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By be-osteo Health

“Scandalously Poor” Evidence for Orthopedic Surgery

bmj-poor-evidence-orthopedic-surgery-1024x579-2If you are considering orthopaedic surgery you really need to read this and do your own research, rather than just relying on the surgeon’s opinion. It is your body and your decision. Please also consider a whole range of conservative options, as different things will work better for different people. At least they are unlikely to increase your pain, whereas surgery with a poor outcome can leave you in a far worse situation.

 

For the full story click here.

By be-osteo Health, Lifestyle

How to Sit

sitting-videoThis video is mostly how I tell patients to sit – although in this photo the guy needs to put his laptop on a stand and use a separate keyboard so he can look straight ahead and not crane his neck forward like that. It is also important to pull your chair right into your desk and keep you keyboard and mouse close in so your arms can be relaxed and supported, reducing the need to crane your head. Otherwise you may just substitute neck pain for back pain.

To view the video click here.

By be-osteo Health, Lifestyle, Stress

If you want to practise mindfulness, the garden is the place to be

mindfullness-gardenMindfulness, meditation or just relaxed breathing is something I often discuss with patients. The ability to disconnect from the constant high gear whirring of our minds is essential to maintain health and often to get enough sleep. Different techniques seem to work better for different people. As this article says some light gardening could be the answer.

For the full story click here.

By be-osteo Health

Antibacterial soaps banned in the US

anti-bacterialGreat news from the US! Unless someone is severely immune-compromised these do not have a place outside of hospitals. They kill all the good bacteria that you need for a healthy gut and skin. A healthy gut and skin contain more microbes than we have cells in our bodies. We wipe them out at our peril.

For the full story click here.

By be-osteo Health, Stress

What Lack of Sleep Does To Your Brain

sleep-deprived A topic I endlessly discuss with patients. Our culture seems to undervalue the benefits of sleep. Plus our addiction to screens that both excite our brains before bedtime and emit blue light that disrupts our circadian rhythm, is the highest form of self sabotage. I myself have a history of poor sleeping but for the past few years have tried to improve it by establishing good sleep hygiene protocols. It works, not immediately and not every night, but overall my sleep is much better now. If you are trying to exercise and eat well for your health, you need to also take sleep seriously. Other than having a quiet dark room the biggest tip is probably to get to bed earlier – seeing as most people don’t have flexibility over the time they need to get up in the morning.

For the full story, click here.

By be-osteo Health, Stress

An app to help you sleep

1158If recent events are making it harder for you to sleep, and you don’t find the meditation or a  mindfulness approach helpful, then maybe this app could help, by distracting your brain with nonsense. This distraction technique is also a justification for, socialising,  indulging in your favourite hobby, or going for a walk in nature, rather than pouring over every terrible detail of the endlessly depressing news stories.

 

For the full story click here.

By be-osteo Health

Cortisone injections – pros and cons

2015-07-12-1436733058-1167516-Kneeinjectionjointsnocortisone-thumbA good short summary as to why you should think twice (or even 3 times) before getting a cortisone injection. The cost of the short term pain reduction may be longer term tissue weakness and ongoing pain.

 

For the full article click here.

By be-osteo Health

UK doctors told to halve inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by 2020

PillsA step in the right direction, but is it too little and too late? Also if you are prescribed antibiotics it is extremely important to take ‪probiotics‬ for at least 3 months. This is as the antibiotics will decimate the microbiota living in your gut and so you need some assistance to get these going again. The latest research is indicating that problems with gut flora are likely behind much chronic inflammation, which in turn is a factor in everything from allergies and auto-immune conditions to ‪‎obesity and cardiovascular disease.

 

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By be-osteo Health

Antibiotics and Tendon Pain

pillsYou really need to think at least twice before taking ‪antibiotics‬. They mess up the microbes living in your gut, and can cause lasting damage to the‪ micro-biome‬ and causing a ‘leaky gut’. This is important as it seems that nearly all chronic disease is at least partially caused by gut issues, for example where a leaky gut lets larger molecules through into the blood system that alerts the immune system and causes inflammation. Now evidence is showing that certain types of antibiotics are also linked to tendon damage, possibly even years after taking them. Tendons don’t have a good blood supply so injuries are very slow to heal. Don’t forget that if you are eating conventionally farmed meat you will likely be getting a regular dose of antibiotics. Another reason to eat ‪organic‬ ‪and grass-fed‬ if you can.

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By be-osteo Health, Stress

Why nasal breathing is important

mouth_breatherMouth breathing reduces your ability to absorb the oxygen from the air you breathe into your body. This can increase fatigue, back pain and decrease performance. In kids it will affect the development of their jaws and teeth. So it is definitely something that needs to be treated if you want to improve your overall health. Often I see ‪mouth breathing‬ in association with poor breathing mechanics; that is using the neck muscles (often leading to chronic neck pain) and upper rib cage rather than the diaphragm and lower rib cage to breathe. Two-thirds of your lungs are in the bottom of your rib cage so if you aren’t breathing down to you are not getting the oxygen you need.  Come in and get assessed if you think that your breathing may not be optimal.

Click here for the full article.