Irritating Health Problems With Easy Fixes
Living with an irritating health problem can be, for want of a better word, quite annoying. These daily ailments get in the way of living your life the way you want to and prevent you from enjoying your experiences as much as you’d like. The good news is that there are often easy solutions to many of the most common irritating health problems. Here’s what to do.
Muscle cramps
If you have muscle cramps, you can often find yourself experiencing a lot of pain at random times of the day. All of a sudden, you’re overwhelmed by a pain in your shoulder or your leg. Muscle cramps usually occur because of minor electrolyte imbalances or dehydration, which means you can solve 90% of muscle cramps fairly easily. The best way to resolve muscle cramps is to flex instead of pressing. For example, if you have a calf cramp, sit up straight and straighten your leg, then pull your toes toward your shin. This forces the muscles to elongate, reducing the problems associated with the cramp itself. If you notice you’re having more cramps more often, drink more fluid and ensure you’re getting plenty of electrolytes in your diet:
- eat dates for potassium
- vegetables for magnesium
- milk for calcium
Persistent hiccups
If you have persistent hiccups that last more than a couple of hours, it usually means your diaphragm is irritated and going through involuntary spasms. The best way to fix this issue is to swallow while leaning forward with your head upside down, or use a spoonful of sugar. The idea is to take a sip of water, lean forward so your head is upside down, and then swallow. This changes the pressure relationship in your throat and chest, usually resolving hiccup problems.
Ringing in your ears
Ringing in your ears is caused by a condition called tinnitus. Tinnitus can manifest in many different ways, including ringing, whirring, throbbing, and buzzing sounds.
Many patients go for tinnitus treatment to resolve these issues quickly. The main treatment is to buy yourself a pair of hearing aids. These can reduce auditory hallucinations over time. You can also try listening to white noise devices or getting cognitive behavioural therapy to rethink how you relate to the involuntary sounds that you’re hearing.
Posture-induced tension headaches
Poster-induced tension headaches are really annoying because they can affect your quality of life significantly. Being in pain all the time is no fun at all.
Poster-induced tension headaches occur when a dull ache starts creeping up the back of your neck and then moves to your forehead in a tight band. This usually happens after you’ve spent hours tapping away at a computer at a desk.
Poster-induced tension headaches occur because of so-called forward head posture. This occurs when the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull are having to work extra to keep the head upright.
You can fix this problem by performing various chin tucks. While you’re sitting up straight, you pull your chin towards your neck so you elongate the spine at the back of your head. Hold this movement for 5 seconds, and then repeat 5 times.
