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Silent Inflammation

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Health In The Bay Thumb

Imagine that you have slammed your finger in a door. The pain will be rapidly followed by reddening, swelling and heating up of the affected area. This kind of inflammation, whilst infuriating, is actually a good thing. Your immune system is responding to the trauma by sending white blood cells and other hormone-like substances to your finger to heal it.
But there’s another kind of inflammation, one that could be present throughout your cells and tissues, and it’s not so good. It would seem that more and more research is supporting the idea that this “silent inflammation” may be the cause of many degenerative diseases – especially obesity, heart disease and diabetes, as well as arthritis, dementia and even some cancers. Wrinkles and skin complaints can also blame this low-level of inflammation as a factor.
Inflammation is a normal and healthy part of the body’s healing system. It is the immune system attempting to nourish and defend the area under attack. It may happen on the surface of our body, and also internally such as at sites of infection or as an allergic response. The problem starts when inflammation refuses to go away. Inflammation is a powerful and sometimes destructive response, and it needs to end when its work is done.
The process of inflammation is caused by prostaglandins (a type of hormone) which work to either strengthen or diminish inflammation. When these hormones get out of balance, the inflammation process may start to malfunction. This imbalance can be caused by poor diet and stress.

Is your diet pro-inflammatory?

Our bodies manufacture prostaglandins from fatty acids in foods. Foods containing omega-6 fatty acids (such as those found in vegetable oils) encourage the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. On the other hand, our body requires omega-3 fatty acids  – found in oily fish, flaxseeds and leafy vegetables – to produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.  Most of us are eating pro-inflammatory diets as we consume more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids.
Other foods that can contribute to inflammation include refined, carbohydrates such as white bread and white flour products, packaged breakfast cereals, white potatoes and white rice. A study at Harvard Medical School found that women who ate large quantities of these foods had high levels of CRP, a protein which is released during the inflammation process.
Furthermore, eating sugary foods and refined carbohydrates causes your blood sugar levels to soar and your body releases insulin which increases stored body fat and triggers the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals.

The stress factor.

No doubt you’ve already heard of the many conditions that stress can cause or exacerbate, and here is another reason to avoid stress. It plays havoc with our hormone balance by releasing adrenalin and cortisol, hormones which have a, you guessed it, inflammatory effect. These hormones are part of the fight-or-flight response – preparing our bodies to either fight off a primeval attack or run fast from it. Everyday stress also produces the overproduction of these hormones, leading to abnormal inflammation.

Calming down inflammation.

So, to counter inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and skin complaints, and to correct low-level silent inflammation, it all comes down to making positive dietary and lifestyle changes. By making these changes, you will notice you have more energy and better moods, and your digestion and skin will improve within a few months. You may have fewer aches and pains, will sleep better, and maybe even lose weight.
To read more about how the relationship between diet and inflammation, you may want to read Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill by Udo Erasmus, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health by Andrew Weil and The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford.

Health In The Bay Berries

Anti-inflammatory foods to include:

  • Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel
  • Ground flaxseed and its oil
  • Berries
  • Dark green leafy vegetables
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic, onions, turmeric and ginger
  • Raw nuts and seeds
  • Green tea

Foods to limit:

  • Sugar, sugary foods and drinks
  • Refined grains (white bread, white pasta and white rice)
  • Processed foods
  • Trans fats
  • Animal products especially red meat and dairy
  • Potatoes
  • Corn, safflower and peanut cooking oils

Supplements

Some nutrients and herbs can provide additional support to calm inflammation. Fish oils, antioxidant formulas, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium can all help. Even certain strains of probiotics are powerful anti-inflammatories.
It is best to see a naturopath, herbalist or nutritionist to find out the most suitable herb and nutrient for your health needs, and to make sure that you receive a potent, practitioner-quality supplement.

Reducing Stress

  • Set boundaries with work, family and relationships
  • Exercise – any way you can and any way you like
  • Try yoga, Tai Chi or meditation practices
  • Spend time in nature
  • Turn of all technology (including computers, smart phones and even the television) by 9.30pm every night
  • Reduce intake of caffeinated beverages
Some herbs and nutrients can also be very effective in help the body balance the hormone response and cope better with stress. Again, it is important to consult a healthcare practitioner who is trained in the use of herbs and nutrients (such as a naturopath) to receive the right combination for you.

Living The Art Of Breathing.

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Health In The Bay Breathing

Since your first breath, breathing has been one of the most important biological functions of your body. The rhythm of breath helps regulate a number of your body’s systems:- Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal and Metabolic (Endocrine).
When we are stressed or anxious it’s natural for our breathing to become shallow. Simply improving our breath, by breathing deeply and slowly, benefits us at times of stress and anxiety and helps improve restless sleep and insomnia.
The breath is one of the only bodily functions that can be consciously and unconsciously controlled. It’s not surprising that conscious focus on the breath is the foundation of most Buddhist meditation practices.
The average person takes up to 29,000 breaths per day so you’d think we would be experts at breathing. However, it’s common for many people to practice paradoxical breathing. This is an incorrect form of respiration that involves expansion of the upper chest and sucking in the abdominal muscles during inhalation. Paradoxical breathing is linked to many problems including:
  • Reduced oxygen content.
  • Fatigue.
  • Postural problems.
  • Digestive complaints and bloating.
  • Increased muscular tension especially in the neck and shoulders.
  • Lower back pain.

Health In The Bay BreathingHealthy breathing is when the area between the lower ribs bulges out on the in-breath and deflates on the out-breath. This makes sure that air is drawn into the lower parrts of the lungs. The breathing pattern should be slower, even and gentle. Drawing attention to your breath for 20 minutes per day will improve the way you breathe and your general well being, strengthen your lungs, regulate metabolism and help regulate your emotions and response to stress.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the lungs are a source of external Qi (Energy) and are functionally interwoven with the the Heart to regulate flow of blood and Qi around the body. The lungs are also responsible for the nourishment of the exterior body and often dull, lifeless skin or hair can be attributed to poor lung function from a TCM point of view.
Improving lung function, using a combination of Acupuncture, tailored breathing exercises and lifestyle can often have a profound effect on your health and benefit many of the symptoms listed in this article.

The Importance of Stretching

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Health In The Bay StretchingStretching is a very effective and important activity that has a number of known key benefits for all. These benefits include improved flexibility, a decrease in the likelihood of injury and muscle soreness, and an enhancement in physical performance.

Through stretching, the affected muscles will be lengthened, which helps to improve the body’s normal level of flexibility as well as to reduce general muscle tension. This increase in muscle length will also enable the muscles to contract over a greater distance and hence create a greater level of power. The body is then able to move more freely with increased comfort.

After physical exercise, the muscles can often feel tight, sore or stiff. Such soreness occurs due to minute tears that form within the muscle fibres, as well as an accumulation of blood and waste products, such as lactic acid. Stretching after exercise, therefore, helps to diminish any muscle soreness through improved blood circulation and the removal of waste products.

Exercise also creates fatigue, and results in a decrease in both mental and physical performance. Stretching muscles can help to prevent fatigue by reducing the pressure on the working muscles. For every muscle, there is an opposing muscle, and if these are made more flexible through stretching then the working muscles have to exert less force against them. The movements of the working muscles will, therefore, require less effort, which will result in the enhancement of an individual’s physical performance.

Additional benefits of regular stretching include improvements in posture, body awareness, energy levels, coordination, and stress relief.

Stretching should be carried out before and after any physical activity, and as part of an individual’s daily routine. A typical stretching routine should last for around 5-10 minutes, with each muscle group being stretched 2 or 3 times. Each stretch should be performed gently and slowly, and held for around 20 seconds only to the point where tension is felt in the muscle. Only stretch muscles that are 100% healthy and avoid areas that are recovering from injury. Stretches should never be performed when the muscles are cold. Prior to any stretching, light, physical activity that results in a light sweat should be performed for about 10 minutes.

Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy

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Health In The Bay Massage

Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is a technique used by Massage Therapists which was developed over 50 years ago. Direct pressure is applied to a specific muscle that has become contracted or over-lengthened for extended periods of time preventing it from returning to its rest position.

Trigger Points, also commonly referred to as “knots”, are felt as painful areas in the muscles that cause pain to refer into other parts of the body. The individual may also experience symptoms such as tingling, numbness, burning, as well as weakness and restricted range of motion in the affected muscle. These points can occur in any part of the body, but are often most likely to be found in the upper back or neck. Trigger points will usually occur on both sides of the body, with one side being more symptomatic than the other.

Upon compression by the therapist, the trigger point will often reproduce the individual’s pain pattern. As the muscle relaxes, the pain and discomfort should then diminish. Massage therapists will apply pressure to trigger points using their thumbs, knuckles and elbows, as well as with specialised treatment tools. T-bars made of wood, plastic or metal, often rubber capped, may be used.

The most common causes of trigger points are poor posture, structural imbalances, repetitive activity and overuse, emotional factors, and direct trauma or injury.

A Knotty Problem

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Health In The Bay Knot

It is likely that most individuals have at some point in time experienced sensations of pain and discomfort caused by “knots”, also known as Trigger Points. These are painful areas in the muscles that cause pain to refer into other parts of the body, as well as create symptoms of weakness and fatigue.

A Trigger Point is the body’s response to a physical, emotional or chemical disturbance where the muscle becomes contracted or over-lengthened for extended periods of time preventing it from returning to its rest position. This then restricts the movement of the muscle and decreases circulation. The muscle then becomes deprived of nutrients and oxygen, which results in a collection of metabolic waste.

The most common causes of Trigger Points are poor posture, structural imbalances, repetitive activity and overuse, emotional factors, and direct trauma or injury. These points can occur in any muscles of the body, but are most commonly found in the neck and upper back. Trigger points can themselves bring about a variety of issues, such as tension headaches, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), jaw pain, lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Trigger Points can be effectively treated with massage therapy where direct pressure is applied to the area in question. Upon compression, the Trigger Point will often reproduce the individual’s pain pattern. As the muscle relaxes, the pain and discomfort should then diminish.

Self care is also important to help prevent the re-occurrence of Trigger Points. This can include using a heat pack when muscles are tense or painful, having hot baths after treatment, keeping well hydrated, and carrying out simple stretch and range of motion exercises. Your massage therapist will be able to assist you with such exercises, and is also there to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.

Does sitting affect your health?

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Health In The Bay Massage HandsWithin the last 30 years, our world has seen astounding advances in our technological capabilities, which has affected the way people carry out their daily lives. Nowadays, most people are required to spend the majority of their working day in an office environment sat at a desk in front of a computer.

Our bodies, however, were not designed to remain in one position for long periods of time; they were made to move. When we are sedentary, our body responds by burning fewer calories and slowing down our circulation. Such a lifestyle also leads to postural problems, which can develop into chronic health issues.

In a seated position, certain postural muscles, especially in our back and neck, start to become short and tight from being overworked. This then leads to issues such as upper or lower back pain, stiff shoulders, neck pain, tight hamstrings, headaches and migraines. The muscles that support our spine also become weak, like our gluteal and abdominal muscles.

Repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, are also becoming more widespread and it is not uncommon for keyboard users to complain of wrist, arm and shoulder pain or discomfort.

I am sure the majority of us, including myself, will have experienced some or all of these above symptoms at some point in our lives.

So what can we do about it? Take time to get up and move about, as well as to stretch. Whilst seated, be aware of your own posture and at work try to change the nature of your tasks as often as you can. In addition, try to develop a regular exercise routine even as simple as walking for 30 minutes a day.

Massage therapy is also extremely effective in this situation to release and relax the muscles, as well as to reduce overall tension and fatigue found within the body. Regular massage sessions are thoroughly recommended to assist in maintaining good body health and well-being.

Chiropractic for Arthritis

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Health In The Bay Tomato in HandsDo you experience pain, swelling or stiffness in your joints? Do you find it difficult to walk up stairs or open jars?
If so, you may be one of 3.85 million Australians affected by arthritis, one of the major causes of disability and chronic pain in Australia.

Arthritis comes in many different forms, all of which can have a major impact on your quality of life. It is a condition of the joints that causes the cartilage lining the joint surfaces to slowly wear out. This may then result in stiffness, swelling and pain. The decreases in mobility of the joints also have a high tendency to affect the biomechanics of the spine as well as other joints of the body. For example, if you have arthritis in the knee, it can also affect the mechanics of your hip joints which will ultimately have a big impact on the biomechanics of the spine.

How can we help?

Many studies have shown Chiropractic to be remarkably effective in managing arthritis and its symptoms. With regular chiropractic care, the body will be able to do better what it has always been designed to do, to move! The joints will move more freely with lesser restrictions and less pain. Furthermore, we also detect and correct misalignments in the spine that is directly or indirectly affected by the arthritis. Having a properly aligned and functioning spine means increasing life energy in the nerves supplying every organ, cell and tissue of the body. This promotes your body’s natural ability to heal itself as well as increasing the immune system to limit further stress caused by the arthritis.

Chiropractic is a non-invasive method of care, which means we do not utilize medication or anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief, therefore reducing any harmful side effects that can be associated with these drugs.

Combined with a positive focus and nutritious diet and exercise, Chiropractic provides a healthy lifestyle change that will get you going again!

 

Neurolink

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Neurolink is a system of balancing the body and the physiological functioning of all its systems. The body is an amazing being that can repair and heal itself very efficiently. Sometimes due to various stressors it may not work at its optimum.
Health In The Bay breakfastNeurolink uses muscle testing to determine where there are areas of the physiology that aren’t working as ideally as it could be, and then utilises feedback to the brain about these imbalances to stimulates the brain and body to make corrections in these areas. In this way it stimulates and promotes healing and normal functioning of the body.
It can be used as a treatment all on its own, or to complement and assist other treatments and adjustments. It can address imbalances in digestion, hormones, immunity, sleep patterns and moods. It also addresses how well organs, brain centers and the nervous system are functioning, and how effective our immune response is to virus, bacteria and fungus. It results to strengthen our body to stressors including emotional chemical and physical stress and allows your body to cope better with these stressors.

The Musculoskeletal System and its Importance to our Health

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Health In The Bay beachThe Musculoskeletal System consists of bones, muscles, joints and ligaments and tendons that make up the body and allow it to be upright and to have movement. The skeleton is the framework of the body. Of this, the spine is made of 24 movable bones, 23 discs and has attachments for 12 sets of ribs and hundreds of ligaments and muscles. It supports and protects the spinal cord, and allows 31 pairs of nerves to pass from the spinal cord through small openings to muscles, organs, bones and skin.
The Nervous System consists of the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System. The Central system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The Peripheral Nervous System consists of all the nerves that are running through our body, from the point where they branch off the spinal cord to the target structure ie muscle, organ, bone or skin. The Central Nervous System has control over the whole body by sending and receiving signals via use of the Peripheral system.
The Nervous System controls absolutely every cell and system in the body. This means literally every muscle, every organ, every function the body has. Therefore if there is anything that impedes the function of any part of the Nervous system, the target tissue will be compromised. The opposite is also true, having a nervous system that functions optimally will result in a body that functions optimally.
As mentioned the Central Nervous system is housed and protected by the spine, with all the bodys nerves branching off the spinal cord and exiting the spine through small openings between the vertabrae. Due to this close proximity of these structures, it is easy to see how any imbalance in the spine or change in how well it moves or imbalances in the muscles around the area, can result in some impeding pressure or force on the nerve, thereby affecting its function and hence the function of the target structure. So by having a well balanced musculoskeletal system results in minimising any impeding pressure or force on the nervous system, thus allowing it to function optimally and so increasing the potential for optimal health.

How does chiropractic work?

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Health In The Bay rainbowOur Musculoskeletal system (ie our muscles and skeleton) is what allows us to stand, be upright and move. Musculoskeletal symptoms are what we often feel as pain in muscles and joints, and as stiffness. Through everyday stress on our bodies, such as poor posture, sustained work postures, minor bumps and falls and strains, our musculoskeletal system can become unbalanced.
This means that the relationship between the muscle and skeleton is not ideal, and this system then does not work efficiently or ergonomically, resulting in these symptoms of pain and mucsle spasms.

Chiropractic is the art and science of determining where these imbalances lie, where they have originated and why they have occurred. Then with the use of simple techniques applied to the muscles or joints, the body is able to rebalance and so function more normally and therefore function without any pain or muscle tightness.