Friday, January 25, 2008
Other Benefits Of Cox-2
Let's assume that your hormones are fine. What if you're just having ‘natural' wear and tear? Well, there are some great places to start before you go diving head-long for the cortisone injections.
First, do consider fish oil. Fish oil (EPA/DHA in the correct ratios, such as in Carlson's Brand) works wonders for the joints and connective tissues, as well as being one of the healthiest substances you can put in your body. Fish oil has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers related to heart disease, reduce blood pressure, lessen the likelihood of stroke, and even control blood sugar levels. Many Type 2 diabetics have removed themselves (under a doctor's care) from medication with the help of fish oil, exercise and proper nutrition.
Again, "proper nutrition" is not a one-size-fits-all prescription. If you're 55 and obese, you do not want to role model a 25-year-old personal trainer whose only fat resides between his ears. Listen to someone who's been there. That makes for certainty, and certainty is the key to success.
Next, look into a three-supplement "stack" I recommend to some of my clients who really suffer from joint pain: MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Each works is a slightly different way. Glucosamine has the most amount of medical research behind it, but MSM is deemed as a "miracle cure" for a lot of people. For others, it has limited use — but the ‘stack' is the best natural approach I've found, when combined with fish oil, for relieving joints and muscles from non-injury-related pain.
Dosages vary, but a good start would be:
Glucosamine: 1,000mg per 100 pounds of body weight
Chondroitin: 400mg 2-3x per day
MSM: 1,000mg 2x per day
Fish oil: 2-4 grams per day in liquid form (Carlson's lemon-flavored fish oil actually tastes good)
Again, be sure to pass these recommendations by your physician.
Last, but not least, move. You may want to start with Yoga, believe it or not. Yoga can relieve joint and muscle pain like you would not believe. I used Yoga stretches when I injured my lower back in 2002, and the healing was remarkable.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy—How It Affects Muscle And Joints
If you have a child that suffers from cerebral palsy disorder, most likely the spastic type is what you are dealing with right now. Being the most common type of cerebral palsy, it is accounted for almost 70 to 80 percent of entire cerebral palsy cases. Individuals that are suffering from this condition basically have stiff muscles which remain on an extended contraction state. Because of this muscle stiffness, normal movement becomes difficult, and it can result to permanent joint and muscle damage.
Although the muscles of the legs and arms are the most affected body parts of an individual suffering from spastic cerebral palsy, its involvement may differ. The following are some of the possible variations:
Spastic diplegia- it is a type of spastic cerebral palsy where the legs' muscles are severely affected that results in the legs to turn in and cross at the knees. Individuals affected by spastic diplegia can experience stiffness of their legs once they tried to walk.
Spastic hemiplegia- it is another type of spasm where the limbs of the half part of the body is severely affected. This type may be diagnosed once a physician examines an infant fro so-called hand preference. An infant aging less than one year old does not show any hand preference. However, if an infant is affected with spastic hemiplegia, it shows hand preference on the affected side of his body.
The treatment for individuals that is affected with spastic cerebral palsy involves combination of surgery and physical therapy. The joints as well as the muscles are exercised to block them from falling into the state of immobility. Once unexercised muscles and joints is combined with abnormal and poor posture, there is a large tendency that muscles be shortened, resulting in much limited flexibility and movements.
In most cases, therapist normally uses muscle-relaxing substances such as botolinum toxin. It is injected on a certain group of muscles that will be prepared for a surgery or physical therapy. If further mobility and flexibility is till unachievable for about a particular therapy session, there will be a need for the patient's spinal cord and nerves for an operation to decrease the transmission of nerve impulses on particular muscles, thus relaxing them. There will also be a need to use orthopedic devices to help keep the limbs in its proper position and enhance movement.
It is important that you are aware of spastic cerebral palsy in order to know what are the necessary treatments to ease the pain that your child or loved one affected by it.