Simple Tips to Help you Stay Flu-Free this Season

With winter just around the corner, many people are getting ready for another cold and flu season. With the accessibility of the flu vaccine, many people forget the basic steps you can take to ensure that you’re less likely to catch something.


First thing to remember may seem like a simple one, but it is often forgotten. Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. If you’ve touched something with cold or flu germs, then you touch your mouth, eyes, or nose, now you’ve gotten sick. Wash your hands often during this season, and if you don’t have access to soap and water, you can always carry hand sanitizer with you.

Another tip is to avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes. If you can keep your hands away from your face during the day, you are greatly reducing your chance of getting sick from the germs you may have on your hands.

It’s important also to keep your distance from others who you know are sick. This goes the same if you are sick- keep your distance from coworkers and others you see everyday. Try to get lots of bed rest and drink plenty of fluids to help your body heal faster.

Also, if you are sick, remember to always cover your nose and mouth if you cough or sneeze. Someone else can get sick by breathing your germs in, but by covering your mouth with a tissue, your hands, even your sleeve, you can prevent those around you from getting sick too.

Finally, use a hypoallergenic neck pillow.  This not only will hold less germs and dust mites than your old pillow but keeping the body in good alignment helps to keep it healthy.


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!

Why do I have Numbness and Tingling down my Arm but no Pain?

Numbness & Tingling In The Arms

This is fairly common. It all depends on which nerve fibers are affected. In fact, the majority of the nerves in our body don’t even detect pain. This is why something can be happening but you don’t even know it. This is a subject for another blog however.

If you have numbness, tingling, burning, or another sensation, we know there is nerve irritation somewhere. Typically what happens is that inflammation in the region puts pressure on a nerve causing the symptoms. Usually a spinal shift, muscle strain, or injury creates this problem. All of your neck bones or vertebrae are attached to muscles and ligaments so a muscle strain or muscle spasm will create a spinal misalignment. The irritation to the muscle creates inflammation and the vertebral misalignment adds to the pressure. Aligning the spine often helps the inflammation dissipate. This will also help relax the muscles allowing the spinal column to stay in its normal position.

This is also why it takes some time to heal. It sometimes takes some time to correct alignment and relieve the pressure allowing the body to again work at 100% without tingling and numbness or pain for that matter. Both ice and heat can also be used to speed muscle recovery and relaxation.


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!

How to Relieve Neck Pain After Cracking Your Own Neck

"I hurt my neck Thursday morning by cracking it. It's a bad habit of mine and I did it without thinking about it. It kills to turn my head to the right or to look up. Is there anyway I can help my neck get back to the way it was before? To make it heal faster or to make the pain subside?"- Devon

First of all, cracking your own neck is not a good idea- you can seriously injure yourself. I have a few suggestions for you:

1. Get a good supportive cervical neck pillow for sleeping. Try Arc4life's linear gravityneck pillow- it comes in 3 sizes: small, medium or large. You get two soft neck rolls to choose from:
2. Do neck exercises at home- neck stretches
3. Use a cold ice pack. It will help to decrease inflammation and also provide a pain relieving effect. Ice used with biofreeze natural pain relief gel works well together:
4. stretch your neck- you can use a simple neck traction device
5. If you are having muscle tightness or spasms, try a tens unit for pain relief."TENS" stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. This "TENS unit" is a pocket size, portable, battery-operated device that sends electrical impulses to certain parts of the body to block pain signals. The electrical currents produced are mild, but can prevent pain messages from being transmitted to the brain and may raise the level of endorphins (natural pain killers produced by the brain).
6. see a chiropractor if you are having neck pain. Leave spinal adjustments to the profesionals. Here are some chiropractors Arc4life Recommends:
   • Dr. Matt Bellinger, Glastonbury CT http://www.ctbackdr.com/
     
   • Dr. Eben Davis, San Francisco, CA http://www.executiveexpresschiro.com/
     
   • Dr. Steve Shoshany, New York City, NY http://www.livingwellnewyork.com/
   • Dr. Nona Djavid, Newport Beach, CA http://www.wellnesschoicecenter.com/
     
   • Dr. Ron Spallone, Lakewood/Denver, CO www.denverchiropractor.com
   • Dr. Kathy Hunter, Simi Valley, CA http://www.gladback.com/
     
   • Dr. Andrea Mills, Lancaster, CA http://www.natural-arthritis-relief.com/serngeti-chiropractic.html
     
   • Dr. David Livingston, Delray Beach, FL http://www.delraybeachchiropractor.com/
   
   

Additional Reading

• How to Get Rid of a Kink in Your Neck
• Neck Traction Devices that really work
• Exercises for the neck
• Hot and Cold Therapy
• Treatment of neck pain for the serious athlete

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Horrible Pain In The Upper Neck...Help!

I've had this horrible pain in my upper neck on my left side whenever I turn my head to the right. What can i do to fix the pain? It's almost unbearable...

Try massaging the occipital muscles. These muscles attach from the skull to the 1st 2 vertebrae. They are easy to find. Run your fingers down the back of your skull until you feel the base of the skull (the hard bone feeling changes because you then hit muscle). You can take your fingers and massage or press up towards the skull. Pressing on one tight area for about 7-10 seconds then moving slightly to the side works well. It only takes a little while and you can get significant relief. You can also massage with your fingers in a circular fashion.

This pain in the upper cervicals can also create a headache too; usually one that travels up the back of the head. When you turn to the right it hurts on the left because you are stretching the muscles when you do that. It may be your left occipital muscles that need the most work. There are alot of other muscles in this region as well but the circular massage and trigger point pressure will help them as well.

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!