Clinic Wellness Team. A key factor to spine or back pain conditions is staying healthy. Overall wellness involves a balanced diet, appropriate exercise, physical activity, restful sleep, and a healthy lifestyle. The term has been applied in many ways. But overall, the definition is as follows.
It is a conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving full potential. It is multidimensional, bringing together lifestyles both mental/spiritual and the environment in which one lives. It is positive and affirms that what we do is, in fact, correct.
It is an active process where people become aware and make choices towards a more successful lifestyle. This includes how a person contributes to their environment/community. They aim to build healthier living spaces and social networks. It helps in creating a person’s belief systems, values, and a positive world perspective.
Along with this comes the benefits of regular exercise, a healthy diet, personal self-care, and knowing when to seek medical attention. Dr. Jimenez’s message is to work towards being fit, being healthy, and staying aware of our collection of articles, blogs, and videos.
Your physician may suggest taking drugs to help deal with the pain from degenerative disk disease, or DDD. The severity of your symptoms ascertains what drugs you might need, plus, it makes a difference if your pain is acute or long-term.
Severe pain is, in addition, called a flare up; a sudden onset of pain.
Chronic pain is long-term, and you’re prone to possess long-term pain than intense pain as degenerative disc disease advances.
As with any drugs or medicines, you should not take anything without first consulting with your healthcare professional to see if it’s the best option for you. Most likely, you will proceed through a progression of drugs, first attempting over the counter medicines. Stronger drugs may be prescribed by a healthcare specialist if those don’t work. You may need spinal injections that send a stronger medicine, if those don’t help.
Over-the-Counter Medications for Degenerative Disc Disease
Acetaminophen: Tylenol is an example of acetaminophen, a sort of drug that’s turned out to be an excellent pain reliever. Your physician may call this an analgesic, but most people refer as a painkiller to acetaminophen medications. It doesn’t help reduce inflammation, though. By essentially blocking the perception of pain of your brain, acetaminophen works, plus it may help pain flare-ups that may come with DDD.
Over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These will reduce swelling (or inflammation) while relieving your pain; that’s how NSAIDs differ from acetaminophen. If an over the counter NSAID is a choice for you, you’ve lots to select from. You can use ibuprofen (eg, Advil), aspirin, or aproxen (eg, Aleve).
By taking an NSAID, you are really building up an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, therefore it’s required to take it for awhile. If you take them just when you’ve pain that is certainly, NSAIDs won’t be as powerful. Because they build up in your own body and work to limit inflammation, NSAIDs are better for chronic pain sufferers.
Prescription Drugs for Degenerative Disc Disease
Anti-depressants: Antidepressants may be effective drugs for treating pain since they block pain messages on their strategy to mental performance as astonishing as it might seem. They could also help increase your body’s production of endorphins, an all-natural painkiller. Finally, antidepressants can also assist you to sleep better, which can be a major headache for people in persistent pain.
Muscle relaxants: If you have chronic back pain caused by muscle spasms, a muscle relaxant, which should help prevent the spasms may be needed by you. Muscle relaxants could also help you sleep.
Agents that are neuropathic: If you have nerve pain, your physician may prescribe a drug that especially targets the nerves. Neurontin (gabapentin) is a good example.
Opioids (narcotics): In only under careful supervision, and the most extraordinary cases, your doctor may prescribe an opioid. Vicodin is an example of a narcotic.
Prescription NSAIDs: NSAIDs that are more powerful can be taken by you than the over-the-counter variety, if your doctor believes this is best for your pain.
Medication/Drug Precautions
As with all medicines, your doctor’s guidance must be followed by you exactly. Never blend over the counter and prescribed drugs without first consulting with your physician. Also, as your physician determines things to prescribe, if you are using any herbal nutritional supplements make sure to tell him or her, as well as every other prescription medications you’re taking.
Spinal Injections for Degenerative Disc Disease
Epidural steroid injection: That is only one of the very common shots. In lots of people, an epidural steroid injection is successful to reduce low back pain caused by a herniated disc; among the affiliated conditions with DDD. An epidural steroid injection (ESI) targets the epidural space, which will be the space enclosing the membrane that covers the back and nerve roots.An epidural steroid injection sends steroids�very powerful anti-inflammatories�right to the nerve root(s) that is inflamed. This is really a pain management treatment, therefore it’s best to have an injection-trained pain management specialist perform the injection under fluoroscopy (real time xray). You could need two or three injections; generally, you need to not have that because of the possible side effects of the steroids.
Facet joint injection: Also referred to as a facet block, facet joint injections are useful if one (or maybe more) of your facet joints are causing pain. A steroid drugs (powerful anti inflammatory) is injected into the joint’s protective capsule. Reduce joint pain and the medication works to ease inflammation.
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 .�
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
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.
If you’re doing your best to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, the convenience of pre-washed bagged salads may be too hard to resist. The problem is such products can contain contaminants and foreign substances that can make you sick.
That reality was dramatically spotlighted last month when two people ate fresh salad from a bagged lettuce product before discovering the remains of a bat in it. Further complicating things, the unfortunate were treated for rabies as a precaution (although lab tests later showed the bat was not rabid).
Peter Cassell, spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), noted the case was extremely rare and not a reason for a larger public health concern.
“Packaged salads are generally safe to eat right out of the package,” he said. “Most salads are double-washed or triple-washed and dried under managed conditions. Packaged salads are widely sold for consumer’s convenience.”
But he acknowledged such products can contain contaminants, so consumers need to take precautions to be sure they are not consuming anything dangerous or, at least, unappetizing.
“The most common extraneous materials that can be found in produce grown close to the ground include stones, rocks and dirt,” he noted. “One way consumers can identify and remove these materials is to pour the salad out into a bowl and lightly sift it with clean hands or utensils. There is no need to rewash salads that have already been washed before packaging.”
It’s not the first time that consumers have encountered problems with pre-washed salads, veggies, and fruit. Last year, four people died and 33 became ill from listeria in packaged salads.
Listeria found in food processing plants is not uncommon, but it isn’t always toxic. Dole salads, the problem in the case of listeria, closed the offending plant, issued a recall, and followed FDA requirements to sanitize its processing systems.
The salad with the dead bat was in Organic Marketside Spring Mix, produced by Fresh Express. It was only distributed at Walmart stores in the Southeastern United States.
The odds of finding a bat or dangerous pathogen in your salad are quite rare, experts say. According to Cassell, people can generally trust that pre-washed salads are handled correctly and present little to no risk to the consumer.
But health specialists say a handful of safe food-handling practices, especially for produce, are a good idea for consumers to follow. Among them:
Wash your hands thoroughly before starting to prepare food.
Sort through bagged or boxed greens and/or vegetables carefully.
Rinse thoroughly and inspect the contents of bagged greens, even if they are already pre-washed.
Do not use special “veggie soaps.” They don’t do much and remain on the food that you eat.
Look for “best used by” dates and buy foods accordingly. If food is really fresh it will be better for you.
Cut away damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables. Throw it away if it looks rotten.
Even if you plan to peel the produce, it is a good idea to wash it.
Scrub things like melons or cucumbers with a clean produce brush.
Use a paper towel to dry produce because it can help to get rid of bacteria.
When you purchase and store your produce, bag it and store it separately from other foods like meat, seafood, and poultry.
Refrigerate any produce that is pre-cut or peeled.
Additional advice from the FDA:
Wash hands and surfaces often when preparing food.
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, counters frequently to avoid cross contamination with bacteria and other microbes.
If you use cloth dishtowels to wipe counters clean, make sure you wash them in hot water. Consider using paper towels instead of cloth towels.
Most of us face some risk from foods — even fresh foods — that aren’t properly washed or cleaned, or that may have been contaminated by other foods like fresh meat.
About 48 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year, with one in six Americans becoming ill from some sort of food contamination. Illness usually starts within days after eating contaminated food, and can include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and headache.
Most people recover from food poisoning, according to the FDA. But pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems face a greater risk of complications.
The bottom line: Take a look at that pre-washed salad, toss it with some utensils, and be wary, but be aware that it is probably safe, according to Cassell.
For more information about recalls, or to file a complaint about purchased food, visit the FDA Website.
Could wine have a protective effect on the brain? A team of researchers at the Institute of Food Science Research in Madrid, Spain, have studied the process by which compounds in red wine have an anti-aging effect on the brain.
When consumed in moderation, notably as part of a Mediterranean diet, red wine, which contains polyphenol antioxidants, can be beneficial in delaying the onset of cognitive impairments in aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.
Resveratrol — a substance found in red wine and chocolate — could help prevent age-related memory loss.
To investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the neuroprotective actions of wine, researchers in Spain studied certain compounds that are left behind after the wine has passed through the gut — wine-derived human gut metabolites. These are found in the urine and feces of people who drink wine on a regular and moderate basis.
To study the effects of these metabolites on the brain, the compounds were added to human cells under stress conditions, similar to the initial stages of certain neurodegenerative disorders.
According to the results, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, the wine metabolites protected the cells from dying due to the stress conditions.
The scientists explain that the exact composition of wine metabolites influences the neuroprotective effect. This composition, in turn, depends on the composition of each individual’s gut microbiota. In other words, wine is broken down into different metabolites depending on the gut flora of each individual.
“[This] underpins the idea that humans benefit from food in different ways,” explains Dr. Esteban-Fernández from the Institute of Food Science Research in Madrid. “This individual difference is a factor not to be neglected to understand the health effects of certain foods. We are now in need to advance our understanding of the effect of diet in the promotion of normal brain function.”
The study concludes that diet can be considered an important factor in health maintenance and disease prevention.
Antioxidant nutrients are mainly found in brightly colored fruit and vegetables such as carrots, apricots, sweet potato, bell peppers and green leafy vegetables (cabbage, spinach, peas, avocado, etc.)
Primary care optometrists and ophthalmologists may sometimes fail to detect age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of vision impairment in the elderly, a recent U.S. study suggests.
Researchers examined data on a total of 1,288 eyes from 644 older adults who got what’s known as a dilated eye exam, when clinicians widen the pupils with eye drops to let in more light and get a better look at the retina in back of the eyeball.
Based on these exams, none of the participants were diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration by primary care optometrists and ophthalmologists. But when retina specialists took another look, they diagnosed the eye disorder in 25 percent of cases.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to address the extent to which age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is under-diagnosed by primary eye providers in the U.S.,” said lead study author Dr. David Neely, a researcher at Callahan Eye Hospital and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“As treatments for the earliest stages of AMD are developed in the coming years, correct identification of AMD in primary eye care will be critical for routing patients to treatment as soon as possible so that the disease can be treated in its earliest phases and central vision loss avoided,” Neely said by email.
About 14 million Americans have age-related macular degeneration, and as the baby boomer population ages, the ranks of patients with this disorder are expected to swell, the researchers note in JAMA Ophthalmology.
It happens when a part of the retina called the macula gets thinner with age. Over time, people with the condition can lose what’s known as central vision, or the ability to see things in detail when facing them head on. They can become unable to read books or see the road well enough to drive a car, but they may retain some peripheral vision.
There’s no cure, but there are some medications and laser procedures on the eye that can sometimes slow the progression of the disease and help avoid extensive vision loss. Eating plenty of leafy greens and avoiding cigarettes may help prevent the condition from developing.
Patients in the current study were 69 years old on average. They were seen by one of 31 primary eye care providers in Birmingham, Alabama, between 2009 and 2011.
They were more likely to have undiagnosed age-related macular degeneration if they were older, male or had less than a high school education.
One limitation of the study is that results from practices in one region might not necessarily reflect how accurately age-related macular degeneration would be diagnosed elsewhere, the authors note.
There’s also wide variation in severity with this condition, said Dr. David Parke II, chief executive officer of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
“It’s a little like a person saying `I have high blood pressure,’” Parke, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “It can be just borderline high and difficult to detect or it can be dangerously high leading to a high risk of stroke or heart attack.”
It’s not surprising that good quality, high magnification images of the macula interpreted by a trained ophthalmologist retina specialist catch more subtle changes in the eye, Parke added. But it’s also more expensive than traditional dilated eye exams done by primary eye care providers and won’t necessarily catch many additional cases of AMD in people who don’t have symptoms, he said.
As the condition worsens, some previous research suggests that nutritional supplements with ingredients including zinc, copper, and vitamins C and E may help minimize vision loss.
“For many patients with more severe AMD the use of nutritional supplements can reduce the subsequent rate of worsening of AMD and vision loss,” said Dr. Paul Lee, director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“One piece of good news is that AMD is generally something that progresses over years, so that if detected on the next visit, there is still the opportunity to have the therapy started then,” Lee, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
“You can do anything for 20 seconds.” You might have heard that line in a workout class or on Daily Burn 365, when a trainer wants you to focus on an exercise, drive through the burn and push past what you think are your limits. Well, there’s a reason they want you to go short but hard. You only need to push at your max effort for 20 seconds to conquer a Tabata— a training technique founded by scientists back in the late 90s. Research still says this method improves your VO2 max and offers mega cardio benefits, not to it mention blasts calories fast.
Tabata workouts—a form of HIIT—specifically involve putting in 20 seconds of serious work, then resting for 10 seconds. You repeat this work-to-rest ratio for eight rounds. (Yes, that means you can get a solid workout in just four minutes.) Better yet, you can incorporate almost any exercise into a Tabata format (as long as you’re going at an intense effort), and you don’t need weights or a lot of space.
So, still thinking you have no time to squeeze in a workout? Put this total-body Tabata workout, courtesy of Daily Burn 365 trainer Prince Brathwaite, to the test today. You won’t even have to leave your living room.
Meet your new time-saving, body-burning, calorie-scorching workout. In true Tabata form, you’ll do the two exercises below for 20 seconds each, resting for 10 seconds in between. Repeat for eight rounds, alternating moves, so you hit a total of eight minutes. Do this whenever you can fit it in, and get ready to get fit.
How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart (a). Quickly drive your knees up to your chest as you move toward your right side. Pump your arms so opposite arm comes up with opposite leg (b). After three steps, pause for a second, then drive off your toes and take three steps in the other direction (c). Continue powering through for 20 seconds.
How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart (a). Push your hips back and drive your butt down to perform a squat(b). Without standing back up, place your hands on the ground and walk them forward so you hit a high plank(c). Perform a push-up, with your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles (d). Walk your hands back in toward your feet, then stand up (e). Repeat.
This weekend, Nike will stage an intriguing human experiment with the hopes of breaking the two-hour barrier for the marathon. Using a combination of advanced running apparel and an army of pacers on a 2.4-kilometer loop at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza complex just outside of Milan, Italy, the sportswear giant looks to shave two minutes and 27 seconds off the fastest recorded time ever run by a man.
Dennis Kimetto currently owns the world record with his 2:02:57 victory at the 2014 Berlin Marathon. He is an Adidas athlete and has struggled with injuries in the past two years, so no sub-two hour marathon attempt has been tied to him, but his sponsor is working on its own sub-two shoe after having outfitted the last four world record holders.
Nike has taken the largest step forward in the sub-two arms (and footwear) race by staging the attempt under its own parameters and enlisting Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese tackle one of the biggest queries of elite running.
The athletes have been in Monza since about Monday morning. A photo leaked on Twitter of one of the strategists explaining the pacing plan for 18 runners�which includes Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat and elites from the renowned Nike Bowerman Track Club�and it appears there will be runners alternating segments while remaining six at a time on the course with the three stars.
Social media posts out of Monza have the pacers and their agents targeting the attempt on Saturday, May 6, which would be the 63rd anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile. A window from May 6 to 8 has been set by Nike to select the day with the most favorable weather.
Here�s a look at the r�sum�s and credentials for the three protagonists of the attempt:
?Eliud Kipchoge
Age: 32 Country: Kenya Personal Bests: 2:03:05, 2016 London Marathon Accolades: 2016 Olympic marathon gold medalist, 2008 Olympic 5,000-meter silver medalist, 2004 Olympic 5,000-meter bronze medalist, four-time world championship medalist (includes cross country and indoors), 2014 Chicago Marathon champion, 2015 Berlin Marathon champion, 2015 and 2016 London Marathon champion
Kipchoge enters the attempt as arguably one of the greatest marathoners in history. His personal best of 2:03:05 is the fourth-fastest time over 26.2 in history and the third-fastest over a standard course. By running in Nike�s Breaking2 project, we didn�t get to see Kipchoge try to win is third consecutive London Marathon or a clash between him and 2:03:03 man Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia. Kipchoge has proven he can win so Nike recruited him to go for time while probably also throwing him a large check to pass on appearance fees and potential prize money. Kipchoge was also the first of the three selected runners to receive the Zoom Vaporfly Elite shoes that will be worn in the attempt. He�s been instrumental in the company�s tailoring of the footwear to meet his needs and performance.
According to early reports out of Kenya, Kipchoge followed most of his regular training that made him successful in his marathon career thus far. He�s won seven of his eight career marathons and in the one that he didn�t win, he finished second to Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, who won in a then-world record time of 2:03:23.
LetsRun.com paid a visit to Kipchoge and filmed one of his workouts back in March
Kipchoge ran 59:17 in Monza seven weeks ago, when Nike staged an unofficial half-marathon to show off its new shoes. He told Runner�s World that it was about a 60% effort on his part.
Pacing is going to be critical in the attempt and it would be a bad sign for Kipchoge and the leaders to cross the half-marathon mark in over 60 minutes. Kimetto�s world record has an outlier of a 14:09 split at 35-kilometers, which is a large part why he negative split in the race and why attempts to go out hard and hang on haven�t worked as well. Sports scientist Ross Tucker noted on Twitter that 14:13 per 5K is the pace for a sub-two yet a 14:14 has happened only 10 times in fastest 90 marathon winners in history. It�s a tall order for Kipchoge but of the three, he�s the most probably to come the closest to under two-hours� yet that could still be a high-2:01 or low-2:02.
?Zersenay Tadese
Age: 35 Country: Eritrea Personal Bests: 58:23 for the half marathon (WR), 2:10:41 for the marathon (2012 London Marathon) Accolades: Half marathon world record holder, 2004 10,000-meter Olympic bronze medalist, 2009 10,000-meter World Championship silver medalist, five-time World Half Marathon Championship gold medalist, seven-time World Cross Country Championship medalist
The marathon has not been good for Tadese. Asking him to cut more than 10 minutes off his personal best sounds like a lot even for special shoes. He is probably the most unlikely of the group to be the one to break two-hours for the marathon but could be serving as an unofficial pacer to stick with Kipchoge and Desisa for as long as possible. In his attempt to debut at the 26.2 distance, Tadese dropped out of the 2009 London Marathon at about 35K. He finished the race in 2010 with a disappointing 2:12:03. His personal best remains 2:10:41 from the 2012 London Marathon, which put him at a distant 14th place. His last attempt at 26.2 came in 2014 and was another DNF but this time in Chicago and just after the half. Nike hasn�t affirmed it, but Tadese essentially serves as the best pacer (one with world record credentials) for Kipchoge and Desisa for maybe 25K to 30K. Tadese ran 59:41 behind Kipchoge in the Monza test run.
Lelisa Desisa
Age: 27 Country: Ethiopia Personal Best: 2:04:45, 2013 Dubai Marathon Accolades: Three-time Boston Marathon champion, 2013 World Half Marathon Championship silver medalist
Desisa has competed in 11 marathons since he started contesting the 26.2 distance in 2013. His first one at the 2013 Dubai Marathon was a 2:04:45 victory and it remains his fastest. His next-fastest was a 2:05:52 at the 2015 Dubai Marathon, but those are the only two occasions in which he�s run under 2:06. His most recent run resulted in a DNF at the 2016 New York City Marathon and so his other completed marathons have been tactical or unpaced affairs that have resulted in podium finishes or victories on the marathon majors circuit. Desisa struggled in the test run in March and fell off the sub-two pace less than halfway through and finished in 62:55, If he could somehow find that 2013 marathon form, he would hang late into the attempt with Kipchoge and maybe serve as a pacer through 35K. That�s a big �if� though.
Given that we didn�t see any official races from these three runners ahead of the attempt, it�s really hard to assess their fitness and come up with any percentage of a chance. There�s the mental factor that comes with having run 17 laps around the course. There�s also the element of fueling and hydration that takes place within the body. Weather is another uncontrollable variable. Nike got the attention it wanted while also remaining secretive on a lot of details up until the week of the attempt. With millions watching, it�s on three men to deliver in the ultimate race against the clock.
Looking to take your burpees to the next level? If you’ve mastered this basic go-to fitness move, you have to try this challenging new version demoed by Nike trainers Kirsty Godso and Lauren Williams, AKA the “Pyro Girls,” on Instagram this week.
What makes their burpee upgrade so hot? “It challenges core and shoulder stability and strength differently from a regular burpee,” explains Williams. “You have to balance the explosiveness of the tuck with shoulder stability and core strength so you can do the move with control and grace.”
Up for the challenge? Here’s how to do it: Start with your feet hip-width apart. Then place both hands on ground and jump both feet back, going into a plank. Jump both legs up into the air while bending knees to bring feet toward butt (think donkey kick). Hop legs back out to a plank, and then jump feet in toward your hands. As you stand, explode up, bringing knees into chest. Land softly, and then immediately repeat the entire sequence. If you’re feeling extra cool, grab a buddy and try doing this move in tandem like Godso and Williams.
Yep, it’s just as intense as you think. (We know, we tried it!) Need a modification? Williams suggests just jumping your feet back up to your hands instead of attempting the full-blown donkey kick.
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