Just as disturbing, many of the treatments are less effective than safer methods which have been used for literally thousands of years to eliminate pain and disease. One of those methods is acupressure.

What is acupressure?
Acupressure is based on the same Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles as acupuncture, but uses gentle to firm pressure on pressure points in place of needles. It aims to promote well being by instantly relieving pain, increasing circulation, and promoting relaxation. Practitioners believe it can help eliminate certain disease states and other health conditions in addition to various types of back, neck and sciatic pain.

How does acupressure work?
Acupressure treatment is based on freeing energy flow along lines of energy called meridian channels by manipulating energy points along those lines. It is thought that pain results from either a blockage in energy flow and/or a deficiency of energy in an area. Pressure is used to increase energy in areas affected by the pressure point. Blockages in the energy flow are reduced with a counterclockwise motion over the affected pressure point.

What evidence shows acupressure works?
Acupressure is a system of medicine which predates modern science and is treated with skepticism by some conventional medicine practitioners. Yet millions of people around the world continue to get pain relief and experience improvement in health conditions through acupressure every year.

One recent review of acupuncture’s effects on the brain using MRIs and PET scans show pressure on these energy points affect areas of the brain associated with the symptom being treated. Yet modern medicine remains mystified as to exactly how TCM like acupuncture and acupressure works.

Where can I get acupressure treatment?
Acupressurists can be found in most mid-size or larger cities. Costs typically range from $50-$75 per session. Alternatively, self treatment may be an option for some. A trigger point therapy self treatment kit can be a useful for placing pressure on hard to reach pressure points as well as eliminating painful trigger points.

Related posts:

1. Needle Your Pain Away? How Acupuncture Helps Your Back
2. Arnica for Back Pain Relief
3. How to Get Pain Relief When Nothing Else Works

Although studied since the 1930s, it was President John F. Kennedy’s personal physician, Dr. Janet Travell, who brought widespread attention to trigger points. Using her knowledge of them she was able to successfully treat the future President’s crippling myofascial pain.

How trigger points cause pain
Muscles can only move as millions of microscopic “pumps” in the muscle fiber called sarcomeres contract and interlock (to tighten) or release (to relax). Injury or overworking a muscle area can cause a group of sarcomeres to become over stimulated and unable to release – causing a small knot in that portion of the muscle tissue.

When sarcomeres become stuck in this contracted position, they no longer pump blood through the capillaries in the surrounding area. This results in oxygen starvation and a buildup of waste products. Pain signals are generated from the trigger point to signal an issue… but the pain is often felt far from the actual trigger point. This referred pain is a hallmark of trigger points.

How to stop pain from trigger points
Eliminating trigger points is a matter of first understanding how they refer pain so the original source can be identified. Then, by applying deep sustained pressure to the knotted area the body is able to undergo soft tissue release.

As the trigger point relaxes blood flow is restored allowing re-oxygenation of the area and removal of wastes. This also causes a neurological release, reducing pain signals to the brain.

Massage therapy vs. self therapy for trigger points
Modern day massage therapists use techniques learned from Dr. Travell’s trigger point research. But there are problems with massage therapy in treating trigger points.

Straight from the mouth of a massage therapist, massage can be an expensive temporary fix for trigger points. Even then you may have to wait for days or weeks to get in. And there is no guarantee you’ll even feel better afterwards since aggressive deep tissue massage creates micro-tears in muscles causing some patients even more pain.

Fortunately with a little education most people can successfully treat their own trigger points. Dr. Travell and her long time colleage Dr. David Simons published an excellent medical text on trigger points called Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Other trigger point self treatment systems put the concepts of trigger point therapy into layman’s terms and provide simple devices to achieve the deep massage needed to relieve trigger point tension, finally making pain relief accessible for just about anybody.

Related posts:

1. Get a Deep-Tissue Massage every day of the week in the comfort of your own home
2. Why Trigger Point Therapy works so Well…
3. The Case Against Massage Therapy for Back Pain…

Surgery for back pain is only performed in about 5% of all cases. And only 1% of all disc herniations occur in the thoracic, or upper back, due to its stability. This is good news for those with upper back pain: odds are high upper back surgery won’t be in your future.

While upper back surgery is still rare, upper back pain itself is becoming more common. Accidents, sports injuries, and other trauma can cause muscle sprains and worse. But an increasingly common cause of upper back pain is related to postural and strength issues, particularly for those who spend much of the day working on computers.

There are a number of natural health avenues one may consider for when dealing with upper back pain issues, including:

Muscle Balance Therapy uses targeted exercise and stretching to strengthen deconditioned muscles and stretch overly tight ones to relieve muscle pain and pressure on the spine.

Massage Therapy by a trained massage therapist can provide relief from upper back and increase joint mobility.

Trigger Point Therapy is used to relieve myofascial pain from irritated muscles, particularly common in the broad upper back and shoulder muscles.

The Alexander Technique, taught in private or group sessions, provides instruction on how to change movement habits to remove muscle restrictions and create more ease of movement. The Alexander Technique is particularly helpful for postural issues such as forward head posture and hunched shoulders.

Remember, except in cases of severe trauma your upper back pain did not happen overnight. It can take time to overcome the underlying causes of pain. But actively working towards better health naturally is almost always a better approach than what should be your last resort: upper back surgery.

Related posts:

1. Back Surgery for a Herniated Disc?
2. Dealing with an Upper Back Pinch
3. Tim Wakefield’s Back Surgery

The photo above-left is an infrared photo showing the blood circulation of your average person’s back.

The yellow areas are spots where the blood circulation is poor and weak and the red spots where it is healthy and strong.

Most people’s circulation is terrible! Look at the picture — his whole back is one big yellow splotch.

The photo above-right is the same person after using a FAR Infrared Heating Pad. Look how healthy his circulation is. This is after barely an hour of soothing heat too.

If you’re trying to manage chronic back, neck or leg pain this Far Infrared Heating Pad could be the single greatest investment you’ll make all year. If you use it for just a 30 minute session, the pain relief actually lasts for up to SIX HOURS.

Even better, The Mayo Clinic reports Far Infrared Heat delivers amazing health benefits on top of helping reduce your back pain.

In a study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, The Mayo Clinic showed Far Infrared Heat therapy …

Significantly lowers your blood pressure

Helps you lose weight faster

Lowers your blood sugar

Significantly increases your blood flow and circulation

Lowers your cholesterol

And lowers your triglycerides (too much of this is linked to coronary artery disease)

The Mayo Clinic study suggests Far Infrared Heat therapy even lowers your risk of getting arteriosclerosis!

And you can get all these benefits without diets, exercises or months of treatments – NOT that those aren’t good for you! We should all eat right and exercise. But most of us could use a little extra help too.

You just can’t get the same fast transformation of your circulation from regular heat as a FAR Infrared Heating Pad can deliver.

Click here to find out about the FAR Infrared Heating Pads
This heating pad has quickly become one of our best-selling products… and folks who try it just LOVE it…

“I bought this for my mother who has been suffering from back pain for over a decade, but when it arrived I wanted to try it out first. As you can guess, I loved it and had to buy another one for me! Thanks for letting me know about this great new product.”

–Richard S, Oceanside, CA

But here’s the catch…

These heating pads are flying off the shelves, and my sister Heather (she handles our product warehouse) is working overtime to make sure everyone who wants one can get one.

But we’ve gone on back-order FOUR TIMES in a row on these because they are so popular.

Right now we only have 55 units, but we have over 600,000 people following our updates–So these units are going to disappear quick… again.

So I urge you to pop over and take a look now because who knows how fast these 55 will go.

Click here to find out about the FAR Infrared Heating Pads

Related posts:

1. The Healing Power of Far Infrared Heat
2. Heating Pad for Back Pain?
3. Facet Joint Syndrome: Source of Your Back or Neck Pain?

The creaky knees and achy back of old age are a well-known stereotype. Of course, it’s based in truth. As we age, muscles shorten and lose some elasticity. The soft tissues that hold joints together stiffen. Bones lose density.

Conventional medicine typically offers cover-up treatments for these naturally occurring changes. But these treatments do nothing to restore lost function.

They may relieve symptoms-and just as likely, they may not. But they don’t get at the root causes of the problems. They don’t offer cures.

Fortunately, natural medicine has many answers to the problem of painful muscles and joints that conventional medicine doesn’t offer. Here are two of the best.

Click here to find out what they are.

Related posts:

1. Natural Treatments for Sciatica
2. Blood Sugar Secrets Revealed… Conventional Wisdom is WRONG!
3. Say Goodbye to Osteoarthritis… The All-Natural Way!

If you’re suffering back pain, it may be that your vertebrae are compressed. Compression occurs naturally from the force of gravity, but becomes a health hazard when combined with an injury, poor posture or muscle imbalances.

This excessive, restrictive compression can cause slipped discs and nerve pressure… both causing pain. The way to correct this, is by de-compressing the spinal column.

Some conditions typically treated with spinal decompression include bulging or herniated discs, lumbar strains, sciatica, degenerative discs, spinal arthritis, degenerative joint disease, post-surgical low back pain, and acute back pain.

Click here to learn about four spinal decompression techniques, their effect on the body, and their intended outcomes.

Related posts:

1. Spinal Stenosis and Fusion Surgery
2. Home Spinal Decompression: Inversion Therapy vs. Nubax Trio
3. Inversion Therapy for Herniated or Bulging Disc

From the Desk of:
Steve Hefferon

I have a confession to make as a massage therapist.

If you’ve ever gotten a massage to treat muscle-pain in your neck & back, legs & hips or some other part of your body… you probably didn’t need to spend the money.

Because there are FOUR MAJOR FLAWS with massage therapy you should know about.

Massage Therapy Flaw #1: Massage is not a one-time fix for muscle pain. You feel great when you get one and for awhile afterwards.

But a week or two goes by and your muscles start to hurt again. For lasting relief you’ll need to go back often, and at $80-$150 a pop massage therapy gets very expensive over time.

Massage Therapy Flaw #2: Because it’s so expensive you put off going for months at a time. Some people almost never get the treatments they need for no other reason than they can’t afford them.

It’s a shame. You shouldn’t have to be Donald Trump to get relief from painful muscles.

Massage Therapy Flaw #3: You’re not getting instant treatment. You have to schedule a session, wait around with painful muscles for days or weeks.

It would be so much better if you could get a deep-tissue massage whenever you want it.

Massage Therapy Flaw #4: You can walk away feeling worse than before the massage. Some people hate getting deep-tissue massages because they feel so bad afterward.

Why? Because aggressive massage creates micro-tears in the muscles, often activating dormant trigger points, causing pain.

You’re going to love this.

There is a way to get a “personal masseuse” to give you gentle, deep massages every day of the year – and you don’t have to spend $30,000 to keep him on staff.

I’m talking about a home massage-therapy system you can use right away to melt away the tiny knots in your muscles.

For about 40-cents a day you can get a daily deep-tissue massage to relive life’s aches and pains – with NONE of the drawbacks of traditional massage therapy…

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars all year long to get relief… You don’t need to put off getting your massage because it costs so much… You don’t have to wait a month in between massages …

You don’t need to suffer through aggressive massages because you’ll have all the time in the world to get a gentle massage …

Here at The Healthy Back Institute we’ve talked a lot about how trigger points – the tiny knots that form in your muscles – are the source of so many types of pain …

Discovered by President John F. Kennedy’s doctor, trigger points in muscles are increasingly becoming recognized as the cause of up 75% of muscle and tissue pain. Seventy-five percent!

These dime-sized landmines in your tissues cause your muscles to tighten and shorten. And because they tighten your muscles they start to change the way your body moves.

They limit the movement in one muscle causing it to weaken over time.

Have you ever tried to rub a sore, painful muscle and no matter what you did you couldn’t quite “get” to the painful spot?

Those are trigger points!

It’s called “referred pain” and it’s when the real cause of the pain is a point in the muscle but you FEEL the pain several inches away – so you can never quite find the perfect spot to massage.

In them you’ll get an atlas of your body’s trigger-points so you can find the (often surprising) points to relieve pain you may have had for years – including …

• Trigger-points causing mid-back pain
• Trigger-points causing low-back pain
• Trigger-points causing upper-back pain
• Trigger points causing hip and leg pain
• Trigger points causing neck pain
• Trigger-points causing shoulder pain
• And more!

Developed by a board-certified neurological chiropractor, this advanced self-treatment system gives you a massage therapist on call.

Easy to use, it completely relaxes your muscles by using your body weight to apply deep, gentle pressure to trigger-points in your muscles.

Plus, your Trigger Point Self-Treatment System is really like having a small army of therapists to help you because you get special treatment techniques to fully deactivate your trigger points …

Gentle Deep-Tissue Massage: If you’re body is sensitive you can use the Variable therapeutic compression technique to get relief without overworking your muscles …

Do-it-Yourself Myofascial Release: Experience amazing relief when you loosen and relax the spider-web of connective tissue running through your muscles …

Fibromyalgia? The Position Release Technique is perfect for you, if regular massage has ever hurt you, this methods is perfect …

Stretch Your Spine: You can even do spinal-traction and decompression with this system to relieve the effects of gravity on your spinal -system …

And that’s just for starters!

I know not every solution is for everyone. Something that works miracles for one person doesn’t always help someone else.

That’s why we’re offering this fool-proof guarantee:

Try it out for a year and if at any time you’re not absolutely delighted with the relief you get by having an in-house self-massage system, just return it for a FULL AND COMPLETE REFUND.

Call us now toll-free at 1-800-216-4908 or order your system using our secure online shopping cart.

It’s simple. We’re out to help you, not soak you and we figure if we let you try it for a year you’ll LOVE the way it makes you feel.

You’ll get a 90-Minute video explaining how to find all the trigger points causing you pain…

You’ll get treatment instructions so you know exactly how to get rid of your pain-causing trigger points…

You’ll get a Trigger-Point Guide Book detailing:

• Step-by-step pictures of how to treat different types of pain…
• A compete trigger-point guide showing over 27 major areas trigger points appear on your body…
• How to find treatment points and what to do with them …
• A pictorial treatment guide so you can SEE how to treat your painful muscles (this is the key)…
• Special therapeutic techniques you can use to get the most out of the system…
• The Trigger-Point Treatment Platform with 16 massage “digits” to fit all the nooks and crannies of your muscles to get rid of all types of pain…

Plus, you get a FULL YEAR to try the system out and be 100% confident that you absolutely love using it, or you can your MONEY-BACK.

Since there’s no risk to you, why not give it a shot? Why not get a massage every day? You deserve it! Plus you are going to just love how quickly you’ll be able to silence those nagging aches and pains!

Sincerely,
Steve Hefferon, CMT, PTA

P.S. Don’t take my word for it, ask the folks who’ve already used it…

“This system is incredible! I can move, run, and exercise again. It is fantastic to know that I can do something positive to get rid of my pain. I threw out all of my pills. Now I just pop on the system and dig out those trigger points.”

~Cindy T. Macon, GA

“My life is so much easier to handle without being in constant pain. The system has given me the freedom I was looking for. Everyone needs to try one!”

~Sam M. New York NY

“Because of a whiplash injury, I had years of chronic upper back and neck pain, but not anymore! Thanks to this unique fantastic little device.”

~Susan H. Pittsburgh, PA

Click here to claim your copy of the Trigger Point Self-Treatment System today!