Put down that painkiller. Study shows they don’t relieve back pain and may make it worse.11/26/2017  A few weeks ago, I was finishing up my day and received a call from a prospective client. He was calling because he was suffering with back pain and had tried just about everything to make it go away. Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! When I get a call like this, I try to take as much time as possible to listen to the caller and really understand his or her situation. I listen as they tell me how long it’s been going on, if anything else has provided relief, and how the problem is affecting his or her day to day life. I want to know what the problem is costing them, so I can figure out the best path forward. **If you'd like to schedule a time to talk to a therapist, just click here** After getting a sense of the problems that back pain was causing in his life, I came to the conclusion that we might be able to help, and asked what he would like the next steps to be? I was shocked by his answer. “Well…....I was hoping you guys could write me a prescription for more painkillers.” (We can’t write prescriptions.) It immediately became clear to me that this was his goal all along – he had no interest in actually solving the problem. His only interest was continuing to mask the symptoms with painkillers.. Based on the way he asked the question, I fear he had actually become addicted, and was looking for a way to get a drug fix. This is a sad reality for entirely too many people dealing with back pain. If you are feeling that painkillers might be your only solution to overcoming back pain, it’s might be because of some bad advice you’ve received along the way. According to a new NPR-Truven Health Analytics Health Poll, 40% of patients dealing with back pain were prescribed prescription painkillers by a doctor. Those 40% of doctors are going against the latest guidelines released by the American College of Physicians (ACP) in April , which advises against painkillers as a first line of treatment for back pain. It's likely that the ACP made this decision based on studies like this one recently conducted by the George Institute for Global Health in Australia. The study revealed that only 1 out of 6 patients achieved any significant pain relief with painkillers. Add in that painkillers are expensive, double the risk of gastrointestinal problems and stomach ulcers and may become addictive, and you might be starting to wonder why painkillers would ever be prescribed. Back pain is a complex, multi-factorial problem with many different unique causes. I can assure you that no one suffers from back pain due to a lack of Tylenol, Aleve, or Oxycontin. If you’re interested in truly solving the back pain problem and getting back to a more active lifestyle, stop taking painkillers – the data shows it’s not helping and likely causing the issues to get worse. If you’re interested in seeing what you can do instead, just click here: **Click here to read a blog post about what you can do instead of taking painkillers** Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns – I’m always happy to help! All the best, Evan Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! ==== Interested in a trying an innovative, new approach to getting to the root cause of back pain? Here's 3 Ways To Find Out If Working With a Neuro Therapist Can Help You (just click what's best). 1) Inquire About Neuro Therapy Cost And Availability 2) Schedule a FREE 15 Min Call With a Therapist To Find Out If Neuro Therapy Can Help You 3) Enter our drawing (limited time only) to win a free Neuro Therapy session If you or someone you know is dealing with annoying back pain, here's 7 Quick & Easy Tips To Reduce Back Pain. Just go here to get your free copy. www.premierneurotherapy.com/back-pain or click here: 
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 Just wanted to take a few minutes on this Thanksgiving morning to put together a post for the #PremierFamily on how expressing gratitude affects the nervous system. At Premier, we practice expressing gratitude before every session with clients and even before our business meetings? Why? Research shows expressing gratitude can help to activate the parasympathetic, or calming part, of the nervous system. When we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, we get a host of positive effects like:
Not only do all of these benefits help to optimize results in therapy, but also help us to live a longer, happier life. So, don't just save gratitude for Thanksgiving - express it every single day! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! A few good reads on gratitude and the parasympathetic nervous system can be found here: https://simplifaster.com/articles/autonomic-nervous-system/ http://healthvibed.com/relaxation-101-how-to-activate-the-pns/#content5 https://www.today.com/health/be-thankful-science-says-gratitude-good-your-health-t58256 Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE
Discovery Session at Premier!  A few weeks ago, a personal training friend of mine referred one of his clients, a high school basketball coach in the area, to come in for a Neuro Therapy session. Coach had been suffering from a herniated disc for months, and it was limiting his ability to keep up with his players on the court. Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! It seems that my initial conversations with people who are struggling with a disc condition (bulging, herniated, slipped, degenerative) are always very similar. **Click here to arrange a 15 minute call with a Premier team member and find out if Neuro Therapy can help you to avoid surgery** 9 out of 10 people who approach me with this condition believe it can’t be fixed without surgery (Coach was one of the 9). They’ve been told it’s something they just have to ‘live with’ unless they want to go under the knife (it just so happens that Coach never experienced anymore issues with his bulging disc after 1 Neuro Therapy session, but that’s a story for another day…) There’s several studies out there that indicate a non-surgical approach is almost, if not equally, effective to a surgical approach for disc conditions. Rather than get into whether or not surgery is more effective than a non-surgical approach, I thought I’d give you all of the information needed (risk vs reward) to make a better decision for yourself. Watch below - Multiple doctors told Julian that surgery was his only solution, but Neuro Therapy helped him to avoid surgery and get back on his feet. We’ll start with the ‘good news’ or ‘reward’ on surgery- Reward A 2016 study (1) that compared outcomes for a total of 370 patients determined the following benefits for surgical intervention:
It should be noted that these benefits were only statistically significant in the timeframes given. In other words, there was no difference in pain levels between surgical and non-surgical methods at 12 week, 1 year, and 2 year follow-ups. So, according to this report, the potential reward with surgery is that you might feel a little better 6 weeks after surgery than if you tried a non-surgical approach. Another important item to note is that the non-surgical approach did help to reduce symptoms, meaning disc conditions can be addressed without surgery. **If you haven't tried Neuro Therapy yet, it may be able to help you avoid surgery. Click here to arrange a call with a Premier team member** Risks Now let’s take a look at the risks of herniated disc surgery…
There’s a quick breakdown around the risks and rewards associated with surgery for disc conditions (bulging, herniated, slipped). You are now armed with more information to make a better decision about what’s right for you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out – I always enjoy helping people to better understand their situation. Sources: 1) Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et al. Surgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2016;6:e012938. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016- 012938 2) “How Much Does Herniated Disc Surgery Cost? - CostHelper.com.” CostHelper, health.costhelper.com/herniated-disc-surgery.html. Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! ==== If you haven't tried Neuro Therapy yet, it might be able to help you avoid surgery. Here's 3 Ways To Find Out If Working With a Neuro Therapist Can Help You (just click what's best). 1) Inquire About Neuro Therapy Cost And Availability 2) Arrange for a FREE 15 Min Call With a Premier Team Member To Find Out If Neuro Therapy Can Help You 3) Enter our drawing (limited time only) to win a free Neuro Therapy session If you or someone you know is dealing with annoying back pain, here's 7 Quick & Easy Tips To Reduce Back Pain. Just go here to get your free copy. www.premierneurotherapy.com/back-pain or click here:   One of the most common conditions I see at Premier is lower back pain in golfers. A golf swing can put tremendous amounts of force on the spine, leading to fatigue, stress, potential tissue damage, and pain. Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! Like any movement, the front line of defense for absorbing the forces of your golf swing are your muscles. In golf, this includes the muscles in the legs, core, and even upper back/shoulders. As long as all of these muscles are doing their jobs (absorbing force) properly, it’s unlikely you will experience any issues with lower back pain. However, if you have experienced lower back pain while golfing, it’s probably because a muscle or muscles are not activating properly. **Have you tried everything else, but didn't get the outcome you were looking for? Click to schedule a call with a therapist for a more personal, effective approach.** If back pain is affecting your golf game or has forced you to stop playing golf, fear not. Your body is resilient and built to take on the forces associated with a swing (without pain). It’s simply a matter of getting the muscles to activate and absorb force properly. In order to do so, you’ll need to pursue a combination of finding the right swing, identifying strength deficits and/or imbalances in the body, and ensuring you have prepped the body (and nervous system) before swinging. Here’s 3 steps to making that happen: 1) Work with a qualified strength trainer at least 2-3x/week Ask others that you golf with if they know any good strength trainers in the area. From my experience, a good strength trainer’s name travels quickly and your friends will be happy to refer you to their own. The goal of your training would not be to bulk up like a body builder, but identify strength imbalances that could be leading to your back pain. Expect to do a lot of functional training that incorporates core stability and rotational exercises. If you need any help finding someone, let me know – we’ve got a great network local to the Hunt Valley area. 2) Introduce your swing coach to your strength trainer If you have a swing coach, introduce him or her to your new strength trainer. They’ll be able to compare notes and come up with a few tips to minimize the strain on your back when you swing. If you do not have a swing coach, think about asking around to see if anyone you know has used one in the past that has been helpful in reducing pain levels. 3) Warm up properly before teeing off A proper warm up has been shown to increase club head speed, increase ball speed, and increase carry, yet the majority of golfers do not warm up before teeing off. As if better performance isn’t enough justification, a proper warm-up can also decrease your risk for injury. By warming up properly, you neurologically activate the muscles needed to absorb the force created when you swing the club. An activated muscle will do a more efficient job of keeping stress off the back, reducing the risk of injury or pain. In order to effectively warm-up, consider doing more than just static stretching (for example: a toe touch hold is not a very effective warm-up). Instead, grab a resistance band and go through a series of upper and lower body exercises. During the exercises, don’t just ‘go through the motions.’ Focus on squeezing the working muscles through the full range of motion, helping to fire up that mind-muscle connection and activate the muscles.
Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! ==== Looking for a more hands on, personalized approach to addressing your low back pain? Here's 3 Ways To Find Out If Working With a Neuro Therapist Can Help You (just click what's best). 1) Inquire About Neuro Therapy Cost And Availability 2) Schedule a FREE 15 Min Call With a Therapist To Find Out If Neuro Therapy Can Help You 3) Enter our drawing (limited time only) to win a free Neuro Therapy session If you or someone you know is dealing with annoying back pain, here's 7 Quick & Easy Tips To Reduce Back Pain. Just go here to get your free copy. www.premierneurotherapy.com/back-pain or click here:  6 Tips To Finally Get A Good Night's Sleep... Even If Back Troubles Have Kept You Up For Months11/8/2017  The other day, I was talking to one of our new clients (a 62 year old corporate CEO that I’m helping to get back on the golf course), and he mentioned a side effect to his lower back pain. “I can’t even get a good night’s sleep anymore.” Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! I reassured him that it’s not uncommon for back pain to reduce quality of sleep. It’s something we hear a lot from clients. And science indicates that they’re more closely related than you might think.. **You can reserve a time to ask a therapist your questions about Neuro Therapy by clicking here** There’s actually a vicious cycle that takes place between back pain and sleep.
and so on and so forth… So, if you’re losing sleep over back pain, it’s important to find a way to break the cycle to keep the back pain from intensifying. You might have read articles in the past on this topic that talk about choosing the right mattress, altering your sleeping position, or how to adjust your pillow. If you’ve tried those methods and they work, I couldn’t be happier for you. You’ve already found a way to break the cycle! However, in my own personal experience, I’ve found that adjusting my sleeping position or putting a pillow between my legs doesn't change much or sometimes causes me to sleep far worse. If you’re in that boat, the tips in this post are for you. The following recommendations focus not on how to physically sleep differently, but how to prepare your nervous system for a restful night’s sleep. The tips have been put together in order to ensure your nervous system is in a relaxed (parasympathetic) state at bed time. If the nervous system is in a stressful state (the sympathetic nervous system is dominant), it can both decrease your quality of sleep and amplify your back pain. 1. Stick to a sleep schedule Ideally, you should shoot for 7-8 hrs of sleep/night. Studies have shown that people who sleep 6 hrs or less actually experience more back pain than people who get more sleep. In order to hit 7-8 hrs, it helps to stick to a consistent schedule. Sticking to a schedule will also help your body to learn to relax at bedtime. 2. Don’t take work to bed with you Whatever you do, don’t get in bed with your laptop or check emails on your phone before it’s time to go to sleep. Instead, find a book that’s unrelated to business/work or listen to relaxing music before bed. It’s important to keep the stress and/or adrenaline associated with work life out of the bedroom. 3. Keep exercising, but try to finish up at least 4 hrs before bedtime. If you’ve read my past posts, you know that a consistent exercise routine is a key component in relieving your back pain. However, if you’re exercising too close to bedtime, it can be difficult to relax. Try to find an exercise window that allows you to wind back down a few hours before bedtime to ensure a good night’s sleep. 4. Don’t rely on medications or alcohol While medications and alcohol may help you to fall asleep easier, it’s likely they will decrease your overall quality of sleep. Rather than resort to external fixes, try to focus on the other tips in this post to put your nervous system in a relaxed state before bedtime. 5. Limit caffeine after 12:00 PM If you’re drinking caffeine in the afternoon, it’s likely you will still experience its effects at bedtime. We drink coffee to wake us up in the morning, but we don’t want it affecting our quality of sleep at bedtime. If you’re looking for something hot to drink, try substituting with green tea or decaffeinated coffee/tea. 6. Deep breathing exercises If all else fails, try a few deep breathing exercises before bed. This is one of the best things you can do to get your nervous system to transition from stressed to relaxed. Try this exercise, which we use with clients before and during our sessions… Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds and then exhale for 8 seconds. By doing this, it helps promote a parasympathetic or relaxation response from the nervous system because the emphasis is on a longer exhale. We have collected enough oxygen during the 4 second inhale to survive (obviously it is not a life or death situation, but that is how our nervous system interprets our breathing), and now we can tell our body to relax by controlling a slow and soothing exhale. Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium, Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area? Friends & Family receive a FREE Discovery Session at Premier! ==== Looking for a more hands on, personalized approach to addressing your low back pain? Here's 3 Ways To Find Out If Working With a Neuro Therapist Can Help You (just click what's best). 1) Inquire About Neuro Therapy Cost And Availability 2) Schedule a FREE 15 Min Call With a Therapist To Find Out If Neuro Therapy Can Help You 3) Enter our drawing (limited time only) to win a free Neuro Therapy session If you or someone you know is dealing with annoying back pain, here's 7 Quick & Easy Tips To Reduce Back Pain. Just go here to get your free copy. www.premierneurotherapy.com/back-pain or click here:  |
About the AuthorEvan Lewis is a nationwide leader in Neuro Therapy and founded the Baltimore area's only specialist Neuro Therapy facility. 
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Premier Neuro Therapy specializes in helping people overcome nagging pains and injuries, avoid surgery and injections, and transform the body to a state of peak performance.
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