Dr. Apoorva Asthana

Top 6 acupressure points for treating neck and shoulder pain: moving a little down from the head is the neck, a very important body part indeed, although the head is the site of the brain, but it is the neck that has the power to turn it whichever way it wants. But with modern day technology and computer-centric lifestyle we are more often plagued with pains and discomfort in the neck and shoulder region which is often the cause of throbbing headaches as well. All the points situated in the head and neck regions are yang points, with excessive energy flow through them and reflexology can be used effectively in providing permanent relief to discomfort and nasty pains in these regions.

Causes of neck and shoulder pain: the causes of neck and shoulder pain and stiffness are many and can range from silly reasons like sleeping in a wrong posture to serious ones like arthritis and meningitis which can leave us with a sore and painful neck for several days.

Neck massage
Some of the common causes of neck pain are:

Poor sitting posture
Poor sleeping posture
Muscle strain
Overexertion
Sprain
Neck pain
In all these cases it is usual to feel discomfit to numbing pains in the neck and shoulder region which is easily cured with simple exercises within a few days. But in some cases, the neck pain can be persistent, for several days or weeks with a stiffness that can spread to shoulders, back and even lead to headache.

Some serious causes of neck and shoulder pain include:

Meningitis: inflammation of meninges around the brain
Arthritis: cervical spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis
Such cases call for immediate medical attention by professionals.

Acupressure to soothe neck and shoulder pains:

Neck and shoulder pains can be quite menacing and hinder our day to day activities, but instead of restoring to temporary solutions like pain killers use reflexology to heal the ailment from within and move towards overall wellness and complete harmony between mind and body.

Acupressure is a complete healing therapy that is rooted in ancient eastern healing arts which help in curing the mid and irritating as well as the all-consuming throbbing pains that have become a part of modern life. It helps in relieving stress and bringing back balance in our life. These 6 simple acupressure points can be stimulated on your own or a therapeutic acupressure session can be given to a loved one in order to relieve pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulder.

Shoulder well: this point is located on the shoulder muscle, halfway between the base of the neck and the end of the shoulder muscle. Stimulating this point helps in relieving stiffness of neck and shoulder. It also helps in relieving back pain.

Completion bone: this point is located on the occipital ridge, in the depression behind the ear in the SCM muscle. Stimulating this point helps in relieving headache, neck pain and dizziness.

Heaven's pillar: this point is located on the occipital ridge, just at the side of where the spine enters the skull in the tendon. Stimulating this point helps in relieving neck pains, numbness, and stiffness of the neck. Stimulating this region also helps in relieving chronic cough.

Food is not only required for sustenance, but if chosen right, they also provide the right kind of boost to your sex life. Some of them are:

1. Oysters: Oysters have been long known as aphrodisiacs; consisting of zinc that boosts the libido. Other than oysters, several sea foods like salmon and herring are also known for their ability to enhance your sex life.
2. Arugula: This leafy green helps in arousal and also helps in maintaining your sexual health. They do that by absorbing those contaminants in the environment that adversely affect your libido.
3. Avocados: The reputation of avocados as an aphrodisiac has been well established over the years. Packed with unsaturated fats and being extremely low in saturated fats, they are very good for the heart which in turn keeps the men away from the risk of erectile dysfunction.
4. Almonds: Almonds have always been associated as stimulants. They are rich in nutrients and other minerals that help in boosting your sexual health and also aid in the process of reproduction.
5. Strawberries: They not only look delicious, but are rich in folic acid, one that keeps away birth defects in women.

When you decide to donate an organ that could make someone normal again, you are actually giving the gift of life, even after you are long gone. Organ donation is the preservation of organs after someone's death, and a cause supported by many people around the world.

Read on to find out everything there is to know about organ donation!

1. What is Organ Donation?: Organ donation is the process of pledging your organs through recognised institutions, so that the same may be used after your demise. This pledge usually allows the transplant of healthy organs as well as tissue that can be used to benefit someone who has been going through life without the said organs or without properly functioning ones. While some donations like the kidney as well as some part of the lungs can be done while the donor is still living, most of these transplants happen after the person's death.
2. Types of Donation: There are three ways in which one can donate organs. The first is brain stem method where the person's brain activity has stopped due to an injury. In such a case, the heart and other organs may still be working due to life support system like a ventilator. The next method is circulatory death where a cardiac arrest gives rise to the complete loss of function in one's heart and lungs, which can lead to a state where the person cannot be revived. The third kind is living donation like kidney transplant or a small section of one's liver or lungs.
3. Importance of Organ Donation: The importance of organ donation cannot be stressed enough. This potentially lifesaving act can help in bringing back someone's sight or give them a heart that beats normally. With organ donation like kidney transplant, one will not need to go through dialysis again. Also, organ donation can save much time, money and effort in painful treatments and give the person a whole new lease of life. It is also important because it ensures that the vital organs are used by a needy person even after the death of the donor.
4. Importance of Physical Health: The physical health of the person is important in such cases because the donation should not have negative implications for the wellbeing of the patient. Through a system of donor assessment, the donor is checked for infections and other ailments including HIV so that the same are not passed on to the patient.
5. Organs that you can donate: Starting from the eyes to the kidney, lungs, heart, pancreas, intestines, bones, as well as bone marrow and even the skin and corneas, one can donate a number of organs.