By Leave a Comment

Inflammatory Bowel Conditions: An Overview

It was during the time of World War 2, the 50s when inflammatory bowel conditions were found in humans. Ever since then doctors and pharmaceutical companies are relentlessly trying to find the reason behind these conditions and find a solution that actually works. However, they are not yet successful in finding the cause for the inflammatory bowel conditions and are offering treatments which are based on assumptions. They treat every inflammatory bowel condition as different and offer different treatments for different conditions. Immune suppressants, steroidal medicines are heavily prescribed and if nothing works, surgeries are the last resort. And even after the surgery, the patients need to follow a strict dietary protocol to avoid any roughage on the damaged walls. Amidst all these confusions and assumptions what people are failing to do is take time to look into the big picture.

Inflammatory bowel conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndromes), Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s diseases are no different from one another, they are all different stages of a single condition. And neither are they caused by germs or genetics. They all share a same cause and require a specific treatment. The only difference between all of them is the severity of their symptoms. While IBS and Colitis have very mild symptoms like persistent diarrhea, bloated stomach and nausea, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease are more dangerous with severe symptoms like blood and mucus in stool, heartburn, joint and arthritis pain.

IBS

So if all inflammatory bowel conditions share a similar cause, what is that? Well, the answer is synthetic antibiotics. The word should be pretty familiar to you since it is used in almost all medicines, toothpastes and soaps. The food and water we consume is also no exception to this. Synthetic antibiotics kill all the good bacteria present on the mucosal lining of the intestinal walls, thus leaving the lining weak and vulnerable to attacks from strong digestive acids. Once pores are formed on the lining and the acids breach through it, the delicate intestinal walls are attacked and on constant exposure, these walls are damaged leading to inflammation, pain and irritability in the colon. Every inflammatory bowel condition starts the same way and only become different as the symptoms get worse. The only way to avoid surgery is to take action as soon as possible. And popping pills made of synthetic antibiotics again isn’t the solution, Holistic Gastroenterology is.

Holistic Gastroenterology methods rely on natural and organic food to treat inflammatory bowel conditions like IBS, colitis, Crohn’s disease, etc., rather than depend on drugs and surgery. It recommends nutritious food habits which are rich in the nutrients that the damages tissues of the intestinal wall needs. Once these nutrients are provided in the form of food, the tissues are healed once and for all and henceforth no surgery is required, nor any drugs. It’s really that simple!

By Leave a Comment

Exploring Low Back Pain Treatments That Work

The lower back is a crucial area of the human body that is unfortunately exposed to quite a few dangers throughout daily life. The lower back is a vital to an individual’s comfort, which makes it all the more important to deal with low back pain treatment wisely. Too many people simply ignore the problem for as long as possible. They feel some discomfort and choose to ignore it with the hope that they will eventually feel better. Often the body will heal itself, but in the case of the lower back it can be very unwise to ignore issues.

There is a key distinction to make when discussing low back pain, though. Is it acute or chronic? Acute low back pain means that it is a temporal issue, having persisted for less than three months. Chronic pain means that the symptoms have extended for more than three months.

The key to low back pain treatment is to treat the cause, not the symptoms. Often various professionals will look to allay the symptoms of the pain but do not know how to address the causes of that pain. Addressing systemic pain in the lower back is about knowing what causes it to begin with and being able to actually do something about it. Providing comfort from the pain is not good enough. People want to know that they are being healed, not comforted.

Back pain is one of the main health complaints nowadays. It’s estimated that eight out of ten individuals suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Lower back pain is amongst the most common areas for the pain to center around and that is because the structural integrity of the lower back is delicate. Those who have never had to seek low back pain treatment cannot really understand how serious it is. For many, it’s a temporal issue that fades in the days and weeks after it first appears. But for some, it is a chronic issue that appears and reappears constantly.

Low back pain treatments range in price, effectiveness, and style. There are surgical options, of course, but many people are quite wary of being cut open in order to solve their issues. Most people do not want to receive even local anesthesia, much less be put under for a surgical procedure. There are also drug-based therapies and solutions, but people tend to shy away from those for obvious reasons. This is why chiropractic low back pain treatment is a popular alternative.

One of the best things you can do in the immediate aftermath of realizing you have lower back pain is to take to bed for some much needed rest. This gives the back the relaxation is needs in order to heal from the more minor issues. Bed rest for one or two days has been proven by scientific studies to help back pain considerably. For many people, this next low back pain treatment proves to be actionable either before or after the back pain has been noticed. It confuses many people, but exercise is actually highly recommended if you are suffering from certain types of back pain. Exercises should only be used as treatment if a specialist or chiropractor suggests it to the patient. Exercises can be done which will improve the abdominal and back muscles, which can be extremely helpful to improving back function.

There are a wide variety of chiropractic solutions available to the average person in need of non-drug and non-surgical solutions. Spinal manipulation is one of the most common chiropractic solutions and utilizes a literally hands-on approach. The chiropractic specialist will engage in a spinal realignment that hopefully results in a less painful situation for the patient. Restoring back mobility through spinal readjustment and restoration is the goal of spinal manipulation, but it is must be applied by an experienced and successful chiropractic specialist. Traction is another chiropractic technique that is used as low back pain treatment. Traction uses weights to apply constant or intermittent pressure to the skeletal structure in order to “pull” it into better alignment. Again, this is a tactic that should only be employed by a trained and experienced chiropractic specialist.

Chiropractic techniques are most often the needed solutions because they actually address the causes of the lower back pain, rather than simply trying to get rid of the pain temporarily. Whether it is traction, spinal manipulation, or some other tactic, those individuals looking for low back pain treatment should only take advice and medical therapy from experienced, certified, medical professionals.

By

It’s Important to Participate in your Slipped Disc Treatment and Recovery

Slipped disc treatment involves the release of pressure off of the injured disc. This can be done in several different ways such as soft tissue manipulation or even manual traction, but a common and effective approach is through chiropractic manipulation of the vertebrae surrounding the affected disc. A slipped disc, or bulged disc as it is more appropriately termed, can occur anywhere along the spine. This is an injury which can range from mild to severe and be caused by a variety of activities. Improperly lifting heavy objects, poor posture and repetitive tasks are major culprits of disc injuries.  A truth regarding disc injuries is that they require your cooperation and dedication to truly heal. You will have to actively alter your lifestyle in order to heal and prevent a recurrence.  This can mean mending the way you perform activities, exercising more, sitting less or eliminating an activity  altogether. Any changes you make during this time will only improve your health and wellness further down the line. Once you have sustained this sort of injury the chances of recurrence are greater , so there is as much onus on you to prevent a recurrence as there is on your practitioner to help heal your current injury.

slipped disc treatmentThe term “slipped disc” is actually a misnomer. Your spinal discs are formed of a fibrous cartilage which is more or less cemented to the vertebral bones above and below it, preventing it from slipping at all. Inside the center of the fibrous disc is a pulpy substance which has a consistency much like pudding. This substance helps to absorb shock in your spine and spread pressures out evenly. A good visual of a spinal disc is to picture a jelly donut. As you move and bend the jelly will move around inside the disc sometimes squishing all against one side when you are performing a movement such as bending and other times spreading out to absorb weight.  Normally this would be acceptable however, in situations where you are bending a lot or bending while lifting weight, you begin to deteriorate the fibrous disc tissue that holds this jelly-like substance in.  This is when you would have a disc-bulge rather than a “slip.”  The bulge is the jelly innards of the disc breaking through the disc tissue and protruding out beyond the edges of the disc.  Most commonly, a few layers of disc retain the jelly from actually seeping out of the disc – the loss of the jelly entirely is known as a sequestrated disc. While a sequestrated disc undoubtedly requires surgery, a bulging disc does not. A bulging disc is where you can apply slipped disc treatment to reverse the problem.

The reason a disc-bulge is so painful is because there are only two areas on the disc exposed enough where the disc can bulge. It just so happens that these areas are right where the spinal nerves exit the vertebrae.  This means that the bulge is now pushing on the corresponding spinal nerve(s) which is why, when you have a disc-bulge or “slipped disc”, you can have pain or numbness in your extremities that radiates outward. Many times people will believe they are suffering from a muscle or joint injury in their extremity only to find that the extremity is fine and the issue is resonating from their lumbar, thoracic or cervical spine. This phenomenon is known as radiculopathy and can be thought of in very basic terms, such as the way a television works. You plug the television into the wall and see a picture on the screen; where the outlet is your spine, the cord is your nerve and the television is your muscle. If the picture on the television goes out, people tend to assume the television is broken but never consider that perhaps the issue is at the plug. The human body functions similarly as far as cause and effect goes. Slipped disc treatment will relieve pressure from the intervertebral spinal disc, allowing the jelly to return back to the centre of the disc, thus eliminating the bulge and radicular pain.

Slipped disc treatment can be a little uncomfortable but when the patient and practitioner work in tandem to resolve the injury, the amount of treatment necessary can be significantly reduced and pain relief can begin to be achieved in as little as one visit. If you find yourself suffering from a disc injury and may be facing slipped disc treatment, commit yourself to participating in your own recovery by following your chiropractor’s directions and prescriptions.

By

Low Back Pain Treatment can Renew Quality of Life

Do you suffer from lower back pain? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone. Eight out of ten people suffer from this type of ailment at some point in their lives. The type of pain can be minor (lasting from a few days to weeks) to more severe (lasting for months or even years).  Low back pain treatment is the most popular type of chiropractic care for back pain sufferers. Chiropractic low back pain treatment uses spinal adjustments to normalize mobility on spinal joints brought on by tissue injuries. These are brought on usually by accidents, sports injuries, and poor posture. Chiropractors refer to this is as misalignment of the vertebra. This causes irritation of the surrounding area and nerve area resulting in inflammation, pain and degeneration. With chiropractic treatment, pressure is taken off the disc, joints, nerves and symptoms are improved. It also prevents it from getting worse, and you can get to feeling like yourself again.  The treatment can also use soft tissue repair, stretching, and specific posture and strengthening exercises. However, if need be the chiropractor can use a spinal orthotic device called Denneroll , that is also used with the spinal adjustments. Back pain can be acute (less than one month) sub-acute (1-3 months) or chronic (more than three months). Most of the time low back pain can be caused from musculoskeletal problems, and unfortunately most people just put up with the pain until it becomes unbearable, and only then do they see a doctor. You can read more about the facts of low back pain here.

In addition, although low back pain treatment has come a long way, researchers are still studying spinal manipulation. For example, a 2010 review of 26 clinical trials reviewed the effectiveness of different treatments of both musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal conditions. The authors of the study concluded that the spinal manipulation works for acute, sub-acute and chronic low back pain. This means that it can work for just about anyone suffering from low back pain. Furthermore, there was a study completed last year in Switzerland which involved adults who were suffering from low back pain and who had not received chiropractic or manual help in the three months before the study took place. Patients with chronic back pain and acute pain both exhibited positive results. Patients with radiculopathy (when one or more set of nerves are not working properly) also had improved symptoms. Low back pain is considered to be the most common job related disability, especially for people who work in front of a computer all day, or do excessive labor.

Moreover, what chiropractors do is identify structural imbalances that are related to a number of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. The daily stress on our backs related to everyday activities can lead to these imbalances resulting in a sprain or strain in the vertebrae area. This means that two or more vertebra have lost their normal motion or position.  Most of these imbalances in the early stages can exist without the person even feeling spinal pain.  However, as time goes on, the wear and tear worsens and is followed by various cases of muscular and skeletal dysfunction, which leads to pain. Low back pain treatment can also reduce tension, pain and other symptoms, as well as improved posture and balance. There is also a reduction in the rate of spinal degeneration, which will help you relax and cope with stress and changes in lifestyle. Furthermore, there will be an improved function of the body’s organs and systems. This will improve your emotional and health wellbeing, thus enjoying your life more.

Chiropractic care is known to be the one of the most popular forms of healthcare that people seek for neck and back pain.  It is safe, effective and drug free. These characteristics have made chiropractor the best recognized complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions. This is why people in the medical field are choosing it as a job, and it has become the third largest doctoral level profession, after medicine and dentistry. So, if you have back pain, make sure you go see a chiropractor to try low back pain treatment. It will get you on the road to recovery and back to doing the things that you love.

By

How Seniors can Benefit from Pilates

Joseph Pilates revolutionized the fitness world when he introduced Pilates.  It began as a means to improve his overall health and wellbeing. He suffered from a number of ailments and did not want to let these diseases ruin his life.  Taking charge of the situation, he studied muscle movements and learned of ways to strengthen and improve them.  Being the son of a gymnast and a naturopath, he had a general idea of the human body and which muscles were best to target for different results. The success of this new workout was unprecedented.  He was able to drastically improve his overall health and fitness and keep his diseases under control.  During the war era, what is now known as Pilates and resistance training, was introduced to hospitals as part of the rehabilitation program for patients.  It was a very successful program as the soldiers had an improved recovery.

8295241597_eaed047989_cToday Pilates is a well-known term.  Many gyms and studios teach the art of Pilates to those that are looking to gain strength, improve health and increase muscle tone.  It is a very different idea from a weightlifting program as Pilates focuses on small movements and using your own body versus gym weights and equipment to focus on one muscle group at a time. Pilates must be done with precision in order to be beneficial.  With correct movement and breathing, it is one type of exercise that can be easily learned by all age groups and abilities and will benefit everybody who learns it.

Seniors benefit extremely well from Pilates as these programs are perfect for the current ability and future benefits.  Because large machines and weights are not needed, there is a reduced chance of straining or injury.  During Pilates, they use their own body mass and resistance for much of the workouts.  Many of the workouts focus on core muscles, these muscles are needed daily for posture.  Good posture will reduce back and neck pain and many upper body issues.  Many bone problems are solved through Pilates. This is possible because as the workouts are done, the muscles around the bones are strengthened, better holding them in place.  Bad backs, bad necks, knee and joint injuries, sore shoulders and many other ailments are cured by simply having the muscles built up to keep bones firmly where they should be and operating at optimal performance.

Pilates for seniors can be started with exercises that require little movement and their own body resistance.  As they work the new exercises into a daily or weekly routine, the muscles overall over their entire body begin to strengthen. They receive a full body workout without using gym weights that many would not be able to manage.  Moves such as the plank can be worked from 5 seconds up to 60 seconds as their core and leg and arm muscles strengthen with each workout regimen.  As many seniors cannot lift extremely heavy items, they will benefit from a Pilates routine much faster than a weightlifting routine.  Both will generate muscle and built strength but Pilates will focus on core and full body fitness versus itemized muscles with a weight building program.

Since Pilates does not require expensive machines and weights it can be practiced almost anywhere.  All a person needs is a flat surface and a soft mat. Pilates classes can be organized in workplaces, homes, or any location that’s convenient for a group of people. Doing this type of exercise in a group is great for motivation, competitive drive and inspiration.

Joseph Pilates suffered from rickets, rheumatic fever and asthma.  By studying an applying Pilates to his workouts, he became so fit, that by the age of 14 he was posing for anatomical charts.  Not only did he improve his overall health and wellbeing, he surpassed the weight lifter creating a body that was full of muscle and well-toned.  It does not take large elaborate routines to build muscle.  When it comes to personal fitness, sometimes less can result in more. There are many online resources for instruction on Pilates and gyms or community centers frequently hold classes. Whether you want a professional environment or need to make it work in your own home, Pilates is a great personal fitness choice.