Back pain

Though frequently quite uncomfortable, most backaches are not serious. Typically, the lower back, which supports almost all of the body's weight, is the area most affected. But inflammation of or even a minor injury to any of the bones in the spine (vertebrae) or the muscles, cartilage, nerves, or other tissues connected to the spine can bring on pain.

Most back pain is the result of muscle strain. Poor posture, weakened bones or cartilage, a slipped disk, a pinched nerve, or stress and emotional upset can also cause the discomfort. A disease such as arthritis or osteoporosis can predispose a person to chronic back pain.

Supplements and herbs

Before beginning a therapeutic supplement program, check with your doctor to determine whether medical or surgical treatment is warranted. Supplements are aimed at building stronger bones and muscles, reducing inflammation, and treating pain. Effects may be felt within a week.

People prone to back problems should start with vitamins and minerals that strengthen bones and cartilage, such as calcium, magnesium, vitamins C and D, and manganese. In addition, various other supplements are worth trying, either singly or in combination. Some hospitals have had success using bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, to reduce inflammation and pain from surgery, trauma, sports injuries, and arthritis. How bromelain works is not really known. Controversy exists about whether bromelain is absorbed into the bloodstream. Glucosamine builds cartilage, including the tissue supporting the spinal disks. And white willow bark has pain-relieving characteristics similar to aspirin, but it may have similar side effects. Rich in omega - 3 fatty acids, flaxseed oil may also have healing analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. All these supplements may reduce the need for conventional pain relievers and, except for white willow bark, can be taken along with them.

Other supplements include S-adenosylmethionine, or SAM (200 mg three times a day), a form of the muscle-strengthening, collagen-building amino acid methionine; boswellia (150 mg boswellic acid three times a day), which has anti-inflammatory properties; and niacinamide (500 mg three times a day), a form of niacin that may be effective against arthritic back pain. Devil's claw (400 mg three times a day) may be useful for inflammatory pain from arthritis or degenerative spine disease.

Homeopathy

For acute pain, remedies can be taken hourly, or on an as needed basis. For more chronic problems, one dose of the 30th potency daily should be continued for several weeks, or as symptoms dictate. In any chronic condition, even if the remedy is correct the potency will usually have to be changed eventually. Remedies may also need to be changed, or abstained from for a brief period to optimize the healing process.

• Aesculus
  Low back, sacrum, sacroiliac pain. Stiff and weak back that "gives out."
  Dull, aching, constant pain. Radiates along the nerves. Legs feel heavy.
  Worse: motion, walking, standing, stooping, rising up, lying. Better: heat.
• Berberis
  Stitching pain radiates to hips, front of thighs, up or down; changeable.
  Weak, lame legs, numb and stiff. Pain in balls of feet, tender kidneys.
  Worse: motion, jarring, rising up, standing, lying, sitting, a.m., fatigue.
• Calc fluor
  Tired, aching, stiff back. Burning, grinding pain. Restless. Cracking joints.
  Chronic low back, repeated back sprains, overexertion, "slipped disc."
  Weak ligaments. Arthritis, hard nodes around spine, bone spurs.
  Worse: cold, damp, drafts, first motion. Better: warmth, dry, limbering up.
• Nat mur
  Bruised, pain. Weak, numb, lame, as if paralyzed or broken.
  Sensitive spine. Stiffness, cramping, cracking joints. Stoic depression.
  Worse: stooping, sitting, rising up. Better: lying on hard surface, open air.
• Nux vomica
  Bruised, stitching pain, drives out of bed at 4 a.m. Must sit up to turn over.
  Irritable, stressed, driven. Muscle spasm. Heavy, numb pain. Lameness.
  Worse: motion, cold, touch, a.m. Better: warmth, pressure, short nap.
• Rhus tox
  Tearing, drawing, burning pains. Sudden "crick" on lifting. Heaviness.
  Stiffness. Restless; need to stretch, move. Fear of misfortune, failure.
  Worse: initial motion, sitting, cold, dampness, storms, after midnight.
  Better: limbering, pressure, lying on hard surface, bending backward, heat.
• Ruta
  Strained back ligaments, damaged joints. Bruised, aching, beaten pain.
  Weak back, great weariness. Restlessness. Anxiety, phobias, dissatisfied.
  Worse: first motion, touch, stooping, sitting, turing, bending, stepping hard, cold, damp. Better: continued motion, lying on the back, pressure.
• Sepia
  Dull pain radiates to the sacrum, pelvis, legs. Everything settles in back.
  Sudden stitches, "like a hammer." Exhausted, tired and weak back.
  Sad, weepy, indifferent, wants solitude. Back pain in pregnancy, menses.
  Worse: sitting, motion, cold, damp, evening. Better: pressure, lying.

What else you can do

• To improve posture, wear comfortable footwear; consider orthotics.
• Try therapeutic massage, physiotherapy, chiropractic (spinal alignment), acupuncture, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain relief.
• Don't bend from the waist without bending your knees when lifting.
• Sit in a chair with lower-back support; take frequent breaks to stretch.

How much to take

Calcium / Magnesium

600 mg calcium and 250 mg magnesium a day.
Can be purchased as part of a bone-building formula.

Bromelain

500 mg 3 times a day on an empty stomach.
Eliminate if there is no effect after 2 weeks.

Glucosamine

500 mg glucosamine sulfate 3 times a day.
Take with food. Not appropriate for diabetics.

White willow bark

1 or 2 pills 3 times a day (follow package directions).
Should be standardized to contain 15% salicin.

Vitamin C

1,000 mg 3 times a day.
Reduce dose if diarrhea develops.

Vitamin D

400 IU a day.
Avoid doses above 1,000 IU a day, which may be toxic.

Manganese

60 mg a day for 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks, reduce dose to 20 mg a day.

Flaxseed oil

1 tbsp (14 grams) a day.
Can be mixed with food; take in the morning.

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