"Please Pass the Epsom Salt!"

For generations folks have been using Epsom Salt.

Maybe you have yourself, or perhaps a relative, or a neighbor...if you haven't heard of this mineral, we're happy to pass along the scoop on a classic find!  So draw up a bath, pour some Epsom Salt in it, and let's dive in…or rather, let’s soak up some knowledge.

Epsom Salt is natural, effective and very affordable. No wonder we like it here at Miracle Stretch®.  It is almost limitless in practical uses and can turn out to save you from pain, expensive doctor visits and stress. (Again, no wonder this is popular at Miracle Stretch®. It’s like we are looking into a mirror of benefits.)

Epsom Salt can relieve pain and inflammation. According to the popular healthy lifestyle website Dr. Axe:

A warm bath containing Epsom salt is known to ease pain and relieve the inflammation at the root of most diseases, making it a beneficial natural treatment for bronchial asthma, sore muscles and headaches (including migraines). Epsom salt can also help heal cuts and reduce the swelling that accompanies sprains and bruises.

A classic remedy for any muscle or joint ache is a relaxing bath with Epsom salts. High in magnesium and sulfates, they are easily absorbed through the skin to provide quick relief and reduce inflammation. Add two cups of salts to warm bathwater and soak for at least twenty minutes. Alternatively, Epsom salts can be used in a compress to apply directly to the skin. Simply dilute two cups into one gallon of water. You can also try an Epsom salt with lavender, or other essential oils.

As a regular reader to this blog, you know how important we feel any reduction in inflammation is.  Epsom salts, along with targeted stretching using your Miracle Stretch® Piri-Stretcher®, can provide a powerful combination for relieving muscle pain, particularly that pesky tight piriformis muscle. (And its ensuing effects on the sciatic nerve!) Just a dash of Epsom salt soaking, a gentle and focused stretch, and your sore muscles can go from screaming to satisfied.

Popular life coach Dr. Oz is a big fan of using Epson salts as well. He recommends uses from reducing inflammation and stress to increasing circulation. 

It also makes quite an essential spa tool. You can use Epsom salts to relax the body and mind. Add a little calming music and candlelight, and you have a natural stress and pain reducing remedy.

Check out these additional benefits according to Dr. Oz:

      ·      Natural Hair Volumizer

      ·      Sunburn Relief

      ·      Chapped Lips

      ·      Bug Bites

      ·      At-home Pedicure

      ·      Facials

      ·      Splinter Removal

      ·      Poison Ivy Relief

      ·      Excellent exfoliator

      ·      Sleeping Aid (Relaxing Soak)

So please pass the Epsom Salt, add a dash of the Piri-Stretcher®, and let's get healing!

Do you have any Epsom Salt stories or special uses? We love hearing from you! Comment below or visit us at www.facebook.com/miraclestretch, or www.miraclestretch.com.

Myofascial Pain & Referred Pain: What the Heck are They, Really?

September is National Pain Awareness Month. So let’s talk about pain.

Let’s talk about Referred Pain and Myofascial Pain, in particular.

Referred Pain is when the body triggers pain to areas other than the affected.  Basically, you can originate physical stress in one area of your body, yet feel it in another.

Nice, right?

It goes hand-in-hand with Myofascial pain. One of Mother Nature’s least desired conditions.

Although the name may lead many to assume it affects only the face, that is misleading. It affects anywhere on the body. If you contract a muscle repeatedly, you may feel a knot, pain point, or tightness. The pain may involve a single muscle or even a grouping of muscles. And on top of that, pain can be 'referred' to another area.

According to the National Spine & Pain Center:

A tough connective tissue layer called fascia covers our muscles and spreads uninterrupted throughout our bodies. When injured, this tissue may tighten and contract putting painful pressure on nerves, muscles, bones, or organs. The area where the injury occurs is referred to as a trigger point. It may feel like a “knot” or “band” in the muscle. Often very sensitive to even light pressure, these trigger points typically generate pain not only at the site, but also in various other areas of the body (referred pain). You may experience symptoms that appear totally unrelated to the original injury.

There may be a feeling of tender pain points, muscle weakness, tightness, stiffness, or limited range of motion.

But good news: there are positive ways to deal with such a negative condition.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Self-care measures to keep your body healthy may make it easier for you to concentrate on coping with your pain. Try to:
• Exercise. Gentle exercise can help you cope better with pain.
• Relax. If you're stressed and tense, you may experience more pain. Find ways to relax. Meditating, writing in a journal or talking with friends can all be helpful.
• Take care of your body. Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Get enough sleep so that you wake rested. Take care of your body so that you can put your energy toward coping with your pain.

Three key points of interest: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) tends to increase with age, it is more common in women, and with folks who lead sedentary lifestyles.

We as Americans hear more and more that a sedentary lifestyle is not only an unhealthy choice, but also many doctors have now compared the level of danger to that of smoking cigarettes!

That is why Miracle Stretch® is determined to help anyone, at any age, combat a sedentary lifestyle! We are determined to help you triumph over pain and get moving past it.

Now, we’re not saying you have to climb a mountain or enter a triathalon. (At least, not yet.) Just start at your own comfort level, and at your own pace. Miracle Stretch® will meet you where you are in life, and then help you move forward. Our most popular product, the Piri-Stretcher® is designed to help Myofascial pain in the low back, buttocks, and legs through isolating the piriformis muscle for a targeted stretch. We provide you the tool to get optimal leverage and ease to conquer the difficult to reach piriformis muscle. When this muscle is properly stretched, relaxed, and supple it reduces tension and helps provide lasting, natural relief. It is easy to use, extremely affordable, and has already helped thousands relieve their pain!

So lets team up and push back against pain, make it this month.

Take a moment. Take a stretch. For yourself.

Football, Pumpkin Spice and Ferris Bueller

It’s almost football and pumpkin spice season.

That’s right. Pumpkin Spice is now officially a season. We say this because it is proper to call each of these a season. They both mark a moment in the year when things change. 

Football season is anticipated, and to many, so is pumpkin-spiced…well, everything. However, don’t both seem to be so distant in July, yet already in our faces by mid-August??

Yes. Because as adults, time goes by way too fast.

Football and pumpkins, to adults, mean Fall. Or more to the point, that Summer is mentally over.  We are still going into drugstores on sunny 85-degree days for suntan lotion, or insect repellant, only to see aisles of holiday candies and decorations. Our brains jump to Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and thoughts of:

• Only HOW many shopping days until Christmas??
• Where are we spending Thanksgiving this year? Is everyone coming here?
• School events and fundraisers
• Extra extra extra early Black Friday sales
• Oh. And it’s election season.

All of these thoughts trigger stress. And as a regular reader of this blog, you are well aware that stress triggers mental and physical pain, often felt in our backs, where we carry so many of these “seasonal burdens.”

Why does change of season sometimes feel negative?  School children feel stress as well, but it is more a stress of “what’s new,” rather than “what else is new?”

The difference is when younger, life is measured more by what's new and fun, versus how many years have gone by. For a student, a new year means moving up into a new grade at school. A literal upgrade in life. What new perspectives and first impressions will each eager student gain? The adventure awaits!

So, what is your upgrade? Your new perspective? When’s the last time you made an important first impression? When we think life is going by too fast, it could be due to routine. And perhaps our quiet resentment of that fact. According to Psychology Today, the feeling is very common:

“…the best answer for this phenomenon is that the early years are full of first-time events - your first date, the birth of your first child, that first big vacation, etc. First occasions are novel events and we tend to make more detailed and lasting memories of those first times. When we repeat the event, year after year, it is less likely to make a unique or lasting impression...we can observe the same phenomenon in a shorter space of time. For instance, the first couple of days of your 2-week vacation seem long and leisurely, and the time goes slowly. You’re thankful that you have two long weeks of this. But, the next thing you know, it's almost over and you are heading home!”

Don’t worry. You can change this by simply changing little behaviors. Take time out for yourself. Put the changes in perspective. Give that revving mental to-do list a break. Just for a few minutes.

Change it up. Take a stretch. Save your back. Push away your stress.

You know we have your back at Miracle Stretch®. A simple daily use of our Piri-Stretcher® can help relieve pain. It doesn’t take long and is easy to do. And while your body stretches, so will your mind. Look at it as a positive change in your life. 

One of many.

So, this year take time to relax, spice it up, and enjoy the game!

P.S. If you need additional wisdom, enjoy this Ferris Bueller clip. Turns out he was right when he inspired all of us to improve our lives by simply changing our day...

https://youtu.be/91lJhEzMaH4