It’s been said that getting older is better than the alternative. While that may be true, some people certainly age more gracefully than others. And many of the perceived negatives of aging aren’t inevitable. In fact, there’s a lot we can do to help ourselves look great and feel great for decades.

One physical issue often associated with aging is called a dowager’s hump. The more formal term for this condition is kyphosis. But it gets its name from the image many of us have of a hunched-over old woman. If you’ve seen people with this condition, you may dread developing it yourself. It’s a healthy fear, as the condition can be quite painful. Fortunately, it can be preventable. But you may need to make some adjustments to your posture and your lifestyle to avoid it.

First, it’s important to understand what dowager’s hump is and how it develops. It’s not something that happens overnight; rather, it’s the result of cumulative pressure and stress. While your thoracic vertebrae (near the top of your spine) naturally curve forward a bit, a dowager’s hump occurs when this curve becomes extreme and extends into the neck area. In fact, someone who has an actual dowager’s hump likely has a slight fracture in their spine, which is sometimes called a “wedge fracture.”

But a fracture isn’t the only way to end up with a dowager’s hump. This condition can be the result of bad posture over a long period of time. Think about the way you likely sit at the computer. If you’re like most people, you spend a good portion of the day sitting slouched over, leaning your head forward to read a screen, whether it’s your laptop, your phone, or your tablet. This is bad for your spinal bones, as this position compresses the front portion of your spine. You can probably straighten up now, but eventually, you won’t be able to do so completely. That’s when the hump begins to be noticeable.

Part of the problem is all in your head – literally. Our heads are heavy! When you don’t hold your head up straight, you create additional weight and pressure that your body has to handle. In fact, for every inch you move your head away from a straight line, it adds 10 pounds of pressure. If you’re constantly slouching and leaning your head three inches forward, you’ve just added 30 pounds of extra effort for your spine.

If you walked into the gym one day and your trainer dumped an extra 30 pounds onto you without warning, you might give up. You’d probably find a new trainer. Our bodies don’t have that option, so they try to adapt. They do this by creating layers of connective tissue in the area. By creating more and more layers of tissues around the spine, the brain and body are assuring themselves that your head isn’t going to fall off. But the problem is these tissues stiffen your spine. You can actually feel this tissue once you’ve laid down enough layers – your lower neck will hurt, and the area will feel thicker and stiffer than the tissue in other places on your body.

It’s better to avoid getting to this point through good posture and the strengthening exercises that I will tell you about below. But if you do notice this layer of tissue forming, whether people start to urge you to stand up straight or you can feel the area by rubbing your neck, it’s not too late to take steps to keep the dowager’s hump from progressing.
By studying the posture of people who maintain straight spines into their old age, we can get an idea of the best ways to sit and stand. You’ll need to regularly make adjustments to your posture until these positions become natural. The first thing to keep in mind is that you should NOT tuck your pelvis, whether you’re sitting, standing, or walking. This may actually seem counterintuitive at first. Let me explain why this is important, and how to tell if you’re doing it right.

Let’s start with sitting. Some people sit on the back of the pelvis (the sacrum), while others sit on the sitz bones (ischial tuberosities), which are found on the bottom of the pelvis. This one is easy to remember. You should sit on the sitz bones. To make sure you are sitting properly, sit on your hands. You should feel bones digging into your palms. Keeping your feet flat on the floor can help you maintain proper posture when sitting. If you pay attention, you should be able to feel that you are sitting on the sitz bones. It may even be a bit uncomfortable at first. But your body should quickly adjust, and you’ll reduce your neck pain too.

To further reduce your neck pain, make sure you keep your head directly over your spine. Don’t add that extra weight by letting it droop forward. This will be easier to do once the bottom half of your body is in proper alignment, but you’ll still need to be aware of it for a while until it becomes a habit.

When you’re standing, make sure you aren’t thrusting your pelvis forward. When you do, your head, shoulders, and back follow. That’s because your lower back has to lean backward to help you keep your balance. You create a chain reaction of overcompensation throughout your body. Make sure your pelvis is directly underneath you. Then when you walk, let your chest relax – don’t arch your back to lift it up. This will help straighten out your lower spine, allowing your upper spine to follow suit.
Once you’ve adjusted the posture issues that are causing your spine to curve, you can begin to do some stretching and strengthening exercises to begin reversing the damage and reducing pain. For a time, researchers weren’t sure that there was much you could do once you’d developed a dowager’s hump. Fortunately, some new studies have found that strengthening exercises can indeed help.

One such study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, investigated the effects of back-strengthening exercises in 60 women who were estrogen-deficient but otherwise healthy. The women were evaluated over the course of two years. Those who developed a significant increase in back extensor strength had a significant decrease in thoracic kyphosis (dowager’s hump), while those who did not get stronger actually had a slight increase in kyphosis. This suggests that back-strengthening exercises can be impactful even if you’ve already begun to develop a dowager’s hump.

There are a number of exercises you can try to help stretch your back and begin developing strength. First, start with a simple stretch that you can do throughout the day: Hold your right arm loosely by your side. Pull your right shoulder back and down, turning your arm out with your palm forward. You should feel your shoulder blade flatten against your back. Do the same with your left arm, and hold the position for 30 seconds, then relax. If you do this regularly, you’ll begin to open up your shoulders and upper back.

Yoga is another great way to slowly stretch and strengthen your back. In fact, one study found that daily yoga can completely resolve dowager’s hump. Yoga is particularly effective for women who don’t have a spinal fracture as the cause of their hump. It can help both. But when poor posture and weakness are the cause, it can work wonders.

Next, with your doctor’s permission, you can begin incorporating some more intense exercises that will strengthen the muscles in your back and your core. According to the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, strengthening your abdominal muscles can help reduce pain caused by a dowager’s hump. Try starting with an abdominal press. You should lie down on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor. Keep your back relaxed; don’t tense your muscles or arch your back. Instead, tighten your stomach muscles and raise your right leg until your right ankle is about at the same level as your left knee. Gently press on your right knee with your hand. Use your abdominal muscles to resist this pressure and keep your knee in place for three seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.

Once you’ve returned to the starting position, you can also try bridge exercises. Use your stomach muscles and lift your hips up. Keep your feet and your shoulders on the ground. Hold for three seconds, relax, and repeat.

Another abdominal exercise you can try is called a quadruped. You’ll need to flip over so you’re on your hands and needs. Make sure your hands are right under your shoulders. Keep your back and shoulders straight and look down at the floor. Reach one hand out in front of you while simultaneously extending the opposite leg. Contract your abdominal muscles as you lift and hold the position for three seconds. Repeat on the opposite side. This move will strengthen your abdominal muscles while stretching your spine.

When you do exercises to strengthen your core, which typically focus on the front of the body, it’s a good idea to incorporate some back-of-the-body moves into your routine as well so you don’t become imbalanced. According to a study published a few years ago in Osteoporosis International, back extensions can help reverse spine curvature. You need a bench or a short table to do this exercise. Lie down with your stomach on the table, and hook your feet around the end to stabilize yourself. Clasp your hands behind your neck with your elbows pointed out, and let your waist and upper body hang off the table. Continue to bend off the table until you’re at a 90-degree angle. You want to be upside down with your head touching the floor. Pull yourself up slowly until your body is horizontal, then repeat.

Finally, if you are in pain from a dowager’s hump, some research suggests that doing lunges to strengthen your hamstring muscles can help ease the discomfort. Forward lunges will help build not only your hamstring but your abdominal and buttock muscles as well. When you lunge, be sure to keep your back tensed to support you through the stretch. Step forward with your heel coming down first. Bend both knees at a 90-degree angle. You don’t want the knee of your front leg to come over your toes. Your front foot should stay flat and the heel of your back foot should lift up. Let your hips tilt down a little bit. Return to the starting position by pushing off from your front foot, and then repeat on the other side.
If you want special exercises tailored just for you, you may want to contact an Egoscue center www.egoscue.com. This system, developed by Pete Egoscue in 1978, has helped many people recover and remain pain free.
Finally, in order to avoid getting a dowager’s hump in the first place, it’s vital you take care of your bones. That spinal fracture won’t happen if your bones are strong. The exercises listed in this article will help. So will eating a diet rich in green veggies, fruits, and clean protein. And you need to make sure you’re taking magnesium (up to 1,000 mg daily) and vitamin D (2,000 -5,000 IU daily). Both of these nutrients are vital for good bone health. You also may want to consider taking a good bone formula, such as Ultimate Bone Support (800-791-3395).
It’s never too late to begin performing these exercises and correcting your posture. But you’ll have the best results if you keep your muscles strong and your spine aligned before you have a problem. Try incorporating these moves into your exercise routine and leaving yourself notes to check your posture in places where you spend a lot of time sitting, such as your desk at work or near the TV. You may be getting older, but you don’t have to show it!

http://sonomabodybalance.com/2014/04/dowagers-hump-how-to-prevent-or-correct-it/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002561961261372X.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447294/.

How to Use Ashwagandha to Boost Your Sex Life

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for very long, you’ve undoubtedly read about ashwagandha, an adaptogenic herb frequently used in Ayurvedic medicine. Ashwagandha is remarkable because it helps to gently lower cortisol and balance thyroid hormones. It’s particularly good for people who are experiencing adrenal fatigue. And because it lowers cortisol and affects the endocrine system, it can help reduce menopausal sleep difficulties and ease anxiety.

I’ve been prescribing it for the past 25 years, primarily for fatigue. I’ve seen it work wonders for women who were constantly exhausted. So I was thrilled to find that relieving fatigue and reducing anxiety may not be all that ashwagandha can do for women.

Animal studies have found that ashwagandha can be effective at reducing sexual dysfunction caused by stress. Since ashwagandha is known to reduce stress in women, a pair of researchers decided to investigate whether ashwagandha could improve sexual function in women as well.

For this study, the researchers recruited women between the ages of 21 and 50. They needed to have been in a consistent relationship for over a year and have several years of experience participating in sexual activity. Their partners had to be male and had to be either not impotent or minimally impotent.

The researchers administered a number of evaluations to identify women with sexual dysfunction. The women had to score lower than 26 on the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and lower than 11 on the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and demonstrate one more of the following female sexual dysfunction (FSD) issues: hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD), female orgasmic disorder (FOD), or combined genital and subjective arousal disorder.

In order to participate in the study, the women had to be willing to engage in sexual intercourse with the goal of achieving orgasm at least twice per week, willing to use a condom, able to meet the study’s requirements, and able to communicate in English.

The researchers were able to identify 50 women who met their criteria and were willing to participate in the study. The researchers divided them into two equal groups at random. One group (Group A) received 300 mg of a high concentration ashwagandha root extract (HCARE) twice a day for eight weeks, while the other group (Group B) received an identical placebo.

The researchers focused on the FSFI to evaluate the effects of the HCARE. The FSFI is a 19-item questionnaire that participants fill out on their own. It asks about desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. The participants filled out the FSFI before the study started and again at four weeks and at eight weeks. The researchers also evaluated
participants according to the FSDS as well as the Sexual Activity Record (SAR), the Patient’s Global Assessment of Response to Therapy (PGART), the Patient’s Global Assessment of Tolerability to Therapy (PGATT), and their compliance.

At the beginning of the study, all of the women’s FSFI scores revealed that the women were struggling with FSD, with average scores of 13.57 and 13.63 for Group A and Group B, respectively. The women were affected by all the issues presented on the FSFI. After four weeks, scores in both groups had gone up, with average scores of 20.25 and 17.69 for Group A and Group B respectively.

By week eight, Group A’s average was significantly higher, at 23.86, while Group B was at 20.06. In particular, Group A’s scores related to the domains of desire, lubrication, and orgasm were much higher than Group B’s. There were no statistically significant differences in the domain of pain, however.

Group A also reported both improvements in their SARs as well as a higher number of successful sexual encounters. In response to the therapy questionnaires, the 25 women in Group A reported the treatment to be excellent (15), good (9), or moderate (1). None of the women reported any negative side effects to the treatment.

While the ashwagandha may have helped the women’s sexual function improve because it reduced their stress, it’s also possible that it helped because ashwagandha can help boost healthy androgen (male hormones) levels in women, which can improve sexual response. More research will be needed to determine the root cause of the positive effects.

It’s also important to note that this study was small and that the women had not yet experienced menopause. After menopause, sexual dysfunction can become more common and also be harder to address. It’s possible that ashwagandha can help postmenopausal women, but this study didn’t investigate that particular topic. I’ll have more on sex after menopause in next month’s issue.

Nevertheless, I think the results of this study are very promising. My patients are typically very happy with their results when I prescribe ashwagandha. So I’m excited to discuss it with my patients who are struggling with sexual function issues and see what they think. If this is an area of concern for you, consider discussing this herb with your holistic healthcare provider. I think it’s definitely worth a try.

Dongre, S., D. Langade, and S. Bhattacharyya. “Efficacy and safety of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in improving sexual function in women: A pilot study.” BioMed Research Int. 2015;2015:284154.doi: 10.1155/2015/284154.

http://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2016-04/ashwagandha-root-extract-and-sexual-function-women.

Nutrition Detective

How to Stop Painful Diabetic Neuropathy Without Drugs

Among the many side effects of diabetes, painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) can be one of the most challenging both to treat and to diagnose. Although up to 20% of diabetic patients suffer from it, there isn’t an objective way to determine whether or not a patient actually has it. This lack of clarity can make it hard to diagnose and treat, particularly since it’s difficult to conduct research on a condition when there’s a lack of consensus about how to assess its presence.

Right now, there’s no single best way to treat PDN; doctors typically recommend a combination of controlling blood sugar and minimizing risk factors. They also often offer antidepressants, anti-seizure, and/or pain medication to help with pain management. New treatments being developed stem from alpha-lipoic acid, benfotiamine, and aldosterone-reductase inhibitors. In order to properly treat the nerves, we have to understand what in fact is going on. Typically, an autoimmune reaction is taking place and the immune system is mistakenly attacking the nerves as if they were a foreign organism. Along with this reaction, individuals with PDN often have vitamin B deficiencies – specifically vitamins B1, B6, and B12.

So, what is actually at the root of the horrible tingling sensation and numbness? Lack of circulation – the nerves are starved for sufficient blood flow to function properly.
Did you know that B1 is primary in protecting the inside of our blood cells. These are our endothelial cells. When blood sugar is high, it destroys these cells. Common vitamin B1 is usually not enough to improve the functionality and health of the cells responsible for our peripheral vascular circulation. This is where benfotiamine comes in. Benfotiamine is a B vitamin that not only improves peripheral nerve health, but also protects the heart in individuals diagnosed with high blood sugar. It also can help reduce vascular damage in diabetics.
And that’s not all it can do. According to research published in Frontiers in Medicine, benfotiamine can help preserve residual renal function in people undergoing peritoneal dialysis. When glucose levels are elevated, as they can be in diabetics, these high glucose levels and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can cause damage to kidney function. Fortunately, benfotiamine can help.

Researchers found that the presence of benfotiamine reduces the damage that high glucose levels can cause and lowers the expression of AGEs, which can wreak havoc throughout the body. Benfotiamine reduces levels of inflammation as well. This is good news for any patient struggling with inflammation and glucose levels, including diabetics.

Because benfotiamine is so effective, Advanced Bionutritionals included it in Advanced Nerve Support, which is a great product for relieving diabetic nerve pain without resorting to prescription medications that can have debilitating side effects. Because benfotiamine is fat-soluble, it stays in your body for a long time, where it can do its good work of reducing vascular damage and protecting the kidneys and the nerves from the damage glucose can cause. With Advanced Nerve Support (800-791-3395), you’ll also get the benefit of other nutrients that are currently being studied in relation to PDN, including alpha-lipoic acid, which supports circulation and helps to further regulate blood sugar.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25806370

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25553239.

LETTERS

Q: In one of your recent newsletters, you described four types of magnesium. How do you know which one to take? – Jo R., via email

Dear Jo,

This is a good question. To simplify: If you have a more sensitive digestive tract, magnesium glycinate is the magnesium for you. If you are constipated and you’re looking for magnesium to aid in moving your bowels, use magnesium oxide. If you don’t have a sensitive digestion and you’re not constipated, magnesium citrate is also a very good form of magnesium. You can experiment with the others, but these are probably the simplest guidelines.

Q. You’ve written a lot about iodine. And you’ve recommended Iodoral as the preferred brand. I’ve read recently that some of the Internet sellers are selling a fake Iodoral and that it’s not effective. Can you tell us if this is true? And can you tell us a trusted source for buying Iodoral to make sure we’re getting the best? – Helen B., via email

Dear Helen,

Complementary Prescriptions (www.cpmedical.net/iodoral.html) sells “real” Iodoral. They were the first company to sell Iodoral to physicians and continue to be a company that sells authentic Iodoral. I’ll have more on Iodoral in future issues.

Q. My poor old stomach/gut is in big trouble, even though I take probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine, and pepsin. I have Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter and need to know if any of the ingredients in the Integrative Digestive Formula will affect my heart. – Lorna F., via email

Dear Lorna,

I spoke with Dr. Eliaz, the formulator of Integrative Digestive Formula, and he said that he has not had a patient or a customer report heart symptoms such as atrial fibrillation. Consider testing the waters slowly and just take one capsule with your two largest meals of the day.
________________________________________

Dear Dr. Zand,

This is a thank you note and a report. My husband is diabetic and he has suffered with nerve pain in his fingers and toes for the past three years. He has tried many things prescription and natural and nothing really worked. About four months ago he began using Advanced Nerve Support. Oh my! He is so much better! And less grumpy. I have to tell you that when he first opened the bottle and saw the size of the tablets he said – ‘no way.' But he now takes three daily. I know it says two, but he is a big man – 6'2" and 225 pounds.

I am not diabetic but for some reason I started having what my doctor said was 'peripheral nerve pain' in my hands. I now take the Advanced Nerve Support as well. I have to say, I feel better too. So, thank you for this formula and all that you do to keep us all healthy.
In gratitude,

Elizabeth S.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota