John Aaron Wellness

Back pain, neck pain, and headaches are the most common complaints my clients have when they come to me. While some of their pain may result from a chronic underlying medical condition that requires a doctors care, other causes of aches and pain can be easily managed by making a few simple adjustments in your every day life. For example, one of the most effective ways to lessen the amount of pain you experience daily would be to improve your posture. You see, the human body wasn't designed to be slumped over a computer, texting on the phone, or surfing the net on a tablet. Instead, it was designed to move - to be out in a field chasing after our meals (harvesting if you are a vegetarian) or running away from what was about to make us their main course. However, seeing as it's the 21st century, I can't imagine that our dependence on technology or modern living is going away anytime soon especially when our livelihood depends on it. And although  we may not easily ...

Today I am in very good spirit. Why? Because today I'm on a river boat cruising the beautiful Rhine river. Although I've been just a touch homesick, I've had a wonderful time wandering through Strasbourg, France and Heidelberg, Germany. Tomorrow I'll be in Cologne. Needless to say, but the scenery has been beautiful. The food & wine? Fantastic! (Don't worry. I haven't gained too much weight. I think... ;-) There is one thing I've discovered, though; sweet wines (like German Riesling) almost instantaneously give me a headache. And before you start judging me: No, I haven't been drinking more than a glass of it. LOL! However, since pain management is my business, I began to wonder: Could food be affecting your pain, too? It's possible. People with migraines often find that specific foods -- like red wine and cheeses -- trigger attacks. There's even some studies that suggest consuming fatty meats or milk may worsen the pain of inflamma...

After last night's soccer game, your daughter complained that her shins hurt, so you iced her legs before she went to bed. Her legs felt fine after a good night's sleep and you sent her off to school this morning with a kiss and soccer practice clothes in her backpack. Now she's calling and saying that her legs hurt again. Could it be something more than simple pain? Shin splints are a common injury among athletes - especially runners, sprinters, figure skaters, and gymnasts. The term "shin splints" refers to pain felt in the shinbone or tibia (the large bone in the front of your lower leg) after an athlete has run or "pounded the ground" for a period of time. This force of impact can sometimes cause the muscles around the tibia to tighten, pull, or become inflamed, which leads to pain. Shin splints often respond well to home treatment, but if the pain continues, it's a good idea to have a medical professional check it out just to be sure it...

The consumption of dairy – specifically cow’s milk products, has been a much debated topic. I mean, how bad can it be? We grew up on the stuff, right? Well, now more than ever, people are becoming aware of the health impact that dairy may have on their bodies. Cow’s milk products have certain protein molecules (casein and whey) that can cause our immune system to over react and stimulate immediate allergic responses such as hives, wheezing and vomiting, or longer term issues such as loose stool, abdominal cramps, and skin rash. However, it seems that you do not have to be allergic to dairy to experience a negative physical response to it. Food sensitivities can equally trigger the immune response and any time the immune response is activated, inflammation will present itself. Why is this important? Well, if you are one of the millions of people that suffer from joint pain or inflammatory diseases such as, Arthritis, Lupus or Fibromyalgia, you can understand that having more inf...

Always listen to your body. Low back pain symptoms aren't the same for everyone. Depending on the cause, your pain may be dull or sharp. It may be chronic or intermittent. Perhaps your pain gets worse with standing, sitting, bending, or walking. Pain can even extend into your buttock or down your leg. Shooting pain accompanied with feelings of numbness, tingling, or weakness down your leg can indicate sciatica, a common result of a herniated disk in the lower back, where the disk bulges out toward the spinal canal. So, if a certain movement or exercise causes pain, STOP - and pay attention. Discuss with your doctor or other health care professional what movements are safe for you to do. And never forget these tips on what you can do to protect your back: Rest, but not indefinitely. Recent research suggests that staying in bed for more than a day or two after an acute injury may NOT be the best way to recuperate. Prolonged bed rest may cause your muscles to lose strength and t...

Even with all the advances in modern medicine and the sophisticated techniques available to diagnose what's causing low back pain, many times doctors find it incredibly difficult to identify the reason for a patient's pain. Although too much strain may be part of the equation, it isn't always entirely to blame for lower back pain. However, one interesting explanation as to why one person develops low back pain and another doesn't may lie in their genes. A study published by the journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, revealed how for the first time researchers have identified a gene linked to a common cause of lower back pain: a condition known as lumbar disc degeneration (LDD).  A prime example would be if you were to examine identical twins -- one who is doing heavy physical work and the other being a "desk jockey" – you would assume the physical labor to cause significant wear compared to the white-collar sibling. Yet, if you could compare their MRI exams...

Every day it seems I get a call or see a client regarding back pain or an achy back. They turn to me for relief and often times they don’t even know how or why their back hurts. Although my scope of practice allows me to only work on muscles and soft connective tissue, I have come to learn that many factors can contribute to low back pain. Some may include strained muscles, others strained "nerves."  For example, think about any time you injured yourself while lifting and twisting a heavy load. From experience, you know this most definitely can lead to low back pain. Even the regular course of aging can cause degenerative spinal changes and I’m not talking about “grandma” age, either. These degenerative processes can start as early as your 30’s! So to familiarize you on the most likely causes of low back pain, here's a quick list: 1. Overuse of muscles and ligaments , caused by a competitive or repetitive movements and commonly called a "strained" or ...