I get a lot of questions from patients about pain relief options. I addressed over the counter pain relievers in a recent blog post, and now I’d like to talk about what natural options I prefer. To avoid the dangerous side effects of NSAIDs and acetaminophen, I reach for natural cures instead. Here are a few of my favorites: turmeric, ginger, and fish oil. You’ve probably heard of turmeric before: it’s a spice. It’s going to be stored in your pantry, not in your medicine cabinet. Turmeric is a powdery spice from Southeast Asia, and when you put it on your food, it’s kind of orangey and yellowy in color. It’s going to make your food taste spicy, like ginger or garlicky, maybe, so I don’t necessarily like putting it into my food. But I love turmeric because turmeric...
Here at Nightlight Chiropractic, we get a lot of questions from patients about which over-the-counter pain medication is best for neck pain, back pain, and headaches. If you think about your medicine cabinet at home, it is chock-full of all kinds of substances. How do you pick which one you take? Is it just trial and error? Is it based on what your mom told you to do or what one of your parents told you to do a long time ago? Is it based on what your friends say is best to treat pain or certain conditions? We can clear this up for you, but first, let’s review what your different options are and discover why they might be the good or bad choice for what you have going on. When we’re talking about over-the-counter pain relievers, all...
Primary care medical doctors often refer their patients who have been suffering from upper back and shoulder pain to us. Many of those patients describe their symptom as “pain under my shoulder blade.” Doctors who are trained to analyze musculoskeletal complaints will refer these cases they label “rib fixation.” What that means is the inflammation of the muscles and nerves in the area where the joint, which connects the rib to the spine, is not moving properly. This condition can transfer pain into the arm if it begins to affect the group of nerves that transition nerves from the neck to the arm (the brachial plexus). So how does a rib fixation occur and what can be done to fix it? Rib head fixations happen when there is abnormal biomechanical stress put onto the upper back (thoracic spine) and...
Do you wake up every morning with excruciating pain in the bottom of your foot? If so, then you are among the nearly 10% of people who will experience heel pain at some point in their lives. Our Orlando staff regularly treats patients with musculoskeletal conditions and one of the most common diagnoses we see for foot conditions is plantar fasciitis. Though this may be a term you’ve heard before, it’s important to understand the differences between fasciitis and a similar-sounding condition called fasciosis which has a dramatically different treatment. Plantar fasciitis (pronounced: fa-SITE-iss) The plantar fascia is the web-like structural ligament connecting the heel to the bones near the ball of the foot and toes. This ligament or tissue provides structural support to the arch of the foot and is prone to injury with overuse and decreased circulation....
I get a lot of questions from patients about pain relief options. I addressed over the counter pain relievers in a recent blog post, and now I’d like to talk about what natural options I prefer. To avoid the dangerous side effects of NSAIDs and acetaminophen, I reach for natural cures instead. Here are a few of my favorites: turmeric, ginger, and fish oil. You’ve probably heard of turmeric before: it’s a spice. It’s going to be stored in your pantry, not in your medicine cabinet. Turmeric is a powdery spice from Southeast Asia, and when you put it on your food, it’s kind of orangey and yellowy in color. It’s going to make your food taste spicy, like ginger or garlicky, maybe, so I don’t necessarily like putting it into my food. But I love turmeric because turmeric...
