spinal stenosis
"The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings."
William Hazlitt [1778-1830. British Essayist]
If "The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern..." then what happens when we have back, knee or joint pain?
Did you know that
- 80% of Americans will battle with a back problem at some point in their lives?
- 7 million people are treated for back aches every year?
- 2 million new cases of back pain are opened every year?
- $100 billion is being spent annually in medical bills, disability and lost productivity at work?
Pain and its relief is of utmost concern for most of us that are in constant pain.
Why are we in Pain?
Before we can answer this question, we need to understand how the body interprets and handles this problem. The pain impulse begins at the point of an injury for example a cut, burn, pinched nerve, bruised muscle etc.
Once the impulse starts, it triggers a number of bio-chemicals to be released at the site of the injury. Some of these bio-chemicals are histamine, bradykinin, prostaglandin, and Substance P. Each of these has one or more effects on the body. And many of these bio-chemicals are inflammatory -- that is they cause the injury site to swell up.
Inflammation is actually a defense mechanism for the body. Inflammation serves to bathe the injury in healing fluids and acts as a cushion to protect against further injury. However. if the inflammation is prolonged or out of control, it can cause destruction. This is what occurs in arthritis where the inflammation actually destroys the joints. Also, inflammation can serve to compound problems by actually causing the suffering itself.
This explains how an injury causes the body to release a number of biochemicals that can cause inflammation. Another action of these biochemicals, though, is to stimulate the nerve fibers of pain, the C fibers. (The body actually has three types of nerve fibers: A fibers. B fibers and C fibers. The main fibers which transmit the pain impulse are the C fibers.) Histamine, bradykinin, prostaglandins and the other bio-chemicals are actually the stimuli that cause the pain impulse to begin.
Types of Pain Relief
At the site of an injury, whether the problem is an ache or inflammation, the pain impulse can be interrupted by:
-Decreasing the levels of bio-chemicals that cause you to suffer or
-by actually blocking the nerves - the C fibers.
With that in mind, it would make sense to use a painkiller that can do both of these. Aspirin and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen and Motrin decrease the prostaglandins. This can result in decreased pain and inflammation, especially if the prostaglandins are the main causes.
However, aspirin and NSAIDS do not directly affect the other chemicals and do not affect the nerve, the C fiber.
Narcotics, such as Darvon or codeine, have no known effect on either the "pain" bio-chemicals or the nerve endingss. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) also has no significant effect on these at usual doses. And in fact, the way acetaminophen works is not actually known.
But we also know we can interrupt the pain impulse away from the injury site, at the spinal cord. If our pain killer could also decrease the release of (or deplete the C fiber of) Substance P, the impulse would be blocked at the spinal cord level. Aspirin and NSAIDS have no known effect at this site. Narcotics and tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptylene or Elavil, on the other hand, actually can block the release of Substance P and stop transmission at the spinal cord level, but once again have no value in decreasing the levels of the bio-chemicals of pain.
This new totally natural remedy does it all by providing the relief you need without using drugs and other traditional methods of relief:
- Decreases the levels of the "pain" bio-chemicals.
- Blocks the release of Substance P, thus slowing down the transmission of the impulse along the nerves of pain, the C fibers.
- And slows down transmission of pain along the spinal cord.
When you are in the market for a natural product to relief your pain look for the following qualities:
o reduces your aches and swelling
o lessens the pain of arthritis
o helps with bruises that hurt
o fights muscle fatigue
o provides soothing warmth and relief
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