4 Steps To Relieve Back Pain

This article explores the 4 major steps learned by Michael J. Homan in his search for relief from pinched nerves from degenerative disk disease. Mike discusses the importance of flexibility of the spine, and relieving pain with acupressure, and also strengthening the surrounding muscles in support of the spine and its health.

I have found that 4 major things play an important part in your spines health.

First, there is posture. I know this is not the first time you have heard this, but it needs to be said again and again. Posture should be noted in sitting, standing, and sleeping. Start taking note of your posture at all times. If it is not straight, then start working on fixing it.

If you sleep in a position like I have in the past, with both hands under your pillow while you lay on your side, you can pinch a nerve in your neck if your shoulder of the arm that’s up starts to relax and leans in toward your head or neck. It would be better to lay your arm of your upper hand down on your leg while one hand is under your pillow.

And if you can, buy a few different thickness pillows for throughout the night. I do not know about you, but I can not have a high, fluffy pillow when I lay on my back. But a thin pillow gives me neck ache when I lay on my side.

The second thing on our list is the flexibility of your back.

What you want to do when you notice your back goes out a lot and you experience pinched nerves, is in getting your spine back into alignment and having it flexible.

Of course if you feel a chiropractor is your best choice, by all means seek one. But think about your progress if you could align your own back when ever you needed to. It’s not all that hard!

If you are in pain at the present, put ice or heat on the spot until the pain seems to lessen.

Do NOT, under any circumstances exercise while any of your nerves are inflamed or swollen!

To get your back more flexible you might want to learn kundalini yoga. Not all yoga styles are like those you may have seen on television, where they twist themselves up. Kundalini yoga has very good and useful spinal exercises developed to help flexibility. Kundalini Yoga is also a spiritual tool to help before meditation as well.

It is very important to strengthen your back and the surrounding muscles. This is the third step to a healthy back. Doing sit-ups is one such exercise, You do not have to do many sit-ups until you feel you can… step by step.

Take all of these things slow and at the pace of your body. Your body will let you know what it is feeling. Pain is a warning sign.Just remember… taking pain pills is okay when you really need them. But also remember that they do not heal the problem, they only mask the warning sign, they simply stop the warning sign, but not the underlying problem.

Health is more than just eating right. One has to consider mental health, environmental, and many other factors. It is not all that easy for a doctor to diagnose the complete problem and cure it, especially if it has roots in psychological issues and has gone a long time unchecked, and became a physical problem.

The fourth and last step in back health is to start a daily stretching routine. You have
seen cats and dogs stretch when they get up, try it for yourself!

The key to back health is in keeping it actively flexible and strong, or well supported by the stomach and back muscles. You may have to find that happy medium in between like I have, being too much strength in one area will pull out another.

Each person is uniquely different in many areas. So never think what worked for someone else is going to work for you. You may have to build on someone else’s information and work it into your own, personal program.

I recommend you learn a little about acupressure as well to maintain your pain when it flares up.
I have found that I can manage pain by using acupressure, simply by putting pressure on certain areas of the body. But that is something I suggest you seek a professional for help, or look for someone who does acupuncture, or take a course in acupressure like I did.

Hand Reflexology

Hand Reflexology: You can Have It all in The Palm of Your Hand

Most laypeople will know that reflexology pressure points are found in the feet and many have already experienced a massage. However, the person who is bashful to take off his or her shoes in public, whether it be because of an odor problem or the feet are just to ticklish etc, there is an alternative – the hand massage. Hand reflexology also concentrates upon pressure points or zones in the hand which corresponds to the various body organs and systems similar to foot reflexology.

The pioneer experts, Barbara and Kevin Kunz are specialists in this area. They have provided much information on hand reflexology and foot reflexology in their various websites. The couple has been in practicing for over 25 years, but the practice of foot and hand reflexology has been in existence since ancient china, India, Egypt and even some parts of Africa.

Kevin Kunz maintains that there has been a renewed interest in hand reflexology of late due to the amount of stressful activities we are now subjecting our hands to such as: playing video games, spending long hours on the computer, using new electronic equipment such as the blackberry and text messaging back and forth. Many people are experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome because of the pressure put upon the hands.

Hand reflexology will produce a calming effect, once administered. Furthermore, with our busy lifestyles we are in constant motion, taxing our minds and bodies and leaving ourselves open to various diseases such as heart attacks and other problems.

Therefore the aim of the hand reflexology massage is to sufficiently de stress the body parts in order to facilitate its ability to repair itself. There are many nerve ending within the hand and by messaging these various pressure points, the hand will relax, blood will circulate more freely, and pain will dissipate. The calming effect will travel to the various body systems and organs for a generalized stress free feeling of well being.

Hand reflexology is simple to learn, the touch points or pressure zones have been extensively mapped out for us in hand reflexology charts. There are even hand reflexology gloves worn directly upon the hand thus avoiding errors in zone point locations.

The technique to use requires pressure and stretching movements. You can commence by pulling upon the web part of the tips of your fingertips and thumbs, while gently applying pressure. Now take the body of the hand (palm and top of the hand) and stretch the skin back and forth, always be gentle and produce just enough pressure to get the task done.

Kevin Kunz maintains that you can overdo these simply techniques if you are messaging too hard, too long, or too much. Do not overdo it! He cautions if any part of the hand becomes too sensitive to touch because of the massage stop it, let your hand rest for a few days before resuming the massage.

Kevin Kunz recommends rolling a golf ball around the palm of the hand as a great source of energy releasing power. He states that this energy release will benefit the adrenal glands, stomach, kidneys, solar plexus and pancreas.

More information can be found on his various websites, facebook, and other reflexology training institutes.

Acupuncture Point: The Right Place Matters

An acupuncture point is the location on the body that is targeted by the acupuncturist. In this Chinese medicine and alternative treatment, tiny needles are placed into the skin at these points. In doing so, it is believed that they can restore the normal flow of qi, or the energy force within the body to its normal state. When that happens, the body can heal and overcome the ailments that it is currently facing.

The term for an acupuncture point is acupoints. It can also be used in similar, though different types of acupuncture including acupressure, sonopuncture, and laser treatments that are now available. In the study of acupuncture, it is believed that the body is connected through various points. These connected points are referred to as meridians. Each meridian can be targeted to a specific organ or area of the body. Other acupuncture point locations are found throughout the body that is not connected to meridians.

When you visit an acupuncturist, or a professional who performs this type of alternative treatment, the first step is to assess your condition by giving you a thorough exam. During this process, they will determine where the potential problems are. Based on their study of your body as well as the specifics of this type of treatment, they can determine the best acupuncture point or points to place needles. In this treatment, needles are placed on the appropriate meridian to trigger the specific condition needing to be treated. In most cases, several locations will be targeted at one time.

An acupuncturist will know the proper acupuncture point based on his or her experience as well as training in this treatment. The locations of these treatments are done the same from one person to the next.

There are also various categories of points throughout the body. For example, there are the Five Transporting acupuncture points. In this category, the qi flows much like a river through the body. In this method, there are several types of treatment administered, each associated with these points. The five methods are called Jing well, Ying spring, Shu stream, Jing River and He sea.

When you visit an acupuncture location, take notice of any charts that they may have on the walls. These are a great reference to learn where the best acupuncture point to treat your condition is located. Yet, also realize that only after the acupuncturist performs an assessment of the body can he assign the proper treatment. You can often ask questions to learn why one area is located over the others.