Research has shown that when people are missing certain nutrients, their mental performance drops. When people meet their nutritional needs, they are okay. But even if they are not getting enough water their mind can get fuzzy. The thirst mechanism slows down when we age. The result is, that we’re not always aware immediately that we need water. However, your diet is not responsible for all memory problems, but when everything else is okay, it may be what you eat that cause you to slow down.

Your brain needs vitamin B
The most essential nutrients to keep your mind sharp are probably the vitamin B complex. Your body needs the B vitamins for the transformation of food into mental energy and for the manufacturing and repairing of brain tissue. “Thiamin, niacin and vitamin B6 and B12 deficiencies can all cause mal function of the brain”, says Vernon Mark, MD, author of Reversing Memory Loss. In fact, pellagra, a niacin deficiency, used to be the main cause of admissions into mental hospitals,” he explains. Research has shown that when children are given 5 mg thiamin instead of the Daily Value of 1.5 mg, they achieve remarkable higher scores when they are given tests of mental functioning, Dr. Mark adds.

Nowadays many cereals, breads and pastas are enriched with thiamin and niacin, so that most people are getting enough of these vitamins. Niacin deficiencies have become extremely rare, especially in this country. But in older people or those who frequently drink alcohol, levels of thiamin can drop low enough to cause memory problems, says Dr. Mark.

The best way to make sure you get enough brain-boosting B vitamins is to eat foods that contain enriched grains. One cup of enriched spaghetti, for example, has 0.3 mg of thiamin, or 20% of the Daily Value (DV), and 2 mg of niacin, or 10% of the DV. Meat is also a good source for getting these nutrients. Three ounces of pork tenderloin, for example, provide 0.8 mg of thiamin, 53% of the DV, while 3 ounces of chicken breast deliver 12 mg or 60% of the DV for niacin.

It’s not so easy when we get older, to get extra amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, because it’s harder for the body to absorb them. After the age of 55, it’s common to be low in these vitamins, because the lining of the stomach is changing. When you get older, it’s a good idea to get more than the DV of both of these nutrients. Vitamin B6 is abundant in baked potatoes, bananas, chickpeas, and turkey. One baked potato provides 0.4 mg of vitamin B6, 20% of the DV. and one banana provide 0.7 mg or 35% of the DV. For vitamin B12, meat and shellfish are good choices.

Maintaining blood flow to the brain
There should be sufficient blood flow to the brain in order to avoid memory problems. When adequate blood flow is not maintained, the brain and memory begin to perform poorly. The lack of blood to the brain is often caused by a buildup of cholesterol and fat in the arteries, the same problem that leads to heart disease and stroke. This condition is not only preventable through diet, it is even at least partially reversible. The primary cause of cardiovascular disease – clogged arteries in the heart and the brain – is too much saturated fat in the diet. Keep your intake of saturated fat low by cooking with small amounts of liquid oils, such as olive or canola oil. instead of margarine or butter and by minimizing your intake of fatty foods, such as full-fat mayonnaise, rich desserts and fatty meats.

It’s also important to get plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, compounds that block the effects of harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals.This is important because when free radicals damage the harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, it becomes stickier and more likely to stick to artery walls.

Studies have proved that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. In 2002, researchers studied nearly 5,500 people and found that those who ate diets rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and E, lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.Citrus fruits, kiwifruit, sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage are packed with vitamin C. While whole grains, nuts, milk and egg yolks contain vitamin E.

The combination of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and reducing fat in your diet will help to keep your arteries clear, including those leading to your brain. Actually, it can help restore blood flow through your arteries that have already started to close up.

Coffee can Improve Memory Function It’s not without reason that millions of Americans jump start their day with steaming cups of coffee. The caffeine in coffee has been shown to improve mental functioning, including memory.

In one study, Dutch researchers used a chemical to block short-term memory in 16 healthy people. They found that giving these people 250 milligrams of caffeine – about the amount of 3 cups of coffee – quickly restored their powers of recall. However,too much coffee can be bad, if only the java buzz wears off within 6 to 8 hrs. For some people, at least, the after-coffee slump can result in mental fogginess.

Everyone has different reactions to caffeine. For people who rarely drink coffee, having a cup or two can definitely improve performance and memory. But if you drink coffee throughout the day, you quickly build up tolerance and you won’t get the same benefits. In fact, too much caffeine can make you nervous and reduce your concentration.

Don’t kill your brain cells “Killing brain cells is not the best way to get a high score in the memory department. Yet that’s exactly what many of us do to our grey matter. Drinking too much alcohol can cause a significant decrease in memory function.” In fact, even small amounts of alcohol can damage cells in the brain responsible for memory.

Many doctors recommend to stop drinking alcohol all together to keep your mind at its sharpest. At the very least, it’s a good idea to limit yourself to one or two drinks – meaning 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 11/2 ounces of liquor – a day. When you do drink, choose red wine. It contains resveratrol, a compound that may keep your brain young.

Optimal Diet for your Brain
You can’t prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia altogether, but you can keep them at bay longer with a heart-healthy diet that focuses on the nutrients that have been found to be critical for brain function and aging.

Aim for a body mass index of 23 to 25
Being overweight increases your risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension, which leads to vascular disease and brain damage.

Choose Dairy
Eat one serving of low-fat, low-sugar dairy once a day, such as milk, plain yogurt, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. Epideemiologie studies show that people who drink milk are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Toast to a young brain
Drink one glass of red wine or 4 ounces of purple grape juice or pomegranate juice a day. They contain resveratrol, a compound that doctors believe activates a gene that is associated with longevity.

Eat berries
When you eat one cup of berries a day, it gives your brain resveratrol, and other flavonoids, that strengthens your resistance against the development of chronic diseases associated with aging.

Drink some juice
Drink 8 ounces of fruit juice high in vitamin C daily. Three times a week, substitute a glass of vegetable juice that you buy or make on your own for the fruit juice. Antioxidants and other compounds in those juices help protect the brain from dementia.

Include fish oil in your diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful agents for a healthy heart and arteries. When you eat oily cold water fish such as sardines or mackerel you will ensure that you get enough omega-3. You can also substitute with 2,000 to 3,000 mg of fish oil or flaxseed oil per day.Walnuts are also rich in omega-3. Eating 8 to 10 walnuts per day or using walnut oil in your salads of dark green vegetables will help protect your brain.

Drink green tea every day.
Green tea is rich in antioxidants and has proved to reduce the risk of dementia. Experts recommend drinking one to two cups a day.

Use Multivitamins
To include those in your diet is particularly important for older, inactive adults who’s calorie intake doesn’t supply the micro nutrients that they need. Choose a multivitamin without iron or reduced iron if yo ‘re not anemic or menstruating.

Consider vitamin D supplements
Vitamin D is a new shining start in the role of brain development and function and many people are deficient without knowing it. We get about 95% of our vitamin D from sunlight, but young people who work long hours and elderly adults who are home bound often don’t get enough sunlight to fill their vitamin D requirements.

Avoid omega-6 fats The omega-6 fatty acids in corn- safflower- and sesame oils aren’t as healthy as omega-3’s found in olive and canola oil. So use those oils sparingly.

Nourish Your Brain
An overall brain-healthy diet is low in refined carbohydrates, (Found in sugars, baked food, candy, and other sweets, for example), red meats and trans fats. It’s high in fatty fish, poultry, soy protein, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

We can get easily motivated and get started with some form of exercise, when we realize the large number of health benefits which we can get from physical fitness.

One excellent study was conducted by well known exercise expert Dr Kennith Cooper who followed 13,344 men and women for 15 years. This meticulous research, taking into account all major variables, like age, family history, personal health history, smoking, blood pressure, cardiovascular condition, and insulin metabolism, showed that, at the fifteen year follow-up, reduced risk of death was closely correlated with physical fitness. This included death from cardiovascular diseases, a variety of cancers, and even accidents.

Physical activity strengthen your heart & lungs.
Many studies prove that with exercise your body’s vital capacity will be maintained, and as a result adequate oxygenation of tissues will also maintained. The health benefits of restoring vital capacity are superior to any drug or medical treatment.

Exercise protects blood pressure
In a typical study, sedentary hypertension patients, aged 55 to 78 years were followed. They all had elevated blood pressure. After they participated in an exercise program, systolic blood pressure went down by a whopping 20 mmHg.
Regular exercise will lower blood pressure in almost everybody.

Physical activity lowers cholesterol
Cholesterol is essential to every function of your body. It forms part of all organs, including your heart and your brain. Recent research showed that average cholesterol levels in runners and bodybuilders ranged between 158 mg/dl and 183 mg/dl. It proves that exercise makes the healthy difference.

Exercise and Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular diseases are far out our biggest health problem. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. Almost 50% of all deaths each year from heart disease and cancer combined, account for and affects nearly 14 million.More than twice as many Americans are killed as all cancers, 9 times as many as all other lung and liver diseases together, and 28 times more than all forms of diabetes. There are good reasons to tell everybody who want to begin with an exercise program to have a thorough medical examination and physicians approval before they start.

Cancer prevention
Dr Kenneth Cooper’s study showed that incidence of all forms of cancer was closely related with lack of physical activity. Unfit men and women where 300% more likely to develop cancer. But the best findings from this study is that you have to move only a smidgen out of couch potato land to prevent cancer big time.

Exercise against all diseases
The right exercise maintains your heart, lungs, your muscles, your bones, a healthy level of body fat, even your intestinal function. In healthy people the right exercise completely protects glucose tolerance against the degenerative changes in insulin metabolism that lead to adult-onset diabetes.

Research has revealed the mayor way in which physical exercise protect you against all diseases. It started with evidence that physical activity increases overall white blood cells. Then came more precise findings that moderate exercise increases bodily production of disease fighting components of the immune system. There is no longer doubt that the right exercise strengthen your immunity.

Exercise is a medicine to create a positive change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states.
When we have health, we have hope, and when we have hope, we have everything.

If you like all of the above, I can recommend one of the best exercise programs on the internet to improve and maintain your overall health!

We were told by our parents to eat carrots, because they are good for our eyes. When my mother was scrubbing carrots, I always liked to eat one raw.

But researchers discovered that the nutritional value of carrots goes far beyond supporting our eyes. They contain a range of compounds that can help prevent certain cancers, heart attacks and lower cholesterol.

A substance that gives carrots their orange color, called beta-carotene, contains many health benefits. Carrots are one of the richest sources of beta-carotene, an antioxidant compound that fight free radicals. Just one cup of carrots provide more than 250% of the daily amount recommended by experts.

At Women’s Hospital in Boston, researchers found that women who ate just five servings of four raw carrot sticks a week had 54% lower risk of getting ovarian cancer, due to the carotene in carrots.

And another research in Sweden, involving 61,000 women, found that those who ate four to six servings of antioxidant-rich carrots a week cut their risk of the most common form of kidney cancer by 54%.

Other studies, involving large populations, showed that low levels of beta-carotene gives people a higher risk of developing certain cancers, especially lungs and stomach cancers.

Carrots are not only good for your body cells, but they are very good for your heart as well. It has been proved, that eating large amounts of carrots rich in beta-carotene and related compounds may reduce the risk of heart disease. “A half-cup serving of cooked carrots contains 12 milligrams of beta-carotene, about twice the amount you need to get the benefits,” says Paul Lachance, PhD, executive director of the Nutraceuticals Institute at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

According to a research in Germany, eating carotene-rich foods can reduce your blood levels from a substance that can cause cardiovascular disease called c-reactive protein (also known as CRP). In the study men who ate eight servings of fruits and vegetables containing beta-carotene reduced their CRP levels by 42% in just four weeks.

Carrots not only contain beta-carotene, but also alpha-carotene, which appears also to fight cancer. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that lung cancer appeared more often in men with low intake of alpha-carotene then in men who ate more.

Better Vision
The beta-carotene in carrots works in two ways: by converting the vitamin A in the body and helping to improve vision.
This better vision effect is a well known fact. Researchers in World War II cultivated carrots with high beta-carotene content to help pilots to see better at night.

Vitamin A helps vision by forming a purple pigment that is needed by the eyes in order to be able to see in dim light.
This pigment, called rhodopsin, is located in the light-sensitive area of the retina. The more vitamin A you get, the more rhodopsin your body is able to produce. Consequently, people with low levels of vitamin A may suffer from night blindness, which make it difficult to drive after dark.

Apart from giving you better vision, carrots also help to protect your vision. A study in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that eating carotenoid-rich food was linked to a 36% lower risk of the leading cause of severe vision loss in the elderly – age related macular degeneration.

How to get the most out of carrots
Look for new-colored carrots with more powerful pigments at your supermarket: lycopene-rich red and lutein-laden yellow in addition to the usual orange. When buying carrots with the green still on it, cut it off before storing them. Otherwise, those pretty leafy tops will act like nutrient vampires, sucking out the vitamins and moisture before you can eat the carrots. Eat them cooked. In general, raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked, but carrots can benefit from a little cooking. This is because carrots contain a lot of dietary fiber – more than 2 grams in one carrot – which traps the beta-carotene, says John Erdman, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois. Cooking carrots can help free beta-carotene from the fiber cells, making it easier for your body to absorb. But when you cook carrots, you will lose some of the nutrients in the cooking water. You can save them by using the cooking water to make soup or in a sauce. Another way to release more of the beta-carotene from carrots is to make a carrot cocktail. Processing carrots in a blender breaks apart the fibers, allowing the beta-carotene to escape.

When you roast carrots, it brings out their flavors. Toss 1 1/4- inch pieces of carrot with salt, pepper, and a little extra-virgin olive oil. Bake, covered for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer. It’s important to add some olive oil. Beta-carotene needs a small amount of fat to get through your intestinal wall and into your body, says John Erdman, PhD, of the University of Illinois. So the next time you’re serving carrot sticks, you may add a small amount of a dip, such as a ranch dressing..

Related Articles – eyesight, beta-carotene, cancer protection, carotenoid, lycopene,

There are many books and articles that encourage young and older people to exercise.
Exercise is good at any age, but to determine the right exercise program is not so easy,to be honest, it can be quite difficult. People have different body shapes, different medical issues and different musculo skeletal problems.

For that reason it is not advisable to start an exercise program that is not adjusted to meet the specific needs of the individual older adult. One have to be careful when choosing a trainer when joining a gym or health club. Many athletic trainers are not trained to understand all the potential risks and dangers involved with training the elderly.

The elderly person needs someone who understands the subtle issues that come with aging muscles and ligaments. In addition, many seniors have arthritis and osteoporosis, which changes the normal body alignment during exercise. Others may have degenerative changes in the spine. If a trainer doesn’t pay attention to these details, the person could get hurt. You have to train a seventy-eight-year-old woman differently than an eighteen-year-old football player. You have to be very careful.

Exercise is vital for any older adult who wants to remain healthy. Studies have shown that older adults who exercise regularly have better balance and a lower risk of falls. They have better control of their blood sugar levels, better flexibility, better quality of sleep and fewer symptoms of depression. They will also improve their muscle strength and have less arthritis pain on their hips and knees.

AEROBIC EXERCISE
Endurance exercise will help you to strengthen your heart and lungs and increase your stamina as well. Many older adults have much atherosclerosis (plaque) in their coronary arteries, which put them at a higher risk for heart attacks. Older adults who have not exercised for years should talk to their doctor first before starting an aerobic exercise program. The doctor may determine whether the person’s heart is able to tolerate the increased exertion associated with exercise.

It is generally recommended that people should try to exercise for thirty minutes at 75% to 80% of their maximum target heart rate. The maximum heart rate is calculated using the simple formula 220 – your age in years. This formula doesn’t work well for many seniors. For the older adult who has not exercised for years and wants to start exercising, it is recommended to set a goal of 60% – 65% , rather than 75 – 80%. For those who can’t exercise for the full 30 minutes, two 15 minute periods or three 10 minute periods may suffice.

Be careful before you buy any of those heart rate meters, if you are on heart medications called beta-blockers,which can slow down their heart rate. Many pacemakers regulate how fast the heart can beat. If you have an irregular heart rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation, you also have to be careful. So how hard should elderly people exert themselves? It is suggested that they should be able to talk comfortably while exercising.

STRETCHING
You also have to be careful with stretching exercises, especially if you haven’t stretched for decades. During that time your tendons ( which attach muscles to bones) and ligaments (which attach bones together), have undergone a variety of degenerative changes and the water content decreases. The water content of cartilage also decreases. As a result, most people become less flexible as they age. Tendons and ligaments tend to tear easier and when they tear, the healing process is slower.

Here are some helpful hints on stretching from the National Institute on Aging: Stretching exercises should only be done after a warming up period by walking or some gentle bicycle riding. Especially during the winter time when your joints and ligaments are stiffer because of the cold weather. Stretching should cause some minor discomfort, but it should not be painful. If you are getting pain, you need to lesson the tension or stop. Move slowly into a stretching position. Quick jerking motions can cause an injury. Hold the position for at least twenty to thirty seconds. If you can’t hold the stretch that long, than you are overstretching and you need to do it more gently. We believe that all frail elderly people should consult with their physician or their physical therapist before starting a stretching regimen. Don’t do just stretching exercises that you saw someone perform TV or at the gym. Even a yoga or Pilates class that is not specifically designed for the untrained older adult can lead to injuries.

WEIGHT TRAINING
There is some truth in the saying: “use it or lose it”. The real truth is that many elderly folks don’t have much more that they can afford to lose. This brings up the concept of functional reserve, which refers to the amount of extra work that can be done by an organ or muscle when needed. By the time some seniors reach their eighties or nineties, they have such a small functional reserve in their muscles that they can barely out of bed or walk.

Many seniors take up exercise programs that involve lifting weights. By lifting weights their muscles will grow in size and become stronger. Weight training would appear on the surface to make sense. Increasing muscle size and strength could help many seniors who have lost some of their size and strength over the years.

The real truth is that older adults need to be careful before beginning a weight lifting program. Proper instruction with the correct weight and form is critical. We cannot over emphasize the danger that a poorly designed weight training regimen poses to the joints, tendons and ligaments of seniors. Studies have shown that a carefully designed regimen may make seniors’ muscles a little bigger and stronger. Any benefits gained have usually been lost once the study is over. Researches have not been able to show that weight-training exercises by themselves can decrease the level of disability among frail seniors.

Some recommendations for folks who have not exercised for decades. 1. Walking – it is very simple and very effective. Even 15 minutes twice a day can help improve one’s lung function and lowers the blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes. For people who are out of shape, this a nice way to exercise without putting much stress on joints. 2. Pool exercises – you don’t have to do laps in the pool. Walking in the pool or simply moving your arms and legs as you stand in the shallow end of the pool is an excellent way to exercise. Buoyancy provides support to joints during movement and even provide some resistance. Muhammad Ali used to do pool exercises to help him train for many of his fights. It works very well for patients with arthritis of the hips and knees as a way to exercise arthritic joints without putting much weight-bearing stress on the joints. 3. Stationary bicycle – when done at low speeds and low resistance this exercise can be of great benefit for patients with arthritic knees. 4. Tai chi – this Chinese martial art promote balance and strengthening without putting much stress on the joints and ligaments. Although it does not involve punching or kicking, it is still considered a martial art. It has also been shown in several studies to improve balance and decrease the risk of falls in older adults. 5. Yoga – many older adults enroll in yoga classes in order to enjoy its many health benefits. These benefits include increased flexibility, improved balance,and an improved sense of well-being. However, older adults have to be very careful. There are yoga classes that cater for clients who have medical challenges as well as older adults. Look for a yoga instructor who has experience in adapting poses for individual needs. 6. Custom exercises – for patients who can no longer walk, there are even exercises that a physical therapist can design to be done in bed or in a chair.

It is recommended to start slowly with exercise. Once started, some folks get quite motivated and exited about there new exercise regimen. The improvement in how they feel and in their exercise performance helps to motivate them further. As the amount of exercise increases, we often see that many of them succumb to joints and ligament injuries. The point is that even if you think you can do more, it is advised not to do so.

Questions to ask your doctor 1.Is it save for me to exercise? 2. What type of exercise should I be doing? 3. Are there exercises I should avoid doing?

A final tip: Proceed with caution when starting an exercise program. Start easy and work your way up slowly.

Related Articles – exercise program, flexibility, aerobic exercise, atherosclerosis, heart rate, stretching, weight lifting, yoga,

As the toxins and the poor nutrient value in our food increases, juicing is one of the best ways to compensate for it.
Whipping fresh fruits and vegetables through a juicer and extracting a glassful of vitamin-packet nectar ensures that we get the recommended five to seven servings of these foods every day. Some people like juicing to get more carotenoids and flavonoids, which are healing compounds that can fight major diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Others see juicing as a way to get rid of the toxins in our body, boost immunity and help to treat a variety of diseases, like anemia, constipation and arthritis.

For people who don’t like to swallow pills or capsules, Juices are a multivitamin/mineral supplement.Our body can absorb the nutrients much better than from pills. Plants are filled with vitamins, minerals and other beneficial compounds, but these substances are bound to vibrous tissue and contained within cellulose walls. By grinding vegetables and fruits to make juice, you break down the cellulose walls and release these compounds, making them available for consumption.

You can get much more nutrients out of food from juice, than from just eating, unless you chew very, very well. In fact, juice is one of the most powerful whole foods that you can put in your body. It takes very little energy to digest it, so you maintain almost all of the energy and nutrients that it gives. Plus it takes a whole lot of vegetables to get the same
amount of nutrients found in one glass of juice.

A 6-ounce glass of carrot juice contains large amounts of beta-carotene, which, when it is converted to vitamin A in your body, represents 948% of the Daily Value. The same glass of juice also contains 16 mg vitamin C, 27% of the Daily Value, 0.4 mg of vitamin B6, or 20% of the Daily Value; 537 mg of potassium, or 15% of the DV, and 0.2 mg of thiamin, or 11% of the Daily Value.

Juicing can even help to control your weight.Drinking juices helps the body iron out its nutritional deficiencies, which leaves you more satisfied from a healthy diet and less likely to overeat.

In spite of their nutritional goodness, juices should be used to supplement fresh fruits, vegetables and grains in your diet, not to replace them. The contribution of fiber is not sufficient to get the 20 to 35 grams that adults need every day.
For example, eight carrots provide 17 grams of fiber, while a 6-ounce glass of juice contains a measly 2 grams.

Fresh juices gives you more than the necessary vitamins and minerals. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients.
Perhaps the best known of the phytonutrients is beta-carotene, a plant pigment that gives the orange color on sweet potatoes and carrots, and the red on tomatoes. Fruits and vegetables also contain flavonoids, compounds with strong antioxidant power and prevent
low-density lipoprotein, (LDL) cholesterol.

From a large study, involving more than 100,000 people, researchers found that when one serving of fruits and vegetables was added to the diet each day, the risk of ischemic stroke, a stroke in which the artery to the brain was blocked,was lowered by 6%.
The best protection came from citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

Other studies have shown that antioxidants help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. In 2002, a study involving nearly 5,500 people, researchers found that those people who ate diets rich in the antioxidants vitamin C and E, decreased their risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease. Drinking a large variety of vegetables and fruit juices is an exellent way to get therapeutic amounts of all of these healing compounds.

Drink your juices right away, otherwise it will lose their nutritional benefits as well as the flavor. So juices, like cabbage, become funky in a few hours. So it’s best to make only as much as you like to drink right away.

It’s best to consume vegetable juices, they are better nutritionally. Although a tall glass of fruit juice may look appealing to you, it’s better to concentrate on vegetable juices.Fruit juices are high in sugar and too acidic to drink in large quantities.
For maximum healing benefits, drink vegetable juices from a variety of vegetables.
The more variety you can put in your diet, the better.

A good way to lose weight and body fat is to follow a low-fat diet.
There are many health benefits as a result of a low-fat diet.

The key to losing weight is to reduce the total calorie intake. The easiest way to do that is to eat less fat.
One gram of fat delivers 9 calories, which is more than twice as many as the same amount of protein or carbohydrate. In addition, our body likes fat. It’s easier to store calories from fat than from other sources.

When you eat fatty foods it will significantly increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, and many other conditions. Today, more than 66% of American people are overweight or obese and the rate of obesity has more than doubled to 32%, and most of the increase did happen during the last 20 years.

In one study, Danish researchers found that those who reduced the amount of fat in their diets from 39% to 28% of total calories and increased their intake of carbohydrates were able to lose an average of 9 pounds in just 12 weeks. Also, people who stuck to lower-fat diets were able to keep the weight off long after the study ended.

Another advantage of reducing fat from your diet is that it can increase your general sense of well-being. In a study of more than 550 women, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, found that when the women cut their daily fat intake in half from 40% to 20% of total calories – they felt more vigorous, less anxious, and less depressed than they had when they were eating their former diets.

Heart Health Fat in your diet often goes to your arteries. There is a direct link between the amount of fat in your diet and your risk for heart disease. This is particularly true of saturated fat. The dangerous type that can clog your arteries and we find mainly in meats, full-fat dairy products, and snack foods. Research has shown that eating a diet low in saturated fat is the best way to lower this risk.

It’s not necessary to go on an extremely low fat diet to get the benefits. Even reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet only a little bit can help you to lower your cholesterol levels.

Cancer Protection
Switching to a low-fat diet offers great protection against many diseases, including cancer. Researchers at the University of Benin in Nigeria found that when laboratory animals were fed high-fat diets, they started producing enzymes that caused cancerous changes in their colons in just three weeks.

What works in the laboratory can also be applied in real life.In a study of 450 women, researchers in the department of epidemiology and public health at Yale University School of Medicine found that cutting just 10 grams off saturated fat a day – the equivalent of switching from two glasses of whole milk to the same amount of fat-free milk – could reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 20%.

A low-fat diet not only protect you because of what it doesn’t contain, but also because of what it does.
When you reduce your fat intake, you generally eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. all of which have been shown to keep us healthier, says JoAnn Manson, MD, professor of women’s health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Good for the Eyes
To close it of, eating a low-fat diet may also protect you against macular degeneration. Which is the main cause of vision loss in older adults. In a survey of more than 2000 people, researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison found that those who reported getting the most saturated fat had 80% higher risk of getting macular degeneration than those getting the least.

Starting your Low-fat Diet
If you want to start reducing the amount of fat in your diet, it’s not always easy to know where to begin.
Firstly, you have to find out how much fat you’re actually getting each day. Ideally, you should get between 25% and 30% of your total calories from fat.

For example, suppose you normally get 2000 calories per day. When you’re following a low-fat diet, no more than 600 of your total calories should come from fat. This will adds up to 67 grams of fat per day.

Don’t let lowering your fat intake to 30% discourage you! This is a reasonable amount of fat to go into your diet. According to Lalita Kaul, PhD, a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and professor of nutrition at the Medical School of Howard University in Washington D.C. Eating low fat means: avoiding fried foods, forgoing rich, fatty restaurant meals for home-cooked fare, and searching for tasty low-fat recipes with which to replace some of your higher-fat favorites. Reach for a Lean Cuisine meal or a Lean Pocket when you’re looking for at-home convenience.

Probably the easiest way to keep track of your daily fat intake is reading food labels.They are based on a 2000-calorie diet. So you can look at foods which are 30% or below. To avoid partially hydrogenated oils, look for a spread that says “zero trans fat” on the label. And avoid cookies and other baked goods and snack foods that contain trans fats.Trans fats are now required to be listed on nutrition labels along with total and saturated fat.If you are dining out or buy foods that don’t have labels, you can buy a nutrition reference guide in a bookstore or supermarket.

As mentioned before, the most dangerous type of fat to watch out for is saturated fat, which is found in animal foods like meat, butter, cheese and eggs, and some plant sources such as coconut oil, palm oil, tropical oils and cocoa butter.The same foods that are high in saturated fat are also high in cholesterol. So when you decrease one, you automatically decrease the other.

The American Heart Association recommends that we should get less than 7% of our total calories from saturated fat,partly by choosing fat free or low-fat milk and leaner cuts of meat, like sirloin or top round.

Enjoy the Good Fats in Moderation Generally, you should reduce all kind of fats in your diet. Although monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are not bad,you should eat them in moderation, because they contain as many calories as bad fats. They are found in vegetable and seed oils, such as olive,sesame, and safflower oils, and in nuts and seeds. They have been shown to actually lower cholesterol and may help prevent it from sticking to artery walls.

The fat found in fish, omega-3 fatty acids, has been shown to reduce clotting and inflammation in the arteries, which can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. You don’t have to eat a lot of fish to get the benefits. When you’re following a low fat diet, having two fish meals a week will go a long way toward keeping your arteries in the swim. Discover the best Fat Burning Techniques

Foods like fruits and vegetables are the Ultimate Protection against the damaging effects of Cancer

Cancer is the No 1 killer in the United States, causing 25% of all deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. However, when it comes to cancer prevention, a healthy diet, consisting of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains can significantly reduce the risk of cancer.
Research shows that if we all ate more off the right foods and less of the wrong ones, the change of getting cancer would be reduced by 30%. Diet plays an important role when dealing with cancer.
There are compounds in foods that can both prevent and help fight cancer at the cellular level.

Research recommend to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This will reduce cancer deaths by 35%. One study in particular found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduce the risk
of pancreatic cancer – a particularly deadly one – in half.
Recently researchers discovered the reason why plant foods offer such powerful cancer protection.
Certain compounds, found only in plant foods and known as phytonutrients (from the Greek word phyto, meaning plant ), have the ability to stop cancer.

Research has proved that eating just one serving of watermelon or pink grapefruit a day can reduce man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by 82%!
Watermelon and pink grapefruit are high in a phytonutrient called lycopene. In fact, watermelon contain about 40% more lycopene than fresh tomatoes – the vegetable most people probably think of when they think of lycopene.

When processed into sauce, juice or ketchup, however, tomatoes do yield more usable lycopene.
Interestingly, a recent study found that organic ketchup has up to three times more lycopene than ordinary kinds. Probably because organic ketchup is made with riper tomatoes than other types of ketchup.
The darker red the ketchup is, the greater its lycopene content.

The Power of Antioxidants
Every day, your body is under attack of free radicals, harmful molecules who have lost an electron.
Nature anticipated this damaging threat by packing fruits, vegetables, and other foods with antioxidants, protective compounds that either stop or disable the formation of free radicals before they have a change to do harm.

Besides the many compounds in foods that act as antioxidants in the body, two in particularly powerful and best studied are beta-carotene and vitamin C. Beta-carotene is the pigment that gives many fruits
and vegetables their lush, deep orange to red hues. However, it’s more than nature’s palette.
Beta-carotene has been shown to stimulate the release of natural killer cells, which hunt down and destroy cancer cells before they can cause damage.

You don’t need a lot of beta-carotene to get the benefits. Research recommend getting 15 to 30 mg/day – the amount provided by one or two large carrots – is probably all it takes.Cantaloupes, sweet potatoes,
spinach and bok choy are all excellent choices of beta-carotene.

Another antioxidant, vitamin C, has been shown to help preventing the formation of cancer causing compounds in the digestive tract. The Daily Value for vitamin C is 60 mg, which is very easy to get from foods.

Beans as a cancer fighter
Beans are high in magnesium, and can reduce the formation of colon cancer by 23%. Only a half cup of beans, provides 43 mg magnesium, which is almost 11% of the Daily Value of 400mg.

Beans also protect against breast cancer. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who ate beans twice a week had a 24% lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who seldom ate them.

Drink red wine as protection
According to a study of more than 3,400 men by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, drinking a 4-ounce glass of red wine a day may cut a man’s risk of prostate cancer in half.
Which wine is best? Researchers at the University of Mississippi tested 11 different types of red wine and found that Pinot Noir from California have the most resveratrol , an antioxidant that can help ward off cancer and even heart attacks.

Tea is the second most popular beverage. It has recently been shown to fight cancer.
A Swedish study of 61,000 women found that those who drank 2 cups of tea a day lowered their risk of ovarian cancer by 46%.

Researchers examined 63 studies and revealed that milk has high levels of vitamin D and cut the risk of colon, ovarian and breast cancer by up to 50%. Researchers recommend getting 1000 IU of vitamin D per day. One cup of milk contain 100 IU vitamin D.

Fiber against cancer
Fiber is not a nutrient and was not taken seriously for a long time. AS it turned out, fiber does more than anyone ever imagined. Consuming a high-fiber diet is essential for reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, particularly colon cancer. Fiber works against cancer in several ways.
Since fiber is absorbent, it soaks up water as it moves through the digestive tract. This makes stools larger. And the more quickly stools move, the less time there is for any harmful substances they contain to damage the cells lining the intestine. Also, fiber helps trap cancer-causing substances in the colon.

If you pick the right foods, Beans and certain vegetables are the best sources of fiber. A half-cup of kidney beans contains 7 grams of fiber, and the same amount of chickpeas contains 5 grams.
Whole grains are also good sources of fiber.

There are three main keys to losing fat and gaining muscle. If you’re missing any of these you will most likely fail in your attempts to build a lean muscular body. So what are they?
1) Eat Less Calories than you burn off
2) Resistance Training
3) Eating enough protein to maintain muscle mass
That’s as short and sweet as I can put it.
Any diet can work as long as it gets you to eat less calories than you burn off.
The key is to find a diet that suits your personality and your lifestyle. If you’re like me you don’t have time to spend on diet rules and focusing on good foods and bad foods and what to eat and what not to eat, and meal timing and all of that.

The diet that will work for you will most likely be the one with the least amount of rules, or in fact no rules at all but rather just provide a guideline or two. For me that diet is Eat Stop Eat. It is the simplest nutrition program I have ever come across.

There is only one guideline, and that is to take a 24 hour break from eating once or twice per week. That’s it, simple and effective.
This type of eating program might work for you, or it might not. You just have to try it first.
As long as you can find a diet you can stick with for the long term you’ll be able to lose weight, the next key it making sure all of that weight comes from fat.

This is where resistance training comes in.
You have to do some form of resistance training in order to maintain and build muscle mass while you’re losing fat. If you are following an effective diet without doing resistance training you could end up losing muscle mass along the way. If this happens you could lose body weight
without actually improving the look or shape of your body.

Your actual body weight doesn’t matter as much as your percentage of fat. If you can lose 5 pounds of fat, but gain 3 pounds of muscle you will only lose 2 pounds of body weight on the scale, but you’ll look 8 pounds different. Even though 2 pounds doesn’t sound like much, the difference on your body fat percentage is the key.

This is why weight training is so important while dieting.Weighttraining is the best way to make sure you don’t lose muscle while you diet, this helps with overall health as well as improving the overall look and shape of your body. After all when you diet the goal is to show off the lean muscle that is under the fat.
The third key to building muscle while losing fat is protein. You have to eat just enough protein to make sure your muscles can grow. This is a controversial topic that many nutrition ‘experts’ still don’t agree on. But the bottom line is protein is your friend when it comes to building muscle and especially when you’re dieting.
Mix these three key ingredients together and you’ll have a potent fat loss and muscle building program that can transform your body in no time.
For more information about fat loss, click here.

Introduction

Anyone who has ever suffered the misery of back pain knows how urgent it is to get relief. Once you are free from the pain, most people will learn as much as they can about their sore back to try to prevent back problems from arising again.
Back pain can vary from person to person, type to type, and region to region, such as the upper, middle and lower back. It can be a dull, constant ache or sudden sharp pain like a dagger that makes it almost too painful to move. It can start quickly if you fall, get a sports injury, or lift something too heavy. Or it might worsen over time, getting progressively worse. One thing is for sure, the pain in a memorable one, and the majority of people will experience it at some point in their lives. Let’s get started with what back pain is and how common it can be.

What is back pain and how common is it?
Back pain can occur for a range of reasons that are either structural, musculoskeletal, nerve based,
or a sign of an underlying disorder. Most back pain is structural or musculoskeletal and
the nerves can be affected by changes in the structure of the spine.
The spine is a complex system of interlocking bones and joints called vertebrae. The spinal
column extends from the base of our skull all the way down to the tailbone at our pelvis, the coccyx. The many vertebrae that make up the spine are labeled in terms of area, and each is given a number so that all doctors know which they are referring to if there are any issues with the back that need to be dealt with.
Starting from the neck, the 4 areas are the:
· Cervical
· Thoracic
· Lumbar and
· Sacral regions.

The cervical region has 7 vertebrae, the thoracic 12, the lumbar 5 and the sacrum 5 bones, all fused together. The coccyx is actually made up of 4 small fused bones.
Most people experience lower back pain. Up to 80% of the population will have it at least once in their lives.
It tends to occur in older people and can increase with age, but of course anyone can get back pain due to injury. The prevalence varies with gender. Women are more likely to have lower back pain, a prolapsed or slipped disc, and sciatica, that is, pain in the sciatic nerves that run from the back down to the lower leg.
The prevalence also varies with race. Black women are two to three times more likely than white women to have part of the lower spine slip out of place.
What are the main causes of back pain? Let’s look at this topic in the next chapter.

What are the main causes of back pain?
Injury is the most common cause of back pain. It is often related to picking up things in such a way as to harm the spine, its nerves, or the muscles around it. For example, many people trying to lift a heavy object with bend over it with their arms straight and try to pull it towards their chest. This strains the muscles, especially in the lower back. Learning how to lift a heavy object properly, as we will discuss later in this guide, can help prevent back injury and a sore back.
Anyone can have back pain, but some things that can increase your risk include:
Poor physical fitness Back pain is more common in people who are not fit. A solid core will strengthen the back as well.

Being overweight
Carrying extra pounds, especially around the middle, can stress the back and cause pain. It is also usually a sign of a flabby core, and flabby muscles are weak and more prone to injury.
Heredity
Some causes of back pain can have a genetic component and run in families.
Various health issues Some types of arthritis and cancer can cause back pain. Osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones, can also result in hairline fractures, bone spurs and other structural changes that can cause back pain.

Smoking tobacco
Smokers with bone injuries heal around twice as slowly as non-smokers. One of the reasons may be that they do not circulate enough nutrients in the body to be able to heal bones and support good back health. As they age, their bones can become so brittle that smoker’s cough can trigger back pain and even injury.

Your job
If you have to lift, push, or pull often in your job, you are more at risk for injury. Many companies offer their workers braces to support the spine, but they need to be worn correctly in order to do any good.
If you sit at a desk all day and do not sit up straight, you may also get back pain. This will most commonly be in the lower part of the back, since this takes so much pressure and weight when you are sitting, but it can also occur in the neck, shoulders and middle of the back as well.
Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of pain, poor quality of life and lost
productivity in the workplace. Chronic back pain can affect every area of your life, including work, sleep, sex, caring for your children, and more.

Fortunately, there are a range of ways to prevent back issues, and to treat them if they do arise. These include natural remedies, medications, and in extreme cases, surgery. The treatments will depend on the cause of the pain.
Sometimes the cause is very obvious, such as an injury. In other cases, the pain is real, but
might require a process of elimination to determine where it is coming from and why.
Doctors try to classify the pain in terms of type and location in order to try to track down the cause and give effective treatment. Let’s look at different kinds of back pain in the next chapter.

Different types of back pain
Back pain will be classified as upper, middle and lower. They will also indicate whether or not the pain is on the left or the right. This can give a clue as to which of the many causes of back pain might be contributing to a patient’s issue.
The causes of back pain can be broadly classified as relating to:
Structure
Muscle pain
Nerve pain
Inflammation, such as is caused by arthritis

Three common classifications of back pain include:
Axial pain
This is also referred to as mechanical pain, and is usually the result of a muscle sprain or strain. It can be dull or sharp.
Referred pain
Referred pain moves around from location to location. It is associated with age-related changes to the spine and can be described as dull and achy.
Radicular pain
This is nerve pain that will often radiate outwards along the path of the affected nerve and can cause the arm or leg to become numb or weak. The pain is described as searing. This pain can result from a number of different causes, including:
· Compression of the nerve
· inflammation
· Injury to a spinal nerve root.
Sciatica (SIGH-attic-ah) is the most common form of radicular pain. The main causes of sciatica are:
· a herniated disc-a disc that has rupture and might be pressing on the nerve
· degenerative disc disease, that is, the results of an aging spine
· spinal stenosis-that is, narrowing of the spine
· spondylolisthesis-one of the vertebrae slips forward onto the bone below it, causing the
nerve to become compressed or pinched
Sciatic pain can generate from the back down to the hip and thigh. In some cases, it might even go as far down as the big toe. This will depend on which vertebrae is affecting it. For example, if the Lumbar 3 (L3) disc is affecting it, the pain will generate down to the buttocks and perhaps the thigh. If the L% is affected, the pain could go all the way down the leg to the big toe.
Therefore, diagnostic imaging will be important to determine the condition of the spine and the placement of the discs.

Certain sciatica symptoms can indicate an emergency and require immediate medical care.
These include, but are not limited to:
· progressive neurological symptoms such as leg weakness or numbness · bladder or bowel dysfunction, that is, the inability to control ones urination or efecation.
These could be signs of cauda equina syndrome, a rare condition marked by extreme pressure and swelling of the nerves at the end of the spinal cord.
Infection or spinal tumors can also cause sciatic pain, so it is important not to suffer in silence thinking it’s a natural part of the aging process.

Lordosis
Another cause of lower back pain is lordosis, an abnormal inward curvature of the spine. It is commonly referred to as a sway back. It can be caused by age, or by poor posture. Treatment usually involves physical therapy, although in severe cases surgery, casting, and/or bracing may be required to restore the proper curve of the spine and ease any pain caused by it.
While it is true that the lower back is the most common area to experience pain, the upper back can be painful for musculoskeletal reasons, often connected with shoulder pain. This part of the spine is not as mobile and flexible as the lower part of the spine, but it can be injured in accidents.

Dowager’s hump
Dowager’s hump, or kyphosis, is an abnormal outward curvature of the thoracic vertebrae of the upper back. Think of it as the opposite of lordosis. It is often the result of osteoporosis, or thinning of the bone. The spine bends and leads to a hump-like appearance. It is often seen in older women, who are much more prone to osteoporosis, hence the name. Osteoporosis is preventable, so the hump can be corrected in many cases.

Scoliosis (SKOL-ee-OH-siss) can affect any part of the back. It causes an abnormal curve of the spine from side to side. People with scoliosis have a spine that can curve from one side or the other, to the point where their spine starts to resemble a letter C or a letter S.
Scoliosis is about two times more common in women than in men. It can start at any age,
though it is usually most common in those over 10. It is hereditary, with it running in families.
The severity of the curve/s and their locations can produce a range of symptoms. Treatment can vary from spinal manipulation and bracing to surgery.

Upper and middle back pain
The 12 thoracic vertebrae that make up the upper and middle back are all very closely
connected with one another, and with your ribs. That being the case, middle and upper back pain can be caused by a number of reasons, including:
Upper and middle back pain may be caused by:
Overuse of muscles
Muscle strain
Injury to the muscles, ligaments, and discs that support the spine
Poor posture
Pressure on the spinal nerves, such as due to a herniated disc.
A fracture of one of the vertebrae.
Osteoarthritis, that is, wear and tear on the spine
The spine shrinks and compresses with age, in part because the discs that cushion cushions the small facet joints in the spine start to break down. Taking care of your cartilage is key to maintaining your discs. Vitamins A, B6, C and E are all important. So too are the minerals copper and zinc. High-quality protein is also essential, as is proper hydration of the body.
Bone broth and leafy greens like spinach and kale can help you keep your spine healthy. Bone broth is easy to make once you know how, and a tasty way to get the most nutrition out of any animal bones in your home, such as the carcass from your rotisserie chicken, or a leg of lamb.
Myofascial pain affects the connective tissue of a muscle or group of muscles and can also
cause back pain in these areas.

When should you consult a doctor, and which doctors treat back pain?
If you experience:
· Shooting or stabbing pains in your back
· Muscle spasms in your back
· Pain that radiates down one or both of your legs
· Limited flexibility or range of motion of the back
· Loss of control of your bladder and bodily functions
It’s time to see a doctor.
If the pain lasts more than 2 weeks, also seek medical attention.
If it is caused by a fall or injury, head to the emergency room for a full check-up. The best
outcomes for any medical condition will usually be when they are caught early.

Doctors who deal with back pain
There are many types of health practitioners that care for patients with spinal conditions. Each has a slightly different focus or specialization. The doctor/s you see will depend on the symptoms and causes of the pain.
Your first step will usually be to see your primary care physician (PCP) or a doctor at your local Emergency Room or Emergency Department (ER or ED). Once they have assessed your condition, they will make recommendations about treatment and might also refer you to one or more other back doctors. These might include:
Chiropractor-they manipulate the spine and soft tissue
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)-they focus on the health of the body through the
musculoskeletal system
A spinal specialist, including a surgeon
A physical or occupational therapist to help recovery after an injury
A pain management specialist
Other professionals who can help with back pain relief include:
Neurologists-deal with nerve issues
Rheumatologists-deal with arthritis and other arthritic conditions
Clinical psychologists
CAM practitioners

The goal will be to help you become as pain-free as possible. This might mean medication or surgery in extreme cases, but it might often mean lifestyle changes and education about how to care for your spine better, commonly referred to as spine school. It might also include mind body medicine, in particular for the perception of and natural relief for pain.

A range of CAM practitioners can also contribute to your road to a pain-free back and healthy spine and body. CAM, or Complementary and Alternative Medicine, can be beneficial in a range of ways. As the name suggests, they can be used to complement, that is, be used in addition, to other treatments, with few to no risks of side effects. CAM is becoming increasingly accepted as a means of seeking help for many medical conditions, and most insurance companies have CAM provisions in their policies. We will discuss CAM for a sore back later in this guide.

Then of course, there is you. You know your own back and body best, so you are in the best
position to do what needs to be done to maintain a healthy back and prevent injuries from
happening in the first place if at all possible.
If you do have a sore back, being proactive and following the treatment guidelines given by each practitioner, such as exercises, can help you recover more quickly and hopefully with no lasting damage to your back.
Let’s look in the next chapter at the kind of CAM and other natural treatments that can help a sore back.

Natural treatments to help reduce back pain
There are a number of natural remedies for back pain. The good news is that many of them are free or inexpensive. Their effectiveness will depend on the location and cause of the pain, but these should in general work for the upper, middle and lower back.

Self-care
· resting when your back is sore (but do not rest all the time or you will get stiff and could
do more damage)
· not sitting for too many hours, which puts a lot of pressure on the spine
· gentle, easy stretching
· gently exercising your core muscles-work out your abs
· yoga for stretching, increasing flexibility, and improving core strength-try plank pose
· cold therapy – ice packs or an Icy-hot patch can help
· heat therapy – a warm bath or shower, heating pad or hot water bottle
· hydrotherapy-a warm bath, shower, hot tub or swim in a warm pool
· getting enough sleep-aim for 8 hours each night of high-quality sleep
· sleeping on a bed that gives your back enough support-the mattress should not be too
soft. Look for orthopedic mattresses
· using the right pillows-this will help avoid neck pain
· Medical pillows-some will support the neck. A wedge pillow under your backside when
you are sitting will support the spine and hips. You can also get a specially-shaped
wedge pillow to put between your thighs to help with sciatic pain when you sleep at night
· Making sure you are walking properly in good shoes, avoiding high heels, and taking
care of your feet. Corns, calluses and so on can all lead to sore feet and strange walking
habits
· Having a supportive desk chair-if you’re like most people, spending hours at a desk
every day can take its toll on your back if you are not careful
· Exercising regularly, choosing low impact work outs such as walking, swimming, cycling,
yoga, tai chi, light weights and resistance bands
· Lifting heavy objects, including children and pets, the correct way. (More about this
shortly)
CAM
There are many CAM that have been proven effective for pain relief. Here are a few
suggestions:
Meditation
Meditation allows you to focus your mind, for pain relief and stress relief
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or ‘talk therapy’
CBT can help with stress and pain relief. It can ease muscle tension as well.
Guided relaxation
You will learn to tense and then relax your muscles, for less tension. Tension and stiffness are major contributors to back pain.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
TCM for back pain includes acupuncture-and acupressure. Both stimulate ‘meridians,’ or energy centers in the body, to promote health and healing. Acupuncture uses small thin needles.
Acupressure uses fingers.

Massage
Therapeutic massage therapy, either from your loved one, or a professional massage therapist, can ease pain and stress, and release muscle tension

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses plant extracts known as essential oils for health and healing. Essential oils can be inhaled, added to bath water, or used as part of a therapeutic massage. Choosing oils that promote calm and relaxation, such as lavender, rose and pine, can relieve back pain.

Physical therapy
A sports clinic or physiotherapist can give you gentle manipulation and an exercise program that can help ease your back pain and prevent future injury
Traction/decompression of the spine
There are a number of ways to stretch the spine to take the pressure off compressed discs and nerves
Spine school
Learn more about your posture and body dynamics.

Pain management specialist
A pain management can offer a range of solutions, from natural remedies to medications, to help your back feel better.
If you try all of these self-care and CAM methods and you are still experiencing back pain, it will be time to look at the medications available for lower back pain relief.

Medications for back pain relief
There are a number of effective pain relieving medications, from over the counter to
prescription. They vary in strength, results and potential side effects. Your choice will depend in part on how painful your back is. Most doctors will ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being extreme pain. Depending on your pain rating and the suspected causes of your back pain, s/he will make a range of suggestions as to which treatment/s will be most effective.
They might recommend:

pain relievers
muscle relaxants
medicines which affect the pain centers of the brain.
The pain relievers can also come in a range of forms, from pills and injections to pain relief
patches.
Whenever taking any pain relief medication, be sure you discuss all potential side effect with the doctor. Take it exactly as prescribed, on the correct schedule, in order to avoid accidental overdose.

The most common medicines for back pain are:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Tylenol is effective, however, it can be dangerous due to the risk of overdose, which can cause severe liver damage. Take exactly as stated and check any other medicines you take, such as cold and flu remedies, because they may have Tylenol in them and cause accidental overdose.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)
These over the counter medications, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, help stop inflammation, which is one cause of pain. If you’ve ever hit your thumb with a hammer, you will understand what inflammation can do to your back and to your whole body.

Over the counter creams
Topical treatments such as creams can be rubbed into the afflicted area to offer pain relief.
Some contain aspirin, so read the labels carefully if you are allergic. Others contain capsaicin, which comes from peppers, and can cause burns on sensitive skin. Arnica is a natural pain relieving medicine with no strong smell that is useful for pain and bruising.

Over the counter pain relief patches
There is an increasingly wide range of pain relief patches available in the drug store. Popular brands include Icy Hot and Salonpas. They have different active ingredients, including aspirin and capsaicin, so beware of allergies, irritation and itchiness at the site of the patch.

Muscle relaxers
This class of medications can relieve the muscle spasms and soreness that often accompanies back pain. Commonly prescribed drugs include Soma (carisoprodol) and Valium (diazepam).
Both of these can be habit-forming, however, so should be taken on a short-term basis only.

Opioid-based pain relievers
Opiates are potent pain relievers that can be used to treat quickly acute back pain that has not been eased by other treatments or medicines. Drugs in this class include:
· Codeine
· Hydrocodone
· Oxycodone
· Fentanyl.
They can be highly addictive and so should be taken for only a short period of time in as low a dose as possible.

Antidepressants
Antidepressants such as Elavil (amitriptyline) and Cymbalta (duloxetine) can lift depression and in some cases also ease chronic pain. They elevate mood and affect the pain receptor centers of the brain.

Other medicines sometimes used for low back pain are:
Anesthetic injections
There are a number of different injections used to relieve lower back pain through the use of anesthetics. Trigger point injections try to pinpoint the exact spot where the pain is located. Facet joint injections apply anesthetic to the places where one vertebra of the spine connects to another.

Steroid injections
Steroids can relieve inflammation. Epidural injections are injected into the spinal canal to dull the pain in and around the spinal column. As with all medications, steroids can cause side effects, some of which can be serious, including high blood pressure and glaucoma.

Anticonvulsants
These are sometimes used to treat low back pain. Tegretol (carbamazepine), Neurontin
(gabapentin), Dilantin (phenytoin) and Lyrica (pregabalin) are the most commonly used. About 3 out of 10 people gain some relief from gabapentin.

Botox
Botox is commonly used for cosmetic reasons, to smooth and relax muscles and lines in the face. It is now being used for a range of other health purposes, including chronic low back pain.
It can relax the muscles and reduce spasms.
Discuss all possible side effects with your doctor before proceeding with treatment. Let them know what prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements you are taking in order to try to minimize the risk of side effects.
If you have tried a range of medications but are still experiencing chronic pain, it may be time to consider surgery. Let’s look at your options next.

Surgical treatments for back pain
If self-care, natural treatments, over the counter and prescription medications are still not
enough to offer you pain relief, or your back pain has persisted for more than three months, or has a clear structural reason, it might be time to consider your surgical options.
Each type of surgery offers a number of benefits, but also poses certain risks in addition to the usual ones of surgical site infection and complications from anesthesia. Learn as much as you can about the surgery, reasons for it, alternatives, and expected outcomes so you will be fully informed before agreeing to the surgery.

Spinal Fusion
Spinal fusion is the most common surgery for back pain. A surgeon joins one or more vertebrae together in order to restrict the motion between the bones of the spine to prevent wear and tear on the nerves and discs. Depending on which vertebrae are fused, you may experience limited
flexibility and range of motion in that area. Sometimes the discs do not fuse fully. Infection is a definite risk, and those who smoke tobacco are at greater risk of infection and will be slower to heal.

Laminectomy
As the spine ages, it can form lumps, bumps and protrusions called spurs. These can cause
pressure on the nerves, ligaments or discs. During a laminectomy, your surgeon will shave off parts of the bone and/or bony spurs to relieve any pressure that might be causing back pain or leg weakness. The main danger of a laminectomy is that it can weaken the spine further. If this happens, you may need spinal fusion surgery. In some cases, both procedures will be performed at the same time depending on what the surgeon sees when he gets inside.

Foraminotomy
During this surgery, your doctor will cut away some of the bone on the sides of vertebrae in order to widen the space where the nerve roots exit the spine. This can relieve the pressure and pain from spinal stenosis. This can also weaken the spine, in which case spinal fusion surgery would also need to be performed.

Discectomy
The discs of your back are like little cushions separating your vertebrae so they don’t grind
together. Discs serve as shock-absorbers to keep your vertebrae from cracking. They change with age and become thinner, and they can also bulge or slip out of place. This can cause pressure on a spinal nerve. During a discectomy, part or all of the disc will be removed. This procedure might also be done in conjunction with spinal fusion, laminectomy, or foraminotomy depending on your symptoms. Sometimes a prosthetic disc will be inserted to offer cushioning and open up the space between the vertebrae.

Disc Replacement Surgery
Disc replacement surgery involves removing a damaged disc and inserting an artificial one. It is starting to become more popular as an alternative to spinal fusion because it will still allow a good degree of motion and flexibility. The recovery time is also generally shorter. The main risk is infection, rejection of the new disc, or the disc slipping out of place again.

Interlaminar Implant
Another option similar to spinal fusion is implanting a device at the same time as a laminectomy.
The device, which is shaped like the letter U, is inserted between two vertebrae in order to relieve pressure on any nerves that might be pinched. It can help ease the symptoms of spinal stenosis, that is, a narrowing of the spine which might pinch nerves. Compared with fusion, it will help retain mobility and stability in the spine, though a person with an implant may not be able to bend backwards in that area.

Risks of Back Surgery
In addition to the risk of not getting the pain relief hoped for, there are several risks related back surgery. They include:
· Reaction to anesthesia or other drugs
· Bleeding
· Infection
· Blood clots, for instance in the legs or lungs, especially if you are bed-ridden for a long time
· Heart attack
· Stroke
· Disc rupture despite the surgery

Another risk is nerve damage to the spine, which can result in a range of symptoms, including:
· Weakness
· Paralysis
· Chronic pain
· Sexual dysfunction
· Loss of bowel or bladder control (incontinence)
Stay in close contact with your doctor in order to achieve the best outcome possible. Use CAM and medications as needed to gain and maintain a healthy back. One of the best ways to maintain a healthy back is to learn how to lift heavy objects correctly. Let’s look at this topic in the next chapter.

How to lift heavy objects correctly
Lifting heavy objects correctly is the best way to avoid injuring the muscles in your back and/or doing any structural damage.
1-Stand
Stand near the object with your feet shoulder with apart, your dominant foot (such as your right) slightly ahead of the other.
2-Squat
Squat down next to the object, bending at the hips and knees only, keeping the spine straight.
One knee can touch the floor and the other should remain at a ninety-degree angle.
3-Stay Straight
The back should be straight, chest out, shoulders back, not hunched. The head should be up, looking straight ahead.
4-Straighten your legs
Straighten your hips and knees so you are propelling the weight off the floor via their muscles and movement, not the muscles of your back.
5-No side to side
As you raise up off the ground using your legs, keep your back straight. Don’t twist from side to side, as this can injure the muscles in your lower back or compress a nerve.
6-Keep it snug and secure
Hold the load as close to your body as possible. Don’t hunch over it. Lift it up until it is about the level of your waist and hips. NEVER try to lift it higher than the shoulders.
7-Take small steps
Take small steps forward with your load. Don’t try to walk normally, as it can jostle the hips and back and perhaps even make you lose your grip and drop the item.
8-Switch directions carefully
Lead with your hips as you change direction when you are walking with a heavy load, not the feet or the knees.
9-Stay aligned
Keep your shoulders in line with your hips as you move.
10-Set down smoothly

If you have to set down your load on a table or shelf, don’t stretch out your arms. Walk as
closely as possible to the resting place and slide the load on top of it. If you are going to set it down on the floor once more, reverse the lifting process. Squatting with the knees and hips only, keeping the back straight and not twisted, until the item is safely on the ground once more.
Practice this sequence of moves with a small, light-weight box until it feels comfortable and natural, so you will be much less likely to pick up heavy boxes the wrong way because you are not thinking when the time comes.

Anyone who has ever experienced back pain will know how miserable it can be, and to what extent it can ruin your quality of life and prevent you from carrying out your most essential daily activities. Back pain cost estimates put it at $240 BILLION dollars per year in the US, plus lost productivity on the job and at home.

Acute and chronic back pain can impact all aspects of your life negatively, from your
relationships with your children, and your partner, to personal finances, to your job and career prospects. Back pain can affect your sleep patterns, mood and enjoyment of life. Fortunately, a good deal of this can be prevented if you take care of your back so it takes care of you.

Back pain is a fact of life for many, but it doesn’t have to ruin your life. Practice good self-care, use natural remedies over time, and work with your doctor to find a range of effective solutions to help heal your back, and strengthen it for better back health.
To your best back!