Stretches to Help Lower Back Pain
If you remember last week, I shared some tips on how to prevent lower back pain. These tips were inspired by me straining one of my lower back muscles while on holiday in Bulgaria. I stated last week that it was sorted out by a combination of massage, stretches and back exercises.
So this week I want to share the three simple stretches I used to ease my back.
1. Knees to Chest
For the first day this is the only stretch I did. You lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands behind your knees and gently bring your knees towards your chest. I held this stretch for about 2 minutes and did it 3 – 4 times a day.
2. Two – knee – twist
Lying on your back, bend your knees into your chest and bring your arms out at a T. As you exhale lower your knees to ground on the right. Keep both shoulders pressing down firmly. If the left shoulder lifts, lower your knees further away from the right arm. Hold for 1-2 minutes each side. Again I repeated this stretch 3 – 4 times a day.
3. Thread the Needle
Lying on your back, bend both knees with the feet flat on the ground. Bend the right knee like a figure four, with the outer left ankle to the right thigh. Lift the left foot into the air, bringing the left calf parallel to the ground. Thread your right hand between the opening of the legs and interlace your hands behind your left thigh. Hold 2-3 minutes and then repeat on the other side. Again I repeated this stretch 3 – 4 times a day.
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"Taken over time, nettle will strengthen your circulatory, immune, and endocrine systems to promote peak function. The stronger these systems, the better position our bodies are in to deal with whatever might come our way."
Cooked or dried, though, this pesky stinging problem goes away completely; good thing, too, because this free foraging food is highly nutritious, containing fiber, lecithin, chlorophyll, sodium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium and vitamins A and C, according to Mother Earth News. It's been used in birth rooms and battlefields to stop bleeding, both internally and externally, and is considered to purify blood, as well. As a tea:"It has been found to help cure mucus congestion, skin irritations, water retention and diarrhea … stimulate the digestive glands of the stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Applied externally, nettle tea … relieves rheumatism in both people and animals, makes a first-class gargle for mouth and throat infections, helps to clear up acne and eczema and promotes the healing of burns."
To complete the series I want to point out that brocalli is arguably one of the most nutirtious vegatables readily available in supermakets. Not only does it support normal cell function and division, it helps your body detoxify and reduces inflammation and damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Another vegatable that I would highly recommend is rocket. It has many of the same nutrients and healing compounds, including fiber, vitamins A, C (to boost the immune system) and K (for bone strength), folate, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese that are found in cabbage and brocalli. One study showed that rocket can be a powerful aid against gastrointestinal ulcers, psoriasis and skin, lung and mouth cancers. Many more vitamins and minerals help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. References Bon Appétit July 19, 2017 Health December 27, 2016 Mother Earth News March/April 1981Holistic holiday first aid kit – part 2
So I am off on holiday to Japan and thinking about what to pack apart from the obvious clothes, toothbrush etc. In part 1 I discussed my two go to solutions. So now I wanted to share some other ideas: Skin MOA, TheGreenBalm can be used to soothe dry itchy skin, calm minor rashes and burns. It contains both tea-tree oil which is a natural anti-bacterial agent and yarrow a herb well know for its skin-healing properties. Sunburn Fushi wild andiroba oil harvested from the tropical rainforests of south and central america has antibacterial and antiinflamatory properties in the oil. Which makes it great for sunburn, repelling bugs and to moisturize dry or damaged hair. A more readily available remedy is aloe vera. Travel Sickness Ginger has long been the go to natural remedy for any type of sickness including travel sickness. Pukka three ginger tea also contains galangal another plant often recommend for motion sickness as well as anti-inflamatory turneric and soothing licqorice root so it may be useful for calming an upset stomach as well as alleviating travel sickness. Bug Bites Zap Ease from Incongnito (www.lessmosquito.com) is a natural mosquito-repellent maker. I haven't tried the product but it is award winning. A few "clicks" of Zap-Ease around the area of a bit "has the effect of localising the posing and inhibiting the histimine release, which causes the itch and the urge to scratch". The device is harmless but not recommended for kids under 2 years old and people with pacemakers.
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Having looked at exercise (yoga) and breathing I now want to move on to look at nurtition. Studies of animals suggest that the amino acids L-lysine and L-arginine may influence neurotransmitters involved in stress and anxiety. In humans supplementing with the two together appears to reduce both state anxiety (temporary anxious feelings that arise when comfronted by a specific situation) and trait anxiety (a general tendancy to be anxious) in healthy men and women subjected to stressful situations. Taking L-lysine alone has also been shown to reduce chronic anxiety in people with low dietary intake of the amino acid. References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14676321 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14609314 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17510493
