Manage Back Pain

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You may even nd that you dri o to sleep. If so, great, because
you will have induced a relaxation response, which is what you re
aiming for.
Repetition tunes your mind and it will have a bene cial e ect in
reducing your level of pain.
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Chapter 8
DIY Complementary
Therapies
Complementary and alternative medicine, o en referred to as CAM,
covers a wide range of di erent therapies, which are not generally
considered to be part of orthodox medicine. In the UK anyone can
practise certain complementary therapies without any quali cation.
This situation is gradually changing, and most of the therapies have
regulatory or governing bodies which are trying to improve standards.
CAM includes homoeopathy, acupuncture, re exology, chiropractic,
osteopathy and herbal medicine. There are many others, but I have
focussed on these ones since I believe that they can be helpful to
people with back problems. If you decide to seek treatment from
a professional therapist in one of these disciplines then it is sensible
to ask them about their quali cations and the training they have
undergone.
Many orthodox doctors, myself included, also practise therapies
such as acupuncture and homoeopathy. It is also worth asking any
doctor who o ers such treatment what training they have had in it.
DIY COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES 117
43. Try acupuncture and acupressure
Acupuncture, which uses needles to treat the patient, has been
practised in China for millennia. In the traditional approach it is believed
that energy ows along a series of 12 paired meridians, or pathways,
and two special extra meridians. Imbalance of this energy ow can
be recti ed by the judicious insertion and stimulation of needles at
indicated points. By contrast, Western medical acupuncture is based
on physiological concepts that are accepted in Western science.
The nomenclature and numbering of the points used is common
to both systems.
You cannot do acupuncture on yourself, of course, but acupressure,
using nger pressure on acupuncture points may be quite bene cial.
This you can do yourself. You use the pressure of the tips of the
fore ngers on the points and you press in a gentle clockwise manner
for half a minute to three minutes at a time on each side. Do this
three times a day until you feel the condition ease. You will do no
harm. This really is very simple; indeed much simpler than many
books would have you believe.
I nd that the following ve points are very useful for self-treatment
of acupressure for those with back pain.
" Gall bladder 20 (GB20) you will nd this easily, in a little
hollow at the base of the skull about an inch from the midline
on each side on the back of the neck. This is good for headache,
neck pain and upper back pain.
" Gall Bladder 21 (GB21) this is another easy one to nd, in
the middle part of the trapezius muscle. This is a huge muscle
that extends from the base of the skull down the back to the
118 50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY...
middle of the thoracic spine, and which spreads outwards to
the scapula or shoulder blade. There is one on each side and
together they resemble a large trapezoid, hence the name. If
you put your hand on your opposite shoulder, the tip of the
middle nger will probably be just over it. This is very good for
shoulder pain, neck pain and upper back pain.
" Large Intestine 4 or Colon 4 (LI 4 or Co4) in the web
between the thumb and rst nger. This is a point of many
uses, but is helpful if pain is severe.
" Stomach 36 (St36) in the groove between the tibia and
bula. This is good if there is sciatica or pain from the back
that radiates down the legs. To nd it feel just below the knee,
about an inch outwards from the mid-line, and you will feel a
de nite groove between two bones of the shin.
" Bladder 54 (B54) this is in the crease behind the knee. To
stimulate this one, lie on your back and bend your knees with
your feet at on the oor or bed. Your ngers will nd it in the
middle of the crease behind the knee. This is actually a really
good one for easing an acute sore back.
44. Use reflexology
Re exology is a therapy that involves a speci c type of massage and
manipulation of various re ex areas on the hands and feet and seems
to get good results with back pain for many people. It can be self-
DIY COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES 119
administered to gain relief when the muscles of the back are sore and
sti , and you feel that they need a little help to relax.
The areas that are associated with the back are very easy to nd
and to stimulate. On the hand, this consists of the outer edge of the
hand, from the wrist along the back of the thumb to the nail. The
way to stimulate this is by using the tip of the thumb; press it into
the side of the hand and walk it, by pushing it in so that you bend
the joint then advance it by straightening it out, then press, bend,
then straighten just like a caterpillar. Go up the edge several times
like this on each hand.
On the feet, the area of the back is associated with the inner arch.
The easiest method for stimulating this is to sit and take o shoes
and socks or tights. Get a cylinder, perhaps a can of beans or an old
rolling pin, and put it on the oor. Now just roll it back and forth
using your foot so that it stimulates the inner arch. If it is doing its
job you will nd that the pain will ease as you do this.
If you nd that this helps then it may well be worth seeking an
appointment with a professional re exologist.
45. Try herbal remedies
Herbal remedies can be very e ective, but it is best to seek the
opinion of a quali ed herbalist before you try them for yourself. If
you do, you should also tell your doctor that you are doing so, since
it is important for them to know that you are not taking anything
which could interact with your usual medication. This is extremely
important in the case of Chinese herbs, since some of them have
been shown to be toxic to the liver and kidneys.
120 50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY...
It is also very important to talk with your doctor if you are considering
taking anything like St John s Wort (hypericum), since it can react [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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