Healing Injuries the Natural Way: How to Mend Bones, Muscles, Tendons and More by Michelle Schoffro Cook; (Your Health Press: 2004)

"...this book is a must have. Schoffro Cook has left no stone unturned with this marvelous book. Anyone that owns a body should have a copy on the shelf." —www.allnaturalhealth.us

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Hear author Michelle Schoffro Cook discuss healing injuries naturally on the radio show Drug Free Pain Management.
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Here's what people are saying about Healing Injuries the Natural Way: How to Mend Bones, Muscles, Tendons and More:

"Easy to read, simple to use and packed with results...a mini-encyclopedia that would be a great asset for any Consumer Health Library." —Consumer Connection, the newsletter of the Consumer and Patient Health Information section, Medical Library Association

"A tool box of self-help techniques to assist the injured in avoiding drug therapy for pain." —Complete Health Magazine, Summer 2005

"...this book is a must have. Schoffro Cook has left no stone unturned with this marvelous book. Anyone that owns a body should have a copy on the shelf." —www.allnaturalhealth.us

"A mini-encyclopedia of user-friendly natural healing therapies. I recommend this book to trainers, health practitioners and the athlete in everyone." —Tutti Gould, DC, ND, Editor, Health N'Vitality Magazine

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Publisher's Preface
Foreword
Introduction

Chapter 1: When Bones Bruise, Fracture or Break
Bones as Key Players in our Overall Health
Common Bone Injuries and Their Treatments
The Truth about Osteoporosis

Chapter 2: Soft Tissue Injuries
What Can Go Wrong with Muscles, Ligaments, Tendons and Fascia and What you Can Do about it

Chapter 3: Dealing with Joint Damage
How to Maintain Healthy Joints and Heal Injuries
Medical Approaches to Joint Injuries
Causes and Cures for Bursitis and Arthritis
Foods that Aggravate Joint Problems

Chapter 4: Eating for Healing
Why Pain is a Friend
Food as Medicine
The Power of Enzymes in Raw Foods

Chapter 5: Nutritional Supplements and Natural Remedies
Looking for Healing Solutions Beyond Food, to Vitamins and Mineral Supplements, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, Herbs and More

Chapter 6: Strengthening, Stretching, Breathing and Healing
The Benefits of Stretching and Strength Training, Yoga, Qigong, Pilates and Other Exercise Approaches
Exercises You Can Do

Chapter 7: Acupressure for Healing
How Acupuncture Works
The Acupressure and Pain Connection
Do it Yourself Acupressure Treatments

Chapter 8: Natural Therapies
How Chiropractic Treatments, Cranio-Sacral, Massage, Bowen, Acupuncture, Reiki and Other Therapies Can Contribute to the Healing Process

Chapter 9: Food Preparation with Healing in Mind
Recipes that Counter Pain and Inflammation

Chapter 10: Eight-Week Injury-Healing Program
Sample Menus, Daily Exercises and Supplement Recommendations for Fast and Effective Healing

Chapter 11: Maximizing Your Healing

Resources
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION FROM THE BOOK
If you have been injured and want to overcome your injuries using natural and holistic means, you have come to the right place. This book provides a unique approach to healing various types of bone, soft tissue, and joint injuries based on over a decade of research I have conducted and my personal experience as a Doctor of Acupuncture, Holistic Nutritionist, Biofeedback Therapist, Reiki Master, and Energy Medicine Practitioner.

Unlike most books that offer temporary band-aid-type solutions in the form of over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription pain medications to alleviate pain and inflammation but do nothing to aid healing, Healing Injuries the Natural Way offers you an eight-week program that goes to the source of your injuries to help them heal. Using this revolutionary program, you will be providing your body with powerful nutrients it needs to heal and herbs and foods that lessen pain and inflammation. It will teach you how to avoid foods that worsen injuries (yes, foods are some of the worst culprits to stall or inhibit healing), strengthen and stretch the injured areas to enable them to properly heal, and incorporate holistic therapies, which accelerate healing and lessen discomfort along the way.

Healing Injuries the Natural Way is based on my own experience in recovering from severe car accident injuries and my research and knowledge as a health professional who combines Eastern and Western methods of healing.

Ten years ago, I suffered serious injuries in a car accident. The soft tissue in my body was severely damaged. I also experienced a spinal contusion that left my left arm partially paralyzed. For years afterward, I suffered from daily migraines that never seemed to dissipate. I was left with brain inflammation and severe neck and back pain that led to arthritis. I fractured my knee and soon after the accident began to suffer with fibromyalgia, a disorder that left me with whole body aches and pains and severe fatigue that was later diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome.

For seven years I suffered from relentless migraines and excruciating back and neck pain until I honed in on some of the possible factors that were at play. My injuries were affected by just about everything I did and consumed, leaving me in a state of constant pain and thereby preventing me from getting to the sources of the aggravation. Initially, I tried strong medications that did little to resolve my pain and nothing to help me address the problem. I tried lengthy bouts of physiotherapy, which provided minor improvements in my knee but unfortunately damaged my spine further. A chiropractor (the fourth or fifth I had been to since the accident) finally helped provide some relief, enough that I was able to determine foods and activities that were worsening the injuries.

Finally, my healing journey to overcome the car accident injuries began. After regular chiropractic visits and exercises at home, my migraines lessened. The pain in my body also improved for the first time in years. I finally felt human again. I was reclaiming my life.

Once the pain lessened somewhat, I was able to research options to improve my healing even further. I learned about herbs, foods, juices, vitamins and minerals, along with therapies to help heal my injuries. I went back to school to obtain my Doctorate degree in Acupuncture. I also studied various types of energy medicine around the world.
Along the way, I learned about the body’s incredible innate wisdom in healing injuries. I also learned that many of the foods we eat, postures we hold, and approaches to life inhibit healing.

While I found a few books on the topic of injuries, I was disappointed with the approaches presented and found little relief by following their programs. I decided to write Healing Injuries the Natural Way to help others overcome the disabling effects of injuries, whether they are accident or sports related to prevent them from suffering needlessly for so many years the way I did. In fact, this book is intended for anyone, male or female, young or not so young, who is suffering from an injury, whatever the injury and its cause.

Healing Injuries the Natural Way combines my personal experience and experimentation, research, and work with clients to offer you an approach to healing that lessens your pain, reduces inflammation, accelerates healing, and improves the quality of your life. I am eternally grateful for the assistance I received on my healing journey and I hope to offer the same to you.

In no way is this book a thorough treatise on each type of injury. To do so would necessitate a lengthy series of books, most of which would take the form of physiology and pathology textbooks. Other books serve that purpose so I will not attempt to duplicate their efforts.
This book will therefore not explain all the different possible types of injuries, nor will it provide for the most part medical names for the injuries discussed. If you want to know about an injury not mentioned in the book or more about one that is mentioned, I recommend you do your own research. The focus of Healing Injuries the Natural Way will be to do exactly what the title suggests: it will describe essential insights into healing, whether you are looking to heal bones, muscles, joints, or soft body tissues.

Much of the approach to healing discussed in the book is similar regardless of the type of injury sustained. You will learn about foods that heal and foods that aggravate injuries, herbal healing, nutritional supplementation, aromatherapy, homeopathy and other holistic therapies that help with pain, inflammation, and injuries. You will learn some basic exercises to strengthen and stretch (when appropriate). However, I highly recommend you consult a qualified healthcare specialist who is familiar with your particular injury before embarking on an exercise program.

You will also learn acupressure techniques to balance your body’s energies while improving both symptoms and overall healing.

My purpose in writing this book is to empower you to take charge of your body and its healing, and to teach you some of the many natural approaches to healing—approaches that differ from the pharmaceutical model. I will not be recommending prescription medications in this book; please consult a qualified family physician for that information.

While it can be easy to run to a family doctor for every problem that arises, I believe that once you have: a) ruled out serious conditions; or b) achieved a diagnosis; it is critical to remember that it is your body. You have the power to make choices that will either hinder or help your success with healing. Your body is trying every second and every millisecond to heal. It has an innate intelligence that coordinates literally billions of functions every second, most of which occur on a subconscious level. The body simply does what it needs to do, provided it has all the raw materials to enable it to do so.

That is where Healing Injuries the Natural Way comes in. It will help you understand what your body needs so it can do its best healing. You will learn how to provide your body with the best possible raw materials so that it can heal faster and more completely.

You will also learn about the latest research on pain and how you can use the information for powerful healing and pain-reduction. I have incorporated much of this insight into my Eight-Week Injury-Healing Program to help you take advantage of this wealth of research.

I wish you tremendous success with overcoming your injuries. It is my hope that this book inspires you to heal yourself and then to compassionately share your knowledge and success with others to help them with their healing.

Yours in healing,
Michelle Schoffro Cook

HEALING INJURIES FAQ
Q. What is the difference between a fractured and a broken bone?
A. Fractures are hairline cracks that form on the surface of the bone. Breaks occur when the bone splits into more than one piece. Bones can fracture or break due to a severe injury or from a lesser injury if the bone mass is weakened due to mineral depletion. A fracture produces swelling and pain that is aggravated by movement. An “avulsion” fracture occurs when a muscle contracts so strongly that it actually pulls away the bone where the tendon is attached.
Most fractures and breaks require the injured area to be immobilized to allow proper healing. Usually this is done with a cast. Some fractures require surgery to pin the pieces of bone together.

Q. What is Osteomalacia?
A. Osteomalacia is another disease related to the loss of calcium, an it also contributes to greater risk of bone injuries. Instead of bones becoming more brittle as they do with osteoporosis, they become more flexible, resulting in deformities and pain. The main cause of this disease is Vitamin D deficiency, discussed more in Healing Injuries the Natural Way Chapter 1.

Q. How can I help to build my bones?
A. There are a number of ways you can build bones. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Choose foods that help build strong bones. Your choices should include: high calcium foods, such as salmon, sardines, oysters, shellfish, blackstrap molasses; dark green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and collard greens. (For more information about foods that are high in calcium and that have an alkalizing effect on the body, see Healing Injuries the Natural Way Chapter 4).
• Eat foods with high boron content, found in greatest concentration in fruits, especially pears, grapes, raisins, dates, peaches, and apples; legumes, especially soybeans; nuts, especially hazelnuts and almonds; and in honey.
• Eat raw nuts and fruits, especially fresh pineapple and/or pineapple juice.
• Eat a sensible diet consisting of large quantities of alkalizing fruits and vegetables and whole grains, as described in the Eight-Week Injury-Healing Program in chapter 10 in Healing Injuries the Natural Way.

Q. How do I heal a soft tissue (muscles, tendons, fascia, and nerves) injury?
A. There are many types of soft tissue injuries, depending on the type of tissue involved and the location of the injury. Virtually all soft-tissue injuries respond well to the RICE procedure, which entails:

• rest;
• ice;
• compression (this usually entails bandaging the area, but be sure not to bandage it too tightly as this will limit circulation); and
• elevation (elevate the damaged area slightly to limit bleeding and swelling).

Q. What is fibromyalgia?
A. While fibromyalgia is not directly an injury, it frequently starts after an injury, particularly a severe one, such as a serious car accident. Originally termed fibrositis, fibromyalgia is a prevalent type of rheumatism. As a syndrome, it’s a collection of seemingly unconnected symptoms with the main one being unaccountable pain (“myo” means muscle; “algia” means pain) in the muscles. Fibromyalgia is discussed in detail in Healing Injuries the Natural Way Chapter 2.

Q. How can I maintain healthy joints?
A. To maintain healthy joints, keep active and exercise regularly. “Use it or lose it!” really does apply to maintaining healthy joints. Your body was meant for movement. A sedentary life simply weakens joints. However, if you recently sustained a joint injury, consult your doctor before embarking on any exercise. Maintaining healthy joints is discussed in much more detail in Healing Injuries the Natural Way Chapter 3.

Q. What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?
A. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. There are two types: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form and is also known as degenerative joint disease because of the loss of cartilage (the shock-absorbing gel-like material between joints). Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that not only affects the joints, but the whole body.

Q. What foods should I avoid when I am recovering from an injury?
A. The following foods aggravate pain and inflammation and therefore should not be consumed if your objective is healing:

• all processed, packaged, or fast foods;
• all hydrogenated fats (margarine, shortening, lard or products made with them such as cookies, pies, packaged foods, buns, etc.);
• all meat;
• all fried foods (French fries, onion rings, potato chips, nachos, hamburgers, etc.);
• all white sugar (and foods made from this sweet);
• other sugars (brown sugar, cane sugar, turbinado sugar, demarrara sugar, molasses, beet sugar, date sugar). (A small amount of honey is permitted as is stevia, an herb that’s naturally one thousand times sweeter than sugar); all synthetic sweeteners (Nutrasweet, saccharin, aspartame, etc.);
• salt (use Celtic sea salt instead and limit sodium intake);
• all food additives (colors, flavor enhancers, stabilizers, preservatives, etc.);
• all dairy products (yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, butter, cheese, etc.);
• all wheat products (wheat, even whole wheat is very acidifying and can counter the benefits of the program);
• coffee and black tea (green tea and herbal teas are permitted);
• all soft drinks, sweetened juices, fruit punch and other sweetened beverages; and
• all alcohol.

Q. So what foods are left for me to eat while recovering from an injury?
A. The following foods are beneficial at time of injury:

• raw fruits and vegetables;
• fatty fish (like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and tuna);
• flax oil, walnut oil, hemp oil, or extra virgin olive oil;
• spices like turmeric, garlic, cloves, onions, ginger, celery seeds, turmeric, chili peppers, licorice (the herb), peppermint, and paprika;
• celery and lots of raw and cooked vegetables;
• fresh, raw vegetable and fruit juices (made at home in a juicer);
• plenty of raw tomatoes and bell peppers;
• plenty of raw apples, pineapple;
• berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries;
• cherries;
• fresh raw nuts, especially walnuts and almonds (including raw almond milk);leafy greens like spinach, dandelion greens and kale;
• whole grains and legumes; and
• soy foods (soy milk, tofu, but not the heavily processed soy derivatives like hot dogs, luncheon meats, etc.).

Q. What is the Eight-Week Injury-Healing program?
A. The Eight-Week Injury-Healing Program is a powerful tool to assist your body with healing and ensure a speedy and full recovery. Eight weeks is a sufficient amount of time to heal most injuries However, in the case of more serious injuries, old injuries that never healed properly, or injuries that are the result of long-term depletion of the body (such as fractures from osteoporosis). I suggest that you continue with this healing program beyond the eight weeks until you’re totally satisfied with the results. In all truth, you may decide to extend the program because you’re feeling so great as a result of it.

To optimize your healing, you must make a commitment to follow on a daily basis all five components of the program. The five components are:
1. Eating healthily
2. Using nutritional, herbal and/or homeopathic remedies
3. Doing breathing and physical exercises
4. Incorporating appropriate adjunct therapies
5. Maintaining a positive attitude