Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Diet

San Francisco Chiropractor and CTS expert, Dr. Eben Davis Comments:

One of the more common questions I am asked about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is...What's the best kind of diet to help with my symptoms?

My answer is not usually what patients want to hear...but I tell them anyway.

The typical American diet is rich in fat and has a very high salt content. Salt causes the body to retain water and tissues to swell. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is compression of the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel...a small tunnel created by the alignment of the eight carpal bones and the transverse ligament that holds them together.

Pressure on the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel can happen two ways:

1. The diameter of the carpal tunnel narrows because the carpal bones become subluxated, or the ligaments become overstretched, or the muscles tear or become overused. Or the bones degenerate from arthritic conditions (diet can contribute to this). This usually happens from trauma or repetitive use...or in very rare cases, is congenital.

2. The contents of the carpal tunnel expand. There are three things inside the carpal tunnel; the median nerve, the nine flexor tendons of the forearm, and some blood vessels. The tendons or median nerve (which is pretty big) can become irritated from overuse and become inflamed...causing them to expand.

Either of the above can result in pressure on the median nerve causing CTS symptoms, such as pain in the wrist, arm or hand. Numbness or tingling, weakness, and night pain. There are some other risk factors also, such as various disease processes, thyroid disorders, hormone imbalances, pregnancy, and previous wrist fractures. And smoking is the worst thing you can do.

A poor diet can make the problem worse. The typical American diet not only is pro-inflammatory, which can effect joints...but is also high in salt content, which can cause tissue swelling in the carpal tunnel.

Regular Exercise: 10 Benefits

San Francisco Executive Express Chiropractor Comments:

Making time to exercise is probably the single best thing you can do for your physical and emotional well being. There are just so many great things that result from a regular exercise program. And...it really doesn't have to take up a whole lot of time either...you can get positive benefits from exercise in 20 minutes per day.    

I came across this article on the excellent www.revolutionhealth.com website...it is entitled:

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity, courtesy of www.TheMayoClinic.com

I am going to add 3 more of my own (benefits of regular exercise) to make 10...here they are:

1. Exercise helps prevent back pain by keeping extra bodyweight off the spinal joints, discs, and ligaments. It also helps keeps the spinal muscles tone and flexible.

2. Regular exercise helps you look young. I know when I go to high school reunions, I can sure tell who takes care of themselves with regular exercise...it just shows.

3. Exercise is a form of discipline...YOU have complete control over whether or not you exercise or not. Do you make excuses...or do you get the job done. You feel good about yourself when you get the job done...and this carries over into other areas of your life and makes you more productive.

Well...that's about it. If you are not exercising because it causes too much pain...we need to get that fixed...and that's where chiropractic can help. A good chiropractor can work with you to get you back on track with an exercise program, while at the same time fixing your spine. The combination of exercise and chiropractic care is very powerful...you should try it out. Chances are...you will be glad you did.

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at Executive Express Chiropractic at the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco...simply call 415-392-2225, press 1 (24 hr live operator). Ask for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Eben Davis.      

Health Is A Spontaneous Occurrence When The Conditions Are Right

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

So, what are the conditions of health?  Well...lets start with the four essentials of health. A living cell needs food, water, air, and nerve energy in order maintain it's existence. The health and function of the cells will be determined by the quality of these 4 essentials, which make up the cells context.

Our entire body is composed of cells...some 6 thousand billion of them. Cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, organs make up systems, and they are all interconnected and controlled by the nervous system. In fact, the nervous system takes the food we eat and converts it into living, breathing, thinking tissue. And it does this on an ongoing basis. Cells are dying every second. Your muscles are new every 30 days...your organs are new every 60-90 days...every cell in your body is replaced once per year.

Molecule for molecule food is our most dynamic interaction with our environment. Food provides the raw materials that the body will use to make living cells and tissues. 

Seventy percent of the body is water...just like 70% of the earth is water. We are actually cells in the body of the earth. When you need more you body lets you know. When the earth needs more...she also lets us know.

The living machinery in your cells requires oxygen from the air. Your blood carries oxygen from the lungs to the cells and carries back the carbon dioxide. Each day your body uses about 600 quarts of oxygen and gives off about 500 quarts of carbon dioxide. About 1/5 of the air around us is oxygen.   

Fruit or Fruit Juice...which is best?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

There is a lot of confusion over whether or not fruit juice is as good as the fruit. After all...you just take the fruit, throw it in a blender or a juicer, and drink it down. What's the difference?

Well...there's a big difference. Fruit in it's natural state is loaded with fiber. Fiber is the non-digestible part of a plant that binds all the sugar molecules together...so that when you eat a piece of fruit...the sugar is released slowly into your system vs. all at once like a coke or candy bar...which have no fiber.

When you eat whole fruit you do not jolt the bloodstream with big sugar loads...which trigger insulin production spikes  (cause fat storage) that can lead to obesity and diseases like diabetes. 

Check out this study I found at www.revolutionhealth.com, entitled:

Fruit Juice tied to modest rise in Diabetes Risk

Read the article and let me know what you think.

For a complimentary consultation with Dr. Eben Davis of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco...call 415-392-2225, press 1 (24 hr live operators).

Obesity, Low Back Pain & Plant Foods

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

According to statistics...there are 75 million people in the US that are overweight...which means they weigh between 20-30 lbs more than they should.

There are 67 million Americans that are Obese...which mean they are at least 30 lbs overweight.

About 4.2 million children 6-11 years old and adolescents 12-19 years old are also overweight. These numbers are staggering.

Along with this extra baggage comes an entire laundry list of health risks...including heart attack, cancer, and stroke...and yes...back pain.

Our backs simply cannot deal with the extra stress. It wears down the spinal discs, stretches the ligaments, causes the spinal muscles to overwork...and leads to spinal degeneration and stenosis.

In fact, one of the most common complaints that an overweight person has is low back pain. 

Is Milk Good Food?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

I stopped drinking milk around 18 years ago...about the time I became interested in plant based nutrition. I had an instructor in chiropractic school that introduced me to Dr. John McDougall, MD...who is one of the worlds most respected experts on vegan nutrition.

I latched onto the vegan lifestyle...it just made sense. Along with adopting a plant based diet was the decision to do away with dairy products...including milk. After all...cows don't even drink their own milk after they are weaned. We are the only species on earth that drinks another species milk. Cows milk is for baby cows.

For more info, check out this excellent article by Dr. John McDougall, entitled:

Marketing Milk and Disease

Tell me what you think.

The International Year Of The Potato

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

When I tell patients and friends that potatoes are one of natures perfect foods...they think I am nuts. There are many very smart people that think they understand nutrition that wont eat them. In fact, there is a myth that potatoes make you fat. If potatoes make you fat...I should be enormous...because I eat them almost every day. It's HOGWASH.

What makes people fat is all the garbage they put on the potato. The cheese...the sour cream...the bacon...the butter...all that stuff...not the potato.

Potatoes are a complete food. There are cultures that consume only potatoes, or mostly potatoes. They fill you up and satisfy your hunger. Potatoes are loaded with fiber and nutrition, and almost no fat...and just the right amount of protein.

Anyway...2008 is The International Year Of The Potato, and Dr. John McDougall, MD has written a great article for us...check it out...and go buy some potatoes. Have a potato party to celebrate :)   

Oprah Goes Vegan For 21 Days

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

I just read a very encouraging post on www.vegan.com. Apparently, Oprah Winfrey is trying out a Vegan Diet for 21 Days to see how she feels...and to bring awareness to the masses about the benefits of a plant based diet. The post is entitled:

Helping You Through Oprah’s 21-Day Vegan Cleanse

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Oprah Winfrey has done the world a tremendous service by encouraging people to try out a vegan diet. We’re here to do everything possible to give every possible advantage to everyone undertaking Oprah’s 21-day vegan cleanse.

You can also get more information on Oprah's vegan quest at www.oprah.com on Oprah's Food and Home page.

For a complimentary consultation with San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor, Dr. Eben Davis...call 415-392-2225 or email: ebendavis@yahoo.com.

Chronic Back Pain And Nutrition

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

It sure seems like nutrition is overlooked when it comes to the treatment of chronic back and neck pain. The same is true when it comes to the causes of back pain. I guess this is because there is just not enough research...if any, to support a direct connection. Personally, I don't need research to draw the conclusion that what we eat is connected to spinal health.

However, we do know that certain foods can make us fat...and just about everyone agrees with that. This extra bodyweight can put abnormal stresses on the spinal discs and joints causing them to wear down prematurely...leading to spinal degeneration and herniated discs.

Unfortunately for our country...these foods are the foods that most people consume...day in and day out. This is one of the primary reason why we have an obesity and back pain epidemic.

When we look at at this way it's easy to see the connection between chronic back pain and nutrition. So, why not emphasize nutrition when it comes to the treatment of back pain...I just don't get it?

Osteoporosis & Diabetes: What Do They Have In Common?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

Osteoporosis and Diabetes are very common diseases in our society. And most people believe they are stricken by them...that it's just bad luck that I got Diabetes. Or that Osteoporosis and it's associated bone loss, is something that just happens with age.

Type I Diabetes (Juvenile) patients lose the ability to make insulin, and can occur up to 40 yrs of age. It is thought to be an auto-immune response...but really, causation is unknown. Type I is insulin dependent, but can benefit from proper nutrition.

But, Type II Diabetes (Adult-onset) which is more common, is often times directly connected to food choices, which can lead to excess weight and insulin resistance. In fact, the typical American diet is quite capable of causing Type 2 Diabetes...which is why it is so prevalent. But, Type 2 can often be cured by diet.

Osteoporosis is a little tricky. The meat and dairy industries want you to think that you need to consume their products to maintain strong teeth and bones...even build muscle. After all...Milk Is Good Food, right? Sure it is...for baby cows. It gives them everything they need to multiply their body weight and plump up real quick. Get this...COWS DO NOT EVEN DRINK THEIR OWN MILK AFTER THEY ARE WEANED. WE ARE THE ONLY SPECIES THAT DRINKS ANOTHER SPECIES MILK.