3 Keys to a Pain-Free Lower Back

By Carlo X. Alvarez

Eighty percent of Americans will eventually suffer from some type of low back pain. Sciatica, spondylosis, strains, sprains, slipped disks, or micro-fractures are some of the more common conditions that contribute to low back pain. With so many ways to aggravate the low back, how can we ever hope to defend against it?

Surgeries are not appropriate for many back conditions and don't always work to resolve back pain. Medications are expensive and have many possible side effects! But there are effective lifestyle measures that can help you whisk away your pains. Incorporating these 3 simple steps into your daily routine will not only help low back pain go away, but will increase performance in daily tasks that once upon a time caused the pain.

Improve Hydration
Early research indicates that 8 out of 10 sufferers of back pain could be relieved if they drank 96-120 ounces of water a day.¹ You may be asking, "what can improved hydration possibly do for my aching low back"? The answer is simple: water is the main ingredient in synovial fluid, located in every joint in the body. This synovial fluid acts as a lubricant and shock absorber, keeping connective tissues located in and around the joint healthy.

Develop Low Back Flexibility
Research has proven that there is a direct correlation between good low back tissue elasticity and injury prevention.² The piriformis muscle, for example, is an external rotator of the hip that when tight, causes extreme pain in the low back, commonly called sciatica.

Piriformis Stretch: To perform this stretch, lie on your back and cross the legs so that the left ankle rests on the right knee. Grab the back of the right knee with both hands and pull so that the right foot comes off the ground. When this side is done, switch legs. Complete this stretch for two sets of 30 seconds on each side.

Spinal Erectors Stretch: Other areas that are crucial to low back flexibility are the spinal erectors located on each side of the spine in the lower back area. Tightness here can make it painful to do almost anything because they are postural muscles that never rest. To perform this stretch, sit in a chair with hips all the way back in the chair. With both hands, reach for the toes, and bring the torso closer to the legs. If flexibility limits touching the toes, go until you feel slight discomfort for two sets of 30 seconds. If sharp stabbing pain is felt, discontinue stretch immediately.

Develop Low Back Strength
Strength in the lower back is the final piece of the puzzle by which you will banish low back pain. Improved strength will allow you to perform daily tasks more effortlessly and efficiently. It will also keep your back intact when you find yourself in awkward positions and situations of extra strain.

Three simple exercises will keep your low back stabilized and make it stronger than ever.

Reverse Bridge: Lie on your back and flatten your back to the floor using your abdominals. Keeping the back flat, bend knees at a 90 degree angle and place feet on the floor. Raise hips off of the floor -- as high as you can without arching your back. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat. Start out at about 5 repetitions and gradually increase up to 20 repetitions. To increase the difficulty, prop your feet on a stability ball or a step.

Opposite Arm/Leg Raise: Lay on your stomach and tighten trunk to keep your back in neutral back position. Maintain this position and raise the opposite arm and leg off the ground, only raising them as high as you can while keeping your hips on the ground. Hold 5-10 seconds. You can use ankle or hand weights up to 5 lbs, if desired. You may also do this exercise lying over a ball. Repeat 20 times on each side.

Seated Backward Rotation: Sit on a chair or stability ball and stabilize lower spine. With an exercise band fastened in front of you, pull the band with both hands to your navel. Rotate your upper body in small circles while holding the band. Start by leaning slightly backwards; move shoulders in a circle to the left leading with the shoulders and circle back to center. Repeat 20 times. Then do 20 rotations leaning back and circling right.

References

1. Loney PL, Stratford PW. Phys Ther 1999;79:384-96.
2. Carragee EJ. New England Journal of Medicine 2005;352:1891-8.

[Ed. note: Carlo X. Alvarez is a noted authority in the customized fitness and sports performance field. He is recognized for his integrated and systematic approach to training, based on a foundation of safe and proven methodology that has direct and measurable benefits to performance.]

Nutrients & Health: Do Calcium Supplements Cause Heart Attacks in Women? By Ray Sahelian, MD

Did you see this worrisome headline? "Older Women Who Take Calcium Supplements to Maintain Bone Strength May have an Increased Risk of Heart Attack."¹ When we all thought calcium supplements were relatively safe, we now find out that high dosages of calcium supplements may adversely influence vascular health.

Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand evaluated 1471 healthy post-menopausal women, average age 74, for a period of 5 years.² Of them, 732 were given a daily calcium supplement and 739 were given a placebo. Participants received either 1 gram of elemental calcium citrate daily (Citracal) or identical placebo.

They were asked to take two tablets (each containing 200 mg of elemental calcium) before breakfast and three in the evening. Over the next few years, heart attacks were more common in the women taking the calcium supplements.

Based on these results, doctors and patients are now presented with a very difficult challenge. Many women take calcium supplements to try to prevent osteoporosis. But calcium supplements elevate blood calcium levels, possibly accelerating vascular calcification, and leading to heart attacks. At what level of calcium supplement intake do the benefits of osteoporosis prevention or treatment outweigh the possible risks of heart attacks?

As a physician, I would like to see a few more studies regarding the role of calcium supplements and heart attack rate. Perhaps the results of this study were a fluke and other studies will not find the same association. Assuming that there is such an association, recommending calcium supplements for post-menopausal osteoporosis prevention becomes quite difficult.

I don't have absolute answers on this issue, but, for the time being, a reasonable balance would be to reduce one's calcium intake from supplements. If you are taking 1200 mg a day, you may wish to drop to 800 or 1000 mg. If you are taking 800 a day, you may wish to drop to 600 mg.

Discuss the results of this study with your doctor. Both of you could come to a mutually satisfying decision regarding the appropriate dosage in your particular case. Until there is clear-cut evidence, it is likely that doctors and researchers will have different opinions on this topic.

References

1. reuters/healthNews.
2. Bolland MJ et al. Brit. Med. J. 2008 Jan 15.

[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, M.D. is a practicing physician and best-selling author. He is a leading authority on natural supplements and nutrition.]

Health & Immunity: Five Foods to Fight Asthma By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, was on to something when he famously said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Foods can be used to fight, prevent and reverse disease. Here, adapted from my forthcoming book, The Healthiest Meals on Earth are some foods that are great for asthma.

1. Salmon: The omega-3 fats in salmon (and other cold water fish) are anti-inflammatory. So are the omega-3's in flaxseeds. Asthmatics will benefit by having more anti-inflammatory compounds in their diet. Wild salmon fits the bill, as do sardines.
2. Spinach and kale: People with asthma tend to have lower levels of magnesium, and these foods are magnesium heavyweights. By one survey, over 70% of Americans don't get the optimal amount of magnesium in their diet. Magnesium relaxes muscles (think Epson salts!) and may relax the upper respiratory muscles that tend to spasm in asthma.
3. Red peppers: They're high in vitamin C, which is particularly helpful in reducing the symptoms of exercise-induced asthma. Like many asthma drugs, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) inhibits production of an enzyme called phosphodiesterase, and lowering levels of this enzyme has a broad range of anti-inflammatory effects. Red peppers are also high in vitamin A, which is often low in people who suffer from asthma attacks.
4. Chinese cabbage: A great source of vitamin B6, a vitamin which appears to help correct abnormalities in metabolism frequently found in asthmatics. Stress is a big trigger for asthma, and vitamin B6 is a great "stress-buster". Brewer's yeast, bananas, garbanzo beans and chicken are other good sources.
5. Onions: Onions are another great source of anti-inflammatories, particularly the wonderful flavonoid quercetin, which has anti-allergic properties as well. (Quercetin is one of my favorite supplements for allergies and it has anti-cancer properties as well.) According to Dr. Alan Gaby, onions also contain compounds that relax the bronchial passageways.

Remember too that asthma attacks can be brought on by stress or by food sensitivities -- common offenders include wheat and dairy products.

[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life.]

Recipes: Smokey Tomato Rachel Kelley Herring

This devilishly delicious sandwich is an angelic version of the deli classic. We swapped out the processed meats and substituted Applegate Farms, all natural, preservative-free organic turkey and added Drew's Smoked Tomato Dressing for a tangier (and tastier) version.

Serves: 1

Time to Table: 15 minutes

Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Excellent source of calcium, vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin, selenium
Good source of vitamin B12, folate, iron, thiamin, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc

Ingredients
2 slices organic sprouting grain bread (try Ezekiel)
1 ounce organic, low-fat Swiss cheese
1/4 cup fresh sauerkraut (try Bubbies)
2 ounces organic, free range turkey breast (try Applegate Farms)
1 tbsp Drew's All Natural Smoked Tomato Dressing

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly toast bread to help prevent it from getting soggy. Layer cheese, turkey, sauerkraut, and Drew`s All Natural Smoked Tomato Dressing. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve.

Nutritional Information
316 calories, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 3 g monounsaturated fats, 3 g polyunsaturated fats, 48 mg cholesterol, 597 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 30 g protein

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the Founder & CEO of Healing Gourmet, a multimedia company that educates on how foods promote health and protect against disease. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill, including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility.]

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs [Issue 02-22-08] which offers alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/

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