Suffering from back pain?

Back pain is one of the most common complaints. Fortunately, most back pain can be resolved. On the other hand, back pain can also be one of the most difficult and frustrating problems to treat. It is important to understand what causes back pain to get the proper treatment.

What causes back pain?

·       Lumbar muscle strain. Muscle strains are the most common cause of low back pain.

·       Ruptured disc. A ruptured intervertebral disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain.

·       Discogenic back pain. Cause of low back pain; result of damage to the intervertabral disc, but without having a disc herniation.

·       Spinal stenosis. Causes back pain in older people. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions.

·       Lumbar spine arthritis. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement.

·       Spondylolisthesis. Causes back pain because adjacent vertebra become unstable. Caused by degenerative changes causing loss of the normal stabilizing structures of the spinal column.

·       Osteoporosis. Most commonly related to compression fractures of the vertebra.

See a doctor if:

• Your back pain persists beyond a few days
• Your back pain awakens you at night
• Your have difficulty controlling your bowels or bladder
• You have a fever, chills, sweats, or other signs of infection
• Any other unusual symptoms

Treatment for back pain

·       Nonsurgical treatment

·       Alternative treatment

·       Spine surgery

How To Avoid Getting Sick This Season

We all know how annoying getting sick can be, and if you avoided the snot, sniffles and coughs well into the fall season you may think you are in the clear.  But cold and flu season is just around the corner, so here are some tips on how to avoid getting sick this upcoming season:

Increase your zinc intake:The mineral, zinc, works to help to strengthen the immune system.  In fact, immune cells like white blood cells need this mineral to function.  The most well-known place to get zinc is unquestionably oysters, which are rich in the mineral.  However, meats like calf’s liver, beef and lamb, are also abundant in zinc. 

Eat more yogurt:Probiotics found in yogurt, are good bacteria that keep the gut and intestines healthy.  Research has found that yogurt, owing to these probiotic properties, stimulates the production of white blood cells, fending off colds.

Remember to wash your hands and avoid touching your face: We touch everything around us with our hands, and a side effect of this is carrying around germs and bacteria that can get us sick.  According to some studies, people touch their eyes and nose are more likely to get sick than those that don’t.  Take the time – at least 20 seconds of scrubbing – to wash your hands with soap and water.  It takes almost half a minute to scrub away viruses that can cause the flu.

Avoid excessive drinking: Alcohol suppresses your immune system at a rate that is proportional to the amount you consume.  This means the more drinks you have, the bigger blow to your immune system.  Alcohol triggers a flood of cytokine proteins that induce fever and inflammation.  Alcohol also suppresses the ability for white blood cells to multiply and subsequently fend off a cold.

Get more Sleep: Lack of sleep can increase inflammation and inhibit the immune response by altering the way your genes function.  Not getting enough sleep increases your chances of catching colds and the flu.  Sleep also helps the body induce a better fever response to kill infection, when we don’t sleep the body has a hard time fighting infection this way.

Quit smoking: According to scientific studies, smoking cigarettes makes you more than five times more vulnerable to different strains of the flu.  The chemicals, additives and carcinogens that are contained in cigarettes decrease the ability of the immune system to do its job.  Even if you don’t smoke, you should also avoid people who do or areas where you can easily inhale cigarette smoke. The small hairs in the nose, called cilia, which work to block out harmful particles from the lungs are forced to work in overdrive to clear harmful particles.  This increases the chances of respiratory infections.

Add Cinnamon: This spice is a known antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial powerhouse.  This great addition to you coffee, oatmeal and dessert, has the ability to strengthen the immune system and fight off pathogens that cause illness.