Infrared Heat Therapy For Fibromyalgia Relief

Infrared Heat Therapy For Fibromyalgia Relief

Fibromyalgia is a painful, debilitating condition that affects millions of people around the world. Its cause unknown, it can also be difficult to treat effectively. Common symptoms of fibromyalgia are extreme fatigue, depression, and diffuse, full-body muscle or joint pain which can become slight severe. Many sufferers of fibromyalgia have to take pain medications regularly and struggle with fatigue and stiffness. However, there is another method of relieving the pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia. Infrared heat therapy, such as that in an infrared sauna, can help to relieve the debilitating symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Studies have shown that treating the pain of fibromyalgia with deep heat is more effective than pain medication. Infrared saunas envelop the sauna bather’s body in soothing, deeply penetrating heat which evenly affects the entire body. Also, the detoxification effect of infrared sauna therapy helps to keep the body healthier in general, and can even augment pain management drug treatments. It aids the body in getting rid of lactic acid build-up, which can greatly reduce muscle stiffness and soreness.

Infrared sauna treatments can also help to treat the fatigue and depression symptoms that so often accompany the physical pain of fibromyalgia. The relaxing effects of infrared sauna therapy can rejuvenate the sauna bather, often resulting in an energy increase better than a nap. The bather will often find that their sleep is deeper and more restful after an infrared sauna treatment. There is also some research which indicates that the infrared waves can help to alleviate depression by stimulating the pituitary gland and stimulating healing in both peripheral nerves and the central nervous system.

Regular infrared sauna therapy can greatly relieve fibromyalgia symptoms and give relief to many without the use of medications. When added to all the other health benefits of regular sauna bathing, the use of infrared sauna treatments is a wise move for overall health.

Abdominal Migraines

Abdominal Migraines

Anyone who has ever had a migraine will say they do not just happen in the head. The headache is usually the worst and most painful part of a migraine, but there’s more. Most migraineurs (people who suffer from migraines) will talk about photosensitivity (sensitivity to light), phonosensitivity (sensitivity to sound), scent sensitivity, gastric pain, cramping, and vomiting.

Sometimes the abdominal symptoms show up without the other typical migraine symptoms. When they do, a patient is said to be experiencing an abdominal migraine. An abdominal migraine is pain, usually varying from mild to medium, in the abdomen. The pain is either along the midline or unspecified and is frequently accompanied by abdominal tenderness, cramp-like spasms, bloating, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Since abdomen pain can be caused by a wide variety of conditions other causes need to be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. In a classic abdominal migraine, no gastric cause for the pain can be identified. Migraineurs need to let their doctors know about their migraines when they experience unspecified abdominal pain so that the doctor knows abdominal migraine may be a possibility.

Abdominal migraines are most common in children. Children who experience abdominal migraines frequently grow up to be migraineurs. While abdominal migraine is not unheard of in adults, it is rare. Like most other types of migraine, it is also more common in females than in males.

While the exact cause of abdominal migraines is unknown, it is highly likely to be related to serotonin deficiency. Serotonin deficiency has been linked in several studies to migraines, and 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gastric system. Serotonin deficiency causes cascading waves of nerve reaction in the brain when triggering a migraine and a similar process may be in effect in the abdomen.

Natural Treatments for Migraine

Natural Treatments for Migraine

There is a huge controversy regarding natural treatments for migraine among migraine sufferers and scientists. Are there any natural options that work? The answer is not a simple one.
For the majority of natural remedies that are traditionally passed from one generation to another, they are thought to lack scientific proof and to only use the placebo effect as a means of providing relief to patients. Despite the above fact natural treatments for migraine are widely spread and people seem to disregard scientific appeals.
One can understand that natural remedies exist for certain reasons:
1) The majority of them are based on natural substances that are easily available.
2) Usually the natural treatments are handled better than the prophylactic medications that a migraine sufferer often has to take everyday to prevent migraine attacks from occurring and with fewer side effects.
3) The cost of natural remedies are most of the times markedly less than the one of migraine medications, especially the modern ones.
4) They may work after all!

One of the most common natural treatments for migraine headache is apple cider vinegar. It is believed to normalize the body’s pH so that migraine can be prevented. It is not scientifically proven to work but some people use drops of apple vinegar in their water or inhale the fumes of boiling water that contains apple vinegar.

Feverfew is natural herb that allegedly helps to prevent migraine attacks and to decrease the frequency of them. The migraines that occur are supposed to last less and have fewer and less severe accompanying symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Feverfew has been tested safely in research studies up to 3-4 months. No scientific proof exists for a period of use longer than that.

Apart from those two natural treatments for migraine there are some organized methods where a combination of strategies is used to treat migraines. Whatever you do, before taking any supplement consult your physician as some substances can interact with your current medication or medical conditions you might have.

Acupuncture for Pain Relief

Acupuncture for Pain Relief

It’s amazing the number of people who live with pain on a regular basis. For some people, the pain is something that they simply live with but it does not alter their life necessarily. For others, the pain gets quite intense and they have to live around the pain instead of simply incorporating it into their lifestyle. One thing that almost all pain has in common, however, is an imbalance that exists in our body. If we were to bring our body back into line with where it should be, most of the pain that we feel would stop happening.

Although there are many different ways for people to deal with pain that range from prescription medications to therapeutic exercise, one way that is often overlooked is acupuncture. The fact is, acupuncture is able to help with pain in a lot of different ways and to help individuals to get over pain or to be able to reduce it so that it is easily manageable. How is acupuncture able to do this? It does this by bringing our body back into balance with where it should be.

Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years in Asia and is now becoming very popular in the Western world. It is based on the principle that we all have an energy which is referred to as Chi. It is a balanced energy that exists in between two extremes, the negative and positive. If all things in our body or balanced, according to these theories, then we can enjoy good health. Acupuncture is a way of manipulating the energy that flows through our body and brings us back into a balanced state.

What kind of pain can be controlled by acupuncture? People actually visit acupuncturists for a wide variety of pain that includes lower back pain, headaches, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. It is also very common for people to visit the doctor before and after surgery for additional pain management. So not only is acupuncture good for the relief of pain, it also may help with the prevention of pain as well.

As acupuncture continues to grow a popularity and additional testing helps to prove what it can do for us, more people will use these treatments in order to deal with their ill health. By bringing us back into a balanced state naturally, acupuncture is able to allow us to heal from the inside out.

Nausea and Your Headache

Nausea and Your Headache

Headaches can be such a nagging problem. As a symptom, it can be a cause of some serious ailments. Headaches that come with vomiting and nausea can be signs of migraine. The headache nausea that usually accompanies migraine can be effectively treated by some anti-nausea medication. But one should be more concerned about the headache that migraines cause.

Migraine is increasingly becoming a big problem for a growing number of people. Migraine headaches are brought about by the sudden shrinking and then swelling of blood vessels in the head that causes the pain. Migraine headaches can be triggered by a lot of things. Tension, for one, is one major trigger of migraines in a lot of people. Fatigue, hunger, bright lights and a variety of different foods and beverages can also be possible migraine triggers.

The onset of a migraine attack comes with some telltale signs. Nausea and vomiting may be felt before any actual pain or headache is experienced. Another sign of an incoming migraine attack is seeing flashing lights and colors all around. The body can also feel hot and weak on one side and may last for about 15 to 30 minutes and then followed by an intense headache. Other warning signs of migraines can also include the feeling of tiredness, depression, and/or restlessness that can go for two to three days before the headache is experienced.

Treatment for migraines includes taking a number of prescription medications which is usually effective when taken just as the headache starts. Non-medication treatment for migraines includes applying cold compress or splashing cold water on the face at the first sign of headaches. A migraine attack can also be alleviated by lying down in a quiet and dark room for several hours to sleep or meditate to relax the mind.

There are also other therapies that are being employed in order to help prevent migraines. This includes maintaining a proper diet by avoiding foods such as chocolate, caffeine or alcohol that can trigger a migraine attack. Living a stress-free life can also help in keeping migraine in check. Meditation and relaxation exercises such as Yoga can also help prevent further migraine attacks.

The use of biofeedback therapy has also been found helpful in trying to prevent migraine attacks by effectively helping relax the mind. Migraines do not have to be a very painful problem for many people. Knowing how to treat such an ailment as well as how to prevent them can help people lead a more normal life.

Do you have Sinus Infection Symptoms?

Do you have Sinus Infection Symptoms?

You’ve heard the saying, “No pain, no gain” but for many of us who have experienced the tremendous, annoying pain associated with having a sinus infection, I am sure you feel as I do; there isn’t anything that I can gain or want to gain from having a sinus infection. Most of us have all experienced the pain and pressure in our head and face that only seems to get worse before it gets better. In the following article I will be talking about what causes sinus infections, some general sinus infection symptoms, where sinus infections occur, and some possible remedies to treating your sinus infection symptoms.
What causes sinus infection symptoms?
First of all we need to know what the sinuses are. The sinuses are hollow packets of air located on either side of the nose, behind and in-between the eyes, and in the forehead. The sinuses produce mucus that cleans and moistens the membranes of the nose and throat. Each sinus has an opening into the nose that allows for free exchange of mucus and air. Sinus infection symptoms are the result of inflammation and blockage of the openings. The mucus and pressure then build in the sinuses creating a perfect breading ground for bacteria. Sinus infection symptoms generally follow a cold or some other respiratory illness. For someone who suffers from allergies they can also be caused by an allergic reaction. Other causes include: blowing the nose too hard, not completely treating the first sinus infection, or frequent swimming.
General sinus infection symptoms:
Headache
Pain
Upper jaw and tooth ache
Tenderness around the nose, forehead and cheeks
Swelling and pressure around the eyes
Ear ache and infection
Fever
Weakness or fatigue
A cough, runny nose or nasal congestion
Bad breath
Snoring
Other symptoms can include:
Nasal sounding speech
Only being able to breathe through your mouth because your nasal passages are so plugged.
A decreased or total loss of smell
A nasty, possibility green, stinky nasal discharge. (Sounds exciting doesn’t it!?)
That gross feeling of mucus draining down the back of your throat known as post nasal drip.
Where areas do Sinus infection symptoms affect?
There are essentially four areas where you can feel the pain and pressure from a sinus infection. You may have experienced a headache in the forehead caused by an infection in the frontal sinuses. If the pain is more focused in the cheekbone area then your maxillary sinuses are infected. Your sphenoid sinuses may be infected if the pain you experience is more general and goes all the way to the top of your head. The sphenoid sinuses are located deep behind the eyes right above the throat. Finally, if the infection centers in the ethmoidal sinuses, you’ll get that extremely uncomfortable pain behind the eyes.
What are the remedies for sinus infection symptoms?
Sinus infection symptoms are usually treated with an antibiotic, various nasal sprays, or other medication. Because sinus infection symptoms are common and chronic for many individuals, prevention is much better than the cure. There are some simple activities, such as using a humidifier and regularly cleansing nasal passages, which can greatly decrease your chances of experiencing sinus infection symptoms.
In this article we have looked at what causes sinus infection symptoms, some of the general sinus infection symptoms, where the sinus infections take place and some possible remedies to curing your sinus infection symptoms. I hope that you learned as much from reading this article as I did from writing it. I also hope that you will find the information in this article valuable to the health of you and your loved ones.

Want To Know How To Deal With Back Pain? Read On

For anyone who has had the misfortune of suffering from back pain, any relief would be a welcome sight. Although there are many causes of back pain, there are no simple cures. This article is meant to provide you with tips and advice on dealing with and alleviating your chronic back pain.

They say that most things are a case of mind over matter, and this can definitely be true for back pain. So when you’re struck with some minor pain, a great remedy here is to try some aromatherapy techniques or other relaxation techniques to see if you can eliminate the pain.

If you like to wear high heels but experience back pain, the answer is simple; take the heels off and go with regular shoes. Standing on your toes is a very unnatural posture for your spine. Over time, this can cause damage to not only your muscles but also the discs in your back. Save the high heels for very special occasions.

It is important to know and understand whether your back pain is chronic or acute. Chronic back pain lasts for more than three months and is a continuous back pain usually from the result of an injury or illness. Acute back pain can also come from an injury and for other reasons and usually comes on fast and lasts for only a short period of time.

Being overweight is one of the biggest causes of back pain in the world, so always attempt to maintain a healthy weight if you’re fighting back pain. You will find as an overweight individual that as you begin to lose the weight, your back pain will lessen. The goal should be to keep fighting to lose the weight.

If you already have a spinal injury and you are a smoker, we’ve got some bad news for you. Smoking is actually making it harder for your back to heal. Every time you smoke you are causing a diminished amount of oxygen to get to the spinal chord, and it needs all the oxygen to heal quickly.

If you need to do a lot of reading while at work, try to do it away from your computer. Extensive reading off of a computer screen tends to lead to hunching over and other bad posture habits. Instead, print out the reading material or save a copy on a tablet device; then, sit in a chair that is more conducive to good reading posture.

As soon as you experience back pain it is imperative for you to pay a visit to your doctor. Do not just think it is simply something strained. Back pain can mean a plethora of many different things, up to and including cancer! It behooves you to let your doctor take a look as soon as possible.

From the content of this article, you may see a light at the end of your chronic pain tunnel. All chronic pain sufferers are eager to try anything that may alleviate the pain. By following the tips and advice from this article, you may find a regimen that works for you.

Chiropractic Care for Migraines

Chiropractic Care for Migraines

Chiropractic care is a safe, non-invasive way to relieve migraine suffering without the use of medication. Chiropractic migraine treatment is not for everyone, but it may be particularly useful for patients who cannot use prescription medication due to other risk factors.

Migraine headaches are idiopathic. This means that despite the last century’s advances in medical science their cause is still unknown. A number of theories exist to explain migraines. They include a possible serotonin deficiency in migraineurs, genetics malformations, and arterial swelling in the cranium.

A common chiropractic theory is that subluxations in the muscles at the base of the skull and the neck cause, or contribute to, the formation of migraine headaches. Subluxations are tense areas in the muscles adjoining the small bones of the upper spinal column. On an x-ray, the bones appear to be in the correct place and medical doctors often miss the tension in the muscles. A chiropractor gently manipulates the spine to relax these subluxations.

Chiropractors offer two varieties of care for migraine patients, straight chiropractic and mixed chiropractic. Straight chiropractic only involves manipulation of the spine and spinal subluxations. Mixed chiropractic care combines traditional manipulation with other complementary techniques. The focus in mixed chiropractic is to reduce overall neck strain and tension.

Researchers at Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Minnesota recently compared chiropractic care with drug therapies for migraines and chronic tension headaches. The study was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Two hundred eighteen headache patients were given either drug therapy or regular chiropractic care. Both groups reported a 40-50% reduction in headache pain at the end of the study.

Follow ups four weeks after discontinuing all care showed only the chiropractic group still enjoying the pain reduction the treatment initiated. Only 20-25% of the drug therapy patients were still benefiting from their treatment at this follow up.

Migraine Stages

Migraine Stages

Migraines develop in four stages. Patients with migraines with aura, also known as classic migraines, are most likely to experience all four stages. Patients who have common migraines, migraines without aura, will have the same stages, but are not consciously aware of them. The interval between migraines is sometimes referred to as the fifth stage of a migraine.

Stage One – Prodrome

The prodromal phase usually begins one or two days prior to the actual migraine headache. Many migraineurs call this the “premonition” phase. Feelings during this phase are all over the map. Each migraineur has their own personal prodrome profile. Some are giddy, happy, and full of energy, far more so than usual. Others feel a headache start with fatigue, weakness, and irritability. Anything can herald a migraine and each person has to learn their own prodrome signs if they want to learn to stave off the migraine.

Stage Two – Aura

This phase is skipped by most migraineurs, since most migraineurs suffer from common migraine, migraine without aura. For those who experience classic migraine with aura, auras can begin anywhere from five minutes to an hour before the headache begins. Auras are visual effects migraineurs experience. Objects appear to have bright auras or haloes around them. Lightning flashes arc over the field of vision until sight is whited out just before the pain begins.

Stage Three – Headache

This phase lasts anywhere from four to seventy-two hours. Most common is a one-sided headache with a throbbing or pulsing characteristic. The headache is frequently accompanied by stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or some combination of the three.

Stage Four – Postdrome

Coming away from a migraine can be as unpleasant as building up to one. Postdrome is often characterized by tenderness of the head, neck, and stomach. Weakness and fatigue are also common in this phase.

Pain Management- Foods That Help Ease Pain

Pain- something that no one wants to experience even once let alone daily and yet chronic pain is not uncommon. The Chronic Pain Association estimates that 50 million Americans endure chronic pain on a daily basis. Whether you suffer from Fibromyalgia Arthritis, or a Sports Injury, pain from the inflammatory response finds us and can make life miserable. Taking anti-inflammatory medications is the first defense against chronic or acute pain. Research shows if you want to add even more relief to your pain symptoms you can make some small changes to your diet.

Foods that have the greatest effect on the inflammatory process are fats. The predominant omega-6 fatty acids present in the American diet tend to promote inflammation while omega-3 fatty acids help to inhibit the inflammatory process. The omega 6 to omega-3 ratio in the Western diet is a high 16:1.8 leading some researchers to say the typical Western diet is a pro-inflammatory diet. No wonder we are in such pain! Even though omega-6 fatty acids are good for us and needed in the diet, we are eating far too many of them and not eating enough of the health-promoting omega-3’s. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in beef, pork, chicken, whole milk dairy products, egg yolks, vegetable and seed oils, and packaged convenience foods- all staples of the American diet. The pain reducing Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish (salmon, mackerel, halibut, and tuna), ground flax seeds, canola oil, and walnuts.

There is one more fatty acid to throw into the mix and that is omega-9. Not as much of an attention getting fatty acid but just as important to know about. These fatty acids are also involved in prohibiting the inflammation process bringing relief to its sufferers. Omega-9’s are found in olive oil, avocados, pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews, sesame oil, pistachio nuts and macadamia nuts. All those nuts you thought were off limits, not anymore. Just make sure you only eat 10 – 12 nuts for a serving size so you don’t add to your waistline with these high calorie snacks.

Fruits and Vegetables- ah, here they are again. I wonder how long it will take us to realize they really are good for us. The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables play a role in decreasing damage by free radicals which to you and I means it prevents the initiation of the inflammatory response nipping it in the bud. What’s the recommendation? The same as it’s always been, 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. It’s not as tough as it seems. A serving size of fruit is the size of a tangerine or half of a banana while the serving size for vegetables is ½ cup cooked and 1 cup raw. Add some berries to your cereal, some vegetable soup with lunch or sneak veggies into your scrambled eggs, add them wherever you can.

Although this doesn’t count as a legitimate study, my mother, a long time arthritis sufferer decided to put some of these ideas into practice. She decided to take 2 tbsp. of ground flax seeds per day which she added to her oatmeal in the morning. She also added almonds regularly. That was it. No other changes and she found her arthritis pain markedly decreased. It goes to show that small nutrition changes can make a big impact on your health.

Now that you know the information, let’s get practical. Here are 8 small diet changes you can make starting this week to decrease inflammation.

1. Replace chicken, pork or ground beef with salmon, mackerel, or halibut 2 times each week.
2. Use canola or olive oil in place of other vegetable oils for salad dressings and cooking.
3. Add walnuts, almonds, or pecans to salads.
4. Snack on an ounce of cashews or macadamia nuts with a piece of fruit.
5. Use sliced avocado in your sandwich in place of the cheese.
6. Use omega-3 fortified eggs (can find at all local grocery stores: look for the sentence: fed with DHA and EHA).
7. Add 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds to your oatmeal or yogurt.
8. Add a side salad each night with dinner (filling up with veggies during your meals will also help with weight management).

Using medications alone to manage your pain is difficult because most drugs eventually lose their effectiveness and can cause side effects. Take some small steps to add these dietary practices so you can have a more complete support system to alleviate pain.

© 2005, Meri Raffetto