Back Rx: a fifteen-minute-a-day Yoga-and-Pilates-based program to end low back pain
Vijay Vad and Hilary Hinzmann, New York : Gotham Books. c2004. Call No.: 617.56406 VAD - (HEA)
Do you know that by moving forward when you sneeze or cough may trigger and worsen a back injury? Very often, we ignore simple actions that can do our backs harm such as by bending down to tie our shoelaces or bending down to pick up a heavy bag. These actions harm our backs to the same degree. It is important that we protect our backs by adopting proper postures while we are lifting things, pushing and pulling things or even when involved in simple daily activities like sitting.
Modern lifestyle vastly increases our chances of hurting our backs. In the past. human beings sat cross-legged flat on the floor with their backs straight. Nowadays. people slouch at their desks much of the time and the poor sitting postures put stress on our lower backs and lead to strained back muscles. Comparatively, we sit a lot more than people in the past who walked from one place to another. We risk suffocating our spinal discs by sitting too often and too long.
The back is an important part of the human body.
It supports our posture and grants us a mobility without which life
would be unthinkable. Yet many of us are guilty of torturing our
backs. Even highly conditioned athletes are susceptible to low back
pain. Thus, it is essential to know the functionality of our backs
and how fragile our backs actually are.
Lower back injury can cause inconvenience, pain and, not to mention,
restrict our movements. Lower back pain can make us cringe in pain
at the slightest move, which includes pain in any part of our backs
or even legs resulting from lower back injury.
A complete Back Rx series of exercises is provided in this book to
help you get moving again without pain! Based on the ever-popular
Pilate and with comprehensive pictures to depict the various
exercises involved, this book will take you step-by-step towards a
pain-free back!
Insomnia: how to sleep easy
Dr Leon Lack, Dr Helen Wright, Dr Helen Bearpark. Singapore : ACP Asia, c2004. Call No.: 616.8498 LAC - [HEA)
Insomnia has become increasingly rampant in
today's society with all its potential sleep disrupters, such as the
heavy demands on our time, travel jet lag or even shift work. Thus,
it is interesting to know that some people practise bedtime rituals
just to prepare their bodies for that all essential slumber.
Cleaning
of teeth and changing into their pajamas are just some of the
rituals! It is important to develop good sleep practices such as
having a warm bath or not consuming caffeine drinks in order to
attune your body to a sleeping mode every night.
According to the authors, insomnia is progressive. You may be suffering from transient insomnia if your insomnia lasts for a week at most. If this condition drags on for a few weeks. you have short-term insomnia.
Chronic insomnia occurs only when you have had insomnia for at least three months. Insomnia at various stages requires different treatments. Hence, you have to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.
You can overcome insomnia only if you understand it and know the appropriate actions to take. This book also contains a myriad of interesting tidbits about sleep to help you understand good sleep patterns. A useful list of medical associations is also included. You will soon be on your way to dreamland!
By Heng
Huey Bin, National Library Board
You can check the availability of these titles via the NLB online
catalogue at www.nlb.gov.sg
