Great.  These girls are 4 and they are already telling me the way things work.  I think I will soon be in trouble…..

Not to overstate the obvious, but it reminded me just how important oxygen is to us.  Yes, without it we are dead, but even with minuscule drops in oxygenation of tissues, the body can develop some real nasty symptoms.  Here’s what happens: If you don’t get enough oxygen, carbon dioxide or C02 will build up.  Co2 is by far the largest acidifier in the body – high acidity will lead to inflammation and chronic pain.  Alkaline diets and noninflammatory diets are all the rage right now (and for good reason- they drive down acidity and inflammation), yet if you don’t get enough oxygen to the tissues, worrying about the foods you are eating is kind of like worrying about what kind of tires to put on your car without putting gas in the tank: it won’t run.

“Ok, Ok, Doc, I get it,  just breathe…”

I wish it were that simple.  I was at a conference last weekend where all we studied was people’s breathing patterns, ventilation and gait (walking patterns), and it shocked me to learn how many people aren’t properly ventilating their lungs.  At the conference was a high level late 20s, semi-professional cyclist, someone who we would normally consider to extremely fit, showing signs of overtraining and chronic fatigue.  If you are under 65 the ribs need to expand 10-12 cm for normal ventilation.  People who do not properly inflate their lungs for an extended period of time will develop chronic pain (fibromyalgia, muscle ache, heartburn, chronic fatigue).  Interestingly, the cyclist with chronic fatigue had zero lower rib expansion.

If the spine or ribs are subluxated (out of alignment), you will not get proper oxygenation of the tissues and you will develop chronic symptoms of some sort.

Poor posture is often a culprit of spinal subluxation patterns.  Check out this really quick video which demonstrates what posture can do our breathing patterns.

http://freshwave.ca/sternocostal-reflex

It was much harder to breathe with the first posture  in the video because that position subluxated the spine and ribs, not allowing them to expand.  The scary thing is, people are walking around with that posture all day long, unaware of how it is affecting their ventilation, oxygenation, and normal body function.

Here’s the cool thing; it’s often really simple to correct rib, spine and ventilation issues.  This will increase tissue oxygenation which can squash chronic fatigue, heartburn, chronic pain and acidity.  While there is work to be done in the office with the chiropractor, the majority of efforts need to be done at home.  Don’t worry, this isn’t calculus homework, instead, what do a bra, singing, walking, and a towel have in common?

They all can help  to increase ventilation.  I’ll tell you how next time.

Until then, I’m off to get some fresh air in Whistler for a few days.

Enjoy,

Dr. G

Whether it be a endurance training session, weight training session or even a walk, you need to replenish the energy stores that were used for whatever activity you were doing.  Specifically, you’ll need some protein to deal with the increased protein breakdown in the body, and you’ll need some carbohydrates to replace those lost glycogen stores.  When you do this, you will recover faster (less sore) and you will have more energy later in the day.

It’s interesting to note, there is a specific window to do this.  Approximately 1-2 hrs post exercise, metabolism is increased.  You need to take advantage of this.  Most sources suggest you should eat between 1/2- 1 hr post exercise.  Miss this window, and you will not recover as well.  You may be tired later,  be sluggish and your muscles will hurt.

“Ok, so I need protein and carbs 1/2-1 hr post ex.  How about an energy recovery drink?”

These so-called energy drinks are laden with sugars-typically fructose.  If you are trying to lose weight these sugars will cause a major insulin spike and will counteract any positive training effects.  Avoid fruit juice and fructose after a workout.  Instead look for other sources of carbohydrates.

Also be sure you also get plenty of fluids to account for all the sweat lost.

Until the next time, train hard.

Dr. G

I wrote in another post “Hurt vs. Harm” about Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), what it is, how it is normal.  Today, I am going to give you some strategies for dealing with your beat up aching body.  After exercise, our bodies sometimes ache and are sore.  This is part of the training, adapting and healing process.  Understand this is not just limited to exercise in the gym.  When I played competitive Rugby, quite often the next day, I’d felt liked I had a turn in the dryer with the clothes.  Tumbling down the ski slopes, tobogganing, water skiing, spending too long gardening, splitting wood, the list goes on, you get it.  Many activities make you feel like you’ve been run over by a steamroller the next day

The question is, what to do?

Years ago, the medical profession used to prescribe bed rest for low back pain.  This as it turns out is the worst possible thing you can do.

It’s simple.  You need to move the body.  ”Are you insane man?  I can’t move!!”  Whether it be from too many squats, skiing wipe outs, rugby tackles, whatever caused you the DOMS, you need to move the body as crazy as that sounds.  Inflammatory chemicals (prostaglandins, bradykinins) are coursing through the body, causing the pain.  Light exercise the day after will help flush these chemicals from the body and speed your recovery.  Once I’ve determined a patient is stable following a car crash, the first thing I get them to do is move.  I’m not talking heavy exercise, no sprints.  Light activity is the best for post workout recovery.  Gentle swimming, slow cycling 70-85 rpm on the stationary bike with little resistance, gentle stretching, easy walking ( not hill climbing ) are all examples of the exercises you should do.  20 minutes is often enough.  Do this after your workout session and the next day.  This will help speed your recovery big time.

I also recommend people take a hot epsom salt bath.  Take 2 cups of epsom salts and place in a hot tub.  Epsom salt baths are incredibly effective at reducing muscle soreness.  When I was playing competitive rugby, we used to alternate between the hot and cold bath to manage the inflammation.  Speaking of being beat up, MMA fighters will soak in ice baths after a sparring session to speed recovery.

If you have the luxury of a hot tub, steam bath or sauna either at home or at the gym these activities will also help big time in reducing soreness.  After your vigorous workout, have a steam or a sauna.  This will help in muscle recovery.   One of my next articles “The Art of the Sauna” will detail how incredible the sauna is for overall health.

After ski racing, we used to head to the gym right after, get on the exercise bike and gently spin.  This would allow us to recover better for our race the next day.

Next time we will be talking about what foods to eat to help you recover faster.  Until then, be sure to move!

Yet at the same time, I also celebrated a couple of achievements recently. I set all-time personal bests in both the Squat and Bench press last week! I was pretty pumped! I mean personal bests at the age of forty! I all of a sudden feel really young again.

When I was in school we were taught that Growth Hormone ( a hormone typically associated with youth) peaks at around 30 or so, only to slowly decline over the remaining decades, which will lead to a decrease in muscle mass overall.

New research is now showing quite the contrary with seniors into their 70-80′s having pretty much the same muscle mass as they did when they were younger!
Check this awesome article out from Mercola:

Mercola article

What this article shows is that with exercise, you will maintain your muscle mass, but even more important, increase balance and bone density!
This is crucial, as one of the leading causes of death for those with osteoporosis over the age of 65 is complications due to falls. What was once widely associated with ageing is not so much the case, and by increasing balance and bone density through exercise, you can save a life.

I was sharing this article with a patient the other day, who recently came off her bone density medications as these are shown to increase risk of femur fracture. She was looking for alternatives to increase bone density. I was explaining the most important exercise to do are weight bearing ones: walking, the squat, arm curls, running, skiing, etc…

Exercise has also been shown to stimulate the brain and ward off alzheimer’s disease.

In prepping for this blogpost, I came across this humorous video. Check it out! it certainly inspired me and I am now off to the gym, feeling younger than ever!
Happy holidays to everyone!

“I mean-it hurts after a workout!  That can’t be good can it?”

Understand this- It is normal to experience this pain or hurt after a workout.  This pain is referred to as DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.  DOMS often comes 24-48 hrs after a training session and is thought to arise from an increase in chemical mediators (bradykinins, prostaglandins) post workout.     It is part of the adaptation process of training as muscle fibers are microscopically torn, increasing these chemical mediators which leads to the pain.  Over time, the body adapts, laying down more muscle fibers, and you get the results you want.

“Ok, so I hurt the next day after a workout- this is normal.  How do I know if I’m doing to much damage or harming myself in a training session?”

This can get challenging for anyone, especially for the gym or boot camp newbie.  While training, whether it be doing sprints or bicep curls, you will feel a “burn” or an uncomfortable feeling in the legs or biceps.  Again, like DOMS this is normal and part of the training process.  What is not normal is to have a new feeling, a new pain, a sharp sensation, something that doesn’t quite feel right.  This is where you may actually be doing some harm.

This becomes decision time:  Do I put the weight back on the rack or keep pushing on and chance injury?  Do I listen to my body and forget the  next set of sprints or push on?    While this sounds simple, it is not always easy to tell what to do.  Those more experienced training hard are able to differentiate this “something’s not right” feeling easier than rookies.  That said,  more experienced exercisers are also more likely to “push through” and ” I’ll be fine”.  The gym rookie on the other hand, often will not push hard enough, yielding a very small training effect.

I’ve seen trainers at the gym pushing their clients hard, which is good.  But on other occasions I’ve also heard clients complaining, that something doesn’t feel right- yet they are still ordered to push through.  I’ve seen countless people crank out an extra rep, an extra set, only to tweak something and be up on the shelf for weeks, even months.  The number one cause of pectoral (chest) muscle tears after all is overtraining.

We need to learn to differentiate between being a wimp, and actually hurting yourself.   Sometimes it will hurt while training, and the next day, (and day after if it’s a really good session).  This is good.  This is where you get stronger, faster, leaner, put on more mass and drop more fat.

However, what is not good, is while training, you feel something that’s not quite right, something that’s different, unusual, a different pain, a sharp pain.  This is when its time to stop.

Unfortunately, the lines between the two often get blurred, especially for the more experienced.  Bottom line- listen to your body- it knows best!

Dr. G

So for the best (read safest) exercises for the core, I thought I would defer to the world’s leader in lumbar spine biomechanics, who hails from the University of Waterloo,  Stu McGill.

Check these out let me know what you think..

Dr. G

Check this out.  Its a huge story.

Chiropractic works.  Simply put.  Many Sporting greats from Lance Armstrong ( who stated his chiropractor was instrumental in his 7 tour de france victories), Evander Holyfield, Joe Montana, to the entire Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team that I personally worked with, and now Sidney Crosby are using chiropractic to not only get well, but stay well.

Check out the story here.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/11/03/rebuilding-crosby’s-brain/

Until the next time, take care.

Dr. G

6 simple Tips to avoid a cold and flu this season

1. Get adjusted regularly.

Consider this:  In the 1918 flu epidemic, chiropractors had incredible results dealing with the epidemic:

MEDICAL TREATMENT = 950 dead per 10,000
CHIROPRACTIC CARE = 25 deaths per 10,000

These numbers are backed by facts collected in New York City. In the 1918-1919 flu pandemic, 950 people died out of every 10,000 cases medically treated, while in the same epidemic patients using natural methods which included chiropractic care – only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases.

CHIROPRACTORS SAVE 208 LOST MEDICAL CASES

In Oklahoma, chiropractors treated 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths. Even better, the record shows that in 233 cases where medical doctors had given up, chiropractic care was able to save all but 25 of these people. All but 25 – and this in cases where the doctor had already given up – amazing!

MEDICAL DOCTORS: 1 death per 15 patients
CHIROPRACTORS: 1 death in just 789 patients

In the state of Iowa,medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths – a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases – a loss of one patient out of every 789.

Why?  When you get adjusted in stimulates the nervous system to promote a healing effect.  The chief of cancer prevention at New York’s Preventative Medicine Institute found that people who received regular chiropractic care over a five-year period had a 200% greater immune competence than those who had not received chiropractic care.  The chiropractic group showed a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer and other serious diseases.

It’s simple, get adjusted regularly

2. Use vitamin D

vitamin D is key for your immune system.  If you aren’t getting 15 minutes a day of sun, you likely aren;t getting enough..  Supplement with 5000iu a day for maintenance- 10,000iu when sick..    for more detailed information see Mercola:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/my-one-hour-vitamin-d-lecture-to-clear-up-all-your-confusion-on-this-vital-nutrient.aspx

3. Use Vitamin C

A powerful antioxidant, take 3000mg daily for optimal immune function.  Best to take this amount throughout the day, as the body only absorbs so much at a time

4. Wash your hands regularly

One of the best all time methods of warding off a cold or flu virus, as viruses often gain entry from infected hands touching eyes, or ears   You do not need to use antibacterial soap to achieve this result either, plan old hand soap works fine.

5. Decrease Sugar and Stress

Both in high amounts decrease the immune system.  Avoid high stress and or mitigate your stress levels.

6. Use Oil of Oregano

While this stuff tastes like death- it works.  A powerful antimicrobial, and antiviral agent- this product helps chase colds and flus away.

Something I’m a big believer is attitude.   Optimists heal faster, get sick less often and on average live 7.1 years longer than do pessimists.  Positive attitude goes a long way in life.  When you get your adjustment at the office- you are removing interference from the nervous system allowing the brain to be able to properly communicate with the rest of your body – A HUGE healing effect!  Ask yourself, are you excited to get adjusted at your next appointment, or are you just going through the motions?

I think Deepak Chopra sums it up the best;   “It’s not so much the event, but the meaning we give to the event, which becomes the event.”

I want to share something incredible with you.   Check this out.