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Jan 13 2017

17 ways to finally build the life you love in 2017!

CoupleÕs high-fiveHow was your 2016?

If you’re like most people, you had some ups, some downs, muddled through and did OK. But is OK really good enough for the rest of your life? Do you want more? Do you feel you deserve more?

Well, the good news is that 2017 is the perfect chance to make a change, break through the obstacles and problems that have been holding you back for so long, and finally make the existence you’ve always envisioned a reality. Whether you want to lose weight and get in better shape, improve relationships and find the love of your life, or just get that promotion at work and improve your finances, there is a specific formula for achieving the life you love!

Here are our 17 ways to finally build the life you love in 2017! (We’ll start with the first 8 and cover the next 9 in part 2.)

1. Have fun!

You have to enjoy the journey or else it will all be a monotonous drag, and that includes achieving your goals and changing your life. So make sure you smile, laugh, surround yourself with good people, and sing along to your favorite song and dance a little, and that positivity will inject joy and energy in everything you do.

2. Get motivated by positive, not negative thoughts.

The mind feeds off the words “I can” and other positive affirmations, so much so that it will actually change your physical response. Too often, people who are trying to make a change in their lives or reach goals are motivated by negative thoughts like, “I’m too fat,” “I don’t have a love life,” “I’m never good with money, etc.” Holding those thoughts in your head over and over will only derail you from where you want to go, since it’s like running backward.

3. Focus on one thing that fires you up.

Did someone say you looked fat at the Christmas party? Did you lose that promotion at work to someone less qualified? Are you turning 40 soon and you don’t like where you are in life? Choose one thing that makes you more than a little angry and use that fire as fuel to keep motivated! Sometimes it’s good to be gentle, compassionate, and kind with yourself…but sometimes it’s healthy to get a little pissed off to give yourself a jump-start!

4. Think long-term and big picture.

Success and achievement aren’t always linear, so you’ll have ups and downs along the way. Instead of reacting negatively to every obstacle and setback, “zoom out” and take a big picture view of your life and what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s all a process, and the little daily habits you change will make a huge positive impact over time!

5. Forget perfect.

Guess what? You’ll never be perfect, so set that impossible goal aside and instead focus on just being better every day, every week, or every month – which includes appreciation and enjoyment for what you already have and what you already are! By the way, if you think people want you to be perfect, they don’t (they just want you to be real); and if you think others appear perfect, they’re not!

6. Start by doing one small thing (and then another).

Momentum is everything in life, and once you’re a permanent fixture on the couch, it seems excruciating just to get up and do anything. So instead of saying “I’m going to run 5 miles tomorrow,” and never getting started, focus on doing one small thing, like push-ups and sit-ups during the commercials, learning something new for 10 minutes every morning, or changing one meal to something healthy every day. Stick to it, and very soon it won’t be hard to do more and more…BOOM! You have momentum!

7. Take responsibility.

When you stop blaming other people and circumstances for the outcome of your life, you’ll have removed the first barrier to changing your life. In fact, when you take full accountability and responsibility for your life, you’re automatically empowered to control your own destiny!

8. Set a plan.

This is where the rubber meets the road, as they say – when you’re going to take all of the wishing, dreaming, and hoping and transform it into tangible action that will really change your life. And SMART, FOCUSED, and CONSISTENT action is all it takes to break through and finally achieve the highest and best version of your life. The first part of setting a plan is defining your goals – very specifically, including measurable quantifiers and timelines.

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We’ll cover a lot more about goal setting, follow-up and how to put your wonderful and life-changing plan into place in part two of this blog!

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Couple doing push-ups in home gym

Dec 30 2016

Traveling but don’t want to miss your exercise regime? Here’s how to get a great workout right in your hotel room.

Couple doing push-ups in home gymWhether you’re away from home on a fun-filled vacation or another hard-working business trip, staying in a hotel room can easily take you out of your workout routine.

In fact, this might sound familiar: you check into your hotel after a 4:30 am wake-up call so you could get to the airport in time to catch your 8 am flight. You have a few hours of downtime before a busy afternoon of business meetings and then dinner and cocktails with clients.

You have every intention of cramming in a great workout session in that small window of downtime – you even brought your running sneakers. But once you get to the hotel, it starts raining outside, the bed looks so fluffy and inviting, and your eyes so tired from the early morning plane ride. You get as far as putting on your workout clothes before you fall asleep…

This happens more often than not for business travelers and even vacationers, who really do intend to work out as they travel, but succumb to the temptations of the road. After all, it’s hard enough to get motivated when we have a set schedule and our neighborhood gym is right down the road!

But there is a solution: getting a great workout right there in your hotel room. In fact, you can facilitate vigorous exercise in a small space with no equipment no matter what your environment and goals – from toning to building muscle, increasing flexibility and even cardiovascular fitness.

A lot of these exercises are as traditional as our gym class routines when we were trying to earn the Presidential Physical Fitness Award back in elementary school. Some are so new-age that even the most holistic yoga teacher would approve, and others are used in military basic training and even by Navy Seals. Believe it or not, but many of the principles of getting an intense, muscle-building workout in a small space with no equipment come from…you guessed it: prison, or “jail cell workouts” as they’re called.

No matter who you are or what your fitness level, always start slowly to get the form correct first, and be mindful of any injuries. If you have health conditions or are new to exercising regularly, it may be a god idea to consult your physician first. I’ll just cover the basics, but if you need better explanations of what these exercises should look like, feel free to get on YouTube (I assume your hotel room has Wi-Fi!)

Ok, with the caveats aside, we have you standing in the middle of your hotel room with no equipment and half-an-hour to get a great workout. What next?

Pushups:

You can’t go wrong with the old standard pushup (or press-up). But too many people try to do them too fast out the gate, which can diminish the intended effect and even strain your elbows. Try them slowly, really squeezing your chest at the top. Once you’ve mastered the basic pushups, start doing variations – placing your hands wider and closer together, putting your feet up on a chair to create different angles, freezing at the bottom, and even clapping at the top!

Planks:

Planks may not look like much, but it’s a really great whole-body workout that strengthens your core – which can help prevent lower back pain from sitting at your desk so much. Start timing your planks so you can always challenge your personal best, and advanced planks can even go from resting on your forearms up into a pushup and back down, over and over.

Burpees:

To be honest, you could probably just do burpees and get in amazing shape (though the hotel guests in the room below you might not be happy with the thumping!) Burpees incorporate pushups, squats, shoulders, back, and work your core really well. After 10 or 15 burpees you’ll probably also be out of breath like you just ran around the block! This is a “jail cell workout” staple, by the way.

Squats:

By working the larger muscles in your legs and hips, you really jumpstart your fitness and will see results all over your body. Don’t worry about squatting with weight – just do them correctly and all the way down to avoid stress on your knees or back. You can also do one-leg squats, jump squats, or frog squats to mix it up. A good tip is that if you’re not used to squats, and you need some help to get the form correct, hold on to each side of the bathroom door handle to help stabilize you as you go down (just don’t hold on to anything that can come out of the wall or tip over!)

Tricep dips:

Put your hands on a chair or the edge of the bed while facing out (Google a proper demonstration) and dip, which works the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

Biceps and back:

The hardest exercises to work on the road are probably your biceps and back, as they involve pulling motions. Short of having something that can act as a stable pull up bar (don’t try the shower rod!!!), you can try some more basics movements. Fill your laptop bag or the pillowcase with as many heavy books or items as you can find and curl that, or do bent-over rows to work the back. You can also take two heavy books and hold them out, and lift them up and down at an angle, which can work shoulders and back muscles.

Handstands:

There are huge fitness, circulation, and health benefits to handstands, so clear a space against the wall to aid your feet and legs and take the plunge. (Don’t try these solo unless you’ve practiced them before.)

Hotel room cardio:

It may seem like the biggest challenge would be getting a full cardio workout in an enclosed space, but there are plenty of things you can do in your room. Jumping Jacks, running in place, running with knees up, shadowboxing, and the aforementioned burpees all will get you breathing heavily and your heart racing.

Every hotel has a stairwell in case of a fire, so run up and down the flights of stairs as many times as you can, or find a nearby parking garage with plenty of steps.

I also bring a jump rope with my on the road, which takes up almost no room and weighs next to nothing, but can be used in any parking lot, stairwell landing, hotel ballroom, or even inside your room (sorry, downstairs neighbors!)

Yoga:

Take out your laptop, pull up a yoga channel on YouTube or put in a DVD you brought, and do a full yoga session right in your room. The deep breathing element will keep you fresh and relaxed amid all of the stress of business meetings, and the flexibility and circulation benefits will help you feel great through long plane rides. By the way, you can bring your own yoga mat or just use a hotel towel!

Water-filled weights:

If you want to lift some serious weight without paying extra baggage charges and lugging it through the airport, buy a couple of collapsible dumbbells that you fill with water. They make them special for business travelers, and you can fill them up with more or less water in the bathroom sink to adjust the weight.

Is this still not enough for you? Try to book a hotel with a workout room, ask the concierge where a good (and safe) loop is for a couple-mile run, or Google gyms in the area that accept guests with one-day passes.

Have a productive business trip – and a great workout!

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Dec 16 2016

Our top-10 blog posts from 2016!

As we turn the calendar from 2016 to 2017, it’s a great time to reflect on what an eventful, sometimes challenging, but fulfilling and blessed 365 days it’s been. So we’ve decided to commemorate 2016 and the transition to 2017 by bringing you our top-10 blog posts of 2016, as determined by the number of reader views.

I really appreciate all of my patients and only hope that I can continue to improve your lives in 2017. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any pain, health issues, or just want to talk.

Here’s wishing you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2017!

The Top 15 Common Causes of Back Pain. 

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20 Incredible facts about the human spine! 

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Why big purses and high fashion may be causing your back and neck problems.

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Golfers can improve their swing, avoid injuries, and drop their score with chiropractic care. 

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FOCUS: 20 tips to lock in, tune out, and re-energize your concentration.

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The 20 Excuses You Keep Making – And How to Get Past Them! 

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Athletes, sports and chiropractic care! 

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The 15 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea.

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Why don’t many Indigenous cultures suffer back pain?

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Prince’s OD death highlights the need for chiropractic care over prescription painkillers. 

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cup of tea at sunset

Dec 2 2016

The 15 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

cup of tea at sunsetWhile it seems like there’s a Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, or boutique coffee shop on every corner, Americans are starting to wake up and smell the health benefits of drinking tea, as well. In fact, the US is the third largest importer of tea in the world (behind only Russia and Pakistan,) with almost 20,000,000 pounds of tea consumed in 2015 and steady 5% projected growth every year.

“Teas contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids, known to help fight against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries,” says Mike Shaldone, “Tea Ambassador” for Sacramento’s Classy Hippie Tea Company.

“Teas also have caffeine and theanine, which affect the brain and seem to heighten mental alertness.”

But drinking tea for its health benefits (as well as the fact that it tastes great) is nothing new, as different cultures around the world – especially in the Far East – have consumed tea for thousands of years to promote health, happiness, and wellness.

Here are 15 ways drinking tea can improve your health:

  1. Tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which help the body fight off toxins and keep us healthy and young. In particular, tea contains high levels of polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) and phytochemicals that aid our systems. Regular tea drinking also boosts your immune system, helping immune cells reach their target and function faster.
  1. Tea does contain caffeine, but in fact has about 50% less caffeine than our favorite coffee drinks, giving you a boost without disturbing your nervous system or sleep patter. The important thing to know is that tea contains caffeine and theanine, which affects the brain by naturally heightening mental alertness.
  1. Research points to the benefit of tea in reducing the instances of heart attacks and strokes. Recent studies show that people who drank one to three cups of green tea every day showed a 20% reduction heart attacks and a 35% reduction in the instance of strokes. Once people drank four cups of tea or more, they were 32% less likely to suffer a heart attack!
  1. There is evidence that regular tea consumption may help with weight loss, though more research is needed to see if this is just a correlation or a direct cause. But one study showed that tea drinkers had lower waist circumferences and lower BMI’s than non-tea drinkers. By the way, did we mention that tea is calorie free? Even if tea drinking signals a healthier lifestyle – but doesn’t actually reduce weight – switching out higher-calorie coffee drinks (once you add milk, flavorings and all the sugar) can knock off hundreds of calories every day.
  1. According to data from recent animal studies, green tea helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.
  1. Drinking tea actually helps tooth decay and cavities, Japanese researchers found, by lowering the pH levels in your mouth and protecting tooth enamel.
  1. Tea may also help to fight cancer, although more medical research needs to be done. But what is factual is that the antioxidants in tea help combat various forms of cancer, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers.
  1. Drinking herbal teas, and especially chamomile, helps soothe the digestive system because it is an antispasmodic, and ginger tea can ease nausea.
  1. Green tea can actually increase your endurance when you’re exercising, since the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea boost the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, aiding muscle endurance.
  1. Tea also helps fight free radicals that damage our DNA and have been linked to cancer, heart disease and neurological degeneration, since it’s high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity.
  1. Unlike coffee and other drinks that leave your body dehydrated, tea is actually just as hydrating as drinking water – but with the extra bonus of a little natural caffeine.
  1. Studies have shown that there’s a link between drinking tea and a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, even when they accounted for other health and lifestyle factors like diet, smoking, physical activity, age and body mass index.
  1. Green tea might actually provide some protection from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, acting as a natural low-level sunscreen (but still but on sun block!).
  1. If you smoke (and don’t plan on quitting anytime soon,) make sure you drink a lot of tea since it’s been found to counteract some of the negative effects of smoke, including reducing the risk of lung cancer.
  1. Research shows that some of the compounds in green tea help diabetics process sugars better, offering a great benefit to people with Type 2 diabetes.

What kinds of teas should you drink? Which teas will help specific health issues? And are there are some things to watch out for when choosing and drinking the right tea? We’ll go into depth to answer all of these questions and more in part two of this blog!

 

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Nov 17 2016

The 10 biggest changes people experience during the holidays.

Gingerbread man in hot chocolateThe holiday season is here, and that means a lot of fun with friends and family, but also some big changes to your mental and physical health, schedule and even bank account. In fact, most people will experience some (or all!) of these changes during the period from Thanksgiving week until the confetti is cleaned up on New Year’s Day, and the holidays season in between.
Here are the ten major changes people experience during the holidays:

  1. Stress

Almost 4 out of 10 people experience some sort of increase in stress during the holidays, while 5.5 out of 10 maintain the same stress level and less than 1 out of 10 say their stress levels decrease during holiday time.

But stress levels are higher than this for working adults, and nearly 5 out of 10 of all women also feel more stress during the holidays.

The top 10 things people find stressful during the holidays:

67% Lack of time

62% Lack of money

53% Commercialism

47% Pressure to give gifts

44% Family gatherings

 

  1. Emotions

The holidays bring out a range of emotions in people, both good and bad, creating a confusing and often contradictory emotional period.

The most positive emotions people feel during the holidays:

78% Happiness

75% Love

60% High spirits

40% Connectedness

 

The most negative emotions people feel during the holidays:

68% Fatigue

61% Stress

52% Irritability

36% Sadness

35% Anger

 

  1. Family

For many people, the holidays are all about spending time with family, friends and loved ones. When asked what their favorite thing was about the holidays, 53% of people mention family and/or friends and 36 percent specifically mention spending more time with family.

Interestingly, 35% of women spend time with their parents during the holidays, but only 15% of men do the same.

We make great efforts to spend time with family during the holidays. In fact, visits to see friends and family account for about 24% of long-distance trips throughout the year for Americans, but that number jumps to 43% for Christmas and 53% during Thanksgiving.

 

  1. Travel

Speaking of travel, consider these holiday travel stats:

This Thanksgiving, 43.4 million people are expected to travel.

The average person travels 275 miles for Christmas.

The average holiday vacationer will travel 601 miles and spent $465 just on transportation.

Travel to a destination 50 miles or more away increases by 54% over Thanksgiving weekend but only by 23% during Christmas and New Years.

 

  1. Time

A whopping 71% of those surveyed report having extra time commitments and things to do during the holiday season.

We may get time off for work (an average of just 7.6 paid vacation days annually for U.S. workers), but between parties, family obligations, religious observances, travel and shopping, we have less time than ever.

 

  1. Shopping and spending

Wow, do we spend money during the holidays

In fact, the average shopper plans to spend $805 on gifts during the holiday season.

Total sales for holiday shopping totaled about $630 billion in 2015.,

Around the world, we spend $2.6 billion on wrapping paper alone!

Black Friday is estimated to generate about $64 billion in sales just that one day!

46% of holiday shopping is done online these days, and growing every year.

We may feel like we’re saving money by staying home but online shoppers actually spend 22% more than those who physically visit stores.

Visa reports 5,340 card swipes per minute between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

 

  1. Diet

The average modest holiday meal contains 1,297 calories – without seconds, dessert, or larger helpings.

That means it would take 150 minutes of high-intensity exercise just to burn off one holiday meal!

Don’t forget about our super-charged sugar intake during the holidays, and increase in alcohol consumption as well.

 

  1. Weight gain

Most of us moan, lament and disparage at the weight we’re putting on during the holidays. But is it really that bad?

In fact, our perception is far worse than the reality, as most people estimate they’ve gained 5-10 pounds during the holiday season.

But the average weight gain is only 1-2 pounds.

The problem is that we’re not doing a good job taking that 1-2 pounds off, and often stressing about it more than doing something to lose the weight and improve our health!

In fact, roughly 75% of annual weight gain takes place during the holiday season.

 

  1. Fitness

We tend to work out less during the holiday season, or even abandon our exercise regimes all together.

Gyms and health clubs are often comically empty during the period from Thanksgiving week until New Years!

Likewise, though it would make perfect sense that we work out more at home – even taking brisk walks after meal time, doing some yoga or calisthenics, or just staying more active – we tend to exercise a lot less in the midst of all of those indulgent meals and sweets.

 

  1. Resolutions

But the holidays also lead to hope for better things in the coming New Year, most often manifested through our New Year’s resolutions and goal setting.

In fact, here are the top ten New Year’s resolutions for Americans:

Lose Weight

Get organized

Spend less money and save more

Enjoy life to the fullest

Stay fit and healthy

Learn something new

Quit smoking

Help others

Fall in love

Spend more time with famil

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Contact me if you’d like to learn how chiropractic can help you stay fit, healthy, happy, and feeling great during the holidays!

 

 

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Sport's Gear on White Background

Oct 5 2016

Athletes, sports and chiropractic care!

Sport's Gear on White BackgroundBack pain is one of the most common reasons for people to visit a MD, hospital or start taking prescription painkillers, and that’s especially true for athletes who suffer sports-related injuries and discomfort. In fact, 75% of all elite athletes experience back pain at some point during their playing days, and even 10-15% of child and teen athletes experience low back pain.

But chiropractic care – not hospitalizations and dangerous drugs – are the best first defense against sports injuries for young and old athletes alike. Chiropractic care is the optimal way to treat these injuries and allow the body to naturally heal the root cause of pain and discomfort.

But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to suffer back pain or sports injuries. In fact, there are about 30 million children in the U.S. people who play organized sports – and that doesn’t count all of the kids that play pickup or recreational sports. Each year, high school athletes alone suffer 2 million injuries resulting in 30,000 hospitalizations.

So which sports are the hardest on the body and cause the most lower back pain? Some of the findings are fairly predictable, but some may surprise you.

Instance of lower back pain by sport:

85% Gymnastics

80% Weightlifting

69% Wrestling

58% Soccer

50% Tennis

30% Golf

Intercollegiate athletes see their share of lower back injuries, considering that an alarming 7-13% of all injuries in college sports are lower back injuries. Of those back injuries, 60% are simple muscle strains while 7% are disc injuries.

Other common sports injuries include neck pain, whiplash, concussions, sport hernias, MCL sprains, quadriceps sprains, hamstring sprains, ankle sprains, shin splints, and Achilles tendonitis.

It’s no wonder why 39% of college athletes receive chiropractic treatment and most major college athletic departments now have a chiropractor on staff.

In part thanks to those chiropractic treatments, research also shows that athletes don’t tend to have lingering lower back issues at the rate of the general population, most likely because their fitness level, activity, and other health factors make them quick healers with lower back pain actually less common for former athletes than non-athletes.

75% of non-athletes experience some lower back pain, compared to only 31% for athletes. However, disc degeneration is far more common for elite athletes than non-athletes because of the massive strain and stress they place on their body.

But injuries and lower back pain are just one of the ways chiropractic care can aid the modern athlete. In fact, 90% of all world-class athletes also now use regular chiropractic care to amplify their performance, avoid injuries, and recover faster.

Research shows that athletes see a 6.12% increase in their athletic performance after receiving spinal adjustments from a chiropractor. In fact, after only12 weeks of chiropractic treatments, athletes measure 30% higher in their hand-eye coordination.

Chiropractic care certainly doesn’t stop when young and teen athletes progress. In fact, elite athletes in every sport use chiropractic care.

72% of PGA golfers on tour receive chiropractic care.

A near-perfect batting average .930 of Major League Baseball teams have a chiropractor on staff, and the same goes for the majority of pro basketball and hockey teams. Every single NFL franchise employs a team chiropractor now, up from 31% in 2002. In fact, during a typical NFL football season, chiropractors give 16,320-27,200 individual treatments to these pro players!

The reality is that every athlete in every sport or physical endeavor will see tangible benefits from regular chiropractic care. For instance, chiropractic treatments can help basketball players improve their speed, flexibility, balance, and strength. Baseball players jump higher, increase coordinate and strength when they get regularly visit a chiropractor. U.S. judo athletes experienced a 16% stronger grip after just three chiropractic sessions.

Chiropractic also allows the body to heal naturally, boosting the immune system and speeding recovery from injuries. 80% of hockey-related injuries, which often include painful shoulder problems, can be managed with four treatments or less. Chiropractic care can ease discomfort in 50% of tennis players that suffer from tennis elbow. Soccer players with groin strains or pulls see relief in only 8 weeks or less with chiropractic care. 100% of runners with join problems said that chiropractic care reduced their pain and symptoms, allowing them to maintain or increase their mileage and keep training.

Even Olympians love chiropractic care, as the U.S. team in Rio De Janeiro this summer brought plenty of chiropractors along, boosting their performance and helping them manage injuries on the way to a record Gold Medal winning performance. In fact, chiropractors have been a mainstay at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where U.S. exercise physiologist Sean Atkins estimates that at least 90% of top athletes utilize chiropractic on a regular basis.

If you have a child playing organized sports, a high schooler excelling at competitive sports, or even if you’re the proud parent of a college athlete, the best advantage you could give them is access to regular chiropractic treatments and care. Feel free to contact us for a simple evaluation!

 

 

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Sep 23 2016

Why don’t many Indigenous cultures suffer back pain?

1200x600If you’re like most Americans, then you suffer back pain at some point in your life. Maybe you’re part of the 33% of the population that is afflicted by chronic back pain, or the 50% of working Americans that feel a twinge, ache or pull in their back or neck each year. In fact, it’s one of the most prevalent ailments and exacts a huge toll in lost productivity, sick days, loss of quality of life, strain on relationships, and other health problems. While chiropractic care should be on the front line of treating back pain, too often the traditional medical establishment pushes highly addictive painkillers and risky surgeries.

But back pain is just a part of life and getting older, right? Believe it or not, back pain isn’t necessarily an inherent condition for all human beings. Incredibly, research now reveals that plenty of indigenous cultures throughout the world suffer little or no back pain!

Not only do people of these cultures experience almost no troublesome or chronic back pain, but research shows that the discs in their spines display very little signs of degeneration as they age, as well.

This epiphany started when a woman named Esther Gokhale from Palo Alto, California was stricken with her own debilitating back pain. For two decades, she consulted doctors, was on prescriptions and had surgeries, but none of it seemed to help. So when doctors urged her to have yet another risk or even dangerous spinal procedure, she look abroad for answers.

What she found was that many people from Indigenous cultures around the world suffered little or no back pain. She traveled all over the globe for the next ten years studying how these people stood, walked, worked and rested, as well as other diet, fitness and lifestyle factors. What she found was remarkable:

“I have a picture in my book of these two women who spend seven to nine hours everyday, bent over, gathering water chestnuts,” Gokhale says. “They’re quite old. But the truth is they don’t have a back pain.”

From Ubong tribesmen in Borneo to indigenous tribes in India; from the mountain tribes of Ecuador to villagers in West Africa and natives to tiny fishing towns in Portugal, she found that these people’s spines were essentially a different shape than most people in the west and America.

People in these indigenous cultures had spines that were shaped more like the letter “J” with a straight drop from neck to base and then a natural curve at the buttocks. Conversely, if you look at the typical American spine, they are usually shaped more like the letter “S” with a hump or curvature at the top of the back, too.

“They have this regal posture, and it’s very compelling” Gokhale said.

After taking note and comparing many other factors, Gokhale found that people with this J-Shaped spine rarely suffered back pain. But it’s not that these indigenous cultures had something different – it was the typical American spine that had changed over the decades. When she looked at anatomical drawings from Leonardo da Vinci or a Gray’s Anatomy book from 1901, she found that spines didn’t have that S-shape then, either, but were closer to the J-shape indigenous cultures now display.

It seems that a J-shaped spine is the natural and healthier human form.

“The J-shaped spine is what you see in Greek statues. It’s what you see in young children. It’s good design,” Gokhale says.

So what has changed with our western or American spines that is causing so much back pain and discomfort?

Further research concluded that a sedentary lifestyle, as we sit at desks and in car seats and office chairs and the like far more, could be a major reason why our spines are more S-shaped now. The lack of physical labor, mobility, and even recent phenomenon like “Text Neck” from people looking down at their smart phones so much are also contributors to reshaping our spines – for the worse.

While Gokhale’s research was comprehensive, it was mostly anecdotal, and there hasn’t been a real scientific or medical study into this theory of natural J-shaped spines among indigenous. But that doesn’t mean that scientists aren’t interested.

“I’d like to go and take X-rays of indigenous populations and compare it to people in the Western world,” says Dr. Praveen Mummaneni, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco’s Spine Center. “I think that would be helpful.”

Mummaneni believes that it’s actually stronger abdominal muscles in indigenous and more active natural cultures that grant them perfect posture and protect their spines from back pain and acute degeneration.

But for most Americans, that strong physical culture has been replaced by sedentary one and overeating – and that means a lot of extra weight and belly fat, resulting in an S-shaped spine.

“If you have a lot of fat built up in the belly, that could pull your weight forward. That could curve the spine,” notes Mummaneni. “I think the sedentary lifestyle promotes a lack of muscle tone and a lack of postural stability because the muscles get weak. And people who are thinner probably have less curvature.”

It looks like getting back to basics with correct posture, a healthy diet, active lifestyle with lots of exercise, and regular chiropractic care can replicate the conditions of these indigenous cultures and result in a straighter, healthier spine without regular back pain.

If you’re suffering from back pain or any other discomfort in your back, neck or limbs, contact us to find out more!

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Sep 8 2016

20 Facts About Self Help and the Self Improvement Industry

Protect a Property from the WeatherSeptember is National Self Improvement Month, a time to reflect upon your life, set new goals and take strides to make personal changes in order to achieve the life you truly wish. Observed every ninth month of the year, it gives us the chance to not only support and encourage your personal growth, but also illuminate the self-improvement movement. Today, we’re going to look at the immense business that serves the public’s thirst for self-help.

So to celebrate Self Improvement Month, here are 20 fascinating facts about the self help industry:

  1. In total, the self-improvement industry is worth $11 billion just in the U.S. every year.
  1. The industry is still on the rise with 5.5% growth annually, and a projected 6.1% annual growth rate in the future per Marketdata Enterprises.
  1. There is no denying that self improvement has become big business, with tens of millions of people around the world look to make positive changes in their lives ever year with the help of self help products, materials, and services.
  1. Live training seminars that look to motivate, empower, and teach people to reach their potential are now a $500 million industry.
  1. But these days, the fastest growing segment of the self-improvement seminar industry is virtual seminars, events, and coaching. Webinars, teleseminars, and other virtual communications methods have in part replaced expensive and time-consuming travel.
  1. There are approximately 18,000 life coaches working in the U.S. alone now with exponential yearly growth, although the industry is still largely unregulated.
  1. Self help and personal growth books have been huge sellers for decades now, with an estimated $776 million in sales for 24 million Americans every year.
  1. In fact, there are almost 15 million books about dating and relationships sold every year!
  1. Books about some sort of self-betterment are so popular that they have even sprung a new classification of psychological counseling called “Bibliotherapy!”
  1. Who uses self-improvement most commonly? The typical self-improvement disciple who might buy books, attend seminars, and utilize coaching is a woman who is middle-class and well educated.
  1. But a highly sought demographic is also corporations, as speeches, training and seminars for businesses bring in big bucks.
  1. Other than relationships, the most common goals that people want to achieve through self-help books include increasing happiness, weight loss, success, money, and spirituality.
  1. In fact, many self-help gurus and popular systems know this, and release a series of books, seminars or products that touch on all of these themes.
  1. They realize that people who look for self-improvement materials have a high “Recidivism rate,” most likely buying at least one before in the last 18 months.
  1. Most historians point to the self-improvement movement starting when the first book about that topic was published way back in 1859, entitled, “Self Help.”
  1. But in reality, the origins of self help go back decades earlier, to the book “The Constitution of Man,” written by Victorian phrenologist George Combe in 1828, followed shortly by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Compensation.”
  1. In 1936, self help icon Dale Carnegie released one of the most famous books of all time, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” and then later, “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” both of which are some of the most popular books ever on Amazon.com.
  1. In the 1950s and 1960s, research into self-improvement got an empirical boost from Abraham Maslow, who explored “Self Actualization” as the ultimate goal of any human being on top of his, “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.”
  1. But the undisputed modern self-help guru is Tony Robbins, who brings in more than $80 million a year from his books, seminars, appearances, endorsements, videos, and coaching, making him the most profitable self improvement brand of all time. The 56-year old Robbins is now worth an estimated $480 million.
  1. But the award for the best selling self improvement book of all time goes to “Men Are From Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray, selling 50 million copies and spending an incredible 121 weeks on the New York Times best seller list.

You can follow all of the discussions, happenings and content this month with the hashtag, #SelfImprovementMonth

 

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Aug 20 2016

Perfectly Southpaw: 20 Facts About Being Left-Handed

Left right brain function creative concept illustrationAugust is International “Left-Handers Month. It was first launched in 1996 to raise awareness for the special circumstances, challenges, and accomplishments of left-handed people around the world. Here are 20 fun facts about left-landers to help examine their plight.

  1. It’s estimated that 10-12% of the total world population are left handers, including about 30 million people in the United States.
  1. A study at St. Lawrence University in New York concluded that there are more left-handed geniuses, or people with IQs over 140, than right-handers. In fact, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin were all lefty, among others.
  1. Do animals favor one side over another? In fact, dogs, cats, rats, and mice do favor one paw or leg over another, though the proportion of right versus left-dominant animals is equal (unlike humans that are 90% right-handed).
  1. There are various theories on why people end up left-handed or right-handed, but some studies point to evidence that left-handedness is hereditary, thanks to the gene LRRTM1 that is passed down from the father.
  1. For instance, in the British royal family, left-handers include the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William, which would be statistically near impossible if left-handedness wasn’t hereditary.
  1. Herbert Hoover was the first left-handed U.S. President, although President James Garfield wrote Greek with his left hand, but Latin and English with his right. Nowadays, four of the last seven U.S. Presidents have been left-handers!
  1. Researchers believe that the proportion of left to right-handers in society has remained constant for the past 30,000 years – or as far back as they can track.
  1. Ambidextrous people can naturally use both their left and right hands equally, yet less than 1% of the world’s population are truly ambidextrous.
  1. Are left or right-handed people more successful? In fact, college graduates that are left-handed go on to become 26% wealthier than their righty cohorts.
  1. Left-handers also are more likely to go into creative careers. That could be because lefties score higher in spatial awareness, math, and architecture, where as right-handers are more adept at verbal skills.
  1. 25% of the astronauts on the Apollo mission were lefties.
  1. Athletes tend to do better when they are left-handed, too. For instance, baseball pitchers, batters, basketball shooters, tennis players, and boxers tend to become more successful (called ‘Southpaws’), though this may be because they have an advantage since right-handers spend a lifetime training and preparing to play a right-handed game.
  1. Women are left-handed at a rate about 4% higher than men.
  1. To help counter this right-handed bias in our society and education systems, Juniata College in Pennsylvania awards academic scholarships up to $1,500 to left-handed students who have deserving credentials.
  1. There are some inherent negatives to being left-handed, like the fact that they are more likely to have allergies, get migraines, dyslexia, be autistic, and suffer from insomnia and other maladies.
  1. Lefties are also three times more prone to alcoholism since the right side of the brain has a lower tolerance to alcohol. Even levels of fear and how they process emotions are different in left-handers because of the left-right brain function difference.
  1. Studies show that the life expectancy of left-handed people is as much as nine years less than the lifespan of righties.
  1. But interestingly enough, scholars point to the fact that the numbers of left-handers were consistent throughout history, thanks in part to a belief that they had higher survival rates in combat and battle for the same reason that they excel in athletics these days.
  1. But lefthanders also have better vision underwater, are considered more creative and musical, can multitask better and their brains transfer and connect information more efficiently.
  1. Even though lefties are less able to roll their tongues than righties, all of our fingernails grow faster on our left hands than on our right.

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Are you left-handed and have a fact, story, or even question to share? Please contact us because we’d love to hear it!

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Casazza Chiropractic
2716 V Street, Sacramento CA 95818
Office: (916) 447-2200 – Fax (916) 447-7930
Email Dr. Casazza: [email protected]

Hours
Mon. 8-1 and 3-5;
Tues.-Thurs. 8-1  and 3-6;
Fri. 8-1 and 3-5; Sat. 8-12

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