Sukie Baxter

June 6, 2012 Uncategorized

How to End Joint Pain and Stiffness Even When Stretching and Yoga Don’t Work

I recently received a sweet email from a 61 year old woman who explained that, although she’s been doing yoga for about a year and loves exercising, she wakes up stiff and achy every morning. She asked if maybe she’s doing the wrong stretches…

So, I wanted to clear up a little confusion. If you’re waking up stiff and achy, it’s likely your joints and not your muscles that are the problem. Stretching focuses on soft tissue (your muscles) and doesn’t have a great effect on your joints, other than lengthening the muscles surrounding a joint.

Joints are rich in tiny cells called proprioceptors. These guys basically keep us from walking into walls (hopefully) and from sticking our fork in our eye when we’re trying to eat. They tell your body where it is in space, how you’re moving, how much you’ve stretched a muscle, etc.

When your joint is screaming in pain, it’s getting a signal from a kind of nerve called a nociceptor, a type of proprioceptive nerve found in joints. However, joints have far more mechanoreceptors, or nerves that sense motion and touch, than it does nociceptors, and mechanoreceptors send signals to the brain much faster and clearer than nociceptors.

Therefore, by stimulating the joint mechanoreceptors, you will effectively eliminate joint pain, mostly because you have far more “noise” coming from the mechanoreceptors than you do the nociceptors, so the brain never even hears the pain signal.

How do you stimulate those mechanoreceptors, you ask? Excellent question.

Dynamic joint mobility drills – exercises that take a joint through full range of motion in an active manor, meaning that you do the moving and not somebody else – are the best way to stimulate your joints’ mechanoreceptors, eliminate pain and increase the flow of synovial fluid inside the joint which acts like a natural form of WD-40, lubricating your joints’ movements.

Static stretching as is done in yoga can’t hold a candle to the pain reducing properties of dynamic joint mobility and, best of all, you only need 15-20 minutes a day to get results.

So, where can you find these amazing joint mobility drills? Z-Health has an excellent beginner’s DVD with basic joint mobility exercises you can do at home in your living room. They’re simple and clearly explained, so even if you’ve never tried joint mobility exercises before, you’ll be able to follow along.

Click here to visit the Z-Health website and learn more about dynamic joint mobility. I suggest you start with the R-Phase DVD, the first tier of their program designed to rehabilitate aching and injured joints.

May 16, 2012 Pain Relief

Warning: Are You Making THIS Mistake When Trying to Get Lower Back Pain Relief?

Lower back pain usually doesn’t start in the lower back. In fact, 9 times out of 10, pain isn’t happening where you’re experiencing the symptoms. Back pain happens not because there is is dysfunction in the spine but because there is dysfunction in one of the support systems for the spine, particularly the ankles, knees and hips.

This video explains the biggest mistake people make when trying to get lower back pain relief (or hip or knee pain, for that matter).

It also gives you strategies for getting rid of back pain that go beyond temporary fixes. Watch the video to see what I’m talking about.

So, to recap, lasting lower back pain relief comes from looking beyond your back. Create a solid foundation for your spine and your lower back pain will disappear, never to return. To do this, focus on ankle, knee and hip strengthening exercises that also build flexibility and work the full range of motion of the joint. This means getting off those machines! Do free weights and bodyweight exercises to strengthen your joints and get lower back pain relief that really lasts.

Want more secrets for a pain-free, flexible body?

Check out my ebook Perfect Posture for Life. It’s a complete guide to standing taller and moving freely based on everything I’ve learned in fifteen years of hands-on practice. You can learn more and order the ebook here >>

May 9, 2012 Pain Relief

Got Lower Back Pain? Try These Stretches for Lower Back Pain Relief…

If you’ve been standing or walking on a hard surface like concrete, or sitting for a long period of time without moving, you likely have some achiness in your lower back. Not to worry, this lower back stiffness can easily be remedied with a few simple movements that decompress your lumbar spine, restoring flexibility.

Lower back pain happens when the lumbar spine becomes stiff and immobile. In normal movement, there is a natural rotation and counter-rotation of the spine as you walk. This is why your opposite arm swings forward in time with the stride of your legs – your body is twisting.

What, no arm movement? You likely have a very stiff lower back. Try the three easy stretches in the video below to start easing that lower back pain and stiffness and get you moving again!

Want more secrets for a pain-free, flexible body?

Enter your name and email below to receive my 5 Secrets for a Flexible, Pain Free Body instantly and completely free. Plus, I’ll send you weekly tips for increasing flexibility, eliminating pain and skyrocketing your energy for as long as you like! (you can unsubscribe if you ever decide you’ve had enough)

April 11, 2012 Pain Relief

How Can I Keep My Diagnosis From Creeping Into My Belief System?

Reader question…

“My energy levels are not what they used to be and I have physical limitations. I’m curious how much those physical limitations are simply ‘labels I’ve accepted from a doctor’ or if I can overcome them? We’re talking weak heart and poor lung function due to years ago childhood heart surgery. I think I’ve done extremely well but am afraid of a mindset that may gel into rigidity! How does one deal with doctors ‘who see a statistic’ and how do I avoid the resultant ‘statistic diagnosis’ from creeping into my belief system?”

This is such a thorny question. On the one hand, a medical diagnosis can provide relief, peace of mind and the sure knowledge of what is actually going on in your body. But, it also has a dark side. Once you have a medical diagnosis for the symptoms you are experiencing, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of letting your condition define the scope of what’s possible.

First, it’s important to know that most diagnoses, especially for pain-related conditions, are simply names for a group of symptoms. Tendonitis, for example, simply refers to inflammation in a tendon. It does not explain why the tendon became inflamed in the first place, or what is causing continued inflammation. It’s simply the process that’s happening in your body. Scoliosis just refers to a sideways S-curvature of the spine. The diagnosis does not explain how it happened, only that it is present in your body.

Second, most doctors – certainly not all, but far too many – have only two tools with which to treat you: pharmaceutical drugs or surgery. Lifestyle recommendations, dietary changes and targeted exercises or stretches that go beyond the very basic recommendations are outside of most doctors’ knowledge base, unless they choose to specialize in such things. I have seen many people with movement aberrations, pain, stiffness, inflexibility, limited range of motion and physical instability regain a healthy, flexible, strong body that is pain-free by seeking alternative methods of healing.

Physical limitations are real, I’m not doubting that, but you honestly have two choices. On the one hand, you can accept the label and all the limitations that go with it. On the other, you can look at the label, accept that this may be your current state for now and then commit to finding a solution, keeping an open mind about what might possibly make you feel better. There really is no in between. You’re either working to feel better or staying the same, and attitude is really the key.

Your body is your own laboratory and you –only you – know what’s best for it. Diagnosis isn’t a label, it’s a question, an opportunity to discover how good you can really feel.

March 21, 2012 Pain Relief

How to End Leaky Gut Syndrome Naturally and Recover Your Clarity, Focus and Vibrant Energy

What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome is condition whereby your intestinal wall becomes damaged, allowing large molecules of partially digested food to enter the bloodstream. When these molecules come into contact with healthy tissue, they cause an immune response called dietary leukocytosis which puts an excessive strain on your immune system. Now your body is busy cleaning up after your last meal instead of performing its normal function of keeping your body healthy.

What Causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky gut syndrome is caused by a diet high in refined sugars and starches (white sugar, white flour, etc.), chemical food additives, drugs (birth control pills, antibiotics, antacids, NSAIDs), microorganisms, nutritional deficiencies and diseases. Basically, anything that irritates your intestine, including a high stress lifestyle, can result in leaky gut syndrome. Overgrowth of yeast, called candidiasis, is another main cause of leaky gut syndrome and results from a diet high in sugar.

What Are the Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome?

If you have leaky gut syndrome, your body’s immune system is now busied with haz-mat clean up, resulting in you feeling fatigued, achy and foggy-brained. If you find yourself experiencing flu-like symptoms, achy joints, brain fog and fatigue after meals, you likely have leaky gut syndrome.

What’s worse, since leaky gut syndrome causes systemic inflammation throughout the body, it puts your joints at risk for arthritic conditions and can worsen already existing arthritis.

How Can I Cure Leaky Gut Syndrome Naturally?

In order to cure leaky gut syndrome, you need to heal your intestinal lining by nourishing the cells that regulate the digestion of food, enterocytes. A natural amino acid called L-Glutamine is the best nutrient to help these cells regenerate and is an important nutrient for maintaining muscle mass. Studies have shown that L-Glutamine can help to heal stomach ulcers, and it also increases water absorption into the gut wall, helping the whole body to stay hydrated and flush toxic waste out of the system.

Food sources of glutamine include cabbage, beets, beef, chicken, fish, beans, and dairy products, but for treatment of leaky gut syndrome it’s best to take L-Glutamine in powder form for optimal bio-availability. It tastes mild and can be dissolved directly in water or masked with a little bit of juice. Most vitamin and supplement suppliers will carry L-Glutamine supplements.

There are no side effects of taking L-Glutamine, but taking too much can result in an upset stomach. And, of course, you should check with your doctor if you’re taking other supplements or medications, or if you have a health condition.