Sukie Baxter

November 2, 2011 Posture

Got any upper back and neck pain stretches?

Upper back and neck pain are the worst. Not being able to turn your head and look over your shoulder plus feeling like your shoulders are permanently attached to your ears has a very confining, straight-jacket-like feeling.

Most upper back and neck pain happens not because the neck is tense but because the shoulders are. Your shoulders “hang” from your neck in a sling of muscles; when you get stressed out or sit in front of a computer too long, these muscles get really tight and pull your neck out of alignment.

Fortunately, freeing up the scapula (shoulder blade) is pretty easy. This stretch will get you well on your way to increased shoulder flexibility and also give you upper back and neck pain relief.

Here’s what you do:

Stand arm’s length away from the wall. Put your palms flat against the wall and spread your fingers wide.

Step back away from the wall and stretch out so your hands are directly overhead, like Superman. Pull the belly button in toward your spine to protect your low back.

Once you’ve achieved optimal form, press your palms into the wall with a slight downward pressure, like you’re trying to slide the heels of your hands down the wall. Engage all the muscles of your arms and shoulders, using 100% of your strength to press into the wall. Remember to keep your belly button engaged.

Hold this isometric contraction for 15-20 seconds and then relax, deepening the stretch (but be careful not to let go of your belly button and let your low back hyperextend when you relax).

Repeat this 2-3 times, deepening the stretch a little more with each repetition.

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October 30, 2011 Pain Relief

Can Resistance Training Speed Lower Back Pain Recovery?

Lower back pain is perhaps the most wide-spread health affliction in western cultures. 81 million Americans report experiencing lower back pain at some point in their lives, and lower back pain is the second most common reason for visiting a medical doctor.

All this pain racks up a $50 billion dollar medical bill every year, but the frustrating part is that most back pain conditions are labeled non-specific lower back pain, meaning it’s generalized pain with no precise cause.

Generally, lower back pain sufferers receive prescriptions for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (pain killers) and the suggestion of light activity until the back pain goes away. Acute cases are treated with surgery.

What Else Can You Do for Back Pain Relief?

It’s no secret that pain killers merely mask the symptoms of back pain instead of addressing the root cause. They mask the pain, your body’s signal that something is out of alignment. Clearly, something’s not right or your body wouldn’t be in pain.

It could be the way you walk, it could be the new training protocol, there are many factors affecting lower back pain, from obesity to sitting in front of a computer or training at extremely high levels for sports; even smoking has a correlated risk factor for lower back pain.

In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, two groups of chronic non-specific lower back pain sufferers were assigned either aerobic training or periodized resistance training for sixteen weeks. Periodization is a method of cycling training to build muscular strength, speed and endurance.

While both groups saw a reduction in body fat, the resistance training group measured a 27% increase in muscular strength and a 63% reduction in lower back pain!

Why Does Resistance Training Work for Lower Back Pain?

Resistance training has shown very little in the way of results in previous lower back pain studies, so what was different about this resistance training protocol?

The difference was the periodization and whole-body approach. In most studies, participants focus on strengthening their “core,” the muscles of the abdomen and lower back. While these are indeed important postural muscles, they may not be the ones at fault in lower back pain.

For example, weak leg strength may cause you to rely heavily on your arms and torso to lift boxes and move furniture. Thus, excess strain is placed on your lower back, resulting in pain. The solution to this problem is not to strengthen your back but rather your legs.

Your muscles do not function in isolation. Every muscle that flexes affects another part of your body; therefore, it’s not helpful to train your muscles in isolation. This kind of training – bicep curls and calf raises and the like – is born of the bodybuilding culture where perfectly toned muscles win big competitions. Unfortunately, those muscles don’t help get you out of pain, so if you want lower back pain relief, train like an athlete instead of a bodybuilder – focus on function.

October 30, 2011 Pain Relief

Back Pain Exercise: Fix Lower Cross Syndrome for Lower Back Pain Relief

Lower back pain plagues millions of Americans – and probably Europeans, Japanese and any other culture that spends copious amounts of time in the seated position. A stiff, tight lower back limits your physical mobility, puts a cap on athleticism and just plain makes you feel old.

American doctors insist on continuing to make minced meat out of our population with back surgeries and fusions. While surgery definitely has its purpose and place, its application to back pain is debatable, especially considering so many back surgeries fail that this phenomenon in and of itself has been given its very own clinical diagnosis: Failed Back Syndrome.

Understanding Lower Back Pain Causes

What causes lower back pain in the first place? In order to correct a disorder, we first have to understand it. Before we dive specifically into the structure and function of the lumbar spine and pelvis, let’s take a step back and look at the human body as a whole.

It’s common to look at human anatomy the way you would a building; there is the skeleton which gives shape to the overall form, and upon the skeleton is draped a network of soft tissue that we use for locomotion. This way of looking at the body is backwards, though, because unlike a building, humans move. We are dynamic creatures, not static structures.

Our bodies more closely simulate a tensegrity structure, conceptualized by Buckminster Fuller, where the bones are “suspended” in a matrix of soft tissue, the tension of which determines the alignment of the skeletal structure.

To visualize this, imagine a skeleton. I know you’ve seen one lurking in the corner of your biology classroom, even if he was made of plastic. Now, remember how this skeleton was presented? All the bones were wired together and the whole thing was hung from a hook, right? That’s because if you tried to stack up those bones one by one, they would just fall over in a heap. Something has to hold them together, keep them in place. That stuff is your muscles and connective tissue.

So, returning to the causes of lower back pain, now we can understand how the low back might become compromised. Instead of looking directly at the spine for dysfunction, we can look at the soft tissue matrix (muscles and connective tissue) to see where the tension is too tight and where it is too loose.

And here we have some help. Czechoslovakian Physiotherapist and Physician Vladamir Janda pioneered the field of structural medicine, discovering that muscle imbalances are predictable and involve the whole body. With regard to lower back pain, Janda discovered a common postural dysfunction that he termed Lower Cross Syndrome.

What is Lower Cross Syndrome and How Does It Cause Lower Back Pain?

Lower cross syndrome could also be referred to as an “anteriorly rotated pelvis.” In the picture here, you can see how excessive tension in the erector spinae muscles of the lower back and the quadriceps muscles (hip flexors) of the front of the thigh pull the pelvis into a forward-tipped position.

This is the common lower cross syndrome in which the gluteus muscles of the hip and butt as well as the transversis abdominus muscle of the lower abdomen weaken while the lower back muscles and thigh muscles become hypertonic.

People exhibiting the lower cross syndrome will have a swayback appearance, and because the low back muscles are doing the work of holding this person upright, they’ll become tight and painful.

And there you have the most common cause of lower back pain.

Back Pain Exercise to Eliminate Lower Cross Syndrome

The first step to eliminating lower cross syndrome is to loosen up what’s too tight. Structural bodywork like Rolfing can do this and accelerate your long term healing; however, this is only one half of the equation.

For long term lower back pain relief, you have to also tighten up what’s too loose, a.k.a. strengthen the weak muscles. What’s the ideal exercise to do this? The kettlebell swing is perfectly designed to eliminate lower cross syndrome.

The kettlebell swing – either a one-handed swing or two-handed – forces you to fire up your glutes and hamstrings in order to power the bell upward. At the top of the swing, there is a full extension of the hip which lengthens hypertonic quadriceps muscles and causes the transversus abdominus muscle to contract.

For optimal results, start with a weight that challenges you but is not too heavy. If you start with heavy weights, you’re likely to pull too much with your upper back and shoulders, over-arching your lower back and further cementing in your swayback. Do sets of 10-20 swings to start, working up to one and two minute sets as you become stronger and more comfortable with the kettlebell.

How to Do a Kettlebell Swing

October 30, 2011 Healthy Aging

5 Best Essential Oils for Stress Relief

Your boss wants that report on his desk, like, now. Your kid’s school just called and your child has a fever. That funny noise the car has been making for the past six weeks? You probably should have had it checked out because now the thing won’t start. Taxes are due, rent is going up and your cat needs a life-saving operation that will cost over a grand.

You’ve got stress. And you need relief, like, now.

But in addition to all of the above, you just don’t have TIME to meditate, go to a yoga class and chill out. There are things to get done, mechanics to call, sick children who need their temperature taken.

So how can you get fast stress relief without popping a Xanax? Look to mother nature for stress relief on the go.

Aromatherapy – the use of essential oils to create physical and psychological well being – has been in practice for thousands of years. Usually pooh-poohed as new-age hogwash, recent hospital studies are corroborating thousands of years of anecdotal evidence that volatile plant extracts can and do have a direct impact on mental and emotional well being.

Essential oils can be either inhaled or applied topically to the skin. When inhaled, i.e. diffused into a room, the molecules of the oil affect the limbic system of the brain and can regulate emotions. Essential oils applied to the skin are absorbed into the bloodstream. Since essential oils are highly concentrated, they should always be diluted in a carrier vegetable oil before topical application. Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil and sesame oil.

While the following guide gives examples of good essential oils for stress relief, each person responds differently to an oil’s aroma depending upon his or her past association with that scent. Choose the oil that you respond best to, or blend a couple of oils together for a synergistic essential oil stress relief blend.

The 5 Best Essential Oils for Stress Relief

Lavender – Lavender essential oil is perhaps one of the best all-around healing essential oils. It’s great for skin and wound healing. Lavender is antidepressant and soothes the nerves. Its scent is sweet, floral and herbaceous. When working with lavender essential oil, most people feel a sense of clarity and calm.

Bergamot – Bergamot is the scent used to flavor Earl Grey Tea, so you may find it familiar. It has a clear, citrus-y aroma, similar to orange or lemon but much lighter and with a freshness of a cool breeze. Bergamot’s uplifting aroma is very healing for anxiety and depression. Bergamot can cause sensitivity to sunlight, so avoid direct exposure for 24 hours if you apply this oil to your skin.

Peppermint – Peppermint essential oil is especially uplifting if you are suffering from mental fatigue. Its cool, refreshing scent is reminiscent of peppermint candies, though perhaps not quite as sweet. Peppermint is unique in that it is both a nervine (calming to the nerves) and stimulant, so its aroma will give you a bright, cheery outlook on life. It’s also one of the best oils to have while traveling because it can soothe everything from a headache to an upset stomach.

Vetiver – Vetiver is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s one of my absolute favorite oils. Deep, dark, earthy and resinous, vetiver smells like growing things in the springtime, pushing their little green noses up through moist soil. Some people love vetiver’s musty aroma while other people can’t stand it, so test this one out before purchasing. Vetiver has a heavy quality to it and is particularly useful in cases of insomnia or nervous stress where the mind is cluttered with racing thoughts.

Ylang Ylang – Ylang ylang essential oil has the same effect on the psyche as alcohol (without the side effect of drunkenness); it is both relaxing and removes inhibitions. Ylang ylang is an excellent oil for type-A personalities who feel the need to control every detail of their daily lives. It has a very sweet, floral scent that can be overpowering or cloying in excess, so use sparingly.

October 30, 2011 Pain Relief

Interview with Mike Mahler: Addressing Systemic Inflammation for Pain Relief and Longevity

About Mike Mahler

Today I’m honored to bring you an interview with internationally recognized strength trainer, kettlebell instructor and nutrition expert, Mike Mahler. Mike has always been an inspiration to me. He is deeply knowledgeable about all facets of fitness and is a superb teacher, having the ability to synthesize complicated scientific concepts into logical and actionable strategies for health.

Mike Mahler has taught numerous strength and conditioning workshops and seminars around the world, most recently focusing on nutrition and lifestyle strategies for hormone optimization and combating systemic inflammation. Mike has published hundreds of articles on training and nutrition and is the creator of several DVDs including Advanced Kettlebell Training and Hormone Optimization.

I’ve asked Mike to share his knowledge of systemic inflammation, its effects on physical aches and pains and its correlation with aging.

Without further ado…

What is systemic inflammation, what causes it and why should we be concerned about it?

Inflammation is the result of an immune response to irritation, infection, or injury. When we are under stress, eat the wrong foods, workout too much, fail to get enough deep sleep and restoration, we develop a high level of inflammation that the immune system has a hard time keeping at bay. As a result, we develop GI tract issues such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), joint pain, muscle pain, and ultimately serious diseases as the immune system becomes very week after years and years of fighting inflammation and no longer functions adequately. The immune system can even become confused and attack healthy tissue and this is what autoimmune diseases are such as arthritis are.

Many people have high inflammation due to too much Omega 6 consumption and not enough Omega 3. Omega 6 is pro-inflammatory and ramps up levels of AA (arachidonic acid). Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory and ramps of levels of ALA (alpha linolenic acid). According to essential fatty acid expert, Udo Erasmus you want a 2:1 ratio of Omega 3 to 6. This is especially important for people that are already experiencing the negatives of too much inflammation.

Lowering excess inflammation makes you more disease proof to cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, arthritis and IBS. I am not going to say that you will never get these diseases if you address inflammation but it definitely stacks the odds in your favor.

How can you tell if you have systemic inflammation that is out of control?

Some signs of high levels of inflammation include joint pain, muscle pain, GI tract issues, and low energy. You can also do a blood test for HS (highly sensitive) c-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a measurement of inflammation.

I know you’re a huge proponent of hormone optimization. Is there a connection between hormone levels and systemic inflammation?

When inflammation goes up, the body has an immune response to lower it by increasing cortisol levels, as cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone. The hormonal pathway goes from the master sex hormone Pregnenelone to cortisol instead of the ultimate stress management hormone DHEA and you are left with much lower levels of DHEA, androstendione, testosterone, and progesterone. Thus lowering inflammation is critical for hormone optimization. DHEA in particular is a potent anti-inflammation hormone and one that is depleted when we are under long-term stress.

What role does systemic inflammation play in physical aches and pains (back pain, neck pain, stiff, tight muscles, etc) commonly referred to as “aging?”

It plays a big role and generally constant pain in one area is a sign of high levels of systemic inflammation. Lowering high levels of inflammation overall well help with pain that seems isolated such as elbow pain and knee pain. A high level of inflammation is a sign that we are out of balance and need to address it. Stress management or even better stress eradication is a must in addressing high levels of inflammation.

What other physical ailments and diseases are correlated to systemic inflammation?

I think every ailment and disease can be correlated to high levels of inflammation. When we have inflammation that is out of control we are much more disease prone. Heart disease, asthma, arthritis, you name it. Inflammation is definitely a factor.

What foods combat inflammation? Which foods make it worse?

High sugar and processed food consumption are the primary causes of inflammation. I firmly believe that sugar plays the biggest role in all diseases and is highly addictive. Sugar addiction is not much different than hardcore drug addiction as far too many people realize. Tell the average person to cut out sugar for a week and they will have some serious withdrawal symptoms before the week is up. Too much caffeine consumption also causes a lot of inflammation.

Sugar causes inflammation by prompting the hormone insulin to be elevated all the time. Insulin is not something we want high all day long. It constricts the arteries and raises blood pressure. It causes a great deal of inflammation. What we want is insulin sensitivity, which means we only have to produce a small amount to get the job done. Insulin is a critical hormone for life and without it our cells will die and us with it. The key is to keep insulin sensitivity high by eating a good amount of high quality protein, healthy fats, and low glycemic carbs such as legumes, berries and many vegetables at each meal.

Taking longer stretches in between each meal such as 6-8 hours will also play a big role in keeping insulin sensitive and inflammation down. According to Byron Richards, author of The Leptin Diet, Insulin starts going down three hours after we eat. When that occurs, the hormone glucagon is released from the pancreas to pull energy from the liver and then stored body fat to keep our glucose levels stable for optimal functioning. Thus, we are essentially getting a snack on stored body fat in between each meal.

Regarding specific foods that lower inflammation that will vary with each person. This is why food sensitivity testing is important. It tells you exactly which foods are ideal for you. Why every diet ultimately fails without exception is that it cannot take you as an individual into account. Food sensitivities are food allergies in slow motion. I learned about this from my friend Dr Peter Rouse of the AF performance center in Santa Monica.

When we hear about inflammation, we typically think about taking anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen. Are there any natural anti-inflammatory supplements you’d recommend in place of these?

Yes and I have two favorites for lowering inflammation: magnesium oil and systemic enzymes.

Magnesium is critical for overall health and lowering inflammation and magnesium oil is the best source of magnesium as it by passes the GI tract and has much higher absorption. It has also been shown to ramp up the stress management hormone DHEA that I can personally attest to as it took me from low normal to high normal. Here are some key benefits of magnesium from a book called The Magnesium Miracle

Helps lower cortisol levels. Magnesium Oil helps drive up DHEA, which is a potent anti-inflammatory hormone.
Lowers levels of C-reactive protein. Magnesium deficiency equals higher CRP
Inflammatory responses are much higher when magnesium deficiency is present
People with magnesium deficiency have a hard time metabolizing inflammation fighting EFA’s.
Magnesium helps convert the essential fatty acid GLA to anti-inflammatory DGLA.
Magnesium deficiency causes lower activation of systemic enzymes. These enzymes are needed to eat up scar tissue, fibroids.
Magnesium is the ultimate stress management nutrient and supports the adrenal glands that get worn out from stress
Research shows a direct relationship between the amount of magnesium in the diet and the ability to avoid high blood pressure.
Magnesium prevents calcium buildup in cholesterol plaque in arteries, which leads to clogged arteries.
Magnesium is a vasodilator, opening up blood vessels
Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant
Magnesium is an important part of treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
Magnesium helps detoxify toxic chemicals
Magnesium deficiency increases insomnia
Magnesium deficiency causes muscle weakness and fatigue

Click here for more information on magnesium oil

Next I love systemic enzymes and have been using them for many years after I learned about them from my friend Dr William Wong N.D. I have tried several good brands but my current favorite is Excylzym. Here is what systemic enzymes do:

Work to lower inflammation by eating up cytokines.
Enzymes eat scar tissue and fibrosis
Act as blood cleansers
Reduce the need for a large cortisol response to inflammation and thus lower cortisol as well.
Modulate the immune system. Helps prevent an over active immune response which can cause auto immune disorders (antibodies acting its own tissues)
Fights viruses

For more info on Excylzym, visit Mike Mahler’s website

Other supplements I like include resveratrol, curcumin, zinc, tocotrienols, and phosphatidylserine. However, Magnesium oil and systemic enzymes are by far the most powerful supplements to fight excess inflammation.

For More Information…

Find out more about Mike Mahler’s workshops, books and DVDs at www.MikeMahler.com