Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 124

Got Muscle Pain? Get A Move On!

I was rather intrigued to see a headline in a recent issue of one of the scientific journals I receive entitled “Exercise  Your Pain Away”.

Some interesting facts were included in the beginning:

Up to 50% of adults are affected by various acute pain conditions (ranging from everyday aches and pains to serious injuries) 
Roughly 20% of the population suffers from chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Unfortunately, many people who go straight to their doctor and get ‘pain killers’, ‘muscle relaxants’ or cortisone shots for inflammation, and often there’s no looking into what is causing the pain in the first place.  

This is risky because if the cause is never addressed, it’s not going to go away through using a band-aid, and chances are other side effects both from the meds as well of whatever type of muscular compensation the body tends to employ will put unnecessary strain on the rest of the body, and thus begins a downward spiral.

It’s not ‘news’ to state that if we’re active, there are a multitude of physical as well as emotional health benefits, but did you know that one such benefit that’s being researched is a possible reduced sensitivity to pain?

The American College of Sports Medicine reported that “recent data from our lab has also shown that chronic muscle pain patients with higher physical activity levels show brain and behavioral responses indicative of effective pain modulation while those with higher sedentary behaviors show an impaired ability to regulate pain. This research suggests that maintaining even minimal levels of physical activity can help preserve the ability to regulate pain for chronic muscle pain patients.”

and concluded with a statement that their on going research ” will help determine why exercise is an efficacious treatment for chronic pain“.

In simple terms, move it or lose it.

Not that you can’t get it back, but if you’re sitting still all day and being motionless, your body is far less likely to be able to deal with day to day stressors or react to what otherwise might be a minor setback.

Of course, if you’re injured, your current exercise regime may have to be altered temporarily, but the more we move, the more the body can maintain its natural fluidity and continue to be as healthy as it can be.

Moving is far more Paleo than taking a pill, by the way…

Look at the Source

As a rule of thumb, that is.  

A regular blog reader forwarded me a link to an article in the paper in her hometown that she labeled, ‘Comic relief for the evening’, and yes, it was laughable but not actually so funny.

The title of the article was “The Health Benefits of Legumes” and it included bullet points such as:

high in protein
good for lowering blood pressure
important, especially soy, as part of a healthy vegetarian diet
in a can, they offer a great alternative when time is an issue

But guess who the author is listed as?  The Food Network.  And guess who the sponsors of The Food Network include?  Kellogg’s, Hidden Valley Ranch, Bush’s Canned Beans, Kroger Food Stores… oh, and Drano, just to name a few.

Not too different from a study which tells us that the latest anti obesity medication that the company Vivus released, Qysmia, is ‘indicated as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management for adults with a BMI of 30 or greater’, is safe, which was funded by…guess who?  Vivus!

If you keep this in mind, you’ll soon see why all the wrong things are so mainstream (because they have funding behind them from big giant companies) and so popular, while many of the good things, like Paleo, are not nearly as recognized (because where is the money there?).

Look at where the messages are coming from and be your own judge of what is the ‘healthy’ way to go.

The Importance of a Good Massage

I’m not talking fluffy spa massage.

I’m talking real, get the out all the tweaks and twinges type of bodywork.  If your massage therapist isn’t doing that, it may be time to look elsewhere.

While many may view massage and bodywork in general as a luxury, it’s really not.  It’s no less important that sleeping properly or eating a healthy, Paleo diet.   Not just for athletes, either…for anyone who is living!

The sad thing is the sheer number of people that walk around in pain or with ailments and then  head straight to their doctors without first trying other approaches that might be viewed as ‘alternative’, like bodywork.

It’s not just for tight hamstrings or a sore back.   Many other things that one might view as not being muscular actually are.  For example, a tight jaw, if you’re someone who clenches their teeth while sleeping, can cause a headache, and that is something that can be addressed through massage.   Or, what one might think of as having ‘bad knees’ might actually be a tight IT Band that can be released through some solid deep tissue work.

Granted, it’s very hard, in my experience to find that perfect combination of someone who you’re comfortable with to work on you regularly, who’s not only knowledgeable, but also gifted, and unrelenting in terms of not being satisfied with their own work until everything is, as my masseur puts it, is ‘fixed’.

Even if you’re on a tight budget, there are ways to be creative and find a good bodyworker.  When I was a recent college grad on a tight budget, as an example, I arranged a trade of session for session with a massage therapist.  Many years and three or four massage therapists later, I’m lucky enough to have found someone who works magic on  both my husband and myself…and, incidentally, on our senior dogs, too.

Make sure your masseuse is comprehensive and works on all of you; including those areas that for some might be foreign.  Last  year, when our masseur was out of town and I needed someone to work on me in his proxy, I went to a local spa out of desperation.  The massage therapist there was strong and clearly knew his stuff…but before he’d even touched my adductors or psoas, he announced the session was over!  I asked him to wait a minute, and could he please finish those two areas, and was told that he wasn’t allowed by management to do so!

Wow!  I supposed I can understand why, but it’s quite ridiculous and not that different from working on your hamstrings but not touching the quads.

So how do you know if your bodyworker is a good one?  Your body will tell you.  Of course, if you have an actual injury, like a torn muscle, that’s not something a massage is going to fix in one session.  Also, there are other things to look at, including what your sleep situation is, how you sit during the day and how you move.

But still, it’s a collective look at everything you’re doing, and how you can address it most naturally that is the way to go… and also the most Paleo.   Massage, by the way, is totally Paleo.

Is Pork a “Dirty” Meat?

This was an interesting question I came across recently, one that I’d never heard of before.  

The premise was ‘if pigs don’t have sweat glands in their skin, then does that mean they’re not excreting toxins, and then aren’t they, therefore, a ‘dirty’ meat to ingest’?

True, pigs do not have sweat glands, but keep in mind that the most important purpose of sweating is to cool the body, not to ‘detoxify’ it.  

The liver and the kidneys are what serve to ‘detoxify’, for lack of a better word, the body of a pig, similar to our excretory system.

Long story short- unless you’re avoiding pork for religious reasons, don’t feel the need to omit it from your healthy Paleo diet.    Source it from a reliable, humane ranch where the pork is pastured and you’ll open the door for yet another enjoyable, Paleo protein option.

 

 

Does Organic Mean There’s Going to be Bugs?

In a word…yes.  But only once in a while.

A friend reached out to me yesterday after she’d encountered bugs in not one, not two, but three different veggies she’d purchased at Whole Foods, including a prepared kale to go from the salad bar!

Finding  a little bug or worm on organic produce does happen from time to time, and I tend to see that as a good sign, and proof that the place that particular plant hailed from was, in fact, not spraying their crops with pesticides.

Finding a bug in a prepared salad, though…not so appetizing.

Yes, there are those who’d say it’s nothing more than a little extra protein, and I couldn’t argue, but I’d definitely opt not to eat it.

When I do see a creature on a bunch of raw kale, broccoli or whatever the veggie in question may be, it’s just a reminder to be sure to double or triple wash all your produce before you prepare it…unless you’re ok with eating that ‘extra little bit of protein’!

Coconut Oil vs Coconut Butter; What’s the Diff?

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll already be well aware that I’m a big fan of including raw coconut to one’s diet.

What if you don’t have access to the fresh thing?

Enter coconut oil…and coconut butter.

But what’s the diff between the two, and is one superior to the other?

Coconut oil is just, well, oil while coconut butter is meatier and has some of the flesh whipped into a creamy puree.  One is not superior to the other, and both have a healthy and delicious place in your Paleo diet.

Both do well eaten as is (yes- just like back in the day, pre Paleo when you might’ve had a spoonful of peanut butter, straight from the jar), mixed into a smoothie or safely heated at higher temps than olive oil in order to do a saute of your choice.

Try them both and enjoy their delectable texture and flavor.  

One of my faves is coconut butter melted into a runny, soft boiled egg over greens… better than buttah!

Or, click here for a ridiculously delish recipe for a Paleo treat for that special occasion- a Paleo truffle.

Frozen Yogurt for Lunch?

The other day while out running errands, I came across two different women in two different places doing the same thing:  eating a large vat of frozen yogurt as their lunch.  Both happened to be having conversations with people about what they were eating, which I overhead, partly because they were both in very close proximity to me, and partly because I’m always drawn to all things food (or things that are not food) and who is eating it and why!

One, a young woman who mentioned to a friend that she is now skinnier than she was before she had her baby, was commenting that because she is happy with her weight, there was no reason not to ‘cheat’ via having a frozen yogurt with all the toppings for lunch.  Her friend, a bit heavyset, wistfully agreed, looking like she could only wish she were ‘skinny enough to get away with eating frozen yogurt as a meal’.

Later that same afternoon, at the nail salon, an older woman chatted to the lady doing her mani about her lunch.  She was explaining that what she was eating was actually a healthy option for a meal because it was yogurt, not ice cream and therefore a great source of protein, good bacteria and calcium.

Good Heavens!  Really?

Ok, I get it.  Want something sweet now and then? You can actually have something quite decadent that’s still Paleo without the ramifications of ingesting dairy, including, but not limited to:

Congestion
Bloating
Gas
An acidic pH in the body, leading to osteopenia over time
Acne
Asthma
Insulin resistance
Impaired Zinc and Iron Absorption

If those factors aren’t important to you, and you still want that frozen dessert, at least be honest about it.  It’s not lunch, it is a dessert and you’re not eating it because it’s a source of calcium, any more than if I were to claim that the reason I like a glass of Cabernet is because it’s a good source of resveratrol.

Come on, now!  

Certified Organic, or Just Organic?

Such a confusing topic; not too different from the labeling of grass fed meats!

I went to a farmer’s market I hadn’t been to before this morning, and had several quite valuable conversations with a few of the vendors, all of whom were selling produce.

If I’m in my usual stomping grounds, I know which vendor sells the most amazing gai-lan (Chinese Broccoli),  who has my favorite wild salmon and where to stop in for the most beautiful kale.

Today, however was a different story. 

Going round from table to table and chatting to the different farmers and getting their views on the importance of having the actual ‘certified organic’ tag line on their banner was very enlightening.

Some said that they hadn’t sprayed in years, but that their farms were so small and profits not enough to warrant paying for the label.

Others had the seal, but it was only recently that they’d been able to afford it.

I’d love to hear from any blog readers who are organic (certified or not) farmers themselves and get your two cents on the topic; it will prove 

McDonald’s and the Olympic Games…Perfect!

According to McDonald’s website, they ”became an official sponsor of the Olympic Games in 1976 and have a longstanding commitment to the Olympic Movement. At the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, McDonald’s airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes competing in Grenoble, France, who reported they were homesick for McDonald’s food.”

Nothing like a nice big bite of good old American ‘cuisine’ when you’re abroad, competing your heart out and taxing your body to the extreme!

Certainly, many athletes feel they can ‘get away with’ eating this type of fare.  I know some personally and train with some myself.  In fact, some even say that the reason why they train and race is to eat said junk.  Of course, I’m not in the company of Olympic athletes so I’m not surmising for one second that the latter statement would apply to anyone competing in the 2012 games.  The first statement, however, very well could.

True, if you’re expending thousands of calories per day, you can, indeed consume large portions of calories in the form of junk and perhaps not gain weight as your sedentary counterpart might…but does that mean it’s a good idea?

No doubt this topic is a sore subject to many and neither nothing new nor something that’s about to change any time soon.

However, perhaps, at the very least, it can be a reminder to where the values (or even morals?) lie when we think about what we see advertised to us.  

The next time you see an ad for a great new pill to help with depression, a handy new fast food/frozen meal in a tray, or a billboard for the latest method of surgery that one can undergo to staple their stomach or suck fat off their belly, think about where all of this is coming from.

Quick fixes and band aids to allow you to not change bad habits (like eating regularly dining at McDonald’s) but to try to remedy them unnaturally after the fact are just not a good idea.

Comfort food to make you feel better when you’re away from home?  Really?   It’s just so wrong on so many levels.  

And the athletes eating it…think about what their bodies are able to do and the amazing amount of focus, dedication and commitment they exhibit.    And they’re still performing!  

So imagine for a moment how much better they might be still if they ate real fuel?  Hello, Paleo?

Just sayin’…