Joint inflammation problems include:

• pain
• stiffness
• damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures.

Below you will find discusson on how Chinese medicine, pain herbs and food therapy are employed to bring these conditions back to balance.

UNDERSTANDING JOINT INFLAMMATION?

JOINT IMBALANCE doesn’t happen overnight and once understood, can resolve quicker than you realize. According to Chinese medicine, the primary problem underlying arthritis is obstruction with painful results. With varying degrees, there is an exhaustion of both the Liver and Kidneys and insufficiency of the physical energy (qi). The blood has become blocked by external cold or hot-damp or drying imbalancing influences. The condition includes:

• cold or hot and painful joints
• difficulty in flexing and extending the joints
• aversion to cold or hot with attraction to the opposite condition
• In some cases the limbs and joints will be aching, numb, painful
• overall physical body feels heavy.
• tongue is pale or the opposite

   

There are graduating arthritic conditions where the site of pain and deformity is more intense, with heat or cold predominating, however, the primary appraoch is to get the obstruction to move. This is arrived at by altering the inner environment by opposing the wind-cold/hot-damp/dry and varying any external surroundings aiding the blockage. Further consideration needs to be focused on the general emotional state that may ultimately support the obstruction.

HOW DO WE GET BETTER?

JOINT INFLAMMATION: FOOD THERAPY  & CHINESE MEDICINE

“We are what we eat.” The majority of us would concur that a good number of imbalances are caused by what we swallow. We unkowingly create imbalances by not being aware of how critical this area is, especially in the latter years. If we are choose foods and supplements which worsen our condition then it would serve us well to become very aware of our body type and foods which enhance balance. Below, you can begin to choose foods that deliver balance for this obstructive condition: 

Foods That Benefit & Foods To Avoid

Foods to Counter Joint Pain: Asparagus, Cabbage (poultice & ingestion), Celery, Cod, Cherry, Chives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Ginger, Goats milk, Grape, Kelp, Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple (Bromelain), Pumpkin Seeds, Royal Jelly, Scallions, Sesame oll, Spelt, Spirulina, Soy products, Strawberry, Sprouts (mung, red clover, radish, mustard, lentil, adzuki, garbanzo, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), Tumeric, Water melon, Barley products, Wheat grass products, Alfalfa products (tablets, tea), Chlorophyll foods, Almonds (5-6 dy.),

Foods to Avoid: Excess meat (some fish is best), Excess protein, Intoxicants (alcohol, coffee, tobacco, marijuana, etc.), refined sugar and other sweets, Oxalic acid foods (rhubarb, cranberry, plum, chard, beet greens, spinach), Solanine foods (Nightshade family veggies: tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, potato, if sensitive), Dairy (cow’s milk & bi-products), Nuts, Nut butters, oil-rich seeds,

HERB FORMULAS FOR PAIN   Formulas are created and rendered, taking into consideration, a person’s constitution, environment, life energy (qi), lifestyle and emotional status to name a few concerns. Chinese medicine focuses on bringing all these areas into balance. The principal focal point requires a compound that purposely targets the site of pain, remedies the fundamental disequilibrium of the body without generating additional side effects.

Joint inflammation has an estimated prevalence of 1 to 2%. Prevalence increases with age, approaching 5% in women over age 55. The average annual incidence in the United States is about 70 per 100,000 annually. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs two to three times more in women than in men. Although rheumatoid arthritis may present at any age, patients most commonly are first affected in the third to sixth decades.

Joint inflammation, collectively affect nearly 46 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S. It is not selective. The condition can happen to anyone. All inflammatory joints effect the musculoskeletal system and shift stress to other joints.

Joint inflammation problems include:

• pain
• stiffness
• damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures.

HOW DO WE GET JOINT INFLAMMATION?

The blood has become obstructed by external cold or hot-damp or drying imbalancing influences. The condition includes:

• cold or hot and painful joints
• difficulty in flexing and extending the joints
• aversion to cold or hot with attraction to the opposite condition
• In some cases the limbs and joints will be aching, numb, painful
• overall physical body feels heavy.
• tongue is pale or the opposite

   

 There are graduating arthritic conditions where the site of pain and deformity are more intense, with heat or cold predominating, however, the primary appraoch is to get the obstruction to move. Health is re-established by countering imbalanced internal srtates of wind-cold/hot-damp/dry and altering external situations contributing to obstruction. Very important is the emotional status and its contribution, whether direct or indirect, to the blockage.

HOW DO WE GET BETTER?

JOINT INFLAMMATION: FOOD THERAPY  & HERBAL HERBS

“We are what we eat.” Most of us would agree that most conditions of imbalance are determined by what we put in our mouth. We unkowingly create imbalances by not being aware of how critical this area is, especially in the latter years. If we are choose foods and supplements which worsen our condition then it would serve us well to become very aware of our body type and foods which enhance balance. Below, you can begin to choose foods that deliver balance for this obstructive condition: 

Foods That Benefit & Foods To Avoid

Foods to Counter Joint Pain: Asparagus, Cabbage (poultice & ingestion), Celery, Cod, Cherry, Chives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Ginger, Goats milk, Grape, Kelp, Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple (Bromelain), Pumpkin Seeds, Royal Jelly, Scallions, Sesame oll, Spelt, Spirulina, Soy products, Strawberry, Sprouts (mung, red clover, radish, mustard, lentil, adzuki, garbanzo, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), Tumeric, Water melon, Barley products, Wheat grass products, Alfalfa products (tablets, tea), Chlorophyll foods, Almonds (5-6 dy.),

Foods to Avoid: Excess meat (some fish is best), Excess protein, Intoxicants (alcohol, coffee, tobacco, marijuana, etc.), refined sugar and other sweets, Oxalic acid foods (rhubarb, cranberry, plum, chard, beet greens, spinach), Solanine foods (Nightshade family veggies: tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, potato, if sensitive), Dairy (cow’s milk & bi-products), Nuts, Nut butters, oil-rich seeds,

“When the heart is calm, pain seems negligible.” — Inner Classic

  HERB FORMULAS FOR PAIN   Formulas are created and rendered, taking into consideration, a person’s constitution, environment, life energy (qi), lifestyle and emotional status to name a few concerns. Traditional Chinese Herbs and medicine focuses on bringing all these areas into balance. The primary element is to make an herbal composition with specific emphasis on painful joints while correcting the underlying condition in the body without creating more physical problems.

Additionally, the quality of the herbs are not the same. If lesser quality is contained in a formula then the results will not hold up as indicated in research findings. While it may sound impressive to make marketing statements that a formula containing an herb is beneficial it is not enough. The quality of herbs are very important. Red Panax Ginseng has been organized into 6 grades where each level delivers a unique response. Quality, alone, can determine whether the formula works or not. An adept master herbologist will always remain loyal to providing the right formulation while many corporate herb manufacturing firms are persuaded by profit when serving their distributers, wholesalers, retailers and customers. This practice in America gives herbology and products a bad name. Employing herbal deficiency practices will gradually wear away customer trust so when true herbologists offer their services the challenge for customers to believe in our craft is hard.

JOINT IMBALANCE doesn’t happen overnight and once understood, can resolve quicker than you realize. According to Traditional Chinese herbs and medicine, the primary problem underlying arthritis is obstruction with painful results. To varying degrees, liver and kidney depletion coupled with energy deficiency will result in exhaustion.

Mark Hammer, C.M.H., Master Herbalist,   Longevity Mountain    

Whenever we wake up in the morning with a stiff and painful neck, the tendency is to blame the condition on our pillow, bed, or sleep position during that night. We also try to figure out what is occurring when sudden neck movement causes a sharp pain that feels as if “something” has slipped out of position or that a nerve is being “pinched.” Though it may seem so, one isolated occurrence is seldom the cause of most neck problems, but instead the cumulative effects of improper sitting posture, poor work and lifestyle habits, and lack of beneficial exercise for strength and flexibility. Naturally, some neck problems are due to traumatic events such as a whiplash accident, a fall, or a sports injury.

To understand neck pain, it is helpful to understand the anatomy of the spine. The spinal bones or vertebrae of the neck consist of posterior joints, called facets, that attach vertebrae to one another and serve to direct the motion of the spine. The inter-vertebral discs link the bodies of the vertebrae and are comprised of a form of strong cartilage that encases a soft material in the center, called the nucleus. The primary function of the disc is as a shock absorber and spacer between the vertebrae. In a canal located between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. The spinal nerves go out from the spine between the vertebrae and impart the energy to make the muscles and other organs of the body function. They also carry impulses from the body to the brain concerning pain, touch, position, temperature, as well as other senses.  The nerves that exit from the neck are in charge of the entire upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and hand, as well as structures of the head and neck. The natural forward curve of the neck balances the weight of the head and alleviates stress on neck vertebrae. For more information please feel free to visit your Colorado Springs Chiropractor.

Risk Factors: Neck Pain and Computer Use

Computer use has risen significantly over the years, at home and in the workplace. Nowadays, a large number of people spend eight to ten hours a day, or more, bent over a keyboard and staring at a monitor. Sitting with the head in a forward bent position (the posture most computer users take on), puts enormous strain on neck ligaments and muscles. In addition, the normal forward curve of the neck becomes reversed causing more stress upon all the surrounding tissues of the neck. Awkward posture and repetitive stress can cause spinal problems including disc herniation and subluxations, which are the primary causes of spinal nerve pain. In addition to general pain, spinal nerve pain in the neck can generate symptoms like headaches, eye problems, giddiness, arm and hand pain (and paraesthesia), as well as shoulder pain.

Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Headaches or migraines are usually associated with dysfunction of the cervical spine. When the cervical vertebrae lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels that are related to structures in the head are stretched or irritated thus producing symptoms from a dull ache to throbbing pain. Trigger points, the tight knots in the muscles of the neck, can also refer pain to the head.  Many other factors are associated with headaches such as toxic fumes, certain foods, additives such as MSG, alcohol, caffeine, and stress. Still one must always look at the tissues and alignment of the neck when speculating the origin of headaches and migraines. Chiropractic care has been shown to singularly valuable in the treatment of headaches. Your Colorado Springs Chiropractor can give you further information regarding treatment and pain relief.

Whiplash and Chiropractic Care

Many people are involved in car accidents. Almost certainly the most common auto accident is when one car collides into the rear-end of another car. During such an accident, the passenger in the front automobile gets his or her head forcibly jolted backward and then forward causing injury to the structures of the back and front of the neck. This sort of injury is often called a whiplash. Even at low speeds, the amount of force produced by such an accident is very powerful and can cause damage to the ligaments, muscles, facet joints, discs, and spinal nerves. Whiplash injury includes neck pain and immobility, and other symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vertigo, arm and should pain, tingling in the hands and fingers, and weakness of the arms and hand. It is extremely important to get immediate evaluation and x-rays to rule out the possibility of fracture. Usually in many cases, the injuries are mainly to the soft tissues and joints. Proper treatment is vital in healing from the pain and symptoms of whiplash, and also to prevent future disability. Your Colorado Springs Chiropractor is extremely knowledgeable in the area of whiplash injury, and is more than capable of managing the case from start to finish.

Sinus headache can be a potentially serious issue that sufferers experience almost yearly.  The change in seasons, often times from warm to cold, can very easily bring about a sinus headache.  Sinus headache typically forms when the small cavity behind the nose becomes filled with excess mucus, putting too much pressure in that area.  This can present as a feeling of pressure around the nose and eyes.  This pressure can sometimes become very painful and uncomfortable.  The prelude to a sinus headache is usually a stuffy nose and congestion.  If a cold or congestion lasts for a long period of time, it can easily cause a sinus headache to follow.

Prompt treatment of congestion and colds is the best way to prevent the occurence of a sinus headache.  Whenever a cold or congestion initially strikes, be sure to treat those symptoms with decongestants.  A dry climate can also promote sinus headaches, so a humidifier can be a good solution as well.  Sinus headaches typically come about when pressure in the sinus cavity becomes too high. 

The problem can become painful when bacteria or a virus invades the nasal cavity area.  Prolonged colds and congestion can easily lead to an infection.  When bacteria infects the nasal cavity, it can lead to swelling and irritation.  Significant pain when sneezing or blowing, in addition to a fever, are definite signs that an infection has taken hold.  Sinus headache can become very painful if an infection is allowed to spread unchecked.  See a doctor promptly, and they will typically prescribe both antibiotics and decongestants to rid the patient of the problem. 

It is important to treat infections quickly.  If left alone, sinus headache can become a life threatening infection.  Sinus headache can be brought under control with the use of medication.  The earlier the problem is caught, the more effective the treatment can be.  Ignored sinus headache can develop into serious infections that threaten permanent damage to the sinus cavity.  In severe cases, it may be necessary to block off the sinus cavity to prevent a repeat of the problem.