I have suffered for years with mid back pain and some numbness to one side. I had an x-ray and MRI done that shows 4 herniated discs(with one extrusion) and a compression fracture,all in the thoracic region. I take occ Ibup. and Tylenol, rarely Flexaril.I try ointments, patches,,; ginger epsom salt baths, etc. My Phsyatrist (DO), had me make an appt with a spinal surgeon. I've
been reading about laser surgery alternative, and hypnotism instead of anesthesia, if surgery is recommended. Any ideas? Anyone else faced with this type of problem? Thanks for any reply in advance. Janice

I'm wondering a few things:

how old you are, how raw you are and for how long.....


I had them twice - stress-related but of course nutrition-related too.

Drinking lots of water helped at the time, but now I would suggest someone drastically increase their raw greens, reduce fat and protein and only use the supplements necessary to ease their transition to raw.

The first one was long-lived and excruciating. I was in such pain and actually tried the meds prescribed me because I couldn't sit or sleep (couldn't lie down) and couldn't think anymore. But they didn't work (muscle relaxants, pain killers and anti-inflammatories).

Because I was in so much pain, I couldn't eat much - this helped reduce the pain because my body had a rest from my regular amount of food. So when the pain was reduced I would eat more, but then the pain increased. (regular cooked healthy food)

I noticed after a couple of months that drinking lots of water helped a lot. I finally accepted that I was dehydrated like nearly everyone else.

When I got the second one, which was the direct result of a very stressful situation, I dealt with it right away and it never got bad. I increased water, watched what I ate and did cranio-sacral therapy and rested.

First, I am sorry to hear you are suffering through this.

Second, I don't know if you have considered a chiropractor or not but I recommend doing so. Yes, they can even correct herniated discs and without surgery. The problem is making sure you can find a good one and the only way for that is through asking around. You might even get lucky and post that request on this site for someone in your area.

Also, alkalinizing your body as well as you can will be a big help and assist your body in healing itself. If you do not know much about it try a basic web search on acid-alkaline diets or get books "The pH Miracle" or "Acid-Alkaline Diet" from your local library. Lots of greens are one of the keys to helping your body alkalinize.

Good luck.

Patty

To Aquadecoco and Sewraw,
I do drink a lot of water, and have been vegetarain/raw for 2.5 years now. It appears that the problems began from an injury, and progressively got worse over the years from work, falls, life in general. I have been going to chiropractors for the past 23 years, off and on. For the last couple years I only have an excellent massage therapist working with me at the chiro office, as the adjustments were making me worse. I am going to be 53 years old next month, but am in mostly good shape and mistaken for at least 10 years younger all the time.
I continue to work toward being more alkaline and raw in food choices. Thanks, Janice

If you want to know and release the emotional aspect of it, I suggest cranio-sacral therapy. It's very helpful for chronic problems, if you really want to deal with them.

Good luck and maybe you need to eliminate dairy?? (dairy robs us of calcium, right?)

My chiro didn't help my herniated disc at all! But he told me to drink water and I finally listened!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2007 02:01PM by aquadecoco.

As a nurse, I've never seen back surgery work...scar tissue, multiple surgeries for that and on and on. About 12 years ago I had an MRI and was told I had the MRI of a 95 year old woman. Well....no more. Hiking, rebounding, yoga, raw food and tons of greens and gallons of water fixed me right up. I never have pain anymore even after a strenuous workout. I had the MRI because I had knee pain....I was crying, literally, and I have a very high pain tolerance. I couldn't walk, my neck hurt, yada yada. Apparently, I had no cartilage, bone on bone lower back, etc. During my transition of lifestyle I did take Glucosamine with Chondroitin & MSM and living minerals. I never drank milk but ate cheese at that time (condensed milk ha ha) and now wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I'm convinced our bodies will heal themselves with proper care. If I had listened to the doc I'd be on drugs and in a wheelchair today. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I feel better than I did 20 years ago and the doc had a heart attack and is now deceased.

I agree with everybody and also recommend reading a book by Dr. Sarno [www.amazon.com] . Even if there are herniated discs, there is also a mind/body component usually to back pain.

to heal the discs properly you need to stay off them as much as possible meaning .. standing, sitting , etc will put pressure on those disks , as that is pretty much not a practical thing to do , its pretty much unavoidable save for laying down as much as possible , use cushioning under yourself when sitting and very good cushioned shoes when walking, exercising etc and the above advice on diet and water

also the best exercise is done in a pool when you have severe back problems as the water takes the gravity pressure off your bones

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2007 08:40PM by Jgunn.

I know someone who healed his discs after a few years - lots of raw green smoothies, no coffee, careful diet, but not raw vegan - and he still did physical work almost daily.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my post. The surgeon evaluated me and said that surgery would be too risky, that they would have to enter from my chest, and ther are no gaurentees. They are sending me to a pain clinic in 2 weeks for injections, etc. I am not sure that is the right course, but am willing to try.
Nutritionally, I am still on my journey to raw vegan. I am vegetarian for 2.5 years, but still have some dairy, occ. eggs, and approx 60/40 raw vs. cooked foods. It is difficult for me, as my husband eats everything-although, is more healthy oriented in his selections than he was before.
I am a registerd nurse too, Marnacla, and know that trad. medicine/surgery is not usually best in these cases.
I did get a massage this week, and she worked on the cranio/sac, Aquadeccoco, which did help ease the pain. But I need it like 2-3x's a week, too expensive!
I will continue to try ways of improveing myself. thanks again, Janice

jan pain is expensive i really hope you can keep on the cranio/sacral ..my exhusband was cured of a broken back and chronic pain of over a decade after this therapy and it really does work

eat mineral rich food and do everything and anything you can to promote bone growth and healing

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Jan, Cranio-sacral therapy is not really like massage. Are you sure she performed Cranio on you?
Here's a link if you want to see a little more.

[www.iahe.com]


Here's 'find a practitioner' and if the person you saw isnt listed there, then I don't think she's trained to do it.
[www.iahp.com]


One of the practitioners I see is a medical nurse who does Cranio-sacral now.

You might try adding Bragg raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar to your daily diet and also soaking in a tub of water with 2 C of it. It really works wonder, and helped my sciatica so that I don't have the pain associated with it anymore. If my colon is sluggish, so my sciatica will inflamm a bit and it reminds me to take or up my intake of apple cider vinegar, & stretch those tendons and muscles.

I'm also taking iodine supplementation and all I can say is to check that out at curezone.com under the iodine supplementation forum. You may be glad you did!

Love,
Prism

Aquadecoco,
You 're right, after reading the thread on CST, it was not the same. I'll look up the list to see if a trained one is near me. THanks, Janice

Hi Janice,

I believe you would get the best results if you look for a therapist you like, who has at least SERI training (SER II probably better). You'll see the course codes at the bottom of each therapist's contact info.

Also, it's fun to read one of the anecdotal books Upledger wrote about his experience with CST - it humanizes it and provides an idea of the scope of situations it can positively influence. You could ask the therapist you decide to use if she has a copy you could borrow, or some libraries have them.

The FIND A PRACTITIONER search is finicky, so you might have to use only zip or only city and country, or it will tell you there are no practitioners in your area.

Good luck if you decide to try it!

Thanks, Aquadecoco, I did find some right in my town in Pa. Janice