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Minor ailments happen to everyone from time to time. And sometimes it is better and easier to cope with them without medication – you just need to competently come to the aid of your body.
Spasms, contraction of smooth muscles and blood vessels are the cause of most headaches, discomfort during the cycle in women, insomnia or chronic fatigue.
“Smooth muscle contraction is an involuntary process,” explains neurologist and osteopath Svetlana Komarova, a specialist in restorative massage. “It’s perfectly natural if it’s followed by relaxation, but in today’s environment, tension tends to build up, and few of us know how to deal with it.” These simple techniques are aimed at relieving tension, which can save us from spasms and the discomfort associated with them.
Relax the solar plexus
“Diaphragm relaxation techniques are used both in osteopathy and in body-oriented psychotherapy,” says Svetlana Komarova. – The thoracic-abdominal diaphragm is a special muscle that separates the chest and abdomen, responsible for maintaining balance and harmony between the upper and lower parts of our body. The diaphragm area most often accumulates stress. This technique helps relieve spasm and improve blood circulation in internal organs, get rid of discomfort in the abdomen.
Performance. Sit in a comfortable position where your stomach is as relaxed as possible. Put your palms (giving them the shape of boats) at the base of the ribs on both sides of the chest. As you exhale, gently press the ribs of your palms in and up toward your spine. While inhaling, hold the achieved depth, trying to gradually penetrate the palms deeper and deeper under the ribs. Perform such inhalations and exhalations for 1-3 minutes.
Relieve tension from the abdomen
“To alleviate your condition during the cycle, you can use the simplest yoga asanas,” says Oksana Legkostupova, a specialist in Ayurveda and yoga. “For women, exercises aimed at stretching the lower abdomen and back without tension are suitable.”
Performance. Sitting on your knees, lower your buttocks onto your heels. Stretch, continuing to sit, forward along the floor with your whole body and arms. In this so-called rabbit pose, try to completely relax for 2-3 minutes: in this position of the body, a natural stretching of the lumbar region occurs.
Then take a position called the butterfly pose: lying on your back, bend your knees, pulling your feet together to the pelvis, then spread your knees as far as possible. Pillows can be placed under the lower back and knees to make it more comfortable. Focusing on even, calming belly breathing, stay in the pose for 2-3 minutes. This asana is good for relieving cramps in the lower abdomen.
What is the best way to stop the pain?
Pain is not worth enduring. However, when deciding to take a painkiller, it is worth weighing the pros and cons, advises Professor Mikhail Kukushkin, a specialist in the field of pathophysiology of pain.
In an organism experiencing pain, stress hormones are released, vascular reactions and muscle tone change, metabolism is inhibited, and immune activity changes. Chronic pain leads to increased sensitivity, increased excitability of neurons associated with its perception. Therefore, if the head hurts regularly, it is necessary to “carry” it to the doctor and understand the reasons for what is happening. “Suppressing” it with analgesics is extremely unreasonable: all these drugs have side effects that manifest themselves with long-term systematic use.
- Analgin is able to cause changes in the composition of the blood, in a number of countries it is completely prohibited.
- Aspirin should not be taken by people with a tendency to gastritis and bleeding.
- Paracetamol, which is part of cold remedies as an analgesic and antipyretic, is toxic to liver and kidney cells.
- Indomethacin preparations also have possible side effects – from stomach bleeding to changes in the hematopoietic system.
Fortunately, it is possible to significantly reduce or even completely relieve pain not only with the help of pills. So, reflexology helps to achieve the desired effect due to natural mechanisms: the body releases a huge amount of painkillers that it produces itself, and at the same time inhibits signals in the brain that we perceive as pain.
soothe your head
“This head massage helps to cope with pain resulting from emotional and physical overstrain, stress, weather changes, that is, as experts say, “neurogenic or vascular,” explains rehabilitation doctor Sergey Kuzyakov.
Performance. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet on the floor hip-width apart, your stomach slightly tucked in, and your shoulders relaxed. First, the fontanel area is massaged in a circular motion – in Chinese reflexology, this is the bai-hui point. To find it, you need to put the base of the palm directly above the auricle – the pad of the middle finger is just at this point.
Putting the middle fingers of both hands one on top of the other, massage in a clockwise direction for about one minute. Then the point above the bridge of the nose, which is called yin-tang, is massaged: gently and gently press on it with the pads of the middle fingers for about one minute. The frequency of movements is one pressure per second.
Next, rub the temples. Place your thumbs on the points below at the base of the ears, and with the middle phalanges of bent index fingers, gently rub the skin in the direction from the tips of the eyebrows to the ears for one minute.
Fall asleep easier
“Foot massage in a measured rhythm is an excellent remedy for those who have difficulty falling asleep,” explains Sergey Kuzyakov. “It would be nice to preface it with a walk and herbal tea from lemon balm with honey.”
Performance. On the sole of the foot, find the point of separation of the phalanges of the big toe and the other four. It is located just above the midpoint of the arch of the foot, just below the ball of the big toe.
Put the center of the palm on this point and gently stroke it with uniform circular movements – it is better to wear a cotton sock.
Perform massage on each foot for 1-3 minutes until a feeling of warmth spreads over the body.