Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Fitness, Health and Nutrition

Chat with Dr. Mirkin’s AI research assistant about health issues that are discussed on the site

Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Manipulation for Low Back Pain

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that spinal manipulation is at least as effective in controlling low-back pain as the standard medical treatments of ultrasound, antiinflammatory drugs, anti-pain drugs, diathermy heat treatments, hot or cold packs, use of a corset or transcutaneous nerve stimulation.

Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Treatment of Low Back Pain

Your choices for treatment of back pain are surgery, steroid injections, pain medications, exercise strengthening and stretching programs, or techniques that place external force on the back such as deep massage, manipulation and passive stretching. Because surgery has such a high failure rate, it is usually recommended only when there is danger of permanent injury such as loss of feeling, loss of muscle control or intractable pain.

Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Total Knee Replacement

When all the cartilage in your knee is gone, the only effective treatment is to replace the whole knee. The ends of bones are soft, so they must be covered with a thick white gristle called cartilage. Once damaged, cartilage can never heal or re-grow. Small holes in cartilage can be repaired, but usually once cartilage is damaged the person spends the rest of his or her life losing cartilage until it is completely gone and the knee hurts 24 hours a day.

Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Diet and Arthritis Pain

A diet loaded with cooked vegetables and olive oil helps reduce the pain, swelling and discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study from Harvard School of Public Health.

Recovery Heart Rate

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that one of the best tests to predict your risk for having a heart attack is your Recovery Heart Rate. Recovery heart rate is a measure of fitness and a slow recovery from exercise means that you are out of shape....

Cholesterol Guidelines

Cholesterol Guidelines

The current cholesterol guidelines recommend that everyone should have a blood level of the bad LDL cholesterol below 100. If you live in Canada, divide the American number by 40.

Mitral Valve Prolapse

One in ten Americans suffers from mitral valve prolapse and the vast majority have no symptoms and will never know that they have it. Valves are located in your heart to keep blood from backing up. With aging, some of these valves can stretch and fail to close...

Treatment of Insulin Resistance

Treatment of Insulin Resistance

Most people who develop diabetes in later life can be controlled so that they are not at increased risk for the many complications of diabetes such as heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, amputations, kidney failure, burning foot syndrome, venous insufficiency with ulceration and stasis dermatitis.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

If you are a man who finds it difficult to start your stream, check with your doctor to see if you have an infection or a benign or cancerous enlargement of your prostate.