Addressing The Cause And Finding A Cure: Why Cause is Everything When It Comes
To Low Back Pain 
Copyright © 2004 Steve Preston
Back Pain Workout
http://www.backpainworkout.com
There is an epidemic, at least in the States when it comes to treating back
pain. Most doctors do just that... treat back pain rather than finding and
eliminating the cause.
You can treat your symptoms for an eternity, and you may feel better for a short
period of time. To truly get at the heart of the matter though, you have to
find and eliminate the cause of low back pain.
I'll let you in on a little secret. Most chronic low back pain can be resolved
in six weeks or less. It's true!
A majority of chronic low back pain is caused by simple factors including:
Ø Poor Posture
Ø Injury
Ø Muscle Imbalances
Ø Improper Lifting
Ø Extra Weight
Let's take a look at each of these more closely.
Poor Posture
Posture is everything when it comes to back pain. Good posture results in
stability and strength. Bad posture results in back pain. Many people can
alleviate chronic back pain simply by taking the time to improve their posture.
You probably can too!
Injury
We are all subject to injury at one time or another. You can work toward
preventing injury in certain circumstances however. A lot of the injuries that
result in low back pain are caused by improper lifting techniques. You may be
lifting a heavy box, or you may be lifting a heavy weight without warming up
adequately. Either way, if you injure yourself you are subject to back pain.
What can you do to improve your chances for recovery? One of the best things
you can do is exercise. You should incorporate stretching activities into your
daily regimen. By doing so you will condition your back and are les likely to
get injured, and more likely to recover faster when you do get injured.
Muscle Imbalances
Muscle Imbalances occur when two muscles that oppose each other are unequally
matched. If you exercise your back regularly for example, but never exercise
your stomach, you body will be in a state of imbalance. No matter how strong
your back is in this situation, you are going to be subject to back pain.
Eliminate the muscle imbalances through rehabilitation and proper exercise and
you stand a good chance of eliminating back pain.
Improper Lifting
OK, go back and re-read the section on injury. You need to lift correctly in
order to avoid injury. NEVER bend from the waist when picking something up off
of the floor, even if it is a feather. Always bend from the knees, and use your
leg and abdominal muscles to support you when lifting an object. Many improper
lifting injuries actually occur in the gym. This happens when a person attempts
to lift a weight that is too
heavy or fails to warm up properly. You can avoid these injuries by paying
close attention to technique at all times.
Extra Weight
Carrying around a few extra pounds may not seem like a big deal, but when it
comes to back pain it could mean the difference between no back pain and chronic
back pain. Even if you are carrying around just ten extra pounds, your body
will have to shift and redistribute itself to accommodate the extra weight.
Consider losing the extra weight, and you may realize your back pain soon
follows.
Resource Box:
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Steve Preston, President of Fast Fitness has been training and counseling
clients for 15 years. He offers personal fitness training, metabolic testing
and customized fitness and nutrition plans. His new guide "The Better Back
Guide: 6 Weeks to Improving Strength and Reducing Pain Without Surgery" teaches
people how to reduce, eliminate and prevent chronic back pain using a six week
program. You can read more about his guide and his other fitness guides and
services at:
http://www.fast-fitness.net Learn
More about Back Pain at:
http://www.backpainworkout.com
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How
Garlic Can Fight - and Cure - Ear Infections
by Kathy Burns-Millyard
Many people today know that garlic has a large number of health and wellness
benefits. Most of these people however, tend to take garlic in pill or capsule
form, and without realizing it: They could be losing out on many of the
additional benefits this herb provides.
I discovered the true power of fresh garlic a little over 15 years ago. My
oldest son had chronic ear infections starting from a very young age, and he was
on prescription antibiotics almost constantly. He ended up having drainage
tubes surgically placed in his ears about 5 or 6 times.
I of course, got very frustrated with the constant medications and surgeries.
They just weren't doing the trick and my son was losing his hearing too. So I
started investigating alternative medicine options. At the time I figured
I had to try something, so even though some things sounded really weird, I was
willing to at least give it a whirl.
Not long after starting this search for alternative remedies, I happened upon
some information about using garlic to kill ear infections. Now this is the
weird part, but stick with me for a minute here: It really does work.
How to use fresh Garlic to kill ear infection pain within about 15 minutes, and
clear up the infection completely in about 48 hours:
1. Cut a small tube, or plug shape piece of fresh garlic bulb.
2. Wrap that piece in tissue.
3. Place the wrapped garlic into the ear canal. Don't shove it down in
there deeply, you just want it resting in the opening like an ear plug.
It's best to do this right before bed, and leave the garlic in the ear all
night. It will likely fall out sometime during the night, but it should stay in
there for at least a few hours. And that's plenty long enough.
As I said, within about 15 minutes or less, the pain of the ear infection will
be greatly reduced - if not gone completely. So you or your child will be able
to sleep easier during the night.
And in my experience the infection itself is completely gone within 24-48 hours.
Honestly.
I tried this with my oldest son back when he was having so many ear problems,
and I was simply astounded at how well it worked. And even better: His
infections stayed gone much longer with this remedy than they did when he was
taking the prescription antibiotics.
I've of course discovered many other alternative remedies in that time. For
instance: If you don't have garlic on hand, you can use onion to treat ear
infections too. Just cut off a small piece of fresh onion and use it like the
garlic above, or put a few drops of the fresh cut onion juice in the ear.
My love affair with Garlic was just the beginning of a 15 year relationship and
learning experience. Because it was so successful, I began earnestly learning
about a variety of other herbal remedies and homeopathic techniques. And I've
used them almost exclusively - and quite successfully - on all 4 of my children
since.
So if you have a child up all night in pain from an ear infection, try a sliver
of Garlic. You'll probably be just as amazed and thankful as I was :)
© Kathy Burns-Millyard
Kathy is a professional writer, editor and publisher; mother of 4; and natural
health enthusiast. Please visit her large and growing health portal at
http://www.health-and-fitness-information.com where you'll find
hundreds of health and wellness articles and resources.
NOTE: The statements in this article are probably not approved by the FDA, and
are not intended as professional medical advice.
PMS – Premenstrual
Syndrome
-- by Lee Mellott, webhost for The PATH Weight Loss
www.fatfallacy.com
Millions of women experience symptoms of PMS every month. Crying spells,
nervousness, anxiety, depression, bloating, headache, fatigue…The list goes on.
Each woman is unique as to the degree of severity and discomfort she will
experience and this will vary from month to month.
One symptom common to many women, is an increase in appetite - food cravings.
There is a strong urge to gobble chocolate, cheese, sweets or other goodies
(usually not fresh veggies and steamed fish!).
Though the exact cause of PMS is unknown, hormonal changes such as estrogen
levels appear to play a part. One report I read, revealed that many
environmental estrogens such as those from toxic fumes, pesticides, pollutants
and hormone fed cows infiltrate our body.
These are often carcinogenic and compete with a woman's natural estrogen,
resulting in estrogen overload. This may impair the woman's ovulation cycle
causing the symptoms mentioned earlier.
There are some simple things you can do to help with your PMS symptoms, exercise
and a healthy diet are chief among them.
Exercise lifts the mood. It reduces stress, tension and anxiety. By adding in a
30 minute brisk walk or other activity several times a week, you are ahead of
the game!
Stretching also helps the muscles relax. Try to stretch each day in the am and
pm.
What you eat is a major factor in how you are going to feel. PMS may be helped
by following the healthy diet of The Path. By eating whole natural foods
you eliminate many of the problems associated with processed goods, fast foods
etc. PMS symptoms tend to appear about 2 weeks before menstruation. This
of course will vary from one individual to the next.
During this time if you cut back on caffeine, alcohol, salt and sugar you can
reduce the discomfort you'll experience. As a follower of the FatFallacy plan
you will most likely be eating smaller portions of these items anyway and find
your symptoms have lessened since following the lifestyle.
If you still have uncomfortable PMS try to cut back a bit more on the salt and
sugar. Up your intake of fresh veggies and lean proteins. Make sure you eat
plenty of carbohydrates – like good grains to keep your serotonin levels
elevated.
At one time women were thought to be unstable when PMS occurred. Thank goodness
science now recognizes that PMS is real and women experiencing it are not crazy!
Eat a healthy diet and exercise to help relieve the symptoms. And don't forget
to eat a little chocolate too. Just make sure you reach for the high quality
bon-bon!
About The Author:
Lee Mellott is the webhost for The PATH Weight Loss:
www.fatfallacy.com . She holds a Masters
degree in Education from Hood College. Born in England, she spent most of her
childhood in France and Germany. Lee resides with her husband Rusty and their
two daughters Katie and Jessica in Maryland.
