Welcoming the Chinese New Year!!!!  It is the year of the dragon which is considered the luckiest year in all of Chinese astrology.  Our topic this week is surprising causes of back pain.  To shed some light on home common back problems are 8 out of 10 Americans will suffer from a back problem at some point in time.  As an acupuncturist, back pain and chronic back and neck problems are the number one reason people see me.  Back pain is no picnic so today's forum will shed some light on how to prevent some problems.

 

#1. Weekend exercise warriors!

 

Exercise is great.  Irregular exercise especially playing sports without conditioning and core strengthening is just foolhardy.  15 minutes of core strengthening 3 times a week may be sufficient for some people.

Disc destruction is cumulative according to the American Academy of Orthopedists, and stress exercise such as this leads to serious back strain.

 

#2. Lifting children:

 

Picking up children exerts spinal stress. Piggyback rides or anything involving body weight directly upon one's spine is the most problematic however, lifting children as with anything requires proper form...IE keeping shoulders above the pelvix, and bending the knees.

 

#3. Slouching while sitting puts tremendous pressure on the lumbar spine.  It is important to move throughout the day and to observe their posture. I teach many people about proper posture.

 

#4. Smoking causes disk degeneration and is terrible for spine health. Spinal surgeries are usually unsuccessful in smokers.

 

#5. Twisting your spine....This causes microtrauma to your lower back think whiplash. I cringe when I see people do this at the gym, or perform lunges with barbells....madness!

 

#6. Neuro disorders such as: Chiari Syndrome, spinal cord tumor, Team disorder or tethered cord syndrome do show up though rare.  I have suspected them at times and send people to neurologists for diagnosis on occasion since they do not show up on MRI's.

 

#7.  Dehydration...Your discs do not have a direct blood supply bringing them nutrients so they rely on diffusion...IE water. Obviously if you are dehydrated this cannot happen...Sleep deprivation is also a huge problem since discs rehydrate during the night.

 

#8. Sagging mattresses.  These bend the spine in unnatural positions and that is not good. The thinking now is that the best mattress is a soft one with firm cords underneath.

 

#9. Exhaustion...discs form your internal structure. When discs are collapsing often years of bad habits are to blame...poor diet, lack of sleep, vitamin deficiencies, etc....healing this takes time and effort but will pay off in the end.

 

Herbs, acupuncture and nutrients all play a vital role in keeping your discs healthy and some attention and prevention can keep back problems from becoming a lifestyle.  One product I recommend highly is right here!

 

Best of Health!

 

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for top prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! We ALSO offer 10-20% Off on all orders over $99....Discounts applied at check out.

 

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

 

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Share the HEALTH!

FREE Shipping and Save 10-20% on over 500 TOP Professional Products

Like US? Join us on FB!

We LOVE to Tweet! Join us on Twitter!

Visit our Natural Health Library for many GREAT Articles!

Don't Miss a thing! Subscribe now to get our new articles via email.

Send this article to a friend!