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Daily Steps To Mindful Living

pain

How to Save Your Back When Lifting Heavy Objects

Body, Movement & Fitness

Back injuries are something that many, many people deal with. 80% of people, to be precise. Many of those people, unfortunately, initiate or exacerbate the pain by using improper techniques when lifting heavy objects.

The good news is that many of these injuries can be avoided by employing the proper methods. For example, if you’re moving you may be packing boxes. Try to pack more, smaller boxes than larger, heavier ones. If you’re moving furniture, disassemble it so that the pieces are easier to move. [Read more…] about How to Save Your Back When Lifting Heavy Objects

Originally posted on April 24, 2018 @ 11:00 am

Suffering from Injury and Pain? This Sleep Position Chart Will Help

Body

Many people these days struggle with insomnia. Everything from technologies we use, such as iPhones or computers, to the food we eat – these can affect our sleeping habits. Caffeine can inhibit sleep and even interrupt our circadian rhythms. However, one of the often overlooked causes of a poor night’s sleep can be a bodily injury. Everything from headaches and toothaches to broken ankles can greatly affect your ability to sleep through the night. Dromma put together a guide to sleeping properly with different types of injuries. [Read more…] about Suffering from Injury and Pain? This Sleep Position Chart Will Help

Originally posted on December 7, 2017 @ 8:00 am

Meditation for Pain: How Meditating Can Reduce Pain More Than Drugs

Body, Meditation, Mind


Creative Commons License photo credit: Ingrid Sørensen

Have you ever had a chronic injury or illness that caused you a lot of pain no matter what you tried? It can be quite horrible. But did you know that science is now finding that meditation can help reduce pain just as much as pain killers? Fascinating isn’t it?

In this article we’ll take a look at some of the things science is discovering about meditation and pain and then look at some different resources you can tap in to if you want to give it a shot for yourself.

My background with pain and meditation

Although I have been lucky enough to meet quite a few meditation teachers, I have never really capitalized on my fortune. I am not someone who can speak about meditation from experience because I simply don’t do it enough.

But last year I got quite sick with a strange problem; a giant stone was stuck in my saliva gland and causing me more pain than I had ever experienced. And in my agony and despair I tried to do a bit of meditation and mind training in order to find some relief as well as to make the experience perhaps a little bit more meaningful.

And it worked. The most stress and pain free moments of that month were when I managed to calm down and focus on my breath for a little while. At that time I realized how much better off I might have been if I had trained in mediation prior to getting sick. It is no wonder Tibetan Buddhist Lamas are able to endure great hardships and illness without showing any pain at all. They have done years and years of isolated meditation.

Science and meditation for pain relief

So what exactly has science been finding out about meditation and pain relief? Actually, quite a lot. Since the early 1970’s American researchers and scientists have been working with Buddhist meditation experts because they discovered that meditation actually changes the way the brain works.

Realizing that they understood very little about all this, the scientists began taking MRIs and CAT scans whilst the yogis or lamas were meditating. The results were very interesting. Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the Sacremento Bee:

Researchers have found that people who meditate on a regular basis actually develop thicker brains – they increase the connections between their brain cells, and they also increase the network of blood vessels in the brain, especially in those areas that help us to focus and pay attention, as well as areas of the brain involved with self-awareness and empathy.

Meditation can also lead to a reduction in the area of the brain that is associated with pain and stress. In other words, we can literally change our brain by what we focus on. And you don’t have to be an expert at this in order to benefit.

This falls in to a new area of neuroscience called Neuro Plasticity. Basically, what this means is that the brain is constantly changing and can be changed by what we think and do. A decade ago scientists didn’t think this was possible but are now discovering that we can literally change the shape and function of our brain by our thoughts.

But it gets better. The study also showed:

[Read more…] about Meditation for Pain: How Meditating Can Reduce Pain More Than Drugs

Originally posted on April 18, 2011 @ 3:16 am

3 Ways to Deal with Physical Pain and Painful Sickness

Body, Inspiration, Spirit

too much
Creative Commons License photo credit: lpk90901

“If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good.” – Shantideva

For the last two weeks I’ve been in bed unable to move due to a big ole stone stuck in my saliva gland. Every time I ate (or even thought about eating for that matter) the gland would swell up to golf ball size and ache like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was the worst pain I have ever been in.

During this time laying perfectly still I really started to think about all the people out there who have it so much worse than me and my stone. And now that the stone is gone (thank you surgeon!) I wanted to write down some things that I’ve heard about in the hope that it might help you if you ever go through some horrible physical pain or sickness. I hope it helps someone out there.

Getting on top of the worry

If you talk to my friends and family they will probably tell you that I am a big worrier. I seem to make things out to be worse than they are and I worry intensely about things that haven’t happened yet. This is a very bad thing as it makes many a mole hill into a mountain.

Worry seems to make any pain that is there seem a lot worse than it is and this leads to a lot more suffering for you and your family. I think that if you can tackle the worrying you are halfway there as most physical pain is somewhat manageable.

A best friend with cancer

Some of my long time readers might remember that my best mate had cancer a few years ago. It was a pretty tough time for everyone involved (mostly him) and we all spent a lot of effort looking into ways to deal with the physical and emotional pain that was going on. I remember one night sitting with him whilst he was in unbearable pain and wishing there was more I could do. I also had the thought that one day it might be myself in that bed and that I should prepare my mind now and not wait for it to happen.

So even if you are not in pain now I hope that you will take some time to research some techniques as it seems that those who have trained their mind and bodies are able to cope with the bad times much better than those who start training when the problems occur. Of course I don’t want you to worry about getting sick, that’s not the point. I just hope that you might do a little preparation in case it ever happens.

Dealing with physical pain and painful sickness

saliva gland stone removed
There it is – the stone once removed from the saliva duct. Painless operation but a very painful few weeks before hand. All that trouble over a tiny little calcification!

Like I said, most of these ideas are things that I used when I was in bed with the saliva gland stone and when my best friend was dealing with cancer. They worked for me but there is no guarantee that they will work for everyone. If you yourself have any advice for people going through something painful then please leave a comment as it might really help someone out there.

1. Compassion – think about others more than yourself
More than anything else I am thankful for compassion. My mother and all my loving Buddhist teachers have constantly tried to teach me to make other people more important than myself. And while I have absolutely no real understanding of this, it did become very important when I was in pain.

It actually sounds quite selfish now, thinking about compassion in order to make your pain better. But as I was laying there unable to move I naturally started to think about all the other living beings out there who are in much worse pain than I am. All those people who are suffering terminal illnesses or have just had their arm blown off in Iraq. My pain, by comparison, is fairly minute.

I realized after a few days of being sick that I had a choice. I could panic and worry about whether I would ever get better or start thinking about others. Shifting my mind away from myself seemed to give me some strength and a will to endure and be brave and get back on my feet because there are a lot of people out there who can’t.

2. Giving and taking meditation – take on the suffering
In Tibetan Buddhism there is a tradition of meditation called Tong Len or giving and taking. It is basically an aid that helps you develop compassion and weaken your self clinging by imagining that you are taking on all the sickness of other sentient beings by using the breath. I am obviously not qualified to teach this so head over to this website for a nice teaching by a western nun called Pema Chodron.

Basically what I would do while I was sick was imagine that I was taking on all sentient beings suffering when I breathed in, and when I breathed out I would give them all my happiness. I imaged that my pain was me taking on the illness of everyone else. Again, this practiced seemed to help me because it made the experience meaningful. It gave me a chance to practice. Other than that all I could do was lie still and worry about whether the surgeon would accidentally cut an artery in my neck and kill me!

3. Accept help – don’t be ashamed
When my best mate was in hospital one of the doctors mentioned how important it was to be honest and open about how you are feeling because if you’re not two things happen. Firstly, the doctors have trouble diagnosing you because they aren’t sure what your true symptoms are. Secondly, your pain doesn’t get managed properly because no body knows how much pain you really are in.

For the first month of my illness I didn’t really talk about how much it hurt. Because of this the doctors just sort of plodded along not really thinking it was a huge problem. Finally the pain got so bad that I rang my GP desperate and begging him for a referral for a specialist. Within an hour I was talking to a surgeon who said he could operate in two weeks. Had I not opened up about the pain I would probably still be laying in my bed in agony, unable to eat or drink.

During that time I also asked my teachers to do prayers for me and my friends and family to help me with things like DVDs or just someone to chat to when I needed a distraction. Unless you open up and accept the help it is really hard for anyone to know what to do for you. Without the kindness of my doctors, teachers, relatives and friends I don’t know what I would have done.

Conclusion

I would love to hear about what has helped you or a family member deal with some pain or illness that has happened. It can be a very lonely and frightening time and it would be nice to use this post as a tiny bit of support for anyone who might stumble upon it one day when they really need somewhere to turn. If it is you that is going through something painful I hope you get better really soon.

Originally posted on October 8, 2010 @ 1:45 am

9 Effective Ways to Beat a Headache at Work

Body, Natural Medicine

Work is stressful. It produces headaches. And headaches can be severely debilitating if you do not know how to deal with them properly. In this post I’m going to show you 9 really effective ways to beat a headache at work.

9 Effective Ways to Beat a Headache at Work

1. Drink some water
One of the first things you should do if you get a headache is re-hydrate yourself. A lot of headaches are caused by a lack of fluids – especially if you are sitting in a warm office all day, skipping meals and eating salty snacks!

I find that if I am working on the computer and I don’t drink any water I get a headache pretty soon. If I drink water the headache is gone within about half and hour. I have read a lot of studies showing that water can be used for the purpose. Some people will disagree but it seems to work for me.

2. Stretch your neck
Talking to my Chinese doctor recently I asked him whether a bad neck will cause headaches on a regular basis. He told me that the main source of headaches is a tight or out of place neck. 90% of the headaches that he treats are cured by working with the neck.

One of the best ways you can loosen your neck up is by doing a few simple stretches. Two minutes of gentle stretching can prevent hours of headaches.

Stretching your neck to avoid headaches

This first stretch is done by simple placing your hand on the top of your head and gently pulling your ear down towards your shoulder. You should feel a stretch in the neck on the opposite side.

Another neck stretch

This second stretch is done by placing your hands on the top of your head and pulling your head forward with your hands at the same time as your neck pushes backwards against the pressure. It is almost as if you are trying to push the top of your neck higher into the sky.

There are plenty of stretches you can do for your neck. Take is slowly and don’t do any stretch until you have researched it properly and are sure you are doing it correctly.

3. Learn some simple acupressure points
Acupressure is part of the ancient Chinese medical arts and it has been used to successfully treat headaches for thousands of years. The pressure points relating to headaches are designed to loosen up tension and open up your internal energy channels so that the “chi” or energy flows in a more unobstructed manner.

Let me tell you, this stuff works. My girlfriend had been suffering from massive migraines her whole life. She had tried every pharmaceutical drug, physio, chiro and even had CAT scans to see if there was anything wrong. Nothing worked. Eventually I persuaded her to go to a Chinese doctor and within two weeks her headaches were gone. Now she gets a monthly refresher and she hasn’t had a migraine since.

Tiger's Jaw Pressure Point for Headaches

This acupressure point is called the Tiger’s Jaw. It is a basic pressure point that you can use every time you get a headache. However, you should avoid this point if you are pregnant or have other health issues – then it isn’t so good.

To find the pressure point simply press your thumb and index finger together and find the highest point on the muscle. Relax your hand. Then, using your other thumb, firmly press the point upwards towards the index finger bone that runs through your hand. It will hurt. This is good. Hold the point for about a minute.

4. Discover the magic of headache fighting teas
When I was in India in 2005 I discovered a hot drink called a “Lemon, Ginger and Honey Tea“. The three ingredients, when mixed together, form a powerful healing agent that has been used in Indian medicine for over a thousand years. It is also wonderful for treating headaches.

I first discovered this drink in my local Indian eating hole. I went to the same restaurant in the town of Bodhgaya for two weeks in a row and struck up a friendship with the manager. He brought me this drink one morning when I was feeling sick and said, “Drink this. I have had one every day of my life and I have never caught a cold or had a headache.” I didn’t believe him but his friends who also worked in the restaurant claimed it had done similar things for them as well. It worked wonders for my sickness and I have been drinking them ever since.

To make a Lemon, Ginger and Honey Tea simply slice up some fresh ginger and throw it into a big mug with a teaspoon of raw honey, the juice of about half a lemon and boiling water. You can alter the amounts to your own taste but you must always have these three ingredients together – the whole is much bigger than the sum of its parts!

If you get headaches at work on a regular basis you can simply make a thermos of this drink before work and take it with you. Or, just keep the ingredients in the fridge at work and make it when you feel one coming on. The ingredients are cheap and the drink is extremely good for your longevity.

Another tea that is said to have headache fighting properties is peppermint tea. In Chinese medicine a lot of headaches are said to be caused by problems in the stomach. When you are constipated you almost always get a headache. Peppermint tea is a good way to relax your stomach and as such fight that headache.

5. Practice some simple Chi Kung breathing exercises
In high school I was taught a simple breathing exercise by my kung fu teacher. He said he used to use it when he was stressed and had a bad headache. It seems to have worked for me so I thought I would share it with you here.

How to do it –
To do it simply sit at your desk and place your right elbow on the table. With your right thumb block your right nostril and with your right index finger press firmly on your “third eye”. The third eye is simply the point right in between your two physical eyes and up a bit on the forehead.

Hold your fingers in this position and breathe in slowly through your unblocked left nostril. Try and bring the air all the way down into your deep stomach. Breathe out slowly and imagine sending the air up your spine to your third eye. Repeat this for about a minute with each nostril.

It leaves you feeling fresh, awake and much more relaxed. Your headache should vanish sometime during the exercise.

6. De-stress yourself
Stress itself is a big headache producer. We tighten up; tensing our muscles, frowning at the brow and pursing our lips.

However, de-stressing is not as easy as it might sound. There are a million causes of stress and as such there are a million solutions for stress. You need to find out what is causing your own personal stress and find the solution for it.

Some basic ideas include:

  • Deep breathing
  • Looking at the big picture
  • Drinking de-stressing tea
  • Catching up with mates at lunch
  • Reading The Daily Mind!
  • Meditating
  • Having a naughty sweet snack

Whatever it is that helps you de-stress you should try it and see if it helps your headache.

7. Get acupuncture asap


Creative Commons License photo credit: Keisuke Omi

As I mentioned above in the acupressure section, acupuncture is extremely good for headaches. And the great thing about acupuncture is that it last forever. The Chinese doctor is not going to give you medication that simply numbs the pain, he is going to get to the SOURCE of the headache and knock it on the head. Excuse the pun.

If your headaches are recurring you should go and see a reputable acupuncturist and ask them for some help. It is extremely cheap and you will find you have more energy and a lot less stress. It works wonders for you health.

8. Meditate
Meditation is one of my favorite solutions for everything! It is an effective method for treating headaches because it helps you loosen up, relax and helps your internal energies return to their normal pattern. From an Eastern medicine point of view, most headaches are caused by problems with the flow of these energies. Sort out the energies and you sort out the headache.

If you aren’t sure what type of meditation to do for a headache it is a good idea to experiment with the ones that seem to relax you. Simple breathing meditation or mindfulness meditation are some of my favorites.

9. Take some Aspirin
The easy way out. I don’t normally like to take pain killers because I don’t feel like it is a long term solution – it is like a band aid on a bullet wound. But, sometimes you need fast relief in order to be your best at work. Perhaps an aspirin is something you can do in the short term until you discover a long term cure.

Aspirin is a better solution that other pain killers because it is an anti-inflammatory that is also quite good for your blood. As an anti-inflammatory aspirin can help your body fight off the bugs that are causing a headache – assuming that is what is causing it.

Don’t take any painkillers without medical advice though. I am not a doctor. Aspirin is simply my personal preference.

Conclusion on work headaches

Usually a headache can be solved with one of these simple solutions. However, in some cases a headache is an indication of a more serious health problem. If you find that your headaches are regular and without an ascertainable cause you should head to your doctor to get a check up. Don’t be afraid – just get it out of the way so you can stop thinking about it.

Does anyone else have any other methods?

Top image:Creative Commons License photo credit: madmolecule

Originally posted on April 21, 2008 @ 2:19 am