As we’ve evolved as a species, a number of new physical ailments have arisen alongside us as a result of human technological upgrades. Conditions like carpal tunnel and nature deprivation disorder might never have been experienced until the last century.
But there’s nothing new about back pain. This chronic problem will affect 85% of human beings in their lifetime and has been around since the beginning of our existence. How do we know? Because there are a number of effective remedies for it that date back to ancient times.
Our ancestors wouldn’t have spent time creating remedies for things that weren’t broken (or achy). Although, the cause of their back pain probably had nothing to do with sitting at a desk, hunched over a computer all day…
Did you know back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work? In fact, it is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office (next to upper-respiratory infections).
The good news is that in most cases, this pain is mechanical in nature – and is not caused by a serious medical condition.
Today, I’m going to give you 5 remedies for back pain, each from different schools of natural medicine, that you can put into practice right now. (I know, for us Americans, we’re shaking off the cobwebs after a long Thanksgiving weekend, but there’s probably no better time than this to give your body a little much-needed attention!)
When checking out the techniques below, it’s important to be willing to move out of your comfort zone. Some of these exercises, herbs or techniques may seem unusual or “not you”, but when we’re trying to make a shift in our reality, we sometimes need to venture into uncharted territory.
Let’s dive in!
1) Hip Circles
How good of a dancer are you? The greats all know that the secret to moving fluidly with grace, flexibility, and style is all in your hips. But most of us are blocked there, not using our hips and pelvis the way the were meant to be used.
If you spend a few minutes making a full circle with your hips, pushing your butt out farther than it feels appropriate to, and rolling around to push your front out, in a hula-hoop motion, there can often be a huge release of lower back pain.
This may feel a little quirky or uncomfortable for the lumberjacks out there, but I promise there is magic in this motion.
Hip circles show up in a variety of different cultures stemming back thousands of years, whether it’s in traditional dance, stretching, or meditation practices.
It takes a little technique, so we’ve included 5 pictures below (compliments of Tristan Truscott) that show us this hip circle movement beautifully:
*I listed hip circles first because I’ve personally found them to have an immediate and positive impact on any lower back pain that I might be experiencing. It might take a couple of times around to really start feeling into the stretch, but when you do, oh boy. There are muscles in there that never get worked and it feels wonderful.
2) Comfrey Root
This herb has been used since Roman times and beyond for its anti-inflammatory effects. It was and still is turned to in folk medicine across Europe to treat muscle sprains, strains, and pulls.
The most popular comfrey preparation for back pain is in the form of an ointment. Scientific research shows that comfrey ointment can lower back pain significantly.
This remedy comes with a warning though – make sure you get your comfrey from a reputable source because some strains contain potentially toxic alkaloids.
ALSO: make sure not to use this treatment for more than 10 days as it can have negative side effects if used extensively over a long period of time.
3) Yoga:
I know, we’re always hearing about yoga in the alternative health world, but it’s for good reason. This ancient art has been proven to benefit all types of health challenges – including back pain.
According to Mercola.com, “People suffering from low-back pain who took one yoga class a week had greater improvements in function than those receiving medicine or physical therapy.”
If you visit The Yoga Journal, they have a specific page with various poses that may be helpful for back pain.
4) Hot / Cold
I recently shared an article entitled “What Being Naked In The Snow Taught Me” that was about my wintery rite of passage with a shaman a few years ago. I am not suggesting that you run out and try that for your back pain, BUT the power of hot and cold should never be underestimated.
Used in the right proportion, controlled hot and cold therapy is proven to be very effective in treating a variety of muscle pain, including back pain.
For most cases of back pain, doctors recommend using ice for the first 48 hours — and then switching to heat.
You can go as basic or sophisticated as you’d like. I’ve used a bag of cold peas before, in place of the pricey synthetic Velcro ice wraps. You can do the same with heat – sometimes a simple hot bath with epsom salts can work wonder.
A quick warning – ice therapy should be avoided by folks with rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud’s Syndrome, cold allergic conditions, paralysis, or areas of impaired sensation.
5) Rest and Time
According to studies, about 90% of back pain episodes will dissipate over time. What matters most is that you allow yourself some time to put your feet up and relax. One of the beauties of back pain and other non-emergency health concerns is that they remind us that we need to love and care for ourselves, looking out for our own unique needs.
This is your time to do that. Let your loved ones know that you need a little space to take care of yourself. If they argue with that, well, send them to us for a little lesson on compassion 
One last bit of general shamanic healing wisdom before I go:
Many times, the physical symptoms we are experiencing are linked to patterns of thought and correlating behavior that are not serving us. The way we think about ourselves and the reality around us can actually affect our posture and other points of our physiology. So while we’re taking some self care measures externally, we should also be working with some sort of meditative practice to bring peace and clarity internally.
Stay curious,
Nick Polizzi
Director, The Sacred Science
PS: If you want an even deeper dive into back pain and how to get rid of it, I recommend checking out this free e-book that is full of effective remedies that most doctors aren’t talking about.
The post 5 Back Pain Remedies Everyone Should Know appeared first on The Sacred Science.
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