Chronic Back Pain - Naturopathy

Symptoms of Chronic back pain range from a dull ache to a stabbing sensation. The pain could make it hard to move or stand up straight. First, a person suffers from acute back pain which comes on suddenly due to an injury from sports, heavy lifting, incorrect postures, and long duration sitting and slowly & gradually it develops as a chronic back pain. The pain which lasts for more than three months, develop as a chronic back pain. If chronic back pain develops, the following symptoms can be seen:

• Muscle aching, burning or stabbing sensation.
• The pain is persistently becoming sharp and worsens with bending, twisting, lifting, standing, or walking. 
• One may feel stiffness in his lower back.
• Movement of pain will start several times and it may travel to the legs, and there would be a burning sensation and numbness.
• Weakness or tingling in both the legs. 
• It may also be accompanied by unexplained weight loss.

Naturopathy aims to treat the whole person that implies the mind, body, and spirit. It heals the diseases from the root, not just stop the symptoms.

Similar to the other treatment, in naturopathy, first the assessment of the health is done by an expert where a person is examined not only physically, but also emotionally. At this stage, the patient will be interrogated with questions based on his/her medical history, condition, lifestyle and eating habits, and any traditional treatment that he/she might be undergoing. An expert will make use of interventional methods like iris testing, assessment of the nails, and the tongue, etc to evaluate the patient’s medical health. Depending on the condition of the patient, he/she may also have to perform various tests such as stool test, hair test, or blood test, if needed.

After the complete assessment of the health, the doctor will get an idea and come up with a prescription that caters to the entire body of the patient. Then, the treatment course will start followed by a change in diet and lifestyle, massages & various therapies such as acupuncture, hydrotherapy, colon therapy, etc,  herbal medicines and fitness session such as Yoga & meditation, pranayama session, and relaxation techniques, etc to heal the disease from the root.

The system of Naturopathy is a comprehensive one, which needs a deep understanding of the patient. Hence the diagnosis aims at finding the fundamental cause behind the disease.  A well-trained naturopath will first ask the patient about diet, lifestyle, family background, environment, stress levels, previous medical history, or complaints. After taking a detailed assessment, the naturopath may use some other techniques such as analysis of blood, stool, and urine analysis, hair analysis, functional testing, iridology, kinesiology, etc to get an insight into the patient’s body. Then, after the extensive examination of the body, the expert will come up with the prescription that what treatment plan will best suit the patients to heal the disease from the root.

Risk factors are factors that do not seem to be a direct cause of many diseases but seem to be associated in any way. A risk factor for Chronic back pain makes the chance of getting a condition higher to suffer from it but does not always lead to chronic back pain. Chronic back pain has several risk factors. These are:

• Weakness of bones and muscles
• Reduce in physical activity and increase dependency
• Arthritis of the Spine- gradual thinning of cartilage inside the spine.
• Spinal stenosis- Narrowing of the spinal canal which may lead to nerve pain
• Disc problem like herniated or bulging disc
• Myofascial pain syndrome- Unexplained muscle pain and tenderness
• It can lead to unplanned weight loss and blood in the stool or urine
• Development of numbness and weakness in both the legs
• Loss of bowel/bladder control
• Inability to urinate or have a bowel movement
• Sexual dysfunction

Different factors cause constipation. However, some preventive measures need to be followed in a day- to- day life to stop the chance to develop constipation. These are:

Eating a healthy, easily digestible, and rich in fiber diet may also help. One may add these substances in the food:

• Whole fruits and green vegetables.
• Grains, cereals, beans, and dry ginger.

Common lifestyle changes recommended to people to reduce the chance to develop constipation are:

• Quit smoking.
• Do regular physical exercise.
• Intake plenty of water to remain hydrated.
• Learn to manage stress and pain with relaxation techniques and practices, like meditation, yoga, controlled breathing, and acupuncture.
• Don't ignore the urge to pass stool.
• Avoid using meat and processed food as much as possible.
• Avoid suppression of natural urges, tea, and coffee.
• Drink lukewarm water before going to bed.

Naturopathy with a holistic and non-invasive approach offers a result-driven treatment to get rid of chronic back pain from roots. Naturopathy believes in healing the body in the best natural way without any dependency on supplements or drugs. 

The treatment focuses to control the pain, maintain healthy body weight, and lose weight if necessary, reduce inflammation, and prevent recurrence. The treatment methods include various massages and therapies, changes in diet and lifestyle, fitness sessions such as Yoga & Meditation, Pranayama sessions & hot and cold compress to heal the diseases from the roots. 

• Customized therapy and massages after consultation 
• Use of warm water 
• Steam and sauna bath
• Regular yoga, meditation, and physical exercise session
• Proper routine of life and modification in the diet with diet tips
• Intake of herbal juices and herbal tea
• Evaluation of personal lifestyle and fitness on a daily basis
• Well balanced Saatvic diet

Note: The treatment would be recommended to patient depending on their health condition as well as presence of any other health problems.