The Ministry of Lisa Copen
Lisa Copen, Founder of Rest Ministries which serves the chronically ill, shares about mothering, illness, ministry and more.Archive for pain management
Should I Treat Pain with Heat or Ice?
- Image by Alana Elliott via Flickr
I recently asked my doctor when I should use ice versus heat, as sometimes I craved the heating pad and sometimes a bag of ice.
Turns out, what I was craving to ease the pain was naturally the right pain reliever. You should use ice to relieve swelling. When something is swelling, it seems like adding heat to it would make it swell even more, right? Heat should be used to relax muscles.
So if you are in a bad flare and you can feel the muscles tighening up, grab the heating pad or a hot water bottle and get it on that spot fast.
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Alternative Medicine Resources – Talking to Your Doctor
- Image via Wikipedia
If you are interested in trying an alternative treatment like acupuncture or chiropractic or herbal remedies the important thing is to do our research wisely. About 36% of Americans use some form of alternative medicine or treatment according to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.
To find a professional, the National Library of Medicine has a search engine where you can type in a specific treatment, an organzation, or a name, to find referrals in your area.
The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine also has a variety of fact sheets that can help you think about the issues to consider and questions to ask. For many patients, knowing how to bring up the topic with his or her doctor can be difficult. There is a fact sheet called, “Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Providers About CAM.”
Other fact sheets include:
- Are You Considering Using CAM?
- Selecting a CAM Practitioner
- CAM Use and Children
- Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Providers About CAM
- Paying for CAM Treatment
- Evaluating Web-Based Health Resources
- Health Fraud Awareness (FDA)
About Herbal and Dietary Supplements
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- Americans spend $34B for alternative medicine (ctv.ca)
- Spending on Alternative Medicine is Big Business (wellness.blogs.time.com)
- Alternative medicine goes mainstream in U.S. (ctv.ca)
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The Ministry of Lisa Copen 