Sagacious. What a great word. And although this "prescription, analysis and footnotes" are an offering of personal experiences, what we must all consider, if not yet considered, is that all spines are different. And one must listen to the body before they listen to a blog. As you have demonstrated here. Thank you for that.

Right on, Justin. It's a terrible statement, as is anything that begins with "Experts say." Vague extrapolations hold little clout in the academic world. Fortunately, good research with honest conclusions regarding sedentary lifestyles are becoming more prevalent.

A simple google search of this articles title will yield 5,040,000 results in .22 seconds. Here are the first three results which feature similar pieces like this one with a more clearly defined lineage of information.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/06/08/healt... http://blog.tribehr.com/bid/112527/Sitting-for-8-... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001824/S...

For something a bit more academic, a pub med search among peer review literature using the words "sedentary lifestyle + cardiovascular" will yield 882 results, here is that search page.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=sedentary...
or this one in particular. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21785350

Have fun. There are dozens upon dozens of papers that show the risks of sitting all day. There are also reviews of most of these studies, like the last link I provided. Some reviews have correlated those risks with that of smoking and thus, the foregone conclusion has been floating around the internet for some time now.

If I were to really examine the initial statement I would also ask "how much smoking?" or "what is being smoked and how is it being smoked." So, there are lots of avenues to walk down here. But rest assured there are no clear answers because no one would ever subject a group of people to involuntary smoking or a forced sedentary environment, independent of all other cardiovascular risks.

Throw it out there next time you and your friends are in a heated discussion and see what the moment brings. I'm sure it would be interesting. And please note that I am in no way advocating smoking in any way, shape, or form.

Well Lindsey, usually we fear the unknown. But in this case it seems as if you were right on! I'll give you the Rx that solves 90% of the SI issues I commonly see. Ready? Lay on your back and fold your knees to your chest (I know that is flexion, just hold on). Now wrap your arms around your legs and push your legs out, resisting them with your arms. The muscular exertion will stabilize your pelvis in the flexed position. Push out for 9 seconds on an exhalation, rest on inhale. Repeat for 3 minutes. Do this 3x a day for 3 weeks. If you are the other 10% that doesn't respond, let's talk!

Next time... Just ask.

Quite not boorish actually. We should have a conversation about that. :-)

Wowsers. Outdid yourself on this one, Hilary. I feel like your personal desires will reveal themselves like nature- slowly over time but everything will be revealed. And mean while your talent for describing such patience building experiences will continue to inspire others and free their minds even if only for brief moments in their own lives.

Ya know, the twisted minded genius who suffers over they work will never fully know how much they have changed the world.

Fantastic post, John. As a fellow chiropractor and yoga enthusiast I am especially enjoying your contributions to EJ. Thanks.

Do you have a recommendation for a Boswellia source?

Emily, This is a fantastic Dosha review with solid references. Thank you for sharing.

This is an exceptional article. And I'm not just saying that because I am a chiropractor and a parent. I see this happening even at the college level. Some students continue bringing their text books to class even if I tell them not to.

Perhaps one of the greatest contributions of modern technology can be seen here. Every text book in the world can be carried on an i-pad. And since technology gets cheaper every day, I hope they'll be handing out free book readers, whatever brand, to every child in the world sometime very soon.

Just Posted to Elephant Wellness on Facebook and twitter

Absolutely fantastic, Emily. What brand is your personal preference? Thank You