Pain Therapy

The type of pain therapy you choose has a lot to do with your history with the pain you’re experiencing, the location, the intensity, whether it’s chronic or acute, and whether it’s a sign that something else is going wrong. This article will discuss some of the more poplar types of pain therapy.

First and foremost when considering pain therapy is your collaboration with your family physician so that he/she can rule out any other conditions which may require other specific treatment. For example, if you have cancer, then most of the pain therapy methods mentioned in this article may help somewhat in reducing the pain, but you’ll still have to treat the underlying cause through possible surgery, chemotherapy, medications, and/or radiation. Pain in the chest may signal an impending heart attack, and pain therapy will not help, nor is it advisable-taking your mediation and getting to the hospital is. In these cases, reducing the pain through pain therapy isn’t your only concern.

*Acupuncture as pain therapy: It is a process of inserting tiny needles into specific points (the meridian line or “life energy”) in the body which relieves pain for therapeutic pain therapy purposes. It originated in China. The general agreement is that the procedure is safe. If you are using this pain therapy method, and you are experiencing relief, then it may be the right pain therapy method for you.

*Massage Therapy as pain therapy: There are several different types of massage therapy and they all perform different functions. Swedish massage reduces emotional and physical stress. Neuromuscular massage restores balance of the autonomic nervous system. Lymphatic massage detoxifies the body and boosts the immune system. Shiatsu massage relieves blockages in the meridian pathways by massaging vital pressure points. Massage therapy is especially effective form of pain therapy if the cause of the pain is muscle tension due to stress, an accident or a poor posture.

*Reflexology as pain therapy: Certain points on parts of the body, often the feet, are manipulated and massaged. These points are said to be directly related to and affect corresponding internal organs. In order for this pain therapy to work you must tell the reflexologist exactly where the pain is, and she will massage the corresponding point.

*Chiropractor as pain therapy: This chiropractor will do a complete assessment of you and mark down all the areas of pain that you are experiencing. She/he will manipulate/massage and adjust your body so that the alignment is restored and all your organs are functioning properly again.

*Magnetic therapy as pain therapy: Magnetic therapy can be an effective form of pain therapy. Certain parts of the body are subjected to static magnetic fields improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and promoting healing. For safety reasons, magnetic pain therapy should not be used by pregnant women or anyone with an implanted electro-medical device. It’s a relatively inexpensive and readily available form of pain therapy.

Pain therapy is very individual. It depends on your personal preference, tolerance, and how you’re experiencing the pain in order to determine which pain therapy is right for you.

Finding Relief with Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture Therapy is an ancient art of pain relief that is still being used today. Millions of Americans have turned to acupuncture therapy in just the last 40 years. Acupuncture therapy was passed down to us from the Chinese who are still skilled at the art.

The Chinese perfected a way of changing the energy flow in the human body with acupuncture therapy. The tiny needles are inserted in the body to channel energy flow and help heal the body.

The human body has what are called channels known as meridians. These are branches or lanes leading to organs. If an organ is not functioning properly, acupuncture therapy has been successful in re-channeling energy and promoting healing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has found acupuncture to be effective for the treatment of almost every condition that attacks the human body. Acupuncture therapy is an effective way to treat allergies that are among the most common disorders people suffer with. Nearly two in 10 people suffer from some sort of allergy. It is one of the main causes of school and work absence. Many people with allergies have found relief from allergies along with gastrointestinal disorders, gynecological problems that millions of women suffer with each year. Acupuncture therapy has also been found to help people suffering with alcoholism and other substance abuses.

Headaches affect nearly every one of us. Many people have debilitating headaches that make it nearly impossible for them to function. Acupuncture therapy is a low cost way that has successfully relieved headache pain without high doses of medications or surgery.

Millions of Americans are suffering from arthritis. It causes joint pain and bone deterioration. Those living with rheumatoid arthritis can have crippling effects from the disease. Acupuncture therapy has relieved pain, restored circulation to the affected joints and restored energy resulting in an ease of movement. Osteoarthritis pain has been alleviated also.

Acupuncture therapy can be more successful when used before a condition reaches the point that heavy mediation or surgery is needed. Those suffering from AIDS or cancer need chemotherapy have been helped with acupuncture therapy. It is not meant to be used instead of Western treatments, but in addition to for relief pain.

Acupuncture therapy, as we now know it, was first used over 2,500 years ago in China and was called Nei Ching or The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. The Chinese have perfected acupuncture therapy, but it may have first started as an Asian therapy. The oldest text, discussing acupuncture, was found in a book entitled the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture, dated 282 A.D.

The art of shiatsu, acupressure massage and macrobiotics can be traced back to having roots in acupuncture. The Chinese use herbal remedies, dietary therapy, and lifestyle changes in addition to acupuncture.

Acupuncture therapy was introduced to America as late as the 1970s when Richard Nixon was the first president to visit China. In the early 1900s, Western physicians were fascinated with acupuncture therapy observed in China, but it was not accepted until the 1970s.

During Nixon’s visit, journalists observed surgery being performed on patients without anesthetics. The Chinese doctors were using the tiny acupuncture therapy needles to control the pain instead. The patients remained awake during the procedure. A journalist for the New York Times, James Reston, chose to undergo surgery and declined medication. The acupuncture therapy needles were used to control his pain. Acupuncture therapy became popular after he published a story describing his experience.

Acupuncture therapy is being used in all 50 states by over 9,000 doctors. As many as 4,000 doctors include acupuncture therapy with their practice. To date, over five million Americans have undergone acupuncture therapy.

The other forms of acupuncture used in America, in addition to the Chinese method, is Japanese acupuncture using thin needles and does not include herbal medicine. Auricular acupuncture therapy is used on the ears. Paul Nogier, a neurologist in France, developed a popular system based on neuroendocrine which is different than Chinese therapy. This method is also becoming popular in America.

Muscle Building Foods

You’re going to the gym on a regular basis (3 to 6 times a week) but you aren’t seeing the results you want because you aren’t incorporating muscle building foods into your diet.
No matter how many reps you do, and no matter how heavy the weights are, you just won’t build lean mass without adding muscle building foods, also known as a protein rich diet.
The very best muscle building foods are those that are full of protein, and these absolutely need to be added to your diet as well as the right amount of good quality complex carbohydrates (no junk food here), healthy fats and plenty of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. Drinking plenty of water during the day can never be emphasized enough. Your body needs water to digest food and eliminate toxins. Avoiding processed food is essential to provide your muscles with what is necessary to build lean mass.
Working your biceps, triceps, gluteus, hamstrings, pectorals and quads without eating muscle building foods is like riding a bicycle without the chain-you’re not going anywhere.

How often to eat your muscle building foods
You’ll have to eat protein every 2 to 3 hours totaling 5 to 6 meals a day. You will want to have healthy and easy-to-eat muscle building foods on hand for those times when you can’t prepare food. And who has time to put together a decent protein rich meal every 2 to 3 hours? A great snack to have on hand is nuts and seeds.

Time of day to eat the most muscle building foods
You’ll want to eat your largest meal after your weight training session. This is the time in which your muscles are most in need of those healthy muscle building foods.

When to skip a meal or snack of muscle building foods
If you’re serious and determined to build lean muscle mass, then you won’t want to miss an opportunity to ingest muscle building foods.

How much protein/muscle building foods do our bodies require?
The amount of muscle building foods your body needs depends on your age, size, gender, activity level, and the amount of exercise you do. In general, you can estimate how much protein you need every day by multiplying your body weight in kilograms times .8.  That result you’ll want to divide into 5 to 6 meals a day. You’ll need to add 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight on those days that you’re involved in heavy weight training.

A list of excellent muscle building foods
To give you an example of the portion sizes of muscle building foods, the food items listed all have approximately 8 grams of protein for comparison.

1 jumbo egg
1 cup of milk
1 cup of soy milk
1oz of most cuts of beef
¼ cup of most almonds and seeds
2 tbsp of peanut butter
½ cup of most beans
¼ cup of soy beans
¼ cup of cottage cheese
½-1 cup of yoghurt (depending on the brand)
3 slices of bacon
¾ oz of ham
1 ½ oz fish fillets
1 oz chicken