I Think the Colder Weather Caused my Neck to Hurt??

There is no question the "cold weather" can be tougher on the body. Maybe that’s why so many people move to Florida. Just kidding, there are many reasons people move to Florida or somewhere similar.

The bottom line here is that any deterioration or arthritis may act up with a change in weather. The cold weather also tends to mean we tighten up more; tighter muscles, rolled-shoulder posture... Think about when you’re cold, you kind of curl-up, that head, neck and shoulders roll forward and most likely you end up starting to wear a jacket or heavier clothes that your body has to get used to again.

What usually happens is the combination of the cold and your body not being ready; you turn quick and your neck isn’t warmed up, for example. Sometimes, you do something to strain the neck, but don’t realize it until the next morning. This makes it sometimes difficult to figure out how it got started. Use some neck exercises and stretches to keep your neck muscles relaxed. Sometimes a hot shower may help warm up the muscles as well. Also, nothing works better to strengthen the spine and ward of degeneration than keeping the neck in it strongest healthiest position - Its ideal alignment!



Cold Weather Is Tougher on the Body



Additional Reading:
• memory foam holds more heat
• Allery Relief Pillow
• Herbal Remedies good for the cold seasons
• Cure Neck Pain

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

"Poor Neck Alignment Leads to a Weaker Neck"

Neck posture is extremely important. Our bodies are made so that we can move, twist, etc … and also so we stay as strong as possible. We are always fighting the pressure of gravity!

We Can't Escape Gravity, Keep Your Spine Aligned!

Not only does adequate spine alignment mean limited nerve pressure which will help us to stay healthy and pain free, but it also helps us withstand the downward pressure gravity puts on us.

By investing some time in strengthening neck exercises and proper neck alignment, not only will you reduce pain now, you will be investing in a strong neck for the future to help prevent more serious problems down the road...

Properly withstanding these pressures prevents spinal breakdown and future nerve pressure also. Let’s look at the neck or cervical spine. Remember when I told you for every inch of forward head it increases the weight gravity puts on you by 10 pounds. This is a perfect example- whose neck do you think will break down faster, one with forward head posture and an extra 10 pounds on it everyday, or someone with perfect posture? I think you know the answer.

So, you can see how you don’t need to be a power lifter to want to strengthen the neck. Ultimately, correcting your neck’s alignment will strengthen your neck and prevent neck degeneration.


Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

Using a Hot and Cold Pack to get Maximum Relief

At Arc4life.com one of the products we specialize in is hot and cold packs. Whether you have acute pain or chronic pain, having a versatile hot and cold pack at home is a necessary for healing.

One simple idea is use a bag of frozen peas or carrots right out of the freezer. We have all done that in the past. You have been playing basketball outside with your friends, and you fall on the hard pavement bruising your knee. You run inside, clean the area, and see that it is swelled. Right away, you are probably thinking ice this knee down for maximum pain relief. Using frozen vegetables maybe the first thing that comes to mind. But frozen vegetables may not retain the cold for a long period of time, they may start to melt all over the knee, into your socks and then you could have a faint odor of carrots on you, then may not go away quickly. Also, you cannot use that frozen vegetable for food now. Well technically you can, but freezing and refreezing can ruin the taste of a product.

A better idea is to use a gel filled hot and cold pack. Why? Because first of all you can use your therapy pack for hot or for cold. Simply putting the therapy pack in the microwave for 1-2 minutes can provide wonderful heat therapy. Second, gel filled hot and cold packs retain their temperature longer. A cold pack will stay colder longer and a hot pack will stay hotter longer. Third, you can use and reuse as many times as you need. These therapy packs last a long time. Fourth, the cover on the hot and cold pack is gentle against the skin. It is always advised that you wrap the therapy pack in a towel before using, but you don’t have to with basic hot and cold packs. Finally, you can get a therapy pack in many different sizes, suited for many different body parts. So if for example you know that you are getting knee surgery and the Dr has advised you to use a hot pack on your knee you can get a gel therapy pack that will fit your knee area perfectly. You can even buy therapy packs that have a strap on them. The elastic strap attaches to the pack to hold it in place. Great for arms, knees, elbows, necks and shoulders. These are called Dual Comfort Hot and Cold packs.

These Dual Comfort Hot and Cold Packs comes in 5 sizes (see below for sizes available). These hot and cold packs have an elastic strap that attaches to the pack to hold the therapy pack in place. Also, there are two surfaces to the therapy packs. The light blue is a rapid-release surface (quicker results for acute injuries), and the dark blue is the slow release surface (sub-acute injuries). These hot and cold packs can be heated in the microwave or in a hot towel cabinet.

Which Hot and Cold Pack Size is Right for You?

Size		Strap Size	Great for:	Hot and Cold Therapy Pack: How to Use it
3”x 5”		6” Strap	hand, arm, foot, finger, ankle	Click here for more info
6”x10”		18” Strap	shoulder, hip	Click here for more info
10”x13”		28” Strap	lower back, leg, midback, between the shoulder blades	Click here for more info
6”x 20”		12” Strap	neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back	Click here for more info
9”x 16”		28” Strap	upper back- will cover the neck, upper neck, shoulders, trapezius, and upper back area	Click here for more info

Additional Information on Hot and Cold Packs and Related information:

• Hot and Cold therapy products
• THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A HANDY ICE PACK AND HEAT PACK
• I I’m sore after using my new neck pillow for the 1st time.
• Acute Neck Pain and Chronic Neck Pain
• Cure Shoulder Pain + Rotator Cuff Injuries. Top quality product (doctor approved!) for quickly resolving shoulder pain at home.

Deep Sleep is an Important part of Healing of the Body

For those people who suffer from neck pain, getting into a comfortable position can be difficult. In the last blog post, we discussed ways to get a restful sleep when you are suffering from neck pain. For some people, lying down, actually increases the pain.

Why is getting good deep sleep at night so important?

A Harvard based report states 75% of us get less than 6 sleep hours at least a few nights per week, which over the short haul, is not a problem, but NOT so in the long haul! They go on to list “Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep:”

1. Learning and memory – “memory consolidation” occurs better after we sleep when learning new tasks (and tests scores reflect the difference);
2. Weight and metabolism – chronic sleep problems can cause weight gain by altering the way our body processes and stores carbohydrates and by altering the hormones that affect appetite;
3. Safety – increased fatigue = a greater tendency to fall asleep during the day, which can be catastrophic (car accidents, industrial accidents, etc.);
4. Mood – the lack of sleep can increase irritability, impatience, concentration loss and moodiness;
5. Cardiovascular health – serious sleep loss has been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat; Heart health is a very important part of sound deep sleep.
6. Disease – alters immune function and may help fight cancer.

Source: Importance of Sleep : Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep
Picture Source: columbusinternetandwebmarketingblog.com

Additional Reading:

• When Lack of Sleep Can Be Deadly
  
• The Cost of Not Getting A Good Nights Sleep
  
• How to Get Restful SleepWhen you are suffering with neck pain
  
• Which Neck Pillow is Right for my needs
  
• How to put your baby to sleep in 20 Seconds! The miracle mothers have been praying for.
  

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

The Many Benefits of the Cervical Traction Neck Pillow



The Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow Also Comes in Large
at the Neck Pain Relief Shop: www.neckpainreliefkit.com

Arc4life’s cervical linear traction neck pillow has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years- it is a pillow that has many benefits and has helped people with many neck pain conditions and symptoms.

To start, the traction pillow is two pillows in one. First, you have the “V” pillow side. This side has a neck roll for support and correcting the neck lordosis plus it has the “V” side for gentle traction.

Some people feel uncomfortable with the pull of a neck traction machine or a home traction unit. In those cases, the cervical traction pillow is perfect because it’s a very gentle stretch, so much so that you barely notice it. It’s made this way so it’s very comfortable, which is another positive. Also, it helps you get a good night’s sleep. Putting the neck in alignment and restoring the cervical curve is vital to the body’s function. Neck alignment is a must because it keeps the cervical nerves free from pressure, which will prevent not only neck pain, but keep other conditions away too.

The pillow is also hypoallergenic, which is important for allergy sufferers, not to mention, keeping and restoring the neck curve and allowing nerves to function best will keep the sinuses open and working well. Arc4life also carries a special dust cover made especially for the traction pillow that will protect the pillow from dust, mites, mold and other allergens.

The other side, if you rotate the pillow 180 degrees so the “V” section is above your head, this is the support pillow side. This side only has the neck roll, and some people, even people looking to use the traction, may want to start with this side if they are not used to using any type of neck pillow.

The arc4life cervical linear traction neck pillow also comes in a large king size pillow- this pillow is available on Arc4life's Sister Site: The Neck Pain Relief Shop > Neck Pillows > Traction Pillows. This is a special order item and can take a few days longer to ship. The dimensions of the large traction pillow are 21"x33".

Additional Reading Resources

• Squidoo Lens: Cervical Traction Neck Pillow
• Frequently asked questions about the cervical traction neck pillow
• The Importance of Good Neck Posture While Sleeping
• The Cervical linear Traction Neck Pillow- Large Size on Amazon
• Get Lasting Relief from Chronic Back, Shoulder and Neck Pain Fast

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief.

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The Seriousness of Allergy Season

With over 35 million Americans suffering from seasonal allergies, it’s a much more prevalent and important problem than most people think it is. With severity of symptoms varying from person to person, ragweed season could mean sneezing a few more times than normal, or losing out on sleep and work because of intense allergy symptoms.

Allergy Relief Pillow

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) studies, each year Americans cumulatively miss 3.8 million days of work or school due to seasonal allergies. Over 16 million visits to physician’s offices each year are because of allergy symptoms. Aside from expenses, suffering due to allergies can cause sleeping problems, leading to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and poorer performance at work or school. So with the allergy season upon us, it’s best to get to the doctor to make sure you take the steps needed to make your allergy suffering minimal this year.

Two things I recommend are 1) Use a hypoallergenic pillow with a special cover and 2) See your chiropractor.


Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!