A crafters guide to pain relief

My latest trash craft (still unfinished) is one that involves a great deal of hand work.  There was a lot of fabric cutting, ripping and twisting and that was just the preparation for the project itself.  By the time I was done with that, my wrist was killing me and I was lacking a solution.  I tried moving my wrist back and forth and even massaging it but nothing helped so I just pushed through the pain for the sake of my art.
As I worked more and more on the project which involved a good deal of sewing and pushing pins through thick fabric, I realized I was rubbing my finger tips raw.  That's when I decided to throw in the towel for the night (probably best being as it was 3 in the morning).  But I woke up this morning knowing that I would have to return to my project and I would most likely face all the same pain I went through yesterday.  So I decided that today's post would be a healing guide for the overworked crafters out there, for those frantically finishing up last minute gifts for their loved ones, or who just like immersing their bodies and souls into their art.

Wrist pain:
I found this handy diagram for carpal tunnel exercises and I'm assuming it will help with regular wrist pain as well.

-Ice is a good remedy for pain, I read that it's actually better than heat since heat increases blood flow and can cause swelling

-Rosemary: add 1 oz of dried or fresh rosemary to 1 pint of boiling water, let sit for 30 minutes and soak a washcloth in it and apply to the affected area

-Peppermint oil: 3-4 parts vegetable oil (I prefer olive) to 1-2 parts peppermint oil.  Massage into your skin

-Epsom salts: put 2 cups in your bath and soak for at least 12 minutes.  It's high in magnesium sulfate which apparently a lot of us are lacking because of the rise in processed food consumption.  A magnesium deficiency causes muscles to contract which leads to pain

-Bananas, avocados, peanuts, whole grains and soy all are high in magnesium as well 

-Tiger balm: I know people who swear by this stuff, you can buy it at most grocery stores in the natural section.  The active ingredients are menthol and camphor which block sensors on pain fibers

Raw fingers:

-Aloe vera to soothe the burning 

-Ice

-Mole skin: not so much a remedy but something I thought of to put on your fingers when you do a good deal of sewing to prevent raw fingers

There are of course many more ailments  that affect us crafty folks, but I think wrist and finger pain is probably the most common.

Sources:

http://www.carpal-tunnel-symptoms.com/tendon-glide-exercises.html

http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/pain-remedies-natural-cures-aches-and-pains?page=2

http://voices.yahoo.com/5-simple-home-remedies-wrist-pain-3399136.html