14 Natural Pain Relievers

Barton Chiropractic in Concord has been helping both children and adults suffering from back pain since back pain would really love to be less dependent on painkillers to manage their pain. But how? Natural pain relievers really can help. Here’s a list that might help – each of these won’t be for everyone, but any number of these natural pain relievers might help you be able to rely less on pain medications and feel more in control of your life.

1986. We have found that many who live with chronic

1. Release your inner endorphins. These natural chemicals block pain signals from reaching your brain. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers, and they can be as strong as many of the strongest pain relievers. Endorphins also help alleviate anxiety, stress and depression — conditions that often accompany and exacerbate chronic pain. The body produces endorphins during aerobic exercise. A “runner’s high” is not just for those running long distances — any activity that gets your blood pumping for a sustained period will release pain relieving endorphins into your system.

2. Find good company. Those who have regular contact with others dealing with similar forms of chronic pain find that their pain becomes more manageable. An online group that is both active and supportive is best. Members of the Spine-health.com Back Pain and Chronic Pain discussion forums say that it is quite simply “free therapy”.

3. Eat cookies. Research shows that eating sweet foods like cookies, chocolate or ice cream, helps reduce the sensation of pain.

4. Or just bake the cookies. Enjoying a smell that is both sweet and pleasant has been shown to reduce the perception of pain.

5. Feel the heat. Applying some form of heat — a hot water bottle, gel-filled pad heated in the microwave, electric heating pad, or hot bath — can go a long way in easing your pain. Benefits of heat are twofold: it increases the flow of healing oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area, and it suppresses pain signals being sent to your brain. Some find that wearing a heat wrap, such as Thermacare heat wrap, is best because it releases a low level heat for several hours and can be worn under clothes so you remain mobile.

6. Cool it with ice. Ahh, how this cools down inflamed and sore tissues. Back pain almost always comes with some level of inflammation, and ice is the best natural way to reduce it. Ice also helps by acting as a local anesthetic, and by slowing the nerve impulses, which in turn interrupts the pain-spasm reactions between the nerves in the affected area.

7. Loosen up. Almost everyone can benefit from stretching the soft tissues - the muscles, ligaments and tendons - in and around the spine. Your back is designed for movement, and if your motion is limited it can make your back pain worse. If you suffer from chronic back pain, you may find it takes weeks or months of stretching to loosen up your spine and soft tissues, but you will find that meaningful and sustained pain relief will follow the increase in motion.

8. Enjoy the outdoors. People who got the recommended daily 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D experienced less pain than those who didn’t, according to a Boston University study of 221 men and women with knee osteoarthritis. Researchers surmised that Vitamin D helps relieve pain by aiding in the absorption of calcium, which is needed for bone growth and repair. Other research shows vitamin D may directly help soothe pain. 93% of 150 people with unexplained sources of pain were recently found to be deficient in Vitamin D levels, according to recent research at the University of Minnesota. About 15 minutes of sun exposure on your face and hands a day is enough to get your daily dose of D, or a 200-IU supplement of Vitamin D and as much calcium as is found in two glasses of milk.

9. Imagine yourself to a better place. Guided imagery allows you to hear and internalize therapeutic suggestions that help you feel better. In one study of 28 women with osteoarthritis pain, half of the women listened to a 10- to 15-minute recorded script twice daily that guided them through muscle relaxation techniques. On average, women in the guided imagery group reported that their pain eased by 18% and that their mobility improved by 13%; vs. those in the control group who experienced a 16% worsening of pain and a 2% decrease in mobility. Guided imagery can be learned with a practitioner or on your own using audiotapes or CDs.

10. Change your inner thinking. Hypnosis involves influencing the subconscious mind in order to change your inner thinking, thereby enabling you to change the way you view pain and assisting in the your body’s healing process. The human body has an infinite capacity for healing, and this is just one technique that many find helpful.

11. Meditate twice daily. Easy to learn and immediate results make this one of my favorite paths to natural pain relief. Meditation comes in a huge variety of forms –some complex, some simple. My personal favorite is just to find a sound that is pleasing to you but has no particular meaning (my sound is “som”), close your eyes, sit (or lie) still and comfortably, and repeat the sound in your mind. When your thoughts wander, notice that they have wandered and return to your sound. If you feel your pain, notice the pain and return to your sound. Start with a few minutes, and gradually lengthen to thirty minutes. You will find yourself refreshed and reinvigorated, with less pain overall. Meditation can also help reduce the depression, anxiety, stress and sleeping problems that often accompany chronic pain.

12. Realign your energy flow. The mechanism of action for the ancient Chinese healing technique of acupucture is still not completely understood, but it has been proven in medical trials to reduce certain types of chronic pain, including back pain. The American Association of Oriental Medicine has a list of trained acupuncturists. P.S. the needles are super-thin and not painful.

13. Get enough restorative sleep. Getting enough sleep is critical to managing the pain and healing, so it’s important to employ a variety of sleep aids to help you get a healthy amount of sleep. Regular exercise that physically exhausts the body is the best way to promote deep sleep. Visualization, meditation, and other psychological techniques can also help you get to sleep and stay asleep. And don’t forget the power of naps.

14. Enjoy a massage. In my book, nothing beats a good therapeutic massage. It gets the blood flowing, which helps nourish and heal the body, and releases endorphins, which release powerful pain relieving substances in the body (see first point on the list).

If we can help you in any way contact our office at 925 685-2002 for a free consultation with the doctor or visit our websites at www.BartonChiro.com or www.ChiropractorinConcord.com .

Herniated Disc and Back Pain

Herniated Disc and Back Pain

For 26 years Barton Chiropractic has consistently been one of the top chiropractic offices in Concord. We have helped hundreds of patients suffering from bulging disc and back pain. Our gentle chiropractic care is designed to get you out of pain and keep you out of pain as fast as possible and as gently as possible.
Chiropractic can have great sucsess in removing back pain if done correctly. We start with a thorough consultation then an examination utilizing chiropractic, orthopedic and neurological testing. If at that point we believe that your back pain or neck pain is caused by a chiropractic problem, we will take x-rays.

X-Rays
I realize that there are chiropractors that do not take x-rays. In believe that they are absolutely necessary. Last month we found two fractures and one case of cancer. Adjusting a spine with a fracture could have devastating results, and we would not have known without x-rays. Secondly, when vertebrea misalign, they do not just go “out.”  The first move toward the back of the spine then rotate right or left then they can wedge on the right or left side. In order correct this with the utmost accuracy you must know exactly how that vertebrea is misaligned. Without all the information, one can only hope for so so results. You get what you pay for.

Disc Herniation
Herniation describes an abnormality of the intervertebral disc that is also known as a "slipped disc," "ruptured disc," or "torn disc. This process occurs when the inner core (nucleus pulposus) of the intervertebral disc bulges out through the outer layer of ligaments that surround the disc (annulus fibrosis). This tear in the annulus fibrosis causes pain in the back at the point of herniation. If the protruding disc presses on a spinal nerve, the pain may spread to the area of the body that is served by that nerve. Between each vertebra in the spine are a pair of spinal nerves, which branch off from the spinal cord to a specific area in the body. Any part of the skin that can experience hot and cold, pain or touch refers that sensation to the brain through one of these nerves. In turn, pressure on a spinal nerve from a herniated disc will cause pain in the part of the body that is served by that nerve.

 

Four Degrees of Disc Herniation:
Nuclear Herniation, Disc Protrusion, Nuclear Extrusion, and Sequestered Nucleus

Most disc ruptures will occur when a person is in their thirties or forties when the nucleus pulposus is still a gelatin-like substance. Oddly enough, most disc herniations will occur in the morning. The causes of this phenomenon are not entirely known, but are probably due to the physiology of the spine and the changes in the water content of the disc that occur throughout the day. The two most common locations for a herniated disc in the lower back are at the disc between fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra (L4-5) and at disc between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the first sacral vertebra (L5-S1). These two discs account for 98 percent of all painful disc herniations. A herniated disc can occur elsewhere along the spine, but low lumbar herniations are by far the most common.

Symptoms
Usually a patient's main complaint is a sharp, cutting pain. In some cases there may be a previous history of episodes of localized low back pain, which is present in the back and continues down the leg that is served by the affected nerve. This pain is usually described as a deep and sharp pain, which gets worse as it moves down the affected leg. The onset of pain with a herniated disc may occur out of the blue or it may be announced by a tearing or snapping sensation in the spine that is thought to be the result of a sudden tear of part of the annulus fibrosis.

Diagnosis
A patient with a herniated disc will usually complain of low back pain that may or may not radiate into different parts of the body. They will often demonstrate a limitation in range of motion when asked to bend forward or lean backwards, and they may lean to one side as they try to bend forward. Patients will sometimes walk with an "antalgic" or painful gait, flexing the affected leg so as not to put too much weight on the side of the body that hurts. Straight leg raising may be positive indicating tension on the nerve root.
Abnormalities in the strength and sensation of particular parts of the body that are found with a neurological examination performed by a chiropractic doctor provide the most objective evidence of nerve root compression. There are no laboratory tests that can detect the presence or absence of a herniated disc, but they may be helpful in the diagnosis of unusual causes of nerve root pain and irritation. An MRI is the test of choice for diagnosis of a herniated disc, but a CT scan (CAT scan) may often be helpful because it provides better visualization of the bony anatomy of the spinal column, indicating where the source of pressure on the nerve root is located.

Treatment
The treatment for vast majority of patients with a herniated disc rarely requires surgery. Eighty percent of patients will respond to conservative Chiropractic care. The primary elements of conservative treatment are Specific Chiropractic adjustments and controlled physical activity. Usually treatment will begin with very short period of bed rest followed by a gradual return to normal activities. Sitting is bad for this condition because the sitting posture puts a large amount of stress and pressure on the lumbar spine, which may increase the pressure on the affected nerve root.

Hugging For Health

 Barton Chiropractic in Concord is constantly reviewing the latest healthcare research so that     we can provide you with the best possible health care. Recently I ran across this article so I thought I would share it.

A hug is a universal medicine, it is how we handshake from the heart.  -Anonymous

For decades we’ve known that babies won’t thrive without physical holding and affection. There is little that will comfort and settle small children as the warm embrace of their family. Yet it is still not uncommon for parents to stop hugging their kids as they reach puberty. And for many adults, the amount of physical nurturing we receive declines as we age, even as medical studies confirm that the health benefits of physical touch extend throughout our lives.

We lose touch with each other early in our adult lives as our needs for physical affection are confused with our emerging sexuality. Our discomfort and lack of understanding about our sexuality inadvertently colors our capacity to connect even in something as benign as a hug.

Virgina Satir, who was often referred to as the mother of family therapy, determined that “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” Her presumption is backed by research, which consistently demonstrates that our emotional well being is deeply impacted by the physical love we experience and that touch and hugging are primary vehicles in the brain’s development of basic positive emotions.  According to Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist at Bath University, “Touch affects the cerebellar brain system, an area of the brain where basic positive emotions such as trust and affection probably come from.”

As in the mind, so in the body as recent medical research at University of North Carolina found that both blood pressure and levels of Cortisol, the hormone produced when we’re under stress, were significantly lowered (particularly in women) when subjects hugged their partners for at least twenty seconds. Another study that took place in 2000 showed that hugging babies while they were given blood tests made them cry less and kept their heart rates steadier. Other studies suggest a strong link between increased hugs and lower risk of heart disease.

In addition to the clear health benefits, hugging also provides a window into the health of your relationship and offers an easy way to improve it. Hugging Until Relaxed is a therapeutic technique that encourages partners to hold each other while in a standing hug. Ultimately, both partners find stability and comfort in the embrace by achieving equilibrium of balance and closeness while holding each other. This technique, introduced by David Schnarch in Passionate Marriage, allows both partners to open up to a deeply intimate space where both are held and fully relaxed. This technique generally translates into better overall communication and more passionate intimacy. Opening up to being held is a powerful metaphor. A relaxed and full embrace allows us to feel and connect bodies in a way that literally couples us.

Barton Chiropractic in Concord utilizes gentle adjusting techniques that have been proven to restore motion to the individual joints.

 

It makes sense to me that if you are suffering from arthritis, and Barton Chiropractic can remove the joint fixation, nerve interference and restore normal joint function, we can help you! We are not just A Chiropractor in Concord, we are "Your Chiropractor in Concord".

 

One of the great things about our office is that we never charge anyone to sit down and talk to one of our doctors. If you would like to find out how Chiropractic can help with your pain, contact our office at 925 685-2002 to schedule a free consultation, or click Concord Chiropractic to visit one of our websites.

Mammograms; Good or Evil?

Back pain relief is but a small part of our job as a Chiropractor. At Barton Chiropractic in Concord we are committed to your health. that is why we constantly provide you with the latest research that we believe will help you to lead the healthy lifestyle you desire. 

Today we are going to start with breast health. I am not saying not to get mammograms. I am just letting you know that there are safer and better options available.

 

  Mammograms aren't always accurate. The accuracy of the procedure depends in part on the technique used and the experience and skill of the radiologist. Other factors — such as your age and breast density — may result in false-negative or false-positive mammograms. Tell your doctor if you've noticed a change in one of your breasts, especially if your mammogram is interpreted as normal. If you've had a change in your breast, your doctor may order a diagnostic mammogram so that the suspicious area is looked at more closely than can be done with a screening mammogram.

·  Mammograms in younger women can be difficult to interpret. The breasts of younger women contain more glands and ligaments than do those of older women, resulting in dense breast tissue that can obscure signs of cancer. With age, breast tissue becomes fattier and has fewer glands, making it easier to interpret and detect changes on mammograms.

·  Having a mammogram may lead to additional testing. Among women of all ages, about 10 percent of mammograms require additional testing, including additional imaging tests such as ultrasound, and a procedure (biopsy) to remove a sample of breast tissue for laboratory testing. However, most abnormal findings detected on mammograms aren't cancer. If you're told that your mammogram is abnormal, make sure that the radiologist has compared your current mammogram with any previous mammograms.

·  Screening mammography can't detect all cancers. Some cancers detected by physical examination may not be seen on the mammogram. A cancer may be too small or may be in an area that is difficult to view by mammography, such as your armpit. Mammograms can miss 1 in 5 cancers in women.

·  Not all of the tumors found by mammography can be cured. Certain types of cancers are aggressive, grow rapidly and spread early to other parts of your body.

I believe that Breast thermography is a much better option. I will be posting more info on breast thermography  in up coming post.

If you would like more information contact Concord Chiropractor the back pain relief specialist at 925 685-2002

Coffee linked to delay in Alzheimer's disease

Concord Chiropractic does more than back pain relief. Our main focus is always on providing the best health care possible. I found this research on Coffee to be great.

Researchers from the University of South Florida and University of Miami have found that higher caffeine consumption -- a big source being coffee -- is linked with a delayed onset of Alzheimer's disease, even in older adults who already have mild cognitive impairment (thought to be an early sign of Alzheimer's and/or dementia).

"These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee -- about 3 cups a day -- will not convert to Alzheimer's disease -- or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer's," study researcher Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at USF said.

For more information contact Concord Chiropractor at 925 685-2002.

Tens of millions of girls dead

Share this with everyone. We can make a difference.

China's One Child Policy has led to the deaths of tens of millions of girls, simply because of their gender. Due to existing cultural preferences for sons rather than daughters, many Chinese families are abandoning, aborting, or hiding their female children. As a result, there are now 37 million more men than women living in China. This gender imbalance has in turn led to an increase in sex trafficking, child brides, and prostitution in the country.



The following three cases from 2012 are examples of the tragic effects of this policy and the cultural preference for sons:
• Feng Jianmei, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. Feng's pregnancy was forcibly aborted at seven months, igniting a firestorm of criticism internationally. Indeed, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning forced abortion in China, specifically citing Feng.
• Cao Ruyi, Changsha City, Hunan Province. Family Planning Officials attempted to force Cao to have an abortion at five months, which she refused and was then detained. Because of international pressure she was released from detention, but she remains at risk of forced abortion. As of August 2012, she is in hiding.
• Hu Jia, Jianli County, Hubei Province. China's Southern Metropolis Daily reported that Hu Jia's pregnancy was forcibly aborted at nearly eight months. That this case was reported by a major Chinese newspaper indicates the growing discontent with the policy inside China and the courage of the Chinese news media to report it.
• In 2009 the British Medical Journal published that the overall gender ratio for China is 120 boys for every 100 girls. Eight provinces had ratios of over 160 boys for every 100 girls, for second children. The article stated, "Sex selective abortion accounts for almost all the excess males."
This war against women must end. Please sign this petition to world leaders asking for them to publicly speak out against China's family planning programs, and to commit to helping end this policy and practice.
This petition is supported by It's a Girl, Women's Rights Without Frontiers, and Women's Rights in China.
http://www.itsagirlmovie.com/
http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/
http://wrchina.org/

Barton Chiropractic in Concord CA

Stop female gendercide

Please share this. The first step in creating a solution is identifying the problem! Violence against women is never ok.

For 6 years, we at The 50 Million Missing Campaign have been working hard to tell the world about the ongoing female gendercide in India which has killed about 50 million women in the country in 3 generations through practices like infanticide, feticide, deliberate starvation and neglect of girl under 6 years, dowry murders, bride 'trafficking,' "honor" killings, and "witch" hunts.
It is our goal now to get large global mandate, of at least a million people to demand official accountability and action to stop female genocide in India through the systematic, and accountable implementation of existent laws. If you are visiting the cause for the first time please look through the information we've provided on our two blogs below --
The Gender Equal Blog: http://www.genderequal.info
The 50 Million Missing Newspaper Log on Reports of Violence on Women and Girls: http://violenceonindianwomen.wordpress.com/

Barton Chiropractic in Concord CA