The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with ACTUAL or POTENTIAL tissue damage”.
Pain is personal, difficult for an outsider to understand fully, but it is not unusual—all of us have some understanding of pain. Each individual learns through experiences related to injury early in life.
Acute pain is usually adaptive and can alert us to something that is harmful.
Persistent pain is not adaptive. This may not indicate tissue damage, but it also triggers those psychological responses that have been learned at an early age and with past painful events.
Community News
Letting Go of Stress
Did you know stress is energy-based and one cannot see stress in the body under a microscope? We can only see the effects of stress and what it does to the body and mind. Never relaxing fully, never truly breathing deeply – your body is unable to go into parasympathetic mode, which means there is no healing and no digesting. What are you doing daily to allow your body to de-stress? Bars sessions are like cleaning out the hard drive of your brain to be more in the now and to think clearer. Are you ready to let go of stress now?
Boost Immunity with Echinacea
Many of Echinacea’s chemical constituents are powerful immune system stimulants that can provide significant therapeutic value. How does Echinacea help with colds? The University of Connecticut performed a meta-analysis study that determined that Echinacea cuts the chances of catching a common cold by 58%. It also reduces the duration of the common cold by almost one-and-a-half days. Craig Coleman, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and lead author of the study, added that, “The take home message from our study is that Echinacea does indeed have powerful cold prevention and cold treatment benefits.” It can be used as one of several effective natural cold remedies.
Essential Oils for Winter Wellness
Cold and flu season is here! Many naturally occurring essential oils from plants and spices, such as clove, cinnamon, and tea tree, can ward off unwanted germs. Citrus oils that contain limonene, like lemon or orange, are great for supporting the immune system. Some oils like oregano and thyme have natural anti-viral properties that are important when faced with viral infections. Essential oils can also speed recovery and help relieve symptoms. For example, peppermint provides a cooling sensation for fevers. Eucalyptus is helpful for chest congestion, and oils of myrtle and pine will help clear a stuffy nose.
Control Your Diet
Those with a lower-limb amputation, in many cases, will initially be less active than they were prior to their amputation. As such, having a sedentary lifestyle will often result in weight gain. It is important for amputees to understand this and to adjust their nutritional intake to match their activity level so that they do not gain appreciable amounts of weight during the early stages of initial prosthetic fittings. If an amputee’s weight fluctuates significantly, either up or down, after being fitted with a prosthesis, intimate socket fit can be greatly compromised with more adjustments being needed.
Single For The Holidays?
Finding love is possible any time of the year, but the holidays are a wonderful time to look for romance. There’s no shortage of festive music, delicious food, whimsical decorations, and most importantly, holiday cheer. Everyone seems to be slightly more upbeat in the lead-up to Christmas, which can make dating during the holidays surprisingly ideal. All the warm and fuzzy feelings floating around make the holidays a great time to meet a potential romantic partner. If you’ve tried to find love season and season again to no avail, maybe it’s time to trust in your local matchmaker. Everyone deserves love, and love sure makes special times so much better.
Countering Effects of Sitting
The average person spends at least 9 hours a day sitting. It’s hard to escape the fact that the advance of technology has made us a very sedentary society. While many things in our lives have become easier, we have become unhealthy. Sitting has been coined “the new smoking” and almost everyone who sits in front of a computer at work is dealing with some kind of postural stress. Regular massage can counteract the imbalance caused from too much sitting, which can show up as pain and tightness in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. Massage therapy is the skillful manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, combining kneading, pressure, and percussion of the muscles to relieve tension and restore balance and posture
Hypothyroidism
Do you feel tired and cold? You may have Hypothyroidism. Also called underactive thyroid or low thyroid, Hypothyroidism is a disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. It can cause a number of symptoms, such as poor ability to tolerate cold, a feeling of tiredness, constipation, depression, and weight gain. Bioresonance therapy may rebuild your energy level by stimulating the white blood cells to produce more energy. This is done by sending healthy frequencies into your body. Bioresonance therapy is completely painless and non-invasive.
Denture Care When Travelling
You want your smile to look its best no matter where you are, and having an organized plan for denture care can ensure that it will. Choose your meals and beverages carefully, bring along your own ‘denture friendly’ snacks for flights and long drives, pack the right cleaning products and tools, and remember to stick to your daily routine for the best results. Be proactive by taking the time to see your denturist before you travel. He can ensure your denture fits properly and is functioning as it should, which can help you avoid bigger problems while away from home.
Job or Relationship Making You Sick?
We now know that our immune system can be triggered by stress in the same way as by foreign bacteria and viruses. This means that when stressed, what appears to be a typical “sickness response” could actually be a “stress response.” In short, your immune system sees stress as an attack on the body. If you are in a chronically stressful situation and are always sick, then it’s time to take a very honest look at the source of the stress. You will need to consider the impact it is having on your health and wellbeing and then decide if it’s worth what it’s costing you.
Head for the Hills
Physical and mental health go together, as one works to care for the other, in so many ways. A personal reminder of this was when I participated in the Eden Foundation’s cycling event, “Head for the Hills”. I started a training regime of cycling multiple times per week; which was not easy, but I had a goal, so I pushed away the excuses and got moving. The benefits came instantly, with increased energy and a much-improved attitude towards life. The sense of accomplishment afterwards felt so wonderful! Physical activity is one of the best remedies for ensuring your mental and physical health. What have YOU done for your health lately?
