Video About An Amazing Kid Who Can See Without His Eyes

Amazing kid!  Love the mom!!

 

 

So sad to do more research and find out he passed away from cancer on Jan 19th, 2009.  You can see his website here – Ben Underwood

Help With Fibromyalgia

When I was working @ the Edmonton Marathon a couple of weeks a go, Patti came by my booth.  It turns out she was dealing with Fibromyalgia!  We spoke together for quite a while sharing information and resources that we have heard about.  Our conversation consisted of treatment options such as massage,exercise, stretching, and drug treatments for Fibromyalgia.

Patti was a wealth of knowledge and creditable because she was getting better!!  I have spoke to many people about Fibromyalgia and have learned many things.  One resource of information that she shared with me is a book that I never heard of:

I was so impressed with our conversation, that I asked Patti to send me some information about this great book.  I cannot claim that I have read this book, but I have read some pages that she sent me.

So far, I think it is amazing!  My philosophy of finding appropriate resources and information is to get second, third and even fourth opinions.  Talk to people and network.  There is nothing better than first hand knowledge about a condition from a person that deals with that condition every day of their lives. 

Patti, her husband and I spoke for quite some time and exchanged information and contacts.  

As a side note, Patti was really at my booth wondering about “The Stick”.  It turns out that she picked up a Flex Stick that offers her a longer, more flexible model to get at her shoulders and back.  People with Fibromyalgia usually gravitate to the Marathon Stick that offers excellent flexibility as well.

I thank Patti for sharing this information and hopefully some readers of this post will helpful.  If you have suggestions, please comment below!!

Here are some other posts I have done about Fibromyalgia:

• The Stick and Fibromyalgia
• Massage Therapy at Home
• Nutritional Biomechanics and The Stick

Popular Downloaded Specific Techniques for “The Stick”.

I often look at some simple stats from my website to see what people are most interested in when it comes to The Stick.

In terms of possible usages for The Stick, or what I like to call “Specific Techniques”, people are most interested in finding ways to work on the following muscle groups: (the data below is up to date as of August 23, 2009)

Lower Body Downloads:

Growing Pains

Downloads: 64

Feet & Plantar Fasciitis

Downloads: 77

Shins

Downloads: 59

Calves

Downloads: 74

Quads/Thighs

Downloads: 83

Hamstrings

Downloads: 71

IT Band

Downloads: 114

Buttocks

Downloads: 69

Upper Body Downloads

Neck

Downloads: 37

Arms

Downloads: 38

Shoulders

Downloads: 54

Upper Back

Downloads: 51

Lower Back                                                                                               Downloads:53

This data suggests a number of things:

1. People are looking for ways to take care of their lower bodies.
2. People don’t know that The Stick can be used for their upper bodies.
3. IT Band Syndrome bothers many people.
4. Quad and thigh muscles are popular downloads as well.
5. The lower back seems to be an area of concern.

These are only suggestions from people who have downloaded free resources from my website.  Please feel free to comment on this post or any other!

A Simple Way to Cut Your Heart Attack Risk!

Joseph McCaffrey, MD, FACS

Most of us know we should reduce the salt (sodium chloride) in our diet to help control blood pressure and reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.  While the amount of sodium we eat is important, it’s not the whole story. A recent study has confirmed what other studies have suggested for years: sodium intake alone isn’t as important as the ratio of sodium to potassium.

The study was reported in the January issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.¹ It evaluated the records of 2275 patients who are being followed as part of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) studies begun in the early 1990s.

What the study showed was that over a 10-15 year period, 193 participants had a serious cardiovascular episode (heart attack, stroke, need for coronary artery bypass or death due to stroke or heart attack).

They then compared the risk of these problems to the level of both sodium and potassium in the diet. They measured these levels by looking at how much of each was excreted in the urine each day. This is an easier and more accurate way to get a handle on how much potassium or sodium someone is taking in than recording everything they eat. It works because our bodies maintain their internal balance of sodium and potassium by excreting any excess in the urine.

The researchers found that there was little relationship between the levels of either sodium or potassium and the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

What did make a difference was the ratio of sodium to potassium.

People with high sodium levels compared to their potassium levels fared the worst. They were the most likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

Those with low sodium and higher potassium levels did the best. They stayed the healthiest.

What does this mean to you? Cut out the salt and increase your potassium.

To reduce the sodium in your diet, you’re going to need to read the labels on any prepared foods you buy. Most packaged and canned foods are extremely high in sodium (although I did finally find a brand of crushed tomatoes that doesn’t have any salt added).

When it comes to increasing potassium, many people think about bananas. Bananas are relatively high in potassium, but they also are calorie dense and high on the glycemic index so they aren’t my first choice to add potassium to my diet.

Here’s what I do.

I drink tomato juice or a tomato-based vegetable juice. One cup has about 500 mg of potassium, about the same as in a banana.

Tomato juice also contains lycopenes as well as a host of other nutrients. The positive effect of lycopenes on prostate health is well established so I want to be sure to get them in my diet.

Unfortunately, manufacturers usually add a lot of salt, but low salt and no-salt versions are available if you look for them. If you buy organic, so much the better.

I add a little potassium chloride (NoSalt is one brand) to my tomato juice because I think it improves the taste and it adds some more potassium. If you do that, be a little careful — too much potassium can be toxic.

Anyone who has kidney disease needs to be especially cautious and shouldn’t add potassium to their diet without talking to their doctor.

Also, I enjoy the taste of horseradish and there are some studies that show the glucosinolates in horseradish support liver function and suppress the growth of some cancer cells, so I add that to my tomato juice drink as well.

Cut your salt intake and have a glass of tomato juice every morning and you’ll reduce your risk of stroke and heart attacks.  You’ll also be eating one of the nine servings of fruits and vegetables you should have every day.

Reference

1. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(1):32-40.

[Ed. Note: Joseph F. McCaffrey, MD, FACS is a board-certified surgeon with extensive experience in alternative medicine, including certification as a HeartMath Trainer.  His areas of expertise include mind-body interaction and cognitive restructuring.  Dr. McCaffrey strives to help people attain their optimum level of vitality through attention to all aspects of wellness.For more information, click here.] 

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

This Guy is Amazing!

Here is the Story.  I was working the Edmonton Intact Marathon Expo where I had a booth set-up for The Stick, when I noticed a man in a wheelchair moving around backwards in the tent area.  I did not think anything of it until I realized that he was in there for quite some time and was not assisted by anyone.  He was on his own.  One of the other exhibitors and I were chatting when the same guy in the wheelchair rolled up to us and tried speaking to us.  At first, it was very hard to understand him because he stuttered and had problems expressing what he was trying to tell us.  We were patient or should I say he was patient as we started our conversation. 

It turned out that his name was Ken as well!

He was dressed in a sporty track jacket and tights.  He looked athletic and boy, was he ever!  After about 10 minutes of trying to understand him, we interpreted that he just finished rolling out a 10km exercise session in about 55 minutes!  Quite impressive to say the least.  The thing that impressed us the most was he did it backwards!  That’s right, he did 10km’s backwards in his wheelchair.  The other exhibitor commented that he was just like Mater from the Cars movie and Ken liked it!

After more conversation of filling in blanks and trying to guess what he was saying.  He told us that he had his own website and a movie was made about him.  A few minutes later, he rolled away. 

That night, I went back to my hotel room and immediately surfed the web and found his website.  It is called backwheeler.ca.  Sure enough, it was his website and Ken created it with his nose!  That’s right, you read it correctly, with his NOSE!!   He calls himself the worlds only Nose Pecker!!!   It turns out that Ken has Cerebral Palsy.  He explains his life story and explains how he has been involved in wheelchair sports!  His movie created by his sister is called “Catching My Breath – The Life and Races of Ken Thomas”.

You should really check it out.  He truly was an inspiration to me and I know hew has touched the life of many others.

This Guy Is Addicted To The Massage Stick Called “The Stick”.

Fantastic site to visit!

I can’t help but post “Joe Biker’s” explanation why he is addicted to using The Stick.  He is simply hilarious!!!!

Here is the first paragraph: (his analogies are brilliant)

• “You want a terrorist to talk, give him a spirited rubdown with one of these massage sticks.  I bought one of these over the weekend at the expo for Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon.  Gitmo officials listen up.  Trust me.  Put away the water boarding bucket and blindfold.  Get yourself a massage table (with hand and foot restraints if you feel so inclined) and one of these puppies.  Then go gather up the worst of the worst for a sensual massage.  No doubt you’ll have Osama’s home address and an invitation to a cave dinner party within twenty deep strokes of the right calf muscle.”

Joe Biker finishes his post with:

• “However, you have to respect the stick and its allure.  Even after a day or two, you’ll start using it all over your body, contorting yourself like a yoga master to get ever little hitch out of your muscular system.  You’ll leave it on the sofa and give yourself a rub down during 30 Rock commercial breaks.  Then the first warning sign will appear.  You’ll consider buying another, so you can have one at work.  After that it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be in a 12 step program for those with stick addiction.”

Check out the entire post here – http://thebestbikeblogever.blogspot.com/2009/05/addicted-to-massage-stick-torture.html

 

A Routine to Massage Your Legs With “The Stick”.

Here is a video I recorded on how to massage your legs using The Stick.   I am using the Travel Stick while I roll out my legs.  The Travel Stick has a standard flexibility and is short, making it ideal for travel.

The Travel Stick

The different models of Sticks can be found here.