Posts Tagged ‘pain’

Inflammation – redness, swelling and pain

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

inflammationWhat is inflammation?  By definition it is …Pathology. Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body, esp. as a reaction of tissues to injurious agents.

Typically one thinks of inflammation as a cut or a sprain that may become red and swollen and this is the extent of what one thinks of when it comes to inflammation.  I am here to tell you that inflammation is more than just a cut or a sprain.  Just as the definition above states it is a disturbed function of an area of the body do to injurious agents.  For the purpose of this blog entry I will be discussing areas of the body that are susceptible to inflammation and explain what the injurious agents are.

First of all, any part of the human body can become inflamed.  That means that muscles, joints, nerves, organs and skin are all vulnerable to inflammation.  Becoming inflamed does not just happen from being injured from an accident.  Becoming inflamed as stated above in the definition comes from injurious agents.  What I need all of you to understand is  that an injurious agent can come from the food you eat, the beverages you drink, lack of sleep, emotional and physical stress, etc.  Each of these agents can affect your body in different ways but all can end up causing inflammation.

We see so many people that come into our offices not feeling well, feeling tired, knowing that something is wrong with them but yet nothing is found during a doctor’s visit.  More times than not these individuals bodies are trying to fight inflammation and our job is to find the source of the inflammation.  Typically what is given to treat inflammation are anti-inflammatory drugs and at times this is necessary but what I want all of you to know and understand is that if the injurious agent is not removed then you are only treating the symptoms and not the problem.

If you would like more information about how food, beverages, lack of sleep, emotional and physical stress become injurious agents sign up for our Wellness 101 lecture.  Visit www.replenishingsoul.com/our-events for more information or write us your questions, we would love to hear from you.

 

Lori Metroka,PT

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

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Posted in Prevention information | 3 Comments »

The Benefits of Laughter

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

When was the last time that you laughed? people_laughingI don’t mean just a slight chuckle that lasts a second or two but a deep, long-lasting laugh where your eyes may be teary and you’re holding your belly because it’s starting to hurt from laughing so much?  For many of us, it’s hard to remember.  Laughing feels good, but did you know it’s also a powerful way to improve your health and well-being?

 Laughter has a two-step action on the body. It stimulates and relaxes. When you are laughing, your body is stimulated and exercised. Afterwards, your body relaxes and calms itself. This is why laughter creates physical and mental relaxation.  Medical research has found that laughter lowers muscle tension, relaxes your sympathetic nervous system (this system when stimulated produces a stress response), improves circulation and promotes a deep respiratory pattern (see our blog on breathing to learn why this is so important). It also provides an outlet for releasing built up nervous energy, which is critical to keeping you body healthy. It has been found that one minute of full belly laughter is the equivalent of 45 minutes of deep relaxation and has been referred to as a form of internal massage.

In the late 1970’s Norman Cousins used laughter to help cure himself of a painful condition called ankylosing spondylitis by watching Candid Camera episodes and Marx Brother movies. In his book, Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins “made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect that would give me at least two-hours of pain-free sleep.” After further study, he found that laughter and a positive attitude can cause a release of endorphins, our body’s natural pain-killers, into the body.

Laughter is also a powerful tool to improve mental and emotional health. Humor induces happiness and changes the way we look at the world. As we’ve said before, it’s not necessarily the stress in your life that breaks down your body and makes you sick, but it’s how you perceive and react to that stressful situation that can negatively affect your body. Do you think negative thoughts and beat yourself up? Does smoking or eating something sweet make you feel better? Here’s an experiment: The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, try laughing for one minute straight. If your like me, you’ll probably feel ridiculous because you’re “fake” laughing, which will crack you up and probably make you laugh more. Give it a try, and let us know what happens. 

 

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

 

 

References:

http://www.happiness.co.uk/Content/InspirationRoom/Articles/DisplayArticle.asp?ArticleID=6

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Posted in Emotional health | 2 Comments »

Healing emotional pain

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

dvbrokenheartEveryone at some point in their lives will experience pain. Pain is there to let us know that something physically, mentally or emotionally is wrong and this pain should never be ignored.  Pain many times manifests itself physically but what many do not realize is that physically there is nothing wrong, no bones are out of place or muscles have been pulled and nothing anatomically can be found, no cancer, no ulcers etc… but yet the pain resides.  You go from doctor to doctor, they cannot find anything wrong with you, and then you begin to ask yourself “Am I going crazy”?  You know what you feel is real but yet nothing can be found.  The answer is no, you are not going crazy. The pain that you feel is real. However, there is a good chance that the pain that you are feeling is emotional stress.

Emotional pain can be a difficult symptom to track.  Some days you may feel fine and other days the pain in your back, neck or stomach may be repaying you a visit. Emotional pain can come from many different types of stresses such as:  low self-esteem, not doing what you love, staying in a relationship that is not serving you or just being in a situation that you know in your gut is just not right.  Other things you may notice is that something in your life is missing or you are just not being true to yourself.  Regardless of what your situation is you need to listen to this pain and find ways and professionals who can help you. Massage therapists, acupuncturists, spiritual healers and life coaches are examples of individuals who have the tools to help heal emotional pain in a safe and nurturing environment.

When healing emotionally you are forced to look at yourself as well as revisit your past, this can be scary and many times uncomfortable.  You are forced to see the good and bad within yourself or possibly someone else that may have brought you harm and even though this is not a pleasant place to explore, the growth and the positive outcome that comes from emotional healing and self-exploration is a gift like no other.  When you heal yourself emotionally you physically begin to feel lighter because you finally have released an idea, belief or past memory that no longer has served you and you begin to attract what you want in life because your vision is clearer and there is nothing standing in your way.

If I have just described you within this blog, then sit down and make a list of what you want in life and see how that compares to your current situation.  If you are not living your life the way that you imagine and are suffering from “pain”, now is the time to begin to take action on yourself for yourself! Remember pain should never be ignored!

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The Dangers of Gluten

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

-Do you ever experience gas, bloating, loose or oily stools or constipation?

-Do you ever experience abdominal pain, nausea, abdominal distention or flatulence?

-Do you ever experience joint or muscle pain that does not appear to be caused by activity or exercise?

-Do you ever experience an enlarged or inflamed tongue, gastric and duodenal ulcers or esophageal reflux?

-Women, have you experienced difficulty getting or miscarriages?

-Do you experience fatigue, mood changes, depression or anxiety?

-Have you ever been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease such as thyroid malfunctions, Diabetes   Mellitus, Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Childhood asthma or Polymyalgia rheumatic?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be suffering from gluten sensitivity.

 

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is found in grains, grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut and possible oat.   It is a protein that is hard to digest and therefore can irritate not only your digestive tract but also your organs.  You can experience symptoms that have been listed above but not always.  You can have gluten sensitivity yet be asymptomatic.  Research shows that as many as 90 million Americans may be negatively affected by gluten and as many as 10 million may have an illness due to the root cause of gluten sensitivity.

How gluten causes disease

When ones digestive system is healthy undigested or partially digested proteins will be eliminated as fecal matter.  However, if ones digestive system becomes weakened due to poor food choices, food intolerances, alcohol consumption, eating processed foods and sugars as well as from the normal day to day stresses of life the ability of the body  to digest  gluten proteins can become difficult.  As a result any of the symptoms listed above will be seen because of the undigested proteins floating through the bloodstream thus causing an autoimmune reaction.  In addition the protective mucus lining of the intestinal track gets attacked as well.  Like the skin on your body, this protective mucus lining is a first line of defense in protecting the body from illness and disease.  When this lining breaks down it leads to leaky gut syndrome (scroll down to read what is leaky gut syndrome and solutions for leaky gut) therefore, making one’s immune system vulnerable and weak.

How to find out if you’re gluten intolerance

To find out if you have intolerance to gluten you can undergo a small intestinal biopsy, stool sample testing or blood testing.  If you would like a less invasive test or a cheaper test for that matter you can take the gluten challenge.  The gluten challenge is to eliminate gluten from your diet for 2-4 weeks.  Then on the last day of your challenge eat nothing but gluten.  For example Breakfast could consist of muffins, cereal or toast.  Snack will be cookies or crackers.  Lunch and dinner may be pasta and see how you feel immediately after and/ or the next day.  Do you suffer from abdominal discomfort (cramping, bloating, and gas), achy muscles/joints, fatigue, irritability or difficulty concentrating?  If so, you are gluten sensitive and should eliminate gluten as soon as possible from your diet!

Acronyms that might spell “hidden” Gluten

Fu- dried wheat gluten

HPP- hydrolyzed plant protein

HVP-hydrolyzed vegetable protein

MSG-monosodium glutamate

TPP- textured plant protein

TVP-textured vegetable protein

Begin to read labels!  For example many condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup and BBQ sauce, just to name a few contain wheat based ingredients.  Instead, I encourage you to begin to either make your own sauces at home or cook with herbs and spices.

If you would like more information about gluten we recommend you purchase the book Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D. and Ron Hoggan, M.A.

In addition, if you would like specific lab testing for gluten intolerance you can purchase stool test kits through Replenishing Soul that can be done in the privacy of your own home.  To place your order or to ask us questions you can  us contact through our website at www.replenishingsoul.com.

 

Resources:

Dangerous Grains- James Braly

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Posted in Nutrition Tips | 1 Comment »

BEING WELL IN 2009

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Wellness is defined as “the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind” or “an approach to health care that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating disease”. Doesn’t that sound and feel better than the pressure we put on ourselves to look a certain way and be a certain weight? When you set a path to wellness so many areas of your life becomes enriched because of the mind body connection. You begin to generally feel better and when you feel better you become more connected to your “self” and this sense of self begins to take away depression, fears, worries or frustration for situations that you would not have the strength to deal with in an unhealthy state. Wellness brings empowerment, security and a higher quality of life.

 
One of the first concepts we teach our clients at Replenishing Soul is that wellness takes time. We live in a society of quick fixes and instant gratification. We go through life year after year eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sleep, being ill or staying in jobs or relationships that don’t fulfill us yet we expect to get well and see changes in just days or weeks. When we don’t realize that our bodies need much more time to get back into balance, we get frustrated or feel as if we have failed and give up on our health goals. 

Wellness encompasses lifestyle and lifestyle encompasses what we eat, when we eat, sleep, stress, personal and professional relationships as well as understanding our purpose in life and knowing what we want and what makes us happy.  This is why wellness takes time, it is a process that never becomes stagnant, it is ever moving just like life.

 
Take the wellness challenge with us at Replenishing Soul.  We invite you to visit our NEW website at www.replenishingsoul.com and welcome you or someone you know and love to sign up for a FREE personal wellness consult.
 

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