your health

Back Pain and Spinal Motion

January 30, 2014 by drburt Leave a Comment

Back Pain and Spinal Motion

Your spine is an intricate system of muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments that allow you to move in a very complicated manner by working together. It is therefore remarkable. However, when something is not right, you can experience pain even when there is minimal micro-motion at a certain spinal segment. If you experience pain when you move, it is important for you to understand the things that are happening in your spine because this helps you to explain to your physician in a better manner. Hopefully, you can quickly find an effective treatment when you communicate better to your physician. The following are the most common ways in which motion causes low back pain.

• Twisting motions easily strain large spinal muscles:

The main reason motion causes low back pain is not because of your spinal structure. The ligaments or muscles that surround the spine in your back can tear or overstretch. Inflammation and pain occurs because of this while your body makes an effort to heal by limiting motion.

• Cartilage breakdown can occur because of motion:

Spinal arthritis is very common and people who are more than fifty years old are more likely to suffer from it. The mechanical breakdown of your cartilage that is between your aligning facet joints in your spinal back portion is known as spinal osteoarthritis. Inflammation occurs in the facet joints and more frictional pain occurs when the joints degenerate progressively. There is a decrease in the flexibility and motion of your spine when the back pain progresses.

• Compensation for excessive motion can occur because of the formation of bone spurs:

With osteoarthritis, there is a typical formation of osteophytes, which are also known as small irregular growths on your bone (bone spurs) on your facet joints that occurs in response to the instability of your joints that the degeneration causes.

Bone spurs are not responsible for directly causing pain because they can occur when you age. They may entrap or irritate your nerves that pass through your spinal structures by becoming large enough. Consequently, this may diminish the room for your nerves to pass.

Pain (and perhaps tingling and numbness) into your legs can occur when you walk because of most cases and you can relieve the pain with sitting.

• Pain from micro-motion occurs because of disc degeneration:

Degenerative disc disease is a syndrome in which chronic pain in the lower back occurs because of a painful disc, typically in people who are 30-40 years old. Excessive vertebral level micro-motion occurs because of the aforementioned symptomatic disease and it causes pain.

• Pain can occur because of motion in your lower spine:

There is a lot of motion in your lower back (lumbar spine) as compared to the four major regions that your spine has. This region carries all the torso weight and in effect, it makes it the spinal area that is injured most frequently.
There is a division of the motion in your lower back between five of your vertebral motion segments (all of which have facet joints that are covered by 2 cartilages and a disc). However, the lower segments (L5-S-1, L4-L5, and L3-L4) have a disproportionate amount of this motion.

You can help your doctors in the accurate identification of the specific cause of your pain by giving a better description of your symptoms when you understand better the pain that you experience owing to motion segment disorders. You should therefore use your EHIC to access appropriate and affordable treatment from them.

Author Bio:

Melody Cleo is a passionate blogger from Manchester, UK. In her free time, she writes articles on various topics such as technology, gadgets, travel…etc. As of now she is focusing on European Health Insurance Card, which provides health insurance services for the European people.

Paleo Diet and Your Health – Pros and Cons

November 5, 2011 by drburt Leave a Comment

I have never been a big fan of any special diet. My health philosophy is simple – eat the same or less amount of calories that your body needs, regular exercises at least 3 times a week (cardio a must) and an adequate amount of rest (sleep is your weapon). Diets are just like fashions – the come and they go. They will arrive to our lives with a new twist, so people who promote them can sell the followers new books, recipes of the same meals with different names and so on. No matter how you look at the food and a new “super diet” at the end it all fall to three main ingredients: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is just a matter of combining the ingredients together in different proportions which provides a great variety of choices for a creation of a new diet.

The reason why I began to write this post is because I see so many disgusting photos of so to speak Paleo diet on Google Plus stream that people actually put it inside of their mouth and call it a healthy meal. Personally my eyes can not even look some of the photos. If I would have to eat that meal, all of my vital organ would have to shut down slowly one after another. I think fashion diet just overtakes normal common sense in every follower. Many want to look and feel good but lack the basic understanding of the physiology of a human body and nutrition. The Paleo diet was popularized by Walter Voegtlin in the 1970’s and is very similar to Atkins and Meat Lovers diets – which were very popular about 10 years ago or so.

Paleo is a short term for Paleolithic – which means “old stone age.” So basically this means that we are going to be talking about a cave man diet and its interpretation in a modern world by the followers. Caveman did not have access to McDonald, Burger Kings, KFC and other fast food restaurants. They would hunt for a fresh meat and collect food that they found. In theory this kind of lifestyle was keeping them very healthy – free of disease such as cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis and cardiovascular conditions. In theory it appears like a great way to live your life and stay healthy for years to come. However, in modern day society hunting and plant based food gathering is not practical unless one has a really good trust fund in his/her name.

It was not until 2005 that the Paleo Diet came into its own, with the publication of Loren Cordain’s The Paleo Diet for Athletes: A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance. With athletes beginning to endorse the diet, it gained momentum, hitting the big time in 2010, with the publication of Cordain’s next book, The Paleo Diet and Rob Wolf’s book, The Paleo Solution. This is just a small paragraph about the promotional history of the diet.

Modern cave man diet is not supposed to have sugar or salt added to it which is a good thing. However, 65% of the diet is based on meat eating and 35% is based on plant based nutrition. Most of the people who follow the diet buy the meat at the local supermarkets because of an easy access and the cost. Not too many people can afford to buy meat that has been hunted in a wild or grass fed. Meat purchased at the local stores has some serious bonus features added to it – growth hormones, antibiotics, high pesticide concentrations, heavy metals toxicity from over 100,000 manmade chemicals now found in the environment, Strontium, high levels of omega-6 fatty acids as a result of being grain fed. As for fish, even if you catch it yourself, you’re now looking at mercury contamination, dioxin, and sex altering hormones — things Paleo fishermen never had to deal with.

Let’s talk about confused followers that I see posting the photos of their meals on Google Plus stream and stating that this meal is healthy. Please do let me know what you think about this photo. I was attacked on this thread by some Paleo followers and felt like being in some sort of religious cult versus intelligent discussion. I will not reveal the full names or photos of people in this thread. I was the one who posted a first response when I first saw it on my Google Plus stream. For your information I did not even know what Paleo diet was when I first saw the photo. So, I have done my research before publishing and there is a lot more that can be discussed but this post is already too long.

Eduard Burt – Deduct at least 10 years from your life if you continue eating this. Sorry, but I just can’t help it being silenced about it.

Sep 29, 2011

Jose J.M. – +Eduard Burt why do you think that?

Sep 29, 2011

Matthew G. – +Eduard Burt, those are the bedpan and diaper years. You can keep those.

Sep 29, 2011

Jamie F. – If only science agreed with you, Eduard. There’s no evidence to link meat and fat with any disease.

Sep 29, 2011

Eduard Burt – I guess I expressed my opinion at the wrong channel. Sorry for being correct.

Sep 29, 2011

Matthew G. – You haven’t proven yourself to be correct, +Eduard Burt. Evidence or GTFO!

Sep 29, 2011

Scott G. – What’s it fried in?

Sep 29, 2011

Kevin G. – +Eduard Burt I’m not sure what problem you’re discussing? Saturated fats, maybe? You do realize a lot of those concerns have been debunked after longitudinal studies were conducted, right? (see: Framingham Study). Also that the original study (Ansel, I believe) connecting fats with heart disease studied TWENTY-TWO countries but only published the six that fit the hypothesis?

Please address you concerns more specifically, please!

Eduard Burt – http://www.mountsinai.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/study-shows-that-reducing-processed-and-fried-food-intake-lowers-related-health-risks-and-restores-bodys-defenses

Sep 29, 2011 –

Eduard Burt – Let’s ask +Jose J.J. ? How did you feel after eating this meal? 1. Healthy 2. Bloated 3. Heartburn 4. Do not know, I just like fried stuff. 5. I don’t care

By the way what is the yellow fried portion of the meal?

Sep 29, 2011 –

Kevin G. – Thank you! So you’re talking about frying food vs. stewing or poaching — or eating more “raw” or at least less-cooked/less-processed foods. Of course, the study is only about that. Reduction in wheat is also anti-inflammatory, so removing gluten from your diet can also offsite frying/overcooking of foods. However, you’re correct that less cooking is probably better health-wise. Then again, stating that a fried/grilled meal WITHOUT gluten will take 10 years off your life may be wrong. There’s a counterbalance there.

Sep 29, 2011

Eduard Burt – +Kevin G. fried and grilled are two different cooking processes. Second one is better depending on what kind grilling you do.

Sep 29, 2011

Kevin G. – Oh… just so you know where I’m coming from: I went off grains to see if it would combat the SERIOUS acid reflux that was keeping me awake at nights. It did. Then I noticed my asthma was clearing up as well, so in consultation with my doctor I eventually went off both grains and my 30-year need for asthma medication (and dropped 30 pounds and improved my cardiovascular function). Then again, I eat lots of meat, vegetables, dairy and greens with very little fried food. I’m definitely not a meat-centric person.

You’re right about grilling — I typically mean outdoor grilling which tends to create char which can carcinogenic in nature (but so, so very tasty).

Expand this comment »

Sep 29, 2011

Eduard Burt – Thanks +Kevin G. for a real life change experience. I deal with this diet addiction at my clinic with many patients. I most deal with injuries, but the healing process can not be completed if your diet is bad and your face is inflamed all the time. That means that everything else is inflamed as well inside – thus is the reason for a constant pain. +Jose J.J. let the rest of us know how you felt after that meal.

Sep 29, 2011 –

Jose J.J. – +Eduard Burt I felt excellent. The same way I’ve been feeling since going paleo about a year ago. The pork chop in the picture has the skin attached. You may call it bacon if you like. The yellow ‘things’ are called tostones which are fried green plantains. Everything was deep fried in pork fat. By the way, during the year I have been doing paleo I have lost 90 pounds, got rid of a couple of skin rashes, got rid of inflammation, the metabolic syndrome is gone (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood lipids, headaches, migraines, heartburn, diarrhea followed by occasional constipation and sleep apnea). Yes, I had all those. I made a decision and have never looked back. So, you can have your standard diet and your conventional wisdom. Because I have been feeling wonderfully, full of energy and enjoying life I will keep eating my paleo diet and living the paleo lifestyle.

PS, I own 3 pairs of VFF’s and enjoy going barefoot as much as I can. Also (and this may be a problem for you too) I enjoy sunbathing a lot since I know my needs for vitamin D.

If you want to understand more about this lifestyle you can read +Robb Wolf ‘s excellent book “The Paleo Solution”. I highly recommend it. It may even change your life and gain you ten more years. You can also read several blogs like +David Csonka ‘s, +steve cooksey ‘s or Mark’s Daily Apple which are excellent.

Expand this comment »

Sep 29, 2011 +4

Eduard Burt – I am glad @Jose that this diet is working out for you and for many other supporters on this topic of the conversation.

On a final note if I would have eaten this meal all my vital organs would shut down one after another. I guess this diet is just like sport requires some endurance for a digestive system.

Sep 29, 2011 –

Rachel B. – Never had a plantain, can’t find pork chops like that around here. Looks really good.

Sep 30, 2011

Jose J.J. – +Rachel B. ask your butcher to leave the bacon attached to the pork chop. It’s very flavorful and the skin become a crackling.

Sep 30, 2011 +1

Jose J.J. – +Eduard Burt You probably are having some type of wheat in your diet. If you want to start feeling better all the time, including the after meal moments, no matter how large your portions or how much animal fat is in them consider trying a Whole 30:

It can change your life too.

Sep 30, 2011 +1

Eduard Burt – +Jose J.J I feel like an 18 year old. My diet is great. Nothing personal but I am just collecting an independent opinion. That is all.

Sep 30, 2011 –

Jose J.J. – +Eduard Burt Are you a vegetarian? Otherwise, if you eat meat how can you explain your statement – “On a final note if I would have eaten this meal all my vital organs would shut down one after another. I guess this diet is just like sport requires some endurance for a digestive system.” Is it the animal fat in the meal? Your thoughts…

Sep 30, 2011

Eduard Burt – I eat chicken, turkey, fish, on occasion lamb or goat. To answer your question – I am not a vegetarian.

If you have anything to add to this post, please feel free to Post a comment or share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or comment section below to join the conversation.

Diabetes, Diet, Chiropractic and Your Health

March 16, 2011 by drburt Leave a Comment

The current global prevalence of diagnosed with diabetes is 165 million and is estimated to increase to 250 million by 2010 and to 330 million by 2025. These alarming figures do not include undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetic states.

When a physician diagnosed a patient with diabetes that individual must adjust to a healthier lifestyle. One of the most important factors is making changes in a diet. There is no necessity to skip meals or your favorite foods that you have always loved. It is a scientific fact that skipping meals will increase glucose level in your blood stream, and that is not a good thing, especially for some who has diabetes. Moderation is the key.

It is important to stay away from deep fried foods or oily items, these foods always increase sugar blood level. A great healthy substitute to these foods would be low fat dairy, green vegetables and fruits. It is very difficult to cure diabetes, however, it is possible to bring it under control and live a normal life. Besides keeping a healthy diet it is important that individual with diabetes exercises on regular bases. The best form of exercise would be a cardiovascular training – swimming, jogging, cycling. This will keep your weight in control and will help to control your diabetes.

Foods that contain a lot of fiber is another great way to prevent an individual gaining extra pounds, thus keeping the sugar level low in your blood stream. A great example of foods with great fiber content would be: oat bran, beans, rice bran, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Garlic can help you with your cold and it can also help you with your diabetes. It is rich in potassium, zinc and sulphur, those are essential elements that can keep your sugar blood level low.

If possible avoid foods that have high Sodium content (salt). You can simply get your sodium dose from many vegetable or other natural foods. This way you will shoot two rabbits at the same time – eating healthy and tasty foods.

It is essential that a person with diabetes keeps in touch with his/her doctor who can check the overall health condition of the person. A regular chiropractic adjustment will help to keep your system running at the higher potential. It is not a secret that nervous system controls everything in our bodies. Thus, if there is no interference from a subluxation the individual will feel even better. Chiropractic care along with massage therapy will also help to enhance joint mobility, decrease muscle soreness and keep your energy level up. Below is the list of symptoms that an individual might experience with diabetes. Chiropractic care can be of tremendous benefit for these conditions.

Musculoskeletal Disorders Associated With Diabetes Mellitus (DM)

Intrinsic Complications of DM

Limited joint mobility

Stiff hand syndrome

Diabetic muscular infarction

Increased Incidence With DM

Dupuytren’s disease

Shoulder capsulitis

Neuropathic arthroplasty

Osteopenia (in type I)

Flexor tenosynovitis

Acute proximal neuropathy

Proximal motor neuropathy

Pyomyositis

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis

Possible Association With DM

Osteoarthritis

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

My personal advice, please treasure your health from the very young age. That is the most important asset that an individual can have. Many times we go to a doctor when things went wrong long time ago and it is way too late to do something about it.

If you have anything to add to this post, please feel free to Post a comment or share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter or comment section below to join the conversation.

Banana and Your Health

March 9, 2011 by drburt Leave a Comment

Bananas are among the healthiest fruit in the world today. It contains three natural sugars; fructose, glucose and sucrose combined with fiber. This fruit is the popular choice among active individuals as it provides a sustained, long lasting energy boost to last the day. Studies have shown that eating a medium sized banana can provide enough energy to help you last through a daunting 90 minute workout. No wonder that this fruit has become the staple energy food among the world’s best conditioned athletes.

Providing energy boost isn’t the only way it helps the body. It is also a leading combatant of a number of conditions and illnesses making it an important to include banana as part of our everyday meals. It contains tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, a chemical compound that improves the mood of an individual by making it prone to relaxation generally making the individual feel happier and light.

Banana not only power up the body it also helps combat a number of conditions making it among the leading health food in the world. Here are just some conditions that this magic fruit helps stave off:

PMS – Women should grab a bite of banana when having their monthly period. The vitamin B6 content helps regulate blood glucose level making the mood feel lighter and relaxed.

Anemia – Having high levels of iron, a banana helps stimulate the hemoglobin production in the blood helping a person stop the occurrence of anemia on its tracks.

Blood Pressure: High in potassium yet low in salt are what makes bananas perfect to offset a high blood pressure. The US Food and Drug Administration recently allowed the banana industry to issue official statements claiming that banana has the ability to reduce the risk of stroke and high blood pressure.

Constipation: Rich in fiber, a diet that includes daily consumption of bananas helps restore normal bowel movement thus helping the body overcome constipation.

Heartburn: Bananas produces high natural antacids in the body that reduces the occurrence of heartburn and helps stop it by providing a soothing relief to this condition.

These are just some of the conditions that bananas helps to combat, other less serious conditions such as mosquito bites, wherein a banana can help by using it as in lieu of insect bite cream. By rubbing the inside of the banana skin on the affected skin will reduce irritation and swelling. Nerves are also calmed by bananas because of its high vitamin B content.

Bananas are not only helpful in fighting off serious body conditions; it is also eaten as a means of prevention from such life threatening conditions such as a stroke. According to the New England Medical Journal, constant eating of bananas reduces the risk of an individual suffering from a stroke by a whopping 40%.

Living a healthy life is important in order to live a less hassle and happy life. By eating healthy foods we also encourage a clean way of living and bananas are included in the forefront of the campaign for a healthy lifestyle. Getting to know bananas as an important part of the battle against serious and life threatening conditions is a start on the right direction.

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Back Pain and Spinal Motion

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