TODAY’S DOSE OF HONESTY

Here’s how I fought off major muscle pain.

Girl, have I been THROUGH it the past few weeks with back pain!

If you've ever “thrown your back out,” you feel my pain. Most of the time, this is caused by a muscle spasm that tightens around some nerves—although there are other causes of back pain (such as herniated vertebral discs) that have a different cause and treatment. For me, I have no one to blame but myself for this, since my symptoms began over a month ago with soreness/pain in my left hip flexor muscle. 

This pain started out of the blue, and I chose…to ignore it. NEVER a good idea. I continued to work out almost daily despite the fact that this pain would often wake me up at night when I turned onto my left side. Then, a few weekends ago, I was playing golf and walking the course, rather than riding in a golf cart, to get even more exercise. I felt fine while playing, but when I tried to get up from the table after lunch, I was FROZEN. The pain had spread to my SI (sacroiliac) joint, my IT (iliotibial) band, my TFL (tensor fasciae latae) muscle, my QL (quadratus lumborum) muscle, my glutes, and my sartorius. It was literally an alphabet soup of muscle pain.

If there was ANY bright side to this situation, it was that I had been through it before, so I knew a little about what to do and what not to do. 

• First, I started taking 600 mg of ibuprofen (with food) to help with the pain and the inflammation. 

• Second, I applied heat (not ice) to help relieve the spasm then got a sports massage, which helped significantly. 

• Third, I used a foam roller to apply steady pressure on the muscle “belly” and the insertion points (points where muscles attach to moveable joints in the bones) that were involved with the spasm. 

• Finally, I did not stay in bed, but rather did some gentle stretching to keep my mobility up.

While I was able to get through the weekend, eventually the pain progressed to the point where I had to call a chiropractor. Right after one of my segments on “Good Morning America,” I asked my friend Michael Strahan to recommend a chiropractor, and he gave me his contact for Dr. Wayne Winnick's practice in New York City. I was fortunate to get an appointment right away and felt 80% relief after my first visit, which ended with use of a TENS unit (electrical muscle stimulation) and an application of a lidocaine patch. (That’s me in the photo above, hooked up to a TENS unit at Dr. Winnick’s office.)

I've visited Dr. Winnick a few more times, and the spasm/pain is now almost completely resolved. And I've learned a lesson—which is your dose of honesty for today: Do NOT ignore muscular pain—it will eventually catch up with you! If you’re experiencing severe muscle pain, follow the steps above and be sure to get in touch with your healthcare provider if you aren’t getting relief.

SYMPTOM SOLUTIONS

Yoga for your face? YES!

When it comes to caring for our faces and necks, we place a lot—maybe all—of our emphasis on products. But there’s something easy to do that may have a dramatic effect on how we look. It can be done anywhere, anytime. And it’s absolutely free. It’s yoga. I asked our Core Expert, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Yael Halaas, to explain how it works and recommend some good moves for us.

Facial exercises have long been touted as a way to address signs of aging. Theoretically, yoga provides training for the facial muscles, making them stronger and larger, restoring volume to hollowed-out spaces that are the result of age, and elevating fallen tissues. Current medical literature seems to back this up, with a number of studies demonstrating possible benefits of facial muscle exercises. 

Specifically, a study published in JAMA Dermatology and reviewed in The New York Times revealed that certain facial exercises have the potential to reverse the signs of aging. The study, by dermatologists at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, examined the experiences of middle-aged women who embraced facial exercises. The 27 women in the study, who were between the ages of 40 and 65, looked about 3 years younger after a few months of the practice.

Here are a few facial yoga moves I recommend:

The Forehead Smoother

This exercise trains the forehead, helping to smooth lines, lift the eyebrows, and strengthen and prevent drooping eyelids.

1. While maintaining a smile on your face, place your index and middle fingers across your forehead at the hairline and press the entire length of your fingers firmly into your scalp.

2. Slowly slide your fingers down your forehead toward your eyebrows, flexing your brows tightly upward so you are lifting them up against the pressure of your fingers.

3. You should feel a tight band of pressure across your brows. Hold the position for 10 seconds, take a deep breath, then release.

4. Repeat 3 times, but on the third rep, hold for 20 seconds. Repeat the entire sequence one more time.

The Cheek Lifter

Gravity ages us by pulling our cheeks downward. This exercise strengthens the cheek muscles and upper lip to lift cheeks back up.

1. Open your mouth and form a long “O,” pulling your upper lip over your upper teeth. Then smile to lift your cheek muscles.

2. Lightly place your index fingers on the tops of your cheeks, directly under the eyes.

3. Relax the cheek muscles, allowing them to return to their original, relaxed position.

4. Smile again to push those cheek muscles back up. Visualize pushing the muscles up toward your eyes as you smile. Congratulations! You’ve just completed one cheek “pushup.”

5. Do 10 more; on the 10th repetition, hold your cheek muscles up as high as you can for 20 seconds. Repeat the sequence 2 more times.

 The Jaw & Neck Firmer

This exercise strengthens the muscles on, around, and under the chin and jawline to help tone sagging cheeks, jowls, and your neck.

1. While maintaining a smile on your face, open your mouth and make an “ahh” sound, pulling your lower lip over your lower teeth and holding the position tightly.

2. Extend your lower jaw forward. Using only your lower jaw, scoop up very slowly as you close your mouth. Visualize using your jaw to scoop up something very heavy.

3. Open your mouth and scoop again. Pull your chin up about an inch each time you scoop, tilting your head backward.

4. Open and close your lower jaw for 10 repetitions total. On the final repetition, your chin should be pointed toward the ceiling. Keep the chin extended and hold the position tightly for 20 seconds. Repeat the sequence 2 more times.

The Eyelid Firmer

This exercise helps strengthen the upper and lower eyelids, increasing blood circulation to the eye area and creating the appearance of bigger, brighter eyes.

1. While maintaining a smile on your face, place your middle fingers near the inner sides of your eyes, resting them just along the sides of the very upper part of your nose.

2. Place your index fingers just outside the eyes, so that they are holding the orbicularis oculi, the big circular muscle that surrounds the eyes, in place.

3. Squint up and release, keeping your upper eyelids as wide open as possible. (This will get easier with practice.) Do 10 repetitions, holding the final repetition for 20 seconds. Repeat the sequence 2 more times.

Our Core Expert

Yael Halaas, M.D., is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon specializing in facelifts and rhinoplasty with a practice in New York City. She is a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital at Northwell Health in New York City. @drhalaas

COMMUNITY

“Is there a Viagra for women?”

Wouldn’t that be GREAT? Well, here’s truth: Despite product ads claiming to be that “magic pill,” the answer is “not really.” To help us explore this, I asked our Core Expert, sex therapist Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry, to talk about what Viagra DOES do, and why it doesn’t address the specific sexual needs of women.

Viagra is prescribed for men who have trouble obtaining or maintaining erections as long as they want to. Simply, it helps to increase blood flow to the penis, resulting in more substantial erections that last longer. The drug specifically targets the male sex organ in a way that allows it to function optimally for sexual activity. Which is great—for them.

Most women, however, are not wired this way. Our ability to perform sexually is less connected to our sexual organ (our vagina) and more closely linked to our desire—in other words, our motivation to be sexual. In my opinion, Viagra does not attempt to produce an increased sexual desire in men; rather, it specifically targets blood flow to the penis and is taken only when sex is on the horizon.

A product for women would need to boost sexual desire. Medications like Osphena, for example, work to increase vaginal lubrication in post-menopausal women experiencing atrophy and dryness, but they don’t really tackle the issue of disinterest in sex. Then there’s the O-shot, which involves injecting the clitoris, labia, and G-spot with platelets (a substance in your blood that contains healing proteins called growth factors) to stimulate sexual feeling and induce longer, more satisfying orgasms. But the procedure is expensive and still not FDA-approved.

With over 80% of women complaining of low sex desire at some point in their lives, an affordable “female Viagra” would need to help heighten our motivation to be more sexual. At this time, that just doesn’t exist. What you CAN and should do: Talk—to your gynecologist, a sex therapist, a relationship counselor, your partner. It’s not always easy, but having these conversations will help you and your partner manage the challenges together.

Dr. Jen says: There actually is a pill that’s used to treat hypoactive (low) sexual desire in women who have NOT gone through menopause yet. Flibanserin (brand name: Addyi) is available only by prescription, and it’s very important that your doctor monitor your progress at regular visits to make sure the medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted side effects. Talk to your doctor about whether it might be a good fit for you.

Our Core Expert

Tiffanie Davis Henry is a licensed psychotherapist and sex therapist practicing in Atlanta and the founder of Kinky Green, a wellness brand focused on alleviating pain and accentuating pleasure. She is host of the podcast “Intimate Details with Dr. Tiff” and has appeared on numerous national TV broadcasts. @DrtiffanieTV

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ABOUT DR. JEN

In her roles as chief medical correspondent for ABC News and on-air cohost of “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” Dr. Jennifer Ashton—”Dr. Jen”—shares the latest health news and information with millions of viewers nationwide. As an OB-GYN, nutritionist, and board-certified obesity medicine specialist, she is passionate about promoting optimal health for “the whole woman.” She has written several books, including the best-selling The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier & Fitter—One Month at a Time. And she has gone through menopause…

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