This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBMOM9KT6SI&t=15s Bob: Today we’re going to talk about the number one sign you’re about to have a stroke in the next 12 months. Plus, we’re going to go over risk factors for a stroke. Very important stuff, so you want to listen to this. Brad: That’s right. Bob: Okay, so I have a personal experience with this, this actually happened to my father-in-law. So, what we’re talking about, the number one sign is if you have a TIA, that’s a transient ischemic attack. They’re also known as... Brad: Mini strokes. Bob: Yeah, it’s like a mini stroke. It’s a warning, one out of three who have a TIA actually end up having a stroke in the year following. Brad: And you can actually have a mini stroke, have the symptoms and recover from it, all within minutes and not even know you’ve had it unless you’re familiar with the symptoms. So you’re going to have numbness or tingling, one-sided problems: right side or left, facial droop, possibly speech problems, but it takes care of itself and then you go back to normal and you think, oh well. Bob: Yeah, to go further on that, you might have blurriness in one eye or double vision. You might have dizziness or decreased coordination, like something’s suddenly not working. Or you might have a sudden severe headache, especially if you’re not one that normally gets a headache. It can be, you know generally people I think that have a TIA know that something’s not right, because it’s pretty severe. I misstated that a little bit, Brad. In the year after the TIA, one out of three, who had a TIA, had a stroke. But half of those had had it the year after. So, one out of three had a stroke, but some of them it may have been two years after. Brad: Oh I see. Bob: You know what I mean? So, if you do the numbers it’s actually about 15 to 17% had it in the next year. Brad: So, if you had those kinds of symptoms, don’t ignore them, go to the doctor. Bob: I have to tell the story, my father-in-law, this happened to him when he was alive. He ended up having one, we were right there, it was a kind of family gathering. Brad: You witnessed the TIA. Bob: I witnessed it, and I said, “I think you had a TIA,” and obviously we took him into the hospital and they believed he had one too. His blood pressure was way out of control. His cholesterol was way off the charts. And he smoked at that time. I sat down with him and I had the talk, even though I was the son-in-law, I felt like it was my place. Brad: Sure, well you’re the professional. Bob: Well, and I said, you know, “you’ve got a warning shot here John.” I said, “you've got a chance at not having a stroke here by taking control of your life.” So, he smoked at the time and I give him credit, he stopped smoking right at that time. He has passed away since, but not from a stroke. So, we’re going to make a recommendation for a book. I’ve seen this one recommended a number of times now, it seems like if there’s any one book that’s going to work for helping you stop smoking, it’s this one, by Allen Carr. It’s helped apparently millions of people stop smoking. Allen Carr’s “Quit Smoking Without Willpower.” Just as a testimonial on the top here it says, “If you want to quit... it’s called the Easyway,” by Ellen DeGeneres. She’s a big advocate of this too. Brad: Sure, and then you can get that, we’ve got that in our favorite book section too. Bob: Yeah, Mike will put a link to it below, so. All right, so these are some of the risk factors that are going to put you at risk for a TIA or a stroke. If your blood pressure’s out of control. If you’re one of those people that thinks, ah you know, I don’t need to deal with medications or diet or anything like that or lifestyle adjustments, think again. You want to get that blood pressure into a range that is acceptable. Number two, your blood sugars are high, especially with uncontrolled diabetes. That can damage the blood vessels, which can cause strokes. Brad: Ahhh, sure, so yeah, the stroke, for people who don’t know, it’s either a blood vessel in your brain ruptures open or gets plugged up. Typically, they get plugged up, I believe is more common. Bob: It is. That’s why they can do the TPA or the treatment right away. And by the way, that’s why its very key, if you have symptoms like this, to get to the hospital immediately. Because they can offer a medication that can actually reverse the symptoms. Brad: It can make a big difference in recovery. Bob: Yeah, big difference. I’ve seen people that, literally, it seemed like they didn’t even have a stroke. It happened to a good friend of mine. Brad: Oh really? Bob: Yep, they got him in right away, and they administered it and to this day you can’t even see that he had it. If you smoked, like the one I talked about, with my father-in-law, it’s one of the highest risk factors. If you quit, it actually can reverse over time. The bad symptoms and signs can reverse over time if you stop smoking. It’s almost like you never smoked at all, if you quit long enough. Brad: Yeah, that’s one nice thing about smoking, is you can quit, and it can reverse. Bob: Yeah, yeah, so we should have smoked in our early years and then we could’ve quit. Brad: LOL Bob: No, no, of course not, lol. Number four, high cholesterol, you want to have optimal levels. I think it’s below 100 for your LDL, above 50 for you HDL,and below 200 for your total. Brad: They’ll let you know, that’s for sure. Bob: Your triglycerides have to be one below 150. And number five, obesity. Weight loss occurs, I just want to put this in here because a lot of people think that you lose weight by exercising. Yes, you can lose some weight, but really the main way to lose weight is with diet. You lose weight at the table and you gain strength at the gym. You know that’s still the way to think about it. Some, I guess you could say like, supposedly I think it was Coke or Pepsi, they were putting out advertisements saying that the reason you’re gaining weight is because you’re not being active enough, and they don’t want to blame the sugar drinks for it. I mean, seriously, and so what they do instead is they blame that you’re not being active enough, and its really not so. If you drank maybe less sugary drinks and less fatty foods, you might do a lot better. Brad: We both know people who are extremely active, they’re not obese but, Bob: But they can’t get their weight down. Brad: Yeah, and it’s just because pizzas and sugary stuff and you know, I used to do it myself. It’s fun, you know, you go work hard and then you go have a big pizza. Bob: Exactly. Brad: You thought you deserved it. Bob: You thought you could eat what you want, and that’s just not how it works unfortunately. Brad: Especially as you get older. Bob: Yeah, there’s a little less cheating going on there, so. Bob: All right, thanks everybody. Brad: Enjoy. Interested in learning about the products mentioned above visit: 1) Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking Without Willpower Link: https://amzn.to/2uOAI0Y Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 May of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DqzQ2uD-b0&t=285s Bob: Once again we are joined by Doctor Adriaan Louw. Dr Louw is a pain expert. He is actually originally from South Africa. Dr. Adriaan Louw: That is correct. Bob: I’m going to have you, Dr. Louw, explain your background so that we can let people know why they should listen to you. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Sure. I think the best way, I haven’t even said it for that matter, is I was a failing therapist. I was taught very mechanically physical therapist, and was trying to fix pain, if you will, with a lot of mechanical stuff. And then, you know, struggled with it. Then I started taking this thing on: pain. Learning of pain. I was taught by very smart people. Loved it so much, I decided to study it. And so now, 10 years of research, lots of research studies, working with people, training students. We just figured out the more we learn about pain, the better we are. We’re more caring and compassionate, but also our patients’ lives are better for it. So we’re studying pain. We’re working with people in clinics. Bob: He’s being very modest because he’s studied under some of the best therapists in the world. I mean, some of the guys, they’re icons in our field. You’re not going to know their names, but trust me on this one. So, yeah, as a starting point for some of you, after you watch the video, you may want to check out some of his books. He’s got a lot of books on specific problems. You know, like if you’re having back pain. They all kind of carry a common thread. But in today’s book, you may want to get, is your Fibromyalgia Workbook, which I have recommended to a lot of patients, by the way. Brad: Yeah, these books are all written for the layperson, for the patient. You can read it and self-treat and take care of yourself through that knowledge. Bob: Maybe you want to just briefly go over how to approach these books. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yeah, a lot of it is just we have learned a lot about pain in the last 20 years. And especially the neuroscience, the science behind the nervous system, the brain. And so, you’re right, there are common themes. We teach people how pain works. But then, literally, go in directions. There’s definitely differences. Like, in fibromyalgia, we get widespread pain, where back pain may be more localized and then slowly spread to a side, etc. But there’s science behind it. And we just went and studied the science and put it in a language and a format where patients can read it and go, “Wow, that makes sense.” And again, understanding everybody’s pain is different, but there is a commonality and we just try to spread that theme. Many of our patients will write us back and say, “you know what, this is good. It’s not exactly me, but that’s okay because everyone is different, but it’s alright. It gives us a foundation, and then we can work from there on out.” Yeah. Bob: Let’s say a typical fibromyalgia patient comes in, somebody with fibromyalgia, can you maybe talk about what you’d start with or maybe some of the common problems that you see specific to fibromyalgia. Dr. Adriaan Louw: I’m your guest today, but I want to correct you because I don’t like the term fibromyalgia patient. Bob: I agree. I said that wrong. A patient with fibromyalgia. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Exactly. You do not want to identify people by their diagnosis. Bob: I caught myself but he’s absolutely correct. Dr. Adriaan Louw: So when a patient comes with fibromyalgia, you know, first of all, we have taught our receptionist, in our clinic, when somebody calls in and says, “Hey do you guys see fibromyalgia in your clinic? Do you guys treat it?” The most common thing I’ve taught my receptionist is what you’ve just heard is, “I hurt, I’m tired, I’ve been everywhere. I probably don’t sleep well. Can you guys help me?” I’m not making fun of it, I’m not removing the label, but there’s this common theme we find. So, when patients come to us, first of all, we screen them. We make sure we’re not missing anything. But I’ll ask patients, you know, since developing fibromyalgia, let’s call her Suzy, right. Suzy, since developing fibromyalgia, what’s the biggest thing that bothers you? And they’ll say things like, “I’m really tired. My stomach is very sensitive. I got this mental fatigue.” We call it often the brain fog. “You know, since developing fibromyalgia, my brain gets tired. I cannot focus. I can read one page in a book and I’m tired.” We now know there’s a science behind it. We can take that science, put it in a story, and say, “Let me explain that to you.” So, for a patient that comes and says, “Since developing fibromyalgia, I’m mentally tired. I can not focus and concentrate. Or they forget things. And heaven forbid nowadays, you go to your doctor and say, “forget things” because now we have these catastrophic diagnosis. I’ve got dementia. I’ve got Alzheimer’s. Here’s what we do know. When you’ve got pain, there are nine areas in the human brain that are always busy. We call it the brain meeting. So, if I reach over and with Brad and I punch him in the arm, and I quickly scan his brain, there are nine little dots in the brain. And he’ll probably have a go at me. There are nine areas in the brain that will quickly meet. And this is what our brains scans, all these fancy blob scans show. There are nine departments in the brain that meet. Hey guys. Ding, ding, ding. There’s a major threat at Brad’s left arm. It’s called this crazy South African. He just punched him in the arm. We gotta meet about this. These nine areas light up in patients of fibromyalgia, back pain, ankle sprains, about every person. They talk to each other and they come to a conclusion. And what we now know is when the brain gets busy with pain, other jobs suffer. This is how we tell patients. “Suzy, in your brain there are nine departments. There’s a movement department. There is a focus department. There is a memory department. There’s nine departments. In every department there are four people working, so it’s fully staffed. ”I’m a physical therapist, so I say, Raise your arm. So, the movement department is fully staffed. So, this is what you do. You raise your arm beautifully up. The brain now sits and says, guys we’re struggling. We went to the Mayo Clinic. We went to this therapy clinic. We went to this clinic, this clinic, we’re not getting any better. We’re going to have an emergency pain meeting this afternoon. So, one person from every department needs to come. Because pain is really important. Without pain, we’d be dead. So, it takes precedence. So now suddenly, there’s three people doing the work of four. So, I ask you to raise your arm and you have difficulty hiking it up. Not because you’re making it up. Not because you’re lazy. Not because you don’t want to get better. Your brain is prioritizing. So now, the brain is a pain meeting. So, what suffers? Movement, focus, concentration, memory. All the things we see the brain has to do. If you keep going from doctor to doctor and the pain’s not getting better, you’re not getting help, the brain says, we still don’t have it figured out. We need another person to come to the meeting. So, what happens is memory goes down. Focus becomes limited. All these things we see. And what happens is the brain gets busy with pain. Now let’s flip it around. When we sit with patients and explain to them what’s going on, there’s nothing catastrophically wrong with you. Do you hurt? Yes, you do. We validate them. Say, “I know you’re hurting, but we can make you better.” We work through this process. The brain starts getting smarter though. “Hey, this guy with the funny accent is making some sense. I’m not buying all of it yet, but I’ll send one person back to the department.” So, what gets better? Movement gets better. Focus, memory, etc. What it means for someone with pain like fibromyalgia is, “You mean this can get better, Adriaan?” Yes ma’am. We need to understand 30 years ago we believed the brain is the way it is. That’s it. Take it or leave it. This thing is as plastic as can be, it shifts every day. How cool is that? The biggest thing we can give patients is hope. “You mean this can get better, Adriaan?” Yes ma’am. And how do we do it? We build from pacing graded exposure. So, we build a program around this where maybe Suzy reads a little bit and then she goes and takes some, she does some walking. Go walking, get some blood flowing through the body. Come back, read a little bit more. So, we pace them, and can slowly get back to what they need to do. But those would be examples. Bob: That’s the education part of it. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Correct. Bob: Again, through education that starts decreasing the levels that people that feel that they need to be involved in the pain. Brad: So, when you see a patient with fibromyalgia, you start working these steps, Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yes. Brad: Is there something that may take a week, a month or it depends on the individual? Dr. Adriaan Louw: It depends, Brad. There are so many things here. We can see patients in a relatively short time. A lot of it depends on where the person is when they walk into our clinic. You know, everybody is on a journey. Some people are beginning the journey. Some people towards the end of the journey. There are very interesting cases. But you know, we will see these patients. It can take us weeks. It can take us months. And that’s okay. We’re there for them. And you know there’s no magic answer. We pace them through the process. Many of our patients we get really to a good point and they may come back a little bit later on for a little ‘top off’ if you will. Almost like the dentist. Right, come back. Bob: Sure. Do you do the education process through the book or do you do some through talking and some through the book? Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yes, so my publisher is going to get really mad at me because I don’t use the books. Because I memorize them. I wrote them. Right? So what I typically do in the clinic is I have a white board and I draw and I write, because it’s more realistic. It’s for me. It’s not just for us to sit and go through a cookbook.  What is nice about the book is for people who have no background, this is a good place to start. Even clinicians will write me and say, you know the patient book helped me understand. They learn the verbiage. Bob: It helped me, that’s exactly right. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yeah, the students sit in our class and they literally would read and read and read and read and read. But as we get better, all it is, is a conversation. But we write things, like, you know, I’ll give them a marker and say, “Suzy, write down for me the 10 things that since developing fibromyalgia bothers you? Fatigue, memory, whatever.” And I’ll talk her through it. Then we make a list, and then we put a big mark says this is your lion. This entered your life. Now your life, the system is ramped up. We do it in real time, but more as a let’s talk about this. Bob: So, is it fair to say like, let’s say I’m from Luckenbach, TX? Dr. Adriaan Louw: Is that a real place? Bob: It’s a song, believe it or not. Anyway, I’ve got fibromyalgia and I want to get better obviously, so can I start with your book, and then how would I find someone that’s trained in pain neuroscience? Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yeah. The good news is yeah, you can always start with the book. Again, it is limiting, right. Books have never changed the world drastically when it comes to health.  It gives you a foundation. It’s always good to have a health care provider. The good news is I’ve been teaching for 20 years. I’ve trained, I would argue, close to 100,000 people. Bob: Seriously. Dr. Adriaan Louw: Honestly, Bob: Oh my gosh. Dr. Adriaan Louw: We have been for the last 20 years at CSM you sit in at least 2,000 people in the audience. Bob: No kidding. Dr Adriaan Louw: All over the world. And so, there’s an army out there. I think the message for patients is, there are armies out there. It could be as simple as calling your local therapist and asking, “You know, do you guys do pain neuroscience education, or explain pain if you will? If not, they can get a hold of us. We have a massive network. We get inundated daily. “Hey, do you know a therapist here? Do you know a therapist there? Absolutely. Let’s find you somebody. We’re teaching in medical schools. We’re teaching in PA schools. We’re teaching that pain is bigger than one profession. So, we’re in OT schools. There’s a huge movement occurring. There is stuff on YouTube. You guys are here. We’re talking about it today. People may watch us going, “Wow, that makes sense.” Let’s just slowly find that people accordingly from that pack. Bob: I imagine you are moving internationally then too? Dr. Adriaan Louw: Oh, we are, we’ve taught in numerous countries, yes. Bob: Wow. Brad: So, if I was someone interested and I’ve got your book, but I want to find a therapist who has this background, can you go to a website? Dr. Adriaan Louw: Yes, so our website is evidenceinmotion.com is where our training is. That’s where our instructors, our pain team has about 35 instructors that travel all over the world teaching people. And so, we will go on there, and you can literally we have a chat. And they can ask them, hey I need a therapist in where-ever. Bob: It’s interesting because we get that question a lot. Dr. Adriaan Louw: evidenceinmotion.com. Yeah and so, we’d love to just hook you up with a local therapist and yeah, absolutely. Bob: Well, it’s a great place to start. So, I think we’ll actually finishing on time here so I thank you again for coming Doctor Louw. Dr. Adriaan Louw: You’re welcome. Bob: And appreciate all your knowledge. Brad: Thank you so much Bob: You can check out his work below. Interested in learning about the products mentioned above, they can be found at: 1)Adriaan Louw's books:  https://www.optp.com/Bob-and-Brad-Sale-LOUW 2) Amazon Book Links: https://amzn.to/3cz6sZk Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUWLfXxI2Bc Bob: Today we’re going to talk about how to improve and reverse memory loss and that includes dementia and Alzheimer’s. Its science based. We also have some home remedies. Brad: It kind of covers a broad spectrum of cognitive issues. And I really like the book we will be discussing. It really follows along with a lot of our previous thoughts and education on the topic over the years. Bob: Yeah, we’re not experts in these fields, but we can read from people that are experts. Brad: All right here we go. So as we mentioned, Bob and I, or any therapist really has worked quite a bit with people with cognitive issues. And we joke around now that we’re nearing 60 years old, our memory is- Bob: Not what it used to be. Brad: Exactly. So how do you keep that memory going for yourself, your grandmother, whoever it may be. Because it’s often times associated with aging. Brad: So we’re going to give you some good options that you can do at home. A lot of it is diet, but not all of it. We’ve got five good options and a few things you want to avoid. Bob: All right, let’s go. Brad: All right. So, the information I got, science-based, is by Dr. Martha Clare Morris, and the book is called “Diet for the Mind”. Brad: She’s done a lot of great research. This is her passion, you can tell, she’s really involved with it. I’m not going to cite all the research she did, because it is extensive. I recommend reading the book. Brad: These aren’t necessarily in order, but #1 – proper sleep. It's best if you can sleep on a regular routine. Bob, you read a whole book on this. Bob: I did read a whole book on this. “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, is the book. He went into this in great detail. Lack of sleep can have a devastating effect on your memory and he also mentioned two historic examples, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.  Both ended up with Alzheimer’s but also both of them were noted for getting by on very little sleep. Bob: Now maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not. But, if anybody thinks they can get by on four or five hours of sleep on a regular basis, they’re kidding themselves. Brad: It’s going to catch up to you. Brad: Next, and obviously as therapists we’re going to full-heartedly promote this, is #2 consistent exercise. Bob: I’ve seen that again and again, the effect on memory loss and dementia with exercise is a positive effect. Brad: Right, right. As a matter of fact, right now with this COVID-19, I’ve noticed it in my mother. She has to stay in her room. I’ve noticed in the last week and a half, she didn’t take her pills right this time and she always does. And so I’m concerned about that. Bob: She’s getting no stimulus; she’s getting no exercise. Brad: Right, so don’t forget your exercise, it doesn’t have to be aggressive exercise, just a nice walk. Bob: Ongoing exercise. Brad: And outside is better than indoors, assuming the weather’s appropriate. Bob: Also, in nature is better than urban. Brad: That’s a good point too. We read a study on that in the last couple of years as well. So out in a nice peaceful area, flowers growing, etc. It all makes sense. Brad: Next is #3 learn to relax. There’s options, here. Meditation or just sitting in a quiet area and think about your breathing. Bob: Breathing is huge.  We’ve got some videos on breathing technique. There’s four-four-four, there’s four-seven-eight, I mean there’s all these different techniques that work really well on taking your breath from being shallow to extending it out and taking it in which relaxes you. Less stress, less cognitive issues. You can find that video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oXoiQfija4 Brad: Right. So get yourself in a quiet area with good posture. I’ll just briefly go through a technique: Make sure you breathe in through your nose, let your abdomen extend out so you’re not all tight. Then you exhale. If you just do it in a slow manner in and a slow, controlled manner out while you’re relaxed, it’s going to help. And again, we have some videos specifically, how to go over that. Bob: This can help with all portions of your life, not just the memory loss things. Brad: Exactly. The next thing now, this is big. She really goes into #4 and 5 food and diet, obviously, since it’s the name of the book. But there’s a list we’ll go through. First, not necessarily the most important, but it was up on her list -Leafy greens. Fresh is better than frozen. So we’re talking about, spinach. Bob, you know this better than I do. Bob: Ah, spinach, a little spinach. That’s all I eat. Brad: But any leafy green really, the darker green is usually better. Kale is another example. Now the iceberg lettuce, the round ball lettuce isn’t as good as the darker greens. And we prefer organic and it’s pretty easy to get organic leafy greens nowadays in a grocery store. Brad: Other vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, yams are other good vegetables. Potatoes too but they are getting a bad rap over the last couple years. And you know, I grew up on potatoes and so did my mother. But, Dr. Morris was not big on potatoes. Bob: What you put on the potatoes quite often is the problem. Brad: Then you have nutrient-dense, whole grains. This one you many need to do a little homework on, and the book goes into that a little bit, because food manufacturers may try to trick you. Bob: Right, it may say whole grains and you literally read on the ingredients and they aren’t as whole grain as they say they are. Brad: Quinoa is a big one that has some really unique characteristics that other grains don’t have. I like oatmeal, but it’s steel-cut, organic oatmeal. It’s a really good source of fiber. It is, you know, it’s a little high in carbs but it’s got some good nutrient value. Brad: Dr. Morris was also really big on berries: blueberries, blackberries. Bob: Yeah, especially the darker the berry the better. Brad: And I think the organic are better. You don’t have the pesticides or whatever else they may put on that’s probably not going to help you. Bob: You know, they have the list of “dirty dozen” things that you definitely want to buy organic and then you have the “clean 15” I believe they call it.  You can watch our video Bob and Brad “The Dirty Dozen” for the 12 fruits and vegetables you should buy organic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xn6edbi08M&t=49s Bob: Now you’re saying that greens, veggies, grains, and berries are the most important according to the book and should be eaten every day. Brad: Right, yep, yep. And there was a couple more but those were the big ones that I really thought were good. Brad: Now for things to be eaten weekly. Fish once a week she’s saying is adequate enough to get enough benefits from the fish for your mind. Which I thought, well that’s nice, because then you don’t have to buy so much fish. Bob: Well, you have to worry about the mercury. Brad: You know she stated that from her studies, mercury does not affect the mind in regards to memory.  But it’s bad in other ways. She’s not saying it’s good by any means, but she’s saying in respect to the memory and the cognitive part that wasn’t so bad. There were other things in the fat of the fish that aren’t so good, so try to get the fat off. Also, the smaller the fish, the better because it’s less likely to have buildup of the bad junk. Brad: Poultry. You know, she said poultry once a week. Bob: That could be a little controversial, definitely recommending organic and free-range, because otherwise they’re being pumped with hormones and living in small cages. So you will want to be careful about what poultry you eat, and probably limit it. Brad: Well, there’s poultry farms in this area and I’ve been to the place that manufacturers it. Those chickens do not get out of their little cages, they can’t even walk. 30 days, like 33 days at that time when I was working with that, it was 30 years ago. Literally, at the factory where they process them, they’d get out but they couldn’t hardly walk. They wouldn’t get away. And that can’t be good. Brad: That brings us into other things to avoid. Bob: Everybody knows this. Brad: Highly processed foods, fast foods, sugary foods. Bob: Sugar, yeah, the sugar definitely you’re going to have an inflammatory effect and I think they’re all discovering that now. The more you eat anti-inflammatory food, the better it is on your brain, your health, overall. Brad: Exactly, so when you go shopping, don’t shop the middle of the rows. You know, shop the outside of the aisle. Your fruits, your meats, vegetables…. beer. Bob: I was going to say, is the liquor on the outside? Brad: Hey, she said it was good! She said one. One a day. One glass of wine or beer and if you’re a male, maybe two. Bob: Where does three come in? Brad: Three is for Saturday night. Bob: All right, that's me too. Brad: Alright, thanks for watching. Interested in learning about the products mentioned above, they can be found at: 1) Book: Diet For the Mind by Dr. Martha Clare Morris - https://amzn.to/2S6tluI 2) Book: Why We Sleep (Unlocking The Power of Sleep) By Matthew Walker, PhD - https://amzn.to/2tNHjIM Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love: https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 January of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP3-eawDsIQ&t=30s Bob: Today we’re going to talk about 10 things likeable people never ever do and why we love them for it. Brad: Say no more, Bob. Bob: I think these are great things to remind ourselves on how to conduct ourselves. Brad: Sure. Bob: Because people are going to like us better, but you’re going to become a better person for it too. Brad: Right, Bob: All right, number one, 10 things likeable people never ever do. #1 They don’t blame; they don’t blame others. Brad: Right. Bob: You know, people do make mistakes and they don’t meet your expectations all the time. But generally, what you’ll find is sometimes you were partly to blame too. Brad: Sure, Bob: And you should take responsibility. Take your share of the blame. Maybe you didn’t train them right. Maybe you didn’t make your needs clear. Brad: Right, right, can you do that as a parent to your child? I would say, I maybe didn’t raise you right. Brad and Bob: LOL Bob: That’s all. Brad: Yeah, maybe we’ll skip that. Bob: I was never afraid. Now I’d be interested to see what my kids say, because a lot of them watch this, Matt. I always was never afraid to apologize if I was wrong. Brad: Oh really, Bob: I’d say I want to apologize. I was a parent, I did it wrong. So alright, #2 Likeable people, they don’t control you. They don’t try to control the things that you’re doing. They just try to control themselves. Brad: Sure Bob: And then let the cards fall where they may. Brad, you’re trying to think about this. Whether or not you agree with it? Brad: No, no, I’m just deciphering through it and thinking of things here. Bob: Yeah, you don’t wanna use fear or force authority. Brad: You lead versus control. Bob: Right, very good. There you go. You came up with a good one, Brad. All right, #3 They don’t try to impress. Okay, this just happened to me. Now I can’t even give you any indication at all who it was because in case they’re watching this, but they’re going on and on, Brad about their retirement and how much and how good his wife’s going to be set and all that. I mean, for like an hour. Brad: LOL Bob: And I was like seriously- Brad: The eyes are glazing over. Bob: Yeah, I know, it’s like – Brad: rolling ‘em, Bob: Yeah, I know you made some good investments and all that, but no one likes you for your clothes, or your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. If they do, they’re superficial. Genuine relationships are all that matter. Brad: Right, someone that could make you laugh and feel good. Bob: Right, right. That’s why I like Brad. I’m being serious with Brad. We’re both simple guys. Brad: LOL, yeah, Bob: Just give us simple – Brad: Is that like a simpleton? Bob: Yes, simpleton. Brad: Yeah. Bob: A lot of people would agree with that. Okay, #4 They don’t interrupt. Now this, I’m accused of this sometimes, interrupting you, I know how important it is not to. I have a friend, he was best man at my wedding. When I’m talking to him, he is focused on me and what I’m saying. Brad: Oh, I thought you were going to say he interrupted the priest of whatever at the wedding. Bob: No, no. He’s got that trait; Richard you know? Brad: Oh really, Bob: Rich, he’s such a good listener. When you’re talking to him, you know he’s listening. Brad: Is he that way with his wife too? Bob: Well, they’re divorced, Brad: Oh! LOL Bob: LOL Brad: Well, it was for a different reason then, I’m sure. Bob: Yeah, it was a different reason, sorry Rich. All right, #5 They don’t cling. So, if you’re a person that’s insecure, you tend to hang onto things too tightly. Brad: You mean cling to people or cling to – Bob: Cling to people, Brad: Okay Bob: So, we had this neighbor who, my wife and I kind of reconnected with her, and like within the first day of talking to her again, she’s like, “Can I go to your cabin?” And it’s like, well, it’s just Linda and I going this weekend. “Well can I go with you.” Brad: LOL Bob: It’s like, so – Brad: Maybe not. Bob: Needless to say, that relationship got cleaved off pretty quickly so. #6 They don’t whine. Brad: Ahhhh, Bob: Your words have power over you. Brad: Yeah. Bob: And if you become a whiner, you start thinking that you’re blaming the outside forces, when you should look inside to see where you can change. Brad: Yeah, it can be easy to whine sometimes- Bob: It can be. Brad: It just comes out, you gotta nip it in the bud. Bob: I just saw somebody mentioned Scott Adams. He does the comic strip Dilbert. And he just said whenever he says something negative, he’s made a rule that he has to say something positive right away afterwards. Brad: Balance it out. Bob: Yep. You have to balance it out just because he was in that habit, he was saying too many negative things. Brad: Oh, sure. Bob: #7 They don’t criticize. Again, everybody’s different. Everybody does things that are bad once in a while. It’s nice to have someone that says, you know, I understand you maybe didn’t do that like you would have wanted to but we’re still with you, I’m not gonna criticize you. Brad: Right, yep. Bob: I have to work on some of these, by the way. Linda, my wife, LOL, Brad: Oh, you don’t have all these down pat? Bob: I don’t have all these down pat, not even close. She’s probably going to say I don’t have any of them down, actually. Brad: I don’t have one down yet, but it makes me think about it anyways. Bob: All right, #8 They don’t live in the past. Brad: Ahhh, Bob: You can learn from the past but then move on, don’t dwell. Brad: Yeah that dwelling thing. Yeah, it’s like, you know, you always say look forward. Bob: Yep, yeah Brad: Always look forward and – Bob: Analyze what was wrong and then make adjustments. Brad: Right, yep. Bob: #9 They don’t preach. The higher up you move in life, a lot of times you think you know. Brad: Yeah, the older you get maybe? Bob: Yeah, you think that you’re in that position where you can start preaching. Bob & Brad: LOL Bob: You know, what I’ve learned the more as I move up in life, hopefully, is that the less I know, LOL. Brad: Right, yeah. Bob: I’m not nearly as smart as I thought I was. Brad: It’s one of those things that are like people who are quiet and when they talk, everyone shuts up. Bob: Right, right, Brad: Those are the people that – Bob: Those are the ones to listen to. Brad: Right because when they say something everyone wants to know because – Bob: They mean it and they usually are right on. Brad: And they usually got their ducks in order. Bob: Yep, yep, exactly. #10 They don’t let fear hold them back. Brad: Ah! Bob: So, I like to hang around people that are courageous and go for it because I hope it rubs off on me a little bit. We all battle fears and we want to be able to move forward despite those fears. Brad: Right, yep the old, what is it? Take the path less traveled? Bob: Right! Wow, very good, Brad. Brad: Well, I read that in a book once. Something like that. Bob: LOL, I think that’s a rather famous saying. All right, thanks. Remember, we can fix just about anything, Brad: Except for – Bob: A broken heart. Brad: No, this kind of is leaning towards that a little bit. Bob: You always say that, but I never see the connection. Brad: Well, yeah, Bob. You gotta look outside the box. Bob: Now, I’m criticizing already, I already screwed up one of these. Brad: LOL Bob: You’re right, Brad! You’re right, this is really good, lol. Brad: Yeah, I’m going to memorize these. Bob: Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 December of 2019.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiQFk0V97F4&t=13s Bob: Title of today’s program is “Apple Cider Vinegar, 6 Science Backed Benefits, Weight Loss, Blood Pressure and More” And you’ve had some experience with this Brad. Brad: Right, actually, I wasn’t in their categories, but I started taking it. We’ll talk about it a little bit more. But, in four weeks of daily intake of this, my hands A.M. stiffness in the morning, painful, stiff, has at least 80% gone away. Bob: Yeah, it was pretty significant. You said you were getting to the point of getting almost depressed because it was so painful. Brad: I couldn’t shake peoples’ hands because it hurt. It literally hurt, and I’m talking about people that weren’t really strong. Bob: And how long was this going on? Brad: Since June of 2017. Bob: So, two years, Brad: Over two years. Bob: Over two years, you start the apple cider vinegar, and it goes away. Brad: Well, it took a little time, four weeks. Bob: Sure. Brad: And I’m still taking it. I have one joint in here that was worse than the others by far, and that one… Bob: It still lingers? Brad: Yeah. It still lingers, but it’s going in the right direction. Bob: Well, there’s no more proof than that when it starts working on yourself, isn’t it? Brad: Right Bob: All right. Brad: So, apple cider vinegar, a brief testimony of my own experience with it. The reason I started taking it was because I had some patients, one in particular, older gentlemen, he said he had good experience with his hand pain. He was a straight-shooter, you know, he wasn’t just one of those guys that would- Bob: Yeah, blow smoke. Brad: Yeah, jump on any bandwagon that came along. So I thought, “well I’m gonna do it.” And after the benefits I found with my hand, I thought, “What is the science behind this?” So I did some research, and I ran across a gentleman, his name is Kris Gunnars. He’s got a BS in medicine, and what he does is he investigates and researches claims on nutrition and foods just like apple cider vinegar. Bob: Right up our alley, then. Brad: Right. Bob: So, if you look up Kris Gunnars and type in apple cider vinegar, you should come to his research. Brad: Right, exactly, and he gives cites on the research that – Bob: The research, yep. Brad: Resources. All right, so, actually the six that he cites didn’t have anything to do with joint pain like mine, so this is another one, maybe there isn’t adequate studies on it, but the apple cider vinegar is like, what is it? Is this vinegar? It’s made from apples and it takes the sugars and I’m really not doing this justice, but it’s fermented sugars from apples and it’s pretty acidic. Bob: Yeah, it is very acidic because I was not able to use it because it throws off, it almost gives me GERD. Brad: Did you mix it with water? Bob: I did. Brad: Two tablespoons, with a glass of water, Bob: It still, it set it off right away. Brad: It didn’t work for you. To me, it doesn’t taste very good at all. It gives me that, uggh, but it’s gone. And then they say you should maybe rinse your mouth with it because that acidic- Bob: Oh right, it would be good at battling your enamel. Brad: On the teeth, exactly. Bob: Right, right. Brad: So that’s one of the claims is that the acidic acid has potent biologic effects, and he didn’t go into the details too much of that in his summary of that, but number two is, it kills harmful bacteria and I believe it’s primarily in the gut, in the digestive system. And number three, it can lower blood sugar levels. Bob: Yeah, I saw the studies on this when I had done a video on this too. I individually went out and looked for studies and I saw some very promising studies on lowering blood sugar, especially in DM type two diabetes, it relates to it, too. Brad: Type two? Very good. Number four, it can aid in weight loss. Bob: I saw the research on that too. There was a good Japanese study on it, that was quite involved, and it seemed like it was well done. It was pretty significant that that was the only thing they changed but they lost weight with that. Brad: Sure, yeah, this is one of those things, we got two more, but I think as long as you know, if you’re taking medication, you need to talk to your doctor and make sure it doesn’t interfere with any medications. Bob: And when we’re talking about weight loss, Brad, it wasn’t like a lot of weight loss. It was like 5 lbs. I’m doing this off memory now, but like over six months or something like that, but the other people who didn’t do it actually gained weight. So, you know, you’re heading in the right direction and a lot of times you know, slower weight loss is better than quicker weight loss, because it stays off easier. Brad: Exactly. Lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Now these studies were done on animals, he talks about that. Is there a carry over? Bob: Yeah, is it going to translate over to humans is the question. Brad: Right, there’s been a lot of studies on animals that there has been carry-over, so, you know, we’re not so sure about that one. And then the last one is can fight cancer. Kris does say that these studies are not very – Bob: Very, very weak. Brad: Right, they’re very weak, so that’s neither here nor there. Bob: So, yeah, to me, the ones I saw were, it’s very good for lowering blood sugars, and good for weight loss, and you are the first one that told me about the anti-inflammatory nature of it. Brad: Right, well I was really concerned, it’s like, I really like to work with my hands on the weekends and whatnot, and particularly shaking hands. I mean, I would do that for gross tests with a patient that might be 80 years old and he would shake my hand, it’s like, “Oh, that hurts, and it shouldn’t be hurting.” Bob: I always give them two fingers. Brad: Oh really? Bob: I’ve done it for years. Brad: I’d give them the whole hand! Bob: I give them two fingers, I just go squeeze, I’ve done it for years. Brad: So, I want to talk about the apple cider vinegar, now I use Braggs, B-R-A-G-G-S. It’s organic, it has, quote, unquote, “the mother” in it, and the mother is strands of protein. Now, I’m not sure where that falls into place. Here’s another one, it looks exactly the same. I’m going to use this bottle next, this is by Mantova, raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar. Bob: I don’t know that you could go wrong on this. Brad: It’s got the mother in it, I have a feeling, you get some good organic product, it’s probably good, very similar. It might be on the same line, you know, just a different label. They’re probably going to get mad at me, these companies, but oh well. Bob: Yeah, He’s a coal packer, whatever they call it, but – so, Brad: So, there you go. Bob: Brad and I can fix just about anything, Brad: Except for – Bob: A broken heart, but we’re working on it! Brad: Yeah, but I don’t think apple cider vinegar’s going to do a thing for that. Bob: Aw, who knows, keep up your- Brad: Maybe go to three tablespoons. Bob: There we go, thanks. Brad: Take care. Interested in learning about the products mentioned, you can find them at: 1) Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar: https://amzn.to/2EPif60 Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 July of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDyyPSa85BE&t=56s Bob: So, the topic of today is do you have sleep apnea? We’re going to show you an easy self-test you can do at home. It’s a beginner test. I mean it doesn’t confirm that you have it, but if you answer these questions positively, there’s a good chance that you should see your doctor and have it checked out further. Brad: Exactly. Bob: Alright, so when we are talking about sleep apnea we are talking mainly about obstructive sleep apnea. There’s other types Brad, but this is the one we are talking about. This is the one that occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax and your airway closes as you breathe in. So, you’re sleeping on your back, and all of a sudden (snorting), your sleep is interrupted, and you actually wake up. It is only for a brief period of time, you won’t even remember that it happened, but it interrupts your sleep. It does not allow deep sleep to occur. Brad: Doesn’t your breathing actually stop for a certain period of time? Bob: Yes, it does. Yeah it can happen like 5-30 times an hour, so it’s very disruptive. The brain senses when you’re not breathing, obviously, and that’s why it briefly arouses you from your sleep. But the problem with this is you never reach deep sleep. You know, I’ve mentioned this book before, “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, I mean this’ll scare the beegeebess out of you if you read this thing. You’re going to make sure you get your sleep the rest of your life if you read this thing. Something like sleep apnea can be so dangerous from a medical standpoint, because again, you’re not getting in to the REM sleep. You’re not getting the deep sleep. So it’s just disrupting everything. There’s just a whole host of medical problems that can result from that. I’ll mention a few of them here. So, daytime fatigue, that’s an obvious one. You’re just going to be tired. Brad: Right, and I’ve talked to patient who’ve had this and they said, wow, you know, and then they’ve had it corrected, and then they’ve said what a difference it makes. Bob: There was a neighbor of mine that went through that. I mean you just think about with driving, like some of you now. We started this new podcast, if you’re listening to us when you’re driving, hopefully we are keeping you awake. High blood pressure or heart problems can lead to that. Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, linked to increased risk of heart disease. Lots of bad things. It can be complicated with medications and surgery; I mean it can make complications in the case with surgery. Brad: Oh, yeah sure, right. Well you think about it, Bob, if you’re not breathing more, you’re not getting the oxygen in. If your blood oxygen levels drop down, nothing in your whole body works as efficiently as it’s supposed to, and then these are the side effects. Bob: Yeah, to me it’s the lack of sleep though. I mean, again, there’s so many things they talk about in this book, I can’t even begin to talk about. It’s just: no sleep, bad, plenty of sleep, good. Let’s put it that way. So, and liver problems, it can result in that. But what are some of the risk factors. We’re going to do the test at the end. We will go through it all together, but I wanted to make sure we’re doing a complete job here. Some of the risk factors that you may want to look at, and I think a lot of people know these. If you have excess weight, especially you know, you can see people have that thick neck, and they have fat deposits around the upper airway, they are just more at risk. So, I tell you, I have a cabin and I invited three friends to come there one weekend, and this was like five years ago, everyone of them came walking in with their CPAP. I go, I’m sorry guys, I’m not a part of this CPAP club. Brad: But they let you stay? Bob: They let me stay, yeah. You could have an inherited narrow airway, you might be born with it. If you’re male, always picking on the males, aren’t they? Two to three times more likely than women. Brad: Well, we deserve it. Bob: Yeah, we deserve it, that’s right. Although women are more likely, if they’re overweight and after menopause, so they’re not completely out of the woods. Number five, always if you’re older. Again, Brad, as we enter into our twilight years. Brad: Yeah well don’t jump the gun, you know. We still got a good 20 years to go the way I look at it. Bob: I hope 20 years. Brad: Before the twilight and then we can settle down a little bit. Bob: Family history, if you take alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, obviously that could cause things to relax more. I know my brother; he says that the only time he snores is after he drinks. He’s always drinking when I see him, so he’s always snoring. Brad: Oh my, it’s a family show Bob, let’s keep it that way. Bob: Well that’s family oriented, he’s family, my brother. So smoking, you’re three times more likely. And if you have nasal congestion, you know, trouble breathing through your nose, you’re going to obviously have to breathe through the throat. So, let’s take the test, Brad. Okay, this is kind of got a strange, unusual name. It’s called STOP-BANG. Brad: Huh? Is this an official test? Bob: Yeah, and each letter stands for something. That’s why. So, the STOP is snore, tired, observed, pressure. I’ll tell you the questions. So, each question that you answer yes, you have to mark down a point for you, okay? So, do you snore loudly? Louder than talking or loud enough to be heard through closed doors? Brad: I was going to say that’s kind of subjective, but I guess when you put those disclaimers in there, yeah. I’m very quiet, everyone agrees. Bob: So, I’m a no also on that one. Brad: Yeah, right. Bob: I had a friend, again at the cabin, literally he said “you’re going to have to put me in a room because I snore so loud” and then he fell asleep on the couch. Oh my God, it was like a grizzly bear, I’m not kidding you. Brad: Why didn’t you just put a pillow over him? Bob: I know right, I should’ve. It was a phenomenon. I mean, it was like, I wanted to get some popcorn and watch him snore and then he ended up getting a CPAP machine too. Brad: Well, you get ear plugs is all. Bob: Oh, I don’t know if ear plugs would’ve worked on this guy, it’s bad. Okay, do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during the day? That’s a tough one for me, sometimes I do. Not often, I wouldn’t say often. Brad: Well, let’s go on, let’s go to the next one. Nobody cares about you anyways. Bob: You know, well, I care about me. Has anyone observed you stop breathing during your sleep? Brad: Well, someone would have to be there. It’d probably have to be your wife. Bob: Right, my wife has seen me, if we’re having drinks, and I fall asleep on the couch on my back, she goes, you stopped breathing there. I apparently got the same thing as my brother, if I drink alcohol that is. Brad: Right, well you just have to sit up straighter or something. Bob: Yeah, that’s right. Exactly, so I’m going to put yes on that one. Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure? Well I don’t need to know that Brad, that’s a personal question, but I’m not. Okay that’s the S-T-O-P. Okay, now the BANG is if you have a BMI over more than 35 kg/m2- body mass index. Brad: Yes, you can look that up on the internet. Bob: We had a video on that remember, they said we were like almost obese, right. I don’t think we would be anymore, we lost weight since then. Brad: Right, but still, I mean for this test, evidently, they’re using that. Bob: A high one, right. So, I know we’re no on that. Age over 50, yeah probably. Brad: I think so. I’d have to do the math on that one. Bob: So that’s the BA, so we have another yes, I got another yes. Neck circumference greater than 16 inches. I know mine isn’t because I used to be 16 ½ and now I’m like a pencil neck. Brad: Well I noticed. Bob: My neck got thinner. Brad: I wasn’t going to say anything. No way. Bob: You weren’t going to say anything LOL. Well the positive thing is that I get a no on this now. Brad: Oh good! Okay, so what’s next? Bob: And another one, we’re male, you know, so we are going to lose out on that one. Brad: What’d you get? Bob: Well I got three if you want to count the alcohol induced not breathing. Brad: Well, if you don’t have a drink then you’re fine. Bob: Right, then I’m fine, right. So, I’d say I’m probably a two. If you had a total between five and eight, you are at a high risk for OSA. Obstructive sleep apnea. If you’re between a three and four, you’re at an intermediate risk of OSA. And zero to two, you’re at a low risk. So, I’m at like a two to three, so I’m at like a low to intermediate. I would definitely, if you’re in the high-risk category, I’d definitely go see the doctor at that point. Brad: Again, this is not professionally done but you know, it may give you an idea. Bob: It was done by professionals. It was done by the Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute. Brad: Right, but there may be some other things. It’s a screening test. My sister, she’s a respiratory therapist, and this is what she does, she watches people sleep for twelve hours and takes notes. Yeah, she just started a few months ago, so I’ve talked to her a little bit. I’ll talk to her more about it. Bob: Yes, ask her about that. So, what are the treatments for OSA, obviously CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure. You know, the CPAP, that’s obviously the most common one. Brad: Right, you hook that mask up to your face while you breathe, while you sleep, and it has positive pressure forcing that air and oxygen to your lungs, so that they continue to work efficiently. Bob: The other thing, one simple change Brad, is to sleep on your side. If you can sleep on your side, generally your airways are going to stay open. Brad: And you have less chance of snoring, is that correct?? Bob: Yes, yes. Brad: Okay, that gets two birds with one stone. Bob: Right, there you go. Other lifestyle changes you can make is don’t smoke, avoid alcohol, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, obviously all those can play a role. Brad: Those things that allow the muscles to relax or depressants. Bob: Yeah, lose weight, exercise, lot of things that you know, we’re going to harp on all the time no matter what, but they do help. Brad: Right, often times it’s just not one thing. Bob: You know what, take the test, if you score high, we do highly recommend you go in and talk to your doctor about this because this is not something to be taken lightly. This will affect your health and you can make a big difference in your life and maybe you won’t’ be so cranky during the day. Brad: Right, and they’ll put you in a sleep room and they’ll hook you up and they’ll observe you sleep for a number of hours and you can get to see what they say. Bob: We’re out of time, Brad. Brad: Oh, yeah, my goodness. Bob: Adios Brad: Take care, sleep well. Interested in learning about the products mentioned above, they can be found at: 1) Book: Why We Sleep By Matthew Walker, PhD: https://amzn.to/2tNHjIM Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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 July of 2020. For the original video go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmj0YIOJsgY&t=500s Bob: Today we’re going to go over 10 signs you have tore a muscle and then we’re going to show you how to treat it at home. We actually might mention the treatment method earlier on. Brad: Yeah, we’ll mix it up a little. Bob: So, when we’re talking about torn muscle, we’re talking about a non-contact injury to your muscle. It’s not like a motor vehicle accident where you get whipped around, physical trauma. Brad: Like football where you got hit. We’re talking about where you’re taking off running from first base to second base on a weekend game and it gets you limping. Bob: So, it’s also called a strain or a pulled muscle. I’m going to show you this picture I drew here. Brad: This is a good picture. You really should start an art class. Bob: So, here we go. This is representing a muscle. I want to show this where it transitions and becomes a tendon and then the tendon attaches to the bone. Brad: I could tell this was a bone. Bob: Very good! Looks like a bone that you have in a cartoon, right? So, tears usually occur right where the muscle starts transitioning to becoming a tendon. That’s where the tears occur. Now, these can be micro-tears. You can pull some of the fibers. You can also tear a good percentage of it. They actually do grade the muscle tears. Brad: Actually, a lighter grade or a not so serious of a pull can be quite painful initially. So, the pain level doesn’t always correlate with the severity of the pull. Bob: Right, exactly. You can also tear the muscle, mid muscle. Very common like in the calf muscle and even in the quad. I’ll go over the grades right now, Brad. So, if 10% of the fibers or less are involved, it’s a grade one, or stage one. If it’s 10-90% of the fibers are involved, it’s a two. And if over 90% of the fibers are involved, torn or avulsed, where its actually pulled away, then it’s a grade three. Brad: That’s kind of broad actually. Bob: It’s very broad. Brad: And that’s really only, you don’t need to know that you’re not going to judge as a laid person. That can be difficult to judge as a PT or doctor even. Bob: I think that’s why they make it so broad, Brad, so that it’s like, oh, you only got a few fibers torn, you’re a grade one. Oh, you know, it seems pretty severe but not enough for surgery, probably a grade two. You know it’s pretty bad, grade three, you may need to have surgery. I’m sure in most cases you do. So, for treatment, I want to go over that real quick, Brad. You know, there’s PRICE, which is an acronym. You’re going to have protection. You want to protect it, like if it’s a lower extremity, you’re probably going to want to use crutches or some type of a gait aid to take the stress off the muscle. Brad: If it really hurts to walk or put weight on it, you have to use some crutches or walk less or modify something. You don’t want to irritate it. Bob: Which goes right along with the next one, PR rest. You’re not going to want to go out and try to do your usual activity as far as athletic goes. Ice, especially the first couple days to help take the swelling down because swelling’s fine, unless it gets a little too crazy, then it makes healing harder. Brad: Cold pack for 20 minutes, three or four times a day can go a long way. Bob: Compression often helps with the swelling too. You might wrap it with an ACE wrapper. Brad: ACE wrapper, compression garment. Bob: Then the elevation. Which again, also helps. Brad: Elevated so the swelling can flow down, heal, get back and recirculate. Bob: Now, I’ve torn three muscles in my lifetime, Brad. Brad: You count? You keep track? Bob: I kept track of it. One, I tore my pec muscle, pectoralis muscle, working with a patient, I was trying to stretch them, believe it or not. Brad: Really! Bob: Another one I tore was my tricep. Brad: What happened to the patient? Bob: They were fine, but I wasn’t fine. Another one was my tricep, I do dips and I hurt it on that. The last one was, you remember this one, I did this a couple years ago. Last year, my calf. Brad: Oh, yeah. Bob: In each case, this was the scenario. It would get better, I think I’m out of the woods, and then I would do something, like with a patient, I’d stretch that patient again, tear it right up again. And with dips, I’ll do dips, and my tricep would tear again. So, what finally helped with all of those is the number one treatment that worked with this, is doing some type of massage, especially like cross fiber. You’re breaking up the scar tissue, you’re helping it heal, and it heals stronger than. Brad: Right, and the work from this is Cyriax. Bob: Yes, Dr. Cyriax. Brad: He’s a surgeon, I think he’s passed. Bob: Oh, a long time ago. He passed 30 years ago at least. Brad: So, this is a long time. This is nothing new. Bob: No, no. He was considered the father of orthopedic medicine and he came up with a lot of different techniques, but this was one of the cross-fiber friction massage. Again, this happened in my calf, that’s a bigger, thicker muscle. Using your own hands or fingers to try to massage it is very fatiguing. So, we are going to, just as a coincidence here, we’re going to recommend something. Brad: Well, actually Cyriax does recommend doing a cross friction massage for up to 20 minutes, which I can’t hardly do five minutes with my fingers before they start to fatigue, but sometimes that’s helpful for sure. But if you can go longer, great. And that’s where this mechanical massage device or gun, they’re becoming very popular for a good reason because they work well. Bob: It’s interesting, when these first came out, Brad and I would not endorse them because they were $400. Brad: Yes, they worked well, but they were expensive. Bob: They were really expensive. Well, hey, believe it or not, Bob and Brad have come out with their own massage gun. Can you believe it, somebody thinks enough of us that they put our name on a massage gun? Who would have ever thought? Brad: I’m starting to blush. Bob: Yes, this thing works fantastic. We’ve worked with this company before and they do the best. I love this air-filled massage tip, works really well. Brad: Well, here’s the case you get with it. It’s got a bunch of different things, rechargeable to USB, and we’ve got different attachments. Bob: So, enough on that Brad. Let’s get into the video now here. We’ve been spending enough time on that, but this does work really good and this is what made the difference for my healing, especially my calf. Boy, that was a bugger. So, the first thing, 10 signs. #1 If you have sudden intense pain while you’re stretching or while you’re at an athletic event. So that’s what you’re talking about, running to first base, lifting or sprinting, it’s kind of that what they call that, “oh, crap” moment. You know what happened. Brad: Yeah, it’s like oh darn it, I’m hurt. Bob: It’s generally, one muscle. If it’s like your whole leg, there might be more cramping or something like that. It’s not a series of muscles, it’s going to be one muscle. #2 You’re going to have local swelling. So, it’s going to look puffy and raised, it’s going to feel hot and flushed. You’ll see it, you’ll visually see that it’s swollen. #3 It’ll be tender in one spot, when you touch, using palpation. Brad: Yeah, palpation: when you kind of push into the muscle. Bob: Well, Brad kind of mentioned before: #4 you can actually have like a burning sensation when you tear a muscle. Brad: Yeah, I definitely felt it with my hamstring this year. Actually, I was just jogging, and I was pretty fatigued, I had worked out too much. Bob: I thought you tried to push it a little bit on the treadmill. Brad: That was the other time, I injured my hamstring three times in the last year, so this is my concern. Bob: This is a prime example. It doesn’t heal strong. So, you need to use the massager then. Brad: I know, Bob, I know. I’m working on it, I’m experimenting. Bob: #5 Pain with movement, obviously. It’s because you use the muscle, it’s going to hurt. #6 The sense that the muscle’s tight or stiff. The muscle’s trying to protect you or protect itself, so a lot of times, it kind of spasms a little bit even. Brad: Your body’s saying, hey, slow down here. Bob: It makes sense if you tore some fibers, you may have also tore some blood vessels. So, # 7 you’re going to see some bruising and discoloration. Brad: Right, they call it ecchymosis. A lot of times, you won’t see it the day it happened. But, within a few days, all of a sudden you’ll see this purplish, black and blue come out. That’s just old blood that your body is going to recycle that. Bob: What’s weird is that it descends a lot of times. A lot of times, it’ll be originally in your hamstring and all of sudden, you’ll find it down near your calf. Brad: Gravity’s taken it. Bob: #8 Muscle weakness. So, it’s going to depend on how bad it is, but if it’s really bad, you might actually have no muscle strength at all. That’s one of the tests. Brad: Right! Well, it hurts. Bob: Well, it hurts but if you tore your quad really bad, you wouldn’t even be able to straighten your knee at all. And calf, you just do the squeeze test, you remember that one? Brad: The Holmen’s sign? Bob: No, well, it’s like Holmen’s, but you squeeze it. #9 You’re going to have a limited range of motion. I can’t read what I wrote…. Brad: Why Bob!?! Bob: Oh, #10 I was going to mention the common muscles that this happens in. So, hamstrings. Gastrocnemius or the calf muscle, very common. Groin. When people say the groin, it’s the hip abductor quite often, the muscles on the inside. The hip flexor, that rectus femoris. Right in front of the thigh and also, a lot of times, you can tear the lumbar paraspinals, the muscles in the lumbar area. Last time I thought I had that brief period where I just had a jolt of pain in my back. It must’ve been a tear because it got better so fast that it couldn’t have been a disk problem or anything. Brad: Yeah, muscle versus disk. Yeah and that’s another story. Bob: It’s very common to pull a muscle on the back. Brad: We could do a video on that. Bob: Yeah, we could. Then a lot of times, biceps. A lot of times they disconnect the tendon from the bone, so you’ll have to watch that, it’s going to gather down. Pecs too, very common. Brad: Can’t forget the pecs. Bob: So, there’s a lot of muscles you can pull and tear. So now, you’re going to know what to do when it happens. Remember, Brad and I can fix just about anything… Brad: Except for… Bob: A broken heart. Brad: I definitely have to get going on my hamstrings. But you know, the massager feels good on there. Bob: What kind of example are you setting? Brad: What are you talking about? Bob: You keep pulling your muscle and we’re telling people how to fix their muscle and you pulled it three times now. Brad: Well, I’m becoming an expert at it. Practice makes perfect. Bob: Brad the expert. If you are interested in the products mentioned above, they can be found at: Massage Gun By Bob & Brad: https://amzn.to/2P3dwmm Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew 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.