Pro Athletes Rely on Acupuncture Therapy to Stay in the Game

Sports injuries affect more than 20 million Americans each year, and many of those injuries go untreated or leave residual pain that never fully goes away. For professional athletes, the risk of suffering an injury or feeling chronic pain is much greater than for the average person – and traditional treatment options aren’t always effective in treating symptoms and restoring health. Conventional treatments, in fact, often have long recovery times and fail to leave athletes feeling 100 percent. Through acupuncture, however, many sports stars have been able to bounce back from an injury and come off the bench feeling better than ever.

Dwyane Wade (NBA), Matt Hasselbeck (NFL), and former MLB pitcher Kris Benson have all turned to acupuncture as a natural treatment for injuries and chronic pain, often in conjunction with other modern medical treatments. It has helped athletes who might otherwise find themselves watching from the sidelines get back in the game more quickly; and it has helped others continue successful sports careers even after a debilitating injury.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an effective natural treatment for injuries such as:

Sprains and strains
Swollen muscles
Knee injuries and pain
Achilles tendonitis
Tennis elbow
Shin splints

It is an alternative therapy that involves inserting thin needles into strategic acupuncture points in the skin. According to traditional Chinese medicine, this helps regulate the body’s energy and restores balance. In modern medicine, acupuncture is said to ease pain by stimulating the nervous system and by releasing pain-relieving chemicals into the body.

Acupuncture for athletes

Acupuncture can drastically speed up recovery time and even improve performance, which is why so many athletes are increasingly turning to this natural treatment for pain and sports-related injuries. Professional basketballs players have always been supporters of acupuncture with stars turning to the treatment for sore muscles and strains. In the 90s, Charles Barkley saw an acupuncturist for a sore neck. Grant Hill famously visited an acupuncturist in Phoenix for sluggishness and even admitted to receiving treatments for allergies. Meanwhile, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade relied on acupuncture for pain relief caused by knee tendinitis.

Aside from reducing pain, acupuncture has also been shown to promote tissue regeneration, leading many athletes to turn to the treatment post-surgery. Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, Kris Benson, started acupuncture treatments after undergoing Tommy John surgery in order speed up recovery. He was able to get back on the mound within a year of his operation. Another famous baseball player, former homerun king Mark McGwire, also trusted acupuncture treatments during his time in the Majors in order to manage back pain induced by a bulging disk.

With big name athletes spreading the word about the success of acupuncture therapy, this natural treatment for pain is sure to continue gaining popularity with pro athletes and amateur sports players alike.

Photo source: Dwyane Wade by Keith Allison

What is angina and what are your treatment options

What exactly is angina?

Angina occurs in people with Chronic Heart Disease (CHD). Angina in itself is not a disease, but a symptom of disease. Characterized by pain in the chest, shoulders, back, arms and abdominal area (especially after a heavy meal) it is often bought on by physical exertion or emotional distress. Some people will manifest with a crushing pain in one or more of these areas, others may just feel out of breadth. The pain one experiences with angina is not directly proportional to the severity of their CHD.

According to vascular specialists Northwest Florida, what happens to the heart when a person has angina is, that due to the CHD there is an negative balance between the oxygen being supplied to the heart muscle and the amount of oxygen being consumed by the heart.

Florida cardiologists claim angina today is well controlled and treated. There are mainly three treatment options for people diagnosed with angina.

Medication: Pharmalogical therapy can keep some types of angina under control. There are mainly two drug groups recommended for angina. The first are for anti-angina therapy. Drugs such as beta blockers, nitrates, calcium channel blockers and potassium channel agents are used to improve blood supply to the heart by causing blood vessel dilation and lowering blood pressure. These drugs are often combined with secondary prevention drugs such as anti-platelet drugs and lipid lowering drugs which help treat the causes of CHD.

Medication, Angioplasty and Stent: If medication is not addressing a person’s symptoms they could be considered for an angioplasty and cardiac stent. This is usually for people that have less than three arteries that have been affected by CHD. When a stent is used with angioplasty there is less chance of the unblocked artery (unblocked by the angioplasty procedure) becoming occluded again. In recent years stents have been developed that are coated with a drug that reduces inflammation. This procedure is usually done in a day surgery, however sometimes it may require an overnight stay.

Medication and Coronary artery bypass graft: this treatment is offered to a patient when stenting is not an option. Such as patients with a completely blocked artery. This surgery is more complicated than a stent and can require a longer stay in hospital. In this procedure a bypass is made passed the blocked vessel. How? A section of vein is removed from the leg or arm and used as the donor graft. The patient ends up with a vein from their leg or arm connected to the coronary artery, pretty impressive!

If you are concerned about CHD or angina you should make an appointment to see your cardiologist.

Acupuncture Proven to Relieve Pain in Largest Study of its Kind

Acupuncture, an ancient form of Chinese medicine has been used and fine-tuned for more than 2000 years, so it was no surprise to pain management practitioner when the latest study on the treatment found inserting needles into specific pressure points can reduce back and neck pain, arthritis and headaches, according to the largest analysis of the treatment.

Approximately three million U.S. adults get a form of acupuncture treatment each year, mostly for chronic pain. Western doctors still don’t understand why the Chinese therapy can help relieve pain and more studies are needed to determine how the treatment fits with remedies such as drugs, surgery and physical and behavioral therapy, but the truth is in the pain management Longview Texas numbers: Acupuncture works.

Statistics gathered from 29 studies of almost 18,000 people found that acupuncture was better at relieving pain than not having the treatment at all or undergoing a sham procedure, according to research reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine today.

Traditional Chinese medicine defines acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy, also known as “chi”, in a person’s body,. Inserting needles into specific points along pathways in the body changes the flow. In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue to boost blood flow and the body’s natural painkillers.

Researchers looked at data from 17,922 patients in trials in the U.S. and Europe that measured acupuncture’s effect on chronic pain. The trials compared acupuncture with patients who had no treatment or those who had a procedure that faked acupuncture by putting the needles into the body in different places and depths than usual.

The findings mean in real terms that about half of patients receiving acupuncture would have a 50 percent or more reduction in their pain compared with 30 percent in the no treatment group and about 43 percent having fake acupuncture.

The difference between real, professional treatment and sham acupuncture may be more modest because people feel better if they think they are getting the real therapy or putting any needle in the body may have some positive effect. Regardless, certified acupuncture specialists are gaining more respect in among pain management Tyler Texas communities that once shunned their practice as voodoo or bad science.

Safety Tips for Practicing Yoga

Yoga can be a supreme form of exercise. It can also be a terrible source of pain. While practicing yoga provides a wide range of health benefits – it increases strength, flexibility and balance while reducing stress – it can be hazardous if one does not respect their personal limits.

Although injuries caused by yoga are rare, they usually occur when a person is not listening to their body. In extreme cases, yoga junkies end up in physical therapy San Francisco. The most common yoga injuries seen in the Bay Area are muscle strains or tears in the hamstrings. People simple push their bodies too hard or practice yoga too aggressively and pay the price for it.

Injuries can also take place in theshoulders, knees and back. In Vinyasa yoga — which connects a series of movements using breath — there is a low pushup that is often repeated and can cause problems for people who lower their chest below their elbows.

Students can also get hurt by over extending themselves performing back bends or failing to align their legs during standing poses. In general, physical therapy experts recommend taking yoga slowly, one step at a time, to stretch the body properly before trying more complex positions. Another tip is to pay constant attention to your body and what it is telling you. If a position causes pain, stop, or retract the muscles a little bit.

Lastly, intensive yoga sessions should not be practiced everyday. Switch up styles to mix muscle building and relaxing methods or take days off.

Pain Management Implants Recalled Over Battery Problems

St. Jude Medical notified doctors and patients that it would recall a large portion of its Eon and Eon Mini pain management implants. Since it started distributing the products, SJM has received more than 300 reports where batteries overheated and where irreparably damaged, according to physicians in pain management Tyler Texas.

The company has also received at least 70 reports where the neurostimulation devices needed to be removed after their batteries failed before their expiration date or because the batteries overheated during the recharging process.

Experts in pain management Longview Texas, were disturbed by the recall as they had been prescribing the Eons and Eon minis to their patients without being aware of the defects. A small number of SJM device users received first or second-degree burns due to the medical device’s overheating batteries. Problems were also caused by the Eon Mini’s battery weld, which remains to be addressed by manufacturers.

Patients requiring pain management Jacksonville Texas provided by SJM’s Eon and Eon Mini batteries are urged to contact their physicians if they have concerns or they may contact the company for additional information.

A Healthy Diet Can Reduce Chronic Pain

While there is no single cure for chronic pain, studies show a healthy diet mixed with an active lifestyle can help patients improve their pain management programs.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that patients with neck or back pain who took 1200 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements in addition to their non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug experienced noticeable pain-relief during the treatment.

Another study found diets containing soy products help suppress chronic neuropathic pain. Scientists from Hadassah University Hospital fed rats two soy-free diets and a soy-containing one for 28 days. It was found that the soy-containing diet prevented the development of tactile and heat allodynia.

Experts in pain management Freehold New Jersey also recommend a healthy diet to reduce chronic pain. A Mediterranean diet with with a mix of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthful unsaturated fats can help build strong bones and muscles, and has been proven to fight pain. A wholesome diet also helps prevent pain-aggravating weight gain and boosts energy levels and mood, helping chronic pain sufferers live a higher quality life.

Eating whole grains also serves as a good source of magnesium, a mineral that has been shown in animal studies to fight muscle pain. Examples of whole grains inculde: whole wheat bread, wheat berries, quinoa, amaranth and bulgur.

Foods that may help manage pain caused by conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis include cherries, soy, oranges, peaches, asparagus, cranberries, cauliflower and kiwi. In the case of an inflammatory illness such as rheumatoid arthritis, dairy products, chocolate, eggs, meat, wheat, corn and nuts can theoretically worsen inflammation and, therefore, pain symptoms.

Olive oil is also a good tool to supplement pain reduction techniques. Not only is it the healthiest of all oils, known for high levels of good fatty acids, but olive oil is rich in antioxidant polyphenols that help inhibit a common pain-causing mechanism in the body.

In uses, olive oil makes a great substitute for butter, which is high in saturated fat, which is important because high levels of saturated fat in a diet has been known to erode bone strength and trigger pain. Olive oil also makes a great salad dressing when mixed with lemon or balsamic vinaigrette.

In the end, chronic pain management is like most health conditions. It is caused by unhealthy diets and lifestyles and it can be cured by paying more attention to what you eat and staying active.

Living with chronic pain? A cure could be on its way

The definition of chronic pain is that which persists for more than three to six months and that occurs at least three times weekly. Chronic pain has many forms with some of the most commonly known being osteoarthritis, back pain and diabetic nerve pain. While pharmaceutical giants continue in the search for a definitive solution, specialists at pain management Longview Texas have developed solutions to a number of diverse discomforts.

Chronic pain is widespread, with estimates that the United Kingdom could have in the region of ten million individuals (roughly one sixth of the population!) who are affected with either regular or frequent bouts of intense pain and distress, according to Professor Stephen McMahon in a report by the Guardian, a British daily. He goes on to mention that “it represents a colossal level of suffering that receives very little publicity”.

The need to find an effective solution is pressing as the Professor estimates that two million individuals have been suffering for 20 years or more with chronic pain which also holds an apparent link to depression. He notes two significant challenges:

i. Difficulty in identifying pain, and,

ii. Difficulty in dealing with pain due to high medical standards – no side effects permitted

While pharmaceutical companies remain eager to pursue a means of detecting and nullifying what has been identified as the nerve growth factor (NGF) the receptors to indicate pain, to date the studies have produced positive results, although demonstrating quite negative side effects for patients.

With Pfizer leading the charge – with its drug Tanezumab – other companies such as Johnson and Johnson and Regeneron are in pursuit. However a moratorium was placed on further trials of drugs in 2010 due to, what doctors claim to be, the effectiveness of the medication. Such was its potency that patients became more active after their pain subsided which lead to problematic joints. The moratorium was lifted in March, with an FDA representative stating that “anything that has the hope of helping pain patients is worth pursuing”.

Professor Nancy Lane claimed that following trials of Tanezumab osteoarthritis patients went from “having very limited activity to practically being on the dance floor”. With potential solutions still in the trial stages, the continued importance of practices such as pain management Tyler Texas will remain, and even more so should the drug be approved.