{"id":31073,"date":"2013-01-31T17:14:24","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T17:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=31073"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:10:58","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T13:10:58","slug":"doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week\u2019s column<\/a> focused on the benefits of exercise<\/a> vis-\u00e0-vis high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer. This third and final segment of <\/em>Doctors Ditching Drugs\u00a0will discuss Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain and osteoporosis.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Push-ups\"<\/p>\n

Metabolic Syndrome<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Exercising is very helpful in weight reduction and in preventing weight gain. It is also beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight after a successful weight loss program. \u00a0Therefore, the strongest predictor of successful, permanent weight loss is a well-rounded exercise program.<\/p>\n

Being overweight is known to bring on many health-related complications including Metabolic Syndrome, otherwise know and Syndrome X.\u00a0 Syndrome X has been called the deadly quartet\u00a0<\/i>as well as insulin resistance syndrome\u00a0<\/i>and is responsible for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

Metabolic Syndrome is comprised of a perilous collection of risk factors, or cluster of metabolic disorders which, individually or as a group, promote the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis.\u00a0 The root causes of this syndrome are overweight\/obesity, physical inactivity and genetic factors.<\/p>\n

Lower Back Pain<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Lower back pain (LBP) levies a heavy toll upon men and women alike. Roughly 70% of all people will experience one bout of lower back pain in their lifetime, with many experiencing repeated bouts or even chronic back pain.\u00a0Although we are all tempted to take anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxants, exercise can both prevent, help or completely cure LBP.<\/p>\n

LBP typically is located in the lumbar region of the spine, with L4 and L5 being the most commonplace.\u00a0 Undoubtedly, you have probably heard of slipped, herniated, shattered, protruding and crushed disks – all of which are manifestations of LBP. What brings on these conditions, and how can they be corrected, and possibly even prevented, in the first place?<\/p>\n

The main causes of LBP are weak abdominal muscles, tight hamstring muscles, poor posture and stress. \u00a0Many times, LBP is the result of a biomechanical dysfunction resulting from flat feet, and often can be corrected with a pair of good, functional orthotics.<\/p>\n

Also, a simple thing like a worn-out pair of shoes can bring on back discomfort.\u00a0 Prevention of LBP includes a well-balanced exercise program which encompasses flexibility training (stretching) and abdominal strengthening.\u00a0 And aerobic exercise is known, amongst its many benefits, to be a great stress-reducer. Being overweight is also a risk factor, as is smoking.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, the common approach to treating LBP was to prescribe bedrest.\u00a0 Strong evidence now indicates that this treatment is ineffective.\u00a0 Studies have shown that bedrest of more than 2-4 days can cause muscles to begin to weaken, and can actually delay recovery.\u00a0 The current thinking is that a person with LBP should be physically active.\u00a0 Walking, even if it is somewhat painful, is considered essential.<\/p>\n

Osteoporosis<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s silent, it\u2019s progressive and it can disable.\u00a0 Two-hundred million people worldwide have it.\u00a0 Women develop it four times as often as men do.\u00a0 And the older you are, the greater the risk of developing it.\u00a0 We\u2019re talking about osteoporosis.<\/p>\n

Bone is a complex living tissue.\u00a0 It provides structural support for muscles, protects vital organs and stores calcium, which is essential for bone density and strength.\u00a0 Bone is constantly \u201cremodeling,”\u00a0<\/i>meaning that old bone is broken down and new bone is deposited.<\/p>\n

At about age 45-50, more old bone is broken down than is replaced.\u00a0 This process is accelerated in menopausal women as they lose the protection that estrogen had given them previously. The earlier a woman experiences menopause, the greater the risk of osteoporosis. The best strategy for preventing osteoporosis is to build strong bones, especially before the age of 35. This will reduce bone loss later in life.<\/p>\n

Both strength training (weights) and weight-bearing aerobic exercise (brisk walking, jogging, skipping rope or running) are essential to prevent osteoporosis and help reduce further bone loss in those who already have the disease.\u00a0 The strength training is essential for the bones in the upper body while the weight-bearing exercises are necessary for the bones in the lower extremities.<\/p>\n

In Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

We haven\u2019t yet found the magic pill cure-all. \u00a0But the closest thing we have to it is a good, well-rounded exercise program.\u00a0 Whether it is to prevent, cure or improve any of the many diseases and illnesses to which we are all potentially subject, or to reduce our stress and feel better about life, exercise is a MUST for everyone, no matter your age, gender or weight.\u00a0 Have your doctor include exercise in his\/her prescription for almost anything that may bother you.\u00a0 Take the important mitzvah\u00a0<\/em>(commandment) of \u201cv\u2019nishmartem me’od l\u2019nafshoseichem\u00a0<\/i>(you shall surely guard your soul)”\u00a0seriously by exercising regularly.<\/p>\n

\n

\"image\"<\/p>\n

Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a002-651-8502<\/a> or 050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":57246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physical-health"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-31T17:14:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-04-27T13:10:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1254\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"836\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/\",\"name\":\"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-31T17:14:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-27T13:10:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\"},\"description\":\"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg\",\"width\":1254,\"height\":836,\"caption\":\"Senior Man Doing Press Ups In Gym Smiling To Camera\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\",\"name\":\"Alan Freishtat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alan Freishtat\"},\"description\":\"Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@alanfitness.com Check out the his web site \u2013 www.alanfitness.com US Line: 516-568-5027\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/alan_freishtat\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life","description":"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life","og_description":"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/","og_site_name":"OU Life","article_published_time":"2013-01-31T17:14:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-04-27T13:10:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1254,"height":836,"url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alan Freishtat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alan Freishtat","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/","name":"Doctors Ditching Drugs, Part III - OU Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg","datePublished":"2013-01-31T17:14:24+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-27T13:10:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f"},"description":"Metabolic Syndrome, lower back pain, osteoporosis and the closest thing to a magic cure-all - a good, well-rounded exercise program.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/physical-health\/doctors-ditching-drugs-part-iii-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Push-ups.jpg","width":1254,"height":836,"caption":"Senior Man Doing Press Ups In Gym Smiling To Camera"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/","name":"OU Life","description":"Everyday Jewish Living","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f","name":"Alan Freishtat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg","caption":"Alan Freishtat"},"description":"Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@alanfitness.com Check out the his web site \u2013 www.alanfitness.com US Line: 516-568-5027","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/alan_freishtat\/"}]}},"acf":[],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31073"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57360,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31073\/revisions\/57360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}