This article explores the 4 major steps learned by Michael J. Homan in his search for relief from pinched nerves from degenerative disk disease. Mike discusses the importance of flexibility of the spine, and relieving pain with acupressure, and also strengthening the surrounding muscles in support of the spine and its health.

"back pain, sciatic, sciatic nerve, degenerative disk disease"

Michael J. Homan is a Reiki Master and studies natural healthing methods such as Acupressure, Electro-Acupuncture, Reflexology, Crystal Therapy, Chinese Magnetic Cupping, has his own e-Book called 4 Steps To A Pain-FREE Back!, and has a health related web site devoted to health issues and natural healing techniques.


I have studied and taken courses in acupressure. Studied some on chiropractic. I also have looked into psychological issues to do with pain and medical problems. And I am also a Reiki Master.

So today that you have a little about my background, and what fuels my  writing... let's get to the real content.

I am going to condense this article for convenience since it is a combination of four major studies in themselves, but you can find my e-book or read my full articles at my web site, which is healthgrowhealthier.com.

I have found that 4 major things play an important part in your spines health.

First, there is posture. I know this is not the first time you have heard this, but it needs to be said again and again.
Posture should be noted in sitting, standing, and sleeping. Begin taking note of your posture at all times. If it is not straight, then Begin working on fixing it.

If you sleep in a position like I have in the past, with both hands below your pillow while you lay on your side, you can pinch a nerve in your neck if your shoulder of the arm that's up starts to relax and leans in toward your head or neck. It would be better to lay your arm of your upper hand down on your leg while one hand is under your pillow.

And if you can, buy a few different thickness pillows for throughout the night. I do not know about you, but I can not have a high, fluffy pillow when I lay on my back. But a thin pillow gives me neck ache when I lay on my side.

The second thing on our list is the flexibility of your back.

What you want to do when you notice your back goes out a lot and you experience pinched nerves, is in getting your spine back into alignment and having it flexible.

Of course if you feel a chiropractor is your best choice, by all means seek one. But think about your progress if you could align your own back when ever you needed to. It's not all that hard!

If you are in pain at the present, put ice or heat on the spot until the pain seems to lessen.

Do NOT, under any circumstances exercise while any of your nerves are inflamed or swollen!

To get your back more flexible you might want to learn kundalini yoga. Not all yoga styles are like those you may have seen on television, where they twist themselves up. Kundalini yoga has very good and useful spinal exercises developed to help flexibility. Kundalini Yoga is also a spiritual tool to help before meditation as well.

It is very important to strengthen your back and the surrounding muscles. This is the third step to a healthy back.

Doing sit-ups is one such exercise, You do not have to do some sit-ups until you feel you can... step by step.

Take all of these things slow and at the pace of your body. Your body will let you know what it is feeling. Pain is a warning sign.

Just remember... taking pain pills is okay when you really need them. But also remember that they do not cure the problem, they only mask the warning sign, they simply stop the warning sign, but not the underlying problem.

Health is more than just eating right. One has to consider mental health, environmental, and many other factors. It is not all that easy for a doctor to diagnose the complete problem and heal it, particularly if it has roots in psychological issues and has gone a long time unchecked, and became a physical problem.

The fourth and last step in back health is to Begin a daily stretching routine. You have
seen cats and dogs stretch when they get up, try it for yourself!

The key to back health is in keeping it actively flexible and strong, or well supported by the stomach and back muscles. You may have to find that happy medium in between like I have, being too much strength in one area will pull out another.
Each person is uniquely different in many areas. So never guess what worked for someone else is going to work for you. You may have to build on someone else's information and work it into your own, personal program.

I recommend you learn a little about acupressure as well to maintain your pain when it flares up.
I have found that I can manage pain by using acupressure, simply by putting pressure on certain areas of the body. But that is something I suggest you seek a professional for help, or look for someone who does acupuncture, or take a course in acupressure like I did.

Today I'm sharing the true story of what is probably the least-understood health secret in the Western world. It's something your doctor never told you and health authorities never learned. And yet it could be the key to solving the very health problems you may be suffering from right now, including high blood pressure, asthma and even arthritis.

This secret isn't patented. It's not available by prescription and it costs almost nothing. In fact, from time to time, it falls out of the sky and collects in huge pools on the Earth. What is it? Water.

Water may someday be recognized as the single most important healing medicine we could possibly consume, and our special report, "The Healing Power of Water," explains why. You can read it right now at: http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_water_cure_0.html Physicians rarely promote the curative properties of H2O, but Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D. has studied water's effect on the human body and has found it to be one of the best pain relievers and preventative therapies in existence. I was one of the last people to interview the late Dr. Batmanghelidj, and I listened in awe as he shared his research and stories about "The Healing Power of Water." In a fascinating one-hour phone conversation I will never forget, Dr. B. shared things like:

* Which common ailments and "diseases" are actually caused by dehydration
* Why many doctors use water-regulating antihistamines to alleviate pain
* How Dr. Batmanghelidj unintentionally discovered water's healingnproperties
* Why most people are chronically dehydrated and suffer from symptoms of dehydration that are labeled "diseases"
* Which ingredients in soft drinks deplete the body's water reserves
* Why thirst is not a reliable indicator of dehydration
* Why the body produces cholesterol and how water keeps it in balance
* Why Dr. Batmanghelidj believes the public is being mislead about AIDS
* How dehydration impairs mental functioning

* Why some organizations want to withhold alternative health information from the public
* How lack of water causes depression
* Why popular beverages are no substitute for water
* How dehydration causes the vascular system to constrict, leading to hypertension
* How to recognize signs that your body is starting to dehydrate
* Why restaurants push you to drink disease-promoting soft drinks
* Why and how water effectively treats pain and inflammation
Want to learn the rest of this fascinating story? Download "The Healing Power of Water" right now and read it yourself. It's offered in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat), so it works on any computer!
Learn more at:

http://www.NaturalNews.com/Report_water_cure_0.html

Garlic is natural medicine for treating high blood pressure

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) Garlic is one of the most amazing medicinal herbs on the planet. It has been among my top-recommended healing foods and medicines for years. Most people know garlic as being anti-cancer. Others recognize its ability to naturally lower high cholesterol. But did you know that garlic also helps normalize high blood pressure?

Here, we present a collection of powerful quotes about garlic and high blood pressure, documented in some of the best health books ever written. Enjoy this collection of knowledge!

Garlic vs. high blood pressure

Onions have similar characteristics and are often used in combination with garlic. To preserve the beneficial effects of garlic it should not be boiled. The fresh juice is the most effective preparation. For nervous spasms, cramps and seizures, crush one clove of garlic in a glass of hot milk. For high blood pressure, take one clove of garlic each morning. Prepare oil of garlic by placing eight ounces of peeled minced garlic in a wide-mouthed jar with enough olive oil to cover. Close tightly and shake a few times each day; allow to stand in a warm place for three days.
- The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra

Garlic has achieved a legendary reputation as an antihypertensive medication. It's been used in China for centuries for that purpose, and the Japanese government officially recognizes garlic as a blood-pressure depressor. American scientists first tried garlic against high blood pressure in 1921. Garlic consistently lowers blood pressure in laboratory animals.
- The Food Pharmacy: Dramatic New Evidence That Food Is Your Best Medicine by Jean Carper

Eat more garlic. It is another legendary folk remedy for high blood pressure, and it is effective, according to recent studies. Long used in China and widely used today in Germany as a blood pressure medication, garlic can have a striking impact. In a recent double blind German test of Kwai, an over-the-counter garlic preparation, doses comparable to a couple of daily garlic cloves pushed diastolic blood pressure down in patients with mild high blood pressure.
- Food Your Miracle Medicine by Jean Carper

I heard a lot about garlic being a good remedy for colds, but I was hesitant to try it because I also heard it lowers high blood pressure. Since my blood pressure is normal, I thought the garlic might cause it to drop. Fortunately, I read where a medical doctor said that garlic normalizes high or low blood pressure, but does not disturb normal blood pressure. With this assurance, I tried Kyolic garlic tablets the next time I felt I was starting to come down with a cold. Within a few days, I felt fine.
- Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas

The confidence the Egyptians had in garlic is demonstrated by the fact that they reportedly used it to strengthen the workers who built the pyramids. Pliny recommended garlic for 61 maladies in his Historia Naturalis; Hippocrates recommended it as a laxative, diuretic, and cure for tumors of the uterus. Garlic has been used to treat high blood pressure for centuries in China and Japan. In first-century India, garlic and onion were thought to prevent heart disease and rheumatism. Garlic even had a reputation as an aphrodisiac in Shakespearean England.
- Get Healthy Now with Gary Null: A Complete Guide to Prevention, Treatment and Healthy living by Gary Null

A number of scientific studies suggest another reason that garlic is your heart's friend: Its ability to bring down high blood pressure. Exactly how much can garlic reduce your blood pressure? It's not as fast-acting as high blood pressure medication, says Dr. Mowrey. But over time, he says, garlic can be almost as effective as lifestyle changes like weight loss, regular exercise and cutting back on salt intake.
- The Complete Book of Alternative Nutrition by Selene Y. Craig, Jennifer Haigh, Sari Harrar and the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books

According to David Hoffmann, B.Sc, M.N.I.M.H., of Sebastopol, California, eating a clove of raw garlic daily will help considerably in preventing or reversing the effects of high blood pressure. While garlic has been used for centuries in traditional cultures throughout the world as a multipurpose medicinal food, in recent decades more than 2,000 clinical studies have validated many of the folk-healing claims for "the stinking rose," as garlic was once called.
- Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition by Larry Trivieri, Jr.

Three to ten cloves of garlic a day are needed to induce the beneficial effects for the cardiovascular system. However, the garlic cloves must be crushed, chopped, bruised, or chewed to release the full effect. You might want to try some of the popular garlic-rich Italian and Asian dishes. If you're worried about the famous odoriferous side effect of consuming garlic, do as the Europeans do and take your garlic in concentrated odor-free capsules.
- Intelligent Medicine: A Guide to Optimizing Health and Preventing Illness for the Baby-Boomer Generation by Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D.

Studies show that garlic has antibiotic properties as well as the ability to fight fungal infections, and at least twenty-eight studies have found garlic effective for lowering cholesterol levels. In one German experiment, volunteers taking an 800-mg garlic tablet saw their cholesterol levels drop an average of 12 percent over four months. Compounds in garlic dilate the blood vessels and may help high blood pressure, congenital heart disease, and lung conditions. Can garlic also prevent cancer? Some scientists are finding out.
- Medicines From Nature by Peggy Thomas

Another group of researchers proposed that garlic's antiplatelet activity and other cardiovascular effects may be due to activation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and subsequent production of nitric oxide. The correlation between low levels of nitric oxide and high blood pressure has been known since 1991, and this research correlated the effect of garlic extract on NOS and platelet aggregation. Raw, dried, aged, and macerated garlic as well as garlic oil have all demonstrated antiplatelet effects. Ajoene may be one of the most potent antiplatelet compounds in garlic.
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs by Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien

In the eighteenth century, Esteyneffer recommended both garlic and onion for a wide variety of illnesses, uses that continue today. The Mountain Pima insert a clove of garlic into the anus to treat fever. The Mayo use garlic in capsules for arthritis and cancer and to reduce fat. Mexican Americans insert the clove to treat susto, fright disease. Both respect garlic for its magical properties. Garlic is used for high blood pressure and against fright; onion has been used for fever.
- Healing with Plants in the American and Mexican West by Margarita Artschwager Kay

As an antithrombotic agent, ajoene is at least as potent as aspirin and its activity is enhanced by other breakdown products of the garlic. Allicin is found to lower serum cholesterol by blocking its biosynthesis. Fresh garlic, garlic juice, aged garlic extracts or the volatile oil - all lowered cholesterol and plasma lipids, lipid metabolism, and atherogensis both in vitro and in vivo. Methyl-allyl trisulfide of the garlic helps expand constricted blood vessels, thereby preventing high blood pressure.
- Indian Herbal Remedies: Rational Western Therapy, Ayurvedic and Other Traditional Usage, Botany by C. P. Khare

The typical study compares diets high in fat with and without Garlic. Garlic diets consistently produce the lowest cholesterol levels. In the 1940s, one investigator found that 40 of 100 patients with high blood pressure experienced a reduction of 20 mmHg or more after about a week of garlic treatment. In another study, a water extract of garlic was given to hypercholesterolemic patients for two months during which time the patients experienced a 28.5% reduction in cholesterol - the dose was equivalent to about 10 grams of garlic per day.
- The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine: How to Remedy and Prevent Disease with Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutrients by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.

One study looked at 41,000 American women and found that one or more servings a week of garlic was associated with a 35 percent decrease in the risk of colon cancer. It is thought that garlic's sulfur compounds are key in preventing these types of cancers by helping to control carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). High blood pressure is recognized as one of the leading causes of heart disease, and garlic has been shown to have mild blood-pressure-lowering effects. Clinically, I would not rely on garlic alone to lower blood pressure.
- The Natural Physician's Healing Therapies by Mark Stengler, N.D.

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When I think of bottled water I think of hot tennis players gulping it down between matches. There certainly is a stigma about bottled water. Sometimes I think that one of the things around it is, rich people drink it. We see all of these rich famous people on television drinking it. Bottled water certainly has become popular. There is no doubting that. I go to the store and I see more brands than I can keep track of. I'll admit that I have drank a few bottles of this stuff in my day. Mainly I get it if I am out and not near home to get a drink of water. If I am out walking or exercising and don't have a water source near by.

Is bottled water a rip off?
The short answer is yes. There is nothinggreat about it. The only thing that is great about it is how it has been marketed. They tell us it is the best thing that we can get. It is something we all should drink. You have to keep in mind that these companies are in the business of making money. Their goal is to sell you bottled water. Even if you don't need it.

Is bottled water better for you than tap water?
No, it certainly isn't. In fact, most bottled water is just tap water. It is filtered and purified so it doesn't have the taste that the water from your tap has. Anything that will get you to drink more water is great. Though, you must realize that it is nothing more than a waste of money. You aren't getting something that your body will jump for joy when it gets.

You have to watch what you buy though. Some bottled water has things added to it. Sometimes they will add sugar or other flavorings to it. If it doesn't taste like pure water, there is something added to it. Sometimes the water will come from a spring or a mountain river. Is this any better for you? Not really. There might be some minerals in it that tap water won't have. But for the most part it is just the same, but more expensive.


Is bottled water a rip off?
The short answer is yes. There is nothing great about it. The only thing that is great about it is how it has been marketed. They tell us it is the best thing that we can get. It is something we all should drink. You have to keep in mind that these companies are in the business of making money. Their goal is to sell you bottled water. Even if you don't need it.

Is bottled water better for you than tap water?
No, it certainly isn't. In fact, most bottled water is just tap water. It is filtered and purified so it doesn't have the taste that the water from your tap has. Anything that will get you to drink more water is great. Though, you must realize that it is nothing more than a waste of money. You aren't getting something that your body will jump for joy when it gets.
You have to watch what you buy though. Some bottled water has things added to it. Sometimes they will add sugar or other flavorings to it. If it doesn't taste like pure water, there is something added to it. Sometimes the water will come from a spring or a mountain river. Is this any better for you? Not really. There might be some minerals in it that tap water won't have. But for the most part it is just the same, but more expensive.

You like the taste of bottled water but you don't like the taste of your tap water. What do you do?
For starters, I would suggest that you don't run to the store to get more bottled water. There are many products that you are use to filter your tap water. One of my favorites is the pitcher with the filter in it. I'm sure you have seen these on television before. When you pour the water, it goes through a filter.
These tend to be less expensive and easy to use. It doesn't take much brain power to be able to fill a pitcher with water. Check your local shop, I'm sure that you will find one there. There are also filters that you can put right over your faucet. These tend to be the best thing to use. They are easy to use and easy to replace the filters. You can get these at any Wal Mart or store like that.
There is always the water filtering system. You know, the ones with the pellets and all that garbage. Personally, I think these are a pain in the ass. I don't know why people get these instead of the smaller faucet units. I know that some people have to use these because of the condition of their water. Sometimes the water is too hard and you need to soften it. Though, that does sound like a plot for a porno movie.

If you don't like the taste of your water, try filling up the empty bottles that you have from the bottled water with tap water. Stick them in the ice box and get them nice and cold. You will notice that when cold, the water has a different flavor. You might find this to be drinkable. I know your wallet will thank you.

The problem I see with the bottled water is, it is too expensive. They are charging you an arm and a leg for something you can get next to free. Why should you pay for it? Well, you shouldn't.
I don't know why people don't feel guilty for buying bottled water. It is one step up from going to a whore.

You should stop drinking the bottled water and see how much money you save just for one month. I find it crazy that there are people around the world dying of starvation and disease and we pay a dollar or more for a bottle of water. That seems so crazy to me.