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Jan. 8, 2025 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:52
Are Stores Lying About Your Clothes Size? | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 129 | Full Episode
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Size matters when it comes to buying clothes.
But what if the size and the tag is a lie?
I'm looking for a size 8. Found it.
These look cute, but they are super big.
We have the skinny on vanity sizing.
Are the retailers pulling a fast one by changing the sizes to make you think you're a smaller size than you really are?
Plus, alleviate back pain for good.
We show you how.
Take it away.
What's the first step?
Coming up next.
We'll save lives today. - Stop it. - Stop.
You guys ready to get healthy?
Today's show is all about feeling good.
You certainly feel good.
And nothing feels better than this scenario.
Have you ever tried on your clothes, gone shopping, and you found yourself In a much smaller size than you usually wear.
Doesn't that feel good?
It's the best, right?
But, you know, yeah, it could mean you lost weight.
But what if that's not the case?
And the store actually has tricked you with their vanity sizing, making you think you're a smaller size than you really are.
We're going to investigate that scenario.
Then, too many of us are suffering from back pain these days.
And today, for the first time, that power duo of pain will team up together to help you feel good once again.
And finally, everyone's talking about ancient grains.
We've got the grains, the wonderful old grains that you need to know about to boost your energy so you have yourself feeling good all day long.
But first up, let's talk about that scenario I presented earlier.
Nothing feels better than fitting into the same size jeans you wore when you were a teenager.
But are the retailers pulling a fast one by changing the sizes to make you think?
You're a smaller size than you really are.
Now, this is called vanity sizing.
I wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I sent one of my core team members, Tia Brown, to investigate at some of the most popular stores.
When it comes to buying clothes, we all know that it's a numbers game.
But size does matter.
So what if the size and the tag is a lie?
What if retailers are putting smaller sizes on your tag to make you feel better about buying them?
I decided to do my own experiment to find out for myself.
So I'm headed to four different retailers to try on four different pairs of jeans, all in the exact same size 8, to see how well they fit, or if they even fit at all.
I'm looking for a size 8. Found it.
I actually think these fit pretty good.
They're nice and snug.
I have a little bit of room in the waist.
And of course, the booty test makes the butt look pretty good.
True size 8. This is absolutely ridiculous.
Now, these pants are supposed to be a size 8, and I can't even barely get them over my arm, but I can't close them at all.
Now, mind you, this is a no-judgment zone right here, all right?
But they're too small.
It doesn't work.
Okay, these are a size 8. I don't know.
They look a little small to me.
We'll see what happens.
They're super tight.
They won't close.
It is a super tight squeeze.
These look cute, but they are super big.
You can almost fit a whole other person in here.
Look how much room I have in the front.
Look how much room I have in the back.
Well, it looks like I got the skinny on vanity sizing.
It's for real, and it's insanity.
Bea Brown is here.
She's safely in our studio.
That was wonderful.
And there was no judgment, by the way.
You're beautiful just the way you are.
Thank you.
Fun day of shopping.
So this vanity sizing that you were talking to us about, what is that?
Come from.
What is that all about?
Well, so this is something that came about around the 1930s, and retailers realized that women were uncomfortable giving their sizes, their measurements, their weight every time they went looking for something.
So they decided to come up with a scale.
Here's the thing.
The scale sizes have been sliding over the last few decades.
So what's an 8 now would have been a 14 or 16, 50 years ago.
Hit me back per second.
That's stunning, isn't it?
Yes.
I don't think they even had zeros.
I mean, who created it as yours?
It's a brilliant marketing concept.
That's when you're snatched.
Exactly, you're snatched, right?
You're snatched at a zero.
Marilyn Monroe, I heard, was an eight.
Absolutely.
Probably a 16, really.
But that was an attractive size.
Who came up with this concept?
I mean, I understand broadly, but who came up with the actual measurements?
How do you know what's truly an 8, what's truly a 6 or a 10?
So this is the tricky thing about it.
It's totally at the retailer's discretion.
There's no industry standard.
So retailers use fit models.
And a fit model is a person that they decide embodies their target demographic, and they base all of the sizes off of that fit model.
So if you are, you know, at a certain age, the fit model...
It complements the store.
So depending on where you're shopping and what demographic you're in, your fit model will be different.
So it's so important to know that sizes change depending on who they're marketing to.
They want all of their consumers to be happy, so they're changing the sizes.
I get the logic of it, but it is a little bit shocking.
What surprised you the most on that day of events that you had, four different jeans, checking them out?
I love shopping, so it was a great day there.
But I could actually be a size 8. For my entire life due to vanity sizing.
Why?
Because the stores that targeted different age groups made a size 8 an actual different size.
So stores that targeted younger demographics, the 8 was smaller.
And stores that targeted older demographics, the 8 was much bigger.
So every time I'm walking into a store, whether I'm in my 20s, my 30s, my 40s, my 50s, I'm feeling great because mentally I'm thinking I'm still a size 8. Even though you're not!
So you brought some examples.
These are all size 8 pants.
All of them size 8. And you're going to show us how each of these 8s, here they are, there are four of them right there, are all labeled as 8s.
Right.
But they're actually not the same.
They're different measurements in the waist because, again, there's no standard sizing.
Every store, every retailer is using a different fit model to say what an 8 means.
So that's the tricky thing about this.
So this size 8 is actually...
28.5 inches in the waist.
That's why you had trouble getting that on.
I would have had trouble getting that on.
Well, you're saying that you think this is the smallest?
Well, I'm guessing.
I'm a surgeon.
I'm good at eyeballing things.
But I wouldn't be able to get in these jeans.
I couldn't get in any of these jeans, but that one in particular I had a problem with.
So, yes, this was a smaller one.
You're very good, Dr. Oz.
I'll give you that.
And this size 8 was what?
29.1.
That's a big difference.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
How about this one?
31 inches.
I'm not great at math, but I know that there's a big difference between 28 and 31. And these I'm gathering with a...
32 inches.
And this is a stretchy one?
Yeah, this is a stretchy one.
So there's so many different variables.
Obviously, cut of jeans and the amount of stretch are big components as well.
But really, the inch in the waist is significantly different depending on the target demographic.
Let's just do this math to make sure everyone's...
You know, that's almost a four-inch difference.
Crazy.
With the exact same...
Size.
So it's not about size, it's really about the fit.
Retailers are doing this to make sure what?
We feel great.
So you're a size 8 at every phase of life.
So be honest about this.
How is this going to change your shopping?
I think we all knew there was some vanity sizing.
I had no idea you get 4 inches of difference.
It's a big difference.
And I realize that you cannot be committed to the number.
It's really about how the clothes fit.
So yes, you want to make sure you're eating healthy and you want to make sure you're exercising.
But you can't say I'm committed to fitting into a size 8 or if I wear 12 at this store it matters.
because stores are changing the sizing based on who they're targeting.
So be healthy, exercise, eat right, and know that your size depends on where you're shopping.
The surprising part about all this is I thought there's just about one person trying to go off and buy jeans for themselves.
It turns out even two people with the exact same shape and weight will wear vastly different sizes in different stores.
I want you all to meet Amanda and Teresa, both of whom are wearing black pants and white tops.
The same style, same material, purchased at different stores, and you're obviously identical twins, right?
Or you're very closely related in one way or the other.
I can't tell you apart, frankly.
So I'm not going to guess.
Which one's Amanda and which one's Teresa?
I'm Amanda.
All right, Amanda, start off.
What sizes are you wearing?
My top is a size 12, and my bottoms are a 6. 12 and a 6. So, I mean, they really do look the same, so I'm assuming that's a 12 and a 6. Take it away, Teresa.
My top is a size 6, and my bottom is a size 2. How is that even possible?
Absolutely.
How come he's getting away with this?
Because there's no industry-wide standard for sizing, so it's so important for consumers to know that stores are deciding what the size is based on their own fit model.
So you can go someplace, and again, wear a size 12 or wear a size 6. So again, it's about comfort, it's about being healthy, and it's about making sure that you look good in the clothes.
Don't be married to a size.
You guys surprised?
Yes, very much so.
I bet you wanted to have a size 6 shirt, didn't you?
You're so mad.
You're heavy at home.
One twin is bigger than the other.
When we come back, we're going to reveal how vanity sizing is hurting your health, and it really can, and what you can do to protect yourself.
Next, are retailers manipulating our perception of our dress size?
We conduct a social experiment.
They are all the same size.
Small!
To see if you fall into the vanity sizing trap.
Is it helping your ego or hurting your health?
Next.
Toxic mold.
It can be carcinogenic.
It could be making you and your family sick.
Look at that.
My kid bathed with these.
We expose the hidden places it could be growing in your home.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We are back talking about vanity sizes.
Now, before the show, we did a social experiment.
We asked all of you, the entire audience, to guess the sizes of these three dresses.
You very diligently thought through the process.
Now, I wanted to see how easy people can fall into the vanity sizing trap.
So we took a little bit of...
Tabs on how you guys thought about this process.
So give them the answer.
The truth behind these dresses.
Are they smalls?
Are they mediums?
Are they larges?
Different ones?
What are they?
So most people thought that this was a small, that was a medium, and this was a large.
But the truth is, they are all the same size.
Size small.
Size small?
That's a small?
All a size small.
So it's really important for women specifically to change their expectation when they go into a store.
The size on the dress or the pants, they don't tell the whole story.
It's really about finding things that look good on your body.
Let me quiz somebody here.
What sizes do you think they were?
I thought A was a small, B was a large, and C was a medium.
Sort of what Tia said.
That's sort of the comment.
Yeah.
Is that going to change how you shop?
That's actually what I actually thought it was as well.
It is going to change how I shop, definitely.
Upsetting a little bit, isn't it?
It is.
What size are you wearing now?
A medium.
That's very personal, Dr. Oz.
But it doesn't really matter, does it?
No, it doesn't.
It doesn't matter.
That's the whole point.
Go ahead and throw things out.
No one can tell.
Yeah, I mean, a lot of times you'll go into a store and if you don't fit the size that you think you should wear, you want to leave.
You're like, no, this isn't right.
I don't feel good about myself.
This isn't going to work.
So size doesn't tell the whole story.
It's really about where you're shopping.
So just be healthy, make sure you're exercising, and make sure you look good.
Tia, you're the best.
Thank you very, very much.
All right.
I'm going to bring in retail investigative reporter, Heatha Herzog.
She spent 15 years researching and investigating retail trends.
Why isn't there a standard for these outfits?
You know, as women, we have different body types.
And so there's...
Really impossible.
It's impossible to have this industry standard for this specific body type.
And so stores use the sliding scale, and they don't necessarily disclose that they're using the sliding scale for the sizing.
It does seem like there's some emotional ramifications of, I don't know if it's dishonest, but blatantly.
Changing labels that seems to cater to people's desires to be smaller.
Right, of course.
So, I mean, who wouldn't want to go into a store and say, oh my gosh, I got my goal size and now I'm a size 8 when I once was a 10 or I've been the same size 8 for the last five years?
Who wouldn't want that?
So, of course, that adds to this euphoria.
You go into the same store over and over again.
But stores, you know, they do this sliding scale and they morph to these different sort of...
Synthetic body type.
So let's say you go into a store and you go in and it's smaller.
Well, you're not going to want to go into that store anymore.
And stores want to make sure that you are constantly going in there.
They don't care if you're gaining weight or losing weight.
They want to make sure that you're going in there and spending.
And just an FYI, the cost of jeans, the average cost of jeans is $51, according to Slice Intelligence.
It's gone up 55% in 2015. So, of course, they're doing something right with this vanity sizing.
Yeah, you know, you mentioned that they don't really care how much you weigh, but I do.
And that's the issue here.
It's not just about fitting into a smaller outfit.
Let's talk through the health implications of this stuff.
And that's what concerns me about vanity sizing.
We historically would use it as a gauge, our dress size, women would, of whether they're losing weight or gaining weight.
It was actually better than the scale because it truly told you about your shape.
We lost that.
Remember, we've always talked about the rule of thumb.
You want your waist to be half your height.
And I've learned today that vanity sizing doesn't help.
Because it confuses that issue.
Right, right.
I mean, again, you go in there thinking, oh, I'm a certain size, and you want to make sure that you're actually getting down to your actual measurements.
So there's things that you could do to make sure that you are adhering to, or you're not adhering to vanity sizing.
So give me some examples.
What can you do?
Sure.
Well, we're talking about measurement.
You want to make sure that you go into stores knowing your measurement.
So that's, you know, you take a pay tape measure and make sure that you know exactly what that circumference is.
And it doesn't matter.
Whatever it is, fine.
As long as you know it.
But you can check that size.
You can match the size to an online sizing scale with that measurement.
The outfits themselves, I mean, I know sometimes they'll actually write, you know, those jeans will say 28 inches or 30 inches.
It'll sometimes be there.
Right, exactly.
And yes, you can either take your measurement or the sizing will be on the inside of the jeans on the tag.
How important is cut?
Cut is very important.
So, you know, there's these different types of cuts.
There's skinny jeans versus bootcut jeans.
You should know what your size is based on that cut.
And it's okay if your size is different based on the bootcut versus skinny jeans.
And also, the last one is in terms of the way branding is, right?
So, this younger branding, right?
You go to these stores, they have this hip, cool messaging.
Younger branding stores are...
They're infamous for vanity sizing.
They want to get you to go in there and spend your money on their stores.
So beware of that.
Know that when you go into those stores.
But the younger brand of stores probably make them falsely small.
Yes.
Like a triple zeros or things.
Absolutely, yes.
You have to be very careful of that.
Those younger stores with this hip, cool messaging make sure that they actually have that vanity sizing a lot smaller.
Because who wouldn't want to go into a store with a triple zero as your regular size?
We're going to put this chart, you can see on the screen now, on our website.
It's got all your favorite stores on there and what the sizes really mean.
It'll help you find out your real fit.
Be empowered, everybody.
Be right back.
Coming up next, is your back always killing you?
Meet the Back Pain Power Duo, two experts with different approaches.
But together, they share secrets to alleviate your back pain for good.
You both feel that the feet are the beginning of the whole problem.
Next.
If you've uttered the words, "My back is empty." Killing me.
Then pay attention because I'm about to introduce you to the Back Pain Power Duo.
Two top experts in different fields are coming together for the first time to give you a full body plan to alleviate your back pain.
But first, how many of you can relate to Michelle and Sarah?
I'm Michelle.
I'm Sarah.
We've been friends for over 30 years.
This is the ninth grade.
Sarah and I have been through bad hair, bad clothes.
Bad boyfriends.
And now we're going through bad backs.
From the moment that I wake up in the morning, my back starts and the pain stays throughout the day.
I have lower back pain and I also have upper back pain around my neck.
And I believe it's from working at the computer.
Texting and us talking on the phone a lot.
I've tried all kinds of ointments, heating pads, ice pads.
Massages, the chiropractor.
I've even tried exercise.
It's just all temporary fixes.
We want you, Dr. Oz, to get rid of our back pain for good.
Michelle and Sarah here in person.
Michelle, what would it mean for you if you could get rid of your back pain for good?
Oh, that would mean the world to me.
I would be able to exercise a lot more.
I'd feel so much more relief if this is taken care of.
What's been the worst part of the back pain?
Well, not being able to get to places quick, okay, because I have to take time to rest or sit down.
So, you know, I'm like the old person in the room, you know, and that's the worst thing for me because I'm still young.
Does Michelle make your back pain better or worse?
The neck, maybe.
You guys don't go anywhere.
Let me come back.
Let's get to this back pain power duo.
They have dedicated their careers to alleviating back pain, but they do it in very different ways.
Chiropractor Dr. Steven Shoshani is here, and Sue Hitzman, she's the creator of the Melt Method.
She used her own methodology to cure her back pain.
Dr. Shai, let's take it away.
We've got two wonderful women here.
Both are complaining of a problem that so many Americans are afflicted by, chronic back pain.
What gives?
What causes it?
Well, a lot of it is their lifestyle, what people are doing all day.
Most people are sitting for way too many hours.
We're on our devices looking down in awkward positions for hours.
We're walking on our devices.
We're talking on our devices.
Our bodies are meant to be moving, arms swinging, looking straight at the horizon.
So a lot of it's what we're doing all day.
Women are sitting cross-legged.
Men are sitting on their wallets.
All these things cause spinal imbalances.
Muscle weaknesses and nerve irritation.
And Sue, besides these structural issues, from your perspective, what else causes the back pain?
Well, I would say we have an issue in our connective tissue.
So connective tissue is scientifically known as fascia.
And it is a three-dimensional, flexible framework under our skin that attaches everything.
And it's made up of mostly collagen and water.
And ideally, it's hydrated.
And when it is, it gives this body a stable environment.
It gives your joint shock absorption, gives your muscle stability, gives your bones some alignment.
Dr. Oz, let me show you what's going on in people's bodies.
So, you know what a sponge should be.
It should be hydrated.
But, you know, this is kind of what's...
It's hard.
Exactly.
So, our daily repetitive lifestyle is actually causing cellular dehydration.
And everybody's experienced it.
Like, when you sit for long periods of time, and then you get up, and your joints feel all stiff, and you're moving around like an old person, you're feeling the effects of cellular dehydration in your connective tissue.
And what's important for people to know is that our repetition is causing this issue.
We need to very, very honestly learn how to rehydrate the tissue and work the fluid back into the tissue so that we return the fluid back into the stable environment.
So you want this kind of flexible framework under your skin and that's what the MELT method is all about.
Okay, so you both, and I ask you independently, feel that the feet are the beginning of the whole problem.
Why is that such a critical issue?
Absolutely.
The bottom of our feet would give us stability to the ground.
So if our feet are not stable, nothing above it is going to be stable.
Like that child song, the hip bones connected to the leg bone and the leg bone.
So it's all connected.
Yeah, that med school, by the way.
So it's sort of a shock absorber, I guess.
And without that functioning correctly, you're going to throw yourself off.
Right, left, and center.
Right, and you also want to remember your brain's trying to figure out where your center of gravity is in relationship to your feet.
So if your feet are full of stuck stress, it's going to throw off the balance of where your pelvis is, and that wreaks havoc and compression on the low back.
So in our research study, we started everybody on the feet to alleviate their back pain, and that's what created the result.
All right, so let's start hydrating our feet, so to speak.
Take your shoes off.
Yes.
I'll take mine off as well.
All right.
Michelle and Sarah, you guys over there?
They have their shoes off already.
All right.
Now, you say, Sue, we've got to start with these soft balls.
Yes.
I know you sell these balls, but you can use any ball you want, right?
Yes, as long as it's soft.
So these are really soft.
So, you know, a golf ball is too hard.
A tennis ball is too big.
So you just want something soft because, again, connective tissue is creating the supportive tissue.
So this is easy.
It's really about the magic of the technique.
So if you step on the ball just in front of your heel...
Keep your toes on the ground.
And you just start to cradle the ball back and forth.
This is called gliding.
And again, connective tissue is supporting the nerves of your body.
So we don't want to go too deep too fast.
So this is just a nice preparatory technique to get the fluids working.
And then you start to scribble it.
This is called a shear.
And it's kind of like working fluid into a sponge.
You kind of have to massage the sponge to get the fluid into the cells.
And then just like a sponge, you want to compress it and wait.
Squeeze out all of the old damaged tissue.
And then you let it go.
And you create a rinsing or a one-directional motion from toe to heel.
And this is actually what creates almost a vortex in the fluid, and it draws it up to the spine.
So just remember, let's try it again.
So remember, it's a glide to prepare, so you don't want to go too deep too fast into the tissue, so you just juice it up a little bit.
You shear it to work the fluid into the sponge, then you squeeze it out to compress the old fluid, and then you rinse it to draw it back up to your low back.
And this will help to stabilize your low back right from your feet, and it's also great for...
Those of us who will not get rid of our high heel shoes.
I don't know about you ladies.
I like my Jimmy Choo's.
I'm not getting rid of them.
So if you hydrate your feet, you won't pay all of the issues with the low back.
It's like a dance move, actually.
And it feels nice.
That's absolutely right.
It feels great.
And it also restores the damage that we cause to our feet, like bunions and neuromas, too.
So it can really help to alleviate the pain.
Dr. Shoshani asked me to do this.
Why do you want me to throw paper all over the floor?
How does this help with our feet?
It's a mess.
Our shoes are on our feet.
All day.
And our feet are deprived of movement.
So we need to put some movement back in our feet.
So what we want to start doing is picking up.
These pieces of paper with our toes, moving them from left to right.
Make a game out of it.
You can do this in the morning when you're brushing your teeth.
And what we're doing here is we're activating muscles at the bottom of the feet, and we're stimulating nerve endings at the bottom of our feet.
I'm winning.
And when our feet are stronger, when our feet are stronger, they're more stable.
When our feet are more stable, everything above it is more stable.
So you have a much more stable pelvis and back when our feet are stronger.
Before we come back, I want all these off that floor.
Up next is the full-body plan to alleviate your...
Back pain from our Power Duo.
I'll be right back.
Next, how we get out of bed, sit all day, and even text can be pushing our spines to the limit, leaving us in agony.
That ends today.
The Back Pain Power Duo show us their best solutions for all your back pain problems.
Coming up next.
Toxic mold.
My kid bathed with these.
We expose the hidden places it could be growing in your home.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
And we are back with the Back Pain Power Duo's full body plan to alleviate your back pain.
The plan starts in the morning.
Before you get out of bed, you're going to stretch the recondition connective tissue.
Sarah and Michelle, you're already in bed.
Ready for this?
Yes, we are.
Sue, take it away.
What's the first step?
Well, you know, I mean, a lot of us are.
We're waking up.
Michelle said she wakes up in the morning, her back's so stiff she doesn't even want to get out of bed.
So the thing is, we're usually taught to stretch our low back, but that's the victim.
We have to actually find the perpetrators, the problems, and it's actually in the front of the hips.
So let me show you.
This is a really simple technique called a bent knee press.
I'm going to have you guys lie on your back, and you're going to see if you can bend your knees, and you're going to try to lift up your hips, bend your knees, lift up, put your feet on the ground, and lift up your hips.
You're going to try to put the roller underneath your pelvis if you can.
Can you roll that guy under there?
Can you help?
Come on, Sarah, help out a little bit.
There it is.
So look, we use a soft roller in Melt, but you guys could be on a nice soft pillow, roll it up, or even a yoga mat or something.
Just make sure it's under your hips, not your lower back.
Exactly.
So all you do is bring your right knee into your chest, and what you're going to do, this is the secret, is you're going to tuck your pelvis so that you're sinking your ribs there.
Interlace your hands, and what you want to do is try to lengthen the front.
So what you're looking for is to feel a pull onto the front of the thigh, not the back of your spine.
So that's all it is.
So you take a breath in, and on an exhale you go like this, you go shhh.
Am I hurting you, Michelle?
Nope.
Right?
And then swap sides.
Set this leg down and try it on the other side.
Let me help you on this.
Same thing.
You're going to bring the knee in.
Yep.
And same thing.
You want to tuck and draw the tension.
Can you feel that pull on the front of your leg?
Now, listen.
If you get a cramp on the back of the legs, that's actually showing the cellular dehydration.
But that's just it.
If we keep lengthening the front of the hip, we're actually going to draw fluids back to the front of the spine to stabilize those hip flexors so they have more of that elastic recoil and they support the low back.
Can you feel the pull on the front?
Yes.
That's what we want.
This is where the tissue gets stiff.
So, again, we don't want to go right after the low back.
It's like punching up a victim that's in pain.
You want to go after the criminals.
You've got to lengthen the front of the thighs.
What surprises you about that feeling?
It surprises me because I'm like...
I thought I would have to focus over here, doing things over here in order to help myself.
You mean like your back, right?
You know, my back.
My lower back.
But here it is.
You know, this is really helping.
This is really stretching it out for me by doing this with my legs.
Again, going after the perpetrator, not the victim.
That's it.
All right, hop up.
We got more for you.
Okay.
Get over there.
Get out of bed, and anything like the rest of us, the first thing Michelle and Sarah probably do is just start texting.
We all have this problem, and you've all heard of Texnik, right?
Yes.
So we took a little picture of you guys.
We got proof of how texting.
Yeah, there you are, waiting in line, by the way.
And you weren't pretending here.
This is a real picture of texting before the show.
So Dr. Shine, take it away.
Although it's typical, you've got a way of analyzing this.
Yeah, so what we do is we took a picture and we analyzed.
Her posture, the normal human head should weigh about 9 to 12 pounds, according to the Jerry Maguire movie.
So what we did is we analyzed it.
And right now here, Sarah, her head is forward.
It's 61 pounds of force.
Just from that angle.
Just that angle.
So, you know, the spinal cord has had a tremendous amount of tension.
Those muscles don't even have a chance to pull that head back.
Michelle's head is weighing 53 pounds.
So it's a lot of force being pulled on those muscles in that spinal cord.
Of course you're going to have tension and pain.
Are you guys going to give up your cell phones from now on?
No, no, no, not at all.
It's surprising, I gotta say, it's that much weight, but no one's giving up their phone, so what do you do about it?
I think it's important to hold the phone at eye level.
You may look a little silly, but looking down, this is really, really bad.
Hold it at eye level when you're texting.
What do you think about that?
Well, people can see what you're writing.
It's better at 60 pounds of weight in your neck.
You're going to get a back pain all the time.
There'll be people behind you reading it with you.
What do you mean it's so important anyway?
Come on over here.
Michelle's been telling us what you're writing no matter what.
Okay, next we've got to stabilize the spine.
So if you don't mind, line your back here.
And Dr. Shoshani Su, show us what you want us to do here.
Okay, lay on your back.
So we're going to do what's called a pelvic tilt.
Bend your knees for me.
This is one of the most basic exercises.
When someone comes to my office, this is the first thing that a doctor, a physical therapist teaches the patients.
So I'm going to put my hand underneath your lower back.
And what you're going to do is you're going to try to flatten my hand.
There you go.
Perfect.
You're going to do three sets of ten and relax and keep on doing this.
What this does...
This helps stabilize the spine, and it also helps encourage proper spinal alignment.
So three sets of ten.
Do this every day.
What I like about it is you don't need any equipment.
You can do this at home.
Okay.
Okay.
Surprising, isn't it, Michelle?
Yeah.
When you lie down, you'll have a big arch there.
It's normal initially, but this is a great exercise, and I was taught this by a physical therapist.
Yep.
Very for certain reason.
Now, finally, you've all heard about sitting as a new smoking, right?
We talked about how damaging it is.
Hop up.
Let's do something here.
We're going to change and alleviate the tension in our back by just sitting differently.
And I want everyone in the audience to think about this because you're all sitting and you have all show long.
What is the solution for sitting appropriately to relieve back pain?
Well, if you have to sit, I like to sit using a cushion like this.
What this cushion does is it's higher in the back than it is in the front.
And when you sit on it...
Everyone have a seat.
What it does, it drops your knees lower than your pelvis.
When your knees are lower than your pelvis, what it does, it puts a curve in your lower lumbar spine.
And what that's designed to do is disperse the weight evenly throughout all the vertebrae, so all the weight is not sitting on the lower lumbar spine.
That's why I have back pain, because my knees are above my hips?
Pretty much.
And you see, when the lower your hips are, the more curves in your lower back.
It's easier to sit upright.
And another thing we could do is pretend there's a string attached to your sternum, which is your chest plate, and hold your chest out.
And same thing with the head.
String straight up.
Look straight ahead.
Keep your spine.
Okay.
Now practice texting.
Hands out in front of you.
All right, Syl, give us one last little tip.
Obviously, we're going to be sitting and sometimes not going to have these fancy dancy cushions or pillows to get ourselves a little bit higher.
What do we do?
Yes, I've got a very easy thing.
Everybody's going to do this with me.
Stand up.
Audience, please stand if you don't mind.
So this is the thing is when we sit for long periods of time, we're causing all that tension on our back.
All you have to do is every 30 to 60 minutes, just stand up and just try this.
Bring your arms up, take a big breath in, and then exhale.
Bring your arms down.
Do it again.
Take a breath up.
Exhale.
And on the last time, you're going to bring your arms up, and you're going to keep it there.
You're going to take a big breath in, and then you're going to make this SH sound.
And then let your arms come back down.
And what you'll all feel is that your heart rate increases, you've just improved blood flow, you've stimulated your diaphragm, you've improved circulation, and you've also decreased all of the tension and compression on your back and your buttocks, which not only causes low back pain, but ladies, it is also a primary cause of cellulite.
So get up off your butt.
And juice back up that tissue just by taking the tension and compression away from the tissue that's supposed to be.
Supporting you in that seated posture.
Just stand up.
One more time.
Everyone, do it up there.
Do it up.
All right.
Up next, I gave the Back Pain Power Duo a challenge to create a pill-free pain-fighting election.
Find out what they came up with.
with, that is next.
Next, can you drink your way to a pain free day?
Our Power Duo brought up some healing concoctions.
Okay, so this is my voodoo drink.
Easy and delicious recipes to keep your back pain at bay.
Whoa.
It's good, huh?
Next. We're back with the Back Pain Power Duo.
I gave them a challenge.
To create a pain-fighting elixir, you can drink all day long to alleviate pain.
So when I asked them, they both came back to me with the exact same answer.
Similar ingredients.
To make it more interesting.
You both actually, apparently, drink a version of this every day.
Is that correct?
I do.
Absolutely.
All day.
That gives me a lot of confidence.
I feel good about that.
So, take us away.
What do you make in your lecture?
Okay, so this is my voodoo drink.
So I start with ginger juice, and you can get these products at any grocery store now.
So this is a tablespoon of ginger juice and about a half of a lemon.
And, you know, you want to do it for flavor, so if you like a little bit less.
And then this is cayenne extract, and I use about a half of a vial, but, you know, for most people, about 10 drops, about a quarter of a vial is plenty.
Why do you use cayenne extract instead of the actual cayenne?
Because the cayenne itself, the powder floats to the top and burns your lips.
This actually absorbs and infuses right into it.
From your personal experience, you know that.
I do.
I've tried this very many ways.
So this is cranberry extract.
And the same thing, about 15 drops, it's about a quarter of a vial.
And these things last forever because you're just using a few drops of it.
And then you just mix it with water, and that's it.
And so I drink literally three liters of this a day.
I'm a little obsessed with it.
It looks like this usually.
Yes.
Which is a nice color.
Yes.
Dr. Shoshani.
You like this a lot, I guess.
I like this a lot.
Ginger is one of the most powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories on the planet.
And chances are, if you have pain, you have some kind of inflammation.
And ginger helps quiet the inflammation.
You know, I bet you're tricking me into drinking more water.
Is that the main reason?
Well, you know, it actually is because although all these are all anti-inflammatories, what the ginger and the lemon do is they actually open your taste bud.
So it almost makes you feel like you're more thirsty.
It's good, huh?
I added a little extra cream.
It opens more than your taste buds.
I like it that way.
It's really good.
But it does.
And it's spicy.
And just like when you eat spicy foods, you feel like you need to drink more water, you end up sipping more of it frequently.
So if it's too spicy, you could add it to iced tea.
You could add it to lemonade.
I would never have it without alcohol in there.
Well, you could do vodka, vodka.
Yeah, yeah.
Tequila.
It doesn't really matter how good it is for you unless it tastes good.
So I've got Michelle and Sarah still with us.
If this cures your back pain, I'll be especially happy.
Give it a shot.
I hope you don't mind spicy things.
I should have put tequila in yours for sure.
It's okay?
It's not spicy enough.
Hey!
Never mind.
You stopped complaining about back pain with that much spice.
All right.
There are people like me who may be bothered by that.
You got a shortcut for us.
Sure, sure.
So, you know, for clients that really don't like the spiciness, I have them do.
Ice cubes.
And the nice thing about an ice cube is that, if I can get these out of here, is that you put them in water and they slowly diffuse into the water.
So as you start sipping it, it's a little less potent.
And then by the time you get to the end, you actually taste it.
And again, once you get to the end and the spice kind of kicks, you end up drinking more water.
And it's just a really great way because that is the secret of cellular hydration.
It's not the volume of fluid, actually.
It's the consistency.
And drinking things like this will make you drink and sip water.
Next, it's the latest health trend.
Eating ancient grains for energy.
Our nurse search winner puts it to the test.
Trying out the three most popular grains to see if they can really keep you going all day long.
Next.
Toxic mold.
It can be carcinogenic.
They could be making you and your family sick.
Look at that.
My kid bathed with these.
We expose the hidden places it could be growing in your home.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Today we're investigating the latest trend in healthy eating that everybody's talking about.
Eating ancient grains for energy.
And that's one of the busiest people I know with one of the most exhausting jobs to research and test how eating ancient grains can work on your energy levels.
Here now to help us out all this is Nurse Search winner, Maria.
Nurse Maria.
I love having you here.
So the big hype is that you get more energy from these ancient grains.
By the way, these ancient grains are grains, all grains are ancient, but these haven't been changed in hundreds and hundreds of years.
So they're the way our ancestors ate them.
So can they really boost our energy?
Absolutely.
Carbohydrates is something that keeps us going every single day.
By eating these ancient grains, and they're ancient for a reason, because it's never changed, helps us be energized in a natural way.
They're high in fiber, they're high in protein, and that's what we need to keep going, because we do.
We're very busy people, and we need to keep going every day.
So we're going to start the very first one, which is Amaranth.
She tried three popular ancient grains to see if they keep the energy going all day long at the hospital.
And in this investigation, Amaranth was picked because perhaps it's the most iconic as an ancient grain.
So how did it work for you?
How did you prepare it?
Well, I was able to make this absolutely delicious energy bar.
With this energy bar, I was able to make it with the Amaranth, obviously, almond butter, brown rice syrup.
Raisins and some chopped nuts.
It was actually pretty easy.
It's like eating a forest.
Yes, you don't even cook this.
You just put it together, put it into a pan, and just put it into your refrigerator for two hours.
Are those chia seeds?
Yes, those are chia seeds.
See, the surgeons know.
Nurses sneak things into our food all the time.
So what's your verdict?
Did the amaranth help you get your energy in that busy day you always have?
Absolutely.
The amaranth bars actually last about three to four hours for me.
I'm going to tell you, this is good for a snack.
This is good for a treat.
This is even good for breakfast.
I was able to swap this out for my usual toast and coffee for just a little bit of a treat instead.
Yeah, I think this is fantastic.
Okay, so move on to the next candidate.
It's an ancient grain called teff.
Now, teff is...
It's been an alluring one for many reasons.
What was appealing to you about it?
Well, TEF is actually a resistant grain.
It gives you energy and keeps your blood sugar levels manageable.
So it gave me energy when I was eating this.
A resistant grain means as it goes to your intestinal system, it doesn't get changed.
Correct.
So it comes out looking like this in your poop, so to speak.
So to speak.
So to speak.
We won't audit that.
What'd you make?
How'd you do it?
Well, I was able to make this TEF bowl.
It's a salad, essentially.
You just take some lettuce, Radishes, carrots, chickpeas, any vegetables that you have at home, and serve it with the teff.
So, to make the teff, all you have to do is put it into boiling water for about 10 minutes, cover it, and let it sit.
It's easier than making pasta.
And it's so good.
It's as healthy as you can make anything healthy.
You know, it's good.
It's not as good as the Amrith, I've got to say.
Absolutely.
You felt the same?
Yes, I did.
How did they work on your energy?
Yeah, I was able to crash with this one just a little bit more than I did with the amaranth.
That's why I had the amaranth as a little bit of a snack with this.
You're both together.
You're a cheater.
Nurse Maria.
No, I didn't cheat.
I just tried to make it better.
Let's come over to spelt over here.
Now, spelt is an ancient grain.
It's actually a wheat grain.
So for those of you who want the wheat taste, that little chewiness in your mouth, this will work for you.
Now, how did you prepare it?
Well, I was able to get spelt in a pasta form and cooked it exactly like that, as a spelt.
Pasta.
I made some basil sauce into it, asparagus, some fresh peas, and I just mixed it up with a little bit of grated cheese on top.
I've tasted basil.
It's fantastic.
It smells delicious, if we had smell of it.
What's your verdict on the energy for this belt?
I actually enjoyed this.
I brought this to work when I was working nights.
I was able to heat it up, but you could eat it cold, too.
And it tasted really good, and it kept me energized throughout the night.
You know what?
I love this because it regulates your blood glucose.
I love the teft because it's ancient.
This is what they eat in Ethiopia.
But my favorite is that amaranth.
Yes.
It's got the right combination of almost an earthy taste to it.
Yes.
But it feels very filling and gets you the most energy as well.
Absolutely.
But you know what?
You don't have to pick one of these three.
There's tons of ancient grains.
I'm going to give you an ancient grain shopping list you can take with you to the grocery store.
You can find it on DrOz.com or you can print it out and give it to your friends.
Share it with people you know.
You'll all appreciate it.
We'll be right back.
Thank you very much.
Goodbye.
Surrogacy disasters.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So you're left abandoned.
You're pregnant with twins.
Someone else's twins.
All new Oz.
You ever wish you hadn't been a surrogate?
That's coming up on Wednesday.
Researchers have reported that a mild winter means big allergies ahead.
That means springs arriving 10 to 14 days earlier than it did 20 years ago.
Which results in higher pollen levels for longer periods of time.
So I don't want you to wait until your symptoms start.
You're going to begin taking your allergy medications now and then stay consistent with these things rather than using them just for urgent relief.
It takes a couple days to get the right levels in your blood.
So start ahead and stay ahead.
I've got Nurse Maria back with us.
She's got another little tip that can help all of us fight the non-stop sniffling and watering of our eyes.
Give us a quick tip.
What works for you?
What works for me for allergens is to treat and separate.
All your clothes.
And handwashing.
Handwashing is always part of what we do.
One of the first things that I would do, because my daughter has a lot of allergies and she has pollen allergies, is when she comes home, I use my secret weapon.
A lint brush.
I just wrap this around her, wipe it off, and then I eventually just hang it.
All you have to do is just wipe it off and hang it in your outside closet.
There's an outside clothing closet and an inside clothing closet.
Because of the pollen, you want to separate your clothes from the clothes that you normally would wear inside the house.
So, this is your limp blush.
What if you don't have an outside closet?
Let's say I wore jeans out yesterday and I got pollen on my jeans.
Do I put those in my, I mean, I'm going to go up to my room and change.
Where do I put those?
Well, you can develop something called the outside basket.
The outside basket has the clothing that you would normally wear on a daily basis but not wash every day, such as your hoodies and such as your jeans.
So, after you take off your jeans, instead of hanging it over a chair or throwing it on the floor, pick it up.
Wipe it down.
Wipe it down.
Fold it.
Then you can just put it into your outside basket and use it again.
Same thing with your hoodies.
My kids would go like this.
And they would think it was dirty.
All right.
Another great tip for this video.
You can find extra allergy relief strategies at dronards.com.
Remember, happy and healthy starts at home.
Woo!
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