Health

Let me start out by saying I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to exercise equipment because I've seen too many gimmicks on TV that never deliver on their claims. There is no easy way to peak physical fitness. Physical fitness comes only through consistent hard work and dedication — sweat equity, if you will. So when I first noticed the TRX ad in the back of a fitness magazine, I thought the TRX looked like it would be too easy to be effective. I felt that the body weight exercises I've grown to love would do a better job than a couple of straps.

Boy, was I wrong! It wasn't until I watched Stew Smith's review of the TRX before I took it seriously and really started researching it. After resolving myself to the idea of the TRX, I took a leap of faith and bought the TRX Force Kit. Once the TRX arrived, I went through my first 35 minute workout by following along with the exercise manual and accompanying DVD. All I could say following the workout was, "Wow!" I was exhausted and worn out. The TRX proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. What I really liked about the TRX was how well it involved my core muscles during every exercise. I was also able to feel how well the TRX incorporated the stabilizing muscles of the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.

I used to receive incredulous looks years ago when I began advocating for forefoot running over the "traditional" heel strike running. But now that the evidence supporting forefoot running has been published and articles espousing its benefits have been printed, more people are coming around to the idea of changing their running gait to prevent injury.

"It looks like this is how our ancestors have been running for a million years or more," Dr. Dan Lieberman says. "It's only been in the last 10,000 years that we've had any kind of shoes, really."

Dr. Lieberman, an anthropologist at Harvard University, published a study^1,2 in the journal Nature demonstrating the forces involved in forefoot running vs. heel strike running. As one may expect, the calf muscles do a much better job absorbing shock than the smaller and considerably weaker anterior lower leg muscles. The more shock absorbed by the calves translates to less shock making its way up the kinetic chain to the knees, hips, and lower back. Also, the foot's arch and its associated soft tissues function like a spring while running, further increasing the efficiency of the gait.

School is right around the corner and my primary concern as a father and as a chiropractor is the weight of my child's backpack. Carrying too much weight in a backpack can have a negative effect on a growing spine. Therefore, I strongly recommend limiting the weight a child carries in his/her backpack to 10-15% of the child's body weight.

Try this experiment: pack your child's backpack with all of his/her school supplies and put it on a scale. How close does it come to the recommended 10-15% of your child's body weight? Now, realize that this doesn't even count the heaviest items kids put in their backpacks: books. So you can see how quickly the weight of backpacks increases as necessary school supplies are added.

Tis' the season for influenza and with it often comes fevers.  In decades past, it was common practice to limit fevers to within an acceptable range for fear that too high of fever may damage the body.  In those days, the fever was regarded as potentially dangerous.

The contemporary approach to dealing with fevers involves simply monitoring the fever and preventing dehydration because we now understand that fever is a symptom of an infection.  But how high of fever is too high?  104°F? 106°F?  Try this: heat water to 106°F, insert your finger and feel how warm it is.  Do you feel anything other than lukewarm water?

But what about febrile convulsions, which are muscle twitches usually accompanying high fevers?  Febrile convulsions are simply hypocalcemic tetany, which is muscle twitches due to low blood calcium levels.  Calcium is used in the muscle to relax muscle contractions.  So when blood calcium levels are low, muscles have a hard time properly relaxing, which leads to twitching or transient muscle contractions.  These twitches do not cause brain damage or lead to epileptic seizures.

Here is an excerpt¹ I'd like to share with you:

The biochemistry of inflammation and repair requires increased ionized calcium, because the ability of phagocytes to carry out their function is dependent on the available calcium in these cells.  Ionized calcium means free, uncombined calcium in the ionic form.  The ionic form means the element carries an electrical charge.

Although fever is a purposeful process to release stored calcium from bone reserves, it is better to supply calcium in the diet rather than withdrawing it from bones.  The pasteurization of milk alters the available free calcium.  In turn, pasteurized milk is not a good source of free calcium.

Calcium lactate is regarded as a good source of ionized calcium to utilize in overcoming and/or preventing calcium deficits and thus fever and febrile convulsions.

When I have a fever, I take 2 servings of calcium lactate once per hour until my fever breaks, which usually occurs within the first hour...

H1N1 seems to be everywhere lately and is getting more coverage than the economy and our fighting men and women, combined.  But the news organizations have their own agenda when it comes to reporting on H1N1.  That was never more obvious to me than when I saw reports in a two week span decrying the "herding" of people into lines for H1N1 vaccinations followed by reports expressing outrage over the shortage of H1N1 vaccines.

You really do have to be careful from where you get your news considering these organizations thrive on creating sensation and controversy.  As such, I strongly recommend that you read this article by Dr. Mercola concerning the H1N1 flu and related deaths.  It details commonalities found in children who have reportedly died from the H1N1 flu virus, questions that should be asked by the media, and what steps you can take to make sure your body's immune system is as strong as possible to prevent infection.  You must be the primary advocate for your family's and your own health and well being.

I didn't serve in the armed forces but I want to do something to show my appreciation for those brave men and women who protect our way of life.  So effective immediately, Woodbeck Family Chiropractic will be participating in the International Chiropractic Association's Free Care for Returning Veterans program.  I will provide a year's worth of free chiropractic care to veterans of the US armed services.  The immediate needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a special urgency.  However, my participation in the program is open to veterans of other conflicts as well on a case-by-case basis based on need.

"Since October 2001, approximately 1.64 million U.S. troops have been deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) in Afghanistan and Iraq. The care of the more than 800,000 returning military veterans who have been released from service and the many hundreds of thousands who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and remain on active duty is an urgent national priority. It is so because of the sacrifice they have made for us, and because of the unique and powerful contribution chiropractic can make to the healing process." - ICA

If you would like more information about receiving a year's worth of free chiropractic care as a veteran, please email me at drw@woodbeckchiropractic.com.  The care you receive is as complete and comprehensive as I provide to all of my patients.  It's the least I can do.  God bless you.