When Technology Causes Pain

It's all parents can do these days to keep their overstimulated, technology-crazed children from spending all day on their smartphones, laptops, tablets and video game consoles. While technology continues to improve our lives in many ways, not the least of which is our ability to access information – a good thing when raising our children, if appropriately managed – a major drawback of the same technology is repetitive-stress injuries. Hour after endless hour typing, texting and scrolling can put the arms and wrists in particular at risk for injury; not to mention how poor posture caused by hunching over a keyboard or peering into a tiny screen can impact the back, neck and shoulders.
Case in point: A recent study of teens (12-16 years old) found that "compared with those using the computer less than 3.6 hours / week, computer use of ≥ 14 hours / week was associated with moderate/severe increase in computer-associated musculoskeletal pain at all anatomic sites, and moderate / severe inconvenience to everyday life due to low back and head pain."
You might think that 14 hours a week or more of computer use is a little extreme, but not if you consider that's only two hours a day. Teens in particular likely spend that much, if not much more, on a computer every day, whether doing homework or browsing the Internet.
Solving the problem involves several strategies:

• Limit screen time whenever possible, or at least limit the amount of time your teen spends on the computer at any given stretch.
• Speaking of stretching, teach them to take breaks every 1/2 hour or so to stretch and ensure they haven't been sitting in one position for too long.
• Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about the best ways to minimize injury risk. Your chiropractor can give you and your teen advice on proper posture and other tips for avoiding pain in the Age of Technology.

Spring Into Action: Clean Out the Pantry

Most of us think of our closets when we talk about spring cleaning. But what about our pantry and fridge? Because our diet can drastically change from winter time into the warmer months, cleaning out our pantry and fridge during springtime is a good habit to pick up.
The key things to think about for a fridge and pantry clean up are your health goals. Is your blood sugar or cholesterol too high? Do you have food sensitivities or allergies that require abstinence from certain foods? Do you have a few pounds you'd like to loose?
Once you've established your health goals, then it's a good time to start looking through your cupboards and refrigerator. There are general categories of foods that you should throw out and there are typical foods that you should make sure you keep well-stocked in your fridge and pantry. Let's start with what to throw out.
These are the typical categories of foods to toss out:

1. Frozen pre-made desserts like ice cream, popsicles, and cakes
2. Processed, pre-packaged foods
3. Sugar or sugar substitutes
4. Diet or regular soda
5. Cookies and chips
6. Pre-made processed sauces or dressings

Basically, I want you to throw out the processed foods in your fridge and pantry…even the ones labeled 'low calorie' or '100 calorie' type packs or snacks.
In general, processed foods worsen cholesterol, sugars and weight. They also are typically chock full of typical food sensitivities or allergens. So, even if you're not sure what you are sensitive to, these processed foods won't be making your weight, health, or intestinal tract very happy.
The typical things you should keep in your fridge and pantry are:

1. A variety of rainbow-colored vegetables (frozen is fine and potentially more cost-effective as long as they are not frozen with sauces already drenched on them)
2. Organic white meat of chicken or turkey
3. Wild fish
4. Raw nuts
5. Sparkling or still water (you can keep fresh lemon or lime around to add natural flavors to water)
6. Organic teas
7. If you must have red meat, such as if you are iron deficient, you should aim for bison meat over beef since it is lower in saturated fats
8. Legumes
9. Quinoa or faro
10. Crudité and hummus dips
11. Balsalmic vinegar and olive oil with spices to make your own dressings
12. Fresh popcorn made yourself (no prepackaged popcorn)
13. If you must have something sweet, you can make fresh juices from fruits and freeze them for popsicles
14. Agave nectar and stevia are better sweet substitutes

These are just some ideas to get you started. But if you'll notice, the key difference is that I want real foods made by Mother Nature in your fridge and pantry. Many of these foods are easy to grab and eat just as they are without a lot of prep time. So, throw out those pre-packaged processed foods and put in your life these wholesome foods that Mother Nature meant for you to eat…if you do, you'll be seeing a healthier, slimmer you by the summer!

Make Shape-Up Simple: 3 Invigorating Exercises

It's late April, months since you dedicated yourself to those New Year's resolutions, one of which was to get off the couch and get into the best shape of your life. So, how are you doing four months into 2013? Chances are you're like too many other resolvers who gave it their "best" shot for a few weeks in January, then hit a stumbling block and decided 2014 sounded like a better starting point.
Don't waste a whole year when a new body, a new attitude – a new you – is closer than you think. Get ready for summer fun and beyond with these three invigorating exercises you can do today (at least three times a week is even better!):
1. Burpees: Technically this exercise is called the squat thrust, but you'll remember it by it's common name – and by the fact that it's not just for the lower body; you'll get great full-body results from performing this four-part exercise. From a standing position, drop quickly into a squat position, hands on the ground. Then extend your feet back in one motion (essentially a push-up or plank position). You can do a push-up here first; otherwise, return to the squat position in one quick motion, then it's back to the standing position. To challenge yourself, you can also jump as high as possible, arms outstretched, at the end of each burpee (when returning to the standing position). Try to do as many as you can, building to sets of 15-20 with minimal rest in between sets.
2. Sprinting in Place: This is a basic exercise that yields big benefits, and you can do it just about anywhere. With arms and knees slightly bent, back neutral (don't round your low back or shoulders), run in place as fast as you can for 20 seconds. Stop for 10 seconds max., then repeat. Make sure you're keeping your knees bent and are using your arms during the movement. You're working not only your calves, hamstrings and glutes, but also your triceps and biceps. Feeling brave? Then alternate 20-second sprints with 20 seconds of jump rope or push-ups (see below) to get a true full-body workout.
3. Push-Up Variations: Everyone knows how to do a push-up, right? Well, try one of these fun, challenging variations: 1) Every time you lower your chest toward the floor, bend one knee up toward that side of your body. Alternate knees / sides every push-up (do each repetition slowly at first until you get the hang of it.) Maintain form throughout, making sure not to bend your back or put too much weight on your shoulders. You'll get a chest / upper-body workout and a core-tightening, ab-crunching, glute-toning workout at the same time. 2) Set the timer on your smartphone or watch for 3 minutes. Your goal is to do as many push-ups as possible before the clock runs out. You choose the strategy, including how many to do for your first set, how long a break to take between sets, etc. But watch out: You'll find yourself fatiguing quickly after that first set!

5 Ways to Survive the Worst Allergy Season Ever

Spring is in the air – literally, in the form of massive pollen levels that are causing an historic spike in cases of seasonal allergy, also known as allergic rhinitis. In fact, health experts are calling this the worst allergy season on record, which means the tactics you overlooked last year to survive the sneezing, coughing, runny nose, itchy eyes and various other symptoms may require real attention this time around. Bad news for spring-lovers who can't wait to emerge from their winter cocoons and enjoy the outdoors. After all, who wants to smell the flowers when doing so causes you to feel miserable?
If you're an allergy sufferer who's used to "getting away" with minimal attention to allergy avoidance, this is definitely not the year to push the envelope. With an early spring and record pollen levels, you could be asking for trouble – big trouble. Here are five ways to minimize your risk of succumbing to seasonal allergies this year:
1. Pick your spots: One of the best ways to minimize your exposure to allergens such as pollen is to make smart choices. For example, pollen levels tend to be highest in the morning or when it hasn't rained in awhile. And let's not get started on wind, which can not only circulate pollen, but also tends to cause allergy-like symptoms – a bad combination that can ruin your day.
2. Keep it out: Unless you've got a garden in your living room, the good news about pollen is that it's outside, which means you can take a few simple steps to keep it there. For starters, keep windows closed whenever possible (especially if it's windy). If you've been out, change your clothes once you get in the house, and try not to repeat-wear clothing. If it's been a particularly bad day in terms of pollen and/or you've spent most or all of the day outdoors, you may want to throw your clothes directly into the washer. And speaking of that garden in your living room, avoid bringing flowers into the house – unless putting a romantic gesture on display is worth the allergy symptoms that may accompany it.
3. Seek shade: The eyes are often the hardest hit by allergy symptoms. No one wants to spend their day rubbing watery, itchy, dry, red eyes, and trust us, it doesn't look good when you're making that big presentation in the boardroom. Two tips: 1) Wear sunglasses whenever you're outside during allergy season. (This is also a good idea because with spring comes sunnier skies, putting your eyes at risk for sun damage if they aren't protected.) 2) Carry saline drops to keep your eyes moist throughout the day, which will help when pollen, dust, etc., inevitably attack your field of vision.
4. Clean up: It's amazing how many health issues can be minimized with the simple act of washing your hands, and when it comes to seasonal allergies, it's a great recommendation. During allergy season, it becomes even more important because pollen and other irritants transfer easily from your hands to your face / mouth if you're not careful (much like germs that cause the common cold).
5. Eat smart: Research suggests vitamin C, which is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, in addition to being available in supplement form, provides an antihistamine benefit that may help minimize allergy symptoms. (Histamine is released from cells as part of an allergic reaction.) Probiotics or "healthy bacteria," found in yogurt and increasingly added to a number of food products, also may reduce allergic symptoms caused by exposure to pollen. And don't forget that in general, a balanced diet high in antioxidants and other immune-boosting compounds helps your body defend whenever it's attacked – even by allergens.

Bed Rest for Your Back Pain? Not the Best Idea...

Upwards of 80 percent of adults suffer at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime, which means you've already felt the pain, are feeling it now or will feel it before you know it. And chances are good that, like so many others, your first thought will be to get off your feet, lie down and rest. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that unless the pain is severe or accompanied by other symptoms, such as pain radiating down the legs, rest is exactly the opposite strategy if you're trying to relieve your back pain.
If you're suffering from back pain, staying active is an important piece of advice to follow in the majority of cases. That means avoiding bed rest, prolonged stretches of sitting, standing or inactivity; and doing all the things you usually do, within reason (no heavy lifting or intense physical activity, including twisting or other dramatic movements that could make the pain worse).
While it may sound counterintuitive, abundant research suggests activity can help reduce the pain and shorten recovery time in most cases of noncomplicated back pain. In fact, one study that summarized findings from an international task force on back pain stated, among other findings / recommendations: 1) bed rest is contraindicated in subacute and chronic cases of low back pain; in acute cases, bed rest should neither be enforced nor prescribed; and if authorized (based on pain indication), bed rest should be for the shortest duration possible.
The theory is relatively simple, if you think about it: Inactivity can make your spine and back muscles tight and stiff, increasing the pain, particularly when you bend or stretch. Prolonged inactivity can also make you weaker, not to mention that evidence suggests the longer you stay in bed with pain, the more likely that your pain will become chronic / more disabling, often because you avoid moving for fear it will exacerbate the pain.
Of course, the first step when suffering back pain is to make a visit with a health care provider who can evaluate your pain, make sure there's nothing more serious going on, and then offer treatment and self-care recommendations (including activity) to help relieve it. Enter your doctor of chiropractic, the experts in treating spinal pain.

Another Reason To Avoid Epidural Injections

Another Reason to Avoid Epidural Steroids

While the uproar surrounding tainted steroid injections causing fungal meningitis has left the mainstream news after months on the front pages, hundreds of reported illnesses and far too many deaths, it's high time for a reminder of why epidural steroids – tainted or not – shouldn't be so commonly prescribed for back pain. According to a study in the research journal Spine, which compared spine patients who received epidural injections to patients who did not receive injections, steroids "were associated with significantly less improvement at 4 years among all patients with spinal stenosis."
In other words, patients who received the injections were in worse shape after four years than patients who did not receive injections – regardless of whether either type of patient ultimately underwent surgery to "relieve" their pain. Not exactly an endorsement of epidural steroid injections or surgery. What's more, patients in both groups had similar initial symptoms / pain scores, dispelling the notion that patients who received injections had worse initial pain or a worse condition than non-injected patients.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the open spaces in the spine. As you might expect, this can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, leading to neck or back pain. It is most commonly caused by wear and tear over time, which puts you at higher risk as you get older (particularly over age 50 or so).
Spinal stenosis and other conditions that cause back pain and related symptoms often don't require medication, injections or surgery. Your doctor of chiropractic is an ideal health care provider to visit first if you're suffering from back pain, particularly since research suggests your odds of undergoing spine surgery are much lower if your initial health care provider is a chiropractor versus a spine surgeon.

Dr. Gene A. Bergmann, Chiropractor

"The Back and Neck Pain Relief Doctor"

109 N Vermont Ave.
Glendora, CA 91741

(626) 914-2359

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