Like an old-fashioned head of household, the back needs to be kept happy. Back pain relief is essential for normal daily functioning; nothing is easy when you suffer with back pain. I posted recently a piece about Thai massage and how the technique of having someone else stretch your muscles can help you walk more comfortably, and even improve back pain and leg pain. My guy continues to do this for me and I am improving just a bit every single day. There is also something new we have added which, like so many things in life, was a serendipitous discovery. We are taking a supplement from a local herb store called ‘Happy Back.’ I was selling an item I no longer needed, and the woman who came to look at it mentioned this formula. She talked us into trying it, and the rest is history.
This supplement is quite amazing. I have a friend who has high blood pressure and occasional kidney pain. He can feel stress in his kidneys, followed by a throbbing pain that can double him over. He started taking this supplement twice a day, for a total of eight tablets, and the pain in his kidneys has disappeared, his blood pressure is lower, and his back pain and sciatica is gone. I began taking it, and it may be coincidence, it may be the power of suggestion, or it may be the supplement, but the day I started taking it I had considerably less back pain. I took a total of eight tablets for two days, but I am going to continue with just four in the morning.
I looked at my favorite vitamin web site, Swanson Vitamins, to check whether they might have this formula cheaper. They do not, and neither does anyone else, as far as I can tell. The ingredients at 500mg are as follows: Juniper berries, parsley root, dandelion root, uva ursi, ginger root, althea root, goldenseal root, and astragalus.
Juniper berries were used by American Indians to treat diabetes, and a 17th century herbalist recommended it for asthma and sciatica (!!). Parsley root has traditionally been used to flush the urinary tract, which may explain the improvement in kidney pain in my friend. If the kidneys are experiencing distress, it makes sense that would affect a person’s back. Dandelion leaves and roots have been used as a diuretic and to improve liver function, and to bring down swelling or inflammation. It follows that if you are improving vital organ function, and bringing down inflammation, that would also improve back function, and ease pain.
Uva Ursi is also used to improve urinary tract functions; it reduces the swelling of mucous membranes which helps reduce inflammation. Ginger root may decrease pain from arthritis, according to studies, and may also be helpful in treating heart disease and lowering cholesterol, which may explain my friend’s drop in blood pressure. Althea root is a mucilage which makes it good for the respiratory system. Anything that removes excess fluid and mucous from the system can only improve it. Mucous is formed because there are foreign objects that the body is trying to get rid of, and this clogs the pipes, puts pressure on nerves in organs, and can cause aches and back pain. Goldenseal is often used to boost the medicinal effects of other herbs, and astragalus is antiinflammatory and can lower blood pressure.
