Shoulder Pain

Pain in the neck happens to be the fourth leading cause of disability globally, lagging behind ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and lower respiratory infection. Neck pain can interfere with daily life, including the ability to feel productive, sleep, and enjoy time with family. It is a common occurrence among the working population usually engaged in tech jobs or desk jobs. Srikanth H.S, Sr. Naturopath, Jindal Naturecure Institute, points out that there are several factors that can result in neck pain like stress, poor posture, obesity, muscle inflammation, arthritis, and injuries. "The best way to deal with neck pain is to minimize it in the first place. Naturopathy offers safe and effective alternatives to deal with neck pain without falling prey to the side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs. Blending in the goodness of natural therapies like yoga, massage, herbs, and acupuncture, along with lifestyle modifications, naturopathy can bring huge relief from neck pain," he says. Risks of Neck Pain The expert says: "The common causes of neck pain are muscle strain and nerve compression. However, the symptoms alone cannot indicate which one of these is occurring. Muscle strain usually results from poor posture, repeated lifting, sleep, stress, or anxiety. Nerve compression can occur when a disc in the spine slips out of its position and pinches or presses the nerves, or when the tissues in the neck get inflamed or swollen causing the nerves in the area to get squeezed. Whatever the cause, ongoing chronic neck pain shouldn't be neglected as it can lead to a lifetime of disability or even permanent damage." Also, Read► How To Manage Your Neck Pain Better He suggests naturopathy ways to treat neck pain: Yoga The ancient art of yoga has been demonstrated to help people with chronic pain including neck pain. Studies have shown that yoga asanas help to reduce pain perception, improves mobility, and decrease inflammation. Even 15 to 20 minutes of yoga exercises a day can relax the body, stretch the muscles, increase blood circulation, and minimize the chances of neck pain. Some of the common yoga asanas which can be practiced for neck pain are Marjariasana (Cat Pose), Bitilasana (Cow Pose), Balasana (Child's Pose), Natarajasana (Reclining Twist Pose), Viparita Karani (Legs up the wall pose), and Savasana (Corpse Pose). Also, Read► 6 Best Fitness Apps So You Can Exercise Anywhere Massage Several studies have pointed out that massage therapy can offer relief from neck pain and improve range of motion when performed by qualified professionals. Massage therapy usually involves the use of the hands to manipulate soft tissues, like the tendons and muscles, increase blood circulation, and reduce muscle tension. It helps to ease up the sore, numb and stiff muscles in the spinal area and neck region. Also, Read► Had a hectic week? Just 10 minutes of massage will relax you Herbs Herbal treatments have been used for ages to treat pains of different sorts. Herbal remedies can be sipped like tea, infused in the bathwater, used as an oil, or inhaled as aromatherapy. Devil's Claw is a popular herb that can substantially reduce neck pain and even improve physical functioning in osteoarthritis patients. Other than that, Lavender, Kudzu, and St. John's Wort are some of the most popular herbs that help relieve neck pain and lower back pain. For maximum effects, these herbs should be taken under the guidance of expert professionals. Also, Read► 7 Ayurvedic Herbs for Insomnia Acupuncture Acupuncture is a thousand of years old technique that involves pricks in the skin with needles at specific points on the body. The frequency and duration of acupuncture sessions may depend on how long the neck pain has already lasted, and also the severity of the symptoms. Some studies have revealed that acupuncture can stimulate biochemical changes both locally (where the needles are placed) and in the central nervous system. These biochemical changes may help to bring pain relief and other beneficial effects in some cases. Also, Read► Acupuncture can be a safe option to treat migraines Lifestyle Modifications Lifestyle modifications play a significant role in the management of neck aches and stiffness. Practicing good posture while at work or home should be a key priority for those suffering from neck pain. Getting good sleep and maintaining the spine in a comfortable position throughout the night, regular neck exercises, and taking breaks in between work and stretching are some of the ways to reduce strain on the neck and keep it relaxed. (Puja Gupta) Read More► What Is Neck Pain And Its Symptoms And Cause

Jaipur, Feb 17 (IANS) Asaram Bapu, who is serving life imprisonment in Jodhpur jail on charges of sexually harassing a minor girl, was admitted to Jodhpur-situated Mathuradas Mathur Hospital (MDM) after he complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing.The self-styled godman was hospitalised on Tuesday night. The doctors monitored his health on Wednesday morning and said that "he is stable now".However, various tests were lined up and final conclusion could only be made after all diagnostic reports were out, an official said.Meanwhile, Asaram's supporters have started reaching MDM Hospital as soon as they heard about his ill health.At 11 p.m., on Tuesday under tight security, the 79-year-old was taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jodhpur by the jail authorities. The doctors at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital performed his ECG and chest X-ray, and found both reports fine. However, Asaram said that he was not feeling well and hence was shifted to MDM Hospital at 1 a.m. He was admitted to the Department of Cardiology. Different medical tests are being done, confirmed doctors.--IANSarc/rs

New York, Jan 9 (IANS) More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they're between uses, a new study finds.The findings also indicated that about 10 per cent of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis."Some people report experiencing significant benefits from medical cannabis, but our findings suggest a real need to increase awareness about the signs of withdrawal symptoms developing to decrease the potential downsides of cannabis use, especially among those who experience severe or worsening symptoms over time," said lead researcher Lara Coughlin from the University of Michigan.Many of them may not recognize that these symptoms come not from their underlying condition, but from their brain and body's reaction to the absence of substances in the cannabis products they're smoking, vaping, eating or applying to their skin, the researcher said.For the study, published in the journal Addiction, the team involved of 527 participants. All were participating in the state's system to certify people with certain conditions for use of medical cannabis and had non-cancer-related pain.The researchers asked the patients whether they had experienced any of 15 different symptoms - ranging from trouble sleeping and nausea to irritability and aggression - when they had gone a significant time without using cannabis.The researchers used an analytic method to empirically group the patients into those who had no symptoms or mild symptoms at the start of the study, those who had moderate symptoms (meaning they experienced multiple withdrawal symptoms) and those who had severe withdrawal issues that included most or all of the symptoms.They then looked at how things changed over time, surveying the patients one year and two years after their first survey.Further research could help identify those most at risk of developing problems, and reduce the risk of progression to cannabis use disorder, which is when someone uses cannabis repeatedly despite major impacts on their lives and ability to function, the researcher said.--IANSvc/sdr/

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Notwithstanding the brouhaha over whether the meat eateries are serving halal or jhatka meat or the recent Bird Flu scare, the reality is that the pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in raw meat orders online and key delivery players like FreshToHome, Licious, Zappfresh and BigBasket have seen three times growth in meat orders since the outbreak of the pandemic in India.The online meat delivery market was fairly nascent with a market size of Rs 700 crore in 2019. While the broader meat market has largely been unorganised, online is now growing fast as the players have successfully targeted consumer pain points associated with purchasing meat from local butchers. "Especially, super verticals like Licious and FreshToHome have quickly gained prominence. Even verticals like Big Basket are upping their meat game," according to Bengaluru-based market research firm RedSeer. While India's overall meat market was Rs 330K crore in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2019, it is set to grow to more than Rs 460K crore by 2024, the firm forecasts. The Covid-19 scare, which forced people to stop going to their friendly neighbourhood meat shops, has helped online players to a great extent. They immediately jumped on to the bandwagon, successfully targeting consumer pain points like lack of hygiene, less options and longer wait time at the shops. "The meat provided by online players is clean, without any stain of blood and has negligible odour. The online players also differentiate in terms of width of offerings – especially ready-to-cook/ready-to-eat ones. The pieces are of high quality, rich in nutritional benefits, and ideal for urban, young, working consumers," the report noted. Meat market includes fish (freshwater and seafish), poultry (bird meat, ex-eggs) mutton (goat and lamb meat), pork and beef. More than 70 per cent of the Indian population consumes meat in some form or the other. This is particularly prominent in eastern and southern India. For instance, more than 98 per cent of the population in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh consumes meat and fish, according to the report. "Success of online meat providers is due to vertically-integrated supply chains with high bars on quality. Also, the players have innovated to provide consumers a wide set of offerings, and attracted them through highly relevant and contextual marketing," RedSeer informed. FreshToHome is the world's largest fully integrated online brand in fresh fish, poultry and meat e-commerce, with approximately 1.5 million orders per month and $85 million (nearly Rs 600 crore) annualised sales run rate on its platform. FreshToHome said it enables its marketplace sellers to source and sell high-quality meat and fish directly from livestock farmers and fishermen and is present in most major Indian cities and the UAE. The fresh fish and meat e-commerce platform in October last year raised $121 million (approximately Rs 891.5 crore) in a Series C funding round. "Covid-19 transformed the fish and meat purchasing behaviour of consumers dramatically. Due to safety concerns, consumers made the habit-forming shift to e-commerce and we saw online demand for our products going up many folds this year," said Shan Kadavil, Co-Founder and CEO of FreshToHome. The online meat market has grown more than 2.5-3 times since Covid. "This was driven by Covid-related apprehensions while purchasing from offline/local butchers. The online players effectively communicated their superior quality and hygiene practices, which boosted consumer confidence," the RedSeer report noted. Therefore, online players gained significant number of new users since Covid-19 outbreak, even as existing users ordered more, which boosted volumes. --IANS na/arm