Staying Safe and Strong with Osteoporosis

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are conditions that are characterized by a loss of bone density.

Osteopenia- An earlier stage of the disease in which the body reabsorbs bone quicker than new bone is laid down.

Osteoporosis- The progressed form of the disease in which the bones have thinned significantly, contributing to pain, postural changes, and fractures

This thinning is most likely to occur in the vertebral bones in the front of the spine, the hips bones, and the wrists. These conditions are so common that it is expected that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture some time in their lives. If you are over 50, especially if you are female, it is a great idea to consider your risk of developing osteoporosis, and what you can do to improve your bone density and minimize the risk of a fracture as you age. Other risk factors for osteoporosis include having a small frame, having low estrogen (perhaps related to a surgery or a medication), and prolonged use of corticosteroid medication.

It is important to be aware of your bone mineral density as you age by asking your doctor for a DEXA scan. There are also medications that can be prescribed that help bone density, so discuss this option with your doctor if you are at risk of osteoporosis. Lifestyle factors such as adequate dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D (which we can also get from sunshine), and avoiding smoking and drinking can help prevent loss of bone density.

While people at risk of osteoporosis should be mindful about how they move, it is crucial to participate in regular physical activity to keep muscles and bones strong. Weight-bearing exercise is incredibly important for maintaining bone density, as bones adapt to the forces they are subjected too. It is also important to train your balance, as falls in the elderly are commonly associated with fractures.

A regular yoga practice can be an excellent way to improve strength of the bones and muscles, as well as body awareness, balance, and coordination, all critical factors for avoiding falls and fractures. Discuss with your provider how you might develop or modify your yoga practice to maximize bone density and minimize risk of a fracture.

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team

Stay tuned for Part II for some key considerations for modifying a yoga practice to address concerns about bone density loss.

Paying Attention to Hypertension

If you are an adult living in the US, there is a good chance that you have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. In fact, almost half of adults in the US have hypertension! Over time, this condition can contribute to heart disease and stroke. Most individuals in this group are actually unable to lower their blood pressure to the recommended values, even with treatment. While genetics play a role, lifestyle factors are a major contributor to blood pressure issues, which may include diet, physical activity, and stress management. In addition, many medications given to individuals with hypertension can actually raise blood pressure! It is important to check in with your doctor or pharmacist regarding how your medications may be affecting your hypertension. 

When we are feeling stressed, agitated, overly aroused, and anxious, we are experiencing an overly activated sympathetic nervous system, known colloquially as “fight or flight”. When the sympathetic division of our nervous system is overly active, stress hormones are released, our blood vessels are constricted, raising our blood pressure. When this happens chronically, our cardiovascular system is strained, weakening our heart and blood vessels. Combine this with less than ideal lifestyle choices and medications that can increase blood pressure, our risk of developing cardiovascular issues greatly increases. 

Management of hypertension is something that may be addressed throughout your care at the Wellness Station. In addition to encouraging healthy practices such as regular physical activity and a diet that is supportive to cardiovascular health, our mindful movement lessons can also impact blood pressure. Our clients are encouraged to participate in therapy in a “parasympathetic” state, also known as rest and digest, contrary to the fight or flight state mentioned previously. We ensure that before participating in movement, the client is in a calm, grounded state. We may engage in meditation, breathing practices or hands-on therapy to help calm the nervous system prior to movement. Mindful, gentle movement and therapeutic touch are excellent ways to ease tension in the body, fostering a state of peaceful relaxation. This allows the blood pressure to lower, taking strain off the cardiovascular system as well as the joints.

Have a question about your blood pressure? Have Jacob take your blood pressure, perhaps before and after your session to see if any change has occurred.

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team

Finding Peace & Balance

Last month, we discussed how “overdoing it” is done far too often at the expense of our mental and physical health.

How can we counteract the tendency to overdo in order to find more peace and balance in our lives?

Can we do this while still getting done what we need to do each day, as well as working towards our greater goals? 

Besides completely changing the values of our culture, we can make micro adjustments in our daily lives. One option is re-prioritizing. How can we fill up our kettle so we start each day at 100%? Think about the sources in your life that are draining your kettle, and the sources that are replenishing you. Are there certain people or activities that may be draining your energy, and is there a way to spend less of your time and your energy in these situations? How about activities or people that recharge you? Laughing with loved ones, taking a warm bubble bath, going for a walk in nature, delicious healthy foods…

On a neurological level, activities that are taxing and draining will be fueled by the sympathetic nervous system (e.g. fight or flight), in which our heart rate increases, stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline flood our system, and physical and cognitive resources are expended. On the other hand, restorative activities allow the parasympathetic nervous system to take over, which slows the heart rate through chemicals such as acetylcholine, promotes feelings of well-being, and replenishes our resources. We must find a balance between both of these states of our nervous system in order to achieve our goals without burning out. Think about what you might re-prioritize in your life that may help shift the balance towards parasympathetic activation.

Another option other than re-organizing your daily activities is to consider the overall intensity that you put into each activity. Is there a way to embody a sense of calm and ease while you are doing something that you normally consider stressful and draining? We have it drilled into our heads that we should give 110% to everything, which from an energetic balance standpoint is actually impossible! How can we be more easy in our bodies and minds so we don’t drain our physical and cognitive resources as quickly?

Think about an activity that is taxing, either physically, mentally, or both. How about doing chores, such as washing dishes? Are you rushing, gripping objects too hard, and holding extra tension in your body such as hiking your shoulders up to your ears? See if you are able to wash dishes with less effort, more ease, and overall less intensity. You might find it to be a more enjoyable experience.

Next time that you notice you are feeling anxious, rushed, or uncomfortable, think about “resetting” by taking three long, slow breaths, trying to focus entirely on these breaths and nothing else. Then continue on, perhaps noticing that a subtle shift has occurred in your experience. If we are able to drain less tea from our kettle with everything we do, we will never approach a low kettle. The more we can slow down and be more mindful about what we are doing, the more we will be able to do over the long term. This will allow us to perform better in our daily lives and be more present for our loved ones.

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team

Overdoing: To Do or Not To Do?

We live in a culture that is “go go go”, where we prioritize doing far more than not doing. Many of us juggle excessive work hours, family and household responsibilities, hobbies, fitness and wellness practice, social lives, errands, appointments, and more. We are often left with little to no down time, and when we do have this down time, we may spend it in ways that are less than ideal for restoring balance and peace back into our lives. This constant rush can be stressful and taxing on our bodies and minds, and due to time constraints we begin to have to pick and choose what we do. Self-care and sleep may be underprioritized, setting us up for burnout.

Think about yourself as a tea kettle: a 100% full tea kettle means you are in a state of optimal health, energy, comfort, peace, happiness, and overall well-being. The less tea you have in the kettle, the less bandwidth you have, which can manifest in irritability, exhaustion, reduced performance, as well as mental and physical health challenges if this continues over time.

If our goal with the “go go go” mentality is to achieve and succeed, but this mentality actually can set us up for failure over the long term, isn’t this entirely counter productive?

Think about what sources in your life are draining your tea kettle, and what sources are helping to fill up your kettle. Consider both external and internal factors. External may be people, situations, and activities, whereas internal may be thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, emotional reactivity, and movement patterns. What changes can you make in your life to ensure you have a full kettle? After all, an empty kettle serves no one!

Coming Next Time: Some useful strategies for avoiding “overdoing” based on neuroscience and principles of mindfulness.

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team

Seeking Nature for Inner Healing

In our modern lives, there is often a degree of disconnect between us and the natural world.

Many people consider themselves as separate from nature, as if nature is this thing or activity that may or may not be part of one's life. It can be easy to fall into this kind of lifestyle, as so many of our lives are lived primarily inside, contained within boxes that separate us from plants, wildlife, fresh air, and sunshine. By living life in this way, we are depriving ourselves of beauty, novel experiences for our minds and bodies, functional exercise, and even vitamin D from the sun.

Without nature, we lose the balance in our lives, which can lead to very undesirable consequences.

In fact, the word "disease" can be related to loss of balance- "dis" meaning "apart" or "away", and "ease" meaning "undisturbed state", "comfort", or "well-being". Putting these words together describes a departure from the undisturbed state, a loss of balance and harmony.1

How can nature lead us back into balance? We have an innate human instinct to connect with the natural world. Many of us seek nature when we are not feeling well, or may realize we feel much better after disconnecting with screens and reconnecting with what is real in the world around us. Our bodies know how to heal themselves, but sometimes we may be preventing this process by disconnecting with the world around us.

Nature is our teacher, the divine force that can help guide us towards a path of healing.

We look to nature to learn how to solve problems naturally, whether we may be inspired by the supportive community of a forest, the love of a mother bird caring for her young, the dynamic energy of a rushing river, or the geological masterpieces of mountains, canyons, and glaciers.

Connecting with nature and time spent outdoors has measurable health benefits for the mind and body. In fact, many doctors are recommending "forest bathing", which is an ancient Japanese practice that involves immersing oneself in nature using all of the senses. Regular time spent in nature can improve emotional well-being, decrease blood pressure, increase energy levels, and lower stress hormones such as cortisol.2

The eclectic blend of sights, sounds, smells, and feelings can help calm our nervous system. The constantly varying terrain of walking outdoors stimulates our minds and bodies in new ways. This can help to improve balance, strength, reaction time, and will help us avoid loss of mobility and repetitive stress injuries that we get as a result of only interacting with flat, human-made environments. Spending time connecting with nature also helps us internalize the crucial connection between taking care of our planet and taking care of our own bodies, as we are not separate from nature.

Time with nature is our reminder that we evolved with nature, and chronic separation from the natural world is ultimately incongruent with the way our biological systems function.

At the Wellness Station, we encourage our clients to spend more time outdoors whenever possible. What are some easy ways to get more nature in one's life?

1. Make going on a walk a daily practice. Consider walking on a trail away from busy roads, where there may be many trees, flowers, and creeks.

2. Do exercise outside! Take a yoga mat or a blanket to a flat surface outdoors and move your body.

3. Meditate outside. Pay attention to all of your senses.

4. Keep the windows open for more fresh air.

5. Plan a trip or social event with outdoor activities planned, which may include hiking, sight-seeing, swimming, or any other enjoyable activity.

6. Get into gardening!

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team

References:

1)    https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Wisdom-of-Biophilia%E2%80%94Nature-in-Healing-Huelat/08e18ab071a4a468a3aa820aa2d797e168fe0c59

2)    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/well/take-a-walk-in-the-woods-doctors-orders.html