Pillow Talk Part 2- Eureka, I think I have found the perfect pillow!

Today a patient walked into my office with a pillow under her arm. 

As many of you know, I often say to bring yours in and I'll see how it looks for your neck.

When I saw her pillow, I got a twinkle in my eye. It looked GREAT. 

So great that I asked her, "can I try it??"

(I know, totally shameless, but I had to know. I'm obsessed with pillows and am always on the hunt for great pillows to recommend to patients.) 

Then I called Karmin in, saying "Karm! You gotta try this pillow!" Then Nelly. Now we all want one. Anyway, without further delay, here's a link. 

Bamboo Pillow on Amazon  or https://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Pillow-Original-Standard-Sleeping/dp/B01EH30V0E/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1516825156&sr=8-14&keywords=bamboo+pillow

It's called the Bamboo Pillow, and it's somewhere around $40. It's soft and firm at the same time, no orthopedic hump. A little high, but it compresses with your head so might not be too high for most people.  Or just order from amazon. 

Happy Sleeping! 

Dr. Rina

Muscle knots, the mystery explained!

Have you ever found yourself begging a loved one for just five minutes of massage on a painful knot?

The kind that only seems to feel better when someone is rubbing it?

That's called a trigger point, and I thought I'd take a few minutes to explain what it is and why you get them.  

The problem is essentially lactic acid. The same kind that makes your legs sore after a big hike, or a new workout. 

Here one version of the story:

• You sleep badly and wake up with a kink in your neck.

• The brain senses that something is "off" near the spine, and kicks in a protective, guarding tightness of the muscles around that area- its job is to protect the spine at all costs.

• The neck muscle is "on" for hours, becomes tight and sore, and is producing lactic acid just like any other muscle that is in a state of contraction (think: thighs after a big hike). The problem is this one has no rest, no time to recover. It's on full time.

• The lactic acid builds up so much that the muscle is now in pain from the lactic acid more than the original kink in your neck! It's become its own problem. The body is trying to flush the acid away, but the muscle has become so tight that the capillaries are now constricted and blow flow is reduced.

• Now the muscle is also suffering from "ischemia" from the tightened capillaries, which is the lack of fresh oxygen to the muscle, and this makes it even more painful. The brain continues to react by tightening more because this is its solution when it feels pain.. Protect! Silly brain!

• Your mouth says to anyone that will listen, "Please press on that knot!" because instinctively you know it will help and it will! It helps because the pressure manually forces some of the lactic acid out of the knot, and it also creates increased blood flow- bringing new oxygen. You feel better, for a little bit.

• The brain then interrupts this wonderful relief, and says, "Hey muscle, get back to work protecting that original, still vulnerable kink at C5, or wherever your body has gone out of alignment from sleeping badly, or too much time on the computer, or a million things we do every day. And you're back to square one. Booooo.

 
Now... here's how it hopefully goes next. 

• Your hand picks up your phone and makes an appointment for an adjustment!

• The chiro feels your neck and says sweetly and sympathetically, '"Oh no! This must be very painful." because she can feel the knot, and the subluxated vertebrae and knows exactly how bad this feels and knows exactly what to do.

• She puts heat on it to increase circulation, calls in the world's best massage therapist to manually work out the lactic acid and relieve the knot, then the most important part- adjusts the offending "kink" out of your neck and-- voila! problem solved.

Well, at least that's how we do it at my office. :) Have a knot? Come in and let us fix it. We know exactly what to do. 

Know someone with a knot? Send them this blog entry, and have them mention it for 50% off their first visit. 

Happy to take good care of you, as always,

Dr. Rina

How much water should we REALLY drink per day?

I don't know about you, but I'm always thinking I should drink more water. 

But how much is the right amount?

And how can I remember to drink it?

Here's a little weight based formula for you to figure out how much you need:

Take your current weight and divide by two. That number is the minimum number of ounces of water you should drink per day. 

So if you weight 150, you should drink 75 ounces of water a day. 

Now-- how can you remember to drink water all day when you can hardly remember what time to pick up the kids?

Here's a cool smart phone app to help you: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waterlogged-drink-more-water/id352199775?mt=8

And finally, why are you drinking more water again?

Here are your top 5 reasons:

1. Helps digestion, and cures constipation. That's a good thing.

2. Is that hunger? No wait, I'm just thirsty! Save calories, lose weight!

3. Gee your skin looks fabulous, did you have Botox? No, I'm just drinking more water! Save money!

4. Detox. The best way to eliminate waste is to urinate (the kidneys filter it). More pee = live longer.

5. Reduce chronic pain. Dehydration hurts, water tastes good.

In your best health, always-

Dr. Rina

Pillow Talk

Gotcha again, didn't I.

Are you at war with your pillow?

It's so hard to know which pillow is the right one for you.

I sleep on a virtual rock. 

It's one of those old style tempurpedic's that they don't make anymore. It's got to be 6 years old, and I love it so much.

It may be the first thing I'd save from my house in a fire. 

Oh, and the kids of course.

Do you love your pillow??

If your pillow is uncomfortable, it's probably not the right one for you. 

 And if it IS- that's a very good sign.

If you wake up with tingling hands, that's another classic sign that it's probably not the right pillow for you.

Might time to pillow shop..

Here're a few important tips regarding what to look for in the PERFECT PILLOW:

• First look at this: When you lie down in your favorite sleep position, you want the pillow to fill the gap between your head and shoulders. 

 

 

• Next: Look at your posture. If you're lying on your back, your ear should be in line with your shoulder. Not in front of it or behind. A too high pillow is about the worst thing you can have for neck health.

 

 

• If you're on your side, your head should be in line with your spine, not dipped down or propped up too much. 

  

 

• Stomach sleepers? Tsk tsk, not good for your neck. Though I know we all do it from time to time. Just make sure that pillow is very flat. This lady must have a very sore neck!

   

• The material you choose is up to you. Like I said, I like the firmest pillow. Soft down pillows are also great for filling in that space between your head and shoulders. 

• And regarding shape? Orthopedic shape is fine, but not necessary. Sometimes they lead your head to dip below the neck support, and that's not good. And make sure the "hump" part of the pillow isn't pushing your neck up too high as well. These can be tricky.

 

I wish I could recommend the perfect brand and style that works for everyone.

The tempurpedic is different than it used to be, it's just so hard and never softens up so I don't carry them anymore. 

So sad!

I do think the imitation memory foam ones at Costco, Macys, or Bed Bath and Beyond are a good gamble. 

They tend to be softer than the tempurpedics, but still firm. A good down pillow also is a solid investment. 

Look for one with plenty of loft, as they do pack down. 

Here's one area you get your money's worth. 

Good luck! 

And feel free to email me a picture, or to bring your pillow to your next appointment, we can look at it together.

Sleep tight,

Dr. Rina

Heat or Ice- Which is right for you?

Hi There, 

Here's a little reminder regarding when to use heat and when to use ice.

ICE:

Ice is beneficial as an "anesthetic trick" on sore muscles. This works well on almost all areas.

If you numb a painful area with ice, the brain stops feeling the pain. Your body then releases the protective muscle tightness around that painful area. 

So ice is almost always a good idea when something hurts. 

I find that it's especially miraculous on neck and upper back pains.

About 10 mins, maybe 15 max time for best results. Too long almost has the opposite effect.

HEAT:

Heat is in charge of increasing blood flow to a muscle group and relaxing the muscle. 

It's best on larger muscles, especially the lower back, even if the injury is new. Moist heat generally won't increase inflammation.

It can greatly relieve back pain, and bring fresh oxygenated blood, which feels great. 

Not so great for injuries on extremities like knees or ankles, where it may cause increased swelling. 

Remember, Moist heat is the way to go. 

That means 

• a microwave bean bag hot pack

• a hot tub or shower

• an electric hot pack that is labeled "moist heat".

Regular "dry" electric hot packs inflame an area and are not recommended for pain. 

Especially do not fall asleep on an electric hot pack. You'll likely wake up sore and stiff and a little worse. 15 mins max usually does the trick.

If an area throbs or pulses with heat, try ice instead.

CONTRAST THERAPY:

Try alternating ice and heat, 10 minutes each. It works as a pump on the blood flow, alternately constricting and dilating the vessels. 

Also it's very calming to the nerve endings. End on the one that feels the most relieving. 

Remember, 10-15 mins max, either heat or ice, for maximum benefits whether alternating or not.

Hope that helps!

--Dr. Rina Tinozzi

PS A little tip: if you enjoy wine, even a half glass is an excellent muscle relaxant. 

Try that instead of a pill next time, it may work even better and it's all natural. 

Just like chiropractic!

Take the THREE DAY CHALLENGE:

Hi Again, 

Do you ever have times when you just feel icky?

Maybe you're in pain, maybe your digestion feels off, perhaps you're tired and depressed. 

Unmotivated?

When I get like this, I feel like it's going to be such a LONG road to feeling good again. 

But really, it's not. 

It takes about THREE DAYS. 

Yep, in about 3 days of being good, you can feel like there's hope to getting back to 

• having energy

• not feeling sluggish or bloated

• sleeping better

• feeling alert and good inside your skin and clothing.

• feeling motivated to stay healthy!

I challenge you to try and do as many things on this list as you can, for THREE days. 

Try it-- your body is your temple and you're worth the effort.

THREE DAY CHALLENGE LIST

1. Drink: more water than you think is reasonable, then drink some more. Think of yourself like a house plant that's gone very dry, you'll perk up in a few days with enough water.

2. Walk: for an hour each day, run part of it if you like to run. Go twice a day if you can. Sweat.

3. Eat: about half as much as you normally would. This is the most important part of the challenge. No sugar, nothing fried and no refined starch. No alcohol at all. Go for as long between meals as you comfortably can to let your blood sugar clear out. Stop eating around 7pm. It's okay to be a little hungry, it's our liver working hard at clearing out built up toxins. The feeling of hunger is the same as the feeling of detoxing.

4. BMs: If you've been constipated at all, try some prunes or some tea designed to move the bowels, likeSmooth Move Tea (at safeway or any grocery)

5. HELP! Seek supportive health care- Chiropractic, acupuncture and massage all increase vitality. If you've been in pain, this part is especially important.

6. STRETCH: Yoga or stretching feels surprisingly good. Quiet your mind while you do this.

7. REST: Go to bed early. Take any unnecessary tasks off your list. Take three days and give yourself some rest.

Let me know how it goes. If you need a pep talk, start your 3 days with a chiropractic appointment and we can talk.  Click here to schedule online.

Be Good to Yourself!

--Dr. Rina

Why we get "fat" and what to do about it.. A great book.

Worth Sharing

Sometimes at night, if I can't sleep I listen to audio books. 

 (I read recently that reading your iPhone at night is terrible for insomnia, the blue light from a screen blocks your melatonin!)

A few months ago, I was perusing Audible.com and I came across an interesting title: "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It". 

Since I studied nutrition in undergrad, that sounded interesting so I downloaded it. 

You would not believe how fascinating it was! 

This book is totally worth sharing. The gist of it isn't really new knowledge: "carbs and insulin are doing it to you". Everyone knows someone who's lost weight on Atkins, or another low carb eating plan.

 You will love how simple the truth is, and how well it is explained. It's a little technical, but may change your life.

 And you may never look at a slice of bread the same way.

 Here's a link if you're intrigued: 

kindle

paperback

audible

In your best health,

Dr. Rina Tinozzi