Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez looks into Tai Chi for back pain.
Q&A with Tai Chi Specialist Dr. Paul Lam
While lots of people take a �no pain, no increase� approach to work out, that�s for handling back and neck pain not always safe or effective. That�s where tai chi comes in. This low-impact, slow moving form of exercise delivers results without the sweat and soreness. Though it�s tender and meditative tai chi promotes strength, flexibility, and balance�the trifecta to get a healthier spine.
In case you have back or neck pain�or you�re looking for methods to prevent it in the first place �tai chi may be worth investigating. To help answer common questions and shed light on lesser-known facts relating to this ancient Chinese mind and body practice, we reached out to Dr. Paul Lam, manager of the Tai Chi for Health Institute in Australia.
Tai Chi Can Help
Q: During your research, what has become the most insightful finding you�ve found about tai chi as it relates to back pain?
A: The most insightful finding in my research concerning tai chi involved the mental impact and the deep stabilizer muscles to back pain.
Ninety percent of men and women have back pain at some period in their own lives, and more than 60 percent of that is continual. I discovered that nearly all individuals with back pain, no matter what the cause, have poor stabilizer muscles. Research has shown that strong stabilizers will prevent back pain and hasten healing.
Reinforcing the stabilizer muscles that are back is quite similar to tai chi training. The main element is an erect pose, exercising the stabilizers through the pelvic floor along with the transverse abdominus muscles, and using abdominal breathing. This really is among the important reasons why tai chi works so well for back pain.
One other insight I�ve discovered involves your head. Anxiety makes pain worse. Oftentimes with the continuing and persistent back pain, the cause of the pain might have gone, but the pain continues. Like a phantom pain, the thoughts�s ingrained custom proceeds to provide pain signals to the brain. Tai chi trains body and the mind, making both integrated and more powerful. It is but one of the utmost effective tools to greatly help with the mental aspects of back pain.
Q: What�s your best advice for somebody who’s apprehensive about beginning tai chi?
A: The reason why they are apprehensive about beginning tai chi, it depends. I can guarantee them it is safe, simple to understand, and proven effective, if people believe tai chi is a martial art and might be overly hard to learn. Millions of people around the globe have learned and profited from it, although the other consideration is the fact that individuals might believe tai chi is too tough to learn.
Q: How do individuals get the most?
A: I advocate people to practice tai chi for 30�40 minutes daily (it may be performed in separate sittings) most days each week. You will gain significant improvement in your quality of life and relief from back pain.
Q: Do you have some success stories that are personal which you can share regarding the benefits of tai chi for back pain?
A: Thousands! But to pick on only one, I�ve comprised a letter below written by a woman named Amatullah from Saudi Arabia.
“In 2009, I ‘d back pain for quite a while. Nothing worked, although I attempted many types of therapy. My friend said, �Try tai chi, it’s a gentle exercise.� Because my back was sore, I refused at first, but I attempted it. It was really surprising to me how people from 35 to 80 years old could do the movements, when I couldn�t. I found to be able to steadfastly keep up their health, some of them had been practicing for up to 35 years. I understood they were much fitter and much more flexible than my parents, therefore I decided to learn it. I practiced in all weather, in the park every day. My back pain vanished and has never return.”
Q: Are there tai chi resources you can recommend?
A: Yes, the Tai Chi for Health Institute web site has many resources, including a summary of accredited educators around the planet.
El Paso, TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez takes a look at chiropractors and�how they can act as an antioxidant through their practice.
The practice of chiropractic truly works on the grounds the work removes blockages to the body�s natural health and healing abilities, although most folks link chiropractors with pain management. This consists of removing pressure from nerves that relay signals from the brain to the organs and systems of the body.
Chiropractic Care Benefits
In 2005, a landmark study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation (JVSR) found evidence that chiropractic care can reduce oxidative stress within the body.
Oxidative stress is the damage occurring when free radicals outnumber the body�s antioxidants. Oxidative stress damages all body cell components: lipids, proteins and DNA.
Oxidative stress plays a job in a whole host of diseases and ailments: Alzheimer�s rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, heart problems, Parkinson�s disease, disease and many others.
Thiols are compounds within the body that act as antioxidants, reacting with free radicals to neutralize them. Serum amounts of thiols report scientists of Biomedical Diagnostic Research, Inc reflect DNA�s ability to mend itself, and can be used to measure aging and disease status.
In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Anti Aging Medicine, the scientists found low serum thiol levels with nine distinct categories of disorder and human disease in people.
The study published in JVSR consisted of 76 participants: one group received short-term chiropractic care; a second group received long term chiropractic care; and the 3rd group received no chiropractic care.
After qualifying for age, gender as well as the usage of nutritional supplements, the participants that received chiropractic care for 2 or more years that were healthy had higher serum thiol levels than people that have disorder. Some of the chiropractic patients had serum thiol levels higher than what is linked with wellness that is ordinary.
Chiropractor Dr. Christopher Kent explained: �Oxidative tension, metabolically creating free radicals, is a broadly accepted theory of how we age and grow ailment.�
�Going through life,� we experience chemical, physical and psychological stress. These pressures change the function of the body’s nervous system. We hypothesized that oxidative stress could affect and DNA repair on a cellular level.�
�Chiropractic care seems to improve the power of the entire body to adapt to anxiety,� concluded Kent.
If you�ve never taken a yoga class before, the numerous poses can be pretty intimidating. Downward facing dog, crow pose, cat and cow, wheel, warrior, the list goes on. And if your first experience is in an overflowing class, the instructor likely won�t have a chance to make sure you�re perfectly positioned in each posture.
Granted, yoga is all about going with what feels right for your body. But doing certain poses incorrectly can lead to muscle imbalances and possibly even injuries down the road. And it�s important to note that newbie yogis aren�t the only ones susceptible to mistakes. Even if you�ve been practicing yoga for years, there�may be room for improvement.
Samantha Miller inked a national letter of intent to attend school and compete with the UTEP rifle team beginning with the 2017-18 season, head coach Hannah Muegge revealed Monday.
Miller is the second individual for the 2017 signing class, joining Jessica Boyce.
“As we continue to build our roster for the 2017-18 season, Samantha Miller brings both a good attitude and a high level of motivation to the table,” Muegge said. “She has some great expectations set coming into the program and will help push us to achieve our team goals both on and off the range.”
Miller, understandably so, is thrilled with the chance to become a Miner.
“Being a Miner to me means that I get to continue on in a sport I love and have a passion for,” Miller said. “The best part is I will be with a shooting team that will become family. I will have support behind me all the time, as I will support them. I will have a coach who is there for me to help me with my problems while getting an education for something later in life. I can’t wait to join the Miner family.”
Below is a brief bio on Miller
Samantha Miller competes with the Los Alamos High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC)
… garnered the “Distinguished Shooter Badge” in 2016
… part of the Navy National Championship team in both 2015 and 2016
… secured the 2016 overall individual Navy Precision Champion while grabbing runner-up honors in 2017
… took home the 2017 New Mexico overall Precision Champion and the 2016 New Mexico 5A Precision Champion
… qualified for the Junior Olympics in air rifle in 2015, 2016 and 2017 while also doing so for smallbore in 2017
… at the 2017 event she finished 44th in a field of nearly 200 in air rifle while placing 51st in smallbore
… also qualified for American Legion in 2017 … has been shooting for five years
… fell in love with the sport while shooting on the range with her older brother during his senior year of high school
… plans to major in nursing at UTEP … on track to graduate from Los Alamos HS in June.
Kicker Jay Mattox will be heading to the San Francisco 49ers for a minicamp tryout. The Las Vegas, Nv. native is the eighth Miner to receive an invitation to an NFL camp.
Jay Mattox was a four-year starter who played in all 49 games for the Miners. The kicker finished his collegiate career tied no. 1 in program history with 137 career PATs.
Mattox also rates no. 2 in program history with 257 career points (kickers only) and ranked no. 3 with 40 career field goals made. He concluded his senior campaign ranked second on team in points (54) and finished 39-of-40 on PATs. Mattox connected on a career-best 7-for-7 on PATs and tied his career high in points (10).
As a junior, he connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal during a win over Incarnate Word.
During his sophomore season, Mattox took over punting duties and averaged 41.1 yards on 41 punts (1,687 yards), putting nine inside the 20-yard line and booting eight 50-plus yard punts.
Here’s yet another reason to make sure your kids are active: New research shows those with stronger muscles may have better working memory.
Evaluating 79 children between the ages of 9 and 11, scientists said they found that muscle fitness was directly related to a more accurate memory. The results also reinforced established research linking kids’ aerobic fitness to better thinking skills and academic performance.
“There are multiple ways children can derive benefit from exercise … to build healthy bodies as well as healthy minds,” said study co-author Charles Hillman. He’s a professor of psychology and health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston. “We know that kids are becoming increasingly inactive, overweight and unfit,” Hillman added. “So, it’s important to take studies like these … to basically indicate the benefit of physical activity and the importance of it.”
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Physical Activity in Children
Only 1 in 3 children in the United States is physically active every day, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. One contributor is the 7.5 hours per day, on average, that children spend in front of a screen — whether it be TV, video games, computers or the like.
Children taking part in the study completed both aerobic fitness and muscular fitness assessments, including upper body, lower body and core exercises. Additionally, their working memory and academic achievement were measured by various tests.
Hillman and his colleagues found that participants with higher levels of aerobic fitness also scored higher on tests of memory and mathematics. But a new insight was gleaned with the finding that muscle fitness was directly linked to memory performance — though not academic performance. Hillman emphasized that the muscle fitness tests used in the research resembled the kinds of activity kids take part in regularly — not lifting large weights.
“It wasn’t pure strength the way that running is pure cardio,” Hillman explained, “in the sense that they were doing high volume [repetitions] and low weights. Much was body movement, such as pushups and squats or lifting light medicine balls. We were trying to mimic the way kids would typically be active.”
Working memory in both boys and girls appeared to benefit equally from greater muscle fitness, he noted.
Hillman said scientists aren’t sure how greater muscle fitness would work to enhance memory. Drawing from the results of animal research, he theorized that muscle fitness could help connections develop between brain neurons.
Dr. Bradley Sandella, fellowship director for sports medicine at Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., said the new findings provided information he could use in his own practice.
“I think we always think about the benefit of physical activity on overall health, but not specifically for cognitive function,” Sandella said. “This is something I can use to motivate students, but also parents of students, to become more physically active. Not only do we know it’s good for physical development, but also that it’s good for cognitive development.”
He cautioned, however, that the study was preliminary and that long-term research is needed to determine any effects of muscle fitness on academic performance. The study also did not prove that stronger muscles caused memory to improve.
The study was published recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
SOURCES: Charles Hillman, Ph.D., professor, psychology and health sciences, Northeastern University, Boston; Bradley Sandella, D.O., fellowship director, sports medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, Del.; April 2017 issue, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and proper sleep is essential for your whole body�s well-being. While these are some of the most important contributing factors for staying healthy, seeking care and preventing injuries or the development of conditions through natural alternatives can also guarantee overall health and wellness. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option utilized by many individuals to ensure whole body wellness.
Focusing too much on playing one favorite sport probably isn’t a good idea for kids under 12, researchers report.
That’s because specializing in a single sport seems to increase a child’s risk of injury, researchers say.
“Young athletes should participate in one competitive sport per season, and take at least three months off (non-consecutive) from competition per year,” said the study’s leader, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi. He’s a physician with Emory Sports Medicine and an associate professor of orthopaedics and family medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.
For the study, Jayanthi’s team assessed the risk of sports-related injuries among nearly 1,200 young athletes. After tracking their training schedules over the course of three years, the investigators found that nearly 40 percent of the athletes suffered an injury during the study period.
The findings also showed that injured athletes began specializing in one sport at an average age younger than 12 years. In addition, nearly two-thirds of these athletes in highly specialized sports sustained a repeat injury.
Athletes who didn’t sustain injuries began to focus on one sport when they were older than 12, on average, according to the report.
“While different for each sport, determining a possible age of specialization, as well as other training factors, may help guide young athletes in reducing risk,” Jayanthi said in an Emory news release.
Young athletes who had sports-related injuries during the study period tended to play more year-round sports, played more organized sports each week and were more specialized in specific sports than those who didn’t have an injury, the researchers found.
The study authors advise young athletes to play more than one sport. In addition, they said, younger children shouldn’t train more hours than their age each week.
The study was published online March 16 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The findings were also presented Thursday at the International Olympic Committee World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, in Monaco.
News stories are written and provided by HealthDay and do not reflect federal policy, the views of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Watch this video and follow along as celebrity instructor and Health contributing editor Kristin McGee guides a 10-minute Pilates workout that�s perfect for beginners and pros alike.
During this sequence, McGee focuses on targeting your abs, especially the transverse abdominals, the deepest layer of muscle in your core. According to McGee, we should lead all of our daily activities from those muscles. They support us, give us good posture, and help us with twisting and movement. Plus, that deep transverse core muscle is what helps make your spine nice and long.
As you do this workout, there are a few crucial things to keep in mind. For starters, tune into your body, and really try to feel the connection both to your pelvic floor muscles and to your transverse abdominals. McGee suggests imagining you�re wearing a wetsuit, and it�s pulling everything in your torso inward.
While your core and pelvic floor should feel tight and engaged, be sure to keep your shoulders soft. It also helps to maintain a slight �C curve� in your spine, which allows your lower abs to be pulled even farther in, helping to activate and tone them.
Finally, use your breath to connect to your pelvic floor muscles and scoop in your abs as you go through each move.
Some of the moves may seem really subtle and simple�but don�t be fooled! This sequence is sure to have your abs aching the next day, in the best kind of way.
For the second straight year, U.S. pedestrian deaths are setting alarming new records. The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads rose a projected 11 percent between 2015 and 2016, the largest year-to-year increase on record, according to a new Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report.
During the first six months of 2016, preliminary data show 2,660 pedestrian deaths nationwide, compared to 2,486 for the same period during 2015. The year-long projection is based on those numbers. The report also projects a 22 percent rise in pedestrian deaths from 2014. Both estimates are sharply higher than the 9 percent increase in pedestrian deaths between 2014 and 2015.
“This is the second year in a row that we have seen unprecedented increases in pedestrian fatalities, which is both sad and alarming,” said report author Richard Retting, who’s with Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants.
“It is critical that the highway safety community understand these disturbing statistics and work to aggressively implement effective countermeasures,” he added in a GHSA news release.
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Pedestrian Risks and Automobile Accidents
Pedestrians account for about 15 percent of U.S. road deaths. In the first six months of 2016, the number of pedestrian deaths rose in 34 states, fell in 15 states and in the District of Columbia, and remained the same in one state. The report cited several possible reasons for the spike. They include Americans driving more due to lower gas prices; more people choosing to walk for health, transportation, economic or environmental reasons; and widespread use of smartphones, a distraction for walkers and drivers alike.
“Everyone walks, and we want to encourage that, but at the same time we want to make sure that we all get to our destinations safely,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said.
“Unfortunately, this latest data shows that the U.S. is not meeting the mark on keeping pedestrians safe on our roadways. Every one of these lives represents a loved one not coming home tonight, which is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
One doctors’ group added that prevention — keeping your eyes and ears on your surroundings — is key.
“Today’s projected pedestrian fatalities — the highest ever recorded — are an urgent wake-up call that we need to work harder at consistently focusing on where and how we are walking,” said Dr. Alan Hilibrand. He’s a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
“Pedestrians need to be mindful of their surroundings,” while walking, Hilibrand said. “Walking while looking at your phone or an electronic device can result in sprains, broken bones, and other serious, even fatal, injuries.”
SOURCES: Governors Highway Safety Association, news release, March 30, 2017; March 30, 2017, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Brain injuries are common complications in our modern world. Approximately 2 million individuals experience a head injury in the United States alone each year. Although most brain or head injuries are not considered life threatening, they could sum up to billions of dollars in annual revenue. Brain injuries are often categorized according to patient response. Only 1 out of 4 reported brain injuries are considered moderate or severe.
Football�s Aaron Jones and Track & Field�s Tobi Amusan were named the UTEP Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively, at the 43rd annual �Dinner With the Miners� banquet on Thursday�night at the Wyndham El Paso Airport.
Soccer�s Aleah Davis received the Golden Miner Award, presented to UTEP�s top all-around senior student-athlete based on athletics, academics and community service.� Former Miner volleyball player Christine Brandl was recipient of the Silver Anniversary Award.
Houston Baptist vs UTEP
Jones became UTEP�s all-time leading rusher (4,114 yards) in 2016, breaking a school record that had stood for 28 years.� He ranks seventh on the all-time Conference USA rushing list.� Jones set a school single-season record with 1,773 rushing yards.� He was named a third team All-American by the Associated Press and first team All-Conference USA.
Jones became only the second player in school history to rush for 300 yards in a game, and the first in 51 years, when he rambled for 301 yards against North Texas.� He was named the Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week for his effort.� Jones compiled 17 rushing touchdowns (third in school history), 2,006 all-purpose yards (fourth) and scored 120 points (third).
He led Conference USA and rated third nationally in rushing this season, collecting 147.8 yards per contest.� He went over the 100-yard rushing mark seven times, and had 200+ yards in three games.
Amusan made her mark during the 2016 outdoor season, receiving numerous accolades including first team NCAA All-American,
UTEP�s Tobi Amusan in the Women�s 200 meter dash at the 2017 UTEP Invitational, Kidd Field El Paso, TX
Conference USA Track Athlete of the Year and C-USA Freshman of the Meet.� She competed at the 2016 Olympics and World U20 Championships.� She broke a 33-year old school record, and posted the fourth-fastest time in the nation in the 100-meter hurdles (12.83 seconds).
She claimed titles in the 100-meter hurdles and the 200 meters at the C-USA Championships, while adding a runner-up showing in the long jump.� She was NCAA runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles.� Amusan achieved another school record in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season (7.98 seconds).� She claimed six first-place finishes during the indoor campaign.� She won two events (60-meter hurdles, 200 meters) at the C-USA Indoor Meet for the champion Miners.� Her time in the 200 meters (23.35 seconds) was a UTEP record.
Amusan was the C-USA High Point Scorer of the Meet.� She recorded a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn All-American honors.
Davis earned All-Conference (first team) and All-Region (second team) accolades for the fourth time in as many years, making her the first Miner to achieve the feat.� She started all 22 matches, tallying six goals and eight assists for a team-high tying 20 points.� She posted five game-winning goals.
She helped the Miners register their most wins (13) in seven years and advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Championships.� She was voted to the NSCAA Senior Women�s College Scholar All-America Team and the C-USA Women�s Soccer All-Academic Team.� Davis also compiled over 100 community service hours during her UTEP career.
The Silver Anniversary Miner Award is presented to an individual who had a distinguished college athletic career, and has continued to contribute to UTEP and the El Paso community.
Brandl played for the Miners from 1988-91 and is the school�s all-time leader for assists (4,210) and service aces (148).� She was a second team Verizon Academic All-American as a junior and senior and was the recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1992.
Brandl finished her Premedical Education at UTEP in 1992.� She completed her Medical Education from Texas Tech in 1996 and her Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas in 2000.� She became a certified OBGYN in 2002 and today operates her own private practice, Lifesteps OBGYN, in El Paso.� She has received numerous awards in the medical field and is a former Vice Chairman for Providence Hospital.
Brandl has also volunteered as a volleyball coach at St. Mark�s School and Mount Franklin Christian Academy in El Paso.
The grade point average award was presented to the tennis team, and the community service award went to volleyball.
In addition, team MVP awards were presented to Dominic Artis (men�s basketball), Sparkle Taylor (women�s basketball), Jonah Koech (men�s cross country and outdoor track & field), Winny Koech (women�s cross country), Emmanuel Korir (men�s indoor track & field), Tobi Amusan (women�s indoor and outdoor track & field), Aaron Jones (football), Frederik Dreier (men�s golf), Lily Downs (women�s golf), Bailey Powell (rifle), Alyssa Palacios (soccer), Kaitlin Ryder (softball), Raven Bennett (tennis), Lindsey Larson (volleyball), Bailey Sarver & Omar Gardea (Cheerleading), Jeanna Mullen, James Bias & Will Hernandez (strength & conditioning) and Ariana Rodarte (athletic training).
�Dinner With The Miners� is made possible by the El Paso Downtown Lions Club. The event was inspired by past Lion president John Phelan. In 1979, a $10,000 memorial endowment was established. Due to the overwhelming community support of the event, the memorial fund was raised to $100,000 in 1983.
A second endowment has already been established and continues to grow each year. These two endowments provide funds annually to offset the cost of student-athlete scholarships.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
