.  Take a few days to catch up on some sleep.  Go to the park and go for a stroll.  If the weather is too cold around you, go for a drive and look at holiday decorations.  Give yourself some time to unwind and your body will thank you for it.

Tip #4: Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Yes, you are on vacation.  We just talked about that, but, that doesn't mean you should overdue it on the alcohol.  I know a lot of us have a drink to "unwind."  Yes, there is proven benefit to having a glass of red wine.  The key to that sentence, however, is to have A GLASS.  Moderation is the word for this holiday season.  You want to have a few drinks?  Do so in moderation.  You want to eat some Christmas cookies?  Do so in moderation.  You want to pig out at your family's house?  Do so in moderation.  It doesn't matter what holiday you are celebrating, you need to keep your vices in moderation.  A moderate amount of alcohol can have some health benefits, a large amount will do more harm than good, so keep it moderate.

Tip #5: Don't Be Afraid to Reward Yourself

If you are sticking to a plan and trying hard to keep yourself healthy through this holiday season, the best way to keep yourself on the right path is to give yourself little rewards.  You are working hard at your health.  When you work hard at anything else in life, you get a reward, so why not here?  Take the time to enjoy the little things that make all the other hard work worth it. 


These are only a few of the many tips out there on how to stay healthy over the holiday season.  I invite you to use the comments section to share with others some of the tips you use to stay healthy over the holiday season.  Please, enjoy the holiday!

Backpacks Can Cause Backpain

It's that time of the year again.  The time where all of the kids have gone back to school.  They are grabbing their backpacks and rushing out the door every morning to catch the bus.  This is the normal picture of most households but there is something wrong here and it involves their backpack.

The Consumer Product and Safety Commission estimates that there are 27,900 backpack-related injuries that happen to U.S. kids and adults in a year.  You have to be asking yourself; "How can such a simple product, that so many people use, be causing so many injuries?"  So what are we doing wrong?  There are several precautions we need to take when considering what is the correct backpack to buy, as well as the proper way to wear a backpack.

What Backpack Should I Buy?

When picking out a backpack you should look for several things, the first is the size of the backpack.  We need to be purchasing backpacks that fit properly.  If the backpack is the same size as your child, you have the wrong sized backpack.

You also need to purchase a backpack with padded straps.  As we increase the weight present in the backpack, the full pressure of that weight gets distributed through the straps of the pack onto the person wearing the backpack.  Padding the straps makes sure that they do not dig into or cut the person wearing the pack.  Also, look for a backpack with wide straps, the wider the better.  As we increase surface area by widening the straps, we will decrease the amount of force or pressure that is applied to any one spot on the shoulders.

How Should the Pack be Worn?

One of the first and most important things we need to consider is the weight that is present inside that backpack.  Most parents and teachers would be shocked to discover the amount of weight our students carry in their backpacks.  We have all been there, your kid comes home and puts the backpack where it doesn't belong and you go to pick it up and move it and you practically pull a muscle trying to lift it.  The American Occupational Association, Inc recommends that you should not carry more than 10% of your body weight in your backpack.  This means that a 100 pound person should carry no more than 10 pounds in a backpack.  However, the American Chiropractic Association did a study and found that the average American child carries around 22% or their body weight in the backpacks.  This puts a large amount of stress in the child's shoulders and joints of their back.  To prevent this will take a coordinated effort between parents and teachers to lessen the amount that the student carries in their backpack each day.

The proper placement of the backpack is over BOTH shoulders, with the bottom of the pack no more than 4 inches below their waistline.  This will allow for the weight to be controlled by a bigger group of muscles in the back.  This means that we need to have a backpack that has adjustable straps that allow for tightening and loosening of the shoulder straps to allow the pack to be raised and lowered.

What Are Some Signs of Impending Problems?

There are a few things you can watch for to help make sure these injuries are not beginning with your child:

•  Watch for posture changes as the child carries the backpack
•  Listen for complaints about muscle or joint pain (even foot and knee pain could mean impending back problems)
• Lift the pack yourself to test for the weight - If it is too heavy for you, it is too heavy for your child
• Numbness or tingling from wearing the pack
• Red Marks from the pack

What Do You Do if You See Any of These Signs?

Make a note of them and make sure you notify your physician.  Make the changes suggested above and take your child to a chiropractor to help keep them out of pain!

Best Supplements to Take

What are the supplements that I should be taking?  It is a very common question that gets presented to me not only in practice, but also when I am teaching (you cannot learn about the intricate workings of the human anatomy and physiology without discussing nutrition).  The answer to this question can prove to be difficult at times.  All vitamins and minerals are vital to your health and well being.  They are play an important role in how your body works, all the way down to the chemical processes of each individual cell.  They are all important, and your body should be given all of them.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest I think I can be a little more objective and give a straightforward answer.  In order to do that we need to come to an understanding first.  We are going to talk about SUPPLEMENTS.  If they were supposed to be the main source of nutrition for your body, they would be called REPLACEMENTS.  No supplement can replace a healthy diet.  With as good as we have gotten with technology, we still cannot make the nutrition in as usable form that mother nature makes it.  It is always best to get your nutrition through eating the proper food.  We will cover in a later post, the best ways to eat proper food, and still lose weight.  But, here we are going to be discussing supplements.  Supplements are supposed to be a supplement to what you are already getting in your diet.  It is to help you get adequate amounts of the nutrients your body needs when you may not be eating enough within your diet.  Again, this does not mean that you are healthy if you eat bad for you food and take supplements.

So there are a few supplements that I would recommend a normal, healthy adult, to take.  This goes without being said but I will say it anyway, if you have an illness or disease, you will need different nutrients based upon your condition.  This is for those of you that are already healthy, and are looking for that extra boost to keep yourself healthy.  Lets get started:

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

Vitamin C is a great supplement to take.  It is a water soluble vitamin, meaning that it has to travel over the intestinal tract with water.  This also means that it is difficult to hit a toxicity level with vitamin C.  When your body has excessive amounts of vitamin C, you will typically just urinate it out.  Your body uses vitamin C to create collagen, which is a connective tissue.  This means that vitamin C is used to make a lot of the tissues in your body, and helps those tissues to stay strong.

Another thing that vitamin C does is it is one of those often heard antioxidants.  Vitamin C, along with Vitamins A and E, make up the antioxidant system of the body.  Antioxidants get rid of free radicals that can do damage to cells in your body.  Be sure that you buy supplements that also contain bioflavinoids, a micro nutrient that helps with the absorption of the Vitamin C.  Vitamin C also helps with the absorption of iron into the body.

Omega 3

Omega 3s are a fantastic supplement to take for your body.  It has been shown in different studies to raise HDL's (good cholesterol) in the body.  This is important as it helps to protect your heart and blood vessels from disease (heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US).

Omega 3 has also been shown to be a natural blood thinner as well as to lessen inflammation in the body.  While it is a natural process that your body needs to do, it is also the cause of most aches and pains in joints and muscles.  The swelling of inflammation also adds extra unwanted weight to the body.

CoQ10

Co-enzyme Q10 is an important enzyme in the body.  The main job of enzymes in the body are to work as catalysts.  A catalyst is used to speed up a chemical reaction.  In the case of CoQ10, it is used to speed up a reaction called the electron transport chain.  The electron transport chain is used to create ATP (energy) that cells like nerves and muscles use as fuel.  CoQ10 is thought to help prevent neurologic and muscular disorders.  It also, naturally, helps to create and sustain energy in the body throughout the day.

A Multivitamin

Multivitamins are great as most vitamins require the presence of other vitamins in order to have proper absorption into the body.   Multivitamins provide all those vitamins to be taken together.  Please note though, if you are taking a multivitamin in tablet form, you are only processing half of what is says you are getting.  This is because the tablets are so tightly compacted together to make that pill, your body cannot break the whole pill down and thus you only can absorb what is broken down. 


There you have it.  My top four supplements to take.  Prior to starting a supplement regime, make sure you consult your physician.  Especially, if you are taking a medication, make sure the supplement will not interact with your meds.

Good Exercises for Back Pain

In the last post, we discussed that one of the main reasons that back pain comes back is because your muscles are too weak.  So, you went to your local chiropractor and got adjusted.  This helped your back pain, but it seems to be coming back.  What do you do now?  Well, the best thing for you is to get off the couch and get moving!  The discs of your back need movement to undergo a process called imbibition.  This is how the discs move nutrition in and out of the joints of the spine.  Movement allows for this nutrition to move in and out of the joint and start the healing process,

So what exercises are good for your back to move and gain strength?  Below, we will cover some of the best exercises for your back as well as a good plan for how often to do those exercises:

Exercise 1: The Pelvic Bridge
The pelvic bridge is an exercise done in the supine position (on your back).  You next need to bend at your knees and put your feet flat on the ground.  Next you need to initiate your core.  To do this, you need to lightly contract your abs as if you were bracing for someone to punch you in the stomach.  At the same time during your ab contraction, you need to lightly arch your back.  A good way to tell that you are doing it correctly is to place one hand behind the small of your back.  If you feel like you are crushing your hand, you are contracting the abs too much and not arching the back enough.

After initiating the core you need to hold that contraction and raise your pelvis up off the ground as if someone was pulling on a string attached to your belly button to lift you up.  If you are putting a lot of pressure on your shoulders, you are not doing it correctly.  You need to concentrate more on lifting your pelvis and less on trying to force it up.

The pelvis is held in it's lifted position for 3-5 seconds, before you lowered it down in a controlled fashion.  Then, wait for 3-5 seconds and repeat the exercise.  The exercise is to be performed for a minimum of 10 repetitions per set for 3 sets to be repeated twice daily (10 reps/3 sets/2x daily).  More reps may be added once a strength has been built.  For best results, this exercise should be done 3-5 times per week.

(For an advanced version of this workout, this exercise can be performed with your back pressing against an exercise ball for added balance difficulty, thus increasing the difficulty of this exercise).

Exercise 2: The Push-Up
One of the best exercises for the core is a push-up.  The push-up is just a modified version of a Pilate's exercise called a plank.  The only difference is with a push-up you raise and lower your body toward the ground thus increasing your arm strength.  If you feel you are not strong enough or if you have shoulder of wrist problems, the plank exercise can be performed in place of the push-up to the same benefit.

How do you perform a correct push-up?  This exercise is done in the prone position (laying face down on the floor).  You then must place your palms flat on the floor with your arms about shoulder width apart.  Your elbows should be bent at about a 45 degree angle with the elbows tucked in beside your body.  You then must initiate the core by contracting it as described in the exercise above.

Upon contracting the core, you then will use your arms to push on the floor raising your body up off the floor until your arms have fully straightened (extension).  Upon reaching extension of your arms, you will then lower your body back to the ground in a controlled fashion.  While keeping the core contracted the entire time, you repeat the process of raising and lowering your body.  The exercise should be done a minimum of 10 reps/3 sets/2x daily.  More reps may be added once strength is built.

( For those who suffer from arm injuries or weaknesses that cannot perform a full push-up, a plank may be performed.  To perform a correct plank, follow the description above with the exception of placing your elbows and forearms flat on the ground instead of the palms of your hands.  When the exercise is performed and you hold your body off the ground the pressure is placed on the forearm and elbow and the contraction is done once.  Instead of repeated raising and lowering of the body the raised position is held for 15 seconds with 3-5 seconds in between reps.  This exercise is also to be performed at 10 reps/2 sets/3x daily for best results).

Exercise 3: Aerobic Exercises
A good aerobic exercise such as going for a walk or jog is great for the core muscles when performed with the core contracted as described above.  Adding this exercise to your aerobic workout not only helps to strengthen the core but also to help the heart, and help the body lose/maintain weight.


Disclaimer - As with any exercise regime, it is very important that you consult with your physician prior to beginning your regime to make sure you are physically fit and healthy enough to begin.  Only a trained physician can determine if you are healthy enough to handle the new exercises.

Why Does My Back Pain Come Back?

This is one of the most common questions I get from new patients that come into my office.  They tell me that they have had back pain in the past, they have received physical therapy, chiropractic, medicine and or many other of the wonderful treatments that helped their back at the time but, now the pain is back.  Invariably, the question comes out "Why?"

The answer to this question can be a difficult one as no two patients are the same and there can be many different reasons why the pain came back; you started working out again and re-injured the area, you "over-did-it" at your job or at play, you are getting old, or you are out of shape.  These are all valid answers to the question but they all typically tie into one reason: YOUR BACK MUSCLES ARE TOO WEAK!

I know, I know.  You go to the gym 3-5 times a week and workout, right?  Well, if you are like most of us the answer to that question is; "Um, No."  Even for those of you who can answer yes to that question you typically have the same problem.  When we do workout, we typically do not workout the core muscles.  When we do workout, most of us workout what I like to call the "Show" muscles.  For men, we want to workout our biceps or, work on our pecs to give us a tone chest.  We want the big broad shoulders and they six pack abs.  We work out the big bulk muscles that we think make us look appealing.  Women always want to tone.  They do exercises to give them tone arms and legs and a flat stomach.  While, there is nothing wrong with this, we are always forgetting some of the most important muscles in our body.  The core muscles are what are called deep muscles of the body.  Our body is made up of layers.  When we workout the way we are used to, we typically only work the big bulky muscles that are in the outermost layer but we neglect the deep muscle layers that are important to our posture and balance.

First lets talk about what a muscle is and what is its main function.  Muscle is a specialized tissue in the body and there are actually several kinds of muscle tissue.  One of the jobs of muscle is to help make our body move as well as provide a place for storage of some essential nutrients such as proteins, calcium, iron, and many other vitamins and minerals.  Most skeletal muscles (these are the kind of muscles we use to make our body move) go across a point where two bones come together, called a joint.  When a muscle contracts, it shortens its length and moves the insertion (the bone that the muscle is attached to) towards towards the origin (the bone that the muscle came from.  This movement happens at the joint the muscle crosses over and lets us do many things from very simple movements like bending your elbow to very complex ones like running and jumping.  When a muscle is weakened, it cannot create enough force needed to move the insertion bone and movement is limited.  This is especially important when we are talking about weakness to our core muscles.

The main job of the core muscles is to move the very important joints in our spine.  They allow us to stand up without swaying back and forth.  When these muscles are weak, they must work harder so that we can keep doing all the same motions we are accustomed to doing.  When the muscles struggle to work, they will not only affect the muscle tissue itself but also the tissues that make up the joint it is in charge of moving.  When tissues do not work properly they begin a process called inflammation.  The tissue gets injured, and becomes swollen, red, hot, and painful.  When this happens in the back, we get back pain.

This brings us back to why your previous treatments didn't help the pain to stay away.  Most of the above mentioned treatments only treat one component of the injury: the muscle or the joint.  The key is to treat them both.  You need to make sure your joints are moving properly and not getting stuck in place.  One of the best ways to ensure your joints are moving properly is to have them adjusted.  This will ensure you are having proper motion.  The second thing you need to do is to make sure you are strengthening the muscles that cross that joint as they control the movement of the joint.  These two things must be done in combination to ensure your core is strong enough to prevent the injury from coming back.  So what are some good exercises to strengthen these core muscles?  You will have to check back and read my next post where we will talk about some of the best exercises to strengthen the core.  See you then!

Health In the Workplace

According to the BBC's website, a study performed in 2008 found that the most common reason for a missed day of work was musculoskeletal pain, followed by minor illness, and stress related illness.  Every year businesses lose a ton of money due to absent workers.  Is this your company?  If this sounds like your company or employees rest assured there are things that you can do to prevent these injuries and illnesses. 

The first thing you can do is create a better ergonomic environment for your employees.  A big trigger for neck pain and/or headaches is sitting at a desk all day.  The muscles in the front of your neck are responsible for bringing your head into a forward flexed position.  This is an important thing to understand but what is more important to know is that the back of your neck muscles must constantly contract to hold your head in that position.  So, when you are looking down to type, to write and fill out reports, and to read all of the faxed memos, your neck muscles are in a constant state of contraction to hold your head in place.  Now picture your employee answering the phone and multitasking.  What is the position that most people put their neck in?  They tilt their head to the side and pin the phone between their cheek and their shoulder.  This causes them to put their neck into the position of being forward flexed, laterally bent, and slightly rotated while they try to talk on the phone as well as type on their computer.  It is no wonder we come home with bad headaches and tons of stress in our shoulder and neck.

So how do we help this?  What do we do to prevent these injuries?  It all has to do with what stresses we put on our neck and how to avoid putting those stresses on our neck.  First of all, buy a headset for the phone.  This is a simple and cost effective way to prevent some of our neck injuries.  This will allow the employee to multitask while on the phone without injuring themselves.  Secondly, raise the computer screen to eye level.  In doing this, when you type and read all your e-mails, it will prevent you from having to be in a forward flexed position for long periods of time.  This helps to prevent the muscle fatigue that leads to neck pain.  Lastly, plan a five minute break to be taken every hour.  I know this seems like a lot of wasted work time and you may be correct, however, the sick days you will save by giving your employees time to change positions and de-stress, will more than make up for the few minutes every hour you will lose.  By providing a time period that your employees can take to get away from the stresses of work, you will see an increase in production.

I know this sounds simple and it is, but it really does work.  The happier your employees are the healthier and more productive they will be.  This will make you happier in the long run.  What will also make you happier is the money you will save by implementing these simple things into the workplace.  The happier the boss is, the happier the employees will be!

If you would like more tips on how to improve your workplace please check back in the future as I will post more information on things to implement to improve your workplace environment.  If you are interested in implementing a wellness program at your office, please contact me directly to set that up.