“Harder than a Half-Ironman,” Dr. Glenn’s Race Report (pic), and the 1-Page Health News (w/video)

My friend and fellow Altitude Multisport club member Justin Chester summed up Xterra Beaver Creek perfectly, “That’s harder than a Half-Ironman!” I don’t know about that since I’ve never done a Half-Ironman. But I do know this: Beaver Creek, for such a posh place, serves up one tough off-road triathlon course. For the record, I did the Sprint version.

I’m never too focused to high-five my kids at the bike-run transition!

Overall, I had a good day. My swim was slower than last year, possibly related to my lack of swim training this year. I guess I shouldn’t have taken 7 months out the pool after last season? The bike and run were about the same as last year (maybe a tad slower). Overall I was only 4 minutes off of last year’s time. I’ll take it! Next up is Xterra Indian Peaks at Eldora ski resort this coming Saturday. That’s right, 2 Saturdays in a row.

Weekly Health Update
Week of: Monday, July 22th, 2013
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
~ Robert Urich

Mental Attitude: Obsessed With Forbidden Pleasures.
When individuals are forbidden from everyday objects, their minds and brains pay more attention to them. Obsession is not as strong if others are also denied. When an object is forbidden to a group, the allure of the object drops dramatically. This helps to explain why group diet programs can be more successful than dieting alone.
Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, June 2013

Health Alert: Kids Poisoned.
Every 10 minutes a child in the United States is taken to the Emergency Room because of poisoning from swallowing a prescription or over-the-counter medicine. The most common drugs associated with children’s poisoning include those used to treat diabetes, high cholesterol (statins), pain (opioids), and cardiovascular diseases (beta blockers).
Pediatrics, June 2013

Diet: Soda, Illegal Drugs, and Teeth.
Drinking large quantities of soda can be as damaging to your teeth (tooth erosion) as methamphetamine and crack cocaine use. Tooth erosion occurs when acid wears away tooth enamel. Without enamel, teeth are more susceptible to developing cavities, as well as becoming sensitive, cracked, and discolored. The citric acid present in both regular and diet soda is known to have a high potential for causing tooth erosion. The ingredients used in preparing methamphetamine can include extremely corrosive materials such as battery acid, lantern fuel, and drain cleaner. Crack cocaine is also highly acidic in nature.
General Dentistry, June 2013

Exercise: Quantity Over Frequency?
A study of over 2,300 Canadian adults found that those who exercised 150 minutes over just a few days of the week received the same health benefits as those who spread out 150 minutes of exercise over the entire week.
Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, June 2013

Chiropractic: Success!
A study compared the effectiveness of manual therapy (performed by a Chiropractor), physical therapy (performed by a Physical Therapist), and medical care (delivered by a Medical Physician) for patients with neck pain. The success rate at 7 weeks was twice as high for the chiropractic therapy group (68.3%) compared to the medical care group. Patients receiving chiropractic therapy had fewer absences from work than patients receiving physical therapy or medical care for their neck pain. Manual therapy and physical therapy also resulted in statistically significant less analgesic (pain relief medication) use.
Annals of Internal Medicine, 2002

Wellness/Prevention: Prevent Stress.
Among women who reported stress, 40% had psychosomatic symptoms in the form of aches and pain in their muscles and joints, 28% suffered from headaches or migraines, and 28% reported gastrointestinal complaints. (Note- I’m sure men would have reported even more complaints, as everyone knows women are the tougher gender.)
University of Gothenburg, June 2013

As always, thanks for reading,

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Nutritional Considerations

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a condition where the median nerve that arises in the neck and travels through the shoulder, arm, and into the hand becomes compressed. Compression of the median nerve results in tingling, numbness, pain and/or weakness that affects the 2nd, 3rd, and thumb-side half of the 4th fingers. It can wake sufferers up in the middle of the night, forcing them to have to shake the hand and flick the fingers to “wake it up.” This can occur multiples times a night, making for a long next day! We’ve discussed chiropractic management strategies such as manipulation/mobilization of the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, the use of a cock-up splint (especially at night and at times when driving), but more information regarding the use of nutritional supplementation is lacking; hence the purpose of this Health Update!

 

Let’s look at what we are trying to accomplish by nutritional approaches for CTS:

  1. Anti-inflammation: Because of stomach, liver, and kidney side effects, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and others may not be your best choice. Rather, consider Turmeric (300 mcg), Ginger (100 mg), Boswellia (100 mg), Rosemary (100 mg), Bioflavonoid (100 mg), Bromelain (50 mg), Vitamin C (1-3 grams/day), Vitamin E (400 IU/day), Vitamin D3 (2000-5000 IU/day), Vitamin B-complex (especially B6, 9, and 12).
  2. Muscle relaxation: Calcium (1500mg/day), Magnesium (400 mg/day), Potassium, valerian root (vervain), B-Complex, L-Arginine, Rosemary, Catnip, Kava root, Chamomile, Cayenne Pepper, Horseradish, Lavender, Licorice, Devil’s Claw.
  3. Nerve repair: Folate (B9), B12 (cobalamin), Vitamin D3, B1 (Thiamin; minimum: 1.2mg/day), B5 (Pantothenic acid), B3 (niacin; minimum 16 mg/day), B12.
  4. Managing systemic conditions:

a)      Diabetes (dysinsulinism): Chromium (picolinate or choloride), Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Omega-3 Fatty Acids (1000 mg of EPA & DHA), Coenzyme Q10, Polyphenols (dark chocolate, green tea), Botanicals (plant extracts such as garlic, prickly pear, aloe vera, fenugreek, bitter melon and ginseng).

b)     Thyroid dysfunction (hypothyroid): B-Complex (100 mg of B1, 3, 5, & 6 3x/day; B2, 50 mg 2x/day; B12 1000-2000 mcg/day; Selenium and iodine, Anti-oxidants (Selenium, Vit. C, Vit. E) Copper, thyroid extract, organic iodine.

c)      Obesity (BMI>30): Childhood obesity: Vit. D (ages 1-13, 5 mcg/day), B12, Vit. C, Fiber, Calcium (an extra 300mg of Calcium= >2 lb. weight drop); other fat soluble vitamins (Vit. A, E, and K), iron (iron is more commonly deficient in obese children and adults and can lead to fatigue and poor mental health and memory function).

  1. Other considerations: General health: paleo diet, sleep quality, and exercise (see below).

 

You may notice that there is a lot of overlap in many of these vitamin recommendations. If one were to give nutritional recommendations for general health purposes, the anti-inflammatory “big 5” might include 1. A good quality multi-vitamin mineral, 2. Magnesium (often with calcium as a combined supplement), 3. Omega-3 fatty acids; 4. Vitamin D; and 5. Coenzyme Q10. For CTS specifically, the addition of a B complex seems consistently recommended above.  Controlling weight will reduce CTS risk and decrease the risk of acquiring type II diabetes which increases CTS risk by itself. Perhaps an “ideal diet” for everyone might include eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and the elimination of gluten (grains) – referred to by some as the “anti-inflammatory diet,” paleo diet, caveman diet, and Mediterranean diet. Fortifying a great diet with vitamins is the “take-home” concept!