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Alternative Medicine in the News
November 2009 edition 46
published weekly
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Help Homeopaths without Borders win recognition and €10,000
Homeopaths without
Borders, provide humanitarian aid, homeopathic treatment and education by
serving as partners with communities in need. Elisabeth von Wedel as chair has
been nominated for the German award for social voluntary engagement. Of
the 900 participating organisations Homeopaths Without Borders have been chosen
to be in the final 20 to be voted for on the internet. Winning this prize would be a
social and political appreciation of the work of homeopaths and the organisation
would gain 10.000 for its projects. You can VOTE ONLINE - CLICK HERE. On the left of the page you will see the
information for Homeopaths without Borders, click on the orange button marked "Stimme abgebenl". This will open a new box where you just type in the
confirmation code and press the button "Bewerten" The election closes
on the 15. November 2009 so "don't delay - vote today". Currently Homeopaths
without Borders is second in the ranking and only 2000 votes behind first place
so your vote could really count.
Spread the word wherever
you can.
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What Is Sciatica?
In this issue all the articles are from: http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
Sciatica is a disorder that's symptoms include
pain throughout the lumbar region, buttocks,
and down one leg. The pain is shooting and
intense, traveling along the sciatic nerve.
Pain can radiate through the leg into the
thigh, calf, or even as far as the foot, and
can range from mild to severe. Sciatica is
often caused by an injury to the lower back,
causing pressure to be placed  on the sciatic
nerve. A herniated or bulging disc, trauma
to the lumbar region, sports injury, or fall
can all cause or aggravate sciatica.
Sciatic pain often only affects one side of
the body. It varies from sufferer to sufferer,
and can range from mild tingling to severe,
incapacitating pain and numbness. Pain can
be continuous or intermittent, affecting all
or part of the limb. Sufferers can find relief
using hot and cold therapy, exercise, and
pain management techniques such as surgery
or medication. The treatments, when combined,
can be incredibly effective for managing sciatica
pain.
In
the past, bed rest was often recommended for
chronic lower back pain. However, current
research shows that this only aggravates symptoms
for sciatic sufferers. Instead, regular exercise
and physical therapy courses are often recommended
to help alleviate sciatica pain. Being up
and mobile, walking or performing regular
mild exercises such as yoga or targeted stretching,
can be extremely beneficial for the sciatica
sufferer.
If you struggle with sciatica pain, consult
your doctor to see what options are available
for you. You don't have to live with daily
pain. You may be able to manage your symptoms
with home sciatica treatments and a customized
exercise program.
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Symptoms of Sciatica
http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
Symptoms of sciatica can be different for
everyone. You can feel lower back pain while
someone else may have a pain down the back
of the thigh, and another may feel excruciating
pain driving down their entire back and side
of their leg. And when you have another episode
you may have pain in another area. Pain can
become so severe that it can make walking
impossible, but on another occasion, you may
only have a bit of tingling in your leg and
foot.
 You cannot predict when symptoms of sciatica
may appear, they may come on gradually or
suddenly out of the blue. If the attack is
caused by a herniated disc, then you may feel
some aching in your buttocks with some pain
in lower back. Then the ache can grow into
more pain in your lower back. You could be
walking around feeling great, then sneeze
or cough and instantly have a sciatic attack.
If you have been sitting for long periods
of time without much movement can also bring
one on. If you know you will be sitting for
a while, get up and walk around intermittently
to keep things stretched and loose.
For example symptoms of sciatica can be pain
with a tingling sensation that may run through
your buttocks, down the back of your leg through
the back of your thigh. It can also go down
as far as your calf. As I mentioned earlier,
sitting for a long time seems to aggravate
it and can bring on some shooting pain. But
when you get to that point, you may not be
able to get up and walk.
Pain relievers like Ibuprofen can help relieve
some of the painful symptoms of Sciatica.
But for the episodes that last longer, you
really should visit your doctor to make sure
there aren't any other underlying causes.
Extreme weakness in the leg or foot is one
of the less common symptoms of Sciatica, making
it difficult to lift the leg. You may also
experience numbness that can last for a short
time up to several weeks. And in very rare
cases, there can be incontinence problems
with the bladder or the bowel. If you experience
any of these symptoms of Sciatica, you need
to contact your physician immediately.
Usually the symptoms of Sciatica can last
from days to months, depending on how severe
the episode is. The typical cases seen are
4 to 6 weeks before the pain is totally gone.
The pain is at its worst in the beginning
then tapers off as time goes on.
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Getting Rid of Sciatica
http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
Are you aware that sciatica is now officially
the most common cause of back pain? Did you
also know that there are over 80% adults that
suffer from some form of back pain at some stage
in their life?
So what can we do about getting rid of sciatica
pain? There are three processes that you can
to do help give you some wonderful relief from
this awful condition.
First - there are five nerve roots that
form the sciatic nerve and they exit the lower
back region. When the lower back muscles or
the joints are irritated, you may have a sciatic
attack.
So the key here is to balancing lower back.
This can be done by performing some simple
stretches and joint techniques for that particular
area.
Second - Your pelvis needs to be level. If
your pelvis is not level then sciatica can
reoccur. The best way to check for this is
to lay on your back. Place each hand under
your back on each side. Put your hands about
belt height. If there is more pressure on
one side than the other, your pelvis is not
level. This is also referred to as pelvic
distortion. No matter what it is called, it
can cause you a lot of pain.
So, the second step is to correct your pelvic
alignment and release that pressure it is
placing on your sciatic nerve.
Third - this is the easiest of the three,
but probably the biggest irritant to your
sciatic nerve. If you can take care of this,
then you may very well be on your way to getting
rid of sciatica pain forever!
This is regarding the main muscle that surrounds
the sciatica nerve. This is the Piriformis
muscle. When this muscle tightens, it will
immediately irritate the sciatic nerve.
This is doing with some simple stretching
exercises and they need to be done at least
3 times a day. One session just before you
go to bed. If you stretch a muscle, then use
it, it really kind of defeats the purpose
of stretching it. You want to stretch it when
you are done using it. At bedtime, you are
giving your back a nice rest with a nice stretched
and relax muscle.
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Sciatica
Treatment
http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
If you are reading this, then I assume that
you are aware of Sciatica and what causes it.
You know it is very painful and can rob you
of your normal activities.
There is help, there is treatment for sciatica
that can ease your symptoms and eventually make
it disappear completely. So, lets get to work
and learn.
There
are 4 things you can do at home and if you are
diligent, you really will have relief and claim
your life back.
Treatment
for Sciatica: Tip
#1
Ice - In the first 48 hours,
you need to use ice to help reduce the inflammation
which is around the nerve. This can help to
stop it from getting worse. Use the ice for
10 minutes, then off for 10 and on again for
10 minutes. Keep doing this 2 or 3 times
Treatment
for Sciatica: Tip #2
Stretching - You have
a muscle called the Piriformis muscle. This
muscle has the sciatic nerve running through
it or along side it. By stretching this muscle
you are able to ease the pain quickly.
Treatment
for Sciatica: Tip #3
Pelvis Balance - This is
a great treatment for sciatica because the pelvis
is what keeps everything in balance. If your
pelvis is balanced, then the tension will ease
off all the other areas. You can do this by
lying down on the floor. Place your hand under
each side of your pelvis where you would wear
your belt. As you are doing this, notice if
there is more pressure on one side or the other.
If here is more pressure on one side compared
to the other, then your pelvis is not balanced.
Treatment
for Sciatica: Tip #4
Move - You need to keep moving,
not too fast, but move. If you sit for to long
at a time, your muscles will tighten much quicker.
Have you ever noticed that your pain is worse
in the morning after sleeping all night? When
you are able to move, this helps your pain ease
a little. This is why moving is an important
treatment for sciatica.
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Sciatica Home
Treatments
http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
Sciatica home treatment can be quite effective
combining exercise and traditional first aid
methods.
Both ice and heat are readily available and
effective methods for sciatica home treatment.
Ice or cold packs act to reduce inflammation
and alleviate the pain from the sciatic nerve.
Cold treatment is used in the initial painful
stages of sciatica, when the pain is most
intense. Heat is added after the intense,
sharp pain has subsided, and helps to dilute
blood vessels. This increases the oxygen flow
to the area, and helps to promote faster healing
of damaged tissue. Many sciatica sufferers
find that alternating between hot and cold
therapy is extremely effective.
Cold
therapy is applied using an ice pack or ice
massage. Ice should be applied to the painful
area up until numbness occurs. After numbness
occurs in the affected area, it is important
to remove the ice, to avoid developing frostbite.
Heat therapy is applied using a hot water
bottle or heating pad. Heat therapy promoted
healing and allows the muscles surrounding
the nerve to relax, helping the sufferer to
stretch out the painful cramped muscles that
are constricting the sciatic nerve.
Treating sciatica using home remedies can
be an alternative to narcotic pain medication,
or can be used in addition to traditional
pain management techniques. If you are experiencing
chronic sciatica pain that does not improve
using sciatica home treatment, consult your
doctor to see what they recommend.
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Does Glucosamine Help Sciatica?
http://www.sciaticatreatment.org
Everyone that suffers from sciatica pain knows
the meaning of chronic pain. Is there something
that can help with this pain? You may have heard
about Glucosamine. Does glucosamine help sciatica?
There has been some studies done that has shown
that for general back health, the best thing
is exercise, keep moving. When you suffer from
sciatica, the muscles will tighten which in
turn will cause pain in the sciatic nerve. When
you are able to keep the muscles moving, this
will keep them from tensing up and causing you
unnecessary pain.
Magnesium is a wonderful supplement. It will
help the muscles to relax. Then there are the
supplements such as glucosamine and Vitamin
C, which are both beneficial for the back pain.
So, in the question, does glucosamine help sciatica,
the answer is yes that it can help, but no if
you are looking for a cure of some sort.
Glucosamine is used extensively to treat may
types of arthritis where the cartilage is degenerating
and causes swelling and pain. The Glucosamine
is very effective in stimulating the production
of cartilage and delays any further damage.
It is also beneficial in TMJ, which is pain
in the jaw.
So now after answering the question of Does
glucosamine help sciatica, lets find out what
does really help. The pain can be helped with
some anti-inflammatory medications that can
purchase over-the-counter. But the most relief
you will get will be from some light exercise.
These are exercises focused on strengthening
your back. Once the muscles in your back become
weak, they are not able to support your back
correctly. This will then increase your pain.
the pain increases when the muscles tense
or tighten, and this is usually when you are
inactive, sitting for long periods of time
and even after waking in the morning.
By strengthening the muscles in your lower
back, you are giving more support and strength
in the area where the pain begins. You will
be alleviating the irritation to the sciatic
nerve. Glucosamine, is a benefit in helping
to relax the muscles but not enough to rely
upon this only.
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Medical Disclaimer:
The information contained within does not take the place of medical diagnosis or
prescription. See your health care provider in case of sickness.
Editorial Disclaimer: Publication of these articles are to promote food for thought. The opinions expressed in these articles may not be the opinion of editors.
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