Alternative Medicine and Back Pain. Back pain has been around probably since the beginning of human life and so has the need to seek relief from that pain. Sometimes, back pain starts when we bend over or move at an odd angle.
There are effective treatments for back pain; however, the AMA (American Medical Association) considers other medical disciplines, not prescribed by them as alternative medicine. It really doesn't matter that most of what they the AMA refers to as alternative medicine has been around and successfully practiced for many centuries prior to their inception.
Alternative medicine for treating back pain includes such practices as acupuncture. Acupuncture has been successfully practiced for over 5,000 years now. Acupressure is closely related to acupuncture but is completed without the needles. The idea behind acupressure is to put pressure on specific points in the body, using only hands and fingers to restore the balance of Qi and thus relieve pain.
Herbs have also been used to relieve pain for thousands of years. Today's pain-relieving medications are mostly synthetic reproductions of these long-used and natural herbs. The main difference is that the synthetic reproductions often produce a lot of side effects, but the natural herbs they are based upon do not.
Chiropractors have been manipulating spines for many years. Hippocrates said, "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases." Chiropractic medicine as we recognize it today wasn't actually established until 1895. The AMA was established in 1847, so the AMA does have a jump on chiropractors.
When your back hurts, you simply want to relieve the pain. If alternative medicines can do that for you without using synthetic drugs or scalpels, then it might be a very best choice, indeed.
Arthritis and Back Pain
Arthritis affects the joints in all parts of the body including the back. Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints that causes swelling and pain. The very natural tendency of those who suffer with arthritis is to just quit moving the affected joints because moving those hurts and we all avoid pain when it's possible. Avoiding all pain, however, isn't always the best alternative.
Exercise of the joints affected by arthritis has come to be the most accepted treatment that attempts to improve the situation rather than just mask the pain. Many doctors will send their patients who have arthritis to physical therapists. These physical therapists have programs that are designed to provide exercise to the muscles that surround the affected joints and to the joints themselves. Many of these exercises cause pain when they are being done, but then help to relieve pain as they are practiced over and over.
Restoring flexibility to the arthritic joints and to the muscles around them can help to reduce the day-to-day pain of arthritis. Many physical therapists will use active as well as passive exercises, and they might also use some weight and strength training. Exercises done in water or water aerobics, as it is sometimes referred to, is a way in which arthritis patients can exercise more easily. When they do not have to support their body weight (water supports body weight), movement becomes much easier.
Water aerobics is a method of exercise that is very often recommended for those who suffer with arthritis pain in their backs. Restoring flexibility and strength to joints and the surrounding muscles for those who suffer from arthritis can help to reduce pain and also allow them to reduce the pain medications that they have to take.
Acupressure and Back Pain
Acupressure is an alternative medical therapy that has gained in popularity in the last few years simply because it is very effective. Acupressure is a non-invasive technique, in which the practitioner only uses his fingers, his thumbs, and occasionally his elbow to put pressure on certain parts of the body for the purpose of relieving pain by releasing Qi (pronounced "chee"). Acupressure is closely associated with Eastern medical disciplines like acupuncture and Shiatsu.
Acupressure is used to treat such human ailments as back pain, headache, fatigue, anxiety, stress and tension, feelings of melancholy, and immune system deficiencies. But it is not used to treat such problems as open wounds, scar tissue, varicose veins, or areas of inflammation and swelling.
The basic idea of Acupressure is to restore the balance of Qi to the body by either blocking or calming it at certain very specific points. According to those who practice acupressure, there are 12 channels in the body, and each channel has 365 points. Additionally, there are 650 individual pressure points.
Pregnant women should never seek relief for the back pain associated with pregnancy from a person who practices acupressure. There are specific pressure points that can cause miscarriage.
When people are suffering from back pain, the one thing that they want more than anything else is relief. They want that relief sooner rather than later. Modern Western medicine has lagged behind in the ability to relieve back pain. Disciplines such as acupuncture, shiatsu, and acupressure address the problem of back pain and do something about it.
People usually people will consult their medical doctors when they have back pain. They don't usually move on to the alternate medicines until they have exhausted the relief provided by their doctors. However, once a patient discovers that relief can be obtained quickly and painlessly by some types of alternative medicines, the next time they have a backache, they use the alternative options first rather than last.