Losing weight, changing dietary and exercise habits, and reducing stress may not seem like common prescriptions for treating those aches and pains that may ail your back -- but these things often go hand in hand with successful treatment for back pain. This is why successful treatment for back pain means a patient often ends up with benefits way beyond simply a healthier back! nnThe connection between health and back painnnIt’s always interesting to look at the statistics between other areas of health and back pain. Eighty five percent of Americans do not exercise regularly. Eighty five percent of Americans also suffer from back pain. The truth is, back pain is almost always multi-factorial, and not addressing all pieces of the puzzle means managing back pain rather than treating it! There are three main causes of back pain. They are structural: (muscles and bones), nutritional (diet and hormones), and emotional, (stress, anger, resentment, etc.) This dynamic triad is in constant flux. If one side gets thrown off balance, the other sides will be affected as well. nnIn treating back pain, I always make sure to address each of these areas because they almost always overlap. For example, overweight people tend to have more back pain because of the pressure on their spine (a structural problem). Even though changes in eating habits, such as reducing refined sugars and caffeine, can have their own positive effects on back pain, these healthy dietary changes can also lead to weight loss. And that weight loss alleviates the structural problem of too much pressure, as well. A similar situation is found in smokers. Smoking cigarettes actually causes a structural problem within the back by dehydrating the spinal discs, resulting in serious pain. However, many smokers also lead less healthful lifestyles, including drinking more caffeine and exercising less. nnAdditionally, high stress levels (emotional) can cause a rise in a hormone called cortisol, leading to inflammation in the body and increased back pain. Combine this with a tendency to eat foods high in sugar caffeine while stressed and you’re just adding more fuel to the fire. nnThe back door approachnnThe great thing about a multi-factorial approach is that you can usually work on one aspect of back pain by taking care of another part of the triad -- and wind up solving multiple problems at once. This approach of treating the root cause rather than just the symptom is referred to as the “back door approach”. In other words, it’s not always what hurts that is what needs to be fixed! If someone is suffering from back pain from emotional causes, you can use the back door approach and treat the emotional stress to relieve the back pain without ever touching the back. For example, exercise and stretching is a proven stress reliever. So even though exercise might not seem like the best cure for back pain, in this case it might just do the trick. The results are then cyclic -- as you reduce stress, back pain becomes lessened, mood improves, you’re less likely to eat sugary foods or reach for caffeine, and so on. nnOn the same note, someone who has great difficulty changing their diet might fare better by first focusing on structure and stress reduction. When this happens, their cravings for sugary foods are diminished because the body is in better balance. Once again, an effect of the back door approach -- by impacting one aspect of back pain you solved the other two. nnPatients often ask me for my favorite strategies for managing back pain. Here are the three things that I tell them: nKeep stress levels under control. This means effectively juggling work, family, and personal needs. Over time I have learned that this is one of the areas that most people neglect most. Finding the right ways to deal with stress (which can be different for everyone) is one of the healthiest things that you do for yourself. And remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, it’s more difficult to take care of the people who depend on you. nMaintain dietary balance and decrease overall portion size: Eat a variety of healthful foods, avoid most processed foods, and choose organic whenever possible. I definitely still enjoy an occasional bowl of ice cream, dessert, or potato chips, but always aim for moderation. You’ll find that filling your body with healthful foods leaves little room for the not so healthy stuff! Overeating the wrong, or even the right, foods causes fluctuations in blood sugar and digestive irritation/overload. Unstable blood sugar can cause irregular moods, which leads to stress and inflammation in the body. Digestive irritation and inflammation causes stomach upset, muscles cramps, body aches, and back pain. nTake care of your structure: Get treated once a week by a chiropractor, stretch and exercise regularly, and see a massage therapist about once a month.nI’d like to leave you with this: If you have back pain, embrace the pain and figure out what your body is telling you. You may not like the message, but you can be sure that if you work on the emotional, chemical, and physical aspects of your health, it will be more than your back that feels better! nn© 2008 Dr. Tod Sinett and Dr. Sheldon SinettnnAuthor BionDr. Todd Sinett is the owner of the Midtown Chiropractic Health and Wellness practice in New York City (
www.midtownchiro.com), which provides chiropractic care and applied kinesiology, nutritional and supportive counseling, and physical and massage therapy to thousands of individuals, including noted sports figures and celebrities. The center hosts weekend wellness programs and corporate informational seminars and publishes a periodic online newsletter, Balance in the Body (
www.balanceinthebody.com). Sinett has appeared as clinical expert on many television programs including The View, FoxMD, and Good Day New York.nnFor more than forty years, Dr. Sheldon Sinett was a leading chiropractor and pioneer in combining chiropractic medicine with a variety of cutting-edge, holistic practices. nn