I am often amused while watching TV weight training programs when the instructor demonstrates an arm curl, for example, and says to be sure to contract your abs; as if there was an alternative. I challenge anyone to do a 5RM set with relaxed abdominal muscles. If you have ever tried a cable crossover (chest exercise), especially one arm at-a-time, you will have experienced the high level of contraction required by the abdominal muscles (the obliques are really stressed) as they struggle to keep your trunk facing forward, you will understand how they can be trained by non-isolation exercises.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that ab exercises like crunches should be discarded. For weight trainers who do not do high intensity workouts (beginners, for example) they are certainly useful. There are some people who do abs only once or twice a week and develop just fine. Others prefer to do abs with every workout, and that is perfectly acceptable, up to five or more times a week. And don't forget that it is important to train the entire abdominal cavity, so don't neglect your lower back.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is an often used method for determining a desirable body weight. It is inaccurate in the sense that it deals only with total weight, but does not account for lean body mass versus fat mass. Therefore, the number obtained by using this technique may indicate that you are "just right," when you may in fact be too fat. On the other hand, the BMI may indicate that you are overweight even though you may be quite muscular, and with a low amount of fat. But, it does not require any esoteric equipment, and it is just a guideline, as opposed to an absolutely accurate measure of body composition. You can tell if you are Adonis-like or obese, or not. The ultimate use for BMI is as an indicator of health risks based on body weight.
BMI is calculated as follows:
If your BMI tells you that you need to lose weight, and you believe it, you would do well to pursue that goal. Losing some extra pounds may reduce risk of cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more.
The waist-to-hip ratio is a technique by which a second condition related to being over-weight (overfat) can easily be determined. This test is to determine where the primary fat storage area is located - the familiar "pear" or "apple" shape; where an apple is a pot belly or spare tire (called the android fat pattern - mostly a male characteristic), and a pear is the term used to describe fat primarily stored in the hip and thigh area (called the gynoid pattern, and commonly a female characteristic). The apple shape presents a greater health risk because the fat is stored in and around abdominal organs. Android fat has a higher likelihood than gynoid fat of breaking down and ending up in your bloodstream, where it can do its famous artery clogging routine. Put another way, gynoid fat is subcutaneous (between the skin and muscle), while android fat is behind the muscle wall where it has easier access to organs.
These tests are somewhat pointless in my estimation. Just stand naked in front of a mirror, and it will be eminently obvious whether you are a pear or an apple, and whether or not you need to lose some weight; but for those numbers diehards, here are some (in addition to those already presented).
Your waist-to-hip-ratio is determined by:
Since back pain is such a common experience, let's examine it. The total cost of back pain in the U.S. each year has been estimated to be in the neighborhood of $20-$50 billion. Those are some pretty staggering figures, but there are some things that we can do to lessen the load, as it were.
First, let's clarify that we are focusing on low-back pain. It's not the only site of back pain, but easily the most common one - a result of supporting the majority of one's weight. The vertebrae in the lumbar portion of the spine are the largest in the body, but are still most susceptible to injury.
Some common sources of back pain are:
The question is: what can we do to relieve back pain? There are a number of strategies depending on severity of the problem.
For less than a severe, acute attack, typical treatment modalities include bed rest, medication, and physical therapy.
Bed restis not so often prescribed as in the past, but for severe cases may be tried briefly (commonly no longer than three days), and frequently along with ice therapy. It is now recognized that too much bed rest can make the problem worse.
Medicationsmay include OTC pain relievers like aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol), prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers, or corticosteroids.
Physical therapycan include applications of ice, heat, both, or massage therapy. After the pain is controlled, an exercise program to improve strength and flexibility is in order. Postural muscles of the abdominal cavity are of particular importance.
Most back pain resolves itself in about two weeks just using simple home treatments, and regardless of treatment modality used, up to 90% resolves itself within about six weeks. For that last 10%, professional help seems to be the answer. If you have suffered obvious trauma or your pain persists, don't hesitate to seek a professional. You may be introduced to a new arsenal of treatments including: prescription medications; electrical stimulation - TENS, which is electrical nerve stimulalation that may stop your pain by blocking nerve signals to your brain (This technique seems to work best on sciatica.); back schools that concentrate on managing back pain and avoiding future flare-ups; physical therapy/exercise, and, in the worst case, surgery.
Exercise, as the closest thing we have to the magic pill, is the most effective weapon against back pain that we have. The resultant strengthening, improvements in flexibility and general fitness, and potential weight loss all may contribute to a healthier back. But start slowly, and choosing a non-weight bearing exercise like swimming may be to your advantage. Bicycling (outdoors or on a stationary bike), or other indoor machines that can be gentler on your back may also be good options. At any rate, it will behoove you to AVOID what could be called high-risk moves/activities like toe touching with straight legs, tennis or racketball, or other sports requiring excessive spinal twisting (Dare I add golf?).
There are some precautions to take to help you avoid back injuries. It is important to maintain constant body awareness, which includes things like general posture, keeping your neck-in-line-with-your-spine, and of course, back dynamics. Body awareness relative to your back includes:
Body awareness is a concept discussed in an earlier Newsletter, and mentioned in the previous article, but let's review it relative to weight training exercises. There are a number of positions that account for exercise form abuses. The so-called "flat back," "don't-project-your-knees-past-your-toes," "keep-your-neck-in-line-with-your-spine, and keep your knees/elbows "soft."
The "flat back" position applies mainly to rowing movements (one-arm row and bent row), dead lifts, "Good Mornings, " and some stretches. The intent of the phrase is to keep from rounding your back. An example is the stiff-legged dead lift, where from a standing position while holding a barbell at arms length at about mid-thigh level, you bend forward and stick your butt out as if you were going to sit down. Your back should form a relatively straight line from hips to head. And it should not tilt either. Maintaining the normal, slight inward curve of your lumbar spine is desirable. Use this position even if you are just bending forward at a water fountain. You should be bending from your hips, and not just rounding your back.
When doing squat-type movements, don't let your knees project forward past your toes. That position puts excessive shearing force on your knees, and can theoretically cause knee damage. With lunges, it is easy to avoid this position, but it is a little harder with squats, unless you are using something like a Smith machine or are doing sliding wall squats. You need to sit back with your weight on your heels, which may take some practice to avoid losing your balance.
Keeping your-neck-in-line-with- your-spine is easy to do, but many people don't. Take a lying leg curl machine, for example. Once you are hooked in your face should be looking at the bench. You should not bend your neck back and face forward. When some people do squats they bend their head back and look upward (about 45°), but their head should be facing forward. If you want to look up, do it by shifting the direction of your eyes. Crunches are also notorious for neck abuse. Many people pull their head forward as they raise their shoulders, then let it snap back as they return to the mat. Your neck shouldn't move. Keep a space between your chin and chest.
And finally, you may have heard someone say to keep your knees "soft," or "don't snap your elbows into a locked position." Keep your joints slightly flexed (soft), with the possible exception of your knees on a knee/leg extension machine. As long as you use a proper controlled motion, it seems to be acceptable to lock your knees when doing this exercise.
Just remember that whatever exercise you are doing, you shouldn't be bobbing your head back-and-forth, or bending your neck backward. Or snapping joints into a locked position.
Ihave come across a rather poignant story about headaches and relief . I had long ago heard a brief story about the treatment to be mentioned, but kind of ignored its value. But listen to one person's experience and make up your own mind about whether it is worth trying for your own condition.
My headaches were something that didn't show up on MRIs or other such tests, and unless neurologists can see something like a tumor growing, they are often skeptical and rarely treat a patient in agony with any real compassion. I had learned several "tricks" to find relief that wasn't coming from my doctors, such as going to Canada regularly to get over the counter meds like Tylenol with Codeine #1s. After 14 years of doing this and also getting pain meds and trying just about everything on the menu for migraine prophylaxis, I nearly died from liver failure for overusing Tylenol. While in intensive care two years ago, my neurologist finally got the hint and started medicating my pain appropriately with MS Contin (morphine). However, there is a huge difference between no pain and killed pain, and I'd yet to experience any days with no pain since sometime around 1983.
After being briefly homeless while waiting for my Social Security to be approved (a wait of many years), I finally was able to move in with a longtime friend who had a computer. I found all kinds of resources for headache sufferers, but what had most impressed me was Dr. Boyd's website for his Headache Prevention Institute in Michigan. Since he didn't charge patients unless they got relief THEY found acceptable, I felt I had nothing to lose, and my friend paid for my airfare to the Detroit area to see Dr. Boyd. Needless to say, I was positive that I would never have to pay the guy. I sat in his office and told him that I would post everything that did and did not happen to me, warts and all, and he didn't even flinch. That was unexpected!
Dr. Boyd is a dentist, and I'd been through the whole TMJ/splint therapy/nightguard routine, which has cost me $15,000+ over the years and experienced no change, except in the size of my bank account. My neurologist read Dr. Boyd's information I had been sent before I flew out to Michigan and felt it was legitimate on its face, but I had been so accustomed to expecting the worst that I was really looking forward to eviscerating the guy on-line to show the world what a jerk he was...and if I didn't respond or felt this was some kind of a con, I would have.
Dr. Boyd made my appliance (called an NTI) while I waited, and I went back to my motel room. Within only a few hours, my neck stopped hurting. This may sound like no big deal, but my neck had been in constant pain for years and nothing I had done had made even the slightest difference. I usually smelled like a BenGay factory. This got my attention. The next morning, after wearing my NTI all night, I woke up for the first time in 15 years with no pain. I was amazed. I went back for one more appointment that same day and then left for home.
Over the next few months, I started experiencing longer and longer periods of relief. At first, I'd just have a few hours or days without any pain. I contacted my neurologist and voluntarily stopped my morphine. Over the past 15 months that I've had my NTI, I've gone from constant, daily pain to only one or two headaches a week--sometimes even fewer. I have gone weeks sometimes without any pain, and when I do get headaches now, they are generally milder than before. My neck pain is almost nonexistent these days, which was worth the expense all by itself.
I went to see Dr. Boyd in November 1997. I believe it was May of 1998 before I finally felt that I could trust the results and actually pay the doctor, and in all that time he never harassed me or questioned my desire to put off making my decision. Basically, if you elect to keep your NTI (this is if you are seeing Dr. Boyd...the other doctors using this method do not use this same payment option), you pay for it after a trial period if you like the results. Otherwise, you return it and owe nothing. Not a single dime! At the time I got my NTI, the cost was $1,650 which I fortunately was able to pay because my Social Security had finally been approved in January 1998, after waiting for years and going through countless hearings and appeals. There is no way I can even imagine returning my NTI. It's my lifeline. My understanding is that the doctors now using the NTI method are charging around $450. Considering that I had paid out anywhere between $1500 to $3500 each for TMJ splints and night-guards and received no relief whatsoever, the money I paid for the NTI was a bargain since it actually worked. For me, it was worth paying more and traveling to see Dr. Boyd than it would be to wait for the FDA approval, which came last summer, and see a local dentist and pay considerably less.
After over 15 years, I have a life now. I am not in constant pain or on pain medications that dull my thinking. I never did get the opportunity to nail Dr. Boyd for making wildly false claims. In fact, he has become a friend whom I greatly admire and appreciate. He has done more for me than any other doctor or drug in existence.I have had headaches most of my life, with my earliest ones starting at age 5. When I was in my mid-twenties, I went from one or two headaches a month (usually menstrually-related) to a daily agony that took me out of the work force rather quickly. I went through a succession of neurologists, emergency rooms, dentists, therapists, chiropractors and biofeedback and other specialists with virtually no change in my headache pattern. Of course, I got the same label that many Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) sufferers end up with: drug seeker. I'm anything but!
I would like to make it clear that this is just one person's experience, and it isn't likely to happen for everyone, but if you have run out of options, here is one more possibility. For more information, about NTI (Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition, if you prefer) see http://www.kulzer.com/nti_frm.htm, http://pw2.netcom. com/~jboyd1/SPLINTS.GIF, or Dr. Boyd's own website at http://www.h-p-i.com. Also note that the NTI is approved by the FDA for tension headaches, and is being reviewed for approval for migraines. But also please note that anecdotal evidence supports the efficacy of NTI therapy for migraines.
This section got pretty squeezed this month, but that will occasionally happen.
(Q) Is it possible that migraines can be triggered by a mineral deficiency?
J.K., Santa Clara, CA
(A) It may be true. For example, testing at the New York Headache Clinic found, in one small 12-week study of migraine sufferers, that those who took a magnesium supplement had fewer headaches than before the study, and that the placebo group had no change in their headache patterns.
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