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Natural Ways to Manage Everyday Aches and Pains · The Dohnal Health Minute

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  Hey there, and welcome back. I'm Dr. Chris Donnell,
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  and you're listening to the Donnell Chiropractic
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  Podcast, coming to you from right here in Nashville,
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  Tennessee. Today we're talking about something
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  that pretty much everyone deals with at some
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  point. Everyday aches and pains. The kind that
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  slow you down, make it hard to get comfortable,
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  and just kind of wear on you over time. And the
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  good news is, there's a lot you can do about
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  it, naturally, before things get worse. So let's
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  dive in. Now, here's the thing. Most everyday
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  aches and pains, the stuff in your neck, your
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  low back, your shoulders, they don't just show
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  up out of nowhere. They build up, little by little.
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  Tight muscles, stiff joints, poor posture, not
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  enough movement during the day, it all adds up.
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  And when you understand that, it actually becomes
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  a lot less scary. Because if the problem built
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  up gradually, that means you have real power
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  to start turning it around. The first thing I
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  always talk about with patients is movement.
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  And I don't mean going to the gym for two hours.
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  I mean small, consistent movement throughout
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  your day. You know what I hear a lot? People
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  sitting for six, seven, eight hours straight,
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  and then wondering why their back is screaming
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  at them by three in the afternoon. Here's what
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  I want you to do. Set a reminder on your phone.
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  Every 45 minutes to an hour, just stand up. Walk
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  around for two minutes. Roll your shoulders back.
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  Look left. Look right. That's it. That simple
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  habit alone can make a massive difference in
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  how your body feels by the end of the day. The
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  second thing, and this one is huge, is heat and
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  cold therapy. These are two of the most underused
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  tools people have sitting right in their own
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  homes. If you've got a muscle that feels tight
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  and achy, like that knot in your upper back or
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  stiffness in your neck, gentle heat is your friend.
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  A heating pad, a warm shower, even a warm towel.
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  Heat increases blood flow, helps the muscle relax.
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  Now, if something feels more inflamed, puffy,
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  or sharp, like you just tweaked something, that's
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  when you want cold. Ice or a cold pack for 10
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  -15 minutes can help calm that inflammation down.
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  The rule of thumb I give people is, tight and
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  stiff, go warm. Sharp and swollen, go cold. The
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  third thing is something I genuinely believe
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  in, and that's sleep and recovery. Your body
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  does its healing while you sleep. If you're not
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  getting enough of it, or if your sleeping position
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  is working against you, your pain is going to
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  stick around a lot longer than it needs to. Sleeping
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  on your back or your side is generally easier
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  on your spine than sleeping on your stomach.
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  And if you're a side sleeper, try putting a pillow
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  between your knees. It takes the stress off your
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  hips and low back. Small adjustment, big difference.
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  Now, here's where I want to be real with you.
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  These tips are genuinely helpful. They work.
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  But sometimes the pain you're feeling is a sign
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  that something in your spine or your joints needs
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  a closer look. If you've had the same nagging
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  ache for more than a couple of weeks, if the
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  pain is spreading, if it's affecting your sleep
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  or your ability to do the things you love, that's
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  your body asking for help. And that's exactly
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  what we're here for. At Donald Chiropractic,
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  we take the time to actually figure out what's
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  going on. We look at how you move, how your spine
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  is functioning, and we build a care plan that's
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  specific to you. No cookie cutter approaches
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  here. Just real, honest care with the goal of
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  helping you feel better and stay that way. So
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  whether you're dealing with something that just
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  started or something that's been budding you
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  for a while, I want you to know there are options,
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  natural options, and you don't have to just push
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  through it. Thanks so much for listening today.
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  If you're in the Nashville area and you're ready
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  to find some real relief, give us a call or head
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  to our website to schedule a time to come in.
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  We'd love to meet you. This is Dr. Chris Donnell
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  reminding you that feeling good is not a luxury.
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  It's something you deserve. Take care of yourself
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  and we'll talk again soon.