^ did you tell her we are meant to be acidic lol?Diet WILL not turn you acidic. You're body tightly regulates your pH. A ketogenic diet however will give you shocking breath.
I’m thinking of the stomach
Great post there Eastie_Boi with all the research stuff. #17 didn't make much sense, but then again I've only just worked out that a nagging hip/back soreness that's been bugging me for nearly a year is fixed by extra stretching of the quads, so who knows what the fk really goes on with our bodies.Not relating specifically to your case (which I suspect is more to do with the interplay between rectus femoris and the lumbar extensors and how they influence pelvis angle which in turn influences the stress on the sacroiliac and sacrolumbar joints), but to understand how stretching/massaging say the lower leg could potentially influence shoulder flexibility you need to think of the human body as a single, big web of chemical bonds controlled by electrical signals. The greater the electrical signal, the stronger the chemical bond. When we stretch or massage we cause a drop in that electrical signal, which reduces the chemical bonds and allows a greater range of movement. As the body is a single organism it can’t completely disassociate signal reductions occurring in different areas of the body, so you get a regional transfer effect.
Keep in mind this is largely theoretical, as no one has even come close to proving WHY massage or stretching works except to rule out a physical/mechanical lengthening of muscle or connective tissue. It’s also hypothesised that left leg will crossover to right shoulder, and right leg to left shoulder due to the way the layers of connective tissue (specifically fascia) span across the body
There is definitely something in what you have written there Eastie.
We need to look at the body as one whole unit rather than a bunch of parts. We can see that the body is a big X with the right shoulder connected to left hip and vice versa. You can see that in the way that force is channelled through the body. Also contra-lateral crawling helps to strengthen this as does segmental rolling.
The electrical and chemical signalling is interesting. If you look at the vestibular system and its importance in the normal functioning of the human body that may have some input into the electrical and chemical signalling for sure. It is one of the first systems to begin developing in the womb after about 21 days from conception and fully developed at about 5 months from conception. It is the king of the senses with every thing tied to it. Every muscle in the body is connected to the vestibular system, especially the neck and core muscles. Every movement we make or is made to us affects the system and through it we build a 3D body and movement map of ourselves with our proprioceptive system. Massage would greatly stimulate the proprioceptive system and help to restore or rebuild our body map and hence make movement easier and reduce pain.
Using the Original Strength big 5 exercises I have been able to repair my abused body and give me strength and movement back in my knees and ankles that were shot. Doing quadraped rocking with the foot plantar flexed has taken away the pain in my knees that stopped me from kicking with my right foot as well as helped to rebuild the stability in my shoulders that were destroyed from footy. That I can press heavy again and that they no longer pop out when I am drying my hair is a benefit!
The same rocking but with the foot dorsiflexed has fixed both my ankles that had been shredded from multiple sprains, tears and breaks. It has helped give me reflexive strength back into the joints and I no longer roll my ankle on a pebble. I can step down form something awkwardly now and if my foot is deflected, instead of the ankle joint just collapsing under weight, I can now correct quickly and bounce out of it.
Anything you can do to stimulate the proprioceptive system and in turn the vestibular is a great thing. Massage, either self or by someone else is great. Even just rolling around on the floor to stimulate as much of the body/skin as possible is good. It all helps to build that body map that I believe is distorted when we have an injury and so we favour that injured part even when it is not injured. Stimulation helps to rebuild the map so that we can build confidence in that part again.
I have an ebook by Tim Anderson, Becoming Bulletproof, that he wrote prior to staring OS with Geoff Neupart. It is a very unique way to building a resilient body that can just fit in with what ever other strength and conditioning programs you are doing. It basically becomes a great warm up. I do about a 10 minute flow of OS exercises to warm up for any work outs and also use the rocking any time during the day after sitting or any other strenuous activities and it really helps to remove stiffness in the lower back, open up the hips, knees and ankles. Happy to send anyone a copy if they are interested. I live by these OS exercises and I notice that if I go a few days without doing them my almost 50 yr old body stiffens up something rotten.
^ did you tell her we are meant to be acidic lol?Diet WILL not turn you acidic. You're body tightly regulates your pH. A ketogenic diet however will give you shocking breath.I’m thinking of the stomach
When most people talk about an “acidic body” these days they’re talking about pseudo science diets is all.
This is true ^
Great post there Eastie_Boi with all the research stuff. #17 didn't make much sense, but then again I've only just worked out that a nagging hip/back soreness that's been bugging me for nearly a year is fixed by extra stretching of the quads, so who knows what the fk really goes on with our bodies.Not relating specifically to your case (which I suspect is more to do with the interplay between rectus femoris and the lumbar extensors and how they influence pelvis angle which in turn influences the stress on the sacroiliac and sacrolumbar joints), but to understand how stretching/massaging say the lower leg could potentially influence shoulder flexibility you need to think of the human body as a single, big web of chemical bonds controlled by electrical signals. The greater the electrical signal, the stronger the chemical bond. When we stretch or massage we cause a drop in that electrical signal, which reduces the chemical bonds and allows a greater range of movement. As the body is a single organism it can’t completely disassociate signal reductions occurring in different areas of the body, so you get a regional transfer effect.
Keep in mind this is largely theoretical, as no one has even come close to proving WHY massage or stretching works except to rule out a physical/mechanical lengthening of muscle or connective tissue. It’s also hypothesised that left leg will crossover to right shoulder, and right leg to left shoulder due to the way the layers of connective tissue (specifically fascia) span across the bodyThere is definitely something in what you have written there Eastie.
We need to look at the body as one whole unit rather than a bunch of parts. We can see that the body is a big X with the right shoulder connected to left hip and vice versa. You can see that in the way that force is channelled through the body. Also contra-lateral crawling helps to strengthen this as does segmental rolling.
The electrical and chemical signalling is interesting. If you look at the vestibular system and its importance in the normal functioning of the human body that may have some input into the electrical and chemical signalling for sure. It is one of the first systems to begin developing in the womb after about 21 days from conception and fully developed at about 5 months from conception. It is the king of the senses with every thing tied to it. Every muscle in the body is connected to the vestibular system, especially the neck and core muscles. Every movement we make or is made to us affects the system and through it we build a 3D body and movement map of ourselves with our proprioceptive system. Massage would greatly stimulate the proprioceptive system and help to restore or rebuild our body map and hence make movement easier and reduce pain.
Using the Original Strength big 5 exercises I have been able to repair my abused body and give me strength and movement back in my knees and ankles that were shot. Doing quadraped rocking with the foot plantar flexed has taken away the pain in my knees that stopped me from kicking with my right foot as well as helped to rebuild the stability in my shoulders that were destroyed from footy. That I can press heavy again and that they no longer pop out when I am drying my hair is a benefit!
The same rocking but with the foot dorsiflexed has fixed both my ankles that had been shredded from multiple sprains, tears and breaks. It has helped give me reflexive strength back into the joints and I no longer roll my ankle on a pebble. I can step down form something awkwardly now and if my foot is deflected, instead of the ankle joint just collapsing under weight, I can now correct quickly and bounce out of it.
Anything you can do to stimulate the proprioceptive system and in turn the vestibular is a great thing. Massage, either self or by someone else is great. Even just rolling around on the floor to stimulate as much of the body/skin as possible is good. It all helps to build that body map that I believe is distorted when we have an injury and so we favour that injured part even when it is not injured. Stimulation helps to rebuild the map so that we can build confidence in that part again.
I have an ebook by Tim Anderson, Becoming Bulletproof, that he wrote prior to staring OS with Geoff Neupart. It is a very unique way to building a resilient body that can just fit in with what ever other strength and conditioning programs you are doing. It basically becomes a great warm up. I do about a 10 minute flow of OS exercises to warm up for any work outs and also use the rocking any time during the day after sitting or any other strenuous activities and it really helps to remove stiffness in the lower back, open up the hips, knees and ankles. Happy to send anyone a copy if they are interested. I live by these OS exercises and I notice that if I go a few days without doing them my almost 50 yr old body stiffens up something rotten.
I do a bit of DNS stuff to warm up after being introduced to it by my chiro (who has never actually done an adjustment on me lol) and have found it helps, particularly for my bench press (link to some vids at bottom of post)
Quite a few powerlifters doing similar now
I’m a few clinical hours away from completely a massage diploma, and so far I’ve actually found basic full body massage to be as effective for pain and range of motion increases as specific and targeted ‘advanced’ techniques
It was this that really made me start to do some digging on the research and science behind massage (of which there is little lol). Everything that has been researched points to massage working because it stimulates the clients own better to fix itself (in simplest terms). A quite well known researcher (Dr Robert Schleip) even tried massaging patients under anaesthetic, which actually showed no improvement in their pain levels or movement restrictions. More evidence to suggest a neurological reasoning for the effectiveness of soft tissue modalities.
In regards to chronic conditione, the psychological component can’t be ignored either. Phantom or ghost pain for a previous injury are very much a thing (kinda like people with amputations), and I believe a large part of being a therapist is also playing the role of counsellor in some ways. If you can convince someone they’re going to get better they are a lot more likely to, from there the treatment should be merely aimed at guiding or directing the client in their recovery. (I’m actually starting to think of myself as performing “specifically applied placebos” as opposed to actual treatments lol)
I’d also be interested in reading the eBook
cbf finding all the research studies and meta data analysis related to this now, but tomorrow I’ll find them and post
Basically - when it comes to muscoskeletal pain nocebo is a very real thing, particularly for the low back. One of the journals I’ll post shows that people who get scans done on their back are less likely to recover from basic injuries (and a lot more likely to go the surgical route) than someone who gets no imagining done
I've decided to go on a course of HGH for 6 weeks to see if I feel a difference to my overall health. It's expensive as f*ck as I'm going through local channels to obtain pharma grade HGH legally. At age 46 now, I'm feeling the stiffness in the joints, and the little aches and pains more than I was 6 years ago. However, the biggest difference, is that I barely ever get a proper restful nights sleep. The pro I keep reading about HGH is that most report their sleep improves noticeably. I want to begin weight training again after a 5 year lay off, and I certainly believe it can aid in recovery.Are there any Blitzers who have been on HGH, and what are your experiences ?
I will use this thread to report my results throughout.Interested to know how your HGH trials go. Why HGH and not testosterone?
If you are looking to improve sleep then try magnesium supplementation. I know that when I was full on stressed in the past from active duty or the joys of boardroom work hours taking magnesium helped deal with increased cortisol due to stress and it helped me get to sleep easier. Without it I would get restless legs or just toss and turn all night.
Our ancient soils in Australia are severely depleted in magnesium and so our leafy greens don’t take up as much as they could. If you workout and/or sweat a lot, then you could be depleted.
It’s a good question Paul.
Perhaps my own perception that it may be more difficult to obtain Testosterone legally.
Also the risk factors of taking it as opposed to HGH.
Finally, I feel like the major benefits of taking test might be when you have at least a solid few months of resistance training behind you.
As I’ve barely lifted a weight for 5-6 years, I’ll be taking it very slow to begin with.
I get the results of my bloods tomorrow, so I’ll just take the advice of the guys down at RECOMP in Queen Street.
Eastie seems to get around, so he has probably met up with Damon, who is a pretty impressive guy.
Just on the magnesium, I did have a full set of bloods taken earlier this year, but was found deficient in only Iron.
I’m going to take this Green Superfood mix every morning, which might smooth out any deficiencies I might have…
As for the sleep problems, I know the problems are mainly stemming from the early stages of Sleep Apnea.
I’m confident that if I get healthier & lose some weight, it will definitely help this condition based on what the Sleep Specialist said.
As for the HGH, even if it does nothing, it will serve to work as one hell of a placebo.
It will guarantee I work my tail off in the gym and in the kitchen, based on what it is costing me.
Some studies re: placebo/nocebo and psychological side of pain
https://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/marucha.htm
https://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/healham.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1895638/
For the life of me I can’t find the one I was really after lol, but basically
2 groups in experiment suffering from X condition
Control group was given meds but not told how quickly they would recover
Experimental group given same meds but given recovery time
Experimental group smashed control for recovery time and rate of recovery
Some studies re: placebo/nocebo and psychological side of pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21214357 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213146/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142751/ https://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/marucha.htm https://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/healham.htm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1895638/For the life of me I can’t find the one I was really after lol, but basically
2 groups in experiment suffering from X condition
Control group was given meds but not told how quickly they would recover
Experimental group given same meds but given recovery time
Experimental group smashed control for recovery time and rate of recovery
The power of the mind!
Cura te ipsum (Physician, heal thyself)
^ did you tell her we are meant to be acidic lol?Diet WILL not turn you acidic. You're body tightly regulates your pH. A ketogenic diet however will give you shocking breath.
yup , and worse.
FWIW it wasn’t my claim my body was ‘acidic’. It was a comment made to me based on second-hand observation of what keto was doing to my body.
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n4/full/0803781a.html
Cliffs - introduction of steady state cardio is actually WORSE for fat loss for women than sticking to current diet/exercise. However, introduction of interval training is great for fat loss
Graph of fat mass change after the 15 week experiment
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n4/fig_tab/0803781f1.html#figure-title
Wasn’t 100% sure but thought I’d place this here, more related to health than fitness…
So…a few weeks back I found out I have a mild condition of colitis, which is a form of bowel inflammation. Not overly serious or threatening, so in hindsight it’s not all bad news, and can at least be well managed by an altered diet and medication. Having said that, I’ve been put through the absolute ringer the last month or so, it’s been pretty tough and only now am I starting to feel I’m getting back to normal again. I’m through most of the initial medication, and the few adjustments to my diet have been pretty easy, with nothing causing any issues. Being a 20 y.o male I’ve been told this kind of thing is pretty common in males in the 15-30 age bracket, and yet while it isn’t definitively ‘curable’, it can be pretty easily managed if I follow the guidelines and routines.
Normally in good health, no real health concerns prior to this, pretty active and fit for the most part, but then again this kind of thing can get to pretty much anybody.
Was wondering if anyone has/is experiencing this kind of thing or similar? Or know somebody who does?
If anyone has anything they’re willing to share it’d be most appreciated; cheers all 
Wasn't 100% sure but thought I'd place this here, more related to health than fitness...So…a few weeks back I found out I have a mild condition of colitis, which is a form of bowel inflammation. Not overly serious or threatening, so in hindsight it’s not all bad news, and can at least be well managed by an altered diet and medication. Having said that, I’ve been put through the absolute ringer the last month or so, it’s been pretty tough and only now am I starting to feel I’m getting back to normal again. I’m through most of the initial medication, and the few adjustments to my diet have been pretty easy, with nothing causing any issues. Being a 20 y.o male I’ve been told this kind of thing is pretty common in males in the 15-30 age bracket, and yet while it isn’t definitively ‘curable’, it can be pretty easily managed if I follow the guidelines and routines.
Normally in good health, no real health concerns prior to this, pretty active and fit for the most part, but then again this kind of thing can get to pretty much anybody.
Was wondering if anyone has/is experiencing this kind of thing or similar? Or know somebody who does?
If anyone has anything they’re willing to share it’d be most appreciated; cheers all
There are some Inflammatory Bowel Disease support organisations out there but it’s not quite what you have. Don’t know anything specifically for colitis. You should only have to change your diet when it’s playing up (I’m assuming they’ve recommended low fibre/low residue and low lactose?) But everyone’s but works differently
Wasn't 100% sure but thought I'd place this here, more related to health than fitness...So…a few weeks back I found out I have a mild condition of colitis, which is a form of bowel inflammation. Not overly serious or threatening, so in hindsight it’s not all bad news, and can at least be well managed by an altered diet and medication. Having said that, I’ve been put through the absolute ringer the last month or so, it’s been pretty tough and only now am I starting to feel I’m getting back to normal again. I’m through most of the initial medication, and the few adjustments to my diet have been pretty easy, with nothing causing any issues. Being a 20 y.o male I’ve been told this kind of thing is pretty common in males in the 15-30 age bracket, and yet while it isn’t definitively ‘curable’, it can be pretty easily managed if I follow the guidelines and routines.
Normally in good health, no real health concerns prior to this, pretty active and fit for the most part, but then again this kind of thing can get to pretty much anybody.
Was wondering if anyone has/is experiencing this kind of thing or similar? Or know somebody who does?
If anyone has anything they’re willing to share it’d be most appreciated; cheers all
There are some Inflammatory Bowel Disease support organisations out there but it’s not quite what you have. Don’t know anything specifically for colitis. You should only have to change your diet when it’s playing up (I’m assuming they’ve recommended low fibre/low residue and low lactose?) But everyone’s but works differently
You’re absolutely right yep the majority is controllable by diet, low lactose and gluten free for a few things like bread and pasta are recommended, so the changes aren’t major at all. Appreciate the tip too, I have sort of been looking into some of the support organisations.
Made a Keto Pizza with a Cauliflower & Cheese base.
Absolutely delicious, and the macros aren’t too bad either.
Will make again when I get that craving for Pizza…
Interesting video I found that explains how snakeskin oil treatments (acupuncture, reiki) actually work as long as you can create, in the patients mind, a correlation between the treatment and a positive response/outcome.
Wasn't 100% sure but thought I'd place this here, more related to health than fitness...So…a few weeks back I found out I have a mild condition of colitis, which is a form of bowel inflammation. Not overly serious or threatening, so in hindsight it’s not all bad news, and can at least be well managed by an altered diet and medication. Having said that, I’ve been put through the absolute ringer the last month or so, it’s been pretty tough and only now am I starting to feel I’m getting back to normal again. I’m through most of the initial medication, and the few adjustments to my diet have been pretty easy, with nothing causing any issues. Being a 20 y.o male I’ve been told this kind of thing is pretty common in males in the 15-30 age bracket, and yet while it isn’t definitively ‘curable’, it can be pretty easily managed if I follow the guidelines and routines.
Normally in good health, no real health concerns prior to this, pretty active and fit for the most part, but then again this kind of thing can get to pretty much anybody.
Was wondering if anyone has/is experiencing this kind of thing or similar? Or know somebody who does?
If anyone has anything they’re willing to share it’d be most appreciated; cheers all
Got struck down with Crohn’s at 22 (now 33) so I can sympathise that these sorts of conditions aren’t particularly pleasant! It’s very manageable in most cases though and sounds like it will be with yours. For me, only ever had the 2 severe flare ups - 1 when diagnosed & 1 a couple of years later. Initially got put on prednisolone (corticosteroid) & mercaptopurine (immune system suppressant) which only gave me side effects and made me sicker, ended up having 3 infusions of Remicade which settled things down. Second time around was much more serious - ulcers, abscesses & perforation which had me in the ER having ~30cm resectioned. Lived to tell the tale but needed another op around 12 months later to clear scar tissue bthat had become so thick that I couldn’t actually eat anything
Luckily have been asymptomatic ever since although have some glitches/side effects from the surgeries that can sort of mimic symptoms of aflare up from time to time. Still have battles with energy yoyoing with being prone to nutrition deficiencies and dehydration so have be smart about adjusting my training/activity levels on worse days. No pharmaceutical meds in that time either but swear by fish/krill oil, slippery elm, and digestive enzymes/probiotics and being beneficial and pretty inexpensive.
Re. diet - no hard and fast rules, got told from the get-go there’d be a lot of trial and error. Basically just a sensible balanced diet, avoiding fast-food, excessive sugar and processed foods as much as possible, not overdoing the alcohol and for me at least thick red meats (eg steaks) and raw veggies are no- go zones. As far as it’s effect on life - aside from the flare up & surgeries, minimal. Still live very actively (but not quite with the same intensity as I used to be able to manage - partially and age thing too) and work FT with minimal sick days. The hard thing is that it’s a poorly understood condition that you can never consider yourself officially cured of.
Good luck, take the medical advice and eat sensibly and after a while you’ll most likely figure out what foods do and don’t make you feel good. It’s tedious but if you can keep a record of what you eat (did this for about a year) and figure out if particular things correlate with feeling sick it might help get rid of some of the triggers.
As Megz says there are some good support networks out there, I found personally they weren’t really for me but know that they’re very beneficial for some.
Wasn't 100% sure but thought I'd place this here, more related to health than fitness...So…a few weeks back I found out I have a mild condition of colitis, which is a form of bowel inflammation. Not overly serious or threatening, so in hindsight it’s not all bad news, and can at least be well managed by an altered diet and medication. Having said that, I’ve been put through the absolute ringer the last month or so, it’s been pretty tough and only now am I starting to feel I’m getting back to normal again. I’m through most of the initial medication, and the few adjustments to my diet have been pretty easy, with nothing causing any issues. Being a 20 y.o male I’ve been told this kind of thing is pretty common in males in the 15-30 age bracket, and yet while it isn’t definitively ‘curable’, it can be pretty easily managed if I follow the guidelines and routines.
Normally in good health, no real health concerns prior to this, pretty active and fit for the most part, but then again this kind of thing can get to pretty much anybody.
Was wondering if anyone has/is experiencing this kind of thing or similar? Or know somebody who does?
If anyone has anything they’re willing to share it’d be most appreciated; cheers all
Got struck down with Crohn’s at 22 (now 33) so I can sympathise that these sorts of conditions aren’t particularly pleasant! It’s very manageable in most cases though and sounds like it will be with yours. For me, only ever had the 2 severe flare ups - 1 when diagnosed & 1 a couple of years later. Initially got put on prednisolone (corticosteroid) & mercaptopurine (immune system suppressant) which only gave me side effects and made me sicker, ended up having 3 infusions of Remicade which settled things down. Second time around was much more serious - ulcers, abscesses & perforation which had me in the ER having ~30cm resectioned. Lived to tell the tale but needed another op around 12 months later to clear scar tissue bthat had become so thick that I couldn’t actually eat anything
Luckily have been asymptomatic ever since although have some glitches/side effects from the surgeries that can sort of mimic symptoms of aflare up from time to time. Still have battles with energy yoyoing with being prone to nutrition deficiencies and dehydration so have be smart about adjusting my training/activity levels on worse days. No pharmaceutical meds in that time either but swear by fish/krill oil, slippery elm, and digestive enzymes/probiotics and being beneficial and pretty inexpensive.
Re. diet - no hard and fast rules, got told from the get-go there’d be a lot of trial and error. Basically just a sensible balanced diet, avoiding fast-food, excessive sugar and processed foods as much as possible, not overdoing the alcohol and for me at least thick red meats (eg steaks) and raw veggies are no- go zones. As far as it’s effect on life - aside from the flare up & surgeries, minimal. Still live very actively (but not quite with the same intensity as I used to be able to manage - partially and age thing too) and work FT with minimal sick days. The hard thing is that it’s a poorly understood condition that you can never consider yourself officially cured of.
Good luck, take the medical advice and eat sensibly and after a while you’ll most likely figure out what foods do and don’t make you feel good. It’s tedious but if you can keep a record of what you eat (did this for about a year) and figure out if particular things correlate with feeling sick it might help get rid of some of the triggers.
As Megz says there are some good support networks out there, I found personally they weren’t really for me but know that they’re very beneficial for some.
Wow that’s a fascinating insight mate, thank you so much, a great help much appreciated.
Probably THE most helpful post I’ve seen on Blitz. Thanks for sharing and good luck with it, Chess.
Blatant plug/ask for help (which I meant to post last week but forgot).
I’ve got 50 (less the 20-odd that have been booked already) clinical slots for my massage Diploma to fill so I can graduate and get time off my Bachelor degree (12 months and ~$12,000).
The clinic is located in Mitcham (Vic, not SA) and appointments are $35.00 for 60 minutes (~20 minutes worth of assessment and ~40 minutes of hands on/massage)
If anyone is keen to help a brother out or just wants a cheap massage feel free to PM me and I’ll give you details/instructions to book the appointment (I can do it, will just need the day/time you want as well as name, email and phone number to enter you in the system).
Appointment times I have for the rest of January are (less Australia day);
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10.45am, 12.00pm, 2.30pm, 3.45pm
Tuesday & Thursday 1.15pm, 2.30pm, 5.00pm, 6.15pm
Saturday 09.30am, 10.45am, 1.15pm, 2.30pm
I haven’t nominated any times in Feb, but I’ll likely end up with a few appointments in the first week to fill in any leftover appointments
For anyone with low back pain this may interest you