From the Readers:

Hi Aaron,
Your latest email on blood pressure and posture was interesting.


My posture theory includes a theory on blood pressure as well which may interest you.
High blood pressure is common among desk workers and rare in manual laborers. That is because slouching toward a desk puts pressure on the midriff and blocks blood flow from the feet to the heart.

Slouching toward a desk a hundred times a day for 10 years stretches all the veins below the chest and increases their volume and makes the walls weak so that blood goes efficiently out of the heart and down to the feet and then pools in the large veins and goes upwards inefficiently toward the heart.

When more pressure is then applied as in sudden exercise the veins stretch and there isn't sufficient blood to fill them so it temporarily fails to return to the heart and the heart reponds with violent rapid pounding in an attempt to produce a vacuum in its chambers that suck the blood up.

The net result is that desk workers tend to develop unstable or high blood pressure, and when the exercise vigorously their heart pounds violently so they avoid exertion, and they feel faint because, if the blood doesn't reach the heart, it also, temporarily, doesn't reach the brain.

The inefficiency of blood flow to the brain also contributes to tiredness. i.e. desk workers with poor posture develop unstable blood pressure, problems with exercise, and tiredness which are the symptoms of the chronic fatigue syndrome!!!

Good posture prevents and relieves the problem but I have difficulty convincing anyone of the value of the theory.

Best Regards

Max B.

How Did You Feel About Sicko?

After our June and July Newsletters were sent out, we received several comments from readers who wanted to speak out about how they felt about Michael Moore's movie, Sicko. We read the emails and responses and decided that they need to be heard. So, here are a few of their comments:


Hi Aaron.....
Good to hear from you. I encourage you to talk to ANYONE who's lived in Canada or
Russia or England that has lived with socialized medicine. They do NOT like it! For many reasons.

Anything our government runs is a nightmare to deal with........don't fall for the hype. The USA has THE best health care in the world.......people come here from other countries to get treatment that they can't in their own country. CHOICE of having the best doctors take care of you is what we need........talk to anyone on Medicare or Medical........my son is.......it SUCKS! Crappy doctors and minimal treatment if any! So I hope you take it further and find out the Michael Moore is know for his twisting of facts and down right distortion of truth. Ask the soldier that is suing him for misrepresenting him in his last movie.........Moore would not even reply to this soldier out of courtesy.

Good, responsible care is what we need. It is the GYNORMICE costs that hospitals charge that has to be addressed. But don't put your life in the hands of someone who's treating you and answering to the GOVERNMENT as to how........ [Hospital name removed] is another example of the insurance company and the doctors being run by the same people. [It's] is ok for mundane type of things......but God forbid you should get really ill.........I have man y stories of their incompetence.

And I have a client that worked there that was so horrified by the lack of quality care.........SHE LEFT!................................think for yourself Aaron.........don't let the likes of Michael Moore play you for a fool........you're much to smart for that. Love you much anyway,
Linda


Hi Aaron, You made a good point about Sicko. I don't believe there is one perfect answer for health care. It is and we are constantly evolving and changing. Moore did a great job of showing huge holes in our system. To me fundamental shift underway is what he mused on at the end..... going from me to we. All the best, Max


Hi Aaron,
I took a few minutes to read your ezine and wanted to congratulate you on both the format and the content.
Please include me on your list of people interested in the Sicko discussion group. I think that there is a great probability that this film could have the same wake-up call effect that the Gore film has had. Right movie; right time.

Your comment: "Whatever solution we end up with MUST hold us personally responsible for making healthy choices in the first place." reminded me of my basic rationale for working to get Health Freedom legislation passed in California (SB577 in 2002; www.californiahealthfreedom.com/). The more freedom people have to make choices about the kind of services they can legally use, the greater their responsibility for making that choice. In our current treatment-based system, we default our choices and our responsibility to the cult of experts. Perhaps in a later issue, you might want to describe the largely unknown, but revolutionary shift, that SB577 brought about.

In touch,
David P.


Hi Aaron - I am loving all that you are doing. I am also looking forward to seeing Sicko (saw Michael Moore on the Bill Maher show a few weeks ago) and agree that taking your health into your own hands is of vital importance.


All the best,
Paul

Baggy Pants= Pain for Life?

On average, I treat over a dozen young people a year with problems directly related to wearing baggy pants. The way people have to walk in order to keep their pants from falling down causes the hip joint to support posture awkwardly. Hence, the legs rotate inwardly at the knees, and the feet turn outward to keep balance.

What you don't know is, walking this way can cause hip degeneration and low back problems. Further, rotating your legs like this every day can lead to life-long knee mis-alignments and bunions.

Forget long-term participation in sports and recreation! In my Reposturing Dynamics practice, I help people of all ages improve posture, flexibility and sports performance. However, I just cringe when I see these young people who have no idea that by this one fashion statement, they may have doomed themselves to over $500k in medical bills and years of chronic joint pain and physical inconvenience.

I used to think that the health-costs of women wearing high-heels was bad-enough. But there was always some social or aesthetic benefit that justifies the choice. I can't get my wife out of them.

Nevertheless, when guys wear baggy pants, the potential long-term health-costs are astronomical. Still, I can't find a girl who thinks a guy is sexy when he wears his pants down to his knees and walks like a penguin to keep them up. How cool is that?

Posture, Beauty, and Attraction

Throughout history [all living beings in Nature] have a mating dance or ritual. It varies from species to species. [But] I can't think of anything except amoeba or earthworms where there are two animals of opposite gender that just randomly bump into each other, have sex, and go on about their business.

In Nature, it's a very simple equation: the strongest, smartest, most virile males get the better choices for mates and control of the herd. The weaker males get nothing, get beaten up, and are more quickly devoured by predators.

The most fecund, resourceful, strongest females get the best choices for mates. The weaker females are ostracized and eventually are quicker to be consumed by predators.

The males use posture and strength to establish and maintain control of their females and position in the herd. The females work to feed and protect their offspring and themselves.

In nature, the rules are simple: Avoid predators and poisonous foods. Eat for strength and longevity. Dominate the gene pool. Perpetuate the species. Male or female, young or old-the stupid, weak, and sick are devoured by scavengers or predators.

We entertain ourselves with the mating rituals in nature. However, we will learn a lot about ourselves when we seek to master the mating rituals of our complex human species.

In civil society, we variegate ourselves by size, class, color, politics, gender, sexual preferences, personality, food preferences, roles in our profession, so on and so on.

What works is when people are living the life they want to live; being the person they are meant to be. What works in relationships is when people are living authentically as themselves AND they are complementary and compatible with the other person living as their authentic self as well.

What does not work is when there is an incompatibility or mismatch in ideals, preferences, needs, or personality. What disappoints and causes difficulty in finding your ideal mate is when you start out with the behavior of one lifestyle, and then, the more you become your true self, the less compatible you actually are.

The best recipe for finding your soul mate starts with finding your true self, in the best of health and circumstances. The best health starts with a strong, flexible body and great posture.

When you hold your body upright, open and free, as your body and soul are meant to be, you make a statement: "This is the true me, this is the mission I am sent to do for the world." In effect, your posture becomes your mating call. You even vibrate to the frequency of your journey and destiny as an authentic being.

Whatever your posture says about you will be magnified by the people around you. You slouch and losers will reinforce your mediocrity. Carry yourself confidently in the right places and the perfect partner will join you in your journey to be the best person you are meant to be.

If you don't have a partner right now, take this as an opportunity to self reflect and discover yourself at your best. Are you vital, strong, upright, and flexible? Are you in your right livelihood? Are you on the personal and spiritual journey that will lead you to your greatest contribution to the world? Start in any of these places and begin your journey toward self-mastery and your authentic self.

Many people make their wish list for an ideal mate without making sure they have their own act together-and their posture says it all: "I don't have my act together and I will drain the life out of you if you try to change me or help me overcome my wounds and weaknesses."

On the other hand, I see people with great posture, who receive raises, promotions, offers, and opportunities-all the time. Perfect posture helps make people whole. The process of achieving great posture helps you shed unnecessary layers of guilt, shame, anger, and hurt. Ultimately you reveal your inner beauty. You love yourself for who you truly are at your best. You enter and built a relationship with your whole and sufficient self in tact.

When two people bring their wholeness together to build a relationship, what they create is greater than the sum of two hearts. This is the purpose of the entire mating ritual for every higher species-Isn't it?

Are Backacks Good for Your Kids?

Are Backpacks good for you?

Get a load of this...
A message for Parents and the PTA

Dear Vitality Man,
My child wears a backpack loaded with 20-30 pounds of books and supplies every day for school. I'm concerned, because she only weighs less than a hundred pounds. Are backpacks good for you?--
Dear Parents,
There are three main reasons (ways) that wearing a backpack can have negative effects on your child, and three positive reasons. Then I'll give you my opinion.
Negative Effects:
1. A backpack reinforces poor posture when your child is NOT wearing the backpack. Poor posture can lead to lower self-esteem and a long list of problems you never want your child to have.
2. A backpack inhibits normal movement and coordination, which may affect learning as well as increase risk of injury to joints.
3. A backpack puts pressure on the rib cage, inhibiting lung expansion, which decreases oxygen to the blood and decreases stamina.
PS: If you or someone you know wears a backpack on your commute to work, these same considerations apply for adults.
Positive Effects:
1. Your child is more likely to be prepared with their books and supplies ready to use.
2. Her books are less likely to be lost or stolen.
3. Her hands are free to use even though she has her books to carry.
As you consider the pros and cons of backpack wearing, here is my opinion:
Backpacks by themselves are not bad at all. Backpacks are cool and useful! However, if we wear them at the expense of our good health, with no way for our body to recover from the downsides of having a heavy weight in an unnatural position-Now, That's no so good. The best way to eliminate the backpack problem is to minimize its use by as much as possible. Here are some suggestions. Use what works, modify what doesn't quite match.
1. If your child bikes to school, get a rack or basket for the bike and tie the pack to the rack with some strong bunjee cords, instead of having her wear the load during transit.
2. At school, if lockers are permitted, get one book out at a time for each class and exchange it at class breaks.
3. If she has a different schedule each day, plan for bringing only the books she needs for the day.
4. Use the study period to do the homework for the classes with the heaviest textbooks, then leave them at school.
Finally, in addition to this, you can also get your child into yoga or other exercises your child can do to counteract the negative effects of wearing a heavily loaded pack on her back.