Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

17
Mar

Menopause Relief – Could It Really Be About Stress Relief?

   Posted by: Dr. Tonia Mitchell ND Tags: , , , , , ,

We’ve all heard about menopause.  We’ve all heard about the symptoms that some women experience: hot flashes, dry mucous membranes, insomnia, anxiety, depression, decreased libido.  We typically associate these symptoms with decreasing levels of hormones: mainly estrogen and progesterone.  While this is true, it is not the whole story.  Our hormonal system is complex, and while we usually think of “hormones” as our reproductive hormones there are several others, all of which have important functions in the body.  When we are thinking of menopause relief we have to look at hormones beyond those of the reproductive system.

The main hormonal system I want to bring to your attention is that of the adrenal glands.  These small glands sit above our kidneys and are comprised of two main sections.  The outer section produces two main hormones important to this discussion: cortisol (2, in figure) and DHEA (3), both are derived from cholesterol (1).  In general, cortisol is active during stress and DHEA is active during relaxation.  More specifically cortisol increases our blood sugar, stores fat around the belly, suppresses the immune system, decreases inflammation and inhibits proper thyroid function.  DHEA, on the other hand, regenerates tissue, restores our energy, improves our mood, increases immune function and builds bone and muscle.

As you can see in the figure, DHEA leads to the production of sex hormones (4).  During and after menopause (5), when the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone, the adrenal glands step up to take on this job.  BUT, when we are chronically stressed (which is common in our fast-paced, North American society), our adrenal glands are too busy producing cortisol. In fact, your body will choose to produce cortisol over DHEA in the face of chronic stress! This is compounded by a natural decrease in DHEA with age.  Don’t get me wrong, cortisol is an important hormone.  However, when it is chronically elevated at the expense of DHEA then it becomes a problem.  Without DHEA, we cannot produce our reproductive hormones after menopause.  Our menopausal-induced reproductive hormone deficiency is made even worse by our chronic stress!

What does all this jargon mean for your menopausal symptoms? I hope I have made it clear that stress relief is an important part of menopause relief.  Give your adrenal glands a chance to support the normal hormonal pathways. The adrenal glands LOVE routine and the best ways to support them include:

  • maintain steady blood sugar levels.  Eat a small meal containing fiber and protein every 2-3 hours.
  • get adequate sleep at the right time – go to bed at 10 pm in a completely dark room.
  • exercise regularly.
  • avoid stimulants, including sugar and coffee.
  • practice deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
  • consume adequate essential fatty acids, minerals and protein.
  • see your local Naturopathic Doctor for the perfect treatment plan to suit your menopause relief needs.

It is important to support our adrenal glands all the time as they have a big job to perform.  However, it is especially important to support them as we age because their job gets even bigger!

Naturopathic medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health.  Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease.  Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.

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16
Dec

Back Suffering Treatments and Options for Cure

   Posted by: author1 Tags: , , , ,

The best care you can ever get if you have had a serious injory is to continue to be under your doctores care who will help treat your long term pain.  Sometimes those injuries are too severe to respond properly to home care and remedies, and ignoring them or assuming that the pain will just go away can lead to even more serious injury.  However you can often treat back pain at home with some simple tips and techniques if your pain is not due to a major injury and if you follow a few simple tips and techniques.

For one thing, you may have been told that it’s good to get off your feet to treat Back Suffering .  It’s true that sometimes your back needs some rest and isn’t going to get it when you’re hunched over your desk at work or if you’re moving furniture and boxes all day.  But being physically inactive for long periods of time can actually just make back pain even worse.  The reason for this is that when you exercise you’re loosening up and stretching those muscles of the back and are encouraging more blood and oxygen in this area as well.  A good walk is actually a basic way to treat back pain if you do so with some good shoes and on a flat surface that’s not going to shock and jar you.Lots of doctors are really just giving their patients a few routines of stretching exercises to see if this will start helping the back pain.In many more cases than you would think, just a few simple exercises of stretching and yoga really help with back pain.

You can also treat back pain with heat.  A good heating pad when you’re sitting in your favorite chair can help to loosen those muscles as well.

Another suggestion to treat Back Pain is to recline in a comfortable spot and put a pillow under your knees.Sometimes what this does is take away a lot of pressure from that area at the small of your back and transfers it to another supported spot.

And of course there’s not much you can do to treat back pain if you’re severely overweight.  When you’re carrying extra body weight the back is working that much harder to move you around and support you.  Many hate to heart this and instead opt for pain pills and other harsh measures to treat back pain but this is just masking the problem instead of really fixing it.  Most who are overweight have back pain in one form or another and the connection between the two cannot be denied.

Simple homemade remedies and tricks to treat back pain may seem just too simple for many people, but sometimes the smallest change or simplest option can give the most relief.  The back is made to function in a particular way and anytime we push it to do more or ignore what it needs to function properly, we’re going to be in pain.  But with a little support and a few simple tips and tricks, a person can actually live relatively pain free when it comes to their back.

BackSuffering.com is a new website with tons of information on back suffering. If you visit the website today you will get a free ebook with Back Suffering Tips and Tricks just for visiting! Visit BACKSUFFERING.COM now to get your free ebook.

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16
Dec

Finally some Back Pain Reduction Tips

   Posted by: author1 Tags: , , ,

Sometimes back pain can be caused by an injury or trauma so that it’s best treated by a doctor with prescription medication or other options, but very often you can reduce back pain on your own with a few simple changes in your daily routine.  There are also simple treatment options you can try at home that may not completely eliminate the problem but that will almost always reduce back pain by quite a bit.  Of course everyone’s condition is different and everyone should listen to their own doctor’s advice, but usually a few small changes can make all the difference in the world.

A really good massage can Reduce Back Pain by helping these muscles to relax and loosen up.  One reason that many don’t realize how a good massage can help is that they rarely get a professional massage and instead rely on a spouse or other family member to give them a back rub.  Someone not trained in the art of massage really doesn’t know how to make the back feel better and may actually be making it worse.  Even a student at a massage school can help to reduce back pain.  Do a local check of your area and you’ll probably find a massage school nearby; having a senior student do a massage for you can be much more affordable than one at a spa.

Avoid strenuous exercise or overdoing it when you lift weights, but remember that regular aerobic exercise can also reduce back pain.Exercise usually doesn’t do harm to your back muscles but actually helps to loosen it up and relax the muscles.  If you’re having back pain after a long day at work you may be thinking that physical activity is the last thing you want to do, but in reality this can be the best thing for you.Its a good idea to start with an exercise or activity that is easy on the body and low impact so you can start slow.  You won’t reduce back pain if you overexert yourself or start lifting weights that are well out of your strength range.Trying yoga or doing a stretching exercise when you wake up and when you go do bed can really help your back pain.  Stretching your back keeps those muscles loose and healthy.  Yoga too can Reduce Back Pain if you start slow and easy as this not only loosens the back muscles but strengthens the rest of the body’s muscles also so the back gets supported at all times.

Sometimes even just a simple back brace or what is called a posture shirt can help.  These items fit under the clothes and keep you upright and supported all day and help to reduce back pain caused by poor posture, something that is more common than most realize.  You can get your doctor to prescribe a brace but many are available at local pharmacies.

Try these suggestions and see if you aren’t able to eliminate or at least reduce back pain to some extent in your case. 

BackSuffering.com is a new website with tons of information on back suffering. If you visit the website today you will get a free ebook with Back Suffering Tips and Tricks just for visiting! Visit BACKSUFFERING.COM now to get your free ebook.

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