Chronic Pain Care & Management

/

NOTE: Content is not a substitute for treatment or therapy, and as always, please consult with your healthcare provider.

If you have chronic pain it can be an emotional struggle as well as a physical one.

In my work with chronic pain patients, one treatment approach I use includes solution-focused interventions rooted in mindfulness. Instead of thinking ‘why me’, look at the situation from a ‘what now, how will I deal with this’ perspective.  A new mindset can make the situation less stressful, and if you are less anxious, your body will cope with the pain better.


Learn To Relax

Pain occurs to warn you that there is something wrong with your body. It is often in the muscles, but can occur in other parts of the body as well- such as the nerves. If your body is tense the pain could be worse, but learning to relax can aid in lessening the effects of it.

Calming your body down is the objective, and you have to find the best method of relaxing your muscles that suits you and helps to improve your well-being. Some people are lucky enough just to be able to sit back and it happens naturally, where others will have to do progressive muscle relaxing for it to work.

Rest

Some people with painful conditions feel exhausted throughout the day, but may find it difficult to rest due to the high demands of living in today’s society. However, rest is a key factor in proper recovery, so making sure that you listen to your body and try to incorporate rest breaks throughout your day will aid in rejuvenating your body, and could reduce some pain related symptoms.

Don’t Overdo It

If your chronic pain is a bit easier after a few days of rest and relaxation, don’t suddenly try to do everything you normally would. Overdoing it can delay your recovery so even if you are feeling better, take it easy for a while longer. Perhaps doing light tasks can suffice, but keep them simple or you could be back at square one.

Eat Foods That Are Anti-Inflammatory

There are some foods and herbs such as turmeric, oily fish, red fruits and vegetables, and leafy greens that have anti-inflammatory properties. Carrots, squash, watermelon, and peaches are all additions to your diet that could help.

Seek Help from a Medical Professional

There is help available if you’re experiencing in chronic pain. Your healthcare provider is a first step in treatment, or you can visit a specialist- like a chiropractor or physical therapist. Moreover, depending on the type of pain you’re experiencing, you could also try acupuncture or massage therapy.

Another alternative medical approach uses feedback modalities- such as Neurofeedback or Biofeedback. These non-invasive treatment therapies help teach you how to control your own physiology, and in many cases, can reduce pain symptoms in the back, neck, nerves and other areas.

LETS GET SOCIAL…

Taking Care Of YOU (the easy way...)

/

Sometimes even though we want to make changes and feel better, we don’t really know where to start. When it comes to taking care of yourself, you can do smaller things in the beginning and slowly over time build it up. 

It takes 12+ weeks to build or break a habit, and if you overload yourself with too many at once, it can begin to feel like a chore, not something that you want to do. So here are a few simple things that you can do to take better care of yourself, without the pressure or stress. 

Food

Have you took a look at what and how you are eating? Chances are there’s room for improvement. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to make a lot of drastic changes all at once. Instead of thinking about a diet, think about a healthy eating plan instead. Find foods that you love to cook, try new fruits and vegetables, and try new recipes. If you find that you snack a lot, then try swapping out your usual snacks for a piece of fruit or some salad. Much about healthier eating has to do with preparation.

Supplements

Taking a supplement can change a lot. If your diet isn’t incredibly well balanced (and even when it is), there are some things that you are probably pretty lacking in, and everyone needs something different. This is where Hundred supplements are ideal. Instead of paying for a standard multivitamin, you can have something that is designed for you and your lifestyle. 

Tech-Free

We spend so much time on technology. Our mobile phones are in our hand almost all of the time. Between that and work laptops we are plugged in nearly all of the time. Using technology too much has been shown to have a negative impact on us. So making a conscious effort to turn off the laptop, leave the phone on the side and get some technology-free time. 

Start Working Out

You don’t need to head to the gym for long, intense workouts. You can do more gentle exercise at home. Starting with Yoga, or even the 30-day shred. A few times a week will improve your energy levels, and the other perk is that you will naturally be more thirsty. So you will be drinking more water - perfect! 

Rest

If you are busy most of the time, you might not notice your stress levels creeping up. Over time these can become dangerous and cause a range of other issues too. Learning to rest properly, or going to bed a little earlier can improve your mood, your energy levels and your productivity. 


If you struggle to sleep, then consider using an app like the Calm app or Headspace to help you drift off to sleep, or to learn other relaxation techniques. 

Work Free

If you run your own business, then this might be more difficult, but making sure that you have strict work-personal life hours will mean that you aren’t working when you should be relaxing. 


Smaller changes add up to a more significant difference over time, and they are more likely to be permanent changes too. 

LETS GET SOCIAL…

How To Relieve Jaw Pain

/

Jaw pain is a common problem. Many people can experience it, and it has a range of different causes. You might find that your jaw hurts at certain times of the day, such as when you first wake up in the morning. You could also have jaw pain that starts suddenly and then won't go away. It can range in severity, from mildly annoying to being so painful that you can't eat or talk. If you're experiencing jaw pain, you need to know how to treat it and how to find the cause. Here are some things you should do if your jaw hurts.

Relieve the Pain

The first thing that you may want to do is address the pain you're experiencing in the short term. While this might not get to the bottom of the problem, it will help you to feel better until you're able to get the treatment you need. Over-the-counter painkillers can be a good option to help you if you're in pain. Ibuprofen and other medications are easily available and effective for mild to moderate pain. You can also consider hot and cold therapy, using things like ice packs and warm compresses to help relieve your pain.

See A Dentist

When you're considering treatment for your jaw pain, it can be hard to know whether to see a doctor or dentist. A dentist is often the right choice, and they can refer you to a doctor if it's necessary. Dentists don't just know about teeth; they're also familiar with how the jaw works. Some jaw pain is caused by dental problems and can be addressed by your dentist. They can do everything from remove wisdom teeth to provide you with a mouth guard to help you stop grinding your teeth at night. They can also treat infections, perform root canal treatments, and carry out various other dental treatments.

See a Doctor

A doctor could also be the right person to see if you have jaw pain. Again, they could refer you to a dentist if they're the better option. If home remedies don't improve your pain and it's interfering with your daily routine, your doctor may be able to help. They can provide treatments such as muscle relaxants or steroid injections to help with some causes of jaw pain. A doctor can also help if you have injured your jaw in an accident.

Learn to Relax

Some jaw pain comes from clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth. If you're someone who does this, some help with relaxation can relieve your jaw pain. There are many ways to relax more and deal with stress in a healthy way so that you're not so tense. You could be surprised by how much it might help to relieve the pain in your jaw. People relax in a lot of different ways, from exercising to meditating, so find what works for you.


You don't have to suffer with jaw pain. If your jaw is aching, do something about it and get help.

LETS GET SOCIAL…

3 Ways To Improve Your Health

/

Chances are, you are always on the lookout for ways to improve your health. Most people are, and the truth is that it can be notoriously hard to actually make sure you are making the right kinds of changes frequently if you are to try and live more healthily. However there are always simple changes you can make if you want to improve your health, and those are some of the things we are going to look at in this post. As long as you are making the kinds of changes we mention here, you will find that your health is vastly improving, and that you are able to make much more of your body and mind as a result. These are places to start, and you might find that they make all the difference in the world.

RELAX

One of the most essential parts of looking after your health is ensuring that you allow yourself plenty of chance to relax. Being able to fully relax is something that many people fail to do in their daily lives, and yet it is essential if you want to make sure that you are taking care of your health as best as you can. The art of relaxation is mostly all about ensuring that you can find the time to do so, so that you can sit, breathe, and just be. You should also consider using products from the likes of The Kratom Connection so that you can truly allow the body to relax as well. And let’s not forget what wonders a monthly massage can do!

EAT LESS

Chances are, you are sometimes prone to eating a little too much. The truth is that most people in our culture eat too much, and even if you think you eat a normal amount, you are probably technically overeating. The human body does not need all that much sustenance in order to survive, thrive and be well, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you are focusing on trying to reduce how much you eat in general. Of course, you shouldn't go too far with it, and if you have a history of eating disorders then be especially careful. But generally eating less will make the body less prone to diseases and illnesses. That means you can function much more easily on a daily basis as well.

VARY YOUR EXERCISE

We all know that exercise is important, but what is also important is making sure that you actually vary the kinds of exercise you get involved in. If you only ever jog, for instance, then you are not giving your body the fullest chance to be able to be fully healthy. If you are jogging, but also performing yoga and strength exercises, then you are improving your body in a number of ways, and you are bound to be much more in shape as a result. Remember that, and be sure to vary your exercise as much as you can so that you can really push your body to its limits.

LETS GET SOCIAL….

Keeping Yourself in the Best Health

/

With the summer going as well as it’s going at the moment, the last thing you want to be dealing with is your health. Even if you feel as though you’re in perfect health, we all know that things can change in a heartbeat. What we don’t realize is that a lot of the time, we’re the reason why our bodies cry out for help. We all want to keep ourselves in the best health, but we’re not always actively doing things that would allow for this to happen. Instead, we’re making mistakes left, right and center, and these are the mistakes that we want to try and correct in this post.

No one likes being ill, in pain, or just generally feeling down, so have a read of the tips below, and see if you can keep yourself in the best health.

Taking A Holistic Approach

You shouldn’t just be thinking about your diet and your fitness here, you need to think about your health in general if you want to stay in top form. Of course, your diet and fitness levels are going to play a big part in your level of health, so making sure that you’re staying on top of things all of the time is obviously going to benefit you. That’s not to say that a cheeky cheat day once or twice a week is going to kill you. But, to take a holistic approach, you need to think about things such as your mental health, and how that can affect your general well-being. If you’re someone who always feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and you’re always out and about rushing around, then take some time to fully relax. Take away all of the pressures of life, and do something for you. Whether it be going for a walk, reading a book, or practicing meditation. As long as you’re focusing on you, rather than just your health, you’re going to have a much better chance of keeping yourself in the best health.

Injury Aftercare

I want to talk about this because it’s something that a lot of people seem to struggle with. Injury aftercare is so important if you want to keep yourself in the best health. All of those things that your doctor tells you to do that you usually ignore, follow! Focus on rest and relaxation, and making sure you’re keeping up with the medical aftercare side of things. Check out things such as tegaderm film if you have a wound, and always practice good personal hygiene. When people suffer a big injury, it’s so easy for everything to fall apart if proper aftercare doesn’t happen. Plus, having an injury that impacts your life for a considerable length of time isn’t hard to happen. Something so simple as breaking an arm can have a negative impact for months.

Take Away Negative Factors

Finally, I urge that you take away all of the negatives factors that might be affecting your health. Even the people you hang around with could be seen as a negative factor. If they’re always leading you astray, eating bad, getting into bad situations, it just isn’t going to benefit you. Obviously, any negative habits that you have should also be eradicated.

LETS GET SOCIAL

Take Better Care Of You: Health Tips For Maintaining Inner Beauty

/

It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself sometimes.  With more demands on our time and attention from work, children and family, the importance of keeping healthy can take a back seat.  It’s time to make a change to your health and maintain a better, longer lasting version of yourself.

We all know the rules.  Exercise often, eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated.  But there are other important factors we are missing.  When was the last time you saw your doctor, for example? How long have you been ignoring that ache in your neck? I’ve gathered together a short guide of changes you need to make now. Small changes for a better future.  So sit back, grab a cup of green tea and read on …

I won’t kick start this with hydration but will instead highlight the importance right now and get to it later.  Drink.  Drink 2 litres a day.  Every day.  Instead we’ll start by looking at fitness.

Your heart is the only thing between you and death.  If your heart fails, well that’s essentially the end of it all.  So keeping it healthy and and strong is vital.  Experts advise we take a minimum of 25 minutes of exercise per day. This can range from gentle walking to more high impact sports such as running.  Cardio fitness is the key to a nice strong heart but there are so many exciting ways to get the heart pumping.  Here are three to get you inspired

1: The Quick Morning Cardio Burn

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

If you don’t have time to make it to the gym, wake up and smash a 15 minute cardio wake up call.  Simple exercises like one minute reps of jumping jacks, squat thrusts, sit ups, high chests and running up and down the stairs, repeated 5 times each (Only pick three and mix them up everyday)   Or include a short weight lifting routine as I wrote about in this blog into your quick cardio.  It will give you a super snappy cardio buzz before breakfast.  You can jump in the shower and feel the extra energy boost.  Cardio exercise increases your metabolism all day so you can feel smug that you have set the town of your day and enjoy a guilt three latte at lunch.

 

2: The Enthusiastic Run

Running isn’t for everyone but, don’t knock it until you have given it a good go.  Running with interval sprints of thirty seconds for 30 minutes is a real fat burning cardio boost which will help trim you down whilst toning your muscles.  You need to ensure you have the correct trainers and kit to protect your limbs as this is a high impact sport.  The very best thing about falling in love with running is that it is completely free and you can do it absolutely anywhere.  Put your music in your ears and pound away the miles.  Mix running up with something like swimming to keep your body moving without constant high impact on your joints.

 

3: Think Different!

Horse riding may not look like it’s burning much in the way of calories but a one hour horse ride burns the same calories as a 30 minute run.  It is also extremely good at building up your core muscles and working your inner thigh.  Giving you a cardio and toning exercise all in one.  Make sure you stay safe by wearing all the correct kit and find a local riding school that gives lessons in a school or takes you out and about on brilliant hacks.  You won’t even notice your heart is getting a workout.  You might notice it the following day in your muscles though!

 

If you can include 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine, you will be well on the way to improving the health of your heart.

 

Next on the list of things we usually put on the back burners are regular health checks with a doctor or our dentist.  As we grow older we need to keep an eye on things.  Prevention is most definitely better than cure, but with certain illnesses we can be blissfully unaware of any changes until it’s too late.

Our teeth suffer years of abuse without a good hygienist, so get online and use http://dentists.nhere.me to find a local dentist and go for regular check ups and cleans. This is especially important if you have children.  Kids watching their parents taking care of their teeth are twice as likely to take care of their own.  Make it fun.  Brush together and get your kids to enjoy visits to the dentist.  

Finding a good doctor is also important.  Women over 20 should be having regular smear tests and women over 35 should be having well women tests. Check your breasts often and at different points in your cycle so you get to notice any changes in the shape and feel of them.  If you notice anything out of place, make an appointment and get a second opinion.

 

Keeping a little back for yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow upon your body.  Mindfulness.  Relaxation.  These two simple things are so often forgotten, but without them we can suffer unhealthy habits and even create mental health issues we could have avoided.  Meditation is particularly helpful at putting your monkey mind to task.  Our minds can create huge problems for relatively minor issues.  Learning to control that is the key to lasting inner peace.

Yoga is a fantastic release for stress and can be practiced either first thing in the morning to energize you, or with a little meditation last thing at night to prepare your body for sleep.  You don’t have to find a class to learn the basics with lots of handy tips on line like these, just find a comfortable, clutter free area and a quite 15 minutes then practice the slow, low impact movements whilst allowing your mind to run free of all the chatter.  

Inner peace is something that we need to help us solve problems and make better decisions.  Lying in bed with a million worries and anxieties will lead us to a pattern of no sleep and sluggish behavior.  Lack of sleep can have serious impact on our day to day lives.  Creating havoc with our skin and general health.  Find peace, relax and sleep!

 

Lastly, I mentioned it in the first half of this article, hydration and a healthy balanced diet.

You will not find one article in the world on health that doesn’t stress the importance of drinking pure water every day.  Amounts range, but setting yourself up for the challenge of 2 liters a day, will make remarkable changes in your life.  From your brain to your skin and your general energy levels, water will change the way you take on the world and help you form better decisions.  Cells need water to regenerate so, a little like plants, without regular water we will slowly wither away, health will deteriorate and eventually we’ll die!

 

Clean eating, removing processed and sugary foods from your diet, will give your digestive system a happy detox.  Homemade meals with fresh local ingredients or, better still, home grown ingredients will ensure heart, cell and brain health.  A balanced diet is proven to decrease your risk of many cancers and increase your life expectancy so get to it!

Take better care of yourself, look and feel more beautiful and enjoy life, longer.

LET'S GET SOCIAL....

3 easy recipes for a Detox Bath

/
Detox Bath

Who doesn't love a steamy... hot.... relaxing bath after a long stressful day?! Even better, what if I told you, you can make that bath even more enjoyable by detoxing!

Detoxing (short for detoxifying) is a way in which you remove toxic substances from the body. This could include poisonous substances, impurities, etc.

Here are 3 natural recipes that are simple and inexpensive to try that can boost how you feel (and maybe) improve on your health! 

Salt Detox Bath Recipe

  • 1/4 cup Sea Salt 
  • 1/4 cup Epsom Salt
  • 1/4 cup Baking Soda
  • 1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Favorite essential oil 

Dissolve Salts and baking soda in boiling water and put in a jar and set aside. Fill tub with warm/hot water and add apple cider vinegar. Pour salt mix in and add essential oils.

Soak in bath for at least 30 minutes. Please Note by doing a detox bath, you may feel tired or lightheaded when you get out. 

This bath is great for soothing skin irritation, boosting magnesium levels and overall detoxing.

Clay Detox Bath Recipe

  • 1/2 cup bentonite clay
  • 1/2 cup epsom salts
  • essential oils if desired

Dissolve the epsom salts in a warm/hot bath and add essential oils if desired.

For the clay, you have two options:

  1. Using a PLASTIC SPOON, vigorously mix clay with a small amount of water until the clumps are mostly dissolved. Add mix to bath and soak for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Mix clay with a small amount of water to make a paste and stand in the tub with water and rub the mix over your body creating a mask and let dry for at least 5 minutes before sitting down. Soak in the bath for at least 20 minutes and wipe off any remaining clay.

This bath is good because the clay binds to heavy metals and epsom salt help to pull a toxins from the body while restoring magnesium levels.

Oxygen Detox Bath Recipe

  • 1.5 cups of Hydrogen Peroxide
  • 1 Tablespoon dried Ginger Powder

Fill the tub with warm/hot water and add the hydrogen peroxide and dried Ginger. Soak for at least 30 minutes.

This can help during a cold because the ginger helps clear congestion and/or alleviate body aches. It can also be helpful for allergies or skin irritation.

 

Important: I'm no doctor! I'm just sharing info that has either worked for me or others I know so please seek advice from a medical professional if you have any doubts or if you're pregnant or suffer from any health conditions.