Drug FREE Way to Deal with Back Pain

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More than 50 million Americans now suffer from chronic pain- much of it untreated. But when pain sufferers do get medical care, they are often over-treated. Why is that?
Insurance companies and Medicare reimburse doctors for surgery and other invasive procedures so that’s what doctors are likely to provide. Insurance doesn’t pay doctors to counsel patients about low-tech remedies, such as exercise and stress relief- even though these sometimes are the best ways to deal with persistent pain.
Frequently doctors misdiagnose and mistreat back pain. Here is what you can do to get effective, commonsense pain relief.
Up to 80% of Americans suffer from low back pain at some point of their lives. Medical treatment for this chronic problem is based on the assumption that anatomical problems, such as herniated discs, cause the pain. A standard treatment is to operate, sometimes by surgically fusing the vertebrae (bones of the spine).
In reality, bones and discs usually don’t cause low back pain. Sprained or strained muscles, ligaments and tendons-soft tissue made vulnerable to injury by overexertion and lack of exercise-underlie most cases.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE: In a study published in SPINE, orthopedic surgeons treated 64 patients, ages 25 to 60, who had low back pain that had lasted one year or longer. X-rays showed degenerated discs. Half of the group received surgery (fusion of the lumbar vertebrae). Half got non-surgical treatments, including counseling and exercise.
A year after treatment, researchers evaluated both groups for pain, use of pain medication and other factors indicating tratment success or failure. The non-surgical group had a HIGHER success rate – 76% compared with 70% of the surgery group ( a clinical significant difference). And the non surgery group hadn’t been subjected to the pain, risk, and inconvenience of surgery.
Here is an example of a low back exercise that will help reduce your low back.

Perform 4 repetitions of these:

1. Diaphragmatic breathing

Lie on your back, arms at your sides and knees bent. Slowly inhale through your nose to make your belly round. Then exhale through your mouth.

2. Shoulder Shrug

Pull your shoulders up towards your ears as you inhale through your nose. Then exhale through your mouth as you let your shoulders fall back down.

For more exercises to help deal with your chronic pain, stop by Goings Natural Healthand Bodywork for your FREE evaluation exercise pamphlet.

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• Low Back Pain: Fix the Problem First and You Won’t Need to Worry about the Pain (alliedhealthgroup.wordpress.com)
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• Avoid a Sleepless Night After An Afternoon of Raking Leaves – 12 Tips to Avoid Low Back Pain When Raking (prweb.com)
• Low Back Pain and Failed Back Surgery (alliedhealthgroup.wordpress.com)
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• Exercise Back Pain Away (fitnesstipsforlife.com)
• MRI of the Lumbar Spine (ardentpt.wordpress.com)

When Work is a Pain in the Neck!

A lot of our clients that come to see us at Goings Natural, come after work. It is no secret that your posture is the prime suspect when it comes to back pain, especially those people who sit in front of a computer for 8 hours or more a day.
We here at Goings Natural feel that preventative care is the best type of care for your body. We feel that stretching through out the day during work will greatly decrease your back pain. We are a firm believer of the all mighty stretch and feel that every one needs to stretch periodically throughout the day. Take the 2 week challenge. Use these stretches that are displayed to you below religiously 3 times a day, not asking for much. Then see how much better you feel. I can almost guarantee you that you will be feeling looser with less tension in your shoulders. Your headaches may have subsided as well. If you have any questions or concerns, or you need to make an appointment for us to loosen you up before your challenge, give us a call. We are here to help. 916-877-4325.

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• Relief for chronic neck and back pain – part 1, your posture (drstephencenter.com)
• Office Jobs: A Pain in the Back? (my.psychologytoday.com)
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Its that time again! ALLERGY SEASON

Allergy starter (Photo credit: gibsonsgolfer)

If you are like I am, you have been suffering from allergies for the past three to four, perhaps five days. It is officially allergy season. The stuffy and runny nose, the itchy eyes, the itchy throat, the sneezing…all of this can be unbearable. But what types of medication do we take for which symptoms. I have found this Allergy and Sinus Symptom Evaluation to be very helpful. I though I would share this with you. Please be advised however, that treating allergies with antihistamines is a temporary stopgap measure that doesn’t address the underlying problem and shouldn’t be used for more than a few weeks at a time. If you want to avoid commercial antihistamines, you can try drinking ephedra tea or taking ephedra in capsule form. (Find it at your health food store)

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR EVALUATION

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What to Do in Case of a Snakebite

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As summer keeps moving on, many of us will take to the forests and the woods to enjoy some of the natures best camping facilities. Camping is a very fun and leisurely activity and a great way to spend quality time with family and friends. However, there are some dangers that we need to be aware of as well, such as snakes. What would you so if you were bitten by a snake? Would you suck the venom out? Would you run to the park ranger? Would you sit there like many of us crying and screaming not knowing what to do? Well hopefully this article will help you make the right decision if you encountered this situation.

If you or someone with you is bitten by a snake, it is vital to seek appropriate medical treatment. It is equally vital to avoid making inappropriate attempts at treatment; such mistakes can cause more problems that they solve. What to do in any particular case depends on the circumstances surrounding the bite.

What to DO

While not all snake bites are life-threatening, it is important to follow these simple step:

• Remain calm (or, if the victim is someone other than yourself calm her/her down)
• If possible, call for emergency assistance.
• Gentle was the area with soap and water.
• Apply a cold, wet cloth over the bite.

Get yourself or the victim to the nearest hospital emergency room for further treatment

What NOT to Do

The list of measures that should be avoided in response to snakebite include:

• Do Not  apply a tourniquet. This has been the cause of numerous amputations. It is possible that the application of a tourniquet is more dangerous that the snakebite itself.
• DO NOT pack the entire bitten area in ice. This can block circulation and cause injury to tissue, or even gangrene. An ice pack or some cubes wrapped in cloth, applied periodically to the skin, is the maximum you want to use.
• DO NOT cut the wound with a knife or a razor. Older first-aid kits contain cutters, but excessive bleeding can cause more damage. If you happen to cut an artery, the victim can bleed to death. Unless you happen to be a vascular surgeon, leave the razor blades in your pack.
• DO NOT use your mouth to “suck out” the venom. The average human mouth has so many bacteria in it that infection of the would almost be certain, complicating treatment in the long run.
• DO NOT drink alcohol (or give it to the victim)
• DO NOT use an electric shock, Taser, stun gun, cattle prod, or any such device applied to the snakebite. All you will do is make the victim more miserable, and the venom will not be broken down by the electricity.

OTHER MEASURES

IF you can safely kill the snake, do so and decapitate it. Bury the head and bring the body with you to the emergency room for identification. The correct antivenin can then be selected at the hospital. DO NOT BRING THE HEAD!!!  A decapitated snake head can bite up to an hour after its death!

There is one type of snakebite kit that is worthwhile. It is called Sawyer Extractor, and is available from Sawyer Products. It contains a syringe-like device that does work to suck out venom without requiring you to open up the fang wounds with a tool. This prevents excessive bleeding and contamination of the wound. This kit will probably out about half the venom if it is used quickly (within five minutes of the bite is recommended). These are available from many sporting goods stores and on the Internet for less than twenty dollars. If you are going to be someplace in snake country that is really far from civilization, having one of these kits in your backpack is a necessity. After you use it, transport to the nearest hospital is still required so that proper care can be administered!

Bottom line is, like everything we do, we need to be careful. We need to make sure that all precautions are taken and that we are prepared for any type of emergency. Before you leave on your camping trip, sit and think what could go wrong and plan accordingly. It is better to be over-prepaired than under. Make sure you call Goings Natural Health and Bodywork Center when you get back. We will make sure your to get your body back to its normal state with our body treatments or halth consultations.

www.goingsnatural.wordpress.com

916-877-HEAL (4325)

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• When the Snake Bites … Try Ointment (news.sciencemag.org)

Limit your use of Salt

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Although some sodium is essential for survival, inadequate sodium intake is a rare problem. We need less than 500 milligrams of sodium a day to stay healthy. this is enough to accomplish all the vital functions that sodium performs in the body- helping maintain norma, fluid levels, healthy muscle function, and proper acidity (pH) of the blood. Excessive sodium intake can cause a fluid to be retained in the tissues, which can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) and can aggravate many medical disorders, including congestive heart failure, certain forms of kidney disease, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

One of the best ways to limit the sodium in your diet is to limit your use of salt when cooking and dining. Just as important, stay away from processed foods, which often contain excessively high amounts of sodium.

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So What are the New Changes?

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We are glad you asked! We are revamping our business to accommodate a different type of individual! We have noticed in the past couple of years that many people do not have the time to commit to spending an hour for a massage on a regular basis! We have also noticed that once someone has committed to this hour they are being given massages that are not working for them. Though these massages are relaxing and deserved, they are only masking the problem and are not giving the client the long-term pain relief that the client needs!  We understand the benefits of a GOOD massage and what it can do to your overall health.

That is why we have scientifically studied these scenarios and came up with a plan! A plan that will save you time and money and leave you feeling brand new! The process is simple! If you have not had a massage for 3 months or longer than we start you off with a full body maintenance massage treatment. During this treatment we will evaluate your situation and pin-point exactly where your pain and tensions are coming from. We then will proceed with the treatment. We will stretch and elongate any curled muscles. We will focus on the areas that are giving you daily pain by utilizing A.R.T. methods, medical massage treatments, deep tissue release treatments,  as well as trigger point therapy. Once you have completed this rigorous yet beneficial treatment, we will schedule you for a weekly maintenance treatment that are only 20 minutes long. Again this will save you time and money and is a great method for preventative care.

Our new methods of treatment is for the busy individual that is health conscious. We feel that there is a huge number of  people that visit the gym everyday,  and DO NOT STRETCH after their work-outs. This can cause discomfort and pain days after your work-out. Then they go back the next day to do it again and will work through the pain, only causing more damage without any stretching again prior to their work out. This is a vicious cycle that will cause an injury. We want to be the preventative treatment that will allow you to continue with your busy lifestyle and stay healthy as well. Throw us into your routine! You deserve it!

WE ARE REVOLUTIONIZING THE MASSAGE INDUSTRY FOR THE GOOD OF A NATURAL, AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!!

For more questions or concerns, please call us at 916-877-HEAL (4325)