Oregano Oil
★★★★★
Pennywort
★★★★★
Just collect them and chew them up. They have very little taste. It takes a few days to start feeling relief.
Peppermint Oil
★★★☆☆
WORKED TEMPORARILY
I sit with a frozen rice sock on the pained spot in my back, or rub neat (undiluted) peppermint essential oil on my back on the spot that bothers me a lot. After a while, I realize the pain is a lot less. The peppermint was especially helpful yesterday when I was away from home and didn't have my frozen rice sock. I always keep peppermint essential oil in my purse (and a few other oils.)
I think both of these things work because they are helping to reduce inflammation.
Ok, now I will go and call the chiropractor. :)
~Mama to Many~
Potassium
★★★★★
IF MY Theory is correct, to repair back problems is simple.. My theory comes from reading a book written by C. SAMUEL WEST, D.N…N.D… TITLE OF BOOK… THE GOLDEN SEVEN PLUS ONE…
He talks about trapped proteins, and salt a poison.. Talks about our cells in our body.. when they are not healthy, we start dying..The body works on electrical current.. We can heal ourselves with the electricity that flows thru our bodies…. It would be easy if we could plug ourselves in someplace and get recharged. But not that easy.. We must eat proper balanced diet of food and exercise to keep our body generators going which is our cells. Yes, our small cells are generators.. they must always be in top shape to keep our body healthy..
Our cells are mostly potassium with a little salt.. the minute we eat too much salt it pushes the potassium out of the cells.. the body start to get sick..
Listen to this.. the bones in our back start falling apart.. Then you have back problems.. I really feel that most people that have back problems are very low in potassium. Like # 1 or 2.. which is a low potassium level…
The minute we cut out the salt.. the potassium make our cells healthy.. Then the bones in our back go back in place.. No more back problems.. When you take a physical.. how many of you ask for potassium test. If the numbers they give you are between 3-5.. your potassium level is normal, your generators (cells) are in good shape..I just finished a physical, when they took my blood ..I asked for a Potassium test. They said Why do you want that? How do you answer.. I said because I want to live for 200 years.. Well I got my test.. reading was 4.4 . Never had any back problems..
I could be all wet.. In my theory..So if you have a different idea, I would love to hear it.
Thanks for your time. And interest
Health #1
Alfred
Prolapsed Disc
My husband is 6'5" and does have a "Buddha Belly" that is aggravating the condition and that he wants to reduce, but he isn't sure what type of exercise is best for this disc condition. He is also taking fish oil (for cartilage) and turmeric (for inflammation/pain) capsules daily. Any other suggestions of what can help rebuild his cartilage and reduce his pain? Would a Daniel Fast or Apple Fast be of benefit? He is hesitant to drink ACV, but is willing to apply it topically.
Thanks everyone! Any guidance would be great. The traditional Dr. isn't helping at all!
(Wade, North Carolina)
02/29/2012
Check out the Hyluronic Acid (HA) threads - especially the ones by "Alfred"
(Rusteburg, North West, South Africa)
02/29/2012
(Gippsland, Australia)
02/29/2012
Hi Sophie, Walking is the exercise of choice. Someone we knew had surgery many years ago, being trained in an associate field he agreed that surgery was the way to go. Today he regrets that decision as he did not know that whilst the surgery was a fantastic help it did not last long as it created more pressure on the next disc up so in the end he has had another three done and now lives in constant debilitating pain.
I received minor injuries to my lower back and it was going ok mostly. Then a serious injury occurred - cortisone injections (hip & sciatica relief), backbrace to walk for some months. Life went on with lower back pain. Some years later I was being treated for lower back & neck pain with Chiropractic Care (the type where you go twice a week then once a week etc till your dollars dwindle and then you stay on monthly visits) so I changed Chiropractor to and old fashioned type (I go when I need to). This guy got my earlier xray results complete with the written report and I found out that the previous guy neglected to tell me of the serious degeneration of my lumber discs. Never get degenerated discs manipulated, you can massage the surrounding muscles.
So the following are things that I did, I'm sorry I cannot pinpoint what worked as it was about 3 years later my new xrays showed such a massive improvement to almost non existent.
Dr Joel Wallach's arthritis treatment - 30 mls colloidal minerals per 100 lb body weight plus either chicken cartilage or gelatine and vit c. This is for 3 months, thereafter 5 -10mls a day.
Extra Protein - (I have since read that it occurres more in high carb diets) I was having a minimum of 60 grams a day trying for 80-100. I think Adele Davis recommended higher amounts for healing the body. I found that a very hard shift. 1 egg is only 6 grams and 100 grams red meat is about 20-24g of protein. If you combine grains with pulses or nuts with seeds you also get complete proteins.
Magnesium (epsom salts); Kelp tablets; Silica (via horsetail herb caps); Selenium and some Zinc (not everyday); Sunshine on exposed skin, as much as possible. Change from table salt to grey and himalayan salt.
I now realize that iodine and selenium are needed for bone health, iodine for me was in the salt, kelp & C. Minerals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17490897
I would nowadays definitely add Turmeric - turns out we were having that at the time in our curries. Plus Boswellia Serrata is something I would use. Boswellian cream is good for pain relief I have found. All the best.
(Dayton, Ohio, Usa)
03/03/2012
Thank you everyone for your great advice! Since my original post, my husband has been wearing a lumbar/back support belt and focusing on correcting his posture. This has helped incredibly! I am still trying to get him to follow the supplements you suggest, but he hates taking pills. Today we bought him a pilates balance ball and an elastic pilates band. I have done pilates this way for awhile now, and he's going to start doing it with me. We've been doing some yoga with the WiiFit in the mean time, and this has also helped. We have also switched him to some properly fitting supportive shoes (he used to wear slip-ons all the time).
Next week we start the Daniel Fast, and I'm hoping a little fasting and gentle cleansing will also help his condition. We walked through IKEA today for a couple hours and he's in pain now, but I think walking on the cement floors was the problem. I'll keep you posted, and thanks for all your help!!!
Proteolytic Enzymes
★★★★★
Recipes, Dosages, Instructions
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons* Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda (optional, improves taste)
- 8 oz. Water
* Some readers report excellent results using 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Coconut Oil
- Rub a quarter-sized amount of coconut oil on area of pain
Recommended Books
★★★★★
When I was in my thirties I had serious back pain and sciatica, to the point where I was unable to drive longer distances. I literally had to stop and stretch every thirty minutes to get at least some relief for the pain. Meds didn't help, neither did acupuncture. Chiropractic helped for about ten minutes.
I found the book in a book store. I read it. It suggested no exercises, no stretching, no dietary changes.
I made no changes, except some suggested mental adjustments, which can be summed up as increased awareness. Two weeks later my back pain got better until it eventually disappeared, albeit with the occasional return. I am now 59 and pain-free.
What gives? Dr. Sarno explains the mind-body connection of back pain. In the simplest of terms we use our backs to express tension; the tension causes reduced blood flow, and the soft tissue responds with spasms and pain.
The ten bucks I spent on that book was the best ten bucks I spent on anything. If you are searching high and low for relief, this could be the answer.
Robin McKenzie Method
★★★★★
On the thorny subject of "Bad Back Syndrome" the following could be a cautionary tale we could all learn from (although parts of this might be a tad dated by now). A fellow goes into his favourite Bone Cruncher with pain in his right, lower back, buttock, thigh and right knee. In those days it was considered smart to apply ultra-sound and heat; in his case he had done so for three weeks prior to entering the House of Pain. All to no avail. He could not bend backwards and didn't enjoy standing tall. He made the mistake of lying face down on a table with its top end raised up when he really "should" have laid face down on the flat table on the other side of the room. Adopting the "U" shaped posture might be considered a good Yoga position to-day but back in those dim, dark days it was frowned upon by the Bone Crunchers' Institute. Well, far from passing out, after five minutes, he claimed that he had never felt better! His pain had shifted but he felt better.
If your pain moves to the centre line after treatment, then that is considered to be a positive signal that you could benefit from more treatment. A chance discovery that apparently revolutionized such treatment. And yes, a New Zealander pioneered it - a certain Robin McKenzie! Discovery by fortunate chance!
Caution : this treatment would not be appropriate for all back conditions (obviously). Get good, qualified advice whenever you have a serious back problem.
Rocking Side-To-Side
★★★★★
Sit Ups
★★★★★
I do 200 - 400 sit ups every day and this has kept my back pain away for 22 years. I actually have a waist .. Do not look for sudden Abs and say this does not work .. what you are after is the "Strong Core " start slow do one and work up to 2 then 3 then 10 each and then another 10 then another. Doing these exercises is better than any back pain ... I know.
Sleep on the Floor
★★★★★
EC: We agree -- this is a fabulous cure for back aches!
St John's Wort
★★★★★
Stomach Stretch
★★★★★
As we grow older we grow lazy, the muscles attached to the spine that was once taut have become soft and can no longer support the spine and the weight of the upper body. thus, the nerves in-between the discs of the spine get jammed, and it is these jammed nerves that give you pain. so to regain some strength in your muscles that support the spine, you MUST DO SOME EXERCISES.
THIS IS THE MOST SIMPLE AND EASY EXERCISE!
Lie on your stomach. put your hands in front of you and lift your chest up to 30degrees. count ten (seconds). when you get a hang of this, add some deep breathing. as you lift your chest, inhale. as you count ten, hold your breath. as you lower your chest, exhale.
Do this every day of the first week. after that, you can do it just once or twice a week. maybe you could lift your chest further up...40-50degrees. (dont break your spine trying too hard! )
I HOPE YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF.
Stretching
★★★★☆
This worked very well for me really. Reduced the pain to about half, which is enough to at least allow you to function.
Pretty much I was just arching my back backwards. I don't think it matters whether you do it lying on your front and using your arms, or standing up and arching backwards by pushing your butt with your hands or something.
I was told it's good to do this 4-5 times for 20-30 seconds per time. Seems to work well!
It will hurt a bit at first of course and I don't think there's any need to overdo it. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself either so go easy. But yeah it was a bit of a lifesaver for me to be honest.
