From the monthly archives: "April 2012"

The Evolution of Health Science

By On · Add Comment · In American Cancer Society, cancer prevention, exercise, healthy diet, healthy lifestyle behaviors, medical science, self-healing, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, vitamin supplements

Happy that medical science is entering the new age; a little slowly perhaps, but I can appreciate the evolution. New recommendations from the American Cancer Society stress healthy lifestyle behaviors, not just as a preventative  to cancer, but also as a way to boost survival for those that currently have cancer. Bravo, ACS—welcome to the amazing world of human self-healing.

Because medical science believes strongly in evidence, yet prefers to follow the money when choosing which evidence to gather, it can take a little while to uncover what some in the healing professions (we charlatans) have known for decades through simple observation. But I’m a scientist at heart, so I appreciate. Check it:

According to the Powers That Be, healthy lifestyle behaviors—like the ones I discuss in detail in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health—could keep cancer from recurring, or can prevent cancer survivors from getting a new type of cancer. Yes! So healthy diet, exercise, and keeping the weight under control go a long way in enhancing and preserving health. Nice…

About 1 in 25 Americans are cancer survivors, according to Colleen Doyle, the cancer society’s director of nutrition and physical activity. Although earlier research showed healthy lifestyle behaviors to prevent cancer, no studies had looked at the benefits for current cancer patients or survivors. And remember: no evidence, no medical acknowledgement…sometimes even ridicule and accusations of quackery. But well that’s early hominid thinking, and the times they are a-changing.

“The last time we published recommendations for survivors in 2006, we didn’t feel there was enough evidence to say clearly that watching your weight, being active and eating a healthy diet can reduce risk of recurrence,” said Doyle, a co-author of the guidelines. “Since that time, 100 studies have looked at the impact of weight, diet or a combination of those things, and those studies have clearly formed a foundation for us being able to make these very solid recommendations that adopting a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important things cancer survivors can do for themselves.”

That’s wonderful…don’t you just love seeing natural selection right up close and personal?

But the guidelines still warn of supplementation. Say the elders of the tribe:

De-Evolution Anyone?

No evidence shows that supplements benefit cancer survivors, and there is some evidence that certain supplements may cause harm.

Well, they can’t get it all right too soon…that wouldn’t follow the principles of evolution being a time process. Let’s face it, though: the silly studies currently done on vitamin supplementation try to answer questions from a pharmaceutical frame of reference, like how vitamins might cure disease.

But the principles of self-healing to those of disease-curing are like comparing apples to colostomy bags—both edible but really depends on one’s tastes.

Applause to the machine, nonetheless; healthy behaviors do very much more than prevent disease—they give life. An incredibly profound concept that medical science has yet to grasp…let alone study.

Mad Cow Disease in California

By On · Add Comment · In bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), California, mad cow's disease, meat and bone meal (MBM), new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD or nvCJD), prions, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Prick up your ears, folks–a case of mad cow disease has been found in a dairy cow in California yesterday. Although authorities have stated that there is nothing to fear since no part of the cow entered the food chain (nor is the agent responsible for the disease transmissible through cow’s milk), this could have a major impact on beef exporters, as previous cases in the United States, Canada, Israel, Europe and Japan have caused disruptions to the global food trade worth billions of dollars.

According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, this is the fourth-ever case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), otherwise known as mad cow disease–a disease fatal to cows and which can cause a deadly human brain disease in people who eat tainted meat–to be reported in the U.S. The last U.S. case of mad cow was in 2006, and the first in 2003 led to a $3 billion backlash against American beef exports. That episode led to a South Korean boycott of U.S. beef for the next five years. Mexico, South Korea and Japan are among the main export markets for U.S. Beef, with S. Korea alone importing107,000 tonnes of US beef last year, 37% of total imports of the meat, according to the agriculture ministry.

Experts claim that this case is atypical in that the infected cow contracted  the disease spontaneously, and not through the feed supply. Past cases are thought to have developed through the mixing of remains of other cattle in the form of meat and bone meal (MBM), which caused the infectious agent–prions–to spread.

In humans, the disease is contracted by eating the contaminated parts of an infected cow. The disease causing agent–a protein known as a prion–is lethal to neurological tissue. As it kills the nerve cells (neurons), empty spaces develop in the brain, causing a sponge-like appearance, and thus the name bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). However, this is the name of the disease in cows. In humans it’s known as new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD or nvCJD), and it does cause the same neuro-degeneration and eventually death.

One real challenge of mad cow disease is that there is a long incubation time. Thus, cattle can become infected long before they show signs of the disease. This makes it easier for infected meat to enter the human food supply. Although the disease is contactable from eating muscle tissue–the typical beef products consumed in the U.S.–it is in higher concentration in nervous tissue such as the brain and spinal cord, as well as the digestive system, which are consumed more often in some other cultures.

This recent case is not thought to be a danger to humans as the USDA has assured the public that it has been contained. Some unknowns about the current case is whether the animal died of the disease and whether other cattle in its herd are similarly infected. The infected cow was identified through an Agriculture Department surveillance program that tests about 40,000 cows a year for the fatal brain disease. The name of the dairy where the cow died hasn’t been released, and officials haven’t said where the cow was born.

So it looks, for now, that the U.S. surveillance system for food safety has worked this time. Bravo to that! I don’t suggest getting alarmed, although if you are worried you can avoid eating beef for the time being. We should know more over the next couple of days, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

*Great fact sheet on mad cow disease here.

Phew! Starbucks to Stop Using Crushed Beetles

By On · Add Comment · In artificial drinks, cochineal beetles, ovo-lacto vegetarian, Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino, vegan

Don’t you just love a good Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino? Mmm…delicious strawberry coloring and taste, the crushed beetles are so authentic. Crushed beetles? Yes–I mean how did you think they manufactured that pink strawberry-like coloring? Oh…ha ha ha…you thought fresh strawberries? Oh heavens, and did you think Chicken McNuggets were chicken?…

Well it looks like hordes of non-discerning consumers–oddly many vegans–are upset that Starbucks uses crushed-up beetles to make their unusually pink drinks pink. I guess being vegetarian doesn’t require any complex understanding of food–you know, like the natural coloring of fruit is not maintained once its structure is disrupted (it’s kind of observational…apple turns brown when you bite it…). Consequently, they gotta use something artificial to make artificial drinks.

“Natural” Cochineal Beetles

Soooo….since Starbucks relies so heavily on its non-discriminating customers, and it wouldn’t think of continuing to offend such pure dietary champions as its vegetarian base, it has decided to stop its practice of using crushed up cochineal beetles. Bravo! Now they can use chemicals like everybody else!

And Starbucks’ vegan customers can continue to fool themselves into believing that they are actually drinking strawberries–yay! Ha ha ha…human folly.

Bedbug Infestation at the Office?

By On · Add Comment · In bedbugs, German shepherds, infestations, pest control centers

When it comes to bedbugs, “I gave at the office,” has a lot more meaning. That’s because recent reports tell of the little blood-suckers invading our workplaces. Yikes! Call in the German shepherds!

German shepherds?! Achtung baby…that’s precisely what they’re using in Tennessee: bedbug-sniffing German shepherds. Their findings? A 2011 a survey of U.S. pest control centers found that 38% had responded to infestations at office buildings–up from 17% the year before. Ewwww…. And treatments at schools and day-care centers rose to 36% from 10%, with visits to hospitals jumping from 12% of their jobs to almost one-third. Please get this: Hospitals are now some of pest control centers’ best clients.

For those that don’t know, bedbugs are fairly benign blood suckers–that is, they bite people, leaving welts itching and swelling. But they do not carry disease like some other insects. Saying that, they are more than just a little annoying as they can do a number on the poor victim.

In Tennessee, where it was uncertain as to what was causing mince-meat out of office workers, the special-unit canines, trained to sniff out bedbugs, were brought in and the verdict was conclusive: Bona fide Yecccccchhhh!

So here’s the take home as far as I’m concerned: You can get bitten by bedbugs at home. You can get bitten by bedbugs at the office. Your kid can get bitten by bedbugs at school. And even your local hospital ain’t safe. So if you wake up looking like you’ve got the chicken pox, and you’ve already had them: call the exterminator. Or try one of these natural remedies. Remember not to try doing the exterminating on your own, or you might poison yourself and your family–not worth it.

And if you need a bedbug-sniffing German shepherd to confirm your suspicions…well by golly git one. Oh…and just know that bedbugs love sucking on animals too, so hopefully Schultz doesn’t bring any into the house nestled in his coat. Well, that’s all–itch away.

Los Angeles Chiropractic: High Lunges Stretches for Upper Hamstring

By On · Add Comment · In hamstring stretches, hamstring tear, ischial tubes, pulled hamstring, yoga

The hamstrings are important players in low back and pelvic biomechanics. I have shown you a great beginners stretch to start opening these fun muscles (lots of people do not like stretching the hamstrings…I wonder why???), and now I would love to demonstrate a more advanced stretch.

The hamstrings, remember, are attached to the ischial tubes of the pelvis, which is essentially the “sit bones” as discussed in many yoga classes. So when stretching the hamstrings in the beginners stretch, most people feel it in the back of the knees, or the insertion point for the muscles. That’s good–it starts there. As you begin to open and are able to get deeper into the stretch, you will likely then feel it into the belly of the muscle, or the center of the hamstrings at the back of the thigh. Also good.

In the advanced high lunge stretch that I demonstrate in the video, you will feel it more in the origin of the muscle or up into the sit bones. Essentially you will feel it strongly at the point where the hamstrings meet the buttocks. I must reiterate: THIS IS AN ADVANCED STRETCH, so please go slowly. Don’t force anything. If you strain, pull or tear a hamstring, you will feel it for a long time. I tore my hamstring in 1999 and it took many years to get back to normal. Just be careful.

In the video I demonstrate the three different levels of the stretch–each one increasing in difficulty. Because of the depth of the stretch, you will also find this to be a great strengthening exercise for the buttock and the hamstring. If you hold the stretch for thirty seconds to a minute, you will be sore the next day.

Watch the video to learn a great hamstring strengthening workout and stretch for the upper hamstrings. Like I said, though, proceed with caution, as this is a little more advanced stretch. If you haven’t stretched your hamstrings much, definitely do not start here–begin with this first hamstring stretch. Otherwise, if you are ready…have fun.

Propecia Kills Baldness AND Libido

By On · Add Comment · In adverse side effects, ejaculation disorders, finasteride, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), libido disorders, orgasm disorders, propecia
Damned if you do, damned if ya don’t. A new report discloses that Propecia, the anti-baldness drug manufactured by Merck & Co, can leave men who take them hanging limp. Now ain’t that a… You grow the hair for the babes, but then ya got nothing left for them when all’s said and done. Dang that “no free-lunch” junk.

According to a report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Propecia, along with another Merck drug, Proscar, used to treat enlarged prostates, share the same chemical compound. Finasteride, which is present in a concentration of 1 milligram per dose of Propecia, and 5 milligrams per dose of Proscar, is said to cause sexual problems in men. “Libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug,” to be exact; and the FDA is now requiring Merck to say that on the drugs’ labels.

Although the FDA says the drug has shown “decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug,”  the labels of both drugs will also carry a description of reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that clears up or improves after the drugs are stopped.

No definitive causal relationship between the drug and the sexual disorders can be made, but a potential problem exists nevertheless. The FDA says the number of men experiencing adverse sexual effects from either drug is very small, so it still believes the drugs are safe to take for their approved uses. It does recommend that patients and their doctors consider the new information on the revised labels when weighing a best treatment option.

Well gents, here you see the dangers inherent in taking any external agent. It’s not that you should live your life scared, but I personally make it my habit to ask my doctor the following questions:

  • How long has the drug been in use?
  • Will I be using the drug for what it was intended, or are you prescribing it for something outside of what it was approved (don’t take this point lightly)?
  • What are the side-effects?
And even then I wouldn’t solely trust his answers. I then go to the internet and look up the drug, and it’s side-effects. Check out what you’d have found if you did this for either drug over the last three years: Finasteride adverse side effects (you could google this or “Propecia adverse side effects“)

Then I would ask myself: Is the risk of developing the side-effect worth the advertised benefit? If it’s no, then I’m not taking it, period. That’s exactly how I’ve approached my decision to not take statins. And I do this with every drug, herb, vaccination, and so on, for both me and my children.

True, we don’t always have all the information, and most consumers trust their doctors to a tee. Bad idea, folks. It’s not that your doctor is a bad person, or irresponsible, or greedy, or anything like that…but they are busy; and this busyness sometimes means that more than a few doctors get their drug information from the drug reps themselves, and well…they are greedy. Sorry, but I’ve got no other way to put it.

Okay, okay, perhaps they themselves don’t know…maybe even the company doesn’t know…just another reason to continue conducting studies on drugs even after they’ve been approved. So says Dr. Anthony D’Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

[It] “points up the usefulness of post-marketing studies on drugs that have been studied, but not for long enough periods to know what can happen when large numbers of people use them and what happens when they are discontinued.”

Exactly. Just some food for thought, peeps.

Salmonella Outbreak: Recall on Yellowfin Tuna

By On · Add Comment · In Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recall, Salmonella Bareilly, salmonella poisoning, sushi, yellowfin tuna

Okay, fish lovers–more sushi news, and not in a good way. Looks like there’s been a recall on tuna, yellowfin to be exact, due to a salmonella outbreak in twenty states linked to the fish. This is a warning to be cautious if you’re out eating sushi over the next few weeks.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 116 illnesses have been reported, including 12 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The tuna was sold to groceries and restaurants by the Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., also known as MMI, and presumably for making sushi, not for individual consumption. The Northern California fish supplier is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna that was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA.

Because the fish was sold to groceries and restaurants, many of the people who became ill reported eating “spicy tuna,” said the FDA. The microorganism was Salmonella Bareilly, a rare salmonella subspecies. The illnesses hasve been reported in the following statesand the District of Columbia:

Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), As Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The FDA warns of a 30-day lag time between when people become sick and when cases are reported to health officials. In other words, there could be more people getting sick. Looks like New York, Wisconsin, and Maryland were hit the hardest, with Illinois not far off. The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be clearly labeled.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

So stay away from the spicy tuna, peeps–nuff said.

Germany Looks to Ban Baby Boob-Jobs

By On · Add Comment · In breast enlargement, cosmetic surgery, Germany, liposuction, minors, plastic surgery, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRAC), The German Society of Plastic
A little common sense coming out of Germany this week (leave it to the Germans), as they call for a ban on cosmetic surgery for minors (under 18-years-old). The bid is coming from a number of political groups that argue, “Even with a proper explanation, it is not guaranteed that the young person is aware of the full implication of the decision” to undergo plastic surgery.The move was pushed by groups dealing with health matters, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, and was welcomed by medical associations.

They want the ban to be wrapped into new patient-protection legislation, preventing youngsters from getting popular breast enlargements and nose jobs. This a little more than a year following the death of a German adult film star on the operating table during her sixth breast augmentation (as reported on this blog).

But The German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRAC) warns that the “sweeping ban” might prevent some young people from getting a necessary intervention. Despite their concern, the DGPRAC basically supports the ban.

Hey, and who wouldn’t? Except for a few brain dead parents that gift their children liposuction and boob-jobs for their sixteenth birthday. Although I am certain that banning plastic surgery for minors will only delay the inevitable for those with low self-esteem, I just don’t believe that kids should have access to these procedures while they are still developing (which incidentally continues until about twenty-five years old).

I know some people think cosmetic surgery for kids is no different than getting them braces, but I disagree. How cutting into and out of people’s bodies is anything like structurally modifying with a brace is ludicrous, and I believe that very soon American Medical authorities will get some sense and ban the butchery for babes. So you might be entitled to your opinion, parents for plastic surgery, but at least in Germany, your kid ain’t gettin’ a boob job until she’s eighteen (and I know even more importantly it will prevent children from getting surgical work done without their parents’ consent).

Greece Might be Model for U.S. Sickcare Future

By On · Add Comment · In concierge medicine, emergency rooms, flu, Greece, healthcare, sickcare, unemployment

Future warnings for America from an unlikely source–Greece, the small and broke European nation–acting as an example of what could happen in the U.S. if  healthcare becomes an entitlement program. It appears that the Southern European country, now in its fifth year of recession, is at risk of its medical system becoming a “privilege” to those that can afford the care.

I have been warning of exactly this possibility happening here in the States, and although to some it may seem far fetched, just watching Greece deal with the collapse of its social system shows a small glimpse of what could happen if things go the way the government, and many people, hope it does.
Over one million people are officially unemployed in Greece. And the once thriving economy, now ravaged by recession and budget cuts, faces a government entitlement health care system that can’t handle the demand.
Previously, most Greeks had turned to private care whenever possible–paying nearly 40 percent of total health costs out of their own pocket–one of the highest rates among developed nations. But today demand is up 20-30%, and the state-run system can’t handle the influx. Many people are also trying to “game the system” by using the ER for routine care instead of making appointments and paying up-front. Think that can’t happen in America?
Despite the overflow, Greek hospitals are trying to keep things in check:

“After recent reforms forced us to take money from people who lack healthcare coverage, more and more patients try to avoid making appointments for lack of cash,” says Meropi Manteou, a lung specialist at Sotiria general hospital in Athens.

“They come in with the flu and try to pass it off as an emergency. We do what we can to help the poorest that come but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to turn a blind eye,” Manteou said.

State hospitals are having to make do with reduced funding, doctor salaries cut by a quarter, a chronic shortage of nurses and overtime pay pending since December. The health ministry say that the budget cuts were necessary to rid a system, originally modeled in the 1980s on Britain’s National Health Service, of decades of wasteful practice.
Sound familiar? It should; it’s exactly what U.S. politicians and pundits are saying about “the broken American healthcare system.” 
But my point is not to make a political statement, because I am neither for nor against the current sickcare system as it is. I have said it repeatedly: We have the best medical system in the world, and it costs money, period. But if you want to avoid what the Greek people are going through right now, it’s simple: Change your ways.
The medical system shouldn’t be used as a run-to for every minor illness. I know the flu sucks, but it ain’t a heart attack. Drink lots of water and get rest, and don’t go to your grandma’s house, or your sister’s with the new born baby. And make sure you drink sufficient water before you get the flu. Then you won’t need a dang emergency room. 

When you rely on the medical system for acne, and blemishes, and the inability to sleep, and hyper-sadness, and hyper-elatedness, and because your back hurts, and because your stomach hurts, yet you don’t really think about your health otherwise…then, yes, we may just tap our already “broken” system. 

And just as the Greeks now may see good medical care become a privilege for those with money, it is happening on another level here in the U.S., with boutique medical services (concierge medicine). So if we get to keep our new socialized sickcare system, be prepared for DMV-like service at your local sick clinic. 
Thank you Greece for showing us what it might be like; and also for the reminder to be careful of what we rely on.

Infected Drugs: Medical Robot’s Hygiene Problem

By On · Add Comment · In Bacillus cereus, da Vinci Surgical System, infectious organisms, medical robots, robotic pharmaceutical dispensers

Ah technology, making life ever so easier. Take drug dispensing for instance: nothing more than a robot needed for this mundane aspect of medical and elderly care. In fact, I am certain that robots will be used in the very near future extensively throughout modern medicine. Heck they already are: from performing surgeries (da Vinci Surgical System most well known) to preparing intravenous medications in a sterile environment, medical robotics is becoming a staple in western medical application. Cool, yes?

But not so fast–it appears that at least one robotic pharmaceutical dispenser had been found to be contaminated with a dangerous bacteria–Bacillus cereus—and although nobody was harmed this time, it does bring to light some areas that need to be addressed before we can put our full trust into robotic arms of the medical industry.

According to a recent report, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center staffers in 2010 found the bacteria in samples of intravenous drugs prepared by robot dispensers, and which were meant to be prepared in a sterile environment. Especially problematic is that B. cereus is a well-known disinfectant-resistant microorganism, and can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections if injected into patients. 

Further investigation traced the contamination to the machine’s washing station and its associated tubing. This washing station is not considered a sterile part of the robot and the manufacturer does not specify a formal cleaning and maintenance procedure, the study authors noted.

The most important take-home lesson in this case–the first ever of it’s kind, say the authors–is for routine screening of robot dispensed drugs, to ensure their sterility. But contamination continues to be a problem in medical settings, and although the industry is doing a good job of improving cleanliness at every corner, it’s just a part of the game: Hospital and other medical settings are breeding grounds for infectious organisms.


I’m all for technology taking its rightful place in modern health care. Technology does make the world more efficient, but it’s not without its challenges. This latest story out of Wake Forest shows us some of the problems we will have to contend with, maybe even taking us a step back in hygienic history. But I feel confident that engineers will work this problem out. We’ve got to know the problems before anything can be improved and perfected. Luckily no one was hurt.

Antidepressants for Every Man, Woman & Child

By On · Add Comment · In antidepressants, children, health care, medical care, National Center for Health Statistics study, Obamacare, psychoactive drugs

I recently posted on some telling “health” statistics in the U.S. It’s so refreshing to know what Americans are really fighting for with regard to health care, because the strong belief of some is that every American has the right to be on as many drugs as their neighbor. For the mass American mentality–that’s health! Awesome.

Americans are fighting for their inalienable right to drug their children. Yes, they are…that’s health, remember? If parents can’t understand their children, and public school officials can’t understand their children, then their good doctors will be there to help. Yes…with anti-depressants. In fact, more children are on psychoactive drugs today than on any other drug ever before in history.

Is it me? Do I just not understand health or health care? Are we blessed–part of the “haves”–if we can get antidepressants for our children? Ohhhhh…maybe I’d better go back to doctor school. I thought health and wellness was something else.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics study published in September 2011, antidepressants were the third most common prescriptiondrugtaken by Americans of all ages in 2005–2008.

And from 1988-1994 through 2005-2008, the rate of antidepressant use in the United States among all ages increased nearly 400%.

Isn’t that awesome? Aren’t we so fortunate here in the U.S.? Hope Obamacare brings antidepressant drugging to every citizen in the nation, especially children. It’s our right to NOT be sad. Yay, Obamacare!!!

Here go some more stats for you:

  • 11% of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication.
  • Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
  • About one-third of persons with severe depressive symptoms take antidepressant medication.
  • More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have taken it for 2 years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for 10 years or more.
  • Less than one-third of Americans taking one antidepressant medication and less than one-half of those taking multiple antidepressants have seen a mental health professional in the past year.

I love these statistics. They show how much healthier we are as a result of the mass antidepressant prescription campaign. Thank you Obamacare, for caring so much that you want me and my children to have as many antidepressants as we need. No more sadness for us. We are so fortunate to have real health care in this country; and so fortunate that we may all get even more courtesy of our federal government and caring medical industry. Truly awesome.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Shin Muscle Stretch for Tibialis Anterior Pain Relief

By On · Add Comment · In Beverly Hills sports chiropractic, gait cycle, lower leg pain, martial arts, runners, shin splints, soccer, tibialis anterior, tight calves
Shin splints is a very common malady limping into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office. Yes, runners are at a high risk for developing shin splints, but other athletes can become afflicted too. Shin splints is a pain in the lower leg, or shin area. It can be on the front of the leg or sometimes even felt in the calf area.

Shin splints have a number of musculoskeletal structures involved, and I encourage you to read the article I have written on fixing shin splints, but what I would like to show you here is how to stretch one muscle often involved in shin splints: tibialis anterior.

The tibialis anterior runs on the front part of the shin, or the anterior compartment, and it dorsiflexes the foot, which is bringing the foot closer toward the chest. It is involved in stabilizing the ankle during the gait cycle, particularly on heel strike, when the foot hits the ground. It then contracts to firm up the foot in the full weight bearing stage when the other leg swings past. In sports that rely on kicking objects like soccer or martial arts, the tibialis anterior locks the foot and ankle in place for a toe kick.

When the tibialis anterior gets tight it can cause pain in front of the shin or ankle area. Shin splints is an extreme version of pain that can be felt to a lesser degree by just about anybody that is active, or even in those that have recently walked a longer distance than they’re used to. In the video below, I demonstrate a simple, yet effective, way to stretch the dorsiflexors of the foot, including the tibialis anterior. Depending on your level of tightness, you may need the help of a yoga block or rolled-up towel, but watch the video for the instruction. Enjoy.

Random? Half Cancers Preventable

By On · Add Comment · In cancer, central obesity, health, healthy behaviors, illness, random, smoking, universe

Some people think we live in a random universe, nothing but probability–a chance for this, and a chance for that. Some also think that health is random. Some people get sick, others do not. A roll of the dice for the most part. In fact, that’s what insurance is for: you purchase insurance hoping that you won’t get sick, but if by chance you do…

This approach to health, however, is foolish. We know that health and wellness are not random. What we do regularly determines whether we will experience health or not. It certainly is about probability when it comes to our health. The more we engage in healthy behaviors, the greater the probability we will remain healthy; and the more we  engage in unhealthy behaviors, the greater the probability we will develop illness or disease. True, it’s never one hundred percent, as Jim Fixx showed that any fitness enthusiast can drop dead from a heart attack, while George Burns smoked cigars into his 100s. Go figure.

But what we do is still the most important determinant of health. Take a recent study that now shows 50% of all cancers are preventable. That’s right folks! And the big C is the second leading cause of death following another preventable condition…you got it–heart disease.

The numbers one and two killers in the U.S. are preventable. Smoking is blamed for 33% of all cancers, while 75% of lung cancers are due to smoking. Shoot, I used to smoke, I get it. I liked smoking, heck yeah…but I quit. Simple as that. My cancer risk went way down. Probabilities.

Here’s another: Obesity is responsible for 20% of all cancers in the U.S. Throw in booze, pollution, poor diet, prescription drugs by the pounds… Why, heck…of course cancer is the number two killer–people are poisoning themselves.

And the political perspective is that these people just don’t have enough resources. State smoking cessation programs are being financially undercut, and people don’t have money, or the insurance, to be treated once they get sick. Random.

But by quitting smoking, eating well, minimizing junk food (like sodas), and exercising regularly actually helps lessen the risk of heart disease and cancer. Not random.

Duh.

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