Fatigue, sluggishness, lack of energy … also one of the 5 most common complaints I have heard over the past 12 plus months.

Especially from females and mom’s between 25 and 50 years of age.If you are struggling with low energy too, I have 3 simple tips for you that will help you to reclaim your get-up and go.

First of all, eat better!

Less refined foods/carbs (the sugary sweet stuff) and more unrefined carbs such as whole grains, fresh fruit and uncooked (or slightly steamed) veggies.

Pair these with your favorite protein for sustained energy levels. You can also try 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2 or 3 large meals.

This will also help with maintaining good energy levels all day long.

Secondly, drink more water and less caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks. Remember that water is 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen. Oxygen is a necessary ingredient for the production of energy inside your body.

How much should you drink?

LOTS!

And number three, exercise!

Less sitting and more exercise.

Adults between 18 and 65 years of age need a minimum of 25 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. And you don’t need a gym membership. Exercise can be as simple (and effective) as a brisk walk, a bike ride or a light jog.

One of the many benefits of exercise is that it increases your respiration which means you draw more oxygen into your body. Remember that oxygen is that necessary ingredient for energy production.

There you have it.

 Three simple tips that you can start to implement right now today that will certainly give you more get-up and go!

Backache is one of the top 5 most common symptoms that females especially have complained about over the past year and a half or so.

And the presentation of backache varies from person to person. Some people have backache when lying/sleeping, others when sitting, others when standing (at the kitchen sink for example), others when walking and others when bending/lifting.

If any of these sound familiar, here are three tips for you to help make your activities of daily living easier for you to get through.

First of all is sleep. Your mattress and sleeping posture are important and you can scroll down and check out past posts I have done on both of these topics. But just a reminder, sleeping on your stomach is not your best sleeping posture as it is can easily irritate the spinal joints in your neck and your lower back both.

Secondly, should you use an cold pack or a hot pack when your back is bothering you? Remember that when you have pain or discomfort, there is also associated inflammation. In this case it would be the spinal nerves or the spinal joints or both, in your lower back area. So, when you add heat to something that is already inflamed, it can make the problem 10 times worse.

This is a common mistake many people make. Cold compresses (ice) on the other hand are a natural anti-inflammatory and you can never go wrong with a cold compress for 15 minutes on the tender spot 3 or 4 times a day.

And finally, if you need to sit a lot throughout the day (eg. your job), it is far better for your back to sit on a posture disc or an exercise ball or use a sit-stand capable desk. Any one of these will take a huge load off of your lower spine (especially if you are carrying a few extra pounds around the waistline) and all three of these recommendations collectively can prove to be a real back-saver for you.

Next time we are going to talk about fatigue so if your get-up-and-go has disappeared lately, you may want to check out my next post.

Depression.

One of the top 5 complaints that I have heard from patients during the past 16 months during the revolving lock-downs.

And even though we have been given some of our freedoms back of late, a lot of people are still struggling with this because their lives have been permanently altered.

One of the many residual effects of lockdowns that the experts did not predict.

Now as you know I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but I have treated many, many people (too many than I would like to admit) with various degrees of depression, so I can speak a little bit towards this.

If you are anyone in your family is struggling with some depression, I have one simple tip for you.

One of the very best things you can do to elevate your mood is exercise. Exercise releases endorphins into your body. Endorphins are your feel-good hormones or what I like to call your "happy hormones".

And if you are not a gym person like me, exercise can be as simple as a walk, a hike, a swim, a bike ride, or a yoga or pilates class. And the more of this you can do outside in nature, the better. Because nature is never depressed or depressing.

Exercising 3 or 4 times per week (and you can also make it a family event) will go a long ways towards keeping those happy hormones circulating throughout your body which in turn will help to keep your mood elevated.

Give it a try!

Next time we are going to talk about backache.

Along with headaches, neck aches, depression and fatigue, backache also made it into the top 5.

 So if you or anyone you know is suffering from backache, please be sure to visit our next post

Hey doc… should I be sleeping on my stomach, my side or my back? And what kind of pillow should I be using?

Hi guys.

Dr Brad here and today we are going to talk about sleeping posture and pillows because I get asked these kinds of questions all the time.

First of all, stomach sleeping is by far the worst sleeping posture in my opinion. It is not good for your neck alignment because you have to torque your head and neck to one side or the other so you can breathe.

And this will irritate the highly sensitive joints in your neck which can result in morning headaches, neck ache and neck stiffness.

Similarly, sleeping on your stomach will irritate the spinal joints in your lower back which can result in morning backache and stiffness.

If you are a side sleeper the important thing is that you have enough pillow between your cheek and the tip of your shoulder to keep your head and neck perpendicular to your shoulders.

Also, sleeping in a fetal position with arms across your chest and a small pillow between your knees will increase your chances of having a restful and peaceful sleep.

For you back sleepers, your pillow should elevate your head and neck 15 to 20 degrees only, arms along your side or across your abdomen (not hands behind your head) and a couple of pillows under your knees will help especially if you suffer from lower back pain.

What about pillows … should you use a contour pillow, a cradle pillow, a water pillow, a bamboo pillow, a memory foam pillow etc.?

This I cannot answer for you.

My best recommendation however is go to a store such as Sleep Country where they have every type of pillow for you to shop, compare and choose from. Consulting with one of their sleep experts will help you make the very best choice for your specific requirements.

And knowing what your neck posture looks like would be advantageous for pillow selection and this is what I can help you with.

I hope you find this to be helpful and if you have any questions/comments please reach out to me on fb and I will be sure to assist in any way that I can.

Next time, we will talk about depression and some natural ways you can try to elevate your mood.

So, if you or anyone in your family is struggling with this, please be sure to check in.

Should I sleep on a firm mattress, a soft mattress, a coil mattress, a spring mattress, one that pops out of a box or a memory foam mattress?

Hi guys.

Dr Brad here and I get asked these questions all the time. And if you are wondering the same thing, I am going to try and help you out with this today.

The answer to this question is honestly; “I do not know?” I have no idea what type of mattress would be best for you.

But this is what I do know… the best mattress for you would meet these 3 criteria;

1-you get 8 to 10 hours of sound, deep sleep.

2-you do not toss and turn; you sleep in the same position pretty much the entire time.

3- you feel well rested and refreshed when you get up; you are not sore, achy or stiff and it doesn’t take you 10 minutes to get to walking upright.

So, the trick is how do you find such a mattress?

My best recommendation would be this; when you are ready to purchase a new mattress, purchase from a mattress store that will offer you a trial period.

Some will offer you a 120 night trial period for you to try it out. That way you will know if the one you purchased works for you, or if you need to change the design or go firmer or go softer etc.

Now what about if you do not sleep alone?

Often times your partner will have different mattress requirements than you will. In this circumstance you can get a split mattress where one side is designed specifically for your partner and the other side is designed specifically for you.

There is always a cost factor to consider but sleep is important for many things so it’s a wise investment.

And a good and proper mattress will always have more longevity.

Next time we will talk about sleeping posture and pillows.

Your neck and shoulders ache while you are sitting at your computer working.

You struggle at night trying to get comfortable with your pillow.

You find it ever more difficult to safely check your blind spot while driving.

Hey guys. Dr Brad here and if any of these ring a bell with you, let me try and help you out with this today.

If you are the kind to hold all your stress in your neck and shoulders, these are the types of things that can become a chronic problem for you.

Especially if you are not taking any measures to counteract this.So, here are a couple of things you can try.

Last time I showed you 3 specific stretches to do once you feel a headache coming on. You can find them by scrolling down to my very last post.

You can also do these 3 stretches if you suffer from neck ache and add these 2 more; the first one is gently tilt your head (ear towards shoulder) and secondly head rotation. Make sure you tilt and rotate to the right and the left both.And a rule of thumb regarding stretching … take it the point of tension and hold it there for at least 30 seconds (60 is ideal).

Don’t force anything past the point of tension as it could cause a soft-tissue (muscle) strain. And as long as you observe this, you can safely do these stretches 4 or 5 times a day if you need to.

I was going to touch on sleeping posture and pillows today but since so many people struggle with this, I decided at the last moment to devote an entire post towards this which will be my very next one.

In the meantime, try the stretches for your neck aches and let me know how they work for you. I always appreciate your feedback or any questions you may have.You can always reach out to me on fb.

Are they every week?, twice a week?, 3 times a week?

Are you getting those stress headaches every day? Are you going to bed with a headache and/or waking up with a headache? Are you reaching for those pain-killers more than you would like to?

Hey guys.

Dr Brad here again and if this sounds like you, please read on because I am going to explain to you how these headaches can arise and I am going to give you 2 tips you can do at home to try to take the edge off of these things.

If you are the type to hold all your stress and tension in your neck and shoulders, over the course of time these repetitive episodes will irritate/inflame the numerous nerves at the top of your neck and along the base of your skull.

These same nerves envelope your entire skull including your face. This is why these type of headaches seem to start along the base of the skull, migrate to the top of the head and may even settle in the frontal area. The frontal area is defined as the area between your temples; the forehead and around your eyes.

So here are 2 things you can do when you start to feel one of these nasties coming on.

The first thing is do these 3 stretches; 1- interlace fingers, hands behind your head and gently pull down chin to chest. 2- same starting position but turn head 30 degrees to the right and gently pull down chin to chest with a slight direction to the left (opposite side). 3- the opposite of #2. Turn head to left and gently pull down to the right.
 
Rule of thumb when stretching….when you get to point of tension, hold it there. Do not force past the point of tension. Hold it for a minimum for 30 seconds, 60 is ideal. Do this 2 or 3 times to break-up some of that muscular tension along the base of your skull and the top of the your neck.
 
Now you are ready for the second part – your flexible ice pack.

You will want to lie down on a firm pillow, wrap the ice pack with a thin tissue (to prevent frost-bite) and lie on it for 15 minutes. If you do experience concurrent frontal headaches, turn the ice pack over and lie it across your forehead and eyes for another 10 minutes.

You can safely do this routine once an hour until you break the cycle and start to relax and feel some relief.

If you do try this, let me know how it works for you. And if you do have any questions, you are always welcome to reach out to me on fb.

Hello everyone.

Dr Brad here again.

Headaches, neck aches, backaches, depression and fatigue.

These are the 5 most common complaints I have heard from females between 25 and 50 years of age during the past 15 months during these revolving lockdowns.

And if this sounds like you, please read on because I am going to offer a suggestion for you.

Most of my patients reported that these symptoms were “ very occasional “ or “ rare” before lockdowns started but now most of them are reporting they can be almost daily.

And to the point where they are affecting ADL’s (activities of daily living) and overall quality of life.

The concern too however, is that these can indirectly impact other members of the family and the whole family dynamic. So, this is what we are going to do.

Over the next few posts I am going to share some practical tips on how you can keep these things at bay. There is no reason for these things to become debilitating.

The first thing we are going to discuss are those headaches. And if you do not already have one, I would like you to pick up a flexible ice pack (size: 12cm x 22cm approx.). You can get one at any pharmacy and I do sell them here at the clinic also. They are not very expensive.

This can be your very best friend when you feel one of those nasty headaches coming on but 

you need to know how to use it properly.

 

And this is what I will show you in my next post.

Hello everyone.

Dr Brad here again and I hope you have been enjoying my most recent posts on how good posture can help you move better, feel better and even look better.

And also the exercise and posture tips that I included.

And if you haven’t seen them yet, you can scroll down and check them all out.

One question I have been getting is how do I know if my posture is good, bad or improving? Or if the exercises are even working?

I know this can be a bit of a challenge to assess on your own so I have a suggestion for you.

And that is inviting you to come into the clinic for a detailed posture analysis.

A posture analysis is easy to do. It’s non-invasive and only takes about 15 minutes. We use an ipad to do the analysis.

I will review it with you right then and there. I will show you where there may be issues with your posture and will give some exercises and posture tips that you can take home and start using right away.

And if you wish, I can check your children’s posture too. We can do everyone at the very same time. It’ll be fun!!

And by the way, these are complimentary. There is no charge to you.

The phone number to call to reserve your appointment is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

If you do not get a live person, please use our voicemail and clearly leave your first name and phone number and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Hello all.

Dr Brad here again.

Have you noticed lately that you are starting to get a humpback?

Are you concerned that you are only 30 or 40 years old but you’re looking like your 80 or 90?

This type of posture too may also start to weigh on your self-esteem.

Today I am going to explain why this may be happening to you and during this short video I will give you 2 easy and inexpensive strategies to help you look younger and feel more confident about yourself.

Humping of the upper back is a consequence of forward head posture or tech neck that has been left undetected and uncorrected.

Remember too that tech neck is a consequence of frequent sitting especially sitting with poor posture.

Here are 2 things that you can do …

Number one is to sit on an exercise ball or a posture disc. Either one of these will automatically help you assume a more upright sitting posture.

Secondly, try doing this reverse posture exercise….

Stand up with your back against a wall; feet shoulder width apart and about 1 foot away from the base board. Your contact points are your shoulders, elbows, back of hands, and your butt.
Now gently push your head straight back towards the wall and hold it there for 10 seconds. If you can touch the wall great, but if you can’t that’s ok. You will need to work towards this.
Do 10 repetitions of this with a 5 second rest in between.

And you can do this little routine 3 or 4 times a day if you need to. Be gentle and don’t force anything.

Now, if you have difficulty eventually getting the back of your head to touch the wall, you definitely have a structural problem that needs further attention.

This is something I can certainly help you with, but try this first and let me know how it works for you.