Many people that are afflicted with a frozen shoulder wonder if frozen shoulder can be prevented, or if they could have done anything to prevent it from occurring. Although each case is different there are still ways to prevent frozen shoulder. There are some things that can be done when symptoms arise.

Oten times people have some kind of shoulder or upper extremity injury that starts them on the road to experiencing frozen shoulder. This can be very frustrating and the road to recovery can be long if you do not have a solid plan. The chances to risk the development of frozen shoulder is high with minor injury on the shoulder or rotator cuff injury.

For one, if someone starts to experience shoulder issues it is vital that they have their shoulder checked out by a physician immediately to ensure that the proper course of action is being followed. Once the diagnosis and treatment is established, the patient must ensure that he or she is maintaining  the essential components of function that are necessary for healing and more so important for preventing frozen shoulder.

One thing that a person can do is keep your shoulder strong by doing some type of resistance training in form of weights, resistance machines, heavy bends or just normal range of motion activities that help keep the muscles surrounding your shoulder strong. Proper range of motion exercises must be carried on to keep the shooulder strong. Now let’s look at the last piece of the puzzle.

The second thing that you can do to prevent Frozen Shoulder is to follow a good and very specific stretching routine. Exercises for frozen shoulder are key if you do not want to go the surgery route. One or two stretching of the shoulder is not enough but requires a week of stretching activities to improve the shoulder range of motion to make it highly mobile.

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In the past, certain herbs such as sage and rosemary were burned to cleanse sick rooms. Cedar is a fragrant wood known to have antiviral, antifungal, expectorant, and lymphatic cleansing properties. Pine, Spruce and Fir needles contain shikimic acid, the main ingredient in Tamiflu, which is used to fight the bird flu. Frankincense is also a known to be very effective incense in the treatment of respiratory ailments. Mullein and Eucalyptus leaves are also beneficial herbs that can be used in this manner.

When herbs and fragrant woods are burned slowly, their essential oils are released and carried by the smoke into the lungs of those that are near the smoke. If a person is suffering from bronchial inflammation, the beneficial properties of the herb are applied directly to the inflamed tissue.

I know of one woman that had been dealing with such a strong cytokine response during a bout with the flu that she was choking, vomiting and struggling for air. Her husband filled the house with cedar smoke by closing the damper on the wood burning stove and placing the wood into the firebox. Immediately, the cytokine storm stopped. Within 20 minutes, there was no mucus and she felt as though she hadn’t had the flu at all. Since that time, they have used this same remedy on other family members to good effect (of course, they air the house out afterwards).

American Indian tribes regularly used Cedar to smoke and cleanse their homes. Cleansing smoke can help rid persons, bedding, clothes, and housing of molds, vermin, viruses etc. The last part of Leviticus 14 records that priests were instructed to cleanse a house of the plague using Cedar.

USING HERBS FOR INCENSE

Carefully place a hot ember or coal from a hardwood fire (use tongs) onto a heat resistant surface. To create incense, place your herbs onto the hot coal. Allow the smoke to waft over you and inhale. The goal is to encourage the plant material to produce smoke, not to ignite into an open flame. This can be accomplished by only using hot coals (rather than fire) and/or by binding the plant material into a tight bundle.

Tightly bundled herbs are called smudge sticks. Sometimes, the stems and leaf material can be formed into tight braids. If you only have dry leaves, these can be tightly wrapped in unbleached paper and tied with cotton thread. Use a smudge stick by setting one of the ends aflame. When you gently blow the flame out, the smudge stick will continue to smolder and smoke. These smudge sticks make it easier to direct the smoke, and they tend to smoke longer than loose plant material.

CAUTION

If you have allergies to a plant, never breathe the smoke produced by burning that plant. The purpose of this article is for information only. Readers that incorporate these methods do so at their own risk and should utilize safety precautions. None of this information is a substitute for professional health care.

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Endometriosis and Pregnancy - Background

Endometriosis is a condition where tissues normally lining a woman’s uterus grow or attach to organs located outside. During menstruation, the uterual lining is shed as per normal, but the portion growing outside the uterus remains. During the process of ovulation to menstuation, the uterual tissue that grows externally is continuously provoked. It can get torn, break down and bleed. This could lead to scar tissue formation and some pain and discomfort.

There are over 7 million reported cases of endometriosis among females in the US, according to the Endometriosis Research Center. It is a leading cause of infertility, gynecologic surgeries and chronic pelvic pain.

Why Does Endometriosis Occur?

At present, the cause behind the occurrence of endometriosis is unknown, although experts have proposed several possible explanations. Studies to date indicate that the condition may be hereditary.

Symptoms

Usual signs and symptoms of endometriosis include irregular or labored breathing, pain during menstruation, chronic pelvic pain, lower back pain and fatigue. Women can also expect to feel some pain while ovulating or having sexual intercourse, painful bowel movements, and GI tract conditions like diarrhea, constipation, or bloating. In cases that are severe, endometriosis may cause infertility.

Diagnosis

The only sure method to diagnose endometriosis is through surgery. Other diagnostic exams like MRIs, ultrasound, or CAT scans are usually inconclusive. The doctor would need to look into the symptoms being felt, as well as the patient’s health history. To diagnose the condition, the doctor may conduct a laparoscopic procedure or a laparotomy.

A Cure for Endometriosis?

Endometriosis still has no cure, however, doctors recommend that certain modes of treatment be applied to help manage it.

Treatment

Methods to manage endometriosis include:

Pain Medication

Medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin, which are available over-the-counter, are used to decrease discomfort and pain. If that doesn’t work, prescription drugs may be recommended.

Hormonal Drug Therapy

Hormone drugs can be used to block a patient’s ovulation. The objective here is to prevent further aggravation of the lesions and guard against the onset of other symptoms. These medications include oral contraceptives, GnRH agonists and progesterone drugs. Hormone therapy is performed particularly on patients who have come from surgery.

Surgery

Doctors usually determine the diagnosis following conservative surgeries like a laparotomy or laparoscopy and often pass through these procedures to extract abnormal growths. If this succeeds, it could help eliminate the pain and even raise the woman’s chances of conceiving.

If traditional surgery does not prove to be effective, doctors can opt to perform a hysterectomy or other more invasive procedures.

Alternative/Natural Therapy

Quite a number of patients choose to go the alternative route of treatments instead of undergoing surgeries and taking medications. Common alternative treatments would include acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and nutritional programs such as natural herbs for fertility. There is a significant volume of literature supporting these natural treatments, each promoting wellness while at the same time stimulate the body’s innate healing and defense mechanisms.

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