Just Breathe...

Just Breathe

  In the last week I have discussed breathing techniques with many of my clients. It tends to elicit the same response every time, shock with a little confusion. When in doubt about pain or dysfunction in the body, I look to breathing first. More often than not if we fix the way we breathe on a day to day basis, we begin to heal our body. In this post we will delve into the importance of breathing techniques, application of breathing techniques, and how to change your breathing habits. 

If you watch a baby breathe you see their belly rise and fall with each breath, however if you look at a child as they grow they start to develop "chest breathing". There are many reasons that attribute to the change in breathing habits. One is the simple fact that as a society, we like to have flat stomachs. Many people would rather not have their tummy inflating and deflating and giving them the look of a potbelly whenever they breathe. Another reason is that as we get older our stress levels go up, and as a result we activate our chest breathing in order to put ourselves into a fight or flight response. While this is okay in an emergency situation we should not constantly be at this stress level. When you learn to breathe this way as a child and then grow up doing this, it is very hard to change, as it becomes habit. Not to mention you usually don't notice your breathing unless someone tells you to think about it. Now that I've mentioned it, you are probably focusing on your breathing. Don't hold your breath, I have a solution!

Watching an MMA fight last weekend, one thing stood out to me in the final match. No, it wasn't the impressive dance they were both doing around the octagon as they sized each other up. It wasn't even the the blood stains on the ground from a previous fight. ( Gross...). It was the way that one of the competitors was breathing. Even though he was sweating and moving around very quickly, you can very clearly see him use stomach breathing techniques throughout the fight. Watch closely as Tyron Woodley expands and contracts his stomach while he is moving around the ring. ( You don't have to watch the whole thing, just check out the beginning!) This is very important, because even though he is fighting, he remains in a "rest and digest" state by breathing through his stomach, giving him more clarity and a level head as he plays ring around the octagon. 

It is important to breathe through your stomach because it activates your diaphragm. The one job of the diaphragm is to expand and contract, to make your breathe in and out. When you breathe through your chest, your diaphragm does not fully activate. Instead, your scalenes are forced to pull your entire rib cage up and down to make room for your lungs to expand. These muscles were never meant to have the strength to lift your rib cage every time you take a breath. Shoulder pain can often stem from incorrect breathing, as your scalenes tighten up under the stress of this work. This whole time, your diaphragm is just sitting there, being lazy and letting the scalenes do it's job for it. 

So how do we retrain ourselves to breathe properly. Well, it will not happen over night, but you may as well start now! The easiest way to do this is to come up with a trigger that will remind you to focus on your breathing. My trigger used to be headaches. Every time I would get a headache because of tension in my shoulders, I would be reminded to breathe through my stomach instead of through my chest. You want to focus on pushing out your belly while breathing in, then pushing it back out through your stomach muscles. It is very common to feel a stretching sensation when you first start breathing this way, as your diaphragm has been very still and stiff, so it needs to stretch out. 

After you come up with a trigger, focus on follow through. Keep breathing like this as long as you can until you forget again. Soon, your body will get in the habit of breathing this way instead of breathing with your chest. Since this is also an easier way to breathe your body will be pretty happy about the change! 

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Civil War of Medicine : East vs. West

Civil War of Medicine: East vs. West

 Many things have changed throughout history and medicine is one of these. Through technical and chemical advances we have stumbled upon many ways to treat conditions that we didn't even know about hundreds of years ago. However, modern medicine is still the small child of traditional eastern medicine. There are many arguments about which kind of medicine is "right" and which is "wrong". I will tell you my opinion on medicine at the end of this article but first lets explore the main differences between the two.

The first documented form of eastern medicine was 5,000 years ago, however it was probably in effect undocumented long before that. Ancient herbalists experimented with mixing leaves and roots to achieve the "perfect state". Eastern medicine focuses on using whole foods to nourish the body and create a "self-healing" experience.  This is not far fetched, as our body is designed to repair and heal itself from something as small as a cut or scrape all the way to cancer. However for this to occur it must be under a "perfect state".  In eastern medicine the body is examined as a whole, each part connected to the rest and each body part falling under an element. Fire, Wood, Water, Metal, or Earth. It is also in the balance of Yin and Yang. These are not mystical elements as many people think they are. They simply represent the blood and the energy. ( Imagine when they were first discovering these things. They had no idea what they were so they just named them Yin and Yang!) Eastern medicine works very quickly, usually only needing 3 to 6 treatments for minor dysfunctions and 3-6 months for major diseases. It is also very cheap, as it doesn't require many tests or machines.

Western medicine blossomed in the 19th century after WW2. Although Greeks and Romans experimented with this approach the second world war marked the start of significant synthetic drugs usage. The western examination separates the body into different sections. If you have a hard time breathing, it must be due to something in your chest. They separate the body under the assumption that a dysfunction is quarantined in one area. In western medicine our Yin and Yang are the equivalent of anatomy and physiology. In this view these areas must be balanced for us to reach the "perfect state". Western medicine has a tendency to take much longer in the cure for simple and complex problems. Many treatments are carried out over several years or even a lifetime. These treatments are also shown to be much more expensive. 

So which one is right and which is wrong? Neither. Just as our bodies need to be balanced, the same is true for our medical system. The emergency medicine provided by western medicine is unmatched by eastern medicine. When your body does unforeseen things, it's good to have a medical system that can save lives very quickly. However it has become a problem that people are seeking this emergency help for non-emergency problems. Several  dysfunctions can be fixed in a few months with the help of eastern medicine. 2.5 million unnecessary surgical procedures are done each year. 700 billion dollars of unnecessary test are done in the US annually. 

There is such a balance and slowly our society is reaching it. Here are some tips to help you find this balance.

Tip 1: Know what you are putting in!

Doctors can prescribe many things to help cover up a problem. From pain pills to suppressants they can put anything in your body to give the illusion that you feel better. Ask your doctor, what is this? What does it do? What are the side effects? Is it worth the risk of these side effects? Are there alternatives? By asking these questions you can decide for yourself if you are willing to put this into your body despite the negative effects. Just because it is prescribed does not mean you have to take it! You can choose to look for alternative answers from someone else!

Tip 2: Seek outside help.

If you are experiencing a non-emergency problem seek out help from a chiropractor, massage therapist, or Eastern medicine doctor. We know our scope of practice and if we can't help we will tell you. However you may find yourself feeling a lot better for a lot cheaper if you seek alternative medicine first.

Tip 3: Respect your body

Your body is a wonderful machine that is self healing. You must provide it essential conditions for it to he in a healing state. Proper exercise, diet, and relaxation are required to help your body heal itself. 

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Our relationship with pain

Our relationship with pain

As I was driving home from dropping the kids off at school, I heard on the radio a doctor speaking about seniors and addictions. He was also speaking about addiction in general and how the majority of addiction stems from our relationship with pain. Although he lightly touched on this subject, I thought it was very intriguing. What is our relationship with pain? 

Let me throw some numbers at you. 5.1 million Americans reported use of prescription pain killers for non-medical purposes. That data was collected in one month. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million people in the United States alone are addicted to prescription opiates. 3 out of 10 teens do not believe that prescription opiates are addictive. 1 in 12 high school seniors reported past-year non medical use of prescription pain reliever Vicodin. The total number of opiate prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacies in the US rose from 76 million in 1991 to 210 million in 2010. The abuse of opiates has been on the rise, but why? It's because of our relationship with pain.

When you hear the word "pain" do you see that as a negative word or a positive word? When I was in school we were taught not to use the word "pain" and instead say "discomfort" because when we would say "pain" it triggered a negative response instead of a constructive one. From a young age, we are taught to fear pain, because well, it hurts! It's not fun or enjoyable. We have become a people of comfort. A people so focused on having a good time, that we are now afraid to feel pain whether it be physical, emotional, or psychological. This has also turned us into a people of addiction.

One of the reasons I became a massage therapist is because I wanted to help people be healthy. However after interning at a hospital for 8 months, I discovered that western medicine is doing it all wrong. Yes, emergency medical procedures are vital, and I respect that as a needed part of our society. However, I also saw many people who could have been quickly fixed, but they spent weeks, and countless thousands of dollars on unneeded treatment and drugs. ( Bear with me as my granola crunching hippie side comes out.) I discovered alternative medicine provided a preventative and long term solution to many ailments. 

The use of pain killers is getting out of hand. When I went in to get my wisdom teeth out a year ago, I was prescribed a month worth of Vicodin to help with my pain. On average it takes about three days to recover from getting wisdom teeth out. Doctors more and more are prescribing outrageous amounts of pain killers as compassion treatment. They don't want people to be uncomfortable, so they cover up the pain with opiates, but this only exacerbates the problem. Our bodies feel pain because there is something wrong. It's crying out for help. By taking opiates, it just covers up the discomfort, however the problem is still present. An extreme metaphor would be to take a crying baby and cover it with a blanket and lock it in a room. The problem is still there, but you can ignore it for a while.

So what are our alternatives? Here are some tips to help you transition from covering up a problem to finding a solution!

Tip 1: Find the problem!

When you feel pain, don't try to ignore it! You need to record what you are feeling. Specifically where is the pain located? What type of pain is it? What makes it better? What makes it worse? Bring this information to a chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, or even a Chinese medicine doctor. As a professional, we know the difference between a problem we can treat and one we can't. I will gladly refer my clients to doctors if I know it's out of my scope of practice. By coming to alternative medicine first however, you prevent unneeded prescriptions and tests. (With all medical emergencies call 911.)

Tip 2: Get addicted to something healthy!

More times than not chronic pain occurs in those who are not leading a healthy lifestyle. If your insides are not healthy your outsides won't be either. Analyze your nutrition, exercise, and relaxation habits. Are you eating good food? Are you exercising regularly? Are you giving your body time to relax and heal itself? Each of these are very important to fighting pain. If you need help, seek out professionals. Personal trainers, massage therapists, and nutritionists are all there to help you feel better. No judgement! 

Tip 3: Educate!

I cannot stress this enough. Educate yourself and your kids! We need to know that there are better alternatives to what we have now! I can't tell you how may times my kids have told me they need pain killers or sleeping pills. Every time I tell them that there are better ways to feel better. Show your kids how to massage their feet to fall asleep, or how to use foam rolling to relieve back pain. The more we know, the better off we are!  

If you are struggling with a drug addiction, call this number or reach out to a local clinic for help.

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What a pain! (Part5)

What a Pain (part 5)

In this final chapter of my five part series on pain management we will be covering nerve compression. If you are feeling an intense pain in your spine, please go see your doctor, as it could be signs of a herniated disk or other serious injuries.

Nerve compression or a pinched nerve is a painful experience. Most pinched nerves happen in one of two places, the neck/ shoulder or the sacrum/ hips. These two areas are homes to some of the biggest nerves in your body. Your sciatic nerve runs down by your hips, and the Axillary nerve runs through your shoulder to your deltoid. When these nerves get pinched, you can feel a localized pain, but it is also very common to feel referral pains as well. For example, many people who have sciatic pain feel it radiate down the side of their leg and into their knee.



Pinched nerves are often caused by muscles pressing into a nerve. Imagine your nerve as a cat, specifically their tail. A healthy nerve can send signals to your brain, like a cat flicking their tail. However, if you apply pressure to them, they will let out a pain signal. The same as if you accidentally stepped on a cats tail. There is an initial OUCH! moment, often followed up with lingering discomfort in the area. That is an example of a momentary nerve compression. Now imagine if you maintained pressure on a cats tail. They would probably get very angry and lash out to try to get you to get your foot off. The same maintains with nerve pinching. The nerve is going to "lash out" or send pain signals to the brain to try to get the pressure removed from them.


A smart teacher of mine used to continuously say, " The body is very smart, but the body is very dumb." The body is smart by sending these pain signals to try to get the muscles to release. However, the body is dumb, because in response to this pain signal it tells the body to protect itself by tightening the muscles around that area. So if the body is being dumb, how do you get rid of this compression? First lets review why there is pressure in the first place.


The pressure you feel is caused my muscles contracting and not letting go. With this motion, the nerve is pushed between two muscles. The body then tells the muscles to protect itself, so they tighten up even more, making a continuous loop of OUCH! However if you can isolate the muscle that is causing the pinching, there are some remedies to help the muscles let go and therefore get rid of the compressed nerve. Here are some tips to help relieve a compressed nerve.


Tip 1: Massage

I know I say it a lot, but I am a firm believer in massage therapy. A massage therapist will be able to easily pinpoint the muscles causing the compression, and can loosen up the muscles to relieve the pressure on the nerve. With maintenance, one massage a month can get rid of a lot of discomfort.


Tip 2: Breathing techniques

Are you a chest breather? If you are, you probably also get migraines or headaches. Practice safe breathing. Our body is made to use our diaphragm to breathe. In fact, that is the diaphragms only job! When you breathe you should be able to see your stomach move in and out, like a baby breathing. We have been taught to use our scalene muscles to breathe so that our bellies don't poke out. However, that leave a huge job to tiny muscles, that happen to sit on top of a huge bundle of nerves. So, as much as possible breathe with your belly not your chest! Watch this informative video on how to breathe!

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What a pain! (Part 4)

What a pain! (part 4)

Welcome to part four of my four part series written on pain management. Today we will be going over dull and achy pains. This type of pain is usually a sign of a long term injury or the healing of an injury. Often times it is hard to describe as anything else but dull and achy. It is the type of uncomfortable pain that makes you want to just sit on your couch all day and become one with the fabric. If you do get up and move, it is always lingering in the back of your mind, and after a while you just get used to it. This pain can often be attributed to chronic pain diseases some of which are listed in the chart below.

You caught me on this one, I don't have some hocus pocus way to magically make your pain go away over night. However, with new daily health techniques you can combat the pain, and make it easier on yourself. About two years ago, I was suffering from ovarian cysts, which caused extreme and constant pain in my pelvis, low back, and stomach. I had been dealing with this kind of pain since I was about 13 years old, and I also suffered from migraines and constant headaches. But after my doctor told me I may have endometriosis or PCOS I decided I needed to make a lifestyle change. After thorough research and partnering with many health gurus, I changed my diet and exercise, and began taking supplements to help my body heal itself. Since I made this change, I have only had one flare up in two years, and I am in better shape than I have ever been in!

Now you have to make the decision, am I done living in pain? If so, here are some helpful tips to begin helping your body heal itself.

Tip 1: Reduce inflammation

It's all about inflammation! When you start to feel achy or dull pains, it is often a sign of inflammation in your body. Depending on your diet, you could be putting food in your body that causes inflammation, such as caffeine, alcohol, red meats, and acidic foods. Look into supplementing these foods with another food. For example, switching from ground beef to ground turkey.  Small changes like this can help reduce the amount of inflammation in your body, not to mention they are healthier alternatives. Below is a list of foods that help reduce inflammation

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Tip 2: Supplements

I am an all believer in the magic of a multivitamin. But Brandi, if I have enough vegetables and fruits in my diet I should have enough vitamins. No. The argument that multivitamins creates expensive urine also doesn't fly with me. Yes, you may have lots of vitamins in your diet, however, they do not equate to your recommended daily amounts. And yes, when you take multivitamins some may end up going down the toilet, but would you rather be running on half full? If you don't believe how important multivitamins are, do an experiment. Track your moods for one month. After that month, take a multivitamin and see if your moods get better or worse. I can almost guarantee they will get better, because your body is now running on a full tank of gas.

Tip 3: Mental health

Your mind is a very powerful part of your body. If you are in poor spirits, it is more likely for you to feel this dull and achy pain. To improve this, try guided meditations 3 times a week. Remember, with this type of pain, you need to fix the inside before the outside can heal. Here is a good guided meditation for chronic pain.

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What a pain! (part 3)

  What a pain! (part 3)

Welcome to part three of my five part series on pain management! If you missed the first two posts, be sure to go back and read them. The previous blog posts will go over soreness and tension. Today we will be going over pinching and stabbing pains in muscles. Please be advised, if you are feeling a pinching or stabbing pain in an area that doesn't feel muscular, such as kidneys, and lower abdomen you need to see a doctor, as these can be signs of very serious conditions.

In reference to muscles, pinching and stabbing pains are fairly common, and very annoying. The feeling of stabbing or pinching comes from a quick muscle contraction. The difference between these two is not subtle, as you can always tell if it is one or the other. A stabbing pain is a quick burst of muscle contractions. In contrast, a pinching feeling is a lingering muscle contraction. When you feel both of these consecutively, it is usually a stabbing pain followed by a pinch. This is the muscle getting "stuck".

In the field of massage therapy, we refer to this "stuck" muscle as a trigger point. Call them what you will, there is a fix for these nuisances! If you experience stabbing feelings this is an early sign that your muscles need some help. Some actions that will help get rid of this is proper daily stretching, drinking plenty of water, and keeping your muscles active. Daily stretching will help stop muscles from tightening up and turning into a "stuck" muscle. Sometimes, our muscles will contract because they are dehydrated. Muscles bring blood to an area by contractions, which is why big body builders get a "pump" or get vascular when they workout. When a muscle is running low on water, it will contract to try to get more blood flow to it so it can hydrate. Therefore, if you drink more water, you muscle won't have to struggle to get blood flow. The same concept goes with staying active. If your muscles are stagnant, it is hard to get blood flow to certain areas of the body. It's very important to keep moving so your  body can get nutrients from your blood. 

If you are experiencing a pinching feeling, it is not too late! There is still hope! A sharp or dull pinch is a sign of a stuck muscle. What this means is your muscle contracted, and then never let go. This results in trigger points or "knots". They can range in size, depending on where they are located in the body and how long they have been contracted. Imagine lifting weights and then suddenly halfway through, you just stop and hold it. Soon your muscle will start to hurt from holding that same position. That is, on a larger scale, how these muscle act. They function perfectly, and then they just stop, and freeze in a contracted state. To get these to let go, you must get it back to it's original position and hold it there. Much like a kindergartner on their first day of school, these muscles just don't want to let go. 

To get muscle to release you can stretch them, apply pressure, and apply heat to the area. By stretching them, it is like pulling a child of their dads legs. But you can't let go right away, or they will just run straight back and grab on again. You have to get them away, and hold them away until they are done with their tantrum. On a muscular level, you stretch the muscle back to it's original position and then hold it there. It takes about one full minute for a muscle to stretch back into it's original position. By applying pressure and heat, you are maintaining a blood flow to the area, and loosening it enough for it to return to the correct position itself. All these options are good ways to take out your own knots, however depending on their severity, you may have to talk to your massage therapist about helping release some of the muscles. 

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What a pain! ( part 2)

What a pain!

Our second type of pain in this five part series is tension. Tension is the feeling of being pulled tight and is usually paired with compression. For example, if you tilt your head to one side, one side of your neck will be in tension, and the other will be in compression.

Muscle tension is very real, and yes, quite  painful. Most muscle tension is developed from overuse, and not using proper stretching techniques. Imagine your muscles as a rubber band. If you use a rubber band that is at room temperature it has no problem stretching. If you use a rubber band that has been heated up, it is even more flexible! However, if you put a rubber band into a freezer, it will snap much sooner than the other rubber bands.

When you wake up in the morning, it is like your rubber bands ( or muscles) are just coming out of the freezer. As you walk around, and move about your day, they start to warm up and become a room temperature rubber band. Between these two points is where most tension injuries happen. This is when it is easy for the rubber band to snap.

Tension injuries can include anything from pulling a single muscle fiber, up to an Achilles tendon rupture. These injuries happen because your body expects a certain amount of strain, but it receives something different, and cannot compensate for the difference. This would be just like someone throwing you a ball that you think is filled with air, but instead it is filled with lead. The sudden change in weight  can make your body use muscles it was not expecting to use. If during this change your muscles are properly warmed up, they can stretch, and are less likely to sustain injuries. However, if they are still "cold" you can experience painful injuries.


One way to prevent tension injuries is to stretch. Although static stretching is fine, I prefer dynamic stretching, as it warms up your muscles better. Here is a video from personal trainer Dan Holguin that shows proper dynamic stretching techniques. Not only are these great to do before exercising, they are also wonderful on a day to day basis to help loosen up stiff muscles.

If you have already experienced a tension injury here are some other tips to help you manage your pain and recover.

Tip 1: Take it easy.

Remember, most tension injuries are caused by overuse. So let your muscles take a break. If you continue to overuse the muscles that are injured, the injury will continue to get worse over time. 

Tip 2: Trigger point work

Ask your massage therapist about trigger point work. Most muscle tension revolves around trigger points. If you can begin to release trigger points in your body, it will help relieve the tension in that area as well. You can also look into cupping and acupuncture which help release muscle tension as well.

Tip 3: Topical analgesics

For immediate pain relief opt for topical analgesics. These are natural alternatives to pain medication, and come with fewer side effects. These are also non-addictive and actually help in the healing process instead of simply covering up the pain. Some of these include BioFreeze, tiger balm, and arnicare. 

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Dan Holguin Fitness

https://www.youtube.com/user/UniquePhysiqueMT

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