Posted by admin on January 30, 2009
Backache from Stress?
Yes, it’s more than possible.
It may seem odd to you, but there are many people that do suffer from aches and pains as a result of stress. You may or may not know this, but stress can manifest itself in many ways. It can range from that of cold and flu symptoms, two other illnesses and even physical pain.
As it may not be obvious that this is the reason for the backpain, it may certainly be worth reading the rest of the article to find out some techniques that may benefit you it is stress you’re suffering from.
The back pain from by stress is more of a psychosomatic problem, therefore the pain is not as physical as it seems. There is good news and bad news in regards to this. The bad news is that no matter what physical treatment you go through, whether via a chiropractor, doctor or even a massage therapist, the pain simply will not budge.
However, the good news here is that the pain can be potentially cured by following some relaxation and “de-stressing” advice. For practical reasons, you should always visit your physician for professional advice before beginning any self treatment, but here are a couple of methods you can use that should calm your mind enough to remove the pain, even if just a little.
First, try meditation. No, don’t worry I’m not going all new age and “lardy dah” on you. Call it quiet time if you will, but this type of meditation simply means you go to a place where you will not be disturbed, and just sit for 15 minutes to half an hour, and try and relax your muscles as much as you can while concentrating on your breathing. During this time it is important to clear your mind is much you can, and not think about your problems too much.
This brings us to our next point, try and think positively. This can work absolute wonders on your life. Each time you begin to think negatively about things, realize that you’re doing it, and flip the thought straight around.
This works especially well in situations where you would normally get angry — a big cause of stress (and high blood pressure).
Think I’ve gone totally off subject? Well it may seem like it, but sometimes you have to realize that one thing is linked to the other. Stress is definitely a major factor in the cause of some types of pain, which may even be the negative thoughts in your mind manifesting themselves within the body.
Tell you what, for the next couple of days – just try it out – and if you feel any better, then that’s a good thing, and if not, well, you only lost about half an hour of time 
Posted by admin on January 27, 2009
Almost every person suffers from mild lower back pain from time to time. The lower back is a very sensitive area and if you have habits that encourage the pain in your back to appear and if you ignore the problem in the beginning, then you can have serious problems. If you are one of those people, who is suffering from chronic lower back pain, then do not worry you can get help. I have a few simple tips to give you a head start.
Chronic lower back pain tips
Take a short rest
If your back is hurting really bad, then take some time off and rest for a while, to give your back muscles some well needed rest. This of course does not mean you should stay on the bed for weeks and weeks. In fact resting your back too much can be extremely counter-productive. After a short break, get on to your feet and start moving around a little.
Heat/Cold therapy
Heat therapy is a great way to decrease muscle spasms, relieve pain, relax muscles and increase range of motion. So basically you use a hot compress, a dry or hot heating pad, or hydrotherapy (hot bath), to apply heat to your lower back area. Cold therapy on the other hand reduces muscle pain, spasms and inflammation. A cold therapy can be used right after a strain or sprain. You can apply cold to your back by ice cubes, iced towels/compresses, cold packs or you can just take a cold bath.
Massage
A very common and effective way to relieve muscle spasms, tension, aches, stiffness, pain and inflammation is of course massage. It can also improve your range of motion, flexibility and circulation. You can either give yourself a mini-massage or go to a professional, who does a proper massage to your back.
Exercise program
Exercise is a very important part in treating chronic lower back pain. In fact it is the most effective and it does not matter if you have acute pain or chronic pain, exercise always helps. It is really important to know exactly what exercises you need to do, otherwise you can harm your back even more. So make sure you follow a proper exercise program. Most exercises for you chronic lower back pain are very simple and you can easily do them at home. There is no need for any special equipment or anything.
It is essential to get started now and not postpone your treatment further in to the future. The longer you wait the harder it becomes and the longer it takes. Get started today, not tomorrow and in a month from now, your lower back pain will be reduced greatly.
Posted by admin on January 26, 2009
Millions of people around the world have found sinus relief from using a nettie pot, or more commonly known as a neti pot. Neti pots are small teapot shaped bottles with a long straight spout. They are used to flush the sinuses and relieve clogged nasal passages and chronic sinus problems.
Neti pots have grown in popularity from their positive media exposure. However, they have been around for centuries. They originated from the Ayurvedic-Yoga medical tradition. They are still used extensively in the Eastern meditation practices.
Neti pots can be used by just about anyone who wants relief from sinus problems. They are a recommended solution for easing hay-fever allergies, environmental pollutants, and chronic sinus problems, treating and preventing colds and flu’s and great for helping patients who have just undergone sinus surgery. There are also specially designed squeeze bottle type pots for children to help relieve allergies and cold/flu symptoms.
Using a neti pot is very simple. The first step is to mix warm water with a salt solution. Most pots come with little packets of neti salt that can be mixed with warm water to form a saline solution. You always want to use saline in the nose and never plain tap water as it will burn and irritate the nasal passages. You simply mix the saline solution and pour it into the pot. Once your pot is filled you lean over the sink with your face tilted down and insert the spout into one nostril. Tilt your head toward the other nostril and the water will seep out of your other nostril. You empty half of the water in one side and then switch to the other nostril.
It is recommended that the typical user cleanse once per day first thing in the morning. If you feel a flu or cold coming on or were exposed to the cold or flu you can cleanse more often. Nasal cleansing has been recommended for preventing the cold and flu virus. The virus grows in your nose so if you keep your nose flushed out regularly it can inhibit the growth of the viruses.
Posted by admin on January 25, 2009
One of the physical body pains that we experience that can be quite distressing and which can almost bring your life to a state of abrupt helplessness are the back pains related to the kidney. They are a common aging symptom and must be given proper attention if you are to live longer. The pain develops from the spine or from the bones and muscles.
If the back pains are kidney related, you will notice some softness in the sides of the spine around which the kidneys are located. If for example you have been injured around the kidney area, it will result to these kind of back pains and it can last for many days.
Maybe if you are suffering from back pains around the kidney and yet you have not had an injury in the recent past, it is time you consulted your doctor because it could be likely that you have some kidney infections. While some people will experience minor pains others will be troubled with constant and chronic ones. The tests that the doctor may carry out may include urine dipstick test which will test the level of proteins and blood in the urine. Their presence confirms infection.
Urine culture is a mid stream urine test done to test the existence of bugs in urine. Scan, X-ray, blood tests and blood pressure are other confirmatory tests that will help see whether you pains are kidney related. the treatment that will be administered on you will depend on the extent of the pains and the cause of the pains. the duration of pain will also depend on the above factors.
Posted by admin on January 24, 2009
We all get some back pain now and again. Perhaps you overdid it a little playing tennis, or lifted a few too many heavy things. Your back will probably hurt a little bit for a day or two.
There are plenty of remedies for occasional pain: ointments, pills and so on which can banish the ache, at least for a time. A heating pad may even get rid of your pain if it is a minor case. However, if you are one of the many who suffer from chronic back pain, than it will take more than that – the lack of an effective treatment is something of which you are already all too aware.
A Lifelong Problem
Persistent backaches are often a lifelong problem. You can do exercises to strengthen your back and reduce the effects somewhat, but when the weather changes or the barometer drops, there will be a flare up. It’s as if your back is reminding you of your injury and that there is nothing you can do to eliminate the pain entirely.
If the pain was entirely limited to your back, it would be a lot easier to live with. Usually though, muscle spasms, damaged discs and the like affect you far beyond just the immediate area.
A damaged disc or discs will usually cause leg and ankle pain during a flare up along with the pain in your back. Which leg and ankle experience this pain depends on which side your damaged disc is bulging out on. A bulge on the left equals pain in the left leg and ankle and vice versa.
The pain in your leg can be harder to bear than the pain in your back! Sometimes the leg pain can be more intense. It’s no picnic, no matter how you slice it.
The Stiffness Really Happens
It’s certain that you have seen people, whether on TV or in real life, complaining of stiffness due to chronic back pain. These people aren’t faking it; something you yourself know if you suffer from this ailment. This is not only real, but very painful!
Living with chronic back pain is an unpleasant experience; however the pain can be managed by various treatments. You should take care of your back, however, to ensure that the odds of your having to live with this disability are low.
Posted by admin on January 23, 2009
The idea that oranges are considered a possible trigger for migraine has surprised many of us, as orange juice is usually considered to be beneficial in our diet
Not if you are sensitive to citrus. The citrus group of foods, which includes fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit, is a known allergen. Additionally, a lot of commercial orange juice is squeezed with the rind on, subsequently bruising it and releasing synephrine, a vasoconstrictor.
There have been links between migraine headaches and synephrine as well as related vasoconstrictors, so it makes sense that this could be a trigger. Many patients found that freshly squeezed orange juice made at home caused them no problems.
A 2004 study found that: “In migraine patients, plasma levels of octopamine and synephrine were higher compared with controls, although in migraine with aura, the difference was not significant”.(1)
Synephrine is a stimulant that raises blood pressure, which can also cause migraines. The theory being that migraine sufferers with a citrus allergy can gain relief from a low dosage of daily blood pressure medication.
Citrus fruits also cause magnesium deficiency in some patients, and magnesium deficiency has been linked to migraine without aura. In a study where thirty migraine patients were treated with magnesium versus ten treated with placebo, the number of patients experiencing relief was so high that the possibility of the test results being coincidental was less than a 1 in 1000 chance.(2) The magnesium was administered as a magnesium citrate supplement, 600mg per day, orally. Patients were assessed by computerized tomography before and after the three month treatment period.
Citrus fruits also contain histamine, another suspect in food related allergies. A study at Texas Tech in El Paso TX found a correlation between high histamine levels and migraine attacks in susceptible persons. Antihistamines would seem to be a logical choice for treatment!(3)
An unhappy relationship between hypoglycemia and migraine can be heightened by drinking of orange juice, lemonade or other citrus juice in an attempt to raise the blood sugar – the orange juice can actually increase the migraine pain and the blood sugar level is blamed instead. This justifies the importance of maintaining a food diary and testing for food allergies.(4)
One woman related how she had taken migraine medication daily for years, washing it down with an 8 oz glass of orange juice each morning. Finally, when her sons were diagnosed, it became apparent that by giving them juice daily, she had simply been stimulating the cycle of migraines. Incidentally, orange flavored drinks such as Tang and Sunny D also contain migraine triggering substances similar to the natural fruits, so if citrus is a problem for you, avoid them as well!
Elimination of citrus is much simpler than many other migraine trigger foods, and is relatively easy to live without. For people suffering severe food intolerance migraines, living without orange juice, lemonade and key lime pie was a minor exclusion from their diet.
Sources:
(1) pubmed15159465.do, Cure Hunter, 05/25/2004
(2) Magnesium Research, Jun 2008;21(2):101-8. PMID: 18705538, by Koseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gonul AS, Kula M. Erciyes University, Medicine Faculty, Neurology Department, Kayseri, Turkey
(3) Mansfield LE , Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 86(4 Pt 2):673-6, 1990 Oct.
(4) Leira R, Rodriguez R, Revista de Neurologia 1996 May;24(129):534-8
Research by Grace Alexander
