Understanding Your Chronic Back Pain

It's no secret chronic back pain is on the rise.  More and more people are, often for economic reasons, being forced to both physically and mentally (stress) work harder for longer hours and more years than in recent history . Couple that with what appears to be an ineffective means of addressing this debilitating condition, and we are left with an enormous amount of people suffering, missing needed work and living with a diminished overall quality of life.

But chronic back pain is tricky to assess. Remember that the spinal column, comprised of independent vertebra divided into three sections, cervical (neck) - fairly flexible - thoracic (chest) - fairly rigid - and lumbar (low back) - fairly flexible, all functions as ONE unit. So disfunction in one region, or even one vertebra, for that matter, can present itself anywhere along the kinetic chain. Many times a person with a disfunction that is, say, a lumbar disc, will at some point complain of pain at the level of the kidneys. That should make perfect sense because the point of transition where the lumbar (flexible) and thoracic (inflexible) meet would be a "weak link" so to speak. This leaves an inexperienced therapist chasing the pain and the client feeling like a hypochondriac!

I believe we need to view the spine as a complete unit. When assessing pain, especially that which is  not related to trauma, the overall fluidity of movement should be assessed. And the best place to start is at the root; the pelvis. Here you have joints which are crucial in movement to initiate the propelling of the spinal engine. Located in the lumbopelvis are spinal and sacroiliac ligaments. There are joint capsules, facet cartilages and intervertebral discs. Many are similar, for a visual, to silly putty. And if you leave a glob of silly putty sitting too long what happens over time? Compliments of gravity, it flattens down. With time and age, this happens in this crucial grouping of joints with us. We call it, "the creep".

This then offers an explanation of how one injured their back while bending over to tie their shoes! This silly putty or more appropriately termed viscoelastic tissue, over time and at the mercy of gravity has become strained and less pliable. It is less likely to bounce back to its original length and therefore, more prone to injuries and future injuries.

So what's a geezer to do??!!!!

The worst thing is to do nothing at all and accept it. The best thing is first, be aware of "the creep". Second,  find a knowledgable bodyworker who can assess and aid in a plan. . . You now know that there is less cushion in those joints, right? So it would make sense that at the very least, they will function best if  they're where they're suppose to be!

Above is a picture, borrowed from Erik Dalton the creator of Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT). I am a level II therapist in this method of body working. In it you see what we call an upslip. Clients will come in and while performing their assessment I will remark about they're hips. They often are aware and will say nonchalantly that they have "one leg shorter than the other" or "uneven hips".  In a true upslip, the joint between the ilium ("ear" shaped bone above) and the sacrum (triangular bone above) or sacroiliac joint which is held together by fibrous ligaments has become sheared. In other words the grooves each is suppose to rest in aint groovin'! These types have an almost zero chance of self correction.  They set weight distribution and shock absorption off. The entire body starts compensating.

Many will opt for a doctor of osteopathy or chiropractic and that is a wise choice. But understand that there is something holding those bones out of alignment and that is where your therapeutic masseuse comes in.  A therapist trained in the likes of MAT can aid either a DO or DC to bring quicker results and help to maintain adjustments giving the client less down time.

In my practice, I also incorporate the use of EOBBD guaranteed essential oils. In order to encourage and maintain structural alignment of the body I use Chiro Touch.  Clients swear by this blend and attest to better adjustments  and say they "hold" their adjustment longer., Chiro-Touch is my blend of choice, containing premium essential oils of spruce, blue tansy, rosewood and frankincense. It can't be beat! Myself (as a back pain sufferer) and many clients swear by this blend. As a sharing partner, #11483, I receive these oils at a discount. By clicking here and entering my number (11483) you can gain full access to the site.

For Michigan clients in the Detroit Metro area, I can be reached via email through this site to work with you using massage therapy, MAT techniques, essential oils, and/or somatics to put an end to your chronic pain.  Some, any or all techniques may be used. When addressing pain, time is taken with each client. A history is taken and a physical assessment is done. Per request, A Physical Aromatic Touch (PAT) assessment can be performed to better identify the source of pain.

If you're not in Michigan, but are looking for a qualified MAT therapist, click here.

Tired? Exhausted? Fatigued? Here's Your Answer!

DISCLAIMER

Personnel at PlantLegends do not claim to be medical practitioners. I do not diagnose, treat or prescribe any medical treatment or advice. You should always discuss treatment of medical conditions with your medical practitioner before using any alternative therapies, natural supplements, or vitamins.  You should consult with an aromatherapist about essential oil usage and always inform your primary care physician what you are using as they may not be conducive with his/her prescribed therapy and medications.

Feeling dragged out? Exhausted?  Having to push yourself to make it through the day? This may not have to be just an inevitable unpleasantry of aging. The answer could lie within in the way of a congested liver. 

"But I was at the doctor and my liver enzymes are fine," you say. Maybe so and it's alway crucial to check. But if you have a hose to water your garden and test water quality coming out of it and then block half the nozzle and recheck the water, will the quality of that water be any less? No. But your garden will require more watering time and the hose will be working harder. And if you don't adjust the water pressure and allow it to keep running full force, the integrity of the hose may lessen. Over time, under the added pressure and stress, the hose will eventually break down and burst. Now your garden is receiving no water. Wouldn't it be smarter to clear the block and preserve the integrity of the hose? 

The liver has an enormous amount of functions and they all serve to keep this "machine" called the human body "feeling" well.  By size alone, as an organ, it's pretty impressive weighing 3 - 5 pounds in adults. It uses 12 -20% of the body's TOTAL available energy, and it must generate this energy to it's own cells all on its own. The liver routinely performs over 500 known functions to regulate your cell's metabolism. It is the "alchemical wizard" of the body, transforming toxins into harmless chemicals for excretion and digestively absorbed nutrients into the proper biochemical forms your cells can use to function. Pretty impressive! Yet the liver is probably the organ most assaulted by toxic modern lifestyles. It becomes congested full of pollution, stress, junk foods, drugs, etc.

If the doctor puts you on most any long-term med, what do they do? Monitor liver function! You see, these chemicals are foreign to the body and your poor liver doesn't know what the heck to do with it so it basically procrastinates at metabolizing it and the garbage builds up impairing its function.

You see, whether you're a creationist or evolutionist it cannot be denied that on a time scale humans have been here VERY long. Over the course of this VERY long time, the body has designed enzymes for the liver to aid itself in ridding and metabolizing EVERYTHING that comes its way. Amazing. Ingenious, Right?! 

But here's the problem. . . . over the last 50 years, "modern science" has altered darn near everything we consume. On the time scale of man, 50 years is a blink. So envision if you will, that old I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel get the job at the candy making factory. They were okay for a bit until the conveyer belt kicked into high gear. Then what happened? Remember?. . .  if you don't, watch this . . . . 

   

 

  

Your liver is Lucy and Ethel! 

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

That's where essential oils play the saving role of the day!

They have the ability (because the liver "recognizes" them over generations of familiarity) to kick the liver into both phase I and phase II detox. And because they are concentrated (roughly 100lbs of lavender flowers produce 1lb of oil) they're an economical goldmine! But please don't attempt this with just ANY Essential Oils or you could cause MORE harm. They should be only EOBBD Guaranteed. I use Be Young oils and have seen amazing results with average people through those with cancer who are sailing through their treatment protocols. 

For more information on these wonders of nature, click here and enter my sharing partner number 11483 to gain full access. 

my website address is http://www.plantlegends.com here you may find more information about me. I am always available to answer questions; simply email.