Posts Tagged ‘inflammation’

Stress Therapies Through Natural Remedies

May 10th, 2010

If stress is not han­dled prop­erly, more seri­ous ill­nesses may result.

How Seri­ous a Threat to Your Health is Stress?

Many believe that prac­ti­cally every ill­ness has stress reac­tion as a con­tribut­ing fac­tor. Some­one who han­dles stress well just sim­ply doesn’t get sick.

How often are the times you have caught a cold or flu also been times when you were wor­ried or stressed about some­thing more than nor­mal, or even deal­ing with some kind of trauma?

This is why it is wise to remem­ber what­ever reme­dies you choose for tem­po­rary relief, there must in addi­tion be con­scious work toward releas­ing stress pat­terns and habits that keep the worry mode, or anx­i­ety in place.

Here’s some­thing to think about. Is stress dif­fer­ent today than it was a few decades ago? Con­tem­po­rary stress tends to be more per­va­sive, per­sis­tent and insid­i­ous because it stems pri­mar­ily from psy­cho­log­i­cal rather than phys­i­cal threats. It is asso­ci­ated with ingrained and imme­di­ate reac­tions over which we have no con­trol and were orig­i­nally designed to be ben­e­fi­cial such as:

* The heart rate and blood pres­sure soar to increase the flow of blood to the brain to improve deci­sion mak­ing.
* The blood sugar rises to fur­nish more fuel for energy as the result of the break­down of glyco­gen, fat and pro­tein stores.
* The blood is shunted away from the gut, where its not imme­di­ately needed for pur­poses of diges­tion. It goes to the large mus­cles of the arms and legs to pro­vide more strength in com­bat, or greater speed in get­ting away from a scene of poten­tial peril.
* Also clot­ting occurs more quickly to pre­vent blood loss from lac­er­a­tions or inter­nal hemorrhage.

These and myr­iad of other imme­di­ate and auto­matic responses have been exquis­itely honed over the lengthy course of human evo­lu­tion as life sav­ing mea­sures to facil­i­tate prim­i­tive man’s abil­ity to deal with phys­i­cal challenges.

How­ever, the nature of stress for mod­ern man is not an occa­sional con­fronta­tion with a saber-toothed tiger or a hos­tile war­rior but rather a host of emo­tional threats like get­ting stuck in traf­fic and fights or mis­un­der­stand­ings with cus­tomers, co-workers, or fam­ily mem­bers, that often occur sev­eral times a day.

Unfor­tu­nately, our bod­ies still react with these same, archaic fight or flight responses that are not only use­ful­ness but poten­tially dam­ag­ing and deadly. Repeat­edly invoked, it is not hard to see how they can con­tribute to hyper­ten­sion, strokes, heart attacks, dia­betes, ulcers, neck or low back pain and other “Dis­eases of Civ­i­liza­tion.“

Feel­ing a Bit Stressed These Days?

You’re not alone! Traf­fic jams, dead­lines, bills to pay, job changes, end­less chores and errands, rela­tion­ships, fam­ily prob­lems, it’s always some­thing and of course we are on the brink of war.

Stress is expe­ri­enced by every­one at one time or another. It requires the body to make phys­i­cal and chem­i­cal adjust­ments in order to main­tain the nec­es­sary phys­i­o­log­i­cal bal­ance for sur­vival. A rac­ing heart, a burst of energy, and mus­cle ten­sion are the body’s phys­i­cal responses to stress. When faced with dan­ger, some of the first stress reac­tions are a rise in blood pres­sure, quicker breath­ing and heart beat, and dilated pupils. Sight and hear­ing become more alert.

This reac­tion is an instinc­tive response that pro­tects us from threats to our sur­vival. Phys­i­o­log­i­cal changes are part of the “fight or flight” response, which pre­pares and ener­gizes a per­son to con­front or flee from dan­ger. After the threat has passed or a change takes place, the “alarm” signs dis­ap­pear. The body is still aroused but is adapt­ing to the change.

When you “gear up” under stress, your body begins to do more of some things and less of oth­ers. For exam­ple, blood cir­cu­la­tion increases, but diges­tion slows down or even stops. First symp­toms of these diges­tive orders may be Per­sis­tent Indi­ges­tion or Colitis.

Once the stress ends, your body goes to work to restore the bal­ance. How­ever, if stress returns too soon, your body will never have time to get back on an even keel. Even­tu­ally, this can lead to major health prob­lems. Exhaus­tion occurs, caus­ing dam­age to the person’s phys­i­cal and emo­tional well-being. If the stress is short-term, chances are good that it can be dealt with. It is long-term stress that causes the body to break down and has many real phys­i­cal effects.

Some of the dis­or­ders asso­ci­ated with stress are:

* Anx­i­ety
* High blood pres­sure
* Headaches
* Depres­sion
* Weak­ened Immune Sys­tem
* Higher Cho­les­terol Lev­els
* Sleep­less­ness
* Impo­tence
* Migraine Headaches
* Diar­rhea
* Loss of Appetite
* Increased Appetite

If stress is not han­dled prop­erly, then more seri­ous ill­nesses will result.

There is no escape from stress. You must learn how to han­dle it.

Relax­ation is often dif­fi­cult. But nec­es­sary to alle­vi­ate the stress. Nature Cre­ation (www.naturecreation.com) is one com­pany who man­u­fac­tures nat­ural herbal ther­apy packs. The prod­ucts are filled with 9 essen­tial nat­ural herbs, which the essence of scents will bring nat­ural relax­ation stim­u­la­tion to your brain. In addi­tion, the prod­ucts can also be used as hot or cold ther­apy. These are excel­lent if you have mus­cle stiff­ness, body pain, headache, cramps or awk­ward twist of your nerves.

The design of Nature Cre­ation prod­ucts are ergonom­i­cally fit com­fort­ably to the con­tour of your body. There are 18 patented shapes and sizes and five unique col­ors to choose.

Please visit the com­pany web­site to learn more of the prod­ucts and all the benefits.

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Wrist Pain, What happen?

August 19th, 2009

b_15_4_3bWrist pain is an extremely com­mon com­plaint, and there are many com­mon causes of this prob­lem. It is impor­tant to make an accu­rate diag­no­sis of the cause of your symp­toms so that appro­pri­ate treat­ment can be directed at the cause. If you have wrist pain, some com­mon causes include:

* Ten­donitis
Ten­donitis is a com­mon prob­lem that can cause wrist pain and swelling. Wrist ten­donitis is due to inflam­ma­tion of the ten­don sheath. Treat­ment of wrist pain caused by ten­donitis usu­ally does not require surgery.

* Sprain
Wrist sprains are com­mon injuries to the lig­a­ments around the wrist joint. Sprains can cause prob­lems by lim­it­ing the use of our hands.

* Carpal Tun­nel Syn­drome
Carpal tun­nel syn­drome is the con­di­tion that results from dys­func­tion of one of the nerves in the wrist. In carpal tun­nel syn­drome the median nerve is com­pressed, or pinched off, as it passes through the wrist joint.

* Arthri­tis
Arthri­tis is a prob­lem that can cause wrist pain and dif­fi­culty per­form­ing nor­mal activ­i­ties. There are sev­eral causes of arthri­tis, and for­tu­nately there are a num­ber of treat­ments for wrist arthritis.

* Gan­glion Cyst
A gan­glion cyst is a swelling that usu­ally occurs over the back of the hand or wrist. These are benign, fluid-filled cap­sules. Gan­glion cysts are not can­cer­ous, will not spread, and while they may grow in size, they will not spread to other parts of your body.

* Frac­tures
A wrist frac­ture is a com­mon ortho­pe­dic injury. Patients who sus­tain a bro­ken wrist may be treated in a cast, or they may need surgery for the fracture.

When do you need to call your doc­tor about your wrist pain?
If you are unsure of the cause of your wrist pain, or if you do not know the spe­cific treat­ment rec­om­men­da­tions for your con­di­tion, you should seek med­ical atten­tion. Treat­ment of these con­di­tions must be directed at the spe­cific cause of your prob­lem. Some signs that you should be seen by a doc­tor include:

o Inabil­ity to carry objects or use the arm
o Injury that causes defor­mity of the joint
o Wrist pain that occurs at night or while rest­ing
o Wrist pain that per­sists beyond a few days
o Inabil­ity to straighten or flex the joint
o Swelling or sig­nif­i­cant bruis­ing around the joint or fore­arm
o Signs of an infec­tion, includ­ing fever, red­ness, warmth
o Any other unusual symptoms

What are the best treat­ments for wrist pain?
The treat­ment of wrist pain depends entirely on the cause of the prob­lem. There­fore, it is of utmost impor­tance that you under­stand the cause of your symp­toms before embark­ing on a treat­ment pro­gram. If you are unsure of your diag­no­sis, or the sever­ity of your con­di­tion, you should seek med­ical advice before begin­ning any treatment.

Not all treat­ments listed here are appro­pri­ate for every con­di­tion, but may be help­ful in your situation.

* Rest & Activ­ity Mod­i­fi­ca­tion: The first treat­ment for many com­mon con­di­tions that cause wrist pain is to rest the joint, and allow the acute inflam­ma­tion to sub­side. It is impor­tant, how­ever, to use cau­tion when rest­ing the joint, because pro­longed immo­bi­liza­tion can cause a stiff joint. Adjust­ing your activ­i­ties so as not to irri­tate the joint can help pre­vent wors­en­ing of wrist pain.

* Ice and Heat Appli­ca­tion: Ice packs and heat pads are among the most com­monly used treat­ments for wrist pain. So which one is the right one to use, ice or heat? And how long should the ice or heat treat­ments last? Read on for more infor­ma­tion about ice and heat treatment.

* Wrist Sup­port: Sup­port braces can help patients who have either had a recent wrist sprain injury or those who tend to injure their wrists eas­ily. These braces act as a gen­tle sup­port to wrist move­ments. They will not pre­vent severe injuries, but may help you per­form sim­ple activ­i­ties while reha­bil­i­tat­ing from a wrist sprain.

* Anti-Inflammatory Med­ica­tion: Non­s­teroidal anti-inflammatory pain med­ica­tions, com­monly referred to as NSAIDs, are some of the most com­monly pre­scribed med­ica­tions, espe­cially for patients with wrist pain caused by prob­lems such as arthri­tis and tendonitis.

* Cor­ti­sone injec­tions: Cor­ti­sone is a pow­er­ful med­ica­tion that treats inflam­ma­tion, and inflam­ma­tion is a com­mon prob­lem in patients with wrist pain. Dis­cuss with your doc­tor the pos­si­ble ben­e­fits of a cor­ti­sone injec­tion for your wrist pain condition.

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Shoulder Pain — Causes & Remedy

May 21st, 2009

shoulder

Shoul­der pain is an extremely com­mon com­plaint, and there are many com­mon causes of this prob­lem. It is impor­tant to make an accu­rate diag­no­sis of the cause of your symp­toms so that appro­pri­ate treat­ment can be directed at the cause. If you have shoul­der pain, some com­mon causes include:

  • Bur­si­tis | Rota­tor Cuff Ten­donitis
    The most com­mon diag­no­sis in patients with shoul­der pain is bur­si­tis or ten­donitis of the rota­tor cuff.
  • Rota­tor Cuff Tear
    Rota­tor cuff tears occur when the ten­dons of the rota­tor cuff sep­a­rate from the bone. Surgery is some­times nec­es­sary for this condition.
  • Frozen Shoul­der
    Also called ‘adhe­sive cap­suli­itis,’ this is a com­mon con­di­tion that leads to stiff­ness of the joint. Phys­i­cal ther­apy and stretch­ing are extremely impor­tant aspects of treatment.
  • Cal­cific Ten­donitis
    Cal­cific ten­donitis is a con­di­tion of cal­cium deposits within a ten­don — most com­monly within the rota­tor cuff ten­dons. Treat­ment of cal­cific ten­donitis depends on the extent of symptoms.
  • Shoul­der Insta­bil­ity
    Insta­bil­ity is a prob­lem that causes a loose joint. Insta­bil­ity can be caused by a trau­matic injury (dis­lo­ca­tion), or may be a devel­oped condition.
  • Shoul­der Dis­lo­ca­tion
    A dis­lo­ca­tion is an injury that occurs when the top of the arm bone becomes dis­con­nected from the scapula.
  • Shoul­der Sep­a­ra­tion
    Also called an AC sep­a­ra­tion, these injuries are the result of a dis­rup­tion of the acromio­clav­ic­u­lar joint. This is a very dif­fer­ent injury from a dislocation!
  • Labral Tear
    There are sev­eral pat­terns of a torn labrum and the type of treat­ment depends on the spe­cific injury.
  • SLAP Lesion
    The SLAP lesion is also a type of labral tear. The most com­mon cause is a fall onto an out­stretched hand.
  • Arthri­tis
    Shoul­der arthri­tis is less com­mon than knee and hip arthri­tis, but when severe may require a joint replace­ment surgery.
  • Biceps Ten­don Rup­ture
    A prox­i­mal biceps ten­don rup­ture occurs when the ten­don of the biceps mus­cle rup­tures near the joint.

When do you need to call your doc­tor about your shoul­der pain?b_16_1_1b
If you are unsure of the cause of your shoul­der pain, or if you do not know the spe­cific treat­ment rec­om­men­da­tions for your con­di­tion, you should seek med­ical atten­tion. Treat­ment of these con­di­tions must be directed at the spe­cific cause of your prob­lem. Some signs that you should be seen by a doc­tor include:

    • Inabil­ity to carry objects or use the arm
    • Injury that causes defor­mity of the joint
    • Shoul­der pain that occurs at night or while resting
    • Shoul­der pain that per­sists beyond a few days
    • Inabil­ity to raise the arm
    • Swelling or sig­nif­i­cant bruis­ing around the joint or arm
    • Signs of an infec­tion, includ­ing fever, red­ness, warmth
    • Any other unusual symptoms

b_16_1_1cWhat are the best treat­ments for shoul­der pain?

The treat­ment of shoul­der pain depends entirely on the cause of the prob­lem. There­fore, it is of utmost impor­tance that you under­stand the cause of your symp­toms before embark­ing on a treat­ment pro­gram. If you are unsure of your diag­no­sis, or the sever­ity of your con­di­tion, you should seek med­ical advice before begin­ning any treatment.

Not all treat­ments listed here are appro­pri­ate for every con­di­tion, but may be help­ful in your situation.

  • Rest: The first treat­ment for many com­mon con­di­tions that cause shoul­der pain is to rest the joint, and allow the acute inflam­ma­tion to sub­side. It is impor­tant, how­ever, to use cau­tion when rest­ing the joint, because pro­longed immo­bi­liza­tion can cause a frozen shoulder.
  • Hot and Cold Appli­ca­tion: Nature Cre­ation hot and cold pads are among the most copy-of-shoulderwrapsmallcom­monly used treat­ments for shoul­der pain. So which one is the right one to use, ice or heat? And how long should the ice or heat treat­ments last? Read on for more infor­ma­tion about ice and heat treat­ment.
  • Stretch­ing: Stretch­ing the mus­cles and ten­dons that sur­round the joint can help with some causes of shoul­der pain.
  • Phys­i­cal Ther­apy: Phys­i­cal ther­apy is an impor­tant aspect of treat­ment of almost all ortho­pe­dic con­di­tions. Phys­i­cal ther­a­pists use dif­fer­ent modal­i­ties to increase strength, regain mobil­ity, and help return patients to their pre-injury level of activity.Some exer­cises may help you strengthen the mus­cles around the joint and relieve some of the pain asso­ci­ated with many conditions.
  • Anti-Inflammatory Med­ica­tion: Non­s­teroidal anti-inflammatory pain med­ica­tions, com­monly referred to as NSAIDs, are some of the most com­monly pre­scribed med­ica­tions, espe­cially for patients with shoul­der pain caused by prob­lems such as arthri­tis, bur­si­tis, and tendonitis.
  • Cor­ti­sone injec­tions: Cor­ti­sone is a pow­er­ful med­ica­tion that treats inflam­ma­tion, and inflam­ma­tion is a com­mon prob­lem in patients with shoul­der pain. Dis­cuss with your doc­tor the pos­si­ble ben­e­fits of a cor­ti­sone injec­tion for your shoul­der pain condition.
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Cold vs Hot Pain Treatment: Which one is the correct application?

May 5th, 2009

The ques­tion often comes up as to when it is best to use cold or hot treat­ment in injuries. Per­haps this can help. When to use ice or heat depends on how long ago the injury occurred.

After you strain a lig­a­ment or mus­cle, it is gen­er­ally best to use cold (ice or a cold pack) imme­di­ately and then for the next day and 1/2. It’s usu­ally wise not to use heat, such as a heat­ing pad, until swelling and bruis­ing has stopped.

Cold is usu­ally used first because it reduces swelling and inflam­ma­tion. Use Ice for the first 48 hours after an injury. Apply for 20 min­utes, remove for 20 min­utes, then repeat. Do not apply directly to the skin — put a thin towel over the skin for pro­tec­tion, or freeze a cup full of water, tear off the top rim and move the ice over the injury. This helps con­trol bleed­ing by con­strict­ing blood ves­sels. Cold acts as a local anes­thetic and so relieves pain. Usu­ally the bruis­ing asso­ci­ated with acute inflam­ma­tion stops within 1 to 3 days. To relieve mus­cle spasms, minor sprains and strains, it’s usu­ally best to apply cold for 20 min­utes inter­vals at a time every 4 to 6 hours for the first day and a half. Com­mer­cial cold packs may be safer than using ice. Pro­longed expo­sure to cold, espe­cially ice, can result in frost­bite to tis­sues. Later in the process, you may relieve pain by apply­ing heat, rather than cold, to your injury.

Use heat 20 min­utes at a time at least 24 hours after a minor injury or 48 hours after a more seri­ous one. Place a heat pack directly on the injured area — do not add pres­sure. Do not apply to bro­ken skin.

Cold reduces inflam­ma­tion. Apply cold to acute injuries, such as a newly sprained ankle or a pulled muscle.

Heat improves cir­cu­la­tion. It’s best for chronic pain, such as from tight mus­cles or a sore back.

Alter­nate Heat and Cold if you have soft tis­sue dam­age and/or stretched lig­a­ments, such as an ankle sprain. Heat aids in restor­ing range of motion. Apply cold for 20 min­utes per hour as desired for the first 24 hours. The next day, apply warmth for 20 min­utes per hour as desired.

Cau­tion: Don’t apply cold for more that 24 to 36 hours or warmth for more than 72 hours, see a doctor.

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