Natural remedies for chronic back pain
Updated: Jun 27, 2022
Many people suffer from chronic back pain due to multiple reasons. I myself had back surgery many years ago due to an accident. I was checking the oil of my car and another car decided to back into me and pinned me between his van and my car (bumpers touching). My natural reflex was to press back and in doing so, I forced my disc (L4) out of alignment. Physical therapy and chiropractic's could not get it back into place. I was in horrific pain for 6 months when my doctor decided I had to have the disc totally removed. The disc was sitting on the sciatica nerve. This was extra difficult as I refused to take any pain medications. I had to find an alternative. I consulted with a Chinese Medicine Practitioner as well as a Holistic Practitioner. Herbs and acupuncture were my savior and kept me off of the pain meds.
Long story short, my recovery was less than half the estimated amount of time advised by the doctor and not one painkiller. He was amazed at my quick recovery. I was up and back in the gym within 3 weeks. The doctor estimated a minimum of 8 weeks. The only permanent loss was the reflex in my right foot. At 55, I trained kung fu full time in China at a Shaolin Temple for 2 years and 4 months of construction work in Sri Lanka for an organization supporting abused young girls and before that Crossfit training for 3 years. Did I sometimes have aches and pains? Of course! But now I know about alternative treatments and have been using them ever since. Below, I've attached a list of herbs which have been used for hundreds of years for pain. I've also listed some of the Eastern Medicine practices which helped me with healing and pain management. It's important to know that herbs and practices are not cure all's. Some may alleviate all pain and some alleviate the pain just enough for one to function from day to day. A mixture of the herbs and physical practices definitely raise the bar for totally eliminating pain. Some work better as tinctures, some salves, some teas, and some oils. You have to try them. The cause of the pain can determine which method is best. The bottom line is you want to rid of the inflammation. That's usually what is causing the pain. If you rid of the inflammation, more than likely you will rid of most of the pain if not all of the pain.
Herbs:
Herbs for Pain Relief
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Download PDF • 73KB
Ayurvedic Oils:
Ayervedic Oils for Back Pain (1)
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Download PDF • 24KB
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
TCM encompasses the modalities of acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxabustion, medical massage and often includes nutritional therapy and breathing therapy or Qi Gong. These modalities focus on unblocking stagnate qi (energy, electromagnetic current, life force...) and balancing yin and yang. As well as describing that which exists in nature, Yin (stillness, form and blood) and Yang (activity, function and Qi) perfectly describes all the parts and functions of the body. it isn’t possible, within TCM, to deem an organ or body part as an isolated problem without considering the whole body system. Pain is due to the impeded flow of blood and qi, in this case, the low back or the “mansion of the Kidneys” meaning that the low back is most closely related, but not limited to, the health of the Kidney system.
Recommended treatments depend on the cause and severity of the diagnosis. Most treatments will include a prescribed herbal blend for tea and some visits to the physical therapists who will perform a number of modalities such as acupuncture, cupping, chiropractic's and a few others to help clear the stagnation.
Contact The Holistic Well at theholisticwell@gmail.com for referrals to Chinese Medicine Practitioners in your area.
Contact us for more information on alternative treatment methods for chronic back pain at
theholisticwell@gmail.com
