Texas Back Institute Shares Surprising Back Facts and Simple Exercises for National Spine Health Day, October 16

Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:00am EDT

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Texas Back Institute Shares Surprising Back Facts and Simple Exercises for
National Spine Health Day, October 16







PLANO, Texas, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialists at the Texas Back Institute
are honoring National Spine Health Day, today, by providing exercises to keep
your back in tiptop shape. The day is designated to bring attention and
awareness to the pervasive problem of back pain, and the experts at the Texas
Back Institute reveal astonishing back facts to keep spine health top of mind.


The problem of back pain is widespreadaffecting nine out of 10 adults at one
point or another during their lifetime. However, early intervention reduces
the likelihood of back pain becoming a chronic problem. Chronic, intermittent
back pain affects 30 percent of the population, and back pain is the most
frequent cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old. 


"Most people don't realize how important a healthy spine is to overall
well-being. Back pain can be devastating to not only one's physical health,
but also one's emotional health and financial standing," said Dr. Jack Zigler,
a world-renowned orthopedic spine surgeon at Texas Back Institute. "Back pain
is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor's office,
outnumbered only by upper respiratory infections."


In honor of National Spine Health Day, the experts at the Texas Back Institute
share these tips to build and maintain a healthy spine: 


    1.  Press-Up
              Lie on the floor on your stomach, and place your hands in a
              push-up position. Slowly push up with arms and allow the back
              to naturally bend as if doing a standing back bend. Relax the
              lower back as much as possible and keep hips on the floor.
              Perform 10 repetitions with no hold.

    2.  Pretzel Stretch
              Lie on your back with knees bent; place opposite ankle on
              opposite knee. Reach and pull bottom thigh up toward the chest
              until you have a mild to moderate stretch. Perform two or three
              stretches on each leg, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

    3.  Bridge
              Lie on your back with knees bent and feet spread shoulder-width
              apart. Slowly lift hips off floor until thighs and trunk are in
              straight alignment, then slowly return to beginning position.
              Perform five to 15 reps in one to two sets.

    4.  Neck Stretch
              Tilt head slowly to the side, with your ear directly over your
              shoulder. Hold 30 seconds, then relax and proceed to other side
              for one to two reps on each side. Next, turn head (as if
              turning head side to side to say "no"). Hold chin in line with
              shoulder 30 seconds, with one to two reps on each side.





"Maintaining a healthy diet and weight while also maintaining proper posture
is key to a healthy spine," said Dr. Zigler. "Most back pain will go away
after two or three days, but if you are in doubt or experiencing leg pain,
make an appointment with a doctor to have your back pain evaluated."


Americans spend at least $50 billion per year on back pain treatment. With the
above tips, the doctors at the Texas Back Institute hope many will realize
what an asset a healthy spine is.  If you have a specific question about
treatment options or pain that you are experiencing, visit
www.texasback.com/ask_the_doctor to submit your inquiry. 


About Texas Back Institute
Texas Back Institute, one of the largest freestanding multispecialty spine
clinics in the United States, was established in 1977 and provides
comprehensive medical care for back and neck pain. Texas Back Institute is a
back care leader specializing in spinal arthroplasty, minimally invasive spine
surgery, degenerative disk disease and spinal deformation. As an academic
health care organization, Texas Back Institute has trained hundreds of
physicians, scientists and allied health professionals. Its research
institution employs state-of-the-art technology and is involved in many
clinical trials, including artificial discs. Texas Back Institute's
professional staff includes board-certified spine surgeons, general surgeons,
internists, physiatrists, pain specialists, exercise physiologists, and a team
of physical and occupational therapists. Texas Back Institute has locations in
Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Mansfield, McKinney, Plano, Rockwall, Trophy Club
and Wichita Falls, Tyler, Odessa, Texas, and Phoenix and Gilbert, Arizona. For
more information, visit www.texasback.com.




SOURCE  Texas Back Institute

Shelly Richardson, +1-214-891-5386, shelly_richardson@richards.com, or Allison
Allison, +1-214-891-5212, allison_allison@richards.com, both of Richards
Partners for Texas Back Institute

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

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lower back stretches

The words are in larger-than-average type. The message is simple: "The Blood Pressure Miracle."

And Frank Mangano, health advocate and natural health writer, says that's all it takes to lower your blood pressure � naturally.

Mangano combines stress reduction, herbs, vitamins, foods and exercise in a 60-day program that he says will change your life.

"People don't want to read a lot of stuff, they just want a simple answer," Mangano says about his to-the-point book.

Q. So are you telling people to stop taking their medications?

A. Absolutely not. I stress that if you are taking blood pressure pills, do not stop without speaking to your health care practitioner. In most cases, medical doctors cooperate with patients on an all-natural plan before resorting to prescription drugs.

Q. And if the doctor won't cooperate?

A. Find another doctor.

Q. OK. Most of the solutions you list are well-known, like do more exercise.

A. Sure. It's very simple, but a lot of people don't want to put in the extra effort. They want to take a pill and be done with it. There are many more things a person can do to get the numbers down to where they should be.

Exercise and changing diet requires effort on the person's part.

Q. This seems a simple book.

A. The answers are not complicated, but there is more than one change you have to make in your diet and lifestyle to lower blood pressure. Just exercising more won't do it.

Q. Herbs, vitamins and supplements?

A. Yes, but these are not magic pills and you can have too much of a good thing. What's why I include a chart of recommended dosage. It is possible to take too much. It's a matter of finding the right balance.

Q. So how does a person start to take charge of blood pressure?

A. I recommend a combination of home monitoring and pressure taken at the doctor's office. In a lot of cases, blood pressure is not taken the right way. It should be taken from the left and right arms and you really should lie down and relax for five minutes before the pressure is taken.

I recommend home monitoring once or twice a day and keeping a record you can compare with the doctor's.

Q. We don't eat as well, move as much as previous generations, do we?

A. No, we don't. We stopped eating right and taking care of ourselves and that's the big reason why high blood pressure has become epidemic. We need proper nutrition, vitamins and supplements, not just a pill to solve the problem.

Q. Let's talk about stress.

A. Stress can kill you. Easily kill you. If someone is at a constant high level of stress, a number of health ailments can result.

Yoga is one stress-reducer I recommend. It does have a positive effect on blood pressure and overall health.

Q. So I'm taking your list of recommended foods, vitamins, herbs and supplements to the store and starting tomorrow. I'll throw away the pills soon, right?

A. You can't start something tomorrow and throw away your meds the next day. This requires effort. You're changing your lifestyle.

You have to figure between 30 and 60 days before you see results. That's why there's a guide in the book to help someone along those 60 days.

You should be able to track your progress with home monitoring and most people do see results before the full 60 days.

Q. You've got some interesting diet suggestions in the book. Like eating bison for calcium, zinc and iron. It's more nutritional than chicken, you say.

A. If the idea of eating buffalo does not appeal to you, consider using the meat in recipes. Once seasoning for recipes like chili or a casserole is added, you won't be able to tell the difference.

Frank Mangano answers questions about how to

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

For individuals who have hypertension that does not respond well to drugs, there may soon be an implantable device that can lower their blood pressure. Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center are in the advanced stages of testing an experimental device that reduces blood pressure, and it may be cost effective as well.

High blood pressure for adults is defined as a systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher. Normal blood pressure is lower than 120 mmHg/80 mmHg, and anything in between these two ends of the spectrum is defined as prehypertension. The American Heart Association notes that about 73.6 million people in the United States age 20 and older have high blood pressure, which is about one in three adults.

The new blood pressure device is called the Rheos High Blood Pressure or Hypertension Therapy System and consists of a battery-powered implantable generator which is placed under the skin near the collarbone. The device has two leads that go to the left and right carotid sinus in the neck. When blood pressure rises, the brain receives signals, which it then responds to by sending signals to the body to relax the blood vessels and inhibit production of stress-related hormones.

To determine whether the implantable device would be cost effective, investigators with the University of Rochester study evaluated data from two large population-based studies and compared the incidence of stroke and heart attack for people with and without the benefit of using the device. They then projected the health care costs associated with stroke and heart attack over a patient’s lifetime. They concluded that if the implantable device maintains its current level of performance, then it is a cost effective way to control high blood pressure.

In order to be considered a cost effective approach to high blood pressure, the study determined that Rheos needed to reduce blood pressure by 24 mmHg. In the current trials the device has lowered blood pressure by 30 to 35 mmHg.

Although most people who have high blood pressure can control it effectively through proper nutrition, exercise, and use of medication, a significant percentage do not response adequately to this approach and often need multiple medications. It is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of people who have high blood pressure are resistant to drug treatment. Two of the strongest risk factors for drug-resistant hypertension are age and obesity.

Rheos is currently in Phase III clinical trials at various locations throughout the United States, including Rochester, as a way to treat drug-resistant hypertension. Finding a way to control this type of high blood pressure is important because these individuals are at greatly increased risk for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, and death. Availability of an implantable device could greatly improve the lives of millions of people who have drug-resistant high blood pressure.

SOURCES:
American Heart Association
Gonzaga CC, Calhoun DA. Current Hypertension Reports 2008 Dec; 10(6): 496-503
Young KC et al. Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich CT) 2009 Oct; 11(10): 555-63

Source: 

Deborah Mitchell

This device is being used with people who are resistant to medications. I wonder if they have tried the exercise programs?

Perhaps nothing in medicine more aptly depicts the paradoxical statement "doing better, feeling worse" than high blood pressure. Despite an extraordinarily easy way to detect it, strong evidence for how to prevent it and proven remedies to treat it, more Americans today have undetected or poorly controlled hypertension than ever before.

The aging of the population is a reason but not the only one, said Dr. Aram Chobanian, a hypertension expert at Boston University Medical Center. As he summarized the problem in an interview and in The New England Journal of Medicine in August, Americans are too sedentary and fat. They eat too much, especially salt, but too few potassium-rich fruits and vegetables.

The makers of processed and fast foods created and persistently promote a craving for high-salt foods, even in school lunch programs. Americans without health insurance often don't know that their blood pressure is too high because they wait for a calamity to strike before seeking medical care.

Solutions to the blood pressure problem require broad-scale approaches — by the public, by government, by industry and by health care professionals. Several measures are similar to those that have been so effective in curbing cigarette smoking; others require better, affordable access to medical care for everyone at risk, including children and the unemployed.

Still others need the cooperation of government, industry and the public to improve

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the American diet and enhance opportunities for health-promoting exercise.

No one claims that the solutions are cheap. But failure to fix this problem portends even greater costs down the line, because uncontrolled hypertension sets the stage for astronomically expensive heart and kidney disease and stroke — diseases that will become only more common as the population ages. Now the upper limit of normal blood pressure is listed as 120 over 80; anyone with a pressure of 140 over 90 or higher is considered hypertensive. Those with pressures in between are considered pre-hypertensive and should take steps to bring blood pressure down or, at least, prevent it from rising more.

It was also long thought that blood pressure naturally rises with age. Indeed, the Framingham Heart Study showed that when 65-year-old people whose blood pressure was below 140 over 90 were followed for 20 years, about 90 percent of them became hypertensive because their arteries narrowed and stiffened with age, causing blood to push harder against artery walls.

But in many societies where obesity is rare, activity levels are high and salt intake is low, blood pressure remains low throughout life. This is the best clue we have for the lifestyle changes needed to prevent illness and premature death caused by hypertension.

Dr. Claude Lenfant, who served as director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is 81 and has a blood pressure of 115 over 60, a level rarely found among older Americans not taking medication for hypertension. His secret: a normal body weight, 4 or more miles of walking daily, and no salt used to prepare his meals, most of which are made from scratch at home.

In an interview, Lenfant, who now lives in Vancouver, Wash., said the problem of hypertension was rising all around the world and added that by 2020 the number of people with uncontrolled hypertension was projected to rise 65 percent. One reason is that doctors today are more likely to diagnose the problem, so it is reported more often in population surveys. "But I'm much more concerned about the fact that so much high blood pressure is not controlled," he said, and called "therapeutic inertia" an important reason.

It is not enough for doctors to write a prescription and tell patients to return for a check-up in six months, he said. Rather, a working partnership between health care professionals and patients is needed to encourage people to monitor their pressure, adopt protective habits and continue to take medication that effectively lowers pressure.

Low Sodium Foods Will Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Vitamin Crucial For Female Blood Pressure

September 28th 2009

Women with low vitamin D levels may be at a raised risk of high blood pressure in the future.

A team led by Flojaune Griffin of the University of Michigan, USA, examined figures from 559 women of European origin, taking part in a study of bone health. The research began in 1992 when the women were 24 to 44 years old.

Vitamin D blood levels were measured in 1993 and blood pressure readings were taken annually until 2007.

At a recent meeting of the American Heart Association, the researchers reported that vitamin D deficiency increased the women's risk of systolic hypertension 15 years later three-fold.

Systolic pressure is the pressure of blood in the vessels when the heart beats. It can cause damage to the heart, the cerebrovascular system, and the kidneys. It is often treated with a low-sodium diet and other lifestyle interventions such as increased exercise and reduced alcohol, as well as anti-hypertensive drugs.

Ms Griffin said: "This study differs from others because we are looking over the course of 15 years, a longer follow-up than many studies. Our results indicate that early vitamin D deficiency may increase the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women at mid-life."

Vitamin D is produced in the body after exposure to ultraviolet B rays from the sun, and can be obtained from foods such as fatty fish or fortified milk products and dietary supplements. There is no general agreement about the optimum daily intake of vitamin D.

"Our study highlights the importance of vitamin D in the risk of high blood pressure later in life, a major health problem in the United States," Ms Griffin concludes.

Research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.

Subscribe or spread the word:

Related Information

• More high blood pressure news articles
• More womens health news articles

A buddy of mine had told me about the Vitamin D connection and blood pressure last year. Its good to know that being out in the sun will increase our Vitamin D levels. And, what better place to do some exercise than out in the sun?? Get busy folks...

Hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure, now affects one in five Canadians. Yet 43 per cent of those men and women who have high blood pressure are unaware of the fact, says the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

There are no symptoms, and equally troubling is that the disease seems to become more widespread and acute as we age. Up to half of all Canadians over the age of 50 have high blood pressure, according to the Hypertension Society of Canada. The society also says that nine out of 10 Canadians may develop high blood pressure unless they adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The consequences can be severe. Hypertension can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney failure. The World Health Organization suggests it will be the leading cause of death and disability globally by 2020.

But amid the bad news there are rays of hope. Hypertension can be prevented and its effects managed through a healthy lifestyle and if necessary medication. That means eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise and avoiding smoking, too much salt and excessive alcohol use.

"Essentially it is following all those things your mother told you when you were growing up," says Dr. Sheldon Tobe, a nephrologist at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

There is also a simple, natural food that research shows seems to be able to help lower blood pressure - milk and milk products like yogurt and cheese.

Prevention is possible

Hypertension is a multi-functional condition arising from a number of factors, explains Dr. Susan Barr, professor of nutrition at the University of British Columbia. High sodium intake is one but so are being overweight, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, a poor diet and genetics.

Any of them can result in the heart having to work harder to circulate blood through the body and like any overworked machine, the heart slowly wears out.

Over time high blood pressure can damage blood vessel walls causing scarring that promotes the build up of fatty plaque deposits, which narrow and eventually block blood flow, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Very high blood pressure can even cause vessels in the brain to burst causing a stroke.

Yet with proper diagnosis and treatment the risk of stroke can be cut by 40 per cent and the risk of heart attack by up to 25 per cent, the foundation says.

“It is most prevalent in those over age 50 and is on the rise in Canada,” Barr says.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80. The first number is measured when you heart beats and pumps blood; the second is taken when your heart relaxes and fills with blood, High blood pressure starts at 140/90. But even a moderate elevation such as 135/85 is a telling indicator that hypertension may be developing.

To bring blood pressure back to normal levels and keep it there starts with a healthy lifestyle, Barr says. That means following the Canada's Food Guide recommendations for a healthy diet, getting off the couch and exercising on a regular basis, and butting out those cigarettes.

Positive changes can help

Diet is key, and research now shows milk products can play an important role in both preventing and managing high blood pressure, Barr says.

She cites a 1997 research study conducted on 459 people in the United States in which the results suggested the nutrients found in milk can play an important role in reducing blood pressure levels. The study Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension resulted in the DASH diet, which the Canadian Hypertension Society now recommends as part of its guidelines for prevention and treatment.

The study participants all shared moderately elevated blood pressure, Barr explains. They were divided into three groups. The first ate their normal diet.

The second was fed meals rich in fruits and vegetables while the third was given the veggie and fruit-rich diet plus three servings a day of milk and milk products such as yogurt and cheese. The diets of all three groups had the same level of sodium.

“The findings showed that those on the fruit- and vegetable-rich diet experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure,” says Barr. “Those on the diet with milk products as well showed an even more significant reduction.”

It appears to be the minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium found in milk that are most beneficial, says Barr. They interact positively in the renal system to mitigate the damaging effects of sodium. Milk also contains bioactive peptides which are natural ACE inhibitors. Those bioactive peptides are the same active ingredient in much stronger doses that are found in high blood pressure drugs such as Altace and Avapro, she explains.

"Interestingly, studies have shown that calcium and potassium in supplement form do not have the same effect as milk and milk products," says Tobe. "There seems to be some synergy created when those healthy fruits and vegetables are eaten with milk and milk products."

“For thousands of years milk has been known intuitively as a great food,” says Dr. Hope Weiler, Canada Research Chair in Nutrition, Development and Aging at McGill University in Montreal. “Their demonstrated benefits in preventing hypertension and managing blood pressure are just one of a host of ways in which milk and milk products protect the body and help prevent disease.”

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Low blood pressure and exercise are buddies

From Men’s Health, reporting on the recent findings of a group of British researchers:

Morning exercise may be risky if you have high blood pressure or other heart disease risk factors. In the morning arteries are less able to widen for the increased blood flow (i.e. they are less flexible), especially in people who are [first] starting an exercise program. This could loosen vulnerable plaque build up in the arteries and cause a blockage. More studies will have to access whether regular exercise helps arteries open up [and regain flexibility].

This information on blood pressure and exercise reminds me of my previous post on high blood pressure and exercise which essentially said the same thing. It seems that it is fairly obvious that for those with high blood pressure who have not been involved in a routine workout program, you should be very careful with the way you set about it. According to my previous post, you should take it easy with your exercise as your heart is not acclimated to the stress. This report suggests that working out in the morning may cause excess stress on the arteries. This leads me to believe that it is probably best for those with high blood pressure to begin their exercise program slowly by exercising after eating in the afternoon and evening.

Walking periodically throughout the day as opposed to one long hike has been shown to do the best for the heart and walking after eating meals has been shown to immediately neutralize much of the negative effects of cholesterol and fats in your food. Aside from eliminating all cholesterol and fats simply walking after eating can achieve more benefit than walking before eating can. Further extrapolation of the theory suggests that after a regular exercise regimen has been employed then gradual intensity can be added and eventually exercise in the mornings may become less risky as chronic hypertension decreases and arterial elasticity returns.

Source
Men’s Health, Oct. 2009

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High Blood Pressure Clinical Study Available

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 September 2009 14:15 Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:03

Madisonville, KY - Clinical Study Enrollment for those suffering with high blood pressure ends soon.  Trover Health System Clinical Studies has a very successful program providing clinical trials with the latest in research developments before new treatments become available to the public. 

Questions routinely asked are "Is it difficult to sign up for a clinical study?" and "What is involved in the process?"  Actually it is quite simple to find out if you qualify with a phone call or email inquiry to April Tirey who is the Regulatory - Recruitment - DE Coordinator for the Clinical Studies Department of Trover Health System.  Ms. Tirey will ask questions on medications you are taking, your age, and what your medical history is before taking you to the next phase. 
Another question frequently asked is "What are the costs associated with a Clinical Study?"  Qualified participants receive at No Cost:  blood pressure monitoring, laboratory tests, physical exams, electrocardiograms (ECG's), office visits, and study medications for this particular high blood pressure clinical study and there may be compensation for time and travel.  The program is a voluntary research study of an investigational medication for high blood pressure that you must be 18 years of age or more to participate.

Enrollment for the High Blood Pressure clinical study will close soon and those who wish to participate need to contact April Tirey quickly. 

Submitted by April Tirey who is the Regulatory Recruitment - DE Coordinator for Trover Health System Center for Clinical Studies in Madisonville Kentucky.  For more information you can contact her by phone at 270.825.6684 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Other studies currently underway at Trover Health System Clinical Studies

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Patients ages 18 or older with a diagnosis of IBS complains of abdominal pain.  You may qualify if you are having abdominal pain or discomfort with irregular bowel function and constipation.  Other medical issues this study addresses are bloating and/or straining with fewer than 3 bowel movements weekly combined with a feeling of incomplete elimination after a bowel movement.  All study related care will be proved at no cost and insurance is not needed.

Type II Diabetics Mellitus: Patients between the ages of 18-85; be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) according to the American Diabetes Association (1997) and World Health Organization (1998) criteria at least 3 months prior to the Screening Visit.  Patients maybe taking current diabetic medication but maybe asked to change medications.  All study related care will be proved at no cost and insurance is not needed.

Qualified study participants will receive at no cost: study related medical exams, laboratory work and medications. Participants may receive compensation for time and travel.

If you are interested in participating in any of these studies you may email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call April at 270-825-7497 or 1-866-301-8448 for additional information. Online information and information forms at:  TroverClinicalStudies.org  Trover Health System Center for Clinical Studies is located in Trover Clinic in Madisonville Kentucky on the 2nd floor.

 

 

 

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