Unless you are one of the 30 or so people in the world who has a genetic quirk that keeps you from sensing pain, you know what it’s like to feel discomfort. Your pain might be sharp and shooting or more like a constant throbbing. Though everyone experiences pain differently, there are certain parts of your body that are especially prone to aches. The back, neck, shoulders, knees, joints and head are all common area where people experience pain. Women may be harder hit. Some research shows women are more susceptible to pain, especially right before their periods when estrogen levels drop. Drugs can help, but they’re by no means a complete solution. Most studies find that medication offer only a 20 to 30% reduction in pain. Check out these natural remedies for relief targeted at the areas where you need it most…………Pain Hotspot #1: Lower Back
Whether you’ve hurt yourself lifting a heavy box or have a chronic condition such as arthritis, back pain can interfere with everything from your job to your sex life. Getting it under control can improve your productivity, as well as, your relationships.
To ease your aches, find a healing touch
New research shows that massage therapy may be more effective than commonly used treatments such as drugs for short-term relief from soreness in your lower back, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine. After 10 weeks, study participants who received either a 1-hour relaxing Swedish massage or a form of massage focused on treating the tissues of the back were twice as likely to have spent fewer days in bed, taken fewer meds, and continued everyday activities. Experts aren’t sure how massage works exactly to relieve back pain, but one theory might be that spending an hour being touched in a relaxing environment calms the central nervous system to lessen the perception of pain. To find a trained massage therapist near you, check out the American Massage Therapy Association. You might also want to find a teaching school near you that charges far less per hour where students operate under the guidance of a supervisor. I frequent the NY College of Health Professions and have been going there for more than 25 years for massage and acupuncture: http://career.nycollege.edu
Whether you’ve hurt yourself lifting a heavy box or have a chronic condition such as arthritis, back pain can interfere with everything from your job to your sex life. Getting it under control can improve your productivity, as well as, your relationships.
To ease your aches, find a healing touch
New research shows that massage therapy may be more effective than commonly used treatments such as drugs for short-term relief from soreness in your lower back, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine. After 10 weeks, study participants who received either a 1-hour relaxing Swedish massage or a form of massage focused on treating the tissues of the back were twice as likely to have spent fewer days in bed, taken fewer meds, and continued everyday activities. Experts aren’t sure how massage works exactly to relieve back pain, but one theory might be that spending an hour being touched in a relaxing environment calms the central nervous system to lessen the perception of pain. To find a trained massage therapist near you, check out the American Massage Therapy Association. You might also want to find a teaching school near you that charges far less per hour where students operate under the guidance of a supervisor. I frequent the NY College of Health Professions and have been going there for more than 25 years for massage and acupuncture: http://career.nycollege.edu
Pain Hotspot #2: Knees
You may not think much about your knees until you feel shooting pain while walking up stairs or throbbing after being on the go all day. While there are many reasons for knee pain, a common trigger is plain old wear and tear from arthritis. Being overweight puts added pressure on your knees, so losing pounds can help.
To ease your aches, keep moving
Though it may seem counterintuitive, doing regular exercise such as walking can actually help soothe the pain because it strengthens muscles and tendons that support the joint and improves blood flow to the area for faster healing. If you avoid walking because your knee hurts, then you’ll lessen your range of motion so it’ll hurt even more later on. Try alternating between ice (to get the swelling down) and heat (to relax your muscles) before walking to help get a better range of motion, as well as, pain relief.
Pain Hotspot #3: Joints
Red, swollen joints not only hurt, but can also keep you from doing the things you love. Arthritis is the top chronic pain trigger in the US. This joint inflammation can be caused by wear and tear (osteoarthritis) or by an autoimmune disease that affects mostly women (rheumatoid arthritis).
To ease your aches, take your vitamins
Pills can offer some relief, but it’s best to go for the natural kind. The most common pain relief prescribed for arthritis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, that kill an estimate 16,500 Americans every year from bleeding ulcers! To ease aches naturally, try a combination of two cartilage-building nutrients known as glucosamine sulfate and MSM. Taking 750 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate two times a day for a least 6 weeks relieves pain and heals joints by building up the cartilage that protects the ends of bones so they don’t run together. For optimum results, take with 400 milligrams of MSM three times a day, which may slash inflammatory chemicals linked with arthritis pain. A study found that people taking MSM daily for 6 weeks experienced 80% less pain, and another study found that taking the two nutrients together worked best to relieve pain and inflammation. I am a big believer in this combo because I take this along with shark cartilage.
Part 2 continues with our next posting:)
No comments:
Post a Comment