Keep Moving!

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millet_the_gleanersWhen I (Carol) took the Memorial Sloan Kettering online oncology course for acupuncturists, the recommendation for healthy people to exercise 30-60 minutes a day was the standout detail from the entire, 30+ hours of lectures.

That’s 30-60 minutes, seven days a week of formal exercise, not including the time you may spend traveling, changing, or cleaning up. And movement for our daily peregrinations, though better than nothing, doesn’t count.

Why, I wondered, did they advocate 30-60 minutes a day, and then it hit me: our DNA is programmed to move a lot more than we do in the 21st Century. It’s only been about 250 years since the Industrial Revolution, and many conveniences we take for granted didn’t exist before then. For our ancestors, chores and travel demanded constant physical effort; physiological evolution doesn’t change as quickly as our world has, so we have to accommodate our body’s needs by moving more.

Moving is one of the main ways to reduce your risk of getting cancer, because where there is blood flow, free radicals cannot pile up. When you regularly engage in steady, sustained movement, blood perfuses throughout your body.

Once I grasped this fact, I took up the challenge, and found it easy to justify the time spent, because being cancer-free is a compelling motivator. Viewed in this light, choosing to move is as simple as standing on one side of a line and stepping over it to the other side.

Regular exercise has many benefits, including leveling out the stresses encountered in a day.

If you are new to exercise, begin slowly and build up to it. You will find the body grows stronger exponentially, for it’s designed to do this. Expect some aches and pains as you make progress, but pay attention to the quality of pain to avoid injury (so you can continue working out!). If you overdo it, don’t give up, just take a break and get some acupuncture or a massage to speed the healing.

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/keep-moving

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, Health Tips, Stress Busters, Theory, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Osteoporosis: Catching it Early

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photo courtesy of the Mayo Clinic: normal bone (A) osteoporotic bone (B)

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone density loss. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is determined upon findings of at least 30% loss of bone mass. The test of choice is the DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry). The hip (at the femoral neck) and the mid-low back (lumbar vertebrae) are the most commonly affected areas, so these are the areas that are tested. The DEXA test is painless and quick.

Major risk factors for osteoporosis are:
Genetics- family history
BMI below 25% (<22kg/m2)
History of fracture in adulthood
History of cigarette smoking & current cigarette smoking

Additional, lesser risk factors are:
Lifelong inadequate calcium intake (a relatively weak risk factor)
Never pregnant
Caucasian
No physical activity
Leanness
Early menopause
Alcoholic
Long-acting benzodiazepines

Prevention is key, and treatment with calcium supplements and exercise can reverse osteoporosis if detected early. The rate of decline in bone density is most rapid in women within 2 years of menopause. The average age of menopause is 51, but depending on several factors (genetics, exercise, lifestyle, diet, and menstrual history), you might arrive there earlier or later. Therefore, while the medical establishment recommends having a DEXA scan at age 65, requesting one at menopause or shortly thereafter will indicate if you need to take preventive measures.

The recommended dose of calcium is 1,500 mg. Also recommended is drinking 48 ounces of water a day, limit alcohol intake (1 daily glass of wine), reduce sugar in the diet, and generally eat whole foods, something we admonish you to do on this site on a regular basis.

Exercise needs to be “pounding,” such as walking or jogging. The reason is that in osteoporosis, osteoblasts- the cells that build bone- are outnumbered by the osteoclasts- the cells that break bone down – and your activity is designed to increase the number of osteoblasts as the body’s natural response to the pounding on the pavement or a treadmill.
Yoga pulls at bone and creates a good stress {see Maximizing Potential], yes, but not as radically and efficiently as does plain old walking.

Food sources of calcium include the seaweeds kelp and dulse; greens: collards, kale, turnip, dandelion; seeds and nuts: almonds, sunflower; dairy: cottage cheese; brewer’s yeast; vegetables: watercress, edamame, olives, string beans, sweet potato, broccoli, carrots; dried fruit: apricots, figs, dates, raisins; grains: barley, brown rice; cooked dry beans; tofu; oranges.

Osteoporosis: Catching it Early

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, All Things Food, Conditions Treated, Health Tips, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joint Pain in a Nutshell

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Joint Pain in a Nutshell

joint pain

Most people think of muscles when they think of being flexible, but our bones equally give us mobility. Without our bones, our muscles would enable us to move like worms, but with our bones we become erect and perform a myriad of functional activities. Our joints are the articulations between bones, and vary depending on what kind of movement is required.

Types of Joints

Joint structures allow range of motion and accentuate a specific movement. There are three basic types of articulations: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial joints.

1. Fibrous joints have no joint cavity so the two bones must form a tight fit, and this achieved with fibrous connective tissue, that holds the bones together. This type of joint allows for very little movement. Sutures that connect the cranial bones and allow enough movement for the pulsing of the cerebral spinal fluid is an example of a fibrous joint.

2. Cartilaginous joints don’t have a joint cavity either, and the bones are held together by cartilage. The vertebrae of the spinal column and the pubic symphysis are examples of cartilaginous joints.

3. The synovial joint has a joint cavity, which allows for greater movement. Protective tissue surrounds the bone to cushion it for a lifetime of wear-and-tear: hyaline cartilage, a wrapping of ligaments, bursa sacs, and synovial fluid inside the joint reduce friction and maintain proper range of motion. Synovial joints are in the major articulations of the body: the knee, elbow, hip, and shoulders.

Directions of Synovial Joint

 

The synovial joint can move in many directions.

Gliding back-and-forth (ankles, wrists)

Rotation turns bone along its axis (flip hand palm up palm down)

Circumduction (rotate whole arm)

Angular increases (i) or decreases (d) between the two bones involved:

Flexion- bends  (d)

Extension- straightens (i)

Abduction- away from midline (i)

Adduction- towards and crossing midline (d)

The Injury and Healing of Joints

High-quality nutrition and regular exercise are the key ingredients for healthy joints. Our joints are susceptible to normal wear-and-tear, with age and gravity adding further stress on the tissue. The ligaments, tendons, and cartilage in the joint spaces get little or no blood supply, and it is for this reason that injuries seem to linger.

Studies have shown that acupuncture can speed healing in a wide variety of joint problems, both chronic and acute. From a Chinese medicine perspective, joints are places where things can get stuck, creating the sensation of tightness and pain. Acupuncture and its modalities facilitate local activity at the site of injury.

It is our recommendation that to keep your joints healthy and pliable, eat the best possible nutrition, keep moving by including stretch  and strengthening qi gong exercises in your routine, and when needed, decompress the joints when possible, and finally get some acupuncture to correct the problem before it gets worse.

Joint Pain in a Nutshell

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, Conditions Treated, Health Tips, Integrative Medicine, Nourishing You, Stress Busters, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Exercises for a Stiff Neck

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neck_exercisesStretching and strengthening of the neck muscles is not like stretching and strengthening the other muscles of the body. The neck is short and a contained space, so it’s best to keep a small range of motion, in keeping with muscle size and function.

If you give 5 minutes a day to exercise your neck, you will find little-by-little, over time, your neck will loosen up and the muscles will become stronger, making support of the head much easier with age.

The neck moves mainly on two planes: down (flexion) and up (extension), and side-to-side (rotation). Rolling the head in a circle needs to be done in a very specific way, not covered here, that moves the head in correct alignment.

Lifting the Head Off the Spine is the number one exercise you can do, at any time of day: ideally this lift becomes second-nature and is no longer a conscious effort. The exercises below are some suggestions as a starting point to loosen a stiff neck.

Floor stretches:
1. Lie on floor; you can have support for your neck with a bolster-shaped pillow or towel.
Slowly and very gently tuck your chin and press your lower skull to the floor. Hold for two breaths and relax. Repeat 10 times. This will stretch the muscles at the back of the neck.
2. Now you’ll engage the superficial side neck muscles. In the same position, turn your head to the left, raise your chin away from your opposite shoulder. Hold for one or two breaths, and come to a neutral position. Repeat on the other side, 5x each side. This will stretch the muscles at the side of the neck.
3. In the same floor position, allow the head to fall back to stretch the muscles at the front of the neck, holding for a comfortable amount of time, then bring the head and neck back into a neutral position.
4. Gently turn head side to side, slowly, 10-20x.

Seated stretches:
1. Locate the bone at the base of your skull behind your ears. Find the front lower corner, and pressing with your fingers, slide them back a bit until you feel a small indent that accommodates your fingertips. Using one or two fingers, press your skull into the fingers and rock your head chin up, chin down. The dual pressure relaxes the muscles at the back of the neck while stretching the deep muscles of the anterior neck.
2. This one is best done in the shower, standing under a steady stream of water:

a) Lift your left arm and place it on the top-right of you head, and gentle pull the head left while allowing the right shoulder muscles to drop. Hold for a few moments, and release. Repeat on the opposite side, 1x each. This stretches the side muscles of the neck.

b) Modification: Begin in same final position as a), then turn the face toward the armpit.
This stretches both the side of the neck and the deeper muscles that rotate the neck.

3. Rotate head and neck from the chin, beginning with small circles, 5-10x in each direction. Tuck as chin comes to bottom of the circle, and slightly stick it out at the top, 1 inch maximum range of motions in all directions.

Seated strengtheners:
These exercises use the principle of resistance to access the deeper muscles of the neck.

1. Clasp you hands behind the neck and press your head into your hands for a count of 1. This is very much like pressing the lower back of the head in the floor exercise, only you are isolating the very deep muscles of the neck, both front and back. Initiate the backward movement by tucking your chin as you press the head into the hands in a small movement.

2. See “Seated Stretches 1.” 2 inches below, dig your fingers into the posterior neck muscles strongly, enough to pivot your head, front and back, feeling the muscles when your head falls back and the bony base of the skull and the soft attachment tissue when your head rocks forward. Repeat 5-10x. This strengthens the deep muscles of the neck.

3. Turn head side-to-side slowly for 2-5 minutes. You can time your breathing so that you inhale as you turn one way, and exhale as you turn in the opposite direction. This is a form of meditation, so you’re killing two birds with one stone!

Practice recommendations to stretch and strengthen you neck:
1. Set aside 5 minutes each day where you’ll have quiet and be comfortable. I (Carol) start with the last exercise- turning the head slowly side-to-side while breathing deeply. This warms the neck muscles, which sets up nicely for the subsequent exercises. Choose one or two exercises or find new ones. Within a week you will notice a change, but allow one month of regular exercise before assessing results.

2. Practice proper alignment when sitting, standing, and walking. Qi gong, tai ji, and ba gua articulate the subtle movements of stretching and strengthening your core in a way that makes attaining proper alignment and pleasurable game. Lifting you head off your spine is a qi gong practice you can do anywhere.

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/exercises-to-help-get-rid-of-a-stiff-neck

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, Conditions Treated, Stress Busters Tagged With: , , , , ,

April is IBS Awareness Month

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photo_imsqauredcom

IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is a diagnosis based on symptoms, not anatomical or physiological markers. The hallmark symptoms of IBS are: abdominal pain or discomfort,
bloating, and constipation and diarrhea, either episodically alternating between both, or one predominating.

The causes of IBS are trifold:
1. Motility: the signaling is off, resulting in either rapid or slowed transit time in the gut
2. Visceral perception: tests show either high (diarrhea) or low (constipation) sensitivity to pressure in the upper and lower intestines
3. Stress: frequency of life stress and/or poor ability to process stress

Additional, but statistically less significant factors include reduced ability to absorb certain sugars, malabsorption of bile acids from fatty foods, and food allergies.

Western medicine versus eastern medicine in treating IBS:
Diagnosis is based on experiencing the hallmark symptoms for 12 consecutive weeks within a 12 month period.

Dietary recommendations include avoiding caffeine, alcohol, gums and candies with the sugar sorbitol, citrus fruit if fructose intolerant, and reducing consumption of gas-producing foods such as beans and cruciferous vegetables, while increasing fiber in the diet. Additionally, stress management is strongly emphasized, which includes regular exercise.

Western medicine recognizes, through research studies, the benefits of Chinese herbal formulas in the treatment of IBS.

The two additions eastern medicine offer are acupuncture, which is a tremendous stress-buster, and dietary counseling, limited only by the patient’s willingness to make changes in eating habits and content.

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/april-is-ibs-awareness-month

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: Conditions Treated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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