Bad Posture, Big Problem

As a continuation on our "Sitting, A Cause For Disease" article, read this interesting article Posted by PHS Chiropractic


Bad Posture, Big Problem
posted by PHS Chiropractic on Friday, January 09, 2015

Lifted 60 pounds lately? As a matter of fact, most of us do on a daily basis, thanks to the ubiquitous use of smartphones and other devices. When we lean over these phones, we can put up to 60 pounds of stress on our spines, causing bad posture and long-lasting pain, according to this recent article by National Public Radio. But chiropractors can support a growing number of "text-neck" patients using the Cervical Relief Pillow to gently restore proper cervical curvature and balance the effects of smartphone overuse.

"Tech-neck," the posture formed by leaning over a cellphone while reading and texting, is a big problem, according to the author of a newly published study in the National Library of Medicine.

Kenneth K. Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, says the bad posture can put up to 60 pounds of pressure on the upper spine — sometimes for several hours a day, depending on how often people look at their devices.

"It is an epidemic or, at least, it's a very common," Hansraj told The Washington Post. "Just look around you — everyone has their heads down."

An adult's head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds. According to Hansraj's research, which will be published next month in Surgical Technology International, tilting the head forward just 15 degrees can increase the force on the cervical spine to 27 pounds. And at 60 degrees — the common texting posture seen on sidewalks, metros and office hallways everywhere — the stress on the spine can hit 60 pounds, thanks to the forces of gravity.

"People spend an average of two to four hours a day with their heads tilted over reading and texting on their smartphones and devices. Cumulatively this is 700 to 1,400 hours a year of excess stresses seen about the cervical spine," Hansraj's study reads.

And a high school student, according to the research, could spend 5,000 more hours hunched over this way.

"These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possible surgeries," Hansraj writes.

While it is nearly impossible to avoid technology, Hansraj says in the study that people should make an effort to look at their phones with a "neutral spine," sending their eyes downward, not their heads.

Proper upper spine posture, he says, is generally defined as aligning the ears with the shoulders while keeping the shoulder blades pulled back.

For more information call D'Ann Lawson and Kevin Fisher at (805) 963-3439



Source: http://www.phschiropractic.com/learn/blog/bad-posture-big-problem.aspx

Female Triathletes at Risk For Pelvic Floor Disorders

        

      Research is showing that female triathletes are presenting more and more problems with pelvic floor disorders and other complications. Though this article doesn't provide information on what exactly is contributing to this problem (for example is it age, nutrition, or genetics), it does show that there is an increasing number of female triathletes with like symptoms. As a result, this is an article that all women should read, and something that all women should be aware of.

 Female Triathletes at Risk For Pelvic Floor Disorders

The Truth About "Light" and "Sugarfree" Items

                                               Well here goes the good old media again!
      While the number of overweight and obese Americans continues to rise so do the numbers of "Fat Free" "Light" and "Sugar Free" items. When looking for "healthier" food options there are many different routes people take; however, a common one is to try to switch your regular food items to the "Light" or "Fat/Sugar Free" options. This is where the media and marketing people fool us! What many people don't know is that both fat and sugar are used in many food products to aid in a couple different things, but mainly shelf life and most of all taste. If a food company takes one of those items out of the recipe then the food is going to decrease dramaically in the areas listed above. As a result of this they tend to add more of the other item. For example, many fat free cookies contain nearly twice the amount of sugar as regular cookies, and same goes the other way, many sugar free cookies have almost twice the fat as a regular cookie. So instead of helping people lose weight, many of these items are actually contributing to weight gain and all the chronic diseases that go along with it. Bottom line, NEVER TRUST THE FRONT OF THE PACKAGE! Always read the nutrition label on the back and compare different items before choosing one.


Fun Fact: Did you know food companies can list anything on their box as long as it is a true fact? For example: on a Cheerios box it may say "You can lower your cholesterol in 30 days!". Well yes this is true. Almost anyone can lower their cholesterol in 30 days; however, it is not because you are eating Cheerios! Cholesterol only comes from animal products. This is a good fact to remember when looking at foods that use the marketing phrase "low cholesterol" or "cholesterol free". If you go to a store and find items that say the things listed above, most likely they aren't even animal products so DUH they don't contain cholesterol! This is just a marketing tool to sucker us buyers into purchasing products. Even if we don't realize it, our minds see the words "free" and "low" on food labels and immediately think "healthier". Don't let them get you! Read the nutrition labels!



Source: Samin Moham, Cottage Hospital RD

Planks

              

              Want to get stronger, but don't have much time? Planks are the exercises for you!

 Now no one exercise will get you a rock hard body, especially not in 15 minutes or less (contrary to what the infomercials might tell you). However, if you want to do a good workout in a hurry you should try doing variations of different plank exercises. Planks are an amazing exercise to get your whole body engaged. They not only work the abdominal muscles, but also help build shoulder strength, and leg strength. Do a few of these exercises mixed with a little cardio work, and you've got yourself as good of a quick full body workout as you can get! Of course, like any exercise, these need to be done properly in order to be effective. Below is a picture of proper form for a forearm plank. A forearm plank is a good starting point for your plank endeavors!

Source: www.livestrong.com. "Do Plank Exercises Really Develop Abs?"

On Fasting and the Power of Information

There is a long-standing notion that a ‘normal’ diet consists of three square meals a day, often with snacking in between. If you aren’t a ‘breakfast person’, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of some well-intentioned but factually-lacking advice to change your ways to fit that standard.

In reality, there are a variety of dietary strategies to go along with the variety of goals one can have for their body. One example is ‘intermittent fasting’, which has experienced a recent boost of interest and attention in the fitness world. Intermittent fasting is pretty much exactly what the name suggests, integrating periods of 14-18 hour fasting into your weekly dietary routine (and there are so many variations you can do within this framework!). In this strategy it is just as much about what you do eat as what you don’t eat, and depending on your goals what you eat when you aren’t fasting will vary. It is not a diet to try inconsistently or just on a whim, but when applied intelligently there is a lot of data to support its validity as a tool on your fitness journey.

This blog is not intended to convince anyone to try intermittent fasting, or to cut meals out of their day. It is merely to remind us that nutrition is not one-size-fits-all and that just because someone doesn’t eat like you doesn’t mean that they are unhealthy. Ultimately the important thing is to evaluate your goals and do your own research to find the approach that will work for you.

For more information on intermittent fasting, check out these articles:

On Minifasting

The importance of research

For beginners

Sitting, A Cause for Disease?

       

        We are constantly hearing that we need to be more active as a society and that we spend too much time sitting down or being sedentary. To a lot of people I think this sounds a lot like when you're mom told you that you shouldn't eat too much Halloween candy; and what was your response to her "but why?" Well the reason you should be less sedentary is the same reason you shouldn't have eaten too much Halloween candy, IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK! Recent studies have shown through 47 different investigations that a greater amount of sedentary time results in greater risk of all diseases; especially cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Good news is that participants who had the same amount of sedentary time as the other participants, but also regularly moved around, proved to have a lower risk level. So whats moral of the story? Your mom was right! And so is the idea that we all need to get up and moving more! If you need some help doing that join our gym Fisher Strength and Health! We have personal trainers we can refer you to in order to help get you started, and great exercise classes for all levels! Start getting healthier today!

Call us today!
(805) 963-3439



Source; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/. Dr. Cindy Haines. January 20th, 2015.

Cold Laser Therapy

        

         Have aches and pains that won't go away? Have an injury that just won't seem to heal? Well we have cold laser therapy!
         Cold laser therapy utilizes different wavelengths of light to deep heat tissue and help to accelerate the healing process. This type of therapy has been successfully used to treat many different conditions including (but not limited to):
        -Acute and Chronic Pain
        -Bursitits
        -Tendonitis
        -Muscle Strain
        -Ligament Sprain
        -Back Pain
        -Soft Tissue Injuries
       We have also had much success with this therapy in our own office. Many patients have reported feeling better with as little as one laser treatment, and other chronic pain injuries have felt significantly better with as little as three treatments! This therapy is non-invasive and pain free! Call us today if you to want to try it out!

Lawson and Fisher Chiropractic (805) 963-3439



Source: www.coldlasers.org. "What Is Cold Laser Therapy".