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.

Muscle pain happens for reasons. On this Internet radio show, I’ll share those reasons with you.  I’ll also give you simple pain relief techniques that you can use to become pain-free.

Your body is smart and it wants to be well.  When you have aches and pains, it’s giving you a message:  HELP ME!

You can get plenty of help right here at Simple Pain Relief and also at Simple Strengthening.com.   At Simple Strengthening, you can discover how to exercise easily in your bed!  You’ll also find out which are the most important muscles to strengthen.  Hint:  They’re not in your chest.

Now you have another option for natural, simple pain relief information.  It’s at Pain Relief Radio.com.

As you grew you stopped using all of your muscles and that was the start of aches, pain and dysfunction.

Here’s a guest post from my friend Gini Maddocks of HolisticMatters.com.  She’ll explain why “break” dancing will help you get rid of your muscle aches and pains:

Do you take breaks during your busy day?

You should.

Research shows that the human brain is more efficient when allowed to rest in intervals.

Try this:
Turn on upbeat, familiar music–the kind you like to dance to.

Now let yourself relax into the groove, changing your focus to let your self MOVE.

It doesn’t have to be much to release tension through movement:  a little swaying… some foot tapping… nod your head, jiggle to the beat or close the door to rock and roll.

Studies reveal that even “imagining movement” offers good benefit via your nervous system.  So, close your eyes and give it a try.

Break dancing, the new rage in wellness!

That’s so cute–”break” dancing.  Gini has a way with words!  Take her advice to heart.  When you start to move again and get back into your “groove” you will start to have fewer aches and pains.

Now don’t just jump into exercising all at once.  If it’s been a while your muscles will need to adjust so start gradually.  But start.  Even if it’s break dancing.

You have a smart body and if you have muscle pain that means your body is complaining and wants a little (or a lot) of help from you.  You can relieve your muscle pain.

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.

Chiropractor Greg Fors has written “A Complete Physical & Spiritual Guide To Healing Your Chronic Pain WHY WE HURT Your Total Self-Care Guide for Backaches, Headaches, Shoulder Pain, Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.”

Yes, that is a very long title, but perhaps that’s okay because it’s a very thick book.  Dr. Fors explains that pain can be healed.  He tells us the causes of pain, which he believes are 3:  physical, biochemical and spiritual.

Dr. Fors goes into the causes of pain, too.  Some of the causes may never have occurred to you.  He’ll tell you where the toxic chemicals that affect your health come from, and much, much more.

Why We Hurt is a logical, well-written, pretty easy to read pain relief book.

When your muscles are happy–getting what they need from your diet–they are able to function better.

Humans used to eat “natural.”

We ate what grew on trees, bushes in or on the ground.  We ate “wild caught” fish and meat.  Your body was designed to eat real food.

And now?

A lot of the things we eat come out of factories.  Our bodies just don’t know how to process the chemicals, petroleum products and other additives that are added for shelf life and flavor.  (Did you know there is a whole chemical industry devoted to developing new flavors and scents so we will buy more processed “food” products?)

I’m going to send you over to an article at Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief for all the reasons you should consider organic food for pain relief, but here’s my wrap-up:

Yes, organic food WILL help you feel better!  It WILL help your body heal and function better!

Eating organic, fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, and whatever else you like to eat WILL help you get rid of your muscle pain.

You are worth it!

Let’s say that I sit for eight hours a day at a desk. Maybe I walk around for ten minutes during the whole day. My muscles get used to being in that seated position. Some muscles are shortened in that position. Some muscles are being unused, so they shut off.

Or maybe I drive around all day in my pickup. I like to stick my left elbow out the window and keep my right hand down low, on the gear shift. Of course, I have my right foot on the accelerator. By and by, when I get out of my truck, those muscles will stay where they have become used to being. My muscles now think that this new position is comfortable. Now when I sit on the couch, I assume the same posture, because now it is “comfortable.”

We are always most comfortable in our disfunction. Whatever we get used to is what feels comfortable to us. Is it best for us? Will it help us grow older strong and straight? The answers are no.

What muscle imbalance does do is cause us pain. Sometimes current pain, always future pain. When we lose that nice balance we used to have, when we were toddlers, we are setting ourselves up for future pain and dysfunction.

Headaches, migraines, neck and shoulder pain are all caused by muscles complaining. Upper and lower back pain, carpal tunnel pain, almost any pain you experience is caused by muscles. When muscles are unhappy, they complain. When muscles complain, you experience pain.

It is never too late to get back into balance, and start getting out of pain. It takes some work and dedication, but is well worth the payoff: Having straight posture with a strong back will take us into old age in a healthy, happy body.

If you are already doing an exercise program of some sort, be sure to incorporate exercises to strengthen the backside of your body from neck to knees. Squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine. Do exercises to strengthen your shin muscles.

Get more information on how to strengthen your whole backside at http://SimpleStrengthening.com.

Be strong and be happy.