A holistic understanding of its prevention and resolution

by: Denton Coleman

Low-back pain:

Denton Coleman

Bachelor of Science in Human Performance with an emphasis in Wellness.

Certified Exercise Physiologist: American College of Sports Medicine.

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist: National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Certified Orthopedic Exercise Specialist: American Council on Exercise.

Certified Holistic Fitness Specialist: Academy of Holistic Fitness.

Certified Personal Trainer: American College of Sports Medicine.

Overview

• The living matrix and the body’s connective tissues

• Psychosomatics

• Chakras

• Nutrition

• Microbial infections

• Detoxification

• Somatics

• Corrective exercise

The living matrix

• Many crystalline components of the physical body operate as electromagnetic semiconductors which allow for the immediate transference of information throughout the entire body.

• Structurally, the “living matrix” or the infrastructure of cytoskeletons, extracellular matrices, and related apparatuses connects all tissues of the body, and plays a major part in the organization of many enzymatic and other biochemical processes.

• Bodily water, specifically structured water, also functions as a crystalline lattice, conveying electromagnetic energy and data between cells.

Water

• The water within cells plays a large role in dictating the functionality of many cell components.

• Dehydration can lead to the buildup of cellular waste, changes in pH levels, and alterations in enzyme function.

• Because connective tissues (such as fascial and extracellular tissues) are normally very hydrated, dehydration can make these tissues congeal and constrict (inhibiting organ motility, blood circulation, lymph flow, and neural flow), as well as forcing the body to pull water from cartilage depots (such as the articular cartilage surrounding joints of the spine).

The living matrix

• Shape determines function = the deformation of cells and cellular components affects cellular function. Movement of the body not only affects biochemical operations, but also shapes the architectural design of connective tissue.

• Movement supplies medicine = movement supplies instruction which can dictate tissue function throughout the body.

• For instance, information encoded within electric fields can modulate hormonal output, toxin metabolism, regeneration of damaged tissue, and genetic expression.

Extracellular matrix

• Extracellular matrix = the environment existing immediately outside of and between cells which serves as a medium for nutrient and waste product transfer, as well as conductance of neural, chemical, mechanical, and electromagnetic data.

Cytoskeleton

• The cytoskeleton = the scaffolding or structural framework within the cell that extends inward to the nucleus as well as outward to the extracellular matrix, forming a physical connection between the cell’s environment and its nucleus (which houses DNA).

• Regulates cell movement and cell shape (and therefore function), as well as the growth and differentiation of the cell.

• Also translates mechanical and electromagnetic data from the cell’s environment to the cell’s nucleus and DNA (including electromagnetic data from thoughts).

Integrins

• Integrins = essentially receptors that help to determine the pattern of adhesion between adjacent cells, organize the healing of damaged tissue, help purge infectious pathogens, and help ensure that the cells they are housed within perform their intended function.

The living matrix

Toxic materials tend to accumulate in areas of the living matrix which remain dormant or unmoved as the housed ground substance becomes dehydrated and inhibits the influx of nutrients and the outflux of metabolic waste.

When the living matrix is impeded due to acidic conditions, dehydration, abnormal tension, or inflammation, cellular function and communication will be weakened.

Grounding or “Earthing”

• Can help cancel out electromagnetic pollution and “noise,” which interfere with electromagnetic communication channels within the body.

• Promotes a shift toward parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) dominance and a normalization of tone within skeletal muscle.

• The electron flow helps neutralize free radicals produced through normal oxidative processes, toxin accumulation, and tissue injury.

• Can protect against the development of “inflammatory pouches” which can form after exposure to virtually any type of stress, and if left intact or unresolved, can continually leak toxic material into the bloodstream and lymphatic circulation.

NSAIDs – be careful

• The prescription of NSAIDs for pain contributes to a variety of problems but chief among those is the increase in intestinal permeability and inflammation.

• The toxic material that leaks out of the GI tract due to an increase in gut permeability increases one’s antigenic load and promotes inflammatory responses in the bloodstream or connective tissues (notably myofascial tissues and extracellular matrices).

Psychosomatics

• Thoughts and emotions do not arise from the neural circuitry of the brain, they are impressed upon the brain by the mind.

• The psyche then, is not an entity unto itself, it is simply a characterization of the mind. Its organization into the id, ego, and superego is merely a convenience for studying the mind.

Psychosomatics

• When one experiences a traumatic event or a strong “negative” emotion, the psyche may view the full experiencing as being too threatening to the body.

• To protect the individual, the psyche buries the memory, emotion, or thought in the subconscious.

• To prevent the memory or emotion from surfacing from the subconscious, the psyche may invoke a reduction in blood flow to a particular area of the body, which can lead to pain or some physiological imbalance.

• This helps to keep the memory, thought, or emotion suppressed in the subconscious by helping ensure that the conscious mind remains occupied or distracted.

Psychosomatics

• This is why if your pain or physical imbalance is stemming from psychological or emotional dissonance, the dissonance is what must be corrected.

• Otherwise the psyche may quickly conjure another symptom to take the place of the physical symptom treated.

Psychosomatics side note

• Psychological stress can induce intestinal inflammation and can damage the gut mucosa’s integrity in addition to lowering secretory IgA levels.

• This promotes an increase in antigen exposure and an increase in the vulnerability of the GI tract, the respiratory tract, and genitourinary tract to microbial infection or colonization (such as H. pylori infection or Candida Albicans overgrowth).

• Also, persistent stress can also lead to adrenal exhaustion and depression of cortisol, which can facilitate dysfunction in the immune system (and thus an increase in inflammatory action) as cortisol is an immunoregulator.

Psychosomatics

• Oftentimes simply gaining an understanding and acceptance of the mechanism underlying psychogenic symptoms can thwart and correct their manifestation as the psyche gets “caught red-handed.”

• Other times some sort of psychotherapy may be helpful in removing psychological obstructions to healing.

• Thirdly, Somatic interventions can also be extremely helpful in reconnecting with the physical body and bridging any “gaps” between the psyche, the soma, and one’s emotions.

• Lastly, energy work such as Foot Zoning, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch®, etc. can assist in the same way.

Chakras or chakrams

• The seven primary chakra centers along the spine essentially serve as energetic vortices which assist in the anchoring and sustainment of the human being’s multi-dimensional elements and auric layers. They help to transmute vibrational patterns into those usable by the physical body. Obstruction or imbalance within the primary chakras can be reflected as the same within the physical body.

Spinal chakras

Spinal chakras

Each of the spinal chakras relates to a specific aspect of the personality:

• 1st spinal chakra = associated with survival and vitality of the physical body.

• 2nd spinal chakra = associated with physical desire and sexual expression.

• 3rd spinal chakra = associated with one’s perception and projection of their identity.

• 4th spinal chakra = associated with compassion and unconditional love.

• 5th spinal chakra = associated with creativity and communication.

• 6th spinal chakra = associated with one’s intuition and extra-third-dimensional perception.

• 7th spinal chakra = associated with one’s divinity and cosmic or universal consciousness.

Spinal chakras

• Dissonance or stress experienced by the psyche can disrupt chakra functionality.

• For example, the repression or avoidance of experienced emotions can not only lead to inflammation and adhesions within myofascial tissues, but can also disturb the 3rd spinal chakra by interfering with the individual’s will and full acceptance of themselves.

Nutrition

• Physiological health is founded upon a proper nutritional base. Through epigenetic influencing and dictation, one’s diet can determine how their genetic blueprint is expressed.

• It is the environment (including one’s diet, psychological and emotional patterns, electromagnetic pollution, microbiome constitution, toxin exposure, etc.) which largely dictates the expression of one’s genetic blueprint.

• Therefore, one’s diet is paramount for not only ensuring their body operates normally via genetic expression, but also for preventing against microbial infections/overgrowths and toxin buildup.

Nutrition

• One’s diet will only be optimal if it is comprised of whole, organic, and preferably local foods. It is these sort of foods which are aligned with the rhythms and essences of Nature.

• This is step 1 of crafting an appropriate diet.

Nutrition

• Step 2 is identifying your Metabolic Type®, which can be seen as the “fingerprint” which models your genetic, constitutional, and environmental predispositions and requirements relating to nutrition.

• You have a few options for determining what your Metabolic Type®

is – you can employ and work with a Certified Metabolic Typing®

Advisor, you can purchase William’s book entitled The Metabolic Typing Diet (which includes the relevant questionnaire), or you can visit the following web address and complete the relevant questionnaire online: https://secure.metabolictypingonline.com/.

Nutrition

• Step 3 = to help ensure your diet will be nutritive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and detoxifying, the foundation of each meal should consist of vegetables. Taking in mostly raw vegetables with a few cooked vegetables throughout the day would be ideal. Gently cooking vegetables allows for the necessary chromatin factors housed within the plant’s cell nuclei to be accessed much more easily.

• Organic vegetables provide: “organic” or naturally-derived vitamins and minerals; alive and intact enzymes; structured and clean water; and naturally-occurring fiber which can help to relieve digestive stress, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and remove toxic “sludge” from the colon.

• Additionally, fresh and organic vegetables confer an abundance of biophotonic light to the body which can be used to instruct the body’s cells, modulate genetic expression, and “feed” the body’s chakra systems and meridians.

Nutrition

• Step 4 = ensure an adequate amount of quality protein is consumed.

• The term protein stems from the Greek “proteios,” meaning “primary” or “of prime importance.”

• Quality and usability of proteins is more important than quantity, as proteins can be very stressful to the body when improperly or incompletely broken down and assimilated. Improper or incomplete digestion of protein is commonly caused by: excessive intake of difficult-to-digest protein foods such as raw nuts and red meat; combining high-protein foods with high-sugar or high-starch foods (like meat and potatoes); ingesting too much water or liquid with a high-protein meal which can dilute digestive action; and failing to consume vegetables with high-protein foods which help with the breaking down of complex proteins.

Nutrition

• When proteins fail to be properly digested, they can easily end up putrefying in the large intestine, which can foster the growth of pathogenic microbes, stress the liver and kidneys’ detox duties, toxify the blood and lymph, and upset the regulation of the body’s pH balance.

• When the liver becomes “backed-up” from a toxic colon, the liver’s support provided to the other organs in the body diminishes. Furthermore, a backed-up liver can predispose one to the development of autoimmunity and/or persistent inflammation because of the liver’s role in the methylation of histamine. A low histamine-methylation rate can lead to hyperactivity of the immune system (which could indirectly lead to the creation or perpetuation of low-back pain).

Nutrition

• Adequate stomach acid is needed for the proper “unzipping” of ingested proteins so that they can be broken down by enzymes. The putrefaction of incompletely-digested proteins intoxicating the colon can lead to SIBO in addition to an impairment of calcium and phosphorus reabsorption by the kidneys and a decrease in the deactivation of estrogen by the liver.

• A decrease in calcium and phosphorus reabsorption by the kidneys and a decrease in the deactivation of estrogen by the liver can facilitate the development of osteoporosis.

• Along these lines, a lack of vitamin D is detrimental for those with low-back pain because vitamin D is needed for proper calcium absorption and utilization. With an inadequate amount of vitamin D, the mineralization of one’s bone tissue will be dampened, yet osteoblast (bone-forming cells) activity can continue depositing collagen along the surfaces of the endosteum and periosteum, which makes the bone tissue that is formed insufficient to provide adequate structural support because of the lack of mineralization. This non-mineralized bone matrix can swell with fluid and press upon nerve endings embedded within the periosteal tissue, leading to irritation and persistent aching pain.

Nutrition

• Step number 5 = ensure that your diet provides enough high-quality, non-rancidified lipids, especially essential fatty acids as these guys play many roles in the maintenance of health and in the healing of the body.

• Some high-quality sources of EFAs and needed fats include: real, organic butter from grass-fed cows; raw, organic milk from grass-fed cows or goats; flaxseed oil; grapeseed oil; coconut oil; olive oil; pumpkin seeds; chia seeds; sesame seeds; sunflower oil; hempseed oil; walnuts; Brazil nuts; and avocados.

Nutrition

Some noteworthy roles of EFAs include:

• Nourish and support cell membranes, which helps to confirm the proper functionality of cell components and safeguard against microbes and toxins.

• Nourish and support the adrenal glands, which helps to bolster the body’s ability to respond to stressors.

• Modulate the immune system’s inflammatory processes by serving as precursors to prostaglandins.

• Improve oxygen uptake by increasing hemoglobin’s ability to bind oxygen, which helps prevent against cells becoming oxygen deficient, inflamed, and toxic.

Nutrition

• Breakfast should be the largest and densest meal of the day, with lunch being a little lighter, and dinner being a little lighter than lunch.

• The majority of your protein intake should be with breakfast so that the breakfast meal ends up consisting largely of vegetables and protein foods (and some fat).

• Lunch should also be based in vegetables, with some protein and some carbohydrates added (along with some fat such as a couple teaspoons of flaxseed oil).

• Dinner should be composed of mostly vegetables and carbohydrates (“carbohydrates” meaning those foods higher in starch but still complex in their carbohydrate constitution, such as sweet potatoes or wild rice).

Meridians and nutrition

• The human body houses a network of meridians. Each of the twelve primary meridians is most active in “feeding” and vitalizing an organ of the body during a 2-hour window within a 24-hour day. This cycle, which is repeated every day, is often referred to as the “meridian clock.”

• The meridian associated with the stomach is most active between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., which gives rise to one’s expression of maximal digestive power in the morning (in Chinese Medicine the “stomach” refers to multiple digestive functions of the body rather than solely the stomach organ itself).

pH and nutrition

• The body’s aggregate pH level fluctuates throughout the day.

• A solution’s pH (potential of hydrogen) value represents its concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-).

• While different tissues are normally maintained within different pH ranges, the body’s aggregate pH level generally illustrates the body’s collective metabolic status as fluid pH levels modulate enzyme activity, biochemical reaction rates, and electrical resistance.

• Both overly acidic and overly alkaline conditions are abnormal and unhealthy (especially when maintained). The dietary recommendations we’ve covered account for the body’s cyclical pH rhythm, and allow for a mitigation of excessive swings in pH levels throughout the day.

pH and nutrition

• The body typically experiences an aggregate swing toward the acid end of the pH scale in the morning, reaching a peak acid value around 9:00 a.m. Then the body typically swings back toward the alkaline end, reaching a peak alkaline value around 3:00 p.m.

• Consuming a healthy breakfast composed of vegetables, protein, and some fat will help to mitigate the body’s pH swing toward the acidic end in the morning, and help to mitigate the pH swing toward the alkaline end later in the day around 3:00 p.m.

• This mitigation stems from the vegetables’ digestion gently pulling the body toward the alkaline end of the pH scale in the morning, and the protein’s digestion and assimilation gently pulling the body toward the acidic end later in the day.

Nutrition

• A healthy breakfast also helps to stabilize blood glucose throughout the day, contrasted with a breakfast composed of a lot of fruit which can contribute to an excessive swing toward the alkaline end of the pH scale in the morning as well as excessive blood glucose fluctuations throughout the day.

• When the majority of the day’s protein intake is consumed at breakfast, amino acids from the body’s amino acid pool (largely housed within the lymphatic system) can be released and used in producing energy and for the building of tissues, because the protein consumed at breakfast time will slowly replenish the amino acid pool throughout the day as the protein is broken down and assimilated.

• When a lot of protein is eaten at dinner time, the protein can fail to be completely digested, creating a toxic burden in the colon that is translated to the liver, kidneys, blood, and lymph. Congestion of the lymphatic system not only interferes with the proper chaperoning of amino acids to cells and waste products away from cells, but also interferes with the body’s natural sleep cycle.

Microbial infections

• Bacterial, fungal, viral, or parasitic.

• Can cause a wide variety of problems which begin with a muddling of the immune system’s inflammatory processes.

• They can disrupt the microbiome, negatively impact genetic expression, alter hormonal balance, interfere with digestion and absorption, and toxify the body.

Common symptoms of fungal infection/overgrowth:

- Acne

- Sugar cravings

- Persistent fatigue

- Low libido

- Bloating or gas

- Itching of the rectum

- Interstitial cystitis (chronic inflammation of the bladder)

- Depression

- Lowered immune function

- Chemical sensitivities

- PMS

- Irritability

- Difficulty concentrating

Common symptoms of parasitic infection:

- Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)

- Itching of the rectum

- Greasy stools

- Persistent fatigue

- Commonly experiencing a fever

- Constipation

- Abdominal cramping

- Poor absorption of nutrients

- Abnormal weight loss

- Low levels of secretory IgA

- Poor digestion

- Leaky-gut syndrome

- Allergic reactions

- Low-back pain

Microbial infections

• Most parasitic organisms thrive on carbohydrates, especially simple sugars (although some parasites thrive on meat). So don’t consume too many carbohydrates or too much meat for your Metabolic Type®.

• Nutritional approaches to removing microbial infections/overgrowths typically include a plan to starve the particular offender, while poisoning the microbe or blocking its ability to communicate or reproduce with botanical medicines (not synthetic pharmaceuticals to which many microbes mutate and develop resistance against!).

• Human saliva contains antimicrobial agents (such as peroxidase, histatins, lysozyme, secretory IgA, and agglutinin), so ensuring that you chew your food slowly and thoroughly not only allows it to be broken down and assimilated much more easily, but also helps to protect against infection from ingested pathogens.

Microbial infections

• Infections and overgrowths require an individualized plan for their remediation.

• Naturopathic physician.

• What can you do on your own?

• Engage in appropriate exercise, eat clean and organic foods, ensure your diet is aligned with your Metabolic Type®, and do your best to mute psychological and emotional stressors.

Detoxification

• Toxicity problems wreak havoc within the body and are a chief contributor to an inordinate number of diseases and conditions of ill-health (low-back pain being one of them).

• Vast number of toxins an individual could be exposed to and end up harboring such as: pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, cigarettes, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, preservatives, environmental pollution, cleaning products, mycotoxins, and on and on.

Some complications that different toxins can conjure:

- Disruption of hormone receptors embedded within cell membranes (which can prevent hormones from eliciting their intended responses or actions).

- Damage to mitochondria and impairment of ATP production.

- Damage to cell DNA and mitochondrial DNA (which can negatively affect genetic expression).

- Exacerbation of free radical damage (which can promote inflammation).

- Interference with or reduction in one’s gamut of methylation processes (which can hinder DNA repair, energy production, tissue repair, and detoxification ability).

Detoxification

• All of the damage and impairment that toxins are responsible for taxes the adrenal glands as they become constantly called upon to respond to stressors and inflammation.

Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

- Sweet or salty food cravings

- Dizziness upon standing

- “Tired but wired” feeling

- Frequent headaches

- Heart palpitations

- Dark circles underneath the eyes

- Persistent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

- Brain fog

- Abnormally sweaty palms and feet when nervous

- Muscle weakness

- Not feeling restored after sleeping

- Persistent hypotension (low blood pressure)

- Low tolerance for exercise

- Persistent fatigue

Detoxification

• The liver is not the only tissue which functions in detoxifying substances, as enzymes from the “cytochrome P-450” family can be found in the lungs, brain, and kidneys.

• Additionally, detoxifying enzymes are also present in the GI tract’s mucosal lining, which is why the mucosal lining’s integrity must be maintained in order for the gut’s “first-pass” biotransformation duties to operate and protect the body from xenobiotics residing in the gut.

Detoxification

• If any of the organs or avenues involved in detox are unhealthy enough to play their part, detoxification can be impaired, even to the point at which the body’s toxicity level increases due to a greater buildup.

• Hence, bodily detoxification does not simply consist of “cleansing” the liver, oftentimes much of the body must be healed, corrected, and then supported before major detox efforts are attempted.

• Toxicity stress cycle.

Detoxification

• During detox, the liver’s Phase I and Phase II pathways need to be balanced (onions, garlic, most citrus fruits, grapeseed oil, peppermint oil, camphor oil, and raw, organic cow’s milk assist this balancing).

• If the liver’s detox pathways become unbalanced, free radicals build up and cause major problems.

Intermediary metabolites can cause:

- Conformational or structural changes to proteins and receptors (such as hormone receptors).

- Lipid peroxidation or the damaging of cell membranes.

- Binding to nucleic acids and disrupting genetic expression.

- Damaging mitochondria via free radical activity (decreasing ATP production).

- Oxidative stress by depleting antioxidant defenses as the body is forced to scavenge the free radicals.

Somatics

• Somatics revolves around the correction of sensory-motor dysfunction in the human body stemming from habituated responses to stress.

• Loss of kinesthesia sensory-motor amnesia (SMA).

• Once sensory awareness is lost, the individual can lose ability to regulate neuromuscular control and tone, leading to chronic myofascial contractions.

• Example = the muscles and fascial tissue surrounding the lower back remain in a chronic state of painful contraction because the individual loses the ability to turn-off the contraction.

Somatics

• One can develop SMA from the suppression or avoidance of emotions, from prolonged experiences of stress, or from habituated responses to stress.

• When these stressors are continually imposed upon the body, dysfunctional response patterns can become ingrained in the nervous system and negatively affect the way the brain integrates sensory data with its control over motor function.

• This encourages the establishment of detrimental postural and movement habits, which then leads to undue stress on muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and fascia – causing pain.

Somatics

• SMA can also stem from the psyche perceiving a threatening environment, which includes the perception of there being a possibility for the individual to fail at something the psyche fears failing at, such as:

• Fear of failing to earn the respect or love of a parent.

• Fear of failing to be a “good-enough” parent to one’s children.

• Fear of failing to be a “good-enough” spouse.

• Fear of failing to be able to financially support oneself or one’s family.

• Fear of failing to be accepted by one’s peers.

Corrective exercise

• Remember = the brain does not recruit muscles, it recruits movement patterns.

• Contrary to physical therapy programming, true corrective exercise seeks to teach the body how to properly support and move itself through space – we want to condition movement patterns, not muscles in isolation.

Structural issues

• Large number of structural pathologies that may be involved in the development of low-back pain (such as scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, osteoporosis, Scheuermann’s disease, rib subluxation, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction).

• Many of these conditions stem from poor postural habits, poor movement habits, or poor breathing habits/impaired breathing.

Viscero-somatic reflexes

• Inflammation within myofascial tissues can stem from viscero-somatic reflexes which occur when stimuli from visceral (internal organ) tissue invoke activity in related somatic fibers (such as those innervating a muscle).

• Example = inflammation within the small intestine leading to continual stimulation of an abdominal muscle. This can lead to poor kinesthesia, adhesions, pain, and/or weakness within the stimulated muscle.

• Viscero-somatic reflexes can also operate in reverse (termed somato-visceral reflexes), in which myofascial inflammation can induce stress in linked viscera, interfering with an organ’s proper function.

• Example = if the liver, kidneys, or intestines receive such stress via a somato-visceral reflex, their detoxification duties could be impaired, promoting systemic inflammation.

Self-myofascial release

• SMR is used to elicit changes in myofascial tissues via “trigger point” removal and manipulation of the autonomic nervous system. Trigger points or myofascial adhesions are created in response to microspasms induced by inflammation.

• Such inflammation can be due to trauma (from a muscle imbalance or blunt impact) or translated inflammation from viscero-somatic reflexes, ischemia, toxins, or nutrient deficiencies.

• Adhesions inhibit normal elasticity and impair the muscle’s ability to contract properly, contributing to the development of further muscle imbalances as well as postural and movement compensations.

Corrective exercise

• Through appropriate corrective exercise coupled with SMR, you can correct muscle imbalances, reset the nervous system’s dysfunction, and restore normal posture and movement.

• This normally requires an individualized program, but a general outline is provided in the e-book.

For more information

For a much more extensive and in-depth curriculum regarding the prevention and resolution of low-back pain, please see Satori Institute’s treatise on low-back pain:

http://www.satoriinstitute.info/#!store/c1rob/!/Low-back-pain-A-holistic-understanding-of-its-prevention-and-resolution/p/62945714/category=0

Questions?