What You Need to Do to Reduce Inflammation on the Wrist

Common-Sense Version

While more advanced stages of carpal tunnel may require more aggressive treatment, perhaps surgery, most cases can be treated naturally.

  1. Reduce or eliminate foods that cause inflammation

I’ve been saying for more than a decade that if we, as a species, can eliminate three food items, majority of human diseases will simply go away. Here we go one more time: Stay away from Sugar, Wheat, and Dairies(including yogurt if your inflammation is severe).

  1. Decrease repetitive movements on the wrist

   Avoid lifting and holding heavy objects, or take breaks as often as you can.

  1. Reduce computer keyboard activities

   Use soft rolls or towel under the forearms to reduce the pressure on the wrist.

Non-Common-Sense Version

  1. Take Blackstrap Molasses

A few tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day will do a wonder in reducing pain and numbness on the wrist. This nutritionally “sweet” syrup contains a number of nutrients that restore wrist function including magnesium, calcium, and Vit B. bkstrap molasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Vit B Complex

Many individuals with carpal tunnel have been found to be deficient of certain B vitamins. Taking a Vit B complexes can help restore normal nerve function in your wrist and even reverse nerve damage.

3. Castor Oil Pack

Castor Oil is a powerful natural remedy in reducing inflammations anywhere in our body. It has been proven to be very effective in restoring wrist movement and functions, while lessen the severity of numbness and pain. Apply liberally to your wrist at least once a day with a hot damp towel wrapped around the wrist and hand.castor oil

  1. Apply Acupressure on the Four Acupuncture Points
  • Large Intestine 4-Located in the muscle belly between the thumb and the first finger. li4Use the opposite thumb and index or middle finger to perform a slow, sustained pinching motions to the muscle belly. Hold the pressure gently but firmly for 1-3 minutes.

 

 

  • Large Intestine 5Located on the lateral side of the wrist slightly backwards (posteriorly) between the base of the thumb and the head of the radius bone. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area for 1-3 minutes.LI5gddtet9

 

 

 

 

  • Lung-8 (Lu-8)

Located on the lateral side of the wrist slightly forwards (anteriorly on the palm side of the hand) between the base of the thumb and the head of the radius bone. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area. Hold gentle but firm pressure for 1-3 minutes. You should feel a decrease in hand numbness while applying the pressure.lung 8

 

  • Pericardium 7 (Pc-7)

Located in the middle of the palm side of the wrist, at the wrist fold lines between the flexor tendons. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area. Hold gentle but firm pressure for 1-3 minutes. You will feel a slight decrease in hand numbness while applying the pressure.pericardium7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If none of these work and you still experience unbearable pain, it’s time to make an appointment with an acupuncturist or a physical therapist.

Suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

 

Lately, I have treated unusually high number people suffering from of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Although there’s no direct link between cold weather and carpal tunnel syndrome that I know of, excessive pressure on the shoulders and neck during cold winter days may exacerbate the conditions. Do you suffer from pain, numbness and tingling in your hands? Is that numbness and tingling on the palm side of your hand, extending into the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger? If this sounds like the symptoms you have, you may be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.wrist-carpal-tunnel-iStock-471434677-640X440

Self-acupressure on 4 different acupuncture points can dramatically reduce the level of inflammation and pain. In addition, there are a few more excellent tips to help you in dealing with the nagging wrist/hand pain.

“Beating the Heavenly Drum” –Qigong Exercise

I discovered this exercise only a few weeks ago after I did a frantic research on tinnitus for my patient. Turned out to be this “Beating the Heaven Drum” is an age-old Taoist Qigong exercise, practiced mostly by Taoist monks in northern China. This exercise is refuted to be a valuable tool in aiding and maintaining a healthy ear, hearing mechanism, and maintaining a clear mentality. There are two ways to do this exercise.

  1. Method 1

Take a moment to relax by breathing slowly and deeply sitting on a chair or on the floor. When ready, close the ear canal by pressing on the tragus (stick-out part in front of ear canal) with your index finger. tragus

Tap gently on your index finger with the same hand’s middle finger, in a slow steady rhythm. Tap 12, 24 or 36 times and then release the fingers from the ears and rest. Tap both ears simultaneously or alternatively on each ear. Repeat the cycle three times. Ideally, you need to do this exercise one to three times a day, depending on the severity of ear ringing.

beating the heavenly drum2

When tapping on the index finger, make sure you hear a hollow metallic drum-like sound. The pressure shouldn’t be too hard, but firm enough to elicit metallic sounds. The key is to maintain a relaxed state of mind, not rushing through the exercise, focusing on the maximum benefit not only for the ears, but for the entire body.

  1. Method 2

Take time and relax for a few minutes breathing in and out slowly. Close your ears by placing your palms over them, with your fingers facing towards the back of the head. beataing the heavenlydrumTap the back of your head with all eight fingers, OR place your index fingers right underneath the occiput (the pronounced protrusion of skull, slightly above the base of the skull), and then put the middle fingers over your index fingers and snap them down on the occipital bone.posterior-view-of-the-skull-parietal-bone-occipital

The best results can be achieved through a steady pulse of beating. Again, tap 12, 24 or 36 times using either the alternating or simultaneous tapping. Repeat the sequence 3 times a day.  

Some people report immediate relief with this exercise, while for some, it takes a few days to see a real impact. Repeat the tapping as long as ringing persists.

Note: Another excellent relief can be found by placing heated salt pouch (2 Tsp of heated salt in a cotton pouch) over the ears for about 10 minutes.

 

Chinese Medical Perspectives on Tinnitus

Let’s talk about about tinnitus a bit. Affecting one out of every 20 Americans, tinnitus (the Latin word for ringing) is a condition that causes unwelcome noises in the ears such as buzzing, clicking, whistling, or high-pitched ringing sounds. It can happen to anyone, regardless of age, although its occurrence increases with age. Some speculate that usage of cell phones may have contributed to the rise of tinnitus.

tinnitusTinnitus is almost always associated with hearing loss. The sounds may be intermittent, continuous, or pulsing. It may interfere with normal activities, tend to get worse during the evenings and night. Causes of tinnitus include a degenerative auditory nerve, ear infections, neurological problems, sensorineural hearing loss, and Meniere’s disease. Some prescription medications and chemotherapy can also cause tinnitus. Well, that’s what western medicine says about tinnitus.

Chinese medicine, on the other hand, says that tinnitus (or any other hearing issues) is caused by:

  1. Kidney-Bladder network weakness, usually brought on by extreme fatigue caused by overexertion, lack of sleep, lower backache, and/or excessive sexual activity(interesting, isn’t it?). In modern days, drug usage and dependence on narcotics medications would certainly damage the kidneys.
  2. Negative emotions such as anger, frustration, resentment, and hatred disrupt the liver channel and become a “liver fire” over time. This “liver fire” rises up to the head and damage hearing.
  3. Overconsumption of cold and raw foods and dairy products promotes the formation of mucus, causing congestion and preventing proper nourishment of the ears.

Resolving any hearing problems, Chinese or otherwise, is a daunting task. It may be kidneysear photo

because our ears are directly connected with the kidneys (they look strikingly similar) which are considered to be the deepest organs in our body. 

Once the kidneys are damaged, it’s really difficult to restore the optimal health. Let’s figure out how Qigong exercise can help in resolving tinnitus.

Ringing in the Ears? Try Qigong Exercise

A few months ago, a patient came in, complaining about clogged/blocked Eustachian tube, which she thought was caused by having a cold on a plane. A few days after her flight, she started experiencing ringing in both ears, which was getting worse daily.

rining in the earsHer ENT doctor has prescribed antibiotics, but neither clogging nor ringing was getting any better. We tried acupuncture, modified her diet, and used nutritional supplements, all of which helped only marginally. Then, she became dramatically better after I asked her to practice simple Qigong exercises called “Beating the Heavenly Drum.” First day, she said tinnitus went away about 50%; and it took about another 10 days to resolve ear-ringing all together. If you have ringing in the ears, you should definitely try this amazing Qigong exercise.