 Whenever somebody mentions “Yoga”, the first thing that comes to mind is stretching. Yes of course, Stretching is part of Yoga, but that is not the full picture; there is more to Yoga than stretching.
Taking from our episode with Yogi Aaron, here are some helpful insights that will help you understand some other aspects of Yoga which go beyond stretching: The Pranayama Breathing Practice: There is a life energy in our body that is referred to as prana. Pranayama involves controlling your breathing and regulating the flow of your prana. This helps you breathe more effectively, calms your mind, and balances your nervous system, which helps to improve your concentration and reduce your stress levels. There are different forms of Pranayama practices in terms of complexity, ranging from simple deep breathing to advanced techniques involving breath retention and rapid inhaling and exhaling, each serving different purposes in supporting physical and mental well-being. Meditation and Mindfulness: It is about being present in the moment, which involves focusing your mind and paying closer attention. This helps reduce your stress levels, clears your mind, and puts you in a very balanced emotional state, which contributes to your overall well-being. Through regular meditation, you can develop a deeper connection with yourself, leading to improved concentration, patience, and a sense of inner peace. Philosophical Teachings: Have you heard of the Yoga Sutras of Patanji? probably not. They are teachings that outline the eight limbs of yoga, which are guiding principles for living a meaningful life. They encourage you to engage in self-discipline, personal growth, and a deeper understanding of yourself and the universe, thereby creating a balanced connection between your mind, body, and spirit. Let me know in the comment section if you've heard about the Yoga Sutras of Patanji. Emotional Balance: We earlier talked about the Pranayama practice which involves controlling your breathing and regulating the state of your prana. When this is perfectly integrated with your physical posture, it gives you a life changing result. It can significantly boost your emotional resilience, reduces your stress, and improves your concentration levels. In the long run, this integrated approach can improve your physical health, clears your mind, and makes you emotionally stable, which profoundly impacts your overall well-being and quality of life. Community and Connection: When you are involved in yoga, you will be connected with different people of different backgrounds and ethnicity through shared practices, workshops, and events. This creates a sense of community and facilitates support. In yoga, sharing experiences helps you grow personally and feel better together with other people. Yoga places are welcoming to all kinds of people, letting you connect deeply beyond just doing poses. Yoga focuses on shared values and kindness, making the yoga community stronger. So yoga is not all about stretching, it involves different aspects of life as discussed above; controlling your breath, focusing your mind and paying closer attention, philosophical teachings about self-discipline and personal growth, integrating your breathing with your physical posture, and being connected with other people in a community. Click HERE to watch our episode with Yogi Aaron, author of Stop Stretching and the creator of the revolutionary approach to yoga — Applied Yoga Anatomy + Muscle Activation™ (AYAMA). We delve into the misconceptions surrounding yoga and the importance of understanding the true purpose of the practice. You definitely don’t want to miss this!
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Today I've got something pretty fascinating for you. I recently took a deep dive into the realm of mushrooms with The Mushroom Guy, Robert Johnson. This amazing episode is an eye-opener into the nuances of functional mushrooms and their medicinal effects. First things first, what are the categories of mushrooms? Mushrooms can be categorized into edible gourmet mushrooms, functional mushrooms, and psychedelic mushrooms. In this episode we dive deep into functional and psychedelic mushrooms and how they can improve our health. Functional mushrooms, such as lion's mane, cordyceps, turkey tail, and reishi, offer various health benefits, including cognitive enhancement, energy boosting, and immune support. Psychedelic mushrooms, also called hallucinogenics, are substances that can alter neuron activity in the brain in a profound way. They can alter your visual cortex, time and space, and even make you feel like you're having some deep spiritual journey. Those of you who know me know I love a good morning lion's mane extract in my coffee and an evening Chaga and cordyceps tea to prepare for bed so I thought it would be good to give a little guide about how these functional mushrooms can be helpful. Functional Mushrooms actions: Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus):
A study from Johns Hopkins University, where they gave 51 participants with life-threatening cancer diagnosis a single dose of psilocybin. 80% of the participants saw their anxiety and depression drop significantly, and the effects lasted for a whopping six months! I can’t cover everything in just a single email, check out our recent episode with the plant-based medicine expert; Robert Johnson - The Mushroom Guy. We delved into the mushroom industry and the different categories of mushrooms, including edible gourmet mushrooms, functional mushrooms, and psychedelic mushrooms. We also explore the concept of microdosing and its potential benefits. You definitely don’t want to miss this! CLICK HERE to watch the full episode  Today, we are diving into a sensitive topic that is very crucial to your well being as well. A topic that's often brushed under the rug but seriously impacts our lives: sexual health. It's something we all deal with in some way or another, yet it's surprising how little attention it gets. So, let's break the ice and have a candid conversation about it.
Let's say you're trying to gauge how you're doing in the bedroom, and all you get is a generic question like, "Are things getting better?" It's a frustrating experience that can leave you feeling helpless and disconnected from your own body. The issues of impotence and low libido are very dissatisfying when you don’t have a clear understanding of the causes and answers or effective solutions to address them. That's where Dr. Elliot Justin comes in. He's been on a mission to shake things up in the world of sexual health. He got more interested in studying and treating problems like impotence, low sex drive, and other sexual health issues when he realized that the only way to measure improvement was by asking patients a simple question: "Is this getting better or not?" In today's world, where we measure progress in many areas, sexual health hasn't gotten enough attention because people feel awkward talking about it. I know you have heard about the physical and psychological factors that can mess with your sexual energy—things like diabetes, stress, or performance anxiety. But here's the exciting part: the advances in technology have provided some relevant cool tools that will help address your sexual problems. Let's talk about the Tech Ring for instance. It is a gadget that's like your personal sexual health coach. It not only tracks how you're doing but also gives you tailored tips to boost your game based on your own data. In our latest episode with Dr. Justin, we dived into technological solutions to sexual health like the Tech Ring. We explore practical ways of which it can be useful. We got the inside story on his journey through the world of healthcare and how he ended up starting the first-ever sexual tech company.We discussed everything from the basic details of sexual health to practical advice for feeling happier and more fulfilled in bed. So, if you're ready to take charge of your sexual well-being and spice things up in the bedroom, come join us. CLICK HERE to catch the full episode and get ready to unlock a whole new level of satisfaction.  Let's dive into the world of chronic pain and explore some common misconceptions that may be holding you back from finding lasting relief.
Do you believe that chronic pain is simply a sign of tissue damage, or an inevitable consequence of aging, and that painkillers are the only solution to your chronic pain? All what you’ve been thinking about chronic pain are nothing but misconceptions. These misconceptions have been perpetuated for years. Let's explore the truth behind these misconceptions and discover a comprehensive approach to managing your chronic pain. Let's start by addressing one of the most common myths about chronic pain: the belief that pain equals damage. Chronic pain is not a direct indicator of tissue damage or injury, because research has shown that chronic pain stems from a blend of physical, mental and social influences. This is crucial for you to understand as this can open up new ways to manage your pain beyond traditional medical care. Another common misconception is the idea that rest is always the best treatment for your chronic pain. Of Course rest is beneficial for acute injuries, but here’s the thing, prolonged rest can actually worsen your chronic pain conditions by leading to muscle weakness, stiffness, and limited movement. What you should do instead is to adopt a balanced approach that includes physical activity and exercise tailored to individual needs. This can help improve your strength, flexibility, and overall function. There's also a prevalent belief that chronic pain is inevitable with aging. While it's true that the prevalence of chronic pain tends to increase as you age, it doesn't mean that living with pain is unavoidable. By adopting healthy lifestyle habits, managing underlying health conditions, and seeking appropriate medical care, you can significantly reduce the impact of chronic pain on your daily life. Finally, there's the belief that painkillers are the only solution for chronic pain. While painkillers may provide you temporary relief, relying solely on medication can have limited effectiveness and potentially harmful consequences on you. Integrative approaches that combine medication with lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, psychological interventions, and complementary therapies offer a more holistic and effective approach to managing your pain. By removing the cloudy haze of myths and misconceptions about your chronic pain, you can gain a better understanding of your condition and explore a variety of treatment options to improve your quality of life. Ready to explore a new approach to your chronic pain management? Check out our latest episode, where we delve into brain retraining techniques and how they can transform your experience of long-lasting pain. Click HERE to listen to the full episode and discover valuable insights on managing chronic pain with a holistic approach. Let's uncover what's behind your pain and start taking steps towards feeling better in 2024. Call us at (337) 504-5144 to book an appointment and start your journey to better health.  Let's dive into something fascinating today – your body's fascia! It's one of those things we don't talk about much, but trust me, it's incredibly important.
Picture your body as a complex network of interconnected parts, like a finely tuned machine. Now, imagine fascia as the scaffolding that holds everything together – muscles, organs, joints, you name it. Without fascia, we'd be a bit of a mess, to be honest! But here's what makes fascia truly remarkable: it's not just a passive structure. Nope, it's a living, breathing part of you, constantly adapting and responding to your movements. It's like having a built-in support system, always there to keep you going. Now, let's talk about how we can keep our fascia in top shape, especially as we age. After all, our bodies change over time, and it's essential to give our fascia the love and attention it deserves. Hydration is Key: First things first – water is your fascia's best friend. Just like you need to stay hydrated to feel your best, your fascia needs it too. Drinking plenty of water helps keep your fascia hydrated and supple, supporting optimal movement and flexibility. So, grab that water bottle and drink up! Move It or Lose It: You've probably heard the saying, "use it or lose it," right? Well, the same goes for your fascia. Regular movement, whether it's through stretching, yoga, or gentle exercises, is crucial for keeping your fascia happy and healthy. It helps prevent fascial restrictions and promotes circulation, ensuring that your fascia stays in tip-top shape. Treat Your Fascia to Some TLC: Think of your fascia as a hard-working employee – it deserves a little pampering now and then! Techniques like foam rolling, massage, or myofascial release can work wonders for relieving tension and improving fascial health. It's like giving your fascia a well-deserved spa day! Watch Your Posture: Good posture isn't just about looking confident (although that's definitely a plus!). It's also essential for maintaining the health of your fascia. Poor posture can put extra stress on your fascia, leading to stiffness and discomfort. So, make an effort to sit up straight and stand tall – your fascia will thank you for it! Fuel Your Body Right: Last but not least, let's talk about nutrition. Eating a balanced diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods can do wonders for your fascia. Think fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats – they help reduce inflammation in your body, including your fascia, promoting overall health and well-being. Facing fascial discomfort alone can be daunting, but you're not on this journey solo. At Acadiana Pain & Performance Rehab, we are here to support you. Let's uncover the root causes of your discomfort and take proactive steps toward better health in 2024. Contact us at (337) 504-5144 to schedule an appointment and begin your journey toward improved fascial health.  Introduction:
Setting a goal is not the "goal," achieving something more is what we are all after. Whether that is in personal growth or physical health or even money or relationships. This idea of what actually changes outcomes in achievement led me to want to explore the science of setting the right goals and how they can lead to significant changes in your life. The Essence of Goal Setting: Setting goals is more than just listing what you want to achieve; it's about understanding the deeper 'why' behind each goal. This deeper understanding aligns your goals with your core values, turning aspirations into realities. Starting with Short-Term Goals for Long-Term Impact:
Goal-setting can significantly impact your social connections. By setting specific goals around your social life, you can develop deeper, more fulfilling relationships. Practical Strategies for Goal Achievement:
Goal setting is a powerful tool for personal and social transformation. It’s not just about achieving what you set out to do but also about becoming the person you aspire to be. Start setting purposeful goals today and witness the positive changes in your life and relationships. Additional Resources: For more insights and tools on goal setting and personal growth, check out our website. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for regular updates and tips.  I've gotten a lot of questions about cryotherapy, how does it work? what does it actually do? Does it help with....
(Find a full podcast episode on Cryotherapy here) Cryotherapy has been said to:
Questions:
Risk:
Science: Norepinephrine: is a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in focus, attention and mood. Cold induces a Robus increase in NE. NE increases vasoconstriction for vascular treatment etc. RBM3 is a cold shock protein. Cold boosts the activity of RBM 3 - RNA binding motif 3 (RBM3)- which plays a role in restoring damaged synapses after cold therapy. THis is potentially excited because we can stimulator a repair of damaged nerves, help with neurodegeneration issues and improve long term protection of synapses if we have a family history of dementia, alzheimers etc. Inflammation: NE inhibits the inflammatory pathway by decreasing TNFa a potent inflammatory molecule. TNFa has been implicated in most disease, diabetes, ibd, cancer etc. Somewhere between 2-3x/week appears to change these markers in humans. Soft tissue repair: Cryotherapy has been shown to inhibit collagenase activity that breaks down collagen. This can be a good thing if we have had a soft tissue injury to ligaments, muscles, tendons etc. I believe this is where we see some of our patient's speed through the healing process so much faster with the addition of cryotherapy. Pain: Reductions in systemic inflammation are, for the most part, usually unambiguously positive. One such example that stands out and where this might especially be the case is arthritis. In a randomized controlled trial patients with arthritis underwent whole-body cryotherapy three times a week for 1 week had a significant reduction in pain. Some of the pain alleviating effects of cold exposure, particularly in the case of whole-body cryotherapy, may, in fact, be due to increased norepinephrine since inflammation itself causes pain. In fact, spinal injection of compounds that induce a release of norepinephrine has been shown to alleviate pain in human and animal studies Immune function: Immunosenescence (Nonfunctional immune cells) - Cryotherapy - increases certain types of immune cells like white blood cells, cytotoxic t lymphocytes that kill cancer, natural killer T cells increased in number and activity in one study a cell type that kill viruses and tumor cells. This may explain why studies done on winter cold water swimmers lowered their incidence of infections by 40%. Weight Loss - Metabolism: Cold causes something called cold thermogenesis - this is where our body increases metabolism to produce heat. One type of cold thermogenesis is non-shivering thermogenesis basically where your muscles are not contracting to produce heat. If we experience this, it can cause an increase in something called UCP1 uncoupling protein 1 that through some reactions in the body can convert white adipose tissue to brown. This is great because the benefits of BAT are widespread, and the harm of WAT are just as widespread. Possible benefits of batokines:
Antioxidant/Detox: A side effect of using oxygen for energy is the production of exhaust: those damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage nearly everything inside cells, including DNA by contributing to things like DNA damage and cellular senescence, are a huge component of the very process of aging. Studies show 20 sessions doubled the activity of one of the most potent antioxidant enzyme systems in the body called glutathione and increased another potent antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase by ~43%. Another study showed 10 days/sessions increased the activity of superoxide dismutase by 36% and glutathione peroxidase by 68%. Superoxide dismutase is the enzyme is in your mitochondria cleaning up all that damage that is being produced every second of every day. It is also important to note that the increase in antioxidant enzyme activity, in this case, took multiple sessions of the whole body cryotherapy...meaning the more frequent cryotherapy was done, the more robust of an increase in activating these powerful antioxidant enzymes. Performance: Activities that are more characteristically aerobic place a greater demand on the cells to be able to utilize oxygen for the purposes of energy production. In other words, aerobic activities have a greater need of supporting mitochondria! Depending on the nature of the exercise (endurance vs. resistance) and the time of the cold exposure (preexercise, immediately after exercise, or later) there may be very different and somewhat opposing outcomes. Strength: Strength Training Whole body cryotherapy at 220 to 319°F (−140 to −195 °C) done 1 hour after plyometric exercise (squat jumps and leg curls) showed improvements in a variety of performance measures up to 72 hours after the treatment. These improvements include power at the start of the squat jump, and squat jump work up. In addition, pain measures (both at rest and at the next squat jumping session) were also improved. blunted? -Men that performed leg presses and squat jumps twice per week and then immediately engaged in 10 minutes of cold-water immersion (in other words, at the point of peak inflammation) had only ⅓ of the increases in muscle mass in their quadriceps 10 weeks later compared to those that did no cold-water immersion posttraining. Endurance whole-body cryotherapy is slightly more positive. This may be characteristic of the type of adaptations that occur that are more specific to endurance activities Cold increases mitochondrial biogenesis. Cold stress is able to boost mitochondrial biogenesis. The reason this mechanism exists is pretty straightforward: mitochondria are able to create heat (something you need when cold) as a byproduct of energy production. As the powerhouses of the cell, it can be said that mitochondria are pretty darn useful for most of our cells, except red blood cells, which don't have them, however, they're especially important if we want to talk about endurance activity… That's because mitochondria, and the density or number of them on a per cell basis, affects our aerobic capacity . Aerobic activity uses a lot of oxygen causing a lot of ROS so the immune changes we talked about may have something to do with the endurance improvements, but we definitely see good improvement in endurance training. Most of the research showed it being done after runs or endurance. This increased mitochondria in those cells so they could produce more energy easier. Performance improvement: Elite runners that engaged in whole body cryotherapy 1 hour, 24 hours, or 48 hours post hill sprint running had a 20% increase in speed and power up to two days later. This 20% performance enhancement post-cryotherapy may be attributed to the reduction in inflammation and increase in anti-inflammatory factors. The Thousand Mile High Summary Patients: We've covered a lot, so I think now is as good of a time as any to take a step back and ask what's the big picture message here. In other words, what does all of this mean? I think there's many key take homes from all of this. I'll try to summarize just a few. ● ONE. Cold shock shows some interesting promise for helping diseases of neurodegeneration through a special cold shock protein known as RBM3… will we be taking people and putting them through super traumatic freezing temperatures in the future to prevent Alzheimer's? I don't know, but the fact that this neuroprotective, synapse fixing effect happens in mice is a very good sign and hints at some really profound things we may find out in the future are applicable to humans as well. ● TWO. Norepinephrine, which can go up a huge amount from a variety of different cold stressors, has some pretty interesting properties and is a very versatile neurotransmitter and hormone! We need it for vasoconstriction, as part of our body's dynamic response to cold, but it is also antiinfammatory. For this reason it may have special relevance for diseases of inflammation, like arthritis, as well as mood and even depression. ● THREE. Giving yourself short bouts of intense cold stress may be applicable if you have some degree of chronic pain, because of the analgesic effect, which may also be partly mediated by… you guessed it… norepinephrine. ● FOUR. There may be some truth to winter swimming improving immune function in regular practitioners. ● FIVE. In contrast to old dogma, adult humans have brown fat and exposure to cold increases it. Brown fat generally decreases as we get older, especially if we're obese. Having more of it, however, is associated with trending towards a lower body fat percentage, and, finally, the amount of brown fat is directly affected by our exposure to cold. Coldwater immersion can definitely increase brown fat, but so can cold air, which means whole body cryotherapy is probably also effective for this purpose. ● SIX. Using cryotherapy and coldwater immersion in the context of exercise is sort of complicated! You can definitely undermine your gains in the context of resistance training if you're doing coldwater immersion immediately after training. In other contexts, however, there may be improvements as well. We still have some unanswered and very interesting questions surrounding this. I'm hopeful that the more deleterious effects will turn out to be mostly constrained to the hour long window of time immediately after training, but I'm not really sure. We need more studies to say for certain! Cold exposure and immune: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10066131/ Changes in inflammation following exercise: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21829501/  This time of year, many people are working on starting new habits. While I love and encourage this idea some (many?) people would be better served by breaking a few of their bad habits first.
The steps to break bad habits have been well studied:
While this may seem simplistic truly going through the steps to break your bad habits can be life changing. If we want to be healthier, happier and better the simplest path is the stop being unhealthy, unhappy and making things so hard. Good luck and remember do that one thing to get a little bit healthier today!  Are you ruining your sleep before you even lay down? Poor sleep is associated with increased rates of chronic pain, stress, anxiety, risk of Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, weight gain, dementia, and countless other problems. Poor sleep is basically negative for you in every way. Your brain, body and emotions all function worse if you don’t get good sleep. Yet, research tells us that more than 50% of people don’t get quality sleep at night.
Today we are going to start you down the path to fix that. Before you start adding habits that will improve your sleep it is often much more beneficial to correct the things you are doing wrong first! Basically learn what you need to stop doing before you start trying to add some new activities in. Top 6 habits that are ruining your sleep quality:
Next week we'll dive into some of the habits you can add to your daily routine to get the best sleep of your life. In the meantime start cleaning up the bad habits that may be ruining your sleep |
AuthorDerrick Hines, D.P.T. is the owner of Acadiana Pain and Performance Rehab. The information in this blog is personal opinion and not to be used as medical advice. Archives
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