Good back bad back ™ YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ELIMINATING BACK PAIN, NECK PAIN AND HEADACHES! Good back bad back ™ 10 THe THiNGs WomeN mUsT kNoW TO ELIMINATE BACK PAIN AND LOOK AND FEEL YOUNGER dr. scoT GraY ® Priceless Opportunity for Good Back Bad Back Readers from Dr Scot Gray… FREE DVD!! (Jam-Packed with Back Pain Elimination and Weight Loss Videos and Reports) Claim your FREE Weight Loss and Back Pain Elimination “Ultimate Videos” DVD with Dr Gray’s complete video series that he has created just for Good Back Bad Back readers. You can use these videos as your personal weight loss and pain elimination “coach” to quickly create the life-‐changing, fat burning , pain relieving results that you deserve using these proven videos as models. Some videos you’ll receive include: • • • • • Video: “Dr Scot Gray’s Renegade Weight Loss” Video: “How To Eat Healthy To Look and Feel Younger” Video: “Natural, Non-‐Medicine Cure For ADHD” Report: “Finally, A Solution To Your Neck & Back Pain” Report: “What Doctor’s Aren’t Telling You About Carpal Tunnel” PLUS…As an EXTRA BONUS… If you’re NOT already a Good Back Bad Back “Back To Life” Member and don’t belong to “THE PLACE” where women seeking to LOOK and FEEL younger come together to share their secrets, you’ll receive a SPECIAL BONUS package consisting of $513.94 Worth of Pure “Fountain of Youth” Information with Good Back Bad Back Back To Life ‘Elite’ Gold Membership which entitles you to: √ Good Back Bad Back University: Series of 3 Webinars (Value = $397.00) The 7 Things You Must Know About Eliminating Your Back Pain with Dr Scot Gray and Dr Brian Seymore • • • • • HOW Any woman can eliminate their back pain withOUT drugs or surgery How to Avoid Once and for All being a “Back Pain Victim” The “Hidden Jewels of Pain Relief” in Every Woman’s Life and HOW to Capitalize on it The BIGGEST MISTAKE most women make in dealing with pain And the BIGGEEE…Getting Rid Of Your Pain Once And For All. • • • • • • Why You Need To Know How To Stay Young For 100 Years Key Elements that Determine the Success of Your Effort To Stay Young HOW to Craft a Plan that Ensures Your Success To Look and Feel Younger How to Create a Sure-Fire Way to Enjoy Your ‘Golden Years’ The Best Ways to Create Instant Results “Insider Strategies” to INCREASE Your Vitality and Health • • • • • • How to Almost INSTANTLY be MORE Effective Shedding Off Unwanted Pounds HOW to Master the “Inner Game” of Self Control How to get MORE Weight Loss While Eating The Same Amount of Food HOW to Get Others to Help You Succeed How to Create Clear Goals for SUCCESSFUL Implementation of The Program And Finally the BIGGEE…HOW to Stop Talking and Planning Your Dreams and Start Implementing them into Reality The ESSENTIALS to Stay Young For The First 100 Years with me, Dr Scot Gray DR SCOT GRAY The ESSENTIALS of Implementation of Weight Loss Without Exercise with Dr Scot Gray MORE √ ‘Elite’ Gold Insider’s Membership (Two Month Value = $19.94): • Two Issues of The Less Pain, More Life Newsletter: Each issue is 4 pages overflowing with the latest Age-Defying & Pain Relieving Strategies. Current members refer to it as a day-‐long intense seminar in print, arriving by first class mail every month. There are ALWAYS terrific examples of “What’s-Working-NOW” Strategies, timely pain relief and weight loss news, trends, ongoing teaching of Dr Scot Gray’s Most IMPORTANT Strategies…and MORE. As soon as it arrives in your mailbox you’ll want to find a quiet place, grab a highlighter, and devour every word. Two Audio CD’s Of The EXCLUSIVE GOLD AUDIO INTERVIEWS • These are EXCLUSIVE interviews with successful users of Dr Gray’s pain relieving techniques, famous doctors and teachers of natural pain relieving and weight loss techniques. Use them to turn your commuting hours into “Health Rejuvination” hours. √ Freedom From Pain FAST START Tele-Seminar with Dr Scot Gray. (value = $97.00) Attend from the privacy and comfort of your home or office…hear a DYNAMIC presentation of key Principles of Back and Neck Health, and Clinically Proven Pain Relieving Solutions. PLUS answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions about these Strategies. √ You’ll also get these Exclusive “Members Only” Perks: • Special FREE Gold Member CALL-IN TIMES: Several times a year, I schedule Gold-‐Member ONLY Call-‐in times. • Gold Member RESTRICTED ACCESS WEBSITE: Past issues of The Less Pain, More Life Newsletter, articles, special news, etc. • Continually Updated ULTIMATE FREEDOM FROM PAIN AND WEIGHT LOSS RESOURCE DIRECTORY with contacts and resources that Dr Gray uses. *There is a one-‐time charge of $5.95 to cover shipping & handling of your FREE Pain Relief and Weight Loss DVD. After your 2-‐ month FREE test-‐drive, you will automatically continue at the lowest Gold Member price of $9.97 per month (19.97 outside North America). Should you decide to cancel your membership, you can do so at any time by calling Good Back Bad Back at 740-‐386-‐ 6580 or faxing a cancellation note to 740-‐386-‐6586 (Monday through Thursday 9am – 6pm). 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Order Online at www.GoodBackBadBack.com/FreeGift Or Fax Back To 740-‐386-‐6586 Or mail to: 1448 Marion Waldo Rd., Marion, OH 43302 Copyright © 2011 by Dr. Scot Gray All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written consent of the author, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law. Published by Advantage, Charleston, South Carolina. Member of Advantage Media Group. ADVANTAGE is a registered trademark and the Advantage colophon is a trademark of Advantage Media Group, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 978-1-59932-202-5 LCCN: 2011901139 This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Advantage Media Group is proud to be a part of the Tree Neutral™ program. Tree Neutral offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used to print books. To learn more about Tree Neutral, please visit www.treeneutral.com. To learn more about Advantage’s commitment to being a responsible steward of the environment, please visit www.advantagefamily.com/green Advantage Media Group is a leading publisher of business, motivation, and self-help authors. Do you have a manuscript or book idea that you would like to have considered for publication? Please visit www.amgbook.com or call 1.866.775.1696 Disclaimer The author did not interview any of the celebrities referred to in this book for this book, and the descriptions of medical conditions are based solely on publicly available information. In certain instances, we have listed products by their brand names: medications, for example, since that is how they are commonly known. We have also included names of companies and products upon occasion, if we thought that mentioning the name provided relevant information for the reader. To our knowledge, we have no connections to any of the companies or brand-name products listed in this book. This book is intended to be informational and should not be considered a substitute for advice from a medical professional, whom the reader should consult before beginning any diet or exercise regimen, and before taking any dietary supplements or other medications. The authors and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained in this book. Ta b l e o F co N T e N T s INTRODUCTION: 9 WHY I WANT TO HELP YOU ELIMINATE YOUR PAIN C H A P T E R 1 : 13 THE AXIS OF YOUR WELL BEING C H A P T E R 2 : 21 WHEN GOOD BACKS GO BAD C H A P T E R 3 : 41 ACCIDENTS HAPPEN C H A P T E R 4 : 51 REACHING PEAK PERFORMANCE C H A P T E R 5 : 65 EAT FOR BACK HEALTH C H A P T E R 6 : 81 10 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE TREATING BACK PAIN INTRODUCTION: WHY I WANT TO HELP YOU ELIMINATE YOUR PAIN i t seems like just yesterday that I was a punk kid, playing guitar, basketball and lacrosse. However, between shooting hoops and impersonating Kirk Hammett from Metallica, I dreamed of becoming a doctor—the next Doogie Howser, MD. From a very young age, I was driven to grow up ASAP and get into a medical field where I could help cure people’s pain. I had always been taught that medication was the key to health, so I figured I’d become a medical doctor or perhaps a pharmacist (just like a man I admired at our church). That is, until my life was forever changed by a car wreck in 1997. I was an undergrad at Columbus State in Columbus, Ohio, and was cruising down the freeway on my way to class one morning. As I approached a curve at 60 miles an hour, I noticed that everyone was stopped in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, coming to a halt just in time. Unfortunately the vehicle behind me did not see the snarl and slammed into the back of my car at 50 miles an hour. My car was destroyed. So was my neck. This was the first time I had been in a serious accident. As my car was towed from the scene, I didn’t feel much pain. Figured I was fine. But then, two days later, I woke up and was unable to move my neck up, down, left or right. Like a good Midwestern boy, I consulted my mom, who told me that she was going to a chiropractor for treatment for her migraines and that she thought he might be able to help me with my neck pain. 10 WHY i W a N T To H e l P Yo U e l i m i N aT e Yo U r Pa i N I had heard all sorts of horror stories and really had no clue what a chiropractor did. But reluctant and scared, I took my mom’s advice and made an appointment. To my amazement, after just one visit and a few adjustments—voila—my neck started to feel better. My range of motion returned and I was officially a chiropractic convert. From then on I became fixated on becoming a doctor of chiropractic and helping people through natural means, rather than becoming a medical doctor. After securing appropriate loans (and lots of them!) and finding a job to help me pay for the education I’d need, I worked my rear off and, after six years of year-round schooling, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human anatomy and a doctorate in chiropractic. At this point, strapped with debt and eager to open my own practice, I found a doctor who would not only hire me but, after a year, cover the overhead so I could open my own office. I could pay him back as the business became profitable, he said. In February of 2004, however, deep into my search for office space, the doctor told me he was sorry, but he couldn’t help me open my office at that time. I was devastated. My momentum had been halted, just as it had been that day on the highway. I was now had no income, no practice, and plenty of student loans to pay back. My brother, Seth Gray, D.C., had gone through school at the same time as I did and was also a chiropractor, so we decided to go into business together. I was single, living in a two-bedroom apartment. My brother was married with two children and two Jack Russell terriers. We were both broke. We all moved in to a two-bedroom apartment to save money as we worked to start a practice. We went from bank to bank, trying to get a loan. After several months and many, many “no’s,” we received a call from a chiropractor about 45 miles north of us in 11 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Marion, Ohio, who was looking to sell his practice. We knew this was our shot and, luckily, were finally able to score a loan with Fahey Bank, a small local financial institution. At the time we bought it in June of 2004, the practice had been seeing 20 patients a week. Within three months, our business was profitable, we were seeing 300 patients a week, and as I am writing this book I just received a loan note from Fahey Bank declaring that our loan was “paid in full.” So, here I am, having realized my childhood dream to help people eliminate their pain—without drugs or surgery. It doesn’t get better than that. In order to share this knowledge with people who can’t make it to my office, I decided to write this book. Within these pages is everything you need to know to live pain-free. The steps and suggestions are simple, yet essential. Read on, and enjoy your new life… To your health, Dr. Scot Gray 12 CHAPTER 1: THE AXIS OF YOUR WELL BEING b ack health is tied to looking young, increased energy, a healthy sex life, and strong lasting relationships. In other words, this book isn’t just a prescription for maintaining a healthy back; it’s a prescription for maintaining a healthy life. My goal is to give you everything you need to take a 360-degree approach to back health and overall health. To get there, you first need to understand why, exactly, your back is so crucial to your overall well being. 85 percent of the american population will have a significant battle with back pain at some point in their life. back-oloGY From the day your heart started beating in your mother’s womb, your back has been in charge. The very first thing to develop was your spinal cord, and everything budded from that, including the parts of your nervous system that control every cell, tissue and function in your body. To see how your spine can affect different areas of your body, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com Each area of your body is controlled through your nervous system—it’s your master controller, and many key parts of that system are located around the spine. If you suffer a spinal cord injury, as 14 T H e a X i s o F Yo U r W e l l b e i N G Christopher Reeve did, it can shut down your entire body. When that system goes down, or is even partially blocked (say, your back is out of alignment), it can’t communicate properly with the other systems. Most women don’t realize that your back controls your uterus and your ovaries, your bladder, your bowels, your stomach, your heart— the list goes on. So, naturally, when you do things throughout the day to irritate and degenerate your spine, it affects every facet of your life. Fix your back and you may be able to fix your infertility, your irritable bowel syndrome, your acid reflux, your digestion, etc. To understand just how sensitive the nerves around the spine are, consider this: Putting the weight of a dime on a nerve can decrease its function by up to 60 percent. Just a little bit of muscle tension can press or pinch a nerve. Imagine if that nerve is connected to your heart or your intestines! If those areas aren’t getting the nerve flow and energy from the body they need, there could be serious health consequences. 15 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k THe UlTimaTe aNTi-aGiNG FormUla Seven reasons taking care of your back can make you look and feel young and overflowing with energy. 1. You Can Prevent The Dreaded Hunchback Which one of these women looks younger to you? Believe it or not, the woman on the left is only 50 years old, while the woman on the right is pushing 80. It just goes to show you how poor posture can add years to your perceived age. Before you talk or interact with someone for the first time, they’re noticing how you move. If you’re hunched over and in pain, clearly you’re not going to come across as a vibrant young woman. If you’re single, it’s certainly not the look to go for when hoping to meet your future husband. In The Evolution of Desire, author David Buss explains that men are more attracted to women with erect posture. And, when you think about it, it really is a symbol of youth. When you stand up straight, your belly is automatically braced, which makes you look leaner and fitter. 16 T H e a X i s o F Yo U r W e l l b e i N G Later in the book, I’ll teach you to protect your posture by eating smart (see page 65), and suggest some stretches and exercises for keeping you upright for life (see page 51). 2. You Can Ward Off Arthritis The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is caused by micro-traumas (bending and twisting in unhealthy ways, etc.). Over the age of 45, osteoarthritis is three times more likely to strike women than men. So you really need to spend your 20s and 30s working to prevent it—following the advice in the chapters that follow is the perfect start. Realize that if you don’t work to prevent arthritis, it will affect you in every way possible. It causes nerve pressure, bone spurs and misalignments. These are things that cause nerve irritation, which can affect other areas of the body, including your memory and rational thinking. One of the saddest things that can happen to a person is to start losing mental acuity and sharpness at a young age. Arthritis also steals the ability to do the things women over 45 typically love to do: walk on the beach with a grandchild, work in the garden, or play golf. Take care of your spine and you’ll be playing hard well into your 80s and beyond. You’re never too young or too old to start caring about back health! Your spine starts degenerating at about age 19 or 20. 3. It Builds Confidence A healthy young woman who cares for her back properly will likely stand up straight, projecting a sense of confidence. Someone who is in constant pain, on the other hand, will go into flexion, which means she leans forward and hunches inward. It’s almost like a fetal position. 17 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k It’s extremely difficult to be confident when you’re in pain. And when you’re sad and depressed, you’re less likely to do the things you love and make yourself available to the people you love. That just breeds more self-criticism. Nurturing back health and seeing a doctor or chiropractor at the first sign something might be off is essential to being the woman you imagined you’d be when you were a kid. 4. It’s Essential To Weight Loss If you want to look and act and young as you feel at heart, you’ve got to exercise. And if your back is hurting you, I can guarantee that the gym is going to be the furthest thing from your mind. And that’s going to make it very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve that perfect-10 body you’ve been working toward. To see 4 short videos on weight loss, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/weightloss docTor’s orders 5. It Ups Your Energy level Don’t cancel that gym member- What is young? What do you think of when you think about young people? They’re energetic. They move around a lot—like kids on a playground. Often we look at children and say, I wish I had their energy! There’s no reason you can’t have it. ship! Sure, it’s expensive and that money could go toward other fun things (Shopping! The wine bar! The latest iPhone!), but here’s the thing: If you don’t pay to take care of your back now with proper nutrition, alignments at a chiropractor, and proper exercise, you ARE going pay much more in the Whether you’re in constant agony or mildly uncomfortable back pain, it will affect your future. Investing in your health now will save you tons in healthcare costs down the road. 18 T H e a X i s o F Yo U r W e l l b e i N G energy level. Who wants to be the wet noodle? The one who goes home by 9 to fall asleep on the couch? One of my favorite motivational speakers is Tony Robbins. He says that motion creates emotion. So the quicker you move and the more you move around, the more good energy you’re going to create within yourself and be able to share with those around you. If you’re hurting, you simply can’t move the way you need to. 6. It Smoothes Your Skin As I’ve said before, when your back is healthy and strong and in alignment, you’re more likely to work out. And when you do that, you sweat out toxins that are trapped in your skin. The skin is the biggest organ in your body and when you perspire you wash away dead skin cells, which give you a younger, brighter complexion. Working out also sends oxygen-rich blood to the skin. This directly influences whether you look pale and sickly or bright and cheery. My guess is you’d prefer the latter! 7. It Heats Up Your Relationship—And Your Sex Life! I’m just going to come out and say it: You’re going to have better sex if your back is healthy and in alignment. I have patients who come into the office all the time saying, “Doc, it sounds a bit weird, but I can’t have any kind of intimate relationship with my husband because it hurts my back so badly.” A few adjustments and they are back in action. Don’t assume back pain only affects you—when you’re irritable and short and in too much pain to find humor in the little things in life, you’re risking your relationship with everyone around you. To discover the top 7 things you must do to get rid of arthritis pain, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/arthritis 19 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k so, WHaT’s a cHiroPracTor GoT To do WiTH all oF THis? A chiropractor can prevent the symptoms that often lead to a cycle of unending back pain. Essentially, a chiropractor is a nerve doctor. Simply, we want to make sure that your nerves are working properly. We do that by slowing down spine degeneration, fixing alignment issues, reducing inflammation, and, thus, eliminate back pain. This way you can have the posture, workout drive, confidence, energy level, sex life, and skin of a woman half your age! How often should you go? It depends on what issues you have or are at risk for. I recommend making an appointment for a consult. This will allow you to get a feel for the doctor (and determine whether he or she is right for you) and the correct course of action. You may go in every two weeks, or pop in for an adjustment every month or two. Either way, by going consistently, you’re going to get big results. Just like with the gym membership, the $45 monthly adjustment is an investment in your health. Think about your car. You can wait 25,000 miles to change the oil, but you’re going to pay for it later. It’s the same thing with your back. If you choose to ignore it, you’ll eventually pay for it. And remember, you can get a new car, but you can never get a new spine. Statisticians say Americans lived to be an average of 49 years old in 1900. Today, the average lifespan is 77.6. By 2050, experts predict that 800,000 Americans will be older than 100 and some may live to be 150. Here’s the question: How do you want to feel when you’re 120? 20 CHAPTER 2: WHEN GOOD BACKS GO BAD H ere’s the thing about back pain: It doesn’t always come with a major injury or agony. Most often the signs are subtle, and the best way to avoid serious pain and a long-term debilitating injury is to get to a doctor or a qualified chiropractor at the first sign that something might be wrong. You can even go before there is a problem; just like you brush your teeth to prevent cavities, you can take care of your spine before it “goes out.” Well, as in any profession, some chiropractors are better than others. Talk to other people (there’s great power in word of mouth!) or troll the Internet for complaints making sure to check out the State Chiropractic Board website. Do choose a chiropractor who: • Is licensed and who completed training at an accredited chiropractic school; • Who is willing to communicate with your doctor and provide a written treatment plan; • Performs a complete consultation and examination before starting any treatment; • Has successfully treated cases that are similar to yours. Do NOT choose a chiropractor who: • Orders frequent X-rays or extends your treatment indefinitely without re-examining your spine; 22 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d • Views spinal manipulation as a cure for all medical conditions. Now, I have treated a lot of women and let me say this: They are tough, much tougher than men. And moms, especially, can be reluctant to get treatment for back pain because they have a hard time putting themselves first. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to take care of your kids to the best of your ability, but you don’t need to sacrifice your own health to do it. In fact, the single most important thing you can do for your kids is to take care of yourself. *** Oftentimes, the symptoms of back issues are easy to miss. For example, one of the most common symptoms people come to me with are headaches. They say, “Oh, I get a headache every once in a while. It’s not a huge deal.” Actually, it is a big deal, because it affects your everyday quality of life. Headaches are often caused by stress and tension, which pulls the spine out of alignment. As I explained in Chapter 1, the entire body is a connected chain centered on your nervous system. When one area is out of whack, other areas need to pick up the slack, and this can cause pain in seemingly unrelated areas of the body. To watch a free video on how to eliminate headaches, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/headache One of my chiropractic mentors taught me that if you’re examining a patient and you are focused on the area where he or she is feeling pain, 90 percent of the time you’re going to be in the wrong spot. Your body will get injured in one area, and because of the way the nerves are set up (that nerve in your little toe runs up through your spine to your brain!), the pain goes elsewhere. Other common symptoms of a back that needs some TLC are numbness and tingling in any of your extremities, and pain through 23 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k the buttocks and down the legs. A lot of people mistake pain in the arms for carpal tunnel syndrome, but 80 percent of time when people come to me with this pain, I adjust them, freeing up nerves in the neck, and the pain is gone. In those cases, pressure on the nerves from a muscle imbalance in the neck is causing the pain and tingling. If you are having pain, numbness, or tingling in your extremeties watch a video on how to elimnate it at www.GoodBackBadBack.com/extremity Dull achy pain is another symptom. This typically indicates an issue with what we call the “facet joints” in the low back. These areas—the SI joints, or the sacroiliac joints between your hips and your tailbone—refer a dull pain all over the legs and all over the back. Obviously, this type of pain, especially in the legs, can also be an indication of a blood clot or defective valves, so definitely loop your general practitioner in to determine whether you should have an ultrasound or other imaging done. If a clot breaks loose and ends up in the lungs, you’re in big trouble. Better to be safe. Women will typically get sharp pains from acute or recent injuries in which they get a sprain/strain of the spine. This can often happen from doing something as simple as placing your baby in the car seat, or getting in and out of the car yourself. You can also get sharp pain from a vertebra that has moved out of place and is placing direct pressure on the nerve. This nerve pressure can present itself as sharp pain, and can also shoot the pains into the arms, hands, legs and feet. Many people with back pain will end up with lower energy, too. Your body is always trying to heal itself, even when you have back pain. If something has been there for quite a while, it can really wear you down. This pain and constant healing will suck the life right out of you. Many of my patients report that once their spine is healthy again, they have much more energy. 24 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d a daY iN THe liFe oF YoUr back So where does this pain come from? Often, the mundane repetitive tasks we perform day in and day out are the culprit. Also, stress plays a role: When the kids are going bonkers or your coworkers are driving you crazy, you’re likely to tense up your shoulders, neck and head. Take note of the position of your shoulders next time you get really agitated; my guess is that they’ll be hunched up toward your ears. This causes alignment issues with the muscles and bones. Here’s a 24-hour look at the ways a working mom unknowingly puts her back’s health in jeopardy—and simple changes you can make to avoid “bad back” moments. It’s 6:45 a.m., the alarm is blaring and the kiddos are rustling. Bleary-eyed and groggy, you twist to double-check the clock then clumsily swing your feet over the edge of the bed and hop down. Another day… Bad back: Most people bend and twist their bodies like some sort of contortionist to get out of bed. When you lie down at night, your discs, which are the little shock absorbers between your bones, actually fill up with water. When your alarm clock goes off, you have a whopping 300 percent more water in your discs compared with when you hit the sack. In fact, because of this ballooning effect, you’re even a little taller when you first wake up. This buildup of H2O creates a lot of pressure, which makes the morning the time you’re most likely to injure your back. Good back: Instead of bending and twisting and swinging your body lazily out of bed, which puts your pressure-cooker-of-a-back at risk, here’s how to properly emerge from between the sheets. 25 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Once out of bed, you need to relieve some of that pressure with extension exercises (see illustrations), and prime your back for the movements you’re likely to experience throughout the day. Muscles have memory, so if you give them a preview of what they’ll be asked to do later, they’re more likely to execute the movements without unnecessary pulling or straining. These exercises, done daily, will dramatically decrease your chance of injuring your back. 26 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d It’s 7:00 a.m., time to shower, shave, and generally get yourself ready for a crazybusy day. Bad back: Showering is often among the first physical activity we take on for the day. That pressure still exists in the discs, and so when you do something as simple as bending down to shave your legs, you’re putting your back at risk. Literally, you can bend over without giving it a second thought and then—uh-oh—you can’t stand back up. Good back: 27 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Post-shower, you pick out that day’s outfit and, without much thought, get dressed. Bad back: You bend and twist—the two worst movements for the back—as you towel off and wriggle into your skinny jeans and boots. As you do this, more and more pressure is building. One of my good friends, Thad, tells the story of his elementary school teacher who came into the classroom from the snow and was struggling to remove her snow boots. Wanting to be the hero, he asked her if she needed help. But she continued to pull and not only dislodged her foot from the boot, but also wrenched her back. Needless to say, Thad had a substitute teacher for the next couple of weeks. Good back: 28 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d Speaking of shoes. About those heels… Bad back: One of my biomechanics professors used to say that we shouldn’t wear shoes at all; that the human body would be better off if we went barefoot, because that’s how we were designed. When you elevate the heel, the angle of your body puts added pressure on every joint from your ankle to your lower back. This affects your gait, the way your knees move, the way your hips move and, ultimately, your back. It’s a chain reaction that puts back health at serious risk. The feet are the foundation of everything, and if you change the way that you walk, if you change your posture at your feet, it’s going to change your knees, your hips, your back, your neck, everything. Good back: Obviously, for most of us, it’s not realistic to spend most of our waking hours barefoot. However you should spend as much time as possible in flat, cushioned shoes. If you live in a city and commute or walk to work, throw your heels in your bag and put them on right before you walk into the office. For a short explanation of what Dr. Gray recommends for the most comfortable shoe, go to to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/shoes 29 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Shoot…you’re late as usual. You grab the blow dryer and hairbrush and continue to coif. Bad back: Extending your arms away from the body, brushing and blow-drying, puts a lot of excess pressure on the lower back, especially if you have weak core muscles (which are key for keeping you upright without overstressing your back). Good back: To relieve some of that pressure, engage your core as you blow-dry (think: suck your belly button toward your spine and brace your core as if someone is about to sucker-punch you in the gut). Place one foot on a footstool to reduce the strain on your low back (you should do this any time you are standing in one spot for more than five minutes). In addition, protect your back from these types of added pressure by adding these core exercises to your workout routine three nonconsecutive days a week: For Dr. Gray’s full core workout, go to to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/core 30 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d Finally, you head to the bathroom to do your makeup. Bad back: Bending over the vanity to do your makeup, the pressurized discs are compressed, mere millimeters away from being pushed past their limits. Literally, for the entire length of your beauty routine, you’re in one of the most hazardous positions for your back. Your muscles, your discs, and everything that connects them are being pulled and pressurized in a way that puts you a huge risk for injury. Good back: Don’t worry—I’m not going to tell you can’t wear mascara. You just need to set up your bathroom in a way that doesn’t require you to bend forward excessively to put on makeup. 31 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Mmm…Breakfast. Bad back: A lot of people don’t understand the relationship between nutrition and back health. When you eat sugar-filled foods like bagels and orange juice, massive inflammation—and pain—happen. Good back: The easiest and healthiest way to get breakfast is a tasty fruit smoothie. This only takes a few minutes and will not pack on the pounds as bagels, juice, and sugary breakfast foods do. Watch my video on www.GoodBackBadBack.com/shake to see how to make this tasty shake. For more diet and nutrition strategies that bolster back health, see page 65. Before you dart out the door to work or drive the kids to school, you take the dog for a quick walk . Bad back: You bend down to put on the leash (as you know by now, bending = back buster), then your pup drags you around the block. This pulling on your back muscles early in the day puts you at risk for lower back strains and slipped discs, especially if you’ve got a massive mastiff or bulldog at the other end of that leash. Good back: Simple: Don’t bend over at the back. Instead bend your knees to get to the dog’s level. Focus on keeping the curve (lordosis) in your low back as you bend down. As for the drag race around the block: Get thee to a dog trainer and find a leash that works (whether it’s a choke-style collar or a bridle-style lead). 32 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d You hastily hop into the car, rushing to get to work or get the kids to school on time…. Bad back: Getting into a car, a lot of people just put one foot in first and then twist their way into the car. Not a good move. As I’ve said, bending and twisting are the two worst things you can do for your back and in this one moment you’re doing both of them! Good back: Sit down in the seat with your knees facing out the door, and then bring one leg at a time into the car, as you rotate your body to face the windshield. Once you’re behind the wheel, if your car doesn’t have good lumbar support, place a small pillow against the small of your back. When getting out of the car, make the same moves in reverse. Place one leg outside of the car at a time to the left as you rotate your torso (No twisting! Body should move as a unit!), then stand up (if car is low to the ground) or gently step onto the running board then hop down (if you drive an SUV or truck). You make it to the office and plop down at your desk… Bad back: You slouch into your chair, and hammer away to make your deadlines. Sitting in any one position for a long period of time, puts back health in jeopardy. Most women don’t realize that when you slump in your seat, twice as much pressure (200 pounds vs. 100 pounds) is placed on your back than when you stand. So when you sit down in front of your computer to browse the latest updates on Facebook, you’re in one of the most hazardous positions for your lower back. But there you sit, tense and rigid, for hours at a time. Just an hour in this position can lead to degeneration in your back. 33 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Good back: Thankfully, the solution isn’t to stand up from 9 to 5 (which comes with its own back issues, as described below). Instead, every 30 minutes get up for 30 seconds and stretch—simply moving your back around and lengthening the spine is effective. Turn to page 57 to learn about Bruegger’s Posture, the most important stretch when it comes to preventing and eliminating back and neck pain. docTor’s orders Throughout the day the phone is wedged between your ear and your shoulder, as you file paper work and answer e-mails—all while on a conference call. Avoid the BLT. Don’t bend, don’t lift and don’t twist. Research shows that these are the three worst things a woman can do to her back (especially when minimize hazardous and repeti- Bad back: This position—ear pressed to shoulder—for an extended period time can lead to all sorts of grief: headaches, neck pain, numbness and tingling down the arms as well as in the hands and fingers. tive motions. Good back: You have two you start combining them—say, bending and twisting at the same time). Call in your company’s ergonomics expert (or ask your boss to hire someone to come in for a day) and request that he or she set up your workspace to options—wireless headset or speakerphone. These are two simple and affordable solutions for eliminating this problem. If you are spending a lot of time on the phone, you should remember to do Bruegger’s Posture every 30 minutes. 34 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d On the way home from the office, you stop at the grocery store… Bad back: Instead of dealing with a cart, you grab the bag of goods (tonight’s dinner!) and walk out of the store with your arm dangling at your side. When you get to the car, you swing the load into the back of the car with one rushed, twisted, swoop. Good back: When you’re carrying docTor’s orders anything—whether it’s a bag of groceries or your 2-year-old—the Switch hips! Most moms tend key to protecting your back is to to carry their kids on the same keep the item as close to your hip all the time. Try to alternate body as possible. The farther an the side you carry Junior on, to prevent putting too much object is from your body, the pressure on your back. And, when more torsion and stress is placed you pick him or her up, get down on you back. You can think about on the child’s level, then lift using it like this: If there are two kids your lower body (not your back), on a teeter-totter and they both keeping him or her as close to weigh 50 pounds and they’re your chest as you can. both five feet from the middle, the see-saw will stay nice and level. But, let’s say one child starts to moves away from the middle, he or she is going to become heavier, in a sense, moving away from the fulcrum (the middle). That’s exactly what happens when you hold a heavy object away from the center of your body. Your child will feel like 125 pounds instead of 25 if you hold him/her too far away from you. As you load up the car, get as close as you can, and place the bags in the seat (or the kid in the car seat) by positioning yourself at an angle that makes it unnecessary to twist. 35 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k You return home to find out that the cat tipped over the litter box—again! Bad back: You grab your hand-vac and bend over to suck up the litter, twisting the get the bits that have scattered under tables and chairs. Good back: Invest in a new upright (no bending!) vacuum that twists on its own (like the Dyson). If this isn’t an option, and you love your hand-vac, bend at the knees; suck up what you can without reaching or twisting. Then, move to the next area. It will take a bit longer, but the back health benefits, when you compound them over the docTor’s orders next 20 years, will be huge. Say TRY THIS DIY ALIGNMENT CHECK you vacuum or sweep two times a Stand in front of a full-length week for a year. That’s 104 times a mirror and note the following: year, or 2,000 times over 20 years. • Are your shoulders even? That’s a lot of potential pressure • Are your hips even? on your spine. • Does your head want to naturally tilt to one side? Then check your shoes and pants: After dinner, you tackle a sink full of dishes… • Is one shoe wearing faster than the other? • Are your pants wearing out on one leg more than the other? Bad back: For the next hour, you stand over the sink, rinsing, drying and loading. Standing in one position (not good), bending (ouch), and twisting (double ouch) If your answer to any of these questions is yes, you should get evaluated by a chiropractor or other back specialist who can make adjustments and suggest exercises and methods for getting back in Good back: Get a low stool (about six inches high) and place alignment. 36 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d it near the kitchen sink. Place one foot up on the stool for 15 minutes, then switch. This takes pressure off your low back (By the way, this trick works in many situations, from ironing to standing behind a cash register). Instead of rinsing each dish and putting it in the dishwasher immediately, (which requires twisting) place the dish on the counter. When all the dishes are rinsed, reposition yourself at an angle that allows you to load the dishwasher without twisting. Simply bend at the knees and load ‘em up. Or even easier, enlist a husband, kid or roommate to be your designated loader. bUrNiNG QUesTioN Do chiropractors adjust babies? Absolutely. My brother, who’s also a chiropractor, adjusted his son immediately after his birth and I’ll do the same thing when I have kids. Birth is one of the most traumatic events that a baby will go through. The doctor might twist, turn, pull and yank that baby out using forceps and suction cups. It’s very tough physically. We use very, very light treatments on newborns, which can be very effective in helping everything from colic to ear infections to acid reflux. *** siX mUsT-kNoW miscoNcePTioNs aboUT back HealTH 1. YOU ONLY HAVE BACK PROBLEMS IF YOU HAVE PAIN. Just like you go for your annual physical, you should get your back checked by a specialist (i.e. not your primary care physician) yearly. And this should start from a very young age. I visit schools and check kids for scoliosis, which affects 1 out of every 10 kids, most of them 37 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k girls. If you catch it early, you can take steps to prevent it from getting worse; however if you just let it go, the child could be in surgery by age 12. As I’ll discuss in Chapter 6, surgery is virtually never an ideal option because it can cause your back to degenerate more quickly. 2. I TOOK A FEW PILLS AND MY BACK FEELS BETTER, SO I DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT ANYMORE. People tend to equate elimination of pain with health and that not always the case. That’s why we pop so many pills—Tylenol, aspirin, ibuprofen. The thing is, these aren’t cures, they’re just masking pain, and they can be downright dangerous. They can damage your liver, your stomach, and cause gastric ulcers and intestinal bleeding. In fact, in the past, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were responsible for 16,000 deaths each year, and about half of those were children. For that reason, I don’t recommend ever taking drugs that mask symptoms unless you have a severe, painful back injury and need them to manage the pain for a short period (ask your medical doctor about proper use of medications). Our bodies hurt to say, “Stop it!” Our body hurts to say, “Wait a second, this is not good. This is going to cause more damage if you continue to do this.” Medications block that signal so we continue about our day and injure, reinjure, and cause more severe problems. And then we end up one day bending over to tie our shoes and we can’t stand up. You need to find out the cause of the problem so that you can eliminate it by getting adjusted, doing exercises, etc. 3. I HAVE ARTHRITIS, SO I JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. If a doctor ever tells you anything along that line, walk out. It’s completely false. Often when older patients complain of back discomfort they’re immediately told they have osteoarthritis and are prescribed medication to take daily. And when the pills stop working, they get 38 W H e N G o o d b a c k s G o b a d bumped up to a higher dosage—and this pattern continues with the side effects getting worse and worse. With these patients, I often find that much of their back pain can be eliminated with more naturally treatment: chiropractic to address muscle imbalances and relieve nerve pressure, physical therapy, and even nutrition. There are ways to relieve this pain without popping pills and “living with it.” 4. MY BACK PAIN GOES AWAY IF I IGNORE IT. Just because your back pain comes and goes doesn’t mean there’s not an issue. Your body wants to feel good—that’s its natural goal—so it will cover up symptoms as long as it can. How many people have a heart attack without having any idea they have heart disease? They had a 95 percent blockage and they had no idea that it was there. If you have any level of back pain, you need to get it checked out. I had a patient with just a small irritation in his back so I adjusted his back a few times, but he wasn’t getting any relief. So, I suggested that he get an X-ray to make sure it wasn’t something more serious. Turns out, he had a metastatic carcinoma (cancer) of his spine. He caught it on the early side, so paying attention to his symptoms and listening to his body may have saved his life. 5. SURGERY IS THE MOST EFFICIENT, LONG-LASTING SOLUTION. Talk to any surgeon and he or she will tell you: Fewer than 50 percent of back surgeries are successful. This is a fact that every single patient who is considering going under the knife should know. You do have other options, including chiropractic and physical therapy, changes to your diet, exercise, and stretching—all of which we’ll discuss later in the book. Most surgeons will suggest these alternatives before operating. If you are considering back surgery, please read my report, ‘Finally a Breakthrough for Neck and Back Pain’ before you go under the knife. To get your free copy, go now to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/surgery 39 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k 6. THE DOCTOR KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOU DO. Women, more so than men, have outstanding intuition. Trust your gut, don’t be afraid to do research, and don’t assume that your doctor has all of the answers. If your doctor’s saying one thing and you don’t feel it’s right, get a second opinion or even a third opinion. You’ve lived in your body your entire life—if anyone is in tune with what’s right and what’s wrong with it, it’s you. 40 CHAPTER 3: ACCIDENTS HAPPEN N o one ever sees them coming—and I don’t mean for this to be a scary chapter—but it’s important to realize that, at some point in your life, chances are that you or someone you love will experience serious, acute back pain. Whether it’s a car accident, slipand-fall at the office, a sports injury, or a more unexplainable sudden onset of pain, it’s absolutely essential to know what steps to take when you’re faced with this circumstance. Handle it properly, and whoever has suffered the injury has a much better chances of making a full— and fast—recovery acTioN PlaN: i THiNk i JUsT WreNcHed mY back, NoW WHaT? The first thing is to stop whatever you’re doing and get in a comfortable resting position. My recommendation is to choose a position that puts your spine in extension. Try this: Lie on your stomach with your elbows on the floor in front of you and look straight ahead. This will put a curve (extension) in your back. This does not apply to a car accident. If you are in a car accident you should wait until a trained medical team can evaluate you before you get up and move around. If this doesn’t help ease the pain, try a flexion position instead. Simply lie on your back and bring your knees into your chest. 42 a cc i d e N T s H a P P e N Note: If you aren’t comfortable lying down, you can get some extension—and hopefully relief—by arching your back slightly while in an upright position. After holding one of these positions for three sets of 60 seconds each, apply ice to help slow down blood flow to the area and, thus, the inflammation. General rule of thumb is to ice for up to 25 minutes (when you start feeling numb, remove the ice), then wait 45 minutes before re-applying. The reason for the break is that after a while, the ice begins to have the same physiologic effect as heat and can actually start causing increased blood flow and inflammation, which makes the pain worse. Repeat the ice-on ice-off cycle as often as you can. If you don’t get relief or the pain gets worse in 24 hours, get to the doc to find out exactly what’s going on. One thing you should definitely avoid is lying in bed all day long. The more time you spend lying around, the more muscle atrophy you’re going to experience, and the worse your back is going to be, ultimately. In some cases, a doctor may provide you with a brace to wear for a week or so. These supports can be very helpful (and are definitely better than spending all day between the sheets!), but it’s important to use them sparingly—no more than two hours at a time and for no longer than a week. When you rely on a brace, the muscles around the spine— the ones responsible for holding you upright—begin to weaken. This degeneration begins within the first week of wearing a brace. The bottom line: Get to a doctor ASAP, and once you know there isn’t any major structural damage, resist the urge to lie around feeling sorry for yourself. The best thing you can do is to activate that muscle and keep it healthy and strong. 43 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k bUrNiNG QUesTioN should i ever apply heat? My personal belief is that there are many more instances in which you can use ice, so that is the safe way to go. Heat gets way more complicated and causes additional damage, so it’s best not to use it unless a doctor specifically tells you to do so. Of course, ice isn’t quite as comfortable when you first apply it: Your skin gets cold, it aches, it burns, and then it goes numb (thankfully!). iNJUred oN THe Job? doN’T be a marTYr No matter what kind of job you have—be it a desk job or an onyour-feet-all-day job—when you experience an on-the-clock injury, it’s essential to find a good doctor or chiropractor (the best one for you!) and get the problem under control ASAP. A lot of employees assume that if they get hurt at work they have no choice but to go to their company’s workers’ comp doctor. This isn’t the case. You can go to any worker’s comp-approved doctor or chiropractor (Check out workerscompensation.com for a full list of approved doctors), including me. Go to a doctor you trust and get the best possible care. That should be your number one priority. Don’t underestimate the damage that’s been done, and don’t pop pain pills or muscle relaxers to mask the pain. Realize that if you get the problem taken care of properly now, you’ll be a better worker and a greater asset to your boss and your family in the long run. One of the most important things to do is to file your workers’ comp report ASAP—that day! Do not let anyone talk you out of it. If you slip and fall or experience any other kind of acute injury, don’t 44 a cc i d e N T s H a P P e N move. Stay in a comfortable position (like the ones listed above) and ask someone to call your supervisor. Explain exactly what happened to your boss, then immediately file a report. Without a record of the injury, how it happened, and when it happened, it’s extremely difficult to prove anything at all. When you handle an injury with this mind-set, you’re not being selfish. It’s better for you and better for your company—simply, a no brainer. It’s going to lower insurance rates because you’ll spend less on health care in the long run if you fix the problem early on. Deal with it now and you can avoid $100,000 procedures and surgeries down the road. According to a study by WebMD, chiropractic can cut the cost of treating back pain by up to 28 percent, and can reduce the incidence of surgery by 32 percent. (That’s every one in three people!) Additionally, researchers found that the satisfaction rate with chiropractic was 95 percent when it comes to back pain. Those are hugely significant numbers. For more references to research on the efectiveness of chiropractic, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/research bUrNiNG QUesTioN is there anytime you’d recommend i pop some pain pills? If you are in severe pain—say, you just blew out a disc—I would ask your medical doctor about taking anti-inflammatory medication for a short time. This may be necessary to get you through the initial, acute pain until you start getting relief from more natural means such as exercise and chiropractic. 45 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k i Was JUsT rear-eNded. iT doesN’T seem THaT bad, bUT eVerYoNe’s PreTTY sHakeN UP Even if you are feeling no pain, it’s crucial to take every precaution when you’ve been in a car accident, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed. Research shows that neck injuries are worst when the victim has been in an accident that was between ONLY 8 and 10 miles per hour (your head is flung all the way forward and all the way back, resulting in whiplash). Studies also indicate that cars are now designed to absorb the forces in an accident, and they are transferred to the occupants (YOU and your FAMILY)—many more G forces what the car endures. Even a little fender-bender can be extremely significant. Why don’t you feel pain then? Well, when you’re in a traumatic situation such as this, your body often goes into shock, pumping out adrenaline to cover up pain signals. You very well may have significant injury that you simply can’t feel. Also, research shows that there is no correlation between damage to a car and damage to your body, so never look at the car and say, “Oh, the car’s not that bad. There’s no damage.” Your car is made to take a lot of stress. These crazy-smart automotive engineers are designing vehicles that can take a huge beating without much cosmetic or functional consequence at all. However, that force still goes through your body, and is transferred through your tissues. You are far more delicate and breakable than a hunk of metal. To stabilize any damage, try to move as little as possible and make sure your head is in a position where you’re not feeling any neck pain. When someone comes—be it the police or another motorist—ask them to call an ambulance or an emergency team to check you out and get you the appropriate medical attention. If you’re feeling any neck discomfort, the medics will likely put you in a collar to stabilize it. 46 a cc i d e N T s H a P P e N That may seem like overkill, but it’s a key step. Until you see those X-rays, it’s impossible to know exactly what type of injury you’re dealing with. This is not only important for your health, but also essential in terms of making sure your insurance company will cover any resulting injuries. You don’t want them to say, “Hey, I saw you were in a car accident. Looks like you’re doing pretty good. We’ll give you a docTor’s orders $500 check or we’ll fix your car, set your car up for safety. whatever the damage is.” If you 1. Wear a seatbelt, and make sure sign on this dotted line you’re not it’s across your shoulder. Yes, you protecting yourself from the cost can break a rib and, yes, it might of soft-tissue injuries that may leave a burn mark or cause other show up years later. When you serious issues. But it will keep injure those tissues, the muscles you from breaking your hips, knees or skull on the dashboard. tighten up and move things out Although it can cause injuries, of alignment. This can speed and bang you up for a bit, it can up spine degeneration, cause save your life. No excuses for not headaches, and trigger neck pain buckling up. and other issues such as disc 2. Adjust your headrest so it’s herniations. right behind your head. This Patients have told me, “Oh, I’ve been in two or three car accidents, but they didn’t really do anything to me.” I’ll say, well, do you know why is your neck is curved the opposite way of the normal curve? They have no pain, but the damage is there and prevents your neck from jerking backward, which can cause 10 times more damage to your neck and back. 3. Use lumbar support. If your car doesn’t have this as a built-in feature, keep a pillow handy for long drives. 47 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k sadly, they’ll pay for it later, unless they take control and get the care they need for it. bUrNiNG QUesTioN someone is about to crash into my car, what should i do? Research shows that an accident is more dangerous if your body is tense the moment you are hit. In addition, you’re more likely to experience a neck injury if you’re looking left or right. So, if you see someone barreling down on you in your rear-view mirror, as hard as it is, try to relax your upper body and look straight ahead. mY kid JUsT HUrT His Neck or back oN THe sPorTs Field. NoW WHaT? In a YouTube video I saw recently, a high school kid was trying to shoot a last-second shot from the opposite side of the basketball court. There was a little kid running near the area behind the hoop. The ball missed the backboard and nailed the kid on the side of the head and knocked him down. Some people might die laughing at this video but my immediate thought was—that kid definitely has a neck injury. Those types of impacts need to be checked out by a doctor immediately, because even if it seems minor, you don’t know what pre-existing unknown conditions or weakness the child may have had at the point of impact. When you see someone get injured—whether it’s on the basketball court, the 50-yard line or the soccer field—the first thing to do is try to determine the mechanism of the injury. With sports injuries, if you suspect the neck may have been tweaked, go over and comfort the child. Don’t move him or her, just say, “Honey, stay right there. Every48 a cc i d e N T s H a P P e N thing is fine. We’re just going to have someone come over and check you out to be on the safe side.” Then get on your cell phone—or ask someone else to—and make sure an ambulance is on its way ASAP to help that child. For injuries other than those to the neck, try to get the child into a comfortable position, then apply ice and put pressure on any areas that are bleeding. Typically a school will have an on-site physical therapist, doctor, chiropractor, or other sports medicine-oriented person. Have them check out the child—even if the child swears he or she is fine (their girlfriend or boyfriend is watching…of course they’re fine)—insist that the medical expert does a thorough examination before allowing him or her to continue. If the child has a neck injury and gets hit the next play, it could be lights out. doN’T be sHY aboUT coNsUlTiNG aN aTTorNeY If you get injured on the job or in a car accident and there is even the slightest chance that you have (or will develop) an injury or pain, the smartest thing you can do is to consult an attorney who specializes in personal injury cases. The law is tricky—ridiculously so—and these folks can help you navigate it. They’ll make sure you know your rights and what you can do to protect yourself if your injuries were a result of someone being negligent. They can also recommend doctors and help you determine exactly what type of damage has been done so you don’t get slammed with medical bills you can’t pay. If you’ve had a slip-and-fall at the office, it’s important to determine why that fall occurred. Was the carpet coming up? Was the floor slippery? Again, you are not selfishly taking advantage of the system here, you are simply making sure that any injuries you have as a 49 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k result of this fall—whether they show up in two days or two years—are going to be taken care of by your company. With a car accident, you need to realize that most people have hidden injuries as the result of a wreck. Some of the more common ones: muscle stiffness, muscle spasms, neck pain, headaches, numbness and tingling, mid-back pain, low-back pain, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and arthritis. All of these issues could manifest themselves at anytime. A good attorney can make sure that you are protected if they do. You want to do what’s best for your health. So get to a doctor quickly, get the proper tests, and find a credible attorney. Remember, you’re not being selfish; you’re just protecting your rights and your overall well being. It’s not that insurance companies don’t provide good service. Often they do, but they are a business and they are largely concerned about their bottom line. By consulting a credible personal injury attorney before you sign off on your accident report, you’re making sure that someone is helping you protect yourself. 50 CHAPTER 4: REACHING PEAK PERFORMANCE b ack pain, while all too common, is not inevitable. In fact, if you know how to stretch, work out, and position yourself properly throughout your day, you have the power to prevent and eliminate back pain. Use this chapter—and the workouts and videos at www.goodbackbadback.com—as a guide. THree sTreTcHes eVerY WomaN sHoUld kNoW Upper-cross and lower-cross syndromes are two of the most common causes of neck and back pain among women. Stretching these two muscle groups is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid the doctor’s office. Upper-cross syndrome is simply the simultaneous weakening of the posterior upperback and shoulder muscles, and the tightening of the anterior opposing muscles. This results in a “little old lady posture”: head forward and shoulders rounded. Do these two stretches daily to help prevent and correct upper-cross syndrome. 52 Upper-cross syndrome r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e Repeat each move three times, holding them for 20 to 30 seconds. 53 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Symptoms of lower-cross syndrome include low back pain and sore knees. This often is a result of sitting in a chair leaning forward (checking e-mail nonstop, for example! Sound familiar?), which can cause tight piriformis, Iliopsoas, leg adductors, and erector spinae, weak abdominal muscles and weak gluteus maximus. The piriformis muscle is especially important. It’s a butt muscle, and it’s key because your sciatic nerve travels past it. In a small percentage of the population, the nerve actually goes through it. So when that muscle tightens up, you get sciatic pain (nasty pain that travels down your leg). People usually associate this uncomfortable feeling with a disc herniation or other more serious lower back issue, but sometimes it’s just a matter of needing to stretch the piriformis. Lower-cross syndrome Do this stretch daily to help prevent and correct lower-cross syndrome: 54 r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e A word on stretching: People often think, “No pain, no gain,” and they push themselves. But when you stretch, do not want take it to a painful range of motion. Once you’re in the stretch, bouncing (usually that’s a sign that you’re pushing yourself too far) will only make the stretch less effective, so focus on breathing and staying steady. For more stretching information, including a how-to video on Post-isometric release, one of the most effective ways to stretch, visit goodbackbadback.com docTor’s orders Have a (golf) ball Trigger-point therapy is a very effective way to relieve muscle tension without needing to pay for an expensive massage. Wherever you feel tightness, position yourself so you’re lying on top of a golf ball, with the ball being pushed into the point you’re targeting. It will feel a bit tender and tense. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds, then release. If that’s too intense, try it with a tennis ball or racquetball instead, which will have more “give” than a golf ball. miNd YoUr PosTUre When you’re sitting in a chair, you’re generally putting 100 to 150 pounds of pressure on the discs in your back, and when you lean forward, that pressure can get close to 200 pounds. The more pressure you put on those discs, the more back issues you’re going to have— period. So it’s key to make sure you sit properly. 55 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Notice the back is up against the chair and there is a lumbar support. Also note that the woman’s feet are propped up on stool, which takes some pressure off of the discs. Many people sit low in their chair, with their butt close to the edge of the seat. Avoid this position at all costs; it creates a curve in the back that’s exactly the opposite of the position it should be in. This is why I consider La-Z-Boy-style chairs to be pure evil! The rule applies to standing, as well. If you make little tweaks to make sure your form is on-point you can prevent all kinds of issues. One of my favorite tips (which we talked about back in Chapter 2), is to put one foot up on stool if you’re going to be standing for a long period of time (whether on the job or while doing dishes). This can take 100 pounds of pressure off of your back. GeT THe FlaT (sTroNG!) abs oF YoUr dreams Try this: Stand up and lift your right leg off the ground. You’re still standing, right? If you didn’t have core muscles, you would have fallen right over! Your core is the major stabilizing force when it comes to protecting your back from injury. If it’s weak, your back is at serious risk. 56 r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e dr. Gray’s Favorite save-Your-back stretch: breugger’s Posture Do it: Bring your shoulder blades back and together (as if you’re squeezing a pencil between them) and tuck your chin a little bit. Do this as often as possible for just 30 seconds at a time, and you can literally retrain your muscles to be in optimal alignment, which can prevent and reduce back pain. Why Dr. G. loves it: All day, we do everything out in front of us, which causes tension in the upper back. It’s something you can do anytime, anywhere—and you should do it as many times as possible throughout the day. Just get out of your chair and get your Breugger on. Try it and you’ll be hooked. It feels really great! 57 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k You can exercise all the beach muscles you want—and have a tight butt, toned arms and lean legs—but if you don’t learn how to properly strengthen your core muscles (hint: sit-ups alone won’t do it!), you’re going to be walking around like an old lady. These muscles really are the key to eliminating back pain. Notice that the core isn’t just made up of your abs, but also your lower back—it’s essentially a girdle holding everything in place, and supporting you when you, say, lift that Zappos box that just dropped on your doorstep. 58 r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e This includes your six-pack muscles, the muscles that run along your sides (and help you twist), low-back muscles, and the little muscles that connect the wing-like bones that jut off of your vertebrae. THe UlTimaTe 15-miNUTe core WorkoUT Here are three stability-ball core moves that will strengthen your entire mid-section to prevent injury and K.O. pain. Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps of each move, resting 30 to 60 seconds between sets. 59 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Tip: Core muscles are what exercise physiologists refer to as slowtwitch muscles, so do the exercises nice and slow. If you go too fast, you’ll bypass the core muscles and recruit larger muscle groups instead. If it’s a move where you’re raising and lowering your torso (such as Cat-Camel), aim to raise for four counts (one one-thousand, two onethousand, etc.), and lower for four counts. log on to goodbackbadback.com for a full mustknow core workout that i’ve designed with the help of some of the nation’s leading physical therapists. Prime YoUr babYmakiNG bodY Pregnancy presents a whole new set of challenges. As you go through those nine months, your ligaments loosen up as your body prepares for the baby to be born. This requires your muscles to work harder to hold your joints in place, which makes you more susceptible to muscle strains and pulls. docTor’s orders Brace your abs. When you’re targeting your abs it’s important to tense what’s called your “abdominal hollow.” How do you do this? Simple: Just imagine you’re about to be punched in the gut. When you do this, you activate the abs as you draw your belly button toward your spine. For this reason, it’s crucial to be extremely mindful of your posture. This can be especially challenging because you’re suddenly carrying all of this weight out in front of you, and If you don’t do this, you’re not only robbing yourself of results, but also putting yourself at risk for injury. 60 r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e it’s literally pulling you forward into the no-no position we discussed earlier in the chapter. If you experience sciatica, which can happen because the baby is literally parked on the sciatic nerve (thanks, junior!), try this piriformis stretch: If this stretch doesn’t relieve the pain, check in with a back specialist or chiropractor to make sure nothing more serious is going on with your alignment. Now, I know some women are probably hesitant to see a chiropractor during pregnancy but, actually, it should be part of your whole pregnancy plan. Your baby is relying on your nervous system to do its job to the best of its ability, and a chiropractor can help make this happen. 61 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k So, when you have those initial appointments with your OB-GYN, ask him or her to recommend a back specialist you can see if you experience any discomfort. Ninety percent of the time they’ll recommend a chiropractor. HoW To cHoose a bed You spend at least six to eight hours a night snoozing in your bed (If you get less sleep than that, call me and I’ll lecture you!). For that reason, it’s ESSENTIAL that you choose a bed-mattress combination that is comfortable for your body type. There’s no one answer here because everyone responds differently to beds. I have some patients who do well on hardwood floors and others who prefer a pillow-top mattress. The key is to be a smart shopper, and test them out before you buy them. Here are a few rules: • Go with the hardest bed that you feel comfortable with. You don’t want a bed that’s so soft that it’s unsupportive. • When shopping for a mattress, lie down on the bed for at least 15 minutes, in the position you generally sleep in. You may feel like a dork, but it’s the only want to truly tell if the bed is going to play nice with your body. • If you sleep with someone and you and your partner disagree on the level of comfort, consider a Sleep Number mattress. You can get perfectly fitted to find the ultimate compromise, and even opt for a mattress that’s firmer on one side than another. • Remember, your body, your back included, heals while you sleep. So priority number one is choosing a bed that’s comfortable and will allow you to get a solid night’s rest. To see the beds that Dr. Gray recommends, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/bed 62 r e a c H i N G P e a k P e r Fo r m a N c e docTor’s orders Sleep with a pillow underneath your knees. When you lie on you back, you put 55 pounds of pressure on your back, just lying flat. If you place a small pillow under your knees, to elevate them slightly, you’ll reduce the pressure by half. This is especially important during pregnancy. Oh, and never sleep on your stomach. It creates an unhealthy curve and, as a result, back pain. 63 CHAPTER 5: EAT FOR BACK HEALTH T he simple fact is this: You are what you eat. If I were to ask 100 of my patients whether what they ate for breakfast, lunch, or dinner affects the back pain they’re feeling at the moment, most of the would say absolutely not. But when you look at the chemistry of how the body works, nutrition indeed plays a huge and very direct role when it comes to pain and injury. One obvious way that a nutritious diet protects your back is that it makes you less likely to be overweight. Not surprisingly, the more you weigh, the more stress is placed on your spine and the joints that support it. An extra five to 10 pounds can also lead to poor posture which, as we discussed, not only makes you look older but also messes with the mechanics of the spine, setting you up for injury. In addition, the foods you eat can create inflammation, a leading cause of back pain. You can literally eat yourself into pain. All pain comes from irritation to nerves. One of the ways that your nerves can become irritated (and become painful) is from biochemicals released from inflammation of irritated tissues. Certain foods will cause biochemicals such as prostaglandin E2, lactic acid, potassium ions, histamine, serotonin, bradykinin and cytokines to be released. You don’t need to remember all of these names, just remember that these are bad! 66 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H These biochemicals cause inflammation and massive amounts of pain. Once they are let loose, they can travel all over your body to cause everything from back pain to headaches. These chemicals are released in large amounts when we eat large quantities of meat, simple carbohydrates, trans fats, dairy and cheese, but not when we eat fruits and vegetables. If you would like to have one of our nutritional consultants contact you to show you how to get your fruits and vegetables without eating fruits and vegetables, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/nutrition Often, when we experience pain, we take over-the-counter antiinflammatory medications. These pills change the biochemical makeup of our bodies. When you eat foods such as ginger (and others we’ll talk about later in this chapter), it does the same thing: It biochemically eliminates inflammation, which causes pain. So not only do you get the pain relief, but you don’t get the other side effects (like, say, gastric ulcers or liver failure) that come with OTC medications (see Chapter 6). Lastly, a balanced diet that’s packed with nutritious, natural foods can help ward off osteoporosis. Soda is a great example of foods to avoid. The phosphates and phosphoric acid in a pop (even diet!) literally leach calcium out of your bones, which can lead to severe and debilitating bone loss. While there are genetic factors that bring about bone loss (and, as a result, back pain), it can largely be prevented by following the advice in the pages that follow. If you eat a lot of fruits and veggies you’ll reduce inflammation, increase your energy level, and lose weight…it’s that simple! The result: You’ll have the energy and mobility to live your life to the fullest— whether that means completing your first marathon or chasing the kids around the playground. 67 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k THe bad back dieT What is it about the foods that we eat? How do we make sure that we are eating properly so that we can minimize the amount of pain that we feel? As I mentioned above, a lot of it has to do with inflammation. Here are nine things that docTor’s orders you should add to your Do Not Eat list, pronto. Don’t be discouraged if changes to your diet don’t 1. Polyunsaturated fats trigger immediate results. It These fats, which are often found in cooking oils (vegetable, safflower, sunflower, etc.), have been linked to heart disease and cancer. They are also packed with toxins that can cause inflammation and lead to back pain, and muscle and joint pain in general. generally takes 30 to 60 days to feel the effects of a change in diet. Remember it took years to get yourself into a depleted state, so it’s going to take some time to get it restored completely. Have patience and you will be thanking me in 30-60 days! Best oil alternatives: extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Keep in mind, oil is one of the best things to buy organic. So, if it’s within your means, find a grocery or specialty store that sells brands without any additives or preservatives. You can find stores at www.GoodBackBadBack.com to purchase high-quality items at an affordable price. 2. Simple sugars Ever notice that when you eat a super sugary dessert packed with processed simple sugars (think: a donut), you’re dying for a nap shortly thereafter? This food coma has a scientific basis: The sugar spikes your insulin levels. What goes up must come down, and when those levels 68 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H plummet 45 minutes later, so does your energy level. This up-anddown blood sugar pattern has been linked to diabetes and cancer, as well as decreases in physical activity and weight gain (because it doesn’t fill you up the way whole grains do). We are a nation of sugaraholics. Most people under 50 would rather have a candy bar than a few florets of broccoli. These simple sugars are everywhere: You’re going to find them in white bread, bagels, almost all juices, soda, cereal, white flour, candy, cookies, cake, crackers—the list goes on. If you saw the movie Super Size Me, you’ll recall that there’s even sugar in McDonald’s salads! In other words, it’s everywhere and it’s addictive. Simply decreasing your sugar intake can increase your energy level and reduce inflammation—lessening back pain and making you more likely to be physically active enough to protect your back from future injury. 3. Trans fats Many companies put trans fats—essentially a mixture of vegetable oil and hydrogen—in their processed foods because they are inexpensive and have a long shelf life. On the ingredients label they’re listed as “partially hydrogenated oils” or “trans fat.” Regardless of what name they go by, you should just consider them a major nutritional no-no. This category of fats can raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower your HDL (good cholesterol), increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. And, of course, the toxins create biochemical reactions that cause pain and inflammation. Reading labels is the key to avoiding this back-pain culprit. In general, they’re most prevalent in fried goods such as french fries and donuts, as well as baked goods including pie crusts, biscuits, cookies, shortening and margarine (one of the worst foods you can eat—use 69 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k real butter instead!). Some doctors say that trans fat is responsible for most heart disease. 4. Artificial sweeteners Artificial sweeteners and artificial colors are common replacements for sugar. We think Oh there’s no sugar, so it’s good for me! But the reality is that things that are not natural— think NutraSweet and Splenda (also known as sucralose on labels)—are toxic. More specifidocTor’s orders cally, they are neurotoxins, which Be skeptical when reading means they destroy nerves, espenutritional labels. Even if a bag cially in your brain, which ultiof chips says “Zero trans fat” on mately effects muscle function the bag, scan the nutritional info for the words “partially hydrogeand back health. They mess with nated oil.” The FDA has made it everything—from memory to possible for companies to claim coordination—and some experts they have “zero” trans fat if they suggest that they might be one keep the quantities below a cause of Alzheimer’s. What we certain level. do know for sure is that these are biological hazards that can contribute to pain-inducing inflammation and many other serious health issues. For my back and overall health, I steer clear of any food items with artificial sweeteners or colors (yellow 5, blue 3, red 4, etc.) because I know they cause biochemical reactions that are unnatural and can cause inflammation and pain, as well as several life-threatening conditions. 5. MSG Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an artificial flavor enhancer. It also goes by the trade names of Ajinomoto, Vetsin, and Accent. It’s found in everything from snack foods to barbeque sauce to salad dressings. 70 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H Like artificial sweeteners, this flavor-enhancing additive is a neurotoxin that has been linked to a variety of health issues as well as inflammation and pain. A few other examples of where you would find MSG, other than Chinese food (with which it is most commonly associated) are: • Prepared stocks, often known as stock cubes or bouillon cubes. • Canned, frozen or dried prepared food • Common snack foods such as flavored jerky, flavored potato chips (crisps) and flavored tortilla chips. • Seasoning mixtures 6. Processed foods This overlaps with the some of the ingredients we’ve already discussed, but I’m including this broad category because it is so very important— and because it is, for many people, their main food source. Processed foods are essentially every fast food item as well as white-flour-based goods (bread, bagels, etc.), and treats found in the grocery store’s snack aisle. These foods break down very quickly, flooding your bloodstream with sugar. When this happens, your pancreas has to secrete extra insulin to get the sugar to your cells. When you eat fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, sugar is released slowly, so you don’t get these huge insulin spikes, which have been linked to diabetes, pancreatic issues and insulin dependency. On top of that, when you have this extra sugar floating around your body, what the cells can’t use gets stored as fat. This leads to weight gain, decreases in physical activity, and other changes in body composition that can jeopardize back health. 71 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k 7. Soda Women often think that if they choose, say, Diet Coke, they’re making the smart choice because it’s calorie-free. WebMD posted an article in June of 2005 stating, “People who drink diet soft drinks don’t lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows.” Let me make this clear: Pop is never a smart choice. It’s flat-out terrible. It’s loaded with phosphoric acid, which, some studies have shown, leaches calcium from your bones. This makes it an osteoporosis-creating substance. Osteoporosis occurs when your bones lose calcium to a point that they are at risk for increased fractures. At its worst, a simple fall can be fatal. And if this isn’t proof-positive that you need to end your pop habit, consider this: People who drink soda tend to have spikes in hunger, which causes them to overeat. In this way, for women trying to lose weight, it’s your worst enemy. 8. Alcohol and cigarettes These are the two most detrimental things we ingest on a daily basis. Some experts estimate that 50 percent of all disease could be eliminated if alcohol and cigarettes were eliminated. As most women know by now, cigarettes are especially toxic. They slow down your circulation and cut off the oxygen supply to your bloodstream. This slows down healing and causes inflammation. What’s more, irritation of the lungs has been linked to mid-back pain, a condition that’s caused by a viscerosomatic reflex. This is defined as “a muscular response to stimulation of a nerve-receptor organ in a visceral organ.” Translation: When you irritate an organ, such as the stomach, lungs or liver, the muscles associated with that organ, including spinal muscles, can experience a reaction, including spasm, imbalance, and general back pain. 72 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H 9. Processed meat and chicken As meats travel through your digestive system and are broken down into acids, they trigger an inflammatory process. The resulting chemical reaction can cause pains and disease. Obviously, protein is important in a diet, so I’m not saying you should avoid meat altogether. I tried to go vegan and then vegetarian, but it didn’t work for me. I’m a tall guy, 6’ 6”, and I needed more protein for energy and muscle building. But, in America, the problem is we overdo it. We make meat 75 percent of our meal. Instead, aim to make it 25 percent of your meal and fill the rest of your plate with fruits and vegetables. And, whenever possible, opt for natural and organic cuts of meat, such as free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. THe Good back dieT OK, now that you think all food is evil, I’m going to show you that, in fact, there are plenty of food options that are delicious and backfriendly. The key is to realize, with each bite, that what you’re eating is creating a biochemical reaction. You want to make sure the resulting frenzy inside your body is working for you, not against you. Here are some of my favorite Good Back options: 1. Fish Studies show that people who are on strict low-fat diets consume 400 more calories a day than those who aren’t crash dieting. This is because they’re not giving their body what it needs in terms of the right amounts of protein and fat. That’s right; not all fat is bad fat. In fact some of it is very good and even essential. Our bodies have 50 trillion to 100 trillion cells and millions of them die every day. As a result, we’re constantly creating millions of new ones. Each cell has what’s called a phospholipids membrane, a 73 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k layer of fat that surrounds the cell. For these cells to survive and do their jobs efficiently, you need to supply them with good fats such as omega-3s, which are found in fish. In addition, your brain’s nerves and neurons are encased in water and fat. If you don’t get a healthy dose of that good omega-3 fat, your memory and overall brainpower will suffer. That’s why I call fish brain food! The best aquatic sources of omega-3s, according to the American Health Association, are salmon, mackerel, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna. Aim to get at least two servings of fish each week, with one exception: If you’re pregnant, speak with your OB-GYN about omega-3 alternatives (such as walnuts and flaxseed oil) so you can keep your mercury levels in check. 2. H2O Our bodies are 80 percent water. To create new cells, which are the foundation of life, you need to gulp at least half of your body weight in ounces daily. So if you weigh 200 pounds, try to drink 100 ounces of water a day. If you’re working out, consume even more than that. If you just can’t imagine drinking that much, aim to eat more water-filled fruits and vegetables, such as cherries, grapes, broccoli or carrots. In addition to the cellular process, it’s important that the liquid-filled discs between your vertebrae need to be kept hydrated in order to provide adequate cushioning. Also, when you exercise and sweat, you’re getting rid of toxins, so do your entire body a favor and replace them with good, healthy water. 3. Bright-colored vegetables Here’s a rule of thumb: When you’re at the grocery store aim to do 95 percent of your shopping around the perimeter of the store—that’s where the Good Back eats tend to be. Everything in the middle is, 74 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H typically, processed junk that will likely send your body into a biochemical tailspin—triggering pain-causing inflammation. Around the perimeter is where you’ll find bright green, red, orange or yellow produce. These items are packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants that ward off disease and decrease inflammation. In addition, they don’t spike your insulin the way a candy bar will, so you have steady, sustained energy—the kind of oomph that motivates you to get to the gym and work out. All of which leads to not only feeling great (in terms of back health and in general) but also looking fantastic. 4. Grass-fed beef Most of the meat that we get is fed corn or grain, which can cause inflammation once we eat the meat. Thankfully, most grocery stores these days —specialty and mainstream—sell organic, grass-fed meat. When you go this route, you’re not only avoiding the docTor’s orders antibiotics and other unnatural Instead of eating vegetable raw, chemicals pumped into mass- blanch them for a few minutes. produced meats, you’re also This will bring out the antigetting the benefit of healthy fats. inflammatory properties while In some studies, grass-fed beef preserving the nutrients. has been proven to have even more omega-3s than fish! 5. Green tea This tea not only a feast of antioxidants (which kill disease-causing free radicals in the body), it’s also an anti-inflammatory food. One great way to serve this tea—which can be found in any grocery store—is steeped with a nickel-size slice of fresh ginger. Ginger is one of the best anti-inflammatory foods—in fact there are studies that have proven 75 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k that it’s just as powerful as some over-the-counter medications. You can find it in the produce department. Simply peel it (easy to do with the edge of a spoon), slice it, and boil a piece or two with your green tea. It’s a Good Back double whammy. 6. Garlic Like ginger, garlic is among the best when it comes to fighting inflammation throughout the body. Chop and mix into salad dressing, burgers (made of grass-fed beef ), or a tomato sauce to put over a bowl of whole-grain pasta. 7. Nuts My favorite choices are almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds. They are rich in fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. Although they are calorie-dense—if you’re watching your weight, limit yourself to a palm-full a couple of times a day—they mostly have good fats, such as omega-3s. Some studies have suggested that, eaten regularly, nuts can lower incidence of heart disease in women by up to 40 percent. 8. Cherries Recently, cherries have made headlines as studies have shown that pure cherry juice (i.e. not fake, sugar-drenched brands) can ease joint and muscle pain because of anti-inflammatory properties. Blueberries are another good fruit option. 9. Spicy foods Foods that make you sweat a bit tend to have anti-inflammatory properties. That’s why your nose runs when you eat spicy-hot foods at an Indian restaurant—it’s the anti-inflammatory process at work. Some of 76 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H the best spices to work into your meal include: turmeric, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper and mustard seed. docTor’s orders make your own salad dressing Salad dressings you get off the shelf at the grocery store are often packed with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other inflammationpromoting additives and preservatives. So, instead, make your own dressing using extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and natural inflammation-busting herbs and spices that you like, such as oregano or turmeric. a Word aboUT sUPPlemeNTs* The two most important supplements you take are the food that you eat and the water that you drink. Don’t even think about taking supplements until you look at your diet first. Try to get everything you can from your diet and then worry about the supplements. If you can’t quite get all the nutrition you need in your diet, then you can look to supplements. For example, I’m not a big fish eater—it’s just not my thing—so I take cod liver oil (a nice lemon-flavored version) daily so I get a healthy dose of Vitamin A. Here are four of the most important supplements I recommend for women: 77 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k 1. A multivitamin I’m not talking about the things you get at Kroger or Wal-Mart. Find a pharmaceutical-grade, good multivitamin that is monitored very closely. Talk to your doctor about which brand is right for you. 2. Calcium We reach our peak bone mass at 30 years old and it starts decreasing from there. This is especially true for women, so it’s crucial to make sure you’re getting plenty of supplemental bone-bolstering calcium— especially if you’re not getting enough from your diet or you consume a lot of phosphorus and acidic foods and beverages, such as soda. It’s simple: When you take in phosphoric acid, your body sucks calcium from your bones to balance out your body’s acidity. If this happens regularly, the result is brittle bones, osteoporosis and arthritis. Taking calcium can help minimize the damage. 3. Magnesium Collective studies indicate that magnesium in combination with boron, phosphorus, silicon, and, of course, calcium is needed to maintain healthy bones. A 500 mg dosage of magnesium is sufficient not only to aid in calcium absorption and utilization, but also in the reduction of muscle spasms and cramps. 4. Omega-3 Assuming you’re not already getting your omega-3s from your diet (see Page 73), opt for a supplement that says EPA/DHA on the label. Make sure that you are getting at least 300 DHA and 200 EPA every day. Studies have shown that these fatty acids can not only reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and depression, but also joint pain and rheumatoid issues throughout the body. The American diet has a 20-1 78 e aT Fo r b a c k H e a lT H ration of omega-6 fats (the bad fats) over omega-3 (the good fats), so I recommend this supplement to most everyone. 5. One bonus supplement This is optional, but is recommended for anyone dealing with lowenergy issues. Coenzyme Q10 is a great supplement that plays a critical role in energy production, circulation an, tissue oxygenation, and has very good anti-aging effects. Note: Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements 79 CHAPTER 6: 10 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE TREATING BACK PAIN T here are lots of options for treating back pain. Before you even consult a doctor, educate yourself about the following: 1. OVER-THE-COUNTER AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS While over-the counter medications and anti-inflammatory drugs (both oral and injections) are great for managing pain in an acute (immediate and short-term) situation—like a slip-and-fall or other accident—they don’t do anything to treat the injury itself. So, for that reason, when taking over-the-counter medications (NSAIDs and acetaminophen) you need to be aware of the side effects. Over-the-counter medications work by tricking your nervous system into thinking, Wait, there’s no problem here, which can ultimately lead to more pain when you’re not popping the meds and needing to take even higher doses to manage the symptoms. As the dosage increases, so does the risk for serious complications such as liver failure and gastric and intestinal bleeding. Obviously, prescription medications—narcotics and other pain pills— are even stronger. When people are battling cancer or heart disease or other life-threatening illnesses, these types of medications are often essential and necessary. But, for back pain, there are other options worth considering. Nobody wants to pump their body full of unnecessary, potentially addictive drugs that won’t even help heal their back. With this book, you shouldn’t need to. 82 10 THiNGs Yo U m U sT k N o W b e Fo r e T r e aT i N G b a c k Pa i N Bottom line: Read the labels, talk to your doctor about the appropriate amount of time to stay on the medication, and consider a chiropractor to treat the injury rather than simply manage the pain. 2. PHYSICAL THERAPY Like many doctors, I am a big fan of physical therapy. It’s extremely effective for strengthening the muscles that make up your core, and I actually teamed up with a physical therapist to create amazing workouts, which you can get at www.GoodBackBadBack.com. But physical therapy alone is not a silver bullet. The treatment is simply the contraction and strengthening of muscle. If you have nerve pressure, a misalignment, a curvature or a herniated disc, all you’re doing is strengthening the muscles around an injured back. While these types of exercises are great for preventing back injury and reoccurrence of injury, often physical therapy on its own is not enough to fix the problem. Bottom line: Don’t start physical therapy until you know what the source of your pain is. Strengthening the muscles around a problem, while helpful, won’t eliminate the injury, and can even worsen it. 99 percent of back pain can be eliminated through manipulation of the spine, self-care advice, and exercise. 3. CHIROPRACTIC MEDICINE Studies published on WebMD have shown that chiropractic medicine has a 95 percent satisfaction rate. According to the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, it’s the number one choice for treatment of neck and back pain. As a chiropractor, my main job is to repair joint fixations and get your spine into optimal alignment, which 83 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k takes pressure off nerves and gives you functional mobility. We call this spinal manipulation or spinal adjustments. When your back is out of alignment, other joints have to compensate, and this can lead to degeneration and arthritis. So, really, when you visit a chiropractor to have your back adjusted, you’re not just tending to your back, you’re tending to your entire body and overall health. Bottom line: Get your spine checked by a chiropractor every 12 months. Otherwise you could find yourself bending over to tie your shoes and not being able to get back up. 4. Nonsurgical spinal decompression An inter-vertebral disc has hard cartilage rings around the outside and a liquid center, kind of like a jelly donut. Over time, that cartilage breaks down and the liquid (the jelly) starts to ooze out—potentially hitting your spinal cord and nerves. In these cases—where herniated discs or degenerative disc disease are present—I believe that nonsurgical spinal decompression is the single best treatment available. It’s also a key way to handle spinal stenosis and facet syndromes. To watch a video of this machine in action, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/disc This is a nonsurgical procedure. The treatment works by creating a negative vacuum effect inside the disc to bring the herniated material back into the middle. This is a simple effect of imbibition, or the “pumping” action performed on the disc over a period of time to create movement of the fluid in the disc. This “pumping and stretching” procedure is not painful. Often, I hear snoring coming out of the decompression rooms in my office because patients actually fall asleep! This treatment effectively heals the disc. Studies have shown that in 84 10 THiNGs Yo U m U sT k N o W b e Fo r e T r e aT i N G b a c k Pa i N comparing MRIs from before and after the procedure, we can actually see that the disc has begun to heal and has been brought back into alignment. This helps prevent further damage and relieves discomfort—without risky surgery or side effects. Bottom line: If you are considering surgery or suffer from severe back pain, check with your local provider of spinal decompression to see if you qualify for this type of treatment. You just may be able to avoid surgery and get your life back. 5. Spinal surgery less than 50 percent of back surgeries are successful Fewer than 50 percent of spinal surgeries are successful. So, for me, this is absolutely a last-case scenario. When a surgeon decides to operate, he or she is generally going to do one of a few things. One would be a discectomy, where the surgeon actually cuts through four to eight inches of muscle and removes part of the disc. He or she has to navigate around nerves, so it’s an especially risky surgery. Another option is a laminectomy, where a part of the spine called the lamina is removed. This can relieve pressure temporarily, but isn’t a long-term solution. The final option is spinal fusion, in which a surgeon places metal rods and screws in your vertebrae. Once you do this, you lose all range of motion around that joint, and it can speed degeneration in new area of your spine above or below the surgery because your spine has to compensate for the places than have been locked in place. The cutting and healing that any surgical procedure requires can lead to scar tissue, which is a pain-sensitive. So often, while you’ll get relief in the first months or even years after surgery, you’ll eventually get flare-ups. 85 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k Bottom line: If you’re looking for a long-term, pain-free solution, generally surgery is not the best option. Get second opinions and explore other avenues such as chiropractic medicine or spinal decompression. only 1 percent of back pain cases require surgery 6. MASSAGE Massage has many temporary benefits—no doubt that it feels wonderful and can provide relief for a day or two. But realize that it does nothing for the spine and it does no take pressure off the nerves the way chiropractic does. So if you are having massages but not getting the relief you desire, the problem may be more serious and you should seek out a spine specialist such as a chiropractor. You can also get instruments and do trigger-point therapy on your own back to relieve some of your pain. Trigger points are those big knots that you feel in your shoulders that build up from stress and physical activity. You can see where to get these instruments at on www.GoodBackBadBack.com. Bottom line: You’re not healing the back you’re simply providing temporary relief. 7. ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture is the procedure of inserting and manipulating needles in various points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. Acupuncture is seeing a surge in popularity as studies show for the first time that it can be an effective way to manage pain. However, acupuncture isn’t a cure-all for people with severe pack pain (not just muscle tension). It doesn’t fix misalignments, curvatures, or pressure on nerves. 86 10 THiNGs Yo U m U sT k N o W b e Fo r e T r e aT i N G b a c k Pa i N The only way to deal with those issues, without going under the knife, is with exercise and manipulation by a good chiropractor. Bottom line: Acupuncture is a fantastic way to manage pain, however it won’t fix more severe ailments such as misalignments and nerve pressure. 8. TENS UNITS TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator) units use little pads that are placed on your back to send electrical impulses to the nerves. It’s a form of noninvasive, safe nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain, both acute and chronic. While there’s still controversy regarding its effectiveness in treating chronic pain, a number of systematic reviews or metaanalyses have confirmed that it can ease postoperative pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic musculoskeletal pain. In my experience, this treatment can provide short-term pain relief, and is very good for managing pain temporarily if you want to avoid medications. But, like a lot of options for dealing with back pain, it’s not going to fix your problem. It’s simply making your feel more comfortable for a short period of time. Bottom line: TENS units should be used only for a very short time and are not found useful for long-term chronic back pain cases, as pointed out in clinical trials and studies. 9. AT-HOME DECOMPRESSION This is essentially a table that lets a patient hang upside-down, by his or her ankles, to take pressure off the spine. You may have seen this referred to as an inversion table. Occasionally, it can be effective, but it’s not universally effective, because in this position your ankles, knees and hip joints stretch as well—essentially there’s a whole lot of stretching going on before you even get to your spine. So, if there’s a problem in your upper back or neck, you’re probably not going to get any relief, and even pressure relief in your lower back will be minimal. 87 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k The approach is certainly not recommended if you have a significant herniation or trauma in one specific area of your spine. While it may take some pressure of the spine, it doesn’t target a specific area. In those cases, it’s essential to have the spine evaluated by a chiropractor or medical doctor. To find out what the best at-home decompression machines are, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com/decompression Bottom line: It’s impossible to target an injury or specific pain point with at-home “decompression” because it is not true decompression of the spine. So while it may temporarily take pressure off points in the low back, it’s really a crapshoot and will do nothing to relieve pain over the long term. 10. BREATHING AND VISUALIZATION docTor’s orders Take a cleansing breath Breathing sounds like a nobrainer, but most people rarely focus on it. A good, healthy, deep breath that comes from the diaphragm can truly unleash the power of the body—a simple inhale and exhale floods your blood with oxygen, which eliminates toxins and cleans out the lymph system. These toxins cause pain when they hang around your body. Studies have shown that lack of oxygen to your cells (This exercise may make you light headed when you first try it. Consult your doctor before doing these breathing exercises.) Inhale for four counts, hold for 16 counts and exhale for eight counts. The key is to hold the breath for that 16-count—a step most people skip—because that helps oxygenate your blood. Then exhale for a true eight seconds, so you can fully expel the toxic carbon dioxide. Aim to take 10 deep breaths three times a day—when you wake up, as an afternoon break, and in the can cause problems ranging from back pain to cancer. To me, a evening before bed. 88 10 THiNGs Yo U m U sT k N o W b e Fo r e T r e aT i N G b a c k Pa i N structured, regular breathing routine is one of the most important things you can do for your back and your health in general. Visualization is really about setting goals. One of my favorite books is Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. It includes an illustration of a movie theater with you sitting in the audience watching a movie about yourself. In this so-called “theater of your mind,” you’re seeing the ideal version of yourself. If you visualize your “movie” a few times a day, you’re going to notice that you start feeling motivated to move toward those goals. Maybe you’re seeing yourself healthy, without back pain, and wearing your skinny jeans. So you start thinking, well, what does getting there entail? So you start to visualize yourself eating healthy, going to the gym, or finally make an appointment with a chiropractor who can help eliminate your nagging back pain. And guess what? You feel more attractive and energetic—and you’re getting second looks from people. Sit in that theater in your mind, close your eyes, and visualize yourself 20 years from now. See yourself, that’s where you want to be. Avoid thoughts of the stress it will take to get there and instead focus on what you want and what it’s going to feel like when you get there. Bottom line: Breathing and visualization are essential, easy, and cost-free ways to flush pain-inducing toxins from your body and set yourself up for taking smart steps toward healing your back and achieving your overall health goals. a FiNal THoUGHT… Make decisions about your health based on what you want out of life. What do you want for your kids? What do you want for your spouse? Be a little selfish and really set your goals high—say, I want to be totally pain-free and in the best shape of my life. The truth is that kind of attitude 89 G o o d b a c k , b a d b a c k isn’t selfish at all, because when you are able to get more from yourself and your life, you’re going to be able to give so much more love and attention to the people around you. By taking the steps and applying the techniques in this book, you’re in a perfect position to achieve that each and every day. If you want even more free information, go to www.GoodBackBadBack.com for our entire library of back pain relieving tips. 90 How can you use this book? Motivate Educate Thank Inspire Promote Connect Why have a custom version of Good Back, Bad Back™? • Build personal bonds with customers, prospects, employees, donors, and key constituencies • Develop a long-lasting reminder of your event, milestone, or celebration • Provide a keepsake that inspires change in behavior and change in lives • Deliver the ultimate “thank you” gift that remains on coffee tables and bookshelves • Generate the “wow” factor Books are thoughtful gifts that provide a genuine sentiment that other promotional items cannot express. They promote employee discussions and interaction, reinforce an event’s meaning or location, and they make a lasting impression. Use your book to say “Thank You” and show people that you care. Good Back, Bad Back™ is available in bulk quantities and in customized versions at special discounts for corporate, institutional, and educational purposes. To learn more please contact our Special Sales team at: 1.866.775.1696 • [email protected] • www.AdvantageSpecialSales.com Priceless Opportunity for Good Back Bad Back Readers from Dr Scot Gray… FREE DVD!! (Jam-Packed with Back Pain Elimination and Weight Loss Videos and Reports) Claim your FREE Weight Loss and Back Pain Elimination “Ultimate Videos” DVD with Dr Gray’s complete video series that he has created just for Good Back Bad Back readers. You can use these videos as your personal weight loss and pain elimination “coach” to quickly create the life-‐changing, fat burning , pain relieving results that you deserve using these proven videos as models. Some videos you’ll receive include: • • • • • Video: “Dr Scot Gray’s Renegade Weight Loss” Video: “How To Eat Healthy To Look and Feel Younger” Video: “Natural, Non-‐Medicine Cure For ADHD” Report: “Finally, A Solution To Your Neck & Back Pain” Report: “What Doctor’s Aren’t Telling You About Carpal Tunnel” PLUS…As an EXTRA BONUS… If you’re NOT already a Good Back Bad Back “Back To Life” Member and don’t belong to “THE PLACE” where women seeking to LOOK and FEEL younger come together to share their secrets, you’ll receive a SPECIAL BONUS package consisting of $513.94 Worth of Pure “Fountain of Youth” Information with Good Back Bad Back Back To Life ‘Elite’ Gold Membership which entitles you to: √ Good Back Bad Back University: Series of 3 Webinars (Value = $397.00) The 7 Things You Must Know About Eliminating Your Back Pain with Dr Scot Gray and Dr Brian Seymore • • • • • HOW Any woman can eliminate their back pain withOUT drugs or surgery How to Avoid Once and for All being a “Back Pain Victim” The “Hidden Jewels of Pain Relief” in Every Woman’s Life and HOW to Capitalize on it The BIGGEST MISTAKE most women make in dealing with pain And the BIGGEEE…Getting Rid Of Your Pain Once And For All. • • • • • • Why You Need To Know How To Stay Young For 100 Years Key Elements that Determine the Success of Your Effort To Stay Young HOW to Craft a Plan that Ensures Your Success To Look and Feel Younger How to Create a Sure-Fire Way to Enjoy Your ‘Golden Years’ The Best Ways to Create Instant Results “Insider Strategies” to INCREASE Your Vitality and Health • • • • • • How to Almost INSTANTLY be MORE Effective Shedding Off Unwanted Pounds HOW to Master the “Inner Game” of Self Control How to get MORE Weight Loss While Eating The Same Amount of Food HOW to Get Others to Help You Succeed How to Create Clear Goals for SUCCESSFUL Implementation of The Program And Finally the BIGGEE…HOW to Stop Talking and Planning Your Dreams and Start Implementing them into Reality The ESSENTIALS to Stay Young For The First 100 Years with me, Dr Scot Gray DR SCOT GRAY The ESSENTIALS of Implementation of Weight Loss Without Exercise with Dr Scot Gray MORE √ ‘Elite’ Gold Insider’s Membership (Two Month Value = $19.94): • Two Issues of The Less Pain, More Life Newsletter: Each issue is 4 pages overflowing with the latest Age-Defying & Pain Relieving Strategies. Current members refer to it as a day-‐long intense seminar in print, arriving by first class mail every month. There are ALWAYS terrific examples of “What’s-Working-NOW” Strategies, timely pain relief and weight loss news, trends, ongoing teaching of Dr Scot Gray’s Most IMPORTANT Strategies…and MORE. As soon as it arrives in your mailbox you’ll want to find a quiet place, grab a highlighter, and devour every word. Two Audio CD’s Of The EXCLUSIVE GOLD AUDIO INTERVIEWS • These are EXCLUSIVE interviews with successful users of Dr Gray’s pain relieving techniques, famous doctors and teachers of natural pain relieving and weight loss techniques. Use them to turn your commuting hours into “Health Rejuvination” hours. √ Freedom From Pain FAST START Tele-Seminar with Dr Scot Gray. (value = $97.00) Attend from the privacy and comfort of your home or office…hear a DYNAMIC presentation of key Principles of Back and Neck Health, and Clinically Proven Pain Relieving Solutions. 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