Can acupressure improve chronic lower back pain?

There are lots of "natural" sugars, and as I said before how do you know the ones to avoid?  Here is my guide to the ones I try to avoid and why. Evaporated Cane Juice The new kid on the block of "natural" sugars.  It is a sugar syrup from partially refined sugar which is very similar to ordinary sugar.  The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has warned of mislabelling with this product. Fructose This no longer has the goodness and fibre of fruit.  Unlike sucrose and glucose it won't spike your insulin levels, but it will cause weight gain around the middle.  It also interferes with the production of hormones related to hunger and satiety (feeling full) and hence increases appetite.  On top of this it gets converted to unhealthy fats e.g. LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides.  Remember fructose is fine when naturally occuring withing fruit but I recommend avoiding it when its a white powder added to food. Agave This is essentially up to 90% refined fructose (see above).  There is no way of distinguishing between commercially and traditionally produced produced products. Molasses This has the least amount of sugar and the highest level of vitamins and minerals.  Half its sugar content is fructose and glucose in equal amounts while the other half is sucrose.  So it will spike your insulin levels which causes the body to create fat.  It may contain high levels of pesticides and other chemicals use in the processing. Xylitol Sold as a white powder considered natural as it occurs in plants but needs a lot of refining.  Low in calories, it doesn't spike insulin levels so useful for diabetics.  It is on my avoid list because it requires a lot of processing to produce and because it ferments in the gut causing diarrhoea and bloating. Sorbitol Used in foods for diabetics at it triggers little or no insulin production.  I would avoid it as it is heavily processed as it is hard on the digestive system just like Xylitol. Honey A simple sugar up to 40% glucose and fructose so it affects your blood sugar levels very quickly.  If you must use it, I mix it with lemon and ginger when I have a sore throat, cold or flu then by organic and I perfer manuka for its healing properties. References Natural Alternatives to Sugar by Dr M Glenville (Lifestyle Press 2016)    

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) also called muscle fever, is the pain and stiffness everyone is familiar with after strenuous exercises.  It is noticeable worse 24 to 72 hours after exercise and it can occur anywhere in the body. However it is more memorable when it affects the lower body i.e. the legs, due to it being so inhibiting. For a long time the cause of DOMS was thought to be the build up of lactic acid and toxic metabolic waste in the muscles.  However this theory has now been thoroughly rejected.  While the cause of DOMS is not well understood, the current consensus is that DOMS is a result of inflammation triggered by microscopic tears in connective tissues that sensitise nociceptors and heighten pain. The pain of DOMS and the sever soreness may decrease capacity to perform in subsequent workouts.     In addition to physical symptoms for some people it can decrease motivation to exercise.   So is the pain worth the gain?   The short answer is no.  DOMS doesn't mean you will build more muscle although it may enhance it a little. References Brad J Schoenfeld, 2010, The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy & their application to resistance training, Journal of Strengthening & Conditioning Research, vol 24, (10)  

It is claimed that up to 50% of women of reproductive age suffer from period pain.  For many years from my mid-teens until my late twenties I suffered from dysmenorrhea (period pain).  To avoid it interfering with my O Levels I went on the pill but discovered that didn't suit me.  In my mid-twenties I tried reflexology and I felt it helped but I never knew if it was just as a I got older my periods were less painful.  Recently I came across some research that supports my experience. A clinical trial in Iran compared the effectiveness of reflexology and ibuprofen in reducing period pain intensity and duration.  68 students with period pain were randomly divided into a reflexology group, receiving 10 reflexology sessions (40 minutes each) during two consecutive menses cycles or an ibuprofen group, receiving 400mg of ibuprofen every eight hours for three days during three consecutive menses cycles. The study results indicated that reflexology was superior to ibuprofen in reducing period pain and the effects off treatment continued even after discontinuing the intervention in the third mense cycle. Reference Valiani M, Babaei E, Heshmat R and Zare Z,  Comparing the effects of reflexology methods and ibuprofen administration on dysmenorrhea in female students of Isfahan University Medical Sciences.  Iran Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research.  December 2010; 15 (S1): 371 - 378