4 Ways to Prevent an All-Too-Common Condition
By Kevin Wong, DC
www.toyourhealth.com
When was the last time you or someone you know suffered an episode of back pain? Chances are it wasn't that long ago. It might have forced you to miss work, take painkillers, anti-inflammatories or other medication, or just deal with the pain longer than you wanted to. Wouldn't it be wonderful to do some simple things to try and prevent back pain from happening in the first place? Here are a few easy ones to get you started.
In the new millennium, the health care pendulum has swung from treating symptoms toward prevention. It is a way of thinking that is analogous to going to the dentist for your six-month check-up or taking your car in for regularly scheduled maintenance - you avoid problems before they start, rather than waiting for something to happen and then "dealing with it." By that time, your car may be in the junk yard and you may be relegated to long-term medication or even surgery.
Back pain is the perfect example of a symptom too many people treat instead of preventing, and the consequences are staggering. It is the most frequent cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old. Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months and 7.6 percent reported at least one episode of severe acute low back pain within a one-year period. Low back pain is also very costly: Approximately 5 percent of people with back pain disability account for 75 percent of the costs associated with low back pain. Americans spend at least $50 billion per year on back pain - and that's just what gets reported.
With all that said, how are you going to prevent back pain? Here are four things you can start doing today to reduce your risk of suffering back pain and its costly (physically, emotionally and financially) consequences Read More
1. Get Adjusted by Your Chiropractor
Your muscles, bones and ligaments are stressed continuously by normal daily activities: driving, sitting at the computer, lifting your kids, doing exercise and countless other things. These little stresses add up over time and misalign the joints of your spine, arms and legs. The misalignments can then lead to muscle tightness, spasms, joint stiffness and pain. Although chiropractors commonly see patients who are in pain, getting spinal tune-ups when you are feeling "fine" will keep you feeling fine. Adjustments will put the bones and joints into healthier positions, which will also help muscle tone.
Generally, if you get adjusted while you're in pain, it will take longer to heal, whereas if you get regular or maintenance adjustments, you can avoid terrible episodes of pain before they even start. That's because keeping the spinal and extremity joints in good alignment will help your nervous system and immune systems function at their best. Even when you think you are feeling good, chiropractors can make sure you stay that way.
2. Practice Proper Ergonomics
Think safety: When you make your everyday activities safe to perform, it will help reduce the undue stress on your body.
This includes having your computer work stations at home and at your office set up properly for your body. Generally speaking, the keyboard height should be the same height as when your arms are comfortably at your side with the elbows bent. The mouse should also be close to your dominant wrist while your arms are at your sides.
Avoid poor posture: Whenever you sit, it is safest to sit on a full-back chair with plenty of support. Crossing the ankles is fine, but do not cross your legs. This puts tremendous pressure on the lower back, contributing to back pain. Also, if you are experiencing low back pain, it's a good idea not to sit on the couch or sofa, since they are typically too soft and unsupportive for the low back.
Lift properly: When lifting items, use the legs and the trunk of the body rather than the arms. Always bring objects closer to your abdomen or chest, as that is the center of gravity and support for most people. Try to avoid bending the back while you lift.
Sleep well: The most supportive position for the body during sleep is on your back with a pillow under your knees. The next best position is on your side with a pillow between your knees and your head on a pillow that is thick enough to span the distance of your neck to the shoulders. A neck pillow that is too thin will kink the neck and could lead to neck and upper back pain down the road.
3. Exercise Regularly
We all know how important it is to participate in some type of regular exercise. Some of you already do that. Whether it be walking, playing sports or going to the gym, make sure you set up a program that keeps you consistent. Exercise helps the human body in so many ways, but one of the most important aspects involves stretching and strengthening of your back muscles. Often these muscles are referred to as core muscles of the body because they are located very close to the spine.
The core muscles help move and protect your spine when it is stressed or strained. By keeping them flexible and toned, you prevent pain and injuries from happening. When you are developing an exercise plan, talk to your doctor for ideas on what areas of the body you should specifically focus on to get maximum results, both in terms of overall fitness and protecting the back from injury.
4. Avoid Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits
Stress. Emotional stress can cause muscle tension, which can lead to back pain (it also can lead to heart problems, chemical imbalances, an inability to sleep and a host of other bad things).
It's always hard to maintain balance in your life between work, family and play, but it goes a long way toward helping your emotional stress.
Reducing stress can be as simple as scheduling some quiet time to be alone, doing yoga or meditation, taking a bath or just sitting and doing breathing exercises. Whatever activity you find relaxing or energizing, take time to do it. Down time allows you to unplug from the world and get grounded. It also allows your body to reset itself so you can deal with the next crisis or problem that's sure to arise.
Poor nutrition. Watching what you eat is another important factor to consider, because excess weight literally "weighs you down," which can contribute to back pain. Quite simply, losing excess weight in a healthy manner will take pressure off your lower back and reduce stress on the vertebrae.
It is truly amazing that our society is now making an active transition from listening to symptoms or pain to preventative health care. Now is the time for you to be able to take a more active role in deciding how your future health will play out. Armed with the tips discussed above, you can make changes now that will help your back and your overall well-being for years to come. The power of health is in your hands.
________________________________________
The Back Pain Epidemic
Back pain has become an epidemic in our modern society - up to 85 percent of all people will experience back pain at some time in their life, and it is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States. According to the statistics, if you're in a room with three other people, one of you has suffered low back pain for an entire day or more in the previous three months and only one of you (if they're lucky) will avoid suffering back pain at some point in their lifetime.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Healthy Eating on the Go
Strategies for ensuring balanced nutrition in a fast-food, processed world.
By Sara Tiner
www.toyourhealth.com
We all know eating right can help us stay healthy and live longer. But it's been a busy day. You're beat. How can you get a healthy dinner on the table fast? You could hit the drive-thru and pick up food for the whole family, or stop by the grocery store for a frozen pizza or a prepackaged dinner. Sure, these might be the fastest options, but are they the healthiest? It may depend on what you choose and how often you choose it. Believe it or not, you can eat a balanced, healthy diet even when you're on the go - if you're willing to make your health a priority.
Unhealthy Choices
We all know unhealthy food generally contains a lot of added fat, sodium (salt), sugar, or chemicals. It's also tasty, cheap, and easy to get. In fact it's everywhere: at eye level in the supermarket, right around the corner, and even delivered piping hot to your door. The processed food industry knows we're busy and need convenient food options, and that these foods can be great in a pinch. Unfortunately, as we get busier, these products show up more frequently in our diet. Because processed food often contains a lot of unhealthy ingredients, we can end up eating in an unhealthy way.
One example of this is fast food. These restaurants specialize in inexpensive food that can be pretty unhealthy if we eat it too often. For example, a standard McDonald's Big Mac value meal (burger, fries, and a soft drink) is a whopping 1,130 calories, all for under $5. With a diet soda, the total dips a bit, but only to 920 calories. Either way, in one meal, we're eating about half our recommended daily calorie intake.
Additionally, serving size has increased dramatically over the years. Today's average cheeseburger is roughly 230 calories larger than a cheeseburger made 20 years ago. Because we're also more sedentary than our predecessors, these added calories are a big factor in our growing waistlines.
Fast food isn't the only culprit, though. Processed food manufacturers have muddied the waters by making health claims for a single item in their product, such as saying it contains all the calcium or fiber you'll need for the day. However, a product with one enhanced nutrient is often not as healthy as less processed, more balanced alternatives. In fact, the benefit we get from eating these types of processed foods (with that single beneficial ingredient) may be diluted by all the other ingredients that aren't healthy.
Making Health a Priority
Making healthy food choices is a compromise between our busy lifestyles and our health. We can do it if we make small but meaningful changes in the foods we select. These targeted changes can improve our overall nutrition without a huge cost in time or money.
Truly healthy options do exist, and some of them are convenient, but we may need to develop a new set of taste buds (or retrain the old ones) in order to enjoy them.
Take white bread for example. It starts off as whole grains but has many of its original (healthy) parts removed to make it white and soft. Then the bread is chemically enriched with just a few vitamins and minerals. Confusing, right? Why not skip the rigmarole and choose whole-wheat bread? It will feed your body with whole nutrition, which is just what your body needs. Other whole foods, like peaches or nuts, will be better fuel for your body than a processed snack.
What Can You Do?
• Check your supermarket for a salad bar. If you're running in for a frozen pizza, you can put together a salad so you don't fill up on pizza. If the salad bar is too expensive, a cheaper option may be to grab a bag of prewashed spinach for a simple salad.
• If you love ice cream, think of picking up frozen yogurt or sorbet instead. The latter choices generally have less calories and fat, and some may have less sugar, too.
Healthy Substitutions: Eat This, Not That
• At the drive-thru, stay away from value meals. You can save a lot of calories and improve your health by replacing a high-fat, high-sodium food like French fries with the carrot sticks you have with you, or another side, like apple slices. Also, think about choosing water instead of a soda. It will save you calories and it might save you money.
At home, eating healthy is easier if unhealthy foods aren't available. So instead of chips, think about adding a dash of sea salt to your cucumbers. It's a great way to soothe a salty/crunchy craving instead of breaking out the chips. If you're craving something sweet, try munching on some berries instead of a cookie.
Planning Ahead
Everyone has a day or week that suddenly fills up, but we often know when we'll be particularly busy at least a little bit beforehand. Plan ahead for when you know making a time-intensive meal won't be an option. You could make an extra batch soup or chili and freeze it. If you have a block of time, think about preparing fruits or vegetables and storing them in handy containers. Then when you're rushing to prepare a snack or dinner, the hard part will already be done. Also consider investing in a rice cooker, a vegetable steamer or a slow cooker. These kitchen tools can take over while you're busy doing something else.
Another way to fill the nutritional gaps in your daily diet is to take supplements. Whole-food multivitamins or nutrient replacements, like fish oil or calcium, can help you reach your health goals.
Some supplements are specifically designed for adults, children, men or women. Different people need different types of support, so check with your health care professional to see what will work best for you and your family.
Finally, one very important change you can make is to pack your child's lunch. Teaching healthy eating patterns sets children on a lifetime path of nutritional health. Prepared food producers know this; it's why they often target young children - to get them hooked for a lifetime. Also, while school lunch programs are incredibly important in meeting the needs of many children, they may not offer good meal choices. Making your child's lunch (and your own, while you're at it) does require more time and planning, but as it becomes a habit the benefit will outweigh your time spent. Aim for a balanced lunch of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Your child may not go for all those options at first, but every little bit helps, and you'll be planting seeds for their future good health.
Every Little Bit Helps
Eating healthy is not always easy. Healthy options can be hard to find, hard to finance and hard to introduce into your family's diet. Trying to make healthy changes can seem overwhelming. The key point to remember is that every little bit helps. If you can't eliminate convenience food, make healthier choices in where and what type of food you eat (for example, baked vs. fried). Making gradual changes will give you time to develop new tastes and help you better understand what choices work best for your family. When you invest time now, you'll soon start to notice huge rewards.
________________________________________
Shopping Solutions
At the supermarket, remember to:
• Stop by the salad bar to throw together a quick salad.
• Buy some pre-cut fruit or vegetables for lunch and snack time.
• Pick up frozen fruit to have on hand for cereal or smoothies.
• Skip the chips and buy a variety of nuts to crunch on.
• Put the ice cream back and choose frozen yogurt, sorbet, or a fruit smoothie as a treat.
• Avoid trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils (found in things like restaurant foods, snack foods, vegetableshortening, and most crackers).
• Avoid high-fructose corn syrup (found in some sodas, juice drinks, condiments, and many other processed foods).
By Sara Tiner
www.toyourhealth.com
We all know eating right can help us stay healthy and live longer. But it's been a busy day. You're beat. How can you get a healthy dinner on the table fast? You could hit the drive-thru and pick up food for the whole family, or stop by the grocery store for a frozen pizza or a prepackaged dinner. Sure, these might be the fastest options, but are they the healthiest? It may depend on what you choose and how often you choose it. Believe it or not, you can eat a balanced, healthy diet even when you're on the go - if you're willing to make your health a priority.
Unhealthy Choices
We all know unhealthy food generally contains a lot of added fat, sodium (salt), sugar, or chemicals. It's also tasty, cheap, and easy to get. In fact it's everywhere: at eye level in the supermarket, right around the corner, and even delivered piping hot to your door. The processed food industry knows we're busy and need convenient food options, and that these foods can be great in a pinch. Unfortunately, as we get busier, these products show up more frequently in our diet. Because processed food often contains a lot of unhealthy ingredients, we can end up eating in an unhealthy way.
One example of this is fast food. These restaurants specialize in inexpensive food that can be pretty unhealthy if we eat it too often. For example, a standard McDonald's Big Mac value meal (burger, fries, and a soft drink) is a whopping 1,130 calories, all for under $5. With a diet soda, the total dips a bit, but only to 920 calories. Either way, in one meal, we're eating about half our recommended daily calorie intake.
Additionally, serving size has increased dramatically over the years. Today's average cheeseburger is roughly 230 calories larger than a cheeseburger made 20 years ago. Because we're also more sedentary than our predecessors, these added calories are a big factor in our growing waistlines.
Fast food isn't the only culprit, though. Processed food manufacturers have muddied the waters by making health claims for a single item in their product, such as saying it contains all the calcium or fiber you'll need for the day. However, a product with one enhanced nutrient is often not as healthy as less processed, more balanced alternatives. In fact, the benefit we get from eating these types of processed foods (with that single beneficial ingredient) may be diluted by all the other ingredients that aren't healthy.
Making Health a Priority
Making healthy food choices is a compromise between our busy lifestyles and our health. We can do it if we make small but meaningful changes in the foods we select. These targeted changes can improve our overall nutrition without a huge cost in time or money.
Truly healthy options do exist, and some of them are convenient, but we may need to develop a new set of taste buds (or retrain the old ones) in order to enjoy them.
Take white bread for example. It starts off as whole grains but has many of its original (healthy) parts removed to make it white and soft. Then the bread is chemically enriched with just a few vitamins and minerals. Confusing, right? Why not skip the rigmarole and choose whole-wheat bread? It will feed your body with whole nutrition, which is just what your body needs. Other whole foods, like peaches or nuts, will be better fuel for your body than a processed snack.
What Can You Do?
• Check your supermarket for a salad bar. If you're running in for a frozen pizza, you can put together a salad so you don't fill up on pizza. If the salad bar is too expensive, a cheaper option may be to grab a bag of prewashed spinach for a simple salad.
• If you love ice cream, think of picking up frozen yogurt or sorbet instead. The latter choices generally have less calories and fat, and some may have less sugar, too.
Healthy Substitutions: Eat This, Not That
• At the drive-thru, stay away from value meals. You can save a lot of calories and improve your health by replacing a high-fat, high-sodium food like French fries with the carrot sticks you have with you, or another side, like apple slices. Also, think about choosing water instead of a soda. It will save you calories and it might save you money.
At home, eating healthy is easier if unhealthy foods aren't available. So instead of chips, think about adding a dash of sea salt to your cucumbers. It's a great way to soothe a salty/crunchy craving instead of breaking out the chips. If you're craving something sweet, try munching on some berries instead of a cookie.
Planning Ahead
Everyone has a day or week that suddenly fills up, but we often know when we'll be particularly busy at least a little bit beforehand. Plan ahead for when you know making a time-intensive meal won't be an option. You could make an extra batch soup or chili and freeze it. If you have a block of time, think about preparing fruits or vegetables and storing them in handy containers. Then when you're rushing to prepare a snack or dinner, the hard part will already be done. Also consider investing in a rice cooker, a vegetable steamer or a slow cooker. These kitchen tools can take over while you're busy doing something else.
Another way to fill the nutritional gaps in your daily diet is to take supplements. Whole-food multivitamins or nutrient replacements, like fish oil or calcium, can help you reach your health goals.
Some supplements are specifically designed for adults, children, men or women. Different people need different types of support, so check with your health care professional to see what will work best for you and your family.
Finally, one very important change you can make is to pack your child's lunch. Teaching healthy eating patterns sets children on a lifetime path of nutritional health. Prepared food producers know this; it's why they often target young children - to get them hooked for a lifetime. Also, while school lunch programs are incredibly important in meeting the needs of many children, they may not offer good meal choices. Making your child's lunch (and your own, while you're at it) does require more time and planning, but as it becomes a habit the benefit will outweigh your time spent. Aim for a balanced lunch of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Your child may not go for all those options at first, but every little bit helps, and you'll be planting seeds for their future good health.
Every Little Bit Helps
Eating healthy is not always easy. Healthy options can be hard to find, hard to finance and hard to introduce into your family's diet. Trying to make healthy changes can seem overwhelming. The key point to remember is that every little bit helps. If you can't eliminate convenience food, make healthier choices in where and what type of food you eat (for example, baked vs. fried). Making gradual changes will give you time to develop new tastes and help you better understand what choices work best for your family. When you invest time now, you'll soon start to notice huge rewards.
________________________________________
Shopping Solutions
At the supermarket, remember to:
• Stop by the salad bar to throw together a quick salad.
• Buy some pre-cut fruit or vegetables for lunch and snack time.
• Pick up frozen fruit to have on hand for cereal or smoothies.
• Skip the chips and buy a variety of nuts to crunch on.
• Put the ice cream back and choose frozen yogurt, sorbet, or a fruit smoothie as a treat.
• Avoid trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils (found in things like restaurant foods, snack foods, vegetableshortening, and most crackers).
• Avoid high-fructose corn syrup (found in some sodas, juice drinks, condiments, and many other processed foods).
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