Results from a physical therapist led nutrition and exercise program for maternal and pelvic health

Physical therapists are in a key position to address nutritional and physical activity needs, which powerfully impact all aspects of human health. Pregnancy and childbirth involve significant changes, frequently associated with a number of health concerns: pelvic and lumbar pain, urinary incontinence (UI), and colorectal dysfunction, are all specific and common issues affecting the wellbeing […]

Can a Brief Psychologically Informed Training Change Physiotherapists’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Pain and Enhance Psychological Flexibility?

As physiotherapists (PTs) quickly learn after entering the profession, the troubles and concerns of patients with pain often go beyond physical pain. Distress, manifested by fear of movement, anxiety, frustration, or anger, are common in people experiencing persistent pain. Many forms of chronic pain do not respond to pharmacotherapy or invasive procedures. And modern pain […]

Can Exercise Help Build a Healthy Gut Microbiota?

A new branch of medicine is quickly emerging from the growing evidence of the link between the gut microbiota – the complex set of microbial populations living within our gastrointestinal tract- and human health. In a recent blog, I discussed how nutrition shapes bacterial communities in the gut, and how dysbiosis -the loss of bacterial […]

How diet shapes the gut microbiota in health and disease

When we think about bacteria, unpleasant things like cavities, infections and disease usually come to mind. In reality, our relationship with microbes is far more complex and interesting. Microorganisms thrive in our bodies, both inside and out, and co-evolved with humans over thousands of years as essential partners in health and disease.   Gut Microbiota: […]

Can a High Fat Diet Improve Physical Function in Multiple Sclerosis?

Nutrition impacts our health in multiple ways, and the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes provide direct, overwhelming proof of how poor nutrition can precipitate disease. Not surprisingly, research is showing that dietary habits and lifestyle also influence the course of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where other environmental and genetic factors seem […]

Psychologically Informed Physical Therapy: The Bridge Between Biomedical and Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches

As the 100 million people in the U.S. who live with ongoing pain can likely attest, the condition exists at the top of a slippery slope that, over time, can pull chronic pain sufferers into a struggle that only serves to accentuate the pain. Yet, despite being touted as an effective and affordable solution to […]