Review: High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care
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I recently won a book about women’s back health from Healthbolt! I was really happy to win a copy of it because for the past couple of years I’ve started to have some back problems and would like to learn more about it.
The book is titled “High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care” and was written by Christina Lasich.
The book was divided up into roughly 5 sections – an introduction, the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine and a concluding section.
In the introductory section of the book she made the point that many women did not learn how to lift, bend, twist or reach properly when younger and are therefore more “susceptible to spine pain because they entered the work force without any type of physical conditioning”.
I’d have to admit that I’m in that group – we never learned anything in school about exercising or in general, moving properly.
Additionally, she discussed the importance of eating healthy and avoiding smoking – both of which influence all aspects of health.
Concerning cervical spine health, she discussed issues of breasts and bras and gave some tips to making sure your bra fits and supports you properly. I stopped wearing bras years ago – and am damn happy I did! I’m small enough that I don’t really need one anyway and always hated wearing them.
She also explained the importance of proper posture in the part about the thoracic spine as well as osteoporosis prevention.
As far as I’ve been able to tell my back problems are all due to posture issues. At one point I started having problems with one of my arms getting numb which seems to be from having my shoulders rounded forward too much. Then I had problems with the back of my head and neck getting numb. That was solved by making sure my monitor was high enough. You should be looking straight forward when looking at your computer for long periods of time (like I have been). My laptop monitor was too low so my head was constantly bent down. Raising it made a huge difference! Lately I’ve had problems lower down on my back, I think because I still haven’t been sitting properly most of the time and need to start doing back and other strength training exercises again. Anyway – enough of me!
Lower back pain is very common and Christina goes over a number of exercises and other things you can do to help prevent it. She mentions also how high heels can cause back pain – a topic that I plan to discuss on my blog in a lot more detail in the future.
Over all I’d say its a good book and I recommend it especially if you are a busy person without a lot of time to read. The book is pretty short and straight to the point with tips and exercises to teach you how to keep your spine healthier.
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9 Responses to 'Review: High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care'
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on August 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Hi Trish, glad you’ve got your copy and that you’ve found it useful. I loved the way Christine managed to compact all the relevant information into an easy to read and fun book.
cheers,
Liz
Lizs last blog post: Healthbolt Funtime: Meet The Laryngospasms.
on August 19th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I had the same issue with my laptop and was in chronic pain for months before I realized it was my laptop. I changed desks and posture (the pain was caused my bending my neck to look at the laptop and the position of my left arm at my desk)and less than a week later the pain was gone. Now I make sure I take breaks and sit properly especially try not to bend my neck. Thanks for the great post.
-Tabs
Tabss last blog post: Fight Poverty with Other Bloggers
on August 19th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Yes, Liz – I got the book! Thanks! She does get straight to the point with the book making it easier and faster to read!
on August 19th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Tabs – Thanks! Sometimes I still find it difficult to sit properly, even though I know I should. Do you have that problem?
on August 20th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Trisha, yes I still have a hard time sitting properly but I tend to be vigilant and when I feel uncomfortable I move around, take a break or stop all together. I am so happy that I am no longer in pain that I simply do whatever I need to so I don’t end up back there again.
Isn’t it interesting how just the slightest misalignment can cause big issues. The human body is amazing. Thanks Trisha,
-Tabs
Tabss last blog post: Fight Poverty with Other Bloggers
on August 27th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Heels are the worst. I have had so many friends complain about their feet, legs and back hurting. A peace of advice, get rid of them. I’m really into keeping my hands and feet moisturized and looking nice after all the pain I put them through. For keeping the hands looking young looking I discovered Norwegian Formula Age Shield hand Cream, it shields hands from UVA rays that causes sun spots and wrinkles. A must when out in the sun. It can provide protection and moisturize up to 24 hours. There is a coupon here: http://www.neutrogena.com/ageshield I get a little excited about coupons, I love them!
on September 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[…] @trisha_ifw – is a sweetheart who also loves Doctor Who and the Powerpuff Girls. She does not enjoy bathing suit shopping. Recent Post: Review: High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care […]
on November 26th, 2008 at 9:18 am
The truth is that human feet were not designed for high heels. Wearing high heels can change the structure and shape of the feet, which not only causes pain along the way, but may also inhibit proper functioning of feet over time.
Women experience pain when they wear high heels because their feet slide forward into the shoes, inevitably forcing their bodies to redistribute their weight while creating unnatural pressure points and disrupting the natural alignment of our body.
There are numerous foot ailments related to wearing high heels. Some of the most common ones are metatarsalgia (ball of foot pain), bunions, callous and corns, Achilles Tendonitis, hammertoe, and many others.
Wearing orthotic insoles designed for high heels will probably relieve some of the discomfort.
You can find more information on this topic under “Ball of Foot Pain” at http://www.footminders.com
on July 25th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Interesting. I too developed bunions from the always fashionable high heels shoes.