In the Filipino “lamig” means coolness or cold. The reference is mainly made when a muscle feels hard to touch and is painful due to the hardness. It is called a lamig because the hilots or traditional barefoot healers claim that this hard muscle is the result of being exposed to cold weather or a sudden loss of heat in the muscle, resulting in a loss of circulation or spasm like change in the muscle. The scientific version is that this…
Browsing Tag
Heat or Ice
In an earlier blog we discussed if you should use heat or ice for self-care and for first aid. Believe it or not there are times when you should be BOTH heat and ice. Interesting eh? In general, muscles benefit from increased circulation to heal by applying some heat (not too much) or massaging the muscle. This increases the blood flow to th muscles. Also, when there is a painful joint, the body best benefits from the use of ice, both…
Mary’s hands hurt and some times more than others, depending on how much she does things with her hands. She is wondering what type of arthritis she has. Arthritis is a word with two parts: Arthro meaning joint and ‘itis’ that is used to describe the process of inflammation in some part of the body. So arthritis is an inflammation of the joint, any joint and it can be caused by a number of things. Three most common types of arthritis…
Masakit ang Balikat! Paul hurt his shoulder while lifting heavy luggage during one of his business trips. Like most men, Paul thought the problem was just a minor thing. You know the expression: “Maybe it will go away.” So months later the shoulder hurt everyday with various activities. Shoulder pain is a common complaint expressed to the Doctor of Chiropractic during a spinal evaluation. Actually there are three categories of shoulder pains: Joint problems Peripheral soft tissue injuries General discomfort or tension…
The knee is a strangely designed joint, don’t you think? In part that is why so many people suffer from knee pain caused by cartilage and/or ligament deterioration. It is mainly the inflammation these cause that is responsible for the pain; the heat, swelling and pressure, the irritation, etc. Problem is that these conditions can’t just get fixed once and for all. So today I will share a simple but amazingly effective home care procedure anyone can do on their…
A very common question I hear from patients and people around the community is: “Should I use Heat or Ice?” The best way to answer that is to give it the perspective as a first aid tool and also by explaining the physiology of inflammation. First Aid makes us typically think of bandages and pain medication but there is one First Aid tip that comes up so often that its worth repeating. “USE ICE” and if you are in doubt…