Short-tem, or acute, inflammation is one of your body’s most powerful defense mechanisms. Swelling from increased fluids protects injured areas from further harm while the body goes into overdrive to fend off bacteria, viruses, and even parasites. It not only kills off the invaders, but damaged tissue as well, until your body eventually wins the battle.
Once inflammation has served its purpose to eliminate the external nasties the healing process can begin. Sometimes though, the body fails to end the inflammatory cycle and systemic chronic inflammation results.
While acute inflammation can save your life, chronic inflammation may help end it. When chronic inflammation becomes systemic the body actually turns on itself. It leads to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, magnifies the harmful effects of Alzheimer’s, and even promotes an internal environment favorable for cancer.
While many drugs will decrease inflammation in the body, they are not safe to consume for extended periods of time. These drugs themselves have been linked to heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. They can also damage your kidneys and other vital organs, lead to internal bleeding, and even death.
What is needed is a safer approach to reducing both localized and systemic inflammation in the body. Fortunately there are several options. And they can be used interchangeably. The four most recommended natural methods for reducing inflammation are:
1. Ice & Heat Therapy — Ice and heat can relieve both pain and inflammation
2. Dietary Changes — Many foods increase your body’s inflammatory response (such as dairy, wheat, gluten, sugar, fried foods), while some other foods reduce inflammation
3. Natural Medicines — Herbs and other homeopathic remedies can be as effective at eliminating inflammation as drugs without the harmful side effects; systemic proteolytic enzymes are also important in treating chronic inflammation as they break down harmful fibrin (scar tissue) caused by the excess inflammation
4. Mind/Body Techniques — Stress related tension is directly or indirectly contributes to a significant number of disease states including inflammation; end the stress and help break the inflammatory cycle
“Imagine a Diet So Simple,
It Makes You Feel Incredible
In Just 3 Days!”
Hello, my name is Michael Murray. Back in the summer of 2002, there wasn’t one day where I didn’t ask myself, “Can I ever stop feeling so sick and tired?”
That was how I felt pretty much every morning at age 32!
Every joint and muscle in my body hurt as I spent hours in the gym sweating. Sure, I lost a few pounds and felt a little better… But it wouldn’t last very long. And I still felt tired every morning and afternoon, and couldn’t get myself to do anything at all when I got home from work.
I had tried everything to get back into shape. I had made drastic changes to my lifestyle to feel better and to lose weight. And I had nothing to show for it other than the emotional pain and financial waste of yo-yo dieting.
Then I went to a Tony Robbins seminar. It turns out I was not alone with how I was feeling. A serious problem common to so many people…
Most People Don’t Feel Anywhere Near As Good As They’d Like To
In fact, the vast majority of people feel that their lack of health and energy is just part of the aging process.
The Dangerous Myth That’s Eating Away At Your Life
The funny thing is, so many people I know have nagging health problems. They’re baffled why they no longer feel as good as they did when they were a child.
In fact, they haven’t got a clue. And that really makes sense when you consider the types of foods they’re eating day-to-day, and the dangerous, often toxic, medications they’ve used throughout life.
But let me ask you something: Do you think medication is the answer to health problems?
Of course not. If medication or a magic pill was the real answer, then you’d already feel as good as you want to be.
The Secret To Abundant Energy and Vibrant Health
Although for many years mainstream medicine ignored the role that diet can play in both health and disease, more recently it, too, began emphasizing the need to eat healthfully for keeping illness at bay.
In truth, the light came over the horizon more than a hundred years ago. But the radical work of some great pioneering scientists has been overlooked by a mainstream model so deeply involved in it’s own myths that is was blind to larger truths. Until now.
Recently, one of the most exciting discoveries has been the effect some foods have on the body’s acid-alkaline pH levels when digested.
A Slightly Alkaline Body Is Crucial For Good Health
Regardless of how much you work out and try to eat right, if you can’t balance the acids in your body, you’ll never feel as good as you’d like to be.
The problem is, on a whole, the average western diet is acid-producing. And when acidic wastes accumulate, they can cause organs to malfunction and break down.
We are forcing our bodies to work with less than optimal inner terrain. This creates a fertile breeding ground for various forms of chronic illness that are now experienced by more than half the population. An alkaline diet delivers so many benefits… less aches and pains, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, more energy and on and on and on…
If you often feel tired, it’s a safe bet that you are overly acidic. The simple fact is, most people are.
Dog lovers fondly recall when their dog was just a bounding puppy… an unruly yet loveable little ball of fur. At that point her biggest needs were paper training, obedience training and lots of love and patience.
As she grows older, she still needs lots of love and patience. And just like the rest of us, she needs extra nutritional support and even help with arthritis pain as her joints become inflamed and worn in her golden years.
Of course, dogs can’t come right out and say “I’m hurting right here.” But we know by watching their gradual transition from leaping across the yard chasing a thrown ball to gingerly taking the stairs just to get off the porch that their hips, knees, and other joints ache increasingly over the years.
Fortunately, dogs can benefit from many of the same arthritis pain relief and joint support supplements humans take. They just need a dose scaled to their size.
One of the most useful supplements for fighting painfully inflamed joints are proteolytic enzymes. Rather than an anti-inflammatory drug, enzymes are derived from herbs and edible fungi. They work by neutralizing the inflammation causing bio-chemicals in the body. In turn, inflammation and pain decreases.
Systemic proteolytic enzymes also work wonders on increasing circulation and soft tissue repair by breaking down and removing excess fibrin. They even break down old scar tissue which helps your pet not only return to normal movement but decrease risks related to fibrosis buildup in the heart and kidneys.
Most people think of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM first when arthritis supplements come to mind. Combined, these ingredients give us the nutrients needed to slow down joint wear — and even help our bodies rebuild broken down cartilage. Once again, these work just as well for dogs as humans.
Giving our pets the love and nutritional support they need allow them to live a longer, healthier, more active lives. That in itself carries its own reward.
Here’s a video of The Healthy Back Institute’s Steve Hefferon with his 10 year old golden retriever, Zoey. Steve has used proteolytic systemic enzymes for years to help his dogs manage pain and inflammation and a glucosamine / chondroitin / MSM formulation to help them rebuild their joints.
Here Are Two Proven Formulas That Are Safe for Dogs:
Help your dog rebuild his/her joints by providing them with the raw materials needed. This powerful liquid formula contains MSM, Glucosamine, Chondrotin and more. Click here to learn more
Heal-n-Soothe™ is a combination of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory and pain relieving ingredients known to man… and have been scientifically proven to work. And unlike NSAID’s, there are no dangerous side effects… and it’s safe for dogs! Click here to learn more
Cortisone shots are given as symptomatic treatment for a wide variety of repetitive stress injuries, arthritis, and other ailments. Commonly the injection consists of a mixture of a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory and a local anesthetic to minimize pain from the injected medicine.
Most cortisone injections are conducted in a doctor office and may take as little as a 10 minute visit. The site of injection is cleaned and may be sprayed with a local anesthetic. Then the needle is inserted directly into the painfully inflamed joint for medicine delivery.
After receiving the shot, one might be advised to minimize use of the joint for 24-48 hours. For example, in the case of a shoulder injection immediate heavy lifting should be avoided. Sometimes a cortisone flare occurs when the cortisone crystallizes which can cause intense pain for up to 48 hours even worse than before the shot.
While rare, severe side effects such as joint infection, nerve damage, and weakening of nearby tendons and bones are possible. More shots increase the risk of severe side effects so many doctors limit the number of injections to three or less. Since cortisone shots offer pain relief for only several weeks and work for only about half of those receiving a shot, they should be considered a treatment aid at best, not a cure.
One approach to avoid using cortisone injections is to systemically minimize inflammation in the body and focus on treating underlying causes of pain and inflammation. That’s one reason cortisone shots don’t work for everyone — sometimes they are attempting to treat the wrong kind of pain.
There are two types of pain, muscular or tissue based pain and nerve based pain. Treating the wrong type of pain may result in no impact on levels of pain. That’s why a proper diagnosis of the underlying conditions leading to inflammation is critical for long-term pain relief.
Pros for cortisone injections:
Can reduce inflammation in localized areas
May relieve pain related to inflammation
May be helpful as part of a broader treatment program
Cons for cortisone injections:
Provides pain relief for only about half of shot recipients
Ginger has remained synonymous with Asian cooking for thousands of years. Its root spices up oriental stir fry dishes, is eaten pickled with sushi, and lends its unique zesty flavor to gingerbread cookies.
But its remarkable healing properties and widespread availability have made ginger root the most widely used herbal remedy on the planet. Literally billions of people use ginger every day as both food and medicine.
Although used in Asian medicine for over 2,500 years, the powerful healing benefits of ginger have only recently begun to be understood by Western medical practitioners. Clinical studies now prove many of the amazing claims long held by herbalists.
Ginger prevents and relieves nausea
Many mothers use ginger ale for the treatment of upset little tummies. Mom’s remedy has scientific legs to stand on. For example, controlled clinical studies have shown ginger is more effective than Dramamine for treating motion sickness. It has been found to magnify the effects metoclopramide, a common post-operative antinausea drug for increased relief of nausea and vomiting after surgery. And it even relieves nausea from the drug methoxsalen used in certain forms of chemotherapy.
Ginger ends inflammation and pain
Ginger serves as a powerful natural anti-inflammatory and stimulates improved blood circulation. One modern study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and muscular discomfort found taking powdered ginger relieved pain in over 75% of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and all patients with muscular discomfort benefitted. Pointing to the safety of the medicinal use of ginger compared to steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, not one patient reported a single adverse side effect by the end of the three year study.
Ginger as an antiparasitic compound
Ginger is frequently served with sushi to combat parasites as well as offer a complementary dish. The chemical zingibain found in ginger dissolves many parasites and their eggs, including the anisakid worm sometimes found in raw fish. Ginger tea has also been found helpful in the treatment of the parasitic disease schistosomiasis contracted by visitors to some lesser developed tropical areas.
Ginger even beats cold and flu symptoms
The ginger compound shagaol kills cold viruses at a concentration found in ordinary raw ginger making ginger an effective cold remedy. Ginger’s pain relieving properties bring relief to flu and strep throat sufferers. As a diaphoretic, ginger even induces sweating to help the body remove toxins and reduce mucous congestion.
And there’s more…
Ginger provides an amazing wealth of healing properties besides those already mentioned. One additional anti-inflammatory effect of ginger is its ability to offset platelet activating factor (PAF) inflammation related to allergies and asthmas caused by chemical changes in the body caused by high fat diets.
PAF combined with high cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Ginger provides heart protection by both inhibiting PAF activity and lowering triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels.
Other uses of ginger, such as protecting the liver from the toxic effects of seizure medicines like Depakene have also been noted.
How to take Ginger
Ginger can be eaten raw, cooked, crystallized or pickled. For medicinal purposes, ginger extract is usually taken in capsule form. This is particularly common for anti-inflammatory purposes where a higher dosage of ginger is required than most people would consume in their daily diet.
Cautions
Moderate use of ginger is considered safe for pregnant or nursing women, though daily intake should be limited to 2-3 grams (2-3 tablespoons of raw ginger or 5-8 tablespoons of cooked ginger), taken over the course of the day.
While ginger is considered very safe, as with any supplement you should consult your doctor first, particularly if taking any prescription medication or suffering from gallstones as ginger can increase the potency of some medicines.
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Phone: 800-216-4908 Fax: 866-843-4319
The Healthy Back Institute is a Get Healthy and Fit Company
Short-tem, or acute, inflammation is one of your body’s most powerful defense mechanisms. Swelling from increased fluids protects injured areas from further harm while the body goes into overdrive to fend off bacteria, viruses, and even parasites. It not only kills off the invaders, but damaged tissue as well, until your body eventually wins the battle.
Hello, my name is Michael Murray. Back in the summer of 2002, there wasn’t one day where I didn’t ask myself, “Can I ever stop feeling so sick and tired?”
Dog lovers fondly recall when their dog was just a bounding puppy… an unruly yet loveable little ball of fur. At that point her biggest needs were paper training, obedience training and lots of love and patience.
Cortisone shots are given as symptomatic treatment for a wide variety of repetitive stress injuries, arthritis, and other ailments. Commonly the injection consists of a mixture of a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory and a local anesthetic to minimize pain from the injected medicine.
Ginger has remained synonymous with Asian cooking for thousands of years. Its root spices up oriental stir fry dishes, is eaten pickled with sushi, and lends its unique zesty flavor to gingerbread cookies.
