PROS: The days of doing endless bicep curls and sit-ups are over. Those types of exercises relied on isolating specific muscles, one-by-one, and working them separately. Our bodies don’t work this way. There never is a situation in real life where we need to use just one muscle completely isolated from the rest of the body. So, why should we train that way? We shouldn’t, and these new types of workouts support just that. They train multiple muscles, and take us through complex full body movements more similar to what we encounter in daily life.

The days of running at the same speed on a treadmill for hours on end are over as well. Research has shown workouts that incorporate a higher intensity workout for a smaller duration of time are more effective for building lean muscle mass and dropping fat mass. These new exercise systems use this to their advantage. Cross-Fit, for example, has some workouts that only last 10 minutes, but you’re pushing your body very hard for that time.

CONS: Here at the center we’re seeing an increase in the casualties of a Cross-Fit or boot camp workout gone bad. In a group or non-supervised setting, it’s easy for someone who is not doing exercises correctly to go unnoticed. This, coupled with exercising to total fatigue, can result in poor biomechanics, which leads to injuries. A common example is hurting hips, knees or ankles from doing incorrect squats. A squat is a very complex movement that many people can’t perform correctly their first workout. These people should be doing easier exercises on the floor that eventually build them into a proper squatting pattern. There is a saying that says, “First move well, and then move often.” With many of these types of systems, the focus is more on how many reps you can perform rather than how well you can do the movements.

The Take Home: These new systems are very progressive with their incorporation of the latest research in exercise physiology. There are precautions that need to be taken before starting a program to avoid injury. Proper build-up work needs to be done prior to doing the high intensity, complex movements. At AWC, the rehab department does movement screens to pre-screen for potential weaknesses and injury. Addressing these problems before they become painful will result in saved time down the line.

Paul Fuhrman, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
If you’re contemplating starting one of these workouts (or already have), and noticed pain, come into the Advanced Wellness Center for a Free Movement Screen performed by myself. This offer is good until the end of November 2011.

Symptoms: Major anxiety episodes resulted from the side effects of sulfa poisoning. Patient was already stressed due to demands of being a stay-at-home mom.

Treatment: Alpha-Stim, as needed. After first 20-minute treatment, symptoms decreased immediately. Thus, the increase in neurotransmitters (serotonin and nor epinephrine) increased with the alpha wave passing through the brain and nervous system.

Note from patient in office: “The Alpha-Stim has been a miracle for me!”

The Alpha-Stim® SCS empowers you to control your anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia. Used just 20 to 60 minutes every day, every other day, or on an as-needed basis, it can help induce a relaxed state and enable the user to focus attention on the task at hand. The Alpha-Stim® SCS is well tolerated and very safe in contrast to drugs, many of which have been proven to have undesirable side effects and can be addictive. The Alpha-Stim® SCS leaves the mind alert. The person undergoing CES treatment will often report a pleasant, relaxed feeling of well-being. Anxiety reduction is usually experienced during treatment, but may be seen hours later, or even the day after treatment. Depression and insomnia control is generally experienced after one to two weeks of daily treatment.

Bryan Ales, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or insomnia, try the Alpha-Stim. It may help you avoid taking medications, which can result in undesirable side effects.

There are 26 bones in your foot with 33 ligaments. We have caused problems with our feet over the years by wearing unsupportive shoes, shoes that are too small for our feet and worn out shoes. We wear out the shoes because of the way we walk, not necessarily a perfect gait pattern, and our weight. Those poor feet!

I believe if you are athletic and wear your shoes daily for running and/or working out, they need to be replaced within 6 months. If you work on your feet and wear the same shoes every day, you probably need to replace those shoes in 6 months. If you start to get ankle, knee or lower leg problems, try changing your shoes.

If your shoes are too soft and comfortable, they are not helping your feet and your body. You need support and stability. I know from experience, that if you try replacing your shoes, you will have fewer aches and pains, and your back will thank you too.

Have you had this experience too?

Barbara Shur, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
Are your feet hurting? Is your back hurting? If so, ask yourself when you bought those shoes you wear all the time. If it was longer than 6 months, replace your shoes. You may find your feet and back feel better fast!

Overall, 60 percent of patients who received chiropractic care benefited to the same degree as those who underwent surgery. Further the 40 percent who could not be helped by chiropractic care, did go on to benefit to the same degree from the subsequent surgery as those who underwent surgery initially. “There was no detrimental effect cause by delaying their surgical treatment.”

The medical researchers concluded “our research supports spinal manipulation performed by a doctor of chiropractic is a valuable and safe treatment option for those experiencing symptomatic lumber disk herniation, failing traditional medical management. These individuals should consider spinal manipulation as a primary treatment, followed by surgery if unsuccessful.”

Separate studies that I’ve reviewed have additionally proven that cold laser, traction, core rehabilitation, and acupuncture are also effective in treating disk herniations. The Advanced Wellness Center uniquely provides expertise in, and can combine for even greater efficacy, all of these treatments, thus providing our patients the best possible results in overcoming the agony of many debilitating conditions such as disk herniation and sciatica. I’ve personally experienced this very condition and am thankful to the doctors of the Advanced Wellness Center for helping me to overcome it.

Dr. Mark deDubovay, DC, CTN

Healthy Tip: Always consider alternative medicine options first, as many of our patients do. Tell your friends that each and every one of our practitioners offers complementary consultations. During these appointments, all questions can be thoughtfully answered and appropriate care

However, most exercise experts now agree that this type of stretching should be saved for after your workout. When performing stretches that involve long holding times and no movement, also known as static stretches, you are actually temporarily weakening the muscles that you’re stretching. This isn’t good if you’re preparing to play a sport or do exercise where strength and coordination of these muscles is crucial for performance and safety. Instead I recommend what’s called a dynamic warm-up. This involves explosive movements, such as jump squats or lunges, where muscles are being activated rather than turned off. It’s kind of like telling them “wake up, its time to work.”

The static stretching is crucial after your workout. This is where we’re trying to condition your muscles to be “long and strong;” a great recipe for performance and safety.

Paul Fuhrman, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
Try a dynamic warm-up instead of your static stretches before a workout. I personally like the one demonstrated at the link listed below.

http://www.dutchlowy.com/2009/08/26/my-warm-up/

One of the secrets of such cuisine is the liberal use of garlic in combination with parsley. It’s simple and affordable. It gives food a zest it would otherwise lack, and it’s very healthy. Garlic contains hundreds of nutrients and minerals. And, it has powerful antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal properties.

And the best part is that when you handle garlic and find it difficult to get rid of its smell on your hands or your utensils, you just rub parsley on them and voila! The smell disappears.

Sese Novas, DC

Healing Tip of the Week
Marinate your chicken or fish with lots of garlic and parsley, and enjoy!

So, I decided it was time for me to get rid of it once and for all. I underwent foot surgery.

As always, I was promised that surgery would be the answer to my problems and the end to my pain. Surgery came and went, but my foot pain remained. I went back to pain relievers and physical therapy but still could not find the relief I was looking for.

One day as I was shopping at the Marketplace, on my way to Trader Joe’s, I came across the Advanced Wellness Center.

I walked in and immediately felt like I was at the right place. When I met Dhanell, my acupuncturist, she made me feel like I could really trust her. I began going in once or twice per month, and at times would even go on a weekly basis; that’s how impactful her treatment was on me.

Dhanell treats my entire body, not just my foot. She really took the time to identify my needs and best of all, she has healed my foot pain.

I have recommended the Advanced Wellness Center numerous times and will continue to do so. They did for me something that even surgery couldn’t. Their professional staff and attentive practitioners really know how to heal.

Thank you Dhanell, I’m finally wearing heels again!

- Robyn Caswell

My son had suffered from a blinding headache for days. Nothing helped. But, after just one visit with Dr. Shur, he was pain free.

I remembered this experience when, last summer, I suffered from extreme sciatica. At first, I saw both Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Mark, then Dr. Fuhrman took over my care full time. He used a variety of chiropractic techniques and within four weeks I was pain free.

Toward the end of the year I had another bout with that deep debilitating pain, so once again I went to see Dr. Fuhrman. He worked on me and suggested that I add some sessions of acupuncture to my treatment plan.

I made an appointment with Vince and the treatments went very well. By the end of the month, I was again without any pain at all.

For months, I continued to see Dr. Fuhrman for maintenance, since my x-rays show that I have virtually no discs left in my lumbar spine. I want to make sure I take care of myself.

And I hope to go back to him within a couple of months – just as soon as this cast comes off my foot. Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t know this yet, but I broke my foot and needed surgery.

Thank goodness for the Advanced Wellness Center. I know that once I can walk without a cast and see the professionals at the AWC, I’ll be able to get back to a pain-free status once again.

-Michael Morrisey

Everyone in the building was extremely friendly, they truly made me feel like I was the only person there. So, I didn’t hesitate to make my first appointment with Dr. Mark. Three months later I was skiing again!

That was 10 years ago, and that first appointment has changed my life.

Dr. Mark took the opportunity to address other health issues and has been my health counselor ever since. He has helped me with everything from allergies to minor aches and pains. Among his most impactful recommendations, he prescribed a dog as a treatment for stress levels. Today I am stress free alongside my 8-year-old golden retriever, Sierra.

As if that was not enough, Dr. Mark did more for my Colitis than any pill or treatment ever could. Now that he has helped me identify which foods cause the inflammation, I no longer need to rely on a prescription for my illness.

Under Dr. Mark’s treatment and supervision, the quality of my health and of my life has improved more than I ever could have imagined.

- Jeff Gollin

Studies are finding that strengthening muscles has a ripple effect throughout the body. For example, during resistance training, muscles generate more force than what’s generated during endurance exercises. The heart, being a muscle, is strengthened as well. During strength training, the heart’s muscle tissue contracts forcefully to push the blood out. Like all muscles, stress causes small tears in the muscle fibers. When the body repairs those tears, it’s building muscle. The result is a stronger heart that is also more efficient at pumping.

Here are a few other benefits of strength training:

• Moderate to intense strength training builds skeletal muscle and increases bone density.
• It improves glucose metabolism, which can reduce the risk of diabetes. Strength training boosts the number of proteins that take glucose out of the blood and transport it into the skeletal muscle, giving the muscles more energy and lowering blood-glucose levels.
• Researchers found that kidney dialysis patients who had more lean muscle mass were 37% less likely to die than the patients who had the least.
• Research in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women ages 65 to 75 who did resistance training sessions once or twice per week over the course of a year improved their cognitive performance, while those who focused on balance and tone training declined slightly.

More studies are showing that you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from strength training. All you need are some light weights, a little instruction, and persistence. The professionals at the Advanced Wellness Center are here to help!

Source: LA Times, “Pumping Iron Isn’t Just for Muscles,” Jeannine Stein

Amy LeSage, LAc, Dipl. OM
Licensed Acupuncturist, Diplomate in Oriental Medicine

Healing Tip of the Week
Practice the 5-minute rule! If you’re not feeling like exercising, give yourself 5 minutes. Tell yourself you will exercise for 5 minutes. If at the end of 5 minutes, you’re not getting into it, you can stop. Most of the time getting started is the hardest part. Once you get going, chances are, you’ll keep going, because it just feels good! Smile at your strength!