supplements with keeping him pain free for 10 years. His potion? Twice a day doses of magnesium 64 mg, 720 mg turmeric, and four Wobenzym N® pills daily. He also uses a TENS (transcutaneous elec- trical nerve stimulation) machine to help alleviate spasms. In addition to supplements, Pablo Marticorena, of Pablo Tile Installer in Chippewa Falls, Wis., advises drinking water – and lots of it – to help with back issues. There’s a strong case for staying hydrated. My own physical therapist explained that layers of muscle and fascia slide over each other when you move. Keeping your body hydrated allows them to glide easily, but if you’re dehydrat- ed, they “stick” and can cause pain. Justin Howell of Fantasy Tile in Glen Burnie, Md., got his back issues under control by sleeping with a pillow under his legs and sleeping on his back. “I stretched about 10 times a day,” he said. “Once I finally figured out where the pain was coming from, I got the MRI and did a chiropractic treat- ment. I have realized hydration and a gluten-free diet helps with doing a foam roller at home three times a day. Inflammatory foods are brutal.” From MW Rouzer LLC in Sussex, N.J., Stephanie Rouzer’s tile setter husband had success with a chiro- practor and anti-inflammatory eat- ing. “It’s kept him off drugs and out of surgery,” she added. Inversion table, decompression Hanging upside – and other forms of decompression and trac- tion – offers relief for many. Michael Edward Baczynski of Deluxe Improvements in Avilla, Ind., and Jack Stallings of Imperial Tile and Marble, Inc., in Phoenix, Ariz., find inversion tables helpful for taking the pressure off the vertebrae. Keith Heniss of Total Design Tile & Flooring, Inc., in Olathe, Kan., admitted he’s dealt with two bulging disks for almost 15 years. “The best thing I can do is stretch in morning – real stretching – and then an inversion table right before bed.” Lena Anderson of Pine Bluff, Ark., said, “I got one a couple years ago. Old tired and worn out: five minutes on it and I feel like a new person!” Dave Collins, owner of Collins Remodeling in Butler, Pa., said, “My chiropractor just told me my back is 10 to 15 years older than I am: arthritis and degenerative disks. I have found if I use my inversion table regularly it helps.” TENS machine Like Paul Joseph, Brad Bressler, Bressler Tile and Stone, Austin, HOT TOPICS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 82 TileLetter | February 2019