Knowing how to treat your own aches and pains is a crucial life skill!
It saves money and speeds up your recovery.
Plus it promotes circulation – a KEY factor in chronic illness!
Aches and pains happen at inconvenient times.
Making time for bodywork appointments and finding someone who isn’t booked out is tough.
Being connected with your body’s needs can be the difference between chronic nagging pain or a few days of irritation.
Self bodywork isn’t hard to do and you can’t mess it up.
Your body wants blood flow to where you ache and you can make this happen.
Heat is a simple trick to draw blood to where it hurts.
Pair heat with gentle massage or use of a gua she tool to enhance circulation.
It’s not uncommon for aches and pains to come with decreased lymphatic flow.
Your lymphatic system is like a big drainage ditch throughout your body that carries away toxins and cell trash from your body’s energy making and repair processes.
Lymph gets backed up in the neck, armpits, elbows, abdomen, hips and knees.
If you have pain in any of those areas it’s worth it to give a little attention to your lymphatic system.
In the case of chronically inflamed joints or muscles it’s not uncommon for me to feel enlarged lymph nodes on patients.
You may have even noticed an enlarged lymph node on yourself.
Dr. Krause’s Protocols
Instructions Included
Traveling soon? Looking to detox or reset your gut? Try one of Dr. Krause’s Fullscript plans.
That is more often that not a sign of decreased lymph flow in that area!
To support the body’s circulation of blood and lymph flow castor oil packs are key paired with cleavers (Galium) or poke root to help move junk out of the lymph.
In today’s video I’ll show you how I promote circulation with heat and subsequently add in lymphatic movement stimulation.
(Check out the video at the bottom or click HERE).
First identify where your area of pain and possible trigger points.
No tender spots, but have muscle tension?
Perfect.
This applies to both situations!
#1: Apply heat x 20 minutes.
Heat can be in the form of a heating pad, red light therapy device or manual rubbing with a Guasha tool or your hands.
#2: Create a motion that moves lymph from the extremities or periphery of the body toward the heart.
#3: Alternate between lymph movement and massage of the local area or muscle trigger points.
Do this 20 minutes at least 3 days a week for optimal results.
Daily will give you even better results!
As you build your skills you can add in more moves, and tools, like cups, tuning forks or a Theragun to get more circulatory effect.
You can save yourself a lot of grief from not being able to get in for a massage or other self care if you use what I’ve presented today.
Consistent body work goes a lot further than the once a month or every so often massage.
And the more you practice the more you can trade with other family members to provide care for the family!
Here’s to your health,
Dr. J
Our Partners
