The Big 10 of Nutrition

For those paying attention (not even me most days) you'll remember that I was just at the NFL combine to pow-wow with Team doctors. One of the invited speakers was Amanda Philips; nutritional consultant to the Miami Dolphins, FSU and Tampa Rays.

Over the years, I have personally studied thousands of hours of advanced nutrition. It's one of those things that gets more and more complicated, nerdy and geeky. Ms. Philips was able to bring it down to a simplified message. She found that most players would just toss their meal plans and head to McD's. Think about it, that's buying an Aston Martin DB-9 and filling it up with 87 octane. So she breaks it down. Nutrition in 10 simple steps:

1.  Come back to Earth

Eat food that comes from dirt, not bags. Closer to the ground the better; green leafs better than tree fruit.

 2. Eat a rainbow often

No less than 3 colors of fruit and veg/meal

3. The less legs the better

Quality of protein: fish/egg>poultry>animal

  

4. Eat fats that give back

Eat the fats that are more than just calories. Omega 3's have wonderful benefits besides just being high-dense calories.

5. Breakfast everyday

It really is the most important meal

6. Eat every 3 hours

Eating often reduces your overall calorie consumption, boosts your metabolic rate, and prevents gorging.

7. Stay hydrated

1 oz. of water/lb. of body weight

8. Don't waste a workout

9. Supplement wisely

***Another story for another day

10.Get some sleep

No less than 7 hours per night

My brush with greatness

My brush with greatness

I am now close personal friends with team Chiropractors for all the NFL teams, and by close personal, I mean Facebook. Every year during the combine, they all get together to talk about what challenges they’re having and to learn about new treatment procedures; and it’s open to other doctors. So besides enjoying the shrimp cocktail in the country’s largest metro area devoid of a navigable waterway, I learned tons.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll go into each one more. But here’s the quick version:

1.       New shoulder treatment and rehab protocol

2.       More, muscle-specific treatments for muscle spasms, pulled muscles and sprains

3.       New knee rehab protocols

4.       The latest on diagnosing and treating concussions

5.       Hamstring injuries

6.       Simplified, athlete focused nutrition

And this weekend I’m off to yet another seminar this weekend. This one’s the more boring, behind the scenes stuff like how to manage Obama-care and new ICD-10 (if you don’t know, don’t ask. It’s the cure for insomnia) changes. But, since I’ll be out of town, instead of giving the staff a day off, you get discounted massages. 1 hour, only $49!

The Truth is out there....

And in other news, today pigs flew…

Perhaps a turning point has been reached. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has recommended that patients who seek back pain treatment should consider chiropractic care before taking invasive measures such as electing for surgery. The surgical option should only be considered if conservative therapies fail. According to the JAMA, conservative alternatives like Chiropractic care should be the first “line of defense” because they are safer and more efficient in relieving pain.

The JAMA’s recommendation comes on the heels of a recent study out of the medical journal Spine where sufferers of lower back pain all received standard medical care (SMC) and half of the participants additionally received chiropractic care. The researchers found that in SMC plus chiropractic care patients, 73% reported that their pain was completely gone or much better after treatment compared to just 17% of the SMC group.

This is bigger than most people know. This is Bisciotti saying the Steelers are his favorite team big; Cal Ripken saying he wished he was a Yankee big. 

The difference being, this is true. It is, will and always has been true. They were just keeping it on the dl. But know you know The Truth.

You live off 1/3 of what you eat; your Dr lives off the other 2/3. Daddy needs a new boat, so eat up.

Actually I was just reminded that part of my moral obligation as a doctor was to also prevent disease; so read up and just send in a non-tax deductible donation to the Dr Shawn Lee boat fund. It is not a 501-3c.

Like most Americans I usually mock everything out of Europe. England though has had some minor contributions, mostly Top Gear. But I think they did us a solid here:  (as reported by NY times)

·         Warning #1: This Product May Cause Adverse Effects On Activity And Attention In Children (This warning label is required because The US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese has artificial food dyes yellow #5 and yellow #6 which are proven to be linked to hyperactivity in children.)

And it does. I have firsthand knowledge of this. When my kids have food dye, they turn into a cross between a crack head and the undead.

Your body actually doesn’t require food, it requires nutrients. I see very little nutrients in not just that box, but any box really. Nutritious food comes from nature, not a package. You want what you eat to have gone through as little processing and change as possible (cleaning, cutting and cooking only permissible). For the most part if you can’t catch it, pick it or kill it-don’t eat it. 

Diet is not only a leading cause of heart disease and diabetes; but all death, disease and disability. Including visits to your chiropractor. Chemical stress on the body is a leading cause of inflammation, degeneration and disorder. 

Like they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, however artificially flavored and colored apple food stuff don’t.

Think of the Kids

Where cellulite comes from; please make it stop.

CO2+H2O <-> H2CO3 <->H+ +HCO-3 <-> 2H= +CO3(2)-

(Ok chemistry nerds, the website editing software doesn't understand balancing equations, so it's a little off, I know)

Take a look, and long, hard look. This picture is the most important chemical equation of all time. The carbonate buffer system aka acid-base buffering system aka why does my butt look like cottage cheese equation. Don’t think that’s important? When was the last time you went to Ocean City?

This is what keeps your body at the correct pH. Think of your blood as the county pool. The staff loads it up with enough bleach to kill a horse, but has to put enough acid to eat a Ford to keep it level. If not, your skin will melt off when you get in (not a bad alternative to whatever those kids are depositing). It’s so important, this is very first thing you learn in college physiology.

In a nut shell, your body wants to keep just the right amount of hydrogen. If you get too much it tries to get rid of the excess and vice versa. For the most part though-we have too much hydrogen. It comes from the breakdown of sugar, artificial sweeteners and proteins. It can also build up when we have breathing issues such as COPD, heart conditions, asthma etc.; but mostly diet.

What happens is when you drink a diet coke, you get a buildup of H, so the body makes water (H20) to get rid of the H. To make water you need an oxygen. Where does that oxygen come from? According to the chart carbonate yes, but ultimately the body tissue. So now the body is missing an oxygen (hypoxia). What does hypoxia do? Lot’s of bad stuff, like inflammation, but also tissue dimpling-Cellulite; (also leading cause of kidney stones).

So, drink more water? Yes. But if we introduce more carbon, we can force the equation the other way and force hydrogen out through the kidneys while saving the oxygen for our back side. Where do we find carbon? Kale, Brussels Sprouts and other leafy green vegetables. That or buy a bigger swimsuit.

Whip it, Whip it Real Good

If you've been in an auto accident, chances are you may be hurt worse than your car. Symptoms range from neck and back pain with headaches to ringing in the ears, tingling in the fingers or toes; to feeling like, well that you got hit by a car; and much, much more. It may be immediate or it could take years before you start to notice the symptoms, depending how much damage was done to your body, how big you and your car are and your age.

For you science geeks: Upon impact, the target vehicle begins to move forward into the occupant, making contact chiefly through the seat back. In accordance with Newton's 1st law of motion, the occupant's inertia resists this motion. As the seat back continues to move forward, the occupant must yield. Initially, the thoracic curve is flattened by the seat back. This results in a vertical compressive force which is transmitted through the spine. As the vertical compressive force continues up the spine, some rise of the torso also occurs. This is called ramping and is halted after 1-3 inches of vertical displacement, usually because of the restraining effect of the seat belt and the weight of the torso. Meanwhile, as the torso now is undergoing both a -z acceleration vertically and a forward x linear acceleration, the head-also acting in accordance with Newton's 1st law of motion-resists this motion. As the vertical force extends upwards into the neck it initiates flexion of the upper cervical motion segments and hyperextension of the lower segments. Compression then quickly gives way to tension as the upward moving head and now downward moving torso attempt to disengage. Also, as the torso moves forward with respect to the head, significant amounts of horizontal shear force occur in the neck roughly parallel to the facet joint line, and now for the rest of us: Your head snaps back and forth like a whip, jacking everything up.

 

The damage never goes away on its own and may actually get worse over time. If you're in pain after a car accident, or have been in a car accident and want to prevent the pain from coming. Give us a call: 443-512-0025

Dr. Shawn R Lee, chiropractor; Susquehanna Spine & Rehab. Chiropractic, Physical Therapy & Massage in Bel Air & Abingdon, Harford County Maryland

Physical Therapy and Back pain

Core stabilization, or core strengthening has been around for many years and has been ‘borrowed’ by sports performance training programs, exercise programs such as Yoga, Pilates and Boot Camps. In Physical Therapy and rehabilitation, core stabilization means that activation of the trunk muscles must occur first in order for us to create a stable base of support that allows us to move our arms and legs. Making the trunk muscles stronger keeps the spine stable and helps the body stay balanced with movement; preventing falls and injury. In other words: core=balance and stability and therefore less back pain.

While those banging six packs (see also, me J) look great down at the ocean, that in and of itself is not the core. The “core” muscles run the entire length of the torso from the hips to the shoulders. When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle and create a solid base of support. This allows us to stand upright and move on two feet, shift our weight and move in any direction. This distribution of weight protects the back from injury. An effective core conditioning program needs to target all muscles of the core to be effective.

Exercises that Build Core Strength:

The most effective core strengthening exercises work the torso as a solid unit with both front and back muscles contracting at the same time. The most basic core strengthening exercise is Abdominal Bracing where you try to pull your navel in toward your spine without holding your breath. Most core strengthening exercises don’t require equipment and include:

• Planks: Position yourself face down on hands and balls of feet. Straighten arms. Tighten stomach muscles and lift hips to form a straight line from head to toe. Hold 15-30 seconds. Do not let hips sag to the floor.

• Basic Push Up: Position yourself face down with hands under shoulders and on balls of feet. Tighten stomach muscles and bend elbows to lower chest towards the ground. Keep neck in neutral by gazing towards floor. Straighten elbows to complete one repetition. Do not let hips sag to the floor.

• Bridging: Lay face up on flat surface, knees bent and arms by sides. Slowly raise buttocks and hips, keeping stomach tight. Slowly lower hips again. This completes one repetition.

• Supermans: Lay face down on flat surface with arms stretched overhead and straight legs. Tighten stomach muscles and simultaneously lift arms and legs into the air a few inches then slowly lower them.

Other exercises include the use of stability balls, medicine balls, kettlebells, wobble boards, yoga and pilates. These particular exercises should only be performed under the supervision of a trained professional and when beginning any type of exercise program, always see us first. If done wrong or in pain, rehab exercises can actually worsen your condition.