Fitness And Health » back pain

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power

follett79 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:47:33 +0000

: Image by BIJI KURIAN via Flickr

Chronic back pain is one of the most vexing problems that you can have. Not being able to find comfort in any position and the resulting problems.

You can work on back pain by helping your back get stronger and healthier. Remember pain pills are ok to take if you really need them but they don’t solve the underlying problem.

You can begin to address the problem by noticing your posture and beginning to correct it when it is poor. Massage is good. Getting your back more flexible can also help, check out: Kundalini Yoga. There are also more traditional exercises – there is a good video at the end of this post that you should watch. These are just a couple of ideas to help resolve your back problems.

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power

by Jesse Cann

You don’t need to be a scientist to know that chronic back pain can have a negative impact on your life, often bringing with it anxiety and depression. It can affect your ability to work, sleep, and perform other daily activities.

Until recently, it has been assumed that whatever changes occurred in the brain as a result of chronic back pain were only temporary and that the brain would revert to a normal state once the pain stopped.

Recent findings by researchers from Northwestern University have turned this assumption on its head. What they found was that chronic back pain — defined as pain lasting six months or longer — can cause significant and long-lasting damage to the brain, aging it up to 20 times faster than normal.¹

The Northwestern study is consistent with other research on chronic pain and cognitive ability.

Evidence of a link between chronic pain and brain function comes from a study done at Keele University in the United Kingdom. Scientists compared the “prospective” memory — such as remembering to pick up groceries or keep a doctor’s appointment — of 50 subjects with chronic back pain to the memory of 50 subjects who were pain-free.

Investigators used something called the Prospective Memory Questionnaire, a self-rating scale that requires users to record the number of times their prospective memory fails in a given period of time. The scale measures three types of prospective memory: long-term habitual, short-term episodic, and internally cued.

Those with chronic pain had significantly impaired short-term memory compared with subjects who were pain-free. No differences were observed in the other types of prospective memory.

Researchers believe that when pain kicks in, it triggers a region of the brain known as the lateral occipital complex (LOC). When this happens, it overrides a person’s ability to concentrate and accurately recognize images.

You can help preserve your short-term memory — even if you do live with chronic pain — by following these easy tips.

Read out loud

If you want to remember something, saying the words out loud will help burn the information into your brain. If you can turn it into a rhyme, it’s even better.

Write things down

Mental clutter makes it hard to recall data. Use address books, datebooks, and calendars. Jot down notes on more complicated material and reorganize your notes as soon as possible. The physical act of rewriting can help imprint facts into your memory.

Rehearse and review

Go over what you’ve learned the day you learn it, and review it periodically. Researchers call this “spaced rehearsal.” It has proven to be more effective than cramming.

Get your vitamins

Nutrients such as vitamins B, C, and E can nurture brain function. Dietary sources of vitamin B include spinach and other dark leafy greens, strawberries, melons, and black beans. Vitamins C and E improve the flow of oxygen through the brain. Good natural sources are berries, sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, green tea, nuts, citrus fruits, and liver. Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna are also associated with improved cognitive function.

Surprise your brain

Another way to help your brain perform better is to stimulate it through novelty. For example, brushing your teeth with your left hand (if you’re right-handed) will fire up seldom-used connections on the non-dominant side of your brain. Or try “neurobic” exercise, which forces you to use your faculties in unusual ways — say, getting dressed with your eyes closed, taking a course in a subject you know nothing about, or cooking a recipe in an unfamiliar cuisine.

Reference

1. The Journal of Neuroscience, November 17, 2004; 24(46):10410-10415.

[Ed. Note: Jesse Cannone is a certified fitness trainer, rehabilitation specialist and co-founder of the Healthy Back Institute. For more information on how you can reduce or completely eliminate your pain naturally, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

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When Alternative Therapies Don’t Work: Here’s What You Need to Know

admin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:57:15 +0000

By Mark Bromson, MD

Many patients come to me seeking pain relief. Whether it is back pain, neck and shoulder pain, or arthritis pain, my patients need solutions. Sometimes, the solution involves treating an underlying condition and putting an end to the pain. Sometimes, it means learning to manage chronic pain over the long term. Often, it simply means offering quick relief so people can get on with daily life. It’s this third solution that we’ll be discussing today.

Pain and Your Nerves

A back injury may be very different from chronic arthritis, but these conditions are similar in one aspect: both trigger a series of exchanges between the three major parts of your nervous system. These exchanges or messages are relayed through the body by neurons, the billions of cells that make up the nervous system. The result is the sensation you know as pain.

Here’s how it works: Pain begins with the peripheral nerves. They extend from your skin, muscles and internal organs to your spinal cord. These nerves may be sensitive to touch, movement and temperature changes. When these nerves are stimulated, they send pain messages in the form of electrical impulses to your spinal cord. In the spinal cord, which is the second major part of the nervous system, chemicals called neurotransmitters are released. These activate yet another group of nerve cells, which relay the message to the brain.

In the brain, which is the third area of the nervous system, the message is received by the thalamus. From there, specific messages are sent to the parts of the brain responsible for physical, emotional and intellectual reactions. As a result, you feel the pain in your body, you react emotionally based on your past experience, and you understand the idea of pain and begin, no doubt, to think of ways to alleviate it.

Getting Fast Relief

Now that you know pain begins with the nerves, you can target them directly to get relief. As I mentioned above, your peripheral nerves are responsive to the sensations of hot and cold. If you take advantage of this, you can prevent the pain message from reaching the brain by masking it with a different message.

The key is to use topical treatments with ingredients that can distract your nervous system from the pain you are experiencing. Sometimes called “counterirritants,” these substances are effective at providing temporary relief. Some highly potent ingredients to look for are menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, juniper berry oil and pine oil. The active ingredients listed on a product’s label will be present in the largest quantity in the medicine. Ideally, a mix of menthol and camphor should appear on this list.

These pain-masking ingredients can penetrate the skin and trigger a response in the nerves. Menthol, for example, will result in a cooling sensation when the nerve impulses reach the brain. Other substances produce hot sensations. Capsaicin creams, in particular, are made from chile peppers and deprive nerve cells of a substance needed for sending pain messages.

I often recommend topical pain relievers like I described above to my patients. These highly effective counterirritants will not permanently alleviate pain, but they provide temporary relief that is vital to those suffering from chronic conditions. Often, people use these products when they are waiting for other medications to begin working.

There are many ways to deal with pain. Only you and your doctor can determine the best plan to suit your individual needs. If topical counterirritants become part of your treatment plan, they should provide a welcome dose of relief just when you need it most.

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/pain-management-symptoms-types

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain/PN00017

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/pain-relievers

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/PN/00041.html

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/brain/2.asp

[Mark Bromson, MD, is a nutritional consultant for Vitalmax Vitamins. He is presently a practicing orthopedic surgeon in South Florida. His extensive medical education includes a biology degree from Harvard College, a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Miami. Dr. Bromson is actively involved in the advancement of alternative medicine and its role in nutrition, exercise and the musculoskeletal system. To learn more, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

Fitness And Health » back pain

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power

Exercises to Reduce Back Pain : Exercises for Back Pain Relief: The Bird Dog

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When Alternative Therapies Don’t Work: Here’s What You Need to Know

By Mark Bromson, MD