You actually can use acupressure to help relieve most forms of back pain, but don’t do this if you have any skeletal or bone damage, and if in doubt then consult a chiropractor or osteopath.

No worries there? Good. Sit or stand comfortably and locate these two points in the lower back between the second and third lumbar vertebrae, two to four finger widths from the spine at waist level on either side.

Place your hands on these areas, but palm outwards, and rub so as to make the area warm (it’s surprising how cold this area of the back can become).

Then take hold of the vertical area of muscles on each side of your back with each hand, with your thumbs pressing on the outer points inwards towards the spine, about four inches apart, and the fingers applying pressure on the inner points.

If you want an alternative method then form loose fists with each hand and either sit back in a chair or lie on the floor with your fists underneath your back, pressing into these areas.

The important thing is to relax your body slowly onto your fists, close your eyes, and breathe deeply (as always). Do this for around a minute, and you should find it brings considerable relief from lower back pain and sciatica. Repeat if you feel like it.

For around 85 pages of priceless information like this for only $7, go to PressAwayPain Home Page now.

Philip Gegan

Natural alternative health has become very popular in recent years, as orthodox medication is found wanting in more and more ways. But as knowledge and information about such aspects of it as Traditional Chinese Medicine spreads, a counter current has appeared that has seen a deterioration in the standards of hygiene that ought now to be expected of everyone.

What’s the point in everyone knowing all the secrets of natural alternative health if we’re all walking around all the time with millions of harmful bacteria and microbes on our hands. Why keep to a healthy diet with plenty of fiber, and practice all the Yoga and other exercises if we then neglect to wash our hands after visiting the washroom?

Let’s take two devices most of us use every day, or nearly every day. First is the mobile phone. Nearly everyone on the planet has one, and uses it regularly. They are usually kept in our pockets or handbags, i.e. in warm, bug-friendly places, even in cool climates.

We handle them frequently, and press our fingers on the buttons several times a day or more. So any bacteria on our hands quickly spreads to these venerable devices that we love to use and handle. So how would you like to handle the mobile phone of someone who routinely comes out of the toilet without so much as a glance at the rows of wash basins just outside?

Among the nasty bugs to be found on millions of mobile phones at any time are Staphylococcus aureus. This particular bacteria is related to the super-bug, MRSA, and can cause pimples, boils, and even pneumonia and meningitis.

The second device is something nearly all of us need to use regularly, but it has to be shared with thousands of other people. It is the ever-present ATM, from which we all collect our cash as and when we need a top-up. The buttons of the typical ATM are touched by thousands of people every day, and hardly ever cleaned.

If you had a microscope and examined the keys and surrounding areas of this ATM you would almost certainly find bacteria such as the super-bugs MRSA and C.diff. These, together with candida albican, which causes thrush, can survive here for months. A recent study in the UK by Rentokil, a leading hygiene company, found that 40 per cent of ATM keypads contained bacteria that could cause severe gastroenteritis.

That takes no account of the cash itself. The same study examined a bank note taken from an ATM and found it to contain Staphylococcus aureus (see above) and bacillus bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.

The lesson to be learned here is that, apart from keeping your own mobile phone clean by regularly wiping it with an antibiotic wipe, avoid using ATMs any more than you have to, and after using one keep your hands away from your nose, mouth and eyes until you’ve washed them thoroughly. Using anti-bacterial gel is just as good.

Natural alternative health treatment can only do so much. Simple personal hygiene practices such as washing your hands when you ought to are fundamental to a healthy lifestyle.

Philip Gegan

Heartburn home remedies are usually what sufferers seek only after they have tried all the regular remedies that are not only ineffectual but sometimes actually harmful as well.

As heartburn is nearly always caused by faulty eating habits – either eating junk food or eating healthy food too quickly – then it’s hardly surprising that the most effective remedies are home remedies in the form of natural food.

Read on to discover the truth about how aloe vera, the humble cabbage, and the simple banana can help you banish your heartburn pain. Yes, all three are effective in gaining speedy relief from heartburn.

1. Aloe Vera

I don’t mean aloe vera gel, but rather the food-grade freeze-dried powder. Other forms of aloe vera can produce unwanted side-effects. Put one quarter to one half a teaspoonful of the powder into four tablespoons of water after you’ve eaten (if you anticipate a heartburn attack) or if symptoms of heartburn occur.

Aloe pulp is the next best thing, if you can’t obtain the powder, provided it is pure, and without the rind. Avoid aloe juices that contain citric acid, as this can aggravate your condition.

2. Cabbage Juice

This contains an amino acid called L-glutamine that helps repair the cells lining the stomach and oesophagus. Another good thing about cabbage juice is that it contains glucosmolates, which help prevent cancer. Take some after a meal. Try 120 millilitres, working up to around 225 millilitres or whatever amount you’re comfortable with.

One disadvantage of cabbage juice is that it sometimes causes wind, in which case just take a half to one teaspoon of L-glutamine mixed with four tablespoons of water after eating.

3. Banana

Eating a banana is actually one of the fastest, most effective, forms of relief from heartburn. This sounds weird, but it’s true. Eat it slowly, masticating it thoroughly before swallowing. It seems the ingredients of the banana react with the acids causing the pain and effectively neutralise them, soothing the lining of the oesophagus.

Any one of these remedies should be effective for you. But you can multiply the effectiveness of any one of them with one or two little exercises, involving no more than pressing for a minute or so on little-known points in your body.

One of them is about two finger widths directly below your tummy button. Press this for a minute while relaxing and breathing deeply, for the ultimate in heartburn home remedies.

While you’re about it, why not get the full range of “Press Away Pain” exercises to give yourself protection against most kinds of pain, for an unbelieveably low price, available now from the PressAwayPain Home Page.

Philip Gegan

Heart burn relief comes in several different forms, but which one is right for you? Only trial and error can tell you, but let’s start by looking at 5 natural remedies you can use right away.

1. Gravity

Let the force of gravity help to get the stomach acids back down from your oesophagus, into which they have strayed, and into your stomach, where they belong. Do this by sitting upright and avoiding lying down or slouching in a chair.

This remedy may take a little while, so you’ll have to be patient, but it never fails. While you’re sitting upright, relax as much as possible, breathe deeply and regularly, and gently rub your affected area with your hand in a circular direction.

2. Loosen Your Belt

Your belt, and any other tight clothing, may be constricting your stomach and forcing digestive acids out of it and into your oesophagus. Loosen or remove it. Excessive body fat has the same effect – of course you can’t get rid of it that quickly, but if you are overweight and suffer from heartburn then the extra body fat pressing down on your stomach, especially when lying down, may be the main cause. Dieting and losing that excess fat will help avoid heart burn in the future.

3. Take some Ginger Root in Capsule Form

How exactly this works isn’t known, but it has worked often enough to be accepted by most authorities that it is an authentic remedy. You need to take two capsules, preferably just after you start eating, and increase your intake as needed. You’ll know when you’ve taken enough.

What if the heartburn strikes after you’ve finished the meal? This remedy still works. It seems the ginger absorbs the surplus acid and helps calm the nerves.

4. Cider Vinegar

Turning to vinegar, which is acidic, to gain relief from something that is acid-based sounds daft. But the fact is that this works. Simply pour one teaspoon of it into half a glass of water and sip it, preferable during the meal, if heartburn strikes at that time. It is also a great way of neutralising excessive fat in fatty foods.

5. Press It Away

This method can deal with most heart burn causes. There’s a point about two finger widths directly below your tummy button that can be used to bring fast relief from heartburn. Find this and just press it for about a minute, relaxing and breathing deeply. This helps relieve indigestion, constipation, flatulence, stomach ache and lower back pain as well.

It’s best if you sit up straight at the same time, as described in point number 1 above. These five forms of heart burn relief should be all you need, even if you are a regular sufferer.

Don’t forget – you can learn several more little-known points to press to ensure speedy relief from heart burn in Press Away Pain, from our Home Page.

Philip Gegan

“Most heart burn causes are self-inflicted”. Fair comment or baseless distortion? Let’s have a look at three causes of heartburn, and see if it’s possible to avoid them altogether.

1. Foods

It’s not only the kind of food you eat, but also the amount and how quickly you eat it. If you suddenly swallow a lot of food, this can precipitate the eruption of stomach acids into the oesophagus (the pipe between your stomach and your mouth). Your stomach has a lining to protect against this digestive acid, but your oesophagus does not. Consequently these acids attack your oesophagus, trying, in effect, to digest it. Very painful.

We all have to eat, but we can (usually) choose the foods we eat and whether to eat slowly or quickly. Foods that tend to cause heart burn include spicy, fried and fatty foods. These are usually difficult for your stomach to digest, so it over-produces digestive acids that can then spill upwards into your oesophagus.

It’s the same with very hot foods such as hot soups and very cold food like ice cream. Other foods that can trigger nasty attacks include chocolate, peppermint, citrus fruits and onions.

Caffeine is a major player in heart burn causes, being found in coffee, tea and many soft drinks such as cola. Unless you’re only a modest consumer, try cutting down severely on all these drinks.

If you frequently suffer heartburn after eating you’ll probably have to change your diet. Failing that, eat more slowly so as to prevent air being swallowed down with the food. When this is expelled by the stomach it gives any excess acid a chance to slip out as well and cause the pain. In addition, try  and gradually reduce the amount you eat until you bring the problem under control.

And whatever you eat, make sure you eat it at least two and a half hours before retiring to bed.

2. Alcohol and Tobacco

Cigarette smoke, whether your own or someone else’s, can give you heartburn. It relaxes the sphincter (the flap that keeps stomach acid in the stomach), allowing excess acid to escape. Avoid inhaling it if you possibly can.

If you like to have a few alcoholic drinks then it may be wise to eat some non-spicy, stomach-friendly foods with it to lessen the concentration of alcohol in the stomach which might otherwise cause heartburn.

3. Medications and Drugs

Heartburn and acid reflux can be caused by medications you take for other complaints. The chemicals may react with your digestive acids to cause pain, so you’re merely substituting one complaint for another.

Always take plenty of water with your medication, even if it is itself liquid. More so if it is pills. Water helps your stomach deal with the unnatural substances being delivered to it.

In short, keep your diet, and any medications you use, as natural as possible, and you’ll minimise your exposure to most heart burn causes.

Finally, don’t forget to help these heartburn measures by pressing away the pain. Just find the point about two finger widths below your tummy button and press it in accordance with the instructions in Press Away Pain.

Philip Gegan

Headaches and nausea are two of the most common forms of illness and are about equal in terms of the feeling of wretchedness they can impose. Unfortunately the medications used in bringing relief often have side-effects that rival the original complaint for all the discomfort and suffering they bring.

These medications mostly work on the basis of numbing the sensitivity of the body’s nervous system in the areas affected. This is actually counter-productive, as the pain and discomfort of headaches and nausea are the body’s way of sounding the alarm and forcing the sufferer to take remedial action.

For example, most headaches are caused by tension in the neck and shoulder muscles. This causes the blood vessels carrying vital oxygen to the nerve cells in the brain to constrict and thereby impede the flow – a situation that cannot be allowed to continue for long if some kind of damage is to be avoided. Hence the body’s alarm call in the form of a headache.

The same principle applies to nausea, which can be caused by nervousness or a stomach upset, or through having swallowed certain drugs or alcohol. It’s the body’s call to slow down and deal with the disorder before doing anything else.

If there is a more serious cause then your headaches or nausea will persist or recur, in which case you should consult a doctor or physician.

Most headaches and nausea, though, are not that serious, but they are nonetheless distressing and even painful, and it is in any event in your interests to deal with the root cause, rather than just the symptoms. The following exercises will help you do that.

1. Relief from headaches.

You have to dissolve the tension through relaxation, and open up those constricted blood vessels. This double exercise involves potent points on either side of your head. Find the two points in your eye hollows at the top near the bridge of your nose, and press them using your left thumb and index finger.

At the same time find the hollow in the center of the back of your neck, at the base of your skull, and press this point with your right thumb. Relax in a sitting position with your head tilted back, and breathe deeply and regularly through the nose, or inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, whichever is the more natural for you.

Do this for one to two minutes at a time, until your headache subsides. Try to banish all worries and anxieties from your mind and think of something comforting. If you can, play some soothing music at low volume while you do this natural headache relief.

2. Relief from nausea.

You’ll have to try this exercise for yourself in order to appreciate how effective it is. Find the points on each leg that are about two and a half to three inches below the knee and a finger-width to the outside of the shin bone. It’s the point where a muscle flexes when you move your foot up and down.

Briskly rub up and down with your fists, or alternatively press into those points for thirty seconds to a minute at a time. You will find that this brings relief from nausea, indigestion and fatigue.

The important thing to remember about headaches and nausea is that they are usually the body’s way of forcing you to attend to its needs, that you may have been neglecting, and all it needs is a little TLC.

Philip Gegan

Personal computers are now recognised as a cause of headaches for many people who use them for business or pleasure. If you’re using your computer for business or as part of your job then this can be a real problem. You may need to take a break from your keyboard, but you can’t do this too often, so how do you  avoid further headaches?

1. Make sure your posture is correct.

Sitting in an incorrect posture for hours at a time can easily cause the tension that leads to a headache. If you are anything other than of average height then you will probably need to adjust the height of your chair to ensure that your arms can rest on the desktop comfortably in a horizontal position.

If the desktop is too low for you then you may find yourself leaning on your wrists as you type or use the computer mouse. If it is too high then you’ll find yourself compensating for this by bending your wrists excessively to work the keyboard and mouse.

Once you have this setting optimised for your comfort, make sure you sit upright at all times, and have sufficient lumbar support from your chair.

2. Take a break regularly.

Even with point number 1 covered, your body will complain if you spend too long at a time sitting in front of your PC. Get up from your chair every 30 to 40 minutes and walk around the room for a minute or two. Do some stretching exercises if you can, to relax and tone the muscles. Gaze out of the window for a short while so your eyes can focus on something in the distance, rather than just inches away.

3. Breathe properly.

This sounds odd because doesn’t everyone breathe properly? Actually, most people do NOT breathe properly for most of the time. In front of a computer most people only utilise around 40 per cent of their lung capacity. This means the body, including the brain, is being slowly starved of oxygen, and this in turn is a major cause of headaches.

It’s very easy, when concentrating on your work at the computer, to forget all about your breathing. Try and avoid this, even if it means having a post-it note attached to your monitor saying something like, “Don’t Forget To Breathe!”

4. Drink plenty of water.

Insufficient water intake is a major cause of headaches, and has been since long before computers were invented. Always have a glass of water nearby and make sure you drink it – at least two glassfuls per eight hour day, and more in hot weather. This should be in addition to any tea or coffee you drink. Sometimes drinking a couple of glasses of water can dissipate a headache on its own, so never underestimate the importance of this kind of natural headache relief.

5. Check your computer monitor.

Sometimes a computer monitor can give the user a headache. Although levels of brightness are much more acceptable with modern flat-screen monitors, you should check periodically that the brightness level is not too high. If you’re using an old fashioned CRT monitor then also check that it’s focused properly, as fuzzy images and text are very bad for your eyesight and are often the cause of headaches.

Philip Gegan

Natural headache relief is a viable and highly effective alternative to expensive medical concoctions, but, sadly, it is used only by a tiny minority of us.

Most people, on developing a headache, reach for the medicine cupboard or call in at the local pharmacy or drug store for an over-the-counter remedy that can have undesirable side-effects.

The most common drugs used in treating headaches are aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen. All these typically work by “tricking” the body into thinking the pain is no longer there and thereby causing it to become invisible to the brain’s sensory system.

In a fashion typical of western medicine, they treat the symptoms rather than the cause of the pain, and this is often to the detriment of the body’s requirements, being made known as they are by the very existence of the pain in the first place.

Yet there are some simple alternatives that don’t cause any health dangers, don’t pollute the environment (as do most medicines after they’ve passed through the body) and don’t cost anything. They all work by reducing stress and tension, the main causes of headaches. Let’s look at just four of them.

1. Lie flat on your bed, or even on the floor, and relax, breathing deeply and steadily. Tense your whole body for a few seconds, and then, starting with your feet, relax each part of your body in turn – your feet, your legs, your midriff, your fingers and hands, your arms, your shoulders, your back muscles, your neck and face muscles.

Do this a second time if necessary, but remember to control your breathing as before. This exercise is great for restoring your energy and well-being, as well as relieving headaches.

2. Give yourself a facial massage. Using the middle three fingers of each hand, gently massage your cheeks in a circular movement, first in one direction and then the other.

Do this for a minute or so before changing location to your jaw-line, and then your temples. Experiment with different spots on your face, and extend it to your scalp and the back of your neck. Remember to relax and breathe deeply.

3. Kneel on the floor on all fours and imagine you’re a lion. Open your mouth wide, as a lion does, take a deep breath and then “poke your tongue out”. Do this slowly, directing the tip of your tongue downwards towards your chin as far as it will go. At the same time breathe out slowly through your mouth, exhaling all the air in your lungs.

Bring your stomach in to make sure all the air is expelled, and hold it there for a few seconds if you can. Then, just as slowly, start inhaling, through the nose if you can, and bring your tongue back into your mouth, slowly.

When you exhale, focus your mind on getting rid of all the stress and tension you’ve been feeling. Relax your whole body, and repeat the exercise a few times. It sounds weird but it is a very effective exercise for eliminating the cause of headaches and recovering your energy.

4. Find the large hollow in the center of the back of your head, under the base of your skull, and press it with your right thumb, while at the same time using your left thumb and index finger to press into the two points that are in the upper hollows of your eye sockets near the bridge of your nose.

Do this exercise for a minute at a time, while breathing deeply and relaxing as much as you can. While, again, it sounds weird, it will bring relief from the severest headache. Try it next time you have a headache and experience the results for yourself.

All in all, better than a mixture of chemicals that over the long term can do just as much harm as good. The alternative of natural headache relief is something you just have to experience first hand to appreciate.

Philip Gegan

The cause of headaches is one of those things that scientists and researchers have puzzled over for many years, and even now there is plenty of disagreement over just what it is.

What does seem clear is that around 90 per cent of headaches are caused by tension of some sort. The rest are mostly migraine headaches, which, it seems, can be triggered by any one of a number of factors, or combination of factors, and to which some people are more susceptible than others owing to their genetic makeup.

Is tension the only cause of non-migraine headaches? Probably not, but it does seem that it is a major factor, and that if you can cut down or eliminate tension from your life then you will enjoy a dramatic reduction in the number of headaches you have to suffer.

Let’s have a look at the major things that cause the body to tense up.

1. Stress

This is, unfortunately, a part of modern life, and nearly all of us have to deal with it regularly. It affects us all in different ways, but the most common form of avoidable stress that causes headaches is probably noise, followed closely by bright lights.

If you have to suffer excessive noise in your job, or at home from neighbours, for example, and you can’t get away from it, one answer is simply to make use of ear plugs or mufflers and keep the noise out that way.

Ear plugs are regularly used by people living in the center of towns and cities where traffic noise lasts into the early hours, so they can sleep at night. Bright lights can be overcome in many cases through the use of “wrap-around” dark glasses and avoiding, where possible, places where such lights are to be found, e.g. night clubs, swimming pools, and anywhere with fluorescent lighting.

2. Diet

Too much caffeine can cause headaches. Although strong coffee is popularly thought to help against such afflictions, it often does the opposite.

Foods like mustard, salt and processed foods such as Chinese take away meals, hot dogs and other fast food are all a major source of headaches, probably on account of the excessive monosodium glutamate they contain and which our bodies often find difficult to absorb.

3. Alcohol

Although often mistaken for a “hangover”, the after-effect of drinking alcohol is often a headache. This is why many people suffer what they think is a hangover after consuming only a modest amount of alcohol.

If this applies to you then it may be that your alcohol tolerance level is low, in which case you’ll just have to accept it or suffer the headaches it brings. One way, though, to overcome your headaches is to eat a few slices of cucumber before you go to bed. This will help you wake up later feeling refreshed and rested.

If any of these things is the real cause of your headaches then you now know what you have to do to reduce or even eliminate them altogether.

Philip Gegan

There’s a new allergy relief product coming onto the market in about four years (from June 2010). It seems to be offering almost undreamed-of relief to hay fever and other allergy sufferers, but before we start celebrating there’s one potential drawback that ought to be considered.

The actual product is an injection designed to provide a cure not only for hay fever sufferers but also for people who suffer from asthma or eczema, or who suffer from reactions to dust mites and animal fur. Not surprisingly, the people behind this development from Cytos Biotechnology of Switzerland are excited about it, calling it the “Holy Grail” of allergy relief products.

The injection has proved to be at least as effective as steroids in controlling asthma, cutting attacks and symptoms by a third. In other tests it was shown to have reduced dust allergy symptoms by around 39 per cent and boosted the quality of life of people tested by 42 per cent.

Now tests are to be extended as the team behind it believe there will be further successes when it is used to tackle allergies to foods such as peanuts. Yes, this seems to be quite some allergy relief product, with one jab giving immunity from a whole range of allergy types.

With a “one cure for all” capability, this product has the advantage of being able to streamline treatments for a wide range of allergies, with resultant cost-savings in administration. So everyone’s happy. But is it really the “Holy Grail” that the inventors believe it to be?

Before judgement is passed on that it may be necessary to wait for the full results of future tests to be published, and even for the first couple of years of results from when the product is generally available. However, it is known that the injection works primarily by manipulating, possibly by suppressing, the immune system so that it does not react to matter that it would otherwise mistakenly believe to be a threat (this being the main cause of hay fever and other allergies).

Not long ago a report from Texas Tech University revealed the findings of a study into the causes of ovarian cancer. It found that the chances of allergy sufferers succumbing to cancer were much lower than those of non-allergy sufferers. Adverse reactions to things such as pollen or dust mites, it seems, is an indication that the immune system can successfully deal with real threats, such as cancer.

The logical conclusion from all this is that, when it comes to dealing with an allergy, natural relief may be the better option, as at least it does not inhibit or suppress the immune system. The vital point is that a remedy for allergies, no matter how many allergies it covers and how much it improves the lives of people, comes at a heavy price if one of its side effects is to lower the immune system’s ability to see off potentially fatal diseases such as cancer.

It may be, of course, that there is no such side-effect to this particular remedy, or that it can be somehow avoided. Let’s hope this is the case when the trials are finished and the new remedy is made available to the public.

Philip Gegan