Become a fan of Back Together on Facebook- this will give you access to updates on your iPhone, and give you the opportunity to look for Back Together news and events through your Facebook homepage. Also, questions and comments for BackWords can be submitted through Facebook. Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Back-Together/48839049034?ref=ts
Best,
Andy
Recorded live from The Pines, Fire Island. Sorry for the wind noise AND the messed up aspect ratio- still working out the kinks.
Choosing a new mattress can be a daunting experience. There are so many choices out there. Here are some basic thoughts on mattresses and sleep in general. Above all, sleep is a very personal thing, so whenever possible, purchase a mattress from a company with a liberal exchange policy so you don’t get stuck with a lemon.
Best,
Andy
PS- wearing my fave t-shirt. No offense intended to my homeschooled viewers.
I hope this post finds you all well. I am back from my hiatus. It began in May with a pretty serious family emergency, which has thankfully resolved well- and has ended with BOTH of my kids recovering from swine flu.
During my hiatus, I have had the opportunity to review old entries, and really figure out where I want this blog to go.
As before, I will focus on many of the intricacies of back pain, and how you can get rid of it. Look for more interviews with professionals in different areas of health care related to the diagnosis and treatment of back pain.
Additionally, I will occasionally include some topical content relevant to things going on in health and wellness in general (Sorry I missed the whole H1N1 thing.)
We live in a really interesting time- medical technology is improving at an amazing rate. Our ability to accurately diagnose and treat illness gets better with each day. At the same time, many parts of the world are facing a crisis of medical distribution. I will be covering some aspects of the health insurance debate as it unfolds here in the US. I will be traveling to London at the end of this month where I will speak with some folks about how their medical system works.
I am amazed by the numbers of people I run into who have strong opinions on the subject, but honestly know very little of the pertinent facts involved in this debate. Like they say at one of my favorite stores- “An educated consumer is the best customer.” Stay tuned.
As always, feel free to send in questions and comments- they really do help to roll things along.
Thank you!
-Andy
Ok folks- sorry for the delay here in posting. I want to always keep you updated with new material & information, but Kevin & I were dealing with some pretty complicated technical issues, which thankfully, have been largely resolved.
Stacy sent in a question about the Back Together techniques:
“My mother is being treated for breast cancer, and she has really bad back pain. In your book, you say that these techniques should not be used on people with cancer. Why is that?”
First of all, please wish you mother well. I don’t know what type of breast cancer she has, or how advanced it is, but regardless- that is a difficult disease to deal with no matter what the context.
The reason the Back Together techniques should not be used on persons with cancer is twofold: First of all, many types of cancer spread, and the disease takes advantage of the network of ‘pipes’ in the lymphatic system. Now, while elements of your lymphatic system are supposed to fight off cancer, it is not always successful- and the cancer uses the network to spread. Several of the soft tissue techniques in Back Together stimulate movement through the lymphatics, and in theory, could aid the cancer’s spread. The second reason is that some cancers can spread to bone, destabilizing the bones, and the pressure on affected structures could result in a fracture.
Depending on the state of her cancer, you could show the book to her treating physician, and see how he feels about utilizing the hands-on techniques. That being said, the ergonomic, and psychological strategies could still be of some use to your mom.
Again, my best wishes to you and your family. Please keep me posted on her recovery.
Thank you for your question.
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