Internal Injuries
Ever wonder why splinters and cuts seem to heal so quickly while bone or muscle tissue damage feels like it takes forever?
To give you a better understanding for the reasons behind this we need to look deeper and see what’s going on inside the body. When you injure yourself, the amygdala* reacts to this stress by sending cortisol into the bloodstream. The resulting immune suppression and protein clumping creates the perfect atmosphere for bacteria and viruses (bugs) to hide and live in. Our blood can actually play host to over 6,000 different viruses.
* The amygdala is a group of cells located in the brain that govern such emotions as anger and fear, and triggers your response to danger, a reaction commonly called the 'fight or flight' response. The amygdala prompts the release of cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones into the bloodstream.
When you injure yourself, virus-laden blood races to the site to start repairs. These viruses can move into the damaged cells being repaired, take up residence there, and begin eating up new tissue as fast as it’s being rebuilt, inflammation becomes on-going, and repair simply can’t happen.
Imagine that you have a bad knee and you are scheduled for surgery. The procedure involves drilling two holes, one on either side of your knee. A fiber-optic camera will be inserted in one hole, and in the other, the necessary tools for suction. The image being displayed by the camera shows all the bacteria surrounding your knee joint that needs to be suctioned out. The tissue around the joint has become hard and crystallized, due to the viruses that arrived through your blood. Repair is not taking place as all new cell growth is being eaten by the resident bugs.
Viruses thrive under the right conditions, which they are able to create for themselves. When they get into damaged tissue they generate an atmosphere in which they can live and multiply. As bugs and viruses eat up the new tissue they excrete toxins causing the surrounding tissue to harden.
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Whether the body is under siege from something as big as a bear, or as tiny as a virus or bacterium, the amygdala’s response is the same. Cortisol is released into the bloodstream, pushing back the immune system and creating the perfect atmosphere for bugs to travel in the bloodstream. It’s the natural course of events.
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To get a sense of how injuries that don't heal can impact your life, let's take a look at what happened to Joe the Plumber. While at work one day, Joe injures himself. |
| After several weeks of unrelenting pain, Joe goes to the doctor to see what can be done to get some relief.
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Joe informs his boss that he won't be able to work for a while as he's been ordered to stay off his feet.
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| Worker's Compensation informs Joe that due to his inability to produce any witnesses to his accident, proving that it did in fact happen while he was at work, they will be terminating his claim. |  |
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Joe informs his wife that his compensation has been cut off.
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Joe's inability to work, and his dependence on painkillers for his injury, has taken their toll on his marriage.
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Joe's life spirals ever further down. Forced to leave the family home and with no money, he moves into a basement suite with two other down-on-their-luck guys.
He's lost his wife and kids, lost his home, lost his job, and no prospect of money coming in soon.
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How can a simple injury have put Joe's life on such a slippery slope downhill?
Chronic Pain
Conditions that don’t heal themselves over time are considered chronic. Chronic pain may last for months or even years due to a long-term condition. It may be pain that remains after the usual recovery time following injury or illness. Chronic pain may persist even after you have received medication or treatment. It may not be constant, or always present, but still may cause problems with your daily activities. With chronic pain, you might feel depressed or hopeless; lose your appetite; or have trouble sleeping.
Chronic pain is often caused by more than one problem. These problems may include damage to the nerves or tissues, such as skin, muscles, and organs. There may be no clear or exact cause of the pain. Any of the following may cause or trigger chronic pain:
• Long-term diseases, such as cancer, arthritis, migraines, and back problems
• Hormonal changes
• Physical injury, such as after surgery or accidents
• Problems with the chemicals in the body that send messages to and from the brain
Bad backs, bad knees, and neck aches are some examples of pain that can become chronic and won’t go away. An injury to these, or any other location, will cause the body to react with increased blood flow to the area. Any bacteria, viruses, or ‘bad bugs’ arriving at the site by way of the increased blood flow can move right into the joint, or muscle, taking up residence there, and causing inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s response to isolate anything it identifies as a threat, and keep it from moving to any other part of your body. Meanwhile, the bugs are thriving in the perfect atmosphere for them, so the inflammation continues, keeping them isolated, the pain and deterioration continue, and the condition becomes ‘advanced’.
Powerful Absorption, Effective Healing with D4 Pain-Pal™
D4 Pain-Pal™ uses the soothing and proven qualities of Menthol, Camphor, and Eucalyptus Oil for relaxation, opening up the area being treated to allow maximum absorption to take place. These proven pain relief ingredients are combined with the potent properties of ionic minerals, including magnesium, a powerful element in relieving chronic pain, and zinc, critical to the entire body's immune and repair processes. These minerals are applied topically and absorbed through the skin, their healing properties immediately going to work.
D4 Pain-Pal™ brings these combined ingredients together in a highly effective transdermal carrier to ensure the deepest penetration into muscles and joints.
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›› Read more about D4 Pain-Pal™
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Did you know:
Millions of Canadians suffer from chronic pain. Surveys indicate over 18% of Canadians suffer from some form of severe chronic pain. At any given moment, half of all Canadians will be experiencing some kind of pain.
One third of all people over 45 have chronic back pain
Pain is costly to society. The annual cost of chronic pain, including medical expenses, lost income, and lost productivity, not counting social costs, is estimated to be in excess of $10 billion in Canada alone
The economic impact of chronic pain in the U.S. is staggering. Back pain, migraines, and arthritis alone account for medical costs of $40 billion U.S. annually, and pain is the cause of 25% of all sick days taken yearly. The annual total cost of pain from all causes is estimated to be more than $100 billion US.
7 million new cases of serious back pain occur every year in the U.S.
The Healing Benefits of Zinc
Zinc is critical to the entire body's immune and repair processes. A study of skin injuries has shown that a skin injury site becomes saturated with zinc within 90 minutes of the injury. Zinc levels increase to a peak on approximately the seventh day following the injury and return to normal at about the fourteenth day. Other research shows that as we age, zinc saturation of an injury does not achieve the same levels as younger skin and overall systemic (bodily) zinc levels decline. The inability of elderly people to heal quickly or heal completely is most frequently related to inadequate zinc-injury response and low systemic zinc levels.
Zinc is frequently referred to as the "clean-up mineral", required to remove damaged tissue caused by injury, disease and sun damage. In the repair or rejuvenation of skin, zinc is required in all of the repair processes. Inadequate zinc supply at the skin level inhibits the benefits of cytokines (a regulatory protein) and impairs healing.
In addition to the removal of damaged tissue, zinc is required for collagen production and elastin synthesis, and is also needed for DNA repair. Zinc is also required for DNA duplication, which is necessary for cell division. It is essential for the production of superoxide dismutase, a powerful skin antioxidant. Zinc is a co-factor in the skin's production of certain metalloproteinase that remove damaged or mutated tissue. It is a co-factor in the production of adenosine deaminase, which signals T-cells.
Each of these processes is involved in healing and repair, and without adequate zinc levels, the process of skin rejuvenation is slow or simply does not happen. Additionally, as we grow older we may no longer have adequate zinc levels in our skin.
Magnesium for Pain
Magnesium deficiency is arguably the most common nutritional deficiency in North America. Research shows that people who suffer from chronic pain are usually very low in magnesium, which is one of the most crucial nutrients for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the source of energy in muscle tissue.
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People who suffer from magnesium deficiency may also have an increase in anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid formation in the muscles (causing pain) and show signs of a reduction of lung capacity (causing fatigue and shortness of breath).
Studies indicate that between 50 and 90 percent of people in North America don't get enough magnesium. This is due largely to our high-starch Western Diet, which uses up more of the body's supply of magnesium. According to reports, at least 85 percent of magnesium is removed by the high intake of fats and refined foods and the consumption of soft water, alcohol, caffeine, and excess sugar. Levels of magnesium are also reduced by diuretics, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and immunosuppressive drugs. Add to this the fact that when we're under stress our needs for magnesium skyrocket, and it's no wonder there is such a widespread deficiency in this essential mineral.
Don't Hide the Pain - Get Rid of It
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Using prescription medications, such as antidepressants, tranquilizers, and pain medications, only treats the symptoms. The pain is still present in these conditions, it is just masked or suppressed. For healing to actually take place, you have to supply the body with what it needs to repair damaged muscle, ligaments, tissue and joints.
Chronic pain and injuries, as well as the stresses of everyday living, burn the minerals the body needs for proper functioning. We must constantly replenish the body with needed minerals. When nutrient deficiencies are reversed, then the problem is addressed and healing is enhanced. The proper nutrients can have a positive effect on chronic pain and injuries that won't heal.
► Read more about D4 Pain-Pal™
This information is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation.
sourced in part from: the National Institute of Health (www.nih.gov); Healing With Nutrition (www.healingwithnutrition.com); USA Weekend Magazine (www.usaweekend.com).