Friday, September 6, 2013

Painfully Tight Calves - the Unequal Burden

Do you need to warm muscles up before giving them a massage?

Probably, but when you think about it, 98.6F sounds sufficient!

When it comes to loosening stiff muscles rolling isn't the complete answer. You usually have to keep rolling.

You roll the knots out of a muscle and by the next morning the knots have come back again. It's a never ending saga; you loosen the muscle, it tightens itself back up again, you loosen, it tightens ... Is it true  that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result?

If a particular muscle is stiff and sore it's highly likely that it's bearing too much of - or an unequal share of - the burden of locomotion because a muscle (muscles) elsewhere have pulled the skeleton out of alignment.

For instance if you're a runner and you have a tight and persistently painful right calf the cause may be tight left buttock or hamstring or hip flexor or quadratus lumborum ... that has slightly twisted your pelvis.

The level of uneven burden may be so slight you can hardly notice it - but your right calf does. You rub and roll the calf, but to no avail. It's always painfully stiff. you need the human body equivalent of a wheel alignment.

In my own case I notice it when I'm working out on the stepper. My right foot is always an inch and a half behind my left foot. I've assessed the cause of the problem as being a tight left buttock, which I work on persistently, but I'm of an age where a lifetime of rotating to the left to kick and throw (I'm right handed) might have led to permanent rotation of the pelvis.

On the other hand, my diagnosis may not be correct. I could be just plain ignorant of what's causing the pelvis to rotate and what needs to be done and would appreciate some help from readers more knowledgeable about this 'complaint' than I am. I'm more than willing to defer to a 'higher power'.

The principle then is that the cause of the pain is unlikely to be the point where it's painful.

We're fascinated by and attracted to the spot where the pain is - not where the cause of the pain is. It's why when it comes to lower back pain, radiologists want to X-ray the lower back and therapists want to rub, crunch, heat and vibrate it.

The second principle sort of follows on from the first and derives from the dualistic way we look at things. The medical industry is dogged by the fascination with the part, not the whole. Hence if you have a headache it must be because something inside your head is 'not right' rather than the whole body is not right.

So, when you have stiffness in one part, stand back and look at the whole musculo-skeletal ecosystem - chances are it's a system problem, in which case you'd take up yoga or some other form of general movement 'therapy'.

A final word; the particular muscles (and indeed whole musculature) may not be strong enough to do the job expected of it.

Rarely do we strengthen calves (or feet) in such a way that we build their capacity to manage the loads we expect of them.

My recent experience suggests that slow, very slow calf raises are an essential part of the runners/sportsperson's armoury: 5 seconds up, 5 seconds hold, 5 seconds down, 10 seconds hold. It will take 10 minutes not 1 minute.

 "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Monday, September 2, 2013

Medical Research Reaches New Lows


Too much medical science has been perverted by Big Pharma, where research focuses on the effectiveness of one drug against another without comparing the effectiveness of the new drug to the effectiveness of running round the block, eating one less block of chocolate, one less bag of chips and drinking one less bottle of soda pop a day.

Whilst there are, of course exceptions, what medical science has done is complicate the simple, make the cheap expensive and the transparent opaque.  (What the medical industry at large has done, with the support of the State, is built up the perfect closed shop, complete with its priests, bishops and cardinals. It's even engineered its own set of blasphemy laws to protect its pseudo-ecclesiastical power.)

Medical science has become a sacred cow.


(A physiotherapist reviewing my Musculo-skeletal Health program bagged it because I didn't have the scope of practice to diagnose the likely causes of lower back pain. Apparently only doctors have a license to diagnose the cause of a particular body system dysfunction. I can tell you one thing, when it comes to diagnosing the cause of low back pain most doctors definitely don't have a clue.)

In short, a lot of medical science is just plain baloney; busy work for the inmates of the sheltered workshops for the academically gifted.

It's a game that starts with pushing out the begging bowl, (masquerading as a grant application) snagging a stipend from either mug tax payers or Big Pharma, followed by a frenetic round of paper writing, seminar presenting, back slapping, head patting, brown nosing and champagne quaffing at international conferences.

If medical science was any good, the health, fitness and wellbeing of the community would be getting better, not worse; the percentage of GDP being spent on junk medicine would be coming down, not increasing. People would be walking around with a spring in their step, proud and upright - as lean as greyhounds, fit as trout and toey as Roman sandals.

This is a bloated industry, bathing in the reflected glory of Edward Jenner and Howard Florey, full of sound and fury.

If everyone did, every day, what The Great Ardell does, every day, doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and pharmacists would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and don't go to doctors for things doctors can't fix and or for things you're quite capable of fixing yourself.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Back Pain Research

A lot of back pain research is selective-evidence-based because of its focus on and around the spot where it hurts, rather than taking a global, system-wide approach to its causes and treatment.
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Most people with low back pain have a pelvis that's out of alignment due to tight muscles attached to it, front, back and sides - but usually tight hamstring and buttock muscles - and maybe hip flexors.

There are a genre of people who are exceptionally aerobically fit and strong who succumb to back pain. Usually they're very inflexible. Bones in the back will usually already be out of alignment. You can test how far out of alignment but using this diagnostic procedure.

When the pelvis is out of alignment the bones above it move out of alignment. When the vertebrae move out of alignment ligaments, tendons and muscles attached to those bones are stretched beyond their pain threshold. The nucleus of one of more discs starts to get squeezed out. Then along comes an incident - often trivial - that 'tips the person over the edge' and the disc herniates.

The 'straw that breaks the camels back' usually gets the blame, whether it's bending down to pick up a leaf, swivelling round to pick up a phone book, cleaning your desk or lifting a bag of groceries into the car. It can happen to the best of us.

The bag of groceries is not the underlying cause of the problem, just one of the many straws that lob on the lower back. The groceries (the leaf, the phone book, the desk) get the blame.

This is an example of the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. (If A occurs before B then A must have caused B.)

Academic bio mechanics and physiotherapists want to scare us with selective-evidence-based science. For instance, Canadian bio mechanic, Stuart McGill warns against doing situps because they place HUGE forces at the spot where discs herniate.

 http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/01/19/the-man-who-wants-to-kill-crunches/

 However, a healthy musclo-skeletal system is designed to cope with the HUGE forces he rails against.

Blaming a sit up for herniating a disc is indeed a selective piece of evidence. How far the bones of the spinal column are already out of alignment, how inflexible some of the muscles attached to it are and how weak the muscles attached to the pelvis and spine are more important factors.

The body needs persistent flexibility exercises done in sufficient dosage to keep the pelvis and spinal column in good alignment. It needs persistent strength exercises to support the bones in good alignment. (The point I suspect McGill misses is the fact that a good strength training program will also support bones in misalignment.)

But just focusing on the strength of muscles attached to the spine 'somewhere' in the vicinity of the pain misses the point. The cause of the pain is rarely at the site of the pain

The fact that the medical and therapeutic industries are fixated on the site of the pain, has perverted the course of lower back pain research. It's a system problem, that manifests itself in the lower back, not a lower back problem per se.

This means a lot of the evidence as to the cause of lower back pain is selective and if the evidence is selective then we need to be careful not to rely on it too heavily.

As for yoga, if the Chinese have been doing it for 2,000 years, I'd bet on it. I wouldn't change it. It's a musculo-skeletal health program that focuses on the musculo-skeletal system as a whole and not just on one small segment of it. I wouldn't be scared off from doing some of the poses on the say-so of latter day bio mechanics and physiotherapists.

We're dealing with a system that goes from the bottom of the feet right up to the top of the head and just about all the muscles in this chain work together to keep the bones in correct alignment - including the bones in the lower spine.

Focus on the system, not just spot where it hurts. Keep the system strong and flexible and the chances of coming down with a crook back are quite remote.

If you're searching for back pain bogy men, you've got to look further than leaves, desks, bags of groceries and situps.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and diminish your risk of joint and muscle pain by keeping yourself strong and flexible.


John Miller

http://www.globalbackcare.com

Friday, August 30, 2013

Core Strength Exercises

There's a lot of debate about which muscles are 'core' muscles and which exercises you need to do to improve core strength.

Most people think that core muscles are those 'somewhere behind your belly button'.  Physiotherapists get people to lie on their back and suck their guts in to strengthen those muscles.

Not many people became stronger by sucking their guts in.

My definition of core muscles is any muscle attached to the pelvis or the spine.

Withjout complicating the sipple you ought to be able to look after your core strength by regularly doing these four exercises:

1. Situps of any type.

2. Pressups definitely. Pressups are plank in motion - the best predictor of risk of lower back pain.

3. Squats - don't forget that core muscles are any muscles attached to the pelvis or spine. Just get a piece of wood an inch or so thick, place it under your heels and start squatting. Make sure your backside goes below your knees.

4. Superman - don't forget the muscles on the 'back side' of the body.

If everyone could do 40 situps, 40 pressups and 40 squats doctors, physios and chiros would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs.


In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned, keep strengthening your core muscles and visit http://www.globalbackcare.com for a complete musculo-skeletal health training program.


John Miller

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Accupuncture and Back Pain

I'd bet on anything the Chinese have been doing to 2000 years, BUT, that wouldn't stop me from doing the strength and flexibility exercises that need to be done to get the pelvis and the bones above it back in alignment.


Most people go for a particular therapy and then forget that the most effective therapy is the one that they can do themselves - for free - at home - a targeted strength and flexibility training program.

There is no way you can keep yourself in good musculo-skeletal health without such a program.

The corollary is that if you have low back pain, start doing the exercises needed to get the pelvis and the bones above itback into better alignment, for a sufficient period of time each day for them to take effect. No rubbing, no crunching, no heating, no vibrating, no doping, no surgery.

Norman Marcus, Director, Norman Marcus Pain Institute, Associate Professor, NYU/Langone School of Medicine writes, 'non specific or idiopathic low back pain which refers to sprains and strains of soft tissue accounts for 70 to 80% of patients presenting with pain in the low back (http://bit.ly/15K9ORX).'

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council puts the idiopathic figure at 95%.

Believing that 70% - 95% of low back pain doesn't have a cause pretty much rules out the medical industry as being the experts in this field.

If you don't know the cause how can you possible direct a treatment at fixing it?

Motor mechanics would go out of business if they adopted these principles.

You could pretty much count on the causes of those 70%-95% being generated by a lack of strength and flexibility - causing bones to move out of alignment.

In the first instance treat low back pain as a personally-generated fitness problem - and understand that the chances of solving a personally-generated fitness problem with a medical/pharmaceutical/surgical solution is very remote.

Just about everything the medical industry writes about low back pain and just about every things it recommends to relieve the pain provides evidence that it is out of its depth.

Complicating the simple and making the cheap expensive definitely doesn't mean you're going to solve the problem.


In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned, loosen the tight muscles and strengthen the weak muscles.


John Miller

http://www.globalbackcare.com

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Stretching Before Exercise

I've read one of the research reports (Herbert et al. Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: systematic review. British Medical Journal. 2002). All Herbert and his mate, Gabriel did was look at the results of other studies - without saying just how bad they were.

'The first study investigated effects of supervised stretching of calf muscles before exercising (two stretches of soleus and gastrocnemius muscles for 20 seconds on each limb, total stretch time 160 seconds).'

If the feet are out of alignment, if the upper and lower leg bones are out of alignment, if the pelvis is out of alignment, 20 seconds of calf stretching to avoid soreness is about as useful as a hip pocket on a singlet.

'The second study investigated effects of supervised stretching of six muscle groups in the lower limbs before exercising (one 20 second stretch to each muscle group on each limb, total stretch time 240 seconds.)'

At least more muscles were being stretched but the time was grossly inadequate to have much of an effect. No wonder this regime didn't work.

'Total stretch time per session varied from 300 seconds to 600 seconds, with the exception of one study in which total stretch time was only 80 seconds.'

'This systematic review finds clear evidence from five studies of nominally moderate quality that stretching before or after exercising has no effect on delayed onset muscle soreness.'

Well at least Herbert and Gabriel had the decency to say the studies were of 'nominally moderate quality.' What he should have said was they were of dreadful quality.

'Conclusions: Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Stretching before exercising does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury, but the generality of this finding needs testing. Insufficient research has been done with which to determine the effects of stretching on sporting performance.'

Read it again. The 'generality of this finding needs testing.' The last sentence says it all. 'Insufficient research has been done ...' Add to that 'insufficient quality research has been done.'


Can you believe that the sporting world is now running around using this evidence as gospel?

Herbert and Gabriel have produced a very tawdry report. Basing the findings on the effectiveness of stretching as a method of reducing injury or muscles soreness on a stretching regime that takes 20 seconds if definitely baloney.

Anyone who knows anything about stretching (loosening) knows that 20 seconds is useless. In that time the muscles doesn't even get the message that it's safe to loosen off.

The other flaw in the report is that it takes no consideration of the effect of constant, daily, extended loosening off of ALL the major muscles of the body associated with keeping the skeleton in good alignment and facilitating propulsion and locomotion.

If I were running an elite athlete program I'd make the athletes do at least an hour of yoga a day and probably have them working at the barre for the same amount of time.

This is a research report that never should have been given the light of day, let alone be used to bag the benefits of a regular, systematic and extended muscle loosening program.

20 seconds, bah humbug.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Stretching Research

Reports are coming out saying that the latest stretching research is telling people that stretching is useless.

It's baloney.

In the sit down culture it's imperative that you stretch in order to prevent tight muscles from taking your skeleton out of alignment.

If your stretches are not making your muscles looser, chances are you're not doing them for long enough - or often enough.

The western world is experiencing a musculo-skeletal pain catastrophe/calamity/epidemic, caused mainly by tight muscles taking bones out of alignment. Weak muscles exacerbates the problem.

I don't know where this research comes from - probably Pfizzer, Smerk, Roach or the American College of Surgeons!

If every one did half and hour's yoga every day, doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and chemists would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing golf most afternoons.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and keep loosening off tight muscles and strengthening weak muscles.

Monday, August 19, 2013

How Long do you Need to Stretch For?


I think the duration of the 'stretch' is very important. Keep in mind that what we're talking about is giving muscles 'confidence' that it is safe to loosen off. It's not stretching per se, but creating the conditions for the muscle to loosen off that we need to focus on.

I'd say it takes at least a minute for a muscle to get the message it is safe to loosen up, maybe even longer. With lower back pain, you'd want to allocate 20 minutes for each of static back, supine groin stretch and hip crossover. Most people only stretch for 20 seconds and wonder why they never get better.

If you're planning on loosening a muscle, take10 or 20 long, slow breaths and with every breath you breathe out increase the 'stretch', even by the smallest amount.

For instance, with a conventional hamstring 'stretch' with one leg on a bar, with every breath you breathe out, take your navel a little closer to your thigh. With 20 deep breaths you'll make a lot of progress. Tust give the muscle time and respect.

I haven't expressed this in scientific terms but you'll get the message.

Ozone Therapy for Herniated Disc


It's doubtful that any treatment for low back pain comes close to the effectiveness of a set of strength and flexibility exercises, specifically designed to get the pelvis and the bones above it back into better alignment.

This is the gold standard treatment, simple and cost effective.

Research studies on the effectiveness of other treatments that don't compare the effectiveness of those treatments against the effectiveness of a regular, systematic and sustained set of exercises is poor research that leads to poor clinical practice.

Keep in mind too that the exercises most physicians prescribe to their customers, fail to target the cause of the misalignment and lack the frequency, intensity and duration needed to bring about this re-alignment of the skeleton!

For a high proportion of people, low back pain comes not only with a pelvis and spinal column that are out of alignment but a body that is in poor general physical condition.

If your customer can't do a sit up, can't hardly do any press-ups, situps, or squats, can't touch their toes or sit up straight with their legs crossed, is more than 20Kg over weight and doesn't have a regular and systematic strength and flexibility training program, it's highly unlikely that their herniated disc is due to a lack of oxygen therapy.

When it comes to the medical treatment of lower back pain, the medical industry has complicated the simple and made the cheap expensive.

When the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council  (NHMRC) (and other medical institutes around the world) can get away with describing 95% of lower back pain as being idiopathic, you'll know that a high proportion of physicians are poorly trained to know where to look for the underlying cause of the pain, let alone prescribe the simple strength an flexibility exercises designed to restore poor function to good.

These physicians are prime targets for surgeons and drug companies.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Fitness Frontline

It's time for the fitness industry to elbow its way into the front line of primary health care for the personally-generated metabolic, musculo-skeletal and psychological dysfunctions.

The disease/medical model of treating these dysfunctions isn't working. The community is being short-changed by the practice of junk medicine, where drugs are used to mask symptoms, rather than restore poor function to good.


It's the wrong prescription. You can't solve fitness problems with medical solutions. It's a swifty, a legerdemain, a fraud.

The fitness industry and all of us as practitioners stand to make a real impact on the 80% of people who never pass through our doors, believing that traipsing through the waiting rooms of doctors is the pathway to good health.


It's time for governments to wind back protection of the medical and pharmaceutical industries in favour of the fitness industry.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and if your in the fitness industry sharpen you elbows.

Regards and best wishes

John Miller

http://www.fitandhealthyonline.com

Sunday, July 28, 2013

How to Select a Running Shoe



Selection of a running shoe is a serious business.

If someone suggests you purchase a particular shoe and after wearing it for a few weeks you come down with some sort of injury you've never had before, the cost to your training program and the cost of a therapeutic program could be enormous.

In my experience you have to take pot luck when buying your shoes, but it shouldn't be like that.   

The sports footwear manufacturers and sales-people do a dreadful job in helping people select the right shoe for their particular foot strike, bio-mechanics and injury history. Most of the sales people are just uni students earning pocket money. They have absolutely no training in what really is complicated business.

They don't have a clue about which shoe has the special support one might need.

For all I know Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (of which over the last couple of years I've been the victim) are caused by the wrong shoes.

Does any one out there have a list of shoes likely to cause these injuries?

Does any one have a list of shoes likely to help restore poor function to good?

The other thing that really irritates me is that you finally get a pair of shoes that work well and you go back to get another pair and they've discontinued the line. This once happened to me with a pair of Saucony shoes which were just right. Six months later I went back for another pair and, 'Nope, they're discontinued.' I’ve been suffering ever since.

So, to cut a long story short, it would be good for foot experts and shoe manufacturers to make up a list that says;

     '... if you have this sort of foot and gait, if you have this sort of injury … you need this shoe.' 

If someone can direct me to such a list I'll be eternally grateful.

The other thing is I suspect most sports shoes are pretty much the same, coming out of the same factory somewhere in Asia with just different branding.

And worse, they cost a couple of dollars to make and sell for over $200. Does it every strike you that you're being ripped off when a pair of shoes made out of moulded rubber and canvas costs twice as much as a good pair of leather dress shoes?

Does it ever give you the pip to know that some elite athlete has his or her hand in your pocket every time you buy a pair of shoes? What is the value should we place on the endorsement of people like Michael Jordan and Venus Williams?

Don't get me started!

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and if you'd like to see my best shot at solving this problem go to:

http://www.globalbackcare.com/achilles-tendon-pain/#.UfTMIIN-9nI

John Miller


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Complete Fitness Program




Partrick on a LinkedIn forum wrote:

'Cardio is steady state for prolonged periods of time, which plenty of research shows little benefit and possible negative health risk in the long run.'

Obviously he hasn't heard of Ron Clarke or Robert De Castella?

How do you think these people trained. I can tell you one thing, they didn't become world record holders by doing a few interval sprints. It took years of steady running.

Then he went on to write about: '...possible negative health risk.'

I would have thought that the risks associated with regular aerobic fitness activity greatly outweigh the risks associated with not doing any at all. In fact I'm not aware of any risks - apart from overuse injuries from running, which you can avoid by doing other things

At the moment there's a lot of 'smart Alec' research going on about short, sharp interval training. These people are completely out of touch with the real world of aerobic fitness as depicted by both regular, run-of-the-mill joggers and elite athletes.

In the 1950's and 60's there were fierce debates in elite athlete circles as to the benefit of sustained running and interval training. In the end it came down to a mix of both.

A lot of these researchers either have short memories or are just too young to know what's gone on in the past. A lot of them exist in a laboratory wearing a white coat.

The people I see who are into their 40's and beyond in good shape are people who've been jogging regularly for years. Some of them are people who've been working out in the gym on the treadmill, the bike, the stepper or the climber for years. Some of them ride a bike outside or swim. The results speak for themselves despite what recent research may show.

The formula is:

*  20 minutes is good

*  30 minutes is better

*  40 minutes is best.


*  4 times a week is good

*  5 times is better

*  six times is best

For a 40 year old

*  heart rate of 120 is good

*  130 is better

*  140 is best

Do that year in and year out and you'll maintain a good enough level of aerobic fitness. it's the foundation of metabolic health. It's simple. It's cheap. It's uncomplicated.

On top of that you need a decent three times a week strength training program and a flexibility training program.

The three main factors of fitness are

-  aerobic fitness
-  strength
-  flexibility.

Fitness practitioners are short changing people if they don't encourage them to do all three on a regular and systematic basis.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned.

John

http://www.completefitnessworkout.com

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic 'syndrome' is not a disease.

The word 'syndrome' is medical speak for 'We don't know the cause.'

If you're in the fitness business you'll know the cause. It's just that you're too far down the medical feeding chain for anyone to take any notice of you!

Better to use the term 'metabolic dysfunction' to describe what the medical industry calls 'metabolic syndrome'.

All the symptoms of metabolic dysfunction - elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, obesity, depression (yep, depression is positively correlated with metabolic dysfunction), lack of energy, headaches, cardiac insufficiency are related to body systems that have become dysfunctional due principally to a poor diet and lack of aerobic fitness.

And if it's personally generated I wouldn't classify it as a disease. And being personally-generated there's a good chance that it can be personally-ungenerated (though not in all cases.)

Despite whet the medical industry thinks, heart disease isn't a disease; type 2 diabetes isn't a disease, just symptoms of personally-generated dysfunctions. Because they're classified as diseases by the medical industry, the medical industry has levered its way into the front line of treatment. And what misguided treatment it frequently is, when drugs to mask the symptoms are the first prescriptions of choice, rather than the last.

It's time the has fitness industry elbowed the medical industry out of the way for the treatment and prevention of the personally-generated, body system dysfunctions.

You'll know the personally generated dysfunctions from the usual junk medical treatments:

- a heart attack is not caused by a lack of bypass surgery
- headaches are not caused by a lack of Panadol
- high blood pressure is not caused by a lack of Avapro
- high cholesterol is not caused by a lack of Lipitor
- depression is not caused by a lack of Zolof
- type 2 diabetes is not caused by a lack of Gliclazide
- reflux is not caused by a lack of Tims
- a crook guts is not caused by a lack of Prilosec
- lower back pain is not caused by a lack of Oxycodine
- bad breath is not caused by a lack of Spearmint
- piles are not caused by a lack of Anudol.

So, nope, metabolic 'syndrome' definitely not a disease.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and if you're in the fitness game, elbow your way into the front line of primary health care for the treatment of the personally-generated metabolic, musculo-skeletal and psychological dysfunctions.

http://www.fitandhealthyonline.com

The New Health Policy


As I see it, there are (at least) seven great challenges for the Australian Government in the health and medical field.

1.    How to rein back the protection of the medical industry for the treatment of personally-generated dysfunctions that people are quite capable of fixing themselves. The general practice system is not doing a good job at managing poor health. It's a cumbersome, bloated, wasteful and expensive system that needs drastic surgery. It's been corrupted by Big Pharma - where drugs have become the prescription of preference over all other treatments.

2.    How to restructure the Medicare system to give people great encouragement to improve their health and fitness - and lower public medical costs.

3.    How to stop people going to doctors for things that doctors can't fix. We can no longer expect the public to pay for treatments that mask symptoms without restoring poor function to good. For instance

    -    elevated blood pressure is not caused by a lack of Avapro
    -    elevated cholesterol levels are not caused by a lack of Lipitor
    -    high blood glucose are not caused by a lack of Gliclazide
    -    headaches are not caused by a lack of Panadol
    -    reflux is not caused by a lack of Mylantin
    -    insomnia is not caused by a lack of Stilnox
    -    piles are not caused by a lack of Anusol
    -    a crook back is not caused by a lack of Celebrex or Oxycodone.

    The list goes on and on.

4.    How to reduce the impact of privately generated body system dysfunctions on the costs of publicly funded medical treatments.

5.    How to encourage people to keep themselves fitter and healthier.

6.    How to advance the fitness industry into the front line of primary health care for those body system dysfunctions that are caused by a lack of aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. I believe that beefing up the fitness industry will give a coalition government the biggest bang for its health buck.

7.    How to stop the purveyors of junk food and junk drink from running amok. Reducing the amount of added sugar in junk food and drink by half a percent each year until it is below 5% is a must.

I believe the Government has the capacity to develop a new approach to dealing with these problems with both carrot and stick solutions. The savings would be enormous.

The first step is to split the Department of Health into two:

-    Department of Medical Services

-    Department of Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

... so as to give greater emphasis to improving health, fitness and wellbeing - rather than sending ambulances around to the bottom of the cliff.

At the present time the focus is 99% on the medical side of the equation. This focus is causing our governments to go broke and not improving health, fitness and wellbeing.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned.


John Miller


http://www.fitandhealthyonline.com

Best Way to Improve Your Posture

If everyone did a few strength and flexibility exercises every day, doctors, physiotherapists and chiropractors would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs. How simple is that? 

No rubbing, crunching, heating, vibrating, strapping, doping or surgery; just you spending a bit of time every day loosening tight muscles and strengthening weak muscles.

The gold standard? Yoga.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned.

John Miller

http://www.globalbackcare.com

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Curbing the Epidemic of Obesity

For the main part obesity is a private health matter, not a public health manner, like the provision of fresh water, deep drainage, immunization, antibiotics ...

But, having said that, it behoves governments to protect the gullible, the vulnerable and the naïve from a junk food industry that's running amok - by restricting added sugar, restricting advertising and demanding junk food purveyors distribute their products in plain paper packaging.

People seem to be poorly educated about which foods fatten them up and which foods trim them down.

However, I doubt that any amount of education will ever compete with the addictive power of fat and sugar.

Plus when you can gain 2,000 Calories from bread, butter, peanut butter and honey from around $5,  what hope is there of poor people eating well?

In the meantime stay tuned highly tuned and eat from the top of the Hourglass.

http://www.hourglassdiet.com

Cause of Postural Dysfunction

1.  Because weak and tight muscles allow bones to move out of alignment.

2.  Because of hand and foot dominance that repeatedly twists our body in the one direction every time we hit, throw, kick ....

3.  Because of the way we sit down (in the 'slump dog' position) for hours, weeks, months, years and decades.

As muscles attached to the pelvis become shorter the pelvis moves out of alignment. Then the bones above it move out of alignment. You think you've got a lower back problem when actually you've got a muscles-attached-to-the-pelvis problem.

You rush off to people who want to X-ray the spot where it hurts and then crunch, rub, heat, vibrate and palpate your lower back, instead of YOU, lying on the floor while you watch TV, doing the exercises that gradually loosen off the tight muscles.

4.  Because we don't have a regular and systematic strength and flexibility training program.

If everyone did yoga a few times a week (and had a strength training program at the gym)  doctors, radiologists, physiotherapists and chiropractors would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing golf most afternoons.

Now read on:

http://www.globalbackcare.com


In the mean time stay tuned, highly tuned and strengthen weak muscles and loosen off tight muscles.

John Miller

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Workplace Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

The burning question is, 'How can you change health-promoting behaviours at work?


I would have thought that stimulation of the hip pocket nerve would provide the best bang for the corporate health, fitness and wellbeing buck.

Education doesn't work. As Calvin Coolidge said, 'The world is full of educated derelicts.'

'Help reduce our workers compensation premiums and I'll give you a share of the savings.' The corollary is that 'If you're not willing to improve your health and fitness you can pay your own workers compensation premiums.'

I see organisations that pay $2,000 per employee for workers compensation insurance when it should be $400. It's unsustainable. These are people who sit in cages six foot square all day. How can you injure yourself sitting in a cage?

Free universal medical cover is also unsustainable in a society where people personally-generate a body full of dysfunctions and want the public health system to pay the medical bills. It's baloney.

Here's where I'm at:

http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/index.htm

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and remember, it's a big ask expecting to stay healthy without keeping yourself fit.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

How to Fix Neck Pain

OH&S manager, Kevin sent me a message:


'Two people I know at work have two disc bulges in their necks with some arthritis. Both have been going to physios for a long time without much relief. One has been advised to have cortisone injections. Do you have any specific advice for this problem?'

I wrote back:

Yep, sure do.

Attached is the book of exercises they need to do to square off their pelvis.

I'll send a copy of the neck pain ebook in the next email.

The reason they're not getting better is because the physio doesn't know where to look for the cause of the pain. Clue? It's not at the site of the pain. Most physios just want to rub, crunch, heat and vibrate the spot where it hurts.

Problem is, a neck pain is not caused by a lack of rubbing, crunching, heating and vibrating.

It's a fitness problem - generated by a lack of strength and flexibility - not a medical, pharmaceutical or physio problem.

The bones in the neck have been drawn our of alignment by muscles. Ligaments, tendons and muscles have been stretched beyond their pain threshold. Bones have moved out of alignment causing discs to herniate.

You can't subcontract out a strength and flexibility training program to a physio - or anyone else.

Kevin, time I came back to give a day's worth of Musculo-skeletal Health clinics.

Here's the download link to the work book for the day. It's quite a large file so give it time to download.

http://www.globalbackcare.com/corporate/workbook.pdf

Take the two people through the risk assessment and report back.

In the meantime stay tuned highly tuned and click on the link to find out what you can do to relieve neck pain and other musculo-skeletal pain

http://www.globalbackcare.com

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Make Your Trip Healthy as You Travel

Guest post from Cole Millen


Those that love to travel always understand that they need to eat healthy before they leave for their vacation.  They want to make sure they look good when they are out and about, and they will be able to stay healthy if they follow some of these simple and often overlooked tips. 

On The Road


When people vacation, they can end up stopping at fast food places in order to get something to eat.  This can give them a lot of calories, and they will gain weight.  They should buy healthy snacks, like salads, sandwiches and pastas at a grocery store and bring them in their cooler.  They can stop at a rest area and eat their meal.  This will help them to stay healthy during the trip that they have been looking forward to for a long time.  Getting nutritious drinks from the store will also help to keep them trim versus getting soft drinks along the way.  Soft drinks are filled with sugar, and they can have a disastrous affect on a person’s weight.  It is best to avoid them and get nutritious drinks for the trip and during meals. 

At the Hotel


Prior to booking your hotel, understanding the offerings and amenities can be pivotal in a healthy vacation. For this reason it is extremely important to plan ahead and pick out the right hotel / area. I have found online reviews from other travelers with similar interests to be extremely helpful. In a recent trip of mine,  I found a great site that listed reviews Las Vegas hotels regarding their amenities and services which allowed me to know exactly what I needed to stay healthy while away. Staying at hotel offers people the ability to utilize the amenities.  Many hotels have swimming pools, fitness clubs and saunas to help those that are health conscious continue to be when they are traveling.  They should take advantage of these whenever they can.  When they stay in hotels they might also want to skip the mini bar.  The mini bars are usually stocked with caloric beverages, which will also make them add on pounds when they are traveling.  They can take advantage of the coffees and teas that are available.

Out to Eat


When people are on vacation, they should make sure that they watch what they eat at restaurants.  Most of them have a healthy options part of the menu, and they should stick to those foods.  They should avoid fried and buttered meals.  Another way that they can watch their weight while traveling is to share meals because this is an excellent way to make sure they get the nutrients they need without the calories they dread. 

With all these helpful tips they will be able to survive the vacation without gaining weight.  After all, they worked so hard to look great for their trip, so they want to still remain healthy and trim when they return.  These tips will allow them to accomplish the fun that they desire while remaining healthy as they travel for their vacations.
 
Now swing over to Cole's blog. It's full of good health articles
 
 
In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and eat from the top of the hourglass.
 
 
Regards
 
John Miller

Monday, July 1, 2013

Keep Yourself Fit and Healthy

Poor health is threatening to bankrupt countries who pick up the tab for every privately-generated body system dysfunction.

So what's going to happen when Governments finally decide to call a halt.

Here's one suggestion:

Dear Citizen,

The public health system was founded on the provision of clean water and deep drainage to most houses. Then came vaccination and our community had the foundations of healthy living. 

The public health system wasn't designed for and can no longer cope with providing free treatment for privately-generated body system dysfunctions. From now on we're sending out accounts, deducting insurance premiums from your tax, or claiming on your estate. We advise you to keep yourself fit and healthy to the best of your ability.


In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and keep yourself fit and healthy to the best of your ability.


John Miller



Sunday, June 30, 2013

Avoid Aspartame - and Junk Drink



I'm a big fan of Joseph Mercola, the Chicago-based doctor of chiropractic who has one of the most popular health websites on the internet.

I've been getting his newsletters for donkey’s ages and respect his work.

He's a prolific correspondent, specializing in writing 'stuff' that you won't get from the NH&MRC, a surgery or chemist shop.

Over the weekend I received his newsletter with an article about ASPARTAME. He’s been sending out warnings about Aspartame for a number of years.

Here's the link:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/29/sweet-misery-documentary.aspx?e_cid=20130629_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130629

The irony of the 'diet' sector of the junk drink industry is that despite the low calorie nature of their beverages it doesn’t seem to be leading to the progressive thinning of society. In fact I’m tempted to say that obesity trends and consumption of food and drink with Aspartame in them probably go lock step with each other.

You may like to do your own survey and determine which group of people purchase most of the diet colas: thin people or fat people.

My suspicion is that the diet drink phenomenon – as a way to lose fat from the body or slow down the increase of fat around the body - will probably go down in history as one of the great nutritional myths.

Just to remind you, here’s a few of those myths.

There are no calories in broken biscuits.

-     The calories don't count if you eat standing up; standing up is a form of exercise which means
       you're burning off the calories as quickly as they're going in

-     When you eat food with a salad, the salad cancels out the calories in the food.

-     Food being sold to raise money for charity cannot make you fat, because your virtue cancels
       out its calories.

-     Skinny fries, lattes and muffins will make you thin.

-     A diet coke cancels out the hamburger and fries.

-     Icing and cream on cake doesn’t contain any calories

-     Giving blood makes you calorie-immune for the rest of the day

-     Cutting food up and spearing it on sticks makes it healthy

-     Butter doesn't make you fat if spread on brown bread.

-     Food taken off children’s plates doesn’t make you fat.

(With thanks for http://www.channel4.com/4food)


Regards and best wishes

John Miller

If you want advice on how to eat and drink wisely in a junk food world go to

Http://www.hourglassdiet.com

Friday, June 28, 2013

Take a Break

I reckon institutionalized ten minute breaks are important, particularly for people who sit down all day and are in stressful jobs like call centres.

So work for seven hours but get paid for 8 - but the extra hour means breaks for

- listening to a relaxation audio file

- walking around the block - without a cigarette

- doing ten minutes tai chi or yoga

- doing ten minutes of strength exercises

- doing ten minutes of stretching exercise.

I'm not sure that adds up to an hour but you get what I mean.

Plus if you're the manager, obligate yourself to personally-deliver a piece of fruit to each person's desk for morning tea.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and remind me to do this myself!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Is Obesity a Disease?

Today's post come from reading a comment on  a Linkein forum that metabolic syndrome is a disease.

Metabolic 'syndrome' is not a disease.

The word 'syndrome' is medical speak for 'We don't know the cause.'

If you're in the fitness business you'll know the cause. It's just that you're too far down the medical feeding chain for anyone to take any notice of you!

Better to use the term 'metabolic dysfunction' to describe what the medical industry calls 'metabolic syndrome'.

And, when push comes to shove, the underlying cause may well reside in our thinking.

What AILS you?

It could be

- Attachment
- Ignorance
- Laziness
- Stupidity.

There was quote from the film, 'Fight Club' (Chuck Palahniuk), 'Never under-estimate the predictability of stupidity', which when it's all boiled down means knowing what to do, but not doing it. This could well be THE major 'disease' of our time.

All the symptoms of metabolic dysfunction - elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, obesity, depression (yep, depression is positively correlated with metabolic dysfunction), lack of energy, headaches, cardiac insufficiency are related to body systems that have become dysfunctional, due principally to a poor diet and lack of aerobic fitness.

And if it's personally generated I wouldn't classify it as a disease. And being personally-generated there's a good chance that it can be personally-ungenerated (though not in all cases.)

Despite whet the medical industry thinks, heart disease isn't a disease; type 2 diabetes isn't a disease, just symptoms of personally-generated dysfunctions. Because they're classified as diseases by the medical industry, the medical industry has levered its way into the front line of treatment. And what misguided treatment it frequently is, when drugs to mask the symptoms are the first prescriptions of choice, rather than the last.

It's time the  has fitness industry elbowed the medical industry out of the way for the treatment and prevention of the personally-generated, body system dysfunctions.

You'll know the personally generated dysfunctions from the usual junk medical treatments:

- a heart attack is not caused by a lack of bypass surgery
- headaches are not caused by a lack of Panadol
- high blood pressure is not caused by a lack of Avapro
- high cholesterol is not caused by a lack of Lipitor
- depression is not caused by a lack of Zolof
- type 2 diabetes is not caused by a lack of Gliclazide
- reflux is not caused by a lack of Tims
- a crook guts is not caused by a lack of Prilosec
- lower back pain is not caused by a lack of Oxycodine
- bad breath is not caused by a lack of Spearmint
- piles are not caused by a lack of Anudol.

So, nope, being fat is definitely not a disease.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Female Urinary Incontinence in High Intensity Exercise

First the glass ceiling and now the pelvic floor.


Until I recently saw a link to a video posted on Linkedin on the subject I wasn't aware of just how common this problem appears to be for so many fit and healthy young women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKzq1upNIgU


The person who made the original post seemed to think it was a bad thing to post a Youtube video on the topic.

Like most health problems, I think it's a good idea to get it out into the open, particularly as it seems to be quite prevalent. There may be women who are so embarrassed by the problem they are scared to exercise and don't realize they are not alone.

In the gym where I go there's a sign out the front saying, 'No towel, no train.' Maybe there needs to be information about this problem in womens' change rooms and a sign advising women who have this problem to wear something that maintains a high standard of hygiene within the gym.

So far from thinking it's wrong to bring this topic out into the open, I think it's good.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and make sure you take your towel to the gym.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

How to Build Muscle


The secret is weight training using slow repetitions, very slow; 2 or 3 seconds out, hold and then 2 or 3 seconds back and hold.

As well as that, hold for a second at the half way point on the 'out' and the back' stroke.


Three sets, 10, 8,6 with gradually increasing weight will leave you staggering.

Applies to up and down as well.

In the mean time stay tuned, highly tuned and if you weight train three times a week, doing super sets and the system outlined above you'll build muscle quickly.

John Miller

http://www.globalbackcare.com

http://www.completefitness workout.com

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Obesity set to become a disease.

The US medical industry is toying with the idea of defining obesity as a disease.

 Obesity is not a disease. Anyone who tells you that it is has a poor understanding of the definition of the word 'disease' and lacks the inability to make the distinction between a disease and a personally-generated body system dysfunction.

The inability to make the distinction between a disease and a personally-generated dysfrunction describes all that's wrong with the medical industry. It's one of the reasons why the health or people in Western countries continues to decline.

Obesity is the most visible symptom of personally-generated METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION - just like adult onset diabetes is not a disease it's a symptom of a dysfunctional pancreas - usually personally-generated.

If anything obesity is a fitness and nutrition problem, not a medical problem, and you can't solve fitness and nutrition problems with medical solutions.

When your see this sort of stuff:  

          '... labelling obesity a “disease” could spur change and “result in greater investment by government and the private sector to develop and reimburse obesity treatments',

... you know the medical industry is angling for greater levels of protection. It's marking out it's territory for a demarcation dispute, in a way not dissimilar from dogs marking out their territory with a urine spray. It's drooling at the thought of sucking more money out of the health system.

It's a strategy to elbow out of the way practitioners of more effective treatments. They're throwing their weight around.

The medical industry has a hide in wanting to medicalize the effects of laziness, ignorance, stupidity and the attachment to the soft and comfortable way of life.

The medical industry has an appalling record in treating the personally-generated metabolic, musculo-skeletal and psychological dysfunctions. In fact. most of the time the best it can offer is junk medicine, where pills are prescribed to mask the symptoms of dysfunctions rather than restoring poor function to good.

What the medical industry still doesn't get is that it's a big ask expecting to stay healthy without keeping yourself fit - and that it's an even bigger ask expecting to get better by having someone do something to you: sooner or later you have to do something to yourself.

What this proposition is all about is encouraging people to outsource their fitness program to their doctor. It's a nonsense. I'm yet to hear of a physician taking their customers out the back and measuring how fit they are.

There are very few physicians who prescribe their customers with an exercise program - and then supervise it.


I do know of one - a doctor on Thursday Island, who ran fitness classes on the town oval three mornings a week. That's not the sort of doctoring in the minds of whose who want to elevate the status of obesity to a disease.

The further the medical industry can be kept away from the treatment of the personally-generated body system dysfunctions the better off everyone will be.

Get thee to a gym where you'll get good advice on how to keep yourself fit and healthy and a program to go with it - and supervision- and motivation.

And don't think for a moment think that the public health system has to pick up the tab for every privately-generated health problem.

Those with a death wish can keep stuffing themselves with fat, flour and sugar, (on their own or mixed with each other) and spend their day sitting or lying down. You don't have to worry about them. Just worry about yourself.

If you can reach the gold standard on the Fit-for-Work Award, I'd say you were in pretty good shape and close to your ideal weight.

http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/index.htm

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and when you can do 40 laps between two lines 20m apart - in five minutes, when you can do 40 situps, 40 pressups and 40 squats, report back.


Monday, June 17, 2013

Ten reasons to eat more chocolate


I've just finished reading an article outlining ten reasons to eat chocolate.

Well here's ten reasons why not to eat it.


1.  It's one of the highest density foods you can eat; it makes you fat. 100gms of chocolate contains about the same calorific value as a kilogram of carrots. Which do reckon is better for you?

2.  Compared with a range of fruit and vegetables it's nutritional value is practically zilch.

3. Words of advice from two of history's greatest nutritional advocates. Maria Antoinette said, 'Let them eat cake.' John Cadbury said, 'Let then eat chocolate.' .  Their mantle has fallen on the shoulders of Nestles, pre-eminent advocate for junk food world wide.

4.  The producers of junk food pervert the course of good nutrition, leading to all manner of metabolic dysfunctions.

5.  Anything made up of 60% sugar is definitely not good for you

6.  Any food containing 30% fat isn't good for you either.

7.  Any food comprised principally of fat and sugar is a junk food that ought to be sold in a plain wrapper with a warning notice.

8.  Who in their right mind would think of taking the nutritional advice of fat and sugar producers and manufacturers - and their barking dogs from Madison Avenue?

9.  The only chocolate that might be good for people is so bitter than no-one will eat it.

10.  Chocolate has become the addiction of choice for people with both a sweet tooth and a fat tooth - with disastrous effect on their metabolic system.

It has very little to commend it - let alone be paraded as a panacea for adult onset diabetes.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and eat from the top of the hourglass.

Here's the link to how to east wisely in a junk food world.

http://www.hourglassdiet.com

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Ozone therapy for herniated disc

I joined a discussion on Linkedin relating to ozone therapy as a useful treatment for a herniated disc.

My response

Muscles pull bones out of alignment. It's usually the case with a herniated disc that muscles attached to the pelvis pull the pelvis out of alignment. Then the bones above the pelvis move out of alignment 'in sympathy'.

This means the cause of the pain in your lower back is not at the site of the pain.

The medical industry just doesn't get it. They have this quest to complicate the simple and make the cheap expensive.

In a high proportion of cases, lower back pain is a fitness problem caused by weak and tight muscles that have allowed first the pelvis and then the bones above it to move out of alignment. You can't solve a fitness problem with a medical solution.

It seems to be the case that patients collude with their doctor - they don't want to be put out by spending time doing strength and flexibility exercises. They want someone else to do something to them, not realising that they need to do something to themselves.

Most medical practitioners don't know where to look for the cause of the pain. The X-ray is a useless tool. The X-ray tells you what's happened, not what's caused what's happened. It doesn't lead to a solution - unless you're a surgeon.

They don't know which exercises to prescribe to get the body back in better alignment..

If everyone with a crook back spent an hour a day doing yoga, doctors, physios and chiros would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing golf on most afternoons.

Take the pressure off the disc by getting the bones of your body back into better alignment. For 80% o9f people there's an n80% chance that they can get their bodies back into 80% of good shape in around 80 days, if they're diligent.

The definition of being diligent is spending a couple of hours on the floor doing a few simple and relaxing exercises while you watch TV and having a good strength training program in the gym - or you can suck on a bottle of ozone!

http://www.globalbackcare.com

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Medical Insurance


Until medical insurance companies rate their premiums against risk they do their members who are fit and healthy (and the community at large) a grave disservice.

In Australia where I live they are not allowed to do this. It's illegal. Similarly with the Australian Goverment's Medicare tax levee. From memory it's around 2% of taxable income, but it should be closer to 8%, take off:
-  1% if you're less than 30% body fat for men and 40% for women
-  1% if you can do 35 x 20m laps in five minutes
-  1% if you can do 20 situps
-  1% if you can do 20 press-ups
-  1% if you can do 20 squats
-  1% if you can sit up straight with your legs crossed.

You can read all about this approach on this link where the Musculo-skeletal Health Risk assessment and the Fit-for-Work Award are outlined in the workers compensation context. The same thing should apply.

http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/index.htm

Paying part of a gym membership is an input. Premiums should be rated on output. If you can reach the Gold Award on the Fit-for-Work Award, I'd say you're a pretty safe bet. Why should people who are keeping themselves in dreadful shape pay the same insurance as those who keep themselves in good shape?

Attaching benefits to gym clubs ignores those people who keep themselves fit outside those clubs. They run, swim, cycle ..., do physical jerks at home.

Reimbursement for wellness and prevention services is baloney. Reward output.

The gyms should be the place where people can go once or twice a year to have their fitness measured (at their own expense).

I believe that the stimulation of the hip pocket nerve will be the most effective way to raise the level of fitness in the community.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and remember, you can't solve a fitness problem with a medical solution.

FIT FOR WORK AWARD
 

 New and hot off the press, the solution to a burgeoning workers compensation bill. Read all about it on this link. It outlines the case for moving heaven and earth to keep your staff fit and healthy.

http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/index.htm


The link today is to the Fit-for-Work assessment workbook.


http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/assessment.pdf


You can see for yourself some of the key the parameters that I believe need to be measured to determine the MUSCULO-SKELETAL HEALTH RISK that organisations carry when staff are

-     lacking the strength to do every day tasks without breaking down

-     lacking flexibility and

-     are already suffering from bones that are out of alignment

-     are over weight

-     don't have a regular strength training program and

-     don't have a regular flexibility training program. 


By far and away, most musculo-skeletal pain in workplaces (particularly lower back pain) is personally-generated. It's a fitness problem.


Likely as not, your workers compensation insurer will treat it as a medical problem and authorise the use of your funds for treatments that involve rubbing, crunching, heating, vibrating and doping, oblivious to the fact that most musculo-skeletal pain is not caused by a lack of rubbing, crunching, heating, vibrating or doping.


IN A NUTSHELL a very high proportion of workers compensation claims are for problems generated by a lack of fitness, particularly a lack of strength and flexibility. You can't solve a fitness problem with a medical or para-medical solution. It's a waste of time and money.


And why wouldn't you put in place a system that stopped the problem from occurring in the first place?


Here's the link again to the Fit-for-Work assessment.


http://www.millerhealth.com.au/fit_for_work/assessment.pdf

 
Let me know how you how well you score on it yourself.

 
Then if you think I can be helpful in bringing down your workers compensation costs, give me a call (612) 6288 7703 (Australia) or send me a reply email.


I'm happy to come and see you and take you and a group of your staff through the Global Back Care Musculo-skeletal Health Program that includes the measure of risk and the Fit-for-Work Award.

 
FIT-FOR-WORK AWARD


Included in the workbook is the Fit-for-Work Award. It's a simple fitness award you can use to gauge the fitness of your staff for the work they do - at the same time inspiring them to become fitter and healthier.

 

Regards and best wishes

 

John Miller

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The squat - squatting down - and up: - building leg strength.


Sheesh,

I haven't been here for a while. But I'm back.

I'm a regular poster on LinkedIn and what I'm proposing to do is every time I make a comment on a thread on Linkedin I'll post it on the Health Blogarithm.

Today's post was stimulated by a Linkedin thread from a bloke called Mike, relating to SQUATS - as in squatting down and up. Most people find squatting a tough assignment, principally because they don't have a regular and systematic leg strength training program. They sit down all day and forget that the leg muscles need a regular workout.

The complain they've got sort knees (fer chrissakes) and never strengthen the muscles designed to support the knees in correct alignment.!

How much does it cost to do a few squats every day?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike, thanks for the post. I've viewed your photos. You need a heel raise, about an inch and a half high and then you'll stand up straight. Most people in Western countries need a heel raise because their calves are too tight - as opposed to people in Asia who've spend all their life hunkering.

People need to do squats regularly. Strengthening buttock, quads and their antagonists is the foundation of musculo-skeletal health. People with crook knees, hips and backs never realize how important it is to have strong leg muscles.

You need to go down past half way. You'll know where that point is by the feel. You backside needs to go down to around halfway between your knees and your heels.



The squat should be controlled - ie without bouncing down and up.

The human body is designed to do this with ease. It's only a lack of strength that stops most people from doing this important exercise.

I'd say 20 reps was good, 30 better and 40 best.

Once you're regularly doing 30 or 40 reps, knees should be a lot better.

Most people can hardly do one squat they're so weak.

The heel raise is the secret to staying up straight and getting down far enough without toppling over.

In the mean time stay tuned, highly tuned and do your squats at least three times a week.

John Miller