Food Suggestions to Decrease Disease Expression

These diseases and symptoms can be made better or prevented with a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids:

Heart Attack
Thrombotic Stroke
Arthritis
Asthma
Colitis
Headaches
Inflammation
Menstrual Cramps
Metastases
Osteoporosis

Here are some examples of acceptable foods and drinks to help reduce the expression of these symptoms and diseases:

Fruits and Veggies
Potatoes
Omega 3 Beef (grass fed not grain fed)
Fish (fresh caught not farm raised)
Chicken
Eggs
Herbs/Spices
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Nuts
Dark Chocolate
Water
Green Tea
Red Wine
Stout Beer

A diet rich in these foods and drinks while keeping in moderation the red wine, stout beer and dark chocolate will make a tremendous difference in your health. The best medicine is a good diet. General supplements to take along with this diet are a multi-vitamin (2/day), magnesium (400-1000mg/day), omega 3 (1-2 gram/day) and vitamin D3 (1,000 - 2,000 IU/day).

Stay Healthy My Friends,

Dr. Rodman

How To Maximize Results and Prevent Overuse Injuries

A great way to achieve maximal results and avoid overuse injuries is to periodize your training. Periodizing (or planned fitness training) means to strategically develop your training plan to include periods of time with more rest and periods of time with maximal effort with the intention of peaking your performance for a specific goal. Periodization places variety into a training program at regularly planned periods of time (weeks, months, and so forth) to produce optimal physical adaptation. It involves two primary objectives:

1. Dividing the training program into distinct periods (or phases) of training.

2. Training different forms of strength in each period (or phase) to control the volume of training and to prevent injury.

Training plans

Your training program should be organized into a training plan that involves long-term and short-term planning. The long term plan is also known as an annual plan whereas the short-term plans are termed monthly and weekly plans. By providing a training plan, you will be able to see the future achievement and if your goals are met in a timely, organized fashion.

An annual plan organizes the training program for a 1-year period. The annual plan provides you with a blueprint (or map) that specifically shows how the training program will progress for the long term, from month-to-month, to meet the desired goal. This gives you a clear representation of your goals and how long it takes to get there.

Periodizing encourages the repeated use of different forms of training (ex. stabilization, strength, power, agility, endurance) at specific times in an annual training program to elicit different adaptations in the body. By intentionally cycling through different periods (or phases) of training you are allowing maximal levels of adaptation, while minimizing overtraining. This is a primary benefit of periodization, because overtraining will lead to fatigue and eventually injury.

The 4 main phases of periodized training are:

1.) Base – working on building a strong core/foundation

2.) Prepatory – training to train

3.) Build – training with an increased effort

4.) Peak and Taper – maintain, back off of volume of training, rest up for key event/season.

If you love to push your body and recovery is the hardest part of your training you may need to back off and rest. The problem is that if you do not take enough rest your body won’t adapt to the stress of your training and you won’t get stronger or faster. If you neglect recovery for too long you will start to lose strength and speed and you will sink into the black hole known as overtraining.

First, your sleep patterns and energy levels will feel the effects. Eventually, your immune system crashes and you lose your appetite. It’s like burning out your engine. Any you don’t have to be logging 100-mile running weeks to suffer. With deadlines, chores, bills, kids, and lack of sleep its more challenging to recover properly from your training.

Resting allows soft tissue such as muscles, tendons and ligaments to heal any microtraumas that occurred from training previously. Resting also helps to restore muscle glycogen levels so that your stores of energy fully replenish so that when you are at the day of competition you are at 110%. This helps to improve times and personal records so that game day you will be at your peak performance.

Pay attention to the following 10 markers. If three or more of these indicators raise a red flag, you should consider a few easy sessions or off days so you can return to training strong.

1. BODY MASS – You lost weight from yesterday

A two percent drop in weight from one day to the next indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. Most likely, you didn’t hydrate enough during or after your last workout. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance, and could compromise the quality of your next workout.

2. RESTING HEART RATE – Your resting heart rate is elevated

Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is one sign of stress. It means your nervous system is prepared for fight or flight by releasing hormones that sped up your heart to move more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body won’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress. A hard training day and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.

3. SLEEP – You didn’t sleep well enough

A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibers. Several nights in a row of bad sleep will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions – not a good combination for a workout. Make sure to sleep with the lights and television off if you’re not scared of the dark. It increases melatonin levels which helps recovery as well. (read to see some benefits of melatonin: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/jun2007_nu_melatonin_01.htm)

4. HYDRATION - Your pee is dark yellow

This can be an indicator of dehydration, barring the consumption of vitamins, supplements, or certain foods the evening before. The darker the color, the more you’re struggling to retain fluids, because there’s not enough to go around. You need water to operate.

5. ENERGY LEVEL – You’re run down

If your energy level is low, there’s something amiss. The key is honesty. Athletes can block out signs of fatigue to push through it, thinking it will make them stronger. It won’t always work that way.

6. MOOD STATE – You’re cranky

When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones like cortisol that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.

7. WELLNESS – You’re sick

Any illness, or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means fewer resources available for recovering from training.

8. PAIN – You’re sore or nursing an injury

Whether you’re sore from overworked muscles or an injury, your body needs more energy to put toward repair, lengthening total recovery time.

9. PERFORMANCE – Your workout went poorly.

This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity or intensity. If you felt great on yesterdays workout you’d evaluate that as good. If you felt sluggish on that same workout, you’d count it as poor. Trending workout quality – multiple poors in a row – is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery

10. OXYGEN SATURATION – Your oxygen level has dipped

The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured by placing your fingertip in a portable pulse oximeter, a gadget available online for about $40. The higher the percentage, the better: Above 95 percent is the norm at sea level or for an athlete who is fully acclimated to a given altitude. This is a new area in recovery science, requiring more research, but there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for more recovery.

How To Choose The Right Running Shoe

If you are wondering how to choose the right running shoe here is a great article by Matt Fitzgerald that might help: http://running.competitor.com/2010/10/shoes-and-gear/running-101-how-to-choose-the-right-running-shoe_15622

Slow Motion Video Running Analysis

At SCNHS we use slow motion video running analysis to identify musculoskeletal imbalances. We all know that we are only as strong as our weakest link. Through our running analysis we can identify your weak link, eliminate it, and build upon your strong foundation to accomplish your goals. After identifying the weak link we design a treatment plan consisting of soft-tissue mobilization, chiropractic adjustments, stretching, ergonomic education and therapeutic exercises that is unique to your specific dysfunction. A unique benefit is our ability to email you your fitness program which includes pictures, descriptions and VIDEO of each exercise, so you will be confident in your ability to do the exercises correctly.

The goal of our running analysis is to enhance an athlete’s performance in his or her sport by identifying musculoskeletal imbalances. It is also used to help identify where the cause of where a patients symptoms are coming from and to improve strength and flexibility in the affected areas. While injuries can never be completely avoided, through slow motion video analysis, athletes and everyday people will discover ways their bodies are compensating for injury and train or get treatment accordingly. This helps to create the most effortless and efficient movements, less severe injuries and optimal sport performance.

Super Foods

ANDI stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index.” An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1,000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including but not limited to: vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.

1. Collard/Mustard/Turnip Greens…...1,000

2. Kale…………………………………………….1,000

3. Watercress………………………………….1,000

4. Bok Choy……………………………………….824

5. Spinach………………………………………….739

6. Broccoli Rabe………………………………….715

7. Chinese/Napa Cabbage………………......704

8. Brussels Sprouts…………………………….672

9. Swiss Chard…………………………………..670

10. Arugula………………………………………...559

11. Cabbage………………………………………...481

12. Romaine Lettuce…………………………...389

13. Broccoli………………………………………...376

14. Red Pepper…………………………………..366

15. Carrot Juice……………………………….…344

16. Tomato/Tomato Products…....190 – 300

17. Cauliflower……………………………………295

18. Strawberries………………………………...212

19. Pomegranate Juice……………….……….193

20. Blackberries………………………...……….178

21. Plum…………………………………..………..157

22. Raspberries………………………...………..145

23. Blueberries………………………..…………130

24. Orange……………………………..………….109

25. Cantaloupe………………………..…………100

26. Beans (all varieties)……………….57 – 104

27. Flax/Sunflower/Sesame Seeds...52 – 78

28. Pistachios…………………………….………..48

29. Tofu………………………………………………37

30. Walnuts………………………….……………..34

Core Strengthening Solutions

The core is defined as the lumbo pelvic hip complex. The core is where the body’s center of gravity is located and where all movement begins. An efficient core is necessary for maintaining proper muscle balance throughout the entire kinetic chain. There are 29 muscles that attach to the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex which allow for efficient acceleration, deceleration, and stabilization during dynamic movements, as well as the prevention of possible injuries. Many individuals have developed strength, power, neuromuscular control and muscular endurance in the movement system, which enables them to perform functional activities. Few people, however, have properly developed the deep stabilization muscles required for lumbo-pelvic-hip complex stabilization. The body’s stabilization system (core) has to be operating with maximal efficiency to effectively use the strength, power, neuromuscular control, and muscular endurance developed in the prime movers.

With a society that has more physical structural imbalances and susceptibility to injury than ever before there needs to be a systematic progression to exercise. Many people work on building strong prime movers of the body (muscles responsible for movement) before working on building a strong foundation (muscles responsible for stabilization of the skeleton). If the movement system musculature of the core is strong and the stabilization system is weak, the kinetic chain senses imbalance and forces are not transferred or used properly. This leads to compensation and inefficient movement. The result is lack of stabilization and excessive motion of the individual vertebrae, which may result in low back pain and injury. Training the muscles of the movement system before training the muscles of the stabilization system would not make structural, biomechanical or logical sense. This would be analogous to building a house without a foundation. The foundation must be developed first to provide a stable platform for the remaining components of the house to be built on. One must be stable first to move efficiently.

The way to build a strong foundation is through training proprioception. This means introducing challenges to the balance and stabilization systems of the body with the goal of increasing the ability to stabilize joints and posture.

Solutions for stabilization

1. Drawing-in-maneuver – The action of pulling the belly button in toward the spine

2. Maintain the cervical spine in a neutral position during core training improves posture, muscle balance and stabilization.

3. The stabilization system of the core requires sustained contractions of between 6 and 20 seconds to properly stimulate motor units. These muscles must be trained for prolonged periods to increase endurance and allow for dynamic postural control.

Click below for some sample core stabilization exercises:

http://www.webexercises.com/patients/login.lasso?-token.p=24TXZM

Username: DrToddRodman@aim.com

Password: FG5GH4

To improve core stabilization these exercises should be done with a slow tempo with 12 – 20 repetitions.

Rest 0 – 90 seconds in between exercises

Stay Strong,

Dr. Todd Rodman, DC CSCS

Pre-habilitation for the rotator cuff

Most people have heard of the rotator cuff and many have encountered an injury to those muscles. Whether you live an active or sedentary lifestyle rotator cuff injuries happen frequently because of their role in the shoulder. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and because of its tremendous mobility it suffers a lack of stability. The rotator cuff of the shoulder (there is one in the hip as well) is a group of 4 muscles whose primary role is to stabilize the humerus in the glenohumeral fossa and oppose the deltoids by depressing the humerus when the arm is being raised. When these muscles do not function properly the shoulder joint will become very unstable and it may be painful and difficult to lift the arm. Many Olympic lifting techniques and overhead strengthening exercises challenge these muscles to their full capacity which can lead to injury. With a few simple at home exercises you can strengthen the rotator cuff and decrease your chances of a sprain or tear. Pre-habilitation is doing rehabilitation exercises before there is an injury to ensure that you are doing everything you can to prevent an injury from occurring. If you already have a rotator cuff tear or shoulder condition you should consult your physician before trying these. If these exercises are too easy for you please email me at DrToddRodman@aim.com and I will send you more advanced rotator cuff exercises.

The following is a link to watch the videos and print the beginner rotator cuff pre-hab exercises:

Username: DrToddRodman@aim.com

Password: 8BWA3D

Website link: http://www.webexercises.com/patients/index.lasso?-token.p=24TXZM

Stay Strong,

Dr. Todd Rodman, DC CSCS