•Many people have a bad physical posture and, so, do not sit, stand or walk straight, and that may be the reason they suffer from many aches and pains and degenerative diseases.
“With your back against a wall, stand with your head, heels, shoulders and the calves of your legs are touching the walls, hands hanging by your sides. Flatten the hollow of your back by pressing the buttock down against the wall. There should be hardly any space between the wall and the small of your back. If the gap is more than the thickness of your hand as you place it between your back and the wall, you have bad posture…”
OTHER than pains in many parts of the body, especially in the lower back and waist, what are the early warnings signals that muscle and skeletal imbalances have set in, and that hyperlordosis may be on the way? One elderly man telephoned me last week, after reading the first part of this series, to say he was experiencing severe back pain which his doctor deduced from a scan report to be caused by “loss of lordosis” brought on by muscle spasms. A muscle spasm is like a “muscle pull” or cramps. It occurs in the breathing problems of asthma. It is a reason a lab attendant may find it difficult, if not impossible, to pull blood from a trembling or tremulous vein. Vomiting and diarrhea, like palpitation of the heart and urine leakage, often, if not always, have roots in muscle spasms. While magnesium supplements often relieve muscle spasms, the roles of such other factors as toxin irritation, oxygen deficiency and microbial disturbances cannot be overlooked.
Last week, I mentioned bad posture as one of the major causes of muscle misalignment, imbalances and pain. In his FIT FOR ANYTHING, the book I said helped me address neck pain in the 1990s, about 20 years after I experienced it. Kekir Sidhwa, N.D., D.O., says: “All movements in our body are accomplished by muscles. The latter have two functions Contraction and relaxation.
Contraction is of two kinds… Phasic and tonic. The former is often voluntary, and is usually of brief duration, and it results in motion in movable parts; the latter is normally a sustained contraction, is reflex in nature and usually causes no motion. The term ‘muscle tone’ refers to this reflex contraction and its function of maintaining position or posture. It implies a muscle in readiness fraction. Good muscle tone, with correct habits of sitting, walking, standing etc, is necessary to maintain normal posture and efficient working of the parts involved. Faulty habits like stooping can lead to round shoulders, in spite of good muscle tone, if the opposing set of muscles is not kept in good condition by exercises.
If no exercise is taken for some time muscles quickly lose, tone and quality and become soft and flabby. A similar degeneration takes place throughout the body. Even, again and tissue of the body is involved in both the effort and the result when exercise is performed.
Posture
Apart from the self-test check for good posture which Dr. Sidhwa suggested at the beginning of this column, he offers more as will soon be shown. Following his thoughts, I, too, sometimes observed the gait of people as they walk. I find that some people walk with their arms swinging outwards from their side, with the result that they may throw them at you if you are too close by. Some people swing one arm father than the other; some clench their fists while some do not. Dr. Sidhwa says tense muscles and imbalance can be detected “by observing how a person walks”
He asks: “Are you pigeon –holed? Do your legs or toes thrust outwards at each step? Do you limp? Do your hips swing back and forth with each step? When you stand erect, are your shoulders even? Is one shoulder higher than the other.? Are you knock-kneed or bow-legged? Have someone obscene you as you stand erect and with your back to him. Is your back straight or is there a curve to one side or the other? Are your buttocks in level? Are the two buttocks symmetrical? Is one hip higher than the other? (Now bend over and try to touch your toes. If you have muscle imbalance, you will not be able to. Many will not even get their fingers much lower than their knees if they are really stiff”
Dr. Arthur Mitchele’s book, ILLIOPSOAS, should be of interest to people who have problems with their backs, hips and pelvic regions. Dr. Sidhwa cites Dr Mitchele’s work in his own book, FIT FOR ANYTHING. At that time Dr. Mitchele was professor of orthopaedic surgery at New York Medical College. Dr. Mitchele says in ILIOPSOAS that this muscle is involved in the functioning of muscles in the back, hips and the pelvis. Dr. Sidhwa says this muscle goes from the back through the abdomen and over the brim of the pelvis. In the inner part of the upper thigh.
Dr. Mitchele says many problems can become co-passengers in a train if the illiopsoas muscle becomes short. Dr. Sidhwa, reviewing ILIOPSOAS, lists these possible problems as follows. In his words, these include….
• Tripping or stumbling in children
• Tilting of the pelvis to one side
• Distortion of the hip in newborn infants, often called congenital dislocation of the hip
• Hip pain and limping, ospeually in young boys
• Pain in the spine, leg, knees, and feet in children often called “growing pains”
• Pain in the chest
• Weakening and subsequent fracture of the thigh bone in older persons, often mistakenly blamed on a fall.
• Fractures or muscle rupture occurring in army recruits, skiers, and basketball players
• Arthrosis of the knees
• Arthrosis of the hip
• Circulation problems
• Poor circulation of internal organs
• Fracture of the spine or degenerative disorders of the spine
• Pain, tenderness or stiffness of the spine
• Herniated (invertebra) disc
It is in this light, and many more, that Dr. Sidhwa, an exercises man, addresses kyphosis (hunchback), Lordosis (excessive curvature of the lower spine) and flat feet (suffered in particular by overweight people)
Dr. Sidhwa says muscle imbalances worsen health conditions such as asthma, and offers many exercises which strengthen and tone tired muscles with a view to normalising their functioning and overcome the ailments caused by their loss of tone.
Lordosis
This condition is better understood with background knowledge of the spinal column, its structure and functions. It comprises 26 bones all the way from its starting point from below the medulla oblongata portion of the brain at the base of the skull to the base of the pelvis. This structure houses a tubular bundle of nerves and cells which is a continuation of the brain and which, together with the brain, form the Central Nervous System (CNS). Each of the 26 bones is cushioned by an hydraulic disc which absorbs, like shock absorbers of a motor vehicle, the pressure on the spinal column of running, jumping, standing, or falling. From near the base of each of the 26 vertebrate bones, nerves jot out like telephone wires to different parts of the body. The spinal column is divided into several sections i.e cervical (neck) thoracic (chest), lumbar (lower back) and Sacral. Each bone has a first name and a surname written together. For example, there are seven cervical (neck), bones named C1, C2, C3 etc. Each bone has passages for nerves branching from the spinal cord to various parts of the body, such as the eyes, for example. If a bone misaligns or a disc herniated and disturbs a nerve, nerve flow to an organ, say to the eye, is impaired and causes weakness or degeneration. This suggests that anyone who suffers from a chronic ailment needs to have the relevant bones checked by his doctor or by an osteopath.
Spinal Curves
Apart from housing the spinal cord, the spinal column transfers the weight of the head and the neck to the pelvic bones. Through a flexible and gentle transmission helped by such curves as are found in the neck and lower back, the spinal cord takes the pressure of the body’s mass to the pelvic girdle which distributes it to the leg bones for the heels and the toes to earth it. Poor diet, bad lifestyle, lack of exercise, diseases and poor posture, among other factors, help to destabilise this structure as shown in the diagrams, by exaggerating the curves. Exaggerated spinal curves cause muscle imbalances throughout the body, with disturbances in the natural systemic chemistry and flow of some other factors which include:
• Sitting for too long
• Excess belly fat
• Sleeping on soft mattresses
• Protruding abdomen
• Osteoporosis
• Ankylosing spondilitis
• Tuberculosis
Sitting for too long makes the hip flexor muscles contract and drag the pelvis forward. Excess belly fat does the same. The situation is worsened by weak abdominal muscles. The natural solution is to get rid of excess belly fat by improving fat digestion and burning, and enhancing waste evacuation. It is important to support the diet with liver herbs, digestive enzymes systemic enzymes and fiber. I enjoy walking around for a while after sitting for a while. This also obeys The Law of Balance in everything.
Soft mattresses offer no resistance to the weight of the body. They sink in, and the body’s shape fills the cavity they create. That means the nerves and muscles which fit the body into this cavity are working on, generating wastes and pulling the counter pole muscles along. That’s why many people wake up from a long night sleep without feeling refreshed… their nerves and muscles did not relax but worked all through the night sleep! Hard bed surfaces and orthopedic mattresses are better. About 15 years ago, I paid Vono Ngeria ltd in Lagos an extra cost to make me orthopedic mattresses that were 25 Percent harder than their standard orthopedics. So, today, anywhere I am, however bullied I may have been by the hurly burly life in Lagos mega city, I am happy to return home, and fling my body into a good, relaxing bed.
Osteoporosis is all about calcium getting out of the spine and leaving it weak and more malleable. If the diet forms too much acid, this may occur through natural calcium leaching from the bones to neutralise the acids and save the blood. Ankylosing spondylosis is better understood with the picture of a burning candle in mind. Soft wax forms on the side of the candle as it burns. Similarly, calcium may deposit on the sides of the spinal bones if it cannot be deposited into these bones. Soon, the wrongly deposited calcium hardens joining or calcificaties bones and disc, making the spine inflexible that is rigid and unbendable. If the nerve roots are involved, pain occurs and nerve flow to organs may result which may cause a weakening of these organs. And as weakened organs cannot ably protect themselves against germs or other disturbing factor, disease may arise. Tuberculosis of the spine is common. But many people are familiar with tuberculosis of the lungs.
Helping the spine
The first step in getting a sick spine back into shape and
health involves adoption of the right posture and exercises. I do not hesitate to recommend Dr. Kekir Sidwas FIT FOR ANYTHING for anyone who can take the trouble to find this 1964 book (ISBN 7225-O-7225-0244-3). It is a rich store of exercises for any imaginable muscle imbalance disturbance. It is a reminder of the need to obey The Law of Balance.
When it comes to useful plant or natural medicines, we can trust Mother Nature for an inexhaustible treasure trove. We only need to know what we want what for.
In hyperlodosis, we wish to stop pain, make the spine more flexible so we can resume our locomotion with more ease. We cannot touch on everything possible. But here are a few indicators.
• Amazon CNS Support, which, unfortunately, is becoming scarce in Nigeria, eases pain in the Central Nervous System (CNS)
• Biochemic cell salts
Disc recovery is a proprietary beacon of hope for any-one with spinal column disease or deformity attributable to not only disc degeneration but ligament, tendon, muscle and surrounding tissues as well. It is a proprietary blend of 14 spinal column nutrients designed for the support and repair of spinal discs and the surrounding connective tissue. Among these nutrients are cartilage, apple pectin, equisetum, arvense (horsetail, one of the richest plant sources of silica, which aids calcium deposition in the bones, hardens them and promotes connective tissue health, Vitamin D3, Vitamins C, B6, Manganese etc.
Amino acids food supplement are important. There are about 600 muscles in the body. The spinal column is held together by muscles which are connected to the spinal bones in a matrix of ligaments and tendons. Exercise and work cause soreness, injury, tear, inflammation, disc hernia, bone fracture and allied problems. High quality proteins in the form of amino acids are required for repairs and cell regeneration. Animals flesh and milk and plants are sources of proteins. These days, animal flesh is “bad mouthed”. Animal milk provides case in which prevent muscle breakdown but it is difficult to digest. Whey protein, on the other hand, is easier to digest and absorb, and it helps to build muscles. These days, the trend is to supplement the diet with broad-spectrum, free form amino acids. They come in softgel or liquid and contain all amino acids, including the nine essential amino acids, so called because the body cannot make them and must obtain them in the diet.
Unfortunately, not all plant foods have the broad spectrum. Not even all the good, old beans. Soy bean is the only exception. Increasingly, there is a tend among orthopedicts and other doctors to use Branched Chain Amino Acids BCAAs, especially for post-surgical regeneration of tissue BCAAs are said to comprise about one third of skeletal muscle, and are made up of leucine, oleucine and valine.
GLUCOSAMIN AND CHONDROITIN
Many arthritis sufferers are familiar with these bone joint nutrients. Glucosamine supports the production of synovial fluid which lubricates the joint capsule to prevent cartilage at the hands of bones grinding and wearing, causing inflammation, pain and immobility. Chondroitin supports the regeneration of cartilage after wear and fear. Calls of cartilage are called chondrocyles, and require chondroitin to activate them.
ANTIOXIDANTS are crucial for healing process in the spinal column, as they are elsewhere in the body. The muscles use oxygen to burn glucose or glucogen to produce energy. The process generates highly reactive molecules called free radicals. The body produces three basic or primary antioxidant enzyme complexes to quench free radical fires. Glutathione, Peroxidases Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase.
Antioxidant food supplements help, too. Among these are Vitamin A, Betacarotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium and Zinc feature prominently in the body’s production of two of the three primary antioxidants.
NERVE TONICS cannot be ignored. If the nerves were stretched out, they would measure hundreds of kilometers. They serve as high speed communication cables between the brain and the body. They are pinched when a disc ships or a spinal bore misaligns or when a muscle compress them. In any scenario, their “cry of pain” is the pain we experience. Often, they may be worn out or damaged and require to regeneration. Their rescue come nutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and a host of nervine herbs. Vitamin B12 deficiency may manifest not only as a form of anaema, but also as numbness and tingling pains in the hands and legs, difficultly with walking, memory loss and dementia among others. Vitamin B1 deficiency is linked to nerve damage among people whose staple diet is polished rice. Some food factors have been found to have regeneration effects on nerves. Some of them are curcuimin, Lion’s mane, Apigenin, Gunseng, Hiperzine, Theanine (an amino acid), Ashueanghandha (an aphrodisiac),
FATS, too, play an important role in spinal column health. in this regard, it is helpful if the ratio of Omega 6 oils to Orange 3 oils, at present estimated at between 20-25:1 is improved to between 5-10:1. Like curcumin, Omega 3 essential fatty acids are inflammation fighters. Nerves are easily inflamed and damaged.
Over all else, we cannot dispense with good physical posture if we want our spinal column to be healthy. Dr. Sidhwa’s FIT FOR ANYTHING offers solutions in physical exercises to the myriad of posture problems which confront us today.
Many thanks, DURO IROJAH, wherever you are, for this wonderful book.
