Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Pain in your hands

The incidence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has increased with the popularity of computers. Some simple techniques to help deal with it

Working on computerThe philosophy of healing within natural health, also known as holistic health, seeks to offer the least invasive, natural therapies which cause no harm to alleviate the unseen, underlying causes of the condition within the whole body, mind and soul. Natural Health techniques aid the body’s innate ability to heal itself and maintain health naturally from within.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a condition associated with chronic pain, inflammation and numbness of the hands and wrists, is often treated through surgery. But, the condition can also be helped by numerous natural health therapies which can be done at home as “self-help” or offered by a natural health practitioner skilled in the use of various natural health therapies. Let’s adopt a systematic approach by looking at the physical body, the energy body and the mental body to understand this condition and the natural solutions that exist for alleviating it.

The physical body

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is associated with repetitive stress on the median nerve in the wrists from one’s occupation or daily activities. It is advised to be mindful of the activities, which may cause repetitive stress on the median nerve in the wrists and to moderate such activities, if possible. Meditation and yoga may prove valuable for reducing stress on the body. Yogasanas are effective for patients for pain reduction.

Finding personal support from within the community is important so that the sufferer does not feel alone; for instance, friends or family members should take the burden off their hands. So if that is the cause, they can help them carry or lift heavy objects or repetitive chores which normally would be done without others.

Diet therapy for Carpal Tunnel includes eating specific foods on a regular basis to reduce pain and inflammation naturally within. Drink plenty of fluids [eight 250ml glasses of pure water per day for an adult] to aid the body’s ability to remove the inflammation and wastes in the body. Replace refined grains with whole grains in the diet whenever possible; refined grains increase inflammation. Replace refined sugar with natural sugars such as honey.

Vitamin B6 deficiency is associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; therefore, eat foods which are high in vitamin B6. Excellent sources of B6 include spinach, bell peppers [capsicum], cauliflower, turnip greens, garlic, mustard greens, bananas, celery, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, collard greens, and chard. Eat a more vegetarian diet to increase the body’s ability to heal itself and eat moderately. Avoid foods of the nightshade family including hot peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes, and eggplant as these foods tend to increase pain and inflammation.

Self-help remedies which can easily be done at home include: A homemade liniment of vinegar with a pinch of cayenne pepper rubbed onto the wrists and hands can help alleviate the inflammation and pain. A compress of a warm castor oil pack or a clay detoxification pack left on for an hour a day can also be used.

Chiropractic, osteopathic, and cranial sacral therapies which manipulate the soft tissues back to balance are effective for Carpal Tunnel.

The energy body

Imbalances of energy in the body are helped with a natural therapy called “energy medicine”. Energy medicine therapies that help relieve the causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome include acupuncture with needles, acupressure/marma point therapy, acupuncture cold laser therapy using an apparatus, and magnet therapy.

Acupuncture, an energy medicine art using needles along the meridians of the body to increase the flow of chi or prana, can help balance the energy system that underlies the five organ systems in the body represented by the five fingers. Acupressure/Marma points: Wrist bands that touch the acu/marma points of the wrists and fingers can be worn to help protect the wrist from further injury and to diminish the pain and inflammation. Marma point therapy in Ayurveda offered by a trained specialist in Marma Chikitsa therapy is helpful for alleviating this condition and restoring the function of the wrists and fingers. Acupoint cold laser therapy is offered by a therapist using far infrared light or cold laser beam to increase the healing of the tissues in the wrists and fingers; this therapy is so effective that it prevents the need for surgery in most cases.

Magnet therapy offered by a therapist with a magnet wand that is moved back and forth over the wrist is very effective because it balances the polarity of energies in the wrist and allows healing of tissue to occur more rapidly. Magnet therapy is also available in wrist bands that go over the wrist and hands for aiding the patient.

The mental body

The mental body has a great impact on our ability to heal. By having optimism and an open mind to making healthy lifestyle changes and implementing self-care or natural healing techniques, our mental body supports our physical body’s ability to heal itself. A positive mindset is needed for true healing to occur. Releasing blockages in the wrists and hands and arms and shoulders mentally through visualisation has been shown to be helpful in alleviating the pain and inflammation associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; in fact, the circulatory system is greatly protected and enhanced by a healthy mental disposition, visualisation, breathing, devotion, yoga and meditation.

Conclusion

Left unchecked, compression in the wrist can progress to permanent nerve damage and muscle weakness in the hands. Be sure to take inventory of the whole body, mind and soul in seeking a natural solution for Carpal Tunnel from its underlying root causes. Surgery or invasive therapies such as pharmaceuticals are available for this condition; yet, surgery does not enable the body to heal itself from within on all levels. External treatment without care for the underlying causes of a condition only delays the body’s ability to strengthen and heal from within.

The imbalance is interconnected to other potential imbalances which may arise from the same root causes even after the surgery has taken place. Non-invasive, natural therapies effectively look at one’s own inner resourcefulness for healing of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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Joyce Wright is a Holistic Health Practitioner[HHP] from the Global College of Natural Medicine, USA with a keen interest in effective natural medicine.

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