This is an interesting article written by Aaron E Carrol in the New York Times AUG. 24, 2015. Aaron is a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Drink your water with measure and balance. It good to note that a lot of our daily water needs comes from our diet.

If there is one health myth that will not die, it is this: You should drink eight glasses of water a day. It’s just not true. There is no science behind it.

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A very common source of back pain has been linked to the cartilaginous disks in the spine.  These are soft tissue structures between the vertebrae that provide shock absorption and mobility to the spine.  They also form the “weak spot” under load or activity.  This being the case, they are usually one of the first structural places in the spine to suffer injury.  Previously it was believed the disks had no nerve supply or sensory innervation.  The only time you would become aware of a problem was when the disks would become damaged in such a way that the spinal nerves or cord would become encroached or “pinched”.  The previously-diagnosed injuries were disk herniation/rupture and disk degeneration (height loss).   However, it is now recognised that the discs themselves have a nerve supply.  This is the outer one-half to one-third of the posterior annulus fibrosis, or that part of the disk closest to the back and the outer fibrous ring of the disk.

Clinically this means the disks are an important consideration in the treatment of pain and mobility issues of the back.  Not just for the impact they can have on spinal nerves but the trauma they can be subject to themselves. There are two specific entities that cause disk pain:  torsional injury and compression.  One of the worst things you can do is to lift something that is too heavy while twisting over (straight leg) and not bending the knees.  Just about everyone has experienced this…a classic way to “put your back out”.  Correct lifting technique.

Correct posture, correct exercise and correct lifting/working technique all have a major impact on our spine health.  Look after it. You only get one.

Source: Clinical Sports Medicine, Brukner & Khan 2012, p.465

GLUTEN AND IBS

On the basis of patient reports, as well as clinical studies, there has been a suspicion for some time that some individuals with IBS who clearly did not have celiac disease appeared to be sensitive to or intolerant of gluten-containing food and the term nonceliac gluten sensitivity has been acknowledged by experts in the field.[35,36] That gluten might play a role in IBS-like syndromes is supported by the symptomatic overlap between IBS and celiac disease[37–41] as well as the precipitation of their typical symptoms in IBS individuals when exposed, in a blinded fashion, to gluten.[42–44]

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Snowboarding is amazing fun. Especially in deep soft powder snow. It’s like surfing on a cloud in marshmellow land. However, these are special conditions. Most of the riding happens on the pistes or courses with smooth but somewhat harder surface.

During my recent travels I developed a bit of a painful foot issue. I was snowboarding almost daily and being experienced rider I would ride quite aggressively. After a time I developed a sharp neural pain on the sole of my right/back foot on the snowboard. This was towards the front on the ball of my foot between the 3nd and 4th toes (Plantar aspect of the distal head of the 3rd and 4th metatarsals). Sudden impacts would trigger an electric exquisite pain. At times so intense it would take the breath away and the vision would fade. It would only happen while snowboarding. Otherwise I have had no troubles with my feet with physical activity/running etc. Needless to say it was a bit of a concern and reducing the enjoyment I was having.

I believe the intensity of the downwards pressure towards the board was causing a tendonitis and inflammation of the metatarsal phalangeal junction. A ski boot fitter was of the opinion I was starting to develop a Morton’s neuroma. I would concur with this but would also consider capsulitis.

Solution

I treated myself with acupuncture directly on the problem area with associated points for the foot around the ankle. Some of the needles went directly into the sole. It was refreshing but also satisfying feeling. I followed up with some moderate pressure massage and gentle mobilisation of the foot bones. I repeated this 3 times and it had a good effect.

Next thing was to reduce the pressure that was placed on the foot by the boot. Josh the boot fitter (Boot Solutions, Hakuba, Japan) made some custom “neuroma pads” that went into the innersole of the snowboard boot. This provides a greater contact surface area for the ball of the foot, spreading the load more evenly over the sole of the foot. The pad also splays or separates the metatarsals (long bones of the foot) a bit more. This provides more space for the nerves that travel between the toes.

This combination worked very well. I’m happy to report in my particular case this reduced the problem to a level that was not too noticeable. I consider this to be a good result. Wearing snowboard or ski boots has an inherent level of discomfort. It is normal and to be expected. Having said that, when the discomfort becomes too unbearable it is good to know there are solutions out there.

CT scans reveal anatomical structures of acupuncture points. This new finding demonstrates the physical existence of acupuncture points. A CT (computerized tomography) scan is a series of X-rays used to create cross-sectional images. In this study published in the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, researchers used in-line phase contrast CT imaging with synchrotron radiation on both non-acupuncture points and acupuncture points. The CT scans revealed clear distinctions between the non-acupuncture point and acupuncture point anatomical structures.

The acupuncture points show a richer microvascular densities as compare to non acupuncture points.

Beetroot juice has been topic of research for the last couple of years and is not just because of its vasodilation properties which facilitates nutrient delivery to muscles, but apparently regular intake of Nitrate (NO₃), which is found in high amounts in beetroot juice, can decrease blood pressure and improve sports performance optimizing Oxygen (O₂) utilization.

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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – CRPS – also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), is a chronic progressive condition triggered by nerve injury and characterized by severe pain, inflammation, swelling and changes in the skin affecting arms, legs, hands or feet. Experts have yet to discover the cause of CRPS but know that injury or surgery may initiate the onset (Type 2), even though in some cases no previous or very minor injury occurred (Type 1). [i]

Upper extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Lower extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The condition is extremely painful, debilitating and difficult to treat as there is currently no cure and most treatment revolves around alleviating the symptoms and pain management.

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