The Art of Bending

The Art of Bending

Many other cultures, especially non-Western, have a much lower prevalence of back pain and spinal arthritis. What’s more surprising is that the peoples of these cultures often do a tremendous amount of bending and lifting. So, how is this possible?

What is Neuromonitoring?

What is Neuromonitoring?

Brain and spine operations are typically performed with patients asleep. While these surgeries are intricately executed by surgeons with highly specialized training, the nervous structures commonly are manipulated. Techniques for examining the nervous system are limited in the asleep patient. To ensure temporary or permanent damage does not occur, intraoperative monitoring (IOM) is commonly performed.…

This is Your Brain on Drugs

This is Your Brain on Drugs

The D.A.R.E. program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, was started by the LA Police Department Chief of Police, Daryl Gates, in the early 1980’s. It blossomed from a tiny local program to a massive national campaign practicing in 75 percent of American schools. The message was simple, “Just Say No.” Unfortunately, at its peak, D.A.R.E was…

The Smoking Spine: Nicotine's Ability to Cause and Worsen Back Pain

The Smoking Spine: Nicotine’s Ability to Cause and Worsen Back Pain

20 percent of American adults are cigarette smokers. Of these individuals, about 80 percent smoke daily. Cigarette smoke has been found to contain over 4,700 chemical substances with the most notable being nicotine. Nicotine in cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, oral tobacco and even nicotine patches all contain carcinogenic substances such as hydrocarbons and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA).…