Use of physical therapy

For mild symptoms, strong prescriptions are not necessary. We generally recommend starting with external physical therapy for treating rheumatic joint diseases, which is much safer. It may include the following techniques.

01 Tapping Stick Therapy

Using a tapping stick can help tap the liver meridian and unblock liver qi.
The liver meridian is located on the inner side of the leg. By tapping it systematically, we ensure we cover the entire meridian. #tapping stick

02 Salt Bag Therapy

Another effective method is using a salt bag.

Making a Salt Bag. To make a salt bag, use a piece of very thin cloth or coarse gauze to sew a fist-sized bag, leaving an opening. Fill it with big blue salt with large particles, not the kind used in cooking. Seal the opening with a rope, and the salt bag is ready.

Using a Salt Bag. Heat the salt bags in a microwave oven until they are hot but not burning. Apply the hot salt bags to the liver meridian and various joints, rubbing them back and forth. When one bag cools, switch to another. Each session should last for thirty to forty minutes and be done twice a day, morning and evening. The heat drives out coldness from the body, and the salt absorbs moisture, relieving joint pain.

Health Benefits. The vital yuanqi acts like the sun, melting the wind, coldness, and dampness (like ice and snow) in our bodies when we are young. As we age, our vital yuanqi weakens, and these elements accumulate in joints, leading to rheumatic diseases. The hot salt bag drives out coldness and dampness, helping to alleviate pain in less serious rheumatic joint conditions.

03 Moxibustion Therapy

For more serious cases, moxibustion can be used on the liver meridian and important acupoints such as Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, and Ashi Acupoints.

The Ashi Acupoints are rather unusual. These acupoints do not have a fixed location, but are usually located next to the affected lesion, but occasionally they may be located far away from it.

If they have no fixed location or name, how do we locate them in order to apply moxibustion?

In order to find Ashi Acupoints, we use pain as an indicator. Wherever there is pain, there exists an Ashi Acupoint.

04 Food Supplements Therapy

In addition to external methods, food supplements such as collagen, calcium, and glucosamine can be effective when combined with other physical therapies.

Health Efficacies. Calcium acts as bricks, and collagen as cement, essential for bone structure and health. As we age, we lose calcium and collagen, with collagen depleting faster. Collagen deficiency can prevent calcium from effectively improving bone health.

Glucosamine, a small molecule polysaccharide, forms lubricating fluid in bone joints, preventing wear and tear.

Many middle-aged and elderly people go for a physical checkup and find that they have osteoporosis and calcium deficiency, so they start taking calcium tablets. However, after taking it, they go for another checkup and find that their osteoporosis has not improved at all.

Why is this?

1. One possibility is that the quality of the calcium tablets is not good, and the molecular structure is too large for the body to absorb.
2. The second possibility is that the spleen-stomach subsystem does not function well enough to absorb anything we eat.
3. The third possibility is a lack of collagen.

We say that collagen is cement and calcium is bricks. With calcium supplements, we have bricks, but without collagen, we do not have cement to make the bricks stick together. Thus the wall is not built properly, and osteoporosis will persist.
What is the function of glucosamine?

Glucosamine is a small molecule polysaccharide. Glucosamine mainly forms lubricating fluid in bone joints. The structure of human bone joints is basically similar, with two bones above and below of each other, and a piece of cartilage protecting the top of the bones. The spine also has an intervertebral disc. Other joints have a hollow joint cavity, and then there is an outer skin covering the joint. This outer skin is the synovium. There is some liquid in the synovium and synovial fluid, which serves to lubricate the joint bones.

Just like the lubricant used on bicycles and cars, it plays a lubricating role to ensure that the parts will not be damaged by friction. The synovial fluid fills the entire joint cavity, and the outer skin wraps around the synovial fluid to prevent it from leaking out.

If there is sufficient synovial fluid, the joints will not wear out and the upper and lower bones will not touch each other, so glucosamine is the key nutrient for the production of synovial fluid.

Nurturing Healthy Bone Joint: A Practical Guide

To protect your joints, follow these practices:

1. Strengthen the spleen-stomach subsystem to replenish vital yuanqi.
   Read more #spleen-stomach subsystem.
2. Use a tapping stick on the liver meridian. Read more #tapping stick
3. Apply a salt bag to the affected area.
4. Apply moxibustion to certain acupoints. Read more #moxibustion.
5. Take appropriate food supplements.

For personalized guidance on revitalizing your bone joints with herbal medicine, please visit the SUPPORT section or contact us via the CONTACT form.

Coming Up Next: Supporting Healthy Blood Vessels

In the next issue, we will discuss blood flow, blood lipids, and blood clots, and how to prevent and treat them. Stay tuned.

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