Correct An Upper Spine Hump (Simple Stretch & Exercise)

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Generally called a neck hump in this video, it can be in the cervical (neck) vertebrae or it can be in the thoracic (upper back) vertebrae. It’s also known as a dowager’s hump, buffalo hump, or kyphosis.

However, it can be fixed:

What to do

First understand the cause: it generally comes from poor posture, especially from prolonged desk work or phone use.

With that in mind…

  1. Posture adjustments: lean back in a chair to counter gravity’s pull on your head. Avoid slumping; keep your head aligned with your spine.
  2. Stretching: lie flat on the floor without pillows to restore spinal alignment. Gradually reduce pillow height during sleep to decrease neck hyperflexion.
  3. Neck retraction: pull chin straight back while keeping your eyes looking forwards. Hold for 15 seconds, gradually increasing to 60 seconds. Perform 10 repetitions, resting between sets.
  4. Strengthening: lean forward and pull the chin back against gravity. Hold, or repeat for 10 repetitions. Over time, increase duration to a minute.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

The Pains That Good Posture Now Can Help You Avoid Later

Take care!

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  • Ghanaian Red Bean & Sweet Potato Groundnut Stew

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    This is a dish popular in principle throughout West Africa. We say “in principle” because that’s a big place, and there is a lot of regional variation. The archetypal peanut stew is from Senegal (as maafe) or Mali (as tigadèguèna), but for its more balanced nutritional profile we’ve chosen one from Ghana—and since there are regional variations within Ghana too, we should specify that this one is from the south.

    If you are allergic to nuts, you can substitute a seed butter (or tahini) for the nut butter, and omit the nuts—this will work in culinary terms and be fine healthwise, but we can’t claim it would be the same dish, having lost its defining ingredient. If your allergy is solely to peanuts, then substituting with any oily nut would work. So, not almonds for example, but cashews or even walnuts would be fine.

    You will need

    • 1½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
    • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
    • 2 cans kidney beans, drained, cooked, and rinsed (or 2 cups same; cooked, drained, and rinsed)
    • 1 can chopped tomatoes
    • ½ cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
    • ¼ bulb garlic, finely chopped
    • 2 heaped tbsp unsalted peanut butter, minimal (ideally: no) additives
    • 2 tsp white miso paste
    • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
    • ½ tsp coarsely ground nigella seeds
    • Extra virgin olive oil

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Heat some oil in a sauté pan, or other pan suitable for both frying and fitting the entire stew in. Fry the onions until softened, turn the heat down low, and add the garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and MSG/salt.

    2) Add ¼ cup of the vegetable stock, and the sweet potato, and turn the heat back up, on high for about 30 seconds to get it to temperature, and then take it down to a simmer.

    3) Stir in the miso paste and chopped tomatoes.

    4) Add most of the rest of the vegetable stock, keeping ¼ cup aside. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

    5) Stir in the kidney beans, and simmer for about 30 minutes more—the sweet potato should be soft now; if it isn’t, let it simmer a while longer until it is.

    6) Combine the peanut butter with the remaining ¼ cup vegetable stock, and blend until smooth. Stir it into the stew.

    7) If the stew is looking more like a soup than a stew, take out 1 cup and blend this 1 cup to a purée, adding it back in.

    8) Add half the peanuts unto the stew. Taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

    9) Crush the remaining peanuts using a pestle and mortar; not too much though; you want them broken into bits, not pulverised.

    10) Garnish with the crushed nuts and nigella seeds, and serve.

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

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  • Trout vs Haddock – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing trout to haddock, we picked the trout.

    Why?

    It wasn’t close.

    In terms of macros, trout has more protein and more fat, although the fat is mostly healthy (some saturated though, and trout does have more cholesterol). This category could be a win for either, depending on your priorities. But…

    When it comes to vitamins, trout has a lot more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, and E, while haddock is not higher in any vitamins.

    In the category of minerals, trout has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, while haddock has slightly more selenium. Given that a 10oz portion of trout already contains 153% of the RDA of selenium, however, the same size portion of haddock having 173% of the RDA isn’t really a plus for haddock (especially as selenium can cause problems if we get too much). Oh, and haddock is also higher in sodium, but in industrialized countries, most people most of the time need less of that, not more.

    On balance, the overwhelming nutritional density of trout wins the day.

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Farmed Fish vs Wild Caught: It Makes Quite A Difference!

    Take care!

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  • Sunflower Seeds vs Pumpkin Seeds – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing sunflower seeds to pumpkin seeds, we picked the pumpkin seeds.

    Why?

    Both seeds have a good spread of vitamins and minerals, but pumpkin seeds have more. Sunflower seeds come out on top for copper and manganese, but everything else that’s present in either of them (in the category of vitamins and minerals, anyway), pumpkin seeds have more.

    There is one other thing that sunflower seeds have more of than pumpkin seeds, and that’s fat. The fat is mostly of healthy varieties, so it’s not a negative factor, but it does mean that if you’re eating a calorie-controlled diet, you’ll get more bang for your buck (i.e. better micronutrient-to-calorie ratio) if you pick pumpkin seeds.

    If you’re not concerned about fat/calories, and/or you actively want to consume more of those, then sunflower seeds are still a fine choice.

    When it comes down to it, a diverse diet is best, so enjoying both might be the best option of all.

    Want to get some?

    We don’t sell them, but here for your convenience are example products on Amazon:

    Sunflower Seeds | Pumpkin Seeds

    Enjoy!

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  • Blueberry & Banana Collagen Baked Oats

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Good news for vegans/vegetarians! While we include an optional tablespoon of collagen powder in this recipe, the whole recipe is already geared around collagen synthesis, so it’s very collagen-boosting even with just the plants, providing collagen’s building blocks of protein, zinc, and vitamins C and D (your miraculous body will use these to assemble the collagen inside you).

    You will need

    • 2 cups oats, whence the protein and zinc
    • 1 cup milk (your preference what kind; we recommend almond for flavor; whether you choose plant or animal though, it should be fortified with vitamin D)
    • 2 bananas, peeled and mashed
    • 4 oz blueberries, whence the vitamin C (frozen is fine) (chopped dried apricots are also a fine substitute if that’s more convenient)
    • 1 oz flaked almonds, whence the protein and zinc
    • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, whence the protein and zinc
    • 1 tbsp flax seeds, whence the protein and zinc
    • Optional: 1 tbsp maple syrup
    • Optional: 1 tbsp collagen powder, dissolved in 1 oz hot water

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 180℃.

    2) Mix the oats with 2 cups boiling water; allow to stand for 10–15 minutes, and then drain any excess water.

    3) Mix the mashed bananas with the remaining ingredients except the milk and blueberries, stirring thoroughly.

    4) Add the softened oats, and stir those in thoroughly too.

    5) Add the milk and blueberries, in that order, stirring gently if using fresh blueberries, lest they get crushed.

    6) Pour the mixture into an 8″ square cake tin that you have lined with baking paper, and smooth the top.

    7) Bake for about 40 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Allow to cool; it will firm up more while it does.

    8) Cut into squares or bars, and serve or store for later.

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of ← our main feature about collagen

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  • Dr. Kim Foster’s Method For Balancing Hormones Naturally

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Not just sex hormones, but also hormones like cortisol (the stress hormone), and thyroid hormones (for metabolism regulation) too! The body is most of the time self-regulating when it comes to hormones, but there are things that we can do to help our body look after us correctly.

    In short, if we give our body what it needs, it will (usually, barring serious illness!) give us what we need.

    Dr. Foster recommends…

    Foods:

    • Healthy fats (especially avocados and nuts)
    • Lean proteins (especially poultry, fish, and legumes)
    • Fruits & vegetables (especially colorful ones)
    • Probiotics (especially fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, etc)
    • Magnesium-rich foods (especially dark leafy greens, nuts, and yes, dark chocolate)

    Teas:

    • Camomile tea (especially beneficial against cortisol overproduction)
    • Nettle tea (especially beneficial for estrogen production)
    • Peppermint tea (especially beneficial for gut health, thus indirect hormone benefits)

    Stress reduction:

    • Breathing exercises (especially mindfulness exercises)
    • Yoga (especially combining exercise with stretches)
    • Spending time in nature (especially green spaces)

    Dr. Foster explains more about all of these things, along with more illustrative examples, so if you can, do enjoy her video:

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    Want to read more about this topic?

    You might like our main feature: What Does “Balance Your Hormones” Even Mean?

    Enjoy!

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  • What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    What’s the difference? is a new editorial product that explains the similarities and differences between commonly confused health and medical terms, and why they matter.

    Changes in thinking and memory as we age can occur for a variety of reasons. These changes are not always cause for concern. But when they begin to disrupt daily life, it could indicate the first signs of dementia.

    Another term that can crop up when we’re talking about dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, or Alzheimer’s for short.

    So what’s the difference?

    Lightspring/Shutterstock

    What is dementia?

    Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of syndromes that result in changes in memory, thinking and/or behaviour due to degeneration in the brain.

    To meet the criteria for dementia these changes must be sufficiently pronounced to interfere with usual activities and are present in at least two different aspects of thinking or memory.

    For example, someone might have trouble remembering to pay bills and become lost in previously familiar areas.

    It’s less-well known that dementia can also occur in children. This is due to progressive brain damage associated with more than 100 rare genetic disorders. This can result in similar cognitive changes as we see in adults.

    So what’s Alzheimer’s then?

    Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 60-80% of cases.

    So it’s not surprising many people use the terms dementia and Alzheimer’s interchangeably.

    Changes in memory are the most common sign of Alzheimer’s and it’s what the public most often associates with it. For instance, someone with Alzheimer’s may have trouble recalling recent events or keeping track of what day or month it is.

    Elderly woman looking at calendar
    People with dementia may have trouble keeping track of dates. Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock

    We still don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. However, we do know it is associated with a build-up in the brain of two types of protein called amyloid-β and tau.

    While we all have some amyloid-β, when too much builds up in the brain it clumps together, forming plaques in the spaces between cells. These plaques cause damage (inflammation) to surrounding brain cells and leads to disruption in tau. Tau forms part of the structure of brain cells but in Alzheimer’s tau proteins become “tangled”. This is toxic to the cells, causing them to die. A feedback loop is then thought to occur, triggering production of more amyloid-β and more abnormal tau, perpetuating damage to brain cells.

    Alzheimer’s can also occur with other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia. This combination is the most common example of a mixed dementia.

    Vascular dementia

    The second most common type of dementia is vascular dementia. This results from disrupted blood flow to the brain.

    Because the changes in blood flow can occur throughout the brain, signs of vascular dementia can be more varied than the memory changes typically seen in Alzheimer’s.

    For example, vascular dementia may present as general confusion, slowed thinking, or difficulty organising thoughts and actions.

    Your risk of vascular dementia is greater if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.

    Frontotemporal dementia

    Some people may not realise that dementia can also affect behaviour and/or language. We see this in different forms of frontotemporal dementia.

    The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia is the second most common form (after Alzheimer’s disease) of younger onset dementia (dementia in people under 65).

    People living with this may have difficulties in interpreting and appropriately responding to social situations. For example, they may make uncharacteristically rude or offensive comments or invade people’s personal space.

    Semantic dementia is also a type of frontotemporal dementia and results in difficulty with understanding the meaning of words and naming everyday objects.

    Dementia with Lewy bodies

    Dementia with Lewy bodies results from dysregulation of a different type of protein known as α-synuclein. We often see this in people with Parkinson’s disease.

    So people with this type of dementia may have altered movement, such as a stooped posture, shuffling walk, and changes in handwriting. Other symptoms include changes in alertness, visual hallucinations and significant disruption to sleep.

    Do I have dementia and if so, which type?

    If you or someone close to you is concerned, the first thing to do is to speak to your GP. They will likely ask you some questions about your medical history and what changes you have noticed.

    Sometimes it might not be clear if you have dementia when you first speak to your doctor. They may suggest you watch for changes or they may refer you to a specialist for further tests.

    There is no single test to clearly show if you have dementia, or the type of dementia. A diagnosis comes after multiple tests, including brain scans, tests of memory and thinking, and consideration of how these changes impact your daily life.

    Not knowing what is happening can be a challenging time so it is important to speak to someone about how you are feeling or to reach out to support services.

    Dementia is diverse

    As well as the different forms of dementia, everyone experiences dementia in different ways. For example, the speed dementia progresses varies a lot from person to person. Some people will continue to live well with dementia for some time while others may decline more quickly.

    There is still significant stigma surrounding dementia. So by learning more about the various types of dementia and understanding differences in how dementia progresses we can all do our part to create a more dementia-friendly community.

    The National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500) provides information and support for people living with dementia and their carers. To learn more about dementia, you can take this free online course.

    Nikki-Anne Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), UNSW Sydney

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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