Sunday, 13 May 2012
Long-Distance Running Damages Your Heart
Long-Distance Running Damages Your Heart
Following the recent death in the London marathon:
"Do you pride yourself on running mile upon mile, week after week? Do you love the challenge and adrenaline rush that comes from completing a marathon?
Let me preface the information that follows by saying this: as a former sub 3-hour marathon runner myself, I understand the drive that pushes many athletes and weekend warriors to compete in these strenuous events. But now that I have examined the research, I firmly believe doing so may put your heart at risk. For example, two recent studies showed:
Heart damage after lifelong cardio: In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology,v researchers recruited a group of extremely fit older men. All of them were members of the 100 Marathon club, meaning athletes who had completed a minimum of 100 marathons. If running marathons provided cardiovascular benefit this would certainly be the group you would want to seriously examine. So what did they find?
Half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring as a result, and they were specifically the men who had trained the longest and hardest.
Heart scarring after elite cardio training: An animal study published in the journal Circulationvi was designed to mimic the strenuous daily exercise load of serious marathoners over the course of 10 years. All the rats had normal, healthy hearts at the outset of the study, but by the end most of them had developed "diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes."
from Mercola.com
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Running-marathons-permanently-damages-heart
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2071018/Running-marathons-permanently-damage-heart.html
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Friday, 6 April 2012
“Cholesterol lowering statin drugs increase your risk for heart attacks.”
This from famous exercise trainer Brian Copeland:
“Cholesterol lowering statin drugs increase your risk for heart attacks.”
Says the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs. They released a report with over 900 clinical studies proving that statins not only increase your risk for heart attacks but cause neurological damage, muscle and bone loss, loss of equilibrium and balance and cognitive and memory loss.
Statin drugs do indeed eliminate cholesterol from the body... but guess what your brain and nerves are made of? ... that's right, cholesterol. In fact your brain is a huge hunk of cholesterol. Nerves are wrapped in a sheeth called myelin which acts as insulation for nerve fibers. Myelin is cholesterol. The more myelin, the faster nerve impulses travel, the less myelin the slower they travel.
Now think about the impact on your brain power! You want more myelin.
When Einstein died they disected his brain hoping to find the answers to his genius... guess what they found... lots and lots of myelin a.k.a. cholesterol.
The last thing you want to do is decrease cholesterol.
As cholesterol levels drop your body's ability to repair and rebuild nerves decreases as well. This is why peripheral neropathy is a common symptom of people on statins. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition where your nerves die, usually starting in the feet and hands and working their way closer to the core. This is what happens in extreme cases of diabetes.
Bottom line, protect your cholesterol don't destroy it!
“Cholesterol lowering statin drugs increase your risk for heart attacks.”
Says the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs. They released a report with over 900 clinical studies proving that statins not only increase your risk for heart attacks but cause neurological damage, muscle and bone loss, loss of equilibrium and balance and cognitive and memory loss.
Statin drugs do indeed eliminate cholesterol from the body... but guess what your brain and nerves are made of? ... that's right, cholesterol. In fact your brain is a huge hunk of cholesterol. Nerves are wrapped in a sheeth called myelin which acts as insulation for nerve fibers. Myelin is cholesterol. The more myelin, the faster nerve impulses travel, the less myelin the slower they travel.
Now think about the impact on your brain power! You want more myelin.
When Einstein died they disected his brain hoping to find the answers to his genius... guess what they found... lots and lots of myelin a.k.a. cholesterol.
The last thing you want to do is decrease cholesterol.
As cholesterol levels drop your body's ability to repair and rebuild nerves decreases as well. This is why peripheral neropathy is a common symptom of people on statins. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition where your nerves die, usually starting in the feet and hands and working their way closer to the core. This is what happens in extreme cases of diabetes.
Bottom line, protect your cholesterol don't destroy it!
Friday, 30 March 2012
sports drink of olympics contains poison !
a sports drink made by coca cola is being very widely advertised as the drink for the Olympics - look ye at the ingredients - its full of syrup, salt and sucralose :
"Side Effects and Warnings of Sucralose
One of the most important things to note is that sucralose contains chlorine which can be harmful if consumed in large amounts. Chlorine in sucralose is considered to have carcinogenic effects (cancer causing). Also, excess or regular intake of sucralose can lead to toxicity. Sucralose side effects and warnings can be divided into two types; minor and severe. The following are the minor sucralose side effects in children and adults.
Fatigue
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Bloating
Diarrhea
Blurred vision
Numbness
Shortness of breath
Weight loss
Abdominal pain
Confusion
Body pain
Cramps (hmmmm, just the thing for athletes then...)
Apart from these, some people also experience severe side effects that are caused due to the effects of sucralose on the important organs of the body. The following are the severe sucralose side effects and warnings:
Depression
Panic attacks
Joint pain
Migraine
Reduced growth rate
Hyperplasia of the pelvis
Anxiety
Heart palpitations
Abortion
Although there are no known long time sucralose dangers, it is believed to have a negative effect on the liver and the kidneys. Some of the potential effects of sucralose include shrinking of the thymus glands and enlargement of the liver. Sucralose is also believed to be the cause of certain kidney diseases. In pregnant women, intake of sucralose can lead to still birth, abortion, decreased birth weight of the baby, etc. It should be noted that all the above mentioned side effects are potential side effects that may or may not be experienced by people. The number and severity of the side effects also vary from person to person..."
"Side Effects and Warnings of Sucralose
One of the most important things to note is that sucralose contains chlorine which can be harmful if consumed in large amounts. Chlorine in sucralose is considered to have carcinogenic effects (cancer causing). Also, excess or regular intake of sucralose can lead to toxicity. Sucralose side effects and warnings can be divided into two types; minor and severe. The following are the minor sucralose side effects in children and adults.
Fatigue
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Bloating
Diarrhea
Blurred vision
Numbness
Shortness of breath
Weight loss
Abdominal pain
Confusion
Body pain
Cramps (hmmmm, just the thing for athletes then...)
Apart from these, some people also experience severe side effects that are caused due to the effects of sucralose on the important organs of the body. The following are the severe sucralose side effects and warnings:
Depression
Panic attacks
Joint pain
Migraine
Reduced growth rate
Hyperplasia of the pelvis
Anxiety
Heart palpitations
Abortion
Although there are no known long time sucralose dangers, it is believed to have a negative effect on the liver and the kidneys. Some of the potential effects of sucralose include shrinking of the thymus glands and enlargement of the liver. Sucralose is also believed to be the cause of certain kidney diseases. In pregnant women, intake of sucralose can lead to still birth, abortion, decreased birth weight of the baby, etc. It should be noted that all the above mentioned side effects are potential side effects that may or may not be experienced by people. The number and severity of the side effects also vary from person to person..."
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Advanced Muscle Reconditioning !
Benefits of AMR Massage
AMR massage therapy differs from any kind of massage you've probably had. This is the result of years of scientific study of muscles. Most therapies available today including deep tissue massage are only masking symptoms by releasing endorphins. They do not address the true source of pain which is hypertonic muscle spasm.
AMR massage focuses on reversing the hypertonic muscle spasm layer at a time by releiving it of lactic acid, breaking down connective tissue, and increasing circulation. By doing this you increase strength and flexibility along with a number of other health benefits including:
Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
Restore feeling to numb limbs or fingers.
Ease medication dependence.
Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
Restore strength and size to weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover faster from, strenuous workouts.
Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
Increase joint flexibility.
Lessen depression and anxiety.
Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
Reduce postsurgery adhesions, swelling, and tightness.
Surgery prevention including slipped or ruptured discs, torn rotator cuff, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Reduce spasms and cramping.
Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
Relieve migraine pain.
Relieve symptoms associated with autoimmune diseases.
AMR massage therapy differs from any kind of massage you've probably had. This is the result of years of scientific study of muscles. Most therapies available today including deep tissue massage are only masking symptoms by releasing endorphins. They do not address the true source of pain which is hypertonic muscle spasm.
AMR massage focuses on reversing the hypertonic muscle spasm layer at a time by releiving it of lactic acid, breaking down connective tissue, and increasing circulation. By doing this you increase strength and flexibility along with a number of other health benefits including:
Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
Restore feeling to numb limbs or fingers.
Ease medication dependence.
Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
Restore strength and size to weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover faster from, strenuous workouts.
Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
Increase joint flexibility.
Lessen depression and anxiety.
Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
Reduce postsurgery adhesions, swelling, and tightness.
Surgery prevention including slipped or ruptured discs, torn rotator cuff, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Reduce spasms and cramping.
Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
Relieve migraine pain.
Relieve symptoms associated with autoimmune diseases.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
get your copper copper
According to Wallach, aneurysms are caused by a copper deficiency. Copper deficiency can also cause white hair, wrinkles, and sagging in old age. Wallach recommends trying colloidal copper supplementation before opting for a face lift or any other type of lift, as the copper supplements usually work better. His most famous story about copper deficiency was the government turkey pellet disaster of 1957:
"Here's a good one. Dr S.C., 38 years old. Dead of a ruptured aneurysm. Even a turkey wouldn't die of a ruptured aneurysm! It's easy to prevent. We learned this in 1957. The government came out with its 'wonder food pellet' for turkeys. Guaranteed to grow them bigger, fatter, faster, and deader than a door nail. The farmers had to pick them up in bushel baskets, worst year ever for turkeys, they took them to the labs by the truck load, opened them up, and guess what they found? They all died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, every last one, 50% of the entire nation's flock of turkeys... So they knew something was missing in the food. They analyzed the liver, blood, and muscles. Copper deficiency! Your arteries' elastic fibers need copper for tensile strength. The next year the copper content in the feed was doubled, and the mortality rate from ruptured aortic aneurysms dropped to 0%!"
- Joel Wallach from his "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" speech, as quoted on american-longevity.com
"Here's a good one. Dr S.C., 38 years old. Dead of a ruptured aneurysm. Even a turkey wouldn't die of a ruptured aneurysm! It's easy to prevent. We learned this in 1957. The government came out with its 'wonder food pellet' for turkeys. Guaranteed to grow them bigger, fatter, faster, and deader than a door nail. The farmers had to pick them up in bushel baskets, worst year ever for turkeys, they took them to the labs by the truck load, opened them up, and guess what they found? They all died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, every last one, 50% of the entire nation's flock of turkeys... So they knew something was missing in the food. They analyzed the liver, blood, and muscles. Copper deficiency! Your arteries' elastic fibers need copper for tensile strength. The next year the copper content in the feed was doubled, and the mortality rate from ruptured aortic aneurysms dropped to 0%!"
- Joel Wallach from his "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" speech, as quoted on american-longevity.com
Sunday, 11 March 2012
how to heal with distilled water
great news !
"Often times the blood becomes tainted and needs to be purified. There is only one way of washing the blood and that is by means of undiluted water, distilled water which contains no life organism, chemicals or similar substances. It has to be "dead" water, i.e. water condensed from steam. Distilled water, by virtue of its weight: effects a one pound pressure upon the minerals and acids which clog the bloodstream; it
presses them right through the system. Even in a short time it eliminates appreciable quantities of impurities from the blood. There is no hard and fast rule as to how to take The Cure; it may be taken quickly or slowly, hot or cold. It is left entirely to the individual to decide according to temperament and physical condition. The main thing is to obtain the necessary pressure and to ensure that two cups are always taken at one time - a total of seven pints per day. This is quite easy of accomplishment if the quantity is systematically regulated as follows:
1. On awakening take two cups.
2. Another two cups shortly before breakfast.
3. Two cups in the middle of the morning.
4. Two more 20 to 30 minutes before the mid-day meal.
5. Two cups in the middle of the afternoon.
6. Another two cups 20 to 30 minutes before dinner.
7. The last two cups in the evening shortly before retiring.
page 2
If desired, two more portions may be taken one, two hours after lunch, and the other two hours after dinner. As regards to eating and drinking, it is a matter of individual choice. Nothing is forbidden and there is no need for fasting nor privation. One may eat and drink according to individual needs. One eats only moderately after having taken two cups of distilled water. The principle of The Cure must be maintained, i.e., seven times per day, two cups of water at one time - making sure to take two cups shortly before each meal.
It will soon be discovered that even at breakfast time one eats very moderately after having taken two cups of distilled water. After three days one observes a loss of taste for this and that and quite different desires assert themselves for dishes which one may have previously disliked. Day by day one eats less: soon only half and then only a third of what one normally takes. After three days the complexion becomes clearer and more rosy and a feeling of lightness is experienced. After two to three weeks, the eyes become clearer and more penetrating; one is able to think more clearly and one becomes less easily irritated. After three weeks, the thinner ones become a little stouter and the stouter ones become a little thinner. In case of
sufferings of an acute nature, The Cure need last but three weeks; in other cases five weeks. If The Cure be resorted to for from 5 to 12 weeks
in succession, 65 percent of all ailments become eliminated, and the other 35 percent will be eliminated if one continues afterward with a correct diet. By the time one has almost completed The Cure, one has become so accustomed to the drinking of distilled water that one likes...http://www.aquariusthewaterbearer.com/the-truth.html
"Often times the blood becomes tainted and needs to be purified. There is only one way of washing the blood and that is by means of undiluted water, distilled water which contains no life organism, chemicals or similar substances. It has to be "dead" water, i.e. water condensed from steam. Distilled water, by virtue of its weight: effects a one pound pressure upon the minerals and acids which clog the bloodstream; it
presses them right through the system. Even in a short time it eliminates appreciable quantities of impurities from the blood. There is no hard and fast rule as to how to take The Cure; it may be taken quickly or slowly, hot or cold. It is left entirely to the individual to decide according to temperament and physical condition. The main thing is to obtain the necessary pressure and to ensure that two cups are always taken at one time - a total of seven pints per day. This is quite easy of accomplishment if the quantity is systematically regulated as follows:
1. On awakening take two cups.
2. Another two cups shortly before breakfast.
3. Two cups in the middle of the morning.
4. Two more 20 to 30 minutes before the mid-day meal.
5. Two cups in the middle of the afternoon.
6. Another two cups 20 to 30 minutes before dinner.
7. The last two cups in the evening shortly before retiring.
page 2
If desired, two more portions may be taken one, two hours after lunch, and the other two hours after dinner. As regards to eating and drinking, it is a matter of individual choice. Nothing is forbidden and there is no need for fasting nor privation. One may eat and drink according to individual needs. One eats only moderately after having taken two cups of distilled water. The principle of The Cure must be maintained, i.e., seven times per day, two cups of water at one time - making sure to take two cups shortly before each meal.
It will soon be discovered that even at breakfast time one eats very moderately after having taken two cups of distilled water. After three days one observes a loss of taste for this and that and quite different desires assert themselves for dishes which one may have previously disliked. Day by day one eats less: soon only half and then only a third of what one normally takes. After three days the complexion becomes clearer and more rosy and a feeling of lightness is experienced. After two to three weeks, the eyes become clearer and more penetrating; one is able to think more clearly and one becomes less easily irritated. After three weeks, the thinner ones become a little stouter and the stouter ones become a little thinner. In case of
sufferings of an acute nature, The Cure need last but three weeks; in other cases five weeks. If The Cure be resorted to for from 5 to 12 weeks
in succession, 65 percent of all ailments become eliminated, and the other 35 percent will be eliminated if one continues afterward with a correct diet. By the time one has almost completed The Cure, one has become so accustomed to the drinking of distilled water that one likes...http://www.aquariusthewaterbearer.com/the-truth.html
Thursday, 1 March 2012
garlic for toothache
got toothache so am trying garlic (along with the usual daily oil pulling):
. A fresh garlic clove cut sideways placed over the painful tooth and a clove over any other painful area of the mouth held in mouth for at least 20 seconds (longer if possible) and then spit out created a new burning sensation. It burns a bit and throbs when removed but about a minute later and voila - toothache gone! Not only is it immediately gone - but it also does not come back.
I wanted to find out more about why this worked so I looked into garlic. What I learned was garlic has been used as medicine by many cultures for thousands of years. They even used it during the first war when medication was not readily available. They would cut the garlic lengthwise, place on the open wound, which would help to eliminate pain and speed up healing process.
The active ingredient, Allicin, grows only in fresh raw garlic. It is an antimicrobial drug, which can fight a wide array of infections relieving pain and suffering. So the next time you are experiencing a massive toothache remember - a fresh clove of garlic, cut lengthwise ...
. A fresh garlic clove cut sideways placed over the painful tooth and a clove over any other painful area of the mouth held in mouth for at least 20 seconds (longer if possible) and then spit out created a new burning sensation. It burns a bit and throbs when removed but about a minute later and voila - toothache gone! Not only is it immediately gone - but it also does not come back.
I wanted to find out more about why this worked so I looked into garlic. What I learned was garlic has been used as medicine by many cultures for thousands of years. They even used it during the first war when medication was not readily available. They would cut the garlic lengthwise, place on the open wound, which would help to eliminate pain and speed up healing process.
The active ingredient, Allicin, grows only in fresh raw garlic. It is an antimicrobial drug, which can fight a wide array of infections relieving pain and suffering. So the next time you are experiencing a massive toothache remember - a fresh clove of garlic, cut lengthwise ...
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
fibromyalgia, chiropractic
Can My Bellevue Chiropractor Help With Fibromyalgia?
Posted on February 26, 2012 by Dr. Michael Weir
Do you wake up feeling tired, washed out, and dragged down? Do you have generalized pain throughout your body that doesn’t seem to respond to anything you’ve tried? Do you wake up multiple times a night and fight getting back to sleep? These are classic symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM). However, when caught early and treated appropriately, FM can resolve or at least be controlled. As a Bellevue chiropractor I have found that chiropractic care and management of fibromyalgia is very effective and is becoming increasingly popular among FM sufferers. The goal of managing FM is to return you to a productive, enjoyable lifestyle allowing you to function and perform all of your desired activities.
Did you know that chiropractic is one of the most popular forms of alternative care, and 20% of American men and women utilize chiropractic at one point or another in their lives. Did you also know that chiropractic has been found to have an 80% satisfaction rate with people reporting significant pain relief, their function and overall increased sense of well-being. With all this being said I like to share with you some of the science behind chiropractic, and what it is exactly that chiropractors do.
As a chiropractor my main is to bring balance to the musculoskeletal system and reduce stress on the nervous system. This balance helps the body achieve a pain-free environment and may also help with many of your other symptoms. I achieve balance within each of my patients by the use of the pro-adjuster system, and it’s computerized technology to allow me to diagnose and treat the specific problems that my patients come to my office with. I also retrain each my patients muscle system through exercises rehabilitation and soft tissue work including massage. Some of my patients may also need nutritional and diet counseling.
Many of my patients who come to see me with fibromyalgia have pain or tender spots that travel throughout their entire body many times in their back in their neck, or arms and legs. They may also have headaches as a result of these tender spots. Chiropractic is a great way to reduce the pain that many fibromyalgia sufferers have by bringing alignment back to their spines, bringing relaxation to their muscles, and restoring normal posture. Many fibromyalgia sufferers also find that diet and nutritional counseling are also very beneficial. Research shows that chiropractic care for patients suffering from fibromyalgia is very supportive.
At Back in Action Chiropractic we know the importance of including chiropractic into your treatment plan and realize you have a choice of providers here in Bellevue. If you suffer from fibromyalgia, or have a friend or family member that requires care we appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward to serving you and your family presently and, in the future.
Dr. Weir is a local bellevue chiropractor. You can contact his chiropractic chiropractic clinic at 425-635-0495.
Posted on February 26, 2012 by Dr. Michael Weir
Do you wake up feeling tired, washed out, and dragged down? Do you have generalized pain throughout your body that doesn’t seem to respond to anything you’ve tried? Do you wake up multiple times a night and fight getting back to sleep? These are classic symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM). However, when caught early and treated appropriately, FM can resolve or at least be controlled. As a Bellevue chiropractor I have found that chiropractic care and management of fibromyalgia is very effective and is becoming increasingly popular among FM sufferers. The goal of managing FM is to return you to a productive, enjoyable lifestyle allowing you to function and perform all of your desired activities.
Did you know that chiropractic is one of the most popular forms of alternative care, and 20% of American men and women utilize chiropractic at one point or another in their lives. Did you also know that chiropractic has been found to have an 80% satisfaction rate with people reporting significant pain relief, their function and overall increased sense of well-being. With all this being said I like to share with you some of the science behind chiropractic, and what it is exactly that chiropractors do.
As a chiropractor my main is to bring balance to the musculoskeletal system and reduce stress on the nervous system. This balance helps the body achieve a pain-free environment and may also help with many of your other symptoms. I achieve balance within each of my patients by the use of the pro-adjuster system, and it’s computerized technology to allow me to diagnose and treat the specific problems that my patients come to my office with. I also retrain each my patients muscle system through exercises rehabilitation and soft tissue work including massage. Some of my patients may also need nutritional and diet counseling.
Many of my patients who come to see me with fibromyalgia have pain or tender spots that travel throughout their entire body many times in their back in their neck, or arms and legs. They may also have headaches as a result of these tender spots. Chiropractic is a great way to reduce the pain that many fibromyalgia sufferers have by bringing alignment back to their spines, bringing relaxation to their muscles, and restoring normal posture. Many fibromyalgia sufferers also find that diet and nutritional counseling are also very beneficial. Research shows that chiropractic care for patients suffering from fibromyalgia is very supportive.
At Back in Action Chiropractic we know the importance of including chiropractic into your treatment plan and realize you have a choice of providers here in Bellevue. If you suffer from fibromyalgia, or have a friend or family member that requires care we appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward to serving you and your family presently and, in the future.
Dr. Weir is a local bellevue chiropractor. You can contact his chiropractic chiropractic clinic at 425-635-0495.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
how to heal
I like this doctor's approach - refreshing ...
" encourage patients to list and build upon the good influences on their lives and their personal strengths, focus on their major concern, relax with closed eyes and receive internal suggestions of the most promising next step to take, select the best one, take that step, discover real life consequences, and 90% get better. The other 10% soon sensed they were heading in the wrong direction, suddenly knew what step they should have taken, took it, and could hardly believe the good outcome. Could not wait to take the next step -- whether pleasant or not. Could enjoy the pleasant, and the unpleasant taught them a valuable lesson that immediatly brought such great good it seemed too good to be true, but time told it was true."
Dr Richard W Biek, MD, MPH,
" encourage patients to list and build upon the good influences on their lives and their personal strengths, focus on their major concern, relax with closed eyes and receive internal suggestions of the most promising next step to take, select the best one, take that step, discover real life consequences, and 90% get better. The other 10% soon sensed they were heading in the wrong direction, suddenly knew what step they should have taken, took it, and could hardly believe the good outcome. Could not wait to take the next step -- whether pleasant or not. Could enjoy the pleasant, and the unpleasant taught them a valuable lesson that immediatly brought such great good it seemed too good to be true, but time told it was true."
Dr Richard W Biek, MD, MPH,
The real reason you have back pain...?
Found this in an interesting article from Jonah Lehrer (jonahlehrer.com):
"Back pain is an epidemic. The numbers are sobering: There’s an 80 percent chance that, at some point in your life, you’ll suffer from it. At any given time, about 10 percent of Americans are completely incapacitated by their lumbar regions, which is why back pain is the second most frequent reason people seek medical care, after general checkups. And all this treatment is expensive: According to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans spend nearly $90 billion every year treating back pain, which is roughly equivalent to what we spend on cancer.
When doctors began encountering a surge in patients with lower back pain in the mid-20th century, they had few explanations. The lower back is an exquisitely complicated area of the body, full of small bones, ligaments, spinal discs, and minor muscles. Then there’s the spinal cord itself, a thick cable of nerves that can be easily disturbed. There are so many moving parts in the back that doctors had difficulty figuring out what, exactly, was causing a person’s pain. As a result, patients were typically sent home with a prescription for bed rest.
This treatment plan, though simple, was still extremely effective. Even when nothing was done to the lower back, about 90 percent of people with back pain got better within six weeks. The body healed itself, the inflammation subsided, the nerve relaxed.
Over the next few decades, this hands-off approach to back pain remained the standard medical treatment. That all changed, however, with the introduction of magnetic resonance imaging in the late 1970s. These diagnostic machines use powerful magnets to generate stunningly detailed images of the body’s interior. Within a few years, the MRI machine became a crucial diagnostic tool.
The view afforded by MRI led to a new causal story: Back pain was the result of abnormalities in the spinal discs, those supple buffers between the vertebrae. The MRIs certainly supplied bleak evidence: Back pain was strongly correlated with seriously degenerated discs, which were in turn thought to cause inflammation of the local nerves. Consequently, doctors began administering epidurals to quiet the pain, and if it persisted they would surgically remove the damaged disc tissue.
But the vivid images were misleading. It turns out that disc abnormalities are typically not the cause of chronic back pain. The presence of such abnormalities is just as likely to be correlated with the absence of back problems, as a 1994 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed. The researchers imaged the spinal regions of 98 people with no back pain. The results were shocking: Two-thirds of normal patients exhibited “serious problems” like bulging or protruding tissue. In 38 percent of these patients, the MRI revealed multiple damaged discs. Nevertheless, none of these people were in pain. The study concluded that, in most cases, “the discovery of a bulge or protrusion on an MRI scan in a patient with low back pain may frequently be coincidental.”
Similar patterns appear in a new study by James Andrews, a sports medicine orthopedist. He scanned the shoulders of 31 professional baseball pitchers. Their MRIs showed that 90 percent of them had abnormal cartilage, a sign of damage that would typically lead to surgery. Yet they were all in perfect health.
This is not the way things are supposed to work. We assume that more information will make it easier to find the cause, that seeing the soft tissue of the back will reveal the source of the pain, or at least some useful correlations. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t happen. Our habits of visual conclusion-jumping take over. All those extra details end up confusing us; the more we know, the less we seem to understand.
The only solution for this mental flaw is to deliberately ignore a wealth of facts, even when the facts seem relevant. This is what’s happening with the treatment of back pain: Doctors are now encouraged to not order MRIs when making diagnoses. The latest clinical guidelines issued by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society strongly recommended that doctors “not routinely obtain imaging or other diagnostic tests in patients with nonspecific low back pain.”
(However, most GPs and even specialists in the UK dont seem to know this!)
Chronic back pain remains a mystery. While doctors have long assumed that there’s a valid correlation between pain and physical artifacts—a herniated disc, a sheared muscle, a pinched nerve—there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting the role of seemingly unrelated factors. For instance, a recent study published in the journal Spine concluded that minor physical trauma had virtually no relationship with disabling pain. Instead, the researchers found that a small subset of “nonspinal factors,” such as depression and smoking, were most closely associated with episodes of serious pain. We keep trying to fix the back, but perhaps the back isn’t what needs fixing. Perhaps we’re searching for causes in the wrong place.
The same confusion afflicts so many of our most advanced causal stories. Hormone replacement therapy was supposed to reduce the risk of heart attack in postmenopausal women—estrogen prevents inflammation in blood vessels—but a series of recent clinical trials found that it did the opposite, at least among older women. (Estrogen therapy was also supposed to ward off Alzheimer’s, but that doesn’t seem to work, either.) We were told that vitamin D supplements prevented bone loss in people with multiple sclerosis and that vitamin E supplements reduced cardiovascular disease—neither turns out to be true."
Contributing editor Jonah Lehrer (jonahlehrer.com) is the author of the forthcoming book Imagine: How Creativity Works.
"Back pain is an epidemic. The numbers are sobering: There’s an 80 percent chance that, at some point in your life, you’ll suffer from it. At any given time, about 10 percent of Americans are completely incapacitated by their lumbar regions, which is why back pain is the second most frequent reason people seek medical care, after general checkups. And all this treatment is expensive: According to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans spend nearly $90 billion every year treating back pain, which is roughly equivalent to what we spend on cancer.
When doctors began encountering a surge in patients with lower back pain in the mid-20th century, they had few explanations. The lower back is an exquisitely complicated area of the body, full of small bones, ligaments, spinal discs, and minor muscles. Then there’s the spinal cord itself, a thick cable of nerves that can be easily disturbed. There are so many moving parts in the back that doctors had difficulty figuring out what, exactly, was causing a person’s pain. As a result, patients were typically sent home with a prescription for bed rest.
This treatment plan, though simple, was still extremely effective. Even when nothing was done to the lower back, about 90 percent of people with back pain got better within six weeks. The body healed itself, the inflammation subsided, the nerve relaxed.
Over the next few decades, this hands-off approach to back pain remained the standard medical treatment. That all changed, however, with the introduction of magnetic resonance imaging in the late 1970s. These diagnostic machines use powerful magnets to generate stunningly detailed images of the body’s interior. Within a few years, the MRI machine became a crucial diagnostic tool.
The view afforded by MRI led to a new causal story: Back pain was the result of abnormalities in the spinal discs, those supple buffers between the vertebrae. The MRIs certainly supplied bleak evidence: Back pain was strongly correlated with seriously degenerated discs, which were in turn thought to cause inflammation of the local nerves. Consequently, doctors began administering epidurals to quiet the pain, and if it persisted they would surgically remove the damaged disc tissue.
But the vivid images were misleading. It turns out that disc abnormalities are typically not the cause of chronic back pain. The presence of such abnormalities is just as likely to be correlated with the absence of back problems, as a 1994 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed. The researchers imaged the spinal regions of 98 people with no back pain. The results were shocking: Two-thirds of normal patients exhibited “serious problems” like bulging or protruding tissue. In 38 percent of these patients, the MRI revealed multiple damaged discs. Nevertheless, none of these people were in pain. The study concluded that, in most cases, “the discovery of a bulge or protrusion on an MRI scan in a patient with low back pain may frequently be coincidental.”
Similar patterns appear in a new study by James Andrews, a sports medicine orthopedist. He scanned the shoulders of 31 professional baseball pitchers. Their MRIs showed that 90 percent of them had abnormal cartilage, a sign of damage that would typically lead to surgery. Yet they were all in perfect health.
This is not the way things are supposed to work. We assume that more information will make it easier to find the cause, that seeing the soft tissue of the back will reveal the source of the pain, or at least some useful correlations. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t happen. Our habits of visual conclusion-jumping take over. All those extra details end up confusing us; the more we know, the less we seem to understand.
The only solution for this mental flaw is to deliberately ignore a wealth of facts, even when the facts seem relevant. This is what’s happening with the treatment of back pain: Doctors are now encouraged to not order MRIs when making diagnoses. The latest clinical guidelines issued by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society strongly recommended that doctors “not routinely obtain imaging or other diagnostic tests in patients with nonspecific low back pain.”
(However, most GPs and even specialists in the UK dont seem to know this!)
Chronic back pain remains a mystery. While doctors have long assumed that there’s a valid correlation between pain and physical artifacts—a herniated disc, a sheared muscle, a pinched nerve—there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting the role of seemingly unrelated factors. For instance, a recent study published in the journal Spine concluded that minor physical trauma had virtually no relationship with disabling pain. Instead, the researchers found that a small subset of “nonspinal factors,” such as depression and smoking, were most closely associated with episodes of serious pain. We keep trying to fix the back, but perhaps the back isn’t what needs fixing. Perhaps we’re searching for causes in the wrong place.
The same confusion afflicts so many of our most advanced causal stories. Hormone replacement therapy was supposed to reduce the risk of heart attack in postmenopausal women—estrogen prevents inflammation in blood vessels—but a series of recent clinical trials found that it did the opposite, at least among older women. (Estrogen therapy was also supposed to ward off Alzheimer’s, but that doesn’t seem to work, either.) We were told that vitamin D supplements prevented bone loss in people with multiple sclerosis and that vitamin E supplements reduced cardiovascular disease—neither turns out to be true."
Contributing editor Jonah Lehrer (jonahlehrer.com) is the author of the forthcoming book Imagine: How Creativity Works.
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