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My fucking crown shattered as I was eating last night. And it wasn't eating anything hard or crunchy, it was fucking cheetos puffs. That God it doesn't hurt but I can't really talk or chew, because my tongue gets scraped up. Getting into the dentist this afternoon, at least.

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Posted (edited)

for anyone dealing with cognitive decline ...

 

the other thing about cognitive health --- blood flow is probably along with diet the most important thing. nutrient deficiencies and added toxins or inflammatory compounds like added sugar are terrible, and there are literally hundreds of natural compounds in healthy foods that are neuroprotective. but back to blood flow, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) are tremendously helpful for cognitive health.  I've probably spent 200 hours researching brain health because of my illness last year and what became clear is that it's really hard to heal a brain but it some case it can happen but whether it's healing or halting a decline the fundamental key is blood flow - in every single case getting max blood flow to the brain is critical.

unfortunately it's really hard to get that blood pumping to the far reaches of the brain but the one thing that does it, strenuous exercise.

going for a jog is great, and HIIT can be helpful for even those beginning a journey of wellness in the gym, but if you are in good shape (which is a prereq for SIT), it's time to up it to the next level, sprint interval training (SIT) and that shit will get blood to everything.  basically you exert max effort for 30 seconds then rest for up to 4 minutes and do that a bunch of times. I do 6-8 sprints on a stationary bike with a minute or less in between to mimic an all out tennis point (you only get 20 seconds to rest between points). my way is probably ill advised an I think I may revise to 6-8 times with a 90 second break because by the 4th or 5th time I'm not fully recovered in my 20-40 second rest period. but it's undeniable how helpful strenuous exercise is for brain health.

another blood flow treatment is EECP - I used it to help with micro-vascular and brain injury from long covid and it was a fucking miracle. there is emerging interest in its effectiveness for neurodegenerative illnesses... I spent hours working on understanding it before I committed to a seven week treatment protocol - every single work day for seven weeks - but it was a game changer.  Too lazy to deep dive again, I asked chatgpt to tell me, here's the excerpt...

image.png.8822ec0d12bdcced9c09eb5a45ec80b8.png

image.png.ea502d0b4ee2eab8f7b4fab1c0650f0c.png

 

while the insurance issue is legit, you can probably find a cardiologist that will recommend it. my cardiologist was able to get it approved for long covid with a heart injury focus.

 

Edited by troph
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Posted
On 4/3/2025 at 7:09 AM, nnm said:

Buy and follow the stuff in this book. It’ll take you 30 minutes-an hour to read and 5-10 minutes a day to do the stretches, super easy. It will completely fix that lower back seizing. 

718ea3cA1QL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
 

 

I just have a stiff ass lower back all the time.  Have to stretch a lot before i can work out. Is this something the book addresses?  I need to do something.

Posted
1 hour ago, Sandman said:

My fucking crown shattered as I was eating last night. And it wasn't eating anything hard or crunchy, it was fucking cheetos puffs. That God it doesn't hurt but I can't really talk or chew, because my tongue gets scraped up. Getting into the dentist this afternoon, at least.

I popped off a crown during covid lockdown.  Thankfully my dentist was able to get me in on an emergency basis.

Posted
22 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I just have a stiff ass lower back all the time.  Have to stretch a lot before i can work out. Is this something the book addresses?  I need to do something.

One million percent.  It will absolutely address that.  It has profoundly changed my life, made it possible for me to lift again, do regular outdoor work (chainsawing, moving heavy stuff, etc.).  Heck, I helped my son and daughter-in law unload their U-Haul two weeks ago, something that would have inconceivable 6 months ago.  

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Posted

Before I get out of bed in the morning, I stretch. 

Nothing fancy, just laying on my back, bring a knee to your chest. Hold, release, repeat. Switch knees. Repeat.

I hold the same knee 3x in a row, then switch, for one set. I do 3 sets, so 9x total per knee.

Then I sit up and do a couple sets of toe touches.

It helps, and is a part of my regimen that has kept the knife away.  

Posted

I have tight hamstrings, lower back pain on the right side, outer hip pain on the right side. I try to stretch 10x a week, some days 2-3 some none because I like to rebel, but it helps a lot. I've also gone to town with a foam roller on my hip and glutes and it's been helpful. I think I'm going to get the hip hook too.  I've been hopeful that my last 5 months of strength training was helping and that more intense stretching and the roller / hip hook will help.  but interestingly we are in a very walkable city for a few weeks and my lowest walk total is 6K and my highest is 19K and I used the foam roller yesterday at a gym we are frequenting and had zero pain.

Posted
1 minute ago, nnm said:

One million percent.  It will absolutely address that.  It has profoundly changed my life, made it possible for me to lift again, do regular outdoor work (chainsawing, moving heavy stuff, etc.).

 

Guess we all had the same thoughts at once.

I agree, it’s helped me considerably. Some things I have to take frequent breaks during, and sometimes the break times have to be longer than the work times, but it gets done.

Weed whacker, chainsaw, stuff like that triggers my back. So small doses.

Back a bit over 20 years ago I had to stop playing golf. Just couldn’t do it. Was 10 or 11 holes into a round with a couple buddies and had to cut back to approach and putts the rest of the round. Fast forward from that in 2003/2004, to 2011. On a work trip, we do an outing. “Hey, lets go over to Top Golf.”

Oh boy, I was resigned to be an onlooker and stuck with giant jenga or the likes. We get there, and a couple guys convinced me to get stretched out real good, ease into it, and see what happens.

Well, fuck, “rental” clubs and all. So I get stretched out, even with a tick of help. Never had a problem that night, and I hit a LOT of balls. Never flinched, tightened up, nothing. Granted I wasn’t bombing anything and was a good bit conservative, but it wasn’t a thing. I figured it was a fluke.

Next morning, felt great. 

Got home a few days later and went over to the driving range. The wife looked at me like I was nuts. Also had that slight bit of “I hope this doesn’t pan out” look on her face.

Well, a large bucket later and I was ok. So I hit a medium bucket too. Same deal as before, maybe 70%-80% swings, just letting it flow.

I was good when I got home, and that evening, and the next day.

After that I worked with a local coach 5 or 6 times to slightly tweak my swing to relieve a little torque on my back, and I was back to playing a few rounds a month. Not every weekend, and the last few years have taken the hottest part of the summer with a big slowdown, but that’s ok.

Point of all that typing, sorry about that by the way, is that I had been stretching during the first off time. It caught up at some point, and I eventually found I could do some things in moderation and with minor adjustments that I couldn’t have done a few years before.

Am I like I used to be before my back issues? Well, no. However I am at least a lot more functional than I was, and a lot of that is from stretching.

I also use resistance bands to stretch with a few times a week as well. Basic stuff, mostly core type stretches and movements.

You can still have a life with it, but it looks a little different than it used to. That’s ok though. I can still do things I need to do, maybe it takes longer, but still can do it.

I’ve mentioned most of this before, but I also do regular chriopractor (methodical/precision type, not the rack em/crack em type) and massage therapy.

Between those 3 things, it’s kept me off the drugs and away from the knife. 

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