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Back Pain

Alternative News:

• Low vitamin D levels may be associated with recurrent inflammatory spinal cord disease - Science Daily, 11/14/11 - "The study found that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients who developed recurrent spinal cord disease. "Our findings suggest that there may be an association between lower total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with recurrent TM/NMO/NMO spectrum disorders as compared with their counterparts with monophasic disease," ... This is consistent with other recurrent autoimmune conditions and points to a common link between low vitamin D levels and immunologic dysregulation" - See vitamin D products at iHerb.
• Alexander Technique: A Balm For Back Pain? - NPR, 3/28/11 - "The people who had 24 lessons had gone down from about 21 days of pain that the usual care group reported to about 3 days in pain ... A summary of the results of a major back pain study published in the British Medical Journal in 2008. The study showed that the Alexander Technique was highly effective in treating back pain" - [Abstract1] [Abstract2] [Abstract3] [YouTube video]
• Comfrey Root Eases Back Pain - WebMD, 5/21/09 - "The placebo users saw their pain intensity drop 38% during the study period, while comfrey root ointment users had a 95% reduction in pain. Back pain at rest was reduced 97% in the comfrey root group and 40% in the placebo group. The comfrey root ointment seemed to take effect in less than an hour" - See comfrey root products at iHerb.
• Only Exercise Effective In Preventing Low-back Problems, Review Suggests - Science Daily, 3/1/09 - "Strong and consistent evidence finds many popular prevention methods to fail while exercise has a significant impact, both in terms of preventing symptoms and reducing back pain-related work loss"
• Associations Between Vitamin D Status and Pain in Older Adults: The Invecchiare in Chianti Study - J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008 Mar 5 - "Lower concentrations of 25(OH)D are associated with significant back pain in older women but not men. Because vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain are fairly prevalent in older adults, these findings suggest it may be worthwhile to query older adults about their pain and screen older women with significant back pain for vitamin D deficiency"
• Herbal Medicine May Be Effective for Low Back Pain - Medscape, 1/16/07 - "Short-term treatments with certain herbal medicines (including Devil's claw and willow bark) are effective for relief of acute low back pain" - See Devil's claw products and White willow bark products at iHerb.
• 3 Herbal Medicines May Ease Back Pain - WebMD, 4/18/06 - "A 60-milligram daily dose of devil's claw also appeared to cut back pain as much as a 12.5-milligram daily dose of Vioxx, a painkiller no longer on the market due to a rise in the risk of cardiovascular events -- such as heart attackheart attack and strokestroke -- in some patients"\
• omega-3 Fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain - Surg Neurol. 2006 Apr;65(4):326-31 - "were asked to take a total of 1200 mg per day of omega-3 EFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid and decosahexaenoic acid) found in fish oil supplements ... Our results mirror other controlled studies that compared ibuprofen and omega-3 EFAs demonstrating equivalent effect in reducing arthritic pain. omega-3 EFA fish oil supplements appear to be a safer alternative to NSAIDs for treatment of nonsurgical neck or back pain in this selective group" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• High-Dose Omega-3 Oils Used to Treat Non-Surgical Neck and Back Pain - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/05 - "this could be the answer to the adverse effects seen with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, which have been associated with potentially catastrophic adverse effects ... 88% percent said they were pleased enough with the outcomes that they planned to continue using the fish oils"

Other News:

• Outpatient disc treatment gives long-term back pain relief - Science Daily, 12/2/09
• Aching Back? Cholesterol Medication Might Help - Science Daily, 3/3/09 - "A new study finds that using statins may be useful in treatment for degenerative discA new study finds that using statins may be useful in treatment for degenerative disc ... Lovastatin increased the synthesis of collagen II, a protein that makes up moveable joints, and decreased the synthesis of collagen I, a protein that is related to fibrosis (the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue)" - Note:  Lovastatin is the one that red yeast rice is high in.
• Motor Control Exercises Reduce Persistent Low-back Pain, Study Shows - Science Daily, 1/28/09
• Study: Cymbalta May Cut Chronic Low Back Pain - WebMD, 8/26/08
• New Minimally Invasive Back Surgery Shows Promising Results, Physicians Report - Science Daily, 1/2/08
• Acute Back Pain: Spine Therapy No Help - WebMD, 11/7/07
• ACP And APS Issue Comprehensive Guidelines For Treating Low-back Pain - Science Daily, 10/1/07
• Low Back Pain: Many Options for Relief - WebMD, 10/1/07