If "The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern..." then what happens when we have back, knee or joint pain?

Did you know that - 80% of Americans will battle with back pain at some point in their lives? - 7 million people are treated for back pain every year? - 2 million new cases of back pain are opened every year? - $100 billion is being spent annually in medical bills, disability and lost productivity at work? Pain and Pain Relief is of utmost concern for most of us that are in constant pain.

Why are we in Pain?

Before we can answer this question, we need to understand how body interprets and handles pain. The pain impulse begins at point of an injury for example a cut, burn, pinched nerve, bruised muscle etc.

Once impulse starts, it triggers a number of bio-chemicals to be released at site of injury. Some of these bio-chemicals are histamine, bradykinin, prostaglandin, and Substance P. Each of these has one or more effects on body. And many of these bio-chemicals are inflammatory -- that is they cause injury site to swell up.

Inflammation is actually a defense mechanism for body. Inflammation serves to bathe injury in healing fluids and acts as a cushion to protect against further injury. However. if inflammation is prolonged or out of control, it can cause destruction. This is what occurs in arthritis where inflammation actually destroys joints. Also, inflammation can serve to compound problems by actually causing pain itself.

This explains how an injury causes body to release a number of biochemicals that can cause inflammation. Another action of these biochemicals, though, is to stimulate nerve fibers of pain, C fibers. (The body actually has three types of nerve fibers: A fibers. B fibers and C fibers. The main fibers which transmit pain impulse are C fibers.) Histamine, bradykinin, prostaglandins and other bio-chemicals are actually stimuli that cause pain impulse to begin.

Types of Pain Relief

To understand constipation, it is important to understand how our digestive system works. When we eat, food is ground up in our stomachs so it can be digested. This “liquid” food passes into small intestine where nutrients are extracted. It then moves on to colon, where water is removed, allowing a stool to form. If too much water is extracted from stool as it passes through colon, it can become hard and difficult to pass leaving you constipated.

There are a number of reasons why people get constipated. These include not eating enough dietary fiber, not drinking enough liquids (water), lack of exercise, ignoring “urge” to have a bowel movement and plain old stress. Other causes can include having a lazy colon that does not contract properly, causing waste materials to pass through colon slowly, food allergies that can cause colon to contract, or mechanical obstructions that inhibit movement of waste materials. Many prescription drugs and certain neurological disorders can also slow down movement of waste materials through colon. Constipation can also be brought on by an abuse of laxatives that over time can damage nerve cells in colon and interfere with its ability to contract properly.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to relieve chronic constipation naturally.

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