This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoVPGhEOHf0 Bob: The topic today “Is Your Shoulder Pain Coming from Your Neck or Shoulder, How to Tell.” Very difficult to assess sometimes but we’re going to give you a few clues here. Brad: And it’s common that, you can have shoulder pain coming from your neck, but it was just misdiagnosed, or the layperson wouldn’t know until you see this video. Bob: Right, so let’s start right into it Brad. If you have neck problems, they often can cause pain into the shoulder area. As a rule, shoulder movements tend to aggravate shoulder problems. Neck movements tend to aggravate neck problems. So, we’ll be doing some tests at the end and show you how that works. Brad: With the except for some neck movements, which can produce symptoms in the arm. Bob: That’s a good point. We’ll get into this. Brad: Yeah, it gets a little complicated but stick with us and it’ll be more clear. Bob: First, let’s go typical location of the pain, okay. If you have shoulder pain, often it’s in the front or the side of the shoulder. It may radiate down the arm, but generally it doesn’t go past the elbow. Both Brad and I have seen patients where it did go past the elbow, but unlikely and it went into the forearm. Brad: Usually their shoulder pain was high. We’re talking in general terms, not on their exceptions. Bob: If you have pain in the neck now that’s generally felt at the base of the neck. It can be felt in the shoulder blade. That’s common. Shoulder blade generally is not a shoulder problem, it’s a neck problem. You might feel it going down the arm. If it radiates down into the hand and wrist and fingers, then you’re almost certainly dealing with a neck problem. And if you have numbness and tingling with it, that generally is a neck problem, although you said you occasionally have seen it, with shoulders. Brad: Yeah, usually not. And if you’re wondering the pain going into the fingers and the numbness and tingling, it’s a pinched nerve. Usually, pinch nerves in that location happen in between your neck and shoulder. Not so much in the shoulder. Bob: So, as a rule, if you have numbness and tingling, there’s a good chance of a neck problem. So, we’re going to show you some tests for a shoulder problem. What we’re going to do is we’re going to have you first slowly flex your arm forward with good posture. Slowly flex it five times, just straight up and down. Now, if this starts to aggravate your pain, good possibility it’s the shoulder. Brad: Particularly if it’s in the shoulder itself, maybe radiating down a little bit. Bob: Now you’re going to slowly go out to the side five times. Thumb up, thumb pointed up. And the same thing with this if this aggravates it, maybe flexion didn't aggravate it but abduction does, it's likely from the shoulder. Brad: And if you get your arm halfway up and it hurts both directions more than likely it’s a shoulder rotator cuff issue or impingement. Bob: And if you can’t raise it hardly at all. Brad: Yeah, you’re compensating moving your body a lot. You’re probably sore and it's more likely a shoulder issue. Bob: Last one you’re going to do five times; you’re going to reach back behind you and attempt to touch your shoulder blade. Brad: Yeah, usually you compare your good arm. I can go way up there with my good arm, but with my bad arm it reaches to my lower back. That's more than likely a shoulder issue. Bob: Yeah, he definitely has some shoulder involvement. One thing we haven’t point out Brad, is you could have neck and shoulder problems simultaneously. Brad: You bet. Bob: So, now let’s test the neck. So, let’s you did those, and you really didn’t have any pain. With the neck, you’re going to flex it down and extend way back. Now you’re going to do this ten times Brad. You’re going to see if this irritates it and starts sending pain anywhere, in the neck or down the arm. Even if it just starts causing pain in the neck, it might still be a shoulder issue because it might eventually over time start going down the shoulder. Brad: I've found this a lot, I’ll have the patient do this one forward and the very first time they get their head halfway back, it hurts all the way down to the shoulder. Then don’t do it ten times, just stop. You’ve got a neck problem if you can’t do that. Bob: And that is probably the most common one that’s going to be tight is going back like that with your neck. Well, I shouldn’t say most common. It hurts for a lot of people going forward too. Brad: Yeah, and we’re going to talk about rotation a little bit. Bob: Rotation, same thing. You can go back and forth, and you go ten times and see if that irritates it. Generally, it’s going to be one side that irritates it. It could be either one. Brad: You might be able to go full range one way and the other way you only go half, and it starts to hurt. That’s common. It’s a neck problem, more than likely. Bob: Yeah, and the last one is that you can side bend. To left and to the right, same thing. Bob: You’re going to find out, you might be tight one direction and that it brings on the pain. We’re answering some of the questions today, Brad. Someone said every time they bend their neck one way, their arm goes numb. There’s a neck problem. So, there we go. Again, if you have any questions, go see your professional and have it diagnosed. Thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

If you have not already done so, call your health care provider if: 1. Pain travels down your leg below your knee. 2. Your leg, foot, groin or rectal area feels numb or has a tingling sensation. 3. You have experienced a fever, nausea or vomiting, stomachache, weakness or sweating. 4. You lose control over going to the bathroom. If you suddenly lose control of your bowel or bladder see a physician immediately. 5. Your legs are weak or you experience foot drop. (Foot drop is a weakness in your foot or ankle that causes you to drag or slap the foot while walking.) 6. Your pain was caused by an injury or trauma such as a car accident or fall. 7. Your back pain awakens you at night. 8. Your pain is so intense you can't move around. 9. Your pain doesn't seem to be getting better after 2 to 3 weeks. 10. If you are a child or elderly person with back pain. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October of 2018. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM7N-QPnK90&feature=youtu.be Bob: How to fix plantar fasciitis in seconds and this does work. There is a study that showed that if you can do stretches on your foot then you can have an 83% cure rate. It may take you a month or two, but we’re also going to show you some other things that might make that go a lot faster. Brad: Right. Plantar fasciitis, it can drag on for a long time. Bob: Oh, it can go on for a year or year and a half. There’s no doubt. Brad: Right. Bob: We realize people don’t have time for pain, I mean, who does? Maybe you, do you have time in your day for pain Brad? Brad: I like it, Bob. Just kidding! Bob: I had a girl in my class who liked pain. The thing about plantar fasciitis, you should probably know what it is. This is generally a type of heel pain. Generally, the pain is right there. Bob: That’s often where you feel it. You might feel it all over the foot, but this is where it's really bad. The plantar fascia, plantar means bottom, and fascia is a tough, thick, fibrous material and it extends along starting from the heel and going up into the toes. It’s important that you understand that because then you’ll understand why we want you to do these certain stretches. Brad: And Bob, that’s important but what’s connected to the heel directly is the Achilles tendon connects to the calf muscles so, we also want to address the calf muscle group and tendon along with the foot. But we’ll get into that as we go on. Bob: And what I just saw in a study on that is that in people who have plantar fasciitis, the Achilles tendon and calf muscle tend to be tight. Which makes sense because if that’s tight, you’re going to put more stress on the foot. It’s all biomechanical. It all makes sense. Brad: Right, it all fits together. Bob: So, let’s start with the first one. You’re going to want to stretch that band and a good time to do it is right away when you wake up in the morning. I imagine many of you have that thing that happens as soon as you get up in the morning, you put weight on the foot and it really hurts. It’s one of the worst times. Brad: Yeah, you kind of limp when you walk for a while and that’s a classic symptom. Bob: Because all night long that was starting to heal and tighten up on you and then in the morning you give it that instant stretch and you break it open again. So, what you want to do is just wake up and you go ahead without standing on it, without putting any weight on it, you’re going to gently grab all the toes. You’re going to get all the toes and pull them back towards you. This is the stretch you want to do. Just pressure on pressure off or you can do continuous stretches too. Brad: You know, up to 30 seconds. Bob: Yeah, it doesn’t take long. 30 seconds and then before you get out of bed, you’re going to put your shoes on. It takes some of the stress off. Now, this is the stretch throughout the day. I mean, this is the stretch you’re going to do every hour if you can, and this is what’s going to help you get by and get through this thing. So, you can also do it in a chair which Brad is going to demonstrate, and you can do it with your shoe on. Brad: If you’re at work, this chair is a little low, but it will work on a taller chair that you have at your desk. With your shoe on, you’re going to do this, you’re going to make sure your ankle is dorsiflexed or this way to help tighten things up and it works nice if you have a chair that has wheels on it because you can roll into it like this and get that stretch. Bob: You get that great toe extension again right, Brad? You’re getting that toe extended. Brad: Right, and that’s the big toe. So, if you want to do it on the other foot for a little preventative maintenance, you know, it could be that both are sore, but you can do that as well. Bob: You could also grab the foot and pull back like we did lying down. Brad: Depending on what kind of shoe you have, if you have a hard leather shoe or a thick sole shoe then you may have to take the shoe off and work it that way. So, be aware of what you’re wearing. Bob: Generally, I think people agree that when you have plantar fasciitis, if you sit for a while and then you get up, again you get that pain. So, that’s why before you get up, you should make sure you do the stretch. Brad is going to show what we talked about is how the Achilles tendon and the calf muscle gastric soleus, they all attach into that heel and it’s all one big unit, so we must make sure you do this stretch also. He’s going to do it with the knee straight. Brad: One leg is straight, and the other leg is not involved. We’re working on that back leg only. Bob: You can do it with it bent also. It’s tougher that way, you can see his heel come up. Brad: It gets a different muscle. You get the soleus that way. This way you're more complete. And notice my toes, I don’t have them out to the side. You want to straighten it forward and that gets the muscles that you want more effectively. If you happen to have an incline board, this is the deluxe way to stretch it. It’s more comfortable, it’s easier and as soon as you get on, you’ll know. You don’t have to. You can do it on the floor, but some people have these. Bob: We did a video where he demonstrated how to make one of those. Brad’s a handy guy. Brad: I mean, you can buy these, and we have them on our favorite products list, but you know, if you’re handy and you want to make one, we have a video on how to make one and quite cheaply if you have a few scrap pieces of wood and screws around. Bob: All right, coming back to me, take the attention off him for a little bit. So, now I’m going to go to the other foot. You can do a splaying massage, and this can be quite effective. So again, you have the thick band here and I have my two thumbs and I’m going to pull them apart with pressure on them. So, I’m going to that and I’m just going to splay, that’s what it’s called. I’m pulling them apart, oh boy, you really feel that. Brad: Oh yeah. Bob: That’s something you may have to start off working up more toward the toes, you may not even be able to tolerate it down by the heel where it’s sore or you may have to do it very light in this area to start off with, but again you can do this quickly, 20 or 30 seconds, whenever you have time. Brad: If you’re lucky you might have somebody at home, maybe a brother, sister, or spouse, maybe they’ll do this for you. Bob: Yeah, my brother is not touching my feet, I can tell you that. Brad: Get your wife to do it Bob: That’s not happening. It’s sad because I did hers when she had plantar fasciitis. Brad: Oh, really? Bob: Yeah, and she kind of yelled at me because she’s like “I’ve been suffering with this for months and now you do this splaying massage, and it helps. Why didn’t you do it right away.” There’s no appeasing some people. Anyway, you can do that and the other thing you can do is an ice massage. Brad: Yep, so you can take a Dixie cup or Styrofoam cup and fill it up with water, almost to the top, maybe a half inch from the top and put it in the freezer overnight and then break away the sides of it until you get to the ice. Now if you leave this in the freezer too long, it’s amazing. The ice evaporates and that’s what happened. Bob: Yeah, it’s amazing because that thing was full. Brad: Anyways, it’s kind of a nice science experiment if you have children to show that ice does evaporate. There we go, you want to put that on your foot, Bob? Bob: Well, usually what I do is I take my palm first and warm it up a little bit and smooth it out. Brad: Warm the ice up. Bob: Well, I mean, what happens is you have rough edges. Brad: Yeah, I know. Bob: Then you take it and it’s a nice fast thing. You can cool the inflammation down and in 30 seconds, it starts to feel numb already. Brad: This will wake you up too. Bob: Yeah, I was feeling a little sleepy but now I’m awake. Okay, now we’re going to show you one bonus thing. We have a new product, the pro-stretched night sock. We just got this sent to us and it’s funny, Brad and I have tried a lot of these or maybe I don’t know what you have but I’ve tried a number of these. This seems to have solved a lot of the problems that these socks have, or these splints have. What the idea is, throughout the night everything tightens up on you, especially if your foot goes down all night long. So, the socks put a little stretch on the foot all night long but a little bit because if you put too much it keeps you awake. So, this comes with two components. It comes with a strap up on the calf and it has a loop. By the way, they were careful making the parts of this, so they don’t get caught into the blankets very easy, they tried to design it that way. They also took into consideration that a lot of those splints were bulky and hot, and this is supposed to solve all those problems by not being bulky or hot. Brad: And you can walk with it if you need to get up in the middle of the night to take care of business. Bob: Yes, good point. The only thing is these straps are sticky. I slide it on, and it’s got a plastic piece in here. Brad: It’s to keep all the toes coming up together for a complete stretch. Bob: Yeah, otherwise it would pull just more on the big toe, but you can pull it out if you don’t like the feel of it but otherwise it pulls all the toes up equally. You strap it around the ankle here too, so it helps the sock from sliding down. Then a strap comes up and goes through the loop. Brad: Now, I like this a lot better than a lot of other night splints. Some of them are molded plastic around the back and people say they’re not comfortable and they get in the way and it’s hard to sleep with them. Bob: One of the ones I just saw, Brad, the strap went from the toes to the ankle, and I don’t know if you remember that, but it wouldn’t hold very well. And this one, it gives you quite the angle and it works well. They recommend for the first night, bring it up to neutral. Don’t put a stretch on it. My wife wore them for a while, and it did work for her very well and she would wake up in the middle of the night and be loosening it up. You may still run into that but maybe start a couple nights in neutral. Brad: And neutral means the ankle is at a 90-degree angle. Bob: Yeah. Then maybe the second or third night you can start putting more pressure on it and each night just keep putting a little more pressure on it. I really am impressed with this because it’s not bulky in bed and you’re not going to kick your partner in bed with a big splint and it’s a breathable material so it’s not that hot and plus you don’t have a sock going all the way to your chin. It seems like they’ve solved the problems and I’d like to have a patient to try it on because I don’t know if there’s downsides that I’m not seeing. Brad: Right. Bob: So, give the stretches a try and get rid of that plantar fasciitis. Thanks. To learn more about ProStretch Nightsock for Plantar Fasciitis visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H3BPPY6?ref=exp_physicaltherapyvideo_dp_vv_d Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2019. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWrLX4otJAU&t=308s Bob: Today Brad, we’re going to talk about seven big lies about treating knee arthritis you should know. Brad: There’s a little controversy, we’ll talk about it as we go through it. Bob: So, this is a study that was first done in 2009. I shouldn’t say study, they looked at hundreds of studies, Brad. This is the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. So, they look at hundreds, maybe thousands of studies regarding knee arthritis and hip arthritis too. They first did it in 2009, they redid it in 2018. It’s guidelines for non-surgical management of hip and knee arthritis. Today, I’m just going to talk about knee arthritis since that what the title is. What they do is they do various degrees of recommendations. They’ll say strongly against or conditionally against, which is not as severe. They also go strongly for or conditionally for. Brad: So, there’s a gray zone? Bob: Yeah, right. So, let’s start off with the first one, Brad because I get a lot of people who ask me this. Should I use Glucosamine and Chondroitin? Brad: And what did the study say? Bob: They said they were against the use of it. They didn't see any benefit to it and concerning the cost. Brad: And so, it’s strongly against? Bob: I'm sorry I don't remember I just put recommended against, I didn't do the conditional ones on those. Brad: I don't think what those there's any bad side effects. Bob: No, but again they're like, you know why do things that aren't going to help basically. Brad: Right all right they're scientists. Bob: The second one is going to be may surprise you a little bit. They recommended against use of an ice pack. To me, it makes sense because a lot of times arthritis is inflammation. So, you think you want to put ice on it, but the thing is generally they found out a lot of people like with arthritis they like the heat a lot better. They recommended against use of an ice pack. Brad: I must admit I had a patient that had severe knee arthritis. She couldn't even walk and she did not like heat. She was very alert. She said she kept ice packs in a room, and we put ice on it. Bob: There may be exceptions to the rule. This is the biggest one I think of the seven, Brad. They recommended against arthroscopic meniscectomy cartilage repair. All these surgeries unless the knee was locking. Brad: So, a mechanical clarity. Bob: And you say well how could they recommend, I'm having a lot of pain. They found out that if you had the surgery, five-six months later, you're back to right where you were before. Brad: Okay, we're not talking about knee replacements though. Bob: Not knee replacements, we're talking about arthroscopic surgeries. Where they go in and replace or trim off the meniscus. This is a big one. You'll find doctors that do recommend this. Brad: Right, go in there clean it up a little bit and see how things hold off. Bob: I must be honest, a lot of the people that I know that did have it done, they were back to square one right quickly. It's a little discouraging. Brad: They wouldn't go to the therapist if it worked. Bob: No and that's the thing. You always want to recommend conservative things to try first before you try things like that. They recommended, I kind of through three of them together here on number four. They recommended against acupuncture, kinesio tape and topical capsaicin. So, I just heard of it. I never used it, topical capsaicin. It’s just a rub you put on. Brad: I've got some kinesio tape on here. Bob: You see it, very popular. You see the Olympic athletes wearing it. Everybody thinks, oh boy, that’s cool. But the studies have just not held up on these, sorry. Brad: And we have people comment that they love their kinesio tape, that it helps. I personally think, if it works and you really think it helps, I don't think there's any negative side of it. Bob: No, it's a placebo effect sometimes. And if it's a placebo, it works. Brad: It's better than taking pain pills if it does that. Bob: Alright. They had a whole bunch of things they recommend against, but those are the ones I singled out. Now, I'm going to give you some things they recommended. Unfortunately, with the knee, you are limited. There's not a great amount things. They strongly recommended land-based exercises. What is that? That means versus water-based exercises. So, they thought it was better that you exercised out of the water than in the water. Brad: So, walking. Bob: Walking, muscle strengthening, and Tai Chi was highly recommended. Brad: Okay. That’s such a slow form of exercise. Bob: Do you know how to do it at all? Brad: No, it's a martial arts. I've trained in a different style, drastically different but from what I understand, you go through moves very slowly. Bob: Very slow and controlled. Brad: It makes sense you. It’s going to help with your balance, range of motion, strength. Bob: Give that a shot, but the walking. Also, number six, they recommended, shock absorbing footwear. Put something in your shoe and no high heels. Because that’s going to put stress on there. So, you’re going to stop wearing high heels, Brad? Brad: No, not me. I'm sticking with them. Bob: You’re going to stick with your fashion. Number seven, no surprise here either. Recommended weight loss. While you’re trying to lose weight, sometimes this is a motivator, you could use a cane or a crutch or a walker. My wife was having some knee pain, and it was to the point where, at first, she said, “There’s no way I’m going to use a cane or crutch.” But she ended up using a crutch because it was so bad that she was limping, she couldn’t walk. Brad: So, with the crutch, it was much better. Bob: Yup, I even got some padding for her. It helps to use some padding because you’re using it all the time and your arms and hands are going to get sore. After a while it calmed down and now, she’s back to walking. It’s not an issue anymore. I did some manual things on it too. Brad: Well, we don’t have to get into that. Bob: That was it Brad. That’s number seven, you must try to take some of the weight off it, so you can use the cane or crutch, or a walker. Brad: Well, I did want to say one thing. I wanted to back up a few steps. I’m surprised that the water exercise wouldn’t be good for it. I think most people would question it. Bob: Yeah, I’m surprised they talked about it. I don’t remember if they recommended against it or if it was a recommendation, but it was a lesser recommendation. I think there’s something about taking the full weight through the leg, and the effect that it has on the knee, and creating some of the oil there. Brad: You lost everybody. Bob: Yeah, I lost my thought. Brad: That’s okay. I’m saying if you have a swimming pool, and it feels good to get in there and exercise. I recommend that to my patient, but the problem is, very few people have that option. Bob: Right. They take everything into account. The convenience of it, the cost of it. They’ll recommend things that are a lot easier to do. Brad: Sure, that makes sense. Then I concur. Bob: Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

We highly recommend you see your physician in order to ensure a correct diagnosis. Sciatica can be a serious disabling condition and it important that you are not misdiagnosed. However, we do provide four self-tests you can perform. These tests can help increase your sciatica knowledge before meeting with your health care provider. Test One (Herniated or Bulging Disc) The first test is conducted with a seated straight leg raise in order to identify a possible herniated or bulging disc. In a seated position, lift your right leg while keeping your knee straight. While your leg is in the air, bend your right foot toward you while simultaneously flexing your neck. If you have a herniated disc, oftentimes you will feel increased pain or symptoms down the leg with this test. Now repeat the above steps with your left leg. Test Two (Herniated or Bulging Disc) This test is also used to identify a herniated or bulging disc. For this test, sit in a chair without any arms. Grab the underside of the chair with both arms and pull up. Next, slouch forward and extend your neck back. Be sure to note any pain occurring in your back and leg(s). Now flex your neck forward, while still being in a slouched position and pulling up on the underside of the chair. If your pain increases while flexing your neck forward, it is likely caused by a herniated or bulging disc. Test Three (3-Part Test for Spinal Stenosis) A. Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor and legs slightly apart. Lean forward in the chair and reach for the floor with your hands. If your backpain increases with this maneuver, stop immediately. If your back pain stops after performing this, you may have spinal stenosis. B. Stand up from the chair and raise your arms overhead and lean back (see photo). If standing and leaning back increases your pain, you may have spinal stenosis. C. Answer these three questions: a. Do you have increased pain following prolonged walking and standing? b. Does the pain stop when you are sitting or while leaning forward on a shopping cart? c. Are you older than 55? If you answer “yes” to all three questions, you may have spinal stenosis. Arthritis or degeneration of the spine can cause spinal stenosis. Test Four (Piriformis Syndrome) This is a test to identify if you have piriformis syndrome. For this test, sit in a chair with your back upright and your feet resting on the ground. Next, place the ankle of your affected (painful) leg on the unaffected knee. Place one hand on the ankle of the affected leg. Place your other hand on the outside of the knee of the affected leg. Next, bend forward from the waist to feel a stretch in your buttocks. At the same time, pull your affected knee toward your chest. Increased pain and tenderness in the buttock and leg during this test may indicate the piriformis muscle is involved. If it appears that you have piriformis syndrome or spinal stenosis, confirm this diagnosis with your doctor or health care provider. PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO PROGRAM WILL NOT HELP YOU IF YOU HAVE PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME OR SPINAL STENOSIS. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKo2JtGBz8c&t=110s Chris: We’re going to talk about a couple different antidepressants. One is call fluoxetine; the brand name is Prozac. And the second one is call sertraline under the brand name of Zoloft. So, we’re going to use that for depression and we’re going to talk about the benefits and side effects and what to watch for over time when we’re taking these medications. Brad: And the goal is so that you understand what these meds are, how they work, how to take them, and things that maybe you don’t feel comfortable about. I think once you learn what Chris has to say it’s going to open a lot of information. When you’re educated on something, everything can change. Chris: Hopefully we’re going to help a lot of people. Brad: Exactly. So, now we’re going to run this as a format. Chris being the pharmacist, I’m going to be the patient. I come in with my prescription on paper from the doctor. Obviously, I can’t read it because you can never read those prescriptions. He says I got some depression things. I’m not excited about this. I am a little apprehensive that I want to start taking these meds because I don’t know, I heard bad thing about them, and Chris is going to address this. This is something that Chris does very well professionally as a pharmacist, better than other pharmacists I’ve been to for sure. So, I think it’s going to be helpful. So, here we go, Chris, I need this medication. Chris: All right, hey Brad. I see you had a visit with your doctor, and I guess just for the quick purposes of the conversation, fluoxetine and sertraline are antidepressants, they’re serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which that’s the class of drug they’re in. The consult that I’ll perform on both is the same for both medications. Brad: So, wait, the fluoxetine and sertraline, I’ve heard those called other names. Chris: Zoloft and Prozac. Prozac is fluoxetine and Zoloft in sertraline. Brad: You know, I've got a little gray hair and stuff and those terms I do remember. So, what you’re saying is they’re the same medication but different names? Chris: They do the same thing. I would consider them kind of like Coke and Pepsi. So, how they’re cola’s, they have little nuances that are a little bit different, but for the most part they’re generally used for the same type of thing. So, for depression, anxiety, there’s certain thing that woman take for their menstrual cycles. There are a couple differences, but we’re going to focus on depression exclusively. Brad: Okay. So, these two things because the doctor talk to me about both and he decided I’m going to go on this one, but he/she will look at my history. Chris: The doctor is going to diagnose the patient. So, you went in, and you visited your doctor, Brad. You had some sort of conversation to the amount of where, “You know, I’m just not feeling right. Things aren’t going my way, I’m just down. I’m sleeping all the time, but I don’t feel like I have any rest. I just, I feel really awful.” And really, this season right now with COVID, and this pandemic that we’re dealing with, there’s a lot of people in this boat. We’re in the holiday season which also brings out more depression. So, a lot of people are hopefully going to see their doctors because mental health is tricky to deal with. And there’s 40 million adults that are out there that are really struggling with it. So, if you think there’s even a question, reach out to a friend, but more than likely, go see your doctor. They’re trained to help you. They’re going to come up with a diagnosis which will probably generate a prescription and they might even suggest counseling and other tips, some lifestyle changes, getting more active, trying to get a little bit of better sleep. Brad: So, with these two medications, either one, am I on this for life? Is this a lifetime prescription? Chris: No, it’s kind of interesting. When these drugs first came out on the market, Prozac came out in the late 80’s, I believe a little bit before my time and then basically, sertraline followed and then there was Paxil and then there was Celexa. Brad: I don’t even know what they are. Chris: Whatever. Yeah, but they’re all just, “me toos.” Basically, from the standpoint, these medications when you’re starting to use them, we use them to create an effect to try and help to alleviate your symptoms. Brad: So, it’s not a feel-good thing. It’s not like an opioid where you get the buzz. Chris: No, no. It’s going to take time to improve. You know, when your doctor comes up with this, the original guideline, you’re only going to take this for six months. Now we find that people take this indefinitely. It comes down to you, the patient, and what your doctor, your clinician, decides is ultimately best. Maybe you only need it for 18 months, maybe you only need it for 8 months. Maybe you need it for 5 years. Maybe you need it for 20 years. The set guideline was six to nine months when these drugs were initially invented and brought out on the market. But we’re finding that when people come off the medications, sometimes the depression relapses or comes back. There are some strategies that we’ll talk about too when maybe it’s time for you to go off the drug and we’ll touch on that as we go through this. We’ll pretend that you came in and today we’ll talk, and it doesn’t matter if it’s fluoxetine or sertraline. The points that I make are going to be the same because the side effects and their benefits are generally similar. Brad: So, how do they work? They go into the nervous system through your brain? Chris: So, you take the medication, it absorbs into your body, gets into the blood, and it builds up into your brain. What it does is it helps to allow there’s a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Brad: That’s some nerve stuff in my brain. Chris: Yeah, and most of it is in your gut, which is one of the side-effect things we’ll talk about at that point. It bathes these nerves and allows them to get some more sertraline and so what that does is helps improve mood. Oddly enough, exercise can raise a certain amount of serotonin as well. There’s a lot of things that do occur from other benefits and we’ll talk about that as we go through this as well. Brad: Okay. So, what you’re saying, regular exercise could improve my mood? Chris: Yes. Very much so. That’s something that’s often overlooked and a lot of times when people go down this pathway of depression, they kind of lose interest in things that they may have enjoyed. They kind of stop and they shut down and suddenly, they’re just sitting in their house and maybe they’re just watching TV because they can’t find any excitement or any type of joy or satisfaction. So, at that point you visit the doctor, and this is a lot more involved than what I would deal with, with the patient. You get to this point, and you say, “Hey Chris, I have this prescription. My doctor just sent it to you. I’m going to take the drug fluoxetine today.” And so, I’d be, “Well, Brad. What did your doctor tell you this is for? Did he talk to you a little bit?” Brad: Yeah. He said I should take one, but I can’t remember how often, and I can’t read his handwriting. So, if I take one a day or two, I don’t know. Chris: Sure. Well, the way the doctor designed this prescription he’s going to give you a fluoxetine 20-milligram capsule. It’s a normal starting point for a lot of people and we’d like you to take it first thing in the morning, after breakfast. You heard me say first thing in the morning and after breakfast. Those two points are important. Most of the serotonin receptors are in our gut. So, what makes our gut move. Brad: Stomach. Chris: Yep, your stomach. Basically, it makes you feel either nauseous, queasy, or can even give you loose stools. So, we want to be careful of that. I want you to eat something first because that slows down stomach transit time. That wave slows down and so it slows down the absorption and kind of eases the gut. Brad: Put the brakes on a little bit. Chris: Exactly. That’s not why we’re taking the medication, but that’s one of the first things you’ll notice in that first week while you start it. So, food first, in the morning. Now, you heard me say in the morning. Most of us experience somewhat of an activating effect from these medications. I don’t want to feel like it’s you had a cup of coffee and it’s that spark like you get from a little bit of caffeine. It’s once the drug starts to kick in, you notice more of an alertness. Like “Hey, I’m going to get up. I’m going to brush my teeth, comb my hair, take a shower, and I’m going to get out and get on with my day.” Brad: But this won’t happen for a week or so? Chris: Yeah, it’s going to be a gradual build up. Particularly with fluoxetine, Prozac and sertraline, Zoloft. These drugs take about four weeks to really kick in. So, it’s a very gradual process. A lot of times, many doctors tell patients that, but there’s so many things going through your mind when you meet with your doctor, “Oh I’m depressed. Oh my God, what am I going to do?” You feel, “Now it’s even more despair, and I feel even worse.” So, it’s always nice to come and see us, and then we’ll spend a little extra time to make sure you understand it. We’re taking it in the morning, and we’re taking it with food. Well, one of the side effects that can occur is dizziness, and/or drowsiness. That’s something that’s like, “Oh. What’s up with that?” Well, there’s about 10% of the people who get more tired on either drug. So, what we suggest, instead of taking it in the morning, that 10% would be better off taking it at bedtime. So, we just make that simple switch from bedtime or in the evening and suddenly you sleep through that side effect, and you wake up and everything’s just a little bit better. Again, you also heard me briefly say, it takes about four weeks for these drugs starting to work. I mean, some people will report in about two or three weeks that they start to feel some benefits. Interestingly, one of the things that seem to stabilize with depression, specifically is, your sleep seems to get better. Many of the chief complaints when people are depressed are so much that when they’re down and low, they feel like they’re sleeping for 12-13 hours a day, but not feeling restful. They’re just tired, they’re exhausted. Suddenly, you start taking this medication and it gradually gets better. It’s going to be very gradual. There’s an important appointment that comes up in about four weeks for most of these patients that are on these medications. In about a month’s time, you’re going to meet back with your doctor, sometimes they’ll do a Zoom call or even a phone chat, depending upon how COVID has affected the situation. It’s very important to talk to this doctor now because they’re going to ask, “Brad, how are you feeling on this medication?” And we hope the answer is, “I’m starting to feel a lot better. I’m more engaged at work. I’m doing a lot more. I really enjoy the patients I’m seeing. With my videos, I’m way more effective, more effusive. Things are going a lot better for me. Julie, my wife, says things are going well.” I mean, these are things that sometimes people around you notice before you do even. So, your doctor’s listening for a lot of things that you’re saying to them, and they’re going to say, “Okay, Brad. I think this 20-miligram dose of fluoxetine is appropriate for you. I’d like to continue this for a few more months and we’ll touch back in about six months, but if there’s any questions, I’d like you to call me.” So, you go back to your pharmacy to get your refill, because it seems like it’s the right choice. Now, what if it’s the other end? “You know, my stomach is upset, I’m dizzy all the time, I have a headache.” These are side effects that can happen with these medications. A lot of these side effects for most people on any of these drugs, typically get better in about a week, but sometimes they linger and sometimes it’s just not the right choice for you. When a doctor meets Brad and says, “Hey, I think you’re depressed, and I’d like to address that with some medication.” They had an empiric thought, but there’s some companies out there now that can take a saliva swab and will look at your DNA and say, “Brad, fluoxetine is a great choice for you.” When we start with fluoxetine after we have the DNA testing that shows it’s the most appropriate choice, you’re like, “Oh, wow.” Maybe it should have been sertraline, which is the other drug that we’re hitting on here. So, there’s nuances between the two. Like I said, it’s like Coke and Pepsi. They’re colas and they’re the same, but Coke tastes a little different than Pepsi. Brad: Personal choice. Maybe a genetic component in there. Chris: Yes. It says your body accepts that molecule, and it helps to raise more sertraline more effectively than the other one. So, that’s kind of what we’re starting to see at least with some of these things that we’re unlocking with genetic codes. Brad: So, the saliva thing, they’re checking the DNA and they have all these statistics that show one works for me and one doesn’t. Chris: Basically, it’s a very fancy company and they read the result and then they spit out the answer. It’s like if you do 23andMe, where you’re finding out your genetics, your family history, where you came from, what you could be susceptible to. It’s the whole nine yards, but they’ve done that with medications. Brad: So, that just narrows it down and probably you’re going to be on the right medication? Chris: Yes, so this is where we get the right choice the first time. It’s somewhat expensive. I think it’s about $300 and it’s only offered to physicians. It’s not offered to the lay public now. With genetic testing, they show that this is the right choice right out of the gate. It narrows it down. I do know that at least Mayo Clinic in La Crosse, in their psychiatric department, they were using this for a time. I don’t know if they’ve continued with it or not, but it was interesting literature with it. Brad: But I could ask the doctor. Chris: If it’s offered. Brad: But it’s not. Chris: It’s not offered, and a lot of doctors are into it. The nice thing about these medications, is there’s so many different ones that ultimately, they can make another selection for you that maybe the things that you decided that were affecting you negatively and they can come up with another more positive, more effective choice for you. Brad: So, the doctor, with their experience and their knowledge, they probably have a pretty good idea on what to give you. They’re going to send you down the right path, but the saliva thing is going to help. Chris: Absolutely. Again, it’s not standard, it’s expensive. It’s just something that’s more of a sidebar, but if it’s offered to you, I think it’s worth its weight in gold. Most insurance companies are not going to pay for a service like that. It is about $300 so, it’d be something to be aware of, it could be an additional cost, but it might be well worth it. Moving forward, we made that appointment, everything’s going well and, “Ah, great, Brad. Well, I think we’re going to continue with this medication. How are you feeling?”, “I’m starting to feel a lot better”, “Well, that’s great. Here’s your refill Brad. Do you have any questions that you’ve notice about things that have happened to you since you’ve started this medication?” Brad: Are there any red flags out there? Chris: There are some things, because with all drugs, there’s risks. So, two things that exceedingly rare, would be serotonin syndrome which would be brought on by taking other medications with this. You pharmacist and doctor would be looking at your profile to make sure we’re not going to get you into trouble. Most commonly see it with the painkiller tramadol, but common is the wrong word because you’re talking an infinitesimally small chance for this to occur, but it’s life-threatening. It’d be things like serotonin syndrome, since we’re going to sidebar it, it’d be something that you feel hot, 104-degree fever, but you didn’t have an illness that brought it on. You can have muscle pain, rigidity, twitching, just not right. You feel agitated, unwell. Brad: So, you’re saying less than 1%. Chris: It’s less than 1%. It’s something else that we want to be careful with, but it’s not something that I would necessarily lose sleep over. If suddenly you wake up, you’re on these medications may have triggered it, yeah, you need to have a conversation with your doctor ASAP or go to the ER. Along with that 1% side effect, the other thing is, a lot of times, young kids will be prescribed these medications now, although there may be off label, but you’ll see particularly the age for male patients, particularly from 18 to 24, 1% of the time, they have suicidal ideation, where they think that they want to hurt themselves or end it all. It’s a big deal and we see it more with male patients than female patients. It’s something I think, if a parent comes in, and let’s say they have a 14-year-old or a 16-year-old young male, I’m going to be like “Hey, did your doctor talk to you about the possibility that your son may have suicidal ideations?” Brad: So, you’re talking statistically, right? Chris: Yes. Statistically speaking that you have a higher risk for suicide in that first 7-10 days of taking medication. A lot of times when we’re depressed, our thinking is not very clear. You can’t connect the dots. So, when we get on the medication, everything becomes more linear. Everything’s just a straight line. It’s like, “I feel miserable. I’m awful. I’m going to end myself.” And they connect those dots and it’s very tragic. The medications for whatever reason, in this small percentage, can lead to it. If you’re a young male, it’s something that, as a pharmacist and certainly as a doctor, they’re going to hammer that home because even though it’s so rare, it’s about as serious as it gets. So, it’s something we want to be careful with. The other thing would pregnancy. So, for our female patients that are either on sertraline or fluoxetine, they can be used during pregnancy, but during that last trimester, it can create some issues for the baby. In a perfect world, if it comes down to being depressed, and everything is awful, or not being depressed, your doctor may weigh out the benefits versus the risk. They may tell you to take it throughout the pregnancy or they may suggest, “Well if you can get off it, we can get through this and then we can get you started at the end of the pregnancy, when postpartum kicks in, to kind of reestablish it. It could be conceivably healthier for the baby.” There’s risk and benefit there. Brad: There’s going to be a lot of conversation between the doctor and the patient. Chris: There’s going to be a lot of clinical decisions there that’s best for you, but it’s certainly something you want to disclose with your doctor. We’re pregnant or we’re trying to get pregnant, just things to be aware of. Brad: To finish this out, with these two meds, you say they’re very similar. What’s the success rate? Are they, in general, because there’s some negative things that aren’t very common? Chris: I think in general, they’re very successful medications. We have millions of Americans, that successfully used as medications. Some is for a short period of time, and many is for much longer periods of time. I can tell you firsthand that I know people that use these things that have been on it for years, decades. Brad: And living a successful life. Chris: Yeah. It’s managing quite well versus not being on it. There are still things that you can do with certain foods and certainly exercising. That’ll go a long way to helping you and we encourage that at every step along the way. I think that’s something that will pay full benefit to it as well. Then there’s always the exit strategy. You’ll say, “When is it time to come off this drug?” Well, it’s something that we want to taper off. You don’t just stop taking it, you go off slowly. So, in the case of a 20-miligram capsule, you’d maybe drop down to 10-miligrams for 2-4 weeks. Brad: And that happens with the doctor? Chris: Yes. The doctor will make that determination and fluoxetine and sertraline have different half-lives. So, fluoxetine, you can stop, and it just goes away. Sertraline, not so much. So, one of the things we look at is adherence or how consistently people take medications. With a drug like sertraline, if you skip a dose, you’re going to feel it. You’re going to feel weird. You’re going to have headache, agitated, you can just not feel right. Some people describe it like an electrical sensation in the brain, they call them “brain zaps.” It’s something that with these drugs, the key is to use it consistently, to use it about the same time every day. When you and your doctor decide it’s time for you to come off it, there should be a tapering process. Then we talked about relapse briefly, but sometimes if we come off these medications too quickly, depression symptoms come back rapidly. When we do slow, it seems to be less likely to relapse, and with lifestyle changes, and staying active and fit, getting good rest, a lot of times maybe it’s corrected itself. So, that is a possibility. Brad: All right. I think you’ve covered pretty much everything from A to Z and I feel much more educated on the whole topic. Very good. Thanks for tuning in and we hope all goes well for you! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2016. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GUW4psHJ0k&t=10s Bob: Today, we’re going to talk about how to use an inversion table safely. Brad: Inversion tables are typically used for low back and mid back pain management, to get rid of it. Bob: Of the spine. Brad: Right, of the spine. There may be some controversy in that, but I don’t want to talk about that. I do want to talk about, if you have one or want to buy one, you want to know how to use it safely. I’ve had one for 2 years. Bob: So, you’re a good person to comment on this. Brad: Right. I’ve watched the video and read on how they instructed to use it and in general, I think I disagree. Not totally, but I want to go through it in general here. Bob: This is our opinion. Brad: Right. Bob: And first off, we should talk about the people who absolutely shouldn’t use it at all. Someone who has retinal detachment or glaucoma because you’re going to have increased pressure on your eyes when your being inverted. Brad: Exactly. Pressure on the inner ear. Bob: If you have inner ear problems, this may not be a good one for you. Brad: Blood pressure conditions. Bob: Yeah, increased blood pressure or have a heart condition, I’d be reluctant because your blood pressure is going to increase when you’re in that position. You could pull a muscle when you’re in that position and it does sometimes cause headaches. Brad: Right. When I first used mine, initially, I tested it in the store because they had one set up. This is what I would do if you’re going to buy one is go into the store, have one that’s set up and use it and invert and see if you have some results as far as decrease in pain. Bob: Or does it make things worse in some way. Brad: Exactly. So, when you invert, you should feel some immediate relief and that’s my opinion. If you do not, I don’t think it’s for you. Now, the big question I want to get to is if you look at an inversion table, I have three scenarios. You start flat, then go to a partial inversion (60-70 degrees) and then a full inversion (vertical). Brad: So, you must adjust properly, so when you lay down on the table, you should build a balance that you’re in a horizontal position, so you balance well. Then to invert, on the one I had, you lift your arms up and you would slowly go back, and you could go into a full inversion. Now, I’m looking at this and I’m thinking, what if the device for the ankle that holds you upside down fails, and you fall on your head and you break your neck? I’m thinking this is not healthy. So, I didn’t even go there, and I still think that this is not necessary at all. What I did with mine was, there was an adjustment on mine that went to 60-70 degrees, there was a strap that could stop you there and you would not go any farther. Bob: Okay, so, you can set it for that. Brad: Yeah. I found I had plenty of traction because that’s all this does to your back. It’s a form of traction and it pulls your back apart. It can help the disc and your muscles to relax. Bob: Using your body weight. Brad: So, that’s where I would set mine at. I would not recommend going more than 60-70 degrees. You will feel the effects. Now, the next big warning I’m going to have to say, when you get on one of these, and you invert, start out at 15-30 seconds, and then go back to the horizontal position and see how your body reacts. Bob: Okay, so, you may be surprised at the results if you go longer. Brad: Yeah. You might feel nauseous, you might feel like you had a headache. I inverted and I stay there for about three minutes because I time myself. It felt good, my back immediately felt better. I thought , this is good, I’m going to hang there for a while and really fix my back. Well, I got up and my back still felt better but I had a headache. It lasted all that night until bed. So, I went too much, too fast. So, start off with 15-30 seconds, come up and if you feel normal you can go back down, but I would not go more than that three or four times in a row the first time you use it. Bob: Were you able to build up to longer times then? Brad: Oh yeah. Eventually I would go no more than two minutes because my head would feel like there’s too much pressure. Bob: But you would be able to go up to two minutes eventually. Brad: Yeah, and it felt fine. I know people that go longer than that because I’ve talked to several patients that use these and they do go longer. I just had a patient who said she totally inverts. I still don’t think that necessary. It may be in certain circumstances, but I’m going to get that out of my head. Bob: It’s the risk, reward thing. Brad: Right, I think you can get the same results with just going the 60-70 degrees. Maybe not, but that’s my opinion, of course. Anyways, I would hang for 2-3 minutes, my back would feel better, I would get off it and my back would continue to feel better when I went upright and weight-bearing. You want to go all the way through that process. You could feel better when it’s inverted, but when you get up and stand up, what if it starts feeling bad and you get a bad reaction to it. Bob: Right. Brad: Obviously, you’re not going to buy one then. That’s why I think testing it in the store is a good idea. Bob: Absolutely. Brad: I use mine for two years and eventually the effects weren’t helping anymore so I sold it. Bob: Well, good tips Brad, from someone who used it. Brad: Yeah, and I hope that if you want to buy one, go ahead. There around $100-$200, you get what you pay for. Mine was over $200 but it was built well, and I really liked it. Bob: Thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

The term sciatica is used to describe the symptoms that arise from the sciatica nerve. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve formed from smaller nerves that branch off from each side of your low back. Symptoms from the sciatic nerve can occur in your buttock, the back of your thigh, in your lower leg and/or in your foot. Symptoms include pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or burning. An important point to underscore is generally the more the sciatica nerve is irritated, the further down the leg the symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or burning occur. The reverse is also true; as the nerve becomes less irritated, the symptoms generally improve in an ascending fashion. This presents as less pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and/or burning in the foot or lower leg. Knowing this can help you gauge whether your self-treatments are helping your sciatica. In most cases of sciatica, the sciatic nerve is being compressed somewhere along the nerve. Common causes of compression include: 1. The vertebra (soft jelly-like discs located between bones) of your back may be herniated or ruptured, causing pressing on one of the nerve roots leading to sciatic nerve pain. 2. Degenerative changes in your spine, discs, or ligaments often due to age can result in a smaller opening for the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve to pass through. The smaller hole may cause increased pressure and irritation of the nerves. This may lead to spinal stenosis. 3. Compression from a small muscle in your buttocks called the piriformis muscle. This condition is often referred to as false sciatica, which can still create sciatica-like symptoms. It is also known as piriformis syndrome. This video series is focused on the first cause of compression listed, which is from the disc becoming herniated or ruptured. We will provide subsequent video series in the future to address the other two issues listed above. So, with sciatica you have a nerve that is angry and irritated. Can it get better? YES! Can we stop the compression, reduce the irritation, and eliminate the symptoms of sciatica? YES! Everything we suggest in these videos are recommended with that end in mind. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NahD4dU8Ork&t=106s Bob: Today we’re going to talk about the top 10 reasons why resistance bands beat free weights. Brad: Whoa, that’s a strong statement Bob. But you know, free weights are likely the most common resistance type of exercise over time. But resistance bands are making a strong run. And there’s some real good reasons for it. Not to say they’re better than steel weights. But they’re different. And there’s some advantages that they have that you cannot get with steel weights. So that’s what we’re going to talk about. As a matter of fact, there are people who use both and combine them so they get the maximum workout that they can. Bob: Exactly. Best of both worlds. Brad: Absolutely, Bob. Bob: Should we start off with reason number one Brad or what do you want to do? Brad: Well, I’ve got 10 reasons here that I don’t know if that’s in order. It’s going to depend on the individual. Bob: It’s not like we’re creating a crescendo here. Brad: Whoa, crescendo. You’ve been studying over the weekend. All right, so the first one is they offer progressive resistance, which weights do not offer. They offer the same resistance for the same weight. Unless you’re working a machine like the Nautilus. That’s a different story, but we’re talking about free weights. Bob: You need to explain yourself. Brad: Yep so, if I’m doing my bicep curls, as I come up to 90 degrees, it offers the most resistance because of the distance from the elbow, the fulcrum point. As I get up to the end of the curl, it’s less and it’s easier. Bob: It’s easier, right. Brad: We would like it to get more difficult as we get forward so with the resistance band, that’s exactly what happens. Bob: The higher it goes, the harder it gets. Brad: It is. It’s just the nature of bands and that’s one of the beauties of bands. Now one thing you can do is, you can combine it with a loop, and you can go like this and I’m going to step here. Now I have free weight and as I get up its stronger, yes. So, this is really an ideal way to do some resistance. Bob: You could do this with bench press. You could do it with squats. You can do it with a lot of different things. Brad: Yeah, it can get challenging. You must figure out a way to attach the band. Bob: You’d probably need a big band, a big loop band. Brad: Yeah, we’re not going to get into detail about that, but it was something that some people work with. Bob: You know, is this the point where you want to mentioned if you step farther away, the resistance increases? Brad: Let’s add that in with the next one. The big advantage I find with resistance bands is they offer resistance, whether its vertical, horizontal, 45-degree angle, all over. Whereas you know, iron weights, it’s strictly vertical. Bob: Right. Brad: Unless you have a cable system and that gets more complicated, just because you must have quite a piece of equipment for it. Bob: It’s infinite. You can do resistance from different angles, and you can get every angle that ever was known to mankind. Brad: Well Bob, I’m going to show curls. Curls with this free weight, typically we’re going to stand up. Bob: Going up against gravity. Brad: Right, right. So now with this band, I’m going to show curls at a 45-degree angle with the wall anchor we must have something to anchor the band to. Not a big deal. We’ll go this way. Now we’re going to get to Bobs point. If I want more resistance, I just simply step farther away. Bob: As opposed to picking up another weight, and another dumbbell and have like 30 dumbbells. You know what I’m saying. Brad: I hear you, Bob. Now the next thing, this is the way I do mine at home. I’m going to use horizontal resistance. I lay down here and I get perfect form. My posture is perfect on the floor, and I can really do this. I just inch myself away from the wall. Bob: And now he’s isolated the muscle too. He’s not able to use the body to help. So, all the work comes from the muscle itself, the bicep muscles. Brad: Exactly. And of course, naturally I can go vertical just like the standard. So, I've got three different planes with the curls, and I could get more if I got creative. Bob: So, number three bands need no large steel benches or standing racks. Brad: Right. Bob: Which, you know, if you’re in an apartment it could be a problem. Brad: A little plastic anchor instead. Very easy. Bob: Or you could, it has a door attachment. Works with that too. Brad: Exactly. Brad: This comes with all the bands, and you do not have to have a wall anchor, you just need a door and that works out very well. What’s the next one, Bob? Bob: Next one is, number four. Brad: Ah, the cost. Significantly less. If you get a whole set of dumbbells, you need a dumbbell rack, and they’re heavy. They’re just cheaper. The bands are cheaper. Bob: If you’re a cheap person, this is the thing for you. Brad: And that’s me. Easy to travel with. This next weekend, I’m going away for the weekend. Bob: Even this little thing, a five pound weight, put this in your bag. It adds a lot. Brad: Especially if you need you know, four or five sets of them. Where I’m just going to take my loop with me this weekend. Very, very handy dandy. We’ve got some videos just on that alone. Let’s go to the next one. Bob: Sure. Brad: Superior for balance and proprioception. Bob: This is a biggie. As you get older, and your balance becomes an issue you want to have resistance in an upright position and test your proprioception and balance in that position. Brad: This is one that works to hip abductors and I’m doing it while I’m walking. It’s just an example to work that. Brad: Another one, now I do have a cuff on my ankle and I’m going to put the other end hooked to the wall anchor. Here I’m going to work my balance while I’m working my hip muscles. You can see I’m going to use a stick for balance while I bring the leg that’s hooked to the band front to back. If I’m going to get a little cocky, I’m going to go this way and we can work all four directions. This is hard to replicate doing something like this with weights. Bob: No matter what exercise you’re doing, if it’s attached to the wall, you’re working your core and your balance. Brad: Oh right, yeah. It’s just inherent. Bob: I remember my neighbor came over for a video and we’re filming him, and he started doing this and loses his balance right away. Brad: Well, you probably pushed him. Bob: Well, no I didn’t. God’s honest truth I didn’t. Brad: Anyway yeah, so they are wonderful for balance. Well, let us go onto the next one. Bob: High-level athletes are using resistance bands more and more. Tom Brady, quarterback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a good example. Brad: I think you could call that a high-level athlete. Bob: I would say the greatest football quarterback of all time. Brad: Yeah, well you know, when you’re dodging it takes, balance, speed, strength. Everything is involved at that position. Bob: The big thing is they want to maintain supple muscles while getting the muscles strong and be able to react and move. Brad: As a matter of fact, TB 12, he has fitness centers. Bob: I've got the book right here Brad. Brad: Yeah! In the book, they describe when you walk into one of Tom Brady’s fitness centers, where oftentimes you hear metal clanking and these steel plates banging around, it sounds cool and tough, but these are quiet. Bob: Right. Brad: Because they’ve got resistance bands. You know, maybe someone let’s go and snaps someone, they say ouch. But otherwise it's quite. Bob: What is Tom, like 85 years old? No, he’s 44, right? Brad: I think that is. Yeah, I believe he is this year. Bob: No need for knee or wrist straps or back belts. Brad: Right. I can’t imagine. Maybe you could use the back belt depending on if you had a bad back. This is one of my favorite squatting things where I go like this. Brad: You almost must have proper mechanics to do it right with a band, it promotes good body posture. Bob: Now we've got to be honest here. You can’t use resistance band to create huge bulk where you can if you bench press. Brad: Bob, that’s not on the list of 10. Bob: I know. Brad: That’d be a different video. But no, you’re right. If you’re going to want to become the Hulk. You know, you might want to combine them. Bob: But for athletic performance, this where you want to go. Brad: I agree. So, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong at all with weights. I think weights are great. These are just some things that people may not have thought about. Bob: Number nine, less space in home is needed for complete body workout. So, this is true. I have this in a bedroom. Brad: Yeah, you’re talking about the wall anchors. I have mine, you need a little space out when you’re working with the band, but it doesn’t take any space at all once you’ve set it down. Bob: If you want to hook it up to the door, you can hook up to any doors if somebody doesn’t go through the door while you’re on it. Brad: Yeah, put up a little sign on there. “Door in use”. Bob: There you go. Brad: Especially if you’ve got kids running around. Like they’re going to stop and read that when they’re chasing each other. Bob: Another advantage, what I think is a huge advantage Brad, is you can get sport specific strengthening. Brad: Exactly, Bob. As a matter of fact, I want to show something that maybe people haven’t thought about, but you can do swimming. I’m a swimmer. Bob: And this helped you, didn’t it? Brad: Yes, it did. Bob: This is a good one, Brad. Brad: I'm going to hook the band up to the anchor. I usually use a ball, or you can use a stool and you get on it so that your body is the same position as when you swim and then you’ve got some nice resistance. So we’re just working that same motion and I can easily make it more difficult by going back farther. I can work on my high elbow, come up forward. Bob: Didn’t you improve your time? Brad: Oh yes, Bob. When I started banding, I was shooting maybe 90 seconds for a hundred meters, a hundred yards. I cut down to 1:12, no 1:14 was my fastest. So, I cut like 12 seconds or 14 seconds off after I started banding. Bob: Wow. But you can do boxing, you can do tennis. You could do many different sport specific training exercises. Brad: We did have a video with the boxer using the bands. You can work the uppercuts. Boom, boom, boom. Bob: You've got resistance with every shot. Brad: We did a video on all the different sports you could be specific with. That was about four years ago. Bob: Well, it was, yes. Brad: Oh, is there more? Bob: I think that’s it, Brad. Interested in learning about the products mentioned in today's video: 1) Resistance Bands​ 2) Wall Anchor​ Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2020. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/3R-QQOtrNkY Bob: Are you dizzy? We’re going to talk to you about the signs you need to call your doctor, now, immediately when you have dizziness. It’s not always an emergency, but sometimes it is. Brad: Right. Bob: Dizziness, very common, you get that light headedness, feeling faint, a false sense of spinning sometimes, the vertigo. Brad: Right. Bob: The problem is it can include unsteadiness, loss of balance, you can have a fall. It can lead to something bad. Some people also talk about, they feel like they’re floating, or like, swimming. I don’t know. Brad: Do you feel that way sometimes, Bob? Bob: So, we’re going to talk to you about when you should call the doctor immediately. At the end we’re also going to mention some common causes and cures. So, when to call the doctor immediately. If you experience sudden dizziness along with a head injury. So, like if you fell and then you have dizziness. Brad: Right, even if you lift your head under a countertop and bump your head and you get dizziness associated with that then, you better be concerned. Bob: Yeah, my daughter Jamie she got a concussion. It was something like that, I remember, so, it doesn’t take much. If you’re experiencing sudden dizziness with a headache and you normally don’t get headaches. You know we’re worried about a stroke or a brain aneurysm with a lot of these. I don’t want to panic people but, there are thing that could be along with that. Same thing with a neck ache. If you’re getting dizziness along with a neck ache that you didn’t have before. Brad: Right. Bob: Now, if you have neck aches all the time and then you get dizziness, then I’m not as concerned. Brad: Right, if it pops out of nowhere, you haven’t had it before, there’s some potential for some circulation problems there. Bob: A high fever along with dizziness, time to check with the doc. Blurred vision, hearing loss, difficulty speaking. What are all those Brad? Brad: Stroke or CVA potential. Bob: Right. Numbness or tingling, along with the dizziness. Brad: So, that would often, may be in the face as well. Bob: Right, exactly. Brad: It could be radiating down the neck or the arm, possibly. Bob: Droopiness of the eye or mouth. Brad: Typically, on one side. You would need to get ahold of the doc or get in quickly. Bob: Loss of consciousness, I sure hope people go in and see the doctor if they suddenly go out. Chest pain, always with chest pain you don’t want to mess around with that. You want to have that checked out, even if you had a lot, at many times. Ongoing vomiting, that happened to me. I had it one night, I was a little dizzy and I vomited. But I only vomited once, and the dizziness went away so I didn’t go in. Brad: Sure. Bob: But I think it was just something I ate. Brad: Really? Bob: Yeah, it was strange. Those are it, Brad, those are the things that you want to be concerned about and see the doctor. Brad: I know one thing, if you do get dizziness, the big concern is falls and we’ve got some of these common causes that, for instance, my mother recently had a fall and her blood pressure medication was involved, we’re going to get into that. Bob: Yeah, blood pressure, especially what they call orthostatic hypotension. Which means when you stand up your blood pressure goes down. Even when you go from laying down and you sit up. In fact, that’s a test we do. So, if someone is laying down, we first have them sit up. We check their blood pressure, then we have them stand up. We check their blood pressure again. If there’s a drop of 20 points that could mean that you have orthostatic hypotension. Brad: It usually only lasts up to 30 seconds or so and it consistently clears up and you feel fine, that’s very common. Particularly the people who’ve been laying, if they’ve been ill and been lying flat for a number of days. Very common, especially if you’re older. Bob: So, the easy recommendation or the easy solution, hopefully to that a lot of times is to sit up for a while before you get up. Also, stand up for a while before you walk. Brad: Exactly, right. Bob: Now, also, are they checking your mom’s medication at all? Brad: Well, that was the issue. She fell but we think she took her blood pressure medication twice in the same day, so, it dropped it even more, but, with this covid-19 thing we couldn’t monitor. Bob: Yeah, it’s been tough. Brad: Yeah, we’ve got a nurse coming in there now and monitoring for us. Bob: Okay. So, medication is a big common cause. Brad and I see this a lot. We work in skilled nursing facilities or have done a lot, and so we see a lot of these. Dehydration, very common in the elderly. Just seems like they don’t have the sensation that they are thirsty at all. And they don’t drink enough water and they become very dehydrated. Brad: Or they drink too much coffee, which is diuretic, which can lower the fluids, and when you get lower fluids the blood pressure goes down. Bob: And medications too. Brad: Right. All these things can overlap. Bob: What else Brad? One of the more common causes is when you have an inner ear, those little crystals, and they get into the wrong spot. We just did a video on BPPV. Brad: Vertigo. Bob: The only good thing about that is it’s generally very treatable. Brad: Right, without medication. Bob and I have treated many people. Bob: We’ve got a bunch of videos on that. If you have that, you want to check out the Epley maneuver. Often, a treatment or two and it could possibly take it away. Brad: Right. And that’s typically associated with head movement. Whether you’re laying in bed or up, if you move your head, sometimes quickly and sometimes not quickly and you get that associated nausea and spinning. A lot of times people will report the whole room is spinning, it can be very disturbing. Even younger people that have had it, they’re afraid. Bob: Yeah, they’re thinking something very terrible is going on and like Brad said, one of the biggest signs of that, if you’re lying in bed and you turn your head to get up and all of a sudden, the world starts spinning. Brad: Right, and if you feel like vomiting, typically that settles down within 30 seconds to a minute if you don’t move. Bob: If it’s that type of BVP or that type of vertigo. It does tend to settle down, but it’s very scary. Hypoglycemia, in other words you have low blood sugar. I had a friend that would have a lot of episodes of this and luckily now he’s got a monitor. He’s got a needle that goes into his skin, the entire time, he’s got the monitor there, and he can monitor on his phone. The only thing is, when he stays over at our cabin, he sleeps down in the basement and alarm goes off if his blood sugars are too low. Brad: Why would you send him down in the basement? Why don’t you put him with everyone else? Bob: Because he tries to bug me all the time. You know, there’s like three, four people down in the basement. Brad: I see. Bob: The alarms going off and everyone’s waking up. Of course, there’s been some drinking, you know. Brad: Oh Bob, let’s keep that to yourself. Bob: Yeah, alright. Anemia, we see that too sometimes, especially after surgeries and stuff like that. Brad: People who excessively exercise have that condition. Like if today I’d be out exercising for long periods of time, running, heat coming in, not enough salt, and I’ve gotten, not so much dizzy, but lightheaded. Bob: I do too. You become a lot more sensitive as you get older. I’m taking those Nuun tablets. Those work well. Brad: I need to get some of those because it’s this time of year where I’m going to be out riding my bike and sweating like a… Can I say pig? Sweating like a pig. Bob: No, it’s true. I’ve gotten to the point now where I’m taking it representatively. I took one this morning. I’m more sensitive, I used to be able to handle that. Brad: Yeah, well, Bob, the aging process takes its toll on all of us. Bob: Yeah, that’s right. Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

How to use this program: This is a free program made up of a series of videos designed to help you manage or heal your back and leg pain caused by sciatica. The video series is currently a work in progress. We may add, delete, or alter the information or videos based on your feedback. Try not to be intimidated by the number of videos that make up this free program. You may not need to watch all of them. We do however recommend, at a minimum, you watch videos 1-4 to start. In addition, watch the videos whose titles appear relevant to you. For example, if you are experiencing back spasms, watch the video about back spasms. If your back is crooked, watch the video on that topic. Otherwise, you can skip those videos. There is a lot of videos, but you can watch them over a several week period and absorb the information as you go. We recommend watching relevant video several times. Those who understand and follow the details of relevant videos have a much greater chance at success. If helpful, print out the GUIDE sheet that accompanies each video. The GUIDE sheet will provide you with a portable copy of the information presented in each video. Questions? We are unable to answer questions about your specific case of back pain and sciatica. However, we absolutely value your feedback. Please let us know if a video is unclear or if further information is needed. If you do have a question about a certain video, please include the title of the video with the question. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnBmrmgnVyw&t=564s Bob: Today I am joined by Jordan, whose title is… Jordan: Nutritional health coach. Bob: And glad that we have her here today because today we’re talking about the top 10 foods and food additives you should avoid. I am looking forward to this. I need to follow some guidance here. Jordan: We all need reminders. Bob: Alright, let’s start right off with the number one thing. I see you have listed vegetable oils. Jordan: Yes, and before we jump into this, I should mention these aren’t in any order. I didn’t rank them. They’re all just bad. Just stay away, but anyways, going on. Bob: That’s perfect. Jordan: So, vegetable oils is a big category of oils. So, any of our highly processed oils, canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, there’s others that fall into this category. Those are kind of the mainstays. Vegetable oil in general. Some are just labeled vegetable oil. Bob: So, these could be a separate as an oil and in a product. Jordan: Correct. So, this would be like what we cook our food with, but also like when we’re shopping, you got to look for these on labels. They’re very common. Bob: You must be like a detective because it’s in a lot of stuff. Jordan: You do. Bob: So why are these oils so bad? Jordan: So honestly, main reason is that these are mostly polyunsaturated fats. I'll try not to get scientific and bore people but you kind of need a little bit of background knowledge. But, they’re super sensitive to heat, to light, and to air exposure. So, what food manufacturers do is they chemically modify them to make them resistant to these things. They’re highly processed and changed from their original form to make them so that we can deep fry in that. Bob: So, they won’t spoil, is that why? Jordan: Yes, so they won’t spoil. Restaurants use them so that they can deep fry. Well, you can’t do that unless they’re modified to resist heat. Bob: Gotcha. Jordan: Another reason why they are bad are that they are high in Omega-6, which is pro-inflammatory in our body, and you know about inflammation and how bad that is. Bob: Right. It’s kind of one of the key words right now. In the literature and Omega-3s are good, right? Jordan: Yes. Bob: Yeah, that’s salmon and stuff like that, right? Jordan: Yeah, fish oils, salmon. Bob: So, do you want to talk about alternatives to these? Jordan: Yeah, I guess we could touch on it. First, look at your food ingredients. If you eat whole foods, there’s nothing to read, but you know, the fact of the matter is we don’t always. I always teach people to read the ingredients rather than the nutrition facts. You’re going find way more information there. So, watching for these processed oils, and instead replacing them with three main oils. I always talk about our avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. Bob: We went to avocado oil, because didn’t you say the other two are sensitive to heat or not? Jordan: Avocado oil can withstand heat. Coconut oil can withstand heat. Olive oil, not so much. Bob: Olive oil, right. We were doing olive oil and you had said that doesn’t really work. So, I make my popcorn in avocado oil. Jordan: Yeah, and it’s good right? No different change in flavor. Bob: Yeah, it’s very good. I spray it on stuff. I spray it on my popcorn too. That’s great. It changed our life. Why don’t we skip to number two here now? Jordan: Yeah, let’s do it. Bob: We’re going to talk about flour and we’re talking about both white and wheat flour. Jordan: Yeah, so flour. Go through your pantry and try to find something without flour. Unless of course you’re already following your whole foods-based diet but most of our packaged foods that we have, even our “healthy foods” that we think are healthy in our pantry, if you go and flip it over, they have some kind of flour in them. Our cereal, crackers, obviously bread. That’s an obvious one. Pastas, what am I missing here? The thing that most people don’t understand, I think a lot of people now have knowledge or that they think they have knowledge on is wheat is better than white. The problem with this, and we could probably do a podcast on this in and of itself if we wanted to, but wheat today, is not what wheat was 50 years ago. Bob: Yeah, they took out the currant, right? Jordan: Yeah. Bob: They took out the nutrition and left all the crappy stuff. Jordan: Yeah. You’ll see wheat products that have vitamins and minerals, but that’s fortified. That’s fortified in their cereals, bread. It’s not naturally coming from the wheat. Wheat in and of itself, in my nutritional opinion, has no nutritional value in our diets. Bob: Probably negative, right? Jordan: Yeah. I mean, we could get heavy but that’s a whole topic. Bob: You mention earlier to read the ingredients versus the nutrition label. It seems like the packaging, they come up with terms that make it sound like its healthy, but it’s not at all. It’s the exact opposite of health. Jordan: Oh yeah. They can put all sort of things that attract us now to make it look healthy. Bob: They know legally what they can say, and they totally lie, believe me. Jordan: Oh yeah. Bob: I’ve looked at things. I remember I was looking at two types of ketchup and they both had the same ingredients and they both sounded like two totally different ketchups. Jordan: Oh yeah. They’re very smart, food manufacturers, to get you to buy their stuff. So, when you go to buy a product that’s coming off the shelves that has ingredients in it, just skip over the nutrition label. You’re going to get everything you need to know on that ingredient list. Bob: Sure. All right, let’s go to number three. Low-fat or fat-free products. This is a good one. Jordan: Yeah, this is one of my favorites to teach people on, this and another one we’re going to cover later. Bob: What are some examples? Jordan: Examples of this would be milk, yogurt, a lot of dairy products, sour cream, mayonnaise, peanut butter, salad dressings. There’s more, those are just some things to throw out there. Bob: What makes the low-fat version or fat-free so bad in these products? Jordan: Well, so the problem is a lot of these products, in their pure form, they have fat in them, right? So, in nature, how they’re found, they have fats, a food manufacturer must physically go out and remove the fat to make them fat-free or low-fat. That’s not naturally occurring. So, when we do that, we’re altering them from their whole pure form. In addition to that, you take that out, and you put nothing else in as a replacement, it tastes like crap. Nobody would eat it. Nobody would drink it, so they must put something else back in. Sugar, food additives to make it more palatable. They’re smart. Food manufacturers are so smart at making things. Bob: So, again. When you say low-fat, fat-free to me, that’s going to sound like low calorie and it’s not because it might have sugar in it. Jordan: Right. A lot of time, some of these things, they’re taking the fat out of as it existed in nature and its whole form like fat is good, you know, to an extent and when we alter all these things and take it all out, I think it’s causing more damage to our health than just leaving it alone. Bob: This is the reason why the last generation is obese. Obesity is on the rise, like a pandemic. Jordan: Yep, diabetes along with it. Bob: Right. Because they push the fat-free and low-fat. Jordan: Right, a hundred percent. Bob: All right. Do you want to say anything more about that, or should we go to number four? Jordan: Let’s go on. I think that covers it, just don’t buy anything that says low-fat or fat-free. Period, end of story. Bob: There you go. GMO, corn, and soy is number four. Jordan: Yeah, this is kind of another heavy topic. Like the whole wheat. Bob: A lot of farmers aren’t going to be happy with you. Jordan: I know, I ruffled the feathers. I try to be careful who I have conversations with this about. I’ll put it out there. I’m an organic promoter. I buy it, I believe in it, to what extent we can always believe everything in the food industry can be a little bit sketchy, but let’s back up. I wonder if people even know what GMO means. Bob: Right, let’s talk about it. Jordan: Okay. So, I can define that in simple terms, GMO stands for genetically modified organism. So, something that was changed and altered from its natural form. A lot of our crops are genetically modified to make them more resistant to pests and things like that. I mean, they’re genetically modified for all sorts of reasons. So, things can last longer. Bob: Isn’t that true about every product created now, as far as, I mean like apples, aren’t they genetically modified or am I wrong? Jordan: Yeah, you’re hard pressed to find a produce item that isn't. There are some but yeah, most are modified in some way, shape, or another. Bob: So, what I understand about our gut flora, this has been developed over thousands of years, correct? Jordan: Our gut flora? Yes. Bob: And so, we’re making changes to that in just a span of a few years, our gut flora doesn’t have a chance to adapt to it. Jordan: Correct. That’s a good way to put it. We’ve seen more changes in our food supply in the last 50 years, than we have combined in hundreds upon hundreds of years. I don’t even think we understand the consequences it’s going to have quite yet. Bob: No, we don’t. The science hasn’t caught up yet. Jordan: No, no. So, in my opinion, when you can avoid those things like that, that we just don’t know enough about, I think that’s a good idea. Bob: Right. Jordan: How you avoid it. If it’s from a non-GMO crop, it will say on the label, GMO-free like companies do label that. You can find it, you can spot it out, but you must look for it. Bob: Number five is probably the most obvious one on the list. Jordan: Yeah, must include it though. Bob: Sugar. It’s a beast. Jordan: Yeah, whenever I do like any sort of nutrition talk or presentation or coaching with people, whatever it might be, this is one where I don’t get a lot of question on. People know they understand sugar is bad. Some of the other ones I get questions. But sugar, we can all agree, it’s not good. That doesn’t mean we avoid it. But I kind of wanted to focus today’s conversation though. We know sugar is bad, but I want to really talk about sugar in drinks, and just how detrimental that really is. I mean sugar is in everything. We should do our best to avoid it. Bob: What’s shocking to me is, I can understand the sugar that you see in a can of soda but there is a lot of sugar in a lot of the sports drinks. Jordan: Oh my gosh, yes. Bob: We found out; I think some of them were worse than the regular drinks. It’s supposed to be a sports drink. You’re downing sugar. Jordan: Energy drinks too. I don’t drink those, I think they’re disgusting, but I know a lot of people rely on those. Juice is another one people think is healthy. You know the problem is just with, sugar in drinks it’s just way too easy to just do too much of it. Bob: Like it’s fine for you to eat an orange or two, but an orange drink, you’re really concentrating the sugar. Jordan: Like there’s no way we could sit here and peel 10 oranges and sit and down those in this time we’re doing this podcast, but could we juice 10 oranges and drink it? 100%. So, it is just way too easy to overdo it. I know so many people that every single day they’re going through Starbucks or whatever drive through to get their latte and not understanding. Bob: A sneaky way of getting sugar. Jordan: Yeah. It’s amazing to me how people are living on these things, starting their day with them. Bob: I was coaching basketball, sixth grade and we had these kids they’d come in and they take these sports drinks before the game. They would just crash like by game two. Jordan: Yes! Bob: I could see it in their eyes. Jordan: We don’t put two and two together. Bob: I did, I stopped drinking those sports drinks. That’s for sure. Jordan: I’ll take a slight side tangent on this one. Personal story testimonial that happened to me yesterday if I can. So, I don’t drink sugary drinks because I know they’re bad for me. I don’t care for the taste. I’m good with water and some black coffee and tea, but anyways, I’m pregnant right now. I had to do a glucose tolerance test. So, they made me sit in the doctor’s office and drink 50 grams of concentrated sucrose or whatever form it was. Bob: Really? Jordan: Yeah. Then an hour later they test to make sure your insulin is working. That’s a standard test. Bob: Would that work for you? For somebody who never drinks it. Jordan: Well, that’s what my hesitation was with it, I had a lot of questions. Well, I mean I did pass it. But my story with this that I will share with people, I don’t understand how people can drink that and function in life. About 45 minutes when I was done, I started feeling dizzy. I was yawning. I was tired. I was vibrant, full of energy before that. Then, I got to work about two hours later and I was starving, so hungry, and I just crashed. Bob: And then you crave sugar. Jordan: Oh yeah! So that’s my personal testimonial. Bob: It’s a terrible cycle to get into. Jordan: It is, and I know your body gets used to it, but I don’t understand how people are walking around and drink after drink. Bob: Well now, number six. Artificial sweetener. If you don’t take sugar, can’t you take a false sugar? Jordan: We would think, well, we’re taking the Coca-Cola out, so we’ll just make it Diet Coke now, right? Bob: Right. Jordan: Unfortunately, I thought this was common knowledge for people that artificial sweeteners aren’t good, but there’s too many people now that are seeing sugar-free and they’re grabbing it. Bob: Right, exactly. Jordan: Yeah, so artificial sweeteners. There’s a lot of names, there’s a big list, I’ll just touch the two main ones. Aspartame and sucralose. Splenda is the brand name for sucralose. Bob: What is one that’s a little bit better for you? Jordan: Stevia. Still, to our knowledge in nutrition, in small amounts, because stevia is a plant, like it’s okay. Bob: Small amounts. So, if you’re going to do one, that’s probably the one. Jordan: Yes. So, just staying away from things labeled sugar-free. So no, your sugar-free latte at Starbucks is no better than your regular vanilla latte in my opinion. Bob: Am I right saying, isn’t it like your body will react to it like its sugar sometimes? Your insulin levels may shoot up. Jordan: Correct. Bob: It fools your body apparently too, sometimes. Jordan: It does. We’ll touch on that with the next one we talk about too, fooling your body. But in addition to that, we still just don’t know enough about them, but we do know that when they do digest and break down into our body, their byproducts in the whole digestion process are some compounds that we don’t want released in our body. Bob: All right. Next one is MSG. I remember one, we’d all go get Chinese and he’d say no MSG. I think he would laugh and leave it in there anyway. Jordan: Yeah, probably. So, you knew about this one before? Bob: Well, I didn’t know what it was. I just remember everybody told you, don’t order the MSG. Jordan: And you don’t know what it is. In fancy terms, it stands for monosodium glutamate. Bob: Gotcha. Jordan: It’s a food additive. It’s a flavor enhancer. It makes things taste good. It’s really that food additive that makes you want more. So, there’s a reason why, when you go open a bag of Doritos, that you don’t eat two Doritos, you eat the whole bag. It’s literally what food manufacturers do. It tricks your taste buds into wanting more, it’s addictive. Bob: It is addictive! I was hearing this doctor talk on the radio on time and he and his wife were in the car, and they literally had to stop the car, put it in trunk. And even then, they stopped later, and opened the trunk. It’s amazing. Jordan: I’ve heard stories that people throwing away in their garbage outside going and digging it out of their garbage. It’s addictive. Food manufacturers are smart. The more you eat, the more you buy. Right? But you’re going to find it in a lot of processed foods. Go to any chip, not like a plain salted potato chip, that won’t have it, but like a barbecue or sour cream and onion, Doritos, Cheetos, all those flavored, that’s going to have MSG. Bob: What’s bad about it, I mean in general? Jordan: First, you’re going to overeat those foods. They’re addictive. Then we’ve got all sorts of other things in it. As far as what else is specifically bad about the compound MSG, I would have to do some more specific research, but again, it’s an artificial food additive. Anything manufactured and made by food manufacturers, I’m not going to trust it. Bob: Right, exactly. All right, next one. Deli meat or processed meats. I used to eat a lot of these I’m afraid to say, but I stopped about 20 years ago. Jordan: Yeah. So, this is what I want to say too. They’re not all bad. There are some out on the market that you can find at your grocery store that are better. So, I don’t want to lump it and say that you can’t find a good one out there. Bob: You have to be particular. Jordan: We just want to kind of educate you on what to look at in a label, we could include hotdogs in this category too or sausage, things or that nature. A lot of what they have in them is a preservative. It’s a food additive to make the food last longer called nitrates, nitrites, if you’ve heard of those. That’s the big issue with it, linked to a whole host of health issues that I didn’t even begin to list on here. Bob: So, you’re looking for nitrate-free, basically. Jordan: Correct. Nitrate-free. If you are going to include these as a part of your diet and what you’ll see when you go and buy a package of turkey and they’re nitrate-free, what they’re putting in it instead, is an herb like rosemary. Because it can preserve a food in the same way, it’s beyond me. Bob: Just as long? Jordan: Yeah. Celery powder or celery seed is another one. Bob: It’s probably more expensive Jordan: Exactly. I think that’s the main reason why those things aren’t being used, but there are alternatives, but we need to be aware of what we need to look for. Bob: So, you’re looking for nitrate-free, but you’re also looking for quality raised meats, without hormones or antibiotics. So, what if you find a meat that says it does not have antibiotics in it, but you don’t know about hormones. Jordan: Well, that’s a gray area. You must have both on the label. Bob: That’s what I wanted to know exactly. I just saw this. Jordan: I think it’s chicken. I always get this confused. One of them is banned in all. Like you’re not even going to find it in the lowest quality chicken, yet they’ll still advertise it to you. It still has the other one, does that make sense? Bob: Yeah, that’s probably what I found, and I can’t remember which one it was either. All right. Second to last one, Margarine. I used to think that was the healthy one. Butter was so bad for you, so I ate margarine for years. Jordan: I think I grew up on margarine in the refrigerator. Not in my adult years, but margarine is a manmade food. It doesn’t exist in nature. I don’t know if you know anything about how it’s made at all. Bob: I don’t. Jordan: Remember the vegetable oils we talked about earlier. So, it started with one of those, a vegetable oil. Bob: So, a bad start. Jordan: Yeah. To me, margarine is worse than vegetable oils. So they start with that, but then what they do is they modify it, change it, to make it solid or partially solid. It’s nice and spreadable. They modify it to be a partially saturated fat in a sense. That’s trans-fat by nature. I think we have enough knowledge now in human nutrition that trans-fats are arguably one of the worst things that we can put into our body. So, there’s absolutely nothing natural about it. Completely synthetic, manmade altered to create this. Bob: Is there any of them that are good? Like, isn’t there vegan butters or something like that? Jordan: Yeah, there are. There’s maybe some that are a lesser evil or starting with a better oil. Bob: Do you just use butter Jordan: I just use butter. Bob: Gotcha. I mean, it tastes better. Jordan: I just use regular ole butter. I mean grass-fed butter. That’s what I use. It does taste better. So, if you have margarine in your house, if you’re going to do nothing else from this conversation, that that in the garbage because you’re really taking another from this list and making it even worse. Bob: Boy, that’s good advice. Number ten. Jordan: Number ten, I put in a food category, and I’ll tell you why, but donuts and cake and baked goods. Bakery items. Now, the reason I put this in here we can expand upon it, but now we’re taking and we’re combining a product that has sugar, the oils, probably GMO. It’s got flour we talked about. If you have frosting on your cake, you’re going to have margarine probably or vegetable shortening to make that, maybe some are using butter. My point is now we’re taking a bunch of these things that we talked about and putting it together. Bob: Here you go! Have it! Jordan: I don’t even know what that’s doing in our body, to be honest with you. I don’t even think we understand the compound effect when we put all these things that we already know are bad by themselves, but then we put them together. Bob: You know, I’m doing more and more reading on this and basically food is medicine. On the other end, I think the other types of food can be almost like a poison to you. They were giving an example of how food can affect Alzheimer’s and have a large effect. They were talking about the things that people eat. It’s like the exact wrong things to eat for developing Alzheimer’s. People eat like this daily. Jordan: We’re not talking about the occasional twice a year piece of birthday cake that you eat. We’re talking about the daily exposure having that compounding effect. If you’re eating a good, healthy whole foods diet, you can probably handle a piece of birthday cake but it’s when you compound it on top of all these other things it’s just toxic overload for your body. It’s no wonder we’re seeing the health crisis and people that we’re seeing today. Bob: This was a wonderful topic, Jordan. I said we’ll have to expand on some of these. Thanks to everybody for joining! Jordan: Yeah, thank you guys! 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