Problem: Article: Your doctor may recommend that you temporarily cease activities that cause the pain, such as running or cycling.  If your pain is caused by the pressure from sitting for long periods of time, take regular breaks to get up and stretch. Doctors recommend that you get up, walk around, and lightly stretch every 20 minutes. If you are driving for long periods of time, take frequent breaks to stand and stretch.  Avoid sitting or standing in the positions that cause pain. Physical therapy treatment is generally beneficial, especially if it is started early. Your doctor can work with your physical therapist to come up with a regimen that’s right for you.  Your physical therapist will probably guide you through a series of stretches, flexion, adduction, and rotation exercises. Soft-tissue massage of the gluteal and lumbosacral regions may also help relieve irritation. Chiropractic, yoga , acupuncture, and massage have all been used to treat piriformis syndrome. Because alternative medicine practices generally have not been scientifically researched to the same degree as more conventional medical approaches, you may want to consider discussing these methods with your doctor before beginning treatment. Sometimes piriformis symptoms can be caused by trigger points, or more commonly known as muscle knots. These knots are usually present in the piriformis or gluteal muscles. Pressure on these knots can produce local and referred pain. Most of the time, trigger points can mimic" a piriformis syndrome. This is one reason why a lot of medical tests may come back negative, and may be the reason why doctors may under diagnose this condition. Seek a health professional that has training in trigger point therapy, such as a massage therapist, chiropractor, physical therapist or even a physician. If trigger points are the cause, a combination of acupressure, stretching and strengthening exercises will often be recommended. In addition to the exercises your physical therapist has you do, your doctor can recommend stretches for you to do at home. Common exercises include:  Roll side to side while lying down. Flex and extend the knees while you are lying on each side. Repeat, alternating sides, for five minutes. Stand with your arms relaxed at your sides. Rotate side to side for one minute. Repeat every few hours. Lie flat on your back. Raise your hips with your hands and pedal your legs as though you were riding a bicycle. Do knee bends six times every few hours. You can use a countertop or chair for support if necessary. Applying moist heat can loosen muscles, while applying ice after exercise can decrease pain and inflammation.  To apply heat, try using a heating pad, or place a damp towel in the microwave for a few seconds before applying it to the area.You can also take a warm bath, which can help relieve the tension and irritation of piriformis syndrome. Allow your body to be buoyant in the water.  To apply cold, use ice wrapped in a towel or a cold pack. Do not apply the ice or cold pack for more than 20 minutes. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, help relieve pain and inflammation. They are generally recommended to treat pain and inflammation from piriformis syndrome.  Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), and naproxen (Aleve). Ask your doctor before using NSAIDs. They may interact with other medications or medical conditions. If NSAIDs do not provide sufficient relief, your doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants. Use these as directed. If you continue to experience pain in your piriformis area, talk with your doctor about local injections, which can include anesthetics, steroids, or botox.  Anesthetic injections, which commonly include lidocaine or bupivacaine injected directly into the trigger point, are successful in approximately 85% of cases in conjunction with physical therapy.  If local anesthetics do not relieve your pain, your doctor may recommend an injection of steroids or botulinum toxin type A (botox), both of which have been shown to relieve muscle pain. Surgery is considered a last-resort treatment for piriformis syndrome and will not be used until all other options have been exhausted. However, if none of the other treatments relieve your pain, you may wish to consult with your doctor about the possibility of surgical intervention. Surgical decompression of the piriformis muscle is only effective when neurologic deficits are present. The doctor will use electromyography and other tests to determine whether compressive neuropathy surgery, which will release the sciatic nerve, is necessary to relieve your pain.
Summary: Stop doing the activities that cause pain. Get physical therapy. Consider alternative medicine. Consider trigger point therapy. Ask your doctor for a stretching regimen. Use heat and cold therapy. Use NSAID pain relievers. Ask your doctor about injections. Consult with your doctor about surgical options.

Problem: Article: As a general rule, the insurance industry suggests that you carry life insurance in the amount of ten times your annual salary. Some factors to consider in calculating your insurance needs are,   the age of your children the amount of your mortgage the amount of car payments the amount of debt owed by your family whether your spouse works whether you need to pay for education for your children the amount of other sources of income and insurance the amount of your dependents’ financial needs the amount of life insurance you can afford You may want to speak with a reputable insurance agent to discuss which type of insurance works best for you. Generally, there are five types of insurance: term, whole, universal, variable, and universal variable.  Term life insurance provides coverage for a specific amount of time, typically has the lowest premiums, but those premiums will increase as you get older and renew the policy. This policy may be a good choice if you are looking to provide limited protection until your children are grown and able to support themselves.  Whole life insurance covers the insured for the entirety of their life so long as they pay the premiums. You may be able to borrow funds against the accumulated cash value of the policy but this type of insurance typically costs more than term life insurance. This insurance may be best for you if you want coverage for your entire life, you can afford more expensive premiums and you want the ability to withdraw cash value from the policy.  Universal life is similar to whole life in that it has whole life coverage as well as a cash value. However, the investment is tied to current market rates, which may impact the amount of your premium payment. A universal policy may be best for you if you want full life coverage, a guaranteed death benefit and a guaranteed interest amount but also the ability to choose how often you pay your premiums and the amount of your premiums.  Variable life insurance is also tied to investments such as stocks and money markets, which means your premiums as well as your death benefits could be positively or adversely impacted depending on the state of the investment. If you want the flexibility of a universal policy and a guaranteed death benefit but are open to having the cash value of your policy subject to market changes (i.e. the stock market does well so you have a higher cash value or the market does poorly and you have a lower or no cash value) then variable life insurance may be a good choice for you.  Universal variable provides you the payment flexibility of a universal policy but does not provide a guaranteed amount for the death benefit. If you want to control where your premiums are invested and you are not adverse to risking the cash value and death benefit payout of your policy on the fluctuations of the stock market then this may be the right policy for you. After determining the type and amount of life insurance that best suits your needs, you should obtain several quotes to determine the lowest rates and the price range for your life insurance plan. You can search online for life insurance sales websites, you can use an  insurance broker or salesperson, or you could purchase a policy directly from the insurance company. Whichever method you choose, you should compare the rates of different policies from a variety of reputable companies and insurance brokers.
Summary:
Determine how much life insurance you need. Determine the type of insurance you need. Obtain quotes for life insurance.