Understanding Back Pain

According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain affects half of Americans, is the most common reason for missed work, and is the second most common reason a person visits the doctor.  This condition is most likely caused by something that is non-organic (organic being cancer, rheumatoid arthritis) and is mechanical in nature. 

Many patients are concerned with the cause of the back pain but also with answers as to why anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxers do not alleviate completely their condition.    Back pain can be multifaceted with many sources being the cause of the pain and often it is not one pain generator but multiple that need to be addressed.  To understand why a pain medication may not be enough, we must briefly discuss the anatomy of this condition.  Your spine is composed of ligaments (structures that connect bones), tendons (structures that connect muscles to bones), joints (areas were bones move with one another), and lastly muscles (structures that generate movement in bones).  These four anatomical components have the potential to generate pain and discomfort in different ways. 

Let’s take a back sprain (injury of a ligament) or strain (injury to a muscle) for example.  If a person lifts something heavy without the appropriate strength and core stability, they may sprain/strain the back ligaments or muscles.  When the muscle strength is not adequate, the back relies on the ligaments to help stabilize joint segments.  Rarely does one occur without the other.  If the ligament is sprained, it typically coincides with an injury of the muscles which spasm or contract in protection.  To add to what appears to be a complex situation, the joint can also become injured in this situation resulting in joint inflammation.  If a muscle relaxer is prescribed, it may relieve the muscle pain but what about the injured ligament and/or joint pain?  Lastly, muscles often do not fire properly after a serious injury, so is the pain reduction a complete assessment of a person’s function or should we also care whether a person’s movement is appropriate after such an injury?

While the last paragraph was quite technical in it’s delivery, the message is important.  There is not a single therapy in most situations that alleviate all the levels of back pain (especially when chronic), but rather a combination of therapies that will deliver complete relief. Treatment plans for every condition, including back pain, must be specific and targeting the areas of deficient in the person’s body.  It is necessary to have a comprehensive evaluation to derive such a treatment plan.  Patients often want to know how long it should take to experience relief.  Any precise treatment plan should deliver relief in a reasonable time frame with 8 weeks being the absolute longest and 3 weeks potentially being all you need.  If the treatment targets the right anatomical issues, back pain and all other mechanical issues should experience a percentage of relief with every visit. 

We would not be a holistic practitioner without recognizing that back pain is not just mechanical but could be as a result of other issues.  We recognize pain related to the meridian system (think acupuncture) and it’s imbalance and internal medicine complaints (for example, constipation) that refer pain to the spine.  These conditions require a different therapeutic approach which we can discuss in another post.

Are you wondering what you can do to make your back pain better?  Here is a list of changes you can make to reduce the pain you experience and potentially remedy it all together.

·    If you are overweight or obese, reduce your weight which will reduce the stress on the spine and aid in strengthening the core.

·    Wear shoes that support the arch and have no more than a 1-inch heel

·    Stretch your legs after sitting for extended periods – if you work at a desk, stand all day, or stand/sit in any position for too long, your body develops tight muscles that need to be stretched.

·    Strengthen your abdominal muscles

·    Sleep on a supportive surface with a pillow beneath your knees if you sleep on your back or between your knees if you sleep on your side.

·    Hydrate and nourish your body with water and nutrient rich foods.

If these changes are not effective, you should consider being evaluated for holistic care.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care during Pregnancy

There are numerous benefits to receiving holistic chiropractic care during your pregnancy.  After a recent experience with a first time mother, I thought it would be beneficial to list these benefits.  I am currently expecting my second child and have received regular adjustments for my changing body to aid in adjusting to my postural changes.  I hope after reading this list of benefits you too will consider chiropractic care for your natural birthing plan.

Before beginning this list, let’s define what holistic chiropractic care means.  Holistic chiropractic care encompasses not only musculoskeletal care including manipulation and massage therapy but also nutritional support, exercise planning, and acupuncture therapy all of which are safe during pregnancy and can treat virtually any issue you confront during an uncomplicated pregnancy.

Dr. Nathani’s Top 5 Reasons for Receiving Holistic Chiropractic Care During Your Pregnancy

1.   Published research suggests that regular musculoskeletal manipulation during your pregnancy improves probability of successful natural birthing.

2.   Reduced time of labor and delivery (American Pregnancy Association) – The recent patient I mentioned above labored for 5 hours and pushed for 30 minutes.  This is quite remarkable for those first time mother’s reading this article. 

3.   Balance the changes that occur to the body from increased weight, change in how your weight is distributed, and ligament laxity from hormonal changes.  Chiropractic adjustments can alleviate the infamous pain in the buttocks that is commonly related to your ever changing pelvis and the sacroiliac joint (also lower back pain, carpal tunnel, neck pain, mid-back pain, foot pain, headaches – too name a few conditions I have treated successfully with chiropractic care during pregnancy).

4.   Promoting the turning of a breech baby using chiropractic manipulation (At Holistic Vitality Center, you also have other natural options including acupuncture and lifestyle recommendations for turning breech babies).

5.   Prevention of potentially unnecessary interventions such as Cesarean delivery and pain controlling modalities by preparing your body for the laboring process.

Future posts….

What are the benefits of nutritional therapy and acupuncture for the pregnant woman?

My first labor and delivery was in the hospital setting and I have chosen to have my second child in a birthing center.  I look forward to sharing this experience with you and the difference between the two.  

STRESS!

This blog has taken a hiatus BUT, WE ARE BACK with more helpful tips for our followers. Each time I sit and think of the appropriate topic to discuss, my left-brain takes over and comes up with some clinical topic that is perhaps quite sterile and less interesting. A moment of meditation and stimulation of my right-brain and then a topic comes to my more balanced mind.

STRESS!

Perhaps this is one topic that most of us have in common and experience too much. There are many forms of stress that we are exposed to on a daily basis. When we see the word stress, most of us think of work, financial, family/friends, or life in general. I think it is important to acknowledge that we create our life, our connections with family/friends and our day-to-day experience. So is it fair to say we create our stress?

Stress can be biochemical (you do not take the time to nourish yourself with healthy foods, skip meals, etc. leading to chemical imbalance), environmental (toxin/chemical/behavioral exposure to unhealthy people, places, or things), and emotional (probably in some way related to the environmental J). Whatever form is taking over your life, it is essential to create a better experience for you. Below are some steps you can take to start living a happier, healthier life.

• Eat and not the stuff in packages, cans or rolled up stuff but REAL food! Eat foods in season, locally grown that taste delicious. Eat food prepared at home during family interaction.
• Bask in the sun. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent as we spend more and more of out time indoors with technology.
• Remove technology from your life for some time. Cell phones, MP3 players, laptops, tablets and computers have taken the place of people, places, and experiences. I believe technology is the root of ALL evil (well maybe not ALL!)
• SLEEP! The body cannot rejuvenate itself if you do not sleep. Children are not the only people that enjoy routine. Have you considered that your body likes 7 hours of sleep on a daily basis?
• Take quiet time. This is hard to come by if you are a parent but it is essential. Spend 30 minutes daily alone so that you think about what YOU need to be healthier.
• Take a day off work. Our Western culture lives to work instead of working to live. On this day spend time with the people you love, doing something you love or just be by yourself.
• If above steps are not helping, you need support. Conservative, natural healthcare offers an abundance of techniques (meditation, nutrition, functional medicine, mind/body therapies) to balance your body both chemically and emotionally. You need only seek this support.

Perhaps I have so much to say about the topic because my life experience has exposed me. I am confident that you can change your experience and your life by self-awareness and taking the time to give your body what it needs.

Thirsty? You are dehydrated!

If you have any of the following symptoms you may be dehydrated:

• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Excessive thirst
• Muscle weakness/cramping
• Headache
• Dizziness/Lightheadedness
• Dry mouth
• No urination or less with a dark yellow color (Should urinate every 2-3 hours, clear to pale yellow color)
• Increased body temperature
• Constipation
• Difficulty breathing

The importance of drinking enough water is often underestimated. Considering our hot and humid weather and perspiration due to summer heat, I wanted to remind you of the importance of consuming enough water.

Every one knows that our bodies are 55-75% water depending on whether we are overweight, athletic, etc. Water exists inside and outside of every cell of our body making up 83% of blood and 73% of muscles among other structures. We are losing water with every breath, for sweat to decrease the body temperature, and when we excrete waste through urine and bowel movements.

What are the benefits of consuming water?

• Regulate body temperature
• Prevents constipation
• Lubricates joints, organs, tissues
• Delivers nutrients and oxygen to cells, transports waste such as CO₂ and lactic acid away from cells
• Transports waste out of the body
• Moisture for the skin
• Strengthens muscles

How much?

We should consume at less 8-12 8 oz. cups per day. If you are perspiring, working in hot/cold climates, traveling in airplanes, playing sports, standard exercise, pregnant/breastfeeding, or are losing weight, your water requirements increase. It may be necessary to drink fluids with electrolytes if you are physically active more than an hour, vomiting or have diarrhea.

Where do you get most of your water?

Twenty percent of the water we consume comes from food and the other from drinking. If you consume caffeinated or alcohol beverages, you have instantly increased your requirements. Caffeine and herbs/dietary supplements such as ginger, dandelion, and juniper are diuretics and can cause water loss. Soft drinks and sugary drinks do not supplement for water.

What are foods with high water content?

• Watermelon
• Citrus Fruits
• Papaya
• Grapes
• Carrots
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Spinach
• Apples
• Squash

Consult your health care provider or call 919-848-3333 if you have a specific health condition and want to know how much water you should consume.

Overhydration is rare but can result if an individual is losing electrolytes and water however only replenishes water. It is essential to consume electrolytes in addition to water when active for periods longer than 1-2 hours and an abundance of perspiration.

Eat Fat!

The purpose of this blog is to educate the community about the various aspects of holistic health and what we can change about our diets and health care choices to prevent chronic disease, lose weight, increase energy levels, and live happier healthier lives. I hope to initiate a discussion about food that creates a better understanding of what we should eat and why we eat it. Here goes……

This week’s topic begins with FATS. Is a FAT FREE diet a good choice? To answer this question one must first understand fats.

The following are the categories of fats we should consume:

· Omega 3 Fatty acids

o Poly-unsaturated fat

o Anti-inflammatory

o Source: Fish oils and Flax seed oil

o Americans do not consume enough of this type of oil

· Omega 6 Fatty acids

o Poly-unsaturated

o Pro-inflammatory

o Source: vegetable oil, safflower, sunflower, corn, sesame, hemp, pumpkin, soybean, walnut, and wheatgerm oils, grains

o Americans consume too many omega 6 oils

o GLA (borage oil good source) is the only form of this fat that we should supplement because we cannot produce it in our bodies and do not get if from our cooking.

· Omega 9 Fatty acids

o Mono-unsaturated

o Neutral oil, heart healthy oil

o Source: avocado (90%), macadamia nut oil, olive oil

o 90% of the fat we consume should be this form of fat

The fat we should limit/avoid the intake of includes:

· Saturated fats

o Source: animal fats, cottenseed oil, palm kernel oil, dairy products

The fat you should NEVER consume:

· Trans fats

o Partial hydrogenation makes this oil more solid increasing shelf life of food products

o Source: snack chips, cookies, crackers, deep fried foods. doughnuts and pastry

o Important note to remember is that a food item can contain up to 0.5g per serving and be “TRANS FAT FREE.” The daily serving limit for trans fats is 0.2g!

o More information on trans fats: site www.bantransfats.com

In summary: all fats are not created equal and therefore a fat free diet is not a healthy diet. We should consume more omega 3 and 9 fatty acids and decrease our intake of omega 6 with the exception of GLA (borage oil). Saturated fats should be limited and trans fats avoided completely.

Why is fat important? The body uses fat to make healthy cell membranes, improve metabolism in the body, and promote stronger immunity. Eating the appropriate fat is important to reducing the body’s level of inflammation and preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, allergies, and cancer among others. All of these conditions have an inflammatory component.

Which oil should you use for cooking?

· Olive oil

· Flax seed oil

· Avocado oil

· Canola oil

· Sunflower oil

· Safflower oil

· Almond oil

· Walnut oil

Each oil has a different heat point and would be better for baking, sautéing, or frying depending on the oil.

Which oils should you NOT use for cooking?

· Vegetable shortening

· Butter

· Palm oil

Eat more omega 9 and enjoy your fats.

I welcome discussion regarding this week’s topic and look forward to uploading a new topic bi-weekly. If you have a question or would like a specific topic discussed, please send an email to general.info@holisticvitalitycenter.com or respond to the blog.