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At The First Sign Of A Migraine…

At The First Sign Of A Migraine...Migraines can cause debilitating pain, which can lead to a decline in your quality of life and in severe cases, depression. Incorporating a healthy lifestyle with a few simple preventative techniques may stop some migraines before they start.

Self-treatment will not always work, but here are a few tips that may  help reduce the severity of your next migraine.

At the first sign of a migraine:

Remove yourself from your current activity and seek a quite darkened room. Migraines often increase sensitivity to light and sound.

Apply hot or cold compresses to your head or neck.  Ice packs will numb pain, while a hot pack or heating pad will help relax tense muscles.

Apply gentle pressure to your scalp or temples, which will help alleviate muscle tension.

Drink a caffeinated beverage; in small amounts, caffeine can help relieve migraine pain in the early stages.

Healthy Lifestyle:

Daily exercise will encourage your body to release certain chemicals that block pain signals to your brain. These chemicals can help alleviate anxiety and depression, which can make migraines worse. Remember that exercising too vigorously can trigger migraines.

Stress and migraines often go hand in hand, so simplify your life where you can. Delegate what you can, and divide large tasks into manageable chunks – use your time wisely.  If you feel overwhelmed, take a break, try to relax with deep breathing.  This requires inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply for a minimum of 10 minutes every day.  This type of deep breathing will also help to relax your muscles.

Getting a good nights sleep will also help to avoid migraines. Make sure that you are waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, including weekends, and minimizing distractions in your bedroom by not watch television or working in bed.

Keep a migraine diary – this will help you find out what triggers your migraines. Note when a migraines starts, what you were doing at the time, how long they last and what, if anything, provides relief. Eventually you may be able to prevent migraines by changing patterns in your daily life.

Migraine diagnoses:

While no specific test can determine whether your headaches are migraines, you can help your practitioner make a diagnosis by keeping a migraine diary.  Your migraine journal should include the location, severity, frequency, and duration of your headaches. You should also make note of any prescribed medications you are taking.

Lifestyle choices can help reduce the frequency and severity of your migraines, as well as medication. However, there are other forms of treatment which include massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, Laser and eToims.  Please talk with our health care practitioners to decide which type of treatment is right for you.

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6 Tips To Prevent Chronic Back Pain

6 Tips To Prevent Chronic Back PainA healthy back is straight, moves easily and is free of pain.  The most common area for chronic back pain is the lower back; also called the lumbar spine.

Back pain is defined as either acute or chronic. Practitioners diagnose low back pain as acute if it lasts less than a month and is not caused by serious medical conditions. If the pain persists, it is considered chronic back pain. Almost 20 million (2 in 3) Canadians will have at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime.

Warning Signs of Chronic Back Pain?

  • If the pain lasts longer than month.
  • The pain can be anywhere in the back. It can be in one area only or spread across a wide area.
  • Your back might be stiff and the muscles swollen. This combination of pain, stiffness and swelling is called inflammation.
  • Some injuries will cause muscles spasms in the back, and pain or weakness in a leg.

Back pain can develop anywhere from the neck to the lower spine. The pain can be localized or spread across a wide area and radiate from a central point. Muscle spasms may occur at the site of the pain. Some people also get pain or weakness in a leg as a result of back injury.

What causes Chronic Back Pain?

  • Poor posture is the most common cause of back pain.
  • Injury due to lifting heavy objects is also a frequent cause of back pain.
  • Being overweight and not exercising enough can increase your risk of back injury.
  • If your back is weak you can get back pain when you get upset or feel stressed.
  • Some types of arthritis can cause chronic back pain.

How to prevent Chronic Back Pain

  • When you lift a heavy item keep it as close to your body as possible. Keep your back straight and use your legs to do the lifting.
  • Use helpful devices such as a cart to carry your grocery bags.
  • Maintain a healthy weight to avoid putting extra stress on your joints.
  • Be aware of your posture
  • Wear shoes that support your feet; this will help keep your back and legs straight.
  • Sleep on a firm mattress and support your neck properly with pillows.

Disciplines that treat Chronic Back Pain – Acupuncture | Chiropractic | Massage | Physiotherapy

Treatments for Chronic Back Pain – eToims | Laser | Spinal Decompression | Shockwave Therapy

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How Much Money Do You Spend on Fitness?

fitness imagesMany of us spend a small fortune on gym memberships or personal trainers to get physically fit and active. There are four major types of fitness training; flexibility exercise, dynamic strength-training, static strength-training, and aerobic exercise; all of which can be fit into your daily schedule without spending large amounts of money.

Flexibility training provides a foundation for all other exercise types. These stretching exercises reduce your risk of injury and improve your flexibility. Try a Tai chi or yoga class, both will help to reduce stress and improve your balance.  Many recreation centres offer a first class for free, so take advantage of these free demonstration exercise classes.   Your local library’s will have exercise DVD`s that you can rent or download activities such as yoga and stretching exercises.

Dynamic strength training consists of  types of exercises that strengthen your muscles over a full-range of motion, as performing a bench press, leg press or situp.  Check with your healthcare practitioners, many clinics now have Rehab Gyms and as a patient you can use the facility at little or no cost.

Static strength-training helps you to maintain muscle strength and tone. Isometric exercises come in two types: sub-maximal and maximal. Sub-maximal exercises involve contracting your muscles such as holding a dumbbell steady with your arm fully extended. Maximal exercises involve contracting your muscles with all your strength, such as pushing against a wall.

Aerobic training strengthens your cardiovascular system by increasing the heart rate.  They should be performed for longer than 15 minutes and should maintain your heart rate at about 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. Examples of aerobic exercise include fast walking, jogging, and swimming.  Joining a walking group will keep you motivated, or try participating in community-sponsored fun run.  If you need a bit more of a team atmosphere try joining a volleyball or basketball league that plays at your local community center.

Staying connected to you community is a good way to keep fit mentally and physically at little or no cost to yourself; and will keep you moving while having a great time!

Remember that all activity counts towards being physically fit, so even tasks such as household chores, or gardening will help you keep fit.

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What causes sciatica?

sciatic-nerveSciatica and associated nerve pain is caused by different types of pressure on or damage to the sciatic nerve in the lower back or buttocks – the sciatic nerve connects nearly the whole of the skin of the leg, the muscles of the back of the thigh, and those of the leg and foot to provide feeling and movement, so any pressure on this nerve can cause considerable, debilitating pain.

Pain from sciatica can change: it can be shooting/burning/sharp, non-stop, or intermittent. Pain is usually only felt on one side of the body. Some people complain of intense and acute pain. Others experience a numb and weak feeling in their leg. Sneezing, coughing, straining, bending, or lifting can make it worse.

What can causes sciatica?

Something as simple as bad posture, muscle strain or spasm, being overweight, or sleeping on a mattress that is too soft can put pressure on or damage the sciatic nerve.

A herniated disc, know by most of us as a “slipped disc”, is an even more serious, chronic condition where tremendous pressure on the sciatic nerve by one of the spinal discs that serves as cushioning between the vertebrae. The disc doesn’t slip – instead it ruptures, and the gel that makes up the disc intrudes on the spinal nerve or sciatic nerve. The result is severe pain and even loss of mobility.

Often hereditary, this condition can result in months of lost productivity while the disc heals and inflammation subsides. Unfortunately, ruptured discs are prone to do the same thing again, but with a careful rehabilitation plan including exercise, weight loss and other treatments and practices, it is possible to help prevent this condition from becoming chronic and debilitating.

How to treat sciatica and nerve pain

Often, lifestyle changes such as losing weight are the most common method for dealing with sciatica and nerve pain.

Sciatica and nerve pain can be treated with a combination of treatments, including:

  • Decompression Table
  • eToims
  • massage
  • physiotherapy
  • Class IV K-Laser Therapy

Topical ointments such as Traumeel and nutritional supplements can also help with inflammation.

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Fluid Lifestyle Presents – Two Ignite Retreats

stowelbarnI am excited to launch this years offering of not just one, but two Ignite Retreats!

June 15 and 16 will be Ignite Spirit, an urban retreat, on Sleeping Dog Farm (outside Victoria) and will delve into encaustics and writing with groove and yoga as the movement accompaniment.

Sept 19-22 is Ignite Soul and will profile Living in the Buddha Zone meditation, yoga, pilates, groove dance and the field to table cooking experience amidst the stunning setting of Stowel Lake Farm and community.

Unleash your energy, activate your inspiration, learn, stretch and dance into joy. Experience the peaceful setting and deep beauty of Stowel Lake Farm, an organic farm and wellness centre on the south end of sun drenched Saltspring Island.  Ignite your inner fire with creativity and movement.

Please have a peek at the website for all the details and to view our fantastic video of last years retreat www.fluidlifestyle.ca.

Cory Judge has been passionate about personal health and fitness for years. She holds a degree in Environmental Studies and Geography from UVIC, but found her path led outside the mainstream and into the entrepreneurial world of artisan design.

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