Archive for February, 2010
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Have you ever experienced lower back pain? I don’t mean the odd twinge after you’ve tripped over a rock or something on the pavement…I mean real back pain?
For those of you who have, you will know how debilitating it can be. Nights are spent tossing and turning trying to find a position that doesn’t hurt and once you finally do find that golden position (which you have been in a thousand times before, during that same night) you sleep for an hour then the alarm goes for you to get up and go to work. May sound like no big deal to some, but you know getting no restful, rejuvenating sleep means that your body hurts even more and lack of sleep constantly is very frustrating!
So the alarm sounds for you to get up but then the next challenge occurs and the next and the next and the next…falling out of bed, negotiating the shower, getting dressed, clambering into the car, sitting at your work computer…oh and did I forget to say walking and trying to socialize.
Basically everything is impaired…you end up hobbling all over the place due to the shooting pains down your legs and cant carry things because of the aches in your shoulders from the strain on your upper body, you get frustrated and frankly, downright depressed so now you have to fight off anxiety and depression as well as a very painful back!
As a back pain sufferer you may have tried all sorts of pain relief from medication to osteopathy but generally the pain comes back. It can become deflating spending money on trying to relieve the pain, yet knowing it will probably return in a couple of months. TENS machines is a one time affordable buy with effective results and you can use it as soon as you feel that first twinge. It’s so easy to use, you put the electrodes on your back, hold the tens machine in your hand and adjust the settings to whatever is good for you, 60-80 pulses p/second is suggested initially but you can adjust as you go along.
So how does it work? Essentially, it’s like acupuncture but without anything being stuck into you. Pressure points under your skin are being stimulated by the tens machine which then produce endorphins which are pain relieving natural chemicals produced by your own body. Also there’s this idea that the stimulation of the buzzing of the tens machine electrodes on your back send messages to the brain faster than the pain in your back therefore the tens machine message inhibits the back pain message from coming in.
A huge plus is that you can continue your daily activities whilst receiving a treatment and it actually feels quite nice when it’s on which is a bonus! The more you use it the longer that pain stays at bay.
Share with us any pain relief experiences you have had especially if you have used a TENS machine.
Tags: Endorphins, osteopathy, TENS
Posted in Lower Back Pain | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
You’re later on in your pregnancy now and that baby is eating away and putting on the pounds. There are smiles all round when the nurse at the check up says that the baby seems to be gaining weight nicely. However, with the growing bump comes some growing pains for you, one very common one being back pain. For those who experienced back pain before pregnancy, it’s very possible that it will return, however there are many women who have never experienced any back problems but will during pregnancy due to the strain on their back from carrying their bump.
Whether it’s sciatica, upper back pain or aches around the lower back, acupressure is a good way of easing that pain which you can do to yourself at any time and it’s free!
Acupressure is pressure most commonly applied by the index finger and the thumb to specific areas of the body called acupoints, which, when stimulated, can decrease a sensation such as pain.
Here are a couple of points to try out for back pain, each done for 1-2 minutes (should be an aching sensation after the first few seconds):
- Point 1 can be found in that webby bit of skin between the big toe and second toe.
- Point 2 is found four fingers’ breadth below the kneecap and slightly to the outer side of the leg.
If you can get someone else to do these to you, even better but certainly not a requirement.
Enjoy and let us know how they go or if any other acupoints have worked for you for back pain.
Tags: Acupressure during Pregnancy, babycare tens, childbirth, pain relief, pregnant
Posted in Acupressure during Pregnancy, Back Pain | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
You’ve just done the pregnancy test, it’s face down in your hand whilst you and your spouse/partner count the minutes before turning it over…5, 4, 3, 2, 1 go! You flick it over and there they both are, two lines, as clear as day…you’re pregnant! There is excitement and nerves, cuddles and kisses and already talk about names. The days tick on and the emotions settle with the familiarity of the news but the physical effects begin to kick in…one being nausea. Some don’t suffer from sickness at all, some get it mildly and some are hit with it hard. There are not so many things to ease sickness but acupressure and eating something in the morning that will raise the lowered sugar levels have found to be effective.
Acupressure is pressure most commonly applied by the index finger and the thumb to specific areas of the body called acupoints, which, when stimulated, can decrease a sensation such as pain or ease discomfort.
Here are a couple of points to try out specifically for nausea, each done for 1-2 minutes (should be an aching sensation after the first few seconds):
- Point 1 can be found in that webby bit of skin between the big toe and second toe.
- Point 2 is found on the inner central part of the wrist (you have probably seen those sea/air sickness bands that are worn here)
If you can get someone else to do these to you, even better but certainly not a requirement.
Enjoy and let us know how they go or if any other acupoints have worked for you for nausea.
Tags: childbirth, labour, maternity tens machine, obstetric, pain relief, pregnant, TENS, tens electrode, TENS hire, tens machine, tens machine hire
Posted in Acupressure during Pregnancy, Nausea/Morning Sickness | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Once again that little voice in your head is piping up “Go on just one more cigarette, what’s just one more going to do?” and “I’m sure a couple of glasses of wine each night won’t make a difference!”…
It is a known fact that nicotine, other drugs and alcohol are not recommended during pregnancy due to the potential effects they can have on the fetus and newborn baby.
It’s not so easy however, to stop a cycle that one has been used to for some time. There are many ways to ease you off a dependency, at least for those nine precious months, and we suggest you try anything that sounds good to you.
We know that Acupressure can often be a good complimentary treatment to whatever else you are doing and best of all it’s free!
Acupressure is pressure most commonly applied by the index finger and the thumb to specific areas of the body called acupoints, which, when stimulated, can decrease a sensation such as pain or ease discomfort of withdrawal for example.
Here are a couple of points to try out specifically for dependency, each done for 1-2 minutes (should be an aching sensation after the first few seconds):
- Point 1 can be found in that webby bit of skin between the big toe and second toe.
- Point 2 is found four fingers’ breadth below the kneecap and slightly to the outer side of the leg.
If you can get someone else to do these to you, even better but certainly not a requirement.
Enjoy and let us know how they go or if any other acupoints have worked for you for dependency.
Tags: childbirth, labour, maternity tens machine, obstetric, pain relief, pregnant, TENS, tens electrode, TENS hire, tens machine, tens machine hire
Posted in Drug & Alcohol Dependency | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Welcome to our new blog!
We felt, here at Babycare TENS, that our customers would benefit from more information on our products, pregnancy, labour and other childbirth related topics. So we created a blog packed with info, tips and stories. We hope you find it an enjoyable and useful forum where you can ask questions, share and discuss experiences of pregnancy, labour, childbirth and even post-birth.
Babycare TENS has become the most popular choice for mums-to-be as it is specifically designed to combat pain during childbirth. This is a safe, effective drug-free method of pain relief, which still allows you to use other analgesics, such as pethadine or gas-and-air if you wish.
Feel free to read, ask questions and share 
Looking forward to hearing from you,
The Babycare TENS Team
Tags: childbirth, labour, maternity tens machine, obstetric, pain relief, pregnant, TENS, tens electrode, TENS hire, tens machine, tens machine hire
Posted in Welcome | No Comments »
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