How to treat heartburn naturally – part 1

While it's impossible to lead a completely stress-free life, finding ways to unwind and “chill out” are key to retaining your energy levels and ultimately your sanity when you have a demaning job. There are as many techniques to decompress as there are human beings; but when it comes to finding inner calm, practices such as mindfulness, meditation and meditation are usually top of mind.    Although these are great tools they don't appeal to everyone.  Personally I love both yoga and adult colouring books.   But what can you do it none of these apeal. My golden rule is any activity that is enjoyable and absorbs you to the extent that you aren't aware of the time and you stop thinking about work helps you unwind and chill out.  So you can choose any activity that helps you distracting your mind from everyday pressures and you love.  Once you have choose your activity do it often, and put it in your diary and don't feel guilty - we all need time out. One free, easy activity is just going for a stroll.  I don't mean walking fast to hit your 10,00 steps per day target.  Just go for a stroll for the sake of it.  

Previously, I discussed what carpal tunnel syndrome is and how desk based workers have an increased risk.  So what can you do to help youself:

• Vitamin B6 - Carpal tunnel syndrome has been linked to low levels of vitamin B6, so suplementing with the vitamin may help.  In fact, several trials have found B6 may alleviate the symptoms, even in people who are not deficient in the vitamin.
• Yoga - In one study a yoga based therapy was more effective at easing carpal tunnel syndrome than improving grip strenght than wrist splints or no treatment.
• Acupuncture - In one radomised control trail, acupuncture was just as effective as steriod treatment,and it was also better at reducing sleep disturbance and improving never conduction than the drugs and came with minimal side-effects.

Having spoken previously about why poor posture is bad for you, I wanted to move on to give you a simple exercise that helps promote good posture.  Brugger's exercise routine is devised to activate postural muscles weakened and simultaneously stretched by a prolonged sitting posture. Slumped Position Check the tension in your upper back and shoulders in the slumped posture and then in the Brugger's position, to see if you notice any difference as the muscle tension is dramatically reduced. Brugger Exercise Posture Step By Step Guide

1. Sit perched towards the edge of your seat; this will naturally place your lower back into a curve (lumbar lordosis) with your butt sticking out a little.  As you do this your breastbone (sternum) will naturally lift up.
2. Separate your legs to 45 degrees each side with your feet turned out slightly and in line with your knees.
3. Your shoulders are relaxed and down with your chin tucked in, making the back of your neck longer – imagine a piece of string is attached to the top of your head and someone is lifting you up.
4. Fully straighten (extend) both elbows and arms.
5. Make sure you keep your shoulders down and imagine your shoulder blades [scapula] are pushing down and together to form a V.
6. Turn your thumbs out (externally rotate), palms up.
7. Separate your fingers.
8. You should now be in the position show above in the Brugger's exercise posture picture.
9. Hold for 30 seconds.