Jul 3
Knots causing lower back pain
icon1 Stewart Beartoes | icon2 Other - Health | icon4 07 3rd, 2008| icon3No Comments »

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

by Stewart Beartoes

Numerous factors can result in back pain and quite important of them all is knots in local muscles. These knots are Indications of diseases like ulcers, kidney stones, a pinched nerve or injury to the back will result in lower back pain. Trigger points, also known as muscle knots and myofasical pain syndrome, is one of the major causes of back pain of these and many other kinds. A little knowledge of trigger points can resolve pain troubles easily especially patients suffering from sciatica.

Muscles that have been tightly contracted and a remote spasm affecting a small part of muscle cells are known as trigger points. The small part of the knotted muscle is stagnant and swampy, partly cutting off its individual blood supply, an aggressive sequence called “metabolic crisis.” A cluster of a lot of malicious trigger points is known as myofasical pain syndrome (MPS). A lot of trigger pints located in a particular muscle group can cause potential magnificent amount of distress for the patient.

It’s very important that you have knowledge of the dangerous effects caused by these trigger points in the human body. Trigger points can result pain straightly in chronic patients along with burning breathing, muscle spasm, infections in vertebra, lower spine, hips, and injuries in lower spine.

Trigger points are capable of existing independently of any noticeable basic setbacks. In the case of sagacity, they are a natural and usual part of muscle tissue. Trigger points can cause difficulties during injuries. Trigger pints are formed when there are internal or external damages or any other kind of pain and dysfunctions with the lower back muscle or in the muscles in other body parts.

Trigger points can elevate and affect other medical conditions and related medical conditions in the human body for physicians and doctors alike. An example would be that trigger points are a major reason for pain than the more well known extensively reported repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), and many several scapegoats for which its usually mistaken for.

The regular practicing massage therapists, physical therapists, and physicians strongly identify that in the majority of cases general pains and aches are actually caused by trigger points, or small contraction knots in the muscles.

Trigger point (back pain knot) treatment is not a miracle cure for chronic pain but it’s a secure way of treatment for some people. Physiotherapists and chiropractors consider that “structuralism,” exercise therapy (massage), and proper joint functioning in case of trigger points infections are of utmost importance. Other treatments require analgesics (pain medications), such as NSAIDs or acetaminophen for chronic or acute pain muscle relaxants are also greatly helpful. Antidepressants are also prescribed for chronic low back pain knots are also recommended. Intensive multidisciplinary treatment courses may help out acute or chronic low back pain knots. Acupuncture coupled with exercise also helps aid chronic pain.

About the Author:
Jul 1
by Meng Y

Radiation therapy remains one of the most common tools for breast cancer treatment, but it has been refined considerably over the years.

Radiation is performed two different ways: both internal and external.

Radiation treatments that are external are done using a highly focused, high energy beam of light utilized to annihilate cancer cells and their surrounding tissue. The beam of light can not be seen with your eyes but it can pass through your skin because it is semi-transparent. Cancer cells are composed differently, therefore they react differently to treatments.

Healthy cells that are located within the path of the radiation are affected by it. As cancer cells actively divide and grow in abnormal ways the way they function is easily interrupted. They could potentially absorb a greater percentage of radiation than healthy cells do. The energy works to kill the cancer cells. The beam also aids in destroying the blood vessels generated by the cancer to feed itself. These vessels are located around the tumor.

Internal radiation therapy, sometimes called brachytherapy, is more akin to chemotherapy. But rather than using drugs per se to affect a chemical change, a small amount of radioactive material is implanted. That material ejects radiation that targets cancer cells, killing them from the inside.

Internal radiation therapy isn’t as common as external. But just like with any other treatment method when and how it is utilized is something that is determined after you meet with a specialist.

Radiation therapy is typically used prior to or in addition to another treatment. After an individual has a modified mastectomy the oncologist usually recommends that they also receive a course of radiation treatment lasting anywhere from six to eight weeks.

The goal of radiation therapy is to ensure that any cancerous cells that could not be removed by the surgeon are destroyed by radiation. It is a treatment that is less intense because utilizing radiation to completely kill cancer would require longer and higher doses.

Similarly, radiation treatments may accompany chemotherapy. Since each case is unique, the patient and oncologist will determine what’s best for each person. In other cases, it may be used solely to relieve symptoms without any expectation of cure.

Despite the high energy in the beam, radiation treatments themselves are painless. There are often uncomfortable side effects, however.

Radiation treatments often cause fatigue, especially during the later treatment stages. Often times the treatments are given for five days at a time over a period of multiple weeks, and often times are used twice per day. In those cases the fatigue might outlive the treatment length.

Problematic skin is a fairly common side effect. Because radiation is absorbed by some of the breast tissue an individual might experience redness, soreness, and itching. They might notice decreased sensation on and about the breast, under the arm and even nearby areas. Radiation doesn’t cause hair loss unless it is applied directly to the head, which typically isn’t the case during breast cancer treatment.

In cases that are more severe the immune system might be compromised, especially if radiation is being applied to an individual’s lymph nodes. Lymph nodes and the vessels that connect to them and run through the body are a vital part of the immune system and radiation can potentially work to decrease their level of effectiveness.

Fortunately, side effects are usually short lived. Except in the most extreme cases, organs, lymph nodes and other body components are not destroyed or irreparably harmed by radiation treatment. Though function may be temporarily suppressed, the body generally bounces back.

About the Author:
Jun 21
by Lorelei F

So in this blog about helpful hints for quitting smoking it seems oddly appropriate to speak about my dad, who passed away last week. He was not a smoker, so that was not the issue. But the one thing I have to say is that for the past few years he was truly not enjoying his life.

As I watched my dad in his last years I saw a weary, dreary life. Songs and jokes he had once loved to spout were gone from him. His ability to do skits and act in silly ways was no longer present. Even the food he had once greatly enjoyed had lost its flavor inside of his illnesses. He was, in short, deprived of all that he loved in life.

Now it may seem odd to talk about this in a blog entitled “Helpful Hints for Quitting Smoking.” So I will tell you that I consider this blog to be more along the lines of an inquiry- and I do not have all the answers.

Now one could argue that I am an expert on addictions, and why people do what they do, as they do it. And one could argue that I am an expert on how people can shift their behavior. But in the final analysis, neither I nor anyone else can have you quit smoking. It is only you who can do it.

So in this inquiry about quitting smoking I have to take note of the fact that for my dad, and for a lot of people who leave us, it is often true that the heart and soul, or a person’s will to live, is gone. And even though my dad struggled over the idea of leaving the people he loved, there was certainly a large piece of him that was done with the whole business.

And if one has a wish or desire to go, or if one is unfulfilled and not living a life that is happy- Or, worse yet, if one is living in some terminal upset or pain, then all of the trying to quit smoking in the world will not make a difference. There will be present a sort of desire to go that will thwart your every attempt to stay here on this earth. And we all know that smoking has a very real possibility of taking your life in the not too distant future.

Now I don’t claim that everyone who does not quit smoking has a death wish. Far from it. I know the physiological and mental pull that an addiction, any addiction, has on a human being. But I do claim that if your life is not happy, loving, and content- if you are living in some terminal upset, or pain- you’d better deal with it if you want to be successful- regardless of all of my helpful hints for quitting smoking.

So if you are someone in this kind of situation it becomes vital that you A) Be honest with yourself about your unhappiness, and B) Take the steps to begin to create your happiness. This will in turn give you the will to live. And you can do this while you are doing your Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or hypnosis, or whatever you like. You can start the process by visiting my other blogs. My dad, by the way, loved life and he lived to be happy before he became so desperately ill. And you can live that way too, I’m sure.

About the Author:
Jun 17
by Mike Gardener

I spend time being concerned about all sorts of things. My finances are always a worry and my job prospects concern me but the most important thing is my health. We may disregard our health when we are young but as we get older we become more aware of our bodies and the problems thay can suffer. For men of a certain age, the prostate is, or should be, a concern.

Prostate cancer is not a typical topic of conversation for men. Most men know nothing about the prostate and unlike women who are usually aware of breast cancer men seem to want to continue in blissful ignorance of the possible problems with the prostate even though early diagnosis and treatment can often lead to a successful conclusion.

It is unusual for men to discus medical problems. Perhaps it is an ego thing and men always do try to avoid appearing weak in any way but there is little doubt that discussion of the prostate would lead to more men getting prostate examinations which would surely save many lives.

There is nothing like ignorance for allowing things to develop and ignorance of some of the symptoms of prostate related health issues means that many men will leave visiting their doctor for too long and can lead to greater problems to be dealt with.

For most men the prostate presents no problems before they are in their fifties. Once they reach that age the most common problem to occur seems to be growth of the prostate gland which can put pressure on the other parts of the body which it is adjacent to. Growth of the prostate is quite common in older men and does not always present a problem.

Cancer of the prostate is surprisingly common though it is frequently not considered severe enough to treat and a watching brief is maintained by your doctors but if treatment is required then early diagnosis of problems can enable effective treatment in the majority of cases.

Since early diagnosis can make such an important difference to the effectiveness of treatment you should consult with your doctor and ask about regular examinations and checks. Early treatment is said to be around 99% effective so it is clear that regular checkups can make an important difference.

About the Author:
Jun 14
by Anne Woodland

Everyone will suffer pain at some point in their lives and strange as it may sound, some pain is necessary; it’s a signal from our brain that something is wrong which we need to address to protect our health and well-being. Pain can come from any type of injury, illness or condition but it is then our job to locate where the pain is originating from to stop it. Normally once the cause of the pain is treated, the pain will gradually disappear but not always.

Many of us have experienced this to a degree when we suffer a headache or a migraine but it also refers to conditions like arthritis and back pain. Around the world, many people live with chronic pain throughout their lives and it can happen at anytime for almost any reason. Often the cause of chronic pain is actually cured but the nerves still believe the condition is still present and the pain will often become the condition itself.

The problem with prescription medication is that it is easy to become dependent and as time progresses the drugs become less effective but the dependence remains; or there are serious side effects to be considered and many are now turning towards natural pain relief treatments as long term alternatives. Although there are a number of natural pain relief systems in use, probably the most often used is acupuncture especially by those who unfortunately suffer with chronic pain. The Chinese use acupuncture to treat and cure many ailments by inserting long very thin needles into the skin.

Patients with conditions like severe back pain, migraines and arthritis claim it makes their condition much more bearable and relieves pain more than any conventional treatment they have used. Herbal remedies are another time-tested alternative to conventional therapies, providing natural pain relief to sufferers without many of the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. For the reduction in arthritic pain, Emu oil can be used and people with scarring pain can try vitamin E; these are just two natural pain relief remedies of the many available.

Some people do not like using these herbal remedies, not because they do not provide enough relief but because they take longer to work; the plus side is that nothing synthetic is entering the system that can harm it. The best way to avoid the need for any type of natural pain relief is to look after your health and avoid substances that create problems like processed foods, foods with high salt and fat content, and eat more fruit and vegetables. People often underestimate the need for proper sleep and disregard any advice on regular exercise like walking and refraining from using the elevator to use the stairs, both of which are good for the hear

About the Author:
Jun 10
by Zack Beartoes

Nowadays many people are turning to home remedies for a cure to their ailments considering that other types of medicines have adverse side effects. Easily prepared and used, people using home remedies can be assured of its hygiene and quality. By far the best remedy when compared to other remedial measures is the home remedy for pinched nerve on neck. First, let’s look first of what this ailment (pinched nerve) is all about, what triggers it and home remedies for this ailment.

When researching anything, going online is the best way to start as it’s an instant information bank for anything. The internet provides information at your fingertips giving you not only details of the disease but also remedies. Detailed information about alternate therapies like homeopathy, holistic, alternate herbal treatments etc are in great detail. Alternate medicine is preferred by people as a safe option and holistic treatments are even safer.

Unbearable pain is caused in the event of a pinched nerve. Other types of medicines suppress the pain but they fail at being a natural cure. Depression, stress and back posture can be to blame for a pinched nerve on the neck. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals, chronic arthritis, nutritional food and imbalanced body posture or general weakness are known to cause pinched nerves on the neck.

In an event of a pinched nerve you can easily relieve it by applying a hot water bottle to the affected region or by taking a hot bath. A soothing hot oil message also helps in this condition. A great way to provide instant relief is to apply light pressure to the pinched nerve with warm oil. A lack of calcium in the body can also cause pinched nerve and muscle pain. By increasing the intake of calcium either as medication or food supplement you can prevent and also cure this ailment gradually.

The worst culprit is acidity. It causes the physical body to suffer with pains and aches. Consuming less acidic foods or staying away from them is the best way. Deficiency of potassium can cause pain, thus potassium should be added to your diet as per doctor’s advice. Prunes, roasted peanuts, skimmed milk, apricots, beets, bananas, dates, figs, melons, almonds, orange juice, avocadoes etc. are all rich in potassium. Timely meals and food rich in vitamins and minerals are some of the best preventive remedies for pinched nerve on neck. Foods such as apple, bananas, water melon, papaya, cucumber, eating 2-3 hours before sleep and having breakfast without fail can eliminate acidity.

Home remedies are generally preferred by people with pinched nerves as it is easy and provides quick relief. No mater what the remedy is; home, holistic or otherwise, people prefer remedies that bring pain relief at all times.

About the Author:
Jun 9
by Steven Beartoes

Constant back pain under left rib cage is a dilemma for all the patients suffering from it. As a matter of fact, Doctors are most likely to view any kind of constant pain very seriously and treat it as serious disorder or disease. Rib cage is structure formed by thoracic vertebrae and ribs, sternum-breastbone, and the costal cartilages-that attach the ribs to the sternum. Cage as a common term means a large enclosure of open work that houses animals. Rib cage is thus thought to resemble an animal cage and it houses or holds the largest animal heart and lung. Medically rib cage is also called as thoracic cage.

In the chest-thorax region, nerves spring out from the spine and divide into two parts. The first part goes to just under the skin and further sends fibers to the surface and also travels around half way around the chest. This is a probable reason for the feeling of pain in the back to the side of the chest. The second part travels to the bottom of the rib around the sternum bone, and also surfaces to the skin and then goes back towards the side on the same level as the first nerve. Rib cage pain can be any pain or discomfort in the area of the ribs.

A fractured or cracked rib can cause rib cage pain, costochondritis, inflammation of the cartilage near the breastbone, osteoporosis and pleurisy. If you do encounter such ribcage you must first get the area x-rayed so as to determine if your ribs are fractured. In the event of a fractured rib an immediate surgery should be scheduled. If you’ve been suffering this pain for a long period of time (3 months or more) it’s necessary to go for an MRI or CT scan and consult a professional to check for nerve damage, tumor or cancer.

Inflammation of the cartilage that is between the ribs and breastbone can cause pain around the back and down the arms. This pain is such that it might radiate a sensation as if you were having a heart attack or lung problems. Although the duration of this condition is short but very painful and uncomfortable during the period it lasts.

There are instances when constant back pain under left rib cage makes you visit a specialist in gastroenterology since the problem starts with your stomach. Your stomach feels empty and you feel that a big growl wants to come out, nothing that you end to eat makes it better, you often get heart burn and a pain in the left side underneath rib cage. Routine blood pathology should be conducted to eliminate any infection of the intestine or pancreas. Digestive, gastro and bowel disorders must be ruled out by seeking medical advice. Such symptoms might make you start wondering that it is due to twisted bowel, you might have to go for a check up of colon.

Constant pain under left rib cage could also be very much uncomfortable for pregnant women especially those who are in higher stage of pregnancy. They get terrible pain near the area where the breast meets ribcage. The trauma is sometimes pretty much and it becomes difficult to sleep.

About the Author:
Jun 9
by www.thealternativecancertreatment.com

In the unfortunate event where a full mastectomy is required to treat breast cancer, reconstruction is often a much welcomed option. With modern technology, techniques, and materials that are available it is possible to restore the breasts appearance to its original form with hardly any visible scarring. When this procedure is carried out it is done so by plastic surgeons specializing in restoration. It has now become a commonplace following a full mastectomy.

There are a variety of approaches and each case is unique. Consultation with a physician is required in order to select the one that is right for you.

Breast implants are one option that is typically chosen. Today implants are typically saline filled bags encased in silicone. They are placed in front of the chest wall muscles under the skin that covers the breast area.

In the past silicon filled implants were more commonly used than they are today. Then a concern arose regarding the possibility of silicon leaking into the body thus causing immune system malfunction. The FDA has recently announced that after years of careful observation and study there is little basis for worry thus making silicon breast implants legal again. Some individuals prefer them because they behave differently within the body.

In many instances reconstruction is done simultaneously with the mastectomy. In other cases physicians recommend that you wait for a period of time to allow the body to heal prior to performing any further surgery. Each case is different and can only be decided based upon its own circumstances.

Usually, two-staged delayed reconstruction is performed if the skin and chest wall tissues are flat. In this instance an implant, called a tissue expander that functions much like a balloon under the tissue, is placed underneath the muscle. A surgeon then injects saline in stages over a specific period of time. In some cases the expander itself eventually becomes the implant. In other instances the expander is removed during a later procedure and replaced with a permanent implant.

Another method of breast reconstruction is a tissue flap procedure. These procedures use skin from the stomach, the thighs, or other areas as part of the entire process.

TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap) is one of the most common types, which uses tissue from the lower abdominal wall. A pedicle flap leaves the tissue attached to the original blood supply and stretches the tissue up the breast area. A free flap procedure removes the tissue entirely, along with muscles, fat, and blood vessels and reattaches them to blood vessels under the chest.

Another, almost equally common procedure takes tissue from the upper back. A flap is moved in front of the chest wall in effort to create a pocket. A breast implant is then inserted into the pocket. Additionally, other procedures are available such as gluteal muscle tissue.

In each case, nipple and/or areola reconstruction may or may not be part of the total surgery. It may be done later or not at all. Rarely is the nipple from the original breast used as a replacement out of concern that it may regenerate the cancer.

Reconstructive surgery does have risks.

There can be the usual surgical complications, such as infection or scarring, such as capsular contracture in which scar tissue forms around the implant. Breast implants may not last a lifetime, depending on individual circumstances, such as age. Replacing them may require an additional surgery later in life. The final result may or may not be what the patient was expecting. Only a full consultation with a physician can provide a realistic assessment of likely outcomes.

About the Author:
Jun 8
by Anne Woodland

Alternative health therapy is often used instead of conventional treatment. Integrated therapies use a combination of either alternative or complementary therapies with normal medical treatment, for the practice of which a high level of expertise is required. Alternative therapies make available services which are not offered in conventional medicine. Some of the alternative therapies include: herbal medicine, folk medicine, and homeopathy, diet fads, new age healing, faith healing, naturopathy, chiropractic, and music therapy even though this isn’t an exhaustive list. Alternative therapies very often promise cure or help in areas where conventional treatment might not wish to do so.

Alternative health therapies can help you feel better and improve your quality of life and improve your general health to give you a sense of control. Reducing and eliminating tension, stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness, causes the person to feel a sense of well-being and relaxation. The intensity of some of the side effects of traditional cancer treatment can be made more bearable, other symptoms like breathlessness, diarrhea, lack of appetite, constipation, pain and feeling sick that are greatly reduced.

They alleviate pain which could conceal a grave situation and this is a possibility as today they are frequently used with traditional medicine. For example, there are some support groups for cancer, that offer all of these therapies for free or for a small fee and there are some hospices and hospitals that provide these as a special part of the care for cancer, right alongside of the conventional treatments for cancer like radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Several of the people that now have cancer are known to use all of these therapies in order to help support them throughout the stages of cancer and the treatment itself. These therapies are very valuable in that they identify and support spiritual and emotional characteristics and physical features, but they should not be used as the only alternative line of treatment.

There is an increase in the use of alternative health products, Americans use a lot of herbs and vitamins and spend about billion every year on alternative health products. The recent studies that were conducted by Phillips, Tindle, Eisenberg and Davis, reflected that there was roughly seventy two million adults within the United States that use alternative and complementary therapies. Also indicated from these studies is a figure of more than billion per year spent on out-of-pocket for these therapies according to Herman, Craig, & Caspi, 2005.

However there is no specific alternative health therapy that is more effective than the other, you will only be able to determine which treatment would suit you and which one is effective only by the trial and error method. Individual therapies like massage, meditation, acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, reflexology and reiki are proved to be very helpful for some people in improving their life. Before you consider any of the alternative therapies that are available, it is always a very good idea to consult with your physician, it is also important that you double check that any treatment that you take in addition isn’t going to adversely affect any of the current treatment programs that you are on.

In the event, that you make the decision to integrate some of the alternative health therapies into your specific treatment plan, you are going to need to discuss all of your choices very openly, regularly and honestly with your physician and others that are part of your health care team. Find out where the treatment is available, at your clinic or hospital or then though the doctors own practice. Today doctors are more and more convinced that alternative therapy does have a place in the overall healing of a patient. This gives them the ability to maybe recommend alternative therapy practitioners. Most find that this type of therapy gives them back some control of their lives and lessens the anxiety and it also helps them cope with side effects of conventional treatment.

About the Author:
Jun 7
Are Sunbeds Healthy ?
icon1 Adrian Fletcher | icon2 Skin Cancer | icon4 06 7th, 2008| icon3No Comments »
by Adrian Fletcher

The idea of a sun tan representing health or affluence is a recent trend. Before the 1950’s, people were very conscious of keeping their skin out of the sun. Indeed, someone that was heavily tanned may be thought of as some that worked outdoors in a poorly paid job and exposed to too much sun.

During the 1950’s, people became more prosperous. They had more time for leisure activities as opposed to working. These type of activities involved spending time at the beach or other outdoor activities. they also had time and money to spend on exotic vacations to warmer climates.

Pretty soon an all over tan could indicate affluence or a healthy lifestyle (which is not completely untrue). Looking tanned became desirable to the extent that people would go to the beach or spend time outdoors purely to get a sun tan.

People wanted to look suntanned all year round regardless of the time of year. Others wanted to look tanned before they went on vacation. With these attitudes prevalent, the development of the sunbed began.

And since the creation of the sunbed, it has proved to be very popular. It is even popular in places where the climate is sunny and people could get a natural tan.

But the question that most people that use sunbeds have and then choose to forget is are sunbeds healthy ?

The answer is very simple. Current research suggests that any kind of tanning, be it in the Sun or being exposed to ultra violet radiation in some other way will eventually lead to skin cancer. The level or duration of exposure to UV rays before a skin cancer develops will vary from person to person depending on their skin type and other genetic factors.

Many people that use sunbeds may be at pains to point out that the radiation that a sunbed uses is different to the radiation from the Sun. UVB radiation is responsible for burning the skin in the Sun. It has a different frequency to the radiation used in sunbeds. A sunbed uses UVA radiation, that was thought to not be as harmful to the skin. For instance, it does not cause the skin to burn. However, recent research suggests that this is not the case and any UV radiation is harmful to the skin.

The salient point to all this is that any form of tanning of the skin will lead to skin cancer at some point. Maybe you will be fortunate and never reach that point during your life but the aim of skin cancer prevention is to limit a persons exposure to the cause of skin cancer, ultra violet radiation. That is why people should always wear sunscreen when outdoors. They should try to cover their skin with clothing and wear a hat and sunglasses when out in the Sun.

Getting a weekly sunbed tan is like going out into the Sun without protection. This seems like a potentially hazardous thing to do to get an all over tan.

About the Author:

« Previous Entries