If you have ever suffered from a migraine, you are not alone.

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, about 12% of the population experiences migraines. That’s roughly 38 million men, women, and children in the United States. The Migraine Research Foundation states that “Migraine is the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world” and “is the 8th most disabling illness in the world.”

Many migraine sufferers do not seek medical care for their pain and are never diagnosed. Those who do seek treatment may be misdiagnosed with sinus-related disorders or hormonal imbalances.

Migraines are NOT JUST HEADACHES – they are actually a disorder of the nervous system and one of their symptoms is a headache. Other symptoms typically include light sensitivity, nausea, auras (changes in vision sometimes described as flashes of light), and sometimes vomiting.

If so many people, especially women, suffer from migraines, then why don’t they seek...

When pain occurs in the jaw, it can be difficult to talk and eat. The joint of the jaw is called the temporomandibular joint or TMJ. Jaw pain can be a symptom of temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMD.

What causes TMD and jaw pain?

1. Teeth that are not aligned (such as an under bite where the bottom teeth are more forward than the top teeth or an overbite where the top teeth are more forward and rest over the bottom teeth). Malaligned teeth can create abnormal forces across the TMJ.

2. The muscles surrounding the jaw are in constant contraction. This means that the muscles never stop working. For example, a person who has difficulty sleeping may not be able to find a comfortable resting position and this could contribute to their jaw pain. The function of the temporalis muscle is to close the mouth. It has to constantly work against gravity to keep the mouth closed so that a person does not walk around...

Have you ever wondered what runners mean when they say, “I just did a tempo run” or “I’m really looking forward to my next fartlek run”? Running lingo can seem a little foreign if you are a beginning runner; however, learning the language is key to improving your run workouts and can help you enjoy the variety of workouts available.

Circuit Training: a medium intensity strength training exercise program where the participant moves quickly through a series of 8-10 exercises and performs either 10-25 repetitions or performs and exercise for 30 seconds-3 minutes http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/a-z/circuit-training

Easy Run: the “other day of running” or the day of running where the participant is building baseline mileage or running at a pace to recover from a more difficult work-out http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/the-easy-day-pace

Fartlek Workout: “speed-play” run where the participant runs quickly for a...

1. Wear the Right Shoes: Good shoe wear is a necessity! Be prepared to spend $80-100 for a high-quality pair of running shoes. Know your shoe type before buying to ensure proper fit. Consult your physical therapist to learn if you need a stability shoe, a neutral shoe, or a motion control shoe.

2. Walk First: You should begin a walking program to prepare your body for low-impact exercise BEFORE beginning a running program. Once you are able to walk 3 times per week for 30 minutes each time, then you are ready to start a run-walk program. Easing into a running program may take more time than you anticipated; however, you will save yourself many aches and pains as well as prevent injuries by taking the time to walk first.

3. Run Every Other Day: When you begin a running program, give your body a rest day between running days. Walk or lift weights on the days you don’t run. The rest day from running will allow your muscles to recover from beginning a new exercise...

Every person, athlete or non-athlete, functions best with good nutrition.

Athletic performance is influenced greatly by nutrition. Getting the right amount macronutrients and micronutrients can often be the missing link in improving performance.

Macronutrients = carbs, proteins, and fats

Micronutrients = vitamins and minerals

Let’s keep it simple.

Athletes will need the following macronutrients:

• 45-70% of their diet from healthy carbs
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Whole grains
• 15-25% of their diet from lean protein
  • Low-fat dairy - cottage cheese, milk, Greek yogurt
  • Chicken, fish, beef, turkey, eggs, tofu
• 15-25% of their diet from healthy fat
  • Olive oil
  • Avocados
  • Nut butters
  • Coconut oil
  • Seeds
  • Nuts

Athletes will also benefit from the following micronutrients:

• Calcium
  • Dairy
• Vitamin D
  • Egg yolk
  • Fortified milk
  • Yogurt
  • Cereals
  • Fruit juices
• Iron
  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Eggs
  • Lentils
  • Quinoa
  • Nuts and seeds
• Vitamin C
  • Oranges
  • Strawberries
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Tomatoes
• Electrolytes
  • Mixed...

Seriously, ice is super important if you have just suffered an injury because the more quickly you apply an ice pack after an injury – hopefully within the first 5 minutes – the less overall tissue injury will occur.

Don’t get me wrong, if you tear your ACL and apply ice, it doesn’t mean that your ACL isn’t still torn. It just means that the ice application will limit the effects tissue damage in the tissues surrounding the ACL.

For example, if you don’t apply ice then you will have a lot more swelling and inflammation. That extra fluid will create pressure on the other tissues in the knee and possibly damage them. Applying ice helps to keep swelling and inflammation under control so that other tissues are as negatively impacted.

You can learn more from a recent Facebook Live Class I recorded. The video class will talk about:

• What happens to the body when ice is applied
• Why we want to apply ice
• When not to use ice
• How to make a homemade ice pack
...

With school, sports, music, theater, and club schedules often overlapping, the life of a student and a student’s parents or family can be a little chaotic.

When students participate in multiple activities, the schedule can be overwhelming, meal time is often on-the-go, and sleep schedules are often disrupted.

Keeping everything organized is the key to getting everyone where they need to go and keeping them healthy along the way.

Here’s a Few Tips to Help Stay on Track:

• Get schedules early - once you receive a sports schedule or an extracurricular activity schedule, get it on the calendar to avoid double-booking events or overloading the schedule for that day or week
• Select 1 sport per season - playing more than 1 sport per season can physically and mentally stress the body which increases the risk of injury due to fatigue and burn-out
• Select 1 other activity per season - if your son or daughter plays a sport but has other interests, then you may need...

I rarely see skin burns from hot packs but on occasion I have had patients burn themselves because they did not know how to correctly apply a hot pack.

Skin burns can easily be prevented.

Heat from a hot pack is a great way to reduce general muscle soreness and joint or muscle tension. Heat can also be very relaxing.

In this next video of the DIY Series, you will learn:

• What happens to your body when heat is applied
• Why we would want to apply heat
• When not to use heat
• How to apply a microwaveable hot pack correctly and reduce your risk of skin burns significantly

Click play to see the video bellow:

I hope I never hear about someone burning themselves from a hot pack again. If you or someone you know uses a hot pack frequently, could you please forward this email to them?

Skin burns can be serious, and I don’t want anyone hurting themselves while trying to help themselves ease soreness and tension.

Enjoy the video and stay safe,

Dr. Jeanette

Ice massage?

Ever heard of it?

Isn’t massage supposed to bring warmth and relax me?

Ice massage is awesome!

No, it won’t bring you warmth but because ice can decrease muscle spasms, it might relax your muscles and decrease your pain caused by muscle spasm.

Ice massage is typically reserved for smaller areas so it’s not like having an ice pack cover a complete area.

The latest video in the DIY Series will talk about:

• Using ice massage vs an ice pack
• What happens to your body when ice massage is applied
• Why we would want to apply ice massage
• When NOT to use ice massage
• How to make a homemade ice cup for ice massage

You can view the video here:

After watching the video, would you mind sharing it with others?

Ice massage is a great way to apply ice to small areas and it’s quick!

Stay Cool,

Dr. Jeanette

Have you ever had that spot on your back right by your shoulder blade that felt tight, yet you couldn’t reach it?

Do you sit at a computer all day and experience shoulder and neck tension that doesn’t seem to go away?

If you answered “YES”, I can totally relate!

That’s why I do self-massage with a tennis ball. It’s a quick technique that can reduce tension and ease muscle tightness.

To learn more, I encourage you to watch a video from a DIY series I recorded during a recent Facebook live session.

You will learn:

• What happens to your body when self-massage is applied
• Why you would want to perform self-massage
• When NOT to perform self-massage
• How to perform self-massage with a tennis ball

You may view the video here: