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2009-10-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.examiner.com/x-26331-NY-Fitness-Trends-Examiner

The Neck: Stiffness and Pain

2009-10-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Before we get into suggesting any exercise or advice as how to either eliminate, alleviate or lessen neck pain, let’s first look at what the neck represents in our day to day lives and why a stiff neck is so prevalent in our society.

The neck is the pedestal of the brain and head. Our ability to see, taste, smell, hear and think, sits on the neck. Driving, reading, writing, simply going about your everyday tasks requires all of these faculties to greater and lesser degrees at a time. The neck is affected by everything that is going on above in the brain, and as a result, below throughout the body. The brain sends out impulses and also receives them, so that the body moves both because the brain directs it to or because it is responding to external stimuli. For example, you can both move because you have consciously chosen to stand up and stretch or you could touch a hot surface and automatically retract your hand with absolutely no conscious thought behind the movement.

The neck is a vital crossroads of information between the brain the body.

The neck houses the cervical spine, which is the smallest vertebrae in comparison to the rest of the spine, cervical nerves, vocal cords, and the thyroid gland. The cervical spine, nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments enable the movement of the neck and head, diaphragm and the muscles of the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands.

As the filter between the mind and body, the neck represents communication. Both grossly, as in the messages from the brain to the body travel through the neck, and more subtly as well, as in sound and the communication of ideas through language. On both physical and spiritual levels (as in things that pertain to the spirit, i.e., feelings and emotion), the neck is a vital component in life.

The neck protects the spine and facilitates communication between the brain and the body and between the individual and his or her environment, both of which are absolutely necessary in life.

As we can see, there is a lot going on in the neck! It is no wonder that neck pain is as common as it is!

We live in a society that is dazzled by colors, sounds, smells, textures, tastes and information. The senses are effectively overwhelmed with sensation and experience, and being that the neck enables these experiences of sensation, we could safely say that the neck too is overwhelmed. A simple example is how your neck feels after a high action, suspense movie.

By strengthening the neck, we improve circulation to the head and brain and to all of our five senses. The following exercises will help facilitate conscious communication between the movements of the head and neck and the back of the body, as well as release tension and stiffness of the neck and shoulders.

The following exercise will improve range of movement, circulation and strengthen the muscles of the neck, while releasing tension specifically in the cervical spine and down the rest of the spine.

What to notice:
When you are rolling your neck from side to side make sure your temple is moving towards your wrist and that you are not sliding the head from side to side, but rather rolling it to the side away from the center.

This first step will let you know which side is holding more tension and notice if you feel a stretch or a poke when you move to the side. Basically, notice what is keeping you from moving any further without forcing the movement. Also, notice if there is any sensation down the back as a result of the neck moving. Look over your elbow in each direction and take note of how much of the room you can see.

The next step is lifting only your head and STRETCH THE EYE SOCKET to look up at the ceiling. As we are all aware, on of the signs of aging is the head moving out in front of your neck, causing a hump in the back of the lower neck. Stretching the eyes will help to counter that tendency, as well as improve circulation around your eyes, which will help if they tend to get tired.

As you are lifting only the head, the shoulders stay heavy on the floor, as does the rest of your body. Notice your lower back. In the video you can see how my lower backs lifts as my head does and how it releases back down as I bring my head back to my hands. The release is just as important as the movement. In the movement you notice what is contracting as a response to your head moving, and also notice what releases as a result of letting the head back down.

Once you have done anywhere from 3 - 10 reps, depending on how stiff your neck and how much time you've got, go back to rolling your head from side to side.

Notice if both the sensation(it might feel achy but that's ok!) and range of movement have changed. Can you see further over your elbow? Maybe even the ceiling?

Do this exercise at least once a day and notice the difference instantly.

Let me know how it goes!

If you have difficulties viewing the video check it out on you-tube at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNGo0746Tko

Latinos, Immigration and Health

2009-09-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Among the barriers that Latinos in the United States face are regular medical attention and overall education on health issues like diabetes, cancer prevention, nutrition and exercise.

The fact that many waves of immigration from Latin America to the United States have been and still are propelled by people searching for improved socio-economic living conditions puts them at the margin of society. The experience of leaving behind your family and friends, culture and language, leaves an imprint so deep that future generations bear its weight. We must not underestimate how culture impacts the decisions we make as individuals and as a society.

An article recently publish in New York Times stated that mental health including, depression, high blood pressure, anxiety and stress were amazingly high in Latino populations.

Many of the ailments commonly faced by Latinos are somatic in nature. Meaning that they begin in the mind, as an idea and emotion. The feelings of fear, confusion and nostalgia for smells, rituals and places, characterize the experience of the immigrant, or of destierro, a Spanish word which, when looked at etymologically means the earth or grounding undone. Destierro is translated commonly as exile, but exile implies a political force, one in which the exiled is not allowed back to his or her home. Latino immigrants are more like settlers in search for an opportunity to thrive in a foreign environment while offering hope and support to those left behind. Many do not foresee the day that they will be able to visit their loved ones because of the lack of documentation, while others cannot afford to visit or choose not to for political reasons.

Ultimately, this sensation of having the ground torn out from under you leads one to a logical explanation as to why Latinos suffer from mental or emotional instability, and, as a result psychosomatic health problems. Many of these issues, such as anxiety and depression can be treated with adequate nutrition and exercise, both of which are basic components of a healthy life-style.

The harsh reality of many Latino immigrants in the U.S. prevents them from accessing the necessary information enabling even further the gap between this minority and mainstream America.

Recently, there has been a growing initiative by local civil organizations and media giants like Univision to diffuse health information via the television. A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that Latin Americans in the U.S. rely heavily on the media for health information, 54 percent of which said they received their health information through television.

Movement and the Aging Process

2009-09-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Why do some people age more gracefully than others and what can we do to lessen the effects of aging physically, mentally and spiritually?

Whether we are aware of it or not, our every movement we make is creating a pattern that we will ultimately be locked into. Like all animals, our bodies come wired with a set of reflexes and instincts that allow us to develop from a fetus into a full-grown person. Things like rolling onto your side, crawling and walking require very complex neuromuscular skeletal patterns that come very easy to us, so much so, that we are completely unaware that they are even occurring!

In the same way that so much of our movement is given to us gentically, we also have the ability to train ourselves to excel in specific movement patterns, such as a ballet dancer that has molded their body into the most elegant human sculpture that floats across a stage to the body builder that has shortened and bulked up his muscles loosing full range of movement but gaining incredible strength. The patterns we create, intentionally or not, will ultimately determine the way we age.

Gravity
We live under the constant pressure of gravity. Since we spend our lives mainly in an upright position, head over the heart, gravity puts a constant downward pressure on our bodies. Keep in mind that blood contains 95% water, and that the body is made up of about 70% water overall. What happens with water in gravity? It pools.

Similarly, the blood in our organs pools under the pressure of gravity. If we are always sitting or standing upright and living sedentary lives, everything tends to fall and it becomes harder to stand up straight and do simple tasks like reaching into the back seat of the car. This is where a regular yoga practice goes a lot further than other forms of movement.

While other forms of movement like spinning, running, overall aerobic exercise and weight training are important for cardiovascular health and will help with weight loss, yoga goes the extra mile in reversing the adverse effects of aging on the body.

Yes, our traditional cardio and strength training methods are efficient in building vascular and muscular tissue, but they are not very effective at keeping us supple and free to move as we please. The dangers of excessive repetitive movements, like running and bicep curls, are that you train yourself to move in a very limited and fixed manner. The continuous use of the same muscle groups and repetition of neuromuscular skeletal movement patterns will eventually lead to muscular imbalances, pain and poor aging.

In yoga the twisting of the spine and mid section effectively ‘rings out’ the internal organs and bring nutrient rich blood into the areas being worked. The yoga postures create pressure on organs, which increases circulation. The deep breathing in the postures releases tension in connective tissue allowing better movement through joints and improved joint mobility aids in preventing injury.

Repetitive movement, such as cycling, running or just sitting at a desk daily, will lead to a decrease in range of movement and increase the possibility of injury.

Practicing inversions, any pose where the head is under the heart, such as downward facing dog, the plow, shoulder stand and head stand, shifts the effects of gravity on the body, pulling the organs back into place.

As creatures of habit, we develop routines for ourselves and, for the most part, become the routine we create. The key to aging gracefully and free of pain is to align with gravity so that the gravitational pull becomes supportive rather than challenging.

How do we do this? Counter movements.

So if you usually sit with your hands on a desk go home and lie on your back with a pillow or rolled up yoga mat just at the lower tip of your shoulder blades with your arms laid out on the floor above your head. If you spin a lot practice back bends and stretch the tops of your feet by pointing your toes.

The key to slowing the aging practice is to restore balanced muscle action around joints.
The human skeleton is designed to align at a 90degree angle with gravity. Living in balance, living in grace with gravity.