Many people are not aware of the fact that one of the most common causes of low back pain is kidney stress.  This type of back pain is characterized by stiffness, usually worse, first thing in the morning.  There may also be some sharp pains that are often experienced when leaning forward from the waist (lumbar flexion) and/or when twisting from your waist (rotation).

How does this happen?  – When the kidneys become stressed, the nerve that innervates them gets “irritated”.  That same nerve supplies the quadratus lumborum muscles.  These are the muscles that go from the bottom of your rib cage to the top of the iliac crest, (hipbone).  If you press on either of these locations, it is common to feel pain. If you experience sharp pain in your lower back, near the top of your hipbone, the source may be your kidneys.

What stresses the kidneys?  The following is a non-inclusive list of common stressors.

1.   Diet – One of the big offenders is milk and other dairy products.

2.   Dehydration – The kidneys require water for optimal functioning – The amount of water your body needs varies, depending on your body size. *(See note below) 3.   Allergies – When the pollen count is highest, I see more of this type of back pain.  Undigested pollens (or anything else) are molecules that are too big for the kidneys to pass and it stresses them to try.4.   Nutritional needs – The kidneys, like other organs, have nutritional requirements.  Some are vitamin A, vitamin D, amino acids, and fatty acids. Spinach and asparagus are a good foods for your kidneys, as are mung beans and aduki beans. Some helpful herbs are mullein, parsley, and alfalfa.

5.   Digestive incompetencies – Again, anything not digested can stress the kidneys.  Undigested sugar is a common offender.  The answer is appropriate digestive enzymes and dietary modifications.

Structural work focuses on calming down the muscles in spasm. Cold laser treatment over the kidneys and also on specific kidney acupuncture points, can bring a sense of relief. Adjustments at specific points in your back also works. 

Applying heat, with hot packs or a heating pad, can help.  Be sure to avoid anything cold, including iced drinks.  We’ve also found certain Chinese herbs very helpful in restoring the kidneys to health. 

So, if you’ve been suffering from back pain, it could be your kidneys at the source of your problem.  If you make the lifestyle changes recommended above and your pain continues, be sure to give us a call to schedule a visit, or a phone consultation. Why continue to suffer when natural remedies are so close at hand?  Our motto is to find and treat the source of the problem, instead of just masking the symptoms. 

*For the adequate amount of water you should drink: The rule of thumb is to drink the number of ounces that is equal to half of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, your body needs 80 ounces of water a day, if you weigh 120 pounds, you’ll need 60 ounces, 180 pounds, 90 ounces, etc.  

In the last health tip, I talked about the intestine affecting the lower back and creating disk problems.  I would like to address anther very common, almost always overlooked or misdiagnosed cause of low back pain.  That is the connection between the kidney and low back pain.  Here is how it works.  When the kidneys become stressed, the nerve that innervates the kidneys becomes irritated and that in turn affects the muscles supplied by that same nerve.  Remember, we have one nervous system that goes to everything.  Now the muscles that go from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the pelvic bone, go into spasm, the kidneys themselves can hurt, but so can these muscles, usually at the attachments.  Stiffness, difficulty bending forward, and twisting without pain, are the consequences.           

What stresses the kidneys?  It could be not enough water, undigested sugars, a lack of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamin A, or a number of other possibilities.  Foods that help are asparagus, spinach, parsley and mung beans.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and aspirin can both add further stress.

Treatments that help relieve the nerve irritation and restore balance expedite results tremendously.  Gentle adjustments, along with cold laser treatments, are helpful.

If you are suffering from back pain, it could be your kidneys are the source of the problems.  If you try some of the mentioned suggestions and your pain continues, give me a call and I can determine what your specific needs are.  There is no reason to suffer, when effective, natural solutions are available 

Most Americans will experience low back pain (LBP) at some point in their lives.  While there are several causes of this sometime debilitating condition, what I want to address here is pain coming from a disk involvement.  Low  back pain costs the country about 60 BILLON dollars per year and the treatments being employed are generally ineffective.  I want to propose that the model that is being followed is flawed.

1.         Except for trauma (picking up a pencil is not trauma), low back pain from a protruding disk is NOT the cause of the problem. Yes, it causes pain, buy WHY is the disk protruding?

2.         Pelvic rotation is what puts pressure on the disk.  The other side bulges.

3.         The main cause of pelvic rotation is an intestinal imbalance from either too much toxic undigested food, or pathogens (bacteria, parasites, etc.)  The same nerve that innervates the intestines supplies a broad pelvic stabilizing muscle (iliacus), triggering it to weaken on one side resulting in the pelvic dysfunction and a grinding down on the lower disks.

Solutions include specific intestinal detoxing, colonics, probiotics, natural anti-inflammatories and proteolytic enzymes for the pain and swelling of the disk.

The majority of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in their lives.  Unfortunately, all the studies have shown that all of the treatments employed for this painful condition are about equal in their ineffectiveness.  I want to propose in this article that the reason better results aren’t being obtained is because an erroneous model is being followed.  That being the case, failure has to be the most likely outcome.

There are different causes of low back pain.  What this article is focusing on is one of the most common scenarios I have seen which usually involve sharp pain, sometimes sciatica (pain traveling down the leg) and sometimes severe postural distortion that is usually attributed to a disk involvement.  Many times the disk is bulging and that is usually determined to be the cause.  Yes, that can cause pain, but here is the point.  THE DISK IS NOT THE CAUSE, IT IS AN EFFECT.  WHY is the disk bulging?  Nobody is even asking the question.  You can’t treat the effect and fix the cause.  Everybody is focusing on the region of the pain and trying to fix that.  I have nothing against trying to achieve symptomatic relief, but that approach will not lead to long term success.  It is a pharmaceutical mind set that does not lead to enhanced wellness brought about by resolution of the problem.

It is illogical to think that bending over to pick up a pencil was the real reason someone’s back went out.  Was the pencil too heavy?  The body was already in a state of dysfunction and the forward motion was enough to trigger the pain.  Based on my twenty years of experience treating patients, here is what I have found.  The pelvis is in a state of rotation (usually right to left) and this rotation puts pressure on the low back.  This is like pinching one side of a balloon.  The other side bulges.  The same thing is happening to the disk.  The reason is the iliacus muscle, which is a broad pelvic stabilizing muscle is weakened on one side allowing the rotation.  The nerve that innervates the muscle also innervates the intestines in that area.  If the irritation is originating in the intestines, that must be treated or the nerve going back to the spine will continually let you know it is not happy.  It comes out of the spine at the first lumbar.  Once the rotation of the pelvis occurs, then pressure is applied at the fifth lumbar and that is usually the disk that is implicated as the cause of the problem.  Pressure on the disk caused the disk to degenerate and also sets up an inflammatory process that produces chemicals that can also trigger pain.

Some common cause of this intestinal instigator are;  intestinal blockage, parasites, too much bad bacteria, virus, yeast and fungal issues, and not enough friendly bacteria.  When whatever is present in the intestines is treated appropriately and natural anti-inflammatories are used (I usually use proteolytic enzymes initially) along with good structural corrections, good things happen quite rapidly. I use an adjusting instrument, percussion, and cold laser, focusing on involved nerve roots and the imbalances in the nervous system.  It is not uncommon for results to take place in a week that the text books say takes 6 months on the average.

Some of the products I routinely use for treating low back patients are:

1.    Colon-caps  for intestinal blockage and constipation

2. FC Cidal  for intestinal parasites
3. Berbercap  for bad bacteria
4. Phytogen  for intestinal virus
5. Intenzyme Forte  for inflammation and pain
6. Probiotic Pearls for friendly bacteria

Colon-caps, FC Cidal, and Intenzyme Forte can be ordered from Biotics Research.  1-800-231-5777 PIN# 05TD1025

Probiotic Pearls from Integrative Therapeutics 1-800-917-3696 PIN# 5900

Berbercap and Phytogen from Crawford Natural Health 916-962-3101

To know exactly what products to use it would be best to make an appointment.  If that isn’t possible, a phone consultation can be arranged by calling 916-962-3101.