If injury to the spine is involved it is wise to seek medical intervention. It’s also helpful to consider the advice of a qualified Chiropractor along with your traditional doctor. A Chiropractor many times can be helpful in successfully treating the condition without harmful drugs and or surgery. They can also be helpful in diet and lifestyle advice that can aid in recovery and long-term prevention. It is important to note that standard medical treatment for back pain consists of anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs can cause gastric ulceration and hemorrhage and put a person at risk of cardiovascular mortality. They are also known to actually inhibit cartilage repair and maintenance, which can actually worsen the condition in the long run. Not to mention that many of these drugs make a person feel none other than “drugged”.

Get some exercise and do some stretching. Moderate exercise or physical activity can help in strengthening the whole body for good posture and is very important for maintaining a healthy, back friendly weight. Stretching is an excellent way of targeting and strengthening certain muscle groups and can effectively release toxins before they can lead to back trouble.

Avoid these foods: Saturated and Trans Fats (also known as Hydrogenated Oils). These fats which are known to contribute to a host of health problems also cause inflammation that can lead to back pain. Carbonated drinks including zero calorie artificially sweetened sodas. These nutrient deficient drinks and their sweeteners are known to cause bone loss, which can lead to back trouble. Too much red meat, especially standard feed lot beef, contains high levels of uric acid that can lead to inflammation. If you wish to maintain red meat in the diet focus on leaner healthier cuts such as Bison or Organic Grass Fed Beef. Avoid highly processed and refined foods they have virtually no health benefit and are loaded with chemicals and artificial ingredients. These foods set the stage for chronic health conditions including ongoing back pain.

Things to include: Omega-3 fatty acids are vitally important for overall health. Some good sources for these fats are Hemp Hearts and Chia seeds. Get your minerals either from a quality diet or add them in via supplement form. Don’t waste your time or money on inferior run-of-the-mill vitamin or mineral supplements, they will do little or nothing. A diet that provides good levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, Molybdenum and potassium will support healthy bone structure and a healthy back. Now that we have just talked about minerals and bones we must talk about Vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for the body’s utilization of minerals and maintenance of healthy bones. Unfortunately most of us are Vitamin D deficient. A 2003 study of 360 patients with lower back pain found that 83 percent of participants had abnormally low levels of Vitamin D. Once Vitamin D was introduced to the diet 95% of the participants experienced improvement. Again, you may want to consider Hemp Hearts and Chia Seeds as a natural food source for Vitamin D.

The best way to set about improving the health of your back is to begin improving your overall health. The two go hand in hand. All of the things you can do to improve your overall health like exercise, diet, and lifestyle improvements can also help the health of your back. By looking at certain foods and supplements to help your back you are ultimately helping your overall physical fitness. Anything you can do to improve your immune function, for example, will serve to help both your wellbeing and the health of your back. But by all means don’t take regular bouts with back pain lying down, get educated, get motivated, and start doing something about it.

Written by DMK of Seven Grains.