MAKING THE SWITCH TO CLEANER OPTIONS: BODY CARE

You may wonder why body wash is on this list for cleaner options. What we put on our bodies actually gets absorbed into our systems. Our skin is our largest organ, we need to be mindful of what it is absorbing. If you look at some of the ingredients in typical body care items such as lotions, body wash, sunscreen, make-up, etc it’s no wonder people are having a harder time with hormone regulation. If you still prefer to purchase products, try using the “Healthy Living” app and use the feature where they rank the cleanliness of products, you can actually scan the barcode and most products will pop up. 

1. Body wash with Coconut milk 

   1. ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

   2. ⅔ cup unscented liquid castile soap (surprise surprise) 

   3. 3 teaspoons jojoba oil

   4. 2 teaspoons glycerin

   5. 1 teaspoon raw honey

   6. 5 drops tea tree essential oil (optional)

   7. 5 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

2. Shampoo

   1. ½ cup of water

   2. ½ cup castile soap (surprise surprise- again)

   3. 1 teaspoons very light vegetable oil or glycerin (omit if you have oily hair)

   4. Few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

3. Conditioner

   1. 1 cup distilled water

   2. ¼ cup marshmallow root

   3. 2 tablespoons coconut oil, sweet almond oil or jojoba oil

   4. 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

   5. 15-25 drops essential oils of choice.

4. Make-up remover

   1. 2 cups of distilled water

   2. 1-3 tbsp of your choice of oil

   3. 1 tbsp witch hazel

   4. 15 paper towel sheets, cut in half

   5. mason jar

   6. 25 drops of your choice of essential oil

5. Toner (photo: spray bottle 1)

   1. Mix about half witch hazel and rosewater

6. Moisturizer (photo: spray bottle 2 & small brown bottle)

   1. spray bottle: rose water

   2. oil bottle: Half rosehip oil and half jojoba 

   3. essential oil: 

      1. lavender 

      2. carrot seed 

      3. chamomile 

   4. Mix about 3 sprays of spray bottle and small pump of brown oil bottle, mix amount dependent on consistency you prefer.

As you have likely noticed, castile soap, water, and essentials make up a huge amount of cleaner options.

Indoor Walking Exercises for the Winter

With an unshakable layer of ice on the front steps for three days, now is the perfect time to talk about indoor exercise options, especially for those folks who have been depending upon outdoor walking for their cardio workout. In addition to the Cannon Falls school fieldhouse, open on certain days for indoor walking using the track, I came across this wonderful free resource on YouTube last month. The walking at home videos are fun, set to music, involve a little additional arm, leg coordination and balance moves to make the workout more fun and productive, The videos are anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. New content is uploaded regularly. You do not need a large area to do the routine, but please remember to use some good shoes as if you were exercising outdoors.

https://www.youtube.com/c/LeslieSansonesWalkatHome

MAKING THE SWITCH TO CLEANER OPTIONS

In the past I have written about different options for at home care in terms of strategies or exercises as well as checking what kind of products you use as there are tons of products that you likely use daily that can negatively affect your hormones. For this blog I want to give different options that are really easy that you can just replace at home, especially if you find the transition from what you already use to a more clean option a bit overwhelming. Making the switch can seem like a lot, whether it’s out of routine or habit of buying certain products or simply that making the switch may be too expensive. Most of the products when combined differently can be used for different tasks. This week we will discover some options with castile soap.

Do you already use some of these switches? What kind of switch are you looking for? Beauty routine, such as face or body care? Comment what you’re looking for and we will try to get a blog out about it!

1. Castile Soap-

   1. Foaming Hand Soap

      1. 1-2 tablespoons castile soap

      2. 2 cups water

      3. Mix together in soap dispenser, shake and pump to use

   2. Floor Scrub

      1. 1-2 tablespoons castile soap

      2. 1 gallon warm water

      3. 10-12 drops of essential oils if desired

      4. Mix in large bucket, mop & dry

   3. All Purpose Cleaner

      1. 1 teaspoon castile soap

      2. 2 cups water

      3. 3 drops of essential oils if desired, tea tree works best if you want disinfectant qualities. 

      4. Mix in spray bottle, shake, spray and wipe clean

   4. Countertop Cleaner

      1. 1 teaspoon castile soap

      2. 1 ½ cups water

      3. ½ cup rubbing alcohol

      4. Mix in spray bottle, shake, spray and wipe clean

   5. Window Cleaner

      1. 2 drops castile soap

      2. 2 cups water

      3. Mix in spray bottle, spray on windows and mirrors and wipe clean.

   6. Toilet Scrub

      1. 3 cups warm water

      2. ¼ cup castile soap

      3. 3 tablespoons baking soda

      4. 3 cups warm water

      5. Pour in container, shake to combine. Squirt in toilet, let sit for 15 minutes, scrub & flush

CHIROPRACTIC FOR HIP PAIN AFTER A HYSTERECTOMY

Having patients working in various areas of health care has proven to been an invaluable source of “insider information”. Such was the case when I had an enlightening conversation with an OBG surgical nurse a few years ago. I was discussing with her my observation of the high incidence of post hysterectomy persistent sacroiliac pain, dysfunction, and hypermobility. I had always assumed that the issue stemmed from the ligamentous rearrangement inside the pelvis after the removal of the uterus, since there are two large ligaments attaching the uterus to the ilium and sacrum, and that may well be part of the problem. However the surgical nurse pointed out a much more logistical reason for the post surgical strain on the pelvis, which has to do with the mere surgical positioning for the procedure. You will forgive me for the somewhat graphic photo that serves to illustrate my point. There is a lot of starting lumbar extension and hip abduction. In that confined space, you need to add two people working in tandem (surgeon and assistant), which means that inevitably one of the surgical team members could be applying additional pressure on the leg, if the patient is smaller, has reduced hip mobility, or if the surgical team is comprised of larger individuals.

Some women has uneventful recoveries from the procedures, but I have treated many women who do not. They continue to deal with some mysterious pain in the sacrum and groin areas months after surgery. Examination findings and Xrays show some major new developments stemming from the positional strains, but those can be, and should be treated and there is no need to suffer needlessly

Caution on Higher Dose Zinc Supplements for COVID Prevention

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ccr3.2987

I really should have written this before, but as is often the case, it kept getting displaced by other priority items on my schedule, until the urgency of it hits me in the middle of a busy clinic day.

With this prolonged COVID pandemic and a more contagious newcomer hitting just about every one, many prevention minded patients are trying to keep themselves healthy by increasing supplementation of certain nutrients associated with a better mucosal immune response. Zinc has become a very popular go-to in that regard, but there is a LOT of confusion and counterproductive practices surrounding its use, and more worrisome, some really bad potential side effects.

Zinc has some well documented benefits for upper respiratory viral protection, and in taste smell recovery. BUT MORE IS NOT BETTER. Zinc is one of many trace minerals that are absorbed and metabolized in a delicate relative balance. Zinc and copper in particular, will down regulate each other. It means that it you take a higher dose of zinc alone for a prolonged period of time, you will decrease copper, and copper is actually really important for many neurological and blood building functions. Copper deficiency can mimic iron deficiency anemia. This was a case I encountered earlier this week, and which prompted me to write this blog. One of our patients was dealing with a persistent anemia for months, elusive to diagnosis and treatment. She lives with high risk individuals and really wanted to limit her risk of bringing COVID home by taking a boosting supplement that contained 100 mg of zinc.

Higher doses of zinc alone would be along the line of more than 50 mg of daily zinc for more than 4 weeks, without balancing with other trace minerals. You would have to also look at other supplements taken daily along with zinc to estimate your total daily intake since many supplements will contain smaller amounts of zinc. In general 30 mg a day of zinc is not considered an issue in the long term, and that is why you will almost never see professional brands containing more than that amount in standalone zinc supplementation.

Chronic Leg Pain in Athletes- Part 3

Part 3 of these mini series of Chronic Leg pain in athletes based on this research article, Chronic Leg Pain in Athletes.

Stress Fractures-

Stress fractures come from repetitive microtrauma to the bone. In the lower extremity, the most common bone for a stress fracture is the tibia, it may be in other bones depending on the activity. Runners tend to have a higher rate in the area of the tibia closer to the ankle while volleyball and basketball players get it closer to the knee.

Individuals that are at a higher risk of developing a stress fracture are those that have a history of eating disorders, menstrual irregularities, or previous stress fractures. The pain is usually described as a pain that doesn’t have a particular starting event or day and seems to creep up slowly in a specific area of the bone. This pain gets worse when weight bearing activities are being done, but gets better with rest.

Most stress fractures are able to be managed with non- operative options. These options include rest, pain relief and modification of risk factors. In addition to the risk factors noted above, the limb and foot alignment need to be evaluated as well as muscle tone and limb length discrepancies which should be addressed in managing the stress fracture. Management will also include limiting weight bearing activities, limited and reduced to the point that pain is no longer being experienced. Progressing back to play is guided by pain and a full recovery can take 8 - 16 weeks.

Seated Version of the Cat and Cow Yoga Stretch (When There is No Way to Get on All Fours)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwRPAac2Vto

The cat and cow yoga stretch is a mainstay of many routines we recommend for patients with lumbar and generalized spine pain. It is a combination of active range of motion, gentle core muscle firing and segmentation of the spinal segments that stimulate normal proprioception at the level of the brain.

The cat and cow is accessible to a lot of people, minus the logistical challenge of being able to get on all 4’s to do it. That is not always accessible to patients during the daytime when away from home.

The seated variation is an effective way to get in a similar maneuver during the daytime, it can be done on most any chair and even while driving. One of the keys is to be close to the edge of the chair and be able to open the knees in a V position to allow for full trunk movement in flexion and extension.

Chronic Leg Pain in Athletes- Part2

Part 2 of these mini series of Chronic Leg pain in athletes based on this research article, Chronic Leg Pain in Athletes.

Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome- 

As an exercise leg pain present in the front of the leg 27% of the time is due to CECS. Even with knowing this percentage there usually is an average of 2 YEARS from when symptoms first began to the correct diagnosis. Most patients are in their early 20s with pretty equal chances between men and women.

The volume of a muscle can increase nearly 20% which would create additional pressure in these compartments and if the surrounding fascia is unable to expand, compartment syndrome can occur. There is a high recurrence rate as well as high chance some symptoms not be fully resolved based on the condition itself. .

Nonoperative management would include ice, massage, stretching, ultrasound, shoe modification and some gait modifications. The nonoperative management with greatest strength includes activity changes or subsiding of the activity creating the compartment syndrome pain. Operative management includes a surgical release of the compartment to release the pressure.

For additional information on chronic leg pain in athletes and specifically chronic exertional compartment syndrome you can check out the research article listed above