Posture Training Reduces Chronic Low Back Pain
08/17/08 16:02
Chronic low back sufferers showed significantly less pain and improved ability to move after a 6 month posture training program. The study, recently published in Spine( a leading back pain journal), was the first to add postural biofeedback to conventional physiotherapy. Motor Control Learning in Chronic Low Back Pain, Magnusson ML, et al. Spine. July 15, 2008; Vol. 33, No. 16, pp. E532-E538.
Dr. Weiniger's observation: As taught in Stand Taller~Live Longer, when you train someone to become aware of and strengthen their posture, they have less pain and move better. Less pain and daily StrongPosture™ exercises help strengthen motion to reduce future injuries/episodes and increase the likelihood of someone becoming more active (people in pain are adverse to increasing activity).
Dr. Weiniger's observation: As taught in Stand Taller~Live Longer, when you train someone to become aware of and strengthen their posture, they have less pain and move better. Less pain and daily StrongPosture™ exercises help strengthen motion to reduce future injuries/episodes and increase the likelihood of someone becoming more active (people in pain are adverse to increasing activity).
What Works for Back Pain
08/17/08 16:00
Simple treatments work better than expensive surgery and hi-tech toys like MRIs, according to Forbes magazine(April 21,2008 Back Pain:What Works).
America spent $86 million on back pain in 2005, up 65% in real terms from 1997. And according to Forbes, most of the money went to "brand name narcotics and all sorts of new gadgets". Forbes reports that studies now clearly show the best treatments are low tech. Their recommendation to stay active especially pleases me because it is what I have promoted for years, and fits with the message in my book, Stand Taller~Live Longer. Staying active is great, but you can only exercise in the ways you can move. Strengthening posture means you can get the most from your exercise because you learn to you move with greater symmetry, stronger balance, and better control---in other words, more effectively.
In addition, as a doctor of chiropractic, I am delighted with this observation re back pain--"regimens with strong statistical evidence for their use: spinal manipulation from a chiropractor". However, I wonder why they follow up the sentence with a backhanded "(why this works isn't clear)". I have never seen such a parenthetical question next to any of the very expensive and very pretty full page ads for drugs (of dubious effectiveness, per their article) appearing in the magazine--Why is that?
America spent $86 million on back pain in 2005, up 65% in real terms from 1997. And according to Forbes, most of the money went to "brand name narcotics and all sorts of new gadgets". Forbes reports that studies now clearly show the best treatments are low tech. Their recommendation to stay active especially pleases me because it is what I have promoted for years, and fits with the message in my book, Stand Taller~Live Longer. Staying active is great, but you can only exercise in the ways you can move. Strengthening posture means you can get the most from your exercise because you learn to you move with greater symmetry, stronger balance, and better control---in other words, more effectively.
In addition, as a doctor of chiropractic, I am delighted with this observation re back pain--"regimens with strong statistical evidence for their use: spinal manipulation from a chiropractor". However, I wonder why they follow up the sentence with a backhanded "(why this works isn't clear)". I have never seen such a parenthetical question next to any of the very expensive and very pretty full page ads for drugs (of dubious effectiveness, per their article) appearing in the magazine--Why is that?
Back Pain Spending Up 65% since 1997
08/17/08 15:42
Spending to treat back pain in the US rose 65% in the past decade. Spine patients say they feel worse according to a huge study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. So if spending on low back surgery is going up, and spending (reimbursement) for chiropractors is going down, is it possible that we're treating this problem backwards?
Another datapoint pointing to my contention that the solution to back pain is less surgery and less drugs, but more consistent chiropractic and posture exercise.
Back Pain Spending Up 65% since 1997,Wall Street Journal-February 13th 2008
Another datapoint pointing to my contention that the solution to back pain is less surgery and less drugs, but more consistent chiropractic and posture exercise.
Back Pain Spending Up 65% since 1997,Wall Street Journal-February 13th 2008
Drugs don't work
04/04/08 15:56
According to a recent MSNBC article, the effectiveness of many popular and widely prescribed drugs are in strong doubt. On the heels of the widely watched problems with Vioxx caused heart problems (marketed as drugs like naprosyn came off prescription and became over the counter), new studies show many drugs are no better than alternatives (INCLUDING EXERCISE and other natural remedies).
According to MSNBC:
I know many drugs are wonderful and help millions, but perhaps spending $30 billion a year by the pharm industry marketing drugs in ever increasing numbers to the general public doesnt translate into clinical effectiveness. And perhaps more people moving the joints of their body fully, on a daily basis, is a better solution than drugs for many problems.
According to MSNBC:
- "Avandia, may raise the risk of heart attack, and that antidepressants, the most widely prescribed drugs in America, may work no better than placebo."
- "the federal Food and Drug Administration expanded use of a top cancer drug, Avastin, to treat breast cancer, on basis of a trial that showed that while the drug slowed the disease, it didn’t impact overall survival."
- "millions of...Vytorin users learned that it and its component drug, Zetia, failed to work as widely expected"
I know many drugs are wonderful and help millions, but perhaps spending $30 billion a year by the pharm industry marketing drugs in ever increasing numbers to the general public doesnt translate into clinical effectiveness. And perhaps more people moving the joints of their body fully, on a daily basis, is a better solution than drugs for many problems.
Fast Food HealthCare
03/18/08 15:44
Another datapoint in the trend towards the retailing of healthcare: Walgreen Buying Health Centers, Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2008.
Walgreen-the nation's largest drugstore chain(by $)- bought I-trax Inc ($259.7 million cash) and Whole Health Management. The purchase gives Walgreen over 500 worksite (in businesses like Lowe's, Toyota Motor Corp, Continental Airlines, Sprint Nextel, and more) and instore Take Care Health Clinics health centers in 40 states.
This is another blip in trend towards big boxes entering the healthcare niche. In 2007 Wal-Mart set a goal to be the nation's largest healthcare provider by 2014, and in January Wal-Mart's CEO told store managers about a PILOT program to help "select employers save employers $100 million this year by removing unnecessary costs."
IMHO, Patients and providers will likely disagree with the company's definition of "unnecessary", and the trend towards reducing coverage and reimbursements will continue to accelerate.
Healthcare quality and service will change for many, and likely not for the better. The challenge for consumers will be finding providers who can economically empower them to economically care for themselves. And the opportunity for providers will be creating organizations and patient relationships geared towards empowering patients so care can provided economically.
Steven Weiniger
Walgreen-the nation's largest drugstore chain(by $)- bought I-trax Inc ($259.7 million cash) and Whole Health Management. The purchase gives Walgreen over 500 worksite (in businesses like Lowe's, Toyota Motor Corp, Continental Airlines, Sprint Nextel, and more) and instore Take Care Health Clinics health centers in 40 states.
This is another blip in trend towards big boxes entering the healthcare niche. In 2007 Wal-Mart set a goal to be the nation's largest healthcare provider by 2014, and in January Wal-Mart's CEO told store managers about a PILOT program to help "select employers save employers $100 million this year by removing unnecessary costs."
IMHO, Patients and providers will likely disagree with the company's definition of "unnecessary", and the trend towards reducing coverage and reimbursements will continue to accelerate.
Healthcare quality and service will change for many, and likely not for the better. The challenge for consumers will be finding providers who can economically empower them to economically care for themselves. And the opportunity for providers will be creating organizations and patient relationships geared towards empowering patients so care can provided economically.
Steven Weiniger
South Beach Diet Author endorses posture training
02/28/08 15:29
South Beach Diet Author endorses posture training
The author of the popular South Beach Diet, Arthur Agatson, endorsed functional exercise targeted at building a strong core (like Pilates and StrongPosture exercises). As noted in a recent MSN report Dr. Agatson advises replacing machine workouts with whole body exercises which engage a fuller kinetic chain, and recommends that "if you take just one gym class a week, make it Pilates".
We agree to the point of using the same words in advising against working what we both call ""mirror" muscles—ones that look good in the mirror or on the beach." The problem lies in that by isolating one muscle other links in the kinetic chain are supported by the machine and so a muscle imbalance is generated.
It's fun seeing ideas once thought of as radical entering mainstream.
The author of the popular South Beach Diet, Arthur Agatson, endorsed functional exercise targeted at building a strong core (like Pilates and StrongPosture exercises). As noted in a recent MSN report Dr. Agatson advises replacing machine workouts with whole body exercises which engage a fuller kinetic chain, and recommends that "if you take just one gym class a week, make it Pilates".
We agree to the point of using the same words in advising against working what we both call ""mirror" muscles—ones that look good in the mirror or on the beach." The problem lies in that by isolating one muscle other links in the kinetic chain are supported by the machine and so a muscle imbalance is generated.
It's fun seeing ideas once thought of as radical entering mainstream.
Beginnings
02/17/08 15:27
To all of my friends who keep asking when I will start blogging----You win.
Welcome to my first post- and I welcome your feedback, contributions and ideas. After 25 years of practice and spending 20 weekends a year for the past few years running around the country lecturing, I have come to a few conclusions about posture, chiropractic, muscle therapy and health...and remain more convinced than ever that moving well is absolutely KEY to aging well.
This blog will (hopefully) chronicle my observations and readings of articles, research and info about posture and health- feel free to enjoy and add your own thoughts.
And of course, it is about our new book, Stand Taller ~ Live Longer. Get a copy, read it, and begin to feel a difference in everything in life when you move with StrongPosture.
Welcome to my first post- and I welcome your feedback, contributions and ideas. After 25 years of practice and spending 20 weekends a year for the past few years running around the country lecturing, I have come to a few conclusions about posture, chiropractic, muscle therapy and health...and remain more convinced than ever that moving well is absolutely KEY to aging well.
This blog will (hopefully) chronicle my observations and readings of articles, research and info about posture and health- feel free to enjoy and add your own thoughts.
And of course, it is about our new book, Stand Taller ~ Live Longer. Get a copy, read it, and begin to feel a difference in everything in life when you move with StrongPosture.
ARTICLE: Stay active to move better as you age- Running a Marathon at 62!
02/08/08 15:28
ARTICLE: Stay active to move better as you age- Running a Marathon at 62!
Article in this weeks NY Times- Researchers find that while you will slow down somewhat as you age, if you stay active, OR IF YOU GET ACTIVE NOW, you can likely keep moving far better as you age. Case in point- — one man first took up running at 62 and ran a marathon, a year later, in 3 hours 25 minutes.
Article in this weeks NY Times- Researchers find that while you will slow down somewhat as you age, if you stay active, OR IF YOU GET ACTIVE NOW, you can likely keep moving far better as you age. Case in point- — one man first took up running at 62 and ran a marathon, a year later, in 3 hours 25 minutes.