Boosting antioxidants could help BANISH low back pain
ACHING back pain is no match for THIS
It’s one of the MOST DIFFICULT types of pain to erase.
And it’s one of the LEADING causes of disability – especially among older folks.
I’m talking about low back pain…
And if you’ve experienced it yourself, friend… you know first-hand how DEBILITATING it can be.
What might start as a moderate ache can PROGRESS into a full-fledged attack… with STABBING pain that SHOOTS up your back and down your legs.
Your doc might suggest ways to NUMB the pain… LITERALLY with ice…
Or he might tell you to take a type of anti-inflammatory pain reliever known as an NSAID.
And it’s true, you might get some relief from those pills… although some folks should stay FAR away from them…
Especially if they’ve had ANY kind of stomach problems…
Because of the risk of gastric bleeding associated with those drugs.
So, where does that leave you?
Fortunately, not empty-handed.
Because there’s ANOTHER way to BANISH excess inflammation… and to HEAD OFF low back pain at the pass.
The key is BOOSTING your intake of antioxidants.
In a recent study out of China, folks who consumed the HIGHEST amounts of antioxidants were nearly 12% LESS LIKELY to suffer from low back pain, compared to those who consumed the LOWEST amounts of antioxidants.
The correlation was even STRONGER in women.
Compared to gals with the LOWEST antioxidant intake, those with the HIGHEST were nearly 20% less likely to fall victim to low back pain.
We know that antioxidants… and others… work by NEUTRALIZING oxidative stress, caused by reactive oxidation species (ROS).
And ROS could contribute to some culprits of low back pain, like vertebral disc degeneration… muscle weakness and wasting… and low blood flow.
Unfortunately, what we DON’T know is what exactly the participants ate during the study.
The researchers analyzed their food diaries and created a “composite dietary antioxidant index”… which basically provided a score as to how antioxidant-rich their diets were.
The study’s authors were particularly interested in vitamin A and carotenes… vitamins C and E… and trace minerals zinc and selenium…
But we’ve seen how being PROACTIVE with other antioxidants could also help.
Namely, vitamin D.
Research has shown how it not only helps ELIMINATE oxidative stress… but it also helps STRENGTHEN muscle!
Now, while I’m at it, I’ll throw another non-drug option out there for you, too: spinal manipulation therapy (SMT).
Specifically, a type of SMT called manual thrust manipulation (MTM) helps REDUCE both pain and disability… and can offer IMMEDIATE relief.
You can find out more about this “hands-on” approach… and maybe even try it out… at your chiropractor’s office.
For better health,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.
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