Decaffeinate your Pain Away?

Black? Cream and Sugar? Coffee is a very popular beverage that many people rely heavily on to get them through a day.  It can be the bright motivation that gets a person out of bed and the liquid sustenance that keeps them moving through the day.  The question is, in terms of pain levels, is coffee helping or hindering?

Some things to consider

Coffee can decrease depression, which has been associated with chronic pain.

Coffee can increase dehydration, which can cause muscle and joint pain.

Coffee can increase motivation and energy which can help you complete tasks that will decrease pain (like exercise).

Coffee has been associated with headaches.

Coffee can impact muscle tension, which can increase chronic pain.

Coffee can impact adrenal function, which can increase chronic pain.

All of this information and more (including links to studies) is scattered across the internet. The following links will give you some pro-coffee information and some anti-coffee feedback.

Coffee: A great tool for dealing with chronic pain

Caffeine: Cup of Pain, Liquid Stress

10 Reasons Coffee is Both the Best and the Worst Beverage Ever Invented

Is Caffeine Causing Your Chronic Back Pain?

Coffee and Joint Pain

What does it come down to? You have to make a choice for yourself.  For some people coffee is a wonder drug that helps with their chronic pain problems. For others it makes things much worse. Take some time to look at coffee for what it really is- a drug. Do your research, do some experimentation with dosages/what time of day to drink it/etc.  Comment on this post with what has worked best for you!

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

Drinking Water May Be The Most Important Pain Fighting Tool!

Did you know that hydration can impact nearly everything about your bodily functions including your pain levels? This applies to chronic pain and exercise-induced pain alike.  There are so many maladies that can present due to dehydration and it's such an easy thing to remedy.  So let's talk about how much water you need in your life...

You Should Be Drinking AT LEAST Half Your Body Weight in OZ of water daily

(That means: 150lbs = 75 oz of water every day)

You should be drinking at least 8 oz of water to compensate for each caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you drink. 

(1 cup of coffee = adding 8 oz to your daily requirement.)

Things that count when considering hydration:

-Water

-Herbal (non caffeinated) teas

-Coconut water

Things that don't count (and most dehydrate you):

-Sodas

-Coffee

-Alcohol

-Caffeinated Teas

-Fruit Juices

-Sparkling Waters

Tricks to maximize your water intake:

-Get a fun water bottle, or one that you find aesthetically pleasing. (Consider containers from other beverages like wine bottles, juice bottles, etc. Keep it interesting!)

-Get a larger water bottle... You may be more motivated if you only have to drink two of a certain size of bottle per day than if you have to refill a small one many times throughout the day. 

-Drink out of a straw or a water bottle with a straw. Many people find that drinking from straws encourages them to drink more. 

-Add fruits, veggies, or herbs for flavor. (Infused Water Recipes)

-Drink 16 oz first thing when you wake up in the morning!

-Drink water every time you do a certain task during your day. 

-Download an app for your smart phone to remind you to drink water every day. 

-Write positive affirmations on your water bottle. 

-Get a fun tea cup and use it exclusively for herbal teas. 

-Suck on some ice chips for variation. 

-Make it manageable.... while the ideal is to drink enough water daily, work up to it one day at a time. 

The great thing about hydration is that once you have optimized your body's hydration levels, you'll start to feel a difference when you aren't hydrated enough. Your body may ache more, you may get headaches... soon you'll know just when you need to drink more to feel your best!

Additional Reading:

The Effects of Dehydration 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Dehydration

11 Reasons Why Dehydration is Making You Fat and Sick

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

*Cross-posted to Whole Balance Being*

Choose your best pillow!

Did you know that the pillow you sleep on can help relieve or exacerbate your pain levels?  There are tons of therapeutic pillows on the market, but before you shell out the cash, it’s important to learn what kind of pillow will work for you.

A good pillow, needs to support the natural curve of your neck. If this is not the case, your whole spine can be impacted.  How much support you need is determined by your unique situation (Do you have old neck injuries? Disc problems?)  Often those who have experienced a loss of curvature in their cervical spine benefit from a pillow that provides extra traction (tilts the head back further while they sleep) and more firmness in a pillow.  If you can’t afford a pillow with good neck support, you can substitute by rolling a hand towel, securing the ends with hair bands and putting that under your neck while you sleep.  

While this type of pillow should, in theory, work best for most people, that isn’t always the case.  Some people do better with foam or down others try buckwheat pillows.  If you can find someone who has a therapeutic pillow you can borrow, see if you can try it out for a night or two.

Other considerations:

-Sleeping on your stomach is terrible for your neck. If you suffer from chronic neck pain you would benefit from losing the stomach sleeping habit.

-Hip and low back pain can often be helped by putting a pillow or rolled up towel beneath your knees when sleeping on your back or between your knees when sleeping on your side. Again, there are no benefits to sleeping on your stomach.

Don’t let sleep make your pain worse!  Reassess how you sleep and the tools you sleep with now to make the most difference!

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

Making the Pain Scale Work For You

How many times have you found yourself gazing at a form depicting a scale from one to ten and asking you to assign your pain a number? How many times have you pondered whether indicating that your present pain level is a three might impact your care, even though sometimes it’s as high as a seven?  Pain scales can feel severely limiting, but they are invaluable to health care providers to track your progress with them (and even required by some insurance companies!)

Following are some serious articles to help you most effectively use the pain scale at maximum benefit.

Using the Pain Scale: How To Talk About Pain

Using the Pain Scale Effectively

And here is one not so serious, but potentially more useful pain scale option.

Boyfriend Doesn’t Have Ebola. Probably.

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

Barometric Pressure and Pain

Have you ever known a storm was coming because you could 'feel it in your bones?'

What is Barometric Pressure?
Barometric pressure is the measurement of air pressure and can be described as follows:
"The weight of the air pressing down on the Earth, the ocean and on the air below causes air pressure. Earth's gravity, of course, causes the downward force that we know as "weight." Since the pressure depends upon the amount of air above the point where you're measuring the pressure, the pressure decreases as you go higher." (source)

These changes in pressure don't just impact the earth, but also impact the inhabitants- us.  Increased atmospheric pressure can do a number on our bodies and our pain levels.

Learn more about barometric pressure and pain by reading the following articles:

Pressure and Pain

Does Weather Affect Joint Pain?

Why Does Pain Get Worse When A Storm is Coming?

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

Magnesium- the Magical Mineral

Many people take Calcium-Magnesium supplements because they know that calcium is vital to bone growth.  Magnesium tends to fall by the wayside as ‘that mineral you need to absorb calcium.’  The fact of the matter is that it’s a bit of a miracle substance that has many benefits to the human body. Some of those benefits include;

-Muscle Relaxation (and decreasing cramps)

-Improved Sleep

-Decrease in Anxiety and Depression

-Decrease in Body Odor

-Aid in treating, reversing or reducing the impact of a variety of illnesses.

-Healthy digestive/bowel function

Sometimes increasing your intake of magnesium rich foods, or taking a quality magnesium supplement can make all the difference in how you feel.

Learn more by reading some (or all!) of the following articles

Benefits of Magnesium Far Greater Than Previously Imagined

Are You Low on Magnesium?

Top Five Health Benefits of Magnesium

Magnesium for Pain Relief

Inflammation and Pain Management With Magnesium

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com

Arnica Your Pain Away!

For those that turn to homeopathics for their health needs, Arnica Montana is renowned for its assistance in treating pain.  While there are many kinds of Arnica, those that are most beneficial for muscle pain and bruising contain an anti-inflammatory compound called helenalin.

Topical preparations of arnica are commonly used by athletes for sore muscles, to sooth contusions and in cases of arthritis.  Topical applications can cause skin sensitivities in some, so do a patch test first! Once you’ve established that you’re not having an adverse response, keep a tube of arnica gel or cream on hand.  (We haven’t tested out the use of Arnica in conjunction with Sore No More, but imagine it would probably prove even more effective!  (Again, patch test for safety!)

Arnica can also be used in homeopathic form.  Those familiar with homeopathics will understand the ‘like treats like’ principal behind them.  Homeopathics are highly diluted versions of a particular substance and can often be found in either liquid or tablet form.  The tablets are dissolved under the tongue and have many rave reviews regarding their effectiveness.

If Arnica is not something you have previously tried for pain relief, it is worth taking into consideration.  Even better? It’s safe for your pets!

*Sore No More! is not a licensed physician. All information on this blog is researched by our staff and is subject to inaccuracies. No information found here should be used in the place of advice from your doctor. * Sore No More 150 East Center Street Moab, Utah 84532 Tel: (435) 259-5931 Toll Free: (800) 842-6622 www.sorenomore.com