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Archive for July, 2010

Arthritis Exercises – How Exercises Can Reduce Arthritic Pain

17 Jul



Arthritis pain can be alleviated in many ways. Although it may sound unusual, exercise is a very important treatment for arthritis. Arthritis causes stiffness and pain in the joints – arthritis exercises can help relieve the stiffness, which will help lessen the pain. Exercise is essential to the overall health of your body. Those who adhere to a regular exercise routine are better able to fight off the effects of many illnesses and are able to decrease the stiffness and pain associated with arthritis.

Before Arthritis

Exercise is important for everyone. It is important to begin an exercise regimen early in life and maintain a regular routine. Some of the overall benefits of exercise include:

o Improves your body’s ability to fight infections.

o Improves sleep quality.

o Helps you to lose weight if you are overweight.

o Helps you to gain weight if you are underweight.

o Help you to maintain your weight if you are at a healthy weight.

o Keeps your blood circulating, which makes your brain work better.

o Lowers your risk of illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

The key to maintaining a healthy exercise regimen is to know your body’s limits. Over exercising can cause the symptoms of arthritis to begin earlier than what is normal. The key is to begin an exercise regimen and stay consistent.

First Signs of Arthritis

Even a regular exercise regimen will not completely prevent arthritis. Arthritis happens as the body ages naturally – and can occur in people who do everything they can to take care of their bodies. When you begin to notice the first signs of arthritis – stiffness or pain in certain joints – you need to learn the most effective of lessening the effects of arthritis. Arthritis exercises can help you to ease the pain and stiffness of arthritis and prolong the need for medications. Some of the benefits of arthritis exercises include:

o Strengthens muscles around the joints.

o Relieves joint stiffness.

o Increases joint flexibility.

o Increases your endurance levels.

o Relieves joint pain.

Beginning an Exercise Regimen in Arthritis

If you begin noticing symptoms of arthritis and you do not have a regular exercise regimen, it is not too late to begin. However, at this point you will have to begin your exercise routine with the goal of not aggravating the joints affected by arthritis and causing the symptoms to worsen. The most important types of exercises for arthritis suffers are:

o Range of motion – these exercises help you to maintain or increase flexibility by helping to maintain normal joint movement and help relieve the stiffness that can occur with arthritis.

o Strengthening – these exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles around the joints so that the joints and muscles work together. If the muscles are weak, the joints will take all of the pressure and wear and tear of the joints occurs more quickly.

o Endurance – these exercises help you to maintain overall body health including weight management and cardiovascular fitness. Extra weight on your body puts more pressure on the joints causing premature wear and tear. Keeping the blood flowing correctly helps all of your body parts work together as they should.

When you begin an arthritis exercise routine, you should begin slowly and build up as your body gains strength. Listen to your body – it will let you know if you are trying to do too much too soon. Here are some pointers on getting started with your exercise regimen:

o Discuss arthritis exercises with your physician.

o Exercise under the supervision of a physical therapist or trainer, if possible.

o Warm up and stretch your body before you begin exercising – range of motion exercises.

o Start slowly – you should begin strengthening exercises with the smallest amount of weight and build to larger amounts as your body can handle it.

o Aerobic exercises – once your body becomes accustomed to an exercise regimen, add aerobic exercises in order to improve your cardiovascular health.

o Recreational exercises – once your body becomes accustomed to an exercise regimen and you have added aerobic exercises, you can begin to add recreational exercises such as biking and swimming.

o Have fun – this is one of the most important aspects of your arthritis exercise regimen. If you choose a recreational exercise that you enjoy, you are more likely to maintain your routine and get the most benefit.

 
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Interfering Factors In Allergy Treatment

15 Jul

In the 8 years or so that I have been working with allergy patients, I have discovered that the most common reason why allergy treatment fails, either conventional allergy shots, or “energy medicine” techniques like I use, is heavy metal toxicity. As a matter of fact, of those patients who have consulted with me who had at one time or another been treated with allergy shots that did not work, ALL of them tested positive for one or more heavy metal toxicities.

It appears that heavy metals cause confusion in the body’s immune system, and predispose the body to developing allergies. I have observed that the patients who show up as having heavy metal toxicity also are usually reactive to many more allergens that those patients who are free of heavy metals. By far the most common heavy metals that are problematic are mercury and lead, but cadmium, thallium, and a host of other metals can show up as well.

Mercury toxicity appears to most commonly be related to amalgam dental fillings, exposure to thimersol (a preserving agent used in vaccines and various liquid solutions used in medicine), and industrial mercury exposure. Although there has been much concern in recent years regarding mercury contamination of seafood, I have not found seafood consumption to be related to mercury toxicity in my patients. It is my belief that the majority of people probably do not consume an amount of mercury contaminated seafood for it to create a toxicity concern.

In my experience, amalgam dental fillings are probably the most common source by far of mercury toxicity. Even so, I usually do not recommend replacement of amalgam fillings unless there is an indication of major leakage of mercury into the body, because the removal process can release such large doses of mercury into the blood and it is usually safer to leave the fillings in place and simply de-tox the mercury accumulation from time to time.

Lead toxicity is most commonly seen in people who were exposed to lead-based paint (and possibly ingested lead paint flakes during childhood). Lead toxicity can also be acquired from occupational sources, such as in electricians who can get it from stripping wiring insulation with their teeth (the insulation often contains lead). Another occupational source of lead exposure is seen in military personnel and police officers who, during training, handled large amounts of lead slugs (I have heard that a common “punishment” in such training is for recruits to have to go gather up lead slugs from the firing range to collect a pre-determined large amount of lead).

No matter what type of heavy metal is producing the toxic effects, there are a variety of ways to test for heavy metals, as well as a variety of ways to treat the toxicity. Testing can be done by conventional blood and tissue tox-screens, by hair analysis, and by muscle reflex testing (“applied kinesiology”). Of the three, I prefer muscle reflex testing even though it is a bit esoteric, because it is simple to do, inexpensive, and if there are multiple heavy metals present it tells me which metal is causing the biggest problem (allowing me to prioritize treatment).

Chelation therapy is the conventional medical treatment of choice for heavy metal toxicity. Chelation therapy injects various binding agents into the bloodstream to pull the heavy metals out of solution so they can be eliminated from the body by the liver and kidneys. Similarly, chlorella (a type of algae) and/or cilantro extract can be used to bind heavy metals making them easier to eliminate from the body. Another method, that is still somewhat controversial even among “alternative” practitioners is the use of special foot baths that utilize a very low-level electrical current to draw out heavy metals and other toxins through the skin of the feet.

The method of detoxification that I prefer is the use of metal-specific homeopathic remedies to assist the body in eliminating the particular metal that is causing the problem. If a patient presents with multiple toxicities, I will usually begin with the chlorella and cilantro approach to start the process and then eventually use homoepathics to eliminate the specific metals. The homeopathic de-tox approach usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to sufficiently reduce the toxicity so that allergy desensitization can be effective.

Once the patient has de-toxed the heavy metal sufficiently, allergy desensitization can be performed effectively. If using conventional allergy shots, the desensitization will take place over a period of months to a few years. If using “energy medicine” techniques, it has been my experience that most people can have the majority of their allergic sensitivities eliminated within a few weeks. Because of the remarkable efficiency of the energy medicine techniques, I favor them over conventional allergy treatment, but to be fair the techniques I use are quite strange to most people and they can be a bit hard to believe. Many people simply cannot believe that these strange methods of treatment work, so they will stick with conventional allergy treatment, which is quite effective in the long-run once any interfering heavy metal toxicities have been handled.

 
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A Drug-free, Alternative Treatment for Allergies That Works!

14 Jul



Allergies are the 6th leading cause of chronic disease in America (1), costing U.S. companies more than $250 million annually due to increased absenteeism and reduced productivity. (2) With the incidence of allergies skyrocketing, eliminating the causes and discovering new treatments is the key to bringing the epidemic under control.

What is an Allergy?

When the immune system “mistakes” common substances such as pollens or nuts as a “foreigner”, it can over-react and mount an often violent response to expel the “threatening invader,” referred to as an allergen. An allergic reaction occurs when a specific antibody, IgE, links the allergen to a specialized white blood cell called a mast cell, releasing histamine into circulation. The results are the commonly recognized symptoms of an allergy: itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and a runny nose. Allergic reactions can also manifest as an asthma attack, violent abdominal cramping or an immediate, severe skin reaction recognized as hives. The most severe type of allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, can result in loss of consciousness and even death.

Why are Allergies Increasing…unsuspected causes

Investigators have identified many substances that can induce the production of IgE antibodies. A little recognized cause included the preservatives found in vaccinations. Mercury, aluminum and gelatin have all been reported in the medical literature to increase IgE concentrations, playing a potential role in the development allergies. (3) There is evidence that the MMR can induce IgE antibodies, evidence that childhood viral immunizations can induce atopic reactions (allergies).(4) Children are exposed to these substances beginning with the routine two-month old vaccinations. Because a newborn’s immune system is not fully developed, infancy is a high risk period for allergic sensitization. Events that occur early in life, such as vaccination, have the potential for inducing the development of allergies and asthma later in life.

The incidence of asthma appears to disproportionately affect socially disadvantaged residents of low-income, inner city neighborhoods. A well-documented cause for this is exposure to a protein found in cockroach dropping. One in five children in the U.S. is allergic to cockroach allergens, as indicated by a positive skin prick test.(5) This is believed to be the major risk factor for the development of asthma among children in inner-city homes

Exposure to antibiotics has been linked to the development allergies. A recently study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Allergy(6) documents that children given antibiotics during the first year of life are more than four times more likely to develop asthma than children who have never taken antibiotics. When the statistics are adjusted for factors such as gender, ethnicity, family size, family history of asthma and parents’ smoking habits, the risk of developing asthma is six times greater in those who have received antibiotics than the risk experienced by children who have never taken them.

Common health problems: think allergies

Allergies are often the underlying cause of a myriad of seemingly unrelated health problems. Many people do not realize that symptoms such as body aches, fatigue, indigestion, headaches, ear infections, irritability, hyperactivity and learning disabilities can be symptoms of overlooked food and environmental allergies. Studies have revealed the following facts:

o The results of a study involving 104 children with >chronic ear infections showed that 78% had positive allergy tests to foods and an elimination diet led to a significant amelioration of symptoms in 86%. The most common allergenic foods were cow’s milk (38%), wheat (33%), egg white (25%), peanut (20%) and soya (17%)(7).

o An Italian study of 204 babies found that approximately 45% had stomach discomfort caused by cow’s milk.(8)

o Children with inflammatory bowel disease experienced prolonged remission of symptoms with when placed on diets that eliminated grains, dairy products and yeast.(9)

o Professor John Egger reported in the Journal of Pediatrics that epileptics who also have food intolerance symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches or ADHD may have seizures triggered by food additives.(10)

In addition, many parents don’t realize that hyperactivity, distractibility and aggressive behavior associated with ADD and ADHD can be triggered by food intolerances. These concepts have been around for many years and have been fully discussed in books by two researcher/physicians, Dr. Ben Feingold, author of Why Your Child is Hyperactive and Dr. Doris Rapp, author of Is This Your Child. Dr. Rapp documented in her book that 67% of children diagnosed with ADHD were actually reacting to unrecognized food and environmental allergies.

What can be done?

An unusual but effective way to identify and treat allergies is through the use of kinesiology, commonly referred to as muscle testing. With this method, the patient holds a vial containing a suspected allergen in his hand while the practitioner applies gentle pressure to the opposite arm to measure muscle strength. If the muscle tests weak, a sensitivity to the substance has been identified.

There are several techniques that incorporate the use of kinesiology to relieve allergies. Perhaps the most widely known is a method called NAET, named after its founder, Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techique. Two other similar techniques are BioSET (Dr. Ellen Cutler’s method) and Tenpenny’s Sensitivity Reduction Technique, or T-SRT (developed by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny.) All of these techniques involved the use of kinesiology, homeopathy and acupressure/acupuncture, and are categorized as forms of Energy Medicine.

Allergy elimination using energy medicine techniques work to “re-pattern” the immune system so it no longer reacts to harmless substances as if they were a threat. What makes this form allergy elimination so remarkable is that a successful treatment means you no longer need to avoid the allergen. In a study published in 2001 in Alternative Medicine Review(11), 87.2% of the study’s 90 participants who eliminated their allergies using an energy medicine approach rated the efficacy of the technique as “good to excellent.”

The alternative treatments for allergies are gradually becoming accepted. Until these methods are embraced by conventional medicine, most will not be covered by standard health insurance. However, if getting well and eliminating allergies is the goal, many will chose to do “whatever it takes” and find a way to incorporate these costs into the family budget. By following a good diet and including herbs, vitamins, and energy medicine techniques into a well-rounded healthcare program, restoring health in 2007 can be accomplished.

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Digital Hearing Aids and Their Advantages

14 Jul



As more and more people have gravitated toward digital hearing aids and moved away from analog hearing aids, it has been found that the digital options do truly have a number of advantages that their analog counterparts do not. Some of the advancements and advantages associated with hearing aids that are digital include:
More comfort – One of the main annoyances for wearers of analog hearing aids is the discomfort that results from high intensity sounds. Those who use digital aids have found that this discomfort has been nullified for the most part. The reason for this is because digital aids have an input signal-specific band dependence, more channels and knee pints with lower compression thresholds. This leads to a greater level of satisfaction among users because it reduces the intensity of environmental sounds and microphone noise that is commonly annoying to those users who have used analog hearing aids. Digital feedback reduction – There are feedback reduction systems that are so advanced that they are able to monitor for feedback while the user is wearing the hearing aid. When this occurs, moderate feedback is eliminated through a cancellation filter that is included in the hearing aid. People that bother them during jaw movement or when they are in close proximity to noise can benefit from this common feature of digital hearing aids. Digital noise reduction – This feature of digital hearing devices is able to reduce noise gain that comes in the form of low frequencies or in specific bands. Although there have been studies done with digital noise reduction aids that show that the effectiveness of these systems is mixed, experts agree that they can be effective at working to improve speech recognition as long as the noise is non-fluctuating. Digital speech enhancement – These systems are effective at increasing the intensity of certain segments of speech. The digital speech enhancement technology is new in hearing aids and, as a result, its effectiveness is not completely known. Case studies are still being performed to find out how effective this speech enhancement is among users. Directional microphones – Although there were some bumpy roads that had to be traveled in developing this technology, the use of directional microphones in hearing aids is now well-established. In fact, when these microphones are used with DSP, the benefit may even be enhanced.

Before too long, there is a good chance that hearing aids which use digital technologies will completely replace analog hearing aids. However this is not likely to occur until the price for hearing aids that are digital decreases a little more.

In addition to this, there are still some bugs being worked out of certain aspects of digital technology. Many users of hearing aids do not want to volunteer to be test patients while the bugs are worked out. For this reason, many have decided to forego using digital aids until the time comes when they feel the devices can be relied upon to work effectively. Because of these high expectations associated with the use of digital hearing aids, manufacturers are constantly trying to make new advancements which would make these more attractive to potential buyers.

 
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A H1N1 Influenza Virus – How Dangerous is It?

11 Jul



If you are following the News daily, more and more people from other parts of the Globe are being infected with A H1N1 virus or Swine Flu Virus. The Swine flu virus spreads out to other countries by way of people travelling from one country to another. How dangerous is it? Can it be controlled? Let us try to find out.

Novel influenza A (H1N1) or better known as Swine Flu Virus, is a new form of virus originated from the pigs which was first detected in April of 2009. This virus is found to be infecting people and is spreading from person to person. It is capable of spreading out in a pandemic scale and everybody is advised to take all necessary health and sanitary precautions. As of May 23, 2009, there are already 86 people reported dead out of 12,022 cases of A H1N1 influenza virus. In the United States alone, there are 9 casualties out of 6,552 cases.

This result is very alarming. How much more do we know about it today? It is thought that this virus spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. It means to say it spreads out through the sneezes and coughs of those people who are sick with the virus. We are not certain how severe the outbreak in terms of illness and death until now. Since this is considered as a new virus, scientists and doctors believe most people do not have the immunity yet to it. Sad to say, the vaccine for this illness has yet to be discovered. However, there are existing anti-viral drugs that can be prescribe by the doctors as an alternative and seems to be performing well.

The good news is that in the United States of America, a diagnostic test kit has been developed to detect this novel H1N1 virus and is now being distributed to all the states in U.S. and District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Fortunately, this test kit is also being shipped internationally.

What can we do to avoid getting infected? Well, keep updated. Stay away from crowded places if possible and avoid in close contact with people coughing and sneezing problem.

Stay healthy, take regular exercise and eat healthy foods. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash after using it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth since germs spread that way fast. Stay home if you are sick.

In my observation, the new influenza virus is dangerous, easy to get infected and a great potential to result into an outbreak, however, it is controllable and there are a high percentage of recovery rates being reported. Right now there is no cause to panic and be alarmed. We should not be nervous about it and we treat our day like normal. We just need to take more extra careful and be aware of what is happening in our area.

 
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How Our Attitudes Affect Our Health

10 Jul



We do several things to protect our health, such as eating right, exercising, dressing warm in cold weather, taking vitamins, practicing good hygiene and avoiding people who have contagious illnesses, such as the flu or colds. After taking all those precautions, many people still jeopardize their health simply by having poor attitudes.

Attitude affects every aspect of our lives – for better or worse – including our overall health. The mind is incredibly powerful. Have you ever heard the expression ‘I think, therefore I am’? Well, that probably means that you exist, because you think – but you should learn to look at it from a different point of view ‘I think I am well, therefore I am.’

Some people look for things to be wrong with them. Some might call them hypochondriacs, but mostly, they just always expect the worst – even from their own bodies. This mindset can actually cause illness. This has been proven in scientific experiments where people who believe they are ill are given drugs to treat the ‘illness’ that are not actually drugs at all – they are basically sugar pills. But the person, believing they were being treated with medication for their illness, recovered, and no longer felt ill.

Alternately, people who really are ill have found that they heal faster when they stay in a positive frame of mind. This positive mindset allows them to follow their doctor’s orders easier, and expect good things to come from the treatment. They look forward to the things they will do once they are well – and in most cases the mind, in its own mysterious way, takes those thoughts and helps the body heal faster.

A positive attitude helps prevent specific health problems as well, such as migraine headaches, stomach ulcers, heart problems, and muscle aches. This is because when a person has a positive attitude, they have considerably reduced stress levels. Stress can cause headaches, stomach ulcers, heart problems, muscle aches, and a variety of other health problems. By reducing stress, you reduce the potential for these health problems.

A positive attitude does not guarantee that you will never have a health problem, it just reduces the possibility, and then it works in your favor to overcome any health problems that you do experience.

 
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Foot Arthritis – How To Treat It?

09 Jul



Foot arthritis could be described as one of the more common forms of arthritis. The problem with the foot is that it consists of 28 bones and 30 joints, of which any are susceptible to arthritis. If arthritis develops in any of these joints, its going to affect the way you walk, run and move in general. The joints in the foot which are more commonly affected are: the big toe, the ankle, the mid foot and the hind foot joint.

The most common form of arthritis which develops in the foot is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the result of getting older, and essentially wear and tear on the joints and cartilage. The cartilage wears down, and the bones rub together resulting in pain and swelling.

Traumatic arthritis is a common form of osteoarthritis that develops in the foot of a patient following some form of severe injury. This can develop in the foot even when the injury was treated correctly, and given time to recover fully. The most common forms of traumatic foot arthritis are a torn ligament, broken bone or severe sprain.

There are various symptoms and indications of foot arthritis, which should alert the sufferer to the condition immediately. These symptoms include swelling, tenderness, pain, stiffness and reduced mobility of the affected joint. All these symptoms will eventually lead to a difficulty in walking.

For a doctor to properly diagnose foot arthritis, a serious of tests and physical examinations will need to be performed. The doctor will also require information about your health and lifestyle to give clues on the complexity of the condition. The next step is to perform a walking analysis. In performing this walking analysis, the doctor will measure your stride and test your ankle and foot strength. Certain diagnostic imaging tests may also be required to further diagnose your condition- theses may include and X-Ray, CT or MRI scan.

After fully evaluating your foot arthritis, your doctor/physician will devise the most suitable treatment plan. There are many non-surgical treatments available, these include:

Taking anti-inflammatory medication

Steroid injection

Foot brace or cane usage

Ankle and foot support usage

Physical therapy

The final treatment option is surgery, and is generally reserved as a ‘last resort’ when all other treatment methods have failed. The key to effectively treating arthritis is early diagnosis. Don’t ignore those sensations of stiffness and soreness; see a doctor as soon as possible, so that you have the best chance of treating your foot arthritis.

 
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Exercising With Arthritis

07 Jul



Arthritis sufferers should consult with their doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. The recommended kinds and quantity of exercise will involve the following conditions:

the joints affected the extent of inflammation joint stability a medical history involving joint replacement or joint surgery

A good individual exercise program beneficial to the treatment and rehabilitation of arthritis patients can be drawn up by a rheumatologist or physical therapist.

Do Arthritis Sufferers Need To Exercise?

A lot of research has shown evidence that exercise can have positive effects on people suffering from arthritis. Some of these benefits include:

reduction of joint pain and joint stiffness increased flexibility development of muscle strength enhanced of vascular health improvement in endurance

Further, exercise prevents obesity and promotes physical and emotional well-being.

Incorporating Exercise as Arthritis Treatment

Doctors recommend exercise as part of a broad spectrum of arthritis treatments. Some of these treatments may involve:

rest and recreation nutritious diet a nutritious diet proper medication

Arthritis treatment also consists of medical advice for:

correct joint use how to conserve physical energy various methods of reducing pain
What Are The Best Exercises for People With Arthritis?

Arthritis sufferers can perform any of these exercises safely:

Range-of-motion exercises (e.g., dancing) – these types of exercises are beneficial to sustaining and enhancing joint flexibility and suppleness of surrounding tissue. They prevent stiffness, and guide the joints in performing regular day-to-day motions. Strengthening exercises (e.g., weight training) – these exercises build-up strength in the muscles for optimal support and protection of arthritic joints. Aerobic or endurance workouts (e.g., cycling) – aerobic activity boosts cardiovascular health, fights obesity, and improves general physical condition.

It is imperative for arthritis sufferers to control their weight in order to lessen stress and pressure on the affected joints. Studies have shown that joint inflammation is reduced from regular aerobic exercise.

A majority of health clubs and community centres provide special exercise programs for those with physical infirmities like arthritis.

 
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How to Cope With Arthritis Pain

06 Jul



Arthritis is the inflammation of joints which results in pain, stiffness, swelling and limited movement. Arthritis is caused by the cartilage breaking down. Cartilage is the cushion that protects the joint and allows for smooth movement. Cartilage acts as the shock absorber when pressure is placed upon the joint. Arthritis is caused by a broken bone, an autoimmune disease or general wear and tear on the joints.

The only way to cure arthritis is to undergo a complete joint replacement. Sometimes a joint replacement is possible if it is a single joint like a hip or a knee. But usually a joint replacement is not feasible. The pain that comes with arthritis can’t be cured but it can be minimized through pain management.

In addition to medication prescribed by a doctor, there are other ways to minimize arthritis pain. Exercise can help minimize arthritis pain. Exercise causes the body temperature to rise thereby heating up the joints. The warmth relaxes the joint and all its components, increases circulation and reduces swelling and stiffness. Exercise also helps to keep the body toned and nimble and the joints a little more pliable. Swimming in a heated pool and taking a hot shower has a similar affect on joints as exercise does. Pain can also indicate the need for rest. Inflammation decreases during a restful phase. However, to much non movement can lead to muscle weakness which brings on a whole new set of problems. It is important to find a balance between exercise and rest.

A massage can bring pain relief, soothe stiff muscles and reduce inflammation. As muscles tension is relaxed circulation increases and pain is decreased. Gentle stretching along with a massage can help maintain and sometimes improve range of motion for your joints.

Music therapy has been established as a health service similar to occupational and physical therapy. The use of music for those with arthritis provides anxiety and stress reduction and positive changes in mood and emotional state. Stress relief relaxes the body and in turn relaxes the muscles and joint components. Circulation increases and swelling subsides.

Some arthritis sufferers may benefit from meditation and yoga. Both work on relaxation techniques that reduce tension and stress, allowing the body to relax. That in turn relaxes the muscles, especially around the affected joints reducing swelling and inflammation. Meditation and yoga also works to divert your attention to other things rather than focusing on pain and discomfort.

Heat and cold therapy is also effective in managing arthritis pain. Through trial and error, you will find what works best for you. Some respond better to heat than cold and some find a combination of the two works for them. Heat dilates the blood vessels and increases blood circulation and reduces muscles spasms. Cold reduces swelling by constricting the blood vessels. Hot and cold can applied with heat packs warmed in the microwave and cold packs chilled in the refrigerator freezer.

It is always wise to consult your doctor before beginning any self help program to determine the boundaries of any exercise. The arthritis sufferer may find treatment is most effective using one or more technique to minimize arthritis pain.

 
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Allergy Gluten Symptoms

06 Jul



Food allergies can be some of the most troublesome of all allergies. Many times it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what you may be allergic to. Perhaps the worst is a gluten allergy.

Gluten is round in barley, rye and wheat. Since these ingredients are used to make so many of the foods we consume every day, it’s easy to see how this can be troublesome. For parents gluten allergies in children can be a real concern. It’s important to realize the exact symptoms so you can take preventive action.

Gluten allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms are generally fatigue, diarrhea or constipation. It’s also easy to recognize the more severe symptoms. These include shortness of breath, cramps, hives, vomiting and swelling of the face and mouth.

Even though no one knows the causes of wheat gluten allergies, the good news is that there help is available. If you believe you have an allergy to gluten, it’s important to see your doctor. After specific allergy testing, he’ll be able to determine exactly what substances you should avoid. Many times avoidance is the best medicine. Simply put, if you’re allergic to something, don’t eat it! Your doctor will also be able to recommend prescription strength medication that you can take if you accidentally eat something that contains gluten.

Living with an allergy to wheat & gluten doesn’t have to be the end of the world. With proper treatment and by knowing exactly what foods to avoid, you’ll be able to live a happy health life.

 
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