Tag Archive for: fibromyalgia

Check out Dr. Glenn’s Triathlon Coaches- Cody and Kathy Waite of Endurance Performance Coaching

http://www.epcmultisport.com/

For those of you who are interested in taking your endurance racing to the next level, I can’t speak highly enough about Cody and Kathy Waite and their coaches at Endurance Performance Coaching.

EPC Multisport Team Night at Adrenalin Cycles this Thursday, Dec. 6, at 6:30 pm.

This is your opportunity to renew your club membership for 2013 or join for the first time. Membership rates are discounted now until the end of the year. Come to Team Night to socialize with friends, learn about upcoming cycling and triathlon training, order team clothing, and take advantage of discounted deals from two of our amazing sponsors: Shimano and Pearl Izumi. We will also be unveiling our new Incentive Program for the new season.

Adrenalin Cycles:

My weekend at the Olympics, Dr. Stripling’s self-help video and this week’s 1-page health news!

Dr. Hyman spent this weekend learning all about Olympic Lifting at the Crossfit Olympic Lifting Coaches’ certification. Two full days of barbell snatches, cleans, and jerks. These lifts have a powerful application to most sports, even triathlon. Stay tuned for more info as we’re working on creating a relationship with a crossfit gym that’s close to the office. Dr. Hyman will be in the office Monday through Wednesday this week, and then he’ll be out of the office teaching for Active Release Techniques this coming weekend.

Dr. Stripling has started his weekly Denver Chiropractic Center TV segment on You Tube. In this week’s installment, Dr. S shows you how to help yourself when you feel that nagging pain between the shoulder blades. You can find these videos on our blog. The link is at the bottom of this email.

Health Alert: Children, Cars and Second-Hand Smoke. Just ten minutes in the back seat of a car with a smoker in the front seat increased a child’s exposure to harmful pollutants by 30%, even with the front windows completely rolled down. British Medical Journal, November 2012

Diet: Cholesterol and Probiotics. Two daily doses (200mg) of a probiotics lowered “bad” (LDL) and total cholesterol in study participants. Probiotics are live microorganisms (naturally occurring bacteria in the gut) thought to have beneficial effects. Common sources are yogurt or dietary supplements. Those taking the probiotics had LDL levels 11.6% lower than those on placebo after nine weeks. American Heart Association, November 2012

Exercise: Belly Fat and Sleep Quality? Losing weight can directly aid in improving sleep quality among obese or overweight people. Sleep quality was meaningfully associated with weight loss, either from changes in diet or a healthy diet combined with exercise. Sleep quality improvement was also observed with a loss in belly fat. With an average loss of 15 pounds and 15% belly fat, sleep scores improved by 20%. Chronic sleep disruptions can elevate the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and stroke. American Heart Association, November 2012

Active Release / Chiropractic: Spinal Degenerative Joint Disease. Spinal DJD (degenerative joint disease) occurs in most people as early as 40 years of age. The degeneration is due to gravity, major traumas, and repetitive micro-traumas (activities of daily living). Once the spine degenerates, simple mechanical compression (moving) can change nerve impulses, and the central nervous system may interpret that as pain. Pain, 1977 (Maintain that spinal mobility by getting ART and chiropractic treatment!)

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep and The Immune System. Sleep deprivation increases the risk for developing inflammation related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes. Biological Psychiatry, September 2008

Quote: “Never confuse motion with action.” ~ Ben Franklin

Video Link: Dr. Stripling’s self help for mid and upper back pain (click)

Guess who won Xterra Indian Peaks & What’s that moose doing there?

This past weekend was a busy one for the staff here at Denver Chiropractic Center. I (Glenn) headed up to Eldora ski resort for the Xterra Indian Peaks Off-Road Triathlon on Saturday. As we were lining up to jump into the 60 degree water for the swim, a big ol’ moose came lumbering down to take a drink from the lake.

Luckily the moose just stuck to his or her own business, and the race went off as planned. I took over 37 minutes off of my previous time at Eldora (in 2008, when I finished dead last). I went from 4:01 to 3:24. Far from great, but much better. So I was happy.

My friend, coach, and Xterra pro Cody Waite won the whole darned thing with a ridiculously fast 1:49 (Cody did the whole race in less time than it took me to ride the bike course.)

Cody Waite and his wife Kathy own Endurance Performance Coaching, the official training partner of Denver Chiropractic Center. If you’re looking for a coach, Cody and Kathy are both great athletes and great people. Get more info on their company at their website.

Next up for me (still Glenn) is Xterra Lory at Horsetooth Reservoir on August 26th.

Meanwhile, Dr. Stripling and Keri were hard at work helping out at the Boulder Half Ironman (70.3) all weekend long. Jeff worked on lots and lots of athletes, and assisted at the finish. Keri kept all of the on-site ART tent running smoothly, and also helped out at the finish. Congratulations to our many patients who did this race.

And here is this week’s 1-Page Health Update:

Mental Attitude: Stress and Violence. Children exposed to community violence exhibit a physical stress response for up to a year, suggesting that exposure to violence may have negative long-term health consequences. In the short-term, violence is linked with aggression, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms and academic and cognitive difficulties. Journal of Adolescent Health, July 2012

Health Alert: Health Care Costs For Kids. In 2010, per capita spending on children’s health care increased to $2,123 (an 18.6% increase from 2007), with spending on health care for infants and toddlers being noted as disproportionately high. Even though children below the age of 3 made up 17% of the covered child population, they cost the 31.4% of the total amount for children’s health care, with per capita spending reaching $3,896 in 2010. Health Care Cost Institute, July 2012

Diet: Eating Fish! Regular fish consumption can decrease colorectal cancer risk by 12%. American Journal of Medicine, June 2012

Exercise: Eat Less, Move More, and Live Longer. In a study on dietary restriction (DR) involving fruit flies, the flies that were also physically active experienced longer lives. This study establishes a link between DR-mediated metabolic activity in muscle, increased movement and the benefits derived from restricting nutrients. Flies on DR who could not move or had inhibited fat metabolism in their muscle did not exhibit an extended lifespan. If this finding extends to humans, then simply restricting nutrients without physical activity may not increase longevity. Cell Metabolism, July 2012.

Quote: “If parents pass enthusiasm along to their children, they will leave them an estate of incalculable value.” ~Thomas A. Edison

Race report from Xterra Beaver Creek and This Week’s 1-Page Health News

I (Glenn) raced in the Xterra Beaver Creek off-road triathlon (sport distance) this past Saturday. I had a good day, knocking 23 minutes off of last year’s time to finish in 2:19. Not bad.

Here’s me on the bike:

My kids then lined up for the kids race, and my 4-year-old Jason almost won the 4 & under category.

Next up for me is a return to the Xterra off-road tri at Eldora, where I finished last by over 30 minutes in 2008. I’m hoping the improvement continues.

And here’s this weeks 1-Page Health News

Mental Attitude: Appreciation! People who appreciate what they have are more likely to live happy, satisfied lives. Personality and Individual Differences, March 2012

Health Alert: Life-Threatening Accidental Acetaminophen Overdosing In Children! Acetaminophen, a widely available over-the-counter medication, can cause liver toxicity in children if recommended doses are exceeded. Clearly, more public education is needed to warn of potential adverse effects. Repeated supratherapeutic dosing (above the recommended dose), accidental overdose (due to error) and intentional ingestion can all result in acute liver failure and even death. 11% of children who are given pharmaceuticals experience a medication error such as an incorrect medication, incorrect dose or method of administering. Acetaminophen overdose is the most common agent responsible for a life-threatening event, longer-term illness or death among children. Canadian Medical Association Journal, June 2012

Diet: Tart Cherry Juice. Drinking tart cherry juice two times per day for three weeks resulted in considerable reductions in vital inflammation markers. This is good news for arthritis and join pain sufferers (and athletes).American College of Sports Medicine Conference, May 2012

Exercise: Improved Health With Less Training? The new 10-20-30 training concept consists of a warm-up at a low intensity followed by 3-4 blocks of 5 minutes running interspersed by 2 minutes of rest. Each block consists of 5 consecutive 1-minute intervals divided into 30, 20 and 10 seconds of running at a low, moderate and near maximal intensity, respectively. Runners were able to improve performance on a 1500m run by 23 seconds and almost by a minute on a 5km run, despite a 50% reduction in their total amount of training. The runners also had a significant decrease in blood pressure and a reduction in blood cholesterol. Journal of Applied of Physiology, June 2012

Chiropractic: The Rusty Gate! A gate is a good analogy for understanding bone joint degeneration. A new gate moves free and easy, much like healthy joints. In time, as the joint and gate hinge begin to breakdown or rust, movement becomes restricted and slower. With chiropractic care, your joints can maintain proper motion. For the gate, try WD40. ☺

Wellness/Prevention: Brush Your Teeth! People who receive regular teeth cleanings had a lower chance of heart attack and stroke. American Journal of Medicine, June 2012

Quote: “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” ~ Albert Einstein

This past week at Boulder Peak, and the latest edition of Denver Chiropractic Center’s 1-Page Health News

This past week the staff from Denver Chiropractic Centers all over the state. Dr. Hyman was up in Beaver Creek training for Xterra Beaver Creek on July 14. While biking, he ran into a bear under lift 11. There’s a little snippet of video posted on our blog: http://www.denverback.com/?p=861

Dr. Stripling and Keri were up working hard leading the Active Release treatment team at the Boulder Peak Triathlon this weekend. Here’s a picture from the brief window when Dr. Hyman stopped by:

And here’s the 1-Page Health News for You…

Mental Attitude: Immune Against Alzheimer’s? Researchers discovered the best marker associated with memory is a gene called CCR2. This gene showed immune system activity against beta-amyloid, thought to be the main substance that causes Alzheimer’s disease. According to Dr. Lorna Harries, “Identification of a key player in the interface between immune function and cognitive ability may help us to gain a better understanding of the disease processes involved in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.” National Institute on Aging, June 2012

Health Alert: Cancer Rates Expected To Increase! Cancer incidence is expected to increase more than 75% by the year 2030 in developed countries, and over 90% in developing nations. Countries must take action to combat the projected increases in cancer rates via primary prevention strategies such as healthier lifestyles, early detection, and effective treatment programs. Lancet Oncology, June 2012

Diet: Snacking On Raisins. Eating raisins as an after-school snack prevents excessive calorie intake and increases the feeling of fullness as compared to other commonly consumed snacks. Grapes, potato chips and cookies resulted in approximately 56%, 70% and 108% higher calorie intake compared to raisins, respectively. The cumulative calorie intake (breakfast + morning snack + lunch + after-school snack) was 10-19% lower in children who ate raisins as an after school snack when compared to children who consumed other snacks. Canadian Nutrition Society, May 2012

Exercise: Exercise and Cancer. Researchers are working toward proving that daily yoga or 20 minutes of walking will likely extend a cancer patient’s survival. In 15 years, doctors have gone from being afraid to recommend exercise to cancer patients to having enough data that shows it is safe and effective, particularly for relief of treatment side effects. American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, June 2012

Active Release: A whole lot of nerve? Your nervous system runs and controls every aspect of your body. For example, there are 45 miles of nerves in your skin alone. Nerves throughout your body can become trapped in muscles, causing symptoms from headaches to carpal tunnel to sciatica to tingling in the toes. Active Release can take pressure off of nerves and fix problems. Gray’s Anatomy / Active Release Techniques

Wellness/Prevention: Early Stress? Children who experience intense and lasting stressful events in their lives score lower on tests of the spatial working memory and have more trouble on tests of short-term memory. Journal of Neuroscience, June 2012

Quote: “Remember to perform random acts of kindness.” ~ From the film Pay It Forward, released in 2000

Confessions of a barefoot failure


Me & Bobby McGee. Trying to solve the problem.

In early 2010, I drank the barefoot running Kool Aid. I’ve written about that part of the story before, but I’ll briefly review it for those of you who may not remember.

After reading the book Born to Run, I decided to start running barefoot on my treadmill. I felt good, so I bought some “Barefoot Shoes”. My knee pain went away, I started telling all of you to try it, blah, blah, blah. I tried to go from running as a heel striker to running as a mid-foot striker. It worked for about a year. And then some new injuries set in.

Last week (as I sit writing this) I spent Friday at my 1st grader’s field day. For those of you who don’t know, it’s like a kiddie Olympics held outside at school on a nice spring day. The kids do all sorts of things, like tug-of-war, throw the ball as far as you can, and a round-the–bases relay race.

The round-bases-race was interesting, because I got to watch kid after kid after kid run. As a student of running mechanics, it was quite enlightening.

After observing about 30 kids, I can tell you that only about 1 in thirty kids is a heel-striker. They’re almost all mid-foot strikers, and their feet are quick – touch down, pull up. They all looked smooth and efficient.

So why do the people who gather data on such matters say that about 75% of adult runners are heel strikers*? What happens? Should we all be mid-foot striking or do what comes naturally?(*reference- Foot Strike Patterns of Runners At the 15-Km Point During An Elite-Level Half Marathon HASEGAWA, HIROSHI; YAMAUCHI, TAKESHI; KRAEMER, WILLIAM J. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, August 2007 – Vol. 21 – Issue 3.)

The answer? I have no idea.

So I decided to go see expert running coach Bobby McGee for a 90 minute mechanics evaluation / lesson. Here’s what Bobby had to say (paraphrasing):

“For most runners, unless they want to be elite runners, it doesn’t make any sense at all to try to force a style of running. If you’re a heel striker, don’t try to force yourself to be a mid foot striker. If you are strong enough to run barefoot, great. But if you’re not, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

The conclusion – be who you are, and work to optimize the mechanics that you’re used to. So instead of forcing yourself out heel striking, work with it. Remember, we’re all individuals, and your unique running style is just that- yours. Don’t go changing for the sake of change. Like I did.

For the record, Bobby spent more time working on what my upper body was doing than he spent on my lower body. This made a huge difference. He also told me that my feet were not strong enough for running in so-called barefoot shoes. So there you go, I’m a barefoot failure. If you are serious about running, you might want to go spend 90 minutes with Bobby. He’s brilliant.

Dr. Glenn Hyman’s Race Schedule, 2012

I know a lot of you have been wondering, “Which races is Glenn Hyman from Denver Chiropractic Center doing this year?”

July 8 – Boulder Peak Olympic (road)

July 14 – Xterra Beaver Creek (Sprint Distance, trust me it’s plenty)

August 4- Xterra Inidan Peaks (In the middle of co-leading the ART treatment team for the Boulder Ironman 70.3)

August 26 – Xterra Lory (Horsetooth Reservoir, CO)

How’d the staff do at Elephant Rock? & this week’s 1-Page Health News.

First off, I (Glenn) want to start by wishing my parents a happy 45th wedding anniversary. 45 years!?! That’s incredible.

And yes- Miss Keri & Dr. Stripling both did the Elephant Rock ride yesterday…

Miss Keri: 34 miles in 2:30.

Dr. Stripling: 100 miles in 7:49.

Me? I set the record for eating Bon Bons and watching paint dry in my back yard. 3 boxes in under 10 minutes. Just kidding. I’m cramming for Xterra Curt Gowdy on June 24th (off road triathlon). I rode, ran and swam yesterday. Then I mowed the lawn.

Here’s this week’s 1-Page Health News…

Mental Attitude: Facebook Addiction? According to Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen, some users of Facebook have developed a dependency to the social networking site. “Facebook Addiction” is more common among young people who are anxious and socially insecure, probably because those who are anxious find it easier to communicate via social media than face-to-face. Psychological Reports, May 2012 Health Alert: Infection and Cancer. Each year, 16.1% of the 12.7 million total new cancer cases in the world are due to infections that are largely preventable or treatable. Most of these cancer-causing infections were of the gut, liver, cervix and uterus. The Lancet Oncology, May 2012

Diet: Black Pepper and Fat. Black pepper has been used for centuries in traditional Eastern medicine to treat gastrointestinal distress, pain, inflammation and other disorders. A new study found that Piperin, the pungent-tasting substance that gives black pepper its characteristic taste, can block the formation of new fat cells. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, May 2012

Exercise: Strong Bones! Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide, yet many are unaware they are at risk. The disease has been called the silent epidemic because bone loss occurs without symptoms and the disease is often first diagnosed after a fracture. Osteoporosis is more common in women, but men also develop it, usually after age 65. Young men who play volleyball, basketball or other load-bearing sports for 4 hours a week or more may gain protection from developing osteoporosis later in life. Men who increased their load-bearing activity from age 19-24 not only developed more bone, but also had larger bones compared to men who were sedentary during the same period. Bigger bones with more mass are thought to offer a shield against osteoporosis. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, May 2012

Chiropractic: “I came to the point where I wanted an adjustment every day. I believe in Chiropractic.” ~ Evander Holyfield, 4x World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Wellness/Prevention: Ancient Remedy Slows Prostate Problems. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE, is a compound isolated from honeybee hive propolis, the resin used by bees to patch up holes in hives. If you feed CAPE to mice with prostate tumors, their tumors will stop growing. After several weeks, if you stop the treatment, the tumors will begin to grow again at their original pace. Cancer Prevention Research, May 2012

Quote: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” ~ Gandhi

My review of the Recent Crossfit Endurance, by Dr. Glenn Hyman, Denver Chiropractic Center

So, I’m not sure how it all happened, but I ended up enrolling in the CrossFit Endurance Class at CF CrossFit North Fort Collins a few weekends ago (April 7&8, 2012). I’m not a CrossFit Kool-Aid drinker by any means, so I think I can offer a fairly objective review. I also have a few credentials under my belt, as listed above. So I’ve been around the Strength and Conditioning block…

Anyway, I assume if you care enough to read this post you know what CrossFit is – continually varied strength and conditioning work to basically make sure you’re ready for anything.

Crossfit Endurance (CFE) is an interesting off-shoot of the main movement. In a nutshell, the CFE folks believe that most endurance athletes spend too much time going long and slow – running slowly, riding slowly etc. They advocate basing marathon, triathlon and other endurance training on shorter and more intense intervals with occasional forays into longer outings.

So I show up for class on Saturday morning. We start with the usual 45 wasted minutes of going around the room and having everyone introduce themselves. Personally, I always think this is a huge waste of time as who gives a sh*t anyway? After that we get a basic overview of the CFE approach.

The lecture is interesting as it contrasts traditional long-slow base training with CFE’s keep in intense rationale. Since their approach is really at odds with the mainstream of the endurance world, it is interesting to see them lay out their view point. They do admit that no pros are training their way. They also admit that they have no scientific studies to back them up. (And let’s face it, NONE of the so-called research in the strength and conditioning world is actually scientific, right?) So I can roll with that.

If I understand correctly, the idea is something along these lines- don’t sacrifice your strength, power, agility, etc to go long. Don’t become skinny and weak. Maintain your other skills while also training to go long. I’m willing to try this for this racing season and see what happens. I’m far from a great triathlete, so I’ve never been in danger of winning anyway. But I do like to be strong, and I’ve never liked how my strength starts dropping as try season progresses.

After an hour of lecture, we go outside to have the instructors film us while we run. We run a few 200′s around the building and then go live for the filming. We will watch this in a few hours to see how bad our form is, and then compare it to more filming tomorrow.

We then move into the technique part of the class. The powers that be behind CrossFit Endurance are into the Pose Method. This is the movement that espouses leaning forward, mid foot striking, blah blah blah. They favor minimalist shoes (almost everyone was wearing Innov8 shoes). So we did drills. And more drills. We heard about efficiency and blah blah blah.

I personally found it a little annoying. Too much time spent on drills and too little on theory. We alternated lie that for the 2 days: an hour lecture, and an hour of drills.

The lectures were interesting. The details behind the planning based on CrossFit strength workouts and interval work was one of the most interesting hours I have ever sat through at a seminar.

All-in-all, I thought the seminar was interesting. I have no idea if they’re on to something here or are just selling something that’s rogue  to be contrarian. I guess we’ll see. Getting inside some of the CrossFit jargon is a bit of a chore, as I had to keep asking “What’s a Chippy?” Or “Can you define MetCon please?” They patiently tolerated me as an outsider and answered all of my questions.

Is it sciatica or Low Back Pain? How can Denver Chiropractic Center help you with Active Release Techniques?

Low back pain (LBP) can be localized and contained to only the low back area or, it can radiate pain down the leg. This distinction is important as LBP is often less complicated and carries a more favorable prognosis for complete recovery. In fact, a large part of our history and examination is focused on this differentiation. This month’s Health Update is going to look at the different types of leg pain that can occur with different LBP conditions.

We’ve all heard of the word “sciatica” and it (usually) is loosely used to describe everything from LBP arising from the joints in the back, the sacroiliac joint, from the muscles of the low back as well as a pinched nerve from a ruptured disk. Strictly speaking, the term “sciatica” should ONLY be used when the sciatic nerve is pinched; causing pain that radiates down the leg.

The sciatic nerve is made up of five smaller nerves (L4, 5, S1, 2, 3) that arise from the spine and join together to form one large nerve (about the size of our pinky) called the sciatic nerve – like five small rivers merging into one BIG river. Sciatica occurs when any one of the small nerves (L4-S3) or, when the sciatic nerve itself, gets compressed or irritated.

This can be, and often is caused from a lumbar disk herniation (the “ruptured disk”).  A term called “pseudosciatica” (a non-disk cause) includes a pinch from the piriformis muscle where the nerve passes through the pelvis (in the “cheek” or, the buttocks), which has been commonly referred to as “wallet sciatica” as sitting on the wallet in the back pocket is often the cause.

When this occurs, the term “peripheral neuropathy” or “ peripheral nerve entrapment” is the most accurate term to use. Direct trauma like a bruise to the buttocks from falling or hitting the nerve during an injection into the buttocks can also trigger “sciatica.”

The symptoms of sciatica include low back pain, buttocks pain, back of the thigh, calf and/or foot pain and/or numbness-tingling. If the nerve is compressed hard enough, muscle weakness can occur making it hard to stand up on the tip toes creating a limp when walking. In the clinic, we will raise the straight leg and if pinched, sharp pain can occur with as little as 20-30° due to the nerve being stretched as the leg is raised.

If pain occurs anywhere between 30 and 70° of elevation of either the same side leg and/or the opposite leg, this constitutes a positive test for sciatica (better termed, “nerve root tension”). When a disk is herniated into the nerve, bending the spine backwards can move the disk away and off the nerve resulting in relief, which is very diagnostic of a herniated disk. Having a patient walk on their toes and then heels and watching for foot drop as well as testing the reflexes, the sensation with a sharp object, and testing the reflexes at the knee and Achilles tendon can give us clues if there is nerve damage.

At our clinic we’ve gone beyond simple traditional chiropractic adjustments to “align the spine.” We use more advanced techniques, like Active Release Techniques to address the pressure that the muscles can exert on the sciatic nerve. We will also use motion-restoring spinal adjustments to restore healthy mobility to the spine. By utilizing these advanced techniques, we are usually able to get excellent results for our patients with low back pain and sciatica in a relatively short period of time.

It all starts with the initial exam. Call us to schedule yours 303.300.0424. We’re here to help you!