Healing Back Pain Naturally

By James A. Duke and Ph.D.
Published on April 1, 2002
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Spike lavender is a source of camphor, which can be used as an essential oil in massage to help relieve back pain.
Spike lavender is a source of camphor, which can be used as an essential oil in massage to help relieve back pain.
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For lesser pain or lingering pain, a number of herbal alternatives can prove helpful for backaches.
For lesser pain or lingering pain, a number of herbal alternatives can prove helpful for backaches.
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Plants rich in borneol and bornyl-acetate such as sage, cardamom, and rosemary can help relieve back spasms.
Plants rich in borneol and bornyl-acetate such as sage, cardamom, and rosemary can help relieve back spasms.
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Ginger is one of several essential oils aromatherapists recommend for pain relief. In addition, ginger is a major edible source of COX-2 inhibiting anti-inflammatories.
Ginger is one of several essential oils aromatherapists recommend for pain relief. In addition, ginger is a major edible source of COX-2 inhibiting anti-inflammatories.

The Natural Health column shares information about healing back pain naturally.

Both my wife and I share a propensity for back problems. Peggy is a good example of how back problems often run in families. She and her two sisters (like their late mother) have a peculiar kink in the same area of their backs that causes them grief, especially following extended kitchen work at sink height.

Scrooge that I am, I blame my most serious back problem on Christmas. It was December 23, 1991, when Peggy and I went to a nearby Christmas tree farm to select a living tree. Wanting to replant the tree, I dug a big ball of earth with it and managed to heave the whole thing into the wheelbarrow the owner had lent me. I successfully wheeled that 100-pound load 100 yards up the hill to my station wagon, but when I attempted to lift it from the wheelbarrow to the wagon’s trunk, something snapped.

Agony ensued. It grew worse as we drove home. Santa’s back was ruined. I could not lie, sit or stand comfortably. I slept terribly, sideways on a couch with three pillows under my left side. The only help we could find the following day, Christmas Eve, was a chiropractor. He took a $95 X-ray, declined to do major manipulations and said I should see an orthopedist.

A week later the orthopedist said I should consult a neurosurgeon. Not surprisingly he said I needed surgery. He insisted this was my only option, given my X-rays. So ultimately (two months later), I had surgery, followed by physical therapy. I also used healing herbs and had acupuncture treatments. I think the alternative treatments gave me more relief than the physicians.

Backaches Abound

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