Note: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice.
Below is a list of specific health conditions with some options for self-care and professionally-assisted therapies that may help. This guide is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, but to offer suggestions that might not be mentioned elsewhere, especially self-help methods. If you are seeking health, further learning and study about your condition is recommended as there may be other effective treatments besides the ones mentioned below.
To start working with a chronic problem that is not life threatening nor quickly getting worse, it is usually a good idea to begin with inexpensive, non-invasive methods. However, it is never a mistake to consult with a physician before beginning self-help or other treatments in order to rule out the possibility that you have a life-threatening condition. If pain is severe or your condition is obviously worsening, consult a physician or knowledgeable practitioner.
Most chronic conditions have multiple causes, therefore it may take a combination of treatments, remedies, or lifestyle changes to reverse the illness. When trying to resolve a health condition, it is ultimately important to understand why you get recurrent problems and to work on the causes (not just the symptoms). For more information about your specific condition and further treatment options, see also Dr. Walt Stoll's website at www.askwaltstollmd.com.
I have written a short article about the difference between healing and curing to help you understand more about how to resolve all kinds of health problems. I suggest that you read the article first before clicking down to read about your specific condition.
Generally people consult a health care professional or try different healing techniques because they want to be free of an illness or set of symptoms, or resolve pain. When selecting a health care professional to work with, or when choosing a method or technique to use, it is often helpful to consider whether the focus of that practitioner or method is upon healing or curing.
Curing involves concentration upon eliminating symptoms and sometimes focuses on abnormal pathological tests. The emphasis of curing is upon removing symptoms and seeking to return you to the state you were in before you became aware of an illness or were injured. Curing techniques can be very beneficial and invaluable for temporary relief of symptoms, in emergency situations, for injuries, and for individuals whose lives do not permit healing to occur.
Healing addresses symptoms in a manner that delves to their cause or root. These causes may include such things as lifestyle, environmental influences, current or past emotions, traumatic experiences, or beliefs. Healing may explore what a symptom may be telling you about yourself. Healing uses inner power and mind/body resources to restore or create a unique balance and harmony resulting in health, vitality and joy. Thus, inner balance and overall well-being may be improved with or without a specific problem being present.
Both curing and healing play an important role in health care. They can complement each other. Curing may be an important part of healing. Curing often works on the physical level. Healing may also work on the physical level, and then explore other influences upon the health problem, such as the mental-emotional connection. This connection between the body and mind is being addressed more and more by different realms of medicine and science.
Sometimes healing can be like putting together a puzzle. A person on a healing journey may need to use several self-help methods plus consult with several practitioners of different healing modalities in order to accomplish both healing and curing. Each method and practitioner might provide a different piece to the puzzle, and harmonize in working together toward the resolution of a chronic or complex issue. Using different methods at the same time can sometimes create a kind of healing "synergy" in which the whole is more than the sum of the parts. Each individual is different, so typically one protocol will not be right for all individuals with the same condition. Thus each person must individually seek exactly what is needed for oneself.
Some therapies can often both cure and heal. Massage is one example. Massage can cure by alleviating symptoms and pain on the physical level, often producing dramatic results in one session or in a series of sessions over time. Massage can also heal, because of its holistic nature. (Holistic means addressing the wholeness of a person.) Massage touches all levels of a person's being, so a person may come into a massage session with tight muscles, but leave with a whole different state of mind and emotions. Massage has a preventive role in health care as well, by helping increase your awareness to avoid future problems.
Before you select modalities and methods to use for self-healing, be an informed health-care consumer. Learn as much as you can about your own condition and about whatever healing method you wish to try. There is a wealth of information available on the web, and my Book/Video Resources List recommends books with information about different curing and healing modalities.
The book I am writing with Walt Stoll, M.D., Recapture Your Health, also includes an entire chapter about the causes of illness. This chapter is meant to help you understand how and why illness occurs, so you can become more effective in finding the remedy. The rest of the book is about several remedies that help the largest number of people succeed in seeking health.
^ IndexPain and inflammation caused by injury to the plantar fascia of the feet, and/or by tight calf muscles. Plantar fascitis is acutely painful after prolonged immobility. Then the pain recedes but comes back with extended use. The pain feels sharp and bruise-like deep in the arch or on the heel.
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Inflammation or irritation of the sciatic nerve in the back or hip causing shooting pain in the hip, leg, or feet. Sciatica may originate in the spine, or be caused by tight muscles or ligaments entrapping or impinging the sciatic nerve. If caused by tight muscles, which is common, massage and stretching are a great combination for relief.
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Shin splints are any generalized pain in the front of the lower leg. Shin splint is an umbrella term which covers problems such as muscular strains and hairline fractures of the bone of the leg (tibia). It is often experienced following an increased amount of exercise or use of the feet and legs. Pain may be superficial or deep, mild or severe. Shin splints are caused by pressure to the bone (tibia) and muscles of the lower leg (usually tibialis anterior). For example, if there is inadequate shock absorpotion to the feet, from flat feet, misalignment of the ankle, bad shoes, bad surfaces to walk, run, or jump on, or a combination, the tibia and muscles in the lower leg absorb a disproportionate amount of the shock. This can create excessive stretching or contracting of the muscles and jarring of the bone. Continued over time, irritation, inflammation and microtears in bone and muscles may occur. If shin splints are not resolved at this point, more serious damage may occur, such as the muscle pulling away from the bone.
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An involuntary contraction of a muscle. Spasms are considered to be low-grade, long-lasting contractions that are achy and cause inefficient movement. Cramps are short-lived and extremely painful. Causes may include factors like dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, stress, or prolonged use of a muscle.
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Any injury (tear) to a muscle or tendon.
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Use self-care methods for minor sports injuries. For severe injuries, see a physican or sports medicine specialist. Prevent sports injuries by keeping muscles sufficiently flexible (stretching), receiving regular massages, sufficient rest and nutrition, proper body mechanics, etc.
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Thoracic outlet syndrome is a repetitive stress injury, the result of repetitious movement of one or more parts of the shoulder or arm resulting in muscular, structural, or fascial (connective tissue) pain. Common symptoms include weakness, aching, burning, limited range of motion, tingling, shooting pain, or numbness in the arms, wrists or hands. Repetitive movements, in and of themselves, are not always the cause of thoracic outlet syndrome. The nerves or the blood vessels running to or from the arm are impinged or impaired in some way. It may be related to previous injury histories, postural habits, structural factors, or traumas.
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Some symptoms that cannot be easy described or diagnosed as part of a specific condition may be reversed, reduced, or eliminated by increasing one's overall health condition. The 3LS Wellness Program is particularly effective at helping such symptoms, as it enhances the body's own natural healing ability and provides resources for the body to heal itself.
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An umbrella term referring to a series of injuries which may occur with rapid movement of the neck. Symptoms vary according to the nature of the injury. Pain at the neck referring into the shoulders and arms and headaches are the primary symptoms.
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References:
http://lifespringarts.com
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Website Claimer and Disclaimer: In the holistic healing model, each person is responsible for one's own health and makes one's own choices in healing. The information in this website is provided for your information and education. It is not medical advice. Any application of the information is at your own discretion. If you feel you need to do so, consult with your physician or other knowledgeable health care practitioner before or while making use of this information.
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by Jan DeCourtney, CMT
