Live Pain Free without Drugs or Surgery
"How to Practice Yoga Without Wrecking Your Body"
by Lee Albert NMT
A recent NY Times article (How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body) is warning us about the dangers of yoga. There are a number of good points in the article about inversions and stretching too deeply into postures. The article goes on to describe various injuries many people suffer while practicing yoga.This even includes some quite accomplished yogis. The article concludes that the vast majority of people should give up yoga altogether.
While I agree with much of what is said in the article, I have come to a much different conclusion.
Blogs & Articles
"One-Third Of Americans Experience Chronic Pain"
by Lee Albert NMT
A third of all Americans -- more than 116 million people -- live with longlasting, chronic pain, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. That is more than all the people who have heart disease, diabetes and cancer, combined.
Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting for 30 to 60 days, and that has an impact on personal and professional life, TIME reported. The costs of chronic pain are up to $635 billion a year, when adding up treatment costs and money lost from decreased productivity, according to the report.
"Why Drinking Enough Water is Vital To Your Health"
by Lee Albert, NMT
In an article, published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that even a slight amount of dehydration in the body is a significant factor in causing headaches, fatigue, and lowered mood levels. One particularly intriguing fact in the article is that subjects of the study were not severely or even moderately dehydrated. Their hydration levels were only 1% lower than optimal.
I am always telling my clients to drink more water. I know that poor hydration not only leads to the symptoms mentioned in the article but also to increased muscle pain, memory loss, high blood pressure, constipation, arthritis and anxiety.
Wrist pain – usually due to repetitive strain injury – is the most prevalent occupational illness today according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI), whether in the workplace or at home, are growing at an unprecedented rate. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers in the United States spend more than $8 billion on compensation costs and even more than that on medical treatments, lawsuits and lost productivity due to RSI.
"Wrist Pain: A Growing Epidemic"
by Lee Albert, NMT
"How to Relieve Wrist Pain"
by Lee Albert, NMT
Are you frustrated that your wrist pain just does not seem to go away? Are the drugs from the doctor or the exercises from the physical therapist not helping? Do you finally want to know what to do about your wrist pain?
The solution is really quite simple. You have to treat the cause of the pain and not the symptom. Most therapists and doctors are treating your symptom. Now, don’t get me wrong. That can sometimes help, but it is usually temporary help, because they have not eliminated the cause of the pain. Drugs are treating your symptom, not the cause.
"Breathe Correctly to Reduce Pain"
by Lee Albert, NMT
In an excellent article (The Five Healing Benefits of Breath), the author reminds us about the importance of breathing fully, slowly and steadily. The article describes some of the benefits of healthy breathing as calming the mind, cleaning toxins and reducing pain in the body.
Most people take breathing for granted. Usually we do not give it much thought. Breathing, however is the most significant activity that we do because it gives us the most important “nutrient” required for life: oxygen.
Low Back Pain?
by Lee Albert NMT
Here is a tip.
In my 25 years of helping people to live a pain free life, I have observed that 60-70% of the low back pain that I treat is originating with tight, short muscles on the front side of the body. These muscles are the quadriceps and the psoas.
Let me explain how muscles that do not hurt (quads & psoas) are causing pain on the other side of the body (low back). The quads & psoas are hip flexor muscles, which in a nutshell help you to bend forward. When these muscles are too short, and tight they then pull your pelvis forward. This tilting of the pelvis causes a compression in the low back and the resulting pain. That pain you feel is the symptom, but the cause is often the hip flexor muscles.
To test if your low back pain is caused by tight hip flexor muscles, lie down flat on your back. This position will often make it feel worse after a while. Then bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. This will take the strain off the quadriceps and psoas. Does that make your back feel better?. If it did, then you have tight hip flexors.
Bending your knees will help with your symptom, but to correct the cause you must start to stretch your quadriceps. An easy runners stretch will do. From a standing position, reach back and grab your ankle. Pull the heel of that foot towards your butt. You should feel the stretch on the front part of the thigh. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Be careful not to stretch too deeply. If the stretch is hurting your back or knee, it is too deep. Do this exercise about 5 times a day until your back starts feeling better. This can sometimes take a couple of weeks.
It is also extremely critical that you do not stretch your hamstrings, as that is counterproductive. When the pelvis is tilted forward the hamstrings will feel real tight, but they are an over stretched tight. Think an over stretched rubber band. It is tight, but stretching it actually makes it tighter.
Consistent, gentle stretching of the quadriceps often will dramatically reduce or eliminate your low back pain. If the pain still persists, see your health care provider to gain more insight into your condition.
You can read more about low back pain and many other conditions in my book “Live Pain Free without Drugs or Surgery” available on Amazon.com.
