Bouncing Back from Injury

There has been a lot of news in recent weeks about failing solutions to pain and discomfort. First, it was the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s death and the surrounding stories of his dependence on pain-killing drugs. Additionally, the FDA announced lowering the maximum recommended dosage of Tylenol and Excedrin due to these pain relievers’ main ingredient, acetaminophen, being the leading cause of liver failure in the US.

Both of these stories clearly demonstrate how the dangerous nature of an over-reliance on medication can have serious implications on our bodies and minds. By all means, I’m not advocating that everyone throw away their meds. However, I believe it is important to examine our own dependence on pain relievers to simply get through our everyday activities.

So if we are not going to pop a pill, what should we do? Here are some suggestions:

· Ice: Nature’s own form of anti-inflammatory pain reliever. Ice helps to reduce swelling of a new or re-injured area and provides its own pain relieving effects.
· Diet: One way to avoid so much inflammation is to replace pro-inflammatory foods like sugars and white breads with anti-inflammatory foods like whole grains and vegetables. Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods like salmon, cod, and sardines are rich with this inflammation-reducing “good fat.” You can also get your Omega-3s with a fish oil supplement.
· Chiropractic: At the root of most inflammation are damaged joints and irritated nerves. Whether it’s twisting an ankle on the basketball court or looking up at fireworks too long, your joints can become stuck out of alignment and aggravate the tissues around them, leading to that dreaded inflammation. By restoring the proper movement and position of each joint, chiropractic adjustments allow the inflammation to dissipate, leaving you much less susceptible to re-injury.

Hopefully, these latest news stories will be reminders for us to only take the amount of medications prescribed by our doctors and help realize that our daily aches and pains don’t have to be met with a dependency on drugs. With the proper use of ice, diet, and chiropractic, a much better way of life is available to you.