Happy New Year! Welcome to my newly and beautifully updated web site-
I welcome your comments and feedback.
The following, in no particular order, are a few of my top recommendations (beyond the standard ice or heat pack) to help make a body happier, either as maintenance or during a flare of neck, back or joint pain.
Water pillow. Dust mites become a non issue and AM stiff necks a relic of the past. You can fill it to your comfort level of more or less “firmness”. At first you might miss the “roll” one can squish a down or feather pillow into under the neck, but in exchange you get steady support all night, whether on your back or side. Basically last forever, in the absence of sharp objects nearby.
If you just have to squish something under your neck, try a buckwheat pillow-either in neck roll or full sizes.
Paraffin Bath (aka Wax Hands) Arthritis or other hand (or foot) pain? 8-9 dips, hand in plastic bag inside thermal insulation mit, heaven for half an hour at least!
Microwaveable “hot bots” Fabric covered and stuffed with grains or seeds, again heat lasts about half an hour under the covers, under, over or wrapped around a chosen body part. Delicious on a cold winter night!
Theracane to apply sustained pressure for self-Shiatsu/trigger point release-
Massage balls for foot massage and other myofascial release, and self reflexology. When you release tensions and restrictions in your feet, your entire system is balanced and relaxed.
Microcurrent TENS Now, taking it up a level, costwise. Units for home use, for example AlphaStim, are still relatively inexpensive (low-mid 3 figures) and really easy and convenient to use. This kind of device has supported my self healing of musculoskeletal tweaks and injuries for over 20 years.
As opposed to TENS, electrical stim and other units which provide strong stimuli to overwhelm pain pathways or exhaust muscles into relaxation, microcurrent applies very low frequencies bio-equivalent to those of our own cells. This helps restore to normal the pericellular electrical fields in our bodies that are disrupted by injury, as well as increasing cellular energy(ATP) production. Newer on the scene are cold laser units which cost in the 4 figures, and usually found in practitioners’ offices; I am not convinced that they work significantly differently than Microcurrent.
Next month: Self help part 2: anti-inflammatory supplements and nutraceuticals.