Many of our aches and pains are a direct result of our sedentary lifestyles. These conditions often begin to show themselves when we stress ourselves in new activities, become over tired or they may just come on their own.
It is becoming a common belief that these pains in our back, neck, knees, etc. are a result of our body being out of sync and telling us something is wrong. Through stress or injury, or lack of consistent stretching to keep our muscles loose and supple our bodies become out of symmetry. Muscles that don’t get stretched on a continual basis begin to pull our body out if its normal balanced stasis. This starts to put stress on the supporting structure of our skeleton and, instead of our body load being spread evenly over support structures it gets spread to one side or the other. Parts of the body that were built to share the load find themselves carrying a greater proportion of the load. These spots begin to deteriorate and send out help signals on the way of pain.
An easy example is our spine. It is designed to carry our weight in a gentle s-curve which places the load squarely across the surface of each vertebra. This curve is maintained in its proper shape by the strength of the back muscles counterbalancing the strength of the abdominal muscles. Our back muscles get a daily workout in general just keeping us upright and as in our everyday activities, we lift things, move ourselves up and down as we get out of chairs, etc. Our abdominals unfortunately don’t get this rigorous work out unless we intentionally focus on it. Our back muscles are constantly working and strengthening; they need a conscious effort to stretch them to help them relax and stay supple. Our abdominals are loose and relaxed; they need us to consciously work at strengthening them. If we don’t continually focus on these two needs:
Our back muscles strengthen and tighten pulling our spine out of its proper s-curve
Out abdominals loosen and weaken allowing the spine to slip out of its proper s-curve This results in the body mass being shifted to the edges of some of the vertebrae which causes overloads resulting in degeneration and pain. If we don’t do things to counter this lack of symmetry we are destined to a life of pain and agony.
This example of back pain is one way we put our bodies out of symmetry. We also do this by slouching in chairs as we watch TV or read books, working at a job station that causes us to do most of our effort in a one-sided fashion, receiving an injury that causes us to favour one side of our body and carry the load more with the other. Just being left-handed or right-handed causes us to do things unevenly. There are many things that we do or have happen to us that may cause us to lose the healthy symmetry of our body structure. If we allow this state to continue some part or parts of the body take more of a load then they were designed to carry. This results in pain which, if unattended become chronic pain and then a disabling condition.
At this point I’m going to tell you a short story about a good friend of mine; Phil. He is an avid skier and it was on the mountains of Alberta, B.C., and the North West States that I have shared some tremendous times with him: but enough about that.
Phil had tremendous back problems. Each morning before skiing he would literally role out of bed onto the floor and work at limbering up his back enough to be able to move about in a normal manner. We would then ski the day away. Did I tell you that he had a tremendously high pain threshold?
Phil was this way when I first met him and for several years from that time. He read a great deal about his condition and was quite an expert on everything about it except making it go away. He had been to several doctors and had undergone various treatments including acupuncture. He was at a point of desperation and was seriously considering undergoing spinal fusion as a last resort to overcoming the pain.
It was at this point of desperation that he happened upon a life-changing discovery. My friend Phil did not go through with the spinal fusion surgery. He did however, go on to control and conquer his back pain.
It wasn’t magic and it wasn’t complicated. What he came upon was a book that changed his life. His changes were so positive that the rest of us, learning of the book, investigated, and have used the information to help us as well. My wife has found help for many of the pains caused by her arthritis. The book has been so helpful to me and to many of my friends that whenever someone complains of pain form other than an recent injury or over-done workout the book title is the first thing that crosses my lips. We have all passed the book around among friends and made it known to acquaintances who have suffered from pain. In our circle it has indeed become the bible of pain control and freedom.
The Book was called “Pain Free” by Peter Egoscue. If you are interested in reading about him click here. The important thing is that he has developed the”Egoscue Method” which he has used to help the unknown to the likes of Jack Nicklaus. **His basic belief is that most of our pains are a result of our posture and the fact that our bodies have lost symmetry as a result of injury or just learned bad posture.
In his book he gives us a recipe for evaluating our body type. By body type it refers more to what degree of asymmetry one is at. He basically categorizes us unto 3 body categories. Once this is established he gives us a routine of activities specific to our particular body category. The routine is a mix of stretching and strengthening activities designed to help bring your body back to its natural symmetry. If you follow these routines it is amazing the improvement it will bring.
He, at this point, has written at least four books on the topic of being pain free, he has several clinics around the US, athletics training camps, the Egoscue Research Institute which is dedicated to providing the resources necessary for the research and education in the fields of physical health, self care and functional independence. He also operates Pain Free Radio from which you can either receive Pod Casts or download and listen to archived shows from this Site. Information about these can be found on his Web Site. These Podcasts gives you an insight into the type of person he is and the work he is doing.
From his PainFree Site you can find examples of how to evaluate the posture condition 1, 2, or 3 that your body is in and from there select a menu to use to help correct the condition. At this spot he three menus; a pain fee menu (to ease the pain) an office menu (self explanatory), and and active menu (to strengthen needed ares to maintain symmetry). NB Read the Free Menu updates overview before you start. He also has traveling clinics in the US. You can access the schedule from this spot.
Pete Egosque appears to be a man on a mission to "treat chronic musculoskeletal pain without using drugs, surgery, or manipulation, enabling people to enjoy a pain-free active life."
Of particular immediate interest to us is a Site in which he lists the areas of the body in which you might experience pain. Click on the appropriate body part and a pop-up appears with description and picture of two good exercises to help alleviate the pain. This is an excellent start if you have pain. If you are experiencing chronic pain I would recommend the book however as it gives you a much more thorough plan to eliminate the source of the pain. The book "Pain Free"; I wouldn't be without it. If you have chronic pain I truly believe it is worth your time to investigate further.
Until then . . . in pain or not . . . . . . you still . . . look . . . marvelous!
To read the rest of this article: http://myhealthandfitnessstrategies.com/2007/08/06/control-of-and-freedom-from-pain/
Bill Jensen operates http://myhealthandfitnessstrategies.com/ a blog all about fitness of mind,, body and spirit. He loves giving away free things and is now giving away free membership to his monthly newsletter. You are not going to believe what you get when you sign up and it's all free!
http://myhealthandfitnessstrategies.com/
Friday, August 17, 2007
Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture, Micro-Current Stimulation, Acupressure, Relief From Arthritis Pain
Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture, Micro-Current Stimulation, Acupressure, Relief From Arthritis Pain
By Jim Thomas
Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture, Acupressure or micro-current stimulaton; what's the difference and does it REALLY matter?
Well, the difference may surprise you; but once understand, you may well be on the road to faster relief.
Simply stated, electroacupuncture, also known as micro-current stimulation, is a faster, easier, cheaper, safer and do-it-yourself way to experience all of the benefits of acupuncture, without the needles.
Just how did this leap from acupuncture with needles to electroacupuncture (herein also understood to mean micro-current stimulation) without needles come about?
Back in the late 1960’s Dr. Julian Kenyon, a UK surgeon and Master Acupuncturist, had a vision of putting the healing power of acupuncture into the hands of the lay person.
After twelve years of research, the result was the first micro current device or Energy Point Stimulator (also known as EPS) of its kind.
The device allowed the user to locate acupuncture points with 100% accuracy and then stimulate that point with a very minute electronic pulse. It turns out, the intentional and extremely low energy output of the device is very important.
In his research, Dr. Kenyon found that bi-polar micro currents, in the range of less than 50 micro-amps, having a square waveform and frequency of 10 hertz, When coupled with traditional acupuncture protocols, could trigger the body’s natural healing system and promote tissue regeneration. Not only were these results remarkable, they were repeatable.
Thus, Dr. Kenyon had successfully "joined" micro current stimulation with acupuncture, allowing anyone the opportunity to use acupuncture on themselves and enjoy the benefits of acupuncture, only without the use of needles and without invading the skin in any way.
Continued research and refinement, together with nutritional support has resulted in remarkable breakthroughs in dealing with very tough health issues, which will be the subject of future articles.
Look! The concept of acupuncture without needles is relatively new. Discover why more and more people are turning to this concept to successfully address over 150 health disorders for themselves and loved ones in the convenience of their own home, Right Here at: http://www.Acupuncture.Info-UnLTD.com
By Jim Thomas
Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture, Acupressure or micro-current stimulaton; what's the difference and does it REALLY matter?
Well, the difference may surprise you; but once understand, you may well be on the road to faster relief.
Simply stated, electroacupuncture, also known as micro-current stimulation, is a faster, easier, cheaper, safer and do-it-yourself way to experience all of the benefits of acupuncture, without the needles.
Just how did this leap from acupuncture with needles to electroacupuncture (herein also understood to mean micro-current stimulation) without needles come about?
Back in the late 1960’s Dr. Julian Kenyon, a UK surgeon and Master Acupuncturist, had a vision of putting the healing power of acupuncture into the hands of the lay person.
After twelve years of research, the result was the first micro current device or Energy Point Stimulator (also known as EPS) of its kind.
The device allowed the user to locate acupuncture points with 100% accuracy and then stimulate that point with a very minute electronic pulse. It turns out, the intentional and extremely low energy output of the device is very important.
In his research, Dr. Kenyon found that bi-polar micro currents, in the range of less than 50 micro-amps, having a square waveform and frequency of 10 hertz, When coupled with traditional acupuncture protocols, could trigger the body’s natural healing system and promote tissue regeneration. Not only were these results remarkable, they were repeatable.
Thus, Dr. Kenyon had successfully "joined" micro current stimulation with acupuncture, allowing anyone the opportunity to use acupuncture on themselves and enjoy the benefits of acupuncture, only without the use of needles and without invading the skin in any way.
Continued research and refinement, together with nutritional support has resulted in remarkable breakthroughs in dealing with very tough health issues, which will be the subject of future articles.
Look! The concept of acupuncture without needles is relatively new. Discover why more and more people are turning to this concept to successfully address over 150 health disorders for themselves and loved ones in the convenience of their own home, Right Here at: http://www.Acupuncture.Info-UnLTD.com
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Weaning from Pain Meds - This Really Hurts
It's now the end of July and I'm weaning from my maximum "on demand" dosage of 1600mcg. per day, to zero, zip, nothing per day; bing, bang, boom. And it hurts.
Strangely, this experience is not what I expected it to be. I thought I'd be rolling violently on twisted sheets, foaming at the mouth. It's not like that. Symptoms of with-drawl in me are a marked increase in the nerve pain I feel in my feet, ankles, shins and buttocks. I hate the meds. All of them, and I don't want to be beholden to them any longer.
I'm only 48 years old, and it would be a lie if I told you that I didn't expect that daily doses of methadone and opioids would make me high. I thought they would; I thought a significant side-effect would be a pleasant dizziness or disorientation. I expected that in addition to the mitigation of my neuropathic pain, I'd also experience a reprieve from real life. It wasn't that way when I stepped-up to stronger prescribed drugs, and it sure as hell isn't that way now.
With-drawl symptoms manifest in me greater pain, and I haven't yet started reducing my daily methadone intake. As background, I've weaned from all of my meds at least once, and was shocked then at the level of pain this traitorous spine visits on my body every moment. So, why do it?
I'm taking this big step backwards now so that I can hopefully take a bigger step toward less pain and greater functionality in the future. My pain doctor believes that at some point, in some people, the opioid they ingest actually cause greater pain. He's not saying that one's body develops only a tolerance, but that in addition to a tolerance opioid can become a driver of neuropathic pain. This seems quackish; it's not.
No matter who you are, long courses of narcotic relief carry this risk. So, how do you find out? Remove the drugs. Yeah, it's just how it sounds, too. It's brutal. Electric pain fires down my legs all the way to my toes; sometimes a null feeling so that I or someone else can push pins into my feet or toes, and at other times it's exactly the opposite when the weight of the sheet on my bed feels like bricks dropping on the tips of my toes. You folks know what I mean. How about that 'shins on fire feeling' or trying to lift your own body weight in the car by grasping the handle above the window on the passenger side for hours, just counting the miles left to drive. We all know what I'm talking about so I'll stop; but we also know about those times when the med's don't work. That is a symptom of tolerance.
So it seems as if the solution would be easy, raise the med's. The problem is that you reach a point when you just can't take more, either the side effects or the dosage can kill you. Life's hard, but it's harder when your stupid...or broke...or live in an area with poor medical coverage...
This is what I going to do. Reset my body by removing all of the heavy-duty pain killers (HAH!). I'm going to a clinic in Miami, I live near NYC, that is run by a neurosurgeon who doesn't believe in opioid, and I'll give it the old college try for at least a month. This is when I'm clean of all the drugs, (Maybe it'll work!).
It will be lonely and hard, but you betcha' I'll do it. Never bet against me. Any bet that involves me and my body either holding my breath, experiencing pain, or losing weight I always win. I've never lost. Just to brag a bit, I recently lost 30 pounds in 7 weeks, from 210 lbs. to 180 lbs. and won a grand.
But this isn't just a macho, look at me, thing. The worst case is pain. The rest is all up-side: Starting meds at low levels, new methods of dealing with pain, and the opportunity to do the most important thing of all.
I believe that I am the way God wants me to be, for His reasons and His glory. And I'll pray for His strength, to do His will, which maybe just to share my experience with you. No matter the outcome, I will put myself in the backseat for a while, and let Him drive. Lord, Thy will be done...God bless us all, Colin.
I became disabled at age 46 after 2 failed spinal surgeries. I married my college sweetheart. We have four kids. I'm rebuilding my life after having been diagnosed with Arachnoiditis, an incurable, progressive syndrome causing loss of many ordinary bodily functions and characterized by grinding, incessant nerve pain, like a toothache but a lot more severe. I walk with a cane and choke down a host of pills, many of them narcotic.
I built a web-site, Chronic Pain Lifestyle that I write with 3 people who suffer the same condition. Our page is not a forum, nor is it a source of medical information. Our page is about how we're rebuilding our lives. Sometimes we're funny, other times sad. We mix nostalgia and disappointment with hope, experiences and fellowship.
Strangely, this experience is not what I expected it to be. I thought I'd be rolling violently on twisted sheets, foaming at the mouth. It's not like that. Symptoms of with-drawl in me are a marked increase in the nerve pain I feel in my feet, ankles, shins and buttocks. I hate the meds. All of them, and I don't want to be beholden to them any longer.
I'm only 48 years old, and it would be a lie if I told you that I didn't expect that daily doses of methadone and opioids would make me high. I thought they would; I thought a significant side-effect would be a pleasant dizziness or disorientation. I expected that in addition to the mitigation of my neuropathic pain, I'd also experience a reprieve from real life. It wasn't that way when I stepped-up to stronger prescribed drugs, and it sure as hell isn't that way now.
With-drawl symptoms manifest in me greater pain, and I haven't yet started reducing my daily methadone intake. As background, I've weaned from all of my meds at least once, and was shocked then at the level of pain this traitorous spine visits on my body every moment. So, why do it?
I'm taking this big step backwards now so that I can hopefully take a bigger step toward less pain and greater functionality in the future. My pain doctor believes that at some point, in some people, the opioid they ingest actually cause greater pain. He's not saying that one's body develops only a tolerance, but that in addition to a tolerance opioid can become a driver of neuropathic pain. This seems quackish; it's not.
No matter who you are, long courses of narcotic relief carry this risk. So, how do you find out? Remove the drugs. Yeah, it's just how it sounds, too. It's brutal. Electric pain fires down my legs all the way to my toes; sometimes a null feeling so that I or someone else can push pins into my feet or toes, and at other times it's exactly the opposite when the weight of the sheet on my bed feels like bricks dropping on the tips of my toes. You folks know what I mean. How about that 'shins on fire feeling' or trying to lift your own body weight in the car by grasping the handle above the window on the passenger side for hours, just counting the miles left to drive. We all know what I'm talking about so I'll stop; but we also know about those times when the med's don't work. That is a symptom of tolerance.
So it seems as if the solution would be easy, raise the med's. The problem is that you reach a point when you just can't take more, either the side effects or the dosage can kill you. Life's hard, but it's harder when your stupid...or broke...or live in an area with poor medical coverage...
This is what I going to do. Reset my body by removing all of the heavy-duty pain killers (HAH!). I'm going to a clinic in Miami, I live near NYC, that is run by a neurosurgeon who doesn't believe in opioid, and I'll give it the old college try for at least a month. This is when I'm clean of all the drugs, (Maybe it'll work!).
It will be lonely and hard, but you betcha' I'll do it. Never bet against me. Any bet that involves me and my body either holding my breath, experiencing pain, or losing weight I always win. I've never lost. Just to brag a bit, I recently lost 30 pounds in 7 weeks, from 210 lbs. to 180 lbs. and won a grand.
But this isn't just a macho, look at me, thing. The worst case is pain. The rest is all up-side: Starting meds at low levels, new methods of dealing with pain, and the opportunity to do the most important thing of all.
I believe that I am the way God wants me to be, for His reasons and His glory. And I'll pray for His strength, to do His will, which maybe just to share my experience with you. No matter the outcome, I will put myself in the backseat for a while, and let Him drive. Lord, Thy will be done...God bless us all, Colin.
I became disabled at age 46 after 2 failed spinal surgeries. I married my college sweetheart. We have four kids. I'm rebuilding my life after having been diagnosed with Arachnoiditis, an incurable, progressive syndrome causing loss of many ordinary bodily functions and characterized by grinding, incessant nerve pain, like a toothache but a lot more severe. I walk with a cane and choke down a host of pills, many of them narcotic.
I built a web-site, Chronic Pain Lifestyle that I write with 3 people who suffer the same condition. Our page is not a forum, nor is it a source of medical information. Our page is about how we're rebuilding our lives. Sometimes we're funny, other times sad. We mix nostalgia and disappointment with hope, experiences and fellowship.
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