Posts Tagged ‘back pain’

In Pain? Acupuncture to the Rescue

Everyone at some point in their life will experience bodily pain. Whether it’s from gardening, a sports injury or a serious health condition, your next plan of action can shorten your length of recovery and significantly reduce your pain.

For example, in the case of back pain, 80 to 85 percent of people will experience back pain at some point. Have you thought of acupuncture as a solution?

Many people learn to just deal with the pain or cover it up by taking over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, analgesics or opt for prescription pain killers. Sometimes these medications can help for acute pain, but over time can have other harmful side effects or result in addiction. read more…..

Glucosamine and Chondroitin For Back Pain

Glucosamine and chondroitin are two very popular supplements that are often recommended to help reduce back pain and joint stiffness. However, many people do not know what these compounds are, how they work, and if they are effective.

Glucosamine is a compound that is a precursor (a precursor can be though of as the main ingredient in a recipe) to another class of compounds called glycosaminoglycans. Glycosaminoglycans form the frame work of cartilage.

Unfortunately, we can not just take glycosaminoglycans directly because this compound cannot be absorbed by the digestive track since it is a polysaccharide (clump of sugar molecules) and our body can only absorb monosaccharides (single sugar molecules). Glucosamine however is a monosaccharide used to make glycosaminoglycans and can be absorbed by our digestive tract, making glucosamine the perfect candidate to provide the body with materials to make the framework of cartilage. read more….