Treatment for lower back pain now in your hands

“Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but instead of needles, the pressure is applied with a finger, thumb or device to specific points on the body,” said Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR, an associate professor of physical medicine, rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine and lead author of the study. Murphy said that while acupressure has been previously studied and found to be beneficial in people with cancer-related or osteoarthritis pain, there are a few studies that examined acupressure in people with lower back pain.

In the study, published in the journal, ‘Pain Medicine,’ the research team randomly assigned 67 participants with chronic low back pain into three groups: relaxing acupressure, stimulating acupressure or usual care.

“Relaxing acupressure is thought to be effective in reducing insomnia while stimulating acupressure is thought to be effective in fatigue reduction,” Murphy said.

Participants in the acupressure groups were trained to administer acupressure on certain points of the body, and spent between 27 and 30 minutes daily, over the course of six weeks, performing the technique.

Participants in the usual care group were asked to continue whatever treatments they were currently receiving from their care providers to manage their back pain and fatigue.

“Compared to the usual care group, we found that people who performed stimulating acupressure experienced pain and fatigue improvement and those that performed relaxing acupressure felt their pain had improved after six weeks,” Murphy said.

“We found no differences among the groups in terms of sleep quality or disability after the six weeks,” she continued.

Murphy noted that chronic pain is difficult to manage and people with the condition tend to have additional symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression.

“Better treatments are needed for chronic pain. Most treatments offered are medications, which have side effects, and in some cases, may increase the risk of abuse and addiction,” Murphy said.

She said this study highlights the benefits of a non-pharmacological treatment option that patients could perform easily on their own and see positive results.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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How to Easily Maintain a Nutritious Diet in Lockdown

Social distancing and quarantines are causing us to reinvent many of our usual day-to-day habits and that includes nutrition. Dinner parties and restaurants are no longer an option, at least until further notice, and many of us finally have the time to experiment with cooking. Some may find it fun and others hard to get used to and that’s okay. Even the most enthusiastic cook may find themselves uninspired at times. We have collected a few tips from nutrition experts on how to survive quarantine preparing easy, healthy and satisfying meals at home.

1. Get Creative with Salads
Salads are a great lunch - they are easy to prepare and very nutritious. They can also be more filling than you may think. If you’re short on classic salad staples like tomatoes and cucumbers, or simply bored of them, this is the time to make use of what you already have, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Throw in different veggies, greens and even canned goods like chickpeas and beans and see how they interact. 

If you’re making a chicken or tuna salad, sliced apples or pears can really freshen it up. Check what forgotten condiments you have in the back of your kitchen. Balsamic vinegar, for example, can also be a wonderful addition to chicken or tuna based salads. More dressing ideas can be found here.

2. Oatmeal is More Versatile Than You Thought
Oatmeal doesn’t have to just be for breakfast. Cooking it in unsweetened milk and adding some savory toppings can easily make it into lunch or dinner. Mix in some olive oil, garlic and veggies like spinach and peppers, and you can top it all off with a sunny side up egg (see the full recipe here). Don’t forget to season it to your liking.
The upsides of Oatmeal are that it has a very long shelf-life and it is very high in fiber, both of which make it all the more valuable during quarantine.

3. Veggies Can Be Added to Literally Anything
Even if you’re making a simple dish like meatballs or pasta, and you’re not in the mood for big experiments, there is a way to make your meal more nutritious without fretting. Just add vegetables. You can pretty much toss in any vegetable you like to your pasta sauce or soup. Chopped carrots and squash, and cauliflower, for example, can add flavor and fiber to a meatloaf. Vegetables are much cheaper than most ingredients, and they can be frozen for longer shelf life.

4. Label Your Frozen Items
As mentioned more than once, freezing food items is a great way to make them last longer. Grain bread, fruits and vegetables, pre-cooked meals, chili, sauces, and even dairy and eggs - they can all be frozen and defrosted according to nutritionists. To not get mixed up, do label your items with dates. A tidy freezer can help you feel less stressed and more prepared.

5. Don’t Be Mad at Yourself for Getting Takeout
With much pressure piling up at this strange time, don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t expect yourself to be always 100% prepared with your meal prep. If it’s accessible to you, treating yourself to takeout from a local business is perfectly valid. Not only do you get to enjoy ‘outside food,’ but you also help support a local business. 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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Meditation and its effect on common health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart health

In the hustle and bustle of the city life, everyone seems to be looking for some peace of mind, at the end of the day. The stress and pressure that the constant running around puts us under can incur a huge cost to our bodies and health, both physical and mental. In order to ease the stress, and have better health, it is important to incorporate healthy practices like exercise, healthy habits, and meditation into our everyday routine.

Meditation is about training the mind to be more focused and attentive. It is a way to make it pause for a while, without constantly running around thinking different thoughts. It helps us to understand out feeling better, without judgement. It helps us to take charge of our thoughts and improves mindfulness. Apart from just making us feel better and relaxed, meditation has some health benefits when it comes to preventing, treating and reducing symptoms of physical health conditions like diabetes, heart diseases and obesity.

Meditation and heart health

According to a report, researches have confirmed that people who practise meditation are less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, within the next five years. Meditation can help in lowering your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, adrenaline levels, and levels of the stress hormone, cortisol in the body.

Since meditation helps in better stress management, it helps to reduce the production of cortisol in the body. When you are stressed, the body focuses more on the production of cortisol, and other hormones are secreted less, because of which an imbalance can occur. 

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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Previously unknown pain-sensing organ discovered in human body

Swedish researchers have discovered a new sensory organ in the skin that is sensitive to painful mechanical damage such as pricks and pressure.

The new pain-sensitive organ is organised together with pain-sensitive nerves in the skin, says researchers.

"Our study shows that sensitivity to pain does not occur only in the skin's nerve fibres, but also in this recently-discovered pain-sensitive organ," said a professor.

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"The discovery changes our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of physical sensation and it may be of significance in the understanding of chronic pain," the Prof. said. 

In experiments, the researchers also blocked the organ and saw a resultant decreased ability to feel mechanical pain.

Almost one person in every five experiences constant pain and there is a considerable need to find new painkilling drugs, according to research published. The discovery of the previously unknown pain-sensing organ could lead to the development of new painkilling drugs.

The team found that these Schwann cells—main "supporting cells" of the peripheral nervous system which wrap around axons of motor and sensory neurons—are octopus-shaped. The body of the cells lies beneath the outer layer of the skin, and there are longer extensions around the edge of the nerve cells that are pain sensitive, extending  up into the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. Thus it collectively go to make up a mesh-like organ within the skin and remains sensitive to painful mechanical damage such as pricks and pressure.

Sensitivity to pain is required for survival and it has a protective function. It prompts reflex reactions that prevent damage to tissue, such as pulling your hand away when you feel a jab from a sharp object or when you burn yourself.

Activation of the organ results in electrical impulses in the nervous system that result in reflex reactions and an experience of pain, the researchers said.