Saturday, January 25, 2014

Sore Jaw Bone - and the Top 4 TMJ Symptoms


Living with a sore jaw bone on a regular basis could mean that you suffer from a condition called TMJ. Over 12 million people in the world suffer from TMJ. TMJ, also known as Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome or TMD, is a condition involving the alignment of the jaw which causes pain and discomfort. Here are the top 4 TMJ Symptoms:



  1. Jaw Clicking and Popping - Misalignment of the jaw bone and other disorders associated with TMJ cause a fairly classic symptom, which is a popping of the jaw joint or clicking sound. This clicking and popping may or may not be painful.


  2. Migraines - Migraines or frequent tension headaches could be a symptom of TMJ. Individuals with TMJ often suffer from these types of headaches on a regular basis, sometimes making everyday life difficult.


  3. Lock Jaw - Lock jaw describes a limited to no ability to open the jaw or mouth. At this point, emergency intervention is sometimes needed in extremely severe cases.


  4. Neck and Shoulder Pain - TMJ places an extreme amount of stress on the entire head and neck area. Tension, stress, and pain in the neck and shoulders is often one of the first symptoms of TMJ, along with jaw pain.


TMJ can be a difficult disorder to live with because of the discomfort and sometimes excruciating pain that it brings. Therapeutic management of the condition is one of the keys to finding relief and even reversing the misalignment of the jaw. Don't let anyone tell you that you must undergo expensive and painful surgery to correct your TMJ.

Natural Arthritis Pain Relief - What Foods Can Stop Back Pain Naturally?


What you eat every day has a direct effect on your health. Since we have millions of choices when it comes to food, what we eat decides how healthy we are, or unhealthy. Of course this choice can make us live in pain if we don't know what to choose.

There are some specific types of food which can help you in the long run in the struggle against arthritis pain relief. If you eat healthy food, your joints will be healthy. I will list three best foods which will help you get rid of that nasty back pain.

Glucosamine

It has a very long history in combating arthritis pain. Every person has a small amount of glucosamine in the body. As we get older, the body produces less glucosamine and this leads to born spurs and cartilage hardening.

This natural compound made by our body uses a combination of glutamine and sugar making an amino acid. If your body is getting old, you have 2 choices in order to have more glucosamine in your body: you eat food rich in glucosamine or you take some supplement with this amino acid in it. It can be found in shrimps, lobsters and crabs.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 acids can be found in sea food, especially fishes (sardines, salmon) but as well in borage oil, walnuts and in flax seeds. They reduce the tendency of cartilage cells to have inflammations and is a good guard against cartilages progressive deterioration.

Studies have revealed that people who took omega 3 supplements compared to people who didn't take have less arthritis pain. So our advice is to eat as many walnuts, sea food as you can in order to protect you from arthritis pain.

Tart Cherries

Who would have thought that the compound which gives the red color to tart cherries is very effective against arthritis pain? Now everybody can benefit from this red cherries in their struggle with arthritis pain.

This compound also helps slow the pace of the natural deterioration of the body which isn't bad at all for a small bright cherry. You can eat tart cherries in all the forms you may encounter: canned ones, tablets, frozen, concentrates or freeze dried.

I recommend you stick with the natural food in your fight with the arthritis pain for at least 6 months in order to see some major improvements. If you consider that these 3 types of foods are rather cheap to buy, it's a very good diet that will improve your health.

How to Effectively Understand & Deal With Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis - Age-Progressive Phenomen


The musculoskeletal system exhibits a significant number of changes as we age, not only do the joints change but the surrounding tissue changes as well, thus causing varying degrees of neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatic nerve pain, also known as sciatica. Two of the changes that we will focus on in this article are osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Osteoarthritis, as the label of a condition, is somewhat misleading because inflammation is not generally related to this condition, although pain may be. Degenerative joint disease is perhaps a better label. Osteoarthritis generally affects individuals over 50 years of age. Osteoporosis is caused by an imbalance in bone absorption over bone formation and is thought to be found most frequently in postmenopausal women. In both conditions, other factors come into play and may be exhibited in other segments of the population, other demographic groups, as a result. In both osteoarthritis and osteoporosis inactivity, immobility, and a sedentary lifestyle may exacerbate the condition leading to more neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative process affecting the joints, particularly in the elderly, and may be asymptomatic (pain-free) or may cause considerable pain, particularly in the lower back and legs (sciatica). Joint changes may include erosion of the cartilaginous surface of the joints, degenerative changes to the soft tissue in and around the joints, and ossification or calcification of the connective tissue, particularly the ligaments and the edges, both superior and inferior, of the vertebrae themselves (osteophytes or bony bridges, spurs). All of the aforementioned factors may lead to a pain complex of back pain and sciatica. While it is difficult to say just how much these changes are directly associated with aging and how much is due to trauma, accident, and/or inactivity, it is obvious, both microscopically and macroscopically (to the naked eye), that aging is a factor. During research I conducted at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) The Smithsonian, it was immediately apparent that osteoarthritis is an age progressive, degenerative phenomenon. Osteoarthritis appears most frequently in the secondary curvatures of the spine, those of the cervical and lumbar regions. With each decade after the age of 30, calcification and ossification grow increasingly prevalent. It seems likely that this is an adaptive response to weakening muscles and connective tissues as we age. With decreased activity and increased age-progressive phenomena, it is likely that pain, particularly neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, will become increasingly prevalent.

Osteoporosis, as noted above, has to do with an imbalance between bone absorption and bone deposition. While generally believed to affect the long bones, the vertebrae are markedly affected by osteoporosis. A few of the factors contributing to this condition are the inability to absorb calcium through the gastrointestinal tract, diminished or loss of gonad function in postmenopausal women, inactivity, immobility, and a lack of weight-bearing stress on the skeletal system, the bones themselves. Additionally, osteoporosis may be caused by heightened levels of cortisone in the body, both exogenous (coming from outside of the body) or endogenous (being manufactured in the body). Regardless of etiology or cause, osteoporosis is increasingly evident as we age and is responsible for a large number of fractures experienced in individuals over 50 years of age. With fractures, particularly fractures of the vertebrae, neck pain, back pain, and sciatica are evident and, in fact, quite common.

Both osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are age-progressive phenomena, growing ever more prevalent with each successive decade of life. While different factors come into play, it is apparent that inactivity, immobility, and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to both of these conditions, and the associated neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. While it is true that there is a progression, it is not true that it is unavoidable or irreversible. In both instances, it seems apparent that there is an adaptive response on the part of the body to offset inactivity and immobility. The fact that osteoporosis seems more prevalent in individuals who are inactive and underweight, and osteoarthritis seems more prevalent in people inactive and immobile, this would seem to indicate that an individualized and medically supervised program of exercise would help to offset both conditions, in varying degrees. The complex factors involved in both conditions are neither inevitable nor irreversible, as noted above, and should be evaluated holistically and individually. The musculoskeletal system, and the body as a whole, is remarkably resilient and adaptive. Given the proper exercise program, an individual may, in fact, reduce his or her "skeletal age" significantly, thus alleviating or eliminating neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica.

Natural Relief for Arthritis Joint Pain


Arthritis comes from the Greek arthro- meaning joint and -itis meaning inflammation. Arthritis joint pain causes a spectrum of pains from mild and intermittent annoyance to debilitating, life-altering agony. While there is no known cure for arthritis, the joint pain caused by the disease can be treated to improve the arthritis sufferer's quality of life.

Managing body aches caused by arthritis doesn't have to involve a narcotic, numbing out experience. There are natural solutions for treating the pain. One of the most promising discoveries in the battle against arthritis joint pain, whether the pain is in your knee, back, fingers, or hands, is Natural Eggshell Membrane, or NEM, for short. NEM is derived entirely from egg, so unless you have an egg allergy, it does not produce the side effects caused by prescription drugs. It is also vegetarian friendly, which makes this a great product for herbivores and omnivores alike.

NEM contains glycosaminoglycans, better known to us common folk as glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid. Before I explain how these carbohydrates help your joints, it's important to understand the basic structure of a joint. A joint is formed where two bones meet head to head. The joint is the cushion between the bones that keeps them from rubbing together and eroding each other. The connective tissue is called articular cartilage. The articular cartilage is lubricated by synovial fluid. A major component of synovial fluid is hyaluronan, from which hyaluronic acid is derived. Hyaluronan adds to the viscosity, or rich thickness, of synovial fluid. The lubrication provided by synovial fluid is important.

Imagine that your articular cartilage is a rubber band. Now, a new rubber band is very stretchy and flexible. But what happens to a rubber band when it gets old? When it sits out in the sun for days or weeks, when it gets dried out? It becomes brittle and will snap quite easily, or even crumble. It loses its ability to bounce back and to stretch and move comfortably. A similar effect happens when your articular cartilage is deprived of proper and adequate lubrication. The resulting joint pain - be it in your knee, back, hands, or fingers - is a result of both damage to the connective tissue or articular cartilage, and, potentially, your bones beginning to erode each other.

While arthritis pain is not always a result of injury or daily wear and tear (osteoarthritis), but can also include situations where the immune system attacks the body's tissues (rheumatoid arthritis), the basic joint pain arthritis treatment can be the same. NEM works by increasing joint lubrication, resiliency, and cellular function to potentially help rebuild articular cartilage. NEM's glycosaminoglycans also work in conjunction to help reduce the inflammation and swelling attributed to joint pain arthritis.

Multiple studies have produced statistically significant results correlating NEM with a reduction in arthritis symptoms specific to patients suffering from osteoarthritis. In one study, at the end of:

繚 10 days -
o 33% experienced a 30% reduction in joint pain arthritis in the knee, and
o 25% showed more than a 50% reduction in stiffness

繚 60 days -
o 32% of NEM-taking participants reported more than a 50% reduction in pain, and
o a 27% average improvement in stiffness

Such studies have shown NEM's effectiveness both on a short-term and long-term basis for treating joint pain arthritis.

Talk to your doctor about NEM. It may be the solution you're seeking for relief from joint pain arthritis in your back, knee, hands, or fingers, without the side effects of prescription drugs. Take your life back from the clutches of arthritis.

The Basics of TENS Units For Pain Management (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)


T.E.N.S. is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. They are small battery powered devices designed to relieve post-operative, acute, and chronic pain. They are about the size of an iPod. It is a safe non-invasive drug free method of pain management that can help decrease the need for pain medication and also supplement treatment being received for pain control. It is used for pain caused by peripheral nerves and not centrally derived pain. TENS Units are prescription only devices. Sometimes they have attachments that go on your pants or pockets so that they are easy to bring with you.

TENS units are often used along with additional non-operative treatments such as Physical Therapy, Physiotherapy, Pain Management, Chiropractic, Spinal Decompression, or Manipulation Under Anesthesia.

How Do They Work?

A TENS unit is a device that transmits small square electrical pulses to the electrodes, which transmit this electrical pulse to the underlying nerves. The fundamental components of a TENS unit are the electrodes, a highly advanced computer chip, and an electrical battery source. The small amount of electricity is transmitted through the computer component then to the electrodes, which transmits the electrical waveform through the skin to the underlying nerves.

The user can personalize the pulse frequency, which is the strength of the electrical current given to the electrode (this should be accomplished in conjunction with the prescribing provider).Typically the prescribing provider will show the patient how to use the device and show any advisable setting options.

What conditions are helped with Transcutaneous Units?

Neck Pain, Back Pain, Arthritis, Sciatica, headaches, Muscular Strains, TMJ Disorder, Radiculopathy, pain from herniated discs, mid back pain, upper back pain, tendonitis, Sports Injuries, bursitis,

TENS units will not cure a disease or pain problem. They are of no curative value. It is a symptomatic treatment which suppresses pain sensation.

Application of a TENS Unit

Electrodes are placed on or near the area of pain. Soothing pulses are sent via the electrodes through the skin and along the nerve fibers. The current travels through the electrodes and into the skin stimulating specific nerve pathways to produce a tingling or massaging sensation that reduces the perception of pain. The pulses suppress pain signals to the brain. TENS Machines also encourage the body to produce higher levels of its own pain killing chemicals called Endorphins.

How long does it take for a TENS Machine to start working to relieve my pain?

It takes approximately 30 minutes or less to feel the effects. Some people use their TENS unit throughout the day off and on. It's not typically recommended to be used continuously. Rather best to use for a period of time (1-2 hours) then take off for a while.

What does a TENS Machine feel like when it's turned on?

The device produces a tingling sensation but should not be painful.

Who Should Not Use a TENS Unit?

  • Persons using a CARDIAC PACEMAKER

  • Has any form of malignancy,

  • Various conditions where circulation is impaired.

  • Persons with a heart condition.

  • By someone with epilepsy

  • Around the head

  • With the electrodes placed on the neck near carotid

  • It may not be used transcerebrally across the head,

  • Not over the carotid sinus(where the jaw meets the neck), over metal implants or in conjunction with sleep apnea or heart monitors.

You should be aware that TENS units provide symptomatic therapy only and are not considered curative.

What are potential adverse effects with using TENS Units?

Users of TENS machines experience significant pain relief by and large. Some patients note that their skin is red where the electrodes are placed.

How can I obtain a TENS Unit?

One needs a prescription from a medical provider such as a chiropractor or an MD/DO for a TENS Machine. When you receive a TENS Unit, the machine will be set to optimally manage your pain condition and personal instructions will be given on its use. One should not attempt to change the settings without having undergone this instruction.

Electrodes are attached to the surface of the skin over or near the area where you are experiencing pain. It is important that you learn how to:

-Correctly put on the electrodes -Operate the Unit -Change the Batteries -Vary the controls and Settings -Set the proper duration and intensity of the stimulation

How well do they work?

For some chronic and acute pain patients, a TENS machine provides pain relief that can last for several hours. For others, a TENS Unit may help reduce the amount of pain medication needed.

Research on TENS

Few quality research studies have been done on the use of TENS for pain relief. With regards to the literature that does exist, it's controversial. Anecdotally however, patients often rave about the pain relief felt. In conjunction with physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, or pain management treatments, the results tend to be good to excellent. They also work well in the post-operative setting.

Conclusion

Despite the lack of hard scientific data backing up TENS unit efficacy, they are mainstream for pain control and extremely safe. Ask your doctor if a TENS will help your condition.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Natural Arthritis Joint Pain Relief Supplements And Products


Arthritis causes damage not only to the two opposing bones but also to the adjoining tissues, ligaments, tendons, bursae and muscles. Arthritis may be of countless types. Some of the types are:

1. Osteoarthritis - This type is a part of the natural aging of joints. With aging, cartilages lose power to repair itself after daily wear and tear and are lost in no time. This exposes the unguarded bones to friction and erosion as a result of it. This causes much pain and inflammation.

2. Rheumatoid arthritis - This type of arthritis is prevalent among comparatively younger people. It occurs when a misdirected immune system attacks and erodes healthy joint tissues.

3. Lupus - Lupus, like rheumatoid arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder.

4. Gout - It is the outcome of faulty metabolism. It occurs when uric acid crystals collect within a joint.

Natural Arthritis Pain Relief Supplements and Products

Some of the renowned arthritis pain relief supplements may be discussed as follows:

Recovery with herbal massage oil is good for arthritis pain relief. It effectively reduces pain and inflammation, arrests joint tissue damage, fosters tissue repair, enhances circulation to tissues and promotes cell regeneration. The ingredients of herbal oil include EGCG, theaflavin, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol extracted from tea and grape, MSM, DMG, Vitamin C, Bromelain, Glucosamine and energy.

Glucosamine is an important anti-arthritis ingredient. It is a form of glucose that brings about cartilage tissue repair and rebuilding. Bromelain, a substance derived from pineapple, has natural analgesic properties. One may take 1 teaspoon of Recovery powder twice daily. 5 Recovery capsules are equivalent to one teaspoon of powder.

The above products are examples of natural arthritis pain relief supplements. There are several other similar instances. Almost all natural arthritis pain relief supplements contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, botanicals, and extracts and concentrates from the following substances.

GLA or Gamma - Linolenic acid is a form of omega-6 fatty acid. It is very helpful in treating pain, swelling and stiffness due to rheumatoid arthritis. GLA comes from natural ingredients such as:

1. Black currant oil extracted from seeds of black currant (contains 15%-20% GLA).
2. Borage seed oil (contains 20%-26% GLA).
3. Evening primrose extracts (contains 7%-10% GLA).

Boswellic acid is obtained from the bark of Boswellia and Indian Frankincense.

Avocado Soyabean Unsaponifiables (ASU) is obtained from avocado and soybeans oil. ASU checks the release of certain inflammatory chemicals by the body.

Bromelain is anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving enzyme found in pineapple.

Cat's claw is an anti-inflammatory, immune cell stimulating dried root bark of a woody vine growing in Amazon forests.

Turmeric, a yellow colored powdered root of turmeric plant, contains curcumin that lessens joint pain, inflammation and stiffness.

Ginger root eliminates pain and joint stiffness.

Roots and stem of Stinging nettle alleviates inflammatory and painful conditions.

Devil's claw grows in South Africa. It reduces joint pain and inflammation.

Fish oil contained in cold water fishes like salmon, halibut, herring, cod, tuna etc., is a rich source of omega-3 fatty that helps to get rid of joint pain and swelling

Flaxseed or linseed oil is derived from seed of flax plant. It contains omega-6 fatty acid, omega-3 fatty acid and lignans that lubricate joint lowering stiffness and pain.

DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone, an androgen steroid hormone. Natural DHEA lessens joint ache.

MSM or methylsulfonylmethane is an organic sulfur compound coming from fruits, vegetables and grains. MSM control nerve signals that relay pain sensations and also helps in building connective tissue.

SAM-e is a naturally occurring chemical in body that checks joint pain, inflammation, stiffness, improves mobility and helps in cartilage regeneration.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate trigger cartilage rebuilding and increases cartilage elasticity by drawing fluids in to cartilage tissue.

Tips For Improving Bone and Joint Health


In the United States, one in three adults suffer from some form of chronic joint pain. Most of these joint pain problems can be reduced or avoided completely with just some basic changes in our everyday lifestyles. This article is designed to give you tips and advice that can help.

1. Lose weight - Carrying around extra body weight creates severe strains on your joints, particularly the knee joints. You can drastically reduce the amount of pain you feel in those joints by simply losing weight. In fact, losing as little as ten pounds of body weight can help improve the joint pain problems almost immediately.

2. Stretch first - If you exercise a lot, and particularly if you work hard to build muscle, you need to be sure you stretch first. Many bodybuilding and weight lifting related joint pain problems are caused by tendinitis, which is an inflammation or irritation of the tendons. This type of joint pain can be reduced or eliminated by stretching, because you'll warm up your tendons before working them too hard, and they'll be more flexible and able to handle the added weight or exercise loads you're putting on them.

3. Warm Up - This tip also applies to anyone who exercises or lifts weights regularly. Your body needs to be warmed up properly in order to work properly and avoid excess injuries. Warming up allows your tendons to flex and become more supple, allows the muscles to loosen up and work better, and gets the blood flowing through your body.

4. Change Exercises - Whether you're an avid or occasional exerciser, you might want to consider changing the type of exercise you do. Impact style exercising such as step aerobics or kick boxing is much harder on your joints, and can cause a lot more pain and problems. Change to exercises such as yoga and water based workouts to take the load off your joints and help prevent more pain problems.

5. Don't over exercise - Regardless of the type of exercise you do, or how heavy your workout is, your body needs time to repair. Someone who does hours of intense exercising daily will have more problems with chronic joint pain than someone who allows their body to recuperate. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments all need time to rest and repair after a hard workout. That's what causes them to strengthen over time.

6. Change Positions - Even if you don't workout, your job or daily routines could be the cause of chronic joint pain. Sitting or standing all day are examples of routines that can cause joint pain. Try to vary your routine a bit, to give both your body and your joints variety and rest periods.

7. Get Better Shoes - Women who wear high heeled shoes have 7-10 times greater chances of developing joint pain and problems. If you're in love with super high heeled shoes, at least try to vary the height regularly. Wear one inch heels for a day, then two inch heels another day and so on. It's best if you simply stick to heels lower than three inches though.

Likewise, if you wear tennis other other types of shoes, you need to make sure they fit properly. Your toes should not be cramped, and there should be the proper amount of arch support. Your shoes should also have some sort of cushion, particularly under the ball and heel areas of your feet.

8. Get Your Supplements - Making sure you're getting enough of the required vitamins, minerals and supplements is one of the best ways to help reduce, eliminate, and even prevent chronic joint pain. Calcium is important to keep your bones strong, and strong bones keep your joints healthy. You also need plenty of vitamin C and anti-oxidants. Fish oil and flax oil provide omega-3 fatty acids, which work wonders for keeping your joints in optimum health, and glucosamine helps improve joint flexibility, as well as helping to rebuild joint cartilage.

Natural Dog Arthritis Cures


You probably already know that like people dogs also are afflicted with Arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs because there has been damage to the joints. With the onset of this joint disease your pet will show signs of lameness and generally be much slower in her physical movements. Cold weather, too much exercise, or some type of traumatic injury to the joints or ligaments can bring about the onset of arthritis. Natural dog arthritis cures can help to alleviate this debilitating, degenerative joint disease.

The number one cause of arthritis in dogs is obesity. Too much weight puts stress and pressure on joints causing inflammation leading to arthritis. Poor nutrition, lack of exercise and prior injury to bones and joints are other causes.

The first defense against this crippling disease is a natural diet and elimination of processed food and commercial pet food. Dairy products, grains, peppers, tomatoes, salt and preservatives should all be avoided.

Feed your pet fresh raw meaty bones and lean meats. Increase her fiber intake with extra vegetables such as Green Beans, Carrots, Cilantro, Asparagus and Beets. Make sure the vegetables are grated or pulverized as dogs cannot digest whole vegetables. You can sprinkle herbal antioxidants such as Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Parsley and Celery Seed on your pet's food to protect cells from damage.

Exercise is an important element in the prevention of this disease. Daily walking to keep the joints flexible will aid in retarding the disease, although in dogs with advanced stages of the disease exercise can be very painful.

Herbal remedies can be very effective in the treatment of arthritis in dogs. Herbs such as Dandelion, Burdock Root, Devils Claw and Frankincense have proven to be very effective when properly applied. Two herbs that can greatly reduce the pain of arthritis are Licorice Root and Cayenne. Licorice Root is used in place of steroids or as an anti-inflammatory agent and Cayenne taken internally provides pain relief. Wild Yam, which acts much like cortisone and St.-John's-Wort are additional herbs that ease pain and aid in the healing process.

There are many effective herbal remedies for this degenerative joint disease. Learning about them and learning how to apply these various remedies will provide you with a safe, non-toxic and relatively inexpensive solution to the ravages of this painful joint disease.

What Are The Health Benefits You Can Get From Belly Dancing?


Belly dancing has been widely known for the numerous benefits that are available for women who practice this dance form. These beneficial aspects of belly dancing not merely have physical appeal but there are also psychological benefits of belly dancing. These beneficial aspects manifests themselves, if the dance form has been practiced twice or thrice per week.

One of the most well known health benefit that can be extracted from dancing is the relief from joint and back ache. Just imagine, you can get rid of this painful join and back aches while enjoying and having fun from belly dancing, as well.

What happens is that the hip joints get into movement and also the sidelining joints and ligaments start moving. The gentle and repetitive movements in belly dancing certainly have strong effect on the joints and tend to relieve much of the pain.

As it involves constant practice and consistent movements of body parts, this gives a certain degree of strength to the bones of dancer. The legs gain a continuous weight bearing work ability for the legs. This is a great preventive measure for osteoporosis, as it increases the overall bone strength.

Apart from its above listed health benefits, one of the most important factor about belly dancing is that almost every women can avail its benefits, as this dance form can accommodate a diverse array of women. Also, as far as the weight loss aspect is concerned, it can burn 300 calories within an hour, only.

Belly dancing moves are also responsible for the maintained flow of synovial fluid that is a natural lubricating agent. The pelvic position that must be guided by a professional dance instructor actually relieves the backache.

This dance form also lowers the overall stress level, which includes both the bodily and mental stress. These slow dance movements can be nice exercises as a prenatal form of work out. So, start the belly dancing right away to get your bunch of health benefits.

To get started, you should start by purchasing a course online or attend a live class.

Thanks to modern technological advancements, especially internet in this case which has made possible for people all around the world to share information. Nothing is impossible through this medium.

You are always clicks away from learning or watching or sharing any information. So, if you are unable to learn this dance because of unavailability of instructors or due to some other financial problems then learning it online would probably be the best idea.

In addition to that, you must also know that there are many benefits of doing this dance and its effects are very positive on the human body. It is especially recommended to moms who have lost the shape of their body during pregnancy or are suffering from obesity. There is a slight problem that belly dancing is not that easy. It requires training and practice.

You might encounter few problems with the online medium first if you are not exactly used to taking online classes but with the passage of time it would mitigate and you will be in control. One more important thing to remember is that it always depends on you. It is your body that is capable of unleashing your creative abilities. Your willingness and devotion is the primary factor that would determine the outcome. So, what are you waiting for? Internet is the medium where you can learn it all. Just search for the classes online and you are on.

What Can Be Done to Relieve SI Joint Pain?


The sacroiliac joint (or SI joint) connects the base of the spine with the pelvis. Not surprisingly, the sacroiliac joint rests between the sacrum (S1 - S5 vertebrae) and the ilia bones (hips). The SI joint helps to protect your pelvis from fracture or damage due to the stress and torsion that using our legs on a daily basis can cause.

Many people may experience pain from their SI joint. This often manifests as lower back pain above the buttocks. And the vast majority of these cases are caused by inflammation of the tissues around the SI joint. However, a lot of medical professionals are reluctant to recognize SI joint pain since the joint doesn't really move very much, however, slowly many of them are realizing that the pain is in fact very real.

If you're experiencing any sort of SI pain, then maybe you've seen a doctor about it and he has recommended surgery to fuse the joint. That sounds kind of scary and dangerous, and it is! Oftentimes, you can resolve the problem with simple exercise to reduce inflammation. After all, why do an extreme surgery when the real problem isn't the joint, but inflammation around the joint?

Here are some simple exercises you can do to get started. But first it is important to stabilize and neutralize the spine first to make sure that you don't make any sort of misalignment worse.

To do this, simply stand against a wall. Normally, only your shoulders and buttocks will touch the wall leaving a space between the lower back and the wall. Move your navel back into the wall so that your entire back touches the wall and rests flat.

Okay, now we're going to do what are called "Wall Sits." When I was a kid in elementary school, my gym teacher would make us do these to punish us for misbehaving. These are difficult, but give them a shot. They might be just what you need to fix your SI joint pain.

Keep your back flat against the wall, like you did above. Now lower yourself down so that your thighs stick out 90 degrees from the wall and your knees are bent 90 degrees. Your knees should be directly over your ankles and your knees and feet should be pointed directly forward.

Hold this position for as long as you can. The tops of your thighs will likely start to hurt soon, but continue to keep the position as long as possible. Remember to keep your back flat against the wall while you're doing this.

This should help with the pain you're feeling. Remember though that the pain is most likely caused by muscle imbalances that have pushed the pelvis or SI joint out of alignment and placed added stress in that area. You will still need to take care of these muscle imbalances or else the pain will come back sooner or later.

Yog Mudra For Arthritis


It has been found that with changes in diet and food, proper rest, regular Yog Mudras, lifestyle changes, loss excessive weight and we cure joint pain. yoga for arthritis improves the blood circulation in joints and helps in removing unwanted toxins and other waste products.This is totally wrong that arthritis patient should not do exercise or it would damage his joints. Now, even the western research has shown that exercise especially Yoga and various Yog Mudras can control Arthritis. Fact is if arthritis patient tries to move joints then pain increases so he does not move the joints and hence problem increases. As there is no movement, the situation becomes worse. So through the yoga for arthritis done slowly, controlled physical movement of joints are helpful for Arthritis patients.

Arthritis - 'arth' meaning joint, 'itis' meaning inflammation. The most depressing aspect of the disease is that it does not get easily cured through medicine when it is in chronic stages.

How to cure joint pain with different Yog Mudras -

Vayu Mudra: Fold the index finger on the pad of thumb and press the forefinger through thumb.

Vayu mudra help in controlling Joint Pain, Muscular Pain, any kind of Numbness, joint Swelling and even Kampan Bai.

Diet and Water:
Diet is the most important factor for the joint problem. Healthy diet and water will help to remove waste mater and toxins from the body. Vegetarian diet specially uncooked food, raw juice, sprouted grains and wheat grass juice is very benefical. The patient should take about 100 ml of wheat grass juice daily in the morning and slowly this quantity should be raised upto 300 ml.

Patient should totally avoid preserved cooked food. Always try to have fresh food.

Try to avoid rich Vath food like soybeans, Kadi, Arbi, Uradh dal, Rajama, lady finger, baigan, especially curd at night.
Boiled vegetables, green vegetables, rice cooked with cloves are good to eat.
Add ginger, methi dana in the diet.
Drinking plenty of Luke warm water helps remove toxins from the body.
Fasting once a week is also very helpful.

Body Cleansing Kriyas:
Yogic body cleaning processes known as Shatkarmas are extremely powerful in that they work on specific areas of the body that have the maximum impact upon our health. These detoxification techniques are a sort of cleansing that helps the body rid itself of toxins. When the different systems of the body have been purified, the overall result is that energy can flow through the body freely. One's capacity to work, think, digest, taste, feel, experience, etc., increases and greater awareness develops. Enema: Lukewarm enema with lemon juice should be given to the patient. Arthritis patients should take proper treatment under the guidance of an expert Naturopath, Magneto-therapist, Accupressure Therapist, or Acu-Puncture Therapist.

Yoga Asans
Simple Yogic basic kriyas like different kind of movement of joints and limps help in improving circulation of blood in these parts of body; Various other kind of Yogasan like: Vajrasan, Pawanmukatasan, Uttanpadasan, Surya Namasker, Sarapasan, bhuanj asan, padam asan, trikonasan, tarasan, kati chakra asan, Anulom Vilom Pranayam etc. are very helpful for Arthritis patients.

Massage:

Whole body massage with herbal oils having essential oil of Garlic, Arand, Methi are very helpful in curing joint pains. A light massage of medicated Ayurveda Mahanarayan Oil on the limbs and joints is also essential. Red charged oil should be applied over the joints and proper scientific massege should be done over the joints.
Excretory organs and the foreign matter: The foreign matter should be excreted out through the excretory organs properly (Skin, Lungs, Intestines and the Kidneys). Hot footbath,steam bath, sun bath hip bath and cooling wet sheek pack, etc. help a lot in excreting out the foreign matter.

Hot and cold fomentation: Hot and cold fomentation should be applied over the joints of the patient. Three minutes hot pack and 1 minute cold pack should be applied for about 12 months. The treatment should be started with hot pack and end with cold pack.

Chromotherapy plays a vital role in the treatment of arthritis. Some tips are given below:-
Green charged water: About 1-2 cups of green charged water should be given to the patient empty stomach three times daily. This helps in throwing out the toxic matter from the body.
Herbal Therapy: Ajwayan or methi dana or saunth or lahsun or bathwa or nirgundi, etc. are very useful in the treatment of arthritis. About 5 gms of methi dana soaked in water or saunth powder 2.5 gms with honey should be given to the patient.

Mud-therapy:
Mud therapy helps a lot in arthritis. It reduces pain, toxic matter and obesity.

Healthy Tips.
Try to avoid Pain Killers. Instead of painkillers use wax packs to control pain.
Try to control constipation use issabgol, Trifala, bail Powder.
Try to avoid stress, keep your self cool and away from jealousy for any one. Practise meditational techniques to divert your mind.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

TMJ Exercises - Ways to Alleviate Your TMJ Pain


TMJ, Temporomandibular joint disorder, is a condition in the jaw joints which causes pain, swelling, immobility and other symptoms that can hinder your quality and routine of daily life. If left untreated, the condition will worsen and could possibly result in the need for reconstructive surgery. While, there are many different causes for TMJ, the symptoms are the same and more easily defined than the causes. The most common symptoms of TMJ include swelling on the sides of the face, jaw joint pain, mobility issues with the joints, ear pain and headaches.

The causes of TMJ could include a botched dental procedure, habitual jaw movements (like excessive gum chewing or teeth grinding) and jaw disfiguration or bone loss problems. Some of the causes are an easy fix with just a night guard to stop grinding, while other causes require surgery to correct the problems with the jaw bones and attached joints.

There are some home remedies that can be used to manage the pain, not cure or correct the disease. For accurate treatment of the disease you must work with a medical professional, but TMJ exercises have been shown to help with the pain, discomfort and stiffness associated with hindering daily life of TMJ symptom sufferers. TMJ exercises include a series of movements that allows the jaw joints to loosen up and stretch while strengthening the muscles surrounding the joints.

There are a series of exercises that can be performed to help your jaw muscles relax and promote healthy jaw health. One exercise involves placing your fist under your chin and balancing the weight of your chin on your jaw while allowing it to relax. You should be able to do this without it clicking. This is an isometric exercise. Hold the position for ten seconds and release and repeat ten times in total. Another exercise that can be used to relieve TMJ symptoms is by pressing your fist against one side of your jaw and using the isometric energy to relax the jaw much as you did in the first exercise. Maintain a steady pressure and hold this position for ten seconds then release and repeat ten times just as above. Switch to the other side of your jaw and repeat the exercise.

There are other TMJ exercises that have been known to work, but these mentioned are the safest and have the lowest level of impact on your jaw joints and the muscles surrounding them. They are safe and can be used to help relieve pain and discomfort, or to prevent TMJ symptoms from popping up in the future. With these exercises and a treatment plan by your doctor you can be on your way to a TMJ symptom-free life.

Vitamins For Joint Pain


One of the things you can do to help with your joint pain is to make sure you take vitamins and quite easy to take with your everyday meals.

Vitamin C supports joints and the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 5000 milligrams. It is best to source this vitamin from natural foods like fruit and not from supplements in the form of pills. Try to eat some fruit with your meal everyday and it will help with joints.

Another important vitamin is vitamin B complex which supports the nervous system. There are 6 members to the vitamin B family and they are Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and Pantothenin acid. Lack of some of the vitamin B family may be a reason for developing arthritis. Vitamin B is usually taken in supplements and will contain all 6 members of the vitamin family and will help reduce the pain associated with joint ache.

A low intake of vitamin A can result in painful joints and if you suffer from joint pain you may want to increase your consumption of vitamin A. You can obtain vitamin A from eating most vegetables that yellow and orange, like carrots, sweet potatoes and squash.

Probiotics are foods that helps raise the good digestive bacteria inside your stomach and intestines. This bacteria and other digestive enzymes will help you digest and absorb nutrients from the food that you eat. Unfortunately a lot of people are not able to absorb all the nutrients from the food that they eat, even if they eat lots of food. Probiotics can help you process all the food that you eat and will help people with joint pain because you are absorbing the nutrients from the food and all thanks to probiotics.

Another supplement to take is folic acid and has been useful to reduce hip fractures because of osteoporosis. Taking a supplement for bone minerals such as calcium and magnesium is important for people suffering from joint pain. Zinc can also relieve aching joints

Turmeric and bromelain, which is a protease enzyme and comes from pineapples, has shown to reduce joint pain symptoms by up to 73%. Alpha-lipoic acid are anti-oxidants and are highly recommended as part of an anti-inflammtory diet

An organic sulfur containing nutrient called methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has been proven to be helpful in relieving symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis and thus reducing the pain. Another supplement to take is chondroitin which helps construct cartilage whilst glucosamine will decrease inflammation.

Some natural herbs have anti-inflammatory properties such as boswellia and herbs like ashwagandha and ginseng can control a hypersensitive immune system. Other herbs that can cure painful joints are celery seed, St Johns wort, juniper, sarsaparilla, angelica, wild yam, devils claw and willow bark.

Other natural remedies to consider is prickly ash tea which helps ease joint pain by improving blood circulation. A hot cup of ginger tea every day will lower joint pain and reduce inflammation. Try a cup of tea made from nettle leaves, or the root, can heal arthritis joint pain.

Heated pads or maybe a warm damp cloth will relax muscles, relieve stiffness and reduce the pain. Rubbing ice cubes, wrapped in a towel, onto joints will reduce the pain and swelling. Massaging painful joint with camphorated mustard oil, coconut oil, peppermint oil, castor oil, hot vinegar, olive oil or warm parrfin will relieve the discomfort.

How about soaking in a warm bath and by adding Epsom salt to bath water will lessen arthritis joint pain. The warm will definitely help and taking walks in the sun without any sunscreen is perhaps one of the easiest way to treat arthritis joint pain naturally.

Gentle stretching around stiff joints as many times as possible throughout the day will keep arthritis pain at bay and taking alkaline juices like carrot, celery and red beet will help relieve pain.

Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Joint Pain And Inflammation


Joint pain, in truth, is more of a symptom than a disease. Joint pain may be accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and irritability. At times the pain may be so debilitating that it may cause one to toss and turn in bed and spend sleepless nights. The causes of pain in the joint may be listed as follows:

1. Autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
2. Osteoarthritis occurring due to cartilage degeneration and formation of bony spurs or osteophytes
3. Gout
4. Septic arthritis or pyarthrosis
5. Sprain and over-strains
6. Fibromyalgia
7. Bursitis or inflammation of bursae or fluid-filled sacs that couch or cushion joint structure
8. Tendonitis or inflammation of tendons supporting the joint
9. Chondromalacia patellae
10. Osteomyelitis
11. Aseptic necrosis
12. Plant thorn synovitis
13. Steroid drug withdrawal
14. Torn ACL
15. Sickle cell disease
16. Siogren's syndrome
17. Illiotibial band syndrome
18. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
19. Dengue fever
20. Synovial sarcoma
21. Fracture
22. Bone tumor
23. Infectious diseases like influenza, hepatitis, measles, mumps, parvovirus, lyme disease, rheumatic fever, rubella, varicella or chicken pox etc.

Natural Ways to Lessen Joint Pain and Inflammation

1. A warm water shower can ease joint pain. One may also soak the affected joint in warm water with little bit of Epsom salt added to it. This gives much relief from pain in the joint and inflammation.

2. One may apply eucalyptus oil on the aching joint and after some time place a warm moist towel on the joint. This treatment fetches good results against pain and inflammation.

3. Performing hot and cold fomentations of the aching joint provides immediate relief from the ache.

4. A cup of papaya seed tea may be taken 6-7 times all through the day. This is a very helpful treatment for pain and inflammation.

5. A glass of warm milk with one tablespoon turmeric relieves joint pain effectively.

6. Consumption of garlic roasted with butter effectively reduces pain in the joint and inflammation.

7. One may take apple cider vinegar. It fetches good results in alleviating pain in the joint.

8. Regular stretching exercises check the occurrence and recurrence of pain in the joint and inflammation. Exercises also check obesity which is one leading cause of pain and inflammation. Yogic exercises like gomukh asana are also very helpful in alleviating pain in the joint.

9. Proper posture while sitting, standing, walking or lying keeps joint pain at bay.

10. Massaging hot vinegar on painful and inflamed joints at bed time yields good results.

11. Massaging aching joints with warm olive oil or camphorated mustard oil/coconut oil reduces pain in the joint and inflammation effectively.

12. Banana fruit consumption is recommended in this case, for banana effectively restores lost nutrients in the joint and greases the joint.

13. One may take carrot juice for it sufficiently strengthens ligaments.

14. Increased intake of fluids flushes out toxins from one's system and reduces joint pain and inflammation.

15. Increased intake of omega 3 fatty acid rich oil and vitamins effectively tackle painful conditions.

16. Herbal supplements and pain relief oil Rumatone Gold can also be used effectively to reduce joint pain and inflammation.

Yoga Teacher Training: Knee Pain


When attending a yoga teacher training intensive, Paul gave a lecture about pain that I could never forget. Basically, he said: "We usually take life for granted, when we are healthy, but when we are in pain, we can think of nothing else." Yogic science directly addresses suffering and does its best to let us enjoy a pain free life. As you know, there are no guarantees in life, but we can be proactive toward living the best possible life during each precious moment.

A regular yoga practice is one of the best remedies for knee pain. Not only do physical therapists utilize certain yogic practices in their rehabilitation routines, but also physical, occupational, and yoga therapists have been recommending poses and series based on yogic techniques for decades.

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Knee pain occurs for a variety of reasons. Often, it is the result of old injuries such as torn ligaments or meniscus that have healed improperly or incompletely. Another common cause of knee pain is tendonitis, which can result from overuse of the patellar tendon. Some younger patients suffer from chondromalacia, which is caused by softened cartilage under the kneecap. Older patients may suffer joint pain in the knee as a result of arthritis, and sometimes scar tissue can build up around the knee from old muscular injuries, causing pain as well.

Common Methods to Remediate Knee Pain

With some of the more common causes of knee pain, the best treatment is to ice and rest until acute inflammation has subsided, and then begin a consistent physical therapy program to promote strength and mobility. What physical therapy does is to strengthen and tone the muscles around the joint or site of injury, preventing compensation by or overburdening of the knee, promoting proper physical alignment within the leg and protecting the joint from stress placed on it by weak or under-performing muscles.

Why Yoga for Knee Pain Works

A daily or regular yoga practice can reduce or eliminate knee pain because some of the physical benefits of practice accomplish the same purpose that physical therapy does. The physical yoga poses aim to stretch, strengthen and align the body properly so that practitioners can enhance their mind-body connections. Thus, the strengthening and stretching of leg muscles during poses, especially of the muscles surrounding the hips and knees, can target knee pain particularly well.

There are some well-trained yoga instructors who will be able to put together a series of poses to reduce or eliminate knee pain, but be very careful. It is best to see a yoga therapist, who has been certified in using yogic exercise as therapy and should have additional training, or to ask a physical therapist what poses can help and what can hinder the healing process.

Although the maxim, "No pain, no gain," may have traction with either you or your students, remember that knee pain can be a sign that you have gone too far. The purpose of yoga is to get you in tune with your body, and that includes listening to your body's pain signals.

Side Notes for Teachers

Therapy is complex and requires each of us to enter into the world of continuing education. Whether you choose to take additional courses in specialist yoga teacher training or some form of therapy, you want to make sure any advice you give to students is within your qualifications to give. Additionally, instructors should know when to tell a student to back off from pain. As many of us have learned: Pushing on a skeletal joint will result in a permanent injury.

穢 Copyright 2012 - Aura Wellness Center - Publications Division

Discover The Secret To The Best Joint Pain Relief


If you are someone who is looking for the best joint pain relief, you will find all that you ever needed in order to successfully cope with your joint pains right here. With the following research, you will finally know how to make your joint symptoms subside.

First of all, you should know that some of the recent studies have qualified MSM as the first medicine on the list that will take care of the pain in your joints. Methyl Sulfonyl Methane is actually a compound that contains sulfur. The beauty is that sulfur can easily be found in plenty of the foods we eat on a daily basis. On a chemical level, Methyl Sulfonyl Methane is related to dimethyl sulfoxide, which is another good treatment for arthritis.

For instance, if you take dimethyl sulfoxide, either orally or applied onto your body, fifteen percent will be broken down by the body into Methyl Sulfonyl Methane. So, fifteen percent of it becomes Methyl Sulfonyl Methane.

Yes, no one can deny that Methyl Sulfonyl Methane is really helpful for those how are suffering from arthritis, but research has also concluded that if you combine with chondroiton and glucosamine, you will furthermore increase the chances for a faster and more promising recovery.

If this supplement combination is enough to get you started, you can easily buy it from any grocery or food store. When you will consider this solution as the best joint pain relief, you should stick to it for at least 21 days. There are individuals who claim that they can instantly feel the difference. However, for most people it takes 3 weeks for the differences to be noticed.

Therefore, if you are serious about managing and trying to eliminate your joint pains and are looking for the secret to the best joint pain relief, try combining chondroiton with glucosamine and MSM. Even if it will takes about a month to fully see the benefits, when the pain goes away, you will be very happy.

Another natural pain reliever

The creosote bush is another great option. Formerly used by a rancher some years ago in order to treat the joint pains of his horses, it was later on discovered by a doctor who made it largely popular through his studies and continuous news about it. This bush has a very powerful anti-inflammatory effect and can easily reduce joint pain in just a matter of minutes in certain cases.

To use it, you will need to simply apply a poultice on the affected area. For this you will need to moisten, but also warm some young stems and leaves and then apply them on the area. The whole mix should be held in place using a bandage and it's recommended that you change it every twelve hours.

Now you know what you must do in order to get rid of your joint pains. These best joint pain relief tips will certainly give you the relief you've been looking for so that you can enjoy your day-to-day activities pain-free.

Glucosamine Dosage


A lot of people are taking "joint vitamins", or glucosamine and other supplements for joint pain associated with arthritis, but I see a lot of mistakes out there that are leading to wasted money and poor results. The main problem is improper glucosamine dosage and timing of that dosage.

First off, glucosamine is really only going to be effective for one type of arthritis, and that's osteoarthritis (OA). Also called degenerative joint disease, this is wear and tear arthritis (as compared to rheumatoid arthritis, which is autoimmune in nature).

Basically, you're wearing out your cartilage faster than your body can replace it. Usually, this is caused by repetitive stress, especially explosive or pounding repetitive stress (running and jumping).

Glucosamine provides precursors to a major component of cartilage. The theory goes, if you make it much easier for your body to make cartilage, you can keep up with the damage you're doing or even reverse the damage you've already done.

The thing is, even with supplementation, your body makes cartilage at a slow rate. So if you're thinking that you are going to pop a pill or two and poof, there goes the pain... not so much.

Quite the opposite, in fact. You're going to have to take glucosamine consistently for at least six to eight weeks to see if there's going to be any effect. And by "consistently", I mean, "religiously". Don't miss a single dose.

Speaking of dose, 1500 milligrams a day is the standard glucosamine dosage. I strongly advise you to break that up into thirds and take with food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's 500 milligrams each time, three times a day, for six to eight weeks minimum.

At that point, you'll have a pretty good idea as to whether or not glucosamine will have any effect on your joint pain. In my experience, the odds are about fifty percent that it will work for you. But you won't know for sure unless you take the right dosage spread out during the day and do it consistently for that six to eight week time period.

You can improve your odds of success by giving yourself some rest during the first week or two that you take glucosamine, and then slowly begin incorporating light exercise for the affected area. Think warm-up weights if it's your upper body, or walking if it's your legs. Light swimming is also okay.

By stressing your joints just a tiny little bit, you will send a signal to the body to build up the joints and actually use the glucosamine you're taking. However, if you keep the exercise light and mild, you won't continue the process of breaking the joint down.

So, rest for a few weeks, followed by light and mild exercise, combined with the proper glucosamine dosage of 500 milligrams, three times daily for six to eight weeks. That's your best bet for the use of this particular supplement.

Aloe Vera - Utilising Aloe Vera in the Treatment of Joint Pain in Humans and Animals


Fed-up of pain, hobbling down the street, and just wanting to alleviate the pain in your joints? Well, for many, the answer is unfortunately, 'yes'.

This article looks at how the healing qualities of the 'aloe vera plant' which when mixed with other natural products may be used as a treatment for alleviating and potentially eradicating joint pain. The plant itself is a small cactus-like looking plant with leaves filled with a gel-like product.

The plant's gel can be directly rubbed into effected areas, but not everyone has an aloe vera plant at their disposal. Fortunately, aloe based natural products exist in retail markets that can bring the benefits of this amazing plant to your door.

Aloe based gels come in many forms and have been created, tested and used to alleviate, reduce and potentially eradicate many conditions, especially skin disorders. For sufferers of joint pain, gels exist in retail markets that incorporate MSM (Methyl-sulfoyl-methane) in their product.

This organic sulphur is found in almost all living organisms and is the third most prevalent substance in the human body. This naturally occurring sulphur compound is crucial in forming muscles, hair, nails and skin. Acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, it works together with 'glucosamine sulphate' and 'chondroitin sulphate' as a defence against joint wear and tear. Glucosamine also stimulates the synthesis of cartilage in joints; reduces degradation and inflammation around joints.

These naturally occurring products when mixed with aloe vera are being used in cr癡mes that can be directly applied to problematic areas as a natural remedy to any joint pain related problem.

The naming of the aloe vera plant as the 'ultimate healer' by the ancient Greeks is well justified. The medicinal properties of this amazing little plant are questionably unrivalled in nature.

Below are some of the benefits of aloe vera and why it's being hailed by many as a wonder plant in the cure of many health problems:


  • The plant extract is naturally 'anti-inflammatory and can be used in the reduction of swelling.

  • It's also anti-viral and helps prevent infection.

  • It's very kind to skin and is used in many beauty products.

  • It assists in the production of collagen and elastin fibres which keep skin youthful

  • It's exceptionally nourishing to skin and contains many vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
These are but a few of 'aloe vera's' wonder properties. There are many other medicinal reasons to use aloe vera, particularly in relation to the digestive system, but these are not covered in this article

How to treat joint related problems:

The 'aloe vera MSM gel' should be massaged directly into problem areas to allow the agents of the cr癡me to work directly at the source. It's gentle on the skin, and doesn't leave a residue.

Aloe gel supplements not only work for people and animals with joint problems, but for those who are at greater risk of injury to muscles and joints from sporting activities.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

SuperFeet Green Insoles Will Make Hiking a Breeze


Problems in your ankles, knees, hip or back may be related to your feet. The health of your feet has a dramatic impact on the health of your body. Many people do not realize that instability in the foot can lead to painful skeletal alignment issues. Feet that are not properly aligned cause the ankles to try and compensate for the misalignment which, in turn, leads to knees trying to compensate for the now improperly aligned ankles, next the hip and back all become misaligned as they all try to compensate for the other misaligned joints.

Because the feet are the foundation of the entire skeletal system, even a slight misalignment can allow the arch to collapse and cause foot pain to spread to the knees, hips, back shoulders and neck. Strained muscles, spinal distortion and poor posture can follow. Without a firm foundation to hold your body's infrastructure in place, the sensation of comfort is only temporary.

IMPROPER ALIGNMENT CAN CAUSE:

• Foot and ankle pain

• Knee stress

• Hip joint stress

• Lower back strain

• Spinal distortion

• Neck strain

While cheap generic cushioned insoles that are made with gel or soft foam that may seem comfortable at first, the lack of firm support will soon become apparent as they fail to adequately support your feet. Non-supportive and gel-based insoles do not effectively align the body, and can increase fatigue and foot pain. Firm support under the foot helps improve the way your shoes fit your feet.

Everybody's feet are different, but everyone can benefit from the support and comfort provided by Superfeet Premium Insoles. Designed using the proven principles of Podiatric medicine, these high quality Insoles provide maximum support and shock absorption and feature Agion簧 antimicrobial top cover treatment to reduce bacteria and help prevent foot odor. All Superfeet Premium Insoles have a patented Encapsulating Stabilizer System簧 [ESS簧] to provide ideal bio-mechanical support, allowing your foot to move easily through its full, healthy range of motion, lowering the risk of fatigue and injury.

Superfeet Green Premium Insoles help relieve the pain and discomfort caused by an unsupported foot during everyday activities, sports and work. The Superfeet Green are recommended for footwear used in running/jogging, walking, hiking, alpine skiing and industrial type footwear. They are ideal for feet with medium to high arches.

For active people, Superfeet Green provide that little extra to keep you safe and comfortable. Proper cushioning and support are key to an injury free hiking trip. Whether you are out for the day, or spending a few weeks backpacking mountainous trails, support and cushioning will help prevent injuries like rolled ankles, and lessen joint aching. These Insoles deliver under the most demanding circumstances.

Green means go, and the Superfeet Green Premium Insoles allow you to go all day long with maximum support. Providing the most stability, shock absorption and support, the Green insoles help reduce over-pronation while stabilizing the mid-foot. For detailed information about these and other fine quality Orthotic Arch Support Insoles, visit The Insole Store today!

Dog Arthritis? A Happy End for My Dog With Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia!


Our dog, Snowy was about 12 years old. A small Jack Russel we got from a local breeder. He was beginning to get a bit lame in the back legs and was having real trouble when he was getting up from a laying down position to all fours. We could tell that he was in a fair amount of pain and we did not want to let him live like this any more, we had to do something. We decided to visit the veterinarian to see if there was anything we could do to treat some of the pain our pet was experiencing. I got in the car, he moved with great difficulty, I could see my Snowy was in pain. It was a long ride all the way to the vets office as I feared the worst, that there would be no treatment or cure for his joint pain.

The vet took us in after a short wait and said that pain in the hips and when getting up was fairly common in older dogs and that just about every breed had some form of hip problems in later life. He had us get Snowy to lay down to see what kind of lameness and limping was occurring when he was standing up and if it was something that may not be treatable. He watched snowy get up slowly and gingerly and limp for a bit but then regain his normal stride. The vet put Snowy up on the table and started to work his hips around putting pressure on certain joints. The dog did not appear to be terribly comfortable with it but he let the vet do his work so he could get a treat. The vet determined that Snowy was experiencing some form of arthritis pain in his hips. It could perhaps even be osteoarthritis because of the nature of the pain Snowy experienced when there was pressure on his joints.

Luckily though the vet said he had been using a new product for some time with great success, he explained to me that it was 100% natural with no secondary effects. This treatment was for dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis that enabled better functioning of the hip joints and eliminated much of the arthritis pain by repairing and reconstructing hard tissue and soft tissues in the dog. This would mean that after the treatment Snowy would have much less difficulty and pain! I was so happy and relieved that there was something to try that would make Snowy's life better!

The best part too is after just a week of the treatments we started to see a huge improvement in snowy. He was able to walk without limping and get up almost no problem. He hesitated a bit still but after the two week mark almost all evidence of the arthritis pain was gone. He even became more active and was willing to play fetch and wanted to go on nightly walks again. I would recommend this treatment to anyone who has a dog that is experiencing hip dysplasia, arthritis or joints problems and pain. It has in a sense turned back the clock on my dog's aging and can do the same for yours. You owe it to your family and your faithful canine companion to ease any of the pain and suffering they are experiencing and help them to lead a wonderful and happy life, this treatment can help any dog to get back to good health and experience a lot less pain.

Water For Wellness - Will Water Cure Disease?


Most of us are aware that we should drink more water, some of us don't see that it's necessary and drink very little, others realise they don't drink enough and are 'going to try to drink more'. I, for one, keep telling myself that I should drink more water ... but I never thought of it before as being a possible cure for many of the health problems that people suffer from today.

Water is, after all, the basis of all life and is vital to our very existence. The muscles that move our body are 75% water; the blood that transports nutrients is 82%; the lungs that provide our oxygen are 90% water; the brain, the control centre of the body is 76% and even our bones are 25% water.

When you think of it - nothing on this earth will survive without water and our health is truly dependent on the quality and quantity of the water we drink.

Another essential nutrient of life is salt and there are many problems that are caused by a deficiency of these two essential nutrients, water and salt.

Among them:
Arthritis, asthma, autism and other birth defects caused by the mother being dehydrated, most back problems (without enough water & salt the body cannot produce enough cartilage to prevent joint degeneration), cancer, high cholesterol which only appears when the body needs it to prevent water loss in cells, circulation problems, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia, headaches, lupus, Multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, obesity, osteoporosis, scleroderma & most skin problems and thyroid problems.

It would seem far too simple to imagine that we could actually cure any of these problems just by adding water and salt to our diet. Yet, according to Dr Batmanghelidj, author of "Your Body's Many Cries for Water", this is just what we can do. Think about it ...what is the most common treatment that is used in hospitals to stabilise the patient? - an IV saline drip.

The pioneering work done by Dr Batmanghelidj shows that Unintentional Chronic Dehydration (UCD) can be a cause for pain and the presence of many degenerative diseases. Increasing water intake and adding sea salt to the diet on a regular basis can prevent and treat many of these degenerative diseases.

Everyone agrees that water is good for the body but what they don't know is what happens to the body if it does not receive its daily requirement.

Thirst signals often show up as pain, and are treated with drugs. These drugs do not 'cure' the problem, instead they just mask the problem. This is like turning out the dashboard signal light that tells us our car is about to overheat.

If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle, make drinking enough natural water a habit in your life. It won't take long for you to feel the benefit.

Using Ultrasound Therapy Machines to Reduce Joint and Muscle Pain


Ultrasound therapy machines are used by trainers, chiropractors, and therapists for treating joint pain, arthritis pain, and muscle pain. Many people believe that this type of therapy alleviates their pain and also helps in their healing process.

In the ultrasound therapy, very high frequency sound waves generated by the ultrasound machines are allowed to deeply penetrate the skin of your painful or injured area. In this procedure, a probe or wand with a rounded head, which is further attached to a home ultrasound machine, is used by holding it in hand. A gel is rubbed on the skin and the probe head is then gently moved on the affected body area by making small circular motions.

The ultrasonic (high frequency) waves are generated by the vibration on the head of the hand held probe. These waves then travel all through the skin causing tissue vibration in the affected areas of the body. This vibration of tissues heats them up, resulting in many beneficial effects on the injury. This is so because now the heated area draws more blood as a result of which large amounts of nutrients are delivered to the affected area. The main aim here is to somehow increase the flow of blood so that large amounts of nutrients reach the affected cell tissues.

The dosage of therapeutic ultrasound can easily be varied by slightly altering the frequency of the ultrasound beam. All the necessary controls for achieving this are placed on the control panel of ultrasound machine. A much deeper penetration of waves is achieved when the frequency is lowered, successfully dealing with any deep tissue injury.

High frequency dosages are normally used for all those injuries which are much closer to surface of the skin. A normal therapy session lasts about 4 - 12 minutes depending upon the injury.

There are some areas which should be avoided during the usage of ultrasound therapy machines. You should never use ultrasound therapy machines near the brain, spine, face, lungs, liver, kidneys, testicles, or ovaries. Care should also be taken when ultrasound therapy machines are used on pregnant women or people taking coagulant medicines.

Ultrasound therapy is usually safe when it is administered by some trained person or therapeutic professional. This is due to the ability of the handheld probe to burn the surface tissues or even cartilage and bones if continuously, kept in place, on some area for a long duration.

Ultrasound therapy machines are now also available for fibromyalgia treatment and rehabilitation. As fibromyalgia involves a soft tissue inflammation, therefore a particular type of portable ultrasound machine is used in its treatment. It is essential to purchase quality ultrasound therapy machines, which are approved by FDA. They should also be covered with a minimum one year warranty.

Today you can also purchase ultrasound therapy machines for personal use at home. These models would cost you few hundred dollars. You should however consult your doctor before using such ultrasound therapy machines.

Is the Pain Coming From My Shoulder Or From a Spinal Neck Problem?


Shoulder pain can result from any one of the following typical problems.

1) Shoulder arthritis, also called Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)

2) Rotator cuff problem, such as rotator cuff tear

3) Subacromial impingement, called Impingement Syndrome

4) Cervical Spinal Stenosis

5) Cervical Disc Herniation

6) There are quite a few others, these are the usual culprits

So how do you know what the generator of the pain is? How does one tell if the pain is coming from a shoulder problem, a neck problem (cervical spine), or a combination of the two? From a combination of patient history, physical examination, and imaging studies, the answer usually becomes apparent.

If there is still a quandary after the above is performed, an injection into the shoulder may serve both a diagnostic and therapeutic purpose. If the pain is coming from Impingement Syndrome, an injection of pain medication (numbing plus/minus steroid) into the space called the Subacromial Space may substantially or completely decrease the pain within a few minutes. If the pain is completely alleviated, one can be fairly certain the subacromial space pathology is causing the pain.

If the patient's x-rays show considerable degenerative joint disease of the shoulder itself, an injection into the glenohumeral joint should be considered. Technically it's a more difficult injection, but if accomplished correctly and the pain diminishes substantially then voila, mission accomplished.

If the patient has a disc herniation in the neck, called a cervical disc herniation, it can result in shoulder pain. Also, if a patient has spinal stenosis in the neck, one or multiple nerve roots may be compressed from arthritis. The cervical spinal stenosis resulting in pinched nerve(s) may cause considerable shoulder pain and may be seen as a result of a shoulder problem when in fact it is not.

Keep in mind that even if a person's shoulder pain is being generated from a cervical spine problem, the patient may not have any neck pain at all. So this means it is not a prerequisite for determining whether the neck is the culprit.

So if the shoulder injection(s) either do not help or only partially relieve the person's pain, and the patient has a neck problem, injection(s) can be performed in the neck. These are usually epidural injections around the nerve root being pinched from the herniated disc or the nerve roots being pinched with spinal stenosis.

Defining how much pain is relieved by either the shoulder injection or the cervical injections can define where the pain is being generated. In conjunction with the information from the history and physical examination and imaging studies, physicians should be able to fairly accurately classify the source of the pain.

A Review of Senior Arthritis and Its Effects on the Elderly


Seniors face a number of health related issues, often simply as the result of aging, but also because over time their body is at an increased risk of developing an illness. Of the many conditions common to those over sixty, arthritis is one of the most commonplace disorders, which can have a very large impact on a senior's daily life.

One of the most common misconceptions about arthritis is that it only affects the elderly, but this is not actually the case. Arthritis can affect even children who are very young, however it is far more common among the elderly. In fact, among seniors, arthritis is the single most common mobility related disorder. Another misconception about arthritis is that it is only a single disease, but arthritis is actually a very broad term used to describe over a hundred different disorders.

Even though there are many different types of arthritis and it can affect the body in many ways, it is commonly a joint disorder, which affects the cartilage and bones around an individuals joints.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of senior arthritis and is called wear-and-tear arthritis, as a result of it typically being the result of time and use in a joint. The risk of this type of degenerative arthritis is much more common among those who play certain high impact sports, such as soccer, or professions such as farming, where the individual might perform the same repetitive motion over and over again. The Knee is the most likely joint to be affected by osteoarthritis, however it can also affect a number of other joints, including those in the hand or feet. Generally, this will only affect a single side of the body and not both sides at once, unlike many other types of arthritis.

Another common type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, however this is generally not the direct result of joint use, but is considered to be an autoimmune disorder. With an autoimmune disorder, the immune system, which is the part of the body responsible for fighting infection, begins attacking healthy tissue and body parts. In rheumatoid arthritis, this results in the cartilage and are around a joint being broken down, resulting in joint damage. Unlike many other kinds of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis can extend to organs as well as joints. In most seniors with rheumatoid arthritis, joints are attacked symmetrically, so that those on both of the side of the body are affected at once.

While rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are by far the most common kinds of elderly arthritis, with wear-and-tear arthritis being exceptionally common, there are over a hundred other kinds of arthritis and many affect the elderly. In addition, the elderly are at risk for a number of other diseases and conditions, like osteoporosis, which affects bone strength. In many seniors, it is a combination of these sorts of diseases working together that significantly decrease mobility, as well as increase the risk for injury.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Rib Pain - Many Possible Causes


Rib pain can have many possible causes, and therefore it's sometimes difficult to get an accurate diagnosis quickly. First, let's take a look at some of the obvious ones: rib pain causes from injuries.

Fractured (Broken) or Cracked Ribs - These are usually pretty easy to diagnose because the pain is severe and sharp. Many people say a fractured rib produces some of the worst pain there is. When you have a fractured or broken rib, you usually know how you got it: perhaps a blow to the body during athletic competition, an auto accident, or a fall. Painful breathing is a typical symptom. The injured area is likely to be extremely sensitive, and any movement involving the arms or torso will cause discomfort.

Cartilage Injury - Cartilage is the soft material connecting your breastbone to your ribs. It allows your ribcage to be flexible and somewhat shock-absorbent. When this cartilage is damaged, it will feel like a rib injury. Cartilage damage in your chest will cause pain when you're breathing, laughing or coughing.

Soft Tissue Damage - Soft tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments are spread around the rib cage. These can be injured or damaged by a sharp blow, or even by trying to lift or push something that's too heavy. The result is rib pain which may make breathing or moving uncomfortable.

Bone and Joint Conditions

Joint inflammation - When joints near the ribs become inflamed, the pain can feel like it's happening in your ribcage. Joint inflammation becomes fairly common in middle age and beyond due to the two following conditions.

Osteoarthritis - Cartilage connecting the ribs to the breastbone and backbone wears out with age. The resulting inflammation causes pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis - When you have this disease, your body's immune system attacks itself. When this happens in joints and connections around the ribs, it causes pain in the ribs.

Rib Pain Caused by Lung Conditions and Diseases

There are a number of diseases related to the lungs that cause ribcage pain. These include:

Pleurisy - The lining between the lungs and the ribcage is known as the pleura. When it becomes infected, the inflammation causes pain in the ribs. When you have a bad case of pleurisy, just breathing in and out can be very uncomfortable.

Pneumonia - Rib pain is typical when you have pneumonia. Coughing, laughing, breathing, sneezing can all be painful.

Tuberculosis - Painful ribs is one of the many symptoms of tuberculosis, along with coughing, fever and fatigue.

Ribcage Pain and Lung Diseases

Several types of cancer can cause pain in the ribs or ribcage area. The most common of these include lung cancer and multiple myeloma.

Rib pain is a symptom in approximately 80 percent of multiple myeloma cases. Many lung cancer patients also experience various kinds of rib pain, sometimes including the area of the upper back.

Rib pain is often a symptom in several lung diseases related smoking or extended exposure to pollutants. Mesothelioma and asbestosis lead the list in this category.

Asbestosis is a non-cancerous buildup of scar tissue located in the lower half of the lungs. It results from long term exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is also often caused by prolonged asbestos exposure, which damages the pleural lining of the lungs and sometimes the pericardial lining of the heart.

Various Other Causes of Rib Pain

The following causes for pain in the ribs fit into the "miscellaneous" category:

Gallbladder problems like gallstones or a gallbladder attack

Nerve issues (especially caused by damage to the spinal column)

Shingles, which often starts with acute pain in the ribcage area of the torso before erupting into an extremely uncomfortable rash

Abuse of steroids

Stress and anxiety that causes deep breathing that sometimes over extends or strains the muscles around the ribcage.

Chest pain from angina is also a possibility. Angina is a classic symptom of heart disease.

Final Thought

Obviously, there are dozens of diseases, disorders and conditions that can cause rib pain. While some are very minor and resolve on their own with time, some can be very serious. If your rib pain lasts for more than a few days, or seems to be growing in severity, it would be a good idea to discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

Natural Remedies For Joint Pain - Are They Really Effective?


The Chinese system of medicine advocates the use of ginger for alleviating joint pain. Ginger oil mixed with almond oil when rubbed on to painful joints is an excellent pain reliever. Ginger tea is equally good if taken daily and so is 500 mg ginger supplement capsule if taken three times a day. Ginger reduces the prostaglandin production in the body which is responsible for the sensation of pain and that's how it works.

Drinking Papaya seed tea 6-7 times a day for several weeks is another remedy. So is eating bananas or drinking carrot juice, apple cider vinegar or even plain water. Remember liquids and juices like pineapple juice helps keep the joints moving freely. Lemon juice plus honey mixed in warm water and taken in the morning is an effective remedy. Drinking equal parts of carrot and lemon juice is also a remedy. Yet another remedy is fresh potato juice taken in the morning.

Try exercising the normal way or swim around the pool as that you can improve joint mobility besides strengthening the muscles around the joint. For relieving pain from rheumatoid arthritis, deep breathing exercises, meditation, and Tai chi have been found to be effective. Regular exercise keeps the joints lubricated, improves blood circulation and prevents gout besides controlling body weight.

Eat healthy and balanced low carbohydrate diet with more of whole grains, leafy green vegetables and fruits; take less of tea, coffee, carbonated liquors, and sugar. Cut down on fat content in your diet. Spice your diet with herbs like white willow, devil's claw, and turmeric which have anti inflammatory properties. Avoid eggplants, potatoes and pepper that could add to the inflammation. But add plenty of turmeric and garlic as seasonings.

Since our body does not make omega-3 fatty acids take food like fish or fish oil capsules that contains this essential micronutrient which has natural anti inflammatory properties. Food containing omega-3 fatty acids not only reduces joint pain and stiffness, but also improves cardiovascular health. Nowadays animals are not fed on grass but on grain which means the chicken and beef we eat do not have omega-3 fatty acids as it used to have before. So eating fish is the only option to get these anti inflammatory nutrients that could do a world of good to your joint pain. Herbal supplements such as Rumatone Gold Oil and Capsules are found very effective in getting relief from joint pain and stiffness naturally.

Left Side and Right Side Lower Back Pain: Common Causes


One of the best ways to narrow down the possible causes of your back pain is to consider where the pain is located and what type of pain sensation you feel. Many people complain of lower back pain on either the right or left side. The following descriptions of causes may help you understand your pain better.

Muscular Lower Back Pain

Pain on one side of the body may indicate a simple muscle strain. This type of pain is located in a muscle and may be felt as stiffness, soreness or an ache. Muscle strain occurs when a muscle is overworked or overstretched and suffers tears. They can occur in any number of ways throughout the day, such as twisting to the side and lifting an object.

Most cases of muscle strain heal within days. You can alleviate pain by applying ice to the muscle during the first twenty-four hours for 20 minute at a time. Once the muscle is no longer inflamed, you can use heat to loosen it up.

If you have chronic muscle pain, it is possible that a lower back muscle on one side suffers from an overuse injury. This could occur if your job or other daily activities require you to use the muscle constantly. If you have a desk job and frequently turn to one side, for example, one side of your lower back may be strained. Overuse injuries require a change in behavior to heal. Changing the layout of your work station may be a solution to this.

If you have chronic muscle strain, it is possible that your muscle has developed trigger points. These are dense knots that form and make it difficult for the muscle to relax. Trigger point massage therapy or self-myofascial release (SMR) can work out trigger points.

SI Joint Pain

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is formed where the large hip bones meets the sacrum in the lower back on each side. SI joint dysfunction occurs when the joint is misaligned and has either too much or too little motion. It becomes inflamed and irritates the sciatic nerve that runs down the leg. There are a number of causes of SI joint dysfunction; pregnancy, impact, muscle imbalance and leg length discrepancy are common causes.

The SI joint is indicated as your source of pain if the pain is centered on the joint. The joint is usually inflamed if you have SI joint dysfunction, so it may be painful to the touch. The pain may be achy or sharp and often radiates into the lower back, buttocks, hips and thighs. You may also notice that one side of your pelvis is higher or sticks out more than the other. If you have these symptoms, it would be wise to ask your doctor to test for SI joint dysfunction. Physical therapy may assist in recovery.

Sciatica Pain

The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back to the foot on each side of the body. The nerve can become compressed or irritated by a herniated disc, tight piriformis muscle in the hip, vertebral misalignment or inflamed SI joint. These are the most common causes of sciatica pain.

"True" sciatica is marked by compression of the nerve root as it exits the spine. That said, vertebral misalignment and herniated disc are the most common causes of sciatica. SI joint inflammation and the piriformis muscle irritate the nerve further down its length and create similar pain, just with a different starting point. "True" sciatica is characterized by a sharp pain that radiates from the lower back into the buttocks and legs, sometimes as far down as the foot. Treating this kind of sciatica may require chiropractic care, physical therapy and spinal decompression treatments. SI joint dysfunction and piriformis syndrome create similar pain, but the pain may be worst at the joint or hip. These conditions benefit from physical therapy.

Pain in one side of your back could indicate muscle strain, SI joint dysfunction or sciatica. If the pain is sore or achy and for the most part localized, you likely have a muscle strain on one side of your back. If the pain is sharp and radiates, you can suspect either sciatica or the SI joint. With a little education, you may be able to resolve your back pain on our own. For more serious conditions, you can help your doctor arrive at an accurate diagnosis.

Physiotherapy Treatment of Sciatica


The lumbar nerve roots emerge from the spine and at this point they are vulnerable to impingement from a disc prolapse, causing inflammation and/or compression of the nerve and the symptoms of sciatica. Sciatic leg pain is not common, affecting 3 to 5% of adults and both sexes equally. Men are more likely to get it in their 40s and women in their 50s, with pain symptoms lasting over six weeks in up to a quarter of cases. Physiotherapists are routinely asked to supervise the management of sciatica.

When the intervertebral disc material prolapses it causes injury by two mechanisms: direct mechanical compression of the nerve and chemical irritation. The disc material should not be outside the disc and its toxic chemicals help swelling both of the nerve and its surrounding structures, resulting in blockage of the circulation and of the nerve's normal message conduction. While the prolapse is responsible for the sciatica it has not been shown that the bigger the prolapse the more severe the person's pain.

The great forces which we impose on the low back mean the lumbar intervertebral discs suffer structural changes and prolapses. Many activities involve a significant level of leverage, such as flexing over, performing movements in an upright position and lifting with the arms away from the body. This greatly magnifies the forces on the discs and due to their fluid mechanics they suffer 3-5 times the loads on the skeleton. This can cause the disc walls to degenerate, giving weak areas and predisposing to prolapse at some time.

The onset of lumbosacral radiculopathy is often sudden with low back pain and any back pain may disappear at the start of the leg pain. Worsening factors are sneezing, coughing and sitting with lying down or standing up common easing factors. Sciatic pain typically occurs in the buttock, back or side of the leg and calf and into the foot. If the disc prolapse is higher up (prolapses at disc levels L1 to L3 are 5% of the total) the pain may be in the front of the thigh no further than the knee. A patient may have an isolated area of pain and still have a prolapse.

The physiotherapist will take the patient's history with particular attention to "red flags" which are indicators of a serious medical reason for the back pain and the patient will not be appropriate for physio. Weight loss, fever, night sweats, age (under 20 or over 55), problems with bladder and bowel control, serious past medical history and night pain will be noted. Any uncertainty means referral to a doctor for investigation. The physio will note any postural abnormalities and the nature, position and activity response of the pain symptoms.

A patient with lumbar radiculopathy may exhibit abnormal posture, sometimes bent forward and unable to bend backwards, with a one-sided trunk shift. Physiotherapists check the ability to perform spinal movements, any pattern of limitation or tendency for the pain to centralise on repeated movements. Physios will test the reflexes, sensibility and muscle power to perform the neurological examination. This and the straight leg raising test allow the physio to check which of the spinal nerves is likely to be the culprit.

Discogenic pain may change with repeated movements, spreading more towards the leg or in towards the back, the latter being called centralisation. Physiotherapists use this phenomenon to diagnose and treat disc related back pain and examine the joints of the lower limb as thigh and knee pain can be referred from an osteoarthritic hip joint. A full history and examination both eliminates patients who need medical referral for investigation and allow the physio to form a treatment strategy.

Physiotherapy sciatica treatments include many therapies: manipulation, mobilisation technique, lumbar stability, myo-fascial release, McKenzie method (especially useful in disc prolapse), stabilising exercise, massage and soft tissue techniques, pain killers, education of the patient, advice on the best position to relieve extreme sciatica pain and rest. Sciatica settles as the pressure and inflammation ease but physiotherapists would recommend an ongoing exercise programme to maintain back fitness over the long term.

Arthritis Treatment That Reduces Pain and Inflammation of Joints


The word 'arthritis' is means 'inflammation of joints'. Usually it is a chronic disease process. In various forms arthritis affects the people but most frequent it affects in the form of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease and usually it affects the older age group people. Rheumatoid arthritis is little bit serious disease. It also affects muscles, tendons and other tissues of the body apart from the joints of the wrists, fingers, hips, knees and feet.

Though, symptoms of arthritis are different for different types of arthritis. But some of its common symptoms are pain and stiffness in the joints, anemia, colitis and deformed hands and feet. Usually after doing some exercise, the pain in the joints increases. In rheumatoid arthritis the whole body is affected gradually.

There are different causes of arthritis. Some of its common causes are hormonal imbalance, physical and emotional stress, heredity and structural changes in the articular cartilage in the joints.

Arthritis can be treated in different ways to get an effective result. Many people go on changing their treatment plan as it suits them. But to find the best treatment for arthritis is a long process. The best goals of the treatment of arthritis are -

1. To decrease the symptoms of arthritis.
2. Maintain the function of joint.
3. To preserve mobility and range of motion.
4. Prevent or minimize the damage and deformities in the joint.
5. Slow progression of the disease.

Different treatments of arthritis

1. Treatment of arthritis through medication: It is considered to be the traditional treatment for arthritis. Doctors prescribe one or two medicines depending upon the severity of arthritis.

2. Injections into a joint: Several types of injections are there which can be given locally into the joint. For specific, painful joint local steroid injections can be used.

3. Natural treatments: Now days most of the people are interested in natural treatments rather than going for traditional medications or joint injections. There are several options for natural treatment. They are known as alternative treatments. Though they are very popular but not fully endorsed for its safety and effectiveness.

4. Complementary medicines: This type of treatment for arthritis is also very popular. It includes regular exercises, yoga, eating nutritious diet, intake of fruits and green vegetables etc.

5. Surgical options: Some people are left with no option rather than opting surgical option. This is considered to be the last resort treatment option.

Natural and Organic Arthritis Pain Relief


Arthritis is a joint disorder featuring inflammation. A joint is an area of the body where two different bones meet. A joint functions to move the body parts connected by its bones. Arthritis literally means inflammation of one or more joints. Arthritis is frequently accompanied by joint pain. Joint pain is referred to as arthralgia and that is when pain relief formulas.

An arthritis or joint pain is caused mainly due to suppression of digestive fire. This results in poor digestion,which leads to accumulation of undigested wastes in the body resulting in buildup of waste matter. The toxins reach different parts of body and get accumulated at joints. The disease term arthritis is looks like the singular in number but the disease is comprised of more than 100 distinct conditions and can affect people at any stage of the life.

The two most common form of arthritis pain are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis with the symptoms like back or hip pain, knee pain, arm pain, wrist pain and pain or inflammation of other areas as well. This is when one looks to get relief from low back pain or over painful joint problems.

Arthritis suffers include man, woman, children and adults. The statistics shows that there are more than 350 million people have been victimized by the disease arthritis world wide. Among the US population there the figure reaches to 40 million people are affected by this disease and the ¼ of them is children. Depending on the disease they the have more than 21 million people suffer from Osteoarthritis and 2.1 million people have the symptom and advance stage of the disease Rheumatoid arthritis. The women are struggling a lot with more than 60% of mark.

There are many different types that affect different parts of the body. Some of those are:

Tendinitis – targets tendons

Sclerodermal – thickening of the skin and connective tissue

Fibromyalgia – muscles will be sore and tender to the touch

Articular or joint types of arthritis – gout and lupus, tend to be the most painful

Osteoarthritis- Osteoarthritis is mainly caused by the break down and the eventual loss of the cartilages. The cartilage is the protein substance that provides the cushion for the bones to avoid the friction of rubbing while working. Work related repetitive injury and the physical trauma are the main cause for getting affected by Osteoarthritis.

This type of arthritis mainly affects hand, wrist, knee and spine. One of the main and unique reasons of developing Osteoarthritis is the age.

Rheumatoid Arthritis- Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes the chronic inflammation of the joints. Patients with autoimmune diseases have the antibodies in their blood and target their own tissues and this will be associated with inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation in the tissue around the joints and can affect other organs like hearts, blood.

Omega-3 fatty acid, Gamma-linolenic Acid, Boswellia and Devil’s claw are the renowned natural and organic arthritis products [http://www.arthroleve.com/athletes.php] along with the other most effective chemical based medication.