A few months ago my doctor informed me that I was suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure. I knew something wasn’t right for sometime. I had been suffering from dizzy spells and chest pains but somehow I was excusing it all to heart burn.

I had recently turned fifty and had often joked that fifty was the new thirty. So what happened to 30, I asked my doctor? According to me, I had many years to go. Not so much according to my doctor if I didn’t do something to change my health.

The standard approach is to prescribe blood pressure medication or beta blockers. I researched the effects of beta blockers and other typical medications but felt uncomfortable going down that road. I really believed that this was something that had been brought on by my behavior and somehow, by modifying my behavior, I could change it.

My first approach was to focus changing my diet to include more fruits and vegetables and less fats. I followed by trying to add some low impact exercise to my routine. Both of these changes went a long way towards helping me feel better about myself and healthier in general. They didn’t however, lower my blood pressure.

I heard about a nearby workshop on meditation. I had also heard about the possible benefit of meditation to blood pressure. I decided to give meditation a try before giving up and going the beta blockers my doctor had suggested.

I have to say, that results I experienced were amazing. I learned in the workshops that the first stage in learning to meditate is to stop the distractions and try to clear our minds. At first, it was really difficult to clear my mind of those everyday distractions but after a while I got the hang of it and entered into a wonderful place of calmness.

Because of the meditation, I am happy to say that my blood pressure is currently under control. Granted, I needed to take a global approach to tackle my overall health issues but the most important step I took was to begin meditating. I can’t say enough about the overall health benefits of this timeless and simple approach to healthy and conscious living.

It wasn’t that long ago that my doctor informed me that suffered from heart disease and high blood pressure. I knew that I dealt with a lot of stress in my life but I always thought that I could handle it. It seems that the stress was handling me instead.

I had recently turned fifty and had often joked that fifty was the new thirty. So what happened to 30, I asked my doctor? According to me, I had many years to go. Not so much according to my doctor if I didn’t do something to change my health.

The standard approach is to prescribe blood pressure medication or beta blockers. I researched the effects of beta blockers and other typical medications but felt uncomfortable going down that road. I really believed that this was something that had been brought on by my behavior and somehow, by modifying my behavior, I could change it.

My initial focus was on lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. I worked on eating the right foods and slowing increasing the amount of walking I was doing. While I felt better in general, the effect on my blood pressure was minimal.

Then I found out about meditation. There was a workshop being held in my neighborhood and I decided to give it a try. I had tried everything else after all. I did some research and read how meditation is proven to improve ones health in a variety of aspects. One of the most important ways in which meditation helps is in relieving stress. That sounded right for me!

The results of meditation were astounding. As soon as I began working on calming my mind and body and focusing on my breath I could literally feel my pressure lower. It took some work on my part and many times as I began learning to meditate I suffered from, what is referred to as, monkey mind or those endless distracting thoughts of a busy mind that tends to swing from one place to another without any apparent direction or destination. I was encouraged to continue trying however and as I did I found it easier and easier to enter into that place of calm and tranquility.

Because of the meditation, I am happy to say that my blood pressure is currently under control. Granted, I needed to take a global approach to tackle my overall health issues but the most important step I took was to begin meditating. I can’t say enough about the overall health benefits of this timeless and simple approach to healthy and conscious living.

Are you having knee problems? Knee pain is one of the most common injuries in runners and cyclists. The IT syndrome or Iliotibial band friction syndrome as it is also called, is the most common knee problem. IT-Band syndrome causes a diffuse pain in the knee and sometimes also a painful, sharp localized discomfort nearby the knee joint.

The tough tissue band running along the knee bone, from the hip to the shinbone, called IT band was until recently rubbing against the thigh bone, nearby the knee joint, according to researchers. Flexing and extending the leg would cause this rubbing phenomena and that would cause friction. The friction would make the Iliotibial band sore and this soreness was the cause of the pain.

Today the researcher know, that the IT band is not rubbing at all (Fairclough et al.). The cause for the pain is pressure from the Iliotibial band on a fatty tissue, placed between the Iliotibial band and the knee joint. This tissue consists of a lot of nerves, which when stressed will give a feeling of pain. Flexuring and extending the leg build up the pressure on the fatty tissue.

With this new understanding of the biomechanics of the Iliotibial band syndrome it has become clear that to reduce the tension on the Iliotibial band you have to reduce the tension in the muscles connecting to it. That is primarily the gluteus maximus, the biggest muscle of the buttocks, and the tensor fasciae latae which is a muscle of the thigh.

You can reduce the tension through stretching and strengthening them. The stretching exercises I proposed in my last post 8 Yoga poses for removing or preventing knee pain (IT band) could help you with that.

Typical symptoms of Iliotibial band syndrome are:

* Pain just above the knee joint

* Swelling or thickening of the IT band over the lateral femoral epicondyle

* Pain at the hip

* Diffuse pain in knee area

* Sharp localized pain at the lateral femoral epicondyle

* Clicking – as if the IT band tightens and snaps across the joint

Typical causes for Iliotibial band syndrome are:

* Increasing distance in training too fast

* Running downhill

* Cycling with the feet in an excessive angle

* Running on a crowned surface

* Uneven leg length

* Bowlegs

* Weak hip abductor muscles

Typical treatment of Iliotibial band syndrome are:

* Putting ice on the sore spot

* Stretching

* Massage

* Rest

* Hip abductor strengthening

For those of you who havent got a problem with the IT band, the following methods could help preventing it:

* Stretching

* Strengthening of hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles and hip abductors

* Slowly increasing training volume

* No downhill running

* Rest

* Shorten your stride

* Using a correct sit position on the bike

References:

Cosca DD, et al.; Common problems in endurance athletes; Am Fam Physician. 2007 Jul 15;76(2):237-44

Devan MR, et al.; A prospective study of overuse knee injuries among female athletes with muscle imbalances and structural abnormalities; J Athl Train. 2004 Jul-Sep; 39(3): 263-267

Ellis R, et al.; Iliotibial band friction syndrome ” a systematic review; Man Ther. 2007 Aug;12(3):200-8

Fairclough J, et al.;Is iliotibial band syndrome really a friction syndrome?; J Sci Med Sport. 2007 Apr;10(2):74-6

Fairclough J, et al.; The functional anatomy of the iliotibial band during flexion and extension of the knee: implications for understanding iliotibial band syndrome; J Anat. 2006 Mar;208(3):309-16

Farrell KC, et al.; Force and repetition in cycling: possible implications for iliotibial band friction syndrome; Knee. 2003 Mar;10(1):103-9

Fredericson M, et al.;Practical management of iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners; Clin J Sport Med. 2006 May;16(3):261-8

Fredricson M, et al.; Iliotibial band syndrome in runners: innovations in treatment; Sports Med. 2005;35(5):451-9

Grau S, et al.; Hip abductor weakness is not the cause for iliotibial band syndrome; Int J Sports Med. 2008 Jul;29(7):579-83

Hamill J, et al.; A prospective study of iliotibial band strain in runners; Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2008 Oct;23(8):1018-25

Khaund R, et al.; Iliotibial band syndrome: a common source of knee pain; Am Fam Physician. 2005 Apr 15;71(8):1545-50

Miller RH, et al.; Lower extremity mechanics of iliotibial band syndrome during an exhaustive run; Gait Posture. 2007 Sep;26(3):407-13

Paluska SA; An overview of hip injuries in running; Sports Med. 2005;35(11):991-1014

Tibor LM, et al.; Differential diagnosis of pain around the hip joint; Arthroscopy. 2008 Dec;24(12):1407-21

Wanich T, et al.; Cycling injuries of the lower extremity; J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007 Dec;15(12):748-56