As a neuromuscular massage therapist, I learned a lot from my clients, my instructors and my own body and pain.  That’s how I know that bodies want to be well. Sometimes they need a little help, but they are able to get better.

Bodies change all the time.  Bodies can heal. Bodies do heal.

That means your body, too.

Bodies are brilliant. Give them what they need, and they WILL get better.

So what do bodies need?

1. Your body needs nutrients to function well. Give it all the vitamins and minerals it needs–not a skimpy amount but the FULL amount–and it can repair itself. Not the “minimum RDA,” but enough to counteract all of the environmental hazards we are exposed to every day in our air, water, food, houses and cars.

2. Give your body the water it needs–your body is largely composed of water–and all of the cells will function optimally. Your kidneys will be able to flush out metabolic wastes and other unwanted materials. When you are well-hydrated, the biochemical reactions that are supposed to occur, will be able to occur.

3. Your body needs good posture. When you supply this “Vitamin P” all of your organs will function better. Your lungs will be able to fill fully with life-giving oxygen, your intestines will not be squashed, your heart won’t be compressed…your organs will have the space they need to be healthy. Your headaches and other physical pain symptoms will be less. You will feel better and look better, too.

4. You need “Vitamin T.” Touch is unbelievably important to your good health. Even if you do your own self-massage, you will benefit. If you can trade with a friend or loved one, or go to a professional massage therapist on a regular basis, even better.

5. Get rid of the junk. You know what I mean, don’t you. The closer you get to eating natural foods, instead of factory-created and chemical-laced “foods,” the healthier you will be. You will have fewer diseases and disorders. Eat as much colorful and fresh foods as possible. If you can buy at least organic butter and spinach, you will keep some hormones and pesticides–that your body doesn’t want or like–out of your body.

When you give your body what it needs to have happy muscles you will have less muscle pain.

Bodies are really logical.  And smart, too!  But sometimes they need a little help.  From you, of course.

If you have muscle pain in your lower back or neck, you might be crooked.  You may have a tilt.  You might be able to figure it out or you may need someone else to ‘eyeball’ you.

Here’s how your logical body works:

When one shoulder is high, that means the other side is down.  It has to be.  Equal and opposites. Bodies are logical.  Not always anatomically symmetrical but logical.  If one hip bone sticks out farther, the other has to be farther out in back.

How can you tell?

You might be able to assess your body in your mirror.  Place both feet at the same place and line up your toes, point them forward, hip width apart, and look really hard in the mirror. (It does take lots of practice to get good at observing like this.  If you can imagine straight lines running through your body, that may help you see.)

• Is one shoulder lower than the other?
• Does one hip stick out to the side more?
• Does your waist look even? Or is it flatter on one side?
• Does one hip bone stick out farther in front than the other?

Those are all clues.

What do they mean?

They mean that you now have to figure out the next step.  It may be a lift in your shoe, a therapeutic massage for the short, tight areas or changing the way you sit.  There can be lots of causes for being “out of balance” (asymmetrical.)  That means there are lots of natural cures, too.

Lots of folks will tell you, “Oh, no one is perfect,” or, “No one is symmetrical.”  But the truth is some people are symmetrical.  LOTS of people.  But some of us aren’t.  And that can cause muscle pain.

Here’s an interesting interview I did with a woman who is an expert in the endocrine system.  She had to be in order to overcome her own problems.

If you’re not sure what the endocrine system is yet, be sure to listen.  This is a jam-packed interview and is only about one hour long.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND LESSEN YOUR PAIN

People who suffer with muscle pain, fatigue, joint pain, various diseases and aches may have an unhappy endocrine system.  There’s a really, really good chance.  I want you to feel better and that is why I interviewed this expert for you.  When your endocrine system is happy, you will have less pain in your muscles and joints.

That is not a good thing.

But, if you strengthen your back muscles, they will keep you from collapsing forward.  How cool is that!

You can strengthen your back muscles by doing resistance exercises.  If you are a big strong man  you might prefer to go to the gym or lift weights.  That is absolutely fine if you are careful to lift perfectly.  If you are lifting more weight than you can while moving perfectly, you are lifting too much and you aren’t using your muscles properly.  That means the potential for injury or strain and pain.

I used to work with a competitive body builder and she said if you can only do one repetition perfectly, then only do one.  You can add more when you can do them perfectly.

If you are NOT a big strong man, you may prefer to use the methods to get a strong back that I prefer.  I have written lots of articles about getting strong simply while you are on your back in bed at

http://SimpleStrengthening.com

I designed the movements that I talk about in most of the articles so that anyone can do them.  Even you and me. 

You do have a smart body and it wants to be well.  It just needs a little help from you.

I’ll bet I told you before:  You can’t hire someone to do your push-ups for you.  But I do try to make it easy for you to have natural muscle pain relief.

1.  Certain medications affect the endocrine system.  This is why I suggest http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com Bette is an exceptional expert about who knows about boosting your endocrine system. Endocrine systems get damaged and unhappy when we put certain things (including certain food ingredients and medications) into our bodies.  We need our thyroid and all of the other endocrine glands to be healthy and function well so that WE can be healthy and function well, too.

I bought Bette’s book at http://PepForThePooped.com which has all of her info in it.  Sign up and Bette will send you a free chapter.  But if you go to the first link, she sends out free newsletters which are very informative and also does free teleseminars and responds to questions.

2.  Minerals bind with toxins in our bodies and then we flush them out through the normal route–the kidneys and bladder. Taking a very good vitamin/mineral supplement and/or a good liquid mineral supplement will supply your body with minerals to replace and bind with the residue from the medication.

You can find a good multivitamin-mineral and also liquid minerals at a health food store.  If you go to one with a knowledgeable staff, they will help guide you.  You can also find detox products there but I don’t have any personal knowledge about them.  The staff could help you more.

There are also some doctors who can do a detox procedure by infusing minerals into your blood.  That may be quicker than taking a good multi and minerals, but no doubt costs more.

It may take several months before you get the residue out of your system and feel really peak again.  About 7 months after I first started taking liquid minerals I noticed several major health differences in my own body.

The minerals I take are from New Vision in Utah.  They are an MLM company but I’m not affiliated with them.  I just buy from them.  I like the taste and they’re easy on the stomach.  This is the brand that made such a big difference for me.  Just take tiny doses if you get minerals from a health food store and be sure to dilute them to avoid a temporary “heavy” feeling in your tummy.

You can find the vitamins I take by scrolling down the right side bar here at Simple Pain Relief.  I take the Omega Plus and the daily multi from the same company and sometimes I mix it up with other brands, too.

4.  Drink lots of pure or filtered water to help flush the drug out. Plastic water bottles aren’t the best.  They have toxins, too.

5.  Massage can be helpful as it moves metabolic wastes and toxins from the tissues to be flushed from the body.  Have general relaxation massage that is deep enough to move the soft tissue and muscle.

6.  Support your body with lots of fruits and vegetables and, if you can, organic meat and eggs.  They will supply you with lots of minerals, too, to help you recover.  Muscles have nutritional needs.  If you don’t give your muscles what they need, muscle pain can result.

If I wanted to do a detox program these are all steps I would take.  In fact, even if you are not detoxing, these steps will help you have happier muscles and muscle pain relief.

People (including professional massage therapists) often massage the rhomboid area trying to release the knot or pain there.  If it doesn’t release (relax) the knot or pain, that means the cause is somewhere else.

Let’s pretend your back pain is a dragon.  Sometimes “surrounding the dragon” will relieve the pain.  The “dragon” is the painful area.  If you pinch, roll, press or massage the latissimus or “lat” muscles on the outer sides of the back, that may help because they may be pulling on the “dragon.”  The dragon cannot relax and go to sleep while those muscles continue to pull on him.

And, there can be other causes for knots and pain between the shoulder blade and spine.

There is a muscle in the neck that causes pain in the rhomboid area. When nothing else works, that is the place to go to. If you go to http://CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and look in the Video Category you will find a video that shows a massage professional treating that neck muscle. Also if you look in the Causes Category while you are there, you will find articles about the “muscle in your neck.”

If you go to http://SimpleStrengthening.com you will find articles about how to simply get strong back side muscles which will help prevent future occurrences by correcting your posture. Also, stretches to open and relax the muscles in the front of your chest and arms will help, too.

And, if you go to http://KnotsInYourBack.com you can claim a free report about how to get rid of the miserable knots in your back.

There are many types of massage and a few different professional organizations and lots of massage schools.  There are all types of different philosophies, personalities, beliefs and training.   Some massage therapists have a ton of advanced training and some massage providers never go beyond their basic training (which may be short) not even to read an article or book.

Word of mouth is usually a great way to find a good therapist.  If someone you know got relief from their massage therapist that may be a good person for you to interview.

There are credentials that can help you decide, too.  Here are a few.

• Professional Membership in the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA.)
• Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCTMB.)
• State Licensed.  (At the time of writing, about 3/4′s of states license massage therapists.)

Here’s how to interview a massage therapist.

Most will be happy to give you a brief free consultation.

First of all, don’t ask, “Do you work with people who have (my type of) pain?” or, “Do you treat (this type of) pain?”  There are many massage therapists who will say yes, even though they don’t have the training or experience to successfully treat your specific complaint.

Instead, ask him or her the following questions, and listen closely to his answers.  See whether the answers make sense to you.

• What are the most common causes of (my type of) pain?
• How will you determine why I have pain?
• What is your pain treatment strategy?
• What type of massage training did you have?
• What muscles could be involved in my situation?
• How long do you think it will take for me to feel better?
• Will there be pain or discomfort from the massage?

Feel free to ask additional questions.  Also, ask him to explain any answer you did not fully understand.

You can learn a lot on the phone, but you can learn even more in person.  The massage therapist may actually touch your muscles as he explains, and that will make it even easier for you to understand.

Sometimes when muscles are very tight, as they often are with pain, there may be some discomfort during the massage.  There may also be some tenderness afterward.  That is because you have some areas of tight muscles and they are not yet used to someone pressing on them.

If you have any discomfort from the massage, you may perceive it as “good pain,” which is a fine thing.  Your body is saying, “Yes!  This is what I need!”  Or it may be quite intense and you can ask the therapist to lighten up.

It is okay for you to guide your massage therapists.  Please do!  They want to know how you are feeling and responding.  They want you to feel better.

Sometimes discomfort during a therapeutic massage session is unavoidable, and it’s usually worse the first time than later visits.

But, the payoff from massage therapy for pain relief can be huge.

Start looking for massage therapists to interview today.

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

If you can get rid of the something, you will get rid of the pain.

Now, sometimes a baby is born with a structure that is a bit different than usual and may have asymmetries (different leg lengths, for example, or upper arms that are shorter than average) which can make it more challenging to avoid pain and dysfunctions (not functioning easily and correctly.)   So, some of us start off with more to deal with.  But sometimes a little creativity and an understanding of the roles of muscles can help those people to feel better.

Others may have an injury or accident in childhood or later which can also be a cause of pain and symptoms.  You have pain but sometimes the doctor says:  There is nothing wrong; all of your tests are fine.

That is GOOD NEWS!

Why?  Because that almost always means the cause is soft tissue–muscles, fascia (like plastic wrap) and other parts of your body which are not bones.  Soft tissue is probably the cause of 90% of our symptoms yet most doctors just don’t know much about the roles of muscles and soft tissues in pain.  Just not something most of them learned in school.  Not something that is widely taught in medical schools.

But, soft tissue and muscles can be “fixed.”  A skilled muscle or massage therapist will understand WHY you have pain and which muscles or areas are causing your pain.  He or she will know how to “release” those areas of soft tissues and eliminate your pain.

There are self-help versions of massage and bodywork that you can learn to do yourself or you can go to a professional massage therapist or bodyworker.  Look in the “Category” for “Massage” right here at Simple Pain Relief and discover more about massage therapy.

Even better, scroll down the right hand side of this page to the section on “Trigger Point Books” and click on the BLUE BOOK.  It is one of the very best self-help pain relief books you will ever find!  I love it!

If you’d like more information about trigger points first,  go to the “Category” for “Triggers and Trigger Points” right here, too.  Just scroll through the Categories to Triggers and you’ll find an article called “When Muscle Pain Won’t Go Away, Look For Trigger Points.”

I will always believe that massage is the best thing to help muscles relax but stretching is the next best.  So, here’s something that’ll help you get “unstuck” and relieve your stiff back.

Are you familiar with the stretches called “cat” and “dog?”  I’ve also heard them called “camel” and other variations.  Sometimes they are done on all fours, on the floor, but I’m going to share a seated version with you.  If you are so stiff that it’s hard to get on the floor, you will appreciate this version.

These are good movements because they get your spine moving from front to back and your ribs moving.  These movements warm the muscles of your back and whole torso, or trunk.  They get your circulation going and can help to strengthen your back.

Here is the seated version:

• Move to the the front edge of a firm, solid chair or seat.
• Sit with your feet flat on the floor, one in front of each hip, toes pointing straight ahead.
• Point your thumbs forward and rest your hands at the side of your chair, hanging your hands near your hips.
• Lift your chest.
• Slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together while you “stick your butt out” and lift your chin toward the ceiling.  This movement should make your back be a “C.”
• Move slowly and thoughtfully.
• Pause there for a second and then start to reverse the move.
• Allow your chin to tuck toward your chest and your back to round outward (in the opposite direction of where you were.)
• Hold in your stomach while you move forward, too.
• You can continue doing these “C’s” and “reverse C’s” in a sequence, one after the other.
• Always pay attention to your body and move slowly and thoughtfully.

Please note: If either move causes real pain in your back, just  flex only to that point.  With practice, it will become easier and you will gain more movement.

There are many ways for your back to round outward.  You might notice that you can cause your upper back to curve, near your shoulder blade.  You can also curve the middle of your back.  Your lower back can also curve outward.  What does this mean?

Your spinal bones give you flexibility.  That’s how they were designed. When you move, move as many different ways as you can.  Try to get as many different joints and muscles moving as you can.

These 2 moves flex your spinal bones and will help strengthen your whole upper body, too.

We are all supposed to be able to move like this.  You could when you were little.  With some help from you, your body can become more flexible again.  Doing these movements thoughtfully will help you become more comfortable and function better and will help relieve the stiffness in your back.

I don’t know where my friend Rosalie got that clever title, but it’s a serious problem, and lots and lots of us are affected by it!  The Sitting Disease is caused by…too much sitting!

All that sitting causes lots of muscle and body malfunctions and aches and pains and premature aging.

Knots in your back, problems breathing, constipation, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoporosis, back pain and headaches and MORE are caused by “The Sitting Disease.”

It’s practically an epidemic!  But there is a simple, natural cure.  Read “The Sitting Disease” and get started on your road to recovery.