Acupuncture pain management and pain control: Home remedies to help you prevent pain

Through acupuncture as a complete healing system, I've found that there are a number of ways you can help yourself to get better quicker.

For an acute injury, ice, compression and elevation of the affected area can be helpful. However, keep in mind that ice should not be applied for an extended period of time.

There are ongoing debates regarding the use of ice versus heat. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine prefers the use of heat instead of ice.

The application of various herbal liniments or cream can be useful to apply topically but care if the skin is broken. You do not want the wound to become infected.

Avoid massage to the affected area if there is swelling or if there is an open wound.

Advice from my acupuncture system to prevent problems occuring in the future

Balanced nutrition, regular exercise and appropriate body weight will help to maintain the integrity of your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.

A good healthy diet will directly benefit the skeleton. Good nutrition will supply calcium to bone, to help bone mineralization and bone density. This is important to help prevent osteoporosis in later life.

Regular exercise does maintain and can increase bone mass and help keep a stable body weight. I suggest you choose an exercise system that heals and protects the body.

Home remedy for pain relief

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Body weight that is recommended for your height and body frame can reduce excess mechanical wear on weight-bearing joints such as hips an knees.

Gentle stretching can also help.

Take care with lifting heavy objects and how you go about lifting them.

Avoid falls - in the elderly, trauma due to falls lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality.

Reduce household risks – poor lighting, stairs, ladders, chairs placed near or placed on uneven surfaces, chairs with awkward heights, slippery or wet floors, or ill-fitting shoes can add to environmental danger in the home.

For some menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy can help to protect against osteoporosis and possibly cardiovascular disease while also preserving the functioning of muscles and joints. However, recent concerns about the use of estrogen in hormone replacement therapy against the risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer and thrombosis must be considered carefully.

Why is it important to look after yourself?

Soft tissue injury can have serious complications such as:

- An avulsion fracture of the bone

- Impairment of nerve(s) such as those seen in carpal tunnel syndrome or sciatica

- Ossification: a soft tissue injury becomes fibrous and then it calcifies to become hard bone

- Free ossicle in the joint – a cartiledge tear in the knee or elbow can cause a free ossicle in the joint

- Osteoarthritis and Traumatic arthritis: as we age, arthritis develops causing a decrease in quality of life.

On this note, you should also know that improper or incomplete treatment of an acute injury will, in most cases, turn that injury into a chronic long lasting pain.

So take care.

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