Orange County chiropractor, Dr. Marcus Ettinger, shares simple techniques to a better quality of life. Below are 11 easy rules, that if followed, will improve the overall integrity of your back (spine and supporting muscles) while at the same time reducing the potential for the development of degenerative arthritis, low back injury and low back pain.

1. Always warm-up and stretch before exercise or other strenuous physical activity. If you are beginning an exercise program for the very first time or are starting back after a prolonged period of inactivity, begin your exercise program with routine, low-impact exercises. Yoga, swimming, speed walking, or stationary bike riding just 30 minutes a day can increase low back muscle strength, over-all posture and flexibility. Ask your chiropractor for a list of low-impact, ‘core stabilizing’ exercises appropriate for your age. Core stabilizing exercises focus on strengthening, in tandem, the lower back and abdominal musculature.
2. Don’t slouch when standing or sitting. When standing, keep your weight balanced on your feet. Your back supports weight most easily when curvature is reduced.
3. At home or work, make sure your work surface is at a comfortable height for you.
4. Sit in a chair with good lumbar support and proper position and height for the task. Keep your shoulders back. Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around the office or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension. A pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind the small of your back can provide some lumbar support. If you must sit for a long period of time, rest your feet on a low stool or a stack of books.
5. Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes with supportive arches.
6. Sleep on your side or back to reduce any curve in your spine. Always sleep on a firm surface.
7. Drink eight, eight ounces of purified water each day. 75% of the weight of the upper body is supported by water volume that is stored in the disc core; 25% is supported by fibrous material around the disc. (Batmanghelidj MD)
8. Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you. Lift with your knees, pull in your stomach muscles, and keep your head down and in line with your straight back. Keep the object close to your body. Do not twist when lifting or when setting the object down.
9. Maintain proper nutrition and diet to reduce and prevent excessive weight, especially weight around the waistline that stresses lower back muscles. Sufficient daily intake of vitamin D, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, along with weight-bearing exercise will help promote new bone growth.
10. If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow and oxygen to the muscles and spine, causing the muscles and intervertebral ‘spinal’ discs to degenerate.
11. Visit a chiropractor for routine check-ups. Keeping your spine and other joints of the body are in proper alignment and moving freely with unrestricted range of motion will reduce ware and tear by keeping the body bilateral and symmetrical; it will also promote unrestricted nerve and blood flow throughout the body

Excessive negative stress has become, over the last 25 years, as much a part of our daily lives as eating and sleeping. Excessive negative stress can be physical (chronic illness, lack of exercise, over-exercising, etc.), emotional (losing a job, winning the lottery, etc.), or chemical (bad diet, drugs, medicines, alcohol, pesticides, etc.).

Excessive negative stress is most likely to be the initial predisposing factor in the cause and prolongation of a disease or illness. Again, the greater the exposure and duration to these negative stressors the greater the susceptibility to acute or chronic illness or body dysfunction.

It is also important to note that not all stress is bad or has negative effects on our bodies. Some types of stress are actually beneficial for us and can increase our immune function, overall strength, emotional well being and longevity. The most beneficial form of stress is exercise, especially swimming and weight training. This type of stress can, in moderation, even negate some of the excessive negative stress’ we face.

When our bodies are exposed to any form of negative stress our organ systems innately responds with what is known as the “fight-flight response”. During this stress induced response, many different and potentially damaging physiological reactions occur. During the initial phase, which can last for seconds to years, digestion and absorption of nutrients are greatly reduced; body tissues begin to break down; the immune system is suppressed; our heart begins to overload and the aging process is significantly accelerated. These are but a sampling of what does occur.

Individuals who are exposed to excessive negative stress may also develop a condition known as adrenal exhaustion. This condition occurs when the adrenal glands work beyond their normal capacity thus eventually shutting down (no more Cortisol, a hormone, being produced). Adrenal exhaustion presents with symptoms similar to those found in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia and hypoglycemia (see table 1).

Table 1

An integrative medicine approach for the treatment of adrenal exhaustion or the effects excessive negative stress are identical. First, it’s crucial to reduce or eliminate as many negative stressors (individual stress factors) as possible.

Second, get plenty of rest, at least 8 hours, starting before midnight; engage in regular, but not excessive, exercise; greatly reduce your carbohydrates intake (bread, sweets, pasta, corn and potatoes); increase protein intake; increase fibrous vegetable intake; drink eight glasses of filtered water daily, and perform deep breathing exercises every morning and evening.

Third, nutritional and/or pharmacological support. To determine pharmacological support we must first determine thyroid and adrenal function via blood tests (thyroid panel including both thyroid antibodies and rT3), and (DHEA, cortisol and progesterone) levels. Nutritional support can be in the form of DHEA and/or Pregnenolone (10 – 50 mg daily) and/or glycerrhizin (25 – 100 mg daily – preferably in the morning). These two supplements safely support proper adrenal hormone levels. DMG (vitamin B15) and Siberian Ginseng have both been shown in Russian clinical studies to help regulate the hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is the initial precursor, along with our LDL cholesterol to our adrenal hormones, whole C complex (Ester-C w/bioflavonoids) is an antioxidant for the adrenal and the highest concentration of vitamin C out side of the spinal chord and brain is found in the adrenal; and potassium are essential for proper adrenal gland function. Adrenal glandular preparations (Whole Desiccated Adrenal (short-term), Drenamin and Drenatrophin PMG) from Standard Process Inc. will also help to support the adrenal glands. These are but a few options that I have used to support the stress response of the body.

Additionally, antioxidants and supportive products like: CoQ10, glutathione, NAC, vitamin E, bioflavonoids, alpha lipoic acid, SAMe, Gabatone (Apex Energetics), L-tryptophan, magnesium and MSM, will also help reduce the overall oxidative burden placed on the body by the excessive negative stress.

With the above knowledge the road to well being and health is now a much shorter one.

Mediterranean Diet

Since high blood pressure is, for the majority of those who suffer from it, self created, following this simple plan can reverse the factors that created it.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan has been researched and proven to lower blood pressure in only 14 days. Those who will experience the best results are people whose blood pressure was only moderately high, including those with prehypertension(1). For those of you with more severe hypertension and may not be able to eliminate medication, the DASH diet can help to improve your response to medication, and at the same time it will help lower blood pressure. The DASH diet can also aid in lowering cholesterol levels, raise HDL’s and if with a little exercise added in, weight reduction will be seen allow with a reduction in insulin resistance.

Most of you reading this will easily admit that this seems like a very healthy way of eating, but initially when implemented may find it hard to sustain. The truth is that the average American only eats 2 – 3 servings of fruits and vegetables combined each day, so following the DASH diet may involve making a determined effort.

The best part of eating this way is that you will be reducing your chances of developing degenerative diseases, cancers or autoimmune diseases. Also this is a preventive diet against weight gain, obesity and diabetes.

Some helpful tips for lowering your blood pressure and following the DASH diet

1. Eating fewer processed foods, such as snack items, luncheon meats, and canned soups, will reduce the amount of sodium in your diet and help you lower your blood pressure.
2. A diet high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium (fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of this nutrients) may lower your blood pressure.
3. A diet high in sodium may cause high blood pressure.
4. DASH recommends that you eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of low-fat dairy products each day.
5. Eating a diet low in both saturated fat and total fat will also help lower your blood pressure. Only 30% (I recommend using olive oil as your fat source) of your total calories should be from fat, with only 7% to 10% of
   your fat calories from saturated fat. Saturated fat is found in meats, cheeses, butter, poultry, snack foods, and other processed foods.
6. In general, vegetarian (Mediterranean diet) diets reduce blood pressure. The DASH diet could easily be a vegetarian diet if legumes were substituted for meat. Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as is the DASH diet. Vegetarian diets also are higher in fiber and unsaturated fat than other diets.
7. Controlling your weight, increasing your physical activity, and reducing sodium in your diet will help reduce your blood pressure even more when combined with the DASH diet. More information here: Mediterranean Diet Helps Prevent Depression.

(1). Prehypertension is considered to be blood pressure readings with a systolic pressure from 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure from 80 to 89 mm Hg. Readings greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg are considered hypertension.

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

If you would like to purchase any of these products, please call us at (714) 639-6360. We can ship anywhere in the US and Canada.

1.  Magnesium

Deficiency: 8 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of magnesium deficiency.  The average American diet only contains 50% to 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).  According to Dr. Guosong Liu, half the population of industrialized countries have a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging.

Symptoms: Anxiety, confusion, heart attack, hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), insomnia, nervousness, muscular irritability (twitches, spasms or cramps), restlessness, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), weakness, heart palpitations, depression….

Recommended Foods: All green leafy vegetables (ex. Swiss chard and spinach), Seeds (pumpkin or sunflower seeds), Beans (black or navy beans).

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Magnesium aspartate, glycinate or citrate (400 – 600 mg’s per day) OR Transdermal Magnesium Chloride (1 ounce rubbed over the body, per day).

2.  Zinc

Deficiency: 7 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Acne, ADD/ADHD, brittle nails, delayed sexual maturity, depression/apathy, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, growth impairment, hair loss, high cholesterol levels, immune impairment, impotence, irritability, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of sense of taste, low stomach acid (HCl), male infertility/abnormal sperm, memory impairment, night blindness, paranoia, white spots on nails, poor wound healing, psoriasis….

Recommended Foods: Calf’s liver, beef, mushrooms, spinach, green peas and pumpkin seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Zinc Glycinate (50 – 100mg’s per day). Take with food, as zinc supplementation may cause nausea if taken on an empty stomach.

3.  Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

Deficiency: 10 out of 10 clients show deficiency (99.8% of all of my Labcorp, client blood tests have shown deficiency).

Symptoms: Allergies, auto immune diseases, burning sensation in mouth, cancer, diarrhea, insomnia, myopia, nervousness, osteoporosis, poor calcium utilization, rickets, scalp sweating, weight gain….

Recommended Foods: Cod liver oil, shrimp and eggs.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: BEST VITAMIN D3 (cholecalciferol) PRODUCT: Liquid Vitamin D Forte by Biotics Research ($20  for 700+ drops. Each drop = 2,000 IU’s). Recommended dosage of emulsified Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) -  (6,000 – 10,000 IU’s per day for adults and 2,000 IU’s for children above the age of five).  Skin exposure to the sun, 15 minutes per day, is another great way to get adequate Vitamin D exposure.  Note: living in southern California, I only take my Vitamin D3 during the months of October through the beginning of June. I surf a lot, and as soon as my wetsuit comes off and I can get 15 minutes+ of direct sunlight, I no longer need the supplement form. In fact, if I kept taking it, I would sunburn within 15 minutes. This is what your body does when the vitamin D3 level is maxed-out.

4.  Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol)

Deficiency: 3/10 Males and 2/10 Females show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Neurological disturbances (gait disturbances, poor reflexes, loss of position sense, loss of vibration sense), shortened red blood cell life….

Recommended Foods: Green leafy vegetables (Mustard greens, chard, spinach and turnip greens), almonds and sunflower seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: d-alpha Tocopherol w/Mixed Tocohperols (400-800 IU’s per day) or Organic Cold Pressed Wheat Germ Oil (1 Tablespoon per day supplies 400IU’s of d-alpha tocopherol).

5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA)

Deficiency: 8/10 show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Diarrhea, dry skin and hair, hair loss, acne, eczema, psoriasis, immune weakness, infertility, poor wound healing, premenstrual syndrome, gall stones, liver degeneration, ADD/ADHD and Depression….

Recommended Foods: Flax seed and/or flax seed oil, walnuts, sardines and wild-caught salmon (Important: avoid farm-raised salmon! Eating farm raised salmon vs wild salmon increases your risk of being exposed to PCB’s, dioxin and other toxic pollutants. Farm raised salmon is colored with artificial color and lacks the omega 3 fatty acids of wild caught salmon).

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Organic, Cold Pressed, Solvent Free – Flax Seed Oil (1 Tablespoon/10 grams per day – Best source of alpha-linolenic acid); Mollecularly Distilled Fish Oil (1 Teaspoon per day – Best source of EPA/DHA).

6. Iodine (potassium iodide)

Deficiency: 6/10 show signs of deficiency and/or therapeutic need.

Symptoms: See – Iodine and the Body & Iodine and Disease

Recommended Foods: Most Kelp or Kombu has about 2500 mcg/gm. Other common seaweeds are much lower; for example, Nori (16 mcg/gm), Wakame (32 mcg/gm), Dulse (72 mcg/gm), Hijiki (629 mcg/gm).

Shellfish is variable, but some typical amounts of iodine are: Prawns (21mcg/100 g), (60mcg/100 g), Mussels (140mcg/100 g), Lobster (100mcg/100 g), Shrimp (100mcg/100 g). For a complete list, pleas go to Iodine in Food.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Iodoral – 50mg’s per day for three months, then 12.5mg per day. Do not start on Iodine without first consulting your physician!

My theory has developed over a 20 year period of time and holds credibility as a corollary to the long-standing law in anatomy and physiology known as – Wollf’s law.  Wolff’s law, in short, states that, “bone remodels according to the physical stress placed upon it.”  As an example: a pitcher’s, pitching arm (humerus, radius and ulna) will be denser than his non-pitching arm.  The opposite of this is, if we lived in outer-space our bones would dissolve (osteoporosis) because of the lack of gravity; no weight-bearing load on the bones.  All of the calcium supplementation, estrogen replacement (for women), and Fosimax (medication) in the world would not prevent this process from happening.

My theory takes Wollf’s law to the next level and states, “Our entire body remodels according to the stress placed upon it: invisibly, physically, emotionally and chemically.” All four of these stressors or outside influences/forces, will directly affect the remodeling of every cell, tissue and physiological function of the body.  This means that our inward and outward appearance and physiological state is in direct correlation to the (way, what and/or how) we sleep, eat, drink, act, exercise, think, deal with stress, or are exposed to stress’ or outside forces.

Physical stress makes-up the largest portion of the overall stressors we will be subjected to on a daily basis. The foods we eat and how often, our exercise level or lack of exercise, chronic postures (work, driving and sleep), chemicals, pesticides, excessive alcohol, medicines, drugs and our body’s own waste products, all influence how we remodel.

If we ingest all of the essential nutrients that our body requires, with all other factors aside, our body will remodel properly. The opposite can be said for eating devitalized food, such as fast food, boxed or canned food; as well as being exposed to drugs, medicines, alcohol, pesticides, toxins, etc… Examples: If we increase protein and weight bearing exercise, an increase in muscle mass and strength will be the result. If we increase fats and/or carbohydrates, combined with a lack of physical exercise, an increase in body fat, blood sugar, blood fats and blood pressure will be the result. This is called: diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension. Exposure to toxins, pesticides, molds, drugs or excessive alcohol, may lead to cancer, ADHD and many other diseases.

Emotional stress placed on the body will have similar effects. If we feel or are exposed to happiness, joy or generosity, all good stress’ will facilitate a positive remodeling (ex. neurotransmitter and hormone production). If we feel or are exposed to anger, expressed or unexpressed resentment, blame or shame, all negative emotions, this will facilitate our body to remodel in a non-optimum way (increased inflammation on decreased endocrine and brain function – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s).  The negative remodeling can lead to everything we don’t want to have our body experience, such as cancer, autoimmune disease and body degeneration. The positive remodeling will help increase the immune system and overall strength of the body, leading to a longer, healthier and more vibrant life.

Invisible forces (electromagnetic waves [radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays], gravity and ionizing radiation) are constantly present and can affect us as much as the overt chemical, emotional and physical forces do. The invisible forces, most of the time, actually precede and initiate the physical, emotional or chemical stress’ that causes the remodeling of our body’s cells or, more specifically, the cell membranes.

It’s easy to see from this, that everything we do or don’t do, and everything that is done to us, sometimes unknowingly, affects how our body remodels. This means how we look and how we functions.  The point I am trying to make here is that we can at least be “cause” of over a very large part of this and be responsible for what we do on a daily basis (eat, exercise, rest…) and what we allow around us. If we do not learn from this then we can go through life at “effect” like a stick floating down a river, out of control. By ignoring this theory, negative remodeling will be the outcome and all the negative consequences that come with it. The choice is ours.

©06 January 2009 Marcus Ettinger and AdvancedHealing.Com. All rights reserved (no portion of this may be re-printed or used without permission)