Do you pop ibuprofen every time you get an ache or pain? Do you take it before a workout thinking it will keep you from getting sore? Do you take it after a workout with the believe you will recover faster?

If you answered yes to any those you need to stop taking Ibuprofen and all other NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatories). Research is showing that taking NSAIDs before and during a marathon actually increased inflammation! Researchers have also discovered that NSAIDs block the body's natural healig mechanisms.

"Researchers have found that, in laboratory experiments on animal tissues, NSAIDs actually slowed the healing of injured muscles, tendons, ligament, and bones. “NSAIDs work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins,”substances that are involved in pain and also in the creation of collagen, Warden says. Collagen is the building block of most tissues. So fewer prostaglandins mean less collagen, “which inhibits the healing of tissue and bone injuries,” Warden says, including the micro-tears and other trauma to muscles and tissues that can occur after any strenuous workout or race.

The painkillers also blunt the body’s response to exercise at a deeper level. Normally, the stresses of exercise activate a particular molecular pathway that increases collagen, and leads, eventually, to creating denser bones and stronger tissues. If “you’re taking ibuprofen before every workout, you lessen this training response,” Warden says. Your bones don’t thicken and your tissues don’t strengthen as they should. They may be less able to withstand the next workout. In essence, the pills athletes take to reduce the chances that they’ll feel sore may increase the odds that they’ll wind up injured — and sore."

from the article Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt

For years I've been telling people not to take ibuprofen because of some strain or mild discomfort, ibuprofen masks the pain an increases the likeliehood of causing more trauma to the area. Pain is your body's way of telling you to be careful of the affected area or to stop altogether. If you block your body's messages you'll wind up causing more problems.

Another factor is the quantity of ibuprofen people take. The maximum recommended dosage is 800 mg, many people take that much 3 or 4 times per day and then wonder why they have stomach issues. NSAIDs are very hard on the stomach lining and will causing internal bleeding and can also cause bacteria to leak out of the gut and into the bloodstream (endotoxemia) and can also cause kidney problems. Many people report painful low back issues after taking NSAIDs, that is your kidney's saying stop!

So when should you take NSAIDs? According to the report when you have an inflammation and pain from an acute injury and as soon as the inflammation goes away you should stop taking them.

I hear this all the time. Clients will tell me "I work out 3 or 4 days per week, but the scales stay the same "! They are frustrated and not sure why they aren't dropping fat. Knowing what I put them through, I know they are working hard which means the problem lies in their diet.

Diet - it's such a nasty word. It implies starving, giving up things and generally suffering to drop weight. It is no wonder people don't stick with them long. They all promise results, and some do work - for a little while, but inevitably people fall off the diet and wind up re-gaining the weight and many times putting more on. Then they move to the next diet and go through it all again.

My clients are smart enough to not get on the fad diet routine but they still need to follow good nutritional guidelines. Your goal is behavior modification, changing the way you eat permanently, not for 6 weeks. You have to change your eating habits, eat when hungry, you don't have to clean your plate, don't eat when you are angry or upset, and pay attention to what you eat.

• Get rid of the crap foods in your house, if they are there you will eat them.
• Keep a food journal. 
• Determine your estimated base rate, then take 20% of that to determine your daily caloric intake
• Gradually, over 5 to 6 days decrease your intake to that of the prior step
• Weigh yourself once a month.
• Drink enough water (not too much, not too little - enough)
• Rotate your workouts between high intensity interval training (HIIT), heavy resistance days and body-weight days (Flow Fit, yoga, stretching) and a very light joint mobility day (and/or Tai Chi, meditation)
• Eat  4 to 6 times per day
• Watch the fat fall off

To get started, the first thing you need to do is get rid of ALL the crap food in your house! The crackers, the chips, the cookies & candy. The junk foods, the bread, ice cream,

Are you on a thyroid supplement? Have you been tested? Do you need to be tested?

Here are a few questions to assess a possible thyroid problem. Score a 0 for never to 3 for all the time. If you score above 12 you should have your doc run some tests. However the standard tests are not enough, the don't look at all of the hormones and actions of the thyroid so many conditions go unnoticed or are treated incorrectly.

Are you:

• Tired or sluggish 0-3
• Feel cold - hands, feet or all over 0-3
• Require an excessive amount of sleep to function properly 0-3
• Increase in weight even with low calorie diet 0-3
• Gain weight easily 0-3
• Difficult, infrequent bowel movements 0-3
• Depression, lack of motivation 0-3
• Morning headaches that wear off as day progresses 0-3
• Outer third of eyebrow thins 0-3
• Dryness of skin and/or scalp 0-3
• Mental sluggishness 0-3
• Thinning of hair on scalp, face or genitals, or excessive falling hair 0-3

Total your score. Up to 12 is ok, 12 to 24 is medium you might want to get tested, 24 and up - you need to see a doctor as soon as you can!

Low functioning thyroid or HYPOthyroidism is a very common issue but can go undetected or misdiagnosed. Just because you've had the standard tests and you fall in the "normal" range doesn't mean you don't have a thyroid problem. There may be some underlying issue that is affecting the thyroid but doesn't show up on the standard screen.

If you've been tested and are still having problems go back to your doc and have him/her run the following tests:

TSH, TT4, fT4, TT3, fT3,T3U and antibodies.

If your doc won't run these tests, find another doctor! Seriously it's your health and your doctor doesn't know it all! Also there are labs you can find that will do the work, you can find them online.

Your diet will have a profound affect on not only thyroid function but all other systems in your body. Modifying your diet too may alleviate some thyroid problems. In particular raw cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower have a compound that can decrease the functioning of the thyroid, but by cooking them, even just lightly steaming them,  will deactivate the compounds.

There are also foods that can help improve thyroid function such as seaweed, kelp powder, avocado, coconut, and radish. By maintaining a balanced diet you can naturally bring your thyroid function back to "normal". If modifying your diet doesn't seem to help then you need to see your doctor and have those tests I mentioned above run.

Another thing to look at is your magnesium and other trace minerals. If you aren't getting enough of these in your diet, and most people don't it will affect  the thyroid's ability to produce T3 and T4 and other factors properly. Taking a high quality mineral supplement should help.

You should still get checked by your doctor as there are some serious diseases, including cancer that can interfere with the thyroid. Some of these include Hasimoto's Thyroiditis which is an auto-immume disease, meaning you body is attacking itself, in this case the thyroid gland. This causes lowered functioning and therefore lowered production of the thyroid hormones and antibodies. In this case taking calcium and magnesium in a 3:1 ratio (Ca:Mg) may be beneficial.

Eating a wide variety of good foods, preferably organic is always the best bet since your food isalways the preferred way of getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function correctly.

(note these are suggestions for things you can try, please see your doctor if you think you might have any symptoms of thyroidism,)

The questionnaire is part of an assesment form from Dr. Bryan Walsh's Fat is Not Your Fault   ebook

Other links:

 http://www.krispin.com/thyroid.html

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/hashivshypo_2.htm