stretches for your low back

 

Back stretches can go a long way towards relieving the muscle tension that is the most common cause of back pain. Stretches for your lower back should be done carefully to avoid injury. Here are some simple lower back stretches that you can do at home; some of the stretches require a chair.

1) Cat Stretch

You'll perform this stretch on the floor, on your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are positioned immediately below your shoulders and your knees are positioned immediately below your hips.

• Start by arching your back towards the ceiling. Drop your head and pelvis. Keep your legs and arms straight and strong.
• Return to your original position.
• Drop your belly toward the floor; lift your face and hips toward the ceiling. Keep your legs and arms firm.
• Repeat this stretching sequence five to ten times, breathing slowly and deeply throughout. Inhale as you lift your face toward the ceiling; exhale as you drop your head and arch your back.

2) Seated Torso Twist

You'll perform this stretching exercise in a chair. Be careful with torso twists; if you don't do them properly, you can injure your spine. Keep your spine straight and don't force your body into the twist; allow your spine to move into the twist on its own, and only as far as is comfortable.

• Sit upright in a chair with your palms on your thighs or knees. Your head should be directly above your shoulders and you should be balanced firmly on your pelvis.
• Twist to the left. Place your right hand on the outside of your left knee, but don't use the hand to exert any pressure; simply place it there. Your spine should be doing the twisting all by itself.
• Allow your head to move into the twist as well. Once again, don't force it.
• As you twist, look as far to that side just by moving your eyes. This makes the twist more energizing.
• Hold the twist for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing deeply and fully into the lower abdomen and lower back. When you're finished, repeat the twist in the other direction.

3) Seated Forward Bend

Some people like to perform this lower back stretch while seated on the floor with their legs extended in front of them. However, if you lack flexibility in your calves, hamstrings and lower back, you're better off performing this stretch while seated in a chair.

• Sit upright in a chair; keep your spine straight and your head held erect above your shoulders.
• Place your palms in your lap. Relax your shoulders and arms.
• Place your feet at least hip width apart; you may want to separate the feet even more. If your feet are further apart than the width of your hips, turn your toes in toward one another slightly.
• Inhale; when you exhale, lean forward over your thighs. Allow your hands to dangle on either side of your feet. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your neck elongated.
• Breathe deeply into your lower back. Hold this stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. Come up slowly, so that you don't pass out.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and his office Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please visit his website at:
www.HandsofGoldChiropractic.com
You can also follow the office on Facebook for new health related posts and discussion on todays health and wellness topics.
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Chiropractors and Exercise Are Better than Drugs

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of  Health, patients with neck pain who used a chiropractor and/or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free in 12 weeks compared to those who took medication.

Due to chiropractors comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain. In addition, researchers have also found that chiropractic adjustments affect our bodies on a deep cellular level.

For a summary of the new study or to access the new study please follow the link provided here:
Chiropractors are better than Drugs

For more information on chiropractic therapy including what conditions they treat and how they differ from other health professions, please feel free to browse our website:
The Bay Ridge Chiropractor

The Flu Shot, What They Arent Telling You

As the Byrds sang to us in the 60’s, “to everything there is a season.” Well, apparently it is the flu season once again. The signs urging everyone to get their flu shot are popping up like dandelions in the Spring and all the drug and grocery stores offer them now. It’s becoming so prevalent that I’m surprised that gas stations aren’t offering free flu shots with a fill-up, as 173 million doses of the shot will be given this year.
What they are not telling you is that the flu shot is not a safe medical procedure, nor is it an effective one. The following are the top 7 reasons not to get a flu shot:
1) There is a total lack of evidence that young children benefit from the shots. A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children ages 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.
2) Medical journals have published thousands of articles revealing that injecting vaccines can lead to serious health problems including harmful immunological responses and a host of other infections. This further increases the body’s susceptibility to the diseases that the vaccine was supposed to protect against.
3) Ever notice how people who get the flu shot develop runny noses, flu symptoms, bronchitis, or even pneumonia within days or weeks of receiving the drug? This is because they are being injected with several strains of a flu virus, as well as toxic chemicals, which overwhelm the body’s immune system, thus suppressing it, and making them more susceptible to the illness the vaccine is supposed to protect against.
4) The flu vaccine, as well as just about all the childhood vaccines, contains mercury – a heavy metal known to be hazardous to human health. The amount of mercury contained in a multi-dose flu shot is much higher than the maximum allowable daily exposure limit. Mercury toxicity can cause memory loss, depression, ADD, digestive imbalances, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and other serious health ailments.
5) Besides mercury, there are other ingredients present that can cause serious neurological disorders. These include detergents, antibiotics, formaldehyde, MSG (a flavor enhancer), gelatin, chicken embryos, polyethylene glycol, and sodium phosphate. These ingredients can cause anything from allergic reactions to cancer.
6) Research shows that over-use of the flu vaccine and drugs like Tamiflu and Relanza can actually alter flu viruses and cause them to mutate into a more deadly strain.
7) The flu viruses mutate every year so trying to guess what strain will be spreading has proven to be a crap shoot and not very effective. Moreover getting multi-shots is dangerous since different strains of viruses and harmful ingredients are introduced into your body.
Flu shots are indeed more dangerous than we are led to believe, and it’s best to rely on natural ways to protect yourself against the flu. Here are some easy steps to remain healthy:

• Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D every day – 4000 to 10,000 IU’s daily is ideal.
• Get plenty of exercise – A half-hour to 40 minutes a day keeps your blood flowing, helps to detox your system, and keeps your internal environment alkaline.
• Get plenty of sleep – 8 hours is the best amount of time.
• Eat healthy, organic foods – not fast foods, prepared foods, GMO’s or any foods that are laden with toxins that weaken you.
• Wash your hands with soap and water! Avoid the waterless hand sanitizers since they also weaken the immune system.
• Stay hydrated with clean, fresh, filtered water.
• Golden seal and Echinacea supplements work to boost your immune system.

The bottom line is if you keep your body healthy, then you don’t have to worry about getting the flu. Relying on the toxic waste dump injected into your body in the guise of good medicine is certainly not a wise choice.

IT Band Stretches, Treatment and Prevention

Lateral band walks

 

What Are The Symptoms of ITBand syndrome?

Hip or knee pain, or both. Specifically, pain on the outer side of the knee where the bone bumps out above the joint, or on the outer side of the hip. The pain usually starts after 10 minutes of running. Walking usually causes no pain.

What’s Going On In There?

The iliotibial band (ITB) is a thick tendon that runs the length of and connects the tensor fascia lata muscle—which starts on the outer side of the hip—to the outer side of the tibia, the major bone in the lower leg.

Here’s how the pain happens: A small, fluid-filled sac called a bursa sits between the tendon and the outside of the femur near the knee. You also have a bursa at the hip joint. When the ITB is tight, it increases the tension on the outer sides of the hip and knee. The ITB then pinches these two sites and the bursa (one or both) swells. Over time, the bursa becomes enlarged—big enough to cause pain every time you begin to run (which is why pain usually starts within 10 minutes of activity).

 

 

Fix it

• Roll it: A 6-by-36-inch foam roller is the best tool for stretching the ITB. Lie on your side with the roller under your leg and roll it from your hip to your knee (see right), using your body weight to knead the area. The pressure will help loosen the tendon and the fascia, almost like a self-massage. Do this at least once a day for several minutes, and make it a permanent part of your exercise activity.

• Beef up your glutes and hips. Weak butt and hip muscles contribute to ITB impingement syndrome. Make sure your lower-body work includes squats, especially single-leg squats, as well as multidirectional lunges (for more ideas, see exercises and stretches below).

 

Prevent It

Build up your glutes to reinforce the body’s largest and potentially most powerful muscle group. The stretches and exercises here all help build up your glutes and hip flexors, and can be added to any workout.

Lying Glute Stretch
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees and hips bent. Cross your right leg over your left so that your right ankle sits across your left thigh. Grab your right knee with both hands and pull it toward the middle of your chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in your glutes. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side. Repeat twice for a total of three sets—and several times a day if you’re really tight.
Lateral Band WalksPlace both legs between a mini-band and position the band just above your knees. Take small steps to your right for 20 feet. Then sidestep back to your left for 20 feet. That’s one set.
Hip Raise
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your arms out to your sides at 45-degree angles, your palms facing up. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your hips. Make sure you’re pushing with your heels. To make it easier, you can position your feet so that your toes rise off the floor. Pause for five seconds in the up position, then lower your body back to the starting position.
Brooklyn Chiropractor, Dr. Jason J. Pleoquin at The Hands of Gold Chiroractic can help you overcome a ITB injury using a combination of massage, stretching, vibration therapy, graston technique, Cold Laser Therapy and Active Release Technique,
For more information on Dr. Peloquin, please feel free to visit his website www.HandsofGoldChiropractic.com

7 Reasons To Forget A Flu Shot

Here we are again, another cold and flu season upon us.  The signs urging everyone to get their flu shot are popping up like dandelions in the Spring and all the drug and grocery stores offer them now. It’s becoming so prevalent that I’m surprised that gas stations aren’t offering free flu shots with a fill-up, as 173 million doses of the shot will be given this year. 
 
What they are not telling you is that the flu shot is not a safe medical procedure, nor is it an effective one. The following are the top 7 reasons not to get a flu shot:
1) There is a total lack of evidence that young children benefit from the shots. A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children ages 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.

2) Medical journals have published thousands of articles revealing that injecting vaccines can lead to serious health problems including harmful immunological responses and a host of other infections. This further increases the body’s susceptibility to the diseases that the vaccine was supposed to protect against.

3) Ever notice how people who get the flu shot develop runny noses, flu symptoms, bronchitis, or even pneumonia within days or weeks of receiving the drug? This is because they are being injected with several strains of a flu virus, as well as toxic chemicals, which overwhelm the body’s immune system, thus suppressing it, and making them more susceptible to the illness the vaccine is supposed to protect against.

4) The flu vaccine, as well as just about all the childhood vaccines, contains mercury – a heavy metal known to be hazardous to human health. The amount of mercury contained in a multi-dose flu shot is much higher than the maximum allowable daily exposure limit. Mercury toxicity can cause memory loss, depression, ADD, digestive imbalances, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and other serious health ailments.

5) Besides mercury, there are other ingredients present that can cause serious neurological disorders. These include detergents, antibiotics, formaldehyde, MSG (a flavor enhancer), gelatin, chicken embryos, polyethylene glycol, and sodium phosphate. These ingredients can cause anything from allergic reactions to cancer.

6) Research shows that over-use of the flu vaccine and drugs like Tamiflu and Relanza can actually alter flu viruses and cause them to mutate into a more deadly strain.

7) The flu viruses mutate every year so trying to guess what strain will be spreading has proven to be a crap shoot and not very effective. Moreover getting multi-shots is dangerous since different strains of viruses and harmful ingredients are introduced into your body.

Flu shots are indeed more dangerous than we are led to believe, and it’s best to rely on natural ways to protect yourself against the flu. Here are some easy steps to remain healthy:

• Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D every day – 4000 to 10,000 IU’s daily is ideal.
• Get plenty of exercise – A half-hour to 40 minutes a day keeps your blood flowing, helps to detox your system, and keeps your internal environment alkaline.
• Get plenty of sleep – 8 hours is the best amount of time.
• Eat healthy, organic foods – not fast foods, prepared foods, GMO’s or any foods that are laden with toxins that weaken you.
• Wash your hands with soap and water! Avoid the waterless hand sanitizers since they also weaken the immune system.
• Stay hydrated with clean, fresh, filtered water.
• Golden seal and Echinacea supplements work to boost your immune system.

The bottom line is if you keep your body healthy, then you don’t have to worry about getting the flu. Relying on the toxins injected into your body and calling this good sound science is certainly not a wise choice.

For more information on Dr. Jason Peloquin and his practice Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please feel free to visit his website The Bay Ridge Chiropractor

CHIROPRACTIC AND POSTURE

We all recognize poor posture when we see it, but most of us do not have a real grasp of the important role posture plays in our health.

Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints, and ligaments can work optimally. It means your organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Good posture helps contribute to a normal functioning nervous system. Without good posture, your overall health and total efficiency may be compromised. Because the long-term effects of poor posture can affect bodily systems, a person who has poor posture may often be tired or unable to work efficiently or move properly.

Poor posture can be the result of a combination of factors. Car accidents, sports injuries, and falls can cause immediate change. Postural changes can also happen gradually with poor work ergonomics, sleep positions, and careless sitting and standing habits. In addition, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and excess body weight can contribute to poor body positioning.
Poor posture inevitably leads to pain. Muscles have to work extra hard just to hold you up, causing fatigue. The muscles in the neck, back, arms and legs become tight, stiff and achy. Eventually, there will the joint stiffness and pain as the result of all the excess wear and tear to the joints and discs.
To maintain proper posture, you need to have adequate muscle flexibility and strength, normal joint motion, as well as efficient postural muscles that are balanced on both sides of the spine. In addition, you must recognize your postural habits and work to correct them.

Chiropractors are experts at analyzing posture and spinal problems. They can assist you with proper posture, including recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. They can also assist you with choosing proper postures during your activities, helping reduce your risk of injury.

For more information on Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please visit their website @ www.HandsofGoldChiropractic.com

10 Minutes Of Stretching Can Make All The Difference

 

Should I stretch before or after I exercise? Should I even bother to stretch at all? These are the questions that every busy adult asks whenever he or she is planning to begin an exercise program. The correct answer to the first question is "do whatever is right for you." Some people need to lengthen their major muscle groups, such as the quadriceps (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of the thigh), and calves, before they run, walk, swim, and/or lift weights for exercise. For others, it's best to stretch at the end of a workout, re-lengthening the major muscle groups so they'll be ready to help you move through the rest of your day.

The answer to the second question is "yes, stretching is important for everybody and is often the missing link in trying to understand why you injured yourself when you were exercising." Stretching helps you either warm up or cool down, whichever is needed for you to get the most out of your exercise. Not stretching in the way that you need puts you on the fast track to sustaining an exercise-related injury. As always, prevention is the best policy.

A dynamic warm-up is a fun and entertaining supplement or replacement, at times, to stretching if you're a stretch-first person. In a dynamic warm-up, you take important joints such as your hips, shoulders, and lower back through complete ranges of motion, using large muscle groups for support. Dynamic warm-up activities are similar to core strengthening exercises and have unique names such as scorpion, hip crossover, drop lunge, and quad circles. You can mix-and-match a variety of dynamic warm-up activities on different workout days, creating ongoing interest that helps you maintain your exercise routine.

A dynamic cool-down can serve as a similar supplement or replacement to stretching, at times, if you're a stretch-after person. If you've been walking or running, rather than simply completing your walk or run, spend an additional few minutes walking or running with shorter strides and/or at a slower pace. Walking backward at a slow pace is another method for achieving a dynamic cool-down. If you've been lifting weights, a series of deep-knee lunges will stretch your lower back and hips. A yoga-style downward dog will lengthen your spine, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Moving your arms through big circles, both clockwise and counterclockwise, will open up your shoulder girdles and lengthen the muscles of your rotator cuffs.

Regardless of the method you choose, stretching is an important part of your regular exercise activities. The extra few minutes spent either warming up or cooling down will help you maintain your exercise program achieve long-term health and well-being.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and how his team at Hands of Gold Chiropractic can help you, please research his abilities by clicking the link to his website at Bay Ridge Chiropractor or liking his facebook page @ HANDS-OF-GOLD-CHIROPRACTIC ON FACEBOOK