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The Critical Exercise Most Everyone is Not Doing

by Pain Doc | Oct 6, 2019 | Shoulder Pain

The idea that exercise benefits your health is a medically and scientifically proven, and perhaps more importantly, socially accepted concept. We can now call it a fact. Research conclusively shows that regular physical activity promotes multiple improved health metrics such as lowered LDL and increased HDL cholesterol levels; decreased triglyceride levels; healthy blood pressure, brain health, improved bone density, increased insulin sensitivity and more. Exercise is also positively correlated with longevity. We know exercise is important if we are to stay healthy, maintain a high quality of life, and live longer.

When it comes to exercising, there are basically three groups of people who engage in it:

1. The elite, professional athletes whose livelihood depends on their physical abilities and talents. These people have the benefit of professional trainers and unlimited facilities and equipment to get their bodies in shape. Not something the rest of us can say.

2. The fitness fanatics who hit the gym 3-7 times a week; sometimes more than once a day; keep abreast of the latest exercise techniques and have a better grasp on the science of fitness—basically those who make fitness a central part of their life.

3. The everyday Joes and Janes who take aerobics classes; jog, use a treadmill or Stairmaster and/ or lift weights, as best they know how.

Which group do you fit in?

There are two, textbook categories of exercise: resistance and endurance. In resistance exercise, you apply resistance to your muscles via traditional weights; other heavy objects (medicine balls, tires, sandbags); friction, rubber tubing, and even your own body weight (planks, squats, TRX). In resistance exercise, the primary goal is to strengthen your muscles by stimulating your body to produce more actin and myosin myofibrils, the specialized protein structures that do the actual contraction. The more myofibrils your muscle cells (muscle fibers) have, the bigger your muscle; the bigger your muscle, the greater its potential for generating power.

In endurance exercise, the goal is to improve a muscle’s ability to function for a longer duration before fatiguing. These exercises are more commonly called aerobic or cardio exercises since a big part of improving muscular endurance is to strengthen the heart and lungs. Distance running and wind sprint running; Stairmaster™, cycling and aerobics classes are examples of endurance exercises.

It’s not entirely clear what precisely happens when muscles increase endurance from these exercises, but we do know that placing a sustained, increased demand on the heart, which is the essence of cardio exercises strengthens the heart, a muscle itself, enabling it to pump a larger volume of blood with each contraction (called stroke volume) to skeletal muscles to meet their oxygen and glucose (fuel) demands. Endurance exercises also increase the number of muscle cell mitochondria, the organelles where ATP, the “energy currency” of cells, is manufactured. Generally, more mitochondria means more ATP production. By the way, if you find yourself out of breath after engaging in a level of physical activity comparable to walking up one flight of stairs, you likely have poor cardiovascular fitness.

A third type of exercise that is gaining popularity is muscle coordination or functional exercises. These exercises focus on doing movements that are commonly required in everyday life, with the goal of strengthening/ improving the synergy and coordination between the muscle groups that create that movement. Examples include walking up a flight of stairs; lifting and carrying luggage; lifting something from the floor to a higher level; lifting and carrying something heavy on your shoulder; pulling and pushing something heavy; jumping; sitting down and getting up, crawling on the floor, and so on. Movement patterns such as these involve several synergistic muscle groups such as leg, buttock and back muscle groups that contract in a precise sequence and amplitude determined by your brain. A primary goal of functional exercises, therefore, is to improve the neurological component of muscle group contraction so that your body responds more efficiently to its environment. To get a sense of how functional exercises work, check out the website Functional Patterns.

This brings us to the fourth exercise that most people forget. Resistance exercises strengthen the muscles; cardio exercises improve muscles’ endurance; and functional exercises improve the coordination of muscle groups involved in common movements, so what is missing? The one exercise that people forget, and should incorporate into their workouts are joint exercises.

In joint exercises, the goal is to mobilize and strengthen all the components of the joints—joint articulations, tendons, capsules, ligaments and deep muscles. This requires moving the joint through all its ranges of motion, with and without resistance. The resistance used in joint exercises is not as strong (use lighter weights) as that used in resistance exercises done to increase muscle mass, because gaining muscle mass is not the goal of joint exercises. Whenever connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, bone) and muscle are stressed, the body senses it and makes adaptations: it increases their mass and produces more supportive collagen fibers. This is called Davis’ Law, which describes how soft tissue remodels along the axis of force. The benefit is healthier, sturdier joints that resist degeneration better, and improved strength/ power generation.

Joints are a biomechanical wonder that are an essential component of your locomotor system—the parts of your body designed to generate movement. They enable your skeleton and muscles to do work; i.e. generate power. Recall from basic science the simple machines: pulleys, inclines, and levers with fulcrums. As a machine, your musculoskeletal system incorporates all three; especially levers and pulleys.

Let’s take your arm for instance. Your upper arm bone, or humerus connects to your lower arm bones, the radius and ulna via a joint we all know as the elbow joint. This is a lever and fulcrum system such as the one illustrated above, with the humerus being the effort arm of the lever and ulna/radius being the resistance arm; the elbow being the fulcrum, and the biceps and triceps muscles being the force generators (effort). The elbow joint is a critical component of this simple machine, as it stabilizes the system while allowing movement. Its main components are the cartilage-lined ends of the long bones; the musculotendinous attachments to the long bones; and a capsule made of dense, connective tissue. When you do joint exercises, you target all these structures.

elbow joint and major ligaments and tendons

There are several types of joints in the body, classified by their construction and movability. The type we will focus on are the synovial joints, which is the type that enables the greatest arcs of movement compared to other joint types. Examples of synovial joints are the facet joints of the spinal column; the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger joints; and the hip, knee, ankle and toe joints.

To exercise a joint, start by moving it in all directions possible (active motion). If you find a joint is offering restriction in one direction, you can passively move it; i.e. relax the muscles of the joint and use your opposite hand to move it, or ask a partner to move it; gradually pushing into the restriction and breaking through the mechanical barrier (but make sure it is not contraindicated; check with a specialist first). Areas of joint movement restriction are usually caused by scar tissue adhesions where scar tissue from previous injuries adheres to adjacent tendons, inhibiting movement in a particular direction.

After doing active and passive joint movement, apply resistance. There are several options, which depend on the joint you are exercising. For the shoulder joint–the joint in the body that has the most versatility– you can use dumbbells or Theraband™ tubing. If you have pre-existing shoulder problems, it may be better to start off with Theraband tubing. If you have no shoulder joint problems, then start out with 3 – 5 pound dumbbells. You can do these exercises standing up, sitting down, or lying prone or supine (refer to diagram below). Basically, you move the resistance doing shoulder forward flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and internal and external rotation (see diagram below). Occasionally hold the position at ¼, ½, ¾ and end range for a few seconds, then return to full movement.

basic shoulder joint strengthening exercises

Next, transcribe circles with your arm, starting with small ones and increasing in circumference; then reverse directions. I will post a video of these exercises later, so stay tuned.

For the hip joint, do active mobilization by doing a hula hoop motion with your pelvis while standing. This rotates your pelvis over your femur heads in the acetabulum (socket), which moves the hip, a ball-and-socket synovial joint, in all directions. Next, use Therabands™ or ankle weights for the resistance and move your hip joint in flexion, extension, abduction and adduction; hold for a few seconds in each position, then transcribe varying sized circles with your leg. This can be done standing up or lying on your side. This action stresses the hip joint components, thickening and strengthening them.

Similar approaches can be done for the elbow, wrist, finger, knee, ankle and toe joints.

Sometimes a joint “dries up” after years of insufficient movement. This is common in office workers whose job description centers on typing/data entry. In this position, the shoulder joint is relatively static (upper arm angle doesn’t change) and synovial fluid doesn’t adequately circulate around the joint surfaces. Synovial fluid is the equivalent of motor oil for joints, allowing them to move nearly friction-free. When you don’t move your joints enough, synovial fluid levels drop and some friction sets in. This causes your joints to feel achy and stiff. Sometimes you may even hear grinding sounds with shoulder movement when levels are low. Lubricin is another substance in the joint capsule that contributes to smooth joint movement by protecting the cartilage-secreting cells. It, too, can dry up if there is insufficient joint movement.

If your joints feel stiff, apply heat, like an infrared lamp for 20 minutes followed by active and passive stretching in all ranges of motion. Movement will re-stimulate the secretion of synovial fluid and lubricin. Do twice a day for two weeks, then as needed. Infrared heat is a superior heat modality for the shoulder joint due to its ability to penetrate deep into the body. I made a video that shows how to rehab shoulder joint pain using myofascial release and red light therapy, which you can view below if you have shoulder problems:

You really don’t want to go too long with achy, stiff joints because it typically worsens; often resulting in a “frozen” or locked joint that is prone to accelerated degeneration (osteoarthritis) and partial disability (the x-ray image below shows what advanced degeneration of the shoulder joint looks like). This is why joint exercises are so important, especially for those over age forty, the approximate age when the brain’s secretion of human growth hormone (HGH), the “fountain of youth” hormone sharply drops, causing connective tissues throughout the body to lose their resilience. Just know that placing controlled, directional stress to your joints via these joint exercises will trigger your body to build them up, strengthening them.

Bottom line: Incorporate joint exercises into your workout routine. Target the heavy use joints first—your shoulders, hips and knees. Allowing your joints to weaken can lead to loss of support, joint degeneration, chronic pain, partial disability and reduced quality of life so make sure to strengthen those joints using the methods described above.

01/29/2020 UPDATE: Just completed the video that shows some joint strengthening exercises for the Big Three: Shoulder, Hip and Knee joints.

The Consequences of Being a Bi-Pedal Animal

by Pain Doc | Mar 30, 2018 | Uncategorized

Humans are a bi-pedal animal: the only in existence as far as we know. Sure, bears, primates and a few other animals are capable of standing on their hind legs and walking, but it is not their natural gait. So, feel special that you belong in this class of animals!

There are many studies, particularly in the field of evolutionary biology that theorize why homo sapiens evolved to be bi-pedal, and the impact of the resulting evolutionary changes in our design. For one, being bi-pedal allowed our eyes to see further down the plains. Our species evolved to favor intelligence at the expense of strength and agility, so we needed a survival adaptation to give us an edge over things like saber- toothed tigers and other beasts. Being bi-pedal allowed homo-sapiens to see over the thicket, and give him enough time to evade faster-running predators.

Thank you nature, right?

Well, being bi-pedal comes with disadvantages; disadvantages that magnified as man’s intelligence grew and allowed him to invent things such as chairs, desks and heavy furniture. Being bi-pedal frees up the forelimbs, or arms, to carry things. Heavy things. This is why low back pain is one of the leading causes of chronic pain and disability. You don’t see dogs or horses get low back pain much unless they are in their final years. This is because as a qudra-ped they can’t pick up heavy things of course, and there is little axial force on their spinal column joints and discs, which lie in a horizontal plane.

When in a bi-pedal state– standing, walking, running– the spine does a wonderful job balancing the muscles of the limbs and torso. It is the anchor point and nexus of the major muscles of the body. When working/moving properly, the spine instantly adapts to changing loads (bending, twisting, carrying and releasing weight). When not, injury then pain results, and you get sidelined for a while. Blown discs, strained back muscles and even stress fractures can happen when the spine is not properly aligned and physically & neurologically conditioned– common in those who are overweight, sedentary, sit hours and hours every day, do heavy lifting at work and have a bad diet and other adverse & unhealthy lifestyle habits.

So does that mean you should spend more time in a recliner? No. Even though the bi-pedal standing position puts the most pressure on your back and weight-bearing joints, for most people it still is preferred over sitting because your body was naturally designed for standing, walking, jumping, crawling, stooping and all the various movements that are required to navigate a primitive terrain. The muscles become more toned and responsive, you burn more calories, and your organs work better in the standing position.

I understand that most people prefer to sit when they can. If your body isn’t well conditioned, standing puts a lot of pressure to the feet, knees, hips, low back, and even shoulders (from the weight of heavy arms). Sit down, and that pressure is instantly relieved. But if sitting becomes your preference, and you avoid walking and exercising then you are in danger of cutting your life span short. Many studies show that exercise and regular, moderate physical activity are a positive correlation variable to life expectancy. If you remove that variable, your life expectancy, at least statistically, drops. So if you get comfortable sitting and avoiding exercise, it gets more difficult mentally and physically to start up again. The more you put exercise off, the less likely you are ever to do it.

So, what should you do if you are in the sedentary camp? If you have pain or discomfort in any of your weight bearing joints?

The first thing I recommend you do is to convince yourself you need to get moving. Regularly. And don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m not talking about suddenly going to the gym 3x/week for one hour workouts. No, start gradually.

In fact, once you make the decision to start exercising again, don’t do anything major for at least a month. Instead, spend that time learning how to eat healthy. Swap the junk food and eating out for wholesome, nutrient-dense food prepared at home; about 85% plant, 15% animal protein (or vegetable). Drop the concentrated carbs (grains–breads, pasta, crackers etc., sugar, and even fruit juice, unless it’s diluted). Replace them with greens, whole fruits, nuts and seeds, and water. Clean, naturally-occurring, unadulterated, unrefined, untreated food from the Earth. Grass fed and pastured meat only, in small portions (8 oz. day max).

If you have pain, try self-rehabilitating. There are many exercise programs, orthopedic exercisers and home use therapy devices like the home infrared lamp, red light/laser, lumbar traction and PEMF to name a few, to help you overcome them. Combined with a healthy diet like previously mentioned, you stand a very good chance of curing yourself or significantly lowering your pain.

By the end of the month, you are ready to get going. Start with speed walking with hand weights, about 3 miles. Do this for a week or two. Then, move up to light jogging and light, home exercise. Again, don’t be too hard on yourself. Go at a pace that you can handle. You can choose a treadmill in the gym, if you prefer. I’d say a good mile pace would be a nine-minute mile or better, to get the best cardio benefit. Aim for 2-3 miles max.

On some days, lift heavy weights. But, I highly recommend you get at least one session with a professional personal trainer at your local gym. Let the trainer show you basic strengthening exercises, and most importantly proper form. You want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.

Oh, and lastly: if you must sit down for prolonged periods every day due to your job, check out this article for prolonged sitters. It’s got my recommendations for those who sit at a desk all day, or sit in a car/truck all day. These things can literally save you from spinal surgery years down the road!

Remember, the human body has a preference for being in the bi-pedal position most of the time when you are not sleeping. You must do all you can to move in a way that naturally accommodates the design of your body. Modern living has wreaked havoc on the body and resulted in countless of cases of chronic, musculoskeletal pain throughout the developed world; do what you can to prevent yourself from being a statistic.

Dr. Dan

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A Little Known and Underrated Way to Relieve Pain, Naturally

by Pain Doc | May 19, 2017 | Myofascial Pain

If you experience ongoing pain; perhaps an arthritic hip or remnants of an old injury, a little-known and underrated way to lessen its impact is through fasting—the temporary avoidance of food, about a half day to two days straight, done periodically.

The word “fasting” causes apprehension in some people, which is unfortunate because once you get used to it, it’s not as bad as it seems. Fasting isn’t about making yourself gaunt, thin, weak and unable to stand up. It is completely natural and compatible to the human body; even more so than eating three meals a day.

Sound a bit outrageous? Well, let’s look to science to see if there is evidence for this.

Scientific Support for Fasting

When it comes to evaluating what is healthy and what is not, I like to bring science into the equation; particularly evolutionary biology.

A main concept of the Theory of Evolution is that nature optimizes all living creatures’ anatomy and physiology to increase the odds of survival. This is the basis of natural selection – where nature determines or “selects” which traits, visible and not visible, an organism will have. Traits that support survival are passed on to future generations; traits that threaten survival are eliminated from the gene pool through predation and other means.

For example, there is a species of frog that lives in an area that freezes over during the winter. This frog developed an amazing ability to stay frozen in hibernation—entombed in ice for the whole winter—and then thaw in the spring, awaken and carry on where it left off!

Camouflage is another example of natural selection. An animal that is well camouflaged in its environment does a better job hiding from predators than one that contrasts with its surroundings, so nature often selects appearances that blend in with the environment.

So how can evolutionary biology be used to justify the benefits of fasting to humans?

Observing predators in the African savanna offers clues. A predator such as a lion or leopard, when it attempts to take down prey, fails most of the time. It doesn’t always get to eat when it wants to. Prey is elusive, so predators go for days without eating.

Homo Habilis, a relative species of Homo Sapiens.

Early humans, who were predators themselves, faced a similar situation. And, they weren’t as fast or strong as top predators that lived with them during that time such as sabre toothed tigers (they did, however, have an advantage in intelligence). Early humans walked for miles each day, stalking their prey, failing most of the time just like the lions of today. Days could go by before they had a solid meal. Sound like fasting?

Early humans foraged for edible plants and ate their roots and leaves, too. Like prey, this wasn’t easy either, as many of the plants that lived during that time were poisonous or basically inedible.

When early man did manage to take down a beast like a Mastodon, he and his tribe gorged on it; probably for several days. They ate the organs, tendons and muscles and used the hide for clothing and shelter. Then it was another couple of days without eating until they had success again, repeating the cycle.

Hence, fasting, although not by choice, was a natural part of early human life, for millions of years. It was an “evolutionary pressure” that caused adaptive, physiological changes to develop in our species homo sapiens. This means that the human body can not only handle prolonged periods without food, it has a preference for it.

These ancient survival mechanisms are present in your own body to this day. Your body takes some calories from your diet and stores them in your liver and skeletal muscle as glycogen, which can carry you for about half a day as long as you don’t over exert yourself.

Excess calories are stored in fat cells. This includes calories from sugar, protein and fats. Your liver converts this stored fat back into sugar, as needed. This is how your body is able to maintain a relatively stable fasting blood glucose level regardless of your energy expenditure; kind of like how your car’s cruise control keeps your car the same speed even when going uphill.

Bottom Line:

Increasing the time interval between meals in an irregular pattern is better for your body than eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at the usual times.

OK, so I think you get the point. Now let’s entertain the converse question:

Since the human body is designed to go without food for many hours to a few days, is it less healthy, or even harmful to eat frequently throughout the day?

The short answer is yes: eating frequently is less healthy than eating on an intermittent fasting schedule, and is even damaging.

The Problems With Eating Multiple Times a Day

Here are the problems associated with frequent eating (multiple meals every day vs. fasting):

Stress to gut: Eating multiple times a day stresses your stomach, gall bladder and intestines. Your stomach has to constantly produce and churn out digestive enzymes. If your meals lack fiber, the intestines have to strain to push it along.
Stress to pancreas: If you frequently eat high-carb foods like a rice burrito and soda, the surge in blood sugar stresses the pancreas as it has to pump out lots of insulin to lower your blood sugar.
Can trigger inflammation: Some food additives trigger an inflammatory reaction which can increase pain; unbeknownst to the individual.
Worsens leaky gut syndrome: If you have this condition, the more you eat, the more macromolecules leak into your system causing systemic inflammation.
Diverts energy needed for tissue repair: If you’re eating processed food frequently, your liver has to expend extra energy detoxifying those additives for elimination.
Massive free radical generation: When you eat frequently, tissue-eroding free radicals are generated in the cells—muscle cells, liver cells, brain cells, everywhere. Free radicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are unstable molecules generated during metabolism that can react with your DNA and cell membrane and cause damage. Damaged cell membranes can interfere with toxin removal from cells.

Most people know by now that eating wholesome, naturally-occurring foods emphasizing green plants, healthy fats and moderate protein is much healthier than eating sugary, processed food and wheat-based food.

Eating this way on an intermittent fasting schedule is the absolute best option for your body because it mimics how early human ancestors ate – an animal or plant every other day or so, with nothing in between except water. It is what your body and all its parts–muscles, brain, heart, liver, gut, etc.– are “engineered” for.

Free radical damage

Fasting Helps Reduce the Intensity of Pain

Can you see how fasting can lessen pain? With fasting you are essentially turning down the furnace in all your cells, reducing free radical generation and “quieting” pain-producing inflammation.

By fasting, your organs aren’t straining to process this food, enabling available energy to go towards cellular repair and regeneration—very helpful if your pain is still acute or sub-acute.

Fasting reactivates body fat burning, producing ketones for energy. Ketones suppress the activation of a protein that drives inflammation in chronic diseases like arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. This is a direct link between fasting and pain reduction.

If you are experiencing daily pain, definitely try intermittent fasting. Eat whole, naturally-occurring foods on an intermittent fasting schedule, and notice how your pain decreases dramatically. It could lessen your dependency on medications. You may be able to reduce your dosage, or eliminate them entirely!

Make sure you only drink WATER, too. A can of soda or fruit juice will negate some of the health benefits of fasting.

How to Do It

One approach to intermittent fasting is to eat your last meal of the day at 6:00 PM, and your next meal around noon or later the next day. That’s an eighteen hour fast.

Alternatively, eat a big breakfast around 10 AM, skip lunch and eat an early sizable low-carb dinner at around 4:00 PM.

P.S. If you’re not willing to part with carbs like pancakes, potatoes and cereal; rice, bread and pasta, then strive to eat most of them during your first meal of the day– the 10:30 am or noon meal in the proposed schedules above. Limit the second meal (dinner) to meat, fat and lots of greens.

Keep in mind your early human ancestors who lived for millions of years before you, and how they ate: thanks to them, your body is hard-wired to handle hours and hours without food. If you feel hungry starting out, it’s because you were accustomed to eating three meals a day all your life. Your brain anticipates these frequent meals, and when it doesn’t get it, it triggers the feeling of hunger unnecessarily, like a false alarm because you aren’t in danger of starving.

You will be surprised that in just a week or two on this schedule, those hunger attacks will cease and fasting will come naturally to you. You will be less hungry as intermittent fasting becomes routine for you (strange, but it’s true!); have less cravings for sweets; have less brain fog and will not feel lethargic. Instead, your mind will be sharper, your energy level will be higher and your mood will be better.

And, if you have pain, it will dissipate. Remember, nothing is as powerful and knowing as Mother Nature!

How Magnetic Fields Can Affect Chronic Pain and Healing

by Pain Doc | Mar 6, 2017 | Uncategorized

When it comes to “pain relieving products,” there is definitely no shortage.

Perhaps you’ve run across pitches on late night TV commercials, magazines, websites or email spam about the latest “miracle” pain relief device or medicinal product. Chances are, they either don’t work or don’t work as well as advertised.

When on any day an estimated 100 million people in this country are experiencing some kind of pain– low back, hip, knee, etc., it’s not surprising that you’ll see a lot of ads for pain relief. Pain tends to make people motivated to do something about it.

But what if there is such a device or product that works well enough that it should deserve your attention?

Then, I think it is definitely worth checking out. As you know, I am a big, big advocate of self-care: whenever it is possible to avoid invasive medical procedures, I say go for it. “Invasive” to me means putting a drug inside your body or breaking the integrity of your body (surgery). The statistics seem to indicate that traditional allopathic medical treatment for disease, especially chronic degenerative disease, is “hit or miss;” with missing happening more and more at an unacceptable rate.

Did you know that medical errors are the #3 cause of death in the U.S., according to statistics? Adverse reactions to drugs and surgical interventions are responsible for prematurely ending the life of the recipient in way too many cases.

Given this reality, I say do all you can to treat pain or other disease using nutrition, physical activity, physical medicine, relaxation/stress reduction techniques and select modalities.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably are aware of one of my favorite modalities to treat pain– red light therapy. Red light (from 660-880 nm wavelength) and infrared light (non-visible) can be effectively used to treat chronic pain and actually enhance soft tissue and nerve tissue healing.

For an explanation of how red light therapy can help you manage joint and muscle pain, watch my YouTube video where I explain it.

The second modality that I recommend you try if you have chronic pain is Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy. PEMF has medical research that confirms its effectiveness in enhancing healing of bone and cartilage injuries or damage.

PEMF has long been known to have therapeutic benefits. In the 1960s, researchers demonstrated that electromagnetic field energy, or “magnetobiology” could help bones heal themselves.

In order for something to be therapeutically viable, it needs to be able to create a physiological change in the human body that benefits the body in some way. For example, COX-2 anti-inflammatory medications chemically block enzymes responsible for generating inflammation, thus reducing pain. Heat dilates blood vessels and increases circulation, which reduces pain and increases mobility in a muscle; cold constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling and numbs nerves which can reduce acute pain.

As for magnetic fields, evidence shows that they can influence cell membranes, since cell membranes rely on tiny electrical charges to change their permeability. When there is inflammation and swelling present, cell membranes dictate what passes into and out of the cells into the extracellular space.

During inflammation and recent injury (acute phase), red blood cells clump together, resembling a stack of coins. This is known as “rouleaux formation” and is due to increased levels of serum proteins, particularly fibrinogen and globulins.

rouleaux

PEMF seems to have the ability to thin out thickened blood by loosening rouleaux formations. This allows blood to flow faster to and from an injury/ inflamed site, delivering oxygen and reparative agents faster.

rbc pemf

Currently, the subject of magnetobiology is experiencing a surge in interest in academia, with a staggering 350% increase in articles published on the topic over the last 15 years. What can this mean?

Whenever there is a flurry of research activity in a particular field, it usually means that scientists are finding promising results in their research; i.e. they are seeing something actually work in the lab.

The findings are published in peer-reviewed medical journals read by researchers around the world. The world-wide, academic collaboration decides whether the topic is valid and worthy of further investigation. Based on the volume of research, that is the case for pulsed electromagnetic therapy. What this means to pain sufferers is that PEMF is worth looking into; it has passed the stringent “snake oil test” of medical research involving randomized, controlled clinical trials. I have summarized two of them below.

Low frequency and low intensity pulsed electromagnetic field exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through restoration of plasma membrane calcium ATPase activity — Ramasamy Selvam, et. al.

This study involved artificially causing rheumatoid arthritis in rat leg joints by injecting an irritant into the joint. A control group, a group treated with PEMF, and a group treated with a traditional anti-inflammatory medication where used.

To find out whether PEMF has any stabilizing effect on membranes, this study measured PEMFs effect on:

• Edema/ swelling
• Levels of antioxidants
• Plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA)
• Intracellular calcium (Ca+) levels
• Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in blood lymphocytes

Effect of PEMF on SWELLING: PEMF reduced swelling by 70.71% compared to 77.50% for the group treated with anti-inflammatory medication (diflonac).

Effect of PEMF on ANTI-OXIDANT LEVELS: Cells need anti-oxidants to neutralize free-radicals, which damage cell membranes and DNA. The anti-oxidant levels were decreased in the arthritic group compared to the control (untested) group. However, treatment with PEMF and diclofenac resulted in a significant rise in anti-oxidant activitiy.

Effect of PEMF on CELL MEMBRANE FUNCTION: PMCA is a protein found in all cells’ plasma membrane (shield or covering) that helps pump calcium ions (Ca+) out of the cell as they build up. It is necessary to keep Ca+ ion concentration low in order for the cell to carry out its normal, biological functions (signaling). When there is inflammation such as that caused by rheumatoid arthritis, it generates oxidative stress (free radical damage) to the cell membrane, resulting in decreased activity of PMCA and buildup of Ca+ ions.

The study demonstrated that PEMF could stabilize the membranes and restore PMCA activity, thereby maintaining intracellular Ca2+ level at extremely low levels. This, in turn, decreased the inflammatory PGE2 levels (prostaglandin—the precursor substance of inflammation) and consequently suppressed the inflammation.

CONCLUSION: low frequency and low intensity PEMF is indeed beneficial in reducing inflammation without potential side effects indicating that it could be a viable alternative therapy for treatment of RA.

Pulsed Shortwave Treatment in Women With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multicenter, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Thiago Yukio Fukuda, et.al.

One hundred twenty-one women (mean age=60 years, SD=9) with a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) were tested to see if pulsed electromagnetic therapy could reduce their arthritis. “Low dose” and “High dose” groups were created to determine the best therapeutic dosage.

Participants were distributed randomly into 4 groups: 35 participants did not receive any treatment (control group), 23 received a placebo treatment, 32 received low-dose PSW treatment (power of 14.5 W, treatment duration of 19 minutes, and total energy of 17 kJ), and 31 received high-dose PSW treatment (power of 14.5 W, treatment duration of 38 minutes, and total energy of 33 kJ). An 11-point numerical pain rating scale and the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were used to assess pain and function in 3 stages: at initial evaluation (pre-treatment), immediately after treatment, and at 12-month follow-up.

Results: The results demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of the PSW at low and high doses in patients with knee OA. Both treatment groups showed a significant reduction in pain and improvement in function compared with the control and placebo groups. There were no differences in results between PSW doses, although a low dose of PSW appeared to be more effective in the long term.

Note: These results were achieved without physical exercise, which could have positively influenced the results.

Conclusion: Pulsed shortwave treatment is an effective method for pain relief and improvement of function and quality of life in the short term in women with knee OA. On the basis of the results, application of PSW treatment is recommended in the female population with knee OA.

The Bottom Line:

Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy is a safe and viable method for reducing inflammatory pain. Research suggests that electromagnetic fields can influence cell membrane permeability and increase weak cell energy output, resulting in dissipation of various symptoms of illness, including pain.

Best of all, it doesn’t involve using harmful and addictive medication. Since there are numerous variables in pain cases (age, general health, pre-existing conditions, injury severity, etc.) people will have varying results using PEMF. If you are experiencing musculoskeletal pain, I highly recommend you give PEMF a try.

The following two devices are two, popular consumer-level pulsed EMF devices. They are easy to operate and do not cause any pain. Some users report nearly instantaneous relief while others report relief after several treatment sessions. Again, it all depends on your particular health situation.

Compare PulsedEMF Devices:

Arm, Wrist and Hand Pain From Overuse – Things You Can Do

by Pain Doc | Mar 1, 2017 | Neck Pain, Shoulder Pain

When I ran a large chiropractic practice in San Francisco’s Financial District during the late 1990s to 2002 about half of the cases I saw involved upper extremity pain due to “overuse.” They went by the names repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), cumulative trauma disorders, tendonitis, epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, stenosing tenosynovitis or just overuse syndrome.

Symptoms typically involved pain in the wrist tendons, forearm muscles and outer elbow; weak grip strength; shooting pains in the hands and sometimes loss of finger coordination.

Nearly all patients complained of neck and shoulder pains as well. About 20% were way beyond typical neck strain; these folks suffered an unusually pervasive pain that limited shoulder and neck movement enough to cause temporary disability (I had to take them off work). The neck and shoulder muscles were always rigid while the skin above felt unusually warm and a bit swollen/ boggy to the touch.

What could explain this surge of arm, wrist and hand pain from the late 90s to 2000s?

During this time frame, a couple of things occurred:

1. Laptops started entering the scene. This was significant, because up to this point people used a separate keyboard and monitor. And, they usually had the monitor raised on a monitor stand so you didn’t have to bend your neck down for so long. With the laptop, the monitor is connected to the keypad, forcing the user into an unfamiliar, awkward and ergonomically poor position. Neck and arm muscles were not accustomed to function in this position and experienced cumulative strain.

2. The internet developed, as well as desktop applications like Microsoft Office Suite. Employers saw how the internet could increase efficiency and job descriptions increasingly involved longer hours on the computer.

3. Mobile phones came on the scene, then smart phones. BlackBerrys (“Crack Berrys”) were all over the place, then the iphones. Like the arrival of the laptop these new devices caused people to assume postures that they weren’t accustomed to: forward craned necks multiple times throughout the day; thumb typing, slouching.

Wrist braces were a common site back then, and there was an increased incidence of carpal tunnel release surgery.

Now in 2017, you don’t hear much about repetitive strain injuries or carpal tunnel syndrome. I think we’ve witnessed a sort of “micro-evolution” phenomenon, where the human body gradually adapted to using laptops and smart phones due to them being “forced” on the population, and can now handle longer hours in these awkward positions.

How Chronic Arm Pain Develops

But that doesn’t mean you are immune to these overuse injuries. If you have a job that involves prolonged sitting (about one hour+ straight) and keyboarding, then it is prudent to do things to avoid developing chronic pain in your upper extremities. I’ve seen people who worked through arm and wrist pain because their job demanded it; then, a point was reached where the pain persisted even after weeks of resting their arms, and months after they left their job.

What typically happens is, with frequent typing you rapidly contract and relax the forearm muscles that move your hands and fingers. There are several of them tightly confined in a small compartment. These muscles and tendons are protected by tissue called bursae, which are basically frictionless pads so that they can rub against each other without much problem.

But if you continually engage in these movements the bursae basically dry out and lose their ability to protect the forearm muscles and tendons. Friction increases causing small tears to form in the bursae and fascia (muscle covering), triggering inflammation and swelling. The inflammatory chemicals irritate the nerves in the arm, which can lead to things like numbness, tingling and shooting pains.

Then, scar tissue develops and undergoes sclerosis, or hardening and permanent thickening. Now you are stuck with hardened tissues rubbing against one other when you type, making matters worse. It leads to a perpetual cycle of arm, wrist and hand pain that persists with or without hand and arm exertion.

And don’t forget the neck and shoulders. As you know, it’s nearly impossible to maintain an erect sitting posture. After some time, your neck and back muscles fatigue causing you to slouch. The muscles in the neck shorten, and may even pinch your cervical plexus on one side—the bundle of nerves that go to the arm—leading to a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. Symptoms of TOS include numbness in the arms and hands, swelling and a weak pulse.

For some people, the combination of neck, shoulder and arm pain is so bad they can no longer return to office work.

So what should you do?

First and foremost, taking periodic rest periods in between arm and hand work helps. Do neck, shoulder arm and wrist stretches during this time.

Secondly, take a hard look at your workstation ergonomics. Take note of the body positions and movement patterns required by your particular job function. Are there things you can arrange to minimize strain to your body? Think in terms of positioning frequently used equipment in a way that requires the least amount of exertion to your arms, wrists and hands. It could mean positioning the item closer to your body or further; higher or lower, and/or angled in a certain way. The slightest adjustment in a frequently used item can make all the difference.

For desk workers, I highly recommend that you get an adjustable standing desk such as the VariDesk. Set it to the standing height and stand for an hour; then effortlessly switch it back (takes all of five seconds) to the sitting position for half an hour, then back to standing. Standing gives you better posture and is actually better for your low back than sitting although it is harder on your feet and knees.

Third, think like an athlete. An athlete makes his/her body strong in order to perform the best, and to handle the physical challenges of his/her sport.

Well, sitting and typing is not exactly a sport but like a sport it puts physical demands on certain parts of your body—your low back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Strengthen those areas using weights and whole body functional exercises. This will make your body resilient to the physically stressful position of sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day.

Fourth, there is self-therapy. If you are developing pain in your arms and hands, consider doing massage therapy. Myofascial release and Active Release Technique (ART) are especially good for upper extremity strain problems. Ask around; these techniques are advanced “medical” massage techniques that not your typical massage therapist is trained to do.

If you want to try it yourself, I made a video that shows you a modified form of myofascial release using an edged instrument.

If you are having neck and shoulder issues, find a good chiropractor and get some adjustments to those areas. Adjustments can help loosen fixated joints, removing pressure to nerves and blood vessels that service your arms.

Last but not least, use nutrition as therapy. Like a marathon runner who needs certain nutrition to recover from muscle breakdown in the legs, those whose job requires frequent arm and hand exertion at work should use nutrition to compensate for muscle breakdown in the upper extremities. I recommend green juice, whey and anti-oxidants.

Click here for the specific, nutritional supplements I recommend for maintaining good musculoskeletal health.

Bottom Line: Your arms and hands are indispensable to you. If you have a job that requires frequent keyboarding or other use of hands and arms, take preventive action to ensure you don’t develop chronic strain. Most of the best things you can do to achieve this, you can do on your own, without a doctor.

Till next time,

Dr. Dan

How to Do Home Traction for Low Back Pain

by Pain Doc | Feb 23, 2017 | Low Back Pain

Lumbar traction is one of the things you can do to manage low back pain yourself, and not have to spend $$ on the chiropractor or physical therapist.

It involves stretching the lumbar spine in the axial plane; i.e. length-wise; causing slight separation between the vertebral bodies and smaller facet joints. The traction force has to be strong enough to overcome the resistance from muscles and ligaments in order to derive benefit; otherwise it’s just a muscle stretch.

Why Your Height Changes Throughout the Day

Do you notice how you have to adjust your car’s rear-view mirror in the morning in order to align it properly with the rear window?

That’s because you are sitting higher in the morning, and are actually taller; perhaps a full centimeter.
When you stand or sit throughout the day, the force of gravity compresses the discs in your spine; mostly the thick ones in your low back (lumbar). At the end of the day, the discs are slightly thinner due to this constant pressure, and you are shorter. If you drive your car around this time, you probably don’t notice that you have to adjust your rear-view mirror downwards.

When you sleep, you are in a horizontal position and the effect of gravity on your discs is reduced. As you sleep, your discs slowly re-hydrate themselves, like a dry sponge soaking up water, and you become taller overnight!

Most of your upper body’s weight is supported by your lumbar spine, or low back. That’s why the lumbar vertebrae and discs are the thickest and strongest in the spine (compared to those in the neck and torso). The discs/vertebral bodies absorb 80% of the weight placed at that level; the two facet joints behind the vertebral body bear about 10% each.

As you age, your lumbar discs lose some of their ability to resorb fluids. That is one reason you tend to get shorter as you reach 60 and beyond. Like a car tire or other moving machinery part, its function degrades over time.

Factors that accelerate disc wear and tear are being overweight; having an occupation that requires prolonged sitting (desk job, truck driver, airline pilot, etc.); injury to your low back in sports or an accident; and having parents who had back problems.

If any of these describe you, then definitely try doing home lumbar traction periodically. If you currently have low back pain, traction can alleviate some of it by reducing pressure to your discs and facet joints, which do have nerve endings. If you don’t have low back pain, traction can be done to help prevent your discs from degenerating; or at least arrest the progression of disc degeneration. This can save you from major back problems in the future; perhaps even surgery.

What are your home traction options?

The most effective traction is done by the professional equipment used by chiropractors and physical therapists. Sometimes referred to as “non-surgical spinal decompression,” it basically involves lying prone or supine on a special table that has a movable lower section that glides on rails.

You are secured to the table by some contraption, and a harness is placed around your pelvis. A cable connects the harness to a special motor, which can be programmed to pull in different patterns.

For example, there can be settings for frequency of pulls per session; strength of pull; duration of hold time; and pull patterns (step up, step down, constant, variable). The machine must be able to overcome guarding (involuntary contraction) of the erector spinae muscles of the lumbar spine, which are quite strong by the way, so that the traction affects the spinal discs and joints which start to separate only after the back muscles let go.

Now, if you want to get this level of traction you have to find a center that offers this and make an appointment.

Consumer-level home traction devices are entirely different. Most of them leverage your own body’s weight to do the traction.

Watch this video, as I review four devices that can be used for lumbar traction:

The four home traction devices I discuss in this video are the inversion table, the Back Bubble, the Stamina traction device and the PosturePump™ elliptical spine trainer. All have their advantages and disadvantages. If you want to give home traction a try, watch the video and do further research.

In summary, home lumbar traction can be a comparatively low cost approach to managing general low back pain, and a great preventive measure. Traction helps relieve pain by decompressing discs and facet joints, and assisting them in re-hydration, especially at the end of the day.

What’s the Best Natural Pain Relief Herb or Supplement?

by Pain Doc | Feb 16, 2017 | Uncategorized

I am often asked, “What supplements or nutrients have the strongest pain relief qualities?”

Great question. After all, most people these days worry about the side effects of popular over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Thanks to the wide reach of the internet, almost everyone knows about the dangers of drugs such as ibuprofen (kidney damage), aspirin (stomach bleeding), and opiates (constipation, addiction, sudden death), just to name a few.

Virtually all medications will have an adverse effect on your GI tract (stomach and intestines), kidney, liver, heart, and/or muscles and joints. Obviously, you won’t feel like superman taking these pills on a regular basis. Pretty scary, especially for those with chronic pain.

However, with nutritional supplements the pain-suppression properties are not as quick-acting or in most cases, as potent as synthetic drugs. But, if you can lower your pain through other means– home therapy, an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise and stretching, meditation etc.– then you won’t need dangerous, strong medicines to keep the pain down; herbs and supplements will be enough to do the trick.

If you have any sort of chronic musculoskeletal pain, I recommend that you maximize your body’s healing potential via an ongoing nutrient-dense diet and certain lifestyle changes, then resort to safer nutritional supplements/herbs to keep the remaining pain down. You may not even need these herbs if your body does a great job healing itself.

Never underestimate the power of food and the human body’s ability to heal and regenerate itself. Like a seedling, if you give it the proper nourishment and environmental conditions, your body will respond dramatically.

With that, here are three supplements that I recommend trying for joint and muscle pain. There are many others, of course, but today we’ll focus on these:

Cissus quadrangularis

Cissus quadrangularis is a succulent (like a cactus) vine originating from Africa and Asia. According to Web MD, it is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants in Thailand, and is also used in traditional African and Ayurvedic medicine.

While it is used for a wide variety of disorders such as PMS pain, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and ulcers, cissus quadrangularis is best known for healing bone fractures, strengthening bones and relieving joint pain in athletes and body builders. In fact, it is commonly referred to as “Bone Setter.”

How does it work?

Like many herbs, unfortunately, much of the evidence is anecdotal. Large clinical trials involving hundreds of people are the best standard for confirming the therapeutic value of a nutritional supplement, but there aren’t such studies at this time.

However, anecdotal evidence; i.e. documented cases of people benefiting from the herb should not be dismissed. Nothing like actual humans (not rats) to vouch for the effectiveness of something.

Speaking of rats, test tube studies and research in animals show that cissus quadrangularis has antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. A study involving rats “demonstrated the anti-arthritic potential of C. quadrangularis and …validates its traditional use for the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.”

As far as dosage goes, there is no set therapeutic dosage for cissus quadrangularis. It depends on age, body size, health status and level of pain. Start out with small doses; increase gradually every other day and note effects. Stick with the dosage that gives you max benefit.

Dr. David Williams Joint Advantage 5x Gold

Dr. David Williams dedicates his life to personally exploring the far reaches of the globe, investigating medicinal herbs used by the local populace. When he finds one that’s worth investigating, he makes sure medical research is strong enough to support its therapeutic value before he recommends it.

Meriva – “Golden” pain relief

His latest formulation, Joint Advantage Gold 5x is his flagship product for reducing joint pain. It features Meriva, an especially potent variety of curcumin.

Curcumin is a bright-orange herb that comes from the rhizome of the turmeric plant. Research confirms that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and even tumor suppression properties. It offers protection at the lipid-rich cell membrane, as it is a fat soluble molecule. So when you take curcumin, make sure to eat it with a meal that contains fat.

A study referenced in the Alternative Medicine Review found that the curcumin in Meriva is 45 times more bioavailable than ordinary curcumin; which means more of it gets into your cells, not to your urine.

In two clinical studies, Meriva decreased joint discomfort and stiffness by over 50% and significantly decreased inflammatory markers, especially the notorious C-reactive protein (CRP). Take that, Ibuprofen!

Pain relief from an ancient tree

The other potent, pain-relieving ingredient in Joint Advantage Gold 5x is a concentrated form of Boswellia Serrata called AprèsFlex.

Boswellia comes from the sap of the Boswellia serrata tree, native to the Indian sub-continent. The herb is often referred to as the Indian version of frankincense, which comes from the sap of the Boswellia saca tree species found in Africa.

Boswellia works by inhibiting lipoxygenase enzymes (LOX), which are powerful contributors to inflammation and disease. By inhibiting LOX enzymes, Boswellia effectively blocks leukotriene synthesis.

Leukotrienes play a major role in promoting numerous age-associated, inflammatory diseases including arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorder, cancer, and pulmonary (lung) disease. It is especially known for reducing cerebral inflammation.

In addition, Boswellia has been found to improve blood supply to joints and restore the integrity of weakened blood vessels, with no side effects.

Regular Boswellia extract contains glycoproteins which act as a barrier to digestion, but the AprèsFlex formula combines other natural components of the tree that dilute and weaken these glycoproteins, improving absorption into the blood stream.

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 59 subjects with stiff and achy joints took 100 mg of AprèsFlex or a placebo daily for 30 days. Three tests were used to measure discomfort, stiffness, and physical function—and in all 3, AprèsFlex soundly beat the placebo (fake supplement).

In a measure of pain intensity, AprèsFlex showed a 14.8% better reduction than the placebo starting in just 5 days.
In a measure of daily functions hindered by discomfort, AprèsFlex showed a 16.3% better reduction starting in just 5 days.
After 30 days, those taking AprèsFlex reported a 40.1% improvement in joint comfort–a 41.3% improvement in stiffness–and a 38.8% improvement in functional ability.

So if you have sub-acute or chronic pain in any joint of your body—hands, low back, hips, knees—give JAG5x a try. It contains the research dose of 1,000 mg. Make sure you take it with a healthy meal that contains good fats, for better absorption.

Check out Joint Advantage Gold 5x Here.

Capsaicin Home Made Compound

Here’s a simple home remedy you can try for pain. Get some cayenne pepper at your grocery store, located in the spice section. Pour about 1-2 ounces in a small bowl, then pour about 3 ounces of light olive oil in it and mix. Using your fingers, rub it into your painful joint.

Capsaicin is the substance in peppers that is responsible for generating the sensation of heat. It can relieve pain temporarily by uptaking into the neural synapses—the space between connecting nerve cells where neurotransmitter molecules act to polarize the cells; thus interfering with pain signal transmission.

To enhance this therapy’s effect, apply an infrared heat lamp over the painful area for 10 minutes. This opens the skin pores and increases capillary circulation, which enables more of the capsaicin to reach those nerves.

Well, that’s it!

If you have joint or muscle pain, give these natural alternatives a try. The first two nutrients work primarily by blocking the inflammatory process; the last by interfering with the pain signal to the brain. Best of all, they won’t hurt you like the big pharma drugs can.

Is it Possible to Cure Chronic Pain By Yourself?

by Pain Doc | Feb 10, 2017 | Chronic Pain

Last week, I wrote an article about the Three Paradigms of Health Care. Just to clarify, paradigm in this sense means “a typical example or pattern of perceiving or doing something,” such as society’s paradigm of the “ideal” family.

A paradigm doesn’t carry implications of right or wrong; it simply describes how things are currently done or viewed by society. Paradigms materialize from a combination of historical events, new scientific findings and social trends.

So, the paradigm of health care refers to what typical individuals think and expect of health care.

My proposal is that there are three paradigms of health care:

1. Passive healthcare where you receive it from a provider (doctor, therapist), which includes drug prescriptions, surgery, and physical therapy and chiropractic treatment.

2. Doctor-prescribed lifestyle modification directives; i.e. diet restrictions, exercises, work limitations, etc.

3. “Do It Yourself” health care, where the individual researches health information without the help of a doctor and does things to improve his or her health.

My conclusion is that all three are needed to cover all bases.

But, I also insist that the vast majority of people in the world have a sort of mental attachment; almost an addiction to the first paradigm.

There is this ingrained belief that one must have something done to them by a doctor to get healthy. I think it’s mostly due to the barrage of drug advertisements, medical validation by society’s major institutions, and influence from parents.

Not enough emphasis is placed on the idea of nurturing the body and optimizing its natural recuperative abilities through lifestyle modification. As a result, we live in a society that has a reactive stance to health that actually embraces “sick” care, not health care.

We are not as discerning as we should be in what we eat and fail to make time in our schedules to exercise or engage in physical activities like going on a long hike. This makes us vulnerable to disease, illness and pain as it weakens our bodies’ ability to handle its environment. It cracks the door open for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and chronic joint pain to creep into our lives.

Here’s my advice:

If you think you might be giving too much credit or deference to the first paradigm, shift gears in your thinking and investigate the third paradigm, “Do It Yourself” health.

Here are the advantages:

1. When you invest in your own health, i.e. take more responsibility and play an active role in it, you will be healthier. It’s like a person diligently studying for an exam vs. one who doesn’t and tries to wing it on exam day: the guy who is passive will do worse every time. Like the guy who didn’t study, having a passive attitude towards your health leaves you vulnerable and unprepared.

2. For many types of cases, it’s cheaper than going to the doctor or therapist. You can find home treatment solutions to many common ailments online such as back pain, skin rashes, tension headaches and so on. The key is to read only reputable sites (do research on the individual providing the information first to confirm he/she is qualified).

I’m not saying to never visit your doctor; just pointing out that in this day and age, information on anything is highly accessible and should be utilized properly. Now I know there is a lot of crap online as well; the key is to develop an eye for what is legitimate and what is not, and do your due diligence.

So the question I present is, “Is it possible to cure pain by yourself?”

The answer is YES. Now, that is just an answer to the question from a logic standpoint. I’m not saying that it is possible for you specifically; just that it is possible.

The pain I am talking about is chronic musculoskeletal pain, or pain affecting the bones, joints, muscles and related connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, cartilage).

Obviously there is a “point of no return” where these structures are so degenerated or damaged that pain will always be present. This applies to conditions like knee, hip and low back pain involving severe, irreversible degeneration of structures. What’s critical, then, is that you take action BEFORE you reach that point of no return; and there are LOTS of things you can do to arrest or even reverse the progression of degeneration.

The biggest one is dietary changes. If you have some kind of chronic pain, have you considered using dietary intervention to stop the pain?

Dietary intervention is a popular means to achieve weight loss, but you rarely hear about it being used specifically to fight pain.

Eliminating certain food categories can go a long way in reducing pain. This includes processed sugar, grains, preservatives, additives, alcohol and caffeine. Try doing this for just one week, and see how you feel. I think you’ll be amazed.

Conversely, adding certain food categories or increasing their intake can reduce pain. This includes deep green, leafy vegetables; restricting fat intake to healthy fats like egg yolks, olives, coconut, avocados, seeds and nuts; and drinking only water. Do this for just one week, and see how feel. I think you’ll be amazed.

Secondly, there are home therapies you can do to reduce pain. Massage, joint mobilization and certain safe, therapeutic tools and equipment are available. One of my favorites that I use myself (for prevention) and have prescribed to patients suffering from low back pain is the PosturePump.

Lastly, making some tweaks to your routine can go a long way in reducing and reversing pain. This includes restful sleep, grounding, standing more and sitting less, and doing mind-body techniques such as meditation and EFT.

Bottom line, the Third Paradigm of health care, Do It Yourself health care is on the rise. There is still a cautious attitude towards it within the medical field, but probably because the idea of “people doing what doctors are trained to do” doesn’t sit well with many doctors. But don’t let this discourage you. Remember, you have the biggest stake in your health, so it is prudent to be invested in your health. Don’t simply delegate it to doctors; get yourself involved; know what’s going on, what’s available for treatment, and the risks.

How Do You “Do” Health Care?

by Pain Doc | Feb 6, 2017 | Telemedicine

The Evolving Paradigm of Health Care

Health care. It’s one of those things that’s talked about regularly that carries sub-conscious assumptions.

I’d like to ask you today, “What does health care mean to YOU?”

You might say:

“Health care is being able to see a doctor whenever I need to, for a health-related complaint.”

Ok, fine. Let’s say you do. Now what?

You may then further elaborate, “Being able to ask the doctor what is causing the problem and what I need to do to get it fixed.”

Ok, you’re talking about getting a diagnosis and prescription. You ask the doctor about that nagging symptom, and he or she explains that it is being caused by a virus. Your doctor then writes a prescription and prints out a pre-written information sheet about your condition, which includes things you should do, and hands it to you and you are discharged.

That’s great. It’s reassuring to have access to a doctor whenever you are ill.

But, given all the tools that are available these days, was a doctor really necessary? Could a lower-cost nurse sufficed? Some RNs and Nurse Practitioners are very knowledgeable in disease signs, symptoms and treatment.

And did you know that there are some pretty accurate apps and websites (WebMD, ShareCare) that could have provided the same information to you in minutes, for FREE?

And, how much a month are you paying in health insurance to have this access? For my family, it’s $1,500/month and we’re all pretty healthy. Is it worth it?

My point here is that the old model of out patient service is getting a lot of challenges in this age of technology and big data access. It is time for people to start questioning how they wish to utilize, or “do” health care.

Another valid question is “Should this be called “sick care” instead?

After all, in this scenario the person seeks out the doctor AFTER the condition is already there; after he is ill or stricken with the malady.

So yes, a better description of this service is “sick care.” But although it’s a more accurate term, sick care sounds negative (which it is) compared to the term health care. When you hear the word health it evokes positive images like strength, energy, vitality and longevity. So don’t expect to see hospitals, doctors and insurance companies extolling their sick care services.

The Three Paradigms of Health Care Today

Returning to the questions “What is health care?” and “How should I use or do it?”, here’s another thing to consider:

Do you really need to take medicine, get a shot, see a physical therapist or get surgery?

Ok, in some cases you do; usually emergency cases like heart attacks and stroke.

The first paradigm of health care, which we’re all familiar with is having some procedure done to you by a medical professional. This is passive health care, where you receive it passively and includes taking medicine, getting surgery, and having therapy done on you.

The second paradigm of health care is the doctor or professional instructing you what to do to get well or for prevention; i.e. prescribing home care or lifestyle modification routines.

This is a big improvement from the first paradigm in the following ways:

(1) it gets you involved in your health, which trains you to be more responsible for your health and not reliant on a doctor;

(2) it is less expensive because you are in the doctor’s office less; and

(3) it is likely to be more effective and safer than visiting a hospital or taking medications.

Diet, exercise, home care strategies and other lifestyle modification interventions have a bigger, direct and longer-lasting impact on your health than medicine or passively receiving ongoing therapy (for a pain condition) such as physical therapy and chiropractic.

Medicines typically work by altering or “jury-rigging” your physiology to counter the symptoms you are experiencing, which gives the “illusion” of health. This is not natural, and there is almost always blow back by your body; i.e. side effects, some which create more problems (such as how taking Aspirin for pain can give you ulcers; or how taking too much Ibuprofen can cause renal failure).

Ongoing chiropractic or physical therapy is almost as bad, because anything passive risks your body becoming dependent or addicted to it, which again leads to blow back in the form of weakness and reduced coordination of muscle and joint systems.

Finally, the third paradigm of health care is when YOU get involved in researching your condition thoroughly, and then getting instruction on how to resolve your health condition from legitimate sources.

Now, this paradigm gives you the most freedom, but it also has some drawbacks. You need to learn how to differentiate between legitimate websites and the extreme ones. Health is an art as well as a science, so there are gray areas and some people are known to take excessive liberties in their writings about health.

Traditional medical websites obviously have an “allopathic medicine” bias. This is good in that the information is usually backed by research (evidence-based medicine), especially when on reputable, authoritative sites like Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins.

(However, in recent years I have seen WebMD warm up to natural medicine; i.e. herbs and traditional natural remedies; although they are careful to use non-committal words and phrases such as “…may be helpful” and “…some anecdotal cases show that herb x reduced pain..”)

But the traditional allopathic websites are not as in-depth into alternative health favorites such as nutrition, herbs and things like electromagnetic therapy and grounding.

Then there are the alternative health websites. These sites are usually written by bloggers; some of whom have credentials (unfortunately, you will have to verify it yourself by doing internet research) and some who do not– just health enthusiasts who read other sites and report on them. Be more cautious about the information you get from these sites. That’s not to say that you can’t find useful information on some of them; some are really good despite being written by non-doctors.

Alternative health websites fit in better with this third paradigm of health care by virtue of the nature of alternative health, which essentially IS about implementing lifestyle modifications to achieve health from within. Things like diet, nutrition, herbs, exercise, breathing, meditation, massage, stretches, and using safe, energy emitting devices to enhance your body’s healing.

Fix chronic pain at home using nutrition, lifestyle modification and techniques used by physical medicine professionals.

ShareCare

Online medical consultation with real doctors.

Cleveland Clinic Online

Online medical consultations and prescriptions by real doctors.

WebMD Symptom Checker

Interactive symptoms checker and medical report and recommendations.

Mercola.com

The world’s largest natural health care website featuring articles on wellness, prevention and the dangers of common medical interventions.

Grounding – An Invigorating and Zero Cost Activity for Good Health

by Pain Doc | Jan 18, 2017 | Uncategorized

Here’s a quick health tip I’ve been meaning to share with your for a while– “grounding,” or “Earthing.”

Your body is a mass of cells, water and organic matter comprised of molecules. These molecules are made of atoms bonded to one another. And, there is the constant activity of biochemical reactions that produce mobile molecules that enable our organs and systems to function — signaling proteins, enzymes, catalysts, co-factors and so on.

Our bodies are constantly exposed to the magnetic fields of the earth, weak ionizing radiation (ionizing= capable of creating ions – more on this later) from the sun; and more significantly, magnetic fields generated from electrical wiring in our homes and offices, and radio frequency waves (mobile phones, remote control devices, etc.) generated in huge amounts in our environment.

Who these days isn’t exposed to a lap top, cell phone, home and office electrical wiring, outdoor power lines, transformers and light bulbs?

Do you think these fields may have an effect on our atoms and therefore cells; and therefore cell function and body function i.e. health and the way you feel?

I will admit that I am no physicist, but I do know that electrons can be “stripped” from atoms by other atoms and ionizing radiation, and through cellular respiration (extracting energy from food at the cellular level) which produces free radicals. And when this happens in large numbers, it can have an adverse effect on the body.

When an atom has the same number of protons (+) as electrons (-), it has a neutral charge. When the number of protons and electrons differ, there is either a positive or negative charge, and the atom is called an ion.

When it has one more electron than protons, it has a negative (-) charge and is called an anion (pronounced ANN-eye-on). When it has one less electron than protons, it has a positive charge (+) and is called a cation (pronounced CAT-eye-on). It is the positively charged atoms or molecules that are harmful due to their instability. These cations are better known as free radicals; and for positively charged oxygen molecules, reactive oxygen species (ROS). Your body has anti-oxidant defenses that neutralize much of these ROS as they are formed in the body, but low anti-oxidant levels and excessive ROS production spells trouble, especially over time.

Free radicals seek stability by “snatching” an electron from nearby molecules. When that happens, the donating molecule becomes unstable itself, and seeks an electron elsewhere. This cascade effect causes electrons to be stripped from cell membranes, proteins and other nearby molecules, affecting their ability to carry out their functions.

Oxidative stress is the cumulative effect of long-term stripping of electrons (called reduction) from tissues, resulting in damage. Oxidative stress is implicated as the mechanism of tissue degeneration in chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis and diabetes. It is also the basis of one of the theories of aging.

According to Dr. Joeseph Mercola, a well-known natural health researcher:

It is known that the Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface. When you are in direct contact with the ground (walking, sitting, or laying down on the earth’s surface) the earth’s electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth. Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

So, when was the last time your feet touched the earth?

When the weather is hot, more people are open to walking barefoot outside. There’s nothing like walking on soft beach sand and soaking your feet in a cool stream. But during the winter months, it is less common for people to walk barefoot on the ground for obvious reasons.

And regardless of the season, it is easy for some to go for months without having their feet touch the earth. You put on your shoes in the morning, work in a building, come home, take off your shoes and stay inside until the next day and repeat.

What I recommend you do is make it a point to walk barefoot on grass for ten minutes a day; or at least every couple of days to discharge positive ions that have built up inside your body.

It is even better, as I explain in the video, that you do it after or during a rain shower. Large volumes of water moving through the air and crashing down to earth release billions of negative ions (remember, negative ions are the good ones) which can negate the positive ions in your body. A large waterfall and ocean waves crashing against the rocks are other good areas to pick up negative ions for health.

Lush forests and places with thick vegetation on a sunny day are another good source of taking in negative ions as plants emit them through photosynthesis. Better yet, how about both? Now that’s something your body will love. If you are fortunate to live near the ocean and a forest, you can do a lot for your health by walking barefoot in those areas and doing what I call a “positive ion detox.”

Give it a try, and take note of how you feel. It’s magical.