Neck Pain Support Blog

The Negative Link Between Sugar and Cancer Growth

I am sure I could ask anyone off the street. Do you know someone that has cancer? Has had treatment to fight it? Has passed away from it? Sadly, the answer will be yes, and the person you asked, may have also been a patient. 

For me personally, cancer and its many forms hits too close to home. My first experience was during my first summer job in 1999 where I friended a wonderful lady named Chindi. She was from the UK, and her and I became fast friends. We would talk, have lunch together and chit chat regularly. I remember she told me about her breast cancer and how she was fighting it. The next summer, I went to visit my friend in her department. I remember I was so so excited to see her. She passed away, I was told... from Cancer. You can imagine my shock and my sadness. That was my first experience. 

Since then, it has hit very close to my own family a number of times. My grandfather passed away from non hodgkins lymphoma. My first cousin battled breast cancer just last year, and is doing well now, but its still a very scary thing. Just two weeks ago, one of my work colleagues told me about her friend who was recently diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.  I am sure this is the case for many patients, friends and family members. 

It is frustrating for me that we GIVE so much to cancer research, and yet... we are no closer to finding a cure. The treatments are still aggressive and not that great. Sure, we have come a long way, even in a decade, but I don't feel that the cancer charities and research is doing the best job that they can. I will never donate to the charities... I would rather donate to the person going through the cancer- the money is simply better spent and appreciated. 

So, it was with great interest that I read a recent article on cancer and its connection to Cancer. Sure it not new News...Something that i have known for a long time. But now the research proves it. Sugar feeds cancer cells. 

This Belgium Study, published this was published in Nature Communications and focused on how cancer develops. The study found yeast with high levels of the sugar known as glucose overstimulated the same proteins often found mutated inside human tumors, making the cells grow faster.

This is not a new idea. Back in 2008 scientists, Johan Thevelein, Wim Versées and Veerle Janssens started studying the cancer and sugar link and called it the Warburg effect- when tumor cells make energy through a rapid breakdown of glucose not seen in normal cells. That energy allows the tumor to grow.

There is a real connection between the consumption of sugar and cancer growth

The scientists confirmed two major facts: 1. Sugar causes tumors to grow 2. Sugar makes cells multiply faster. The scientists believe the sugar produces more of the most common cancer-causing genes, also known as Ras proteins, fueling aggressive tumors.

“Our research reveals how the hyperactive sugar consumption of cancerous cells leads to a vicious cycle of continued stimulation of cancer development and growth. Thus, it is able to explain the correlation between the strength of the Warburg effect and tumor aggressiveness. This link between sugar and cancer has sweeping consequences,” co-author Johan Thevelein said in a statement.

This research does not say that sugar causes cancer. Rather,  that if you have cancer being on a low sugar diet is ideal. Sugar can cause cancerous tumors to grow and cancer cells to multiply.

Source: Sugar Can cause Cancerous Cells, study says

Additional Reading:

• A healthy tea to drink: Thyme Tea
• A breathing technique to help with anxiety and allow for faster sleep
• Tai Chi can help for chronic pain sufferers
• The Alkaline Diet
• The Intermittent Diet - the Newest Coolest Diet out there for better health

 

 

Behind Every Great Athlete is a Chiropractor

People don't always talk about it, but it is prevalent that many athletes see a chiropractor to enhance their performance at a sports activity. Golf, volleyball, gymnastics, Ninga Training, badminton, lacrosse, wrestling,  - you name it, there is a chiropractor lurking in the back ground helping this girl or guy reach his or her pinnacle. Helping their body achieve optimum function, no matter what sport.

 

With Chiropractic treatment:

• you can decrease wear and tear on the body
• can have treatment without medications
• have better performance
• have better flexibility
• increased energy

Studies have shown over and over that chiropractic only improves ones functional capacity, especially in the arena of sports.

In many sports, shoulder injuries can result. Chiropractic definitely helps with injured players shoulders. Studies from the Annals of Internal Medicine and the British Medical Journal both concluded adding shoulder manipulation to traditional rehab techniques showed outcome improvements and decreased pain associated with certain shoulder injuries.

A Duke University study (2001) showed improvement of headaches after chiropractic treatment. The study concluded that , “Spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate relief for headaches originating from the neck.” Since 60 to 90 percent of all headaches are linked to facet joint pain (neck), chiropractic treatments offer a significant form of relief.

A joint study from the JMPT and Physiological Therapeutics found that chiropractic care of ankle sprains helped increase ankle motion, decrease pain and allows for better ankle function.

Finally, Chiropractic helps with Injury prevention in many sports. An study from Australia, published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders,  reported that Australian football players who used a regiment of chiropractic care had a fewer number of leg injuries than those who did not.

“Chiropractic just makes you feel so much better. When I walk out of the clinic, I feel like I’m about three inches taller and everything’s in place. And as long as I see the chiropractor, I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.”

- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

 

Additional Reading:

• Keeping Your Spine in Alignment allows for a better immune system
• How to use the traction side of the arc4life pillow for optimal function
• Treating the Military Neck and Loss of curvature
• Exercises to Get Rid of the Hunch Back Posture
• Why Deep Sleep is important for our brains and overall health

Study Shows that Tai Chi Can Help Patients with Chronic Neck Pain

Chronic Neck Pain can be one of those things that can impact your life on a daily basis. It may affect your ability to work, your ability to relax and do simple things around the house. Many patients often look for alternative treatment solutions that don't involve medications. One study this year looked at the relaxing sport of tai chi (if one can call it a sport). Perhaps more of a stretching routine ! According to a recent study, tai chi can help to relieve chronic neck pain. Researchers studied a group of participants who completed tai chi exercises for neck pain relief to a control group that did not receive any treatment. The study also compared to see if tai chi would be more beneficial than traditional neck exercises.

There were 114 neck pain sufferers in this study that lasted for 3 months. Co-author Peter M. Wayne explained, “The study results showed that 12 weeks of tai chi was more effective than no treatment to improve pain, disability, quality of life, and postural control in persons with chronic neck pain.”

Tai chi can be done by anyone because it a low impact type of exercise and can help focus and clear the mind. Specifically, it focuses on specific movements tied with breathing techniques, aiming to improve mobility, flexibility, and reduce pain. This makes it a great option for someone looking to find a solution for chronic neck pain relief.

Source: Chronic neck pain can be relieved with tai chi: Study

Additional Reading Resources:

• Neck Exercises
• Neck Stretches that You Can do At Home to Relieve Neck Pain
• Which Pillow is Best After my Neck Fusion Surgery?
• Join us on Facebook

Updated September 2020

How to Help Relax the Upper Back and Neck Area...

What are some techniques for relaxing upper back + neck? I’m a rock climber, and I frequently strain muscles, ligaments, etc in the upper back starting at around T7 and going up to around C7/C6. It can range from close to the spine to under the shoulder blades. I need some techniques for releasing tension and maintaining this area after climbs.

There is a particular motion that many climbers too that can be the cause of neck pain and back pain. It is called belaying and often this has been called the belayer's neck. Many minutes and hours can be spent with the head thrown back and looking up, with much neck and upper back strain. There can also be a lot of neck and back twisting with this sport. 

There are many great way to help relax the neck and upper back area:

• Gentle neck traction- stretching the neck out either with a tractioning unit or even a simple rolled towel gives the nerves in the neck a chance to breathe, relax and be in an optimal position
• Breathing Exercises
• Meditation
• Massage - with focus on the suboccipital muscles, cervical paraspinals, trapezius and levator scapulae muscles
• Acupuncture
• Sleep on a comfortable pillow at night.
• Chiropractic for the cervical and thoracic spine 
• Trigger point therapy for neck and upper back/ mid back muscles - specifically for the climber ART technique or myofascial release (albeit painful) is helpful. 
• Neck stretching exercises
• Take breaks with climbing. Just a few minute break from the act of belaying can give your neck and back the rest that it needs.
• Strengthen your neck muscles (deep neck flexor muscles)

Picture Source: Blog - Protectivity

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How can I prevent my Neck and Shoulders from getting Neck pains and Slipping a disk?

How can I prevent my neck and shoulders from getting neck pains and slipping a desk? 

This is a great question that I noticed on Quora recently. It's something I actually think about regularly (especially when i do something I shouldn't do and I have neck pain). What can I personally do to keep my neck and shoulders health? 

I know we don’t live in a perfect world - and things are going to happen. But lets quickly mention a few things you can do keep your neck and shoulder area as healthy as possible.

1. Be aware of how much you are lifting and HOW you are lifting (your technique).
2. When you are playing with a toddler or a child and “rough” playing, be careful and vigilant. A child can unknowingly bring your head and neck into a particular position rather quickly - directly and instantly causing a neck sprain/strain and whiplash. I just spoke with a grandmother who has been having pain for 2 years because of one incident where her grandson hugged her too tightly from behind and brought her neck back. Personally, I am a mom to a 4 year old active boy - I speak from experience. Yes, play with your children, but take some precautions. 
3. Do neck stretches. Keep the neck in motion to keep the neck and cervical spine mobile. Motion is life. Doing your stretching during a hot shower is very beneficial too.
4. Watch out for text neck or tech neck - the act of looking down on your iphone, your ipad, any electronic device for long stretches of time. Believe me this is easier done than you think. Waiting around in a doctors office waiting room, sitting at a red light, waiting for your car to to get fixed… you get the point. Watch your posture all all times, especially when using a device. This is just too commonplace these days. I know 5 and 6 year old that have a mobile phone.
5. Use a contoured neck pillow at night. It will help the curvature in your neck and give you good posture while sleeping. Get a pillow that you can sleep comfortably on your side and on your back. One more thing, is it time to replace your neck pillow? Fiber pillows do break down over time which is normal.
6. Some people like my husband sneeze very violently. You know those sneezes. The ones you feel the floor beneath you reverberating and the ones that make you jump when you hear them. If you sneeze like that regularly this can really throw your neck, upper back  and shoulders out. Brace yourself when you know a sneeze is coming on. Also do a good job of cleaning our your nose regularly.
7. Be Careful at the gym. No need to be the weekend hero and throw out your shoulder, neck or back by lifting too much at one time. Easing into lifting little by little is the best way to go. It's not worth it to overdo it at the gym. You not only set yourself back but you're in pain after going to the gym. Again, I speak from experience. I know of an elderly neighbor that improperly used a machine in our clubhouse. She also lifted too much weight. Well as a result she tore a tendon, and had to have surgery to repair it. 
8. Keep your spine in alignment. When the spine is in alignment, the discs are held in place. Maintain good neck posture. Many people who have forward head posture set themselves for bad alignment and neck pain and shoulder down the line. Also be aware of your shoulders at work. Some people keep their shoulders scrunched up when they are in a stress situation. This aggravates the neck, shoulders and upper back. The key here is that these bad postures take time to manifest as pain- years and years before you can start having regular pain because of it. Do neck retraction exercises. Bottom line, be aware of your posture. Relax your shoulders, watch your head and neck posture.
9.  If you are in one position for  a long time move around and stretch out a bit.
10. Drink more water. Sounds easy right? I have said this to many patients and asked them what do they drink on a daily basis. Water is last on their list sometimes. Somehow coffee, tea, juice, pop, gatorade and alcoholic drinks are higher up. Crazy but true. This simple act of drinking water keeps the disc healthy and hydrated. That mean you are less likely to get injured as well. 
11. Massage your neck muscles. The occipital muscles are cause of many headaches and neck pain. Put your hands over your ears and you thumbs fall on the occipital muscles. Hold for 7 seconds, then relax. Move to a different spot and repeat. Do this a few times. Once in a while using a natural pain relief gel such as biofreeze or sombra can also help with muscle spasm and trigger points.
12. Don't sleep on your stomach. This really aggravates the neck, shoulders and upper back area. Its just not normal to be in this position. Use a pillow under your stomach that simulates sleeping on your stomach- such at the tear drop pillow. This special pillow helps you transtion from being a stomach sleeper to a side sleeper. 

Oprah said it best: When we know better, we do better - its the same thing for keeping a healthy neck. Do things a little differently especially when you know what is right. Hope this helps - Nav

Additional Reading:

• How to use the arc4life cervical linear traction neck pillow properly
• Why your Neck Posture is So Important for Health
• What natural therapies can you do for neck pain?
• Sprained your neck using your neck pillow...what to do in this case

 

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Prevent Neck Pain While Working Out

How does neck pain occur with working out?

Neck pain can be quite common while you are working out. It can really happen with working out any body part: shoulders, arms, legs, abs.

There are usually three big reasons when neck pain can strike:

• #1 - You really didn't warm up or loosen up. Getting the muscles warmed up is very important. Things like arm circles, neck rolls, and trunk twisters work great as part of your warm up routine.
  
  
• #2 - You aren't doing some exercises correct ( incorrect form). Example: You are doing Abdominal exercises and flexing your head forward. This will cause neck pain. Check out the video below to make sure you are doing your ab exercises properly.
  
  
• #3 - You are trying to lift too much weight
  
  Knowing if you are doing something wrong is important. An Injury means that you will have to rest, which means you cannot work out. So its a double whammy. Not only are you risking your health, but now you have to nurse an injury. Better to be safe than sorry.
  
  

What are some things that you can do to prevent neck pain while working out?

There are a few things one can do to prevent neck pain while working. By far the biggest is to make sure you are warmed up. In other words, make sure the body is loose and ready. Most injuries happen because you body just isn't ready, or at least ready for the work out you give it.

Next, make sure you perform the exercises with good form. This is the next biggest reason someone gets hurt. Sometimes too much weight is a factor because you lose form trying to do your routine with excessive amounts.

Also, know your limits. If you try to push to hard or go for too long you can run into a problem. This is similar to having too much weight.

Loosen up! It's important...

There is always a lot a discussion on whether to stretch before or after a workout. The answer is: Both! Start with dynamic stretches before the workout. Those are stretches where you move like arm circles, trunk twisters, things like that.

After Your workout - you want to stretch and hold. Let's take a hamstring stretch for example: bend forward and touch the toes, hold for 20 seconds.

Stretching will also help you the next day. You are less likely to feel soreness and walk around hobbling all over the place.

What exercises are you prone to injuring your neck ? The most common are abdominal moves where you might tend to pull on the head. Sit-ups and crunches where instead of just having your hands there, you are literally tugging the head. Quick tip on this one is to just put your hands behind the ears.

In your attempt to get 6 pack abs, you may do unnecessary injury to your neck.

Keeping the Head Stable and Out of the Equation!

A Good way to Work out the Abs

The picture to the right shows a good way to do stomach exercises. Keep your head and neck neutral. Notice that Matt is not pulling his head forward. Notice also, that his hand are down, no where close to his neck.







Here is another great exercise you can do- it works out many muscles. It is not the easiest exercise to perform.




Prevent Neck Pain While Exercising Your Stomach Area



Additional Reading:

• An exercise for forward head posture
• Yoga helps patients with chronic neck pain
• Get the best pillow to prevent neck pain
• Improving neck posture

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Natural Pain Relievers

First, I want to mention some natural therapies and treatments, then we'll talk about things in the diet, then a few things you can also easily do.

Doctors/Therapists/Treatments

• Chiropractor - this doctor can help you stay at your best by keeping the nerves free and clear from unwanted pressure. This keeps you pain free but also keeps the body working at its best.
  
  
• Naturopath - like the Chiropractor, he or she will do things naturally (meaning no prescription of drugs or medications) to get you better. They may utilize numerous techniques, including diet and supplements.
  
  
• Acupuncturist - these doctors use needles on what's called meridians for relief and improved health. They've been using this for a very long time in the Far East; don't knock it until you try it.
  
  
• Massage Therapist - everything in the body is connected, and the muscles, ligaments, and tendons play a big part. Your massage therapist can help relax those muscles so your body functions better.
  
  

Diet

• Turmeric - there is a lot that can be said - it's a natural pain-reliever and anti-inflammatory. I know some that use it for everything under the sun.
  
  
• Ginger - get the root, it'll be in your local supermarket in the produce section. Nowadays, you can get at target or walmart too.
  
  
• Coffee - always make fresh because it loses some of its qualities after a while. Drink the regular caffeinated stuff (I recently read some good qualities of caffeinated plus I'm not sure if they take out other stuff or put fillers into decaf).
  
  
• Cranberry - I've read some positives on this too. It's especially good at helping a urinary tract infection. They have what's called phytonutrients which help prevent a slew of things.
  
  
• Cherry - this helps detox the body, the kidneys appear to be one area that benefits. It also benefits sleep and is a naturalanti-oxidant.
  
  

Additional Reading:

• Natural Herbal Health Remedies
• Neck Pain Relief
• Chronic Neck Pain
• 8 things that can cause pain on a daily basis
• Top 10 pain relief products

What Happens If You Don't Sleep Enough?

 

Watch the video, but here's some things they found about people who don't sleep enough.

1) Don't live as long - I just read about a pair of twins at 108 years old who have been smoking for 80+ years and have a regular drink too. At the university of California they discovered woman should sleep between 5 and 6.5 hours, and those who did lived the longest.

2) Get sick more - getting enough and consistent sleep keeps the immune system working well. The opposite is true however - lack of sleep hinders our immune system, leaving us more susceptible to colds.

3) More forgetful - when we lose our REM sleep we may hinder our memory.

4) Cranky - if you don't get enough rest our brains have a more difficult time with certain emotions or respond well to certain situations.

5) Weight gain - yep, if your body isn't getting enough rest or maybe too much as we've learned, things don't work right. Not only will this slow down your metabolism,since your awake more, there's more chance to eat. Research shows people who don't sleep have smaller brains (smaller, less dense) and also there is a higher incidence of high blood pressure.

Additional Reading:

• When you cannot sleep because of a pinched nerve in the neck
• A pillow for better sleep
• Sleep Deprivation and your Mind
• 6 ways to get better sleep

 

The Types of Headaches

There are a variety of different headaches as the video will show.  These are the most common:

• Migraine headaches - these can be very severe and happen for a variety of reasons.  They can be neurological, stem from diet, or associated with light sensativity.  With migraines one may notice nausea and vomiting also.
• Cervicogenic headaches - as you can derive from the name, they come from the cervical spine or neck.  One of the most common types of headaches, it's etimated that a large percentage of headaches originate from the neck.
• Sinus headaches - are located around the sinuses, this means in the forehead and eye areas.  This will usually be when a sinus cold or allergies occur.
• Cluster headaches - these are often focused is one area (a cluster), and typically one sided.
• Tension headaches - are often associated muscle tightness and spasm.
• Headache associated with a health condition - for example, one because of high blood pressure, or blood sugar level, or even a strke.
• Last, but not least, one because of a growth or tumor - a mass put pressure on nerves either because of the location or because it's growing.

    

Additional Reading Resources:

• What Happens When You have a pinched nerve in the neck?
• Relief for Chronic Neck Pain Through Natural Treatments
• Relief for sinus type headaches
• 3 more pain relief tips
• Sleep Myths You May Not Know

 

 

 

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How Do You Know You Have a Good Pillow?

Getting a Good Night's Sleep Can be a hard thing to acheive. For starters, you have to be able to fall asleep, then stay asleep and then wake up feeling rested. 

One of the components of getting good sleep is knowing I am sleeping with the right pillow. How do you know you have a good pillow. Well here are some criteria. 

• You can sleep on your side comfortably
• You can sleep on your back comfortably
• You don't wake up in pain
• You can move around easily during the night time
• You don't have pain while you are laying on your pillow
• You feel like your neck is being supported while laying on your bed
• A good pillow will help to relieve any type of neck pain you may have

Sometimes you have to try out a few different pillows before you figure out that you have something that works for you.

If you suffer from pain due to a pinched nerve, a bulging disc or a herniated disc, arthritis or degeneration - you may have to test out a few pillows to figure out what is going to work for you. This can be  a painful process. 

Also a different pillow may be "right" for you at a different time in your life. For example, let say you just had a fusion neck surgery. Well, the pillow you normally use may not suffice. Using a pillow that conforms to your head and neck may be a better choice for you. Perhaps something made of memory foam. 

For me, personally having the right pillow is key to getting a good night of sleep. I know that when i am away from my house, my sleep suffers. So does not my neck. I try not to leave home with my "GOOD" pillow these days. Its just not worth it. 

Additional Reading:

1. What Can I Use to Help my Straight Neck?
2. What is Cervical Brachial Syndrome?
3. For those who like firm pillows, try the Tri Core Neck Pillow
4. What is the right pillow for my neck pain?
5. What does arthritis in the neck look like?
6. Popular Pillows Made out of Fiber that Work for neck support