There’s No Magic Bullet To Heal Back Pain!

Time and again you can log on to the internet and find a site which will promise virtually instant relief from back pain. It may be a cocktail of herbs, an exercise programme, or a gismo which the website proclaims can give you permanent relief from pain within a matter of days. I get so mad when I see these sites because I’ve worked with back pain patients for 16 years and I know that there simply isn’t a one shot, cure all, fix for back pain. I get mad because I know how distressing back pain can be, and when people are desperate to find a cure, they can be tempted to buy anything that offers them hope.
As I said, I’ve spent 16 years working with patients suffering from back, neck, shoulder and sciatic pain. Believe me, if there was a magic bullet to fix them I would have found it by now! What I have found is a common thread running through the experiences of my patients.
a) the muscles in their back are in spasm
b) lack of suitable exercise leading to weak postural muscles
c) stress
d) poor diet.
I work with acupuncture and massage, so I can help to relieve the muscular spasm and release pressure on the bony structures in the spine and hips. But I also work with patients on addressing the cause of their pain, i.e. why their back is not functioning correctly.
You know, most of us were born with perfectly healthy backs. As kids we would run round, jump up and down, play ball games and catch with our friends. In other words, we put our bodies through a full range of movement and kept the muscles strong and healthy. Before the advent of so called convenience foods and the habit of eating in fast food restaurants took hold of the nation, we most likely ate a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. So we gave our bodies what they needed to repair and replace worn out tissues.
What I find now is that most of my patients sit at a desk all day, drive a car or sit on a bus to get to work, go home and sit on a soft chair to watch TV all evening before going to bed. They eat meals whilst watching TV which have been prepared by their favoured supermarket and heated in the microwave. Their lifestyle and diet is totally removed from that of their childhood and they wonder why their body, in particular their back starts to malfunction and give them pain!
I often say to patients that pain is a signal from your body that what you are doing isn’t working. It’s not a signal to take medication and drug your brain into thinking that your body is okay. It’s not a signal to keep doing what you’ve always done in the past and hope the pain will go away. It’s a signal to pay attention to what you are doing and do something different!
Through my years of practise and study, I’ve identified what I now call the 7 secrets to back pain relief.
Secret #1 The Mind Body Connection.
Every thought you have influences the way your body behaves. Every emotion you feel affects you at cellular level. Did you know that there's an area of your brain called the hypothalamus which acts as a chemical factory? It makes chemical messengers to match every emotion that you feel. It then sends those messengers to each and every cell in your body. Are your cells happy or depressed? Happy cells are healthy cells and vital to the renewal of your body tissues.
Secret #2 Relax to beat pain and stress.
Did you know that your nervous system will automatically tense up your muscles in response to any stress. That means any anxious thoughts about anything, real or imagined. Learn why you must switch off stress and relax.
Research shows that taking time out every day to practise relaxation techniques and meditation, positively affect your health and help lower stress levels.
Secret #3 Your diet affects your back pain.
Everything that you put in your mouth has the potential to help your body to heal, give you abundant energy, health and vitality. But only if you eat the right food!
Which foods should you eat and which foods sabotage your desire to be in good health? For instance, did you know that refined sugar leads to the accumulation of acid in the brain and nervous system? That sugars accumulate in your red blood cells and interfere with cell respiration? Simply put, the cells cannot get enough oxygen to survive and function properly and in time will die off, this leads to degenerative disease and PAIN.
Secret #4 Food intolerance creates inflammation.
Food intolerance is not just a fad. It's caused by the modern westernised diet and certain foods can really make your pain worse. Your body triggers an immune response to certain foods and overwhelm leads to inflammation.
I explain how that works, which foods are most likely to cause a problem and how you can help your digestive system to recover.
Secret #5 The Supplements and Herbs that help you heal.
There is no wonder herbal cure for pain, but there are certain herbs which can naturally support your body and help it to heal, without the unwanted side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
For instance did you know that your body naturally makes a substance called glucosamine which helps tissue repair, particularly around joints. Over time your body gets less efficient at making glucosamine, so taking a daily supplement can really help ease your joints and pain.
Secret #6 Move it or lose it - exercise your body back to health.
It used to be thought that bed rest was the best cure for back pain. Now we know that if you don't move your body and keep it strong, then you are setting up problems for the future. As long ago as the 1920s Joseph Pilates devised a system of exercise, linked to the breath which he practised and taught throughout his life. He was still teaching at 87!
With the help of my own Pilates teacher, I have put together 3 routines based in pilates and yoga which can help to exercise your body back to health.
Secret #7 Prevention is better than cure.
Our modern lifestyles, poor dietary habits, lack of exercise, poor posture and bad habits can all lead to pain. There is a lot that you can do on a daily, moment by moment basis, to help keep your body to be strong and healthy.
If you sit at a desk a lot, I have a mini programme of exercises, designed to keep you from getting stressed muscles.
I’ve put all of this information together into a programme “The 7 Secrets to Back Pain Relief”. More information is available at www.7secretstobackpainrelief.com
So, it’s not one single magic bullet, but 7 magic bullets which acted upon together will bring lasting relief from back pain!