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29 Jun 2016
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Introducing the InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer Part 2

Introducing the InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer Part 2

June 29, 2016 | 0 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Part 2 of the discussion on the InBody 570 covers two of five important studies (and there are more) that help to validate the accuracy and legitimacy of the InBody 570.  This technical and may I say, ahem, somewhat boring information is important to discuss as your healthcare providers like to see objective health data. It’s time for the entire healthcare industry to understand and embrace what improvements in body composition can do not only for the individual patient, but also for the healthcare system as a whole.  Figure it this way: the more healthy we are, the less disease we will have.  This translates to less healthcare costs and this is good for everyone!  This blog and the next one serve to help educate not only our patients and those who will want to come to our office to get assessed, but also their healthcare providers who will be viewing these results.  Body composition is SO important.

Whether you are on our body modification program (caloric restriction and intermittent fasting…and most all of you should be interested in this to optimize your health) or are an athlete looking to improve your performance and recovery in your respective sport, the 570 is unmatched on the market, it is FDA approved, and it provides data that is vital to your health.  This is about your health.  It’s time to think of your future and what you should be doing to live longer and healthier!

The first study of interest is from 2004 and the lead author is Shinichi Demura.  The study was published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science.  The name of this study is Percentage of Total Body Fat as Estimated by Three Automatic Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzers. Continue Reading →

27 Jan 2016
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All Proteins Are Not Created Equal

All Proteins Are Not Created Equal

January 27, 2016 | 0 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yes, it’s true.  All proteins are not created equal. But before we can go further, we need to understand that our diet consists of macronutrients and micronutrients.  Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are our macronutrients and micronutrients are what we ingest in smaller quantities, like our vitamins and minerals.

When we eat food, it does not declare itself as simply a carbohydrate, protein, or fat.  Most foods have a variety of macronutrient components and our bodies do an amazing job at breaking down each ingredient into particles that can then be utilized.  This is why eating high quality food without lots of chemicals is preferred.  Our body has enough to do without the need of bombarding it with toxins and unnecessary compounds.

There are basic components that make up proteins. They are called amino acids and there are 20 of them. Of these, 9 are considered ‘essential‘, because we cannot create them from other foods we eat. This means you have to consume them in the protein sources you are eating.  By definition, a complete protein is one that contains at minimum, all 9 of the essential amino acids. There are also 3 amino acids  in the essential amino acid family that are called Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).  These 3, leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are important for muscle function and many medical treatments.  In the fitness community, we want to ingest a lot of foods that contain BCAAs.  Luckily, most animal proteins contain BCAAs and all the other essential amino acids. Vegetarians and vegans can acquire BCAAs and essential amino acids, but many times this involves food combining, and food combining is not the most efficient way to achieve the objective. Continue Reading →

15 Dec 2015
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‘Leaner and Meaner’: How Much Protein Do You Need?

‘Leaner and Meaner’: How Much Protein Do You Need?

December 15, 2015 | 2 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There has always been a debate about how much protein an athlete needs.  ‘You need one gram per kilogram of weight’ or you need ‘one gram per pound of weight’ and some other somewhat random numbers are usually used to determine how much protein resistance training athletes need.  As a healthcare provider who works with athletes, I need to make sure my athletes have enough protein to ensure healthy soft tissue function and reduce the likelihood of injury. Without proper protein consumption, an athlete will not achieve his/her fitness goals, and if there’s an injury, the athlete will certainly need extra protein during the recovery phase to get better.  I won’t discuss the subject of sarcopenia in this blog but this topic too is a major crisis in our country.  So, how do we know where to really start?

A literature review study from 2014 in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism along with its follow-up study 3 years later gives us a good formula for determining the range of protein needed for caloric restricted, resistance trained athletes. Before we go any further, we should define who these athletes are…. they are…you and me.  Even if you are not utilizing caloric restriction, the protein needs remain the same.  If you work out, want to look good, and want a high level of lean muscle mass (highly desirable for good health), then this formula applies to you.  In fact, if you just work out and wish to have healthy muscle, this formula will help you achieve your goals.

The bottom line is that athletes tend to ingest less protein than they need and this is a major concern.  Not only that, but they also are unlikely getting the best quality protein they can. Oh, this study also mentions that total fat consumption should not go below 20% of total calorie intake.  So what are we looking at?  A sensible caloric restricted diet with adequate micronutrient ingestion and the proper ratio of macronutrients.  So, you want to be ‘lean and mean’?…here’s how to achieve it… Continue Reading →

06 Jul 2015
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Dry Needling Support Models (4 of 4): Central Model and Studies That Prove the Efficacy of Dry Needling

Dry Needling Support Models (4 of 4): Central Model and Studies That Prove the Efficacy of Dry Needling

July 6, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We have covered a lot of information about Dry Needling in our last 3 blogs.  We discussed the Radiculopathy Model, the Trigger Point Model, and the Spinal Segemental Sensitization and Pentad Model.  Already, we can clearly see how Dry Needling can help to break down myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and reduce pain.  The fourth model will discuss another reason as to why Dry Needling can help you.

Central Model

Our final model, the Central Model, covers information about how Dry Needling and other physical interventions (including manipulation, massage, mobilization, etc…)  affect the spinal cord and brain.  This is a rather basic but powerful model.  The premise is that input stimuli will affect tracks in the spinal cord that will carry that information up to the brain.  The deeper the treatment, the more information that will be conveyed.  The hypothalamus will then take the stimuli and  communicate with the pituitary gland and affect other endocrine functions.

In regards to the hypothalamus, it has three primary functions:  1.  It supplies input to the brainstem, thus affecting autonomic regulation, 2.  It controls endocrine function, and 3.  It exerts influence on posture and locomotion.

With the Central Model, MTrPs along the spine will likely cause more autonomic issues (please click to read more about autonomic issues on the Trigger Point Blog).   Dry Needling causes an anti-inflammatory response that emanates from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.  This is deep stuff!

If we assume that the hypothalamus is directly or indirectly adversely affected by MTrPs, then we can conclude that such MTrPs create autonomic and endocrine problems in addition to postural and movement issues (this means it affects the way you work inside and outside).  Certainly, we would want to rid our bodies of such noxious stimuli, and since Dry Needling can eliminate such MTrPs, then this makes it a great option for restoring proper function of not only the musculoskeletal system, but also the autonomic and endocrine functions that are affected by an improperly functioning musculoskeletal system.

Any way you slice it, Dry Needling can help you to function better.  From simple pain and dysfunction to autonomic concomitants, Dry Needling offers a viable option for the treatment of trigger points and pain due to musculoskeletal causes.

Let’s take a look at some studies supporting the application of Dry Needling…there are a few here but many more in print:

We will start with the grand-daddy of them all…the landmark study performed by Karl Lewit, MD published in 1979.  This study broke down the effects of trigger point injections to determine if the analgesic/steroid that was the agent that helped the patient, or was it the needle alone that contained all the magic!  Please read study, and if you would like the full study (versus just the abstract), please let us know.

The Needle Effect In The Relief of Myofascial Pain

And the other studies…

Dry Needling Having Anti-Nociceptive (anti-pain) Effects

Probable Mechanisms of Needling Therapies for Myofascial Pain Control

The Influence of Dry Needling of The Trapezius Muscle on Muscle Blood Flow and Oxygenation

Dry Needling at Myofascial Trigger Spots of Rabbit Skeletal Muscles Modulates the Biochemicals Associated with Pain, Inflammation, and Hypoxia

The Effect of Dry Needling in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Placebo-controlled Trial

Dry Needling and Exercise for Chronic Whiplash – A Randomized Controlled Trial

Management of Shoulder Injuries Using Dry Needling in Elite Volleyball Players

14 May 2015
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Dry Needling Support Models (2 of 4): The Trigger Point Model

Dry Needling Support Models (2 of 4): The Trigger Point Model

May 14, 2015 | 2 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the last blog, we discussed the first model (The Radiculopathy Model) that helps explain why Dry Needling works.  Now we will continue with the second of four models.   This one is probably the most well-known one and there is a plethora of medical literature supporting it.  Again, we will try to explain any concepts that are a little difficult to understand.  These models really shed light into how our bodies work and they are great to learn about.

The Trigger Point Model

Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs, or TrPs for Trigger Points) are defined as ‘hyper-irritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a taut band’ (Travell and Simons).  The resultant pain/discomfort that one gets due to such points is referred to as myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).  Simply put, MPS is defined as ‘sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms caused by myofascial trigger points’ (Travell and Simons).  Sensory symptoms refer to what you feel, motor symptoms refer to how the muscles work, and autonomic symptoms refer to the things that you do not realize.  This seems a little odd, but consider what happens when you bang your arm really hard.  You will feel the pain (sensory), the muscle might be painful and not contract properly (motor), and your heart rate goes up as does your respiration due to the ‘adrenaline rush’ (autonomic) of the injury. Continue Reading →

15 Dec 2014
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Oxidative Stress and Low Back Pain

Oxidative Stress and Low Back Pain

December 15, 2014 | 2 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new study in the high impact orthopedic journal Spine discusses what we have seen for some time with patient care but have not been able to validate in the literature: oxidative stress contributes to low back pain.

This is a topic of huge importance.  As our patients know, we use a Raman Spectrometer (Biophotonic Scanner), not unlike the one Yale uses in their studies,  to determine the oxidative stress of our patients through means of a dermal carotenoid scan.  The Raman Spectrometer (RS) has been determined in many studies to offer clinicians the optimal way to analyze oxidative stress as the test is not costly to perform, is not invasive, and it makes it easy to track changes in diet/nutrition/supplementation.  This is important for all healthcare providers.  Being a sports chiropractor, I find the RS to be an absolute necessity for all of us who work in the neuromusculoskeletal fields.  Simply put, if we cannot assess oxidative stress, we have no idea if our patients are healthy and this directly affects clinical outcomes.  This is not only limited to low back pain.  We are not what we eat, but what we absorb. Working with unhealthy patients reduces the effectiveness of our treatments and we should know this before we commence treatment.  This is only fair to the patient. They need to know if they have hindered healing ability or not.

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