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The Future of Our Health, It's a Doozy

Published: 9 May 2015
Written by Leah
1 Comment
Categories: Blog

I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be the norm when it comes to leaving this world. I don’t want to suffer from preventable pain, be on numerous medications, and rely heavily on my child or care giver to get around.

What ever happened to dying because your body was just ready, instead of dying because of disease? It seems like an unattainable concept in the world we live in… You simply don’t hear about it because it doesn’t happen much in this country. Well, I don’t know about you, but I want to thrive until one day, capoot, I’m gone.

Yes, I’m gonna talk about death

Did you know that the #3 cause of death in the US is by medical mistakes? You can probably guess what #1 is- heart disease, but #2 is on the rise.. And that is cancer.

Let’s first talk about heart disease. On a positive note, heart disease over the past few years is starting to decline slightly. And do you know what doctors are saying the cause is- an increase in supplementation. We now know that getting good fat soluble vitamins (mainly omega 3s) are going to decrease inflammation. And inflammation is the most common cause of heart disease.

Cholesterol is Not Your Enemy

You see, as we eat poor foods, our body becomes more inflamed, and this includes our blood vessels. Well something has to take care of the inflamed blood vessels, and that is cholesterol. So, your body starts producing more and more cholesterol to fight the inflammation, and then our arteries get packed with cholesterol. So then we take medications to lower cholesterol levels, instead of treating the inflammation!

Well, it’s not the cholesterol that’s killing us slowly, it’s the inflammation. You wouldn’t blame a firefighter for starting a fire he’s trying to put out, the same as you shouldn’t blame cholesterol for your clogged arteries.

And if you remove those firefighters, what happens then to the fire? What happens to the inflammation as you reduce your cholesterol, since cholesterol is there to manage inflammation (among many other important functions like brain health)? It’s no wonder that taking cholesterol medications then leads to taking other medications that only relieve your symptoms, not the root of the cause.

A little about Cancer

Just some food for thought- Our bodies on a daily basis develop cancer cells. When our body is healthy and our immune system is up to par, those cancer cells are taken care of. Done and done. The way our body stays healthy is if it’s getting the nutrients it needs to function naturally, and if we continue to move (instead of getting stagnant) our bodies will stay resilient.

It’s no wonder that indigenous people, who are still eating their natural diet (not a westernized diet), don’t have the astounding prevalence of disease, including cancer, that we in the US (and other westernized countries) have. We are simply not getting the nutrients we need from our food. In fact we get about 25%-50% less nutrients than the previous generation! (Feel free to read this article for the research)

Enter in supplementation

I have never been (up until recently) a supplement taker. Sure, I took my wellness formula when feeling a cold come on, and I like to add spirulina in my smoothies to get some extra vitamins and minerals in my system. But I always thought supplements were for people who didn’t eat well.

Now, however, I’m a bit more hesitant to assume I get all the nutrients I need from the food I eat. I do eat well, mainly veggies, fruit, meat, some rice, nuts.. (no refined flours or sugars, and organic everything if it’s available). But I know my body is bombarded with toxins and free radicals daily (from the air, water, and radiation from wifi, etc).

So, when I stumbled upon a supplement that made sense to me, I thought I’d give it a try. Lo and behold, my energy is even throughout the day, I have no more sugar cravings (hooray for not being controlled by that 3pm chocolate fix!), and I have not gotten sick while my husband has had 2 colds (before finally giving in to trying the supplements). So, I think I found a winner!

There is so much more info about how the supplement changes peoples lives for diabetics, people with autoimmune disorders, not to mention helping thousands get off a spectrum of medications. If you have a health issue or just low energy and want to know if supplements can help heal the root of your problem, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have! Feel free to call 801-906-3222 or write to me at leahnelsonlmt@gmail.com.

My Main Take-Away

Stop treating your symptoms. I will say it again, stop treating your symptoms. Seriously people. Keep your health in check, go on a journey of health discovery, and if you have to, start small. Not all doctors know everything. Seek advice from numerous experts.

There is a lot of information out there at our fingertips, some good, and a lot bad, including some pretty harmful supplements. In the end, you’ll have to go with your gut. Oh, and did I mention, take care of your gut. It houses 80% of your immune system, and that system keeps your body in check.

If you want to know more about how you might treat the root of your pain, disease, or health issue, please talk to me. I love chatting, and I’m pretty good at pointing people in the right direction and empowering them to be in control of their own health. Cause in the end, you are the one living with your body, so you should have the final say in how to treat it… Not any doctor, massage therapist, chiropractor, parent, or spouse.

Have a healthy day!

Leah Nelson, Free Bodied, 801-906-3222, leahnelsonlmt@gmail.com

Low Back Pain, The Common Causes

Published: 28 January 2015
Written by Leah
1 Comment
Categories: Blog

Needless to say, many things can cause low back pain including digestive issues, hormone imbalance, a herniated disc… But here I will discuss the most common cause- trigger points (TrPs) in surrounding muscle tissue. Yes, fascia definitely plays a part, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll be focusing on the common TrPs that cause those aches and pains in your back.

Hopefully you had a chance to read our previous article on what to do and not to do when you have back pain because here, I’ll mainly be explaining some lovely trigger point patterns and why they occur.

Muscles Affecting the Spine

Paraspinal Muscles

In this first picture, you can see each x representing a TrP and the red coloring represents the pain it causes. The paraspinal muscles (iliocostalis and multifidus pictured) extend your spine, so it’s understandable that they might develop trigger points from sitting with a curved low back (tucked pelvis).

These muscles are working against that curve to make sure you don’t collapse into yourself! You don’t feel them working at the time, but because they are lengthened and active for long periods of sitting, it’s easy for them to get aggravated.

Now if you were able to stack your spine while you sit, so that your muscles weren’t having to work, that’s where you’ll help your back out. Here’s a video on stack sitting.

Another preventative measure for decreasing back pain is strengthening your low back muscles. That way, they won’t fatigue and develop TrPs so easily.

Iliopsoas, ilio what?!

Yes, your iliopsoas, which is a part of your psoas muscle group (pronounced so-as), is usually involved in low back pain if the pain is right next to your spine and covers a few vertebrae. Even though the trigger point is pictured on the back, this muscle actually runs along the front of your spine. So treating the TrP is done by a professional massaging past your abs and organs to get to your psoas. You are not going to get anywhere trying to massage your iliopsoas from the back!

I could spend hours writing about the psoas muscle, so for now, we’ll save it for another rainy day.

Moving Onto the Hips

The lovely gluteus medius is occasionally overlooked when it comes to low back pain. If you experience your low back pain really low,   like on your sacrum or the top of your hips, chances are your gluteus medius could use some trigger point work.

The gluteus medius muscle (pictured left) is a prime candidate for a self massage using a small ball (tennis, lacrosse, racquetball..). It’s quite easy on your own to lie on your side on the ball, find a very tender spot, and hang out there for a minute or so before finding another painful, but oh so good, spot.

Sometimes the pain from gluteus medius and other glute and hip muscles (which cause pain down the leg as well), can be so excrutiating that a doctor might diagnose you with sciatica. Unless you have numbness or tingling, it’s most likely you have TrPs in your glutes, instead of true sciatica.

And as always, feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions, 801-906-3222. It’s likely I’ll be able to steer you in the right direction.

Don’t forget to get your healthy dose of massage from a specialized massage therapist. Here in Salt Lake, our massage therapists are trained in helping you relieve low back pain. So get your trigger point massage on so you can get back to cycling, skiing, hiking, or running!

And if you have been told you have arthritis or you have a propensity for inflammation, take a look at your diet. Seriously. I had a client who finally connected his left shoulder pain to eating too much sugar over the holidays. If you don’t know where to start, start with cutting sugar, processed foods, and wheat. Or you could schedule a free 30 minute Discovery Session to find out about my healthy body system to help you get out of pain, increase energy, and improve health instead of spiral into dis-ease.

Pictures courtesy of Travell & Simons’ Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: Trigger Point Manual

What Contributes to Your Back Pain?

Published: 26 November 2014
Written by Leah
No comments
Categories: Blog

Continuing on our trigger point journey, we come to the low back. It’s amazing how many clients come in with low back pain, and some of them don’t even mention it cause it’s been so chronic and their “new” neck pain is bothering them more.

Since low back pain is so prevalent and can be caused by many different imbalances, I decided to split the article in two. This first article will focus on a few reasons we get low back pain and how to treat them. The second will cover TrPs referring pain to the back (these points are primarily found along the spine, in the glutes, and also in your psoas muscles).

Let me first say that not all back pain is caused by soft tissue imbalance. It’s possible to have a visceral issue (organs can refer pain to your back) and of course there is always a possibility of a disc herniation or bulge.

When a protruded disc contributes to your low back pain, you most likely have a postural imbalance where your low back is actually overstretched and flattened, allowing the disc to protrude from the vertebrae. This is issue can be quite complicated, but your best place to start would be to stretch and massage your hamstrings. One of the last things you’d want to do is stretch your back. When you’re out of acute pain, you want to strengthen your back!

Stretch Your Front Body!

Just because you have pain in your back, does not mean you should spend all your time treating just your back, or hips for that matter. One of the reasons yoga helps relieve back pain is because it stretches the front of your body and strengthens some important deep muscles.

There are few times (if at all) during our day when we try to lengthen the front of our body. Many of us (even those without low back pain) walk around with a shortened front fascial line (running from your front neck to your feet). Usually there are a few key areas that are short, and each person has their own lovely pattern of shortened and lengthened muscle and fascia.

When you start to lengthen your front line, you relieve some back pain because your back finally isn’t working as hard in opposition to a shortened front body. This shortening can be anywhere along the front- sometimes it’s in the front thighs or hip flexors- your psoas attaches to your spine, so it’s no wonder it can cause back pain when short or weakened. And sometimes the shortened area is along your abs or sternum.

There are many ways to stretch your front, but an easy one is to just do upward dog– start laying down and then press your hands into the floor to lift your head and upper body up into a curve. If you are knowledgable at stretching (and really honing in on) your psoas, then go to town!

Not the best way to stretch your hamstrings!

Shortened Hamstrings

The other area often ignored for low back pain is the back of your thighs- your hamstrings. These lovely muscles can cause much discomfort in the low back when they are short. They’ll pull down at the bottom of the pelvis, where they attach, causing your back to flatten out.

When you have a flattened low back, the muscles in that area are lengthened (even though they feel “tight”). When muscles are in their lengthened state, they are weaker and more prone to injury. This is one of the reasons people say “stick your butt out” when lifting. Sticking your butt out engages your back muscles a little, shortening them, so they are much less likely to strain and tear.

One problem with “sticking your butt out” is if you already have really short hamstrings, it’s difficult to stick your butt out! The way to get out of this cycle, is to work on lengthening your hamstrings, not your back!! So, stop stretching your back (like in the picture to the right), and hone in on your hamstrings.

Stretch Your Hamstrings Not Your Back

Ok, so mobilizing your back is great, but if you have back pain, stretching your back will most likely cause more issues. So when you get down to stretch your hamstrings, focus on keeping your spine neutral, no collapsing in the front abs.

Here’s a video on how to stretch your hamstrings and also get some myofascial release of the hams with a lacrosse ball (a tennis or racquet ball could be used as well).

Don’t Stop Moving and Exercising

Unless you are in some acute pain or your gait is changed cause you are in too much pain, you should make sure you get some exercise in. Keeping your muscles resilient, healthy and supple are your best bets to staying out of pain.

Exercise and soft tissue manipulation (aka massage) are the best places to start. A specialized trigger point therapy session can help you get out of pain and also allow your muscles to engage. Trigger points weaken muscles over time, so it’s easy to develop unwanted patterns if you don’t take care of your body.

Stay tuned for the next article about the specific points that refer pain to your low back.

photo by sophiadphotography