Maybe it seems like you’ve already tried everything and are just about ready to give up on ever finding permanent pain relief.

Well I have good news for you: you’re not beyond help. Over the past decade we’ve helped tens of thousands of people, many in agonizing daily pain, find pain relief. People who thought there was no hope left. And today, thousands upon thousands of them remain pain free.

On the other hand, there are many others who came to us who did not find lasting relief. They continue to struggle with the same old pain year after year. Often it grows even worse.

Amazingly, in almost every case, the difference between those who found pain relief and those who did not boiled down to a willingness to follow a few simple “ground rules” for dealing with their pain. Follow these three simple rules and you will greatly improve your odds of joining those who found relief.

Rule #1: Take responsibility for ending your pain

Relief from pain is first and foremost a personal responsibility. After all, no one cares about your pain more than you do. Maybe you’re seeing a doctor, chiropractor, or any number of natural health practitioners. That’s great, but ask yourself these questions:

• Has my health care provider conducted a completed head-to-toe assessment on me or only focused on the area of pain? (Pain is often referred from other areas of the body.)
• If a diagnosis has been made, has it been completely explained to my understanding?
• Has my health care provider identified the root cause of my pain? (Not a condition, like a herniated disc, but what actually caused the condition, like a specific muscle imbalance.)
• Have I been given a step-by-step care plan that addresses both the pain symptoms and the underlying root cause of the identified condition?

If you haven’t received a satisfactory answer to all of these questions, ask! Don’t accept a brush off. It’s your body and you need to get the right responses to properly address your pain.

Rule #2: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

I can’t tell you how many times someone has purchased one of our products, tried it, and when their pain wasn’t 100% gone in the first day or week they decided to return the product for a refund. Look, we don’t want anyone paying for a product that doesn’t help them. And we gladly process refunds all the time. But let’s be honest here. Chances are the condition causing your pain didn’t happen overnight. Oftentimes it took years to get to the point where your back “suddenly” gave out or sciatica became noticeable.

We have a lot of testimonials on our website from people who have experienced amazing results in just days. But when you’re talking about correcting conditions that took months or years to get as bad as they are, you have to realize some people may take a little longer to work through the healing process.

So what am I saying? I’m saying that if you want to get back to a pain-free life, you might have to invest a little effort. And it
might be that one treatment only gets you part of the way there. So you have to be willing to try different approaches. For example, you
may only find some pain relief by using muscle balance therapy
to address muscle imbalances, but need to also work out trigger points to finally get the full pain relief you’re looking for.

Most importantly, don’t give up. Too many people never get pain relief simply because they give up on a treatment approach too soon. Give your body time to heal and don’t quit until you get the relief you’re looking for.

Rule #3: Stop doing what doesn’t work

Ok, now you’ve made the commitment to follow through to make progress in your fight against pain. You’re not going to quit on yourself. But here’s the other side of the coin: don’t blindly keep doing what doesn’t work.

Let’s say you’re going to a chiropractor. If you’ve been going for over three months and haven’t made any progress yet, it’s likely time to seek another approach. That’s my rule of thumb… if you’re not getting some measure of increased pain relief in three months, try something else.

If you have made progress but are still in pain, try combining multiple approaches. You might find inversion therapy gives you significant pain relief from a herniated disc, but trigger point therapy is needed to completely end referred pain while muscle balance therapy addresses what caused your disc to herniated in the first place. It’s all a process of finding what works for your body.

I hope this makes sense to you. We want to help as many people as we can live a pain free life, but ultimately, it’s up to you to make the necessary changes to improve your health.

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2. Dehydration and Back Pain
3. Is Spinal Decompression the Secret to Lasting Back Pain Relief?

If you’re like most back pain sufferers, you’ll reach for a bottle of pain killers and go lie down. But is that really the best way to get back on your feet and keep the pain away?

Use this guide during those important first hours after injury to help your back recover quickly, or even for pain relief from chronic back pain flare ups.

First 15 Minutes: Apply Ice

Apply ice as soon as possible after injuring your back – preferably within five minutes. The sooner you apply the ice the more it will help. This can be a cold pack, ziplock bag of crushed ice, or even a bag of frozen vegetables like peas or corn.

Use a circular massaging motion when applying to prevent the ice from resting in one place too long (a spouse or friend can help ice
massage your lower back), or simply place a thin towel between the compress and your skin to help prevent frostbite. Apply ice up to 20 minutes at a time. This can be repeated over the course of the first few days, or after flare ups.

The cold will cause nearby blood vessels to constrict, helping minimize swelling and painful inflammation which has already started. It numbs painful nerves. And the cold stimulates your body to rush more oxygen-rich blood full of antibodies and vital nutrients to repair the injury and carry away waste products as it attempts to warm the area you are cooling with the ice.

First Hour: Apply Heat

Applying heat after you ice your back may seem odd. But ice
followed by heat is a powerful way to shock your back out of the pain-spasm cycle. Try 20 minutes of ice followed by 20 minutes of heat. Repeat up to three times and you should get at least some relief from even severe lower back pain.

There are numerous ways to apply heat. Two of my favorites are a hot tub (if you have one available) or a far infrared heating pad. Not to be confused with a standard heating pad which will help in a pinch, far infrared heat penetrates up to three inches deep to warm the muscle itself instead of just the skin area. Other great ways to apply heat include ultrasound, pain creams, and even a long hot shower.

As heat is applied, your back muscles relax and circulation increases again as your body sends fresh blood supply to cool the area back to normal. Repeat heat treatments as necessary.

First Day and Beyond: What else you should do

Acute lower back pain typically comes on suddenly and can be painful enough to take your breath away, or even drop you to your knees. While ice
and heat can break the initial pain-spasm cycle, you also need to consider how much you should rest, when you should exercise, and what to do about continuing pain and inflammation. Here’s what I recommend.

Anti-inflammatories and Pain Relief

Inflammation is your body’s natural response to an irritant, such as a sprained back. Inflammation is a normal part of the healing process. The problem is our bodies lose the ability to turn off the inflammatory response as we get older. By our late 20s, chronic systemic inflammation becomes a real health concern.

While non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen can help with both pain and inflammation during acute lower back pain, they also carry significant cardiac and digestive health risks. A better option for most people are proteolytic enzymes which naturally reduce inflammation and its resulting internal scar tissue.

Rest

Yes, you need to rest your lower back. Certainly, if a certain activity led to a case of acute lower back pain don’t repeat it for at least a week. For example, if your back pain started after lifting something heavy, don’t lift heavy objects for at least a week to give your back time to recover.

But don’t take rest too far. Studies have shown that too much bed rest (more than a couple days) can nearly double how long it can take to recover. In fact, some evidence shows there is little or no benefit to bed rest at all over staying active, but your level of pain will determine that at the outset. Listen to your body.

Exercise

Exercise, including both strengthening and stretching, is important for your long-term recovery. Many cases of lower back pain start with muscle imbalances, where some muscles are overly tight while opposing muscles are too stretched out. You’ll want to be very careful your first couple of days, but some light stretching can often reduce lower back pain by relieving tension.

One easy stretch to try can be done while lying in bed. Gently raise your knees from the bed to your chest, then put a slight pressure on your
knees for a light stretch in your lower back. This stretch can help relieve pain spasms in your back faster than waiting on them to resolve on their own. But again, take it easy and listen to your body – the stretch should not add to your pain.

Going forward

Whether your acute lower back pain goes away quickly or becomes chronic, you want to give your body the best chance at not only overcoming pain,
but preventing it from returning. You will find what has worked for thousands of other lower back pain sufferers in my free book, The 7-Day Back Pain Cure.

Related references

Dahm KT, Brurberg KG, Jamtvedt G, Hagen KB. Advice to rest in bed versus advice to stay active for acute low-back pain and sciatica. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2010 Jun 16;6:CD007612.

Deyo RA, Diehl AK, Rosenthal M. How many days of bed rest for acute low back pain? A randomized clinical trial. The New England journal of medicine. 1986 Oct 23;315(17):1064-70.

Waddell G, Feder G, Lewis M. Systematic reviews of bed rest and advice to stay active for acute low back pain. The British Journal of General Practice. 1997 Oct;47(423):647-52.

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1. Acute Inflammation vs. Chronic Inflammation
2. Top Bodybuilder Secrets for Injury Recovery
3. Chronic Back, Neck, and Leg Pain Relief

If you’re one of the many who frequently get a deep pain in your buttocks, hip or down your leg after you take up summer activities like these there’s a good chance it’s coming from a little known muscle called the piriformis.

It’s the piriformis muscle deep in the posterior side of our hips, along with a few other lateral rotator muscles, which allow our bodies to keep from falling over when we walk by shifting our body weight side to side as we lift our feet.

However, many of the activities we participate in require this muscle to continually contract. As the muscle is overworked, it becomes painfully tight while stretching nearby muscles. Piriformis syndrome is a frequent contributor to lower back pain and one of the four primary causes of sciatica.

What activities lead to piriformis syndrome?

Perhaps the most common activity leading to piriformis syndrome wouldn’t really be called an “activity” at all by most of us: sitting. But just holding your body erect in a seat with your hips flexed (knees bent, feet on the floor) requires your piriformis muscle to contract to help maintain that position. And sitting on a wallet can quickly make matters even worse.

Yes, many of us sit all day long throughout the year. So why the big deal about summer activities causing piriformis syndrome?

Many of our summer activities like running, bicycling, hiking, and rowing all work the piriformis muscle as we repeatedly bend our legs. In fact, they repeatedly work the same muscles over and over.

Unless we take care to properly stretch and strengthen other muscles by lateral (sideways) movements of our legs we soon create a muscle imbalance where the piriformis muscle becomes short and tight. This is what leads to both deep muscle aches and referred nerve pain from strangulation of the sciatic nerve where it passes near or through the piriformis muscle.

Even if your pain isn’t constant yet, if you’re experiencing pain in your lower back, buttocks, or down the back of your legs it’s worth considering piriformis syndrome as a possible cause. Here’s a couple quick ways to determine if your piriformis muscle is overly tight: take a quick look down at your feet right now. If they’re turned with your toes pointed outwards, your piriformis is tight. Another way is to lie down and relax your legs. Now look at your feet. Chances are the toes are turned outwards. Again, that’s a sign your piriformis is overly tight and may be leading to pain.

How to end piriformis syndrome pain

The good news is piriformis syndrome, painful as it may be, can usually be quickly reversed. Naturally you’ll want to start by giving your piriformis muscle a much needed break. This means take it easy with the running, jumping, hiking, climbing, bicycling, and rowing. Take frequent breaks when sitting so the piriformis doesn’t remain in a contracted state for prolonged periods.

Then begin targeted stretching exercises to relieve the tension in the piriformis muscle. You’ll find three easy stretches you can do without leaving your chair in the video on this page. Many people get pain relief the first time they try these stretches and most overcome their piriformis syndrome symptoms within a couple weeks through targeted stretching.

Related references

Papadopoulos EC, Khan SN. Piriformis syndrome and low back pain: a new classification and review of the literature. The Orthopedic clinics of North America. 2004 Jan;35(1):65-71. Pokorný D, et al. Topographic variations of the relationship of the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle and its relevance to palsy after total hip arthroplasty. Surgical and radiologic anatomy: SRA. 2006 Mar;28(1):88-91.

Related posts:

1. Which of These 4 Dysfunctions Is Causing Your Back-Pain?
2. At Home Sciatica Relief
3. Mixed Pain Syndrome Is It the Cause of Your Continued Suffering?

More and more people are finally learning about the dangers of all the toxic chemicals used in mattresses… and both traditional and newer “memory foam” are proving to be quite damaging.

While research has been slow to prove the link, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out folks… just take a whiff of a new mattress after you’ve opened the plastic bag it’s in… that alone is enough to make most people instantly nauseous. Try sleeping on that every night!

You can get more details about the dangers by reading this article: “Can Your Mattress Kill You?”

Personally, I am in the process of replacing every bed in my home (and we have 8!) with all natural latex / rubber mattresses. So far we have replaced 4 of them and my wife and I have been sleeping on a king size one for over a year now and it is by far the best mattress we’ve ever had.

I encourage you to learn more about the dangers of traditional and memory foam and protect yourself and your family.

UPDATE:

Since posting this video we have received several comments and emails from people asking which brand of natural mattress I purchased and recommend.

Well, I have actually bought from several different companies as I often do to test and see who has the best product and service. Here are the three companies I have purchased from:

Essentia: Natural Memory Foam Mattresses

Savvy Rest: Organic Mattresses

Natural Bed Store: Natural Latex Mattresses

If you’ve had experiences with these companies or others selling similar mattresses, please share your experience by commenting.

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Lemongrass for headache and migraine relief

One of the most common medicinal uses of lemongrass traditionally has been for headache relief.

Now it’s been proven to be at least as effective as aspirin – only safer. A five year study of plants used in traditional medicine recently reported in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine that lemongrass shows similar activity to aspirin in treating headaches and migraines.

According to Dr. Darren Grice from the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University in Australia where the study took place, “Headaches and migraines cause abnormal activities in our bodies, such as altering our serotonin levels and interfering with the normal function of our blood platelets.”

Dangerous blood clots caused by this abnormal clumping of platelets can starve the brain of oxygen and lead to strokes. Eugenol, a compound found in lemongrass, was found to help prevent this excess clumping of blood platelets.

Just prior to migraines, high levels of serotonin causes blood vessels in the brain to contract, lowering the pain threshold. Then during the migraine itself, serotonin levels drop, causing blood vessels to expand – frequently leading to the throbbing pain migraine sufferers experience. Eugenol helps normalize the release of serotonin and may be effective in helping prevent migraines in the first place.

Lemongrass as a health and digestive aid

Drinking lemongrass tea or eating foods prepared with the herb promotes digestion and provides relief from flatulence. It also helps the body eliminate toxic substances including cleansing of the kidney, pancreas, liver and bladder.

Lemongrass has natural antimicrobial properties, helping the body fight off bacterial, fungal and viral infections. As an antipyretic, lemongrass helps reduce fevers from colds and flu. That’s how lemongrass also became known as fever grass.

One common home remedy from India mixes a few fresh strands of lemongrass with two or three cloves, a cinnamon stick, and turmeric powder which is boiled in milk, drained, and drunk to provide cough and cold relief after it cools. Thailand’s popular Tom Yum Kung soup is a delicious dish also thought to help fight cold and flu thanks to its use lemongrass as a central ingredient.

As an antifungal, the essential oil from lemongrass can help treat athlete’s foot. Rubbing it on the skin is also thought to increase blood flow to the area and is used to improve circulation (for this reason it has even been recommended as a treatment for sciatica, lower back pain, and arthritis).

Another common reason to rub it on is for a natural insect repellent. You probably are already familiar with this use of the herb’s oil by its common name, citronella.

Lemongrass even fights cancer

New research has found even more impressive benefits from the plant. Perhaps most exciting to date is a report from researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel who discovered during in vitro testing that the compound citral found in lemongrass actually causes cancer cells to self destruct – without harming healthy cells – at a concentration equivalent to a cup of lemongrass tea.

The results have been promising enough that even many conventional doctors now recommend cancer patients drink several mugs of hot lemongrass tea on days they receive radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Now there’s a step in the right direction.

Lemongrass can be found in most well stocked grocery stores either fresh or frozen. Indian or other Asian markets are another good place to look. Or, simply grow your own. While lemongrass is a perennial which thrives in tropical climates, it can be grown as an annual in cooler climates.

Related references
Rashid, S. Native lemon grass fights headaches like aspirin. Griffith News. 2010 Mar 2.

Dudai N, et al. Citral is a new inducer of caspase-3 in tumor cell lines. Planta medica. 2005 May;71(5):484-8

Sommer, A. Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become mecca for cancer patients. ISRAEL21c. 2006 Apr 2.

Sue Chao, et al. Inhibition of methicillin-resistant Stapphulococcus aureus (MRSA) by essential oils. Flavour and Fragrance Journal.
2008; 23:444-449

Inouye S, et al. Combined effect of heat, essential oils and salt on fungicidal activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes in a foot bath. Nippon Ishinkin Gakkai Zasshi. 2007;48(1):27-36.

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2. The Healing Power of Far Infrared Heat
3. Most Health Foods Are… a Complete Waste of Money!

Acupuncture, rooted in Traditional Chinese medicine, is one of these largely ignored yet proven pain treatments. It seems that treatments whose workings remain a mystery cannot be accepted as good medicine in some circles.

As Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the University of Rochester’s Center for Translational Neuromedicine explains, “acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained skeptical.”

New research conducted at the University of Rochester appears to have uncovered one of the physical mechanisms through which acupuncture relieves pain in the body-finally providing solid scientific evidence supporting what proponents of acupuncture have known for millennia: it works.

Specifically, the researchers discovered that the insertion and rotation of acupuncture needles in mice greatly stimulated their body’s
production of adenosine-finding an increase of 2400% in tissues near the site of insertion. Besides helping regulate sleep and acting as an anti-inflammatory, adenosine serves as a natural painkiller similar to the localanesthetic lidocaine.

The researchers were further able to prove that acupuncture had no effect on specially prepared mice without an adenosine receptor, but tripled its effectiveness on regular mice when a cancer drug known to make the elimination of adenosine from tissue more difficult was administered. And since the study was conducted on mice, researchers were also able to eliminate any concerns about a “placebo effect.”

Here’s the bottom line. Acupuncture works even if we do not completely understand every aspect of how it relieves pain. More importantly, it reduces pain without nearly the risk of pharmaceutical drugs and most other modern interventions. If you’re suffering from any kind of pain, acupuncture is worth considering.

Related references

Goldman N, et al. Adenosine A1 receptors mediate local anti-nociceptive effects of acupuncture. Nature Neuroscience. 2010 May 30; doi:10.1038/nn.2562.

Related posts:

1. Needle Your Pain Away? How Acupuncture Helps Your Back
2. Acupuncture for Pain?
3. Healing Herbs: Lemongrass

She later described the initial pain in her head like “a burning, sharp pain that felt like I was being electrocuted.” As bad as the pain felt, it soon grew even worse.

Before long, Karen’s monster headache had transformed into a full-body experience. Most of her body was wracked with pain so severe she would curl into a fetal position and try not to cry – even her tears felt like sulfuric acid sliding down her cheeks. The only parts of her body that didn’t hurt were areas mainly on her left side
left numb and paralyzed from whatever disease she had become afflicted with.

Six months of endless MRIs, spinal taps, and other tests later, her doctors through a process of elimination finally diagnosed her condition: a systemic inflammatory disease called sarcoidosis. In Karen’s case, the disease attacked her central nervous system, leaving her partially paralyzed to this day.

While sarcoidosis may affect virtually any area of the body, it most commonly attacks the lungs and lymph nodes where small nodules of immune cells called granulomas are formed. Sometimes these nodules disappear on their own. Other times they leave behind areas of fibrosis, or internal scar tissue.

In the lungs this scarring can permanently impair breathing through pulmonary fibrosis. Actor Bernie Mac, known for his comedic roles in
numerous television shows and movies, was another high profile individual known to have suffered from sarcoidosis. After being hospitalized in 2008 with pneumonia, his publicist announced his sarcoidosis had been in remission for three years and Bernie was expected to make a full recovery. Sadly, Bernie passed away several days later.

Christmas night 2004, yet another legend passed away. Hall of fame defensive end Reggie White, better known to fans as “The Minister of
Defense,” died in his sleep of a cardiac arrhythmia. Sarcoidosis affecting his heart and lungs was ruled the primary cause of death.

While sarcoidosis is a fairly rare autoimmune disorder, inflammation and fibrosis affects every one of us. Half of all heart attacks are caused by inflammation. Considering the widespread problem, no wonder heart disease remains the number one killer in the United States. But that’s not all. Inflammation is also strongly linked to strokes, arthritis, chronic fatigue, and even Alzheimer’s and
other dementing diseases.

Fortunately, the mechanisms behind controlling systemic inflammation are fairly well understood. It boils down to the level of proteolytic
enzymes which counter the body’s inflammatory response to injury, sickness, or tissue irritation.

When we’re young, our bodies heal quickly. Around our mid-20s, a precipitous drop in bodily production of proteolytic enzymes lead to
extended recovery periods from injuries. The older we get, the longer it takes to heal.

Proteolytic enzymes do more than fight inflammation. They also clean your blood, help fight off viral and bacterial infections, and break down excess scar-creating fibrin. Taking supplemental systemic enzymes not only helps your body keep inflammation in check, it keeps you
healthier by boosting cardiovascular, respiratory and immune system functions throughout your body.

The inflammation fighting and scar erasing properties of proteolytic enzymes haven’t been clinically studied yet (to my knowledge) for the specific treatment of sarcoidosis, but anecdotal evidence from members of sarcoidosis support groups who have tried them indicates it has helped alleviate even symptoms of this harsh disease.

It’s certainly worth further study for sarcoidosis patients – and worth taking to maintain good health in everyone else over age 25. A
30-day supply of systemic enzymes and other natural anti-inflammatory ingredients is currently being offered free at The Healthy Back Institute’s website for those who would like to try them.

Related references
Carney, K. Former MTV VJ tells of battle with chronic illness. CNN Headline News. 2003, Sep 19.
Duffy, K. Model Patient: My Life As an Incurable Wise-Ass. Harper Paperbacks. 2001.
Mignot, S. Actor And Comedian Bernie Mac Dies At Age 50. CBS 2 Chicago. 2008, Aug 9.
Sun-Times Media Wire. Bernie Mac Expected To Recover, Publicist Says. Chicago Sun-Times. 2008, Aug 3.
FastStats – Heart Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010, Apr 15.
Mecklenburg County Office of the Medical Examiner. Report of Autopsy Examination for Reginald Howard White. 2005, Apr 25.

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According to the related FDA news release, medicines involved may have too much of the active ingredient, inadequately tested inactive ingredients, or even foreign particles which don’t belong in there at all.

All this on the heels of another major recall of 21 types of infant’s and children’s liquid Tylenol last September due to bacterial contamination and another recall of Tylenol Arthritis Pain in November due to a chemical contaminant. Clearly children and adults alike have been put at risk in the past several months.

So what’s a health conscious citizen to do? According to the big pharma influenced FDA, buy generic. Um, were they manufactured in the same plant? No word on that.

I have a better proposal. Stop using all forms acetaminophen and ibuprofen altogether regardless of manufacturer. And yes, I’m serious.

The real dangers of acetaminophen and ibuprofen

Regular acetaminophen use has been directly attributable to 8% to 10% of the estimated 50,000 annual cases of end stage renal disease in the United States. The more of it you use, even as prescribed, the greater the odds you’re going to die of kidney failure.

According to an article on acetaminophen toxicity by Dr. Susan Farrell, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, acetaminophen is one of the most common pharmaceuticals involved in both intentional and accidental poisonings. In the United States, toxic effects of acetaminophen overdose is now the most common cause of acute hepatic failure and the second leading cause of liver failure requiring transplantation.

While only about 1 in 50 overdose patients die or require a liver transplant, an overdose can occur by taking less than double the daily recommended maximum dose. Is this really a substance you want to keep around the house, much less feed yourself and your kids?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen are no bastion of safety, either. In fact, they’re probably worse. Including both prescription NSAIDs and over-the-counter varieties like Motrin and Advil, over 30 billion doses are taken each year just in the United States. This number on the rise. So are related hospitalizations and deaths.

Every year in the U.S. over 100,000 people are hospitalized and over 16,000 will die from NSAID use and misuse. According to one study, 1 in every 1,200 people who take an NSAID for at least two months will die from related gastrointestinal complications. That doesn’t count those with adverse effects who survive.
Fortunately, there are safer alternatives for Tylenol, Motrin, and their generic equivalents.

Natural remedies for fever reduction, pain relief and inflammation

The most common reasons over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are taken include fevers, general aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation. Each of these have much healthier alternatives in the world of natural medicine.

Fever

Remember, first of all, that a fever is your body’s defense mechanism. Infants under 3 months with a fever should always see a doctor right away. Otherwise, here are some simple techniques helping you or your child remain comfortable and reduce fevers:

• Wear loose-fitting cotton clothing to allow your body to breathe. Keep the upper body covered to help prevent chills.
• Take a lukewarm bath (sponge bath for infants). Hot water will be clearly counterproductive, but so will cold water as it causes your body to work harder to stay warm, therefore raising your internal temperature.
• Drink lots of cool fluids. This helps prevent dehydration and cools the body down. Some herbal teas with licorice root or echinacea can help reduce fevers too.

Pain Relief

Ask any parent the most common cause of infant pain and they’ll
likely respond either tummy aches or teething pain. Here are some
great natural ways to ease infant teething and gas pains:

• Teething pain can often be helped by massaging your baby’s gums with your finger or allowing them to chew on a cooled pacifier or teething ring.
• Apply clove oil very lightly directly onto baby’s gums to reduce pain (older children and adults can get a similar effect for a sore tooth by holding a whole clove against it with their tongue).
• Let baby chew on a natural herbal (not candy) licorice stick. Besides numbing baby’s gums, licorice also has natural anti-inflammatory properties and can ease stomach irritations.
• Another great combined teething pain reliever and stomach soother is pure vanilla extract (real vanilla, not the artificial stuff). Similar to clove oil, apply by rubbing a tiny bit on baby’s sore gums.
• Infants with upset stomachs, gas pains and colic can often get relief using all-natural ingredients as well. One product I like, Gentle Naturals Tummy Soother, uses chamomile and ginger – both well known for anxiety reducing and stomach soothing properties.
• For general aches and pains, children (over 2 years old) and adults alike find the arnica, MSM, and menthol in Rub On Relief pain cream are work just as well as ibuprofen at relieving pain. Those with arthritis will especially love Rub On Relief for the Celadrin found in it, clinically proven to help reduce pain and increase flexibility and mobility in 100% of those who tested it.

Inflammation

Most children really don’t have a problem with inflammation. It’s when we get older that our bodies stop producing most of the proteolytic enzymes which signal our body to end its inflammatory response to injuries. That’s why it takes so much longer for something as simple as a sprained ankle to heal as an adult compared to when we were children.

Fortunately the solution is simple: supplement with the proteolytic systemic enzymes your body doesn’t make enough of. This allows your body to naturally fight inflammation. Other beneficial side effects of these enzymes are they also clean our blood, fight off viral and bacterial infections, and break down excess fibrin which leads to scar tissue inside our bodies.

In the end, there really are much healthier natural alternatives to drugs like Tylenol and Motrin. We just need to break our collective habit of reflexively taking drugs as our first response to pain.

Related references

Perneger
TV, Whelton PK, Klag MJ. Risk of kidney failure associated with the
use of acetaminophen, aspirin, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory
drugs. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1994 Dec
22;331(25):1675-9.

Farrell S. Toxicity, Acetaminophen. Medscape. 2009 Sep 23.

Frech E, Go M. Treatment and chemoprevention of NSAID-associated
gastrointestinal complications. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk
Management. 2009; 5: 65–73.

Singh G. Recent considerations in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
gastropathy. The American journal of medicine. 1998 Jul
27;105(1B):31S-38S.

Tramèr MR, et al. Quantitative estimation of rare adverse events which
follow a biological progression: a new model applied to chronic NSAID
use. Pain. 2000 Mar;85(1-2):169-82.

Widrig R, Suter A, Saller R, Melzer J. Choosing between NSAID and arnica for
topical treatment of hand osteoarthritis in a randomised,
double-blind study. Rheumatology International. 2007
Apr;27(6):585-91.

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1. Acute Inflammation vs. Chronic Inflammation
2. Are Your Back Pain Treatments Not Working? This Might Be Why
3. What You Can Learn About Pain Relief From Olympic Level Athletes

Well, first, let me say that most back pain can be greatly reduced or completely eliminated with exercise… However, the key is knowing which exercises are going to help and which are going to hurt. It’s true, some back pain exercises could make your condition and pain worse!

So don’t make the mistake so many others do and just try any old back pain related exercise or stretch you can find… you might end up worse off than you are now. Instead, figure out which specific back pain exercises are going to be right for you.

Click on the link below to learn more about how to do this:

Back Pain Exercises and Stretches

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1. Lower Back Pain Exercises
2. 3 Simple Exercises… To Prevent a Trip to the Back Doctors!
3. Hurt Back? How Exercises Can HURT Your Back

If so, you need to watch this video right now:

The chair reviewed in the video above is by far the best chair for a healthy back. It can not only allow you to sit with great posture and less or no back pain, but it will also help you prevent the pain from returning. We highly recommend this chair!

Related posts:

1. Best Chair for Back Pain
2. Three Easy Steps to Correct Sitting Posture
3. Healthy Back Institute Donates $1198 to Habitat for Humanity