Tag: Healthcare

The importance of chemistry

In the previous blog, we discussed how pain was initiated from chemical, mechanical and thermal changes.
This article provides a brief overview of how chemistry and chemical /cellular interactions are the foundation of all living things.

Such is the importance of our own chemistry, if we develop a chemical imbalance we get a warning in the form of an ache, a pain or a feeling of 'dis-ease'. As a result of this warning we then have a chance to take action and make necessary changes. Changes that could prevent tissue damage or the development of disease.

Changing your chemistry is easy.

You can change your chemistry in a matter of seconds, either with a thought or a drug. A single scary moment will initiate a cascade of chemical reactions that will change your blood pressure, digestive enzymes, heart rate and much more. A single cup of coffee will do similar things.

After these effects the body fights to regain normality, a balance; what is refereed to as homeostasis.
Unfortunately, sometimes it takes several hours, days or even months for the body to regain normal chemistry. Sometimes, normality cannot be re-attained because of a disease process or because essential ingredients are missing.

Interpretation of the chemical warning

The interpretation of a chemical initiated warning is difficult. How do you know if your painful and aching joints are related to a lack of vitamin D or mechanical wear and tear; or both?

What if you are low on iron, or if your kidneys aren't clearing out all your toxins?
What if your back pain is related to the chemical process that occurs when fighting an infection?
What if you are eating the right foods but your stomach fails to extract the key ingredients?

There are that many chemical reactions that the process of diagnosis is complex and confusing and sometimes seems endless. And, even if a test is positive there is still often another 'why?'.
For example, if a blood test shows your are low in iron; you then have to answer why?
Is it your diet? is it a failure to adsorb iron? or is it a problem in the bodies ability to make red blood cells etc?

What is the solution?

The first and most important thing to do is to have focus on what you have an ability to change.
Don't get caught up in too much specific detail. Firstly, are you putting the correct ingredients into your body??
Remember 'you can't bake a cake without eggs'

There are millions of people who are low in vitamins and minerals and people with highly toxic diets and thousands who are simply dehydrated.
Many people have low levels of exercise and activity and consequently their 'ovens' aren't fully fired up.
There are individuals who are sleep deprived and mentally stressed, anxious and full of negative thoughts.
And these people are still working and living, but feel unwell or tired or have general aches and pains.

The solution is definitely not to cover up this warning with pain medication, but to take action and improve all that is within an individuals control.

Can you make one change today that will improve your chemistry?

Please Note: There are diseases and pathology that prevent good health irrespective of an individuals actions. The advice in this blog is not a substitute for medical opinion. Always consult your healthcare professional for specific advice on your personal condition. But please remember, best health irrespective of condition will always be optimised if your chemistry is made as good as possible.

We have previously discussed how our experience of pain is generated by changes in temperature, chemistry and mechanical forces. See Pain, pain and more pain.
And how we move is the key factor in the mechanical strain placed upon our body's.

For many of us we repeat the same activities everyday; and the way we perform these activities is unique to us. No two people are the same or move the same. Consequently the strain on our joints and muscles is slightly different.

For some people their movement pattern is naturally good, they have balance, coordination and strength. For others, their movement is strained and this is either the cause of their injury or the result of injury.
In either case, their movement needs to be improved.

Our spines are the same as every other animals, even a Giraffe has seven vertebral bones in its neck; the same as us but bigger. But unlike other animals we stand upright on two legs and therefore we frequently bend forward to pick things up.

Despite bending forwards throughout the day, how many of us actually practice the movement and analyse our movement pattern. Could we bend forward with a better technique?

The answer is yes 100%. Even the best athletes in the sport of weight lifting constantly practice their bending technique. They assess their foot position, distribution of body weight, pelvic tilt, movement at their hips and stability of their spine.
There are infinitive ways in which a person can bend forwards but as general observation, most of us move in-correctly.

The first thing is to have awareness of your movement. The next time you bend forward stop at the end of the movement and ask yourself where do you feel the weight on your feet. Is it on your toes? maybe your heels. Do you have more weight on one foot than the other.

You can also check where your knees are in relation to your feet.

The video opposite demonstrates a wall squat. By first practising with your bum resting against a wall you can focus on alignment without worrying about balance. Once this movement has been mastered then progress to performing the movement in free standing.
Finally, make sure you then employ this movement during daily activities.

Please note this post, like all brief explanations only covers the basics for pain arising from muscle, bone, tendon and ligament structures. There are many other factors that influence the experience of pain and much research has been done on the emotional components of pain and the sensitisation of the pain mechanism. 

For more information and links to educational videos please visit 'virtual physio' on the QuickPhys website.