AltMed in the News 31

	Alternative Medicine in the News July 2009 edition 31 published weekly

in this issue

:: Find Natural Relief for Colic

:: Permanent Posture Change is the Key to Freedom from Chronic Pain

:: Natural Remedies for Mouth Ulcers

:: 400 Medicinal Plants on Verge of Extinction Warn Researchers

:: Could this folk remedy really work?

:: Skin Brushing Shown to have Amazing Benefits

:: FDA Scientists Warn About Bleeding Risk of Bayer's Blood-Thinning Drug

Find Natural Relief for Colic

There's nothing more precious than a new baby. Nine months pass so quickly, as you excitedly look forward to the day when you are finally holding that sweet little bundle in your arms. In the first few months of life, your baby communicates by crying to let you know when he has a need such as being hungry, needing a diaper change, feeling scared, lonely, cold, sick or bored. There may be times when you take care of every possible need, and your baby continues to cry. You feel helpless as you frantically phone your pediatrician. Normally after examining your baby, the doctor tells you that your baby has a case of colic. (Of course, if there is ever a doubt about the health of your baby, please contact your pediatrician.)

Although not all babies experience colic, only about one in five, some babies develop a strong case of it around three weeks old. Colic is described as pain in the abdomen resulting from trapped gas in the digestive tract of your little one. Usually the result is excessive crying. A case of colic may continue off and on until your baby reaches about four months. Signs include loud crying, clenched hands, flexing arms and legs that are drawn up tightly against his abdomen. His little tummy may seem hard and he may suffer from a large amount of gas. It's horrible to watch this little helpless person cry out in pain.

While there is no perfect cure for colic, some parents have found temporary relief for their baby, using these natural health approaches. Swaddle your baby by wrapping him snugly in a warm blanket. Support him with his tummy up against the inside of your forearm with his back against your side. The slight pressure against his mid-section may help. If your baby takes a pacifier, be sure you have one handy especially during his colicky moments. Are you a nursing mother? If so, be careful of the food you eat. Spicy or gassy foods may add to his colicky symptoms. Your diet affects the milk you produce. Be sure to burp your baby well after he eats. This will help to expel unwanted air from his tummy. Keep your little one away from drafts or wind. Sooth him with gentle soft music. Try adding a tiny drop of pure peppermint extract to a teaspoon of water. Slowly spoon this warm mixture into the baby's mouth. A small amount of weak Chamomile tea water may also help to calm your baby's tummy trouble. (Be sure not to add sugar or honey as a baby's digestive system is not ready to digest these items.) Placing your baby in a warm bath and sponging warm water over his tummy area may also be of benefit.

Remaining calm and being willing to try out different techniques for relieving your baby's colic, will allow you to bond with your little one in a special way. Remember you are his world and he needs you. His colic won't last forever and one day soon, that sad little face will reward you with a beautiful little smile.

Sources:
http://www.mothernature.com

Permanent Posture Change is the Key to Freedom from Chronic Pain

Chronic musculoskeletal pain indiscriminately affects millions of people and has now become a problem of epidemic proportions. Globally people are suffering and searching for answers, but neither conventional nor alternative medicine seems to offer a definitive solution to resolving it. But relief from chronic pain can be accomplished by getting and maintaining good posture.

There are many studies that have demonstrated this truth. Following are just a few of them:

In 2008 The American Pain Foundation reported that at some point in their lives 80% of all people living in North America and Europe will suffer from disabling chronic foot, knee, hip, back or neck pain. In fact, in the United States alone, pain affects more people than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.
A U.S. National Pain Foundation survey showed that from 1996 to 2006 there was a rise of 38% in chronic pain cases among the U.S. full-time work force.
The European Journal of Pain conducted a large cross-sectional survey of 46,000 subjects in 15 European countries and Israel in 2006 and found similar facts to those in the United States. Nineteen percent of survey respondents had chronic pain (an intensity of pain 5 or greater on a 10-point scale). Twenty-six percent of chronic pain patients reported an impact on their employment, and of those, 19% had lost their jobs.
The Jerusalem Post headline reported that one in six Israeli adults suffer from chronic pain. Nearly a third of those say that there are days when it is so strong they wish they were dead.
Drugs are used by millions of chronic pain sufferers across the globe. They are spending billions just to manage their pain. In America alone, billions of dollars are spent each year for over-the-counter pain medications. In 2005, 20 billion dollars were spent on prescription medication for chronic back pain. In the UK, 3.8 billion pounds are spent each year just to treat chronic pain in teenagers.
Studies show that long term use of over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen can lead to gastrointestinal complications such as ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation of the stomach.

What do these statistics tell us?

We are in the midst of a worldwide epidemic of chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Pain medication is costing pain sufferers billions and is not only not helping to resolve the problem, but often making the situation worse.
Current and conventional treatments for chronic musculoskeletal pain are not working.
We need a solution.

The problem with many current treatments and therapies for chronic musculoskeletal pain is that they do not address the source of the pain. As with anything in life, without addressing the source of a problem, it is impossible to find a real and permanent solution.

Now there are types of pain where the source is known, and hence there are treatments to eliminate it. Examples of this are back pain from a severe fracture in a vertebrae, for which surgery can be used to fix the fracture and eliminate the pain, or back pain from a bladder infection, which can be remedied with antibiotics. However these types of pain are not chronic, as they exist for a finite period of time (until the treatment has successfully dealt with the pain).

But there are many cases where the source of pain is not known and pain sufferers have been told that their only option is to manage their pain. This pain is ongoing and hence is considered chronic. Current treatments for chronic musculoskeletal pain may effectively manage symptoms temporarily, but because the source of the pain is not being addressed, the pain inevitably returns.

Fortunately a previously unknown source of chronic musculoskeletal pain now has been discovered. This discovery may surprise you. The key to how to eliminate your chronic musculoskeletal pain is in your feet. Your feet, you ask? Let me explain.

There exists a neural-mechanical pathway which connects the bottom of your feet to your brain. This pathway is used to send information to the brain. This information tells the brain the position of the body relative to its surroundings. This pathway is part of a system we refer to as proprioception.

There are two different foot structures that can be present at birth which force the foot to move (twist) abnormally when you walk. This foot twist sends distorted information along this pathway to the brain. Acting on this distorted information, the brain makes changes in the position of the body which results in bad posture. Bad posture can present in different ways, but often people with bad posture have rounded shoulders or their head position is not aligned with their spine (more forward). Bad posture leads to increased stress and strain on the joints and muscles. In time, this leads to inflammation and the development of pain.

Hence the key to returning to wellness and eliminating your chronic pain is to correct the distorted information generated from a twisting foot. This is accomplished by placing stimuli underneath the feet. These stimuli send a message to the brain. The brain, acting on this information from the feet, automatically improves the body`s posture. When the posture is improved, the muscles and joints are now in a position where the pressure and strain is considerably reduced. The result is instantaneous relief of pain.

We see that some current therapies have tried to address bad posture, such as chiropractic treatments or physiotherapy. But because those solutions only adjust the body`s position temporarily - at some point after the body returns to it`s original bad posture - inevitably the pain always returns.

As simple as it sounds, relief from chronic pain is accomplished by getting and maintaining good posture. Remember your grandmother telling you to sit and stand up straight? She was right on the mark!