Manage Back Pain

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These famous salts are made from hydrated magnesium sulphate and
are named a er the spa town of Epsom, with its ancient healing salt
128 50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY...
spring. These are o en very e ective in easing aches and pains. They
should not be used too o en, however, since they will induce quite a
marked perspiration a erwards and you can lose body uids. If you
are on any medication or have a problem with high blood pressure,
heart or kidney disease, check with your doctor as to whether you
should use them.
To make an Epsom salts bath you take 250 to 500 grams of Epsom
salts (available from any chemists) and mix it with a little almond or
other oil in a basin beside the bath to produce a pleasant wet sand feel.
Draw a warm-to-tepid bath to a comfortable temperature for you.
Stand in the bath and, taking a couple of handfuls of the mixture, rub
it over yourself, particularly as much of your back as you can reach. Do
not put any on your neck or face, and avoid your private areas.
Put the rest of the mixture into the bath and stir it with your
hands, then sit down and gently wash the salts o . A er this, lie
down and gradually add more hot water, keeping it at a comfortable
temperature. You do not want it to be too hot. Stay in for up to ten
minutes, then get out.
Having had your bath, shower down quickly with cooler water.
Take care not to get out too quickly or you might feel a bit dizzy.
Have a drink of water then prepare to go to bed. You do not want
to do anything physical a er an Epsom salts bath, so you ought to
make it something that is done before bedtime.
Make sure that you wear bedclothes and expect to perspire. This
in itself o en feels good. Whether or not it is due to expelling toxins
is debateable, but really I don t think it matters. What does matter is
that it will induce relaxation, which will ease tired, sti muscles and
should help the back.
Sitz baths
The ancient Greeks favoured sitz baths. These are essentially hip
baths, but with the feet in a separate receptacle containing water of
a di erent temperature.
DIY COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES 129
To make your own sitz bath you need a large basin which can be
tted into the foot end of your bath. Fill the bath with warm-to-
tepid water so that it is comfortable for you. Then ll the basin with
cold water. Get into the main bath and, once settled, put your feet
in the cold basin at the foot end of the bath. Stay in for about 10 to
15 minutes, then remove your feet from the basin and take the basin
out. Then get out of the bath.
This is o en very good at easing an aching back. If you nd it
helpful, then have one when you feel the need of it, or aim at two
a week.
You can of course medicate the warm water with an essential oil
of your choice.
Showers
These are great for back pain and they have the advantage of being
able to stand under a directed ow of hot water. Adjust the power of
the spray if your shower allows it. The faster the jet the greater will be
the counter-irritation e ect, which may give greater relief. Showers
cannot, of course, be medicated.
48. Use gravity to help your back
Gravity is, of course, part of the problem for the back in that we
tend to be drawn downwards. The very act of standing will tend to
throw a strain on your back; it is this concertina e ect that can cause
pressure on joints, ligaments and nerves, which may all be involved in
your back pain. The good news is that you can use gravity to help, by
letting your own weight exert a bit of traction to open up the joints
and decompress the back. It may be only transiently, but that bit of
130 50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY...
relief may brighten your day and it will show you that back pain can
always be eased if you know how to do it e ectively.
Suspend your weight from a hanging bar
This is a very easy rst aid move, provided you are strong enough
to be able to suspend your weight from your arms and you have a
hanging bar, or chin-up bar that you can t inside a door frame. Do
ensure that you are within the maximum weight suggested by the
manufacturers and that the bar has been tted securely.
All you have to do is reach up and get a good grip of the bar, then
bend your knees and straighten your arms until you are hanging
down. Don t do anything sudden, but when you are ready li your
feet from the ground so that you are hanging suspended by arms,
your hands gripping the bar.
You then just hang there for as long as it is comfortable to do so.
That may only be a few seconds, but that may be enough to help.
What you are doing here is allowing gravity to pull down, so that
your back will tend to unwind, rather like a Chinese lantern does
when it is hung up. It is usually quite relaxing, even if only for a short
time.
Inversion table
Although this may be costly, it is an e ective option. It is exactly
what it sounds like: a table that tips up so that you can hang upside
down from it. You strap your feet into it and lie down. Then it has
a frame that you can operate yourself which will gently invert you.
You do not have to go completely upside down; you can control how
inverted you wish to be.
You can obtain these from many sports retailers, or obtain
information from the website mentioned in Useful Addresses at the
end of the book.
DIY COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES 131
Again, the principle is that you use gravity to exert traction, this
time supporting yourself by the feet instead of the arms. The bene t
of this is that you can stay in that position for longer.
A study performed by a team from Newcastle University found
that 70 per cent of people on a back surgery list were able to cancel
their proposed surgery a er using an inversion table for a period of
time.
49. Apply a magnet or try wearing a
copper bracelet
The ancients were aware that a lodestone, a naturally occurring piece
of the mineral magnetite, could attract pieces of iron. Not only that,
but if it was suspended by a thread it would mysteriously point to
the north. Understandably, this was of incredible bene t as a means
of navigation. The word lodestone comes from Middle English,
meaning leading stone . [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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