Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Vitamin B6

Several studies have suggested that Vitamin B6 deficiencies are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Thus, many believe supplementing with Vitamin B6 (25-50 mg, 2 to 3 times a day) helps improve median nerve pain.

Doctors are divided on why Vitamin B6 provides CTS relief. Some think that synovium swelling and inelasticity are caused by B6 deficiency, while others believe Vitamin B6 acts as a diuretic, helping the body to eliminate excess fluid.

*How Vitamin B Can Help Your Carpal Tunnel, Retrieved January 9, 2011, progressivehealth.com, 2011.

 

Turmeric can help reduce chronic Inflammation

 Turmeric, specifically its main active ingredient Curcumin is a very strong anti-inflammatory. It has been used in India for centuries as both a spice and a medicinal herb. Recently, medical science is confirming the validity of its use and finds that the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin easily match the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs – yet without the risks and side effects.

  The inflammatory process is incredibly important as it helps the body fight foreign pathogens and also has a positive role in repairing physical damage. And while this short-term inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and starts to work against the body’s own tissues. It is now believed that long term, low-level systemic inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative conditions. Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in maintaining our health.

 Given that curcumin is such a potent anti-inflammatory, it makes sense that it could help not only with systemic inflammations, but also with the localized chronic inflammation of arthritis. Many studies are showing this to be true. So while you are working toward a better posture to relieve stress on these joints and retard further fractioning, you might think about using Turmeric/Curcumin to ease the discomfort.

 In one study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug. Another   study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2009 compared curcumin with ibuprofen for pain relief in 107 people with knee osteoarthritis. The curcumin eased pain and improved function just as well as the ibuprofen.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000%. Finding a supplement that has extracted a high percentage of curcumin might be a good addition to the daily diet. Or there is a great recipe for Turmeric Milk which is delicious.

 

Just take 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup organic ground turmeric and mix on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring the whole time until it thickens into a thin paste. (I grind a good bit of pepper to mine while mixing) This paste will keep well in the refrigerator for a week or more. Then you can take 1-3 teaspoons of the paste and mix with a cup of Almond milk and drink hot or cold. Yum!

 

 

Low Back Pain

 

On any given week new people will come to us seeking relief from low back pain.  And while the lower lumbar region is the area of their discomfort, it is typically a result of tight hamstrings, gluteals (buttocks), psoas and quads (hip flexors).  More and more people are spending more time at their computers and all this sitting keeps the low back under constant attack from tight hamstrings and shortened hip flexors.

Envision the Hamstrings as a continuation of the spinal muscles that run along each side of the spinal vertebrae. And the hip flexors a continuation of the spinal muscles that run deep in the front of the spine. As an individual sits for longer periods, these muscles remain shortened and cause corresponding changes in the spinal muscles in the back. The stiffness most folks experience upon standing is due to this situation where the length:tension ratio of these partner muscles is out of proportion, therefore not allowing the joints of the low back to move properly . 

So to compensate for this temporary dysfunction, the body recruits other muscles to help pick up the pelvic girdle and allow the hip joint to properly function. This recruitment pattern in movement exposes the low back's vulnerability to strain

Scientists have discovered a new body part

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

After centuries of medical science I thought doctors knew every single bit of the human body. Incredibly enough, ScienceDaily reports on the discovery of
a new body element called the anterolateral ligament, which apparently has been hiding all this time in our knees.

According to ScienceDaily "the Anatomical Society praised the research as very refreshing and commended the researchers for reminding the medical world that, despite the emergence of advanced technology, our knowledge of the basic anatomy of the human body is not yet exhaustive."

This ligament was first postulated by a French surgeon in 1879, but it's only been confirmed now by two doctors at the University Hospitals Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium.

They have been the first to identify it using macroscopic dissection techniques. The doctors say that this ligament can be found in 97
percent of all humans.

Not only this is an amazing discovery in an age when we thought we knew all about the human body but, according to the doctors, this ligament appears to be crucial in anterior cruciate ligament injuries so common in certain types of
athletes.