Need another reason to quit?
Smoking may be aggravating your backache. A survey of over 29,000 people found a significant association between smoking and lower back pain.
If you suffer from back pain, you're not alone. Eight out of ten people will suffer from back pain some time during their lives, and it's the second-most common reason for people to visit their GP (after respiratory infections).
But you may be worried about overdoing it with painkillers. Herbal medicine, strengthening exercises and bodywork are some great natural ways to alleviate the aches.
The herb Harpagophytom procumbens, or devil's claw, comes from the Kalahari Desert and savannah regions of southern and southeastern Africa. It's been used for centuries there for a wide range of conditions, including fever and indigestion.
Devil's claw is now used mostly to treat inflammation and pain. It has been shown to help provide symptomatic relief of lower back pain, and mild to moderate muscular pain of the back, neck and shoulders.
Pilates, a system of exercises developed by Joseph Pilates, is designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the body.
Pilates instructor Carmel Lindsay, who is also owner of Pilates Power Australia, explains: "The central focus of Pilates is on creating a strong ‘centre', or core, that the rest of the body can operate around."
In doing Pilates, you may find yourself more aware of the spine's neutral alignment. You'll learn how to strengthen the deep postural muscles that support this alignment, an important step in helping to alleviate and prevent back pain.
Lindsay says, "Pilates is a low-impact workout, with varying resistance exercises. Especially when practised in a studio setting, using spring-loaded resistance machines, Pilates is a great way to ease back pain."
Dubbed ‘hands-on healing', Bowen Therapy was founded by Tom Bowen, who held a staunch belief that the underlying cause of musculoskeletal pain (among other things) could be found in the soft tissue, or fascia.
With its gentle but precise manipulation of soft tissue at the practitioner's hands, Bowen Therapy is a fantastic form of pain relief. It also helps restore balance in the body to promote self-healing.
Naturopath Catherine Armstrong began treating clients with Bowen Therapy after noting its relief herself, from chronic back and neck pain caused by an old injury. "I had tried many different treatments for my back pain, without success. Bowen Therapy provided not only pain relief, but improved stability and strength in my back and neck," says Armstrong.
Smoking may be aggravating your backache. A survey of over 29,000 people found a significant association between smoking and lower back pain.
Finding relief from a hot-water bottle clamped to your back? According to Ayurvedic medicine, pain that is relieeved by heat may be due to an excess of vata, one of three doshas or energies that make up the body's consititution. Balance an excess of vata by eating warm foods, regular meals and spices such as ginger, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as avoiding cold and raw foods.