Question: What would you suggest as a good health-oriented gift for a family member with neck and back pain?
Answer: The health and comfort sales industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. You can purchase anything from medicinal herbs to healing magnets. With the advent of WebMD and other medically oriented web sites, the average lay person can get information and healing approaches to just about any condition afflicting man. Many of these conditions allow for either natural or allopathic approaches to correction.
My personal belief is to allow the body to heal itself first. Your body has the ability to heal once interference is removed. You can assist your own healing abilities by avoiding drugs, educating yourself on self-healing techniques for your condition and maintaining a healthy nervous system by regularly seeing your chiropractor.
The market is flooded with products that can help your neck and back. The marketing industry has the pulse of the American public and heavily pitches the aging baby boomers as well as the weekend warriors, which make up the majority of their consumer population. Popular now are memory foam pillows and mattresses, and home gyms of every kind. You can flatten your stomach, tighten your buttocks, firm your chest and increase your sexual libido depending on the product you prefer.
I believe in KISS, (keep it simple stupid) when it comes to home health-care products, especially for your neck and low back. Why not use what chiropractors, physical therapists and most spine rehabilitation practitioner’s use? Therabands or elastic stretch bands are excellent for home and mobile use to get stretch and range of motion into the joints.Exercise balls make great gifts for the entire family and are a functional and safe way to exercise the spine and other joints. Self-learning Yoga and Pilates tapes make nice gifts. Pain-relief gifts include natural topical analgesics such as Biofreeze, Mineral Ice, Tiger Balm etc. Orally there are numerous natural herbal and vitamin supplements that can assist with pain relief, but I suggest you consult your chiropractor or physician first. Special pillows that support the neck, back, and legs make good gifts. There are healing bracelets and jewelry as well as all kinds of healing magnets.
There are many comfort items for every part of the body including foot massagers, hand warmers, hand-held massagers, hot packs, cold packs, etc. The gifts of a half-hour or hour massage, facials, and foot massages are considerate gifts also.
My favorite gift for a family member with a sore neck or back is the gift of chiropractic.Consider taking your loved one to a chiropractor as their gift from you. You and they will be glad you did.
Quote of the week: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” – Benjamin Disraeli