Spinal Disc Degeneration Disease

Ask the Doctor: Sore Neck & Back

Question:
I find that my neck and back become sore and achy sitting at my desk all day working on my computer. Is there anything I can do to make it better?

Answer:
Sitting at a computer all day is a prime example of postural stress. Your head weighs about 10-12 pounds. For every inch that your head moves forward to the center of gravity, it adds 10 pounds of weight to the posterior neck muscles. As we sit are lower back muscles fatigue and we slump causing are head to shift forward to the center of gravity.

It is imperative to use a lumbar support while sitting for long periods of time and I like the tempurpedic lumbar support available on my web site. Switching over to a tempurpedic pillow will also help support the natural lordotic curve of the neck, thus removing much of the postural stress incurred while sleeping.

It is important to stretch the spine in a forward, backward, side bending and twisting motion daily. There are restorative yoga stretches in my book Renew Yourself with pictures. The book has pictures of forward bend and twisting stretches that can be done at your desk.

If you are over 50 you should be doing 4-5 minutes of intermittent cervical traction every morning with the Pettibon cervical traction unit available on my site. It is also time to start getting traction on the thoracic and lumbar spine with the Om Gym.

Additionally improving your digestion by drinking warm water with cumin, fennel, and coriander seeds in a thermos will improve digestion and help remove some of the toxins in the body that contribute to stiffness. I would also recommend fasting one day a week on juices and warm homemade soups. Keeping inflammation down by eating fresh prepared organic foods will also be beneficial.

Additionally one can work on the acupuncture- acupressure points Large intestine 4 for the neck pain and stiffness, and Bladder 60 for low and mid back pain. Instructions and pictures how to find these points is available in my book Renew Yourself .

Ask the Doctor: Daily Routine

Question: Can you give an idea on how to start the day in terms of daily routine

Answer:
One should ideally rise by 6 a.m. as the body begins to become sluggish as it moves into the kappha time of day after 6 a.m.

You should start the day with tongue scrapping which removes many bacteria from the mouth and will make the breath fresher. You can purchase a tongue scrapper online. This should ideally be followed by use of a water pik which is much more effective in removing plaque from between the teeth than flossing. Next, the teeth should be brushed with natural toothpaste using the oral B which is much more effective than using a tooth brush and also massages the gums. Finish up your oral hygiene by gargling and swishing around in your mouth a tablespoon of sesame oil. This is called pooling and helps to remove toxins inside the mouth and also tightens the gums.

This should be followed by nasya or putting a few drops of sesame oil in the nostrils and tilting the head back and snorting it up the nasal passageways. This lubricates the nasal passageways and removes excess vata out of the head, which produces a calming effect. I know this sounds like a lot but it can be done in 5 minutes.

Next, one should have 10 ounces of warm water with a squeeze of lemon and a half teaspoon of raw honey. This sweeps ama, or toxins, that are in the stomach out and stimulates peristalsis.

It is now time for abhyaga (self massage) with warm sesame oil. Massage the entire body except for maybe the hair if you are going to work. Massage for about 10 minutes followed by a hot shower.

One should then do some yoga or restorative yoga that includes forward bending, side bending, back bending, twisting, and an inversion. This can be done in as little as 10-15 minutes. Yoga should be followed by 5 minutes of alternate nostril breathing, and finished up with 15-20 minutes of meditation.

You should now start your day by taking several tablespoons of E3Live Liquid in juice and wait about 20 minutes before eating anything other than fruit.

If you are over 45 you should do cervical traction with the Pettibon Cervical Traction Unit and hang from the Om Gym for a few minutes.

You are now ready to start your day with bang!

See my book Renew Yourself: Keys to Rejuvenation and Youthing for detailed instructions on alternate nostril breathing, abhyanga, alternate nostril breathing, traction, and Restorative Yoga.

The Om Gym

To better understand some of the benefits of the Om Gym one must first have an elementary understanding of the discs that are anatomically between the vertebrae of the spine. Theses discs stop having a direct blood supply once one reaches adult maturity. At adult onset the discs get their blood supply thru diffusion from the endplates of the vertebrae above and below the disc. A loading and unloading process which pumps and moves the disc increases blood flow to the disc which results in increased nutrient exchange. Increased nutrient exchange to the disc slows down the process of disc degeneration.

Disc degeneration is evident on MRI with 95 percent of the population by the age of 50 and without the proper lifestyle intervention is usually progressive. The average person loses two inches in height by the age 0f 60 due in large to thinning of the discs as they degenerate. Degenerative disc disease is usually accompanied by degenerative joint disease as body lays down bone spurs to try to immobilize the unhealthy discs. This can result in pain and a closing down of the foramina, holes in between each vertebra, that allow the spinal nerve roots to exit the spinal cord. This is the pathway which life expresses itself by passing messages from the brain, down the spinal cord, along the spinal nerve roots to every cell, tissue, muscle, and gland. It is imperative that we do our best to maintain the integrity of these joint and disc structures composing the spinal column.

The Om Gym allows us to integrate a loading and unloading or pumping cycle to the disc thru inversion. By inverting we open the joint spaces of the thoracic and lumbar spine with traction. The om gym allows us to perform various yoga like movements and stretch the spine in different plane lines while the joints are opened under traction. The om gym is a three dimensional twenty first century version of the yoga sling.

Patients with MRI confirmed disc bulges and or herniations may also benefit from the inversion traction as it decompresses spinal nerve roots that are getting compressed as well as creates a negative pressure in the disc which sucks back in the protruding portion. Additionally the inversion experienced with the Om Gym increases blood supply to brain, thyroid, pineal, and pituitary glands.

The Om Gym is on sale until November 18th at RenewYourself.net using coupon code “omgym20” for $20 off your purchase of an Om Gym. Free shipping also applies to your Om Gym.